The power to command frequently causes failure to think. -Barbara Tuchman, author and historian (30 Jan 1912-1989)
JURKOWSKI MARLO - Winnipeg Free Press Passages:
Of course, I’ve travelled by car in India quite a lot too, which also requires a certain degree of mental fortitude. The journey from Chandigarh to Delhi on the national highway was particularly memorable, mainly the traffic volume, speed and chaos, none of which is uncommon in India, but somehow seemed escalated on this trip. Prince is a competent driver but also fast and aggressive — and he’s hardly unique that way — so it was a bit nerve-wracking at times. About 2/3 of the way along, we stopped at one of the ubiquitous dhabas — dhabas being roadside food stalls. This dhaba was huge, modern and charmless, but it was interesting to observe the everyday lives of the Indian families who had also stopped to have a quick bite. The set-up at each table included a glass of raw green chiles. (A couple of days earlier, I had narrowly missed a mouth-burning experience when I was warned against eating what I thought was a green bean).
When we reached the environs of Delhi, I noticed a huge brown “hill” in the near distance with dozens — perhaps hundreds — of vultures circling overhead. Prince informed that it was the “dump!”
Once in Delhi, we proceeded to New Delhi, in the south, and the LaLiT Hotel, where I spent the first two of four nights in the city. (I split my time between two hotels because — for reasons that would not really repay explanation — I arrived earlier and spent two more nights in Delhi than originally planned. My hotel, Maidens, was fully booked for the extra nights, so I started at the LaLiT and then moved over.
Once in Delhi, we proceeded to New Delhi, in the south, and the LaLiT Hotel, where I spent the first two of four nights in the city. (I split my time between two hotels because — for reasons that would not really repay explanation — I arrived earlier and spent two more nights in Delhi than originally planned. My hotel, Maidens, was fully booked for the extra nights, so I started at the LaLiT and then moved over.
It was worth the hassle, as the LaLiT — though very comfortable — is huge and absolutely lacking in character. You might as well be in New York or Toronto. Maidens in north Delhi, however, is a small heritage hotel — 54 rooms — built in 1903. Everything about it is just lovely — the building, the rooms, the gardens, the staff. It’s always wise to be wary of superlatives, but I truly think Maidens is my favourite among the all hotels I’ve EVER stayed at, anywhere in the world. This was my fourth time in Delhi, but the city is so vibrant and rich in culture and heritage that there’s always more to explore. I’m already very behind in my blogging, so I’m resorting to a “highlights” list:
Akshardham Temple – an extraordinary Hindu temple and cultural complex. Visitors have to leave their bags and go through airport-style security to get in. And photography isn’t allowed, so I only have the image below, taken from a distance. The main focus of the temple is on the life and teachings of the yogi and ascetic Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830), who is believed by devotees to be a manifestation of God. It’s all very new — opened only in 2005 — but the temple was built using ancient tools and techniques and is opulent and impressive. The rest of the complex it is almost like a theme park, with exhibitions including a glitzy robotic show about Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
Mehrauli Archaeological Park – This fascinating place in south Delhi was almost deserted and I saw NO other tourists there. There are many remains from different historical periods, one of the strangest being a Mughal tomb that was converted into a country house by Thomas Metcalfe of the East India Company in the early nineteenth century. Metcalfe also built fake replicas of the Tower of Babel and the Great Pyramid (not to scale!) for his viewing pleasure. Lunch with Vishal – I met my friend Vishal Mehra for lunch at a south Indian restaurant in Delhi. Vishal is in the travel industry and assisted with arrangements for this and two of my previous trips to India. Since I last saw him, he’s moved to Dubai and back again. He and his wife also adopted a daughter — their only child, now 10 years old, which he has found very fulfilling.
Bangle market – One of my favourite things is wandering through local markets anywhere in the world — and on this trip to Delhi, I visited one that specializes in bangles. There was a HUGE variety on offer. The bangles are made of metal, wood, glass and plastic. Married women wear glass ones to secure their husbands’ luck. If a glass bangle suddenly breaks, it is a sign of danger or difficulty involving the husband. Teen Murti – I also visited the residence of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharwal Nehru, now a museum. As well as interesting photos and artifacts associated with Nehru, the museum includes several rooms that have been preserved as they were in Nehru’s time, including the bedroom in which he died in 1964.
National Gallery of Modern Art – Here I joined a curated tour / walk, but only managed to dip my toe in, metaphorically speaking, as time was limited and the guide, though very passionate, talked and walked so quickly that it was a bit of whirlwind. The museum covers Indian art (primarily painting, it seems) from the 19th century to the present. It was interesting to see examples of early paintings of India by European travellers and the work of Indian artists from around the same time to the present but . . . not enough time. My takeaway was that this museum would be well worth a return visit.
Gandhi Smriti – I also went to the house in which Gandhi spent his last 144 days and the garden where he was assassinated on January 30, 1948 at 5:17 p.m., while walking to a prayer meeting. The path to the spot where he was killed is marked with a line of stone footprints.
Salaam Balak Trust City Walk – I went on a walking tour led by a former street child. I didn’t quite catch his name, but he was a delightful, articulate 19-year old whose life had been turned around by the Salaam Balak Trust, a charity that reaches out to Delhi’s 70,000-80,000 street children. The Trust operates a network of shelters and contact centres and provides a huge range of services. One of its initiatives is the “City Walk” program, in which former street children take visitors around the neighbourhood and to see the Salaam Balak Trust premises, which are very humble and non-descript, with hand-drawn posters and signs and the like. But the staff are committed and it’s a busy place.
During my travels in India, people are often very curious about the fact that I travel alone. As it happens, I prefer it for several reasons: I can spend as much (or as little) time as I like at the various sights, ask guides as many questions as I want, and stop at will to take photographs. The one respect in which it isn’t ideal is the food experience. To some extent, I’ve overcome my sense of awkwardness at dining alone in restaurants. But that was not the case on Tuesday evening at Indian Accent.
Indian Accent is one of India’s top restaurants and has received numerous accolades. A I’m interested not only in the historic culture and heritage of the subcontinent but also in modern India, and I thought it would be something different to try — an Indian fine-dining experience. So I went to Indian Accent, which turned indeed turned out to be a fine-dining experience, indeed, my finest fine-dining experience ever, anywhere (superlatives again!) I tried the chef’s tasting menu (vegetarian version) which included 6 courses. The servings were tiny, but there were so many that ultimately, it was very filling. And the food was absolutely delicious.
I wasn’t quite up to it though! First of all, I felt extremely self-conscious being alone. (I had invited another Indian friend, Vikram Kalra, to join me but he was out of town). I had been tempted to cancel, but a deposit had been paid (never heard of such a thing at a restaurant) and arrangements with the driver had been made. That was the first thing.
Secondly, I made TWO gaffes. One of the early courses was a bite-size pastry case with a delectable filling, on a bed of pomegranate seeds. I mistakenly tried to eat the pomegranate seeds, which were hard as pebbles and inedible. I also struggled to eat the filled pastry with a knife and fork, at which point, an attentive server came over and said that he would get me a fresh serving, as they hadn’t properly explained how to eat it (with your fingers). He also explained that the pomegranate seeds were in fact dry kidney beans and were only for decoration.
Secondly, I made TWO gaffes. One of the early courses was a bite-size pastry case with a delectable filling, on a bed of pomegranate seeds. I mistakenly tried to eat the pomegranate seeds, which were hard as pebbles and inedible. I also struggled to eat the filled pastry with a knife and fork, at which point, an attentive server came over and said that he would get me a fresh serving, as they hadn’t properly explained how to eat it (with your fingers). He also explained that the pomegranate seeds were in fact dry kidney beans and were only for decoration.
That was the first gaffe. Then, following the main course, the server brought a small dish containing what a candy resembling a large marshmallow. He drizzled it with sugar syrup. But when I picked it up and tried to bite into it, it was IMPOSSIBLE and I quickly realized — to my horror — that in fact, it was a cloth that had been provided so that you could refresh your hands before dessert. Rather than being a marshmallow-like edible item, it was a very tightly wound piece of fine-mesh cloth, with a strong similarity to a narrow roll of gauze. It turned out that the “sugar syrup” was in fact water. I dearly hope that no-one at the restaurant noticed!
As for “fine dining in India,” I think I’ve scratched that itch and that I won’t be seeking out similar experiences in the future. It’s not a primary reason that I visit India, after all. A couple of closing comments about Delhi:
Many taxis and auto-rickshaws have signs stating that “this taxi respects women.” It is so frequently seen that the question inevitably arises: “Is there a problem?” I think it’s widely known, after several notorious cases, that there is indeed a problem. But progress is perhaps being made, one reflection being the fact that the first car on all Delhi Metro trains is reserved for women..
Many taxis and auto-rickshaws have signs stating that “this taxi respects women.” It is so frequently seen that the question inevitably arises: “Is there a problem?” I think it’s widely known, after several notorious cases, that there is indeed a problem. But progress is perhaps being made, one reflection being the fact that the first car on all Delhi Metro trains is reserved for women..
Also noted in Delhi, though not unique to Delhi: the huge differential between entrance fees to museums and monuments for Indians and foreigners. An example yesterday: 40 rupees (CAD .07 – yes, 7 cents) for Indians to 600 rupees (CAD $11.08) for foreigners. I can’t really see an argument against it. I wish we had the same thing at home.
Hi Tuscon Campers! Wonderful to hear from you, yet again, given your extremely busy outdoor activity schedule! With respect to speaking into the built-in microphone, in my Mac, here is the result of what I just tried to do: Hi
Giuliana no I have not been using voice recognition dictation lately. I
first started playing with it after I had my shoulder replaced. Are
found at work quite well but it required me to edit the text as
sometimes the program misinterpreted what I said. You can see from this
dictation what I mean. Nevertheless, thank you for reminding me about
this possibility as I need to become more familiar with this time saving
application.
What
I need to do is to become more competent with the ins and outs of using
this help mate. Square bracket for some reason which I do not yet
understand the microphone icon disappears from time to time and I must
reinvoking, pressing the function key twice. Attached, [A tad], clunky
but somewhat amusing as I learn to navigate the system. Over and out
from the Mike! Square bracket with respect to the square bracket I am
not sure yet how to include more complicated punctuation marks. Bracket.
As you can see I still do not know what to say or how to say it to have
the punctuation marks, other than ha, [this is supposed to be a comma.
Square bracket! Anyway, I trust you get the picture! You can have a
coffee break right now Girl Friday!
For my part I have been riding regularly, given relatively mild temperatures and dry roads. Stay
well and be careful when engaged in all your vigorous activities.
Fondestos to Phillipo and best wishes to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!
You are a very funny writer Patrizzio. The Penticton Herald is looking for writers. I nominate you to be a humourous Bridge columnist! Your pay would be a free subscription for your effort. We are so excited about Switzerland that we left home 3 days early so we wouldn’t miss our flight. I have heard that Swiss chocolate is a fattening aphrodisiac . So this must mean returning home with more rumples and smiles on our faces. Cheers, Chooch Hi
Cheery Face Fat People! I always thought that there had to be a reason,
other than skiing, [We have Apex at our ski-tips as you well know!],
which has drawn you to Switzerland! Perhaps you should bring cases of
Swiss chocolate back and use it as bridge prizes. I can stop taking
Viagra then! If I win and Lady Dar loses, I'll give her my choc,
unselfish person that I am!
Leaving
extra early, you remind me of my wonderful, wonderful father-in-law,
Dusty. Whenever we were taking an overseas flight together, he would
pack his passport, weeks in advance, and then forget where he put it, in
which bag or other, and would often have to unpack at the airport!
Glad
you enjoy my missives and don't take offence, as some have done in the
past! I appreciate the nomination for bridge writer for the Herald but
the constituency is such that I would have to tread carefully, so as not
to offend or be politically incorrect, and I really don't want to be
"nice" to people. Same reason I wouldn't want to work in a tasting room.
Life is too, too short to mind your manners. That's why, [in addition
to other things, of course, music, per esempio!], I enjoy your
company so much. If one can't joke and tease friends, (pointedly but
never maliciously), and family, what's the point? Stay well and make sure you leave for the airport ten hours before your flight leaves! Have a fab time in Switzerland with your heated jackets. Hope you don't melt the glaciers there! Travel safely. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Somewhat
of a busy day, in terms of Home Hardware and RBC. I hadn't
heard from HH so I phoned and account has been set up. The way it works,
whoever purchases material
must use a credit card or cash. Nancy, lady at HH I talked with, said
we could give Mike any card we wanted and he could use it without either
of us having to actually be there. You can decide which card you'd like
us to use, given points, cash-back, etc. Also
had a call from Faye, and LOC, has been approved.
[I've already bought a case of expensive Malt!] I will go in on Saturday
to collect papers we both
need to sign and then we can deliver them on Tuesday as bank will
probably not be open by the time we are back from Kelowna. Argon Boy,
Southside Johnny, was supposed to come over at 9:00 am yesterday, to
reset solar monitoring system but he hadn't shown up
by 10:00 am so I called and left a message. A few minutes later I
received an email saying he had fallen ill. He apologized and we now
have an appointment, next Thursday.
Bridge
will be at Josinta's on Monday. I haven't decided yet if I'll hike or
not. Will depend on how long trek will be
as I assume, if flight is on time, I'll need to leave home around 2:30
pm to be at airport, given start of rush hour, by 4:00 pm. As well, I
asked Jos to ask Laxmi about high chair, etc. Where are the clothes that
Chloë has set aside for her? I am planning
to drop these items off, en route to Kelowna. I assume Lady Dar won't wish
to play but asked her to let me know if this is not so. In any case, given timing, I
would like to be dropped off, in Summerland, and I'll ride home with
Ann or Susan. If Grandmama would like to play Rowan
can drive his Mom home. I assume he has had no trouble with Ford Crew
Cab! Little Über Chap!!!
I booked tickets for The Jerry-Cans, on Saturday,
March
14th. Have also been in touch with Bill about having him and Rita for
dinner but haven't heard back from him yet. He might become a 50/50
volunteer as I he had expressed an interest
when I told him I was one. I then forwarded his name to Carole.
I decided to take a break from riding, in large part as the winds were more than ferocious and I'd been cycling for last few days. I needed to buy a few groceries so I popped out around 3:00 pm and when back started on my shouldares.
Spent the evening playing soccer with Duke and watching the last of the Impeachment question period, enjoying my large salad. Didn't go to bed until just before midnight. Etta had been sleeping, on the chair, since early evening, and El Diablo went out about 11:00 pm. He wasn't back by the time I fell asleep so I assume he slept on his platter!
I decided to take a break from riding, in large part as the winds were more than ferocious and I'd been cycling for last few days. I needed to buy a few groceries so I popped out around 3:00 pm and when back started on my shouldares.
Spent the evening playing soccer with Duke and watching the last of the Impeachment question period, enjoying my large salad. Didn't go to bed until just before midnight. Etta had been sleeping, on the chair, since early evening, and El Diablo went out about 11:00 pm. He wasn't back by the time I fell asleep so I assume he slept on his platter!
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