f all the cities around the world that I have visited, two cities stand out for their scenic beauty, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Cape Town in South Africa. There is a similarity in the topography of these two cities with both having a beautiful sea front and the mountains rising almost from the beaches!
John Denver, wrote in 1966, “My bags are packed, I'm ready to go…Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane, Don't know when I'll be back again”. This was the state of hundreds of students across India as a sudden lockdown was announced in India on March 24th, 2020
In which informal market space did one see stained glass windows? Well, we did, in the fruit and vegetable, fish and meat market in Malaga, Andalusia province in the South of Spain. There were beautiful stained glass depictions of the scenes from the Bible in the Malaga cathedral, but in the market? The Stained glass windows in the market depicted the scenes of Malaga, a picturesque coastal town in the Mediterranean Ocean. The Alcabaza Fortress or citadel, Malaga Cathedral, the port, and the quaint little town were depicted in this large stained glass panel. It could be viewed from both the outside and inside of the market.
The fruit and vegetable stalls were a treat, both to the eye and to the palate! We bought some berries, red cherry like. Phew, it was so sweet and juicy. Eating as we walked along, it was like drinking fruit juice. There were…
Unique Ecosystem: Vembanad Lake, situated in God's Own country, the state of Kerala, India, is the longest lake in India and largest lake in Kerala. It has a unique ecosystem, It is a freshwater lake, separated from the ocean by a set of narrow island. For this reason such areas close to the sea and … Continue reading Life on Vembanad Lake, God’s Own Country, Kerala→
We reached the spot and it was incredibly beautiful. It was also freezing in May, as a cold wind was blowing from the West. We ran back to the car to get our winter gear, sweater, jacket, muffler, gloves!!
It was only 4.00 p.m. and the wind had dropped. We were very close to the lake near the village and decided to walk down to it. The scenery with the lake, mountains, waves, rocks on the shore was magnificent. The view was panoramic. We found a comfortable rock and sat down on it to enjoy the calm, serene, atmosphere of the Pangong Lake!
The water was clear and you could see the large rocks and pebbles at the bottom. The waves lapped against the shore. The water was deep blue at the extreme end near the mountains, lighter shades of blue in the middle and nearly sea-green close to the shore. I was mesmerized as usual by the expanse of water and lulled by the sound of the little waves breaking on the shore. I needed to capture it for posterity and so here is a short video. I was adventurous enough to touch the cold water and run when the waves touched my toe. A little, probably Scandinavian, kid was wading in the water in shorts with his mother encouraging him to do so! My partner tried his favourite trick. He picked up some flat stones and tried to throw it flat across the lake. First attempt one bounce, second attempt two bounces, and third attempt two bounces again. Not Bad! Bravo!
The changing colour of the Lake and of the Changchenmo Range of mountains to the North as the sun fell on different parts was equally mesmerizing! I remembered our Scientist friend who urged that children should be taken to the ocean and mountains to get the ‘sense of infinity’. The snow covered mountains on the Eastern side of the Lake are in China, the larger part of the Lake being with them. This apparently is the reason why no boating or any sports activity is allowed on the Lake.
Ladakh is a ‘Cold Desert’, but the snow-capped high mountains ensure that there is a stream of water trickling down during part of the year. These form little rivulets, streams, rivers and lakes. We witnessed a confluence of streams, rivers and lakes in our week in Ladakh. As expressed in my blog post on “Soothing water front experience”, I love large bodies of water and ‘blue space’, water or sky! Not all water bodies in Ladakh were blue due to the continuous erosion of the soil and rock from the surrounding mountains. But still their effect was captivating.
Our first view of the meandering River Indus was from the top of the Spituk Gompa, a Ge-lug-pa Monastry built by King Gras-Pa-Bumlde in the 14th Century. On one side of the hill was the view of the Leh airport and on the other was the meandering River Indus with a…
We were blessed with warm bright sunshine and mild wind on our day trip of the Western Highlands of Scotland! We had an excellent tour guide, David, who had an amazing knowledge of the land, its history and long tales to tell of its gallant clans and their battles for the thrown of Britain. We … Continue reading Scotland: Mysteries of Lochs, Castles and Highland Clans!→
One Friday afternoon while we were casually strolling around King Cross area we came across this amazing boat crossing across the Regent Canal which was at two levels. There were boats parked on both sides of a Canal gate which was at two different levels. While we were wondering how this was supposed to work … Continue reading Boat crossing at St. Pancras Lock, Two levels at Regent Canal, London→
As we traversed the Holy Land of Israel we slowly began to feel the tensions beneath. My husband captured this beautifully in the poem that I post at the end of this post. Not having inherited such talent I write in prose of the various manifestations of the tensions beneath. Along the road to Nazareth in North … Continue reading In Turmoil: Layered tensions in the Holy Land→
I am married into a family of poets and talented people! My great grandfather-in-law was a celebrated Sufi Poet in Jaipur! I have always wondered at the ability of my husband and daughter, and my brother-in-law, to spin verse at the drop of a hat, mostly in Hindi and Urdu! Occasionally in English for the … Continue reading Of Poets and Fools in a Literary Paradise: Jaipur Literary Fest 2019→
