The Lost Chambers, Dubai

Iam sure the mention of the city 'Dubai' would have given you a visual landscape of The Lost Chambers being a steely skyscraper and maybe one of the many architectural wonders of this exuberant city.

Well, I thought the same, till i got these lovely 45 minutes to get lost in the marvelous Lost Chambers. 

'Atlantis' is a lost city which has its earliest mentions by Greek philosopher 'Plato' in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias around 360 BC. Its described as a highly advanced and spectacular land. However today we cannot trace where this city got lost, but its believed to have disappeared into the Ocean owing either a massive earthquake or a gigantic underwater volcanic eruption.

To discover this lost civilization, the Lost Chambers at Atlantis Palm Hotel is a magnificent underwater realm of Chambers, with amazing rare artifacts, marine life, and a whooping 65000 marine inhabitants. 

What amazed me most was the beautiful lighting in each chamber, the carefully chosen placement of the artifacts in the marine habitat, the sheer glass which many times looked like an illusion to the onlookers, the sit-outs at each chamber typically Arabic style for the visitors to sit, relax and be in rhythm with our marine friends.

Few pics which i have clicked at Lost Chambers. All are thru the glass and i dont have a powerful camera yet, so they look little grainy and stretched. However i couldn't resist sharing them and insist all my fellow travelers to reserve 30min to an hour visit to discover the mystery of The Lost Chambers when in Dubai.

The unstoppable festive spirit : Diwali Bazaars of India

The last leg of any year is probably the one that I eagerly look forward to. Festivals and carnivals galore across the world. Being an Indian, it’s the best time of the year and I can never get enough of the festive spirit that soaks every part of this beautiful country. It’s the time to come home to Mom’s wonderful food, to hog on street food stalls, to nudge elbows in crowded festival bazaars, to buy all the bling-y clothes from heavily embellished shops, to haggle for almost everything that’s on sale, to click photos of anything and everything, to let the ‘Chi’ of your habitat be blessed with everything that’s auspicious. 

Nowadays whenever I open my web browser and surf, I find plenty of commercial Ads from tour operators for tour packages for ‘Christmas’ markets in Austria, Denmark, Belgium and many countries of Europe. I stay in England and definitely agree that these markets are worth a visit when on full bloom. A thought crossed my mind this week while I was in India, that Indian festivals are so grand and we shop till we drop for them, then why don't our Festival Bazaars feature in the way like that of our western counterparts. While I was walking through these crowded ‘gallis’ (streets) of a Diwali Bazaar in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India, I thought to put together some quick shots from this Bazaar in my Blog today.

Diwali…One of the largest festivals celebrated by Indians across the world. Popularly known as the festival of lights as people light earthen lamps on a dark No moon Night to celebrate the mythological lesson of victory of good over evil.

As I walked on a very hot afternoon through a Diwali Bazaar, it was not only a delight but an interesting journey to see how every person in the Bazaar, irrespective of the weight of his or her wallet, looks forward to buy a share of this festivity for his or her home and family.

Handmade earthern lamps being sold in the Diwali Baazar.

All around the Bazaar one can see a heap of these Earthen Lamps being sold by girls and ladies who come all the way from their villages to sell them.

A village lady selling Earthern lamps

While, the traditional earthen lamps make their way in every house, we are also bitten by the Chinese bug here. Fluorescent Chinese Lanterns with 'Happy Diwali' written and images of Hindu Gods hanging in the streets.

Chinese Lanterns

The quintessential 'Rangoli' which is traditional Indian art design made by loose dry colored powder or flour or flowers is a must have auspicious accessory of Diwali in every home. Generally drawn at the entrance of the house, this welcomes wealth and prosperity into the house on Diwali. The bazaars galore with colors of Rangoli.

Beautiful heaps of colors of Rangoli

For the more perfect and flawless designs these 'design mesh' are a great buy. Beautiful display of their designs in the Bazaar.

Easy to make, No Nonsense Rangoli patterns drawn with the Sieve or Mesh

Diwali is a lot about decorating your house. I remember as a child cleaning every nook and corner of the house few days ahead of the festival. Chasing cobwebs, wiping every piece of furniture clean and then decorating with the house with flowers, trinkets, dainty traditional hangings. The essence still remains, however its more plastic and Chinese now.

Plastic flower garlands for adorning the house

A seller selling terracotta hangings of bells and idols. 

Well, with all decorations and beautifying the house, aren't we trying to please someone? Oh yes. Its the Gods above whose blessings we seek for all goodness. Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu who is the Goddess worshiped for wealth and prosperity on Diwali. And yes, like everything else the Almighty finds its place as well on the sale window.

Idols of Goddess Lakshmi accompanied by other goddesses in the Bazaar

So when we are talking about pleasing the Gods for prosperity, don't we have to find ways to tickle their taste buds too. Our Gods are a little too inclined towards food that is high on sugar.(Diabetes alert!) Crystallized sugar sweets locally called 'Batasha' is a photographers delight with colorful cubes piled on baskets. Well, before the Gods, its the Bees which seem to be gracing it.

'Batasha'. Colored quirky shapes of crystallized sugar

Exchanging dry fruits is a popular practice among families on Diwali. And there are small, large and some really humongous packs in the Bazaar with very colorful wrappers.

Ready to pick dry fruits packs

If in Central India, how can you not have the local savories for Diwali. Called as 'Namkeen' made of flour, spices and deep fried, these are probably the yummiest food in the streets in the Bazaar for me.

Gram flour fried snacks called 'Namkeen'

Puffed rice baskets make its way in the Bazaar. This is offered as an offering to God in the Pujas on Diwali.

No marketplace in the world is complete if it doesn't cater to its most important customer...The beautiful Women :-)

Diwali is a time when the ladies have a bash at emptying their wallets. Flowing sarees, colorful fabrics, the tinkle of bangles, the dark deep kohl for those longing shopaholic eyes, this Bazaar is another of her playgrounds.

Bright and colorful sarees in a saree shop

Colorful glass and metal Bangles galore in the Bazaar. A common accessory for Indian women

A seller in a Bangle shop

Phew...going around this beautiful marketplace is so delightful. As the sun smiles benevolently, more and more eager shoppers flood the Bazaar haggling, choosing and buying their favourite Diwali items. Smiling faces of the shoppers, contended smiles of the sellers, eager eyes of the kids, the tinkle of the temple bells, this is truly an experience which is more overwhelming that the festival itself which we all eagerly await to welcome

Fire crackers for sale. No Diwali is complete without lighting the sky with these sparkling fireworks.

The Crowning Jewels of Lake Thun, Switzerland

I have grown up in India, visiting grandparents every year in my summer vacations staying in small villages and towns of Himachal. Beautiful highlands cradling in the lap of breathtaking and picturesque Himalayan mountains. For us that was probably the only most beautiful place that existed in the chaotic material world. We used to often hear the more globally aware set of people compare our villages with Switzerland. We had also seen Bollywood movies being shot in beautiful Swiss locales. Probably not as a child but as i grew up i did have a strong affinity and pull towards Switzerland; one reason of course was being victimized by the charms of Indian movie actors wooing their lady love in Swiss(most obvious thoughts point towards DDLJ); and second, hailing from similar postcard towns in Himalayas, the Alps were dear to heart.

My first tryst with the Swiss Alps happened very recently in September 2014 when i got two lovely days to spend in a small village Wilderswil in between two scenic Lakes-Thun and Brienz. Dreamy and fresh, this place was a haven for a super stressed person like me.

Chocolate houses, abundant with spring flowers, narrow roads with a tinkle of cow bell at every corner, this was all a fairytale for me, and i could just stay here forever.

Wilderswil as I admired it from my hotel room's window

Chocolate Houses and the spic and span streets of Wilderswil

Fairytale houses at Wilderswil. A walk around the village is blissful

After spending a lazy evening in Wilderswil and gorging on gastronomical delights of local haunts, we had complete next day to ourselves to explore the beautiful Interlaken.

Interlaken : Touristy delight with a large number of hotels, backpackers accommodations, busy streets with souvenir shops, buses all around. I felt Iam in Kulu Manali or downtown of Shimla. We did have an option to follow the touristy path of expedition to Jungfrau or one of the many hikes from Interlaken, however we decided to walk on the 'road less traveled' path and explore the villages around Lake Thun.

View of Lake Thun in the backdrop of Swiss Alps

The first village we visited on the shores of Lake Thun was Spiez. Few would know that Spiez has an age old Castle built in 933 AD by King Burgundy. Perched on a hill and surrounded by Vineyards, this low profile Castle has housed many high profile personalities which have gone down in the pages of history.

The Medieval Spiez Castle

View of Lake Thun and the Spiez Castle on the shores of the Lake

We hopped onto the train for our next destination. The beautiful city of Thun. Known for its shopping centers, restaurants, bustling with people all over and many like us, in search of the old castles, the sunny weather added an extra fizz to the whole atmosphere.

Town Center of Thun overlooking the river. Flanked by eateries and shops on both sides

After climbing around 50 steps from the City Center we reached the Thun Castle. This 12th century castle sits proudly on a hill and has some of the best preserved halls in Europe with a towering ceiling of 7mts high. Quite sad that it was under renovation, so we got a glimpse of a part of the facade.

Thun Castle

Thun is known to house another beautiful castle popularly called as The pearl of Lake Thun-Schadau Castle. An incomparable location with lush green gardens, this castle looked as if it has just popped out of a Harry Potter series or some other fairy tale book. I wish I could be a Snow White or a Rapunzel to be swept off my feet by my Prince Charming here.

Schadau Castle-The Pearl of Lake Thun

We were quite tired walking almost the whole city of Thun and our last Castle on the list was apparently in another town. While the knees went weak, our spirits were still longing to have more of this beautiful Lake.

We hopped onto a Bus from Thun to Oberhofen which was 30 min away. A quick beautiful drive and there we were standing right in front of a magnificient sight. The eight centuries magic, this was truly a romantic castle. With views of Jungfrau peak and Lake Thun, i guess i have to get married many times in my life to live these fairytale dreams of Swiss castles

Oberhofen Castle

Our day of exploring the historical Castles on Lake Thun was overwhelming. While on a lighter note I say we had an overdose of history, I never anticipated that such picturesque locales exist for real. The area around Lake Thun is heavily German and 'Castle' is called 'Schloss' in German. So all sign boards directing you to these castles would read as 'Schloss'. 

A board directing to Thun Castle. Schloss is the German word for Castle

As people say Swiss countryside looks like a painting or a postcard, i would say Yes they are true in their statements.

While the Alps are a must visit in Switzerland, for those who are looking to explore the real history, life of people and hidden gems of the virgin beauty of Swiss, be an explorer to have a real indelible Swiss experience in your life.

Probably my favourite pic from my Swiss Album. A place which touched my soul

** A note of stay options for readers : I stayed at Hotel Schonbuhl in Wilderswil. You can take a bus ticket from Schonbuhl to Interlaken West. I took a train from Interlaken to Spiez and then from Spiez to Thun and back the same route. There are buses as well on these routes. The train travel is a bit expensive and it costed me around 40 CHF for one person for a to and fro journey.
Interlaken is full of places to eat. However Swiss is wonderfully expensive :-) A decent meal of sanwiches or burgers with a drink will cost you on an average 10-12 CHF so do stuff your wallet pretty well before you start.
To sign off, let me tell you i adore the Swiss Franc notes. They are psychedelically designed and have lovely outstanding look. I still have retained around 20 Francs as souvenir ** 

Fall in Love with the postcard town of Inverness, Scotland

What would you do if you have a summery evening at hand in Scottish Highlands? Iam sure the mere thought of it makes you want to push back your chair and soak in the romantic aura of beautiful countryside of Scotland as you would have visualized from movies, books and umpteen youtube videos.

I was fortunate to have an evening to myself in Inverness, far north of Scotland which cradles in the beauty of the sapphire blue waters of River Ness and a real picturesque view of  the churches, castle and old edifices along the river banks. Once cannot help falling in love at this dreamy, idyllic small Scottish wonder.

Captured few breathtaking views as i saw them thru my best camera, my eyes!

View of the city from the Bridge across River Ness. 

River Ness with its crystal clear blue waters. The row of trees flanking the sides gives it a thick guarded look while the castle overlooks the river on a hillock

The water of River Ness ripples and glistens with the reflection of the trees flanking its banks. Small eateries and pubs nestle in between gives this town a postcard look from every view point.

Inverness Castle which is not a Sherrif's court is not open to public for viewing. What one can enjoy is its beautiful facade and the envious positioning of this structure on a gentle hill from where you can see some breathtaking scenery of the entire town and River Ness

Possibly the most photographed pub of Inverness. Right opposite to the Inverness Castle, this is always packed with lovely people savoring some Whiskies and food. The Castle Tavern is such a lovely cozy place, i can bet you wouldnt want to leave this quaint and warm Scottish pub.

And this one would probably be my favourite view from an equally wonderful viewpoint. Inverness town, the Bridge cutting it across River Ness as seen from the foothills of Inverness Castle. A real postcard breathtaking view, you cannot get enough of clicking these views even if you spend few hours or days.

If you are to visit Scotland, a visit to Inverness should be squeezed in. Its peaceful, small town look and feel with breathtaking scenery will certainly make you fall in love with it. It took me many days to come out of the inertia of the beauty of Inverness.

If it could go on....Orchestra Concerts not to be missed in England!

I would not rate myself a music aficionado. I am just a cheap consumer of music of all sorts which makes me run faster on treadmill or curb some insomniac nights or just for any moment for pumping up my adrenaline. However i would definitely put Music on my "Top Five companions of Life" list.

Staying in England one cannot help getting addicted to music of all sorts. From street musicians to high profile performing artists, one can find every rhythm to soothe one's sense. In couple of my travels within England, i was coaxed by a music loving friend to attend Orchestra concerts, the idea didn't excite me nor was it too repugnant, so i gave in. What i experienced was so beautiful and soul stirring, i decided it to share with all fellow travelers who are music lovers and travel to England, to keep few hours of their visit to attend an Orchestra show.

Oxford : The City of the Learned and the Artists. 

My first experience of attending a concert was at the very famous Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. This theatre is a masterpiece of architecture built in 1669 and has beautiful frescoes on its walls and ceilings. The concert I attended was to commemorate the 700+ years of Magdalene College in Oxford.

Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, UK

The choir came in immaculately dressed in black. Violins, Drums, Saxophones along with Opera Singers, they performed the famous 'Dream of Gerontius' by Edward Elgar. My eyes were shut in bliss as the music went thru its high and low notes. For a person who doesn't really understand fine music, i would say it was an amazing experience which one shouldn't miss.

A Choir performance in a Cathedral : Winchester and Worcester

Cathedrals have historically been performing such concerts producing famous works of artists. Those who happen to stay in Cathedral and parish towns may find this as a way of life.
Another of my beautiful experience to an Opera was at Winchester and Worcester Cathedrals. The intimidating interiors, tall columnar walls, arches and grandeur of such large notable Cathedrals is already mesmerizing.

Winchester Cathedral, Wincheshter, UK

To sit in one of the rows and listen to a beautiful rendition, for me it definitely would be once in a lifetime experience. I was really fortunate to attend Mozart's requiem, one of the most famous and mysterious work of the remarkable artist.

Worcester Cathedral, Worcester in preparation for the Three Choirs Festival

While i may not have understood the finer nuances of these performances, i still felt extremely moved and transported to a blissful world with these lovely symphonies.

I would highly recommend music and instrumental lovers to attend one such concert while in England.