The land of Volcanoes and Bollywood fans

Batur lake at sunrise

Indonesia welcomed us with open arms. So much so, that they even have a visa exemption for Indians. We only realized that after paying the $35 visa fee. Grabbing a blue bird taxi from outside the airport was fairly easy. We passed by sky scrapers of all shapes and sizes as we hit central Jakarta, each of which had a minimum of 50 storeys. I tried to grab some shut eye on the way to the hotel; it took longer than expected as the driver lost his way and even got fined as he inadvertently broke a traffic rule.

After a quick change and a long wait for our taxi (thanks to Jakarta’s notorious traffic), we headed to the National Museum. They were giving free entry to everyone on account of some festivities; I seem to be getting my luck back, I thought. Spread over four levels, the museum gives a detailed account of human evolution, history of the islands and their formation, their people and way of life. All in all, it was a good starting point for our ten day tour of the archipelago nation.

Mount Agung at sunset

I had my first glimpse of Indonesia’s famed volcanoes while waiting for the sunset at Gili Trawangan, a small island off the coast of Bali. Mount Agung, Bali’s highest peak stood prominently in the backdrop as I watched the sun set into the Bali sea. It was an incredible sight, one I went back for the next day as well. While in Bali, we went on a sunrise trek to another volcano, Mount Batur, 1717 mtrs above sea level. It was supposed to be a fairly easy trek according to various travel websites and blogs. It wasn’t. Our guide, Putu was of great help during the last, extremely steep stretch up to the crater. The misty view of the mountains, lake Batur and the rising sun from the top was worth all the effort.

On the trip, I also realized that the Indonesians love Bollywood. Whenever we got talking to any local and informed them that we were Indian, they replied with an excited ‘Shahrukh Khan’! EVERY local that we met loved him. At first, it was funny but then it happened everywhere - from Jakarta to Bandung and the Gilis to Bali. As the first Hindi movie that they ever saw was a Shahrukh Khan one, he is their favourite Indian movie star.

Throughout the trip, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s song Despacito that I had been tripping on even before my trip had begun followed me everywhere there. Once while we were waiting at a traffic light in Bandung in Java, a young Indonesian boy appeared out of nowhere with a guitar and started singing this for me. It was one of the most surreal moments. Of course, I sang along with him.

A Weekend in Kasauli

Pine Forest

My brother and I had woken up uncharacteristically early to set out on a walk to Gilbert Trail, a hiking trail in the Kasauli Cantonment area. It was a lovely summer morning; fresh mountain air and the rising sun greeted us after a pleasant night’s rest. There were only a handful of walkers up at that time. After a short walk up from the Kasauli club where we were staying, we walked up a steep cemented path towards Gilbert House, a British era house belonging to Major General Gilbert from the 1800s. 

Greenery everywhere

We could hear the call of partridges and a couple of crows flying around us. As we reached the first lookout point, we came across another Punjabi. He was new to the area and asked us how far the trail went. In all these years that we have been visiting Kasauli, we had never actually ventured beyond this point on the trail. As we were now planning to go further, he joined us as well.

Dew drops lined up perfectly

Wild Marijuana

There was a lot of wild growth, tiny flowers and marijuana growing freely. It was interesting to see a few green leaf life plants which had dew drops neatly outlining their rim. We came to a point where there had been a landslide due to which a part of the path was missing. By holding onto a few plants, we managed to make our way ahead. At this point, our Punjabi friend decided to turn back. We kept walking and reached the Monkey Point Hill.

Rugged terrain

Close up of Monkey Point

It was the first time that I got to see a close up view of the famous tourist sight. This side of the hill had a distinct look, with rocks forming lines at the top of the summit. After taking a few pictures, we kept moving ahead. We saw a deer in the forest below; a couple of dogs walking with a local spotted it too and darted down the hillside towards it.

The path was now descending towards a village and further towards the plains. We decided to turn back and sat down at one of the lookout points, taking in the various sights and sounds of the forest. It was a calming experience, the best way to start a new day.

Island Country: Sri Lanka

Clear blue skies

I just returned from a work trip to the beautiful and largely untouched nation of Sri Lanka. In my free time, I got a chance to explore Colombo, its vibrant capital which I feel is perfect for a weekend getaway from India.

The best way to explore the city and take in its many sights and sounds is by foot. I couldn’t get enough of the greenery, blue skies and cleanliness all around. As a result of its colonial past, the architecture is very impressive. There are many British style townhouses, clock towers, the town-hall, museum and many other sites. The red brick colonial era Victoria memorial hospital was particularly striking. I felt like I was back in Europe.

As soon as we had checked into the hotel, lunch plans were made. A large group of us went to a popular Sri Lankan restaurant - Upali's located close to the Municipal Corporation building. The food was amazing. We ordered an Upali's combo for starters which was served with a tasty, sweet yet spicy green chutney. For main course, we dug into delicious crab curry (or Yapane Kakuluwo) and Fresh lagoon prawns curry (or Isso Beduma). The curry was bursting with flavours, a medley of fresh spices.

Outside National Museum

A few of us then went to explore the National Museum, the largest museum in Sri Lanka, founded by the then governor Sir William Henry Gregory in 1877. The building was beautiful. As we had reached an hour before closing time, we rushed through some of the well curated galleries. It was an educational experience; some of the art, coins and jewellery from the ancient times was fascinating.

As everyone wanted to shop for souvenirs and cotton clothing that the country is famous for, I decided to explore the city a bit more and headed to Galle Face beach instead. There were children flying kites of all shapes of sizes, couples enjoying the ocean breeze, hordes of vendors selling sea street food, a few joggers and the usual tourists like me. I grabbed a beer at a halal restaurant and waited for the sun to dip into the ocean. It was a spectacular sight!

Sunset at Galle Face Beach

As soon as the sun had set, the restaurant owner shouted that it was time to break fast for the people observing Roza during Ramadan. A waiter sprung into action and served a big, deep fried fish to a Muslim couple seated on the next table. What caught my attention was a small plastic bucket and mug kept on the tables, to be used for washing hands. This was the first time that I had come across this custom.

After finishing my beer and enjoying the fantastic ocean view with the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, I decided to buy some souvenirs at Paradise Road. Unfortunately, it was shut by the time I got there as it was past seven which is when most of the shops there close. My enterprising tuk tuk driver took me to Laksala, a government emporium from where I bought some souvenirs. The other places known for shopping are Odel and Barefoot.

Once back at the hotel, a bunch of us decided to head out to Dutch Hospital, a buzzing nightlife and shopping precinct. We had a great time at Tap house, a brewery which had a live band performing there. Later, we headed to The Sky Lounge at The Kingsbury hotel for some delicious dessert and a fantastic view of the Colombo skyline and ocean.