Dubai Diary III

Did I say Dubai shopping was done??? I did say I was saving the best for the last - the most valuable thing that can be bought in Dubai is, of course - wait for it - gold!! An endless stream of 70s Bollywood films have depicted smugglers bringing in 'Dubai ka sona' - and though the situation has changed somewhat, gold still remains the number one purchase of most Indians traveling to Dubai! An entire marketplace is dedicated to this glittering metal - the Gold Souk located in the historic, ancient Deira region of Dubai. The Gold Souk is not a mall, but rather a market with a vast number of shops selling gold jewellery. The jewellery is typically in the Arabic fashion, although there are quite a few stores that sell Indian designs. 18 karat gold is usually used for the ornaments - for pure gold, look for the 24 karat gold bars! The sheer amount of gold on display is good reason to make the trip to the Gold Souk!! The pictures speak volumes - all that glitters, is most assuredly gold here in Dubai!

If it is diamonds rather than gold that makes your heart beat a little faster, head to the Gold and Diamond Park, conveniently located on Sheik Zayed Road. Certainly more upscale than the Gold Souk, but with probably just as many stores specializing in diamonds and other precious stones. What a mind-boggling variety of jewellery to choose from! Workshops for all the jewellers are located right in the premises, so sizing for rings or anything else is not a problem - customer service at its best!! I didn't think that the price of diamonds was any lower than anywhere else, but the lower price of gold might just drop the price of the jewellery. Besides, this was the best selection of designs in diamond I have ever seen - impossible to resist! Of course, just like in the Gold Souk, it is customary to bargain - and while there won't be any dramatic discounts, a good deal will be found by those who seek!

Atlantis the Palm

As I previously mentioned in Dubai Diary I, we spent 3 days of our vacation at the Atlantis. Besides being the only hotel/resort on the Palm Jumeirah, the Atlantis is a famous tourist destination and landmark in its own right! The Aquaventure Waterpark is probably the biggest in Dubai, and is definitely worth spending a day here enjoying the adrenalin rush of the thrilling rides, or just meander lazily along the River that winds its way across the park.

The highlight of our stay - hands down - was the visit to to Dolphin Bay! Talk of once-in-lifetime opportunities - getting a chance to swim with dolphins ranks way up there for me! With a group of 6 other people, Manasi and I, suitably wet-suited, spent about half hour in the lagoon with a very well-trained dolphin! Fascinating creatures these - ours had a scarred back, souvenirs from a shark attack and a boat propeller, before he was rescued! And I got to kiss the dolphin too - nothing like the doggy and kitty kisses I'm used to - this was, well, like kissing a fish - cold and clammy! Yes, I know, dolphins are not fish - but still! The jury is still out on whether the whole experience was worth the exorbitant charge we paid - but hey, dolphins, is that amazing or what??!!

The one thing we whole-heartedly enjoyed in Dubai was the food! Rajasthani food at Maanwar, chikoo milkshakes at Haji-Ali, sev-puri at Bikanerwala - I could go on forever! The best, in my opinion, was this Arabian restaurant, Arabiska - on the Dubai Marina, outdoor seating, great food and atmosphere! Perfect way to spend an afternoon! Interestingly, none of the restaurants in Dubai serve alcohol - unless they are part of a residential hotel. Good thing, too - considering the zero-tolerance policy on drinking and driving!! The bar scene is pretty active, though - take a cab, or assign someone to be the designated driver!And of course, no drinking in public places!

 What really elevated this vacation for us was the company of great friends - and not just any friends! SB is probably Ajey's first ever friend - they've known each other since before kindergarten! As SB so appropriately said - "I don't remember a time when I didn't know Ajey!"!! How many of us have that - that easy familiarity, the amazing comfort level, the years of shared memories??!! And what incredible hosts SB and his wife PB were - they were with us almost every evening, spending as much time as possible with us, driving us places, taking us out to eat! Truly, the best times in Dubai were the ones we spent together, just chilling at their place, Manasi and A playing together, Ajey and SB cooking breakfast while the ladies enjoyed a cup of tea!! So if you're reading this, SB and PB, start planning your China trip - can't wait to see you again!

The best mirror is an old friend...

So that's it then, our time in Dubai is up! As with most places, I felt we barely scratched the surface - and I left with a 'for-next-time' list longer than my arm!! And as if Dubai weren't enough, there's Abu Dhabi and Sharjah barely an hour's drive away - both with their own unique attractions! I will say this, though - Dubai is an extremely easy place for a vacation! The usual impediments of language and food don't exist here, the public transport is good, and there's plenty of ways to spend your time (and money)!! One thing to keep in mind - behind the very Western facade and cosmopolitan air, beats a heart of strong Middle Eastern sensibilities!! So what are you waiting for - go ahead, book your tickets - the ever glittering Dubai awaits you!

Dubai Diary II

The wait is over - the next installment of Dubai Diary is here!! I'm going to mix it up a little in this post - instead of doing a blow-by-blow account of our time in Dubai, I'm going to write about the must-sees and must-dos in Dubai, and my impressions about the ones that I actually saw and did! That way, not only will I save myself the trouble of thinking up a bunch of new opening phrases - using 'and then we...' does get really monotonous, doesn't it? - but, I also don't have to worry about being chronologically correct all the time! With the added benefit, that this will (hopefully) make for a crisper, more interesting post! Win-win all around, the way I look at it!

First of all, a little background about Dubai. For the longest time, I've thought of Dubai in the vaguest terms - everyone knows it is in the Middle East, but is it a city or a country or maybe both like Singapore, exactly what is Dubai?? Well, Dubai is neither a city or a country - but an emirate, which means a kingdom, and is ruled by a Sheik. The country it belongs to is the UAE - United Arab Emirates, which is a federation of 7 Emirates, the most prominent being Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Traditionally, the Sheik of Abu Dhabi is the President of the UAE, and the Vice-President position belongs to the Sheik of Dubai. Made me feel so much better to know all this - one more nugget of information to use when I'm in the hot seat of KBC!! Anyway, moving on...

Desert Safari

One thing you cannot miss in Dubai is the Desert Safari! There are a number of companies to choose from, and most hotels will also arrange this for you. We had booked with Oasis Palm Tours, chosen absolutely at random, nevertheless, I would definitely recommend going with them! We were picked up very punctually at our hotel, and then it was about an hour's drive out to the desert. The desert is absolutely gorgeous - literally a sea of sand, tinted pinkish golden by the sun, the sand dunes like frozen waves, a few bushes struggling to keep their heads up. Barren desolation, yes - but also, breathtakingly beautiful!

Dune bashing is the main attraction of these tours - riding over the immense sand dunes in a 4WD Land Cruiser - felt like an out-of-control, unpredictable roller-coaster! To be very honest, while the novelty made it fun - sand spraying over the windows, the sudden dips and turns - I was quite happy when we were done! Quick stop to take pictures and maybe have a go at sand boarding, and then we were off the campsite for the rest of the evening. We were served coffee/tea and snacks (what else - samosas and pakoras!) - and various forms of entertainment like a henna counter, a little stall where you could try on authentic Bedouin clothes for a photo, a hookah corner, camel rides - almost like a little fairground! The barbecue dinner was decent - plenty of vegetarian food (mostly Indian) and a good mix of Western and Arabic food. The highlight of the evening was the belly dancing and the twirling dance (don't remember the name, unfortunately!) - really great way to end the evening! If only it hadn't got that cold...

Image courtesy: wikipedia

Next on the list is undoubtedly the Burj Khalifa - the tallest man-made structure in the world! My fear of heights notwithstanding, I can never resist going up to the observation decks of these tall towers! Keep in mind, that tickets to go up to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa can and should be booked in advance for a particular day and time-slot. Not only is this cheaper, but limited availability makes it almost impossible to get tickets at the last minute. I really loved the interactive display in the lobby which placed the Burj Khalifa amidst the skylines of various other cities, for a side-by-side comparison with other famous towers! The observation deck, however - didn't really live up to expectations! For one thing, the Burj Khalifa absolutely towers over the rest of the Dubai - so the view from the top is the desert on one side, and the network of roads and the sea on the other - nothing really spectacular! The celebrated 'Palm' islands cannot be seen clearly, neither can the 'World Map' islands. 10 minutes at the top, and I was done! They do have interesting displays about the actual construction of the building, and the engineering that has gone in to make this tower feasible - that was pretty cool! I won't say give it a miss, but realistically, a check on the list is all that should be expected here!!

Shadow of the Burj Khalifa

At the base of the Burj Khalifa is the Dubai Mall - can this be anything other than the biggest mall in the world? Dubai is known to be a shopping heaven - and I've always wondered what people buy here! Yes, Dubai Mall is huge - why, it even boasts of an ice rink and a whale of an aquarium - but at the end of the day, isn't it just like any other mall? Restaurants and name-brand stores - seriously, what do people buy here? Another big attraction in Dubai is the Mall of Emirates - the USP here is an entire ski resort smack dab in the middle of the mall! Now this has to be seen to be believed - ski runs with chair lifts and all, sledding and tobogganing for kids, and temperatures of -3degC. There are a number of restaurants overlooking this winter wonderland, so you can have a leisurely meal, and pretend you're in Switzerland!

The Dubai Mall and Mall of Emirates are the two biggest malls in Dubai, but that's not the end of the list! I have never been much of a mall person - window shopping is definitely not my thing! So here's what I would recommend - after you've mall-hopped to your heart's content, head to the Karama Center market for some real shopping! This place is not as posh as some of the other malls, but here you will find everything you need to take back from your vacation - mainly, clothes, souvenirs like magnets and replicas of the Burj Khalifa and even gold (more about that later)!! I was delighted to find a store which sold T-shirts with the logos of different IPL cricket teams - perfect gifts for my little nephews!

Spice market at Global Village

To round off the shopping in Dubai, Global Village cannot be missed! This is a huge outdoor world market which runs 6 months of the year - vendors from different countries set up their stalls with national specialities. Handicrafts, food, jewellery, clothes - everything under the sun! Most of the Middle East is represented here, India has one of the largest booths and there is a sprinkling of European and other Asian countries. Conspicuously absent is the USA booth - no surprises there! I absolutely regret not buying saffron here - this is the first time in my life that I have seen enormous piles of saffron - oh the fragrance! The spice markets were also quite interesting - huge sticks of cinnamon, almost looked like small tree trunks! Ironically, most of our shopping was in the India booth!

Shopping done, what's next? The best is yet to come - with yet another installment of the Dubai Diary! What's that proverb - good things come to those who wait? So don't miss the third and final Dubai post - coming very soon! Signing off until then!!

Dubai Diary I

Ajey has always, always wanted to go to Dubai! It would have been a really easy trip to make while we were living in India, but for some reason or the other, we never got around to it. Of course, once we moved to China, Dubai got right back on the top of the bucket list - no excuses this time! It's very convenient to get to Dubai from Shanghai - Emirates flies directly to Dubai, 3 times a week. So what's the problem? Well, the Emirates flight is a tad on the pricey side - about $1800 per head - there goes my entire budget, just on airline tickets!!! Besides, I also wanted a week in India - and trying to work that with Emirates wasn't really straightforward!

Good old Air India to the rescue! We managed to get reasonable deals to fly to Delhi - wait a few hours in the airport, and then get on the first flight to Dubai with SpiceJet. The return tickets clinched the deal - fly directly from Dubai to Pune (how great is that!) and then back on Air India for Pune-Delhi-Shanghai! The pricing worked out great too! So here's my 'Tip of the day' - people planning vacations to Dubai from China - give Emirates a pass, check out Shanghai-Delhi-Dubai on Air India! Anyway, first step, tickets - done! Dubai, here we come!

But wait - not so fast! Manasi, courtesy of her US passport, didn't need a visa - but Ajey and I, as always, had to figure out the paperwork! And did we have a couple of anxious moments! The good thing is that you can apply online or through an agency - but the UAE Embassy does not issue tourist visas directly. Even the online has to be through an agency! Now here's the big advantage to flying Emirates - the airline will process your visa hassle-free! We soon found that all hotels will process the visa, provided you are staying with them - that seems pretty easy, right! Well, where's the fun of planning a vacation without a little tension?!! Out of 5 nights in Dubai, we were to stay 3 nights at the Atlantis, and spend the remaining two with a close friend of Ajey's. Interestingly, our hotel informed us that they would process our visa only for the number of days we were to stay with them! Then, we could apply for an extension - for an additional cost, of course! Seriously, I think I need to write a separate post about all our weird visa experiences! Anyway, all's well that ends well - after all the fuss, when we finally got the visa, it was for 6 weeks! Okay, now, Dubai - here we come!!

Once we had the visas in hand, excitement levels soared! And this actually has to be some kind of record - I was packed, my suitcases in the foyer - 3 days before our flight!! The wait in the Delhi airport wasn't too bad - we were there at about 3am, but we did find a couple of empty benches for a quick snooze - brought back memories of traveling from India to USA with flight changes in Europe!! Surprisingly, could not find a decent cup of tea in the whole airport - all restaurants serve the dip-dip teas - and I do need my chai in the morning! Delhi - India - masala chai?? Well, only at railway stations, apparently!! Oh well, I would have settled for a cup of Chennai-style filter coffee, but although we managed to get a good masala dosa for breakfast, not even a whiff of the aromatic coffee!!

Outside the Dubai airport

Flight to Dubai was cool - flying over the Hindukush mountains, and then Pakistan and Iran - added a little bit of spice to the otherwise uneventful flight! Dubai airport, too, was very uneventful - when you think Dubai, you think big, jazzy, bright - the current airport is almost subdued! I did hear that a new airport is under construction, maybe that will live up to the Dubai glitz! Finding a taxi is really easy - vans designated as special airport taxis, big enough for all your luggage, all metered - so getting to your hotel anywhere in Dubai is not a problem!

First impressions - besides the bright sun, and the bleached sky, of course - Dubai is a curiously flat city. One main road, almost a highway leading from the airport into the heart of Dubai, and then onwards to Abu Dhabi, one elevated track for the Metro parallel to the road - no criss-crossing flyovers, pedestrian bridges or train bridges overhead -very different from most other big cities! The Arabic architecture is very much in evidence, and the skyscrapers seem to be scattered around instead of being bunched together in what usually is the downtown area! Huge hoardings of the Sheiks of Dubai and Abu Dhabi line the road, along with some very well-known faces - Bollywood stars advertising a variety of things!

Lobby of the Atlantis

The Atlantis lobby, very beautiful, very spacious - was absolutely packed with people as we waited to check in. Very interesting place to people watch - the mix of nationalities was unbelievable, the large number of Indians even more so! The other unbelievable thing was that this 5-star resort did not have free Wi-Fi, not even in the lobby or breakfast areas! Seriously, after paying upwards of $600 per night, free Wi-Fi should be a no-brainer! On principle, I refuse to pay for this very basic service - so even with all the electronics we were traveling with, we were effectively cut off from the world for the duration of our stay! A month later, still can't get over it - no Wi-Fi, honestly!!

Lunch at The Burger Joint

Normally, when staying at resort like this, it is very hard to get to the city to look for places to eat. Most resorts do have a wide variety of restaurants, but most of these are usually too fancy when all you need is a quick sandwich for lunch! The Atlantis, though, in addition to being a resort, also has a Water Park open to non-residents - and the entrance to this park has a number of delightful eateries - pizzas, burgers, yogurt, even crepes! For dinner we were to go out with our friend, SB and his family - where else, an Indian restaurant! As we drove there, I was struck by the number of restaurants that we passed - from the British Nando's to the American Chilis to our very own Sarvana Bhavan - Dubai seems to be a heaven for foodies! Even the Indian places - everything from pav-bhaji and chaat, to regional specialties, to the celebrity owned restaurants - a place for every palate and wallet!!!

The temperatures dropped sharply in the evening, and even with a sweater on, it was quite chilly - even the ocean breezes had a bite to them! Busy couple of days coming up - the must-do things in Dubai, the Desert Safari, and the Dolphin Swim, and of course the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa! Although, very typically, I have rambled on too long, and these exciting Dubai adventures must wait for my next post! So don't go anywhere - I'll be back soon with the next installment of Dubai Diary!

'Bollywood Dreams' - the FoD Annual Charity Ball

My last post painted a dreary picture of our life here in China - but it's most certainly not all gloom and doom over here! I, for one, have a great deal of fun - weekend parties with friends, shopping trips to Shanghai, activities in school, and always, the exotic vacations to look forward to! Just last month, we were at a fabulous soiree - the Friends of Dulwich Annual Charity Ball!

A little background about the Friends of Dulwich - this society has been created mainly to bring Dulwich parents together - if you have a child at Dulwich College Suzhou, you're automatically a member! The goal is to increase parent involvement in the school, and also through various fund raising activities, give back a little to the local community! There is an elected committee - all the members are parents who are serving in a purely voluntary capacity. Volunteers are, of course, always welcome to help out with the myriad activities happening all-year round. The 2 main events organized at the school - the first, International Day and the second, the reason for this post - The Annual Charity Ball!

The word 'Ball' always brings to mind images of glass slippers and elaborate masks, champagne and caviar, waltzing under the stars - all very romantic, true, but definitely something that I would steer far, far away from! Last year, by the time I found out about the Ball, it was too late to get tickets - so we didn't go. Everyone we know went, however - and there was plenty of excitement about getting gowns made, tuxedos being ordered - just listening to all the talk was a bit intimidating, I have to admit I was secretly relieved about not going!!

This year, I knew we would go - so it was with some trepidation that I waited for the announcement - and somehow, just like that, all my fears were gone! The theme was announced - and it was, wait for it - Bollywood!!! Talk of comfort zones, I was smack dab in the middle of mine!!! I knew exactly what I was going to wear, I had the jewellery to match - never before had dressing for a party been that easy!!! What made it better is that I was able to offer some of my non-Indian friends 'costumes' to wear - my sarees, collected over the last dozen years, finally being put to good use! We had a try-a-saree afternoon - for me, a great kick-off to what I knew was going to be a great event!!!

Next in line was Bollywood dancing - we have a very talented lady here in Suzhou, well versed in both Bharatnatyam and Kathak, and she ran a dance workshop intended to familiarize people with Bollywood song and dance. She was also going to put on a number of dance items at the Ball, and was planning to train a few women for that purpose too! I'm certainly no dancer - and by the way, just for the record - being Indian does not necessarily mean that you are an expert on Bollywood dance - or yoga! Anyway, I still showed up at the first session - and I found out that I was actually capable of gracefully moving my hands, or my feet - just not together at the same time!! I'm definitely no dancer!!! 

While most of us were having so much fun, the committee members had their noses to the grindstone - the amount of work that goes into putting on a event like this is unimaginable! I'm sure the logistics were mind boggling - selecting the venue, deciding the entrance fee, printing and selling tickets, food, decorations, entertainment - and these are just the things that are visible!! My friends were part of the decoration team, and I got a chance to see them at work - and their efforts were nothing short of genius! The creativity and ingenuity - ordering ordinary items from taobao, and then transforming them into flashy centerpieces, yards and yards of fabric to be use as chair bows and drapes, tons of flowers and votives, Bollywood posters - gold stickers, glitter, lace, glue guns, and a lot of manpower (or should it be womanpower?!). There was also archways to be made - one for the entrance, one for the photo booth - and this involved sawing and nailing wood, mixing concrete, lot of foam board for the decoration - what a tremendous job!!

The entrance archway

Baby elephant masterpiece - created from wire and flowers!

The decorated and ready ballroom

After all the hard work and anxieties - will there be enough centerpieces, will the archway hold up, to name a few - the Day of the Ball! I had a few anxieties of mine - I certainly had offered to dress my friends, but was I up to the task? Thankfully, the sarees all co-operated, and we were ready to leave by 6pm. The venue was the Hotel Kempinski - not too far from us! I had initially thought I was a bit too blingy, but as we walked into the ballroom, it was obvious that tonight there was no such thing as too much bling!! The photo booth was the first stop after registration - and I was glad to see my Chennai brass lamps add just the right touch of authenticity! Cocktail hour with much oohing and aahing followed - and then finally it was time to find our seats in the beautiful ballroom!!

The 'official' photo!

The dance show that kicked off the evening was amazing - it was quite a revelation to see the performers going all out with all the jhatkas and matkas! Free flowing beer and wine at the table - surprisingly, the wine was terrible, more vinegar than wine! The buffet soon opened - there was a large selection of entrees, both Indian and Western - like the wine, the food was nothing to write home about! They did have quite a few vegetarian options, so at least, it wasn't just salad and dessert! Then of course, there were sponsors to be thanked, and raffle tickets to be drawn, a few party games - and one last dance number, the current favorite - 1,2,3,4, Get on the dance floor! With that everyone was on the dance floor - the DJ was from Shanghai, and he played a lot of our favorite Hindi songs, so we danced the night away!

 

 

Going crazy on the dance floor!

What a night! I guess this was my first Ball and I literally had a ball!!! Honestly speaking, I think Ajey and I probably enjoyed it a lot more than some of the other guests - Indian dress, Indian food, Indian dance - this party was tailor made for us!! Now if only they would do this same theme every year....I know, I know - wishful thinking!! Nevertheless, one thing is certain - we'll be back, no matter what the theme!!! Until later, signing off!

A 'Hardship' Assignment

Our company sends its employees to far-flung places on the globe - these international assignments (ISEs) are a great stepping stone for careers, and also bring with them the opportunity to experience different cultures, to explore beyond comfort zones. I, personally, have enjoyed all our ISEs - China is our third - and frankly, the prospect of 'settling down', being a 'regular' person rather than an expat, is not something I'm looking forward to!

It is always a challenge to settle in a new place - some places maybe be a tad more challenging than others, and China and India have the dubious honour of falling into this latter category! Assignments to these countries are known as 'hardship' assignments - there's certainly no sugarcoating there, you know what you're getting into. Greater hardship also brings with it bigger perks, of course - more vacation, lavish homes, maids and drivers - you name it! When we accepted our India assignment, I was almost bubbling over with the irony - I would have given my right hand and foot to be able to live in India, and here I was being offered extra incentives because of the 'hardship'!!

Realistically speaking, though, India is certainly a difficult country to move to. Even for me, the first few months were really hard - the extremes of poverty, the resigned, lackadaisical attitudes of people, the rampant corruption - every day brings a new challenge! Even worse, living in India forces you to change, and not in a nice way. The first time you see a child begging at a street light, it hits hard in the gut - after a few months, that child has faded away, blended into the scenery. And this is just the beginning. As much as I hate to admit it, the indifference and callousness bleeds into the soul - and it made me a harder person, less sympathetic, more likely to turn a blind eye. Yes, the infrastructure is terrible, the heat is unbearable, nobody seems to work without a bribe - but the real hardship in India is the struggle to keep the conscience alive, to be kind, and above all, to be grateful. Simple things - but the most difficult! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat - in spite of what I've said, India is and will always remain, Home! And even for the other expats - India, with all its contradictions, invariably makes a lasting impression!

At first sight, China is so very much like a Western country - the huge freeways, the skyscrapers, the shopping malls, everything clean and shiny and new! Of course, behind the veneer is a communist regime, but that doesn't really impact my day-to-day life here! The language is a bit of a problem, but it's fairly easy to learn rudimentary Mandarin. The people are friendly, hardworking and eager to please. Sometimes, it seems like the biggest hardship is not having a car to get around every day! And yet, 'hardship' assignment! Of course, we were always being warned about washing fruits and vegetables carefully, and there was the big avian flu scare just a few months ago - but overall, things didn't seem to be too bad!

Until about a couple of weeks ago, when I revised all my opinions about China being a 'hardship country'. The air quality has never been the best here, and a combination of the winter cold and increase in coal burning caused a deadly smog to descend on the entire Jiangsu province. The Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered at over 450 for more than 10 days - to put this in perspective, the WHO recommends that 0 to 50 is the acceptable range of AQI - we were being forced to breathe in 10 times as many pollutants!! Most of us expats have our air purifiers running around the clock at home - but that is hardly any consolation when I have to let Manasi walk out to the school bus, and then spend the whole day at school! The students are not let outside to play, of course, but Dulwich College is taking a step further and having purifiers installed in all the classrooms!

The very idea of the air you breathe being 'hazardous' is preposterous - but it is the harsh reality here in China. This goes beyond any imaginable 'hardship', and what makes it worse is the knowledge that we are here voluntarily! I don't even pretend to understand the damage this is causing to our environment - the planet is literally choking, and there doesn't seem to be any respite coming! On a personal front, I dare not think of the long-term effects of this pollution on my family's health, and can only hope that once we leave, our respiratory systems will slowly recover! For now, the only solution is to stay indoors as much as possible - we're even considering buying masks if the situation does not improve. It is difficult to understand the high spikes in AQI - the number fluctuates quite a bit. This is the first time since we got here that it has stayed so high for so long - and I don't know if it's going to ever so bad again! The most we can hope for is a 'Unhealthy' AQI, numbers less than 200 - and I'll count myself lucky if it stays in that range as long as we are here!

Today, after 2 weeks, Suzhou has sunshine, and almost-blue skies. The AQI is getting better, the smog dissipating slowly! Fresh air is on the way - until then, stay indoors, breathe safe, all my China friends!

Back to Beijing - Part II

Continued from Back to Beijing - Part I!

The main attraction of Beijing awaited us the next day - the Great Wall! We hadn't made any reservations for a taxi to go to Mutianyu, but once again, we lucked out! Couple of nights ago, as we were finishing dinner at the Chinese restaurant, we met a travel agent who had a van and a guide available for us at a very decent price - a much better deal than what I had got last time! We were to have the van for the whole day, and the guide would take us to the Summer Palace after we were done with the Great Wall!

After a couple of really smoggy days, I was worried that we might not get a good view of the Wall - but surprisingly, we woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. Not that I was complaining, but where exactly did all those heavy pollutants go - or did we breathe all that junk in, clearing the air??!!! Anyway, it was a perfect day to visit the Great Wall. At Mutianyu, we took the cable car up - don't want a repeat of last time! And what a glorious time we had - we walked and walked, even braving a steep upward flight of over 400 steps! Couldn't believe how great Manasi did - she matched Ajey step for step, both of them leaving me far behind! I did make it all the way up - just took my own time getting there!  And it is not just a walk - every step on the Great Wall resonates with history and a sense of grandeur! A true 'Wonder of the World'!!

Ajey hit a new high with the camera here - these pictures are probably the funnest pictures we have ever taken!

On the way down, another part of the vacation - shopping for souvenirs! Here, we were reminded again why we don't usually hire guides. So far, on the trip, the guide was no value added - and now, he didn't want us to buy anything in the little souvenir stalls, because no doubt, he intended to take us to some fancy place, where we would pay exorbitant prices for almost the same things! He even had a place picked out for us to eat 'Peking Duck' and was visibly disappointed on learning that we were vegetarians, and would prefer a Subway sandwich! He then mentioned that he wanted to show us a couple of places before we headed back to Beijing - red flags going up everywhere!

The first place he took us to was a cloisonne workshop and showroom. Cloisonne is the technique of decoration metal objects - usually copper - with enamel. The design is laid out onto the object with very thin wire, and then the 'compartments' are painstakingly filled in with different colors, and then fired in a kiln. A very labor intensive process to produce vibrantly beautiful pieces! I enjoyed seeing the workers in their shops, and all the different stages of the production - but the showroom left me cold. So obviously overpriced, so much of a tourist trap - luckily Ajey and I are now seasoned enough to walk out of such places without feeling obligated to buy something!! I'll admit that the next place he suggested was something I was looking forward to - a silk factory! This, too, was a letdown however. I don't claim to be an expert on silk, but I do have a general idea on how much a silk tie should cost - and when that is off by a large factor, there is no reason to trust the prices of bigger items like the quilts and bedspreads! The worst part is, the guide refused to leave until long after we were done - I'm guessing that he got his commission only if his clients spent x minutes in the store. Now I'm not against someone making some extra money, I only wish he had been upfront about it!

Finally, we were off to the Summer Palace - this again is a large campus filled with gardens and lakes. The largest lake, Kunming lake, is artificial, and the excavated soil was used to create the Longevity Hill, on which the actual Palace and other buildings are located. The whole structure was meant as a 60th birthday gift for the mother of Emperor Qianlong, who also last renovated the Temple of Heaven. More Chinese symbolism - the lake is shaped like a giant bat, and the hill like a peach (wait, do I have it backwards - can't remember!) - peach for long life, and bat for happiness! By the way, when I say 'bat', I mean the nocturnal animal - not a cricket or baseball bat! As we walked onto the Summer Palace grounds, front and centre, tethered to one side of the lake, was a huge rubber duck. Totally confounded me - wikipedia to the rescue - this giant rubber duck was created by sculptor Florentijn Hofman, and was part of a world tour called 'Spreading happiness around the world'. Supposed to invoke happy childhood memories! I'm not really sure what I thought of this - didn't invoke any memories for me, and it looked a little, well, out of place. I don't really get modern art!

Just like at the Forbidden City, a one-way walking path had been created to get to Longevity Hill. Normally, I would have welcomed the chance to walk around the lake through the beautiful gardens - but the thought of pushing through the jostling crowd was not very appealing, so we decided to take the dragon boat. Besides, how pretty were these boats! It had been a long day, so after admiring the 'Marble Boat' - no, it doesn't float, just a pleasure pavilion in the shape of a boat - and walking through the endless, aptly named 'Long Corridor', we were done! Although a pleasure palace, the Summer Palace has a place in history as the last residence of  the 'Dragon Lady', Empress Cixi - the last empress of China! Lots of stories in these whispering woods!

View of the Summer Palace from the lake

Dragon boat to cross the lake

Marble boat

'Long' corridor

The sun was setting right as were leaving, and the sunset was absolutely gorgeous! The outline of a pagoda against the sky, the waters of the lake turning a molten gold - there was no walking away! Also got our last crazy capture - I better watch out - I'm getting hooked too!!

Next morning, before check out, we ventured out for one last time onto Wangfujing Avenue - and found a delightful market just minutes away from our hotel. More souvenirs, yay!! Just a few steps away, the food vendors were setting up for breakfast and lunch. No stinky tofu this early in the morning, but such an assortment of odd creatures waiting to be eaten - what could be more outrageous than entire crabs, you say? How about starfish and scorpions with a side of sea horses??!! I don't really get it - how much meat can there be on that tiny, bony sea horse? Besides, aren't they endangered or something?? Oh well, you can never say 'Now I've seen it all' in China - the next surprise is just around the corner!

And so it was back to Suzhou! Another memorable vacation done! On a personal note, I did get all the posts done - and although I enjoy reliving all the fun stuff as I write, it is a relief to put Golden Week behind me! Signing off now!!

Back to Beijing - Part I

Last weekend of Golden Week - and we were off to Beijing! Truth be told, we almost didn't make it - train tickets sold out at an alarming rate, much faster than I had anticipated - but after juggling some dates and booking plane tickets for one leg of the journey, thankfully, everything fell into place! Flying out of Hongqiao airport is easy - only about an hour away from Suzhou, this is a comparatively small airport - which means less waiting time!

Beijing airport, on the other hand, is vast - it does serve the capital of the nation, after all! As we queued up for a cab to the hotel, we encountered something unexpected - we were five, 4 adults and Manasi, and apparently Manasi doesn't count as a 'kid' anymore - so we had to split up into 2 taxis, which led to a small logistics problem. Obviously, Kaka and Kaku couldn't go off by themselves, and the thought of Manasi and I setting off on our own didn't go down well with Ajey - in the end, I rode with Kaka and Kaku, and Ajey and Manasi took the second cab. Granted this wasn't my first time in Beijing, but I hadn't really taken taxis anywhere the last time, so I was a bit jittery - in any case, we made it to the hotel without incident!

Looking for hotels, I was amused to find that the last Beijing hotel I stayed at - the one which hadn't really made me happy - is actually a 'courtyard hotel', and a stay at one of these is a must for the true 'Beijing experience'! Well, you know what, been there, done that - can I have a nice 'brand' hotel this time around, please? We love the Crowne Plaza in Suzhou, and our stay in Xi'an really made us fans - and since there is a Crowne Plaza right off Wangfujing Avenue, I ended my search happily! True, this CP is a bit older than the our shiny Suzhou one, but the hospitality and guest services remain the same! In fact, as we waited for our rooms to get ready, they kept handing us coupons for free drinks to apologize for the delay - Ajey and Kaka managed to have free beers for all 3 days of our stay here!

After lunch and a short rest, we set off towards Tiananmen Square - an easy 20 minute walk from the hotel. It was curiously foggy - but it was neither cold, nor was it the right time of day for a fog - much to our dismay, the thick soupy air was the infamous Beijing pollution! Seriously? Air pollution that is visible?? It didn't seem to deter the heavy crowds of people on Wangfujing Avenue! Even the brightly lit Tiananmen Square could not dispel the gloomy fog! We did walk around the whole square, though! From gate to gate - Tiananmen in the north to Qianmen in the south - with Mao Zedong's Mausoleum and the Monument to the People's Heroes smack dab in the middle of the Square! My pictures are all foggy - but blame the air quality, not the photographer! Also, at Qianmen Gate, we took the first crazy pictures of this vacation - this soon became an ongoing theme!

Tiananmen Gate

Monument to People's Heroes

Mao Zedong's Mausoleum

Qianmen Gate - and the picture that started it all!

The walk back to the hotel felt like it was miles - of course, we still had to figure out a place for dinner. We had earlier toyed with the idea of finding an Indian restaurant, but nobody was in the mood to brave the Beijing traffic and air once again! In a pinch, McDonald's is acceptable for a quick lunch - but for, dinner? Nah! We decided to gamble a bit and headed to the lantern festooned Chinese restaurant right opposite our hotel - well, it was either that or McD's...so there weren't many complaints! Most unexpectedly, this humble restaurant served us a vegetarian feast - dumplings, noodles, fried rice and fried potatoes!

Manasi with her audio guide

Another culinary surprise awaited us in the morning - the breakfast buffet included idli-wada-sambhar and chhole-paratha! Unreal, right?! Indian food for breakfast at a American chain hotel in China! Needless to say, my foodie husband was the happiest person in the room! We headed back to the Square, this time to walk through Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City. The crowds were unbelievable! I remembered standing in line at a single counter to buy tickets. This time around, to handle the large number of visitors, over 50 ticket counters had been opened up - and there were people queuing at each and every one! Inside, too, large sections had been cordoned off, creating a sort of one way street- no backtracking!The air quality wasn't any better today, and the sheer number of people a bit daunting! Still, we did make it to the other end! First check mark on the list!

I was determined to visit a couple of places I had missed on my first visit - so after a quick trip back to the hotel, we set off to another iconic site in Beijing - Temple of Heaven! This is an ancient garden complex built in the 15th century by the Ming Dynasty - the layout that can be seen today was established during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the mid 18th century. Themes of the union of heaven and earth can be seen throughout this complex, for instance, 'circular heaven, square earth' - the outer northern wall is semicircular, whereas the southern is rectangular, 'blue heaven, yellow earth' - all the buildings have special glazed dark blue tiles on the roof and the inner tiles are yellow! Quick lesson in Chinese symbolism!! The entire park is planted with ancient cypress and pine trees - the air is much fresher here, and not surprisingly, this is probably the best place in Beijing for a morning run, or an evening walk, or some tai-chi!

Temple of Heaven

The 'Temple of Heaven' or the 'Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests' is built on a 3 tier marble platform and has a distinctive 3 gabled roof. This is where the 'Son of Heaven' prayed to the Gods for a bountiful harvest. A little south of here, is the Imperial Vault - similar to the Temple of Heaven, but smaller with a single gabled roof. This is surrounded by the famous 'Echo Wall' - 2 people standing at opposite ends can hear each other clearly due to the reflective properties of the perfectly circular wall. In theory, that is - and not when there are a hundred people shouting at the wall, and then looking over their shoulder to see if their friend heard them! Further south is the Circular Mound Altar - presumably, this is where sacrifices were made to appease the Gods. The center of the altar has a small marble platform called the Heart of Heaven - speaking from here creates a strong resonance with the entire structure - all the better for prayers to reach high, high up!

Of course, the innovative pictures continue - Ajey tapping his creative inner photographer!

And here's one of the ingenious photographer and his very charming model!

I was hoping to wrap up the vacation in a single post - but I'm only about halfway done at this point! So I'm going to stop here with this photograph of my 2 favorite people, and carry the rest over to a second post. Part II of Back to Beijing coming up very soon! Don't go anywhere!