Current Travels

India - Where Regulations and Mayhem Collide


23 to 27 December, 2018 - Bengaluru, Mysuru - (India)



Arriving in Bangalore, the chaos which is India was only mildly mitigated by the fact that it was 2 am. Add a layer of officialdom; there are few other countries we could be in.

Even before we made it out of the airport, we were reminded of the excessive bureaucracy that is such a part of this place. Visa processing was slow and protracted despite the fact that we had done all the paperwork in advance. More forms with the same information on it, not to mention the dodgy finger print device that took 15 or more attempts to register Jo’s prints. Finally, we thought it was all done. We snaked around to the next uniformed official, who confirmed that our paperwork was indeed in order. Queue for the next step in the process – a sort of pre-customs check. After which, we collected our bags, cleared final customs, and suddenly we were officially in India.

Once again, technology foiled our plans to be cashed up with uncooperative ATMs wasting 20 minutes of our morning. So, we changed $50 to rupees. Straightforward? Of course not. Forms, visa checks, passports photocopied, thrice verified, and then a handful of faded and torn notes made their way in to our possession.

Days later, we have a plethora of stories of the unique way that India blends red tape with mayhem. This combination is best exemplified by the overuse of a whistle. Throngs pushing and pressing, heads craning, no concern for right of way or order of arrival, and then multiple shrill blasts by a khaki clad employee because of an infringement – a child out of line, or a family sitting by the wall.

Which leads to discussions about personal space, or more correctly, not having any. Strangers manhandling us while we visit shrines and palaces. Placing hands on our shoulders and trying to move us aside, or creating wedges with their hands as they just push on forward to the front. Heaven forbid if you are not pressed hard against the person in front of you – that is a space that someone will fill the instant you leave it.

We had a couple of days in Bangalore to settle in. Markets, the main palace, the old fort. Bought some fabric for curtains. While having hems sewn in to our new purchases, we met a local man, who invited us to his home for Christmas lunch or dinner. We had already written Christmas day off as a non-travel and non-sights day, but already had other plans. We decided we could at least drop in.

Piles of Kumkum
Piles of Kumkum
In the city market, Bangalore


Tailor in City Market, Bangalore
Tailor in City Market, Bangalore
In the city market, Bangalore


Hanging Out in Bangalore Fort
Hanging Out in Bangalore Fort
We had a marvellous afternoon in the small but atmospheric fort in Bangalore. Some intriguing carved stones from various temples are incorporated in the walls. One or two on the risque side. I'm too embarrassed to put them here...


Bangalore Palace
Bangalore Palace

I can Feel the Indignity
I can Feel the Indignity
Inside Bangalore Palace, a taxidermed elephant head has become a roosting spot for pigeons. Oh, the shame...


Church attendance was a priority for Christmas, and we found an appropriate service at Bethel church.

Christmas Day - Bethel Church Bangalore
Christmas Day - Bethel Church Bangalore
It was nice to go to a service on Christmas Day.


From there, we headed to our lunch. We had made a reservation at an upmarket restaurant which was offering a very classy buffet lunch, with an option of all drinks included, which we took up. There must have been 50 or more options for entrĂ©e. We both did a number of visits to this part of the table, particularly when the 15 cm prawns made an appearance. The devilled eggs with truffle, the duck mousse, the cheeses and prosciutto; these all were tackled multiple times by the pair of us. I only made one round of the main courses – primarily focussing on ham and a turkey drumstick. And then, a few return trips to the desserts. Christmas cakes and puddings, mini cheesecakes, and various other bite-size festive treats. With cocktails, I tried to stay on the seasonal ones. Eggnog, mulled wine, cinnamon infused mixtures. But when I finally settled on a hot rum and apple cider cocktail, I knew I should have started my tasting from the bottom of the list.

First Round of Entree
First Round of Entree
Plate number 1 of many. Christmas Day at Olive Bar, Bangalore.


Christmas Day at Olive Bar and Kitchen, Bangalore
Christmas Day at Olive Bar and Kitchen, Bangalore
Still going with entree. Cocktail trolley doing the rounds.


Sampling Sweets...
Sampling Sweets...
Starting Christmas desserts, Olive Bar in Bangalore.


And after lunch, we dropped in on our new market friend, Surya, and his family. We were exploding from our lunch, so stuck to chai and conversation. It was so nice to have a social element to the day.

With Surya and His Family
With Surya and His Family
It was so nice to spend some time with new friends on Christmas Day. Surya invited us to his home after we met him at the market.


After travelling by train to Mysore, we visited the palace exterior on the evening we arrived. Tens of thousands of globes strung over and around the edifice made it an outstanding affair. The next day, we joined thousands of on-holidays Indians in the interior. One child was encouraged by his father to go under the rope to stand in the middle of one of the palatial halls, for a photo. A blast from a whistle indicated this had not gone unnoticed, and seconds later the owner of that whistle was making the aforementioned father delete the offending photos from his phone.

Mysuru Palace at Night
Mysuru Palace at Night
A very impressive sight.


Public Durbar Hall
Public Durbar Hall
The public durbar (reception) hall of Mysuru Palace.


Mysuru Palace Private Durbar Hall
Mysuru Palace Private Durbar Hall

And to finish this entry, a couple of random shots from Mysore.

OHS?
OHS?
Using a jackhammer to demolish the concrete balcony you are standing on - Nothing could go wrong here, surely!


A Place to Keep your Clocks.
A Place to Keep your Clocks.
I'm sure they are punctual, too.


Where Wine is Cheaper than Pepsi


18 to 20 July, 2018 - Ljubljana - (Slovenia)



Ahh, Ljubljana. Capital of a country we love so dearly. Is this visit number six or seven? Seven, I think. It has changed a lot since 1995, when we hardly saw another foreigner during our stay, and the sounds of war in nearby regions interrupted our sleep. Now the restaurants buzz with various languages on the go. The number of cafes on the river front have exploded. Glass topped boats glide by carrying traditional tourists, while people seeking a difference stand up on paddle boards. Little flags stick out the top of small clusters of Germans, French, and English travellers, all hanging on lengthy descriptions of the city history being doled out by the local bearing the flag. Do we like it here less? Not at all. The prices may be up a bit, but the quality and variety are still great. The vibe is "happening". There are some signs of social problems - walls in back streets wear a lot of graffiti - political commentary, perhaps, some obvious "pro-vegan" scrawls, and lots of mindless vandalism in the form of tagging. Still, the monuments sparkle, the important buildings shine, the river and streets are clean, and it all combines to be a fine place to finish this adventure.

Opening up to the drinks page while sitting by the river, view of the triple bridge laid out before us, we decided to choose our beverages based on economics. The wine was cheaper than the soft drinks. Cheers.

View from Our Bed - Ljubljana
View from Our Bed - Ljubljana
City Hotel, Ljubljana. Town and castle views.


And the View from our Balcony - Ljubljana
And the View from our Balcony - Ljubljana
City Hotel, Ljubljana. Town and castle views.


Making Sure I Say Hello
Making Sure I Say Hello
It is believed that touching the dragons on Dragon Bridge will ensure a return visit to Ljubljana. Seems to have worked for us six times so far. Better not change the pattern.


Jo's Happy
Jo's Happy
She got her squid stuffed with ham and cheese, cooked in garlic. Accompanied by a carafe of Malvazija.


Finding My Inner Dragon
Finding My Inner Dragon

Gibinica
Gibinica
We could not leave without having one. This was partially demolished before we remembered a photo was necessary.


Panorama over Ljubljana
Panorama over Ljubljana
Looking down over the old town from the castle walls.



A Dolomite Gathering

11 to 18 July, 2018 - Livorno, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and numerous excursions - (Italy)



We're in Italy. On the ferry, I ordered some drinks at the bar. They rang it up on the register and then indicated they don't take credit cards. I went to the table and just as I came back, a waiter behind the counter knocked the tray of the cash register on to the floor. Money went everywhere and the two staff started yelling at each other in Italian, obviously trying to shift the blame on the other. We're definitely in Italy.

The drive from Livorno to Cortina was quite a big one. We stopped a couple of times for coffee and to stretch, and then
picked up Leanne Rhodes, a friend from Australia currently living in Romania. We found her with little trouble outside Venice, and headed up to our apartment with a view in Cortina.

Here, we had a group of varying members for a week. Leanne stayed the whole time. We know her from Bridge Church, and have stayed close in spite of her moving to Romania as part of setting up a charity called Abolishion. Andrea, Herman, and Linda are 3 members of the Ruchti 4 (Stefan could not make it). This is meeting number 7 with them. They are our most consistent meet up Europeans, driving down from Germany to be with us in Cortina. Anna Smith is from London, but came to Melbourne to study the Masters program that Jo completed last year. They became close, and she came in and out via Venice. Finally, Peter Iagnocco arrived last and stayed till the end. He was a colleague of Jo's some years ago, and we stayed with him in Italy, too, 5 years ago in Barga.

Seven nights, and six full days; with four of us, or all eight. Every day we hiked. Once it was short - a bit under 8 km. A couple of times we nearly made 15 km. And the others were in between. Our jaws dropped, time and time again. It is hard to believe just how beautiful the area is. Breathtaking vista after astounding view. Not a single disappointment. What's more, despite threatening to open up, we never got caught in the rain. We had some near misses with short downpours minutes after completing a walk, and one which came and went while we had coffee and beer at a rifugio. However, time and time again we were blessed with magnificent scenes and awe inspiring outlooks.

Here are some pics. It was super hard to reduce the number of photos I would include!

Reflection in Lago d'Antorno
Reflection in Lago d'Antorno

Tis the Season for Young
Tis the Season for Young

View from a Random Walk
View from a Random Walk
We parked at Passo Tre Croci, chose a random trail that went up. Soon we were rewarded with beautiful views.


Looking over the Town of Cortina d'Ampezzo
Looking over the Town of Cortina d'Ampezzo
Our apartment is somewhere on the opposite slope, just above the town.


One of the Towers - Cinque Torri
One of the Towers - Cinque Torri

View from a Trench near Cinque Torri
View from a Trench near Cinque Torri
Just near the peak, a number of World War I sites have been restored and can be visited as an "open air museum" of sorts. This shot is taken from one of the trenches.


Panorama from Cinque Torri
Panorama from Cinque Torri

Up Close and Personal with the Five Towers
Up Close and Personal with the Five Towers
Walking at Cinque Torri.


View over Rifugio Cinque Torri
View over Rifugio Cinque Torri

Along a Trail
Along a Trail

Making Pasta
Making Pasta
Leanne directed the ravioli making. Not sure what she and Andrea are talking about in the background. Jo and Anna are rolling out with makeshift pins. The ravioli was stuffed with ricotta, lemon, and parmesan. We enjoyed it with a light sauce of zucchini and pancetta.


Us with 3/4 of the Ruchtis
Us with 3/4 of the Ruchtis
In front of Lago di Sorapis. Herman, Andrea, Linda, and then myself and Jo, of course.


The Group at Lago di Sorapis
The Group at Lago di Sorapis

Magnificent Panorama, Lago di Sorapis
Magnificent Panorama, Lago di Sorapis

Peak and Lake
Peak and Lake
Lago di Sorapis.


Flower, Lake, and Peak
Flower, Lake, and Peak
Lago di Sorapis.


The Full Crew
The Full Crew
The only photo we have with all of us. Going around the table, Andrea and Herman, Peter, Leanne, Anna, myself and Jo, and Linda.


View from Rifugio Faloria
View from Rifugio Faloria
We took the cable-car up, and walked down.


One Vista on our Way Down
One Vista on our Way Down

Descending from Faloria
Descending from Faloria

View from Son Pouses
View from Son Pouses

Looking Out, Son Pouses
Looking Out, Son Pouses

War Tunnel, Son Pouses
War Tunnel, Son Pouses
While climbing over Son Pouses, we found the remains of buildings. Behind these, in the rocks, are large man made cavities in the rocks. We began exploring, and soon discovered there were long tunnels connecting them. The four of us spent a long time clambering through. I lost all concept of the depth of how far we went - dozens of metres at least - maybe a hundred or more. Son Pouses was a strategic point in the World War I - but my first researches indicate these placements may have been made by Austrian rather than Italian troops.


Flower Bee
Flower Bee

Kind-of Deconstructed Donut
Kind-of Deconstructed Donut
A dough, extruded like some small noodles, fried and served with fresh berry jam and chocolate.


Returning from Rifugio Ra Stua
Returning from Rifugio Ra Stua

Panorama near Passo di Giau
Panorama near Passo di Giau

Descending behind Rifugio Averau
Descending behind Rifugio Averau

The Last Bit of this Hike
The Last Bit of this Hike
Peter and I, coming up the last ascent, returning to our starting point near Rifugio Cinque Torri.


Bell Tower
Bell Tower
Main street of Cortina d'Ampezzo.


Sharing a Starter with Peter and Leanne
Sharing a Starter with Peter and Leanne
Our final dinner in Cortina, shared with two dear friends.


On Sunday, the television was on for the first time - World Cup final. Despite trying a few hundred channels, we could not find a station that was telecasting with a proper commentary, even in Italian. There was one broadcast with no talking, and one with a group of people in a studio talking about the match, while it was on, but not actually describing or getting excited. There were some supporting Croatia, and the others supported France. The ones supporting France wore berets and striped shirts, and waved baguettes about when a goal was scored! During play, the action was punctuated with "boings" and "crash" sound effects when people fell over or ran in to each other. There were crying baby sound effects when a player fell. It was cheesy to the max! The suggestion was that they didn't really care any more, since Italy wasn't playing!

Is there such a thing as a bogan in Italy? I think I found one at a service stop on the way to Trieste. The lady in front of me, in her Crocs, bought a trashy looking magazine, a packet of cigarettes, and some scratchy lottery tickets. It's pretty close to perfect.

Returning the car in Trieste. Stress, stress, stress. We had our bus booked for Ljubljana at 13:00. The car hire office was listed as closing at 12:30. We awoke to find an email telling us the office has just moved, to a location much less convenient. So I dropped Jo with the luggage, and drove to the other end of town. Here I could find no evidence of a rental office, and a building which says it closed at 12:00. I read this at 12:05, and decided to go to the old office. It was definitely closed, with signs saying to call a number in Rome. I drove to Jo, called the number, and they told me they would get someone to the office and for me to go there now. I drove back to the office to find nobody. Ringing again I was instructed to drive to the new office. I returned to that end of town. I picked up the man from the rental company, and traversed town again back to Jo, this time filling in the paperwork as we drove. We got in to the bus station, more or less right on time, but we had a chance to catch our breaths - the bus was 15 minutes late. We did make it, and nobody knew just how fine it was, but sitting on the bus we could not have been more thankful that we were still going to be in Slovenia soon after lunch time.