The Marvels of Morocco

Morocco Mania – I had been viewing this itinerary on WOW Club’s website for quite a few years. In 2013 I nearly signed up for it but the dates didn’t work and I went to South Africa instead. This was my second trip with a women’s travel group and through this post, I really want to tell all those who are apprehensive of travelling solo with a women’s group,  that rest your worries aside, it is real fun.

So once again I had my bags packed for another adventure. This time I didn’t even bother to find out details of my roommate. The first thing about travelling with a women’s group, while it is attractive to get a solo room all by yourself, try to share accommodation. It’s not that you are stuck with that one person throughout but it is great to have someone to come back and talk about the day’s experience than calling someone at home to offload. Talking to a stranger is often quite relaxing. God knows you may never meet her again.

The adventure began right from the first flight. Our trip coordinator had asked me to book a flight which had an 8 hour layover at Dubai. But I insisted on taking the risk and booked myself on a later flight which just had a 75 minute layover. I slept through the entire flight, only to wake up and realize that we were way past the departure time of my next one and still hovering in the air. Blame the fog at Dubai airport. Once we landed, there was a mad dash as everybody was trying to look for their onward flights. I found my flight number on the charts but there was no status. I probably had stopped breathing till I reached the gate and someone called out my name. It was our WOW buddy. She recognized me through my passport photo! Though I am sad that I resemble that horrible photo.  I was informed that I had been off boarded and put on the flight for the next day but the Emirates lady at the gate was kind enough to make a few calls and get me and my luggage on the same flight as the others. Phew! As I sank into my seat I realized how I would have missed the entire trip had I been put on the next day’s flight as the tour would have moved to another city. Some start!

We landed in Casablanca and that is where we actually met all members of the group. A motley group of 11 from 29 years to 79 years of age and with a buddy who was just 21. The one thing common though was the passion to travel and have a good time.  Our tour guide Saleem met us at the airport. He was a jovial person who gave us a flavor of the Moroccan sense of humor through his wisecracks right from our first bus ride to the hotel.



Pasty Vegetable Soup

 The first discovery all of us had as we checked into our hotel in Casablanca was the lack of bath room privacy. There were no locks and the bathroom door was transparent which meant that we really had to ensure we were singing out loud while we were inside! This was observed in all hotels we checked into throughout Morocco. An insight into the bohemian culture I must say. Our first evening at Casablanca was pretty relaxed where we spent time getting to know each other a bit more over a glass of wine and had our first encounter with Moroccan Brochettes (Skewers) and vegetable soup which was so pasty that our group called is baby food for the rest of the trip.



The next day we moved to Rabat. On the way we saw a historic water reservoir and the Bab-Al-Mansour mosque. The city of Rabat was experiencing a citizen protest against the UN General Secretary that day and hence we couldn’t see the King’s Palace. However we got a good flavor of the peaceful exertion of democracy. Have never seen a mass protest will millions participating on one street and kids playing on the beach right on the street next to it.  

Tagines

From Rabat we headed to Meknes for a quick lunch. This was the first of many Moroccan lunches we were to have. Typically on the menu was Moroccan Salad and Tagine (veg or non-veg based on preference). The tagine is a combination of meat and vegetables cooked in a peculiar conical covered vessel which is called Tagine. The Moroccan salad is made of cooked vegetables and not raw veggies. Very similar to some of the Indian dishes specially the aubergine and the zucchini.

After a sumptuous lunch ( we didn’t know that we would have an overdose of these dishes in the next few days) we headed to the ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis, which was set up sometime in the first century AD and abandoned by the 11^th century.  Now a UNESCO heritage site, the ruins surrounded by beautiful mountains were marvelous to see.

We headed to Fes after Volubilis and spent the night there. The next morning was a delightful walk through the Fes Medina through some of the narrowest lanes in the world. We had the pleasure to enjoy the magnificence of Moroccan architecture in a Madrasa (not in use anymore) and ancient houses and mosques through the lanes. The medina reminded me quite a bit of the busy lanes of Banaras. From meat to vegetables to copper utensils, souvenirs, carpets, trinklets, you name it and the Medina had it. There was a wedding lane as well which specialized in wedding related stuff, yes you got me right- it was the band, baaja , baraat lane! The Fes blue was ubiquitous in the architecture and we realized it was not restricted to just pottery. We also got to visit a pottery centre where we bought some authentic Moroccan blue pottery and a Berber carpets outlet that looked like quite a hideout just based on how we got there through the lanes. Don’t ask me for the name of the outlet or the route but one thing about buying carpets in Morocco is that you should bargain. Start at 50% of the quoted price and the rest depends on your need and negotiation skills. As Saleem, kept reiterating, the best place to buy authentic Berber carpets is Fes. Though you would get them in other places in Morocco as well but the quality is not the same. We did agree with him after seeing the stuff in other outlets in Marrakesh and Ouarzazate as well. Dinner that night was at a traditional joint with a dose of Moroccan music and belly dancing.

One day is not enough in the beautiful city of Fes but we had other things to see. Our next day was perhaps the most exciting day of the trip where went from the snow in the Atlas Mountains to the sandy dunes of the Sahara desert. Our destination was Erfoud which took us on a fascinating journey through the snow covered mountains, stopping over for some photos on the slippery snow and a coffee stopover in the very European looking Ifrane.

We left our bus at Erfoud and headed in smaller SUVs to Merzouga to experience the Sahara desert. Saleem made sure we wasted no time so that we didn’t miss the sunset. We just made it in time. The bumpy camel ride over the dunes gave us some sores but it was hilarious as we clung onto the camel back for dear life. Surprisingly the camels did not have names. The guides asked us to give them names and most of us named them after the Bollywood Khans especially considering the fascination Morocco has for Shahrukh Khan.  The sunset was mesmerizing as anticipated. The Sahara dunes are more pristine than what I have seen in Rajasthan and Dubai.  This is probably because they do not allow vehicles to go over the dunes to preserve their natural beauty. Though we didn’t want to leave, the desert began to look scary after the sun set and we headed back to our resort in Merzouga.

Tired but satisfied, we retired that night with promises to see the sunrise in the morning. While many made promises, only 3 of us ended up on the terrace at 5:30 a.m the next morning to witness the sunrise. Words cannot describe the beautiful hues we saw, take a look at the picture below.

 

Our 5^th day was spent travelling quite a bit through the arid region viewing some Kasbahs, phantom villages, hundreds of irrigation wells, tunnels, gorges and the fortified village of Ait Benhaddou till we reached the door of the desert Ouarzazate. All these villages and kasbahs were made up of adobe bricks (bricks made with organic material including mud, straw and cork) which add to the durability in the dry climate. We stayed at a Kasbah hotel in Ouarzazate with some of the best views of sunset and sunrise from our rooms. Ouarzazate is also famous for the film studios like Atlas Studios which is one of the largest studios in the world. Movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Babel, Kingdom of Heaven etc have been shot here. We got a glimpse of the studios as well though we didn’t go inside. All this was a great insight to us of the traditional history and culture of Morocco after the more international Casablanca and Rabat. We were now ready for the much awaited destination Marrakech! I was specially looking forward to it as I wanted to experience a traditional Moroccan hammam in Marrakech.

We reached Marrakech in the evening and immediately headed to the Jemaa El-Fnaa square for a taste of Moroccan street food. The square was resplendent with performers, shops, food stalls. Unlike what we had read about it being extremely crowded and need to be careful about your belongings and getting lost, the square was not as intimidating. Or maybe the rounds of Lajpat Nagar in Delhi have prepared me for all kinds of crowds in the world! Do try the brochettes and lamb chops if you are not up for any more tagine in Morocco.  Satiated with the happy dinner and merry experience of the square we headed back to the hotel looking forward to our next day in Marrakech.

The highlight of the day in Marrakech was a visit to the Koutobia Minaret and the Bahia palace. The Bahia palace had an art exhibition going on so apart from the beautiful architecture, we also got to see some of the handiwork of eminent Moroccan painters. A visit to Marakech could not be complete without buying some authentic Argan oil, one of the prized exports of Morocco. Saleem took us to a pharmacist who gave us a good insight into the various varieties of oils and spices and ended up selling us quite a few bottles of oil.

Finally we were left at the square for some self-time. Since I was bent upon the hammam experience and hounded Saleem to find me a traditional one (not a touristy spa types), he actually found me one and I utilized my free time at the Hammam. The Hammam experience is unique and needs a dedicated post. I came back to the group glowing and feeling as fresh and pink as a baby after the hammam. We had a very enjoyable girls’ night out that evening at a café and were more than glad to not repeat a traditional dinner that by now we had become really tired of.

Our last day in Morocco was to be spent in Casablanca. We were really looking forward to see the Hassan II Mosque.  It is the largest mosque in Morocco and the 13^th largest in the world. It is also open to visitors. The spell-binding architecture of the mosque is beyond words. The use of colors, the finesse of the engravings, the chandeliers, the ceilings, and every part of the mosque is a piece of art. While it had more of a cathedral feeling to it, I was totally mesmerized by what I saw.

We had a relaxing lunch at the Corniche next to the waves of the Atlantic Ocean after which we headed back to our hotel to dress up for our farewell dinner at the famous Rick’s café in Casablanca. Though a bit overrated, it was a cozy place with the owner herself coming up to every table and checking personally if people were having a good time. Be careful of the wine you order there, check carefully and do not go with their opinions as the attendant was quick to open up the most expensive wine on the menu when we had ordered something else. Anyways, it did not dampen the evening and we could laugh it off later as we headed back to our hotel to pack up the memories, the souvenirs and the delightful Moroccan humor to take back home with us…

Some trivia:

• India is synonymous with Shahrukh Khan in Morocco. Probably like at one time Raj Kapoor was the face of India for Russia. So even if you are not a Shahrukh fan, do remember the names of some of his movies for a conversation on the road. Conversations could be like – hello, Kuch Kuch hota hai, no no My name is Khan, really, Jab tak hai Jaan!!
• Knowing a bit of French will last you a long way in Morocco. One of the members of our group was adept in French which was a blessing to us and she ended up acting as a translator for the group at most places!
• All the hotels we stayed in Morocco did not have any locks on the bathroom. At one place there were no doors as well (just a pillar to mark the bathing area). While that makes it an ideal honeymoon destination, if you are not sharing the room with a romantic partner, ensure that you brush up your bathroom singing skills. Maybe it’s an orientation to the culture of public hammaming.
• Harmless flirting is popular in Morocco, right from vendors on the street to the chef in a posh restaurant, people do not mind indulging in a bit of flirting. However take it in your stride and just keep it to a comment or two. Do not try it yourself with the locals.
• Sense of humor is available in plenty. From our guide to the restaurants to the shops, we got huge doses of it with a quip here, a joke there and so on. That makes Morocco an endearing destination and something to bring back with you from there!

Rendezvous at a Moroccan Hammam

Right from the time I planned my holiday to Morocco, the one thing I wanted to try out there was a hammam. I was travelling with a group and wasn’t sure if I would be able to get some time to do this. However I was able to manage and persuaded our tour guide to find me a traditional hammam in Marrakech. The hammam was in the Jemma-El-Fnaa square. As we walked about the lanes trying to reach the exact one he had heard about, I realized that every building in that lane was a hammam.

The first thing I realized as I stood at the door of the hammam was that other than the timings everything was in Arabic. I began doubting my decision to come to a traditional one. After all I was going to strip in a place where I couldn’t even understand a single word!! Our tour guide could just come to the door as it was strictly for women. I asked him to explain to the woman who came out and more than her, explain to me what I was supposed to do inside. He just said, go with her. I asked him if there were any lockers inside to keep my bag, apparently there weren’t any. Looking at my predicament, he offered to keep my bag with him while I was inside and come back later. He told me I could pay after he came back as I would have a challenge in communicating with the women.

So there I was, clutching on my little packet that had my contact lens kit, shampoo, towel and a fresh pair of under garments, I quietly followed the woman inside. It was a bit funny as there were more women sitting there who looked at me from top to bottom and kept saying something in Arabic that I couldn’t understand. All I could see around half clad women in various stages of dressing and undressing around me. They seemed to all be very comfortable in this open dressing area. The woman I was following pulled on my clothes which was an indication for me to take them off and follow her into the Hammam. She arranged for a pair of plastic slippers and towel for me. Both looked quite clean (at least the towel looked washed).  She asked me to carry my own shampoo and handed me a small bucket that had the Moroccan black soap (a gooey looking soapy material) and the scrubbing kessa glove.

Once I got over my initial embarrassment of undressing in front of so many people, I entered the actual hammam room with her. That is when I realized why no one outside looked uncomfortable. It was a hall full of naked women. The hammam had three big halls actually, each one led to the other. They are not round with domes unlike Turkish hammams but still pretty big in size to accommodate say 50 odd people together. The first one was smaller which was probably used for massaging after the bath, the second one which was the biggest was the one for bathing and scrubbing, and the third one which was the sauna room was where my hammam guide left me. She asked me to sit in a corner and went away. I had no idea and in my confusion was appearing to be quite a specimen to the other women there who seemed as comfortable as they would be in there private bathroom. Thankfully I wasn't wearing my lenses else I wouldn't have known where to look considering the scenario around me! After a few minutes, my hammam guide returned in bare underwear. She brought a mat with herself. I was still coming to terms with this when she wore the Kessa glove in one hand and started applying the black soap all over me. Before I realized, she was giving me a scrub. I was yanked from one end to the other, twisted and turned as my entire body was vigorously scrubbed. I could see around that many others were going through a similar experience. The woman kept showing me how much dirt she had scrubbed off me. To my chagrin, it was quite a lot. Even though I consider myself a very clean person but the amount of dirt was inexplicable.

She then asked me to follow her to the bathing area where I was scrubbed again, my hair was shampooed and then buckets and buckets of warm and cold water were splashed on to me. While she went to fill the buckets, one of the Moroccan women in the hammam walked up to me and made some kind of request in Arabic. As soon as I responded in English, she realized I was a tourist so she went to the woman next to me and said the same thing. It appeared that she was asking the woman to scrub her back. So if you do not want to use the services of the women at the Hammam and pay extra, people also do it as a favor to each other. Quite bohemian for an Arabic country.

I couldn’t think of having a bath like this ever in my life. As I dried myself up, I asked the woman who had scrubbed me if she would give me a massage. She only understood the word massage and nodded. She took me to the first room and asked me to lie down on the mat where she and another woman gave me a massage with ghassoul (clay mask) and argan oil gel. My skin really started glowing and looked much fairer than when I had walked in. No wonder the Moroccans looked so fair, I thought to myself. All through the massage the two women kept showing me how nice my skin looked.

This entire activity took about an hour’s time, after which I was shoved out of the hammam rooms to the dressing area again. The dressing area had short bathroom mirrors and seats as well to sit and wear clothes. By the time I was ready, one of the women came back and informed me that our tour guide was waiting outside for me. He asked me to pay 100 Moroccan Dirham including tips for all this which I thought was really cheap for this experience but I also understood that this was a weekly ritual for the Moroccans and not really a luxury.

I thanked the women at the hammam and headed out, tingling all over due to the scrubbing. My group members were waiting to hear all about my experience. I didn't need to say much as the glow was evident on my skin with its new found freshness!!

Down Under- A Short Summer Visit to Australia

Two weekends in Australia and a week full of business meetings in between. Not my ideal way to travel but not one to be missed as well!  I didn’t have much time to research unlike what I typically do when on a holiday. But then at times it is good to travel with no plans and just let it be on the go.

Since this was not a holiday, we probably did not make it to all the “best places to visit” in Sydney and Melbourne but made the most of what we could do and here is how our experience was.

We had reached Sydney on a Friday and started our sojourn with watching the Darling Harbor fireworks on our first night there. Though just a 15 minute affair, the fireworks are dazzling. Sitting at the harbor, watching the sparkles in the sky with great music in the background and the amazing night weather at Sydney was an experience to remember. The fireworks happen every Saturday at 9 p.m and for some time in February and March they also happen on Fridays.

The weather in Sydney in March is supposed to be pleasant. It is nearly the end of summer. However we experienced everything from the hottest day of the season and the worst storm on the same day. It is rightly said that one can witness 4 seasons in the same day in Australia.

The next day began with the beaches in Wollongong. Since we were looking for quiet beaches with minimal walk for my mother, our friends advised us to visit the pristine beaches at Wollongong across the Lawrence Hargrave drive vs the more crowded ones in Sydney.  The beaches were calm and we could enjoy the Pacific views much more. The drive is about 100 kms from Sydney but really beautiful.  Wollongong is also popular for sky diving and para gliding.

Our beautiful drive led us to the Nan Tien Temple – This is a Buddhist temple in Wollongong. Nan Tien is one of the branch temples of the Taiwanese Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. It a very large temple. The little Buddha statues in different poses across the campus were really cute. There are a couple of prayer halls, a museum and a restaurant as well. It’s very peaceful to be in the temple. After a nice cup of coffee at the restaurant we proceeded to the Wollongong HeadLight house. The weather at the Light house was amazing and so were the views of the city on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

We spent the next day in the city. A visit to the Opera House and Harbor Bridge were customary. We took the ferry to Darling Harbor to get to the Opera House. The ferry in Sydney is very convenient and it was a good way to experience the views of the city. The Darling Harbor also houses the Sydney Wild Life and the Sea Life Aquarium.

Sydney Wild life is a zoo. I honestly found it quite average. The only attraction was to see Kangaroos and Koalas but there are much better places in Australia to see them in their natural habitat and also to interact with them. There are more snake varieties at the zoo than anything else.  We were out of that place in 30-40 minutes.  The Sea Life aquarium on the other hand did have a good variety of aquatic species, including sharks and Dugongs. Some of the fish were quite amusing.   There is a lot of walking involved at the aquarium though. Again not a highly recommended place from my view as I have seen much larger and better aquariums in Singapore and Atlanta.  

The tickets for the wildlife and aquarium can be bought in combinations with The Sydney Tower Eye, the tallest structure in Sydney and the second tallest on the Southern Hemisphere. Since the rate was better to buy all three together, I bought a ticket for the Tower Eye as well. Gladly, I happened to reach the Tower Eye at sunset which is considered the best time to view the city from the Tower.  Below the tower is the Pitt Street Mall with all high end shopping stores that you can expect. Once of the busiest malls of Sydney though by the sunset time, the shops close.

Through the basement of the Pitt Street Mall you can also walk to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). The QVB is a shopping center but its ancient architecture stands out amidst the more modern construction around it. The basement also has lots of food outlets with practically all cuisines available.


A visit to Sydney would not have been complete without checking out the Olympic Park. It was impressive to see the quality of the construction. It is now home to a lot of offices and residences. The locality clearly had a posh feel to it. The ANZ stadium with the forest of myriad poles having names of all the participating athletes was a great spot for some clicks. The Olympic Cauldron and numerous sculptures across the premises added to the nostalgia of the 2000 Olympics. Even the train station at the Olympic Park has a grand and envious architecture. Since we went there in the evening just after the storm, the weather was really pleasant which added to the visual treat.

The rest of the week was spent at work in CBD before we proceeded to the next exciting weekend in Melbourne.

One thing which we definitely had on the agenda for Melbourne was to visit the Twelve Apostles. The beautiful 250 km drive across the Great Ocean Road had some great look out points for pictures. We also stopped at Kennett river midway which is also a natural habitat for Koalas. Seeing the lazy animals in deep slumber on the tree tops was the cutest sight of the trip.  

We were awestruck when we reached the Twelve Apostles. No matter how many pictures we had seen before, these limestone structures standing in the midst of the ocean offered an awesome visual experience despite the harsh wind.  It takes a whole day to go from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles and get back. There are bus tours also available.

The next day, which was also the last day of our trip, we took a city tour on the bus which showed us the key highlights like the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Shrine of Remembrance, The Grand Prix track, Brighton Bathing boxes etc. The tour does not stop at every place so select the one you want carefully based on what is a must see for you.


The Shrine of remembrance is a war memorial to the Australians who served World War 1. The longest stop was at this place. It has a beautiful architecture.  I found the color Bathing Boxes at the Brighton Beach quite amusing. We wanted to spend more time at the MCG so went back there after the tour. Since the Cricket World Cup 2015 fever was on, we couldn't go away without a peep into one of the legendary cricket grounds of the world.

A great dinner at Flinder's street marked the end of our trip. With a quick glimpse into two of the major cities of Australia and also two of the most expensive cities to live in the world, we got back home. The one thing that stayed with us is the sense of humor so prevalent in this land. Right from the flight steward to the tour guide and even strangers on the street don’t mind cracking a joke on you. Down under where Santa comes in summer and not on a snow sleigh, isolated from the majority of the world, Australia has its own charm and definitely worth visiting again…

The US West Coast- On a Group Tour with Strangers

To do it or not to do it, this was the question I kept toying with for three days as I scanned every piece of review on the internet for doing a west coast tour in the US. I really wanted to see the west coast but only had 7 days and there was no time to take the advice, research and plan travel to each destination by myself.

The bus tour was too attractive to ignore. The price was very good for the inclusions. But then one does get wary when there are caveats of “we reserve the right to make changes at the time of travel”. After going through all the negative feedback, I realized that it was more hypothetical as to why would one want to travel on a group tour vs feedback through actual experiences. So I decided to take the plunge. I booked myself on a 6 night 7 days tour of the west coast. The only thing I got on making the booking online was an e-ticket confirming the tour name, the price paid and a customer care number. The fun begins’, I thought to myself. I just blew up $800 and all I get is a call center number!

As the date got closer my anxiety increased till I got down from the cab at the pickup point. It was a shopping area which was desolate at 7 in the morning. I was the only person as far as I could see with an occasional car whizzing past. Finally when I couldn’t take it anymore, I called up that customer care number. They picked up in two rings and gave me the number for the tour guide, Hao. I called up Hao and was happy that he was an English speaking guide. They were on their way and within two minutes the bus arrived.  ‘Not bad’ was my first reaction as I noticed that the bus was big 50 seater and there were just 20 odd people so lots of space. I had just plonked myself on the seat when Hao announced that I was the only English speaking audience on the bus and everyone else only spoke Chinese.  However before I freaked out, he added that he would repeat everything in both English and Chinese even if there was only one passenger speaking the language. Phew! Some respite.

Our first destination was the Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. It took us about 4 hours to reach LA including a couple of stops in between. The place was as crowded as a walk through Lajpat Nagar in Delhi or a pavement in Andheri in Mumbai. Amidst the crowds, as we walk through the Hollywood Walk of Fame, people were looking for the names of their favorite Hollywood artists embedded in the sidewalks. It was actually fun to discover them. The moment someone would call out a name, many people would crowd around. This continued till we reached the Dolby Theatre Museum which has been hosting the Academy Awards since 2001. The columns at the theater have the names of the Best Picture winner for each year. Hao specially looked out for me in the group to show me the name of “Slumdog Millionaire”. I had to show some rush of adrenalin at this to keep up with his enthusiasm. You can also get a great view of the Hollywood sign on the Santa Monica mountains from the Dolby Theatre.  After a stroll past the TCL Chinese Theatre and taking some more pictures of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we headed to LA downtown just to get a feel of the city. It felt like any other city, nothing great to talk about. The day was getting to an end and we were also a bit tired. More than anything, I was still apprehensive of where we were going to stay. I was just praying that it did not end up being a shady place.

All my fears were put to rest when our bus parked itself at the Knott’s Berry Farm hotel. This is on the outskirts of LA but a huge property. It was right next to the Knott’s Berry theme park and I could actually view the rides from my room. The cartoon character Snoopy roaming around the premises was a cute surprise.

The next morning we headed to San Diego. This time it was a mini bus as the San Diego tour was optional and not everyone had opted for it. There were some new people in the bus though quite a few were the same as on day 1. This time there were a couple of English speaking people as well. Our first stop was the San Diego harbor. Looking at the statue of the Sailor Kissing the Nurse flanked by trees on both sides reminded me of the Bollywood actors romancing around the trees. A cruise along the harbor was very insightful as they showcased the US naval fleet. San Diego was quite warm at this time of the year (September).  From the Harbor we went to Coronado Island. The ride over the Coronado Bridge gave us some great views of the blue seas. After enjoying the beaches on the Coronado Island we moved to the old town California which felt like we had entered Mexico. Our last stop for the day was Balboa Park. One day is not sufficient for Balboa Park. It’s a huge park with great flora. The Botanical Gardens had some amazing types of flowers. It’s definitely worth the visit. We came back to our hotel in LA, tired but satisfied with a day well spent.

Our third day was scheduled for the Universal Studios. Again, this was an optional tour and we went there in the mini bus. The tour guide took us to 4 key rides which he absolutely did not want us to miss before letting us explore the place on our own. All the rides there are fun though the Jurassic Park and the Return of the Mummy were the ones I enjoyed the most.  The Studio tour was fascinating as the tram meandered through the sets.  The musical show at the water world was the last one for the day and it truly felt like watching a movie live.

On the 4^th day it was time to pack our bags and head for the much awaited part of the tour- Las Vegas! We had a new tour guide. Her name was Sophie and she was pretty well versed with California. She gave us a lot of insights throughout the journey. The ride through the Mojave Desert into the state of Nevada was awesome. There were so many shades to the desert, beautiful colors of sand. Sophie checked options with us on the bus itself as to what would we like to in Vegas. She highly recommended the night tour which would take us across the major attractions of Las Vegas as well as also included a musical show. I opted for that. We checked into The Excalibur at Vegas which, like all other hotels there, was massive. Walking just to our rooms felt like eternity. One can easily get lost in the hotel itself. The entire ground floor of hotel was a casino and all of the first floor was a food court.  After checking into our rooms, we headed out for the night tour of the city. Sophie was our guide on the tour too and she took us to all the major attractions including the Venetian, the Bellagio, Caesar palace, the musical fountains, the high roller and the Fremont experience. We also saw one of their legendary musical shows before calling it a day. Beyond that- what happens at Vegas stays in VegasJ.

The 5^th day was the high point of the tour. We went to see the Grand Canyon; Arizona State. It was Sophie’s day off so we had a new guide called Angela. Angela was fun to be with. She had a good sense of humor and kept the group entertained with her quips. She booked the helicopter tour for us for those of us who wanted to do it, before we reached the Canyon. The helicopter tour is only available at the West rim of the Grand Canyon and takes you to the bottom of the Canyon where you can enjoy a short boat ride on the Colorado River. The ride down took 3-4 minutes. The views of the Canyon are much more beautiful on the way up than while going down.

The Canyon is huge and while it is mesmerizing, its massive size is also scary. There is no fencing at the canyon. You can get to the absolute edge and look down from the top. Take care not to look down too much to fall down the canyon. Once you are done with the helicopter ride, there are shuttles that take you to various scenic spots of the Grand Canyon. The helicopter ride ticket also includes lunch and a certificate from the Hualapai tribe as a souvenir of your visit to the Grand Canyon. It is important to keep track of time as you roam around the Canyon to be able to get back to your bus within the given duration. On the way back from the Canyon we stopped at Hoover Dam though I did not find it much exciting, especially after the insight that that the amount of concrete used to create the Hoover dam was equivalent to what would be required to build a road from California to New York. The evening back in Vegas was free for us to explore the city.

Our 6^th day was a long journey back to California. We reached Fresno in the evening where we parked ourselves at the Holiday Inn. The long ride had been tiring and all of us called in early as we had a lot to cover on our last day at Yosemite National Park.

We checked out early in the morning to head to Yosemite. Again, one day is not enough for Yosemite though Sophie tried her best to have us see as much as we could. The Giant Sequoias were the prime attraction other than some beautiful mountain views of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The park has a small food court where we had lunch before heading back to where we had started our tour, for me it was San Jose. What a tour it had been! I tried to capture as much as I could of this amazing journey in my memories and my camera.


Now a few more insights about the group tour:

• The tour will not have the same people throughout. Based on what itineraries people have chosen you will have new co- passengers every day. I only had 3 people who were with me throughout the 7 days.
  

• The guides are very helpful. If you have any doubts, questions, please ask them. Keep their phone number with you. There is a mandatory tip of $6 every day per passenger for the guide, but it’s truly worth it. They want everyone to experience as much as possible and if they are rushing you, it’s because there is more to see that they don’t want you to miss. Considering I was travelling alone, they specifically took care that I would not get lost and even when we reached back; the guide helped me strike a deal with the van operator to drop me to the hotel for much less than what the cab would have cost me.



• The bus stops nearly every couple of hours for nature breaks and food. They are huge Volvo buses and normally have half the seats occupied so there is plenty of space for everyone.



• They also stop a couple of times at factory outlet malls if you are interested in shopping.
  
  
• A couple of times they stopped for lunch at a Chinese buffet but it is not imposed. There are other joints there as well if you don’t want to have the buffet but it had so much variety and was such great value for money that everyone on our tour opted for it.
  
  
• When on a group tour, you need to have respect for other people’s time so that everyone enjoys the tour. While they are all strangers, treat it just like you would treat your family. I made some good friends on the tour which made the journey even more enjoyable. Some of them did not even speak English and I did not speak Chinese yet we could communicate and got along well.

Lastly I can only say that this was one of the best decisions I took to travel across the west coast. It saved me the hassle of researching and figuring out places to stay all by myself. The quality of the services, stay and itinerary was great value for money as well as very safe. If you are on your own and want to explore US, this is highly recommended!

 

 

There is nothing like Kashmir !

We watched in numerous Bollywood movies, we heard the beautiful Shayari written in its honor, we wore the warmth that the art of this place brought along and then we lived through it being torn apart as a politically troubled state. Kashmir, an enigma for me all through my teenage years. A place I always wanted to visit, and finally did a couple of weeks back after the plan to travel being spoiled twice earlier.

We had flown to Srinagar from Delhi. As the flight took its descent, we couldn’t stop ourselves from peering out of the windows to absorb the beautiful greenery that loomed large amidst the clouds. The flight from Delhi to Srinagar is about an hour and 10 minutes.  The airport was spic and span. As we drove from the airport to our hotel, it looked as normal and lively as any other city of India despite it being the Independence day weekend and we being warned by many that it was not the best time to travel there.

We crossed the houseboats on the Dal Lake as we proceeded to our hotel which was in the quieter area of Nigeen Lake. I was glad we did not book the houseboats as it just looked so crowded for enjoying the serenity of the place.

We spent our time in Srinagar wandering through the Mughal Gardens- Pari Mahal, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, and ChashmeShahi. The gardens, true to their reputation, are really well maintained. Despite so many visitors coming in every day to enjoy a picnic there, there is no flood of plastic bags or any garbage in the gardens.  However, there isn't anything uniquely spectacular that one may not have seen in any other part of India so I wouldn’t recommend planning too much time to spend there. Chashme Shahi however, with the natural spring water is a must visit. The ice-cold spring water was a delight on a bright sunny day.

The evening was kept free to do a Shikara ride. The shikaras came up to our hotel which was really convenient.  They charge about INR 500 per ride. The way the Shikaras are designed, you cannot help being relaxed. Rowing around in the quiet waters of the lake in the evening is an awesome and very calming experience. One can take a Shikara ride till late in the night.

A few things to keep in mind in Srinagar –As we were informed by the hotel and multiple taxi drivers, taxis are primarily on full day or half day rate only for sightseeing. You can’t book a taxi just to be with you and go wherever you want. They will take you only to the specific tourist spots. If you just want them to take you to one place, they will charge you pretty much for half a day sightseeing.  If you want to move around locally, you will get transport from point to point. Coming from Delhi, this was a surprise for us as we were typically used to hiring a taxi on mileage basis and taking it wherever we wanted.

While in Srinagar we also planned a day to visit to Gulmarg for a ride on the famous Gondola. The Gondola experience was an epitome of Kashmiri hospitality towards tourists. Since we had elderly people with us, we were allowed to take the car directly till the Gondola boarding point after taking permission from the security office.  They asked us to take one of their authorized guides which turned out to be a boon.  The guides there typically charge INR 600. This guy made us really comfortable by doing all the running around work. While we had our tickets booked online, one still needs to collect the boarding pass from the ticket window which takes about an hour itself. The guide did this for us in 15- 20 minutes.  The Gondola does not stop at the boarding point, it just slows down speed and one has to hop onto it. My mom was pretty prepared that she would not be able to make the ride but the guide actually requested for the Gondola to be stopped for a minute so that she could board it. The Gondola ride is just for a few minutes but one gets a beautiful view of the pristine hills, and the greenery of the valley , mules grazing lazily and flat roofed huts. The first phase of the Gondola takes one to Kungdoor which is at about 9000 feet height. A lot of people just go till here as the air starts thinning further as the height increases. If you plan to visit both phases, don’t spend time here while going. A lot is said about it being really difficult to make it to phase 2 but we did not face any hurdles. Both my parents who are nearing 70 were able to go to the second phase which is called Affarwat. The guide helped us trek further up the difficult path to get our hands into the snow. Thankfully we had him as he took us through a short cut and lesser difficult terrain. August is summer in Kashmir and pretty much the end of the snow season. If you go during April- June, you will get to see plenty of snow in Gulmarg. It is quite chilly in Gulmarg even during the peak summer and hence one needs to be adequately clad. The Gondola is the main attraction of Gulmarg so there is no need otherwise to spend the night there. One can do a day trip which is what we did and still had plenty of time to spend a nice evening by the lake back in Srinagar.

The best part of the itinerary was the trip to Pahalgam. It takes about 3 hours to reach Pahalgam so one should plan to spend a night there at least.  The route to Pahalgam is also an experience with greenery all around, apple orchards and walnut trees on the way.  Stop for a while on your way to cherish these experiences too. Pahalgam has a lot of cottage like guest houses which provide B&B accommodation. These are very good in quality. I booked one based on recommendations on tripadvisor and was very happy with the place and the hospitality we got for the price. The beauty of Pahalgam cannot be stated in words. The mountains towering over the excited Lidder river flowing through the town is as scenic as it can be.

There are various valley points to visit to absorb these wonders of nature, Aru Valley, Chandan Wadi and Betab Valley (originally Hunganwadi but renamed after the movie shot there).  I am one of those travelers who like to reach a certain point and enjoy there, but Pahalgam made me fall in love with the journey. Don’t waste your time riding mules after you reach these various points to see some silly spots shown by guides. Just enjoy the journey to each of these places with the enthralling beauty around. Pahalgam is cold all through the year and that is why most accommodations do not have fans. We were lucky that it rained despite the scorching summers which gave us a great experience of the Pahalgam weather.  

 

Now a few things about Kashmir for all travelers who have wanted to go there but haven’t been due to all the news they watch:

• Since tourism is their primary business, they will go all out to keep you safe.  It is one state where you will be bothered less if you are a tourist vs being a local.


• It looks like any other normal place; there is no flood of army all around, so you can really enjoy yourself. There are people always on the roads, women using public transport by themselves, driving cars etc.


• Don’t mind the tone of the locals when they speak Hindi. Their accent sounds a bit rude but that’s not what they mean.


• Try out the Kashmiri food. Specially dishes made with their typical lal masala are yum, carry some of this special spice back with you.


• Prefer to stay in  good/reputed accommodations and make transport arrangements beforehand. Transport is expensive there.


• Do a bit of research yourself. Don’t just depend on your taxi guy for any information on where to go, what to see. They will only take you to places where they get a commission and will have complete disdain for other places.


• The people there were low on their ability to take feedback, good or bad. I guess there is past baggage that they carry and they also want tourism to increase so for some reason they only want compliments and anything that looks like feedback is not welcome.

If you like going to the hills in India, and I have been to many of the popular hill stations so can talk about it with some credibility, there is nothing like Kashmir! So go out there and enjoy this beautiful part of our country that we are and will always be proud of…

South Africa -Into the Wilderness

Stepping outside Johannesburg airport with a chilly 3 degree Celsius temperature put us in a quandary about how our South African sojourn was going to be. 20 of us, all women- most meeting each other first time as part of the travel group, huddled into our coach which was to take us to the game reserve where we planned to begin our holiday. We were headed towards the Madikwe game reserve was a 6 hour drive from the Jo’burg airport.

The coach driver’s jokes were a pleasant respite during the monotonous drive through arid vegetation, till a zebra suddenly lurked from the side. Caught by surprise at the first game sighting, we all sat up fully alert to our surroundings. The remaining hour, till we reached our destination, was filled with the excitement of spotting giraffes, elephants, deer, wildebeest etc on both sides of the coach. Such was our euphoria that we didn’t even mind losing our way a bit and the exhaustion of a 9 hour flight followed by a 6 hour bus ride.

The Madikwe game reserve is a private reserve with multiple lodges. Being a big group, we had the lodge all to ourselves, which also added to the warm hospitality. Since we had already had our first encounter with the wild and there were only a couple of hours left to enjoy the afternoon safari, we threw on our warm jackets and jumped onto the jeeps with our experienced rangers. Though September is known to be spring weather in South Africa, the first two weeks are still not yet over with the winter chill and one really needs to be warmly clad to take a ride through the game reserve in an open jeep.

The best way to enjoy the safari is to respect the animals and be as quiet as possible when near them. Our rangers briefed us before the drive and also alerted us that animals were used to vehicles but not people on foot. They urged us to remain in the jeep and not get down when near the animals. No amount of briefing could prepare us from being awestruck on our first sight of the lazing cheetahs. Lying right next to the parked jeep, they were not bothered by the clicking cameras and gave us some great shots. This was the case with most of our game sightings, be it the leopard preying on its kill, the zebras crossing the road, the aloof giraffes spotted strolling by themselves or the herd of elephants spraying their bodies with mud spurts!

We did three safari rides during our stay at Madikwe, one at dawn and the other two in the afternoon. Our rangers made great efforts to ensure that we got to have as many sightings of the big 5 as possible. Other than the safaris, the stay in a jungle lodge is itself a very enjoyable experience. Waking up in the morning to a deer peeping into the window, hearing the trumpet of an elephant when getting into bed, or enjoying a cup of coffee in the serenity with the sound of the river flowing beside your cottage, are all experiences that would make you want to stay more.

The next part of our holiday took us from the parched surroundings of Johannesburg to the lush scenery of Cape Town. The TableMountain looms large as you drive through the legislative capital of the country. A stay in Cape Town would be incomplete without a visit to the top of the Table Mountain. A cable car takes you to the top and the view of the city from there amidst the clouds is mesmerizing.

 


If you are in Cape Town do try to stay near the waterfront. The harbor is one of the main attractions of the city and buzzing with activity in the evening. There are plenty of eating joints at the waterfront which seem to be teeming with people throughout the evening.

The Boulders Beach is also must visit. The excited screeches of the penguins greeted us as soon as we went past the entrance. Myriad penguins, waddling in the water or loitering at the beach were an amazing sight to see. Observing their interaction with each other made me make up many stories in my mind.

This followed by a stopover at the Cape Point, the south east corner of the Cape peninsula, completed the magic of the scenic beauty. A quaint train ride took us upto the light house at Cape Point. Cape Point is at a higher elevation to Cape of Good Hope and it is believed that the currents of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meet here but there is no visible line to the meeting of the two waters. The meeting point actually is supposed to be at the Cape Agulhas about 150 kms away. While returning from Cape Point, one should definitely stop for a while at the The Cape of Good Hope which got its name because its discovery was a good omen that India could be reached by sea from Europe. It is quite picturesque. Surrounded by bright yellow proteas plants, we also came across baboons and ostriches during our drive.

One of the best things this season offers to a traveler to South Africa is the sight of the Southern right whale which can be seen from the shores from July till December.  The place most known for this is the small town of Hermanus which was our next destination. Still referred to by locals as “the village”, Hermanus is about 115 kms from Cape Town.

In Hermanus, we were lucky to be staying at the Windsor Hotel which is located at the sea shore and we could enjoy the amazing view of the ocean and occasionally a loafing whale just from our room. Tourists and residents throng to Hermanus on weekends to get a view of the whales. There are benches across the shore for people to sit and enjoy the view. There is an official whale crier as well who announces it across the village as soon as a whale is spotted. Away from the hustling cities, with the mountains on one side and the lapping waters of the sea on the other, Hermanus is an absolute paradise for a leisure holiday. Just grab a place for yourself at any of the joints across the market square and you wouldn’t need to think of how to spend the day.

Gaansbai, which is 40 kms from Hermanus, is a famous spot for cage diving with the great white sharks. For the adventurous this is a treat not to be missed in South Africa, the first country to protect the Great White Sharks which led to the cage diving industry. The entire cage diving experience takes about a half a day and it is better to do it in the morning which is what we did so that we had the rest of the day to relax in the peaceful surroundings of Hermanus. The cage diving with the sharks is a once in a lifetime experience and a great opportunity to overcome the fear of sharks ingrained by the legendary movie “Jaws”. There a few licensed operators for this in South Africa. We went through one of them who were recommended by our tour operator. This needs to be booked a day in advance if you want the morning trip.

Our shark cage diving operator’s team came to pick us up from our hotel exactly at 6 a.m. At their office in Kleinbaai, about 40 people, including 8 of us were provided with a sumptuous breakfast followed by insights into the world of shark cage diving to alleviate our fears. We were provided with waterproof jackets for the boat ride and wet suits for the dive.  Even though it was one of the brighter days for the activity the sea was rough enough for most of us to get sea sick. But that did not dampen our spirits and the first call of shark sighting had us rushing to the sides of the boat to get a view. The cage could take 8 people together. Each group got an opportunity to be in the water for about 25 minutes during which we had 6-7 encounters with sharks. Chum, made of fish products, is used as a bait to attract the sharks towards the cage. Once the shark approaches, the crew shouts out to the divers in the cage to dive down into the water and get a closer under water view. The water was chilly but once in, the excitement of overcoming one of our biggest fears was enough to make us forget the chill. And if that wasn’t enough the crew also tried humorous stunts to scare us. Once we were out of the water, we could still enjoy some great views of the sharks from the boat while others went in. The shark tour operators take videos of the entire tour which are available for purchase. Since we knew about this, we had decided to buy the video so that we could enjoy our experience more than bothering about pictures. We came back very tired but ecstatic!

While in the Cape Town vicinity, we also went for a cheese and wine tasting experience at the Anura wine estate where we got to know of the intricacies of wine making as well as tasted 6 different wines. There are quite a few farm stalls on this route as well selling fresh hand-made food products which are a must try.  Our stay at a resort on this garden route was divine! Our eyes devoured the scenic beauty, as we strolled around. Whether it was the vibrant colors of the fields on one side and the smoky mountains on the other, crossing a dainty little bridge over the brook or admiring the flowers blossoming around, it was all so picture-perfect!  The grand finale was an African special evening with lots of food, wine, music, dancing and a huge dose of the African sense of humor which is an integral part of their culture as we discovered throughout our trip.

We flew back to Jo’burg from Cape Town and the last day of our holiday was spent at Sun City which is about 3 hours’ drive from Johannesburg airport. The place was definitely alive with casinos and restaurants open all night, but it wasn’t as thrilling as the rest of the natural beauty we had enjoyed so far. Most of the other entertainment at Sun City closes by 6 p.m. I still recall our guide’s words that Sun City should pay royalty to Aishwarya Rai to increase tourism there! I guess another reason for it doing well may also be the apprehensions around safety in Johannesburg which make people move to Sun City instead for a stay over.   

If we had thought we were done with the humorous flavor of South Africa, a parting anecdote at the airport refreshed it for us. We all broke into a laugh as the person checking our luggage weight played a prank on one of the women in our group scaring her of having excessive baggage. Cracking jokes, playing pranks and laughing it off come naturally to the people of that country and rubs off as easily on the visitors. Not to miss the fancy for Bollywood music. The staff of our lodge at the game reserve was willing to dance all night if we shared some Bollywood numbers with them. I didn’t realize how the 9 days of my holiday went by. Do plan to spend more than a week if you really want to enjoy this destination. An experience beyond words, South Africa is a beautiful country, natural and still so wild. We went as a group of strangers, came back as friends with fond memories, fantastic pictures and lots of humor...