Category: Travel

Two-footing in Portland!

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Trains, Travel2 Comments

How many bus journeys does it take to realise one’s Narrow Gauge fix? Two. How many people can one convince to join in on an itinerary that involves a 0130 departure from NYC, a 90 minute layover at Boston and another 2 hour journey to Maine? None!! And so it went on a fine Saturday in August…

Sleep deprived, blurry-eyed, hungry and somewhat irritable, I arrive, all by myself, in Portland ME after a 8.5 hr, 330 mile journey, only to discover that there is no steam operation this season at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad! All it would’ve taken was a phone call ahead of my visit, I think to myself! A moment later, I step on to the tiny platform and behold the sight of a Narrow Gauge train against the backdrop of gleaming Casco Bay and stunning blue skies. The arduous journey there now appears incidental – I am suddenly in bliss!

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Catalan Calling..

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, TravelLeave a comment

For me, it’s always important to get my bearings in a new city – not just my north, south coordinates – but also the general layout of the land, so to speak. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get the hang of this half way in to you’re trip. At most other times, it happens when it’s time to pack your bag and head back! You then end up spending a good part of your return journey, and some of your first few days home, mulling over maps and having several ‘aha’ moments! Well, at least I do!

So, in Barcelona, I was rather pleased at our decision to make it up to Tibidabo at the end of Day 1. Sitting just shy of 1700 ft above sea level, Tibidabo is the tallest mountain in Serra de Collserola, the range that forms the city’s natural northern boundary, and expectedly so, offers the best views of the same. Once there, you have plenty of time to discern the geographical make up of the city, while savouring a chilled Estrella Damm!

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Pacifically Speaking

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Trains, TravelLeave a comment

Part 1

Seattle was the last on my list of ‘big cities’ to visit in the US. I’m happy to report that as of early May, I have been able to check it off! A few things made this trip possible, viz., a soon to expire visa to Canada, a strong desire to visit Vancouver, and the possibility of doing so from the US, by means of a train journey!

I’m also rather pleased to say that of the 12 ‘big cities’ I have visited in the US, Seattleites, in my opinion, are by far the friendliest lot! After an absolutely painless border crossing experience at Blaine, WA (on my return from Vancouver), I’ve decided to extend this proclamation to the entire state of Washington!

A good place to start discovering how friendly people are or aren’t is at a local eatery. It didn’t take me long to do so as I arrived close to lunch hour on a Friday, and on the advise of another local (via email), headed straight to Matt’s in the Market.

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A Gaijin takes in the Big Sushi

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Public Transit, Trains, Travel2 Comments

In 1946, my maternal grandfather, who was a PR man with the Royal Indian Air Force at the time, was posted to Japan for 3 years as a part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces deployment. His experiences there were rich and everlasting, and a few decades later, I would grow up hearing all about them. In his time there, he learned the language, made friends for life and was overawed by their hospitality, kindness and etiquette, a lot of which he came to adopt as his own.

Papaji, as us grand kids used to call him, passed away in ’89 but he left in me a fascination for a country that had greatly impacted him, and a desire to visit it some day. My love for trains helped reinforce this ever so often, what with the endearing image of the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) against the backdrop of Mt.Fujiyama, always whetting my appetite for the land of the rising sun.

61 years after his return from there, it was with some trepidation and a lot of excitement that I embarked on my first visit to Japan – the Big Sushi (local parlance for Tokyo) in particular – and set out to experience first hand all that I had heard, read and seen (from afar) about the country and its people.

First thing I did was get my timing right – be there in time for Sakura or the Cherry Blossom season!

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If Ski boots could kill!

On By bratislavIn Travel1 Comment

Vermont was the only state in New England that I hadn’t set foot in before. It eluded me in February last year as did a ski trip to the same state. This year, however, I was determined to make both happen!

So in the thick of a Nor’easter, on the last Friday of February ’10, M, D and I set sail (nearly!) for West Dover in Vermont. Despite a very late departure and negligible traffic en route, it took over 5 hours of very persistent driving   – most of it spent ploughing through a blizzard, in a vehicle (no offense to the Kia Amanti!) that was clearly not meant to be driven on any surface other than dry asphalt! Understandably, the driving was split between the three of us, and in doing so, I was to record another first on this trip – driving through snow! Fun to begin with, severe tension thereafter!

While NYC was in the process of recording its largest February snowfall, 5 ft of snow had already fallen in the state of Vermont in less than a week, and that was somewhat evident as we desperately looked for a spot in a parking lot at West Dover!

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Everything but the Bird(s)

On By bratislavIn Home, India, Travel3 Comments

My earliest memories of Bharatpur go back to a trip we made in the 80s. The Birla‘s ran a Wagon factory there and my father being in the Railways meant that we were put up at the Birla Guest House. We were well looked after by them and served some excellent vegetarian fare throughout our stay. In the mornings we would venture out to the Bird Sanctuary and spend a couple of hours in a boat gaping in awe at a variety of avians including the much coveted Siberian Crane. Our boatman and guide was not only knowledgeable in the matter but could mimic pretty much every bird he spotted!

We were lucky then to have been guests of the Birlas for the only other boarding option at the time was the horrid ITDC Ashok, which had ‘government undertaking’ written all over it!

More than two decades have passed and a lot has changed in Bharatpur. The lake levels have all but dried up, the Siberian Cranes don’t come there anymore and the boatmen have all left. Meanwhile, like every other Government enterprise worth its salt, the Bird Sanctuary has managed to secure a World Heritage listing! The Birla factory closed in the early 90’s, only to reopen recently, and with the passage of time, the town has grown in leaps and bounds. But most importantly, Bharatpur today has plenty of nice places to stay, including The Bagh..

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Dam Essentials

On By bratislavIn Biking, Public Transit, Travel2 Comments

Despite being Europe’s 5th largest airport, Schiphol is surprisingly compact. You can get from your gate to the arrivals area in about a third of the time it takes to do so, say at Heathrow or Charles de Gaulle. A testament to its smart design, no doubt. Throw in a very conveniently located train station, with frequent departures to the city centre, and 15 minutes later your staring down Damrak in downtown Amsterdam! Not surprisingly, the city mirrors just that – a highly efficient design and extreme compactness!

The Warmoesstraat (straat = street) is a 5 minute walk along the Damrak from Amsterdam Centraal and a good place in which to get your bearings. Touristy, yes, but a great introduction to all that you’ve come to know as the Dam’s clichés – Canals, the Red Light District, Coffee shops, and of course, its quaint little alleyways.

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Bogotá Diaries

On By bratislavIn Biking, Public Transit, Trains, Travel1 Comment

“Be Safe!”, “Watch out for the Militia!”, “Stay clear of the Cartels!”, “Go easy on the Cocaine!”, “Better not get kidnapped!!” Just some of the reactions I got when I told people I was headed to Colombia!

It’s interesting – and sort of funny – the kind of pre-conceived notions people have about places. Going by all that it was built up to be, I have to say I was a little disappointed – all I got was a single instance of a totally lame peddler trying half heartedly to palm off some hashish to me!

The first thing that hits you – and quite literally at that – is the rare and cool mountain air! Bogotá sits 8661 ft (2640 mtrs) above sea level, making it the 3rd highest capital city in the world (the top 2 also happen to be in S.America)! So my gallant stride up several flights of stairs was quickly reduced to a slow crawl by the time I reached my friend’s 4th floor apartment!

Within 12 hours of having arrived there, my nasal passage was clear again and the cold symptoms I had – a distant New York memory! It’s not that the city is completely devoid of pollution – far from it in fact – just that being in the mountains definitely helps! Not only does the city enjoy the benefits of elevation but also a beautiful natural setting – surrounded as it is by the Andean Mountains, some of them over 10000 ft in height.

The weather is perfect to – never too cold or too hot – and it remains so throughout the year! You’re unlikely to find a heater, air conditioner or even a fan in anyone’s house! Great savings right there!! Being high up in the mountains also means constantly changing light conditions – plenty of variety for a day and always a photographer’s delight 😉

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Canada, Part Deux

On By bratislavIn Biking, Travel2 Comments

So my much anticipated train journey on the ‘Adirondack‘ never quite materialised. Reason – track work! Catch them getting away with that excuse in India!

Instead I had to resort to my least favoured mode of long distance transport – Greyhound! It’s a different story altogether on how I literally and figuratively almost missed the bus!

Montréal – 1

Despite everything I had heard about Montréal, it still managed to throw me off a bit and was all very confusing to begin with. French speakers, street signs in French, hoardings in French, subway announcements in French (only!) – more French, visually and aurally, than your likely to encounter on a first visit to Paris!

Even thoroughbred North American brands aren’t spared..

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The reasons are plenty – historical, political and possibly even geographical! Whatever they may be, it definitely distinguishes the city (and the Province of Quebec) as the most culturally unique part of North America. Not a bad thing at all, as I was to discover during the course of my visit 😉

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The Iron Horse in Dutch Country, and then some pedaling..

On By bratislavIn Biking, Trains, Travel3 Comments

Q. How do you fit 2 bicycles, 2 adults and their luggage into a tiny rental sedan?

A. Make sure one of them is a folding bike; hope and pray there’s a bike shop close on hand that can help detach the front wheel from the other bike; fold down the rear seats and begin workout! Repeat process four times over and you’ve successfully completed a two day road trip from the city!

Less than a 3 hr drive from NYC is Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country. The term ‘Dutch’ has almost nothing to do with Amsterdam – instead, it refers to 17th and 18th century immigrants to the area, who were German (Deutsch) speaking by origin. The language spoken by inhabitants of Dutch Country today is known as Deitsch, a dialect of West Central German, spoken only in North America!

Pennsylvania Dutch Country is, no doubt, a unique part of the United States – not just different in name or language spoken – but different in every possible way – and as soon as you enter it, there are signs to prove it!

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