Street Culture

Spoilt for choice!

Although Vietnam is not the first South Asian country that I have visited, it is the only place where I felt that life really thrives on busy city roads. From gold fish to meat to flowers to fruits to food to clothes, you can get it all, on a sidewalk. As part of Tet traditions, I saw many Vietnamese even burning paper goods on the road side.

Burning paper - Tet traditions

The variety of food and sweets' options that you can get on the side of the road are plenty and delicious. I tried mango cakes, doughnuts, sweet garlic bread, the famous bahn mi (sandwich) and other dishes that I cannot remember the names for, from street sellers/ vendors while travelling through the country. In fact, I went overboard and slightly over budget because of this.

Chicken feet!

The eating spree continued in Cambodia. There were road side food stalls here and there but not as many as Vietnam. Seeing meat being sold openly in a vegetable market was an unusual sight. That would never happen in India. Perhaps, the vegetarians there were a lot more relaxed or never ventured to such local markets. Barbequed beef was being sold on a few busy road corners next to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. 

My favourite road side treat was nutella pan cakes from a street vendor on the busy intersection of the vibrant Night market street and Pub street. I went and had those every night while I was in Siem Reap.  Highly recommended!

Given the high temperatures and humidity some of these places experience and how the meats are kept outside for a long duration, the food was impeccable. I did not fall sick even once. 

Now back in India, I see plenty of road side vendors selling eatables every day. The irony is that while growing up, I was told not to eat from any of them for fear of falling ill.

Thimpu: Modern Bhutan

Buddha Dornema Statue

The capital city of Thimpu is a 4 hour local bus ride or 2 hours by taxi away from Paro. I opted for the 70 BTN bus ride, where I had some college going girls for company. The journey took us through lush green valleys, with mighty mountains in the backdrop; intricately designed Bhutanese homes, chortens and prayer wheels. My eyes were peeled outside throughout the journey, with my favourite songs playing in the background.

A huge billboard of the King & the Queen welcomed us to the vibrant city of Thimpu. This was the only place in Bhutan where I encountered plenty of people and traffic. I stayed at IMTRAT, the Indian army quarters bang in the centre of the city. After freshening up, I hired a cab and started my sightseeing tour. The City Palace, Buddha Dornema Statue, Tashichho Dzong and Takin Zoo were some of the places I visited on the first day. I could have gazed at the world’s largest Buddha statue for hours. Tashichho Dzong was enchanting, the largest Dzong I visited there. Takin – Bhutan’s national animal, a goat-cow hybrid is indeed a unique beast; unlike any other mammal I had ever seen. 

Dzong Courtyard

Takin

The next day I took a stroll around the city, visiting the National Archives library and the nearby Folk Heritage museum, offering an insight into rural Bhutan. I wandered around for a bit, trying to find my way to Little Bhutan museum. After walking around in circles, I finally got there. I was famished and decided to have a quick bite at their café. This museum was definitely worth the effort; I got to wear the national dress and try my hand at Bhutan’s national sport – Archery. 

Trying my hand at Archery

I even visited Junghi Handmade Paper factory and got a chance to learn about how paper is made. You can buy intricately designed diaries, cards and handmade paintings at subsidized rates here. I picked up a beautiful card on which the Bhutanese flag had been painted. My shopping didn’t end there; I bought some traditional crafts and souvenirs at the Handicrafts Market. Ambient café in the city centre was the perfect place to unwind after a tiring day, with some Bhutanese pasta and Italian coffee!

The helpful staff at IMTRAT had arranged for my Punakha permit saving me a lot of trouble. Back at the room, I quickly penned down events from the day, packed my bags, read a little and then called it a night.

Around Kerala in 7 Days - In a Caravan - Munnar

   

We passed a lot of fruit plantations on our way from Kochi to Munnar. You could see tiny pineapples, bananas and guavas peeking out from under the trees. A delightful sight which you wouldn't come across in normal life. Bananas in all colours were being sold on the roadsides. I even saw some fruit I did not recognise, looked a lot like custard apples. 

On the way to Munnar

Being the rainy season, there were waterfalls of all sizes that had sprung up on hill sides, adding charm to the already breathtaking scenery. We stopped at a big one to take pictures. Greenery surrounded us. We passed through some thick forests and could feel a dip in temperature. Our driver suggested we stop at a Spice Garden to pick up fresh spices. It was a well laid out nursery with medicinal herbs, herbal plants, flower plants and spice plants. The owner gave us a tour of the nursery; while sharing valuable information about the healing properties of various plants. My friend picked up a herbal face creme. I picked up a lot of fresh spices for home.

                        

We reached our guest house late evening. It had a beautiful garden and a fantastic view of the unending tea plantations. The next day, after breakfast, we set out to explore Munnar. It was a lovely, sunny day. The air was cool and crisp. We went to Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr as well as several species of rare animals, birds and butterflies. We were enveloped by the mist once we reached the park entrance. We walked about 500 mts to catch a glimpse of the  very unique looking - Nilgiri Tahr and took a few pictures. 

View from the hotel

Mist everywhere

Nilgiri Tahr

After this, we went to the Tata Tea Museum & Gardens for a stroll and got some lovely shots of us. In the evening, we treated ourselves to an authentic Shirodhara Ayurvedic massage in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it massage parlour, recommended by a local. It was definitely the strangest massage experience I have ever had. I was made to lay on a wooden bed, which wasn't comfortable for obvious reasons. I couldn't switch off and enjoy the experience as I was very aware of my surroundings. This was also the first time I left a massage parlour with oil all over my body. I would still recommend it though :p

Later,we got some funny, oily pictures out of it. 

Tea Gardens everywhere

Thekaddy, Periyar National Park, was our next stop. 

My visit to Terezin Concentration Camp

Some trips remain forever etched in memory, a trip to Terezin Concentration camp on the outskirts of Prague, Czech Republic was one such trip. I had always been curious about the Holocaust and wanted to learn firsthand about the mistreatment of Jewish people during that time. So, while planning my Euro trip itinerary, I made sure to have an extra day in Prague so that I could visit Terezin.

Terezín is a fortress built by the Enlightenment ruler Josef II and although, the building named after his mother Maria Theresa was supposed to be used for defense, it paradoxically became infamous first of all as a prison, and later during World War Two as a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp.

It was a cold and windy day. The sky was overcast, adding to the eerie environment. Right outside the entrance to the fortress, a gigantic Christian Cross and Star of David caught my eye. It was one of the largest cemeteries that I had ever seen. There were hundreds of graves with specs of red on them - poppy flowers were placed on each of the graves; mass graves as I later learnt. It was a melancholically beautiful sight. 

There were a handful of tourists around who soon disappeared. I started the tour of the former military base and fortified city, following the map that I had been provided with, at the entrance. I hadn't opted for one of the organized group tours from Prague as they were charging double the price and I was trying to spend the bare minimum, being on a shoestring budget. Seemed like everybody else was on a group tour!

I first went to the museum to learn more about Terezin and the atrocities that had been committed here. One of the walls was full of the names of the people who had died at the camp. I could not imagine a 7000 people facility being used to house up to 60,000 people! The cramped enclosures, unhygienic conditions, lack of food and basic amenities that they had to live in was appalling and disheartening, to say the least. And yet, they had spirit! This can be seen in the copious pieces of beautiful art, musical and theatrical works of the prisoners that have been well preserved.  

                             

I think we have much to learn from these prisoners. Sometimes, we find ourselves stuck in our own little prisons/ situations where we feel completely immobile. I think the key is to stay strong and keep working towards creating our own "masterpieces" without letting the outside environment get to us. 

            

          

I walked around the rest of the dilapidated fortress feeling overwhelmed. The howling wind and the desertedness of the streets put me on edge. Soon enough, I stumbled upon an antique store which was full of WW2 treasures. I came across beautiful bohemian cutlery, antique guns, old cameras, amongst lots of other interesting stuff. Unfortunately, I could not pick up much as I was in the middle of my backpacking trip through Europe and was unable to carry more stuff. I picked up a couple of WW2 love letters which are really close to my heart.

I completely lost track of time in the antique store and almost missed my bus back. I hurried to the bus stop and did not find the last bus standing there, as scheduled. I panicked and tried to find somebody who spoke English. The tourist office had shut and the handful of locals there only spoke Czech. I had no option but to wait. And hope. And pray. While I was trying to figure out how to get back to Prague, an elderly beggar with crooked, yellow teeth and grey, piercing eyes was slowly limping towards me with the help of a walking stick. 

Internally, I was freaking out but I put up a calm face for him. I tilted my head sideways, indicating that I would not be giving him anything. For a minute, he frowned, staring devilishly into my eyes. That's when I thought here goes my passport and all my money. Thankfully, he walked away, hitting the dustbin with his stick, out of frustration. Right after, my bus arrived.

Terezin was a good learning experience for me. Not only did I learn about the braveries of Jewish people but at the same time, that I am brave. 

“No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet.” - Patrick Rothfuss