Scripts and Scribbles
In today's world fraught with binary concepts of us versus them, good versus evil, this is my attempt to bring in shades of grey into the collective discourse.
Jambo (Hello) Afrika: Day 4 - Game Drive on the Way to Serengeti
The Ngorongpro Wildlife camp was a luxury unto itself. The large tent was on stilts and housed a living room, verandah (looked so colonial thar I had to call it a verandah and not a porch), a humongous bedroom with maharaja style beds with bet curtains, full length mirrors and a bathroom that would fit 3 modern ones. The service reminded of the old Indian pictures of kings going on a hunt. Last night's dinner buffet was served with our Indian heritage in mind and the fragrance of African spices mixed with aroma of Indian gravies were a delight to the pallette. It was a place to spend a couple of days - not a quick overnight stay! Giraffes roamed around the tents and a photo op we couldn't pass up on.
Jambo (Hello) Afrika: Day 2 Tarangire National Park
For a person who doesn't believe in breakfast. Heaps of fresh mangoes, bright red watermelon, deliciously pink papayas, tangy kiwis, pancakes that tasted like crepes and the whiff of savory freshly made omlettes and the aroma of strong coffee was a bit mucb even for this breakfast denier. So armed with full belly we boarded the waiting the land raisers and made our way to Tarangirey National Park.
Jambo (Hello) Afrika! Day 1 (Actually 0.5) - Arusha
As we landed at Kilimanjaro airport (Arusha) the crisp air laden with the smell of the wet earth, hints of petrol fumes and agarbati reminded me of Kolkata. With the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro presiding over the horizon, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. A 14 hour fkighys from DC to Ethiopia and then a couple of more hours on another flight had brought us to Arusha late in the afternoon. This was our rest stop before the safari.
Day 5: Adieu - No! Au Revoir!
Back in Valetta, the other shoe dropped! There is always that other shoe!
Day 4: Death, A Silent City and a Carriage Ride
After a quick breakfast of Maltese sausages, some full bodied Sopressata, mel-in-your-mouth Parma ham, sharp aged ouda, soft and fresh local cheese and croissants - we took a taxi to the Ggantija Temples - keep the taxi there and have it drop us off ay the Comino ferry. I had resigned myself to the idea of just seeing the Blue Lagoon covered in heavy jackets and marveling at the beauty from the decks of the boat.
Day 3.2: Cathedrals, Sea Nymphs, and Salt
The grandeur of nature in Gozo competes for attention with the rich purple and red velvets, the intricate limestone carvings and the colored marble pillars inside churches. An added attraction during Easter are the oarade statues on display - we chanced upon a prayer service with a little rosy cheeked alter boy giving our hymn books, this was a land of passion plays and grand Easter parades.
Day 3.1: The Island of the Odyssey
Gozo is the island of Homer's Odyssey- it is here the Odysseus had walked ashore after hus ship wreck and had stayed for seven years with the beautiful nymph Calyoso (imprisoned by her according to some!) - all the while telling her how much he loved his wife and why he couldn't marry her! And then everything was blamed on the poor Calypso and her spell. Men never change!
Day 2.2: The Ancient People
The first stop was the Tarxien Temples! (BtW - we couldn't get tickets to the Hypogeum as you have ro book in a month and a half in advance and no last minute tickets were available on the day even at 50 Europe's per person!)
Day 2.1: Valletta Vibes
You know what they say about best laid plans! Here I was with my excel in hand and plans chalked down to the min - including how much time we could spend on lunch! First - getting out at 9am didn't happen - jet lag is a thing I'd forgotten! Second - most Herotage attractions closed at 4-4:30 pm. Third, lunch is a leisurely affair and no on seems in a hurry to go anywhere! And as I would realize - my perfect planning would very soon go by the way of the dinosaurs - dead and very much extinct.
Day 1: The Maltese Connection
Me: "What? We dont have a charger? Why didn't you tell me - I would have ordered from Amazon. How will I do my work stuff?
In a New York Minute
New York City during the holidays is the stuff Archie's and Hallmark cards are made of. Blazing lights turning the night into day, huge chritmas trees overladen with shiny red and gold ornaments reaching for the skies with the Star of Bethlehem shining bright, giant inflatable Santas, snowmen, penguins and glittery red sleighs flapping in the wind, every doorway strung with lights and tinkling bells, glittering tinsel festooned on every shop window, the larger than life billboards with the dancing Rocketts, laughing happy voices that spoke a hundred languages surrounded by the sounds of "Rudolph" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" - it was New York celebrating its indomitable spirit - saying a New York kind hello to the world during the holidays.
Thankful!
Looking around the table, or rather the room (Indian Thanksgiving is rarely a sit-down-say-what-you-are-thankful-for kind of event) - it felt reassuring to see all the faces who where there in the years BC. It's become a habit. Every gathering I go to now, I automatically scan the room and mentally tally the losses of the past two years. THe missing faces, a grim reminder of a world at a standstill, silenced and paralyzed in place by fear - broken only by the sounds of ambulances ferrying the sick.
Siren's Call: The Argonot Gives In
I had promised myself not to talk to strangers, or eat anything, or touch anything. I mean with teeming people at Delhi who knew who was carrying what! I cleared customs around midnight and as I was walking towards the Holiday Inn inside the airport- I suddenly heard someone call me from behind. Startled I looked back - and there he was- in a milky white jacket with a hint or orange and green - deliciously attractive! An invisible magnetic pull drew me towards him and as I stared shamelessly- a voice behind the glass said: "The chicken tikka pudina white bread sandwich for you maam?"
Are We There Yet? Yellowstone Diaries: Day 6.5
This was our last afternoon in Yellowstone. I was adamant about going to Lamar Valley - I'd heard so much about the wildlife there, and even the remote chance of seeing a wolf or bear on the wild was a quite a draw. Being an inveterate urbanite, the wild outdoors held a certain utopian romanticism.
Are We There Yet? Yellowstone Diaries: Day 6 Morning
The last day is always one of those lost says - you are physically vacationing, but mentally you have checked out at sitting in front of the computer answering a gazillion emails. But having zero connectivity was a great thing - for once! From the northern entrance through Gardiner - you have to drive up to Manmoth Hot Springs - about a 15-20 min drive and then go to other places, it's a cute little village with a couple of gift shops, lip-snacking ice cream, a hotel, and the last place you get a cell phone signal. It is also the home of the famed travertine terraces of Mammoth.
Are We There Yet? Yellowstne Diaries: Day 5
After some vigorous debate fuelled by glasses of Beaujolais, Glen, Casa Amigo anejo and Disorono, where topics ranged from priviledged kids, our over indulgence, broken promises, the comparative scenary of Harper's Ferry versus the Yellowstone river, the water temperature, and the alternative options available we, we decided to cancel the white water rafting. An opportunity cost exercise in action, if ever I have seen one!
Are We There Yet? Yellowstone Diaries: Day 4
Having hiked Luke cazy the last day, these urban legs were screaming for mercy. My walking app was broken- couldn't have been inky 15000 steps - it was surely missing a zero. My muscles were begging for mercy! So the deal was that we would do something without too much walking About an hours drive from Gardiner around the Grand Loop would take us to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone where we could drive up to see the Lower and Upper Falls.
Are We There Yet? Yellowstone Diaries: Day 3.5
The day 3 afternoon hike through a part of the Upper Geyser basin surrounding Old Faithful was no less stunning. Hues of emeralds, coral, turquoise and ochres dotted the white rock surfaces. On two sides of the wooden boardwalk were numerous volcanic water holes and geysers of different shapes and hues. The anemone geyser, the cone, the twins - yhe waters rose up in smoke over the cobal surfaces surrounded by the saffron and gold rocks. All these colors - which I thought was a chemical reaction, was actually a result of living organisms- the heat loving thermophyles blanketing the rock surfaces. The gem like waters glistened in afternoon sand and the earth's crust bubbled and moved around these deceptively steaming cauldrons of hot water.
The day 3 afternoon hike through a part of the Upper Geyser basin surrounding Old Faithful was no less stunning. Hues of emeralds, coral, turquoise and ochres dotted the white rock surfaces. On two sides of the wooden boardwalk were numerous volcanic water holes and geysers of different shapes and hues. The anemone geyser, the cone, the twins - yhe waters rose up in smoke over the cobal surfaces surrounded by the saffron and gold rocks. All these colors - which I thought was a chemical reaction, was actually a result of living organisms- the heat loving thermophyles blanketing the rock surfaces. The gem like waters glistened in afternoon sand and the earth's crust bubbled and moved around these deceptively steaming cauldrons of hot water.