Japan!!

Land of the rising Sun - Nippon/Japan! 

This blog post is dedicated to the beautiful country of technological advancement, hardworking people,great culture and amazing countryside. 

Notable Cities worth visiting are Tokyo,Kyoto, Hiroshima-Nagasaki.

Bullet trains connect them with ease of time and comfort.

Facts/Tips : 

"Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy,wealthy and wise" -- this English proverb truly describes Japanese culture. 
They are very time conscious and punctual in their lifestyle. The restaurants/banquets will ask you to leave at the specified time (we experienced it) since they have to close for the day. This is not considered rude in their culture.

Bowing down,smile and greeting with a "konnichiwa"marks the beginning of the day.
 U will also hear a lot of "arigatou gozaimous" which means "thank u very much" throughout the day..
Japanese people are very helpful and smiling.. their accented english is easy to comprehend as well..

Sake is the locally brewed alcohol. Its a must try if you like to experiment with your drinks. The alcohol content in stuff like vodka, whiskey etc is very strong in japan as compared to india. So, be careful.

Japanese people are very private in nature. They usually do not invite people home for socialising, cover up their windows, stay upto themselves, work really hard and earning a plot of bury their dead parents with a tombstone is what their mission is !!

Visiting Japan during the cherry blossom time is considered to be the best. Natural beauty at its prime!

Places of interest :

The Golden Pavilion 

A zen buddhist place of worship which is fringed by beautifully laid out gardens. 
The temple is a tall structure made of gold and reflects beautifully in the lake,in which it is situated. This makes a awesome picture background.

Nijo Castle 


Nijo Castle is located in the city of Kyoto and was the home for the samurai shotgun.
There are many rooms and anterooms with intricately painted sliding doors. 
The samurai head(shotgun) used to receive his sub-lords in the rooms.
The shotgun used to squat/sit on a little raised platform and to his left, at a distance used to be his pageboy/manservant. the lords were supposed to sit farther down the room in a bowed down position. The most interesting piece of architecture are the "Nightingale floors". 
The flooring of the castle in the corridors make a particular noise, like squeaking of birds, so that the occupants are protected from sneak attacks or assassins.

Interesting trivia - the shotgun was never allowed to be with a particular wife in private since the wife could use her influence to ask for favours and stuff. There was always a servant present in the room with them.



Mt.Fuji 

Mt.Fuji

The weather gods need to be in a good mood when you plan a visit to see the famous volcano! 
Viewing the Mt.Fuji in its full glory, where u can see the summit, is the highlight of Japan trip..



Ashi Lake cruise- Hakone hot springs - ropeway ride 

A loooooong lazy cruise on a freshwater lake, surrounded by unbounded natural beauty can pep your mood up! the cruise is a part of a day trip to see the natural hot springs at hakone.. you will reach the summit in a ropeway and then proceed on foot to see the springs. 
Be prepared to walk a lot.. naturally boiled eggs on the springs are available for purchase and are black in colour!


Shinto Shrine 


The predominant religion of Japan is shinto.
They worship the spirit present in everything in the world. It can be in a form of a tree, rock, animal, place etc. The shrine entrances are marked by a particular sign as shown.

Roppongi and Ginza areas

These are the partying and hi-fashion shopping areas in Tokyo. 
Although tokyo is considered to be the most expensive city to live in etc. a walk down the street is a MUST! Roppongi has an interesting night life. Hard Rock Cafe is a great watering hole.

Hooters is a great place for a drink in ginza area.. be prepared to find all the places on the street to be full everynight.. 
jostling for a table is a herculean task!

Tokyo Tower

It looks exactly like the Eiffel Tower from a distance. 
Visit to the observation deck gives u a eagle eye view of the entire city. 
Would suggest to buy mint candy from their souvenir shop. They resemble homeopathic  medicine in a tokyo tower styled bottle.

Shopping malls/departmental stores are humongous and deserve total devotion in terms of time and money to shop crazily..!! 
one can get great deals on electronic items.. I would personally recommend akhibara mall for their massive collection..

Japan is a highly developed nation. This point is driven home with a superior force when u visit the city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 
The memorial dedicated to the nuclear bombing in world war 2 is awe-inspiring. 
You cannot believe your eyes after seeing the city, that it was practically razed to the ground! Its just like a phoenix risen from the ashes!! you can view the wristwatch which stopped precisely at the time of bombing the city.. 8:15 am!

 


Bullet Train

Engineering marvel..! this should sum it up in totality!

The security personnel actually make sure u stand behind a drawn line on the platform, if the train isnt stopping at that station. The speed of the train will make u NUMB! whooooosssshhh........!!!!

The trains are always always always ON TIME and stop exactly where it is supposed to be.! unlike in india, where S7 is supposed to be, but u find S9!


Geisha

Private performances by a professional geisha has to be sought by your company through their agents. 
A geisha performs the traditional japanese dance and will play their rock-paper-scissor game for their audience. Their make up makes them shine even in a dark room.
 A apprentice geisha can be identified by the less number of ornaments worn in the hair and their kimonos.
 Its very hard to train to be a geisha. They have to live with their masters, perform the daily chores and attend the classes. A proffessional geisha gets her hair done in a salon once a week and they really have ELABORATE hair dos... For more info, you can google about them or read "memoirs of geisha"..!!


Tokyo Disneyland 

I absolutely love visiting disneyland.. it makes me feel lost in a make believe world of cartoons and happiness !
 Kindly do not plan your trip on a sunday!
 It will be swamped with mothers and their kids in prams.

 Do plan a trip to japan to experience a absolutely disciplined lifestyle! Although japan is not a predominantly tourist country, it still has a LOT to offer :-)

Rome and Dubai .. Time Travel between the 2 cities :)

Travelling gives you a wider perspective of things. 

It makes u culture sensitive,seasoned back packer, human calculator regarding the currency exchange rates and so on...

My sojourn was in two diametrically opposite cities which enabled me to experience different cultures, time zones and fun!

Let me begin with the first stop at the historically enriched city of Rome, known locally as Roma :)

Exploring rome requires stamina to walk, comfortable shoes/footwear since  the streets are cobbled , an umbrella in the season of may-june and a great camera with enough memory space :) 

You are spell bound by the huge monolithic structures and sculptures which inspire a sense of awe and how-is-it-possible-without-technology feeling. Even the creases on the clothing of the structures were carved immaculately. It projected a very realistic feeling!

The food street of rome lets you to restaurant hop, make international friends, watch random perfomances  happening in the centre of the piazza, get sloshed, eat tiramisu and yum margherita pizzas :) 

Must try  are the gelatos (they are impossible to finish), pizzas and tiramisu.. walk down any street, park yourself on the outside seating of the small bistros/restaurants and sit aimlessly chatting and hogging! The world seems to have slowed down in the alleys of rome... An experience in itself!

Noteworthy monuments/places of visit include the Colosseum, Vatican city, Trevi fountain and pantheon.



Colosseum :  This monument has  seen 
a lot of blood bath ! this amphitheatre styled building was an arena for the gladiator fights, wherein either the beast finishes the swordsman or vice versa..! it can supposedly seat 50,000 people  at once.

Vatican City : The seat of Christianity ! need i say more? 
It is a walled enclave in the city of rome which is recognised as an independent country and the smallest in the world... 
The city houses the Museum Vaticano, Sistine chapel, St.Peters Basilica etc. 
Photography is prohibited only in the Sistine Chapel. There are long gallerias lined with amazingly carved  sculptures, beautiful mosaics on the floor, tapestries, frescoes etc!

Trevi Fountain :
Iconic fountain! 
throw a coin and make a wish.. u really need to jostle with people to get a single picture with the fountain.It is lit beautifully at night. 
Just sit on the sides and admire the sheer brilliance of the fountain!

Overall, I would just say, visit rome to forget yourself in the realms of time.. admire art and its artists, walk hand in hand with your loved one on the streets, eat to your hearts content and make merry :) 


My next destination was the jaw dropping city of DUBAI !

After a 6 and half hour flight, i reached the global melting pot of Dubai.. 
my eyes popped out at the glimpse of the massive and cute elevators, duty free shopping and the trains connecting terminals of the dubai airport. 
We were staying at the royal ascot hotel in the heart of bur dubai, which is predominantly an asian area. You will feel instantly at home in india. 
Pakistanis and Indians co-exist harmoniously along with the arabs in the beautifully technologically advanced city of dubai.

Every cuisine is available in this city, although i was craving for some masala dosas which was happily hogged at saravana bhavana.

 The tour operators are meticulous and courteous while showing you around and patiently waiting in the lobby in case you are running late.

I have traveled a lot internationally, but never fallen in love with any place as i did with dubai. The sheer incredulity of finding of the best fruits, the best waterpark, the best flower garden, the best building structures, the best malls, the best shopping, the best aquariums, the best people floored me over completely. 

if rome seeped u in time, then dubai propelled u in the future.. 

Burj Khalifa is an fantastic structure which enabled mankind to mark his space till sky! 
The tallest building in the world took almost 12 years to build and numbs your mind when u step on the observation desk @ 124th floor.
You can view the entire city..then the neighboring city, then the desert, then the sea from the deck.

The tickets are sold months in advance and have specific timings to visit as mentioned in the ticket. Plan your trip accordingly!

Desert Safari is an absolute MUST! 

The drivers deflate the tyres and then drive u around on sand dunes. The speciality being, u cant see where the dune will end, will it soar more upwards or plunge downwards. It advisable not to eat much before the safari begins..You are driven around in a land cruiser, hummer etc..  You are then taken to the desert camp, wherein you can click pics in abaya (burqa), smoke shisha (hookah), watch belly dancing and indulge in local cuisine.

Marina Walk gives u a huge option of restaurants and cafes which are open late till wee hours.. watch the yachts anchored, smoke a shisha, have coffee, admire the fountains etc...

Gold souk will dazzle your senses with the wide array of splendid gold sets,diamonds etc.. The purity and price difference with indian rates will tempt u to buy buy buy.. only hitch being transporting the same to india. I would suggest buy something which u can wear during the flight and evade customs.. :P :P

Dubai Miracle Gardens provide the perfect backdrop for your photographs. Finding interesting arrangements of flowers in a desert, is enough to go photo crazy... must visit! kindly check the timings of open season before planning the trip.

There is much more to dubai like finding peacocks near sheikh's residence.. the awesome bump-free highways, the mind blowing flyovers, the vastness of the city and the most amazing cars to be found on mother earth!!

Atlantis Palm Dubai will make your stay and money worthwhile.. i stayed there for a night and was feeling like alice in wonderland.. the waterpark situated in the hotel has a conveyor belt to transport people sitting on tubes for the next rides... its a perfect family destination resort which gives romantic atmosphere, kids entertainment, Huge aquariums with all size,colour and shape of fishes, innumerable restaurnts and bars to party/dine, see well dressed people, white pristine beaches and the landscape of dubai at your eye-sight!

Let me end this blog here, let you explore more of the cities i mentioned, whenever you plan a visit.

THE Great Indian Arranged Marriage!

“The GREAT Indian ARRANGED Marriage”

The biggest adventure to do is the arranged marriage. Everyone associated with the “tamasha” experiences some kind of adrenaline kick! How?
 Let me try to assemble my disoriented thoughts on this one..

The main characters of the drama are: 

Maa –
The most pivotal character in the whole exercise is the Mother of the groom/bride! 
She stresses out the maximum in all aspects and wields solid veto power.
 All approvals, rejections, hysterics etc find their origin from her.
She even uses the bait of the upcoming nuptials to get a discount from retailers. For example : “ arre, bitiya ki shaadi ki shopping yahi se karenge, thoda discount to banta hai".

Pitaji – has the most ardous task of smiling and looking authoritative whereas everyone knows who really helms the power.
 He is the finance guy and the face of the family to the world..

Relatives –
 Most interesting clan members. Whether it is bhua, fufa, masi, masa, mama, mami etc.. 
Every family definitely boasts of one black sheep who will criticise, comment, get jealous, spite people with just her/his talks and existence.

Some good relatives, can even bring forward a proposal which can be turned into a solemn bond between the families.

Bride and Groom – How do u expect to finalise a person in that 15 minute of conversation has always mesmerised me.
Its like a blindfold game of teen patti at super high stakes.

Clearing all hurdles of yes, no and maybe, the courtship period starts! 
The phone bills, internet usage, last seen on whatsapp, skype credits, blushes, smiles, gifts etc are on a all time high !!

Caterers,event planners, decorators etc- harassed people in the marriage ceremony. Most of them have reputation on stake to perform perfectly well in a high profile wedding, which ensures more business to follow.

Most important person is the ASTROLOGER !! 
yes, he is the person who has the “knowledge” of guiding parents about the favourable position of the STARS!! 
At times, i feel they dupe people of more and more money by making all proposals seem as unfavourable. ! 
“your time will start from march...; march goes.. the stars have shifted, ur time will start from may” etc and so on...