Konichiwa, Tokyo! - Part II

Spring in Japan is not to be missed - the cherry blossoms are of course the biggest draw! The blossoming of the sakura is monitored closely and newspapers report the best places for viewing every day! A picnic under these beautiful trees is a must for the Japanese people every spring! The sakura hold an important place in Japanese culture - the intensely beautiful blossoms, and the short-lived flowering period - a celebration of the ephemeral, transient nature of life!

There are a number of great places to view sakura in Tokyo - to be honest, the entire city is covered with these cherry trees - the distinctive white flowers are kind of hard to miss - but to get the full impact, a visit to one of the many parks is a must! Our concierge recommended going to the Yasukuni Shrine, and then walking over to the Imperial Palace - so that's where we headed! This Shinto shrine seems innocuous enough, but has been the center of controversy a number of times - it is dedicated to those who lost their lives in service of Japan, unfortunately, these include some war criminals from WWII! One curious thing I noticed - after paying their respects at the altar, people would step back and clap their hands a couple of times - maybe similar to the ringing bells in  our Hindu temples?

Yasukuni Shrine

Admiring the cherry blossoms, we started walking in the general direction of the Imperial Palace - actually we didn't know it, but we were walking in the outer gardens of the Palace! This area is home to embassies and consulates of a number of countries - including India - it was a pleasant surprise to the 'Incredible India' posters and of course, the Indian flag! A very picturesque walk - a wide canal lined with cherry blossoms on either bank. Have I mentioned how quiet the Japanese are? There were so many people out to admire the sakura, but there were no raised voices, no hustle-bustle, no pushing or shoving and absolutely no littering! Very serene, very soothing - almost soporific! We must have walked for over an hour here - by the time we finally reached the entrance to the Imperial Palace, we had had our fill - both of the cherry blossoms and the walking! Besides, I had also promised Manasi that we would go souvenir shopping, and a 10 year old's patience with sight-seeing can only go so far - so no Imperial Palace! In any case, the sakura were heavenly - take a look at the pictures!

I did go a little crazy with the pictures!! Since we had walked so much yesterday, today was planned to be a little easier - Senso-ji Temple, and then we were done! On the way there, we accidentally missed our stop - and got off instead at the entrance of the Tokyo Skytree Mall. It seemed a shame to just walk away - so decided to explore a bit. This was a pretty cool mall - had both an aquarium and a planetarium - what really delighted Ajey was the World Beer Museum! This place, literally, sold beers from all over the world - they even had a world map showing where all the beers came from! We would have liked to watch a show in the planetarium - too bad they were all in Japanese!! We were almost ready to leave, when again by accident (got on the Up elevator instead of Down) we found ourselves on the 8th floor roof garden - and an absolutely incredible view of Tokyo Skytree Tower!!! This going-with-the-flow thing seems to be working better than my detailed itinerary!!

Tokyo Skytree

Senso-ji Temple is one of the oldest and most significant Buddhist shrines in Tokyo. Between the giant outer gate - "Thunder Gate"- and the inner temple gates is the Nakamise-dori, almost as famous as the temple itself! Nakamise-dori is lined with stalls with all kinds of souvenirs and of course, food! From kimonos to scarves, Japanese dolls to Hello Kitty merchandise, fake samurai swords to umbrellas, magnets to key chains - every possible Japan souvenir can be found here! Truly, the best place to get all the shopping done!! Unlike China, there's no bargaining - and what a relief that was! We did not go inside the temple, instead spent a few quite moments in a nice little pavilion in the courtyard - again very peaceful, very serene!

"Thunder Gate"

Nakamise-dori

Senso-ji

That was our 2 days in Tokyo - what I saw, I liked! Yes, it's another big city - but it has little pockets of peace, and it is charming in it's own quiet way. Time to move on, though, to our next city in Japan - Kobe! Coming up soon!

Konichiwa, Tokyo! - Part I

The visas did come in on time - sigh of relief - Japan, here we come! A last minute crisis with the washing machine almost derailed my packing - but finally, Thursday morning, we left right on time to get to the Pudong airport. This Spring Airlines was going to be interesting - we had booked our tickets sight unseen, only because of the great deals - I have to admit there was some anxiety! In the end, it wasn't bad at all - the plane was fairly new, the stewardesses very pleasant...yes, the seats didn't recline, but it wasn't really that uncomfortable! They are quite strict about the luggage allowance - 15kg total per person - incentive to pack smart! Beginning of this vacation, and I'm already wondering where else Spring Air flies to!

The only drawback in flying Spring to Tokyo is that the flight lands in Ibaraki airport - about a 90 minute bus ride away from Tokyo. The airport itself is pretty well organized - although, the customs and immigration process was slow, slow, slow! - almost seemed like we were going to miss our bus! And of course, it took much, much longer than 90 minutes - once we reached the outskirts of the Tokyo, the traffic was so bad, we were crawling along at a snail's pace! No surprise the Metro system is so good!

We finally staggered into our hotel at 6pm - almost 12 hours after we left Suzhou - only to run into something totally unexpected! Our hotel - Intercontinental, Tokyo, mind you - didn't have a room available for us. Oh by the way, they had already charged us 3 nights stay for this absent hotel room - details, details! When they finally figured out a room for us, it was on a smoking floor - 5 minutes inside, and all 3 of us had raging headaches! So back to the reservations desk again! After another longish wait - a 'higher up' stepped out to talk to us - he wasn't exactly rude, but there was a glimmer of something not nice - it was either the smoking room, or another room that didn't have the bed preferences we had asked for. And no, they wouldn't refund our money - so we could pick one of the rooms, or else! Not cool, Intercontinental, was expecting much better! Later that night, we found an Indian restaurant right around the corner - amazing what butter naan and chicken tikka can do for drooping spirits!!

After the Burj Khalifa, Ajey and I have a deal about not going to any more towers - so instead, the next morning, we walked to Roppongi Hills. A mall,with an observation deck with views of Tokyo city, and sometimes even of Mount Fuji (weather permitting)! Roppongi was quite impressive - tons of restaurants - a very urban, upscale neighborhood. After a not-so-quick lunch at TGIF, we made it to the observation deck. No Mount Fuji - was much too hazy - but did get to see Tokyo Tower, and the Rainbow Bridge in the distance. Our ticket included the entrance to what was possibly the weirdest museum I have ever seen! Seriously, a Lexus car lit up with strobe lights, a room filled with lighted balloons - most exhibits were totally baffling! We could have also gone to the Mori Museum of Art - but philistines that we are, we chose to pass - heading to the Metro station for the next destination on itinerary (remember the itinerary?!)

Roppongi crossing

View of Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills

Japan has always known to be really technologically advanced - so a visit to Electric City in Tokyo is a must! Like any big Asian City, the underground Metro system is highly developed - complex yet very convenient. Unlike other cities we have explored, the Tokyo Metro was quite pricey - in Beijing, for 2 RMB, you can do unlimited exchanges, however, in Tokyo, we paid between $2 and $5!! There are daily passes, and in hindsight, we should have just bought a 2 day pass - but we weren't really expecting to travel that much by Metro! Anyway, Electric City - wasn't just a building like I had thought - rather a main street and a network of side streets with all kinds of electronic items for sale. With a vague idea of looking for a new phone for Ajey, we wandered into a few of these stores - but the prices didn't really seem to be any different form anywhere else. So we walked, and walked some more, and then a little further - so far the day was not turning out as we planned!! Coming up next - Shibuya!

Electric City

The Shibuya crossing - the Times Square of Tokyo - is known as the world's largest pedestrian crossing. More interestingly, the Shibuya station is also home to the statue of Hachiko - the Akita made famous by the movie 'Hachi - A Dog's Tale'. I've yet to see a movie about a dog which doesn't leave me sobbing - Manasi and I watched Hachiko together, and the film absolutely broke our hearts! So we eagerly stepped out of the Hachiko exit at Shibuya station - all we could see was a large mural depicting Akitas. Where's the statue? Maybe on the other side of the square? We walked over to the crossing - and I don't know about Times Square, but the sheer number of pedestrians was mind-boggling! We crossed back and forth a few times - all the time keeping an eye out for Hachiko - but no luck! Finally gave up - Manasi was crushed - she had been looking forward to this all day! She was so disappointed that we decided to go back for one more look - and there he was, partially hidden by the buses parked around the station - Hachiko in all his glory!!

Shibuya crossing

Mural outside Hachiko exit

Finally - Hachiko!

First day in Tokyo - and we had walked our feet off!! The Metro is really convenient, but what with walking between different platforms, and going up and down a million stairs - just getting from 1 place to another is completely exhausting! Technically speaking, the nearest Metro station from our hotel was a 5 minute walk away - well, the entrance to the station was 5 minutes away - once underground, we walked at least 15 minutes before we got to the actual station. Spent so much time underground - we were beginning to feel a bit like moles at the end of the day - surfacing for a few minutes, then diving back into the tunnels! Sure was glad to take a taxi back to the hotel after dinner - I don't think I would have made it back on the Metro!

As always, I'm rambled on a bit - and I have to finish our Tokyo travels in a second post! Part II coming up - don't go anywhere!!

Getting ready for Japan

I love to travel - love going to new places, exploring new destinations - but the planning part of any vacation is definitely not all fun and games! Of course, it would be easier to go to a travel agent, tell them where we want to go, give them the dates - and let them deal with all the drudgery! But after our Egypt vacation, which we booked through a reputed and highly recommended agency - no names here - let's just say that the whole experience was underwhelming, to say the least! So no more agencies - meaning that I get the dubious honor of planning all our vacations from A to Z! Of course, it's a lot of work, and I often occasionally make mistakes - but on the whole, it feels good to be in control!!

The biggest decision, inevitably, is the destination! While Ajey and Manasi would be more than happy to head to a beach resort and chill, I usually have more ambitious locations in mind. Like taking the Trans-Siberian railway from Beijing to Moscow, and if that weren't enough, the train actually goes through Mongolia  - I seriously can't think of anything cooler than that!!! My adventurous spirit is limited to urban locations though - any suggestion of roughing it or the dreaded 'camping out', and I'm in full retreat mode - Ajey, on the other hand, would find this kind of actual adventure exhilarating!! So there's the dilemma - finding the right balance between adventure and luxury - a little more than a beach vacation, a little less than a fullout jungle trek! What a tightrope to walk - it's a wonder that we manage to go anywhere at all!

Going to Japan, surprisingly, was a rare, unanimous decision for us! What we do when we get there is still the subject of furious debate, though - oh well, plenty of time to figure that out! Anyway, Japan - first thing, of course is plane tickets! We recently discovered a low-cost airline, Spring Air (thanks, JM!) - when they say low-cost, they mean it - the seats don't even recline! Still, it's only a 2 hour flight, and the prices are unbelievable!!! Shanghai to Tokyo - for about $100 - doesn't get better than this! Of course, they don't fly to Tokyo's Narita International Airport, rather the flight lands at Iberaki airport which is a 2 hour bus ride away from Tokyo - the low airfare trumps everything else, though! Another advantage of this airline - the price doesn't change if you book one-way or return - so we fly into Tokyo, but our return tickets are out of Osaka - love the flexibility!

A huge attraction in Japan is travelling by the world-famous bullet train, the shinkansen - and Tokyo to Osaka seems the perfect way to experience this! And God forbid we should have an inexpensive vacation - to balance out our low airfare, the train tickets are really expensive. We were advised to buy a 7 day rail pass - and this actually turned out to be more than our one-way plane tickets! Well, I guess the only way to get our money's worth would be to take a lot of trains!! The Japan Rail Pass is actually a great idea - just remember that the pass has to be bought before you actually go to Japan. Pay online, and the JR Pass company will FedEx the vouchers to you (anywhere in the world!) - the vouchers then have to be redeemed for the actual Rail Pass at a convenient (I hope!) location in Japan! Couple of anxious days while I waited for the vouchers - even though I buy so much stuff online, I'm still not entirely comfortable with it - what a relief when they arrived, along with a very handy booklet with all train schedules and all locations of JR offices! Whew, one more thing checked off!

Next on the list - hotels! Manasi, of course, being of the new entitled generation thinks even a Marriott is a 'regular' hotel - she knows nothing of the economy hotels (Motel 6, Super 8, Red Roof Inns - fond memories of travel on a shoestring budget!) - it takes nothing short of a luxury resort to impress her! To be honest, I, too, like staying at the bigger 'brand' hotels - no surprises, the service and food is always excellent! These days, we have been staying at Crowne Plaza whenever we travel - not been let down a single time yet - so that's what we ended up booking this time as well! I was a bit tempted to try the local Japanese ryokan hotels - but chickened out in the end! So - 3 cities, 3 different Crowne Plazas!

Doing great here - air tickets, check! Train pass, check! Hotels, check! Now for the biggest item on the list - the tourist visa! Manasi, courtesy of her US passport, can sashay in - but Ajey and I have to apply for yet another visa! For a change, we didn't have to go the Japanese Embassy in Shanghai - instead we filed our application in the Wuxi Citizen Center! Must say that this government office really, really impressed me - everything clean, shiny and organized! I was dying to take a picture - but didn't know if it was allowed or not! And I'll admit this, anytime we have anything to do with the Government here, I'm a little intimidated - better safe than sorry, is always my motto! Anyway, notwithstanding my weird paranoia - we handed in our paperwork, the application fee and our passports - everything seemed to be in order!

Except it wasn't - a couple of days ago, we get a phone call asking us for a detailed itinerary of our visit! Well, I've already handed in our flight itinerary and all our hotel reservations - how much more 'detailed' can you get? Much, much more - as in what we're doing every waking moment we spend in Japan! 'Detailed itinerary' - am I the only one who finds this more than a little strange?! Strange or not, that's what they wanted, and after a day of research - I did come up with a detailed itinerary to hand in! Sorry, Ajey and Manasi - we have an itinerary now, and like it or not, we're sticking to it!! This was 3 days ago - we're supposed to leave next week - record breaking levels of anxiety right now!! We have been assured that our passports will make it back in time - but until they do, I won't be breathing easy!!

Didn't I say planning a vacation is never easy? Touch wood, everything has always worked out for the best in the past! And after all the planning and anxiety, all our vacations have been so memorable - yes, even Egypt! So watch this space for updates about our visa - and of course, our vacation in Japan! Signing off!!

Visa, visa, visa...

Here we were, Ajey and I all set to drive to Shanghai tomorrow to apply for our tourist visa to Japan (yes, we're going to Japan during spring break - yay!) - stop by the embassy, drop off the application, then spend couple of hours doing lunch and some shopping - what could be more perfect?? Well, I thought it might be a good idea to actually take a look at the Japanese Embassy's website to confirm hours of business, documents needed, visa fees - all those pesky little details! And what do you know - the website is available only in Japanese or Chinese - no English!!! After struggling with Google Chrome for a few minutes (few minutes, couple of hours - whatever!), I hit on the solution - why don't I just call??? Good plan - except - should've seen this coming - the automated answering service? Only Japanese or Chinese!!!! No English!!!!

Lucky for me, I know a wonderful person who not only is Japanese, but also a good friend - one distress call from me, and several more calls later, MW was able to come up with the information that we didn't need to go upto Shanghai at all - we could hand in our application in Wuxi. Has to do something with our Chinese resident visa being based in Wuxi - I don't know, I'm just happy to find out before we drove all the way to Shanghai! Seriously, this had never come up in all the searches I did to get the visa information - must have been hidden in the fine print!! And yes, note to self - don't wait till the day before to look up visa information on the official website!! It was just a few months ago, when our Dubai visa application kept me up for a few nights - and now this! You would think that after applying for so many different visas, things would get easier - but no, each time is a new adventure!

For the last 15 years or so, it almost seems like I'm always in the process of applying for some visa or the other! The first ever, of course, was the F1 student visa to the US - this was the one that changed my life forever! It seems a bit silly now - but at that time, the hype and glamour surrounding this visa was indescribable! The queue outside the US Consulate in Mumbai - some people had actually slept on the pavement so they would be first in line - the small waiting room inside, the officer asking questions in a molasses thick American accent, the relief at being approved - and yes, the apprehension and the dawning knowledge that this was just the very beginning of a very long journey!! The H1 work visa followed the F1, as did the Permanent Resident Card or Green Card. Our relationship with the nice people from Immigration Services continues to date - not being US citizens we are required every so often to fill out a bunch of legal forms, not to forget the fingerprinting!! Oh well, the only way out of this is to become a naturalized citizen - but that would mean giving up my Indian passport - and that's not happening, for sure!!

Moving to France was a lot easier - with the new EU regulations, we could travel to most European countries with our EU resident card. We never did make it to the UK - the visa requirement was a big part of that!! And although we drove unfettered through most of continental Europe - ironically, my funniest visa story does come from our time in Europe! The summer before we left France, we decided to take a cruise to Greece - the perfect vacation to end our perfect years in France!! The itinerary included Italy, Greece, and surprisingly a day's halt in Croatia. Italy, Greece - both EU, no problem! Croatia - visa required for Indian citizens. After spending hours on the phone with travel agents and the cruise people, I was assured that I did not need a Croatian visa, as long as I agreed to stay on the ship for that one day! That seemed to be no hardship, so we went ahead with our reservations - our first cruise, exciting!!

Of course, in Venice as we tried to board the ship, we were told we couldn't get on without a Croatia visa. Deep breath - seriously, I need to somehow find a Croatian embassy and get a visa in the few hours before the ship depart??!! Oh no - no running around necessary - for the paltry sum of $200 each, we could get our passports stamped with the visa, right there on the dock! No paperwork, no waiting - visa on demand!! The whole thing reeked of a scheme to fleece unsuspecting, captive travellers like us! After all, what's the worse that we could do - our cruise was fully payed for, there was no way we were walking away!! Not to say that we gave in easily - we waited on the dock for better part of the day, with a line of senior officials coming ashore to mouth platitudes! The high point was when Ajey started to propel Manasi towards the entrance - she has a US passport, she should be able to get on the ship, and Manasi clinging to me for dear life, really thinking her dad was going to make her go by herself! Did I mention she was 3 at the time?!! At the end of the day, there was no option but to pay - the only consolation was that we made them work for every penny. And yes, we did spend a day in Croatia - after all this, wild horses couldn't have kept me away!!

I do understand the need to get visa, I really do - and I also understand bilateral relations between countries, and reciprocal visa agreements! But lot of times it feels like we're being penalized for holding Indian passports - we need visa for every single country we might want to visit, except maybe Nepal or Bhutan! These days, with our travel schedules - a good chunk of my time is spent in researching visa requirements of different places! At the very least, a standardized process for all countries would have made life much easier! And maybe, a frequent flier visa process could be initiated?? I will admit that sometimes I do envy my American friends who can visit most countries with just their passports - that would be so wonderful!

A parting anecdote - when we decide to move to India, I was ecstatic that for once, there would be no visa issues to deal with! Our house-hunting trip, we landed in Chennai at 3am and drove to Asiana hotel - exhausted, jet lagged! The clerk at the check-in desk kept fiddling with our passports, flipping through the pages randomly, comparing Manasi's US passport with ours - I finally lost patience, and asked him what he was looking for. He apologetically confessed that he needed to see our visas - yes, that's right, the one thing I thought I was getting away from!!! Ajey said later I over-reacted, and the poor man was just doing his job - but the word 'visa' acted like a red flag - I most emphatically stated that we had Indian passports, and as such, we were Indian citizens, free to come and go from our country as we wished, and that no-one better dare ask me for a visa here!! 'Emphatically stated' - who am I kidding - I was yelling a little, if a little actually means a lot. Not my finest hour, but in my defense, I was had been on a flight for over 15 hours, it was the middle of the night, I was tired and I just needed a room - right that very instant!!

To Wuxi tomorrow then - and hopefully, there will no glitches (fingers crossed)!! And maybe I'll even convince Ajey to go to Ikea after we're done...

For my grandparents - on their 64th anniversary!

64 years!! With a mere 14 years of marriage behind me - 64 years seems like forever and then some more!! And yet, here they are - my grandparents, bearing eloquent testimony to the fact that nothing is impossible with a little bit of understanding, compassion and compromise! Yes, compromise - somehow, this word has gathered itself quite an unsavory reputation these days, and most people are under the impression that to compromise is to give in! However, probably the most important thing I have learned from my grandparents, it is that a little compromise can sometimes go a long way towards happiness and peace of mind, an angry retort bitten back can end a quarrel like nothing else can!!

My grandparents - way back then!

25th Feb, 2014 - the 64th anniversary

 Aaji and Aaba (as I call my grandparents) were married at a time when phrases like 'personal space' and 'my time' simply did not exist. The family - a huge sprawling joint family, of course - always came first! My grandfather being the oldest son, was expected to shoulder a lion's share of the household responsibility - and he did so admirably, to the extent of forgoing a college education so he could start earning! And my grandmother was the very engine which powered the entire household - a hundred activities, from dawn to dusk, day in and day out! To hear them talk about those days, is to learn another valuable lesson - a smile on the face of a beloved family member is always priceless, no matter the cost to yourself! It is no wonder that everything my grandparents have ever touched has turned to gold, the more they gave of themselves - the more they received!

Of course, it hasn't been all rosy and shiny - my grandparents have weathered their share of disappointments and misfortune and hard times! And I think their greatest strength has been to face all adversity head-on, to never play the blame-game, and most important - to never give up! Remembering their cheery optimism has helped me get through some of my problems - their pragmatic approach is something I try to emulate every day! And then the good times - what a dazzling bouquet of joyous moments! All their children well-settled and flourishing (how strange it must be to have kids who are grandparents themselves!), grandchildren all married and forging ahead with their lives, and what probably is the greatest gift of all - great-grandchildren to carry their legacy forward! I wonder, when they were starting out, did they ever expect their hard work and sacrifice to yield such a rich dividend? Take a look - the pictures speak volumes!



My mom with her siblings, my uncle and my aunt! The photo is a bit faded, but I love the simple joy of childhood captured forever!

Here they are, all of them grandparents now! Although, I'm sure their parents still see them as the mischievous kids they once were!








And yet more branches of this verdant family tree - my cousins, my sister and I - the grand kids!







And the precious great-grandchildren - the pride and joy of the entire family!

Blessed be the ties that bind generations!

I don't think this is said enough - and I take the liberty of speaking on behalf of the whole family here - we are incredibly proud and fortunate to have Aaji and Aaba standing tall in our lives. If I can manage to live my life with just a little bit of the grace and dignity that my grandparents have always shown, I'll count that among my greatest achievements! I think they are the coolest people ever - sure, given half a chance they'll talk your ear off - but hidden in their stories are the secrets to their contentment - their ability to find happiness in the most unlikely places, their willingness to forgive and forget. After 64 years, they still squabble and argue about the mundane - but their dependence on each other is clear for everyone to see. What an impossibly high bar - and yet, what an inspiring example!

So, Happy Anniversary, Aaji and Aaba, and wishing you many, many more - with love from your grand-daughter!!

A little bit of Feng Shui

Feng Shui was January's flavor of the month here in Golden Lough! A 10 week course condensed into 5 days, taught by a teacher who came down from Shanghai - Feng Shui for Beginners! Very efficiently organized by a couple of ladies from Golden Lough, about 15 of us attended the morning and afternoon sessions - it's been such a while since I've been in a classroom, and I had forgotten how hard it is to sit in one place for a long time! And not just sit - it was of course required to listen, pay attention, take notes and try really hard to keep awake - all at the same time!!! Needless to say, coffee consumption was very high!

So, what is Feng Shui?? Literally, it translates as 'Wind Water', and it is the art and science of living in harmony with your surroundings. Although it is said to have been in practice for over 5000 years ago, it was about 1500 years ago that the principles and elements of Feng Shui were polished and then recorded. The very basic concept is that we are all all surrounded by Qi - Feng Shui provides the tools to analyze and then correct the flow of Qi around us. As with every ancient tradition, Feng Shui too, has many different schools of thought - the most traditional being the Form School, other popular ones are the Compass school and the BTB schools.

Our first week lesson was an introduction to the Form School, and the definition of a perfectly located house - facing south, with a mountain at the back, a river in the front, two trees on either side, with the left one taller than the right. Who wouldn't want to live in such an idyllic spot - except in today's world, are sites like these even available? No fears though - all these 'forms' translate easily into the modern world! In today's concrete jungles, buildings replace mountains and trees, and roads are of course our rivers, flowing incessantly with people and traffic! Form school assigns 4 different animals to the 4 cardinal directions - North is the Turtle, South is the Phoenix, and East and West are the Dragon and Tiger, respectively. So of course, you want the Turtle (a symbol of longevity) to your back, an open space in front of you for the Phoenix to fly freely - and since the Dragon is the Emperor of Heaven, the left ie the East has to be higher than the West's Tiger, who is the King of Earth. Not as scientific as I would have expected - but still keeping an open mind at this point!

The next session explained a lot about Qi - the vital force, the invisible energy that fills everything. Of course, not all Qi is good - and an important part of Feng Shui is recognizing and eliminating sources of stagnant or uncontrolled Qi. Opening windows and clearing clutter are simple ways of restoring the flow of good energy - although that seems to be more good sense than anything else! Intricately linked with the Qi is Yin and Yang - a very popular symbol. Yin and Yang represents the balance of masculine and feminine forces - the moon and the sun, the earth and the heaven. Added to the mix are the 5 elements - Fire, Water, Earth, Wood and Metal - everything can be classified into one of these. Each of these have their unique properties, and also interactions with the other elements - either positive or negative. Again, balance is the key word here!

The Bagua maps are a logical progression from the Yin/Yang and the 5 Element theory. This is basically a square divided into 9 smaller squares - each of the 8 peripheral squares is assigned an element, and a life characteristic. For example, the top middle square is Fire, with the color Red - and it is associated with Fame and Reputation, or the bottom left square is Earth, with the color Blue, associated with the Skills and Knowledge. Using this map is simple - any room can be divided into the 9 squares, the assumption being that the entrance is always on the bottom edge - and then use the Bagua to enhance any particular aspect that might be lacking. To use the previous example, a red lamp or trophies could be placed in the Fame and Reputation corner, or a bookcase with a blue globe could enhance the Skills and Knowledge corner. What is most surprising to me is that there is no reference to the compass here - the cardinal directions play absolutely no role!

Moving on to site selection - this refers a lot to the Form School - and also the shape and size of the lot and the house. This is probably more relevant to someone looking at building a house from scratch, but for those of us who already own a house or rent - pay close attention to the section on remedies for bad Feng Shui! The Outdoor Fengshui - gardens, pools, outdoor plants, trees - led to a very lively discussion! The teacher talked a lot about things being 'ugly' - this included any asymmetry, any straight lines (by the way, straight lines are an absolute no-no), and even manicured lawns! Ideas of beauty obviously vary from person to person - so it was very hard to make sense of this! Not everyone thinks that Chinese classical gardens - like the ones here in Suzhou - are the absolute epitome of beauty! There's a lot to be said for well-laid out, symmetrical beds of flowers, and wide expanses of green grass!!

The Indoor Fengshui was something we had all been waiting for - and here finally, were the compasses! Similar to the Bagua, the entire house can be divided into 9 sectors - 8 directions and the center. Of course, no house layout is an exact square - which leads to the interesting concept of Missing Corners. Each directional corner belongs to a person in the family - for example, the SW corner is Mother, the NW corner is the Father, and the other 6 belong to children - so if the house is L-shaped, and the SW or NW corner is missing, watch out! The person with the Missing Corner is sure to have some deep, dark problems! Also, children's bedrooms in the parents' corner, a daughter in a boy corner or vice versa, children missing their relevant corners - could all lead to the harmony of the family being disturbed! Gloom and doom all around - because, really, the perfect house is almost impossible!

There are rules and complicated calculations for everything - the number of stairs, the width of doorways and dimensions of furniture, shape of rugs, type of pictures and curtains, placement of sofas, coffee tables, desks and plants - just endless! A lot of emphasis on beams - don't sleep under one, don't sit under one, cover up exposed beams with false ceilings, avoid 4 poster beds - now I'm looking for beams wherever I go! Of course, to understand the full scope, it would be necessary to take the Advanced Feng Shui class! The simplest solution to any seemingly unsolvable problem - let it go, ignore it, if it hasn't bothered you so far, it's ok! The last part of the class was Personal Fengshui - a small detour to Chinese Astrology, face reading and palmistry. A Fengshui master would combine all these elements to help straighten out the overall Qi - of course, mastery can take years and years of intense study.

So what did I think of the course? Well, there wasn't enough science for me - a lot of it seemed to be very intuitive and subjective. Granted that this was a very basic introduction - but I didn't get enough to make me a true believer. Our Indian system of Vaastu Shastra relies heavily on the cardinal directions, and the Earth's magnetic field - and the rules seem to be grounded in reason. Not that I know too much about Vaastu, but what little I know and believe, has made sense to me. Of course, if I can change the location of a plant or two, or hang up a new picture because of the Fengshui I've learnt - I'll do it! What's the harm - and in case it does work, well, I've got my bases covered - if only getting a promotion or pay raise was as easy as adding bamboo to your study!

All said and done, this was an interesting piece of Chinese culture to be introduced to! Although I doubt I'll go for the Advanced class, I would definitely like to learn a bit more about Chinese Astrology, or maybe Tai-chi - now that would be so much fun! Couple more years here in China - so much to do, so little time!!

Welcoming the Year of the Horse...

Xin nian kuai le!

Hard on the heels of the 'regular' New Year comes the Chinese New Year - this lunar new year usually falls somewhere in the last week of January or first week of February. Barely 3 weeks separated the 2 New Years this time, and although the Chinese New Year is the longest holiday here in China, and is usually a perfect time to go away on vacation - we still hadn't really settled back fully after our December vacation, so this year, we decided to stay in Suzhou! Besides, everyone gets time off - including our driver and aayi - so if we travel, our little cat has to go to a kennel, and that does not make him very happy!

The story goes that every year, a monster named Nian would come to terrorize the villagers - eating livestock, and sometimes, even children! To scare this monster away, loud firecrackers were set off, and houses decorated with red lanterns and scrolls - the fierce monster was afraid of the color red! This tradition continues to date - most places you go to in China will be a sea of red at the time of the New Year! Houses are decorated with red paper cutouts, and streets are festooned with red Chinese knots and lanterns! The 'fu' character - which kind of looks like a wine bottle - symbolizes luck or prosperity, and is seen everywhere! Now, I can recognize the fu, but what baffled me was that it seemed to be stuck upside down on our Chinese neighbour's house - any guesses why? Well, the Chinese character for 'upside down' sounds very similar to the Chinese character for 'arrive' - so upside down fu signifies arrival of good luck! An 'aha' moment, if ever there was one!

The tradition of setting off firecrackers continues as well! With pollution levels always hovering at 'Unhealthy' levels, I don't know if this really makes sense anymore - but, tradition is tradition, and must be followed, come what may! So New Years Eve is one of the loudest nights here, and the smokiest! The fireworks go on till the wee hours of the morning - and while I was expecting it to bother me, the noise brought back strong memories of Diwali in India! Totally unexpected were the fireworks at midnight on the 5th day of the New Year - these sounded even louder than the New Year ones, and went on until late in the morning! The 5th day is the Money God's birthday, and firecrackers are used to attract his attention and welcome him home - sounds a bit like our Laxmi pooja, doesn't it? Still not done - the 7th day of the festival is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, who is the ruler of the heavens - birthday celebration, bring on the fireworks, of course!

Canals of Suzhou

With the aayi on vacation, a large chunk of my time was spent in the kitchen - but thankfully, that was not all that I did! We got one really, really beautiful day here - almost felt like winter was over - perfect day to explore the ancient district of Suzhou, specifically Shi Lu and Shantang Jie. In fact, Shantang Jie is known as the No. 1 Ancient Street in China! Like many places in China, this area is a curious mix of the old and the new! Newer malls, the ubiquitous McDonald's and Metro stations rub shoulders with stone bridges and houses that look like they are centuries old! The famous canals and waterways of Suzhou are also found here - and a boat ride is among the top attractions, even though the water is indescribably filthy! The usual silk and souvenir shops line the narrow streets, as well as plenty of little tea houses and eateries! There is plenty of history here, and I would definitely like to go back when it's a little quieter, to appreciate the beauty a little more!

The Shanghai Science and Tech Museum has been on our list for the longest time - so one day, we took the train to Shanghai, and spent a day at the museum! It is really convenient to take the train from Suzhou to Shanghai - trains run quite regularly, every hour or so - and the journey is really short, a mere 25 minutes! Once in Shanghai, the awesome metro connectivity will take you wherever you wish to go! The Science and Tech Museum in Shanghai has a little bit of everything - younger kids will enjoy the Spectrum of Life and Animal Kingdom exhibits, especially the African animals exhibit, which was really awesome! The Light of Exploration section had some interesting displays about quantum theory and nanosciences - but Manasi was quickly bored here! To commemorate the Year of the Horse, there was a special exhibit to learn about everything equine - that I really enjoyed!

Where's the water coming from?

Most other sections - including the much anticipated World of Robots and Space Exploration - were kind of flat, except one! We all agreed that this section was the best of all - the Light of Wisdom section! Here a variety of interactive experiments had been setup - what a fun way to learn basic principles of Science! The displays were all innovative - my favorite was the giant faucet apparently suspended in mid-air, with water gushing out into a sink! Where is that water coming from? Put your observation skills to the test - the solution is actually quite simple! This was the last section we visited before the museum closed, and I really wish we had gone there first - would have made the day so much more interesting! The museum also has 3 Imax theatres - even a 4D one - but all shows are in Chinese! That was a bit surprising - I would have expected at least a couple of shows in English! The added attraction at the museum is actually not in the museum - rather, right across from it! AP Plaza, a huge shopping complex located right in the Metro station for the Science and Tech Museum. The perfect place to get all souvenir and gift shopping done, AP Plaza also has some good clothing stores and tailors (in the market for a suit?)! Real easy to spend a couple of hours, or even the whole day here! Be prepared to bargain hard - the asking prices are way beyond ridiculous!!

The rest of the week passed surprisingly quickly - a lot of puttering around the house, huge meals, and of course perfect for rainy days, afternoon naps! Ajey and I spent an afternoon figuring out travel plans for the rest of the year - looks like it's going to be another exciting year! School will start in couple more days, and soon this lazy week will be but a memory! So before we all get back to our routines, a New Year wish - may the Year of the Horse bring you joy, prosperity and good luck! Xin nian kuai le!!