Is it possible to write about France and not talk about the food? Much more plastic conscious than ever before, I didn't buy any of the little cups of fruit yoghurt, or the chocolate mousse at the supermarkets, or anything that stood there on the stands in single-use plastic. But staying in a French family brings so much to the table that I missed nothing!I've written before about being what I once called 'impure veg'. I do eat meat, yes, once in a while. But I rarely - if at all - choose to eat meat. When I was younger, I was keen on eating everything; I tried hard to fit in. Now, I continue to try to taste everything, but I don't push myself to do so - no FOMO anymore!In Europe, my favourite meal, I realise, is breakfast. When our French friends came here, they commented, "Indian breakfast is typically savoury; how lovely!" A savoury breakfast is possible in France, of course, … [Read more...]
Chartres
I visited Chartres last about ten years ago. When I told my French family that, they were concerned. Would I like to go to the same place again? Should we try to do something else instead? Was there something else I had in mind?I shook my head. I remembered how struck I was by the grandeur of the cathedral and I knew I would love to go again. The problem, always, is that the memory retains so little. Or maybe it isn't a problem. It allows us to experience things afresh, almost as if it is for the first time, with just a warm sense of familiarity that adds to the experience rather than taking away from it.From my previous visit, I remembered only the cathedral, not the beautiful town or the typical crisscross architecture of so many of its buildings. I didn't remember shop-signs tucked away into corners or beauty on the pavements on which we walked. This time, just like at … [Read more...]
Paris
I have so many stories about Paris by night. During the exchange programme, we were sorely disappointed because Paris by night turned out to be just Paris by evening because we went in May and were told we couldn't stay too late. As a result, as soon as the lights of Paris started coming on, we were indoors once more.To make up for that, a few years later, my sister took me to see the Eiffel Tower by night, and that was another experience altogether.In winter, it's much easier to sit and gaze at the lights of Paris, for night falls conveniently early. Shortly after dusk, two days before Christmas, we made our way towards the Seine and took the famous boat ride through the city. Ah ... Paris! It is special, this city full of magical lights! People talk about the charm of Christmas and how everything is lit up and festive in December, but even without the added festivity, the … [Read more...]
Travelling to France during the Strikes
Only yesterday I read about Paris transport being set to return to normal after a 45-day strike. 45 days. It's a long time. For part of this time, we were in France too, and there, we learned about why these strikes are important to so many people. Despite my faltering, rusty French, we spoke about the gilets jaunes, about the importance of protests and the effect of the proposed pension reforms on teachers, rail workers and others.For many, Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020 were perhaps the worst times to visit France. The country witnessed the longest strike in decades and of course travel plans went awry. A co-passenger on my flight to Paris told me of a friend who visited France for just a day and could not even see the Eiffel Tower because of the strikes.As for me, I realised once more how lucky I am. What began with an exchange programme between Fergusson College and a … [Read more...]
My Year in Travel
I've seen and experienced so much this year! I brought 2019 in in beautiful Pench, shivering in the cold and rejoicing in the sight of a jackal and a leopard amongst so many other wonderful wild animals.Later the same month, we travelled to Sikkim and Kolkata, a city I love. I also wrote a travel article about our experiences in north Sikkim, reliving the adventures we had.For work, too, I travelled quite a bit - to Mumbai of course, but also to Goa, Aurangabad, Bhusaval, Akola, Chandrapur ... I love it!And finally, we ended the year in Europe, which I visited after seven years. I've written extensively about other visits; this one was special in its own way.On the flight to Paris, someone sitting next to me told me about a friend who hadn't been able to see anything - not even the Eiffel Tower - because of the train strikes in France. Thanks to our wonderful, wonderful … [Read more...]
West Sikkim
Pelling, in West Sikkim, won my heart. We stayed at a place called Ifseen Villa, about a kilometre and a half away from the one-street town of Pelling. And I loved the place. Outside our balcony were lemon trees, and in the distance, the magnificent Khangchendzonga* range.On each of the three mornings we spent there, I woke up with a fluttering sense of excitement. Pelling inspired me, though I cannot quite lay my finger on why. It was beautiful, fresh and free.(I discovered in Pelling, by the way, that when the weather is very cold, my ball pen does not work! In the absence of a heater, my travel writing had to be paused because yes, I do still write in a book before I blog.)We did all the touristy things around town and quite enjoyed them too. We visited Yuksam*, the first capital of Sikkim, and learned about the legend of the pine tree that stands tall behind the … [Read more...]
Kolkata Diaries
Excited as I was about our adventures in North Sikkim, I dived in and wrote about Lachung and Yumthang. But the first place we visited was Kolkata. That's where the journey really started, and we spent a day there because it is a place close to my heart.My grandmother grew up in Calcutta. Having studied at Loretto Convent in the pre-independence era, she often told us stories about her childhood. One story that stands out in my memory is that of her classes on etiquette, where all the girls were taught to stir sugar into their tea without making a tinkling sound! I always found the idea of girls solemnly stirring tea hilarious, and it was just one of many tales I loved. I remember her talking about having been taught that her handbag must match her shoes (she never wore shoes, only slippers, because she dressed only in saris), and how to pronounce 'waistcoat' properly. Look it up. … [Read more...]
Yumthang Valley
I remember the first time I watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I watched the old movie, of course, where Mr and Mrs Beaver were people in beaver costumes, and the section where the children ride on Aslan was old-fashioned animation, to put it mildly.Yet, I loved it so much that I still remember much of it word for word. I remember the white witch saying, "How dare you come alone?" I remember "Turkish delight? For my little prince?" I remember the faun Mr Tumnus saying, "Always winter, and never Christmas!"Narnia is magical.And I could not stop thinking about it as we stood there in the magical Yumthang Valley. Frozen waterfalls, a blanket of snow, snow on trees all around us.When Pempa picked us up, determined to take us to Yumthang Valley, my heart gave a little leap. It was impossible! Everyone else had left, and it was still snowing. How were we going … [Read more...]
The Road to Yumthang
It was a bright, cold day. Bundled up in thermals, sweaters, mufflers, gloves and coats, we set off for Yumthang, famously known as the Valley of Flowers. In spring, a carpet of flowers rolls over the valley, and in winter, a blanket of snow.As we shivered with cold and excitement, we hoped we would be allowed all the way to Yumthang. The previous day, vehicles had been stopped because the roads were slippery, but perhaps today would be different. The day was clear, and our driver and guide Pempa, who belonged to Lachung, was optimistic.All along the road, we saw patches of snow huddled under rocks, hiding from the sun. As we moved further, the snow grew bolder, not crouching under the rocks, but showing itself above. Snow spread its fingers over trees and branches, bringing to mind the cotton wool we use as children to decorate Christmas trees.And yaks! What delightful … [Read more...]
North Sikkim
"Should we really go?""Is it safe?""Just yesterday, people got stuck in Lachung and had to be rescued!""And vehicles have not even been allowed to go towards Yumthang.""Maybe we should just cancel our Lachung-Yumthang plan and stay in Gangtok."On the 10 January, NDTV reported that over 150 tourists were stuck in the Lachung Valley and were rescued by the army. Was it sheer stupidity to stick with our original plan and visit Lachung anyway? We were to go there on the 12th, just two days later.We asked my friend from Gangtok, "Do you think we should go to north Sikkim?""You MUST go to north Sikkim!" she replied.Then, our flight was rerouted to Bagdogra. We were supposed to fly to Pakyong, closer to Gangtok, but Spice Jet said that the flight was being redirected owing to bad weather conditions.We, from the warm Deccan, dithered. Maybe going to the north was a bad idea.But … [Read more...]