Beautiful Bali

When some hear's the name Bali, the few immediate images that come to your mind are the scenic beauty of the place, tropical sun gazing through the mountains, never before seen the sunset. I was no different in expecting this and maybe more.

Talking to a few close friends, I thought I was quite geared up for a relaxing trip. But to have the much desired laid back trip, one must go through some bumpy rides for sure. The carrier plane to Bali crash lands (a little exaggerated here ;)) you at the Denpasar Airport. What you wish is a slow-paced airport and people ready to welcome you, but to my surprise, what I witnessed is the lively airport, bustling with the crowd who were excited to visit this place as much as I was.

I was picked up by my very friendly driver, Kittu, we drove through the sunny day from the airport to the resort. It was a good 45minutes drive from the airport. What I found interesting as we traveled through the roads were the many beautiful buildings some of which were half done and some of them that spoke volumes of the culture of Bali.

The Grand Mirage Resort

I was lucky to visit two of the most spectacular sunset points in Bali just right in time when the sun was setting. First was the Tanah Lot and the second being the Uluwatu. As I explored these places, I realized that the local people in Bali are so warm and welcoming towards tourist. They are so cheerful with their daily chores that it is hard to not have a cheerful day.

Sunset at The Tanah Lot

Uluwatu

For all the seafood lovers, this place has the best salmon to offer. I must say I haven't eaten such a lip-smacking salmon in ages.

Street shopping is a must in Bali to pick a few local offerings. Although the place is filled with tourist, the island is still quite affordable no matter what your taste is. The only catch being, you have to be extremely proficient at bargaining.

In general, Bali enjoys bright, sunny and warm weather all through the year. For all the water sports fanatics, you will be spoilt for choice.

I also had a chance to witness The Devdan Show - a magnificent display of art and culture under one roof. I had minimalist expectations from this show as my past experiences in theatre and art haven't lived my expectations. But The Devdan Show made up for all the loss. The dancers were spot on with their moves. The stage was a grandeur. I was wondering how the 3-hour long show kept the audience yearning for more.

The Devdan Show

The Dancers and Theatre Artist performing at The Devdan Show

Bali definitely has something to offer for everyone. I have saved my next trip Bali to venture more with a lot more time at hand. 4 days spent there went in a jiffy!!

The Act of Convenient Superstition

Everyone of us, at some point in our lives have been a victim of superstition. While there are many around you who strongly believe in superstition, the rest choose to conveniently believe it.

You may wonder, how different are the two? One is purely based on your deepened belief system where you don't take a step ahead without looking at the star reactions and their implications on the move you make. The other is a reasoned and selectively chosen belief system, in which you choose only to decide on what you can't decide, let the stars decide for you and move ahead. The rest of them, you take a calculative approach.

While I sat down to list out the many approaches we have in our day-to-day life today, I failed to classify them into categories of Real versus the Convenient. Simply because, the reason to classify oscillates between the two depending on a number of external reasons and approaches that may seem right to me but wrong to someone else. Hence, I just decided to understand the nuances of anything said against any system or religion and claim these to be just my view-points.

Let me start off with the most common belief that everyone has - The Horoscope match of a suitable alliance before moving ahead. Most of us might be aware that this is the most and the crucial part of any prospective alliance consummating into Holy Matrimony. Someone decides that some complex yesteryear algorithm reading into the star positions of the boy and the girl to deduce if its an alliance worth taking forward. What happens to the people from the same religion, who are in love but their Horoscope don't match? What happens to an inter-religion couple? Do they give up on the person they love or they go ahead and take the plunge and risk their lives, their partner's life and the relationship or have a workaround to temporary given solutions? Validation point or no validation point, this aspect depends on what you choose to believe and let go of the other.

The next thought that came into my mind is the direction in which you sleep. They say some directions in which your head rests are not suitable for your success and prosperity or is a sign of a bad omen. Now, let's take a one case of an insomniac like me (I would limit the examples to me, as it's a lot safer). To be able to have a sound sleep on many of the nights, I will not be able to justify which direction gives me a peaceful sleep. I change innumerable places and directions just to fall asleep. My prosperity primarily depends on the sleep I get the night before. So I can't really make sense out of this one.

The other thought or might as well say the discussion that came to my mind was when I was having this conversation with a friend of mine on a rainy day. I just happened to mention to her that I feel something is going to be terribly wrong. Although, the part of something being terribly wrong is yet to be experienced (God please give me strength while that happens!!), but what took me by surprise is she mentioning to me that I have such feelings because I have too many moles on my face. Failing to comprehend, I requested her to enlighten me. She confidently states that, the more moles you have on your face, indicates that there would be more problems in future. Hence, it would be a good idea I get rid of them. Now, the only immediate reaction I could give her was, I would get rid of the moles to enhance my beauty and have a spotless face. If eradicating moles, would eradicate the problems in life, then that would be the first thing anyone would spend their hard earned money on. Isn't it?

There are so many such conversations or debates that I have with my friends or with my own mind. Sometimes, unintentionally you fall prey to these superstitious behaviors that you can not completely do away with. But it would be more apt, if we were informed and learned about our superstitious beliefs and not drive our life and survival only based in these.

The Golden Triangle: Delhi - Agra - Jaipur

Family vacations are rare, specially when everyone's caught up in their own schedule. We finally managed to get ourselves together and decide to go on a quick yet worthwhile trip. Like always, after numerous discussions and Yes's and No's, we came to a common conclusion (which is a miracle ;)) that we would visit what is famously called The Golden Triangle - Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

After battling the flight delays, we landed in Delhi to a pouring afternoon. We checked-in to our hotel and decided to take on the streets of Delhi for what its famous for - Delhi Chaats. You sure will not be disappointed. I am not a big fan of chaat, but the chaat thela's of Delhi will soon make you an avid chaat lover.

The next day we were set to city tour Delhi. The first early morning stop was The India Gate. This place effortlessly brings the feeling of patriotism in you. To visit Delhi just after the Republic Day wrap up is so emotional. Navigating through Delhi is not tricky at all. The directions are very clear. As long as you maneuver the traffic, you're good. The Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb spell history that is hard to not be overwhelmed at. The Lotus Temple and Akshardham dispense serenity, creativity, purity and calmness to every soul.

India Gate

The Qutub Minar

Humayun's Tomb

For a Delhiwala it's the usual, but for a tourist, the Dilli ki sardi accompanied with garam garam Jalebi's on the streets of Chandni Chowk, The kebab's at Kareem is a definite treat.

After a heart warming stay at Delhi, it was now time to explore Agra. The first and the only place that comes to mind when anyone thinks of Agra is The Taj Mahal. I had a lot of expectations from this place and I wasn't disappointed at all. There is no reason why, it shouldn't be one of the wonder's of the world. There is no reason why, it shouldn't symbolize love. There is no reason why, you would not fall in love with a place like this. No prizes for guessing, this place will definitely make you fall in love with not just your partner, also with yourself.

The Taj Mahal

They say the beauty of The Taj increases exponentially on a Full Moon Night. I am sure it does and I would love to come back to witness the beauty of this gorgeous creation and fall in love all over again.

We then continued our voyage to Jaipur. Jaipur is a city of colors - vibrant colors. It just perks up your day and brings in a big smile. Our visit to The Ajmer Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Hazrat Sheikh Salim Chisti's Dargah was enchanting. These places only prove the unending curious lifestyle of  Akbar, the Great and Jodha Bai who fell in love with dignity and respected each other's differences which is a rare sign today. The devotees who come to Salim Chasti's Dargah claim that the Dargah has magical powers to fulfill your wishes. 

Jodha Bai's Palace in Fatehpur Sikri

Hazrat Sheikh Salim Chisti's Dargah in Fatehpur Sikri

The Hawa Mahal proves it's beauty as the sun sets and you take a stroll on the busiest streets of Jaipur. 

The Hawa Mahal just at the sunset in Jaipur

You cannot leave Jaipur without gorging on the very famous Pyaaz ki Kachori and of course treating yourself to some Jaipur Shopping. If Chandani Chowk, Karol Bagh and Khan Market in Delhi boast of modernized outfits, then the streets of Jaipur leave no stone un-turned with their colorful Bandani's and Mojari's. They alwys will hold a special place in your wardrobe.

As I depart from this trip, I realize India is a country that is enriched with History. Indians have to take time off to explore it. See you soon with my next expedition. Until then, happy travelling!!!