Chidambaram and Pitchavaram

I’d been planning to revisit the mangrove forests of Pitchavaram for quite a while. After having visited the place 4 years back in the month of August, I planned to visit the place again in winters as the sun was a bit too harsh during my previous visit. Also the best time to visit the place is from October to February. So we finalised our plan during Pongal holidays. As Chidambaram is on the way, we also decided to pay a visit at the famous Thillai Nataraja Temple there.

Me and Soumya reached Chidambaram on 14^th at 1 by train. The temple was yet to open at 4. We had a good 3 hours to while away. So we spent one good hour having lunch at Vandayar hotel, which is highly recommended for the food, and another 2 hours at the roadside shops near the temple.

At 4 finally, the gates to the shrine opened. Dedicated to Lord Nataraja, this ancient temple of the Cholas is unique, not only is it devoted solely to the art of Bharatanatyam, but also it is one of the rare temples where Shiva is represented by an idol rather than the customary lingam. Spread over an area of 40 acres with a gopuram on each side, the temple is distinguished by five sabhas or courts.

The main entrance, the eastern gopuram is an imposing figure. 40.8 m high, it has 108 dance poses of the Ananda thandavam, Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance, engraved on it. As we enter the sanctorum, parallel rows of pillars make way to idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Murugan and Ganesha.

The temple of goddess Shivakamasundari, consort of Shiva, is situated on the west side of the Shivaganga tank. A flight of steps leads down into its courtyard. The goddess is worshipped here as the Jñana Shakti: the energy and power of wisdom.  

It took a good 40 minutes for us to cover the entire temple. Once we were done, we decided to go to Pitchavaram by Auto rickshaw instead of going by bus. The auto driver who first brought us from the railway station to the temple agreed to take us there for a reasonable Rs. 300. That was the best auto rickshaw ride ever.

A half hour ride under open skies and by open fields was a delight. At the end of the hour long ride, we reached the Saradharam eco tourist resort in Pitchavaram, where we had booked our room. It is the only resort available there. The other option for visitors is to stay at Chidambaram and drive down to Pitchavaram

 

We reached the resort at 6, right in time to catch sunset. There were hardly two people managing  the resort. Maybe because it was Pongal. The only good thing about the resort was an open air restro-bar facing the back waters and mangroves. The man taking our order himself went to the kitchen to prepare our order. And to give credit where it’s due, did a decent job.

After a good night’s sleep, we finally headed for the mangrove forest in the first batch that starts at 8 am. Pitchavaram is the world’s second largest mangrove forest spanning 1100 hectares. The options provided by the tourism department to explore the forests are rowboats and motorboats.  Rowboats for one hour cost two people Rs.150 and Rs.300 for 2 hours. Motorboats have longer trips for up to 4 hours. But we went for two hour ride on a row boat as they take you through narrow canals.

 

Our boatman asked for an extra Rs.300 to take us through a ‘longer route’. Even though we knew he was bluffing, we agreed. While travelling, it’s always in our best interest to keep the locals happy. From the shore, he rowed for a good 20 minutes to enter the forest through a canal. Once we entered the canal, he rowed slowly and told us the names of each mangrove species by their scientific names!

 

The forest is also home to many birds, including migratory birds. The boatman told us that most of the birds leave early in the morning and return at night. Which is ironic considering the timings that the forest is open to visitors.  The boatmen told us that the only animals that lived in the forest were foxes and seals. They lived off crustaceans and fishes they could find in water.

He told us there were no snakes but later on we found a dead snake lying in water. To which the boatman told us that it was a freshwater snake that died on reaching the estuary as it couldn’t survive the saltwater. Another interesting aspect of many mangroves that we got to see was aerial roots that stem from the water to breath.

The ride was a peaceful two hours with just the sound of the oars splashing on water and birds chirping around as we made our way through canal after canal. At the end of the two hour long ride, the serene atmosphere leaves you hoping for more. An hour after the brief rendezvous with nature, we were on the next bus to Chidambaram and then from there, back to Chennai.

Bhutan

I started planning Bhutan for my honeymoon 4 months in advance. I was quite intrigued by the tiny nation known to be the happiest nation despite being wedged between two miserable giants. The Himalayan kingdom is very keen on conserving its culture and nature, ergo remains isolated but not completely cut off from the rest of the world.

The Bhutanese government makes a conscious effort to keep tourism under control, and we Indians get the best of the deal. The only flights to Bhutan are Druk Air aka Bhutan Airlines which only fly to and from 5 countries including India. To add to it, Druk Air flies to 6 destinations over India as opposed to one destination each in Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Singapore. We Indians also have the added advantage of being able to drive in to Bhutan via the border town Phuntsholing. One more thing in favour of Indians is that the Bhutanese Ngultrum is at par with Indian Rupees. What’s more, they accept Indian currency in denominations of Rs.100 and less.

This exclusivity was one big pull. So when we started planning, we found out that incidentally, we were visiting Bhutan in the best time of the year, October. October and May are said to be the best times to visit as the weather is most pleasant. But when it came to booking tickets, we came to know that despite the drukair.com website, we could only book tickets to tour and travel agents. We went through various packages from Namaste tours, Bhutan Travel Agency, VisitBhutan and Makemytrip. Many of them give packages excluding the flight fare, in which case, the best time to book tickets is more than 3 months in advance. For instance, we decided to go with one such tour provider 3 months in advance. By the time we finalized,  the ticket rates had jumped by a good 15k INR in 2 weeks. We finally went ahead with an all-inclusive trip from makemytrip.

Day 1. Paro

We flew in to Paro from Kolkata on 11^th October 2013. Ready with jackets and warm clothes, we were ready for the Himalayan kingdom. The hills started to welcome us 15 minutes before touching down in Paro. The view from the plane itself gives you a trailer of what you would be witnessing in Bhutan. The view from the flight also includes Kanchenjunga, the world’s third largest peak situated in Sikkim, India.

As we touched down, we were in this really small airport nestled amidst picturesque hills. I have seen really small airports in places like Djibouti and Eritrea, and smaller domestic airports in India. But Paro beats all of them, hands down. The airport was at its busiest at that moment because two flights had arrived, one from Kolkata, and another from Dhaka.

As we stepped out of the airport, to our surprise, we had to take off our jackets. The sky was clear and the sun was shining bright. The air was still pretty cool though. Our driver for the trip, Ram Bahadur soon came and drove us to our hotel. Ram Bahadur is a Bhutanese of Nepali origin and he spoke a lot in a difficult Nepali accent. I asked him if he had any music. Over the next 5 days, I and Soumya would be hearing the same Nepali songs on repeat.  We even returned humming Nepali songs.

Within a few minutes of driving out of the airport, we could see this crystal clear stream of water. It was in a magnificent shade of blue glistening under the shining sun, turning swiftly in a serpentine motion. Ram Bahadur told us, it is called the Paro Chhu. Chhu is the word in Bhutanese (Dzongpha) for river.

We then went past the little town of Paro Valley. A few kms from the town, we drove up a hill to reach our hotel Nak Sel. Ram Bahadur told us that it means forest. The resort hotel was amazing with huge rooms and an amazing view of the hills. We were then offered lunch. We insisted on something Bhutanese. We were served red rice, Kewa Datshi (a potato dish cooked in a cheesy sauce), Gondo Juju (scrambled egg  in a thin gravy) and Phaksha Pha (Pork slices cooked with red chillies). The Bhutanese eat a lot of fatty food. They eat a lot of cheese, butter, red meat and chillies. The food made us wonder how Bhutanese were still so slim and fit. We would get to know the answer on Day 5.

Site seeing began shortly after lunch. Ram Bahadur took us to the National Museum of Paro on top of a hill. Housed inside the revamped Tag-dzong building in Paro, National Museum of Bhutan is a cultural museum that has antiques gathered from different parts of the country, festival masks and models of different species of flaura and fauna native to Bhutan. Photography is restricted inside the museum.

After the Museum, we were next taken to Rinpung Dzong. Dzong is the word for fort in Bhutanese. Dzongs are a very integral part of Bhutanese culture and heritage. Ram Bahadur told us that there are 20 Dzongs all over the country.  Bhutanese as a language is also named Dzongpha after Dzongs.

Most dzongs were built in the mid-1600s to protect the inhabited valleys from invasion by Tibet. The Paro Dzong was started in 1644 on the order of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unifier of modern day Bhutan. Unlike most of the Dzongs in Bhutan, it survived the massive 1897 earthquake mostly unscathed, though it was damaged by fire in 1907.The Rinpung Dzong is a fortress-monastery that serves both as a civil administrative center and as a monastic home for a community of monks. Dzongs display the grandeur of Bhutanese architecture, with white walls and sloped orangish brown roofs. Every Dzong houses a Budhhist temple with prayer wheels aligned along the wall. The Rinpung Dzong is connected to the city with wooden bridge over the Paro Chhu.

After the Dzong, we had a stroll through the beautiful town of Paro. The town is on a small valley with traditional Bhutanese buildings on either side. The city is very relaxed and laid back. After a bit of window shopping, we retired for the day.

Day 2. – Paro – Thimpu

On this day, we headed to Thimpu, the capital city.

En route, we got into the Kyichu Lhakhang. Lakhang is the Bhutanese word for a monastery or temple. Built in 659 by the Tibetan King SongtsenGampo, the Kyichu Lakhang is believed to be one of the 108 temples built to subdue a demoness residing in the Himalayas and is also one of the oldest Temples in Bhutan.

As we entered the premises of the Lakhang, it was booming with echoes of chants. Inside the temple, there were many monks in maroon sitting in front of a huge idol, reading out mantras loudly. The sound of the chants was pretty overwhelming as were the huge idols in the Lakhang.

After the Lakhang, we drove to Thimpu. The drive was pretty exciting. We drove along the Paro Chhu, as though keeping pace with the beautiful river. At times we were just by the river and at times we were at a distant, but the river was never out of sight, and not to mention, the beautiful mountains.

Following the river, we reached a place called Chuzon, where we crossed a bridge and took an about turn. Now were driving along a river but in the direction opposite to its flow. At first it seemed to be the Paro Chhu, but later on we realized it was the Wang Chhu, the river of Thimpu. The second half of the journey was along Wang Chhu against its direction of flow.

After the drive for 60 kms or so, we were in the capital city of Thimpu. The city has the distinction of being the only capital city in the world without any traffic lights. When you pass through the city, you get to know why. There’s hardly any traffic!

Our first destination in Thimpu was the Trashi Chhoe Dzong. Also called Fortress of the Glorious Religion situated on north of the city on west bank of the Wang Chhu. The Dzong was the site of the lavish formal coronation of the fifth King in 2008 and hosts the city’s biggest annual bash, the colorful tsechu festivities.

After the Dzong, we headed to the city for lunch. We decided to go to this restaurant named Zambala, a Tibetan place which is said to serve the best momos in Thimpu. Thanks to Lonely Planet, we knew a couple of options for lunch. At Zambala, like in most other restaurants in Bhutan, there is no menu. The waiter will come up to you and tell you the exhaustive list of dishes. We went for Beef Momos and Cheese Momos. The Beef Momos were very well cooked and succulent, while cheese momos consisted of a thick chunk of cheese with grated vegetables in it, giving it a coleslaw-like taste. After the Momos, we also went for Thupka. It was the best Thupka ever! Enough said.

After lunch, we spent a few hours shopping in Thimpu town before returning to our hotel. Thimpu is a small city which somehow does not have the same laid back charm as Paro.  No buildings in the city exceed 5 stories and it has started developing off late. Ram Bahadur told us that most of the buildings we could see were built after 1995, before which it was all forest.

One interesting thing we noticed as we went shopping was that all shop keepers saw only Star Plus. They all spoke pretty good English and Hindi but seemed to be poor in maths. Or maybe they just loved calculators enough to not let go of any chance to use them. They used calculators for simple calculations like subtracting 375 from 400. Another thing you would get to see across shops is pictures of the royal couple. The Bhutanese as a community eulogise the royal family.

After shopping it was time to go to the hotel. The hotel Terma Linca is a few kms away from the city with every room facing the Wang Chhu. It was another beautiful resort like Nak Sel in Paro, to say the least. After a good dinner at the hotel, we retired for the day

Day 3. Thimpu – Punakha – Thimpu

We left from Thimpu at 8 in the morning, for Punakha, a town 2 hours from Thimpu known for a Dzong and a Lakhang. After a 1 hour drive, we reached a peak known as the Dochula view point. At 3100m, it offers a spectacular view of the Himalayan range. We could see snow capped mountains at a distance. The road to Punakha branches left and curls its way down to the relatively low lands of the Punakha valley. At Dochula, at one view point, there are 108 stupas built by queen Ashi Dorji Wangchuk, to honour the Bhutanese army in the 2003 war of Southern Bhutan. Each one contains effigies of Buddha and religious texts. On a slope nearby there is a Lakhang with prayer flags put up.

After the Dochula View Point, the mountains suddenly turned greener. There was a thick deciduous forest cover that made the view all the more beautiful. After a drive for another hour, Ram Bahadur dropped us at a valley by vast fields. There were handicraft shops on either sides of the fields. We walked past the countryside and paddy fields, evading cow dung and tiny streams to reach the other end from where we could see a Lakhang.

The Lakhang is known as Chimi Lhakhang or fertility temple.  The yellow-roofed Chimi Lhakhang was built in 1499 by the cousin of Lama Drukpa Kunley. Legend has it that Drukpa Kunley, also known as the divine madman subdued the demoness of the nearby Dochu La with his ‘flashing thunderbolt of infinite wisdom’. That has to be the most innovative metaphor for the phallus. The phallus might make visitors uncomfortable, but for the Bhutanese it is a sign of good luck that helps ward off evil. All over the country one can come across phalluses drawn on buildings.

A wooden effigy of the lama’s phallus is preserved in the lhakhang, and it is believed that childless women can receive a blessing or empowerment from the saint. This is why the Lakhang is also known as the fertility temple.

After the Lakhang, we proceeded for lunch by the Punakha river. No points for guessing it was called the Punakha Chhu. Lunch was Indian food provided by our tour operators. After food, we proceeded to our next destination.

The PunakhaDzong majestically stands on an island at the confluence of  two rivers called a male river and female river respectively named Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers. The city's dzong is one of the most photogenic of all Bhutan's ancient fortresses, and you will see pictures of it hanging in hotels and restaurants throughout the country. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reined the kingdom from this valley.

From inside, the Dzong was just like other Dzongs. To be frank, after a couple of dzongs one tends to get bored of them. After the Dzong, we returned to Thimpu. As we left the Dzong, it started raining. The clear skies from the past two days made way for clouds. It would rain for the next two days. Though rain was not all that heavy it was continuous. We went back to Thimpu and retired for the night.

Day 4 – Thimpu.

We began the day at around 1030.

Our first stop for the day was SimtokhaDzong monastery. Built in 1627 by ZhabdrungNgawangNamgyal, it houses the Institute for Language and Cultural Studies. The carvings behind the prayer wheel in the courtyard are a major attraction of this temple. And besides those facts that I googled, it was just another boring Dzong.

From the Dzong, we next went to the Memorial Chorten: also known as the ThimphuChorten. The Chorten is said to have been built in memory of the third king by his mother after he died an early death. Ram Bahadur told us that there is a belief that taking 108 rounds of the Chorten helps increase one’s life span. On that very day, being the Bhutanese festival of Dashaim, the main Lama from Bhumthang was presiding in the Chorten. His chants were being played loud on through a loudspeaker and swarms of devotees from Thimpu had come to the Chorten. Amidst a sea of visitors, we took a round of the Chorten. The experience was overwhelming with such a huge crowd and sounds of chants.

After the Chorten, we headed to one of the highest points overlooking Thimpu, 6 kms away from the city known as the Buddha View Point. The name of the place is pretty self explanatory as there is a huge statue of Buddha presiding over the city. The statue built by the Chinese is close to 50 m high and there is a temple that is still under construction over there. The view from the point is spectacular. Alas, clouds were playing spoilt sport. Standing right in front of the statue, I could not get a clear image of it because of clouds. But it was a nice experience walking through rain clouds and looking down on Thimpu Valley.

After Buddha View Point, we went to Thimpu town for lunch. Thanks to lonely planet again, we selected Chhodon restaurant, a traditional Bhutanese restaurant. And just like Zambala, they did not have a menu. The owner told us they had red rice, Ema Datshi (chilly cooked in cheese), dried pork, dried beef and sliced pork. So I ordered sliced pork, dried beef Ema Datshi and red rice. Soumya decided to avoid the non-vegetarian offerings as she did not like the way the restaurant smelled.

And she was right. The non-vegetarian offerings smelled real bad. The pork was more fat and hardly any meat and the dried beef was stinking. Luckily Ram Bahadur volunteered to finish the beef. But that apart, red rice, dal and Ema Datshi were good. Soumya does not agree on that too. She still blames me for taking her there.

The Takin, Bhutan's national animal

After lunch, we next went to Takin Mini Zoo. Mini Zoo is an overstatement for this tiny slope that houses three animals, Deers, Reindeers and the Takin. Takin is the national animal of Bhutan, and looks like a cross between a cow and a goat. Legend has it that the animal was created by the great Buddhist yogi, DrupaKunley, and it can be found only in Bhutan and nearby areas.

After the Mini Zoo, we went to Thimpu city for shopping and retired for the evening at our hotel on the rainy night. We had to retire early for the night as the next day we had to climb the Tiger’s Nest in Paro.

Day 5 – Thimpu – Paro

The day began early at 8. We were retracting the same path we had taken on Day 2. But on that day, it was very different because of rain. The rivers that were a beautiful crystal clear blue had turned brown with all sediments that had flown into it because of the rain. Rocks from the sides of the mountain had fallen on the road and made us drive slowly past them. At some points we could see tiny rocks rolling down the cliff.

We went past Paro to a hill and drove through pine trees to reach the base camp for the Taksang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest Temple)  beyond which cars were not allowed. Me and Soumya were not very sure of how high we would climb. But we thought of playing it by the ear. It was cloudy and drizzling as we started the hike. On many occasions, one can get horses to climb the hill. That day was not one of them.

There are sticks available at the base camp for 30 Nu. Me and Soumya bought a stick each and began our hike. At the start of the hill, there was a plain area with a lot of prayer flags. There was a bit of a crowd over there putting up flags. We walked past them and proceeded for the hill. As we looked back, they all had retreated. We could not see people anywhere near us, but we still decided to go on along what seemed to be treaded paths.

As we were a bit lost for directions, 3 dogs suddenly came running from behind us. Soumya was scared and I had to act brave. But the dogs ran ahead of us. Thanks to the dogs, we knew the way ahead. A while later we could see the dogs intermittently stopping and turning around to see if we were following their directions. It was as though the dogs were God sent.

We kept treading the slippery path using our stick as an anchor. As we kept going up, we soon came across a few more people. A Chinese couple with two Bhutanese guides were trekking. Tired as we were, we asked the Bhutanese how far the Tiger’s Nest was. One guide in a condescending tone told us that we had not even covered 10 percent of the hike.

We asked him how long it would take before we could at least see the Tiger’s Nest at a distance. To which he told us that if it was a clear sky, it would take half an hour or so. He added in his condescending tone that being young we should go all the way.

And continue we did. Except we kept taking more breaks and let them go ahead of us. As we kept hiking, we came across many more interesting people. A family from Sikkim including 3 generations was also hiking the hill. They were pretty warm and affable. And most surprisingly the oldest member of the family, the grandfather was the fastest of them.

After a hike of one and a half hours, we reached a cafeteria that is said to be mid way. We were exhausted but we never took a break longer than 5 minutes, even at the cafeteria. Our hike from the cafeteria was actually less tiring, though we were starting to run out of patience. We started asking every retreating visitor how far we were from the Tiger’s Nest and we got different answers. One American tourist gave the best possible advice. He said ‘Take your own time, it’s not a race’. The only thing however that scared us or me, to be specific was the slippery terrain and its effect on our descent.

After a hike of another one hour, we reached what is called the view point. From there we could see the unofficial symbol of Bhutan. A majestic monastery perched on the edge of the cliff. Clouds came in the way of a clear view of the Tiger’s Nest but it was like this magical structure straight out of Kung Fu Panda. Clouds though obstructing, added to the mystique of the Monastery.

From the view point, there is a fleet of stairs that goes down, leading to a bridge over a stream facing a waterfall. At the other end of the bridge, a fleet of stairs takes us to the Monastery. The bridge was magical. As we crossed the bridge, we came across spray of droplets from the waterfall. It was as though all visitors were being cleansed before entering the monastery.

After our 3 hour long trek and climbing the final fleet of stairs, we reached the temple at 1 PM. Hard luck, it was lunch time and we could only enter after 2 PM unlike all the other people we had met on our way up. We waited there for one hour. The Bhutanese guide who we met at the beginning of the trek was there. He was pleased to see us. He told us that we had done a good thing by making it to the Monastery.

We asked him more about the monastery. He told us about Guru Rinpoche, one of the main Gurus to spread Buddhism in Bhutan. According to the legend Guru Rinpoche arrived on that peak on the back of a tigress and meditated at this monastery, hence the name Tiger’s Nest.

We spent a good hour amidst rain clouds waiting for the monastery to open. Meanwhile another couple from Kolkata reached the peak at around 130. So that gave us company till the Monastery opened. And we were lucky that they had brought some snacks along.

 Finally at 2 we and the other couple went inside the monastery which houses a number of temples and idols of Rinpoche and Lord Buddha. After 15 minutes in the monastery, it was time to go back. We did not have much time in hand because 3 hours from there would mean we would reach down by 5:15. But on the flipside, the lunch break at the monastery had given us a very much needed break.

We began our descent with the initial fleet of stairs till the bridge past the waterfall and then we had to climb the stairs to the view point. This was the most tiring part of the entire trip. Every stair up was pulling out energy out of us. We kept taking breaks after every few steps. The thought of sleeping on the steps also crossed my mind. But the pain was short-lived. In another 20 minutes we were at the view point. And from there it was all downhill.

We were hoping to get a good view of the Tiger Hill while returning but clouds had other plans. The view of the Tiger Hill from the view point was even less clear while returning.

The slippery terrain was a bit of a challenge but we took slow steps, one at a time. Before we knew it, we were at the cafeteria that is the half point. We took a very small break there. And funnily, the clouds started vanishing and the sun was shining bright, taking care of the slippery terrain ahead. If only we had waited at the view point for a little longer, we could have got a better glimpse of the Monastery. But still no regrets. The sun at least came out to make our descent trouble-free.

At the half point, we met the Sikkimese family again. And later we met the Chinese couple with Bhutanese guides again. While we took an hour to enter the monastery, they all took a long lunch break. The Bhutanese guide who was condescending at the beginning of the trek was all praises for us both. He again told us that we had done a good thing.

In one and a half hours flat, we reached the base camp. From there we could see the Tiger’s Nest way up high really tiny. We knew that if we had seen it in the morning, we would have dropped the idea of the trek. After the trek of close to 3000 ft high, we retired for the day. The next morning, we would leave the tiny Himalayan kingdom.

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The next morning, we had an early morning flight at 720. As the flight entered clouds, we felt like we were in familiar territory, again.

 

Tashi Delek!

Diu

I reached Diu on 31st Dec morning at 10 and headed straight to the hotel I had booked via makemytrip.com But when I reached the hotel, Vinayak Guest House, the owner denied me the room. He told me that all rooms were booked for New Year. I told him I had booked a good 20 days in advance, but he just would not listen. So I called makemytrip and told them the situation. After a few rounds of phone calls from me to the company and the company to the hotel, I was finally given a hotel room in a better hotel named Alishan. I must mention that makemytrip did a good job there.

As the ride to Diu had been quite a boneshaker, I took a nap before going out and discovering the city. The autofellow who took me from the bus stand to the hotels showed me a ratecard for a trip all around the main tourist attractions of Diu for Rs. 350. It sounded like a good deal, so I got onto his Auto. Our first stop was Diu fort. A sturdy 16th century Portuguese fort by the sea. It consists of three bastions overlooking the sea with bronze cannons. The fort had a couple of well laid out gardens and a light house at one end. But one of the best spectacles form the fort was a sea turtle that rose from the sea for a second and went back in. The second best spectacle was a structure in the middle of water, known as the Pani Kotha.

After spending a good amount of time at the Fort, the autofellow, Anand took me to the next destination, the church of St. Paul. A big imposing white European structure. It was good to see a Gothic structure unlike many others from that era, well maintained. Once out of the church, Anand took me to Chakratirth beach. We then got chatting and as we were out of the church, religion was a starting point. He said he was a muslim and people were surprised that he was a muslim after hearing his name. He then told me that the muslims in Diu were different from those in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. On asking him to clarify if it was a difference in faith or custom, he told me they had a different way of celebrating their festivals.

He told me that on Eid, they prepared large quantities of food and everyone gathered together. That did not seem one bit different to me. But then came the big difference, a bit of a shock in fact. Once the food is ready, everyone starts popping beer bottles, he said. I had a long laugh as Anand added that muslims elsewhere get shocked on learning about the custom. They call it 'najayaz'. Anand also told me that in Diu it's hard to say what faith a person belonged to. Hindus, muslims and christians lived next to each other, unlike say Ahmedabad where there is a clear demarcation of the muslim side of the town.

Anand's autorickshaw was also covered by stoles with Portugal written on them. He had put them up during the Euro cup 2012 in support of the nation that once ruled the island. He told that people in Diu could go to Portugal and live there, but the economy was low. To put it in his words, there were no jobs there, as everything was made in China. He pointed to the stoles and said, these stoles say Portugal but they are also made in China, so obviously all the jobs will also go to China. Pretty impressive statement, I must say.











By the end of the conversation, we were by a hillock. I climbed a few steps to see a round flat surface overlooking the sea. The area is known as the sunset point for obvious reasons. In addition, there is a memorial erected there for INS Khukri with a long list of sailors who had sacrificed their life while the naval vessel sank during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. On one side of the hillock was a small stretch, known as the Chakrateerth beach. It is one of the less crowded beaches.












From Chakrateerth, Anand next took me to the Gangaoshree temple, a cave temple by the sea. Anand told me that 5 shivlings were discovered there washed by the tidal waves. The temple had an interesting structure to it. It was located by the sea. You had to walk a few steps down to reach the shrine where the idols are partly submerged in the sea.

Our next stop was the Nagoa beach, one of Diu's most famous beaches, via a seashell museum. The museum was started by a retired naval officer with sea shells brought from all over the world. It also had interesting aquatic species in formaldehyde solutions. They were kept in jars and on the lid of the jar was a huge lens so one could see the marine beings in detail. Photography was not allowed inside, but the museum sure has some interesting specimen on display.

Next was the Nagoa beach. It was filled with people. Anand told me that 'Gujjus' from all over the state come during holidays. The beaches and cheap alcohol, or for that matter, alcohol are a big draw for people from the dry state. The beach is quite big, very crowded though. There's also a lot of water sports one can enjoy at the beach. Watersports did not seem so appealing as I was alone so I've saved it for another time.

From the beach, I went to this small resort called Hoka resort. Hoka, another interesting and unique Diu feature is a palm that branches out from one main trunk, like mythological monsters with many heads. It bears a fruit known by the same name. Hoka was brought to the island from Africa by the Portuguese. In India, the tree is only found in Diu and the neighbouring Kathiawad region of Gujarat. I bought a couple of hokas from the Nagoa beach and I still have no idea how to eat them. They are hard as wood. I was probably sold bad ones, but then, Anand told me that they never go bad. So i can try different ways to have the Hokas. 

Back to the resort, my friend, Shraddha told me about it. She told me the interiors are well done and that the place serves good food. And she was right to the t. Resort is too big a word for the quaint little place. With a very European look to it and the shade of trees, the small hotel made for a relaxing atmosphere. The food too was praiseworthy. I had grilled fish with rice for Rs. 350. Even though it was not very filling, it did justice to the price. Highly recommended.












Being 31st Dec, I asked them if the place would be open at night. The waiter told me that there would be a small bonfire and music. And so at night, I made my way back to the resort. With some good food, I welcomed the new year, chatting with random tourists at the quaint place. I was glad I had chosen the place for New Year, because the rest of the town was bustling with Himesh Reshammiya and people drinking and driving all over the city painting the town red.

The next morning, I caught my train back from Veraval, the nearest station to Diu which was actually farther than I thought. It took a good 4 hours by a share auto to the neighbouring town of Una and a bus to Veraval.

All in all, it was fun discovering the town of Diu. The town though very similar to Goa and Pondicherry has its own charm. It's not a great party place and is frequented more by Indian tourists. But then, there's sun, sand and many interesting monuments, besides of course cheaper alcohol, which to be honest, is not all that cheap too. Would highly recommend the place also as it has many things unique to it, Hoka to begin with. There's also a good bird sanctuary which i could not visit for lack of time, but I did see pelicans and flamingoes on my way.

Kutch Part 2

After an year of visiting kutch and returning without seeing the Rann, I decided to go again. So I booked my tickets on a weekend closest to a full moon day for me and a friend Prasad. We left Mumbai by friday night's Bhuj Express and reached Bhuj 3 hours ahead of scheduled time, at 4PM. We were clueless about how to reach Dhordo, the entrance to the Rann or about our accomodation there. We were all ready to try our luck.

So once we stepped out of the railway station, we enquired with autorickshaws and jeeps about how to reach Dhordo. They told us we could hire a car from the bus stop which was 3 kms away from the Railway station. But just as we were heading to catch an autorickshaw for the bus stop, we thought of trying our luck with a bus right outside the railway station. We asked the conductor if the bus goes to Dhordo. He in return asked us if we had a booking. When we said no, he asked us to stand at the turning ahead of us and to hop on to the bus from there.

So we both were on a bus that was actually part of a package tour. But instead of sitting with the passengers, we sat along with the driver and conductor. We would plan the rest of the trip en route Dhordo. The driver and conductor told us that all the tents in Dhordo had been booked. They were booked to an extent that tents meant for drivers and conductors were also full and that they had to sleep in the bus. We asked them if they could accomodate us too in the bus. They were more than happy. As the group from Mumbai, which we toured with, was already 3 hours late, we would be taken to the Rann straight away, after which everyone would be taken to their tents at Dhordo.

Being part of a government package,  the bus did not have to stop at the Bhendiari checkpost before turning to Dhordo. There where there was a long queue waiting for their pass to the Rann. As the area is sensitive, one is supposed to get a pass from the checkpost on showing identity proof and paying a nominal fee of Rs. 100 or so


The bus reached the white Rann at 630. We had half an hour to see the Rann before we left to Dhordo. As we drove into the open white space, we saw the sun set behind us. The sun was long gone when we entered the Rann but it was still bright. The play of colours that adorn the western side of the sky as the sun sets, was spread all the way to the east. The vast white expanse that lay before us was surreal. It was not plain white, it was a mix of white and brown. At most places, it was just a layer of salt on brown sand.











The vast expanse of nothingness was not completely flat. There were cracks, crevices and tiny shrubs intermittently on the ground. The only animals in the Kutch are Wild Asses and birds, but none were in sight. The white expanse resembled the surface of planets we see in pictures. It was like another planet. The sky appeared like a dome.

It was very windy. Me and Prasad had plans of staying back on the Rann at night. But we could not because the area is a sensitive area, it leads to the Indo-Pak border. Even though that is a good 170 kms away, there were Border Security Forces deployed there with security infra red cameras. Another factor that deterred us was the wind and cold.

We slowly saw it get dark and a couple of stars had come out. The moon we had been waiting for and planned the trip for, still did not show up. But nonetheless the white sands had a silver shine to it. It probably reflected lights from buses around, or any other light in the vicinity.

Our next stop was Dhordo, a village put up by Gujarat Tourism for tourism. Once we reached there, we saw the moon come out. Bad luck, but still no complaints. Our driver at Dhordo told us that the entire Rann festival was started by the tourism department of the state and suddenly saw an influx of tourists to the white deserts in the past 3 years. Earlier hardly anyone knew about the place. At Dhordo, an entire village resort had been spread out with an area for performing artists, special areas for indoor games, volleyball court, tribike tracks, stalls for shopping and tents for guests.

Once at Dhordo, we sat and ate food with the bus drivers and conductors. They were the jolliest bunch of people I have ever come across. I'm sure Prasad would agree. They might not have the best sense of humour, but they had an incredible attitude towards life. They were happy with whatever they had and it was all about sharing and being happy, for them. Once we were done with our dinner, they gave us their Rann Festival Staff Cards so we could go around the area.












We saw a couple of Kutchi song and dance performances and spent the rest of the time walking around the entire resort. The tents were very elegantly done and lit. The tents opened up to a vast empty space. Me and Prasad walked out and spent a good time in the cold desert sand talking, till the cold had the better of us. At night, we retired to the bus where everyone was watching Dabangg part 2. We reached there towards the last 10 minutes. And then everyone went to crash in their respective buses.

We were told the next day we would go to the Indo-Pak border as early as 730. And after that, we could head to Bhuj from where we would plan our way back, most probably via Ahmedabad. So we retired for the day as early as 1030. We stretched across the bus from one window to the other and slept a good sleep.  Only to wake up time and again to add another layer of clothing or bedsheet as it got colder with time.

We were up by 6. We walked around the Dhordo resort in anticipation, waiting for the rest to join us. But to no avail. They did not show up till 1030 or probably even after that. We spent the 4 hours whiling time around the resort, setting up a bonfire with the drivers and indulging in small talk with people everywhere. We were then seated in a bus till the Bhendiari checkpost from where we would catch a bus till Bhuj. We gave the driver and conductor who showed us around the Rann and who let us sleep in his bus a thousand rupees, which he reluctantly accepted. It seemed as if they would've been fine with it if we even did not pay them. But that was the least we could do for the priceless experience and amazing time they gave us.

We reached the railway station at 12:27 and were right on time for the 12:30 train via Ahmedabad. From there, Prasad headed back to Mumbai while I caught a bus to Diu.

Sri Lanka

This was my most anticipated trip ever. I’d been wanting to go to Sri Lanka forever but after a couple of failed plans, opportunity struck as a week’s gap between two jobs. I would finally be seeing my place of birth after a good 27 years without the slightest recollection of what it ever looked like.  One of the biggest problems and at some points, advantage, of the trip would be that I went during off-season as it’s the time when Sri Lanka gets a good share of monsoon showers.

Day 1. - 16 Oct 2012

I land at Bandaranaike airport at 430 pm and head to Kandy. I’d reserved a hotel for my first night of stay, online, at a place called Elkudawa, some 20kms from Kandy as I needed a local address to fill in the online visa form. So once I was out of the airport, the first thing I did was withdraw cash from the ATM. I had taken Indian Rupees along with me that I ended up bringing back as places to exchange INR to LKR are very limited. After the withdrawal, I would get a local SIM card from the airport itself. Mobile network providers ‘Mobitel’ give pretty good deals for different regions. I just bought the SIM and got a top up for less than 2000 LKR and that would take care of all my calling needs during the week-long trip.

Once out of the airport, they have shuttle buses to the bus stop of Katunayake, from where I would get the bus to Kandy. There I would meet up with Benjamin, a friend whom I met through the couchsurfing website. I would catch up with him and discuss my trip and get tips.  At the bus stop a crowded bus finally comes for Kandy. It was too crowded to get on to, along with my back pack, but I decided to go ahead with it. It turned out to be a good decision as it was the last bus to Kandy. 

The conductor saw me struggling with my backpack, so he helped my by placing it on the gearbox. I would get a seat about an hour into the journey, again on the gearbox. The Sri Lankan countryside is beautiful. The locales and people are very Indian, though the people come across as slightly more westernized, more like Goans. The landscapes too, look very similar to Goa and Kerala. The bus was playing Sinhalese songs which also sound very Indian. Sinhalese songs can easily be mistaken for Hindi, Konkani or Malayalam. The journey to Kandy was fun, chatting along with the amicable conductor. Though his English was bad, it was good enough for a conversation. He would say things like ‘Sit anywhere, your country bus.’ pointing to the Ashok Leyland bus and ask questions like ‘You picnic? Alone picnic?’.

A good 2 and a half hours later, I would be in Kandy where the rains would welcome me. I’d wait for some 5-10 minutes after which I would meet Benjamin. By then, it was nearly dinner time and as I wanted something really Sri Lankan, Benjamin would suggest kothu, which is known as Kothu porotta in the South too. It is a dish prepared of shreds of bread(porotta) mixed with vegetables, meat and a slightly spicy gravy. Here luckily, the gravy comes separately. And they had a variant with cheese and ketchup. I went for prawns kothu while Benjamin had fish kothu. The restaurant also had a juice menu. The fruit called wood apple caught my attention. I’d never heard of it before, so I ended up having its juice. It’s a weird fruit to say the least and I would keep coming across the fruit and its juice everywhere on the island country.

 Over dinner, we would be planning out the trip, taking a few suggestions and sorting out things for the trip. After that I would head to the hotel at Elkudawa. Now this was a place not known to all, even at Kandy. Benjamin arranged a tuk tuk, (the Lankan word for a three wheeler) to the place. The tuk tuk driver charged 2000 rupees and pleaded ignorant about the place. We would have to do some searching en route.

Soon I would be riding uphill between dense forests. I could hear crickets and frogs as we moved uphill. En route, we also passed clouds. After a good 10 kms or so, the driver would stop to ask directions and come back with a nervous face. ‘This tuk tuk no go’ he said. He pleaded me to take another tuk tuk there. I wanted to tell him not to scare me as this was just my first day in a new country. But the driver talked to another tuk tuk driver and got me on to a new tuk tuk whom I would have to pay 300 LKR to. But the driver of the first tuk tuk paid the amount out of the 2k that I owed him. But in the process, I would forget my umbrella in the first tuk tuk. But luckily the driver was known to Benjamin and I could collect it later.

The next 13 km ride was pretty scary. It was the perfect place for a ghost to appear out of nowhere. Dark, dense jungles, houses at least a km away from one another. After asking directions and getting lost once, we were finally at the Green View Hotel Elkudawa. The room was big with a huge glass door that leads into a balcony from where we could see an entire valley. But that would have to wait till the next morning.

Day 2 – Pinnewala and Kandy

My first morning in Sri Lanka offered a spectacular view. An ocean of hills before me. Hills of all sizes  until the horizon were laid down before me. With clouds snugly placed wherever there was a gap. After a good breakfast, I would be checking out of the hotel as the last bus from Kandy to the hotel was as early as 430 pm. I decided to find a place in Kandy itself for the night.  So from the Green View Hotel at Elkudawa, I had to walk down half a km from where I would get a bus to Kandy. My first stop for the day would be the Pinnawala elephant orphanage that lies between Kandy and Colombo.

From Kandy, I would catch a bus to Kegalle from where I would get a tuk tuk to the place. The Pinnawala elephant orphanage is a place where elephants are brought in from different parts of Asia. Here they are treated for ailments and many of them end up living here. It’s quite a nice experience to get up close with the giant mammals.  They have three ticket rates, 2000, 3000 and 4000. The elephant ride would be longer depending on the charge.

The first thing you do at the elephant orphanage is you bathe the elephant. The mahout orders the elephant to lie down on the stream. You’re given a piece of coir which you rub on the elephant after splashing water over it. I had a young and smart guide named Chamila who would take me through Pinnawala. Chamila told me that the elephants enjoy the scrubbing, It’s like a massage to them. He was telling me about the different elephants and where all they have been brought from. He pointed to one and said that that very elephant, Lakshmi was the only elephant born there. Lakshmi’s mother was brought from India. Many others have been rescued and brought. Some after years of carrying loads were finally brought here. Such was the case with Bandara, the elephant I would ride on.

A 20 minute elephant ride through the small village was fun. Chamila would go on talking and taking my pictures. After which, he would take me through the elephant museum, a small hall way with elephant bones and information on the majestic species. Before the museum, lay a canvas with brush strokes all over it. Chamila told me that it was a painting created by the elephants. He named two elephants who painted it.

The museum showcased elephant bones, the rib, spine and pelvis. It also had a tooth on display, not a tusk. A 5 kg solid tooth. Chamila told me that an elephant has 4 of those. There was a tusk on display as well, but it was a replica, not an actual one. In addition, the museum also had a list of mahout commands that the elephant understands, differences between Asian and African elephants and the list of elephants at the orphanage and where they were brought in from.

After Pinnawala, I would head back to Kandy and see the city. En route, the tuk tuk fellow stopped at  ‘Saffron Super Spice Garden’, a garden where they grew spices and sold them. I just quickly went through them and headed to Kandy.

The city is simply beautiful. There’s something incredibly serene about the cultural capital of Sri Lanka. The city is built around a small lake which is filled with all kinds of fishes and surrounded by birds. At one end of the Lake is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The temple houses the relic of a tooth of Lord Buddha. The story goes that the tooth was retrieved from Lord Buddha’s pyre. The tooth relic has quite an interesting history to it, which would call for another blogpost on its own.

The temple also houses a museum with objects and sculptures from all of South Asia and South East Asia. The most striking sculpture there was surprisingly from Pakistan. A Gandhara statue of an aged and fatiguing Buddha in meditation. While most statues of Buddha show the glow of an enlightened Buddha, this one depicted the hardships he went through to attain enlightenment. I really wish I could write more about the temple but one of the biggest stupidities of my trip was seeing a free audio guide at the counter only while leaving.

I would then visit the Mahaviharas, Malwatte and Asigira. These Buddhist complexes house the highest Buddhist priests. After the mahaviharas, I would while time walking around the  city. I dropped in to a shop for a break and for a bite. That’s when I noticed something called a smoking room. The Sri Lankan government had banned smoking in public so stores had a small smoking room where people would walk in, grab a glass of black tea, have a smoke and come out. Looked like a good idea.

After the snack, I would get back to roaming around the town. Just about then, at around 430, it started drizzling and I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go. A tuk tuk driver saw opportunity in a lost foreigner and said there’s a Sri Lankan dance program. He took for 100 LKR for a distance that could be covered on foot in 4 minutes. But then, it was rainy and I needed the ride. The tuk tuk fellow's argument was ‘100 Rupees Indian price. Foreigner price 150’.

But the good part was that I would have a place to escape the rains as I had left the umbrella in the tuk tuk, the previous night. More importantly it was a good chance to discover Sri Lankan dance forms. The area conducting it is known as YMBA, a Buddhist counterpart of YMCA. Which also happens to be a question most graduates in India ask – Why MBA? No? Ok.

The cutltural program was from 530 – 630. 12 different Sri Lankan dance forms squeezed into a one hour show viz. Conch Shell & Drum Orchestra, Pooja Dance, Thelme Dance, Pantheru, Peacock Dance, Salupliya Dance, Raban Dance, Kulu Dance, Ves Dance, Group Dance and a Fire Walking Dance that would be held outside the auditorium. Yes, I brought home one of the pamphlets they were giving out, so that I could enlist the dance forms.

The Sri Lankan dance forms have strong South East Asian and Indian influences in movements and costumes. In addition, the dance forms had jerky moves and acrobatics. Their music and beats however are undeniably Indian.

After the program, I would go around looking for accommodation. Benjamin suggested a couple of places which unfortunately were full. In a turn of events, I would however end up at YMBA again. There they had very basic rooms with beds and mosquito nets and a common bathroom which was maintained spic and span at a very nominal rate of 600 LKR.  For dinner I had hopers, the Sri Lankan name for what we call vellayappam in the southern parts of India. It is basically a concave bread made out of rice paste which is prepared on a round bottomed vessel. The hoper takes the shape of the vessel. They had an egg variant where egg is fried on the hoper. The hopers were served with a Sri Lankan chutney made of tomatoes, onions and chillies.

After a filling dinner, I retire for the night. The next day I would be visiting Nuwara Eliya, a hill station 2 hours from Kandy

Day 3 – Nuwara Eliya

I get up early and by 730, I reach the railway station. Even though I was going to take a bus, I thought I’d try my luck with the trains. There was a train at 830 that costed 160 LKR. I thought the train was an experience I must have and the journey would prove me right. The train ride was a delight. Passing by the Hill Country, it offered a view akin to the scenic beauty one can witness on the Neelgiris and Darjeeling trains in India.

The train however took a good 5 hours as it took a longer route. But I have no complaints as the train ride itself is a great tourist attraction. The train passed through hills, valleys, cascades and mountains padded with tea plantations. I would have a good time chatting with locals and foreign tourists. The train finally arrived at Nanu Oya, the closest railway station to Nuwara Eliya, one hour by bus.

I finally reach Nuwara Eliya by 2. The last bus to Kandy was as early as 530. Which meant I would have to rush through the place. Besides the bus stop, is Victoria Park, which I decided to do later. I would get to the Hagkala Botanical Gardens first, a good 8 kms from Nuwara eliya, 15 minutes by bus. The entry charge was a good 1100 LKR. The Garden is well laid out with different sections allotted to different kind of plants.

One part I loved was the Fernery, a collection of ferns of every size. The place resembled Pandora from the movie Avatar. I didn’t have much time to go around the area as I had to be in time for the Kandy bus and I had to visit the Seetha Amman Temple, the only temple in the world dedicated to Goddess Seetha (Also spelt Sita, Seeta or Sitha).

One and a half kms down the road from the Gardens, the temple was located along a slope. The pujaris told me more about the place. It is believed that the temple is currently at a place which used to be Ashoka Vatika, the place where Seetha was held hostage by Ravana. Ravana was said to have lived on top of the hill where the Hakgala Gardens is now located. It was believed that he used to come down to the Ashoka Vatika through a tunnel. Nothing testifies Seetha’s loyalty like the fact that she wanted to leave Nuwara Eliya for Uttar Pradesh.

Besides the temple is a stream called the Seetha river. It is believed to be a place where she used to bathe. The pujaris also showed different colours of sand along the slope. The black soil is believed to be the ashes of the city that lord Hanuman had burnt down.  On a friend’s request, I brought some black sand too and then got going to Nuwara Eliya. Just as I stepped out of the temple it was raining. I took shelter in a shop straight opposite the temple. The rains just made the hill station all the more beautiful. As water fell from the sky, we could also witness rain clouds crawling up the street. Soon, I would catch the bus to Nuwara Eliya and once I reached there, the rains had slowed down.

Now I had less than two hours in hand before the bus. So I did the two best things you can do in Nuwara Eliya. Nothing in particular and well, nothing in particular. I spent a good hour walking around the place. The woods in Nuwara Eliya have a characteristic English smell. And with a nip in the air and rains, the place is the most English this side of the world could look or feel. Add to that, British style houses all around the area. It is no wonder that Nuwara Eliya is known as Little England. After an hour long stroll through the city, I would sit by the café at Victoria Park drinking some fine Ceylon tea gazing at clouds brush past trees on a distant hill. The place was magical.

I would catch the bus to Kandy and retire at the YMBA guest house. The next day, I would be heading to Trincomalee.

Day 4 and 5 – Trincomalee

I get up early and head to the bus stop. En route, I pick up my umbrella from a place where Benjamin had sent it and then leave for a rather drier part of the country. A good 6 hours from Kandy, I reach Trincomalee, also known as Trinco. Trincomalee is a place known for two beaches, Uppuveli and Nilaveli. Benjamin had told me that Uppuveli had some very reasonable places to stay. So I went straight to Uppuveli and took up a guest house for 1500 LKR for two nights. The owner of the guest house said that the rates wouldn't be this low, if it weren't off season.

So my first day in Trinco is spent just lazing by the Uppuveli beach. The beach is beautiful with white sands and a rather calm blue sea. There are shacks by the sea where one could have nice food and a drink. Uppuveli also has a scuba diving place. They charge 12000 LKR for a learning session. I thought of going for it, but on time, the owner of my guest house pointed out that the water would be mucky in this season and that I wouldn't get to see anything.

So the rest of the evening is spent lazing, eating and drinking by the beach. It was hard to believe I was still on the tiny island where I was walking amidst the clouds, the previous day.  The next day, I would go around Trinco. I would be shown around by the guest house owner’s son, Prasad, who drove a tuk tuk.

I wake up early and leave for Fort Frederick, a 17^th century fort which is now a detachment of the Sri Lankan Army, though open to tourists. The fort entrance leads to a road uphill that ends in a Koneswaram temple of Lord Shiva. During the Dutch reign, they had attacked the temple and stolen a Shivalingam which is now restored in the temple. The view from the temple is phenomenal. You can see the Ocean all around and most of Trincomalee. There is a steep cliff just besides the temple, which is known as Lover’s leap. Quite an explicit name for a suicide point, I must say.

One striking feature at the Fort Frederick area is deers that are fed at the temple during evenings and walk around fearlessly through the rest of the area during the day. What’s more, they even pose for photographs.  Done with Fort Frederick, I would next head to the hot springs at Kanniya. The Kanniya hot waters are considered sacred by Buddhists and Hindus alike. Hindus believe that Ravana stuck his sword in the land and the hot springs came out. The hot springs just consisted of 7 different square shaped wells with hot water.

From there, I would head to Nilaveli beach and then to pigeon island, off the beach. The tuk tuk fellow who had been silent all the while started talking non stop when he knew I could manage broken Tamil  Most of the time, I made drivers manage broken English, but now was my time to be at the receiving end. After the hot springs as we went towards Nilaveli beach, we passed through this kachcha road. Prasad, the tuk tuk fellow told me that the area has a lot of Monitor Lizards. He told me that they taste very good.

Until we reached Nilaveli, he would tell me about deer meat, rabbit meat and all sorts of legal and illegal meat. He told me that if I stayed till Sunday, there would be pork. And that too, wild boars. He said, patronizing farm pigs. He also suggested we buy rabbit and have it for dinner. I liked the idea.

We finally reach Nilaveli after all that talk. The beach was beautiful, with dark blue waters and the waves were bigger than those at Uppuveli. From the beach, we could see an island with a lot of trees on it. That was pigeon island, a national park. The pass to the place costed 2600 LKR and an additional 1500 LKR for the boat. The coral island makes for a good view. If only I had gone snorkeling, it would have been all the more worthwhile. Even from the island, we could see coloured fishes. But you should go swimming into the water and you can see a lot more fishes.

But as we couldn't go swimming, we just thought of walking around the island, making our way through the rocks and trees. The island is called pigeon island because it houses loads of them. Talking of which Prasad again started on how pigeon meat was also delicious. He said that if roasted with potatoes, ginger and butter, they taste fabulous ad 5 pigeons are good enough to fill one’s tummy. I’m glad he didn't see a snake or porcupine.

After a good hour, we move on. We pay a brief visit at the World War cemetery where many soldiers, mostly English, died during the second world war by a Japanese attack on the island. I clicked a few pictures and then went to buy a Rabbit and then go to the guest house.

I would have Rabbit and puttu for dinner. Puttu is a steamed rice cake with coconut powder, also made in the southern parts of India. The Rabbit was cooked in an eclectic blend of spices. It was then topped with glistening red chilly paste. It tasted as good as it looked. After rabbit and puttu, I would move to take the night bus to Colombo. From there, I would be going to the historic city of Galle depending on availability of time. The night bus at 850 Rupees, is a luxury air conditioned bus with reclining seats and every seat comes with insurance. It would take 7 hours approximately. Which meant that I would reach Colombo at around 6 in the morning as my bus left Trinco at 11 pm.

Day 5 and 6 - Colombo

I reach Colombo as early as 5 in the morning completely sleep deprived. The bus was very comfortable and ideal to sleep. But they had to spoil it by playing a Tamil move and an English movie, back to back. Even worse, none of the lodges had opened and I was walking around aimlessly with a backpack. Prasad had warned me about Colombo being dangerous. He went on to an extent of saying that the only way your money can be safe is if you put it in your short pockets and wear a jeans on top of that. But then shortly, a tuk tuk would take me to a hotel at Mt. Lavinia, an area with a lot of affordable hotels.

I would get a deal of two days for 2500 LKR. And as I was sleepy, I had called off my plans for Galle. I had to remind myself that I was on a holiday, not on a mission of sorts. After a good sleep, I would set off to see St. Michael’s nursing home. No, it’s not a tourist attraction, just the place where I was born. This situation had all the making of a filmy situation. The protagonist sticking his head out of a three wheeler in anticipation, biting his nails and waiting apprehensively with an address in hand. But the situation was nothing close to all the drama. The protagonist was sitting back with a sleepy head and a hungry tummy realizing he hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

Soon, the tuk tuk would stop in front of a building named St. Michaels at Kollupitiya. As we reach there, the tuk driver went off to ask someone something in Sinhalese. He came back and said that the owner of the nursing home stays in some far off place. I wondered why he would say that. He then added that if I need any documents, I could go over there and collect it. The nursing home shut down some 20 years ago and it was now a residential complex. I asked the driver to relax. I just wanted to see the place. And see, I did. It was a nice feeling seeing the place I was born. For many, it’s a daily occurence. For me, It happened nearly 29 years later. It was a happy moment. Not emotional or overwhelming. Plain happy.

From there I would go to see the Galle Face beach. The beach at Colombo is World Class and so is the city. A tuk tuk driver told me that all this development was recent, after the civil disturbances ended in 2009.

That day and the next, I would just be living the Sri Lankan city life, experiencing Colombo. We would like to believe that Sri Lankans are hardly any different from Indians. Well it is true to a huge extent, but there are differences, one can’t help notice. The most important one being that Sri Lankans are not adventurous like us. They drive as if they and people on the streets have to reach home. On my flight from Chennai to Colombo, I had a German co-passenger ask me if we had driving schools in India. I didn't have a befitting reply and I still don’t

Sri Lankans have their share of fun and a much bigger share of fun without being ‘adventurous’. I also have to point out that they are way more cosmopolitan than us. The variety of cuisines available in Colombo can put all our major cities to shame. They have night clubs and casinos that are open all night long.  And cleanliness is another aspect that can not be missed anywhere in Sri Lanka. While planning my trip I’d read a testimonial by a firang who said he thought Sri Lanka would be dirty like India but then he was pleasantly surprised. I took offense of the testimonial, but I have to admit I too was pleasantly surprised by the way Sri Lankans have maintained their small country.

There was so much in Colombo to do and see, but I just managed a couple of places. Also being a lone traveler in such a happening city is not such a good idea. But out of the places I did go to, Cricket Club Café caught my fancy. Every cricket enthusiast would love the place. It showcases a lot of cricket memorabilia and the menu is a good read. They have dishes like Sangakara’s seafood platter, Ganguly’s grill and Nasser’s Napolitana pasta. Even though I’m not a big cricket fan myself, it was quite an enjoyable place. At the cricket café, I saw Sunderland play Newcastle United *like a boss*.

Another place that needs a mention is the Dutch hospital. A hospital that the Dutch had created, which then changed hands and became a police station, and is now a shopping complex with high end restaurants and fancy stores. One of the restaurants there is a high end restaurant specializing in crabs, called ministry of crab. It is owned by cricketers Kumara Sangakara and Mahela Jayawardena. I was also told that Sanath Jayasuriya had opened a new place called Quba with an amazing menu and music. The list of such places is endless and two days would be too less to try it all. So on my final day, I decide to go to the town of Negombo, a city that is closer to the airport than Colombo. The city is known for a lagoon, a beach and Dutch monuments.

Day – 7

I leave Colombo early, and catch a bus for Negombo, reach there as early as 930. After reaching there, I ask directions for the lagoon. I was told to take a bus for Ja Ela. I get off the stop and see that I was by a hotel Jetwing Lagoon. On asking the hotel people about the lagoon, they were kind enough to let me go and see the lagoon at the other end of the lavish hotel with a swimming pool as big as a lagoon itself. I clicked a few pictures of the lagoon and then got going from there.

As I stepped out of the hotel, I could see there wasn't much on the other side. I could see trees only up till another 100 meters or so. Making my way through the trees, I reach a beach! The beach was not as beautiful as those in Trinco. More or less, the kind of beaches we have on the outskirts of Mumbai, only cleaner. Walking down the beach, some locals were fishing with a rod. They let me try my hand at it. After failing miserably, I apologised and moved on.

Walking through Thalahena was a feeling of being back in Kerala. They say you’re not doing it right if you feel home while travelling. This however felt to be an exception. Thalahena is primarily a fishing village with sloppy roofed houses, like the ones we have in Kerala. The smell of fish all around and coconut trees in any and every direction. As I kept walking aimlessly through the village with another 6 hours for the flight, I suddenly get called by a local. He asks me if I’m from Pakistan. To which I reply I am from India.

I told him all about my trip and how I ended there to see the lagoon. The local told me there was a better place to see the lagoon than the hotel. He took me on his two wheeler and he was right. The view of the lagoon was indeed better. There were mangroves around and I was right in front of a bird’s nest that I was failing to capture from the hotel.

We then sat back at a tea shop where the local’s friend would also join me. Both of them Randheir and Ruwan were locals from the area living the good life in their native place. Randheir, named after a Bollywood actor worked as a bartender in a nearby hotel while Ruwan was more of an intellectual who worked as a journalist. He was also into drawing and music. We had a good time chatting for a few hours about life, music, India, Sri Lanka and everything in general.

They told me that Thalahena was a mere 200 m stretch between the lagoon to the east and beach to the west. Which meant they could see the sun rise at the lagoon with birds chirping and see the sunset at the beach on the other side. They said on weekends, they would go on a boat to one of the five tiny islands on the lagoon. They would carry their musical instruments along, catch fish, have a barbecue at the island and a couple of drinks. They told me to join them the next time I was in Sri Lanka. Though their English was not fluent, it was good enough for a decent conversation. Ruwan also told me that the lagoon had 22 different species of mangroves, the highest number in any lagoon in the world.

They would then take me for lunch to a nearby shack by the lagoon. Ruwan had done the art all around the café. It was brilliant to say the least. So we had lunch at a place besides the lagoons with mangroves on either sides with cranes and kingfishers paying a visit occasionally. For lunch, we would have a plate of mixed sea food rice. One portion could feed three people. Two things that you’re bound to see when you eat in Sri Lanka. 1, extra chilly and additional chillies. Despite the overdose of chillies, it never ruins the taste. 2. The portions are incredibly big. They often say that you can equate the size of portions with the host’s generosity. Going by which, I would say Sri Lankans have a heart as big as the Indian Ocean.

So after a good lunch at Thalahena, I would set off to see the Dutch fort and Dutch Canal at Negombo. The dutch fort is nothing but a 17^th century arch that leads into a prison, for some reason. Before I could see anything more, it started raining heavily. I was into my last 5 hours in Sri Lanka and it started pouring as if it was holding back the rains for me to enjoy the week.

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And enjoy is too small a word to describe my Sri Lankan experience. They say good things come in small packages. This tiny island packs quite a punch. And I've hardly seen anything. There are wildlife parks that I would like to visit. The northern tip of Sri Lanka, Mannar from where the Adam’s bridge starts/ends is now open for tourism from where you can get a boat ride around the bridge for 3000 LKR. There are more beaches, including Arugam Bay, one of the world’s best surfing beaches. The historical cities of Anuradhapura and Galle. And again, the nightlife of Colombo. There’s so much I’m leaving for later. After all, I badly need reasons to come back.