McLeod Ganj was not on my agenda, it just happened without any plans at the end of the trip to Kareri Village. I was talking my bus back from McLeod Ganj. We started early from Kareri and reached McLeod Ganj around lunch time, which is the best time to arrive there in my opinion.
Eat
Even though I am no foodie, I still remember McLeod Ganj for its excellent food from a trip in 2009. Ravi was our local expert. He took me to Hotel Tibet and I ordered a Veg Chetse Detse along with veg momos.
I got a big bowl of soup with flat noodles and vegetables. I liked it a lot and I finished to the last drop. That was accompanied by excellent momos. By the time we finished lunch, it was time for Sohan ji to leave.
They dropped me in a nearby cafe, Kunga, which had a roof top seating with lots of sunshine. It had free wifi as well. The wifi was excellent but the apple pie and tea were just passable. And I really find it a pity if I do not like an apple pie, because most places do it well. For tea I feel I should have asked for adrak wali chai even though it was not on the menu.
Shop
I spent a few hours at the cafe, sitting in the sunshine and reading an Agatha Christie. But after a while I got increasinly fidgety. I had to buy something for Chhavi, she waits for a ‘gift’ with a lot of delight when I come back home. So, I went off the streets of McLeod Ganj. In the end I bought a few chocolates and a fridge magnet for her. She has caught my fridge magnet craze.
I asked the fridge magnet seller about a peaceful route to for walking and he suggested the Bhagsu Nag road. So Bhagsu Nag road it was. My back pack was left for safe keeping in a shop, which was possible once again because Ravi knew the shop owners.
Walk
Ambling along for about half a kilometer on the Bhagsu Nag road, I left the concrete behind. I could once again see the kind of high rises I like!
The road was well used, I shared it with a lot of fellow pedestrians. Construction work was going on as well by the side of the road. I turned back when I reached at the beginning of Bhagsu Nag as I had a bus to take. I know there is a waterfall in the region but it has to wait!
I noticed the recycling appeal, proudly adorning a wall by the road. I feel we need more such initiatives. I have to go and check their website too!
The moon was also peeping out, even though it was still day time. I wonder who was it looking for, coming out that early in the day!
I could see the Dharamshala cricket stadium in the distance from the Bhagsu Nag Road. I was more mesmerized my the layers the hills made in the distance.
I found this happy car quite close to the McLeod Ganj bus stand. I wonder what was the idea behind it? Looked like something to do with Jewish celebrations but could not be sure.
And that is how I spent my six hours in McLeod Ganj- Eat, Shop and Walk. Walk was the most interesting part for me. It always is.
I stumbled upon two very pleasant countryside walks in Oxford. I love walking. These were the kind of walks that just keep going straight, there was very little chance of getting lost. They were my kind of walks. What I wish to write about today though is them doggies.
Imagine walking serenely on a path with the Thames on one side and open fields on the other. You will meet people strolling, cycling or running from time to time. There are flowers to be clicked and admired, in that order. The weather was mild (gave me a mild sunburn later as I was not using sunscreen) and all is at peace in the world! Right? Wrong.
It was them doggies. In the countryside, people let their dogs off the leash. And that is a source of unmitigated terror to me! I am really truly completely afraid of dogs, even the tiny miny ones. So, on this walk when I faltered for the first time, predictably it was when I saw a huge dog let off the leash ( a labrador, deep down I know they are harmless). I looked to my right and asked a young lad if it would be alright to walk ahead and if the path leads somewhere? He gave his go ahead. Then he asked me something from afar and cycled around for a while but finally vanished. The dog owner could probably sense my tension and told me they were going for a dip in the river. The dog of course was running towards water without even sparing me a glance. That is the best thing he could do for me!
Then there was another man throwing a Frisbee to his dog, thankfully in the opposite direction. And of course the dog was quite interested in the game. Again I hurried past. This was the last of the doggies on the Oxford-Sandford walk. Lucky me? Not so soon.
The day after I did the Oxford Sandford walk, my original plan was to do nothing. That means walking around aimlessly around the accommodation in my lexicon. After wandering for a while I remembered a wooden gate that I gave a miss during my previous visit to Oxford. Not to make the same mistake twice (maybe not really a mistake as in October 2007 the sunset was really early around 4.00 pm and in June really late around 9.00 pm) I walked through the gate. The walk seemed promising till I encountered my nemesis.
On the narrow path there were two ladies on two high horses (literally) with their dog running ahead. Of course he was interested in me and I for sure was not. Not willing to offend anyone, I politely put my small shoulder bag in front of my legs and the intelligent dog understood my gesture. He went his way and I went mine, thanking my stars. Too soon, it turned out.
Can you see the serenity above? I was walking without a care. A few minutes later and then heard some footsteps running furiously. I turned back and my heart stopped. There was a dog taller than me (or so I thought) being chased by the dog with the ladies on the high horses! I was silently telling myself, “You had it, who the hell asked you to walk alone?” A moment later I realized the tall thing was a deer outracing the dog with an effort that clearly bored him to no end. Did I turn back? No, because as one of my professors aptly remarked that I like to “walk with a vengeance.”
Next were two really tiny miny dogs and as they bounded with glee towards me. I said in a croaking voice to their oblivious owners, “Please call them back, I am quite afraid of dogs.” Their faces contorted with surprise but they did call the dogs back. Was this the end? Did I turn back? Not quite.
I walked ahead for quite sometime and met no dogs. That gave me courage on my way back to venture into a forest like area to my left. I was desperately trying to remember the way full of mild turns. After a few turns I decided if I got lost my colleagues would have no sympathy for me. I turned back and there he was. He had a crooked front leg and a dirty color. The collar round the neck gave me some confidence, I resorted back to my shoulder bag trick but this one took offense. While he ran away, he let out blood curdling howls from a safe distance. Heart thudding in mouth, I negotiated my way. He kept barking after my shadow. After a long time he concluded that I was way too far away to do any more bag tricks.
The end of the country road was almost in sight. There were the two ladies on their high horses (literally, no pun intended) again. But these lovely ones had no doggies with them. What sweet ladies. I considered this a good omen and made a dash to safety of my room.
Them doggies!
Venice has been my dream destination since childhood. But my primary purpose for visiting Italy in the year 2003 was to attend an academic conference in Modena, and not tourism. The trip to Modena was possible because I got sponsorship from the University of Modena, Italy and Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) New Delhi. But Venice is close to Modena and I had to visit it!
Photo Credit Canadastock on Shutterstock
So, I went to Modena and when I realized Venice was two and a half hours away, I decided to go to Venice (of course, on my own money). But it was to be packed somewhere in my hectic schedule. I arrived in Modena on September 11, 2003 1.30 p.m. Italy time. September 12 was completely devoted to the conference and later in the evening was the conference dinner. September 13, I had my paper presentation and after the lunch the conference was over. On September 14, I was taking a flight back from Bologna at 10.30 a.m.
On September 11, though I was completely jet lagged I decided to visit Venice, so that if I got delayed on 13th due to some reason I would not be going back home without having seen Venice. Now a few of you might think- why not to stay back after the conference instead of this mad rush? Well, my conference organizers (University of Modena) paid my hotel rent. I live in India and earn in Indian rupees and they do not go very far in Euro or dollars.
I checked the schedule and took a train to Venice. The approach to Venice is really beautiful. Suddenly I found that every one in my car was standing up and pulling the windows down (it was non-AC train). That is how the approach to Venice affects people. There was only water as far as I could see and a faint outline of various objects of the city. I was quite awestruck by the view, so much so that I forgot to stand. I could hardly wait to get into the city.
Photo Credit- Valentina Photos at Shutterstock
As I got out from the train station and it was raining lightly. Right in front was a fountain and kids were playing near it. Beyond it was a canal, and I started wandering in just any direction that caught my fancy. I started walking on my left and there were a lot of shops selling glass souvenirs and Venetian masks. The display windows of the mask shops look very curious and eye catching. I had no particular thing in my mind while I started my stroll.
There were various boats (water taxies) and gondolas in the canals but I did not try any of those for the simple reason that I knew that gondolas are very expensive and I am very fond of walking. I really liked the atmosphere of the city a lot. I was so tired after my journey from New Delhi to Modena and then to Venice. But the sight of water, houses, churches and bridges large and small cheered me immensely. I went to the famous Rialto Bridge on foot and was barely back in time to catch the train back to Bologna.
On September 13, once again I came back to Venice and this time I rolled the windows down, stood up and watched the sunset as I approached the city. It was raining harder this time (but it stopped after a while) and it was dark as night was falling. I was really hungry and decided to try a colorful restaurant with seating arrangement outside. It was magnificent to sit by the canal and see boats and gondolas moving on the lake.
Photo Credit- Mapics from Shuttertock
Then I tried to resume my walk to Rialto but there were very few people and with all those narrow empty roads somehow my courage failed. Instead I took a walk around the areas near the station and Venice looked different at night with all those lights on. I picked a few souvenirs from a shop at the train station.
It was just before 11 p.m. and I decided to proceed to Bologna and spend the time at the airport and it was here that I was in for a shock. When I came to Venice on September 11, there were trains to Bologna from Venice Mestre after 11 p.m. but not on September 13. There are many trains going from Santa Lucia to Mestre. I decided to try my luck there. I reached Mestre around 11 p.m. only to discover that the next available train to Bologna is in the morning at 6.30 a.m. There were many people on the station and just for variety; I decided to spend the night there instead of checking in a hotel.
It was somewhat cold that night at Mestre. I had only a thin woolen sweater, which was pretty adequate for indoors in non-AC surroundings but not for a night at a station. One of the passengers waiting at the station was having a Heineken. After a while he tried to strike a conversation with me. I was not in a mood. He started the conversation in Italian and to put an end to it I said I speak English, which is true.
That was my undoing. He could somehow guess I was from India and so was he. He kept on getting drunk and speaking not very complimentary things loudly in Hindi, which only I could understand. I kept on ignoring him and feeling cold. I took a walk outside and saw many hotels just across the street including a Best Western. I stayed on the station but I would have moved to a hotel if at any point the station were to be deserted. That drunken Indian boarded a train after 2 hours or so. I caught my train at 6.30 in the morning and safely caught my plane back to New Delhi. In the plane, after the lunch I was so fast asleep that when I got up after some 2 hours I could not figure out where I was.