message in a bottle (02.2003 - 09.2008)

I am missing Penang today, which is very odd given the fact that I have spent only a few hours on that isle. So when I shut my eyes to remember the point I want to mention in the document at hand, I see the winding road to the QueensBay mall with the ocean on one side and the skyscrapers on the other. For a moment I see flashes of extremely clean and almost hauntingly empty roads and then the terribly crowded and almost suffocating sight of the Prangin mall blinds me. After almost an hour of thinking about the day that I spent in George Town, I have decided that I will reminisce about it once and for all and then get back to my document.

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I step into the huge building my eyes wide and breath held for a moment. No, it is not my first time in a mall, nor is this mall anything out of the ordinary; it is mostly the excitement building up inside me. I run from one showroom to the other looking at every designer item and not noticing much because I want to see it all in the designated one hour. I want to buy something just so I can remember this day – this feeling more than this day, actually.

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It is a huge shoe store. I look around and I see so many fancy things that I cannot decide what to pick up. I look at the shiny golden belle shoes for a few moments and then look away to search for something less jazzy. I look at one pair after the other, discarding everything because I am impatient: too red, too flat, to high, to broad. Ultimately, I am pointed out a pair of black open-toe sandals that zip up at the ankle. “Gorgeous, but too expensive,” I say. “I will buy them for you,” he says and I thank him with joy, forgetting that as of last week our finances have merged and his buying is not very different from me swiping my own plastic.

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It is post lunch time and I am browsing those endless shelves labeled ‘Fiction’ in Borders. I turn around to face the graphic novels section and marvel at those ultimate editions, neatly wrapped in sheets of cellophane paper to prevent us from finishing the book in the bookstore. A boy of around ten, his shirt un-tucked and his uniform shorts a little dirty, is going through the latest comics with great earnestness. I close the book in my hand and observe him. This is serious business for him; unconcerned with his surroundings he looks for the right issue and then moves to graphic novels to lust for those expensive items that his pocket money would probably not buy. I watch him pay at the cash counter and then walk out of the store looking content with his purchase.

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I look out of the window of my luxury bus. Most buildings are old and remind me of the British era, except the temples. There are a lot of those, one after every ten buildings. This view undergoes a quick transformation as the bus turns from the crossroads. Now, I see huge skyscrapers and wide clean roads. This mix is what makes this town so different from the rest of the cities I visited in the last few days. When I get down from the bus in front of another huge mall, I find myself in a completely different part of the town. Here people ride on trishaws (also called bugbug) and the emptiness that I had been seeing since morning is replaced with huge crowds of locals rushing about.

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At twilight, I stand in the queue to get back onto the ship. As I approach the port’s exit I turn around for one last glimpse of the beautiful George Town. I see an ancient white and red building; a building so very British. The green creepers making their way to the second floor add to its character. Just behind this building, I see the tall clock tower – white and blue, and ticking. I close my eyes to capture this picture and today, that is the exact picture that flashes in front of my eyes when you say the word - Penang.

It has been a year of travels for me. And I am so glad. Well, it is a fact that most of these travels (eight to be specific!) took me to-and-fro between Delhi and Hyderabad but it was in this very year thatI visited Rishikesh for rafting, a temple in a remote district of Rajasthan (twice),  Mcleodganj, Vaishno Devi, Singapore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Phuket.

McLeod Ganj. A small town, more Tibetan than Indian, near Dharamshala (HP) is a pretty hill station. It is famous for its monastery that is His Holiness Dalai Lama's second home. The road leading to the monastery is flanked by tiny Tibetan shops and cafes and is a pleasure to walk down. However, the place you want to be in is not McLeod Ganj! You want to visit this little place, explore the market, the monastery, the church, and the eerie cemetery but you want to stay in Bhagshu.

Bhagshu is a hamlet around two kilometers upwards from McLeod Ganj. The walk up in fairly easy and very picturesque. You see the valley covered with chir and oak trees and if it is rainy weather, you only see mist. It is super fantastic. But it is not just the beauty of the mother nature that makes one love the little hamlet; once there, you see that it is full of people from all over Europe and maybe some Americans too. So there are some locals who usually speak Punjabi and English, and there are many foreigners, mostly Germans and Israelis (where else will you find them so happy and peaceful together?). You will see Indian tourists during afternoon; they come to visit the Bhagshu temple and see the Bhagshu waterfall and then they leave. Most of them are honeymooners from Manali who come to spend a day here. However, if you are an Indian and are roaming the streets early in the morning or late in the evening, you are the odd one out. Another noticeable thing is the use of Hebrew in Bhagshu. The language is commonly used to display menus at eating places and signs in the market. It was all strange markings to me that reminded me of school and history lessons but interesting nevertheless.

The hamlet (I love the word!) has a buzz of lazy activity. Let me elucidate. The place is as laid back as one can get but on the other hand, it has numerous activities to offer. So if you decide to stay there for two weeks, you can stay connected to the rest of the world thanks to cyber cafes at every nook and corner. If you are the kind who only travel with their laptops, they have wifi enabled hotels for you. Besides being technology savvy, Bhagshu offers you art, music, cooking, meditation, and language classes. You could also relax at a spa or a massage center. Fun loving ones could get tattoos and body art done. Or you could just lie back and smoke weed.

I, however, decided to eat.

All eating places in this lovely hamlet are called German Bakery. They all are decorated alike and serve similar food but they are all so fantastic that none of them have anything to worry about. Cobbled floor, colorful paper lamps hanging on top of tables, large display boards with bills and ads from all over the hamlet, bright paintings or wall hangings, bright tablecloths, and delicious food. The bakeries offer scrumptious wheat breads, croissants, pastries, and roles and they offer massive helpings of German breakfasts and Israeli dishes in lunch and dinner. You also get your regular Chinese and continental food. And for lover of all things Indian, there is a Punjabi dhaba too. However, if you are in Bhagshu, you must eat at German Bakery.

( and here is why )

There are trips and then there are trips. The rafting trip to Rishikesh falls in the latter category.

I left Delhi with a bunch of people from work and the only thing we all had in common was the will to get away from the hustle bustle of the city. Only one out of the crazy 11 had rafted before and was brimming with excitement over the fun that awaited us. Then there was me, who was all excited because her wish to go rafting was finally granted after 5 years. Yes, that is how difficult it is for me to get somewhere!!

( A Trip To Remember )

Despite the fact that I am at work even when the cows come home, the spirit of celebration is high. A friend performed in a concert held at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption yesterday. They sang various carols, hymns, and some pieces by Mozart.

The church was aesthetic and the singing felicitous.



Built in 1927-35, the beautiful structure is supposed to be a result of an architectural competition.


Oh yes, and a new favorite carol.

There is joy, joy, joy
in the presence
of the lord
singing hallelujah amen
amen!

There is joy, joy, joy
in the presence
of the lord
singing hallelujah amen
amen!

Dance and celebrate
dance and celebrate
dance with joy
before the lord
dance and celebrate
dance and celebrate
dance with joy
before the lord

Truth be told, it was not love at first sight. Or second. Or fortyfirst. But nevertheless, fun was had.

How did you get there?
It was baby's day out. Umm...baby's three days out, if you are one of those who like being specific. So, this bored friend of mine wihned about having a long weekend and nothing to do. I whined back. And then we remembered that we have always wanted to meet up in Bangalore and explore some places together. Next, we made a couple of calls, wrote a dozen mails, swiped the plastic, and *poof*, I found myself on the 12th main and 4th cross! Not really, but you get the drift, right?

What did you do?
Met friends. There is not much one can do in the city, I reckon, unless one has friends to hang out with. Nice friends of mine took me hopping from Koramangala to Residency Road, MG Road, Brigade Road, St. Clare's Road, Church Street ( I can even draw the map of these five roads!) to Indira Nagar, Russel Market (Do not ask why!) to National Market. The nice ones were hell bent on helping me get the flavor of the city and took me to places that serve authentic filter coffee and vada sambar, fed me tota pari with chatpatta masala, and they shared (but could not finish) the original Death by Chocolate with me. Then there were the pubs, the open air café, and the café in old stone building. They also took me to those delightful secondhand bookshops found in the alleys of Brigade Road; my favorite was Select Bookshop for its yellow walls made of mouldy books and the elderly sweet owner who cheerfully queried me about Darya Ganj book market. Then there was some bowling, some dining, some window shopping at the mall.

Did you shop at all?
Well, Bangalore has bookshops like Landmark and Blossom, what do you expect? Bangalore also has silk stores and sarees are liked by me. Then when I was done shopping at National Market my concerned buddy inquired if I had enough money to get back to Delhi. So, you can say that I shopped a bit. And one has to obviously pick up nick-nacks for people back home, right?

Did you do anything touristy?
No, I did not have enough time to visit the Technology Museum or enough incentive to enter the Cubbon Park. I saw the State Secretariat building and was dutifully impressed. That is about it. Hey hold on just a second...I did make my compulsory pilgrimage though.

Actually, it was a promise pinkoliphaunt and I made almost eight years ago. Back in college, we had decided that we will visit Bangalore and go to Rahul Dravid's house. The years have mellowed us down a bit, so this Tuesday morning, three giggling girls stood outside Dravid's house and clicked pictures with a cellphone camera in not so subtle manner and fled. That is touristy, right?

What did you like the best about the city?
The Sagars. The fact that all local restaurants that serve typical South Indian food have a name suffixed with Sagar is unadulterated fun. Srinidhi Sagar, Shiv Sagar, Asok Sagar, Sandhya Sagar, Shanti Sagar. I visited at least one Sagar on each day of my stay. Super.

So, no regrets, right?
Umm...I never got around to visiting Shiok. I was in Indira Nagar, but not at the right hours.

Oh so you did not eat out much?
Did I say that?

( Iterating never hurt anyone. )

Thanks people

sumthn2say, for being a super-duper hostess and not being mad at me for being glued to the PSP while you sat glaring at me.
pinkoliphaunt, for taking me to all those hidden places that I could have never-ever found out without you.
redobsession, for the cute gifts, nifty pictures, and introducing me to your mum.
Chandita (the girl with no identity in cyberland), for accompanying us for the pilgrimage and to the DVD heaven.