My Travels – TRAVELTRUNK.NET

December 24, 2024December 26, 2024

On Uzbekistan’s Silk Route- The Golden Road to Samarkand and Bukhara

Two unconnected sources planted the seed of the Silk Route in my mind. (Which then took forever to germinate!) One was a picture of perfectly moulded mountains providing a backdrop to a lake and the yellowest mustard fields I had ever seen (which was all probably Kazakhstan!). The second was a story on Facebook (if you please) by an intrepid traveller and writer par excellence- James Joyce, who painted such a vivid and exotic picture of blue monuments in Samarkand that it became my ‘have to see places’. Bukhara materialised by and by and along my favourite dal named after it but with probably no culinary connection, has my heart.

Bukhara- Of Bazaars and Beacons of Light

Done exploring Itchan Kala in the oasis that is Khiva we catch the train to Bukhara. After dozing in the afternoon heat thanks to the bogey’s defunct airconditioning I stand in the passageway as we chug past fields and canals and in the fading light of the evening, I spy a minaret and blue domes on the horizon. From the station we speed past non-descript blocks and the newer parts of Bukhara straight to our accommodation in old Bukhara. The hotel is off the road, behind a park and canal with the Nadir Divan Begi Madrassa enroute with the most brilliant phoenix like birds on it’s façade.

Rich as Imagination (Nadir Divan Begi Madrassa)

They are striking not only because of the vivid colouring but also since it is such a departure from the permitted geometric designs. (Islam does not permit depiction of living beings which is ironic since in India Mughal miniature art was all about people.)

This ancient trading town with many lives and masters is still alive and thriving with well-preserved traditional domed bazaars in plain brickwork. It was once one of the biggest markets for slave trading though when Ibn Battuta passed through, he found it a little more than a wreck. We walk the same alleys late in the evening, past the domed Toki Zargaron and Telpakfurushon with shops selling carpets, knives and spices and through lively paved streets to the Poyi Kalon complex.

The Kalon tower, the tallest minaret in central Asia when it was constructed in the 11^th century, is a beacon of light and in the quadrangle, is flanked by a namesake mosque and the only functional madrassa here- the Mir-i-Arab Madrassa, with giant blue domes on either sides of a towering façade in fabulous blue patterns.

Brickwork in the Spotlight (Kalon Tower)

The ensemble is all lit up in blue and pink and as garish as it sounds, it carries it off with panache. There is nothing better than to sit on the steps under lofty arches and soak in the atmosphere.

The next morning before breakfast we retrace our steps to the Poyi complex and beyond to the Ark or the citadel which is the oldest part of Bukhara. The ramparts rise high on the flat land curving a little like at Itchan Kala. We cross the road and sit on a bench at the hauz or pond in front of the Bolo Hauz mosque.

Pretty Peaceful Prayer hall (Bolo Hauz Mosque)

It is unlike any we have seen here. Slender wooden pillars uphold a wooden roof painted in warm colours and the light from the hauz paints patterns on it. Grandparents babysitting little ones feed the ducks.

Later we amble to the tiny Char Minor tucked into the bylanes of a residential area. With plain blue minarets it has no architectural beauty yet the miniature structure retains a certain charm thanks to its size. We wander through the labyrinthine lanes of residences with ancient ladas, relics of another time, parked in front, to the two madrassas, Ulug’bek and Abdulaziz Khan, facing each other. The madrassas have been repurposed as shopping arcades with curios, art and clothes. In the heat of the day the tourists take refuge in the shops.

We discover a hamam and I try to persuade the man to try it. He balks seeing the images displayed. Says it looks too contorting to give any joy or relief. Across is a pichokchi’s(master who creates knives) foundry with a furnace shaped like a fluted jug. He is busy sharpening one out.

A larger-than-life bronze statue of a legendry folk hero Khoja Nasreddin near Lyabi Hauz is beleaguered by mothers trying to cajole their kids to sit with him on his donkey. It supposedly portends luck, we are told by the man selling curios across the road at Kukaldosh madrassa. We end the evening again at the steps of a fairly deserted Miri Mosque and as the lights come on under an inky sky it is the perfect place to be.

On the Golden Road to Samarkand

The Sharq rushes past the expansive rolling countryside to put us in Samarkand as it is waking up the next day. After a sumptuous breakfast we walk to Registan Square which Google guide says is a two minute walk from our guesthouse. For a change it is accurate as we see the geometric patterned towers of Ulug Beg’s madrassa peep out from above the thick trees.

There is music in the air. But the initial excitement of finally seeing the most famous ensemble of the route turns to disappointment when we discover the reason for the festive air. There is going to be a mega music show to coincide with Uzbekistan’s national day at the Registan but unfortunately for security reasons and the practice session the Square is cordoned off. So near yet so far! We watch the dancers twirl around and flag bearers practice from behind the barricades before recalibrating our programme.

We head to Shah-i-Zinda, which by the time we reach is completely overrun by bus loads of tourist. But, once we climb up through a bland archway in a line stand Uzbekistan’s finest buildings. This necropolis is the final resting place of many a royal family member and court dignitary of yore. The tiled facades go from an indigo to midnight blue and every shade in between.

Discover colours in- Pangong Tso -The Gems in the Crown

With calligraphy, floral motifs and geometric patterns, still retaining all their glossy finish they are just beautiful! The interiors of most are a rich bottle green and the roofs have patterns in orange. A man sells paintings in one and at the end of a maze of rooms near the end we find an imam singing prayers once the handful of seats are full.

We walk to Bibi Khaynum’s mosque. Timur’s queen’s mosque has been resurrected from a ruin and inside the spacious quadrangle shaded by trees stands a massive marble quran. In the Siyob bazaar adjoining it where apart from the mounds of dry fruits, spices and candied sugar, the riot of colours comes in the shape of porcelain souvenirs.

All a Woman May Need (Siyob Bazaar and Bibi Khaynum’s Mosque)

In the evening we walk down to Gur-i-Amir, Timur’s mausoleum. The fluted turquoise dome is massive but that apart it is a modest structure.

Inside, the famed ruler has the company of his sons, Ulug Beg, his grandson and one of his revered teachers. The plundering Nadir Shah made off with Timur’s jade marker but returned it after a spate of bad luck followed along with it. The restored interiors are a rich blue and the gilded gold cupola with lighting on point makes it glow.

We get lucky the next day in the afternoon since the barricades are opened for visitors at the Registan Square in between the practices. All the minarets seem to be leaning just a little at different angles.

The Tilya Kori Madrassa in the centre has a photoshoot going on in the inner quadrangle with a bride making a pretty picture in white but once inside our jaws drop taking in the rich interiors which seem to be as opulent as Timur’s mausoleum!

Restoration work par excellence (Tilya Kori Madrassa)

The Sherdor Madrassa is true to its name with unmistakable bright orange shers or tigers on the dwar (door) high up on the arched façade.

Inside the small quadrangle of Ulug Beg Madrassa with its carpet sellers in an alcove and other trinket shops we find a blink and miss coffee shop on the first floor. A perfect perch to view the calligrapher at work below while sipping an iced coffee.

The madrassa named after the famous astronomer king has a sundial below. The wheels of time never still and this ancient city, now a bustling metropolis, carries the old along with the new, in perfect step and harmony, much like the performers at Registan.

Fact File-

Getting there–

There are Sharq(regular) and Afrosiyob (bullet train) trains connecting the two cities to Tashkent.

Use the Yandex app for taxis. Very reasonable and convenient.

Sightseeing–

Bukhara- The Kalon Mosque has an entry ticket.

Samarkand- All the monuments require tickets. The Registan Square ticket is valid for the entire day.

For more details read- Ultimate Uzbekistan in 8 Days

November 29, 2024November 30, 2024

On Uzbekistan’s Silk Route- Tashkent and Khiva

The Silk Route star is supposed to be Samarkand. Famous also for being the seat of Timur’s empire and his final resting place. In my mind’s geography (Thank god it is not a referral map at all!) it was, along with Bukhara, east of the Tian Shan mountains. When we started planning a trip to the cities of the fabled route the geography shifted quite a bit west to Uzbekistan and Khiva, a UNESCO World Heritage site, popped up on the route. (So clueless!) Uzbekistan, the land of Timur, Babur, mosques, madrassas, minarets, markets and as we discovered, oh my goodness sweet melons!!

Land of blue minarets and mosques (Khazrati Imam Complex)

Touchdown at Tashkent

We land at Tashkent on a late night flight and the beginning is tumultuous. After getting the SIM card, soms, and finding a taxi big enough to cart our mounds of luggage at the airport, we reach our hotel only by 2am to discover they have cancelled our booking and not bothered to inform us. Something lost in translation. Fortunately, we are accommodated quickly in a nearby hotel.

Next morning we book a cab for the Khazrati Imam Complex. It is a pleasant surprise to see a young woman behind the wheels with her baby strapped into the co-driver’s seat. The boulevards are wide and leafy with just a few high rises. Most of old Tashkent came crumbling down in an earthquake in 1966 and was rebuilt as a modern Soviet city and remains the most populous city of the Central Asian Republics.

We reach the vast quadrangle of the complex or ensemble as they are called here. The small Muyi Muborak Madrassa, ’school of the sacred hair’ with it’s blue candy-cane dome, is in the middle. Inside, we do not find any sacred hair but the piece de resistance is the Uthman Quran. Written on parchment, this tome, one of the oldest Qurans, is probably the only one left of the six commissioned a few decades after the death of the Prophet. Timur brought it from Damascus. In the small rooms on the sides of this now library are housed a stunning collection of more Qurans. The calligraphy of some is lyrical art but all Arabic to me!

Discover art in- Part Two- What Not to Miss on a Weekend Vacation in Shekhawati

Barak Khan Madrassa at the back has been appropriated with shops selling art and artefacts in the small rooms that must have housed students many centuries back. (The fate of madrassas all over the country). The inner quadrangle makes a pretty picture with a tapchan under a mulberry tree.

The new Khazrati Imam mosque at the other end is a functional one and women enter from a side but once inside we wander all over the gorgeously carpeted bright expansive hall with vaulted ceilings painted in geometric patterns. The courtyard has carved wooden pillars like those found only in Khiva.

Read- A Tale of Two Veiled Valleys: Part I- Shangarh’s Meadows are meant for Musing

The next stop is Chorsu bazaar with it’s iconic dome. At the entrance nans are being sold from cycle carts. Inside, on the ground floor there are sections dedicated to dairy and fresh meats and on the first floor, mounds of dry fruits. (After bargaining you know you have hit the price when the shopkeeper dramatically says you are killing him!)

Around the building are counters of fresh greens and fruits so fabulous and colourful! The apricots are divinely juicy sweet and we drink fresh berry compote, pressed right there. Behind them are stalls of cheap souvenirs and tiny eateries with enticing aromas of live grills. Across the main entrance are lines of shops selling bakery items and small wood work, including bread stamps. After a hearty lunch of piping hot, tandoor fresh somsas and shashliks, we head back since we have an overnight train to Khiva.

Explore- Kashmir with a Cup of Kahwa

Khiva is a Khwabgah

In the morning the train chugs past massive scrubby dunes till we cross the legendry Amu Darya. The landscape changes dramatically from one bank to the next with fields and orchard on the other side. Beyond Khiva railway station’s manicured garden are new hotels neatly laid out. We drive into the small oasis town whose history goes back to biblical times. Legend goes that Noah’s son, Shem found water here (Ironic that the father barely survived a flood). Our hotel is a small old madrassa with a courtyard and a covered platform with the signature carved column. The rooms have tall arched niches and a billowing false ceiling of cloth. It gives a very Arabian Nights vibe.

Read- 7 Cultural Must Do’s of Bali

After freshening up we walk to Itchan Kala. The curving cream ramparts look new. Standing inside in the shade of the incomplete yet massive blue Kalta Minor we realise that although the citadel is small, we will not be able make sense of the labyrinthine lanes and see everything, so after lunch we take a guide. As we walk to the West Gate, retracing our steps, a marriage party makes its way for a photoshoot and over the next few days, at many monuments we see it is a done thing in Uzbekistan. (In Delhi’s Sunder Nursery also!)

Happily everafter but first a photoshoot.

Thanks to Madiyar, our guide, we wander inside the Mohammad Amin Madrassa which is now a hotel. According to him the prison outside Khuna Ark has just one cell since justice was swift… and often brutal. (No point in wasting the exchequers money on feeding the incarcerated.) Small museums in different monuments depict different aspects of life here. The most stunning and distinct architectural feature in Khiva are the ornate wooden pillars made from elm trees in all the inner courtyards.

Read- Part One – A Day Meandering in Mandawa

The Jama Masjid is a visual feast with rows of intricately carved ones, some worn out but no two alike! Toshhovli palace, the king’s residence has an apartment each for his four wives with a distinctly designed pillar in front. One, intriguingly has a prominent swastika. Khiva was part of the Khorezm empire and its Zoroastrian roots are still visible in small distinct iconography. Timur and his ancestor Genghis Khan, who annexed Khiva with all his murderous mayhem, are no heroes in these parts as they are in the rest of Uzbekistan. After all the walking around on a warm afternoon we need a breather and in true Uzbeki style we sit in a tapchan outside a café and drink tea. Black or green, tea is an accompaniment to all Uzbekistan meals. There is something surreal about sitting in such an ancient place which is still so alive.

From a rooftop restaurant in the citadel we watch the spotless sky go from a mellow yellow to a dreamy pink and then finally an inky blue. A supermoon makes an appearance from behind the ramparts and it is magical with the monuments all lit up. Music wafts in from somewhere, a tandoor in the square below gets fired up to bake naans for the next day, a boisterous birthday party is on on another roof…

Next morning before a beautifully laid out hearty breakfast we make a dash to Itchan Kala to get a bird’s eye view from the ramparts (whether it is worth the additional payment is debatable) and walk till the slender Islam Khoja minaret with bands of green and blue tilework, through alleys yet to wake up, crossing traditional houses neatly numbered with pretty green tiles.

Khiva is an extraordinary example of living heritage where history has not been consigned to museums. Even in Tashkent, on our way out when we take a ride in the metro, getting off at random stations to admire how artfully they have been done up, one line has modern coaches and the other vintage ones. Quintessentially Uzbeki where the past and present run parallel everyday.

Next stop Bukhara and Samarkand.

Fact File

Getting there–

There is an overnight train from Tashkent to Khiva.

The nearest airport for Khiva is Urgrench.

Note-

There is an entry fee for Itchan Kala. A separate ticket has to be bought for the ramparts.

Teressa is a popular restaurant with a great location. It is best to book a table in advance.

October 31, 2024November 2, 2024

2 Days in Kazakhstan- Exploring Splendid Almaty, the Steppes and Sunken Mountains

‘Thank you Mithun Chakroborty!’, exclaimed the daughter, holding her giant chocolate piece up as trophy outside a clothing store in a mall in Almaty. A manna from heaven after two hours of trying to hunt for a measly jacket in mild desperation in the wrong place. (There were only shops selling very expensive knock offs of obscure, for me, Italian designers!) The owner of this last one where we had walked in was a Mithun fan who could not seem to believe his luck that people from the land of the ‘Disco Dancer’ had come to his store, perhaps for the first time and so had promptly offered a chocolate to the daughter who till this trip had no idea of ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ Chakroborty.

Kazakhstan was added to the holiday itinerary as an appendage I felt, with just two days in Almaty and half a day in Shymkent while crossing over from Uzbekistan. But even though it was no more than ‘dipping the toes’, we got a glimpse of a land that was exactly as one had imagined it to be- wild and vast!

Horsepower

While driving from the border to Shymkent the scenery unfolds a golden, sometimes green, gentle slope at a time. We speed in a vintage Soviet era red Mercedes with the windows down at 140km per hour (It is a wonder my scalp didn’t fly off!) When I ask how do I get the windows up, the driver takes out a rotating handle from the glove compartment with great enthusiasm…

Shymkent is a leafy well laid out city and we have a few hours to spare. The sprawling War Memorial Park is where we head to. Besides a MIG that looks poised to take off and other war machinery, there are endless rows of names of soldiers who died in World War II on a low wall. Later, we catch a very nice train and rock and wind our way through the night to reach Almaty spread on the lower slopes of snow-capped mountains early in the morning.

Discover a forgotten memorial in- Discovering Digboi’s 3 Must-Dos

Buttery Cathedrals and Cheesecakes

Since our Airbnb is not going to be available till couple of hours later, we leave our luggage at the station. After fortifying ourselves with coffee and snacks from a convenience store nearby, we drive to Panfilov Park. It is like a forest in the middle of the city and we walk down a wide path, crossing well-dressed old women with their tiny pooches, young mothers pushing prams and the odd jogger, in the backdrop we can hear church bells peeling. In a large sunny square stands the buttercup yellow Zenkov cathedral.

Also read- 3 Churches in Mhow: Discovering Obscure History and Outstanding Carols

The mirrored crucifixes on top of the wooden church catch the morning rays brilliantly. It sounds and looks like something from a fairytale. Inside this Russian orthodox church Sunday Mass is on and we join in for a bit. The singing is haunting and uplifting at the same time. Later we have the most delicious, melt in the mouth cheesecake, probably home baked, from a stall outside.

War and Glory

A short path leads to the Memorial of Glory, the war memorial. It is a dramatic brutalist composition of men charging. They seem to burst out of the very stone they are hewn from. An eternal flame burns nearby in memory of World War II heroes. Out next stop is the Central Mosque. It’s dome is shiny new, having being built in 1999 in a post-Soviet era revival of religious roots, but after the opulent ones in Uzbekistan it seems a rather drab affair.

Also read- Chushul & Chumathang – Hello Indus and Iridescent Colours!

Fresh Greens

Next up is the Green Market which is the go-to place for all kind of shopping. Apart from colourful fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, there are mounds of dry fruits and a whole section dedicated to dairy products including produce from mare’s milk. The caviar looks tempting and surprisingly, thanks to a large Korean population resettled here by the Russians in the 1930s, there is an entire row of women doling out Korean food. It is a feast!

Fantastic food was also at- 4 Different Experiences at 4 Bali Beaches

Art Everywhere

We miss a cable car ride up to Kok Tobe Hill in our wild goose chase for a jacket early in the evening. (Had been told about great and reasonable winterwear available here so in all ‘wiseness’ did not carry one for the daughter!) The rest of the evening is spent at the lively pedestrian Zhebik Zholy Street with its musicians and art stalls on the pavement, and eateries crowded with youngsters and families on the sides. We take the metro to return to our apartment. The chandeliered stations are like nuclear bunkers deep down in the bowls, with vertigo inducing escalators.

Of Steppes, Steep Canyons and Sunken Mountains

Next morning is an early start to a long day in the countryside in a guided trip. We head down the slopes of Almaty and speed through an expansive countryside. There are fields of maize with snow-capped mountains as backdrop on one hand and on the other, the fields roll till a bare horizon.

We cross small cemeteries with miniature monuments, villages with mounds of pumpkins till we start winding up a gentle multi-hued slope. Then the road unrolls through flat land that is heating up to create mirages. The hills in the distance look suspended in the air. We cross golden eagles sitting on the ground. One can just imagine horses in full gallop here…

Read about camels on the move in- At the Darwaza of a Road Less Travelled

Soon the land start to break up and we reach Charyn Canyon. Drained by a namesake river that originates from the Tian Shan mountains, it has over millions of years eroded the red sandstone earth to create this canyon. We explore only a small portion, descending down a gentle gully and scrambling up a narrow shortcut. A scampering gerbil is the only wildlife we spot. A Korean with us plans to camp the night here and will rejoin the next day’s tour. The narrower Black Canyon cleaved by the same river upstream is our next stop. (No prizes for guessing the colour of the stone there!) We miss seeing the rare Sogdian Ash trees that are only found here.

Read a river’s tale in- Along the Lohit on the Long Road to Walong

In the distance mountains rim the flat land and we cross small herds of horses and solitary ones peacefully grazing, and bales of hay being collected around small villages. We reach Saty village in a valley where we leave our comfortable minibus and get into a matador that does not look like it has seen better days but serves the purpose as we canter up a dirt road going into the mountains and rock and roll through streams lined with seabuckthorn. The last couple of kilometres are an option of a horse ride, a hike or a quick jeep ride up to Kaindy lake.

With white needle-like dead spruce trees piercing the lake’s aqua surface, it makes a pretty picture in a bowl of steep mountains covered with conifer trees. The lake owes its existence to a landslide in 1911. We hike back to the matador van on a path meant for the horses. Back at Saty village lunch is a feast at a local’s house. Its not just the quantity but the layout of the spread that is special as well. Conversation veers to Hindi movies as the guide is a Bollywood fan and vividly remembers Khoon Bhari Maang as one of her favourites. We are asked for the English translation of the title…haha..

Also read- Tarsar Marsar : Memoirs of an Escapade

Post lunch we head to the bigger and more touristy Kalsai Lake in the mountains surrounded by thick conifer forest, crossing small yurt settlements. The first and only one accessible by road of a trio of lakes at increasing elevation and of decreasing sizes. The cobalt blue lake stretches into the mountains and the jackets finally come handy!

Geography lessons from another life had described the endless miles of mildly undulating landscape of the steppes and history had told us about the Mongol hordes sweeping across it to murder and create mayhem. It was exactly all of that and more! Okay no, hordes but loads of horses!

Fact File

Getting there-

There are direct flights from Delhi to Almaty.

Staying –

We stayed at a very smart little airbnb in a neighbourhood of Soviet type blocks to get a local feel.

Getting Around-

Yandex app for taxis works out to be very reasonable.

The overnight train from Shymkent to Almaty has very nice coupes and a dining car.

We booked a day trip to the canyons and lakes with Kazakhstan Guided Tours.

September 30, 2024October 1, 2024

Ultimate Uzbekistan in 8 Days

I wish I had the luxury of slow travel! To spend days in a place.. I’m sure most of us yearn for that but till the horses grow wings, I know I am going to be spending just a few days in a place and I need to stretch those days. Not cram them with mindless visits to every place mentioned but, in my own way, savour the essence as much as I can of each place I do visit. Like the two evenings in Bukhara were spent at the Po-i complex, sitting on the steps of the mosque, taking in the lit monuments while the place was overrun with tourists and locals. It was noisy and vibrant and the next evening it was almost deserted and great for photography while being peaceful and contemplative.

Uzbekistan is a must visit for history buffs being at the heart of the fabled Silk Route. It has stunning monuments painstakingly restored (probably better than what they might have been originally!) For foodies there is the cuisine so familiar yet so distinct. The cultural links run deep (Babur came from there with his tarbooz!) and they love us there! (so happy to meet Indians) An eight day trip is a minimum. So here is an itinerary to help you organize it.

Gurez and Kheer Bhiwani- A Visit to An-Other world

Come, have tea. The pretty girl says, hanging out of the window of her wooden house. The invites are pouring in on this lovely sunny day. I ruefully decline. I’m not alone and we are running awfully late as it is.( the time plan goes further awry when I found the aunt had accepted someone else’s.) But I ask if I can take her picture. In the by lanes of this tiny village, the mousse brown house makes a perfect frame for her in her sparkling white hijab. Wandering back through the labyrinth of lanes we cross a mosque and exchange greetings with a matriarch sitting outside her house and a wizened old man reading. The driver has a bemused look when we can’t find half my clan. He points to a house in an alley. The girl who was chatting with the aunt on the road has taken the rest home. They are sitting on a carpeted floor with the man of the house, a ‘doctor sahib’, his wife, daughter in law and the extended family. He shows videos of him trudging through snow bound mountains to give vaccination shots to babies. Kashmiris have no furniture in their house, I was told. Well, if I had wall to wall carpeting like that, neither would I. The last few hours in Gurez Valley are tinged with an old-world charm and simplicity, that can be found, I suppose, in the backlanes of villages time has little time for.

Soon we reluctantly retrace our path back to Razdan pass where we had come from the day before, with a last view of this picturesque valley at the curve of the towering craggy range and the lake formed by the dammed Kishanganga river.

On the Road through Iris Pass

We crossed Bandipore town to climb into the forested mountain, leaving luminescent step-fields and scattered hamlets by the side. The first stop is for a picnic breakfast by the road under the low branches of a dark deodar. After making a tiny dent in the food packed for an entire army by the sister, and chasing elusive birds twittering all around, we are back on the road. Soon the last of the trees give way to the bare crest of the range.

A passing drizzle makes us skip halting at the Pir Baba’s shrine. Razdan Pass, the gateway to Gurez, lies buried under snow for months but summer makes it melt to make way for grazing sheep and, as we stop to discover, fields of wild iris shaking in the icy winds that blow the clouds across. I spot white iris for the first time. Then the path descends past birch trees growing at crazy angles. Lower down, frozen streams fill the folds in the mountains and a few tents mark the dwellings of the Gujjars. The valley narrows till we cross the dam on the Kishanganga river that gets renamed as soon as it crosses the border.

Another river story Along the Lohit on the Long Road to Walong

The Vale of Vistas

A boomerang shaped reservoir cradled in the nook of a steep mountain range, lush green with craggy tops, has come up because of the dam. Gurez valley stretches between the ranges in a perfect U till the famous ‘Habba Khatoon’. It stands seemingly alone at the end, surrounded only by lore of the tragic poetess-queen who lent her name to this perfectly conical rugged mountain.

She wandered in the valley and up the mountains when her husband, Yousuf Shah Chak, the ruler of Kashmir was taken by Akbar to Bihar, never to return. In between lie small hamlets surrounded by fields and the overgrown village of Dawar, by the side of a rushing river. The mountain side is covered in patches of thick forest topped with rocky peaks with massive overhangs providing a perfect habitat for bears and other animals.

Read about Discovering Dibang Valley, the Last Frontier

Relearn the Art of Rambling

The plan at Gurez is to not have any plan. Just be!… And ramble…..Take off in any direction… up the hillsides, into the bylanes of Dawar. We reach late in the afternoon after an easy journey of about six hours. The weather has packed up so our afternoon walk plan gets shelved. In the mountains, man proposes and weather god disposes! So, we take a drive up to a Kandiyal Top to see the sunset. It is on an outcrop with a ringside view of the days last rays coming through a perfect V in the mountains and light up the lake or like today, let the clouds stream in. Then we ramble down the road savouring the beauty around. The weather is perfect for a cup of coffee at the tiny wooden café in the middle of town. The bakarwal dogs outside charmingly beg to be fed. The play of light and colours flit on Habba Khatoon’s stony face. Nothing like heartbreak or sublime surrounding to turn one into a poet like the queen. (No chance here!)

Next morning after a short drive on the road to Tulail we cross the river towards the spring at the base of Habba Khatoon. The weekend crowd is more of a dampener than the cold water and we turn back to the village enroute. Ditching the vehicles we walk along the steep mountainside dotted with walnut trees and wild daises growing near a village of old wooden houses. The people in this valley are Dards with their own language. A memorable morning of socializing ensues.

The Legend of Kheer Bhawani

With an evening to spare after a pilgrimage to Amarnath is done and dusted (and literally how!) we close the trip to the valley with a visit to Kheer Bhawani. Winding through fields of green paddy braided with tiny streams shaded by weeping willows we made our way to the temple of the goddess. This area was more of a marshland once. Streams that web their way around still have slim shikaras moored here and there.

A woman rows one, laden with provisions, in a stream that disappears into the backyard of houses. The route ends in the middle of Tulmulla village square after crossing a bridge. A massive red gate and wall surround the complex of the goddess. Inside small shrines dot the central area, and in the middle, surrounded by towering white bark chinars, lies the colour changing sacred spring from which the statue of Sheer Bhiwani and a shivling, their origins lost in antiquity, were discovered at some point in time. Now, in the middle of the spring a tiny ‘temple’ houses the goddess where she has the place of prominence. Through the water changing colour she portends the luck of the inhabitants of the valley. When we enter it is icy blue and then milky white. During the 1947 and Kargil war it turned black and during the recent pandemic red.

I made quite a pest of myself with the sister organizing the trip. Haranguing on about going to Gurez. A tiny valley still untouched by mass tourism and crass commercialization. To do what? Relearn the art of rambling! What followed was a trip to an other world of charm and tales.

Fact File

Distance

Srinagar to Dawar- Approx 137 km.

Srinagar to Kheer Bhawani- Approx 22km.

Best Time to Visit

Gurez Valley- May to October. It still remains cut off in winter.

July 31, 2024August 2, 2024

Kashmir with a Cup of Kahwa

Off beat places are dead. Long live offbeat. There is no place where someone has not already travelled to, written about and in this Insta driven world, posted pics of and gushed about. But what can still be exceptional are the experiences to be had amidst the crowd. Remember, kahwa is not everyone’s cup of tea!

On a recent trip to Kashmir Valley, the clichés were clinching. It is the proverbial garden of Eden complete with its own orchards (literally), not just a tree, of enticing apples! A land blessedly bountiful…from snow fed waters, to magnificent mountains, fruiting trees growing wild, handsome houses and their beautiful inhabitants. But the valley was drowning under a deluge of humanity (I was a drop too) trying to beat the heat and the only things melting faster than the people, was the snow on the mountains. So how does one immerse oneself in paradise when it is overrun by people? You have to own your own experience, to make memorable moments. Do a ‘In Kashmir do what the Kashmiris do’… and then some!

Go the Distance in Gulmarg

I did not want to go to Gulmarg. Been there, done something (it was decades back, so not like I remember any of it.) But mostly because everyone has the same idea. Sure, the rivers of amethyst-shaded lupins in full bloom, running down the folds of the gently undulating meadows with the picture-perfect little St Mary’s church on a mound in the centre, are a visual delight. Not to mention the wild carpet of daisies that grow under the towering conifers everywhere.

Read about other churches in- 3 Churches in Mhow: Discovering Obscure History and Outstanding Carols

But leave the hordes and drive beyond Gulmarg on the Bota Pathri Road and in between the thickly forested patches, shading shallow streams running around moss covered rocks, are the settlements of the Bakarwals. The flat roofed ‘kothas’ are gaily painted in stripes of bright colours and look as cheerful as their inhabitants.

These are the summer homes of this dying breed of nomads, who migrate to lower pastures lock, stock and barrel when these regions get buried under snow. As soon as we halt, we are surrounded by a group of chatty teenage boys while couple of younger girls hang back, more reticent. The boys are now enrolled in school somewhere. A woman snoozes on a bench and an old man watches us curiously from afar. Someone has opened a chai shop at his place and put up a fence. Soon the roots will grow more permanent and this nomadic lifestyle will be a lost story.

Walk through this life in- Tarsar Marsar : Memoirs of an Escapade

Ditch Dal Lake, Waltz ahead to Wular or to Manasbal Lake

The saving grace of the shikara ride at Dal Lake were the shikarawalas. Witty and charming, they kept us entertained but took us only that far into Dal whose waters seem to extend across most the valley floor. But what we traversed was just a tiny inlet lined with houseboats and swarming with shikaras. I tried dipping my fingers in the cool waters and was hesitatingly told it was best avoided. (No sewage filtration!)

Discover a lake like no other in- Pangong Tso – The Gems in the Crown

For a more peaceful experience head to Manasbal lake, cradled by bare mountains, with it’s lotus lined waterfront and get a glimpse of vintage village life from a boat. Here narrow alleys lead from the waterfront to houses huddled around mosques with multi-tiered roofs. In the park adjoining the lake, families spend an evening out in the lawns, eating giant baturas from the stalls lining the road outside. An ancient temple lies submerged in a lined pond close to the lake with only the top of its shikhar above the water. Head further to Wular lake, more expansive than the Dal and a Ramsar site. Watch, from the Vantage garden, geese line themselves up perfectly in a row in the water or see shikaras laden with mounds of lotus stems for that yummy nadru being rowed back from the waters fed by the Jhelum river.

The Best Kept Secret are the Bakeries

Heaven must smell like a bakery! One of my most abiding memory from an earlier trip to Srinagar was the smell emanating from a line of bakeries. Warm, rich and utterly enticing…The coconut macaroons (haha yes!) were the best I’ve ever eaten! Coconutty crisp sweetness!! The countryside in Kashmir might be luminescent with fields of paddy but on the plate, there are local breads and savouries of all sorts from the local bakeries or Kandurs as they are locally called.

From a crumbly sheermal, with that sweetened chai to a soft doughy katlam that would go down well with coffee (in my mind), ditch the packaged produce and walk into a local bakery and ask the baker what he’d recommend. You’ll probably be offered some to try out, if you butter him up well!

Savour- Satiating Nostalgia Under the Winter Rain at Junia

Place for a Picnic

In Kashmir, you don’t need to look for a place to picnic. A picture perfect patch lies at every curve and corner. Be it on a slope beneath dark deodars, in an orchard of ripening apples (better ask for permission here), under a shady walnut tree growing wild or beside a river running riot or high up on a grassy wind kissed mountain pass, take a mat or like the Kashmiris do-a carpet (they have enough to spare!) We crossed families doing a cookout or with a giant samovar for rounds of tea, enjoying their day in the sun. Outdoor is the place to be in the Valley but remember to leave no plastic behind.

Read- A Tale of Two Veiled Valleys: Part I- Shangarh’s Meadows are meant for Musing

Kashmir is a place to commune with nature. It is a sensory feast, a visual wazwan… and That is the exceptional experience to be had in whichever manner in the Valley. Even in the midst of the maddening crowd there are spaces for silence and solitude to be savoured with that cup of Kahwa. Discover yours!

February 21, 2024February 24, 2024

Discovering Dibang Valley, the Last Frontier

Loud woops suddenly rend the air as we climb towards Mayodia pass. As I jump from the vehicle with the camera the driver, as excited as me, says ‘van manush’, literally tree man or ape. A Hoolock gibbon! Through the thick greenery I spy a black shape swing adeptly on the vines draped across the trees. The call is returned from above the road. In the end though, all I get is a blurry shot of a black face and the unmistakable white brows! (soon enough there was an opportunity to be within touching distance of one…another story for another time) We are off to a good start into the folds of Arunachal again.

Read-Along the Lohit on the Long Road to Walong

Gateway to Heaven

Anini, deep inside the Dibang Valley, home to the Idu Mishmis, has been on the itinerary for months but the year and the season are coming to a close when we cross the Dhola Sadiya bridge over bleached sandbanks of a drying Lohit. Past mustard fields a mellow yellow green and silver tinged bullrushes.

In Roing, the Christmas stars are off the shop shelves and on the neat houses lining the road. We climb an invisible road to Mayodia pass, the go-to-place in winter for snow for the Assamese around. It is well camouflaged by the thick foliage as it snakes up the mountain. On one hand of the pass the Lohit, Dibang and Siang merge in the hazy horizon to form the mighty Brahmaputra and on the other extend snow capped ranges and deep valleys like crumpled paper till Andra La on the northern border with Tibet and somewhere in Upper Dibang lies the lost Pemako, the ‘promised land’ of the Tibetans. Into this remote fecund land we descend after a perfunctory stop to take in the clouds flowing down like water over densely forested ranges.

The village of Hunli is visible at the bottom on a shoulder seemingly in a face-off with drawing book mountain rising from the depths with its arms outstretched, every inch covered in thick forest. At Hunli we nearly take off towards Hayuliang on a shiny new road since there is almost no signage pointing towards Anini. It is a long drive into the crumpled ranges along the Dibang. By the time we reach Anini, Orion the Hunter is rising and has one boot on a peak and his belt looks like a three star tower. So close to the clear heavens!

Tall Mountains and Towering Falls

Anini sits on a plateau at the confluence of two rivers draining two valleys. Dri, the picturesque Angrim valley and Mathun, a narrower namesake. It is a small town and a district headquarter. After a night in near freezing temperature, it is an early start into the Angrim Valley under a slightly dour sky. A sparkling Dri keeps company, mostly skipping and rushing over boulders, at places resting calmly in crystal-clear emerald pools cradling sunken logs and fish.

Another river tale is- Barot And the Serendipitous Catch in the Uhl River

The valley rises gently and after Acheso village it widens into a rolling meadow of copper ferns. One can only imagine the greenscape it would be post monsoon. Soon we are deep inside the Dibang Wildlife sanctuary. Waterfalls dot the mountains as the valley narrows and we reach the Insta famous Chigu resort on a massive sandbar. A healthy respect for rivers in the mountains and the need to keep them at a distance is so ingrained that being on a river bed is a little disconcerting. After the customary photographs (it is quite a picture with the wooden and red roofed alpine huts on wooden platforms with the towering Chigu Falls and snow peaks as backdrop) we head for the Mawu Aando Falls.

The short walk to it is a teaser of what hiking in these parts would be like. Walking on fallen mossy logs, climbing root steps takes us to a waterfall where the mountain looks like it has been chiselled precisely and at perfect angles by a machine. A thoughtfully made wooden platform and a low bench faces the water flying of the rockface. A place to meditate! Back on the road the drive ends abruptly a little beyond Brueni. There is only a wild forest of towering pines and boulders but soon it will give way to man and his machines.

Dream Ride along the Dre

Our plan is to cycle back from Brueni to the Dree-Afra campsite. I test out the brakes (the only things that matter!) before we roll down. Off we go in the bracing cold which makes my eyes water. It is an exhilarating dream run on an excellent yet nearly deserted road. Down a narrow valley enclosed by snow-capped, thickly forested steep ranges.

Ride through- Cycling in Dehradun – The Best Routes for Leisure Rides

The thirty five odd kilometers end much too soon. I try to take in the fleeting scenery but one needs to keep an eye (watering and wandering!) on the road. A Mithun moves ruminatingly on a golden slope as we turn for the resort with it’s white beach for a late lunch. Still waters mirror the mountains and clouds. Redstarts quiver around on the boulders. With the light fading the cold returns with vengeance.

Holy Night

Back in Anini, from the heights above it, in the descending dusk, we watch a falcon hunt it’s supper before a silver full moon rising above the pink snow peaks leaves us starstruck. Being Christmas eve, we are treated to carol singing by a group of locals who with their innate musical talent and joyful fervour have us singing along soon enough albeit with a limited repertoire. Silent Night is the only suggestion I can give when asked! But what we lack in substance we make up in enthusiasm.

For more carol stories read- 3 Churches in Mhow: Discovering Obscure History and Outstanding Carols

Women of the Valley

Next day while heading to Matu Fall we cross a small village of barely a dozen houses. Orange trees laden with the tiny, deliciously sweet and juicy fruit and drying vines of Kiwi plantations dot the area. The houses are a colourful lot on low stilts. We walk past a kitchen garden which looks like a miniature edible jungle, wild and organic. The path ends at a house with an open gate.

A woman is chopping a banana trunk. Breakfast for the pigs we are told by the grandson of the owners. The lady of the house is supervising and given the language barrier the grandson who studies in Anini and speaks fluent hindi translates. Her weathered smiling face begs to be photographed but she isn’t dressed up, translates the grandson. (haha..I understand!)Mithun horns line the ledge of a small traditional structure outside another house. Ahead in a steep field an old lady painstakingly clears the shrubbery. A smile is a language that needs no interpretation.

Also read- At the Darwaza of a Road Less Travelled

At Matu Falls a mini dam and a resort is being constructed and beyond, a new road is being cleaved from the mountain. It is a graveyard of massive massacred trees, hacked and strewn. Somewhere up in the higher reaches is the famous Seven Lake trek of Arunachal. Glacial beauties right now only accessible to the few tough and brave enough to venture into this last frontier. Somewhere I hope it stays a ‘Pemako’, famed but lost to man.

Fact File-

Getting There-Dibrugarh(376 km) is the nearest airhead. Tinsukia(326km) the nearest railhead. Then a taxi.

Staying– Dree Afra Campsite offers tents. There are a few simple homestays and hotels in Anini. The Chigu Camp is not operational.

Best Season- October to April.

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023

4 Different Experiences at 4 Bali Beaches

‘Do you want magic mushrooms?’, the taxi driver asks the man on the first day. Taken aback, he takes time to say no. In the back the child and I are rolling with laughter. Does he look like he has them or does he look like he needs to have them? Bali is a destination to unwind but we intend to get our highs diving into Bali’s waters and beaches.

But, researching for a holiday can either be as exciting as the trip itself or exasperatingly exhausting. Like, how does one shortlist which beach to hit and which to skip when visiting an island? Bali, ‘the Island of Gods’, and among the most researched destinations by Indians this year, naturally has them all- miles of broad golden beaches, dramatic cliffs hiding pristine patches of sand, volcanic black sand beaches, white coarse coral ones. So, how to shorten that list? Each beach offers something exclusive, from swimming, surfing, snorkelling to water sports and secluded idling. Three varied ones made it to our list and we added another smaller island near Bali for good measure.

Explore-Disconnecting with the World on a Mountain Isle at Shaama

Kuta’s Cool Quotient

Giant kites flutter in the air above the lines of colourful umbrellas when we hit the beach. Earlier, during the morning walk we had encountered walkers & joggers on the pavement by the beach and surfers catching the high tide. The man tied up for an hour of surfing lesson for later at one of the shacks. So while he tired himself out trying to keep up with the waves and on the board, we sprawled on the bean bags under the umbrellas. Watching the surfers paddle out, wait patiently for ‘the one’, ride in and repeat it till the sun burnt them a burnished brown was no Baywatch moment! Of the completely commercial and tourist trap beaches we chose Kuta. Adjoining Seminyak and Canggu are trendier but more crowded. The wide public beach is lined by a boulevard, hotels, restaurants. Though the shacks at the beach provide some drinks and food and wandering hawkers stop by, we chose to hop across the road to a convenience store for chilled Bintang and hot ramen.

Discover solitude in- Batalik – A Tribute to the Human Spirit

Gili Trawangan is a Gem

First off- skip the Gili islands nearby unless you plan to spend atleast two nights there. Though the fast boats are just that but the wait at the pier seems to stretch and along with the cushion time for chaotic traffic, you end up spending almost half a day travelling. Having said that, we chose Gili Trawangan for the snorkelling. It is a tiny picturesque island of white beaches and azure waters, with no vehicles! Only horse-carts that clip-clop while they ferry people and their mounds of luggage to and fro from the pier to their accommodation and bicycles ply on a shaded road that lines the beach. It is popular for diving and snorkelling like the other two adjoining Gili islands. The diving boats head out early in the morning and then bob around just offshore for the rest of the day. While snorkelling the man and child lucked out when they spotted a Green-back turtle along with schools of small fish. Sadly the corals I saw had not survived the hordes of trampling feet. The rocks just off the beach take revenge on everyone’s feet for the corals in low tide!

The island has a bustling vibe all day and is a known party place. Brightly lit restaurants line the road in the night and on the beach strings of lights provide a canopy to chairs and tables full of youngsters but all the roads lead to the night market. A crowded, noisy affair lined with open stalls selling the choicest of the day’s catch and generous sides for a reasonable amount. One can pick and choose from an array of enticing grilled and fried seafood. In the middle there are rows of tables and chairs full of eager eaters.

Discover- Pangong Tso – The Gems in the Crown

Nusa Dua is a Snooty Do

Trying to find the place for watersports we drove through a massive Candi bentar (the traditional Balinese gate) into an immaculately landscaped haven. The BTDC (Bali Tourism Development Complex) area is like an exclusive enclave where the major names in hospitality are discreetly tucked away behind walls of artful greenery. A short walk got us to a small cove during low tide with an azure lagoon. Rows of loungers and beach umbrellas lining the small quiet beach had people reading, snoozing and soaking up the vitamins. What we were looking for was further ahead, known as the Tanjung Benoa Beach (The name does not pop up until you really zoom in on the map!) with its line of big shops for those seeking thrills on and under the waters. Think sea walk, parasailing, flying fish (Yes, you can be one too!), jet ski etal.

Find high jinks in- Part One- On the Wild Side of Outstanding Orchha

Jamboree at Jimbaran

A must visit for seafood lovers, Jimbaran beach comes into its own near sundown. Walk through the entrance of any of the restaurants lining the beach, select your choice from the day’s catch from the tubs and tanks, find a candlelit table on the festooned beach, be serenaded by a group of motley singers as your barbequed dinner fetches up while in the background the surf crashes on the sandy shore.

Discover a food trail in- A Handy Guide on How to do the Hornbill Festival

Bali is truly on an island of plenty. All you need is your swimwear and dollops of sunscreen!

So, apart from the beaches that made it to the short list, the long-listed contenders were-

Amed beach- With Mt Agung in the background and USS Liberty under the water off shore, the black sand beach is considered one of the best diving sites in Bali.

Nusa Lembongan island- Just half an hour by fast boat from Sanur in Bali, it offers a sampling of all kinds of beaches.

Fact File

Kuta-

A half an hour surfing lesson costs IDR 180,000/- approx.

Gili Trawangan-

Padangbai is where the boats for the Gili islands leave from. Getting there by fast boat including a pick up by the fast boat company itself costs IDR 2,100,000/-.(Harbour tax is additional).

Snorkelling- Hiring the gear costs IDR 50,000 for a day.

Tanjung Benoa

Watersport packages vary depending on the number of activities but a lot of bargaining is required to fix the cost.

October 6, 2023October 10, 2023

7 Cultural Must Do’s of Bali

‘So, when she gets married who will take care of you?” The question has been posed by the taxi driver during the long journey to Ubud from the Ngurah Rai airport. ‘She’ sitting next to me rolls her eyes. I laugh. It is not exactly the kind of cultural exchange I had envisaged, especially within hours of landing in Bali but the question sounds heartfelt, as if we have not thought life through and need to have more children! At some point the conversation veers to caste. He mentions his matter of factly, like the entire caste hierarchy is an academic exercise. Perhaps in Bali it is. Hinduism along with Buddhism came almost a thousand years back via Java to this island. But despite having its roots in India and certain affinities, Bali’s cultural identity has blossomed differently and distinctly.

Bali, in a sense, is in a time warp. Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are still the ruling cine gods. Temples outnumber people and are everywhere- inside and outside houses, each family has its own cluster in the village and then there are the temples of yore and of Instagram worshipers. But in this ‘Isle of the Gods’ where, unlike back in India, I want to visit the temples, (which the man ribs me about) one needs to choose or the trip would be just a temple run. Apart from homing on to cultural performances and local attractions we shortlist three temples and they do not include the most photographed ones!

Explore other temples in – Part Two – The Old Gold in Outstanding Orchha

Ubud- Eat, Pray, Love!

After a hearty breakfast of delicious banana and coconut pancakes and a platter of colourful fruits we make our way through streets lined with shops opening for the day to the Ubud Palace. Small leaf baskets with flowers dot the pavements, doorways and the thrones of pillared stone temples outside the houses in the morning. Offerings for a propitious day. The Palace is a small two courtyard affair with delicate, raised wooden pavilions and stunning brickwork. A part is still the residence of the royal family and we all cannot resist peeking into their private courtyard dotted with the most beautiful vases.

The nearby Saraswati temple’s entrance is squeezed between an eatery and Starbucks. We get a full rig of mandatory purple and white headgear, shirt and sarong to wear.

A path lined with lotus ponds leads to ornate chairs placed before a resolutely shut doorway which is guarded by moss covered fierce creatures adorned with fresh red hibiscus. Inner sanctums are not open to any outsider in any of the temples we discover.

After a sumptuous lunch at Sun Sun warung where the setting and food are a visual delight, we amble through a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with traditional houses hidden behind orange walls, inviting arched doorways and courtyards with frangipani trees in bloom. A half ajar door in one reveals a massive impassive blue Ganesha.

Intricate Penjors swaying in the breeze next to the doors announce the ten-day Galgulan festival, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. We cross a workshop where an artist skilfully chisels away at an elaborately carved doorway that would be a connoisseur’s pride.

Discover doorways in- Part Two- What Not to Miss on a Weekend Vacation in Shekhawati

In the evening after browsing through the Ubud Art Market we head to the Palace for the dance performance in, what we think is, good time. The courtyard is full and we barely manage chairs on a platform at the rear. Against the backdrop of a lit doorway, the show begins with the tinning instruments of the Gamelan orchestra and the Legong dancers keep us spell bound with their expressive eyes, elegant fingers and delicate movements.

The second performance is a Barong dance drama with a benign beast and fierce looking but equally evocative performers. Outside, on the road little troupes of boys in black who have been busy all day, can be heard from afar as they make their way through the streets with their instruments and energetic Barong, stopping to perform every now and then. The air is full of music and merriment.

Luwak Kopi for the Road

The next day we zip past a line of workshops on the outskirts of Ubud producing the most stunning artefacts from cane and wood. (If I had known about them my trip for the day would have ended there itself!) At an ‘Agro farm’ we are given a tour with an introduction to a variety of teas and coffees, including Bali’s (in)famous Kopi Luwak and its traditional process. The process instead of foraging, now involves feeding caged Palm Civet cats coffee beans, which once pooped are cleaned, roasted and ground. (Not everyone’s cuppa!) So, the ethics of the production are questionable.

The world’s most expensive coffee served in style tastes robust with a lingering sweet aftertaste. The place overlooks some rice fields and has a couple of the ‘Bali Swings’. I spy a flying red dress accompanied by, I cannot decipher, screams of delight or ‘what all I have to endure for that Insta high!” The much-photographed Tegalalang rice fields, not on the original itinerary, are the next stop since they are enroute to the temples but we don’t linger. The fields are dry and the crop is sparse. Perhaps in another season they would be more appealing.

Savour- Nasirabad’s Kachora: More than a Savoury Story

Pura Pilgrims

Winding through quaint village roads lined with towering penjors and flooded terraced fields reflecting a majestic Mt Agung we reach Pura Tirtha Empul, the sacred water temple, made in 926 AD. A stone throne with a deity (the only one I saw in Bali) stands under a sprawling tree with branches holding massive ferns. A complex of ponds and temples lies beyond.

It is a green sarong here and the first pond is crowded with people waiting in line to take a purifying dip under the spouts bringing water from the inner pond where grey ash mushrooms from springs and mixes with water filled with reeds. Thoughtful statues pour water into the last Koi Pond full of overfed golden fish.

Lunch is at a restaurant on the edge of a ridge where the main course is the view. It overlooks a bowl of rice fields, ringed by forests coming down the slopes of a Mt Agung hiding behind the clouds. Then we head to Pura Agung Besakih on the slopes of the volcano. The ‘Mother temple’ complex dates back almost a thousand year. The temples rising in steps are dedicated to the Hindu Trinity. One towering stone structure sitting back in a line of thatched pagoda style roofs in odd numbers alludes to the shikharas of South Indian temples.

The main complex, Pura Penataran Agung, is dedicated to Shiva. The temples of the other gods and minor shrines dot the slopes and ridges around. Our guide, a chatty fellow who quotes scriptures being the son of a senior priest of a nearby village, lets us into the gate of the main courtyard. Three urns representing a god each of the Trinity sit on a wall under small umbrellas. A priest in white sits in a wooden platform conducting a ceremony for a family while a child runs around oblivious to the solemnity of the occasion.

Discover- Mystic Maheshwar : At the Center of the Universe

All creatures are welcome in God’s home.

This is as far as we can go… and somehow it is enough. As we return to the towering Balinese style gate at the entrance, the clouds finally part to reveal the picture perfect peak of Mt Agung.

Uluwatu’s Ultimate Show-

Our last evening in Bali and we hurry to Uluwatu temple where it is just an orange sash that we are given to wear. The sprawling green complex has a small shrine on the edge of a cliff with a stone wall running along the precipice lined with profusely flowering bougainvillea and people!

All here to catch the sunset as much as the Kecak dance. The fiery sun setting over dulcet waves that break violently at the base of the cliffs is as much a show as the ‘Fire Dance’. The Ramayana inspired dance drama starts with the chorus of ‘Kecak’ by a group of men who keep it up, with hand movements, throughout the performance. Who says it is easy being part of the background!

The star, and he is a rockstar in it!… jumping, mingling, posing for selfies, taking out imaginary lice, all the while without missing a beat in his part of the story, including setting the stage on fire, is Hanuman. It is a glorious goodbye from this Isle of the Gods.

Find gods in- An Ode to Ancient Life in Stone- The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ajanta and Ellora

Fact File-

Temples– All have tickets starting from Rs 320. The cost includes the mandatory sarong and at Besakih, a guide and one way travelling by an electric cart.

Ubud Palace-There are different dance performances every evening and the tickets cost Rs 650 approx.

Uluwatu-The Kecak show tickets can be purchased online. The 6 pm show gets sold out fast.

Luwak Kopi Tasting– The tour is free and the Luwak tasting costs Rs500.

Tegalalang Rice Fields– Entry ticket is Rs 160 appox.

September 8, 2023September 9, 2023

ABC’s of a Bali Itinerary

August, surprisingly, is not the best month to travel in many parts of the world. Europe is burning, South East Asia is rained out as is all of India. Central Asia looks inviting…someday! We armchair travelled across two continents and many countries to settle onto a Bali holiday. It was not on our first bucket list. Perhaps not even first on our second list…

Yet Bali is the whole bouquet! If exotic orient with top notes of touristy kitsch, full bodied middle notes of rich culture swirling atop notes of towering volcanoes, wild cliffs and aquamarine waters sounds divine, then Bali should be on your wish list. Atleast ten days are needed for a leisurely sampling of all that this island in the Indonesian archipelago offers. We had a week there and I am ready for seconds and this time I know what to repeat and what to skip….and August is High season in Bali!

Top Notes

1. Accommodation should be central so you can walk and explore.

2.Traffic can be a nightmare! Factor in time and distances while planning activities and visits across the island. Use scooter taxis to get around town and for across the island, use cars. You can hire a two-wheeler also.

3.There are more temples than people in Bali. Pick and choose which ones to visit. The inner sanctums are not open to outsiders in any temple.

4.Eat at the warungs to get authentic local cuisine and nice ambience at a more reasonable rate.

5.For shopping, brush up your maths (the zeros are mind boggling) and your haggling skills. (it is expected!)

6.Pick up a local SIM so you have data.

7.We divided our time between Ubud, Gili Trawangan, Kuta and Nusa Dua.

Middle Notes

Unparalleled Ubud

Day 1

After a hearty breakfast at the guesthouse/hotel walk to the Ubud Palace. Soak in the atmosphere, the morning flower offerings dotting the pavements, the quirky shops enroute. The palace is a small affair. Pick up the tickets for the evening dance programme from there.

Walk to the Saraswati Temple. Take pictures of the lotus pond and the intricate doorways.

Browse through the Art Market, a street market adjoining the Saraswati temple.

Grab lunch and a Bintang at a warung.

Depending on your capacity for shopping head to the Ubud Art Market in front of the palace or head back to your room for a short post beer nap.

Attend the dance performance at the palace.

Enjoy dinner at a warung or a restaurant nearby.

Pro Tip- To grab a ‘good seat’ for the performance reach the palace early.

Day 2-

Start early for Pura Tirtha Empul and Besakih temples.

Stop enroute to sample Luwak coffee, varieties of local teas and coffees. Experience the famous Bali Swing.

Visit the Tegallalang Terrace Rice Fields. (They also have some tea tasting and swings but it is not the same experience.)

Carry on to Tirtha Empul Temple. If you want to take a ‘purifying’ dip keep an hour extra. There is a long line.

Lunch at La Montagne Coffee with a stunning view of Mt Agung.

Visit Besakih at the base of Mt Agung.

Have dinner and get a foot massage back in Ubud.

Pro Tip-

Skip Tegallalang and stop enroute at the amazing workshops making cane and wood artefacts.

Islands Ahoy!

Day 4

Check out after an early breakfast and head to Padangbai.

Catch a fast boat to Gili Trawangan. It takes an hour and a half but the waiting at the pier can be just as long!

Reach Gili T by lunch. Check in and change into your beachwear.

Hire snorkelling equipment and head into the water or just relax on the beach.

Evening dinner has to be at the Night Market!

Pro tip- If you are interested in diving stay for an additional day. If you don’t have time, Nusa Lembongan might be a better option.

Beach Yourself

Day 5

Head back to Bali on a fast boat. It island hops and returns via Gili Meno and Lombok so it takes 3 hours.

It takes two hours from Padangbai to Kuta.

After checking into your place, head for the beach to catch the sunset and then hit the nightspots.

Day 6

Take a morning walk on the beach and watch the early surfers.

Book a surfing lesson or just lounge under a beach umbrella with a book and a beer. Grab a takeaway from one of the marts and have lunch on the beach OR head to one of the beach clubs. Finns and Potato Head are some good options.

In the evening head to Krishna Bali or Agung Bali for souvenir and trinket shopping.

The back lanes are also lined with shops and massage parlours.

Fancy Finish

Day 7

After a morning run on the beachfront followed by a cooling dip in the hotel pool and hearty breakfast check out and head to a nice villa with a pool.

Check in and just chill OR for some water sports head to Nusa Dua.

Select your activities and book a package. Think flyfishing, banana boat ride, parasailing etc.

In the evening head to Uluwatu temple to catch the sunset and the Kecak dance performance.

End the evening with a grilled seafood feast on the Jimbaran beach while being serenaded by musicians.

Pro Tip- Book the tickets in advance for the sunset Kecak show as they get sold out and reach the temple early to grab good seats. One might get last minute tickets for the 7o’clock show.

Day 8

Spend a few leisurely hours in your fancy Airbnb till it is time to check out and head to the airport for your flight. Say bye bye to Bali with a heavy heart.

Pro Tip-

Stock up on breakfast beforehand if your Airbnb does not provide it. There might not be a mart nearby.

Bottom Notes

Accommodation

One is spoilt for choice of hotels, guest houses to independent villas to choose from in Bali. We got good deals on Agoda. Stay close to your areas of interest or you will be spending more time in a taxi than anywhere else.

Places to Eat

Ubud- Sun Sun Warung for authentic local cuisine in a traditional setting is a must try.

Gili T- The Night Market cannot be missed!

Kuta- The pulled pork burger at Crumbs & Coaster was delicious!

Jimbaran- Choose your seafood at any of the restaurants lining the beach and it gets served with a basket of rice and vegetables, if you want.

Shopping

Essentials- Indomart, Alphamart, are all over. Make your own tea, coffee, instant noodles, grab ready to eat meals etc and find chilled Bintang in K Mart.

Souvenirs- Krishna and Agung Bali are big shops with very reasonable prices.

Getting Around

Taxi- Grab and Gojeck are local taxi apps. You can hire taxis for 8 hours for about Rs4000. We had Mr Putu driving us around and he doubled as a guide too. Phone no-6287861755884

Ferry- We booked a fast boat roundtrip through Adi Gili online for Rs13500 for 3 people which included a private pick up and drop. The waiting at the pier seems to takes forever and there is a nominal port tax.

Activities-

Temples- All have an entrance fee which includes the mandatory sarong. At Besakih the ticket includes a ride up from the entrance to the temple complex in a golf cart and a guide.

Coffee Tasting-Uma Pakel Agro Tourism. The entry is free but the Luwak coffee tasting costs Rs500 approx.

Snorkelling- Hire snorkelling gear in Gili T for about Rs300 per day.

Surfing Lesson- An hour will cost Rs1000 approx.

Water Sports- Price depends on the package of different activities but one must haggle. For Flyfish and Parasailing we spent about Rs8,500 for 3 people.

With this itinerary you are all set for a week of sun, sand, sarong tripping to temples and shopping!