Celebration of Freedom !!

A post which has been pending for a really long time. The 3 musketeers are back again. Once again, I present to you Manjunath, Mohit and Ashwin (Yours truly)..

It was 15th August 2009. and this is the way the three of us decided to celebrate our freedom on Independence day. Apparently this date marks the third anniversary of our first ever biking trip to Gopal Swamy Betta.. So We decided, no matter what we will go on a road trip once again!

The rain gods were out with their full fury this time forcing us to rethink our plans for touching Agumbe – Known as the Chirapunji of the south, It rains like crazy there. So we decided to go to Mysore, spend some time there and get back. So as usual on the day of our trip I reached B’lore on a Friday morning (yeah, unfortunately I am still in Chennai). After reaching B’lore the three of us were just discussing about how wonderful Agumbe would be during the Monsoon season. Suddenly Mohit snapped – Guys, let’s head for Agumbe itself. Screw the rains.. It would be fun to ride in the rains…. Manja quickly agreed to the fun part. Both the guys were looking with great expectations at me. I was like – Wad da heck.. Agumbe it is.. Screw the rains…

Over the years loads of things had changed. Manja had exploded to a level where he actually justifies the Spice girls’ song – “ Two Become One” .. Trust me, the guy has actually doubled his size. I had also bloated up from the puny little college guy to a lazy fat IT professional. The only guy who was fit and unchanged was Mohit. If the riders had changed so much, how can the rides remain the same, ryt? Manjunath had graduated from a Unicorn to a Royal Enfield Machismo 500, (may be he actually realized only a beast can carry someone like him). Mohit had graduated from a 100 cc to a 150 cc Pulsar.. And I had undergraduated from a Rocking CBZ to a pillion rider this time.. Sob sob !!

Manja, quickly turned on the GPS on his mobile to come out with a route from B’lore to Agumbe. And the riute was finalized. Bangalore – Chikmanglore Via Hassan. Hassan to Agumbe via Sringeri. Agumbe to Kudremukh. Once the route was finalized we were off..

We were definitely not ready for the Fury of the Rain Gods this time.. We were spared till the time we were out of B’lore city.. We had a lovely lunch and we headed for our first overnight halt, Hassan. On our way to Hassan it started raining. All we could see was just a shade of white and grey in front of us. Every drop was hitting us so hard as if we were being pricked by needles on our faces. It was extremely difficult to ride. The wonderful cruising speeds of 110 + kms had been reduced to 50s and 60s. Even the loud thumping of Manja’s bullet could not be heard in the midst of the showers. We realized that there was no point in halting, so we kept on riding. It was an amazing experience. Finally we reached our first destination- Hassan, all drenched and wet and finally checked into a hotel. We had to hit Agumbe the next day morning.

We started off the next day morning at 7.00 AM sharp and we headed off to the top most point in Agumbe.

We expected the worst in terms of rains, but we were lucky enough that mother nature showed her mercy on us puny little riders. It didn’t rain at all. And we finally reached our destination all high and dry. The view from Agumbe was just breathtaking. The Hills covered with dense dark clouds and the sun struggling its way through the thick dark covering in front of it. The tree leaves where shining with the moisture of the early morning rains.. It was just amazing !

Our next destination was Kudremukh. It was another couple of hours ride from Agumbe to Kudremukh. The ride was again awesome. We had to cross the Kudremukh wild life sanctuary. It was just an awesome feeling. Dense forests on both sides, lovely roads in the centre and an awesome cloud cover to top it all. We had a long ride to the top. Once we reached there, we just could not believe ourselves. It was an view which can blow anyone off their feet ! We just spend as much time as we could to take in the view, Enjoy the weather, take as many pictures as possible etc.

We also had our own share of little adventures in between. The Monsoon had brought out all the leaches and two of them had found their comfortable spots, one on Mohit’s Neck and one on under my leg.

After the lovely experience we headed our way back to B’lore . Three days of complete cut off from the hustle bustle of the city, no tensions, just the rides, nature and a fantastic feeling of independence. I guess the best way to celebrate our Independence. Just hope that in my life get a chance to go on many more such rides again and again…

Cheers
Kash !

Halong Bay_Nature's Marvel

The one place which actually justifies the statement "Heaven on Earth". Breath taking sceneries, amazingly cold weather, a lovely 2 day cruise through the calm sea, a route filled with unexplored beaches, islands abd caves.. and all this available at just 4 hrs drive through the county side from Hanoi. What more can one ask for?

Well guys thats Halong Bay for you.

Imagine.. 3000 or more incredible Islands rising out of the calm and emrald green waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.. and all you have is a vision of breathtaking beauty. Halong bay is a true work of art, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn by mother nature's own hands. This place was recognised as a world heritage site in 1994, and is currenlty being considered to be included in the "New 7 wonders of the world".

Actually I was kind of wondering what is this hype around Halong bay. Right from the time I landed in Vietnam, I have been constantly getting to hear that I have to visit this place, else I am missing something in life, This is one must see place in Vietnam and even the New Zealander gal (read my previous post 'Experiences of an oriental World') had told me that she had come all the way to Vietnam to spend a week in Halong Bay. So I had made it a point that no matter what I would definitely visit this place during my short stay in Vietnam.

It was a early saturday morning. Temperature in Hanoi was around 12 degrees and we were off to Halong city. The drive through the country side was just amazing and my tour bus had an amazing blend of crowd. There were guys from China, Austrailia, Spain, Argentina, France and India.. [uhh.. that would be me and my colleague]. A couple of hours later we had reached Halong city, which looked just like a regular crowded port. After spending close to half an hour on formalities like passports,travel passes, tour maps etc, we finally were on the boat. And beleive me, my eyes were actually not ready for the treat they were about to get.

Within just 20 minutes our boat was away from the hustle bustle of the crowded port and we were slowly cruising the the calm sea waters. This place is filled with huge mountains protruding right from the sea water, plus a number of unexplored caves and beaches. I just could not believe that we were actually in aplace like this. Majestic, Mysterious, Inspiring, Imperious... No matter how hard I try, no amount of words can do justice to this wonderful place.

After cruising for close to about 3 hours throught the calm waters, we finally reached the one of the most famous caves here - Hang Dau Go.This is just one of those few caves that have actually been made tourist friendly with proper illumination, walk ways etc. The other not so privileged caves (actually the best caves for adrenaline junkies like me) are peppered through out the lime stone islands of Halong Bay. This was my very first experience inside a cave. The stalacmites were really huge and they were well illuminated to give the visitors a rich feel of the beauty of this place. There were also caves with extremely hostile environments.

Post the visit, we proceeded back towards the boat and had amazing vietnamese food in the boat itself and finally we reached Catba Island by close to 6 PM in the evening. This was our halt for the night. A lovely small little island some 8 hours from Halong city, the place where we started the cruise. I spent the entire evening in this lonely little island with very few tourists. (Most of them spend the night in the boat itslef, without stepping onto land). It was an awesome experience. Away, far away from the maddening crowd, deadlines by bosses, commitments, responsibilities etc. This was the time and place just meant for you to be YOU ! I still remember at one point, I was all alone on the beach late in the night, I was just lying on the Hammock, staring at the star studded sky, cold wind brushing on my face and I just thanked God from the bottom of my heart for bringing me here and I am not ashamed to say that my eyes did moisten up a bit.. :)

The second day had something even better on store. Right from the amazing view of sunrise by the beach to the trekking done at "Monkey Islads", everything was just picture perfect.

All in all, I can understand the excitement and the flutter associated with this place. It truly is a marvellous place and one must find and excuse to visit this place atleast once in her / his lifetime. Gievn a chance I would love to fly there again !!! :)

I am posting a few pics that I had clicked for you to get a feel of this place.. I am deliberately leaving these snaps without any captions as I am sure that your imaginations would describe this place even better... :)

Well, I have just uploaded a few random snaps, but for all of you who are interested to see more can definitely get them at my Picasa web albums...

Cheers..

Kash !

Experiences of an Oriental World - Hanoi, Vietnam

I have been fortunate enough to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore etc. But I wasn’t ready for what I had in store in Hanoi, Vietnam. I am dedicating this post specifically to this ever welcoming country mainly because it has risen like a dragon after all the sufferings and troubles. I have used this phrase because Hanoi is called as the "The City of the Soaring Dragon"

I landed in Hanoi on a cold Sunday morning when the temperatures were an all time low during the year. It was around 8 Degrees Celsius. An me being me had carefully packed all my pullovers and jackets safely inside the check in Luggage. Man it was teeth shattering cold all over. To add to my woes, it started drizzling. Here I landed in a Non – English speaking country with my thermal wear neatly locked inside my check in Luggage (The keys of which I had conveniently misplaced), my International calling card wasn’t activated and to my Horror I had lost the tiny bit of paper where I had jotted down the address of the guest house ! Yikes… What a start.. !

Suddenly I recollected I had the address in my Notes inbox. Had to access it somehow. Boy was I lucky.. I just thanked my stars for what happened next.

I just tried accessing the WI-FI available at the Airport and for some stupid reason it wasn’tconnecting to the network. Finally I blew my lid and shouted what the F..!, without realizing how loud I was. There was an astonishingly pretty female next to me. I became all red faced and apologized to her, but the beautiful New Zealander could relate to my feelings very well. She was sweet enough to offer her laptop which was already connected to the network. I pulled out the address only to find out her hotel was just three blocks away from my guest house. I couldn’t believe this was happening. (Trust me such a thing has never happened to me !I mean eeeevvvvveeeer ! J) So we shared the cab, and some chats and also spend some time at the café in her hotel.. Man, I have never been so thankful for using the F word in my life..

I loved Vietnam from the very first day itself… Wow !

Hanoi – Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of New Asia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. Hanoi is where imagination becomes a reality. A mass of motor bikes swarms through the tangled web of streets and that is the Old Quarter, which is the best place to check out the Pulse of this resurgent city. The hustle bustle of a regular metro, the calmness of a fantastic countryside, the architectural marvels of ancient pagodas (temples), the Vivid reminders of the past like the war monuments and museums and the ever vibrant night markets and the exuberant night life with more than 1000 night clubs and pubs reveal the spread of this fabulous city.

The more time I spent in this beautiful city, the more I started liking the city. The day starts very early for the people here. All the shops, and Offices are up and running by 8 AM in the morning. The days are really busy for the locals here. The most interesting part is the the lunch break is a solid 2 hours which includes a good lunch and an hour long Nap. Yes, they do take a nap in the office itself.. Neat huh?

The variety of food available here is just out of this world. If you are an individual appreciating N.Veg, then you would be flooded with options. You get Chicken, Mutton, Beef, Squid, Octopus, Snake Meat, Dog meat, Shrimps, Sea Horses, just to name a few. Of these, I did try out Snake meat, Snake Venom wine (One of the most deadliest wine I have ever tasted), and DOG meat !Beat that…

The Hoan Kiem Lake which decorates the centre of the city is the best place to laze around in the evening. It is the epicenter of multiple markets which sell anything from local snacks to watches to shoes to Gold. Apart from this the Ho-Chi-Minh museum, the presidential Palace, the one pillar Pagoda, the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum etc are places that definitely draws the attention of the tourists and locals alike. And it definitely didn’t fail to pull me as well.

For all the while I spent in Hanoi, I was just appreciative of this city which had come up with a vengeance considering its troubled rather ravaged history. I developed a particular liking for the country which has a very strong background it its present state which also reveals the strong fighting spirit of the people who dwell in this country.

A few pictures dedicated to the beauty of this wonderful City...

The snap below was taken at the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum, one of the major landmarks in the city of Hanoi

The snap below is the Presidential Palace of Ho-Chi Minh, where he lived on and off from 1958-69. It is an upmarket interpretation of the traditional rural living and has been preserved just the way "Ho" left it...

The following pic is that of the Army museum and the Museum of Vietnamese revolution displaying the Soviet and Chinese equipment alongside French and US-made weapons captured during years of War fare..

I do have plenty of pictures to be shared. I would pass on the Picasa link for all those who are interested to know further.. I have deliberately not written about one of the best places I have visited in Vietnam - Halong Bay. This was deliberate coz just a plain mention of that wonderful place wouldn't have done justice to it.. Hence contemplating on the idea of Dedicating an enitre post describing the umpteen number of breath taking places i got to see...

Till then.. Ciao Folks..

Cheers..

Kash !

Bierut.. A Delightful Surprise.. !

A Perfect Middle Eastern evening settles over the Mediterranean and the Palm lined Boulevards of Central Beirut comes alive with the lights and the Sizzle of the traffic. Scruffy guys in suits exchange the city's ubiquitous English-Arabic-French greeting -"Hey-kifak-ca-va" ? (How are you?), and fashionista babes adding all the glamour that is needed to the most vibrant street in Central Beirut - Monot Street !

Watching the bubbly flows, the radiating smiles, the vibrant and excited levels of energy the easy going, carefree attitude, I could not suppress the insistent question : My God.. Is this really Beirut?

This question popped into my head mainly coz of the flutter that was created the day it was known that I was supposed to go to Beirut, Lebanon, for a customer visit. There were loads of people giving me all sorts of information download about the country's history, the rigidity of the place, the hostile conditions etc.. But their concern was justified...

Only 3 years ago, the city was under assault. And just one year ago, Lebanon was struggling to choose a President. As it finally emerged from all the chaos and conflict, the image of Beirut was tarnished and demoralised. But today, the atmosphere in this wonderful city - a place that much of the world still associates with civil wars, Sectarian strife and Political Assassinations - is remarkably upbeat and 100% charged up !

The fact that the New York Times has named Beirut as the top travel destination for 2009 stays as a record to the statement that the city is on a major comeback ! The city is on its way for reclaiming its title as the "Paris of the Middle-East" !

And boy was I in for a pleasant surprise. Because of the opinions I heard from lots of people before travelling, I had already made up an image about the city, and believe me it wasn't pretty. This whole thing made the entire trip so exciting, basically because any place I visited on my 3 day trip was just hell bent on proving my assumptions wrong about the City..

Be it the all night long beach clubs that line the coast, or the never ending rows of French Cafes, restaurants and eateries, or the very famous Lebanese food, nothing failed to amuse me, and I was just loving every single moment of it. There wasn't anything typical of Middle East associated with Beirut..

I mean, first of all the Primary Language is not Arabic. French is also a widely accepted language. The USD is a widely accepted currency than the Lebanese Pound. The weather is amazingly lovely and finally, one look at the babes and you will know Na --ah ! This place is definitely not part of the Middle East !

All I have to say is that never make an opinion based on what people around you say. Had I backed out thinking that it would be unsafe to visit Lebanon, I would have missed one of the most wonderful experiences of my life....

More on that later... I leave the rest to you guys to decide.. :)

Cheers..

Kash