Waking up at the crack of dawn was not so hard as I expected, even after several long days of uninterrupted walking in the jungle and amidst ruins in sweltering heat, aggressive humidity and repeated thunderstorms. Maybe my body clocks was still on West European time, so for me it was not early morning but only late evening on the day before... Our van took us out of town, toward the shores of the Tonle Sap Lake, a wide appendix of the Mekong which extends from Siem Reap, at the mouth of the city’s eponymous river, almost all the way to the capital. Here is the base of the ferry boat service to Phnom Penh. The night is just fading away, but the air is already warm. All around us, and everything on us, is already damp. By now I was getting used to being wet (be it because of rain or sweat) as the normal state of being; for the first time in my life I learnt not to even bother to wipe my face, arms or hands, I was just wet and clothes just stuck to my skin, all the time, full stop.
12 August 2002
11 August 2002
4. - 11 AUG: Beyond Angkor: silk, coconut, miniatures and land mines
More Angkor
A second day at the ruins of Angkor and I begin to feel more comfortable in the company of the Khmer gods. The initial awe give room to avid curiosity about the individual pieces of art, the urban setting, the organization of that amazing ancient culture. Heat and humidity are merciless, but I am getting used to them...
A second day at the ruins of Angkor and I begin to feel more comfortable in the company of the Khmer gods. The initial awe give room to avid curiosity about the individual pieces of art, the urban setting, the organization of that amazing ancient culture. Heat and humidity are merciless, but I am getting used to them...
10 August 2002
3. - 10 AUG: Angkor, Majestic Ruins and Tragic History
The mid-afternoon squall hit with but a few minutes’ warning. I was in the middle of a large courtyard at Ta Prom, negotiating my way amidst ancient crumbling stone walls and overgrown roots. The monsoon rain was thick, determined, unforgiving and very noisy, almost to the point of being overwhelming. The water level on the ground immediately began to rise (the ancient Khmer draining system either was wanting or was clogged up, and modern Khmer had not done anything about it yet) and after a half hour or so the awsome courtyard was transformed into a murky pond. Local guides waded across, ankle-deep in the murky water, looking for their clients who had sought shelter in those structures which still stand in defiance of centuries of assaults by both nature and man. As the rain pours from above my roofless temple tower I stood with a few others under the entrance vault; the walls were so thick that even without a roof I could keep dry if I was careful to keep my balance on the threshold. Inside the tower, a weird echo transformed our multilingual chatter in a true Babel...
09 August 2002
2. - 9 AUG: Enter Indochina, a little corruption and massage
After an uneventful flight, a tropical Summer night welcomed us at the airport of Siem Reap (pronounced Seem Reep), the modern city which rises next to the ruins of ancient Angkor – which means "the Capital" in Khmer, and was indeed the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th century to 1431, when the Emperors moved to Phnom Penh’s region. The air was hot, very hot, completely still, and invasively sticky under my shirt. Pearls of sweat began to form on my forearms as I descended the plane's ladder, before I even had a chance to touch the Cambodian soil. The few uncertain floodlights which punctuated our solitary airplane's parking area cast an eerie spell over the tarmac. After a short walk, we were directed into the arrivals building. At passport control, two lines formed under a battery of lazy fans which churned the air from the ceiling above: first we lined up to have our passports checked, then again to get a visa. Funny, usually you get a visa first and then have your passport checked and stamped, but never mind.
08 August 2002
1. - 8 AUG: In the air over Asia, beginning of trip to Cambodia and laos, along the Mekong river
Bangkok is far and away the biggest hub for all South East Asia travel. I flew into the Thai capital on a Swiss Airlines plane from Zurich. I have flown with them many times, but never had they been so corteous as on this flight; it must be their fear that, after Swissair's bankruptcy, the face-lifted SWISS airline (same planes, same crews) is their last chance to survive. Yet, the plane was old and noisy and I was not sure about the future of this airline…
07 August 2002
Itinerary of trip to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002
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A journey to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002
Click on an Itinerary or a date to go to the post for that day
| |||||
Day
|
Date
|
Itinerary
|
Night
|
Km
|
hrs
|
1
|
In the air
|
0
|
0
| ||
2
|
Siem Reap
|
0
|
0
| ||
3
|
Siem Reap
|
20
|
1
| ||
4
|
Siem Reap
|
50
|
2
| ||
5
|
Phnom Penh
|
270
|
6
| ||
6
|
Phnom Penh
|
50
|
3
| ||
7
|
Sambok
|
150
|
6
| ||
8
|
Stung Treng
|
130
|
5
| ||
9
|
Muang Khong
|
35
|
2
| ||
10
|
Pakse
|
130
|
2
| ||
11
|
Vientiane
|
0
|
0
| ||
12
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
13
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
14
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
15
|
Nong Kiaw (Muang Ngoy)
|
130
|
8
| ||
16
|
Muang Khua
|
70
|
6
| ||
17
|
Udom Xai
|
135
|
5
| ||
18
|
Muang Sing
|
210
|
7
| ||
19
|
Muang Sing
|
trek
|
8
| ||
20
|
Luang Namtha
|
70
|
3
| ||
21
|
Luang Prabang
|
250
|
7
| ||
22
|
Bangkok
|
0
|
0
| ||
23
|
Bangkok
|
0
|
0
| ||
TOTAL
|
1,700
|
71
| |||
18 July 2002
Book Review: River's Tale, A year on the Mekong (2003, by Edward A. Gargan, *****
Synopsis
From windswept plateaus to the South China Sea, the Mekong flows for three thousand miles, snaking its way through Southeast Asia. Long fascinated with this part of the world, former New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan embarked on an ambitious exploration of the Mekong and those living within its watershed. The River’s Tale is a rare and profound book that delivers more than a correspondent’s account of a place. It is a seminal examination of the Mekong and its people, a testament to the their struggles, their defeats and their victories.
From windswept plateaus to the South China Sea, the Mekong flows for three thousand miles, snaking its way through Southeast Asia. Long fascinated with this part of the world, former New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan embarked on an ambitious exploration of the Mekong and those living within its watershed. The River’s Tale is a rare and profound book that delivers more than a correspondent’s account of a place. It is a seminal examination of the Mekong and its people, a testament to the their struggles, their defeats and their victories.
15 July 2002
Book Review: River of Time, by Jon Swain, *****
Between 1970 and 1975 Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in David Puttnam's film, "The Killing Fields", lived in the lands of the Mekong river. This is his account of those years, and the way in which the tumultuous events affected his perceptions of life and death as Europe never could. He also describes the beauty of the Mekong landscape - the villages along its banks, surrounded by mangoes, bananas and coconuts, and the exquisite women, the odours of opium, and the region's other face - that of violence and corruption.
He was in Phnom Penh just before the fall of the city to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975. He was captured and was going to be executed. His life was saved by Dith Pran, the New York Times interpreter, a story told by the film The Killing Fields. In Indo-China Swain formed a passionate love affair with a French-Vietnamese girl. The demands of a war correspondent ran roughshod over his personal life and the relationship ended.
04 July 2002
Book Review: Extra Virgin (2001), by Annie Hawes, *****
Synopsis
A small stone house deep among the olive groves of Liguria, going for the price of a dodgy second-hand car. Annie Hawes and her sister, on the spot by chance, have no plans whatsoever to move to the Italian Riviera but find naturally that it's an offer they can't refuse. The laugh is on the Foreign Females who discover that here amongst the hardcore olive farming folk their incompetence is positively alarming. Not to worry: the thrifty villagers of Diano San Pietro are on the case, and soon plying the Pallid Sisters with advice, ridicule, tall tales and copious hillside refreshments ...
A small stone house deep among the olive groves of Liguria, going for the price of a dodgy second-hand car. Annie Hawes and her sister, on the spot by chance, have no plans whatsoever to move to the Italian Riviera but find naturally that it's an offer they can't refuse. The laugh is on the Foreign Females who discover that here amongst the hardcore olive farming folk their incompetence is positively alarming. Not to worry: the thrifty villagers of Diano San Pietro are on the case, and soon plying the Pallid Sisters with advice, ridicule, tall tales and copious hillside refreshments ...
01 May 2002
Book Review: On the Shores of Eternity: Poems from Tagore on Immortality and Beyond, *****
Synopsis
To realize that death is an illusion, you either have to be very sophisticated or very simple. Tagore was both. I am awed by his use of language, pure crystals of wise innocence. Every word is personal, every word is universal. Those who met Tagore during his eighty years described him as one of the greatest souls of our age; Einstein considered him a sage. From what we learn in these poems, he certainly lived his own words. He kissed the infinite, he was not afraid to lose everything. And in this book, he allows us to approach death not with dusty words but with a silence that washes the soul. (From the Introduction by Deepak Chopra)
To realize that death is an illusion, you either have to be very sophisticated or very simple. Tagore was both. I am awed by his use of language, pure crystals of wise innocence. Every word is personal, every word is universal. Those who met Tagore during his eighty years described him as one of the greatest souls of our age; Einstein considered him a sage. From what we learn in these poems, he certainly lived his own words. He kissed the infinite, he was not afraid to lose everything. And in this book, he allows us to approach death not with dusty words but with a silence that washes the soul. (From the Introduction by Deepak Chopra)
02 April 2002
Recensione: La rabbia e l'orgoglio (2001) di Oriana Fallaci, *****
You can read an English version of the article on which this book is based here.
Sinossi
Con "La rabbia e l'orgoglio" (2001), Oriana Fallaci rompe un silenzio durato dieci anni, dalla pubblicazione di "Insciallah", epico romanzo sulla missione occidentale di pace nella Beirut dilaniata dallo scontro tra cristiani e musulmani e dalle faide con Israele. Dieci anni in cui la Fallaci sceglie di vivere ritirata nella sua casa newyorchese, come in esilio, a combattere il cancro. Ma non smette mai di lavorare al testo narrativo dedicato alla sua famiglia, quello che lei chiama "il-mio-bambino", pubblicato postumo nel 2008, "Un cappello pieno di ciliege". L'undici settembre le impone di tornare con furia alla macchina da scrivere per dar voce a quelle idee che ha sempre coltivato nelle interviste, nei reportage, nei romanzi, ma che ha poi "imprigionato dentro il cuore e dentro il cervello" dicendosi "tanto-la-gente-non-vuole-ascoltare".
Il risultato è un articolo sul "Corriere della Sera" del 29 settembre 2001, un sermone lo definisce lei stessa, accolto con enorme clamore in Italia e all'estero. Esce in forma di libro nella versione originaria e integrale, preceduto da una prefazione in cui la Fallaci affronta alle radici la questione del terrorismo islamico e parla di sé, del suo isolamento, delle sue scelte rigorose e spietate. La risposta è esplosiva, le polemiche feroci. Mentre i critici si dividono, l'adesione dei lettori, in tutto il mondo, è unanime di fronte alla passione che anima queste pagine. (Prefazione di Ferruccio De Bortoli)
Recensione
Un libro controverso, dai toni feroci, anche troppo, solo in parte giustificabili dalla situazione: Fallaci era a New York al momento degli attacchi dell'11 settembre. A mio avviso Fallaci ha ragione a parlare del pericolo che l'Europa abbassi la guardia sulla propria identità, ma indebolisce le sue argomentazioni quando si lascia trasportare dalle emozioni del momento. Maggiore sangue freddo avrebbe reso i suoi argomenti più lucidi. In ogni caso il libro pone delle domande, scomodissime, su cui il lettore farebbe bene a ragionare. Un libro importante, un grido di dolore di un'italiana che se la prende prima di tutto con gli italiani, e gli europei, non all'altezza del retaggio culturale che gli appartiene.
Il testo dell'articolo si può leggere nell'archivio del Corriere della Sera.
Sinossi
Con "La rabbia e l'orgoglio" (2001), Oriana Fallaci rompe un silenzio durato dieci anni, dalla pubblicazione di "Insciallah", epico romanzo sulla missione occidentale di pace nella Beirut dilaniata dallo scontro tra cristiani e musulmani e dalle faide con Israele. Dieci anni in cui la Fallaci sceglie di vivere ritirata nella sua casa newyorchese, come in esilio, a combattere il cancro. Ma non smette mai di lavorare al testo narrativo dedicato alla sua famiglia, quello che lei chiama "il-mio-bambino", pubblicato postumo nel 2008, "Un cappello pieno di ciliege". L'undici settembre le impone di tornare con furia alla macchina da scrivere per dar voce a quelle idee che ha sempre coltivato nelle interviste, nei reportage, nei romanzi, ma che ha poi "imprigionato dentro il cuore e dentro il cervello" dicendosi "tanto-la-gente-non-vuole-ascoltare".
Il risultato è un articolo sul "Corriere della Sera" del 29 settembre 2001, un sermone lo definisce lei stessa, accolto con enorme clamore in Italia e all'estero. Esce in forma di libro nella versione originaria e integrale, preceduto da una prefazione in cui la Fallaci affronta alle radici la questione del terrorismo islamico e parla di sé, del suo isolamento, delle sue scelte rigorose e spietate. La risposta è esplosiva, le polemiche feroci. Mentre i critici si dividono, l'adesione dei lettori, in tutto il mondo, è unanime di fronte alla passione che anima queste pagine. (Prefazione di Ferruccio De Bortoli)
Recensione
Un libro controverso, dai toni feroci, anche troppo, solo in parte giustificabili dalla situazione: Fallaci era a New York al momento degli attacchi dell'11 settembre. A mio avviso Fallaci ha ragione a parlare del pericolo che l'Europa abbassi la guardia sulla propria identità, ma indebolisce le sue argomentazioni quando si lascia trasportare dalle emozioni del momento. Maggiore sangue freddo avrebbe reso i suoi argomenti più lucidi. In ogni caso il libro pone delle domande, scomodissime, su cui il lettore farebbe bene a ragionare. Un libro importante, un grido di dolore di un'italiana che se la prende prima di tutto con gli italiani, e gli europei, non all'altezza del retaggio culturale che gli appartiene.
Il testo dell'articolo si può leggere nell'archivio del Corriere della Sera.
10 January 2002
09 January 2002
19. - 9 January: shopping in Cochin
Morning breakast at the hotel, rich Indian breakfast! One last walk through town, some shopping of local music and a final decision on Indian antiques. The list of acquisitions is long:
-- four bullheads, big white wood sculptures
-- three peacock lamps to be used with oil and wick, very typical of this part of India
-- two large bronze pots used for cooking, they weigh about 25kg each!
--
It’s time to start heading home :-( Off to the airport and uneventful flight to Delhi, with a stopover in Mumbai. Once in the capital
-- four bullheads, big white wood sculptures
-- three peacock lamps to be used with oil and wick, very typical of this part of India
-- two large bronze pots used for cooking, they weigh about 25kg each!
--
It’s time to start heading home :-( Off to the airport and uneventful flight to Delhi, with a stopover in Mumbai. Once in the capital
08 January 2002
18. - 8 January: Cochin tour
PLACEHOLDER
Morning breakfast at the hotel and day free for own activities with car at disposal full day
Return to hotel for overnight stay. Malabar Residency/Cochin
Return to hotel for overnight stay. Malabar Residency/Cochin
07 January 2002
17. - 7 January: Cochin
PLACEHOLDER
Morning after breakfast depart for city tour of Cochin, visiting the jewish section,
jewish synagogue in Mattancherry,
Dutch Palace,
st Francis Church and the
Chinese fishing nets.
Return to your hotel for overnight stay.
jewish synagogue in Mattancherry,
Dutch Palace,
st Francis Church and the
Chinese fishing nets.
Return to your hotel for overnight stay.
06 January 2002
16. - 6 January: drive to Cochin
PLACEHOLDER
Breakfast at the hotel and later transfer by boat to Puthenagadi Jetty from where continue on by car for Cochin. On arrival in Cochin check into the Hotel Malabar House Residency. Rest of the day at leisure.
Evening witness a spectacular kathakali Dance Performance. Return to your hotel for overnight stay.
Evening witness a spectacular kathakali Dance Performance. Return to your hotel for overnight stay.
05 January 2002
15. - 5 January: backwaters cruises
PLACEHOLDER
Breakfast at the hotel Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the stay at the Resort.
Boat ride through the backwaters.
Later in the evening enjoy a sunset cruise on the Lake Vembanad Overnight stay.
04 January 2002
14. - 4 January: Kumarakom
PLACEHOLDER
Early morning if you wish you can take boatride on the lake periyar to watch the wildlife or enjoy natural beauty and if lucky a group of wild elephants.
Later return to your hotel for breakfast and proceed by car on to Kumarakom (3hrs).
On arrival check in at the Coconut Lagoon Resort Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay.
03 January 2002
13. - 3 January: drive to Periyar
PLACEHOLDER
Morning depart for Periyar Kerala (4/5hrs drive). The drive is through the picturesque mountain ranges.
Rest of the day at leisure or explore the lush spice plantations and the spice village market.
Return to your hotel for ovenright stay. Spice Village
02 January 2002
12. - 2 January: Madurai
PLACEHOLDER
Morning depart for city sightseeing tour visiting the Meenakshi Temple, Vishnu temple and Alargarkovil as well as the Tirumala Nayak Palace.
Rest of the day at leisure and overnight stay.
01 January 2002
11. - 1 January 2002: drive to Madurai
PLACEHOLDER
Start of the new year.
Morning depart for Madurai, the famous temple town (3-4hrs).
Later in the evening visit the famed Meenakshi Temple to attend athe evening prayer ceremony.
Overnight stay. Taj Garden Retreat/Madurai
Later in the evening visit the famed Meenakshi Temple to attend athe evening prayer ceremony.
Overnight stay. Taj Garden Retreat/Madurai
31 December 2001
10. - 31 December: drive to Trichy
PLACEHOLDER
Morning departed for Trichy (1/halfhr) enroute short of Trichy visit the Srirangam, where the town lies within the walls of the massive Vishnu temple.
On arrival in Trichy check into Hotel Sangam. Later proceed for visit of the Rock Fort situated over a hill. Return to your hotel for overnight stay.
Hotel Sangam/trichy
Hotel Sangam/trichy
30 December 2001
9. - 30 December: Tanjore
PLACEHOLDER
Morning depart for sightseeing of Tanjore visiting the famed Brihadeeshwara temple and later the museum which houses a good collection of Bronzes and later the Palace.
In the afternoon visit Thiruvaiyaru, 13km north. Usually in January an international music festival is held here in honour of the Saint and composer Thyagaraja. Overnight stay in Tanjore
29 December 2001
Book Review/Recensione: "In light of India" (1998), by Octavio Paz, ****
Synopsis
This collection of essays recalls the author's days in India, first as an attache in the Mexican Embassy, then 11 years later as Mexico's ambassador. He brings insight into India's landscape, culture and history in a series of discourses. "The Antipodes of Coming and Going" is a remembrance of the sights, sounds and smells of the subcontinent. "Religions, Castes, Languages" gives a survey of Indian history".
"A Project of Nationhood" is an examination of modern Indian politics, comparing the respective Islamic, Hindu and Western civilizations through the course of history. "The Full and the Empty" is an exploration into what Paz calls the soul of India, its art, literature, music and philosophy, and an indictment of the self-centred materialism of Western society.
Octavio Paz is the author of "The Double Flame: Essays in Love and Eroticism".
8. - 29 December: drive to Thanjavur (Tanjore)
PLACEHOLDER
Morning depart for Tanjore enroute visiting Gangaikondacholapuram (1/half hr and Darasuram and Kumbakonam and then on to Tanjore (1hr).
On arrival check into Hotel Sangam and overnight stay.
28 December 2001
7. - 28 December: drive to Chidambaram
PLACEHOLDER
Morning continue by car for Chidambaram (1/half hr). On arrival check in at the Shradharam Hotel.
Later depart for sightseeing visiting the Natraja Temple. You can visit the temple again in the evening during the evening prayer ceremony.
Return to your hotel for overnight stay
Later depart for sightseeing visiting the Natraja Temple. You can visit the temple again in the evening during the evening prayer ceremony.
Return to your hotel for overnight stay
hotel Sradharam/Chidambaram
27 December 2001
6. - 27 December: drive to Pondicherry
PLACEHOLDER
Morning depart by car on to Pondicherry (2 hrs). Pondicherry a former French colony.
Police with French kepi hat!
On arrival check into Hotel Anandha Inn. Later proceed for sightseeing visiting Auroville and Aurobindo Ashram.
Overnight stay at Ananda Inn/Pondy
On arrival check into Hotel Anandha Inn. Later proceed for sightseeing visiting Auroville and Aurobindo Ashram.
Overnight stay at Ananda Inn/Pondy
26 December 2001
5. - 26 December: Mahabalipuram, rock-hewn temples
PLACEHOLDER
Morning departure for sightseeing visiting the magnificent rock-hewn temples and monolithic stone figures dating back to the 6 to the 9th century AD. Visit the shore temples, viewing the colossal sculptural frieze, Arjuna Penance, a masterpiece, and the world's largest bas-relief.
Later in the afternoon visit the Dakshinachitra cultural village 20km from Mahabalipuram. This depicts the distinct culture of the southern states through authentic reconstructions of traditional architecture, demonstration of artisans at work, and exhibition. Return to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Later in the afternoon visit the Dakshinachitra cultural village 20km from Mahabalipuram. This depicts the distinct culture of the southern states through authentic reconstructions of traditional architecture, demonstration of artisans at work, and exhibition. Return to your hotel for an overnight stay.
25 December 2001
4. - 25 December: drive to Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram
Early morning depart for Kanchipuram (2hrs), the city of a thousand temples and famous for its handwoven silk fabrics and saris. Sightseeing visiting temples fo Ekambareshwaran, Kamakshi, Vardarajaperumal , Kailashanatha. Also visit the weaving handloom center.
Christmas is not celebrated in India, of course, unless you belong to the minority community, of whom there are quite a few in Kerala but not so many here in Tamil Nadu. So we basically skip it today.
Proceed on to Mahabalipuram (1/half hr drive). Mahabalipuram is on the seashore, city of 7 pagodas and is the 7th century seaport of the Pallava empire. On arrival checked at the unremarkable and definitely not so "ideal" Ideal Resort Hotel.
23 December 2001
3. - 24 December: Chennai
The cool and foggy weather does not make for a great day to walk around so it's going to be mostly indoor time.
Morning depart for city tour visiting the National Art Gallery, housing exquisite Chola bronzes. Proceed to Fort St George, St Mary's church, Fort Museum, drive along the Marina Beach, Senate house to San Thome Cathedral and the Kapaleshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva. The usual tourist stuff...
Lunch with N. Ravi, editor of “The Hindu”, one of the most important newspapers in India, published here. A very sophisticated and highly cultured person, gives us a most interesting perspective on the Indian debate on globalization. He is very well informed of global affairs. India fears globalization because of China which is penetrating local markets at a fast pace.
He comes to pick me up at my hotel and offers to drive to the restaurant in his car. I decline as I have my own car, and figure will need it later. But he was not just being polite, he was being practical: traffic is horrendous and it would take us longer to get to the restaurant than the time we would spend at the table.
He also gives us names and phone numbers of “The Hindu” correspondents in each and every city we are going to visit over the coming days in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and these will prove to be interesting sources of local insight and suggestions!
Morning depart for city tour visiting the National Art Gallery, housing exquisite Chola bronzes. Proceed to Fort St George, St Mary's church, Fort Museum, drive along the Marina Beach, Senate house to San Thome Cathedral and the Kapaleshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva. The usual tourist stuff...
Lunch with N. Ravi, editor of “The Hindu”, one of the most important newspapers in India, published here. A very sophisticated and highly cultured person, gives us a most interesting perspective on the Indian debate on globalization. He is very well informed of global affairs. India fears globalization because of China which is penetrating local markets at a fast pace.
He also gives us names and phone numbers of “The Hindu” correspondents in each and every city we are going to visit over the coming days in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and these will prove to be interesting sources of local insight and suggestions!
2. - 23 December: shopping in Delhi and flight to Chennai
Morning with Massimo, an Italian friend who is a diplomat at our embassy here. Has lived in Delhi for a couple of years with his family. It’s not easy he says, despite the obvious advantages provided by the service. They imported a container of mineral water from Italy, which I found a bit excessive: it is definitely not advisable to drink tap water here, but there is plenty of mineral and mineralized water to buy.
They also had a robbery in their house and had to intervene to moderate the reaction of the police that is usually very violent with thieves.
We go for a round of shopping in the warehouses of south Delhi, enormous stores of old stuff from the houses of old nobility, dusty remnants of the era of the Maharajas. I am tempted to buy everything! Prices are reasonable and shipping costs by sea are negligible, but this is big and important material, difficult to keep in a normal home. I end up buying nothing, though that will only plant the seed for a shopping spree in Cochin later in the trip...
In the afternoon transfer to the airport for departure by Air India for Chennai. We stay at the Hotel Taj Connemara. Dinner at the hotel with a rather fake touristy dance performance. But then again, we are almost the only foreigners, so if this is meant for Indians perhaps it is not so touristy after all...
They also had a robbery in their house and had to intervene to moderate the reaction of the police that is usually very violent with thieves.
We go for a round of shopping in the warehouses of south Delhi, enormous stores of old stuff from the houses of old nobility, dusty remnants of the era of the Maharajas. I am tempted to buy everything! Prices are reasonable and shipping costs by sea are negligible, but this is big and important material, difficult to keep in a normal home. I end up buying nothing, though that will only plant the seed for a shopping spree in Cochin later in the trip...
In the afternoon transfer to the airport for departure by Air India for Chennai. We stay at the Hotel Taj Connemara. Dinner at the hotel with a rather fake touristy dance performance. But then again, we are almost the only foreigners, so if this is meant for Indians perhaps it is not so touristy after all...
22 December 2001
1. - 22 December 2001: Start of trip to Southern India
Arrive Delhi at 2300hrs by Air France. This has been a troubled flight plan. We were supposed to fly with our miles via Sabena, which had a direct Brussels-Chennai flight, but Sabena went bankrupt a few weeks ago and we had to re-route ourselves via Delhi. It’s a waste of time and money but we have no choice.
As we leave the arrivals area the usual mob of unlicensed taxi drivers, porters, fake guides etc. assaults us in the dark humid Indian heat. The stink of latrines and waste is a very unpleasant first impression one gets when landing in this major capital city. Anyway, we don’t have to suffer much of it as we are welcomed by our agency and transfer to the nearby Hotel Radisson, very high standard.
As we leave the arrivals area the usual mob of unlicensed taxi drivers, porters, fake guides etc. assaults us in the dark humid Indian heat. The stink of latrines and waste is a very unpleasant first impression one gets when landing in this major capital city. Anyway, we don’t have to suffer much of it as we are welcomed by our agency and transfer to the nearby Hotel Radisson, very high standard.
Southern India will have to wait for us until tomorrow!
21 December 2001
Itinerary of a trip to India 2001-2002
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Trip to Southern India, Tamil Nadu and Kerala,
2001-2002
itinerary
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Day
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Date
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Visit
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Night
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Km
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hrs
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1
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22 Dec
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Arrive Delhi via Paris
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Delhi
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0
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0
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2
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23 Dec
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Shopping,
flight Chennai at 16:45
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Chennai
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|
|
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3
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24 Dec
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Chennai, city tour
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Chennai
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|
|
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4
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25 Dec
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Kanchipuram,
Mahabalipuram
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Mahabalipuram
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|
|
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5
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26 Dec
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Visit Mahabalipuram
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Mahabalipuram
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|
|
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6
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27 Dec
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Depart to Pondicherry, visit
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Pondicherry
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|
|
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7
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28 Dec
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Depart to Chidambaram,
visit
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Chidambaram
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|
|
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8
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29 Dec
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Depart to Gangaikondacholapuram,
Darasuram and Kumbakonam, arrive Tanjore
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Tanjore
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|
|
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9
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30 Dec
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Brihadeeshwara
temple
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Tanjore
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|
|
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10
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31 Dec
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Depart to Trichy, visit Srirangam
en route
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Trichy
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|
|
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11
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1 Jan
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Depart to Madurai, visit Meenakshi
Temple
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Madurai
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|
|
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12
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2 Jan
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Vishnu
temple and Alargarkovil as well as the Tirumala Nayak Palace
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Madurai
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|
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13
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3 Jan
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Depart to Periyar
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Periyar
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14
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4 Jan
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Boat ride Periyar, depart to Kumarakom
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Kumarakom
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|
|
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15
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5 Jan
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Kumarakom, sunset cruise
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Kumarakom
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|
|
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16
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6 Jan
|
Depart to Cochin
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Cochin
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|
|
|
17
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7 Jan
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Visit Cochin
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Cochin
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|
|
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18
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8 Jan
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Cochin
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Cochin
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|
|
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19
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9 Jan
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Flight to Delhi and connection to Europe
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In the air
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|
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20
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10 Jan
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Arrive Europe
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|
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08 November 2001
Book Review: The Idea of India (1999), by Sunil Khilnani, ****
A key book on India in the postnuclear era, with a new Introduction by the author. Sunil Khilnani's exciting, timely study addresses the paradoxes and ironies of this, the world's largest democracy. Throughout his penetrating, provocative work, he illuminates this fundamental issue: Can the original idea of India survive its own successes?
Review
The author tries to encapsulate the idea of India in five chapters:
Democracy (how this was possible in India, and in fact how democracy made India possible!);
Temples of the future (on growth after WW II);
Cities (and the role they play in changing India);
Who is an Indian (the most complicated of all chapters!)
The Garb of Modernity (on ongoing change)
A useful bibliographical essay completes this articulate book.
These are important aspects of what makes India, of course, but hardly the only ones and perhaps not the main ones. Most people in India still live in the countryside.
In my view the main drawback of the book is its excessive praise of Nehru. Yes he did keep India united after partition and preserved democracy but his autocratic economic planning delayed India's development, which really took off after the Nehru/Gandhi dynasty came to an end with Rajiv's resignation in 1989 and assassination in 1991.
In any case, there can hardly be any such thing as "the" idea of India. A better title might have been "One Idea of India".
See my other reviews on India in this blog.
01 August 2001
Book Review: In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors (2001), by Doug Stanton, *****
The USS Indianapolis was the last ship sunk during the Second World War. Savaged by a salvo of torpedoes from a Japanese submarine, the warship, one of the fastest in the US Navy, sank in a matter of minutes. One thousand two hundred men went into the water, and only 321 were to survive. This is their story. On 30 July 1945 the Indianapolis was returning from the small island of Tinian, having delivered the components of the atom bomb ‘little boy’, which was to decimate Hiroshima and bring on the end of the war. As the torpedoes ripped into the side of the ship hundreds of men were killed. Those lucky enough to survive were to face extremes of physical and mental hardship in the water. Many were left to float in the ocean with little or no food or drinking water in deteriorating life jackets and, most chillingly of all, open to attacks by sharks...
11 July 2001
Book review: The Slave Trade, 1440-1870 (1999), by Hugh Thomas, *****
After many years of research, Thomas portrays, in a balanced account, the complete history of the slave trade. The Atlantic slave trade was one of the largest and most elaborate maritime and commercial ventures. Between 1492 and about 1870, ten million or more black slaves were carried from Africa to one port or another of the Americas.
In this wide-ranging book, Hugh Thomas follows the development of this massive shift of human lives across the centuries until the slave trade's abolition in the late nineteenth century.
Beginning with the first Portuguese slaving expeditions, he describes and analyzes the rise of one of the largest and most elaborate maritime and commercial ventures in all of history. Between 1492 and 1870, approximately eleven million black slaves were carried from Africa to the Americas to work on plantations, in mines, or as servants in houses. The Slave Trade is alive with villains and heroes and illuminated by eyewitness accounts. Hugh Thomas's achievement is not only to present a compelling history of the time but to answer as well such controversial questions as who the traders were, the extent of the profits, and why so many African rulers and peoples willingly collaborated. Thomas also movingly describes such accounts as are available from the slaves themselves.
02 May 2001
Book Review:The Floating Brothel: the Extraordinary True Story of An Eighteenth-Century Ship And Its Cargo of Female Convicts, by Sian Rees, *****
 |
| list of names of convicts shipped to Australia |
In 1789, 237 women convicts left England for Botany Bay in Australia on board a ship called The Lady Julia, destined to provide sexual services and a breeding bank for the men already there. This is the story of the women aboard that ship.
04 March 2001
Book Review: A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean, by Melinda and Robert Blanchard, *****
A Trip to the Beach is about the maddening, exhausting and exhilarating challenges Melinda and Robert Blanchard faced while trying to live the simple life after moving to Anguilla to start a restaurant - and the incredible joy when they somehow pulled it off. As their cooking begins to draw 4-star reviews, the Blanchards and their kitchen staff - Clinton and Ozzie, the dancing sous-chefs; Shabby, the master lobster-wrangler; Bug, the dish-washing comedian - come together like a crack drill team. Anyone who's ever dreamed of running away to start a new life on a sun-drenched island will find the Blanchards' seductive, funny tale of pandemonium and bliss unforgettable.
25 February 2001
Lettera a Indro Montanelli sulla sinistra italiana
Caro Montanelli,
la leggo dall'estero, vivo in Belgio, perché lei rimane un raggio di chiarezza nel guazzabuglio quale appare la scena politica italiana all'avvicinarsi delle elezioni.
Condivido le sue riserve sulla Casa delle Libertà, ma mi pare lei dia troppo credito alla sinistra.
Lei dice che la voterà perché non ci ha tolto le libertà che avevamo e ci ha "portato in Europa". La sinistra non ha portato l'Italia in Europa perché c'era già: l'Italia ha fondato l'Europa negli anni cinquanta e, nonostante la sinistra ci abbia in passato provato, non ne è mai uscita; e non credo la potrebbe o vorrebbe far uscire un qualunque altro governo.
Le libertà: anche se avessero voluto, ed io non lo credo, come avrebbero potuto togliercele? Sono finiti quei tempi.
A lei preoccupa un Berlusconi che controlli sei reti TV, e sono d'accordo, anche se lui dice che privatizzerebbe 2 reti RAI. Ma le reti RAI, oggi, le paiono migliori, o solo diverse, da Mediaset? A me, no: la gazzarra e la sguaiatezza sono identiche; i moderatori delle trasmissioni politiche che da esse si fanno travolgere, anche; le cosce lunghe e le tettone che rimbalzano al vento, che alla fine sono le sole cose di qualità che ci propinano, pure. E poi la stessa inflazione degli applausi: ma perché in televisione si applaude sempre? Il pubblico si batte col privato per quote di ascolto e, così facendo, il guazzabuglio di cui sopra lo ripropone ed amplifica ad nauseam, con l'aggravante di farlo a spese di chi paga il canone.
Comunque lei almeno il suo voto lo potrà esprimere: io, che ho la colpa di rappresentare l'Italia in un'organizzazione internazionale, la NATO per essere precisi. Non è possibile che tutti i funzionari ed impiegati italiani della NATO e dell'Unione Europea, più tutti quelli che lavorano a Bruxelles nell'indotto, possano venire in Italia per votare, anche se la NATO me lo permetterebbe.
Godrò invece del beneficio di non dovermi turare il naso per votare, dato che anche questa volta questo diritto mi viene negato dalla mancanza di una legge che, dopo averla osteggiata per decenni, il governo "europeista" di sinistra ora finalmente dice di volere ma che, in cinque anni di potere, non è riuscito a partorire.
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