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

On July 16, 2009 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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Stumptown

On July 6, 2009July 6, 2009 By bratislavIn Biking, Public Transit, Travel2 Comments

There are three kinds of responses you get when you tell someone your headed to Portland. The confused one: ‘Portland, in Maine?’; the dismissive one: ‘Why Portland? Never heard of anyone who goes there’; and finally the favourable one: ‘Oh, Portland – great city, you’ll love it’. I had a good enough hunch about the place to begin with, and, thanks in no small measure to the NY Times, there were New Yorkers a plenty who gave me a thumbs up for my decision to head ‘all the way west’.

Admittedly, and for the uninitiated, Portland (in the state of Oregon!) is best known for being home to two of the most popular brands in the world – Nike and Intel! The Intel part of my trip was somewhat taken care of by hanging out with a friend who works with them, while the Nike part involved an actual visit to their campus in Beaverton – first stop on day 1!

Needless to say, the campus was everything I could have imagined and more – the kind that makes you instantly want to be employed by them! A sprawling campus – 200 beautifully landscaped acres of it no less – including a man made lake, a protected wetland and a running trail that encircles it all. 17 well designed buildings – each named after a Nike athlete – dot the lush campus and include 2 state of the art (hate that term!) recreational centres, one of which – aptly, the Lance Armstrong centre – I swam in!

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Tee Dot

On May 31, 2009June 1, 2009 By bratislavIn Biking, Public Transit, Travel2 Comments

They say that grass is always greener on the other side. Earlier this month, I set out to find out exactly how. The other side being Canada (since Swine Flu had ruled out Mexico!) and the city visited – Toronto – in the state of Ontario, abbreviated as T.O., and referred to locally by a much cooler name – the Tee Dot!

The French influence, I’m told, wears thin as you drive away from the state of Quebec but that didn’t seem to deter Toronto’s Pearson International Airport from having signs in French! That’s probably the first thing that hits you as you step of the plane. The second, and more impressive thing, is a snag free passage through immigration. There are no separate lines for Canadians – therefore your not likely to find signs marked ‘aliens’; the wait time is minimal; you’re greeted with a smile; the questions asked are not in the least bit offensive and before you know it your already at Baggage Claim!!

They also say that comparisons are odious and I couldn’t agree more. Prior to my departure for Canada, a handful of sources insisted that Toronto was nothing but ‘a smaller version of NYC’ or worse still, ‘a poor wannabe cousin of the Big Apple’. Trying to keep these biases at bay, I decided that a weekend in the Tee Dot should be enough for me to arrive at my own verdict.

First stop on a heavily overcast Saturday morning was St.Lawrence Market, where we managed to duck for cover seconds before a Bombay style rain shower pelted the street outside!

A mid 19th century building which once housed the City Hall and Jail House, St.Lawrence Market is today home to over 100 vendors spread across 2 levels, specialising in everything from fine cheeses to exotic meats, from coffee beans sourced across the globe to varieties of mustard that you never even dreamt of!!!

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Journaux Parisiens

On April 30, 2009May 1, 2009 By bratislavIn Biking, Trains, Travel4 Comments

“Parlez-vous anglais?” “Little” came the reply. “How much time for the next train?”, I asked. “20 to 40 minutes”, he said. The location: Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb in northeast Paris. No good reason to be there except that we had just been offloaded from our train and would now have to wait another 40 minutes for the next one to take us on to Gare du Nord in downtown Paris. I was tired, sleep deprived and irritable from my overnight flight, struggling with the few words of French that I knew, and frustrated that I was losing precious time in transit, on a trip that was short to begin with!

An hour or so later, I had checked in, showered and made my way to the deck of my hostel, which was by the Canal Saint-Martin – made famous in the film, Amélie. It was a glorious day outside, with the temperature flirting with the 20s (of the Celsius variety) – ‘tee-shirt weather’ as I like to call it! As I sipped on my Cafe Creme and awaited a Croque Madame, I watched as the 19th century lift bridge was raised, to allow a canal boat to pass, ever so often. Aulnay-sous-Bois suddenly seemed like a very distant dream. It was time to pinch myself awake – I was finally in Paris 😉

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SoBe it!

On March 30, 2009March 30, 2009 By bratislavIn Biking, Travel2 Comments

When people talk about holidaying in Miami, chances are, they are most likely referring to Miami Beach. In fact, Miami and Miami Beach are two separate cities! Probably a good thing cause not only are they separated physically (by the Bay of Biscayne) but also culturally, socially, emotionally and economically!

In many ways, Miami Beach is far removed from reality – not just the reality of it’s namesake – and dull – city on the mainland, but from the very reality of living a routine, week in and week out! It is the perfect getaway, the ultimate unwind destination. One could quite easily say the same about Vegas, but Miami has what Vegas doesn’t – the magic of the ocean 😉

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Derawal by nature – the third installment!

On January 31, 2009February 2, 2009 By bratislavIn Home, India, Travel8 Comments

For the uninitiated, ‘Derawals’ refer to a community of people who originated from the Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan region of present day Pakistan. During partition in ’47, the Hindu and Sikh Derawals migrated to India while the Muslim Derawals stayed on in Pakistan. Derawals speak a dialect of Seraiki called Derawali, which comes loaded with a healthy complement of choice cuss words. Other than their unique language, they are also revered for their exceptionally good taste in food, their exotic recipes (which are rarely shared with others) and easily the best ‘achaars’ (pickles) anywhere in the world. More than anything else, they know how to have a good time, especially when in large groups – like the one we found ourselves in, at the end of December last year.

Welcome to our 3rd annual Derawal family reunion!!

The Shekhawati region of northeast Rajasthan derives its name from the 15th century Rajput chieftain, Rao Shekha. Today, it comprises the districts of Sikar and the melodious sounding Jhunjhunu. Within Jhunjhunu sits the town of Surajgarh, which was originally the ‘Thikana’ (estate) of Thakur Bhojraj Ji. The Thikana was established in the late 18th century and a fortified palace was built for the good Thakur’s use.

Surajgarh literally means ‘castle of the sun’ and with the Thakur long gone, that very castle has since been transformed into a heritage hotel, where we stayed!

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36 hrs in Buenos Aires

On January 25, 2009 By bratislavIn Travel1 Comment

Happy 2009 everyone! That said, be warned that my first – and second – blogs of the year will date back to the last month of ’08.

I’m going to leave aside the why’s, the how’s, the what’s and other such logistical intricacies for now, instead just cut to the chase – after all 36 hours ain’t a lot of time 😉

11:20 AM – Arrival at Ezeiza or EZE in IATA parlance. The terminal I arrive at isn’t the most impressive I’ve seen, but 36 hrs later, I fly out of another, which is, in fact, quite plush.

Clear blue skies, some brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the early to mid 20s (~80F) await me outside the terminal building, and what’s more, being summer in the southern hemisphere, I will have daylight all the way till 9:30 PM!! A warm welcome, if you will, on my first visit to South America.

MTL or ‘Manuel Tienda Leon’ offers frequent shuttle buses from EZE to the city centre for 40 Pesos (3.5 Pesos to the Dollar). Argentina’s highway infrastructure is at par with the best in the world – traffic glides along effortlessly, not everyone sticks to their lanes admittedly, but at least no one honks and there’s certainly no aggression on the roads.

1 PM – I reach MTL’s terminal in downtown Buenos Aires and get my first glimpse of the magnificent Estacion Retiro or Retiro train station – one of Argentina’s busiest rail terminals and a city landmark in itself.

A quick ride on the ‘Subte‘ or subway and we are in Belgrano – one of the northern ‘Barrios’ or neighbourhoods of the city. I drop of my stuff at the hotel, shower and then head to the local cafe for a snack of coffee, cookies (which come gratis with it) and some assorted but very delicious ‘Empanadas’ – the sweet corn one easily scoring over the rest!

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EZ in the Big Easy

On December 26, 2008January 7, 2009 By bratislavIn Travel2 Comments

The first thing you notice on arrival at the airport are signs in French – along with English and Spanish of course! Other than that, the airport is all but dead and doesn’t quite live up to the reputation of the man it is named after – the Reverend Satchmo!

Probably your best introduction to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana or NOLA for short, is to hit its most famous Bourbon St as soon as you get there. And once you’ve done so, you’ll probably have little reason to return there, save for the cheap alcohol and a never ending selection of strip clubs – if that’s your kind of thing!

Bourbon St is to New Orleans what Times Sq is to the Big Apple – the same amount of neon and tourists, minus the skyscrapers. What sets Bourbon St apart though is not just the availability of cheap alcohol but also the fact that it is perfectly alright to drink out in the street – a pleasant change when you’re coming from over regulated NYC!

Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon, an old pub with a lively courtyard, is credited with the ‘Hurricane’ – one of two trademark drinks from this city. The other being the ‘Hand Grenade’, which, from experience, I would not recommend to anyone looking for a long night of drinking! End with it, if you must, but don’t make the mistake of starting with one!

Far from the madding crowd and a better place to watch them from are one of many balconies that are typical of this street and the neighbourhood it sits in. A lot of these belong to eating & drinking establishments, situated below in the same building, and others to home owners. Either way, they’re almost all available for rent during Mardi Gras!

Bourbon St is lined with scores of eateries, bars, karaoke rooms and jazz clubs – almost all of them catering to the white American tourist. If you must eat, drink or listen to music (the 3 things one does in NOLA) on Bourbon, then you really have to be selective about where you go. As far as eating goes, we lucked out with some fairly good ‘Jambalaya‘ at Remoulade which was to be our first meal in the city.

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The lines that United the Provinces

On November 10, 2008November 10, 2008 By bratislavIn India, Trains, Travel8 Comments

Come 2010 and the Metro system in Delhi will have a stop practically opposite my house! I haven’t yet figured what points south the Metro will take me but I do know that it would get me to many points north and that to in the quickest of time. Can’t wait..

One of those places is New Delhi Railway Station but since the Metro is still a couple of years away, I was forced to sit it out in the most horrendous traffic possible and watch as the minutes ticked away. The evening of Friday, the 26th of September ’08 – at a little past 7 pm the Vaishali Express would pull out of New Delhi station and it was a fight to the finish for me.

Make it, I did! And that would be the only unpleasant part of a perfectly enjoyable ‘rail trip’ to explore some of the last vestiges of the Metre Gauge system in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India.

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Time Out NYC

On August 31, 2008October 30, 2008 By bratislavIn TravelLeave a comment

The brief was fairly simple, “let’s drive out of the city to someplace quiet and peaceful”. But finding that ‘someplace’ wasn’t quite as easy. There were just way to many options! Beach getaways – from the upscale Hamptons to the not-so-upscale Jersey Shore. Casinos – from overcrowded Atlantic City to out-of-the-way Foxwoods; and then there were the mountains – the Poconos in Pennsylvania, the Catskills in New York and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. We decided to go with the mountains eventually and I picked one from the home state 😉

The Catskill Mountains lie to the North-west of New York City and are a part of the much larger Appalachian Plateau. Originally settled in the 17th century by the Dutch, the name comes from the Dutch word ‘Kaatskil’. In the first half of the 20th century, large Jewish communities developed the area as a resort and soon enough the Catskills took on the somewhat politically incorrect nickname “Jewish Alps”! Today, a lot of the ownership has changed hands but it continues to be a popular get away for Jews living in and around NYC.

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Category: Travel