Seven things I loved (the most) doing in Japan

Alright, fellow travellers and curious souls, buckle up cause I'm about to spill the matcha on our trip to Japan in April'2023! Lovely country, lovely people, great food (if you can eat whatever walks, runs, flies, swims or crawls – vegetarians prepare well). 

Here are the top highlights that I will remember for life…

1. Public Transport:  Super efficient and timely. Tokyo has 3.7m people. I come from Mumbai which as 2.5m and it is BIG. And Tokyo is 50% bigger and YET there were no traffic snarls or jam. At least wherever we went during the five days we were in Tokyo. This was so so impressive. And of course the Bullet trains that are never late! 300kmph which now is not that unique as China and Europe have them too but Japan was the first. And in-case I forget to mention, they are working on a track that aims to achieve 500kmph. So while they do that and some of you may travel to space, us Aucklanders will be lucky to get a train to the Airport.

2. Obsessive Cleanliness (Am a misfit): Cleanliness is like a national sport in Japan, and they're winning gold medals. And guys we live in New Zealand which is quite clean but busy streets in Japan were cleaner than my mom’s kitchen (Mom won’t like reading this). One could perhaps perform a surgical procedure inside a train without a hitch. If my house (and my wardrobe) was half as clean, I'd throw a parade.

Arigato Gozaimas

3. Politeness Overloaded: I wish we (all of humanity starting with the often rude me) were as humble as the Japanese. Konnichiwa (Hello), Sumimasen (excuse me), Arigato Gozaimas (Thank you very much) is all over the place. In fact Arigato Gozaimas is used so often and so everywhere, we named a super cute soft toy we bought in Japan after that. Lots of bows and smiles and soft spoken-ness. Sweet polite lovely people.

4. Luckily to see Mt Fuji… of course. You see, you can only see Mt. Fuji for say 70-80 days a year. And so if you are in Tokyo for only five days, you pray that you will be lucky enough to get a view. And what a view it was. Reminded me of Majestic Icecream… used to be a brand of cheap ice-creams I grew up on… no I mean the conical shape of the mountain is majestic and that reminded me of ice-cream. Errr bad analogy. Anyways, a couple of hours from Tokyo, it’s worth the view alone. But on my next trip I want to hike it.

Super lucky to see Mt. Fuji

Random encounter at an Izakaya

5. Izakayas: Where Itamae meets Maharaj: Izakayas are small eateries with 5-10 seats in a small room. Across the bar, the chef (Itamae) serves selective delicacies (actually chakana if you are from Mumbai/India) like a maharaj will serve you in rich Indian households. Drinks are the main fare though. Here I found random people willing to indulge with me speaking broken English. We spoke about work life, food, travel tips etc. I tried sakes (of course), shochu, umeshu and honestly few more things that I can’t remember. Great place to find reasonably priced food, drinks and priceless conversations.

Wrestlers lucky to get a pic with me 

6. Sumo practice – only Japan experience. We went when there were no Sumo championships but after some reading we found Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo where we could watch wrestlers practice in the morning from outside a glass window. Later, depending on how the mood of the wrestler is, they may oblige you with pictures. This sport is quite fascinating. While super hierarchical, unlike many combat sports, sumo has no weight classes. And I was amazed to know that during competitions, a typical sumo wrestler could be consuming more than 10000 calories a day.

But the winner is….Japanese Toilets…Imagine this: you're in the middle of answering nature's call, and suddenly, there's music. No, you're not hallucinating – Japan's toilets play tunes to keep things discreet and classy. And hold up, the bidet action? With warm water. Warm seats. It's like a spa day for your nether regions. My toilet visits and time spent both increased in Japan. Was so impressed and inspired that we went ahead and installed one in our Auckland home.

We chose Japan as we wanted to experience a new culture and we were handsomely rewarded. We went in spring which was awesome. Though we had not planned, we missed the cherry blossoms by a week. No regrets. Its overrated to my mind and overcrowded during that week. 

I don't say that for most countries I have been to, but I will visit Japan again. In a different season. It seems Japan is lovely in all seasons…

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Tongariro Alpine Crossing is arguably the most beautiful day trek in the world. 20 kms and six hours of action packed with volcanic mountains, lava flows, craters, emerald lakes, thick forests, gushing streams et al as you tramp across the sparse hills and mountains. But before that a quick backdrop.

The Tongariro National Park is a famous tourist region, five hours from Auckland. Three stunning mountains - Mount Ruapehu (can be read on an earlier blog entry here), Mount Ngauruhoe (Nah-eu-ru-ho-eh), and Mount Tongariro are the three jewels of the region. Scientifically, all three are considered to be active volcanic mountains with Ruapehu’s last eruption in 1996 and a Lahar (an Indonesian word referring to a rapidly flowing mixture of rock debris and water from a volcano) in 2007. Tongariro National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (UWHS). One side tip: When visiting a country, pick all UWHS over other attractions. They usually don’t disappoint. Oh yes and the hike takes you through the area where they filmed Mordor in Lord of the Rings and alongside Mount Ngauruhoe which was used as Mount Doom in LOTR. 

We had planned for this trip for long. For most Indians, planning a trip means the following:

• What will we eat for breakfast?
• What will be our packed lunch? Will it be heavy to carry? (We don’t ask if it will be heavy for the stomach)
• Can we can try ___ for dinner?
• We should carry snacks such as…
• Oh yes, don’t forget to book the stay and shuttles.

Check, Check and Check.

We arrived a day prior to our trek to our AirBNB simple house in Turangi overseeing a lovely stream and sunset. Nitish made ginger tea on arrival as we unpacked in three separate rooms. We promised to (and did) drink less and settled early for the eventful day.

Everyone was up early doing their respective chores with Manuj boiling eggs, Nitish heating the parathas from Shubh (a popular eatery in Auckland) and I serving the hearty breakfast.

Since it is not a loop trail, we had to start on one side of the mountain and end on the other. We used Bookme for shuttles that picked us up from Ketetahi (end point) and dropped us at the starting point Mangatepopo. This way, even if we were slow there was no pressure to end the trek soon for a waiting bus as we had our own return transport sorted. We met a youngster in the shuttle who had a tiny bag and who intended to complete the trek within 5 hours. We were uncertain and nervous about our ability to finish it without incident.

The first five kms of the trek were relatively flat till we reached the Mangatepopo huts with a sign that warned us that we could still return as it would only get tougher from there on. But the soldiers marched forward to their first steep climb till they reached Soda Springs. No there are no soda or Maggi stalls unlike in Himachal or Uttaranchal. A few more steep climbs and we came to a junction with Ngauruhoe Summit Track. If your name was Frodo Baggins and you had a ring to destroy in Mount Doom, this would be the trail to take. Maybe next time if all goes well as this was a 3 hour detour. A few hundred steps and we were at the South Crater which is flat a large  like few football fields. 

We enjoyed the flats but it didn’t last forever as it took us to the entry of Devil’s staircase, the steepest climb. Panting with slow steady steps all of us reached the summit rather well. On the top we were welcomed to the spectacular 360 degree views of the Tongariro Park and the lovely Red Crater. At this point I felt as if I were in Mars. With photos in this pose and that direction, we were finally ready to descend.  

But just then when we started we saw the celestial emerald lakes and the blue lake.   The landscape couldn’t get any more beautiful. Yes, but steam rising from fumaroles nearby reminded us that we are in active volcanic area. 

Reaching the lakes which were real emerald colour (because of high concentration of minerals) glistening in the sun, we had our lunch which consisted of guacamole sandwich, eggs and Whitakers Cocoa Fruit n Nut chocolate as a dessert. We were half way through the hike. At this point Nitish took off his pull over and wore a thirst so that the next set of pictures have a new set of clothing on the young man. 

The descent started with Blue lake, sacred to Maoris, as the first photo op. As we move forward we saw plumes of steam escape from Te Maari Crater, which erupted in 2012. On the other side of the never-ending zig zag concrete paths we saw the Lake Rotoaira and beyond that the grand Lake Taupo cradled by green mountains. I thanked the good weather again. The views were incredible and the walk seemed long but easy.   

In the last few kms, the track dropped into the trees and provided a shaded woodland walk passing through a dense forest. The final patch ran through Lahar hazard zone where prominent boards advised trekkers to turn back if they heard noise coming from upstream.

At the finish we had Manuj waiting. He had finished early and had brought the car which was parked a km away to the finish point as parking here was annoyingly limited to 4 hours. Happy, we headed home looking forward to Nitish’s tea which he made sulkily. Evening was happy with rounds of whiskeys and beers over music and conversations.

The hike was great because every few kilometres, the landscape changed completely, offering something new and amazing to see. In retrospect I found it to be akin to a Subhash Ghai film, full of entertainment, all the way.

If you are in decent shape and if its summer and good weather, you will be able to do it in 6 hours or less. If, however its winter, there could be more than a foot of snow and you will do good to have a guide and of course proper gear.  

Wwoofing around the world

I wake up on day three with several parts of my body aching and as a friend puts it, body parts that I never knew existed. I am not exactly looking forward to the day ahead of me. Dragging my languid body, I go upstairs for a cup of coffee and then sit on the porch looking at the landscape. The high cumulus is expected to break out into a hot day and therefore we need to start early. Gilles calls and we head to the fields. Today we are to weed out the small vines at the bottom of the plant so that they don’t suck all the nutrients of the soil. This involves bending down every few feet and chopping the growth with a sickle or uprooting it with hands. Its hard work as it requires bending a few times every minute. Its test of thighs, knee and the back. The sun is fully up by now and doing its job with the same vigour. We work for 5 straight hours and then break for lunch. It’s a long walk back. Or so it seems. We sweat and swear. None of us are interested in making a conversation. We long to reach the seductive shade of the place we call home these days.

Happy, just after a day''s work

When we are back I grab a beer. And then Jonathan, the other wwoofer and my roomie, asks if I would like to join them for a swim at the mini pool. The beer calms me down and the cold pool water certainly helps. The good news is that we are done for the day – no more work. We will be heading to the river Dordogne for some canoeing and later a barbeque dinner is planned alongside the river. On hearing this all the morbidity is gone and the air streams with chirpiness.

Gup-shup on the dinner table

Most days on wwoofing were such as this. Starting with an aching body and ending with a relaxed happy mood. For starters wwoofing (World-wide opportunities on organic farms) promotes eco/organic farming and farmers around the world are seeking volunteers who would like to help them work at their organic farm grow veggies or fruits and/or tend to their animals and in return promote cultural and educational experiences based on trust. There is no monetary exchange. Volunteers, called wwoofers, stay and eat with the families for free. The idea is to promote and build a sustainable, global community. Since I first read about it a year ago, this item made its way on my bucket list and over the months kept moving up somewhat like people who grab the fourth seats in a Mumbai local and eventually end up at the window seat, the top spot! But I had always imagined wwoofing to be largely a functional relationship between a wwoofer and his hosts. Mine was very different.

Barbeque along the Dordogne

After much deliberation and hours of research, I shortlisted three wineries in France. Only one of them, the Vazeuxs of the La Belle brand of wines responded (http://www.domainedelabelle.fr/new/home.php). I don’t blame the others. After all, who wanted a 41 year old Indian? The Vazeuxs who accepted me, had never had anyone above 35, let alone an Indian.

Of little more than a week that I stayed with this family of four (Gilles and Delphine and their two sons eighteen and sixteen-year-old), we barbequed twice, canoed, visited chateaus and castles, also visited a nearby quintessential European town, picked wild cherries, rode ATVs and dirt bikes. One evening, I also cooked an Indian meal for all of them including a couple of their friends. 

(L-R) Jonathan, Megan, Sergio & me

This family treated us very well. They saw to it that we were fed and entertained well. Because we were four of us – a first for them to have four wwoofers together, they were also sort of having a party. I worked alongside the other much younger wwoofers – a eighteen-year-old Megan from Hawaii, a 22-year-old Jonathan from Atlanta and a 29-year-old Sergio from Spain.

Unlike what we typically know of the French, this family was not high-nosed. Very casual and easy going simple people who worked hard, ate harder and drank hardest. We discussed cultures, cuisines, religion and politics. Our debates ranged from benefits of meat vs organic veggies to wines over single malts.

As I reflect back I believe that wwoofing is a fantastic way to travel around the world and experience cultures first hand with very little money. Food and boarding is taken care of and if you choose a winery, even the wines are free! Yes, you work 25-30 hours a week but weekends and evenings are free to explore around. The only money that you spend is on your travel. Imagine wwoofing 2-3 weeks continuously in Europe, Americas or Africa for a year. Jumping from one country to the other, from a winery in California to an olive plantation in Israel, from a peach orchard in China to a dairy farm in New Zealand, meeting different people, seeing the most enchanting places in the world, sensing different cuisines and experiencing different cultures.

I am up for it. Are you?

  

Snugging Smugging Couples

Aerial view

Way too cosy newly married couples bore and irritate me like wailing children. And the lucky me has both close by as I take the Rajdhani back to Mumbai. 

One of the couple's seat is here and the other a few coupes away but both decide to sit together (understandably) here in my coupe (no, why?). Well, to be fair, since they are sitting extremely close to each other, they are occupying only one and a half seat between the two of them. But their wares - bags, food, etc takes away another one and a half seat. With one reservation, therefore, they are occupying three seats leaving others to figure out space. 

One young gentleman who was with us when we boarded seems missing but I am too perturbed by the couple to notice. Objectively speaking, there is no 'couple' issue yet. All sorts of traveling people are oblivious to using space judiciously. This could therefore been coming from a father-son, friends or even siblings traveling together. But here is where the story thickens. 

The man moves to an empty space in front of him. The woman winces. He explains that he wants to straighten up his legs. He is now sitting next to me. Before Maggi is cooked, the woman jumps over to his side and snuggles to her man . Now there are three of us and for an onlooker, we may be one odd 3 member family with a cuddling couple and an odd guy. I feel the discomfort and decide to take a walk across the compartments. When I am back I see the guy stretched over the whole seat, his head on the lap of the woman, napping. I try and find some space across and sit like a thief, crouched and crumpled. 

Then I notice that my napkin is wrapped around the man's face, so that he is not bothered by the sun rays. That was MY napkin. Lovingly given by Indian Railways. 

After sometime the guy wakes up. While I am still seething with anger over my napkin and my space, both of which are theirs by now, the woman pulls the guy's cheeks and keeps doing that while on a call with someone. My fellow passengers notice but ignore. After sometime, she kisses the guy. Only a peck on the cheek, nothing fancy. But that draws everyone. The uncle beside me, a girl and another uncle across. Then she declares something like she won the bet! Well woman you may see yourself as a gladiator but we didn't pay to watch this match! 

Embarrassed, and wondering what's in store, the uncle pours into his mobile, the girl on to her book and the other uncle outside the window leaving me to wonder what to do. I chose to move into my berth upstairs. And as I climb up, I notice the other gentleman across, long lost, gaping at me with that look, exasperated. 

Sri Lanka, a third world country with a first class governance, Nov'16

Colombo Beach Front

Last night we arrived at Unawatuna, a catatonic beach town in the Lankan south. After a disappointing stay at Habarana and a great one at Kandy, we are happy to end the trip with an incredible stay at this cute little bungalow where we are the only guests for the next 5 nights with the entire property and the pool to ourselves. I sit on this bench across the pool, indulging in the luxury of sloth, with the whiskey in hand. A cross section of thoughts are falling off my chair. I should rather pen them down before they empty themselves like vapour. 

Today’s dive is at the top of my mind. The trainers were good but the sea was rough offering poor visibility. We saw some good marine life but nothing eye popping. That’s the problem if you have done Hawaii and Andaman (Yes, am bragging!). On our way to the dive site we saw a giant turtle. I was hoping to see one while under water but do you know anyone who won a lottery twice?

Kandy Botanical Garden

Sri Lanka is not very fascinating tourist destination per se but there are worthy mentions such as the Sigiriya Rock and the botanical garden of Kandy.

But first of all I must tell all Indians that it is not as cheap as most of you think. Your money will run farther at other South East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. Just to give you a flavour, a sedan is 3500 per day, eggs are 10 bucks, milk 100 a litre and entry tickets to most places are in the range of 500-1000. All INR. But the nation has some great achievements to its credit, especially in the fiefdom of governance:

a) People cross signals at zebra crossing and vehicles wait for them. Wow! The pedestrians don’t just walk past a zebra crossing since its their right. They wait for vehicles to slow down without having to apply screeching brakes, and only then take their turn.
b) Place is safe. And I mean all kinds of safety right from larceny to assaults. We went to the Colombo sea face area at around midnight. Our driver and our host assured that there was nothing to worry. And indeed. A few innocuous groups having a good time themselves while we had ours.
c) Sri Lanka is clean. Roads are clean, pavements and parks are clean. Tourist sights are clean. Beaches are partially clean.
d) Roads are great. No potholes at all inside cities or on highways.
e) People are nice and polite, straight forward and non-trickster types.
f) Government taxes are very high but unlike India, most people send their kids to government run schools and the sick to government run hospitals as these are of good quality. Basic necessities of life are taken care off.


Overall I would say that the trip was average from touristy point of view. But the way the country is managed, made me feel like a little boy who fantasizes the neighboring uncle as a better father than his own. It makes you wonder how a third world country could actually do so well on basics? Kudos to the people and their government.

New Zealand, October 2014

Tongario River Trail

I would recommend everyone I know and don’t know to travel to New Zealand. At least once in a lifetime. We knew it is a beautiful country but what we saw bowled us over. Perhaps because we were visiting in spring, where there was bloom and waterfalls everywhere. Let me make an attempt to pen down some of these. Though no amount of words and pictures can sum up even half of what we experienced.

Walks and Cycling Trips: The NZ government has done a fantastic job of preserving the beautiful country as well as making it accessible for people to appreciate. They have created multiple walking and cycling trails inside forests and around the hundreds of lakes that the country is blessed with. Maps are freely available at information centres of nearby towns that help you explore the area. We must have walked for around 100kms taking umpteen trails over these days. Of these two were particularly interesting, one at lake Tekapo, the Mt. John Summit Track that walks mostly through open tussock lands ending with stunning 360 degree views over Lake Tekapo, Lakes McGregor and Alexandrina, the Mackenzie Basin and across to the Southern Alps. The other was Lake Rotopounamu Walk near Tongario that goes around a lake nestled on the side of Mount Pihanga. We also did two cycling trails – both of which were very good for those not used to cycling too much. The Tongario river trail did a loop around the Tongario river passing sometimes through forests and sometimes alongside green pastures of land. And the Queenstown trail went around lake Wakatipu. We rode up to Frankton on a beautiful sunny day. 

Windy and Wet

Kayaking in lake Taupo: Not many people were kayaking in NZ. Perhaps since the summer had not arrived. But on this rainy windy day, we were pretty determined. Mike and Barb, whose place we put up (Tongario Adventures), had Kayaks and they were very generous to offer it to us for free. Mike even took the kayak with me up to the Taupo lake, a 100 yards from their house. We first kayaked parallel to the beach until the end of the hill and then turned into the river upstream. It was difficult owing to the winds, but we went on. One side of the river had houses and the other had a hill. Families of ducks swam close by, perturbed by us, the unusual visitors. When we got tired, we turned around and the current made us drift slowly back into the lake.

Milford Sound Cruise: If one were to ask me the number one highlight of the NZ trip, then I would mention Milford Sound. Perhaps because it was a rainy day. We had booked ourselves on this bus that picked us in the morning from our hotel and dropped us at the cruise and return. On board was a very informative and enthusiastic driver cum guide, Shelly. She tried to keep our spirits up in spite of the cold and wet weather. But I guess the weather was a blessing in disguise. Owing to the rains, the Sound was full of waterfalls. A mystique mist formed around the mountains surrounding the Sound owing to which we were unable to see the top of the mountain and it seemed like the water falls were plummeting from the clouds. On a clear day a picture of the Sound will show multiple mountains one behind other, stacked up as layers. 

The surreal Milford Sound

But since this was a cloudy day, the same scene on a camera felt like a shaken photograph or someone who needed to see an ophthalmologist as eyes saw hazy images. Was nature playing games? It was an eerie feeling. “Did Lord Voldemort lived here?” Rupali asked. I was so excited that I opened my shoes, folded my pants, put on the poncho and went up to the top deck of the cruise. The winds were so strong that it was difficult to stand without holding on to the rails. Rains splashed from all sides and the poncho was no good. But the scene was stunning. As the cruise went up close the mountains we saw a family of seals lazing on rocks, unperturbed. One of the customary items on the cruise is that they move close to one large waterfall – almost underneath. Owing to the rains the fall had become even more rowdy and now the vapours from the falls were seeming like sharp water pellets. Damn the clothes and the camera. While Milford Sound will be stunning even on a bright sunny day, the rains added immense mystic and enigma to the place and made it incredible.

At "The Find" pub in Queenstown

Queenstown: This is some place where you should plan at least 3 full days. It’s a beautiful small hilly town with a population of 28K people, most of who I guess work for tourists one way or the other. Also called the adventure capital of the world, it offers a lot of activities for the enthusiast – Skydive, Bungee, Swings, Jet Ski, Parasailing, Skiing, Rafting etc plus a host of softer options such as Cycling, Milford Sound tour, LOTR tour, Wine Tours, Gondola Ride, etc. We were in Queenstown for four days and did some of these adventure trips and tours. On other times we mostly walked, sat in front of lake Wakatipu sipping wine, visited pubs and ate at Indian and Thai restaurants.

Almost failed Skydiving trip: Skydive was our No.1 highlight of the trip. There are three places to skydive in NZ: Queenstown, Glenorchy (40mins from Queenstown) and Wanaka (an hour’s drive). They are more or less similarly priced but we chose Glenorchy, the place were a lot of LOTR was shot, since it was most picturesque. Since Skydive is very much weather sensitive, we decided to wrap it up the first day itself. Upon reaching the dive zone, we were briefed by these cool looking divers  (instructors) who had done some 4000-5000 dives. NZ law requires one to have minimum of 1000 dives to be able to be an instructor which though expensive, makes it one of the safest places to dive. The guy who was to be Rupali’s instructor, Sasha, had taken Sonam Kapoor on the dive. Our group consisted of three men who wanted to dive from 12000 feet and us who wanted to dive from 15000 feet. 

Just before the failed Glenorchy dive

Since their aircraft was small, they took the three of them first. We saw them getting ready and boarding the aircraft. After a few minutes we saw them jumping from the aircraft and their shoot opening. They landed right in front of us, exhilarated. It was our turn now. We were excited and anxious in equal measure. My instructor was the guy who was briefing us, who also seemed to be the most dude, experienced type. Rupali went into the aircraft first and I was next. When we were up in the air, I could see why people said that Glenorchy was probably the best place to dive. While the scenery was stunning from the aircraft, my mouth was running dry. I wanted to sip some water. My instructor kept pumping my guts by some small talk. He pointed out where LOTR was shot. Meanwhile he was constantly talking to the pilot in some sign language, which I later understood, to be able to find the wind speed down there. When we reached 7000 feet, the pilot passed him a note that wrote 20 which meant the wind speed down there was 20knots. Anything above 25knots was not safe to dive. As we reached 11000 feet and the aircraft became colder, they were talking still and passing notes. His last note read 24. My instructor took the decision. We had to abandon the dive. All the way on the descend, he kept telling that he was sorry but it was not safe for us and that is why he had to take the call. I was partially releaved that we did not have to dive but equally disappointed that having come so close, we had to abandon it which meant that we have to go through this ordeal again. This disappointment kept growing as we headed back to Queenstown. I was thinking of those three guys who dived just ahead of us. We were really unlucky. We booked again for the next day for 9AM.

The next day while we did not have to come all the way to Glenorchy, the dive was cancelled again and again on the third day. We made an instant decision to take the Queenstown dive since we saw that the weather was quite OK in the city and the Queenstown team was diving. We booked ourselves for the 1330HRS dive, the earliest available for that day. At the said hour, our dive was cancelled again! The bloody wind had picked up again.

I was really disappointed. There were four highlights of our trip at the planning stage – the Tongario Alpine crossing, rated by many as the best one day hike in the world, the skydive, the glacier walk and the Tranzalpine train journey. We were unable to do the Tongario hike as it had snowed, unexpectedly, and therefore the hike was not feasible for armatures. The previous evening we came to know that Franz Joseph Glacier one day walk has stopped as the bottom of the glaciers are no more so the hike is not feasable. Now if we were unable to dive as well, we would have not done three of the four highlights initially planned. What a bummer!

Shitting bricks... Why is Rupali curious?

Just when we were taking a refund, we learnt that the Wanaka team were still diving. Apparently, if its the Westerly winds that are blowing on a particular day, they first reach Glenorchy and then Queenstown and if they turn, they would reach Wanaka. We booked ourselves immediately for Wanaka. I was only 50% sure that we will be able to dive that afternoon as I kept looking at the trees and leaves that seem to be swinging softly with the wind. We reached Wanaka and quickly got inducted and dressed. This time however, we booked ourselves for the 12000 feet, sensing the bad omen. We boarded quickly and were up and it was time for the mouths to go dry again. For some reason I did not find the Wanaka team to be very professional, compared to the Glenorchy guys. But anyways, we were up. 

In the flight were 9 people (4 teams) besides the pilot. The extra person was another diver who went up to take the video of this guy Chinese guy jumping. There are two types of videos you can opt for – one that is from a camera stuck on the wrist of your instructor (the cheaper option, $150, wherein your instructor puts the camera on once in a while) and another if you want full video where another diver dives alongside you and is always in front of you to take a full video ($250). The Chinese had opted for the full video. This camera guy was super cool. In between when we were say at 8000-10000 feet, he opened the door to do guess what? Throw his chewing gum away! At 12000 feet, he finally opened the door fully as a strong wave of chilly wind swept inside the aircraft. He lunged out like people do in Mumbai locals while the Chinese and his instructor got ready and went up to the edge of the aircraft. The instructor and camera guy made signs and wooo... jumped right in front of me. I was probably shitting in my pants as it was my turn. My instructor asked me to move forward. As I moved closer to the edge, I saw the earth below for a second. The instructor was making some adjustments, we were not abandoning this time and were indeed jumping. I was too frightened to keep my eyes open. I guess I lost my balls for those few seconds. I closed my eyes and kept my head on the right shoulder of the instructor as told, and then before I realised I was flying. Scared to death I could sense the chilly breeze hitting my face at 200kmph. 

May be 10 seconds after dive, in free fall

I opened my eyes a couple of seconds later and what I saw was absolutely stunning. As if in an instant bliss replaced fear. I was absorbed by the beauty I saw below. Mountains, lakes, farms all etched as if it were a child’s painting. I tried to look left and right and absorb as much as I could see. While the wind kept hitting the face at the crazy speed, the feeling was so overwhelming that I just wanted to take as much as I could. After about 45 second free fall, the shoot opened. Yes it did! And then as if the earth came to s standstill. From 200kmph, we were, what felt like zero speed in like four seconds. It was so sudden that I felt that we had landed! Once the shoot opened my instructor and I were able to talk. He showed me the topography of the place – the Roys peak, Mt Hyde, Mt Aspiring, the Wanaka Lake, Lake Hawea, the Wanaka River etc. He then asked if I wanted to swing to which I said a big NO. I am not a swing person – please! Now that the shoot opened and I was offered another chance to live, I don’t want to swing. I realised how much I hated amusement parks. But thats OK. I wanted this to last. I was absorbing the splendour around me. I saw other divers below me – one of who could be Rupali. It seemed that for a few minutes we were not moving at all. The wind was getting strong. The only way to go down was to swing. He told me that he would take small swings to which I agreed. Slowly after a lot of effort from his side, I guess, we were moving down. When we finally reached the ground there were four five people from his team waiting for us. Look on their face showed that our dive could have become a concern soon. But yes I was alive, in one piece. I saw Rupali down looking very happy. We hugged and kissed at this exhilarating experience, after four cancellations. An item ticked off our bucket list!

Glacier Hiking @ Franz Joseph: While the full day glacier walks had been closed, one could still do half day Heli-hikes. The way this works is that you board a chopper that takes you right up to the glacier and from there you hike up along with a guide. We booked ourselves for the first flight. (Always do weather related trips first thing in the day. The weather changes fast and usually gets worse as the day progresses). We were a group of 10 who were given a proper gear and crampons. The chopper ride was short and in no time we were on the glacier where our guide was waiting for us – in T-shirt and shorts with an axe. His look kept me puzzled for the next few minutes as I put on my crampons. Finally, we started our hike. It was not as adventurous as I would have thought. The guide uses the axe to pave the way for the group which makes the climb relatively easy. The glacier however was a beauty. It had shades of white and blue. Then there were the crevices of different formations. During our hike we also saw a small glacier explosion – where part of a glacier breakaway like a thunder. The trip was so well timed that just when it ended, it started to rain.

Clicked from the Train

Tranzalpine Train Journey: This was the final leg of our trip. The kiwis run some great trains; particularly the Tranzalpine, Northern Explorer and the Coastal Pacific. We took the Tranzalpine from Greymouth to Christchurch. This was our last day in NZ and we had seen so much beauty that I was wondering if the train journey would add anything that we had not already seen. For the first hour or so, the train passed alongside the Waimakariri River and reached Arthur Pass station after passing through a 42km Otira tunnel built in 1923. Up to this point, the journey was nice but nothing to write home about. It was after this point when the train passed through the gorges and the farmlands of the Canterbury plains that the scenery became extraordinary. I went up to the open board at the back of the train and was busy clicking pictures. There were few people on the open deck since the train was not even 50% full. (If you travel in peak season, you may get a place to sit but the open board will be packed.) Owing to spring, it became even more dramatic as Pohutukawa trees and Kowhais flowers were blooming. There were shades of green that one cannot imagine. Mountains, rivers, flowers and trees – all in one! Highly recommended.

While we visited Roturua's Geysers and the Buried village and also spent some time in Auckland and Christchurch, we wont put them under highlights. Not because they were not good, but perhaps not good enough to seek a place in this list. 

Anyways, we think we will go back again, may be after a few years. We still have to do the Tongario crossing, Milford on a sunny day, Abel Tasman National Park etc and perhaps repeat a few things once again.

Sigiriya Rock &The Elephants @ Habarana, Sri Lanka, Nov 2016

View from the Bungalow

5th Nov'2016, Habarana, Sri Lanka

I wake up in the morning after a nice seven-hour sleep. First in many days. Weeks. As I walk out of our bungalow relishing the fact, I see an elephant pass by. I rush to wake Mishti up before he is out of sight. Sleepy, rubbing her eyes she manages to catch a glimpse of the pachyderm.

As we go about our ablutions, another one passes by. And another one. We enquire and find out that just about 50 yards from our bungalow is the starting point for the elephant rides. Foreigners, white skinned basically, pay $20 per person for a 40 minute ride by a small lake. It's great value for them. But the Indian in me calls it a robbery. Anyways Mishti is not interested so I don't bother further.

Last night we arrived here at Habarana to this small bungalow. The location is great as our porch watches the lake. And of course the elephants can be seen through the day bathing, eating, getting dressed for the rides, shitting. (They shit way too much!) But otherwise there is no reason we should be here. Sigiriya rock fortress that we climbed today is 20kms away.

The Sigiriya Rock

It's one of those structures kings made to satiate their fancy of being a king. To feel the hardness each time you saw your creation. I sometimes wonder how much tourism and employment this ego generated for centuries to come. And to top it, such projects were the NERGA of those days that gave the economy a boost.

The story of Sigiriya is one of vision, grandeur, beauty and tragedy. It was built 1,600 years ago by a troubled but visionary king Kasyapa, who murdered his father by plastering him up in a wall. (Was Akbar the reborn Kasyapa? No just imagining since Humayun avenged his own death 1000 years later by serving the same treatment to Anarkali!) Anyways, back to our story. Fearing retaliation, Kasyapa also drove his brother into exile. He was eventually admonished by his people for his crime and tormented by guilt and fear. As a result he abandoned his original capital and built himself this fortress 600feet vertically on the top of a rock resplendent with lush gardens, palaces and pavilion. It takes one 1200 steps to reach the summit which we managed with Mishti. The views from the top were splendid. Oh yes, Kasyapa committed suicide not too long after the fortress was built.

The Hill Behind

Back home we refreshed ourselves with a chilled beer. Later, though tired, we still took a long walk by the lake watching birds such as the the hornbill, the kingfisher and many other unknowns.

As I write this, I sit atop this small hill right behind our bungalow and watch the quaint lake. The elephants keep passing, the foreigners keep giggling astride and against my wish, I allow the time to pass.