Andrius

SriLanka 2025 - 23-24

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KWpcietf7smoreTv5

Before I retired last night, I wondered about the utility of the mosquito net. They hadn’t seemed like much of an issue.

When I woke this morning, the value was confirmed as my bleary eyes noted an extremely large spider, fortunately on the correct side of the netting. I carefully planned my exit route from the bed. I could barely concentrate on my Wordle.

Today, off to Colombo for my final night here - the next will be on the plane home, where it will be dry.

Stopped at a freeway services for coffee. The building look like an international airport. Overkill for its intended purpose. The espresso was surprisingly not bad.

The freeway trip confirmed existence of a global language, universally understood. Two headlight flashes from oncoming traffic means police radar ahead.

My guide I am sure suffers from sleep apnea, given his neck size. He likes regular stops for coffee to keep awake. A symptom of apnea is falling asleep at the wheel. On a long drive, I would keep a watch out to my right, to confirm that moving into oncoming traffic was a deliberate overtaking manoeuvre, and not somnolence. Actually, he did a great job - I felt confident the whole trip.

The car was meticulously accessorised with protectors of every sort - door edge, footwell, handle, gear shift, seat - he didn’t want any damage.

Tax on cars imported here exceeds 250%, so I can understand his care.

We arrived after heavy traffic at Galle Face Hotel - a well located swish place, on the sea. I can tell how swish a place is by looking at their laundry charges which are per item. The cost to wash my laundry bag here would be about as much as buying a Zegna suit.

The temperature here is an insane 38, but only 65% humidity. I’ll go out later.

It’s not a particularly picturesque city, but there is a lot of pleasant generic colonial architecture, more of a functional aesthetic than anything of note. I went for a small casual dinner at a place called The Gallery Cafe, at Paradise Road Hotel. Housed in the former offices of world-renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.

Next door is Tintagel, intended as a residence for Dr. Lucian de Zilwa. In the mid 1940s he was given a week to vacate the property by the British military to house one hundred soldiers. The military occupation saw the house wrecked and de Zilwa sold Tintagel to Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike for his son, also Solomon. It is a structure of national importance.

Bandaranaike became prime minister in 1956 and he was shot on the verandah of Tintagel in 1959 and died in hospital. The airport is named after him.

I had a nice curry there - a beef smore - a recipe of Dutch origin, adapted by locals with more spices.

Day 23:

The final day. A city walk is scheduled for the morning.

Breakfast buffet at the Galle Face Hotel was good, with the curries more spiced for local rather than western tastes. Coffee was also good, and I started easing myself back into the western world with a quite passable croissant.

Instead of the incessant Christmas elevator music of the last few weeks, surprisingly a Gymnopedie by Satie was playing, with a supporting ostinato from the nearby waves I could see and hear from the balcony - made for a very pleasant start. The temperature at 7am is perfect.

Even without my hat, a waiter engaged me in cricket talk. I nodded sagely in response.

Then a stroll through the ‘downtown’ area near the docks. Being a Sunday, much was closed, so not the best day for it. It’s difficult to describe Colombo colonial architecture as anything other than utilitarian.

The beauty of this country lies outside the capital.

It’s been an enjoyable trip in a beautiful country. The food reliably good, people invariably friendly, scenery wonderful.
I look forward to another trip. I'll bone up on cricket first.

SriLanka 2025 - 21

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dVXjGR1EVnCTxDd66

Visited a pleasant Buddhist temple nearby, Yatagala RajaMaha Viharaya, set up high on a rock. Not 1800 steps, this time only a few hundred. There were western hippies sitting in lotus position in the temple - spiritual tourists. One tried to bring a lit incense stick into the temple, but was admonished and sent away - the smoke can cause damage to the 3rd century BC art inside. Then came the selfie, back turned to the Buddha, which is disrespectful and also frowned upon by locals.

More meandering around Galle. It’s a small place, with the fort area being the main interest.

Saw the tail end of a fish market. Even in the afternoon, everything looked so fresh and perfect, not at all sad like most markets after the morning rush. The small boats go out at night a few km off shore, and come back and sell the catch after dawn.

Galle Fort's history had 3 major periods.
It began with Portuguese era (1505-1640), with construction in 1588. The Dutch East India Company, with their own private corporate army and navy captured the fort and built massive ramparts and bastions. They were the first multinational corporation, worth 7-8 trillion in todays dollars.
Imagine Amazon or Google today with it’s own Army/Navy/Air Force, taking data centres and manufacturing facilities at their whim by force, making people work for peanuts, eliminating all competition as a modern equivalent….
The British took control in 1796. I was reminded of a Sri Lankan comedian, Rajapaksa, who described Sri Lanka during the Age of Conquest as having many ‘visitors’ over the years, and likened Sri Lanka to Britney Spears in the 90’s - ‘everyone liked us too much for our own good, and Sri Lanka, now, is also much like Britney, now - not in the news that often, but when it is, it’s rarely for a good reason’.

This country has produced so much wealth over the centuries, in gemstones, spices, etc, for so little benefit to the locals (a bit like Australia’s LNG and ore).

Having had Sri Lankan curry & rice for 3 weeks, I thought I’d have something different today despite enjoying every meal of the whole trip.

I went to a restaurant called Maru, and had a tuna Poke bowl, with spicy chillies, and lots of pickled and raw veg, on a bed of local red rice. It was fantastic - best Poke bowl I’ve had. The tuna tasted like it was caught a few hours earlier, which it probably was. Washed down with an awesome passionfruit, mint and ginger smoothie. Still no booze (other than a few small glasses of light beer on the hottest of days).

While I’ve loved the food here, I’m going to smash a Chateauneuf and steak back home.

SriLanka 2025 - 20

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NTYXC6WQDEUm4ges8

Christmas Day. The Jesus story is, I guess, proof that abstinence is not 100% effective as a birth control method. The presumably olive to brown Joseph and Mary must have been surprised with a white baby tailored to European aesthetics. They had no idea of his future role in Renaissance art.

A quiet day. I went for a morning walk through Galle Fort. It was most enjoyable. On Xmas morning it was almost deserted. Some churches were having services. The place is very original Portuguese, Dutch and English colonial. While a bit touristy with boutiques, restaurants, shops and cafes, it hasn’t been ruined. It’s easy to imagine it as it was hundreds of years ago.

The Sri Lankans don’t have Xmas as a cultural event of significance, but they do observe the holiday aspect, and they certainly cover everything with xmas baubles to cater to western tourists.

I lost my hat some days ago. When shopping for a new one the first thing that came to hand was a broad brimmed hat with a ‘Sri Lanka Cricket’ logo on the front. My obvious foreign-ness and the hat proved to be a magnet for locals, who wished to engage in cricket banter with a tourist. Problematic, as I know less than nothing about cricket, and care even less.
‘Hello sir! Where you from? You like cricket!’
‘Australia. No, it’s just my hat.’
‘Aaaah! Australia! Khawaja is very good player, Sir’
‘The Pakistan team? Is he the one with tattoos, or the big moustache? He has a big serve?’\

I am vaguely aware of Bradman, Warne, Lillie, and I think two of them are deceased. The Shane Warne circumstances confirm my belief cricket isn’t a sport, and doesn’t get you fit, just sunburnt. At elite levels, it fosters the delusion that unlimited priapic cocktails can be consumed with cocaine chasers without consequences. His companions at the time, no doubt formidably skilled in their craft, lacked a CPR certificate - you’d think that would be mandatory in their line of work.

I should have looked further and bought an unmarked hat.

The heat and especially humidity here is a bit overwhelming in the middle of the day. I feel like I’m being autoclaved. Vasectomy is a more pleasant form of sterilisation. I now know what it feels like inside my Instant Pot set to ‘high’. Chaminda has confirmed it is a bit hotter than usual. The hotel I am at (Sun House) is on a hill, and at least gets a few breezes.

Christmas dinner was a prawn curry with rice, dhal, beetroot curry (surprisingly awesome), bean curry, chilli and onion sambal and a few pickles. No wine, just water, and I was unable to turn one into the other. An enormous contrast to exactly 12 mths ago, when more water, less wine would have been wiser.

I’ll need to confine my activities to morning and afternoon. Yesterday after 4 pm it was quite pleasant.

SriLanka 2025 - 18-19

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N4i28NBJ2xX6fawY8

After 17 days, this is my first downtime day. A fabulous place for it as the surroundings are very lush and scenic.

I thought I would do a short walk to a waterfall about 2k away. I thought it would be an easy stroll. The sun came out and it turned out to be high 30s, super humid, and the road was very steep up and down - not so easy. Before going, I was advised by staff to ‘be careful walking over a dam’.

When I arrived, there was indeed about 25m of dam wall to cross, narrower than my foot. Water was rushing over it (albeit not a torrent).

I thought to myself ‘I am a mountain goat - no problem’.

If I fell to the right, I would get wet, but not die. If I fell left, I would break something non-trivial. This colours one’s walking style, creating a desire to lean right, which isn’t helpful, increasing the probability of an inelegant event, when a confident upright stance is desirable.

I strode across, not confidently, leaning a few degrees, resigned to whatever fate the gods decide. I made it, and am glad there is no video evidence of my tottering, right-leaning lurch, as this would destroy my chances with the Bolshoi, or Circus Oz (except maybe as a clown).

It was a very picturesque spot. Worth the effort. I got a tuk-tuk back. The rest of the day was just chilling in the cabin by the river, strolling around this beautiful place.

24/12/2025

Drive today to Galle. It was about 3 hours, generally pleasant, the last 90 minutes on a freeway in the flat country out of the mountains. The scenery was quite varied with coconut groves, paddy fields, and lush forests.

The freeway had odd warning signs - Beware of Peacocks.

Apparently they fly into car windscreens, and a train driver was injured when one crashed through his window. They weigh about 5kg.

They are slow moving and don’t manoeuvre very well. Sounds like me - have I found my spirit bird? Probably not, as I lack any plumage, can’t fly, and completely lack colour.

Most places I have been have had few tourists, post cyclone. Not so Galle, which was unaffected and is quite busy. It’s also quite hot and humid here (33+ & 80%).

I’m staying at Galle Sun House, an 1860 vintage mansion built by an unnamed Scot who exported spices to the world, and married a local. It has been well restored, with lovely gardens and rooms. It’s one of those hotels where just staying on the premises is tourism.

Having been in Scotland a few months ago in ‘summer’ as they call it (Billy Connolly said Scotland has 2 seasons - June and winter), I can understand why he stayed. Perhaps a little warm for me here, but I can see the appeal.

I suspect he became less dour here with each year. Despite the shit the world has thrown at Sri Lanka over the centuries, everyone here seems pretty relaxed and friendly.

Went for a short walk ‘downtown’ to the ocean. This is the first time in the trip I saw any rubbish - it gets washed up on shore.

SriLanka 2025 - 16-17

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BZny7h7FKXiArK3M8

Woke today with my 300 teeth bite wound a bit sore. A misty morning with very muted views.

Also received an email from my car back home, saying its battery is low, and it needs to be driven. It clearly misses me. If it didn’t spend so much time monitoring and obsessing about itself, and connected to the internet 24/7, it might last more than a few weeks without a charge. My car is clearly a Gen Alpha teenager, craving attention.
I’m surprised the email didn’t include a selfie.

Off to the next place, alarmingly called a “wellness lodge”, but my trip organisers have done well so far, so my mind is open. I’m confident there will be plentiful yoga classes to avoid.

It is apparently by a river, with walks to be had, and leeches to befriend.

After a few hours drive, arrived at yet another gorgeous place. I’m right next to a fast flowing river, so there’s plenty of water noise. Had a quiet afternoon at leisure, enjoying the fibre internet here.

Dinner was on a banana leaf, and I ate with my hand, local style.

———————————

Day 17 22/12/2025

After a great sleep, lulled by the sound of the river next to my cabin, I set off for a batik making demo. I actually found it quite interesting, seeing the process done totally by hand in a local village house.

They wanted me to do one. Given I am generally unable to avoid drops of curry or any sauce on my shirts, the thought of splashing fabric around on a dye filled table struck me as a potential sartorial catastrophe. However, with extreme care, I completed my tasks chromaticity unaltered.

The owner took me for a walk along a high road, seeing some village life and great views, followed by a very tasty lunch cooked by his mum.

I said I wished she was my mum, it was that good.

Apparently there are a couple of Israelis who are Buddhist monks in a nearby village. My host thought they were a bit strange, living in isolation in a forest, coming once a day to be fed by the locals. He admires their purity.

A restful afternoon in this great accommodation, dodging the yoga teachers, then another tasty dinner.

The format of meals here is not very varied. There’s a carb, typically either rice, milk rice (cooked in coconut milk), string hoppers, hoppers, pittu (roasted rice flour and coconut, steamed inside a tube), coconut roti. Then a main protein - chicken, fish, etc, accompanied by 2-8 veg or fruit curries, and sambals (eg coconut, eggplant, fried onion, chilli).

While the format is always similar, the tastes have been very different every day. They have so much spice available here every chef has many colours to paint with.

It’s a struggle to get a small meal here.

I actually spotted an eagle, a kingfisher and monkeys off my own bat today - my eyes must be refocussing to the horizon, instead of a screen. Maybe I’ll be able to return my white cane by the end of the trip?

SriLanka 2025 - 15

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TgXfXjLBwmGRgeUdA

Big walk today. I did a nearly 10km section (around stage 15, of 22) of the 320km Pekoe Trail with local guide Dinuka, through some forest to Ella Rock viewpoint.

When I met him he handed me some ‘leech socks’ to put on over my socks.

I thought ‘Where the hell are we going?’. These were plastic gaiters that you put on over your socks, going to the knee. They proved of some value, as I heard numerous other walkers on the trail exclaim with horror as they discovered the beasts having a feast. Wearing them was not great fun. Plastic on your feet in a steamy jungle?? Ick. It confirmed latex fetishes are not for me.

Dinuka advised leeches have 300 teeth (100 in each of 3 jaws), 32 brains, and 10 stomachs. I didn’t know that, and am not sure I wanted to. Know you know too - hope this doesn’t affect your dreams.

He also told the story of Major Thomas William Rogers, who killed around 1400 elephants in the decade from 1824. He was viewed as a saviour (not an environmental vandal) by locals, who thought the elephants were a pest. However, this displeased the nature gods, and he died when struck by lightning. Karma.

A moat was constructed around his cemetery to keep elephants out, but his tombstone was also struck by lightning. Moral - don’t fuck with Ganesh…

There was a crippled dog at Ella Rock, that Dinuka was quite friendly with, always bringing him food. The dog had a non functioning hind leg. Dinuka bandaged a sore.

The walk had some nice views, but for much of it we were walking through cloud, so it was quite muggy.

Not a massively scenic day because of the weather, but the walk was nice.

When I got back to the hotel, I discovered 300 teeth marks in my back - one of the bastards got me.

Maybe latex fetishes have a functional role in the jungle?

SriLanka 2025 - 14

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aS3D9F1yH9SCDzwr8

Had a power failure overnight. Since I use CPAP, it nearly resulted in my own failure - I woke up unable to breathe! This hasn’t happened before.
I now know I am electrically powered and grid dependant at night.
When starting CPAP years ago, to get over the horror of using the mask, I tried to convince myself I looked like a fighter pilot - in pyjamas.
I wondered if I should wear my motorcycle crash helmet as well to reinforce the fantasy?
I gave up the illusion, reconciling myself to looking like someone in intensive care.
This morning went to Amba Tea estate. Tried a lot of different teas, and learned a lot about tea grading. One of the higher grades is Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - TGFOP. The acronym, my host advised, was also translated as ‘Too Good For Ordinary People’.
The finest, rarest, ‘Grand Cru' level are white teas from just the finest Silver and Golden unopened tips, with minimal processing. They can cost thousands of dollars per kilo.
Even at $2000 a kilo, a cup isn't a super luxury. A so-so flat white is now $6, and 2g of fancy tea is $3-4.
It's an interesting enterprise. Owned by a few expats from UK, it is being developed as a social enterprise providing good wages to workers, training for a career advancement path, enabling them to start their own similar businesses in future. Quite fascinating stories about the history of tea here. They grow other spices, including cinnamon, vanilla.
I tried some raw cinnamon bark - it is quite sweet and delicious. Nothing like the aromatic but bitter Cassia bark we are used to in Australia. If you can get genuine Sri Lankan cinnamon, it is totally worth it.
It’s quite a modern small scale facility. Spotlessly clean compared to other large scale tea factories I’ve seen. Shoes off at the door, like a temple, which it was, to tea. Totally organic estate, with soil management via complementary species planting, and no machinery of any sort - all done by hand. The teas were very nice, much nicer than most I have had.
I learned tea was stolen by the British from China, and planted in India & Sri Lanka to break the Chinese monopoly. ‘Thieves Tea’ was a dark strong tea made by plantation workers who were exploited, faced harsh conditions and were forbidden from taking tea home, so they stole some at night, making their own process of pounding in a mortar then fire roasting. Amba had some tea made in this manner, and it was quite different to other methods - quite strong, with a nice malty flavour. Their whole range was amazing. It has been served at Noma restaurant. They have something called ‘Champagne’ White Tea Stars, that are 16 youngest buds, hand tied into a star - an amazing treat.
In the afternoon, I visited a coffee roaster at the place I’m staying - Roseland. Also a bit of a social enterprise, the coffee part of the total business employs only women, and they have bought a brand new fancy espresso machine to train locals in barista skills. The coffee wasn’t bad.
The roasting here is done totally BY HAND - no mechanical roasters, so the fine control of time/temp curves is a bit lacking. They don’t want to get a roaster as it would result in unemployment of some women. The estate produces only 3-4 kg/month from their beans, but buys and roasts 2 tonnes a month from local farmers. A quiet afternoon enjoying the view over the valley.
One very annoying thing about this trip is most hotels are playing really cheesy tacky Xmas music playlists, on the assumption this is what we westerners want, along with tacky decorations. One of the reasons for this trip was to avoid that crap. Sigh….
I found the amp here, and turned it off.

——— Teas tried - in the photo in the album:
White hand sown.
Green
Oolong
Ftgop (Far too good for ordinary people)
Illegal tea- amba thieves
Laughing tea. Spicy chai
Blue pandan bliss. (Like popcorn roasted with butter remarkable I never would’ve guessed anything blue and taste like this)

SriLanka 2025 - 13

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DLPvxrPBmuoVgPS37

Long drive today. 6 hrs. It would have been a train ride, but tourist trains in the highlands won’t be working for many months. A huge reconstruction is underway.
Raining again. I have not had good weather luck so far. The constant rain will not be helping stabilise the slopes.
Not a very scenic trip today. The conditional perfect tense is not bringing joy when the topic is great views - on a few moments when the rain cleared🧀 a bit I could see the view would have been awesome.
Stopped at a tea plantation, Labookellie, for a brief tour & tasting. One of the oldest estates in the country, dating to 1850’s. Tried some rare and expensive white tea.
There are a lot of Hindu temples in this area. Most tea plantation workers are Hindu Tamil.
Some advertising slogans really inspire admiration, through creating strong emotional connections, humorous wordplay, or tapping into aspirations. Here’s one sign I saw: "Sri Lanka produces the best tea in the world. Hellbodde produces some of it.”
Really makes you want some….
Staying at a place called Roseland estate. The cottages are at nearly 1200m, and the view is spectacular, over a valley with mountain ranges in the distance. It’s the first time on the trip I’ve experienced cold.

SriLanka 2025 - 12

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dmZNdEjF1M8nZE2m6

Second day in Kandy.
Started with a morning cooking class where I made 3 curries for lunch, and learned a lot about spices, making curry powders, and local food.
The afternoon visiting 2 temples (the Gadaladeniya Raja Maha Viharaya first, finishing at Sri Lankathilake Rajamaha Viharaya), with an 8k walk between the two through villages and paddy fields.
I find Sri Lankan names of people and places very difficult. I will never remember where I went. The Sinhalese local language is very descriptive, eg Golumadama Handiya: "Junction of the Nunnery of the Dumb Mutes"
I could never learn it, with such long words, like German where words are built up of many combined smaller elements, eg: Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz - A former law for the delegation of duties for supervising beef labelling.
The walk was hard - lots of steep up/down, mid 30’s, and pretty much 100% humidity, on a full stomach.
My guide didn’t speak much English, but was very good at pointing out flora and fauna. He pointed out that many stupa dome shapes were based on the shape of a Bodhi tree leaf.
I think he also would nominate me for a white cane award.
Nonetheless it was very enjoyable. The temples were small, dating from 7th century, and quite detailed and beautiful inside.
A temple guide suggested a donation - I put in 100 rupees, and he got shitty saying I put in 20. My non-English speaking guide backed me up and confirmed it was 100. 20 is 10 cents, a hundred is 50 cents. Even at 100, I could well be justifiably accused of being a tight arse.
For an idea of costs here - I engaged a tuk-tuk to take me to a local supermarket, wait a few minutes, and back to the hotel - a trip of about 4km. The fee was 300 rupees (about $1.50).

SriLanka 2025 - 11

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xeZ6kwX9N7jCU65Q8

Off to Kandy today, one of the towns hardest hit in the cyclone disaster.

I’m enjoying my final morning in this jungle. It’s quite misty at dawn. Very few bugs last night.

The drive to Kandy was short and uneventful, but more sites of landslides and damage were plentiful.

First stop was the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic - Sri Dalada Maligawa. It is a major place of Buddhist worship, where the left canine tooth of Gautama Buddha is enshrined. A UNESCO site, and a very busy place. A great video about it is here:

https://sridaladamaligawa.lk/sri-dalada-maligawa-history/

It’s much better than my photos, and explains well. Some rooms banned photography.

Every dentist has this as a pilgrimage site as well. I was suitably reverential.

It wasn’t extracted from the Buddha - it was leftover after the cremation. That’s a more extreme method of tooth extraction than practised by most dentists, but I do know of people who had extraction experiences by rough hands that they describe in terms not dissimilar to burning at the stake.

Some of the most important Sri Lankan rituals are held here. There is quite a story about this tooth and it’s history. I probably found it more interesting than many of you would.

Then I did a fabulous walking tour of Kandy with Donald Srimal, who is quite a character. Very passionate about his country & city, and a keen photographer of birds as well. If you ever go to Sri Lanka, you MUST let this guy organise some or all of your trip. His website: https://www.skyfeathersrilanka.com

We walked around town a bit, and noted how there were churches, mosques, temples of all faiths within metres of each other. It’s a very tolerant place. Kandy is a bit generically messy Asian, architecture wise, but does have some nice old colonial Portuguese and British buildings.

I saw so many fruits, vegetables, & greens that I have never seen before. There was a place selling betel leaves, and in take away packs of leaf + accessories (tobacco, spices, the nut, some slaked lime, sweeteners) with all you need for the chew & get high process. I was momentarily tempted to try it, but I didn’t want red teeth.

Donald suggested a ghee dosa, which we shared - it was fabulous.

Then came a mind bending highlight of the trip - Helga’s Folly - self described as an ‘anti-hotel’.

This insane place is an absolute must see in this country. You must read this description: https://www.outlooktraveller.com/stay/hotel-review-inside-helgas-folly-sri-lankas-whimsical-anti-hotel Unfortunately this place suffered some damage in a landslide a few weeks ago, and will need some repairs. The road to it had major damage, and if it fails further, it might be inaccessible.

It was a full day. Dinner, as usual, was delicious.

SriLanka 2025 - 10

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qQ7r3xkwjPtGesLq8

Polwaththa Lodge is a hippie place. At breakfast a French couple asked for coffee with coconut milk, and parsley water (!!), clutching a Lonely Planet Sri Lanka book, after their Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga class. Why do this to yourself? And they were French! Sacre bleu! Culinary traitors to their nation. I will save my suffering for hell. I want to enjoy what I eat and drink until then.

I would have fitted in decades ago (except for the yoga), but I haven’t had enough drugs in my life to be an old hippie, as Chateauneuf, Volnay and Champagne don’t count as hippie drugs. I never even dabbled in vegetarianism, let alone vegan - definitely never yoga.

Today a village and waterfalls walk is planned.

I set out with guide Charles, who is half Belgian, half Sri Lankan, and a Catholic - the only one in his village. His wife is Buddhist. They don’t fight.

I saw the hot water tank. They apparently burn waste cinnamon wood from their spice making activities to heat the tank. Incense powered hot water!

I learned some Ayurvedic treatments. Coffee, lime & ginger syrup for stomach. Tamarind & palm sugar for UTI’s.

We saw a beautiful plant called a Fire Lily. Charles said it was good for murder or suicide - he said you have to boil the roots with sugar (which is helpful for the poison to develop). It apparently takes a few painful hours to work. It’s the Tamil Nadu state flower, and used for some medicinal purposes, as well as arrow poison in Nigeria.

I wondered why he harped on a lot about it - did I look glum?

We walked about 4k mostly downhill, mostly very steep, through the jungle. He showed many different spices, trees & fruits as well as suicide drugs (it wouldn’t be my number one choice).

We then got on a very uncomfortable truck (of course no seatbelts) - an old Indian Mahindra, with a driver whose primary skill was not smoothness (I avoided concussion, despite no fat person in the back with me as a buffer). Another missing primary skill also was flossing, based on his smile.

The roads were very steep, and I hoped the brakes were up to it. Being deaf to high frequencies I was not aware if they squealed or not. We stopped at a point where we went on another jungle walk to a beautiful waterfall, where I nearly stepped on a viper. I was advised it was very poisonous. There are no anti-venoms for these in Sri Lanka.

On the way back, my eyes were firmly fixed on the ground, not the jungle. I see why a previous accommodation had sticks to walk with and beat the ground. Some aspects of this holiday seem better designed for someone younger than me.

I went to Charles house and met his family. He made me mango from his bountiful garden prepared with salt and chilli - delicious. Twenty five people from his original village in the hills were lost in landslides a few weeks ago. He praised the government for giving 50 lakh rupees to every victim to rebuild a house (about $25,000 AUD, I think).

Another great day, finished with more curry. I’ve had many chicken curries, and every one has been delicious and very different to the others.

SriLanka 2025 - 9

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qn4ydnu6sdFBo6sB9

Drive to Polwaththa Eco Lodge.

In the mountains at last, and cooler. Still humid, and lots of rain showers.

A bit of a sombre day, seeing horrendous landslides every 1-200m on the road. This hill area was really hammered by the cyclone. The destruction is incredible.

Today was the first day Chaminda drove quickly - I think he wanted to get out of the landslide zone. I was OK with that.

An afternoon at leisure at this place, which is very basic. No AC, but it is cooler here, so don’t really need it. The wooden hut I am in is on a steep slope, on stilts. If there is a landslide here overnight, I’m a goner. Really in a jungle here. It was nice just sitting on the balcony. If I want a hot shower, I need to give 2 hrs notice so they can light a fire under the tank, which gravity feeds to the hut. There are poles outside, which are to be carried when walking to bang on the ground to get snakes to move out of your way. Being a Kew resident, with the local riverbank being infested with brown and tiger snakes, I have few concerns.

The approach to this hut is a scrabble down uneven steps and slippery tree roots. I definitely won’t be drinking at dinner. The floor, door, windows and walls all have large gaps, so insect life here is plentiful. The staff here did say, unusually, that mosquitoes are generally not an issue at night, but there is a net if I need it. They did advise closing the doors and windows to keep larger insects out.

Reminds me of a joke I heard years ago in the NT - when I enquired about mozzies at a house, I was told ‘Don’t worry, mate, they won’t bother you - they can’t fit through the door.’

I didn’t use the net, feeling trusting, and woke up with only a few bites.

Of course, there are yoga lessons to be had here. I’ve tied my shoelaces twice already today, so I’m good.

Dinner was great.

SriLanka 2025 - 8

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Click here for Photos

Yesterday was Buddha overload. Almost too much to take in. My third eye is having to buffer my chakras - not enough bandwidth in my karma.

Today was a safari 4WD trip into a national park to see elephants. I have always been a little dubious about wildlife safaris - the promise is often much greater than the reality. Many go for a long rough spine shattering drive in an uncomfortable vehicle in the expectation of an abundance of wild beasts, to experience a zoo without walls. The reality is often disappointing. The beasts don’t perform, or are so sick of being gawped at they hide. Often they are so distant and camouflaged only the guide can see them (and maybe he’s sometimes bullshitting).

"Look, there’s a Chimera, right next to the Basilisk! Over there the Unicorn is fighting with the Centaur over the carcass of the Leprechaun! Can’t you see it? It’s just over the horizon near the Griffin, who’s playing chess with a Pterodactyl, using penguins as pieces! If you squint you can see impending checkmate."

I admire the vision of the guide. For me, it’s like trying to spot a dead pixel on a hi-res monitor 50 metres away in bright sunshine.

This particular safari’s goal was elephants and birds. The guides spotted an awesome variety of birds, which took me several minutes to locate each time.

I thought they would present me with a white cane at the end of the trip.

The spine shattering nature of the road didn’t disappoint expectations, unfortunately. There were also numerous tropical downpours which drenched me in the open vehicle (only a top, no sides). One particular lurch flung me heavily into my guides lap (fortunately he is amply padded, and I am grateful for his being a human airbag and saving me from numerous broken limbs). Very fortunately we weren’t flung out of the vehicle. No safety belts at all - it would be illegal in Australia.

I’m glad I added ‘back issues’ cover to my travel insurance - discectomy here I come again….

After a few hours, finally elephants! I saw over the next hour or so 4 or 5 small herds. Some of them not nearby, but even my failing vision could see them, and digital 40x zoom on my iPhone means I have some 64x64 pixel elephants recorded.
I’ll share the blurs with you.

On the way back the car got bogged in a detour around a bridge washed away in the flood. It took half the nearby village to help extricate it, much of the help being arm waving and criticism. After the car had had enough of the criticism it unbogged itself.
Much self congratulation from the critics, who were awarded the inaugural FIFA Global Car Liberation prize. I had had visions of yesterday’s boat abandonment, needing a rescue vehicle.

I returned, wet but happy with the outing. I saw enough elephants in better than 8-bit resolution, each at least 16x16 pixels.

This trip has confirmed I need to get a cataract operation in 2026.

The afternoon was a bird watching trip on the lake, with one of the hotel staff who was a naturalist as well. While hesitant after yesterday’s experience, today’s rower was about four times the size of yesterday’s guy, with a more Aussie Oarsome Foursome physique, so I was reassured.

I wonder if yesterday’s guy made it back, or was he lost at sea?

I returned uneventfully to the precise point of embarkation, now fully sated with bird and beast, as well as fully saturated.

The rower barely broke sweat.

SriLanka 2025 - 7

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here. Lots of Buddhas today: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1e97pXmEaHMxL1Tt8

Visiting Dambulla Cave Temple. 1st century BC. It was remarkable and unique, with 5 separate caves filled with religious statues. Currently still an active monastery.

A beautiful drive from here to the next stop, starting to see mountains as well as paddy fields. Surprisingly very little traffic. Chaminda said that was normal, as we were a bit remote. Staying at a swish place called Mapakada Village, on a lake. Due to planned activities being cancelled because of landslides and floods, they have offered as a replacement a safari trip tomorrow.

Lots of Russians here (conspicuously of conscription age) - is there anyone left in Moscow?

Hot and humid again. The sun sears when out. I’ve been jealous of ‘people of colour’ in respect of ability to manage sunlight. I look like Barnaby in 30 minutes, and a bit later I am cremated, or at best in a burns unit. Perhaps I have a few vampire genes and this is normal?

Anyway, being white, I have unthinkingly used the term ‘people’ for ‘us’, and ‘people of color’ for non-white ‘them’ (without any recognition of my mindless culturally insensitive imperialist assumptions). It occurred to me that ‘they’ outnumber ‘us’ considerably. Therefore, no longer a cultural imperialist, I will from now on refer to ‘them’ as ‘people’, and us white guys as ‘colourless people’, or ‘people without colour’. Seems right?

Went for an afternoon tea boat trip on the lake. One skinny guy paddling two people on a large boat, with a single paddle. All was ok, serene and tranquil until a headwind on the way back. I thought I would need to spend the night on the boat. He was paddling furiously, and we were going backwards.

To quote Shakespeare: ‘Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’

This understaffing would contravene Occ Health and Safety (ie be illegal in Australia). Unions aren’t always a bad thing.

We had to land on the opposite shore and thumb a ride back. There was an elephant near our landing point, which caused the guide and boat guy some concern (they can get cranky). Locals steer clear of elephants - about 200 people were killed here last year.

Waded through some swamp to get to the road, avoiding the elephant, where the hotel sent a ute.

Utterly torrential rain hit at the moment we got in the car.

I gave boat guy a tip. He earned it. His evil boss left him at the boat, and he has to row it back when the wind dies down, in monsoonal rain. Poor bastard. His boss wasn’t remotely sympathetic. sympathetic.

I earned a beer, I think.

SriLanka 2025 - 6

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VzrqaM266ZEXWAEj9

I must remember to bring Stingose on future trips to such places. Insect life here is impressive. Spiders in toilets, lizards in beds, and plenty of mozzies, although they aren’t as bad as I imagined - the other fauna eat them, and plentiful fish in the waterways do their job.

Peacocks, monkeys, squirrels, incredible birdlife everywhere. This place is alive. Everyone is friendly and helpful, and everywhere is clean. The sky is clear, with no evident pollution, unlike India.

I check the loo meticulously before taking a seat. Perhaps the ferocious bidet attachments are for the bugs?

I’m using the local Dialog mobile sim for data - it has worked really well everywhere, and is very cheap - $7 for 30G for 30 days.

Big morning at Polonnaruwa complex. An ancient capital, UNESCO WH site. Dated around 1200 AD. The Gal Vihara Buddha carvings were spectacular. One was covered for some renovation. A sad observation is that many ancient buildings in Sri Lanka have crumbled far more than their Indian equivalents. The jungle and climate here take no prisoners.

Lunch buffet of local village style food. Delicious as usual.

Russian tour groups everywhere I’ve been. Clearly escaping the winter, and probably conscription.

Finally convinced the hotel I want food spiced to local standards. As a result, had a chicken curry and dhal that were incredible.

A thing that has happened more than once, at numerous different places here, is that after waiters serve the food, the head dude comes along and stands in front of me, silently, for quite a while, with perhaps a hint of a Mona Lisa smile. Not menacing - just present. I wait, awkwardly, then eventually dig in. He’s still there. Does he expect something from me?Then the question: ‘Not too spicy? Do you like it?’.

I effusively praise it.

He continues to stand there for a while longer, as I aspire to not drip curry on my shirt, trying to avoid eye contact, wanting to eat in peace, without an audience. Eventually Mona Lisa departs, ‘I will leave you to your dinner, sir. Please ask if you need anything’.

I feel like I’m in a Marina Abramovic performance piece - I now understand her MOMA chair installation. She was inspired by Sri Lankan dining experiences.

SriLanka 2025 - 5

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pNqVYEqHs4Z5E9LN7

Sigiriya Rock (Lion Rock) - an iconic Sri Lankan highlight.

Another few thousand vertical steps on a hot muggy day. Lost 2kg sweat. A tough walk on the day. Incredibly impressive construction, justifiably one of Sri Lanka’s highlights.

Then a superb lunch (gained 2kg curry) at a local villager’s house, then by tuk-tuk visited a broom maker (made totally by hand), a dance studio for a performance of indigenous dance (I declined an offer of a lesson), a mud hut tea house, and topped off with a body oil production facility (again totally by hand). An odd mix, but interesting.

Tea here is drunk with jaggery, a palm sugar rock. You take a little bite, keep it in your mouth, and drink the hot tea. It dissolves a little of the jaggery and makes a great tasting drink. It’s really good.

SriLanka 2025 - 4

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C3nFeaxD275CEJ467

Heading to Elephant Watch Hut - a very simple accommodation with an expectation of seeing a herd of wild elephants pass by your hut.

Stopped for roadside guava. Served with salt and chilli powder sprinkled on it - great combo. I recommend trying this on fruit.

My driver needed lunch (I was full from breakfast), so we stopped at a resorty place that needs to rethink their marketing. The staff wore shirts emblazoned with their logo, and the phrase ‘Nothing like a home’ below.

Went to Ritigala Archaeological Site & Strict Natural Reserve. An ancient Buddhist monastery ruin from 100 BC. Fascinating - embedded in the forest, with structures connected by winding forest stone paths going up the mountain - another few thousand steps in heat, and thunderstorm on the way down. Ruins of a massive tank or reservoir at the base. Yet another mystical experience, walking in the footsteps of monks 2000 years ago. A very meditative walk, where I meditated about my happiness I was not one of those monks.

I did a village walk nearby, accompanied by two villagers whose only form of communication with me was via Google Translate. Some of the translations were truly Pythonesque, of the ‘my hovercraft is full of eels’ variety. We came to a lovely little rocky grotto, with a pleasant pool fed by a stream, surrounded by lush vegetation - an enchanting, tranquil oasis designed to transport individuals away from the everyday world, combining rustic charm of a natural formation with a private pool.

I asked him (via Google) what the place was called. The reply was ‘rock with water in the middle’.

Later, at his house, with a house cat, I spoke into his device: ‘Does your cat eat mice?’. Google translated the text into English & Sinhalese. The English bit said: ‘When will your cat die?’ I tried again. Google: ‘Do you eat your cat?’

I cancelled that translation before showing it to him. I tried about four times to get the correct phrase to be translated. It must have looked comical as I spoke increasingly loudly and slowly each time, cancelling every translation, punctuated by ‘Oh, fuck’, and obvious frustration on my part. I gave up - did I really need to know if his cat ate mice? In hindsight it may be his phone was set with US English. I don’t normally have these issues.

On a tuk-tuk ride to the huts I saw a small herd of wild elephants. Wow! It’s very different seeing them a few metres away without a zoo fence. An experience more special than I imagined. Elephants here are quite a pest. Many properties are surrounded by barbed wire or electric fences to keep them out. Rice fields often have an elevated platform where someone stays overnight, and scares off elephants if they try to raid the fields, by making noises, and throwing firecrackers. No wonder elephants can get aggro. If some pipsqueak hit you with a taser, barbed wire and threw bombs at you, you’d definitely want to step on them.

The huts have solar powered led lights, no electricity, no hot water, only enclosed from the elements by a roof. I thought ‘tonight will be interesting’. I wondered if monkeys raided at night. Fortunately, the mosquito net worked a treat, I slept exposed to the jungle, and woke to more amazing forest sounds - the best alarm you can have.

The expected elephant herd never materialised, but I had seen some earlier in the day, so that’s fine. Enjoyed local village cuisine for dinner and breakfast - delicious. The breakfast, while under a hut, was in a thunderstorm, and regular gusts would blow rain into my coffee and soak my shirt. The weather hasn’t been kind. I’m spending much of this trip either drenched in sweat or rain.

SriLanka 2025 - 3

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5k6oYvAZjyJ9fDNY6

A very Buddhist day. First stop Jethawanaramaya Stupa. Huge, dating to 3rd century AD

It is one of the most iconic and sacred monuments. Built by King Mahasena, this massive brick stupa once stood over 122 m tall, making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world and one of the largest brick structures ever built. It was number 3 to the pyramids at the time. Some of the top is now missing (I have the same problem with hair).

Then Ruwanweli Maha Seya Stupa, built 2nd century BC, older, but in better shape, with plaster intact and regularly painted. Regular worship happens here.

Next was an amazing sight. The Sri Maha Bodhi tree is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world - 288BC. It’s from a cutting of the Bo tree in Bodh Gaya, India - the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. The sapling was brought to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta, a buddhist nun, and ceremoniously received by the king marking a significant moment in the island’s religious history. Hard not to feel moved and connected to pilgrims over the millennia.

Next Kuttam Pokuna - the Twin Ponds, an example of ancient Sri Lankan engineering. Built by the monks of Anuradhapura, these twin bathing tanks are beautifully designed. The symmetry and craftsmanship are amazing, built more than a thousand years ago.

More at Abhayagiriya, another stupa built around 100BC. It’s in poor shape, needing restoration, but $$ are the issue. I feel this was my ‘spirit stupa’ - larger than necessary, old, lumpy, collapsing, needing $$$ of rehab.

Next Anuradhapura Moonstone, an exquisite semicircle carving. These are usually placed at entrances.

Mihintale temple complex next. This was a struggle. Mid 30’s temp, 100% humidity, and 1800 steps. Near the end you must remove shoes. Some bits I couldn’t visit due to burning feet. This climb hammered me.

For even more, Kaludiya Pokuna pond, also known as the "Black Pond," has a monastery surrounded by large granite boulders and lush forest. The atmosphere is quiet, meditative, and nobody there!

Atd the end of the day, filled with enlightenment, I spontaneously levitated. My guide tied a string to me and towed me back, floating above the stupas, like a helium balloon.

As I can’t bend, I was not a floating Buddha in a lotus position. It was more like Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale blimp.

The unkind among you will state this confirms I am full of hot air, and was a deflationary fart away from crashing to the ground.

Having your feet on the ground is overrated. Go meditate.

(For those unfamiliar with Patricia: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/world/australia/skywhale-patricia-piccinini-yarra-valley.html )

SriLanka 2025 - 2

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photo link here. Not many today - long car trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/c3drJ36zWAfHVfjs7

The drive today was long but pleasant, much calmer than Indian trips, and the roads are smooth.

Very little horn blowing, unlike much of Asia. A few spots showed damage from floods, and it was incredible how high they were - looked like 15m in places. Not many photos today.

Sri Lanka appears very clean compared to my India experiences, with very little roadside litter evident, and seems nowhere near as chaotic.

Next stop Anaradhupura was a capital of Sri Lanka around 500BC, and is a site of much Buddhist significance.

Stopped for a roadside corn cob.

Saw Avukana Buddha statue - 13m tall, 5th century. It was very impressive

Next nights are at Lake Forest Hotel, a very modern quite swish place, on a lake with a refreshing breeze. I chanced a macchiato here, and it wasn’t too bad, but quite bafflingly, more expensive than a cappuccino - perhaps next time I’ll order a cap with less milk? Would they detect me trying to game the system?

All the hotels offer yoga classes. I seek fruitlessly for sessions named ‘Yoga for the Inflexible’, ‘Yoga for the Unyielding’, and ‘Yoga for Statues’. The closest I get to successful yoga is tying my shoelaces. Yoga class for me would be like sending a preschooler to study quantum physics. Hotels always have massage sessions - I wonder if I booked for a 12hr massage I could then manage beginner yoga?

Enormous numbers of stray dogs. Locals feed them scraps. They do nothing but lie on the road. Took a video of 2 dogs in a tug of war with a sandal stolen from outside a temple. The owner will return from prayer to a single shoe.

I wondered if I should leave a note on his shoe, like you do on a car window at the supermarket: ‘I have a video of who took it. Call me +61xxxxxx and I will help you arrest the thief.’

At dinner they offered me a menu of only western options. I asked for Sri Lankan food. They made some nice curries, but toned down chilli wise - they just couldn’t accept a white guy would like spicy food.

The feeling you get when you outsmart a menu is peak smug. I gamed the coffee order, with a request for a ‘low milk cappuccino’, and got more macchiato style coffee for a dollar less!

SriLanka 2025 - 1

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photo link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZwjmeHjDmj3k4Y7s8

This Sri Lanka holiday was planned many months ago. Here is a link to a Google Map of the route: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1BCD5ZnE6FI231WoC2MsB9evK3d3ZvqM&usp=sharing

I nearly cancelled at the last moment due to the horrendous natural disaster in Sri Lanka, with widespread flooding, landslides, etc. Anyhow, here I am and so far, glad I came. The country is very damaged in many places, but many are normal as well.

I met my driver/guide Chaminda at the airport a little after midnight, and we headed off to Ambarella Guest House, a working coconut farm & accommodation. His overtaking style is to do it very slowly on a blind corner, so any collision would be mild. The assumption, if not a formal road rule, is that any oncoming traffic will be given way to by whoever can most easily do so. Nobody drives fast here, or complains about oncoming traffic - the whole road is to be used. Asking him about whether the Tamil political situation was reliably calm, after a lengthy discourse, assuring me things were ok, he finished with ‘the soil remains infected with bacteria’.

He has a postgrad qualification in cultural studies, and we had an interesting discussion about origins of languages and where Lithuanian fits in the Indo-European thrust, and how many words in Lithuanian are the same in Sanskrit.

The first two nights were in a lovely place, with incredible sounds of bird and wildlife. The room was great - simple but stylish.

The shower was a magnificent experience that could only be found in a country with ample water - a torrential volume of heavy warm rain from a huge showerhead. It would surely be illegal in Australia. The toilet accepted deposits in the usual manner, and looked modern, but it rocked somewhat, being unattached to the ground. I wondered where the leak would be. It would probably be illegal in Australia.

The bidet attachment had enough pressure to create an immediate embolism. It may have been a decommissioned water jet cutter (like the ones that cut marble and steel). Surprise circumcision (or worse…) is a risk if the aim was poor.

I completed my ablutions, and remained of tenor voice.

I woke to an incredible symphony of bird and animal sounds (find a recording here): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zM08I2hoVSTvM8Jopt7RizsDIeR7fGAb?usp=sharing

I used an amazing app - Merlin Bird ID, free, from Cornell University. You record the sounds on your phone, and the app matches with it’s database to give you a list of birds it’s matched. Quite amazing.

The property is about 20 hectares of coconut, forest, and spice plants. The following night I could hear chanting from a Buddhist ceremony in the wee hours, but it was meditative rather than annoying. I definitely preferred it to Muslim call to prayer at 5am, which is hard to go back to sleep from. To be scrupulously non discriminatory, I don’t like church bells at night either, which may be the worst option.

Breakfast was a huge amount of super ripe fruits, coconut roti, some SriLankan pancakes with caramelised coconut, and water buffalo yoghurt with palm sugar syrup, all from the property - km zero! Dinner was some great curries.

On the first day did a tuk-tuk tour of the local village, and saw a pottery factory, a coir rope making process on a farm, and a spectacular small Buddhist temple. The rope making equipment looked potentially very hazardous to the operator and any small children nearby. It would be illegal in Australia.

Melbourne Night Yarra

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vBPg4PCjN1tbVPbn8

Europe 2025 - Italy, France

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Some albums from the stage of the trip after Scotland.

This was after flying to Milan from Edinburgh, after the Tattoo.

It was Milan a few days, then train to Turin.

From there, pick up a car to drive to Briancon in the French Alpes, then follow the Route de Grandes Alpes to Nice, then back to Piedmont, finishing in Turin again, then home.

Wed 20/08/2025 Milan
Thu 21/08/2025 Milan
Fri 22/08/2025 Milan
Sat 23/08/2025 Briancon
Sun 24/08/2025 Barcelonnette
Mon 25/08/2025 Guillaumes
Tue 26/08/2025 Nice
Wed 27/08/2025 Nice
Thu 28/08/2025 Nice
Fri 29/08/2025 Nice
Sat 30/08/2025 Nice
Sun 31/08/2025 La Brigue
Mon 1/09/2025 La Morra
Tue 2/09/2025 La Morra
Wed 3/09/2025 Alba
Thu 4/09/2025 Alba
Fri 5/09/2025 Alba
Sat 6/09/2025 Turin
Sun 7/09/2025 Turin
Mon 8/09/2025 Turin
Tue 9/09/2025 Dept Turin > Mel
Wed 10/09/2025 Arrive Melb\

Milan - Briancon https://photos.app.goo.gl/6rtr265YgGH2kskf8

Barcelonnette https://photos.app.goo.gl/dsf1Rcjua4mP1cXD6

Alpes Maritimes https://photos.app.goo.gl/hPUJ1576A8DVb5YdA

Nice - La Brigue https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vqt1H73S4ves2tXT8

Piedmonte https://photos.app.goo.gl/ArcL7qeV4DCSMRDG8

Europe 2025 - Scotland Photos

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

For a lot of this trip I didn't get around to writing a journal.

Here are pictures of Scotland though.

It was very beautiful

2025-08-11 - 19

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F4LZRRjwfD8hrVx28

2025-08-02 - 10

https://photos.app.goo.gl/74zQCZKJ8PBmXBhq8

Staffa, Iona, Mull, Oban 2025-08-01

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HNkSVJ2PEdzwgnan7

2025-07-30 -31

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2U8i6Bq629GJDiQM9

2025-07-28 -29

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BuVA4UogSTnsLnLq6

Glasgow 2025-07-26 - 27

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Es7y3Ab2wisZH3Qx7

Europe 2025 - 4 London, Scotland

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

London

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iBMFL5ZyuqFWqj25A

After meeting Vivienne at the Turkish Airlines lounge at Istanbul, full of pide and menemen, we boarded for London. The plane was ready to take off, when the pilot announced there was a ‘mechanical issue’, and we would taxi back to the gates.

Glad the plane malfunctioned just before takeoff, and not 1 minute later, a la Air India. We departed eventually 3 or 4 hours late (somewhat concerned). Not sure if they found a new plane, or if it was the same one with some duct tape. I didn’t want to know.

The next few days in London were pleasant, and completely lacking the extremes of Istanbul and Samos. London is ferociously expensive. My ears bled every time we had a coffee.

We found good coffee at Noxy Bros - you actually can get a good coffee outside Melbourne.

Most of a day was spent at Kew Gardens - a lovely stroll, with many summer flowers.

A highlight was the British Library, and their collection of old manuscripts. Seeing an original Magna Carta was quite a thrill, as was an original Turing text on Intelligent Machinery - the inspiration for Chat GPT et al. Would we have been better off without Turing? We’ll know in a few years (maybe - I’m probably a blue pill guy, unlike Keanu).

We queued at the Ginger Pig at the Borough Market for their famous sausage roll, which was nice but not living up to the hype. The market was hideously crowded - it’s developed into a bit of a tourist circus, alas.

We had dinner at the iconic Dishoom. No bookings are taken, and we arrived early in anticipation of a seat, only to find another massive queue.

I was hugely impressed by their client management software. A lady was walking along the queue with a tablet, interviewing diners, and sending people what appeared randomly into the restaurant. When she reached us, took my name, advised a wait of 20 minutes (which seemed implausible), then said to go the the door, and ask for seats A1 at the bar. We had a drink, the bartender assured us ‘they knew where you were’, and very quickly we were greeted by name and escorted to a table the moment one was free (15 minutes). Dishes arrived promptly.

The choreography was as impressive as air traffic control at Changi, in a restaurant almost as large. The food was pretty good, too, by the way. I left marvelling at superb curries and awesome software (they use a system called Aloha EPOS).

We did a few London Walks - one based on the engineer Brunel’s projects building tunnels, bridges, ships and railways, who Jeremy Clarkson nominated as ‘the greatest Briton’, on the basis Brunel built Britain, and therefore the modern world. Brunel came second only to Churchill in a nationwide poll. Another walk entered around Mayfair, where we saw so many expensive and exclusive shops for the world’s ultra-wealthy ($5-10k for an Apple Watch strap, anyone?), and houses of historic significance, including Spencer House at Green Park.

We were enlightened about a ‘men only’ club, Brooks’s, who eventually allowed women in as guests, but initially only wives of members.

When members sought to expand companion entry to their mistresses as well, it was allowed, as long as the mistresses were wives of existing members…

An interesting club - it featured gambling among members, and a 1785 betting book entry states "Ld. Cholmondeley has given two guineas to Ld. Derby, to receive 500 Gs whenever his lordship fucks a woman in a Balloon one thousand yards from the Earth.”

We don't know if the bet was ever won, or how it was confirmed. The first Mile High Club?

Next, Scotland - Haggis, black pudding, salmon, venison, neeps and tatties….

We caught the train to Glasgow. A splendid city described correctly as an absolute gem of Victorian architecture, with so many stunning buildings. Famous for Charles Rennie Mackintosh & Billy Connolly, who said of Scotland: there are 2 seasons - June & winter. I soon learned he didn’t bullshit.

Any city that is home to these giants is a place of consequence.

Unfortunately, in the centre many buildings were empty, and an air of decline. I saw this in San Francisco last year as well. The sad exodus from CBDs everywhere brings a tear to my eye, as I lament the decline of thriving culture in cities as a global catastrophe (especially as I consider the empty small office I have in Melbourne that I haven’t been able to sell for the last few years post COVID. Not dissimilar to the decline of the Roman Empire, and local real estate values post Vesuvius - my personal tragedy is perhaps only exceeded by Nero’s).

I love the Scottish accent - it’s music I could listen to all day long.

Overheard in a cafe in Glasgow:

Canadian woman: “Can I have a latte with oat milk?”

Scottish barista: “Sorry, lassie, I cannae make ye a latte withoot milk.”

Mid afternoon, we saw plenty of quite drunk people of all ages, fortunately mostly jolly, and never saw any biffo. This is apparently normal here.

The Scots are very friendly, much more than the English. On the pavement as we stared at buildings we were regularly asked ‘Are ye lost? Can I help ye? Where d’ye wanna go?’

Signs here are mostly labelled ‘Polite Notice’ as a header, before the content (eg ‘Don’t Park Here’, ‘Risk of Death on Cliff’, ‘I’ll shoot yer dog if it’s not on a leash’, etc).

I’m a huge fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and was keen to see his architecture and design work here, his home town. After viewing some buildings in Glasgow, and a great exhibition at the Museum, we got a car and set off.

It was a little odd, while admiring CRM’s magnificent architecture and design, trying hard to be an intellectual aesthete, thoughts of Billy Connolly intruded constantly.

Connolly won.

Travelling through Scotland, if you take the remotest interest in local history, you inevitably become a thanatourist (I didn’t know what that was either - it’s travelling to places associated with death and tragedy, getting drawn in and ultimately emotionally involved with the overwhelming suffering that is such a part of this place). You become a ‘dark tourist’.

Every stone you trip over is a reminder of a thousand years of blood spilled on it.

You begin to understand where the black humour of the Scots came from. An extraordinary people.

ITINERARY for UK:

22/7/2025 Tue London Met Vivienne at Istanbul Airport. Next stop London. We had a nice apartment in Bloomsbury Evening arrival London. Wine bar snacks. Noble Rot

23/7/2025 Wed London Kew Gardens, wandered around Bloomsbury. Farmer J salads & tray?

24/7/2025 Thu London London Walks - Brunel walk, Mayflower pub, Borough Market tourist trap, sausage roll. Rolls from bakery for dinner

25/7/2025 Fri London Bloomsbury stroll. London Walks Mayfair Dinner at Dishoom, Covent Garden,

26/7/2025 Sat Glasgow Train to Glasgow. Cold, cloudy. Walked around centre, architectural. Rennie Mackintosh. Dinner Vietnamese Pho

27/7/2025 Sun Glasgow Kelvin Grove museum, lunch at Revello cafe.

28/7/2025 Mon Balloch Get car - Kia CEED manual Drive to Balloch. B&B. Owner had history in whisky/wine/hospitality Helensburgh, CRMackintosh house Dinner at Balloch Inn - Chicken, leek mushroom pie, salad with fish

29/7/2025 Tue Balloch Large Scottish breakfast.

30/7/2025 Wed Oban Drive & walks Loch Lomond & Trossachs Smoked salmon sandwiches, salad

31/7/2025 Thu Oban Drive to Glencoe, sightseeing, walks Fish & Chips - 3rd best in UK???

1/8/2025 Fri Oban Salmon sandwich, pseudo-pizza - rolls, ham, pastrami, cheese, tomato 3 Isles trip - Isle of Mull, Staffa, Iona (Abbey)

2/8/2025 Sat Fort William - Christina’s View Huge lunch en-route at Port Appin - Pierhouse Hotel (Michelin) Cullin Skink, pickled herring, lobster pie

3/8/2025 Sun Fort William Ben Nevis walk, boat wreck, Harry Potter steam train. Air fryer Cod from M&S, salad

4/8/2025 Mon Fort William Storm Floris - indoor day. West Highland Museum -very good. Pies from local bakery, Steak & black pudding, salad

5/8/2025 Tue Applecross

Drive to Applecross on the NC500 - an amazing start to the road trip. Foul weather, but it cleared enough now and then to allow some sights. On a clear day this would be one of the world’s great drives. A single lane for most of the road, but with frequent turn outs to allow passing. Short walk around bay. Cold, rainy.

Haggis & whisky for dinner, and a fish pie, scallops, crab salad.

Huge Scottish full breakfast (toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, mushrooms, tomato)

6/8 Wed Applecross Inn Drove south as far as possible. Walked loop behind hotel, Afternoon walk to museum,

7/8 Ullapool Old Surgery Long beautiful drive to Ullapool. Cold, rainy, some nice views. Nice town, still cold. Walked around harbour. Great fish wrap at Seafood Shack, salmon bowl

8/8 Scourie Edrachillies Hotel Long drive from Ullapool. More awesome scenery, rain.

9/8 Scourie Edrachillies Hotel Drove south to do NC500 we missed 2 days earlier from foul weather. Small walk around harbour.

10/8 Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel Long drive from Edrachillies.

11/8 Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel

12/8Halkirk Ulbster Arms Hotel

13/8 Dornoch Castle Hotel Great whisky by Macdonald Bros.

14/8 Inverness Corbies Rest

15/8 Inverness Corbies Rest

16/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B Drove to Culloden Battlefield. Fascinating talk by guide about history. Museum v good. Loch Morlich in arvo - 4 k walk around.Sandwiches from M&S

17/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B Big hike up to summit of Craigellachie. Hard work. Haggis & Vension stew at Cairngorm Hotel. Warm beer, Abelour 12yo speyside.

18/8 Aviemore Dunroamin B&B

16/8 Edinburgh No 11 Hotel Went to Edinburgh Tattoo, after a nice Italian early dinner

Europe 2025 - 3 Samos

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MS8HZkk4br6iTi7a8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YmSrVmNURUiFnzRdA

16-21/7/2025

Next is 5 days in Samos, birthplace of Pythagoras, for 60th birthday celebrations of a long time friend. He’s invited dozens of people to his home island, is providing accommodation, food and entertainment for all, in a display of huge generosity. He has worked very hard, believed in himself, and deservedly done well in life.

The forecast was ‘very hot, and getting hotter’. Alas, it was accurate.

In Samos I stay with the host and 5 other blokes in an old house on a lovely block of land with about 30 resident turtles, some over 100 years old. I watched them fight very slowly over a watermelon rind. How all fights should be - nobody got hurt, and everyone leaves with a full belly. Sounds of many birds. I felt a bit like Gerald Durrell in Corfu.

The household had 2 Aussies (one Croatian, me Lithuanian background), a Greek, an Italian, and 3 Germans. We dubbed the house the UN Embassy of Samos. We all got on famously, and nobody snored enough to wake anyone up. A sign of our age was we didn’t drink much, didn’t party all night, and many discussions at the table involved medications and recent diagnoses.

We were instructed to be very careful with toilet paper, as blockages were catastrophic in the thin pipes, and we weren’t allowed to shit in the garden.

At the end of my stay, I was amazed at how much could be achieved with just 4 sheets.

A lady was engaged to come and prepare breakfast for us every day. She had almost no English. “Eggs?” She said.

We all responded yes, with scrambled, boiled, poached all requested.

Of course, only omelette arrived - but very tasty with local feta and tomato - the one song in her repertoire. We also had local yoghurt, honey and fig jam.

They were extraordinary, as were all local foods we ate. It is a green garden of Eden - a very beautiful, hilly island with great beaches in spectacular coasts.

We visited villages, saw sights, ate far too much, and lolled about in the bluest waters.

You feel yourself de-stressing as you approach heat stroke (I knew I’d be very calm, probably catatonic in the ambulance).

Everybody surrounding me featured a tan somewhere between golden and deepest bronze (and g-strings seemed compulsory for females). As a person of Baltic genes coming from Melbourne winter, I had a unique shade that is best described as ‘corpse white’.

Lying on the beach, head covered by a hat, I heard some passers by:

“Is that a dead body washed ashore? Should we call the police?”

“Nah, just keep walking - the fish will get it at high tide.”

I haven’t been a big fan of beaches as a rule. Years ago when I was corpulently obese, when reclining on the sand I was woken by people with blue and purple hair throwing buckets of water over me, saying “It’s beached! Quick, we need to push it out to sea!”, and then they shoved me into a rip. When I was spluttering and calling for help, I heard a green haired woman yell “It’s breaching! I want to swim out and kiss it’s blowhole! Where’s my GoPro and selfie stick? Oh crap, the battery is flat.” I missed out on that kiss…

[The last paragraph was a very slight exaggeration or embellishment, but perhaps had a whiff of plausibility, no?]

I’m much thinner now, and happy to be left alone to get sunstroke in peace.

Despite Australian 50 sunblock, I went directly from corpse to cinder. I came close to leaving the beach in an urn.

The big birthday party night featured an exceptionally talented Bouzouki band (4 guys - one on keyboards, 3 others singing and/or playing bouzouki), who were also exceptionally indefatigable - they played without ANY break from 9pm to 2 am. It made conversation tricky.

Next day, many hungover, we did a Metaxa distillery tour. Having a few glasses of Metaxa (around 50% alc) at 35 degrees while dehydrated is probably not optimal, but was delicious nonetheless.

Yet another party tonight, which featured leftovers from yesterday’s party (with some fresh salad), and still didn’t finish off the leftovers. This is what Greeks do!

We were so busy talking and eating at the communal table, we were completely unaware of our host having his Vespa, just returned from a full service, engine rebuild, and new paint explode in a fireball when he tried kickstarting it, just 10 metres away.

His son said earlier it was not running well, then it wouldn’t start. He, being a typical father, told his son he must be doing something wrong, and then went to show him how to do it right.

The scooter was a write off. Our host, always lucky, was merely lightly singed.

20/7/2025

Boat trip day. We approached the harbour, and boarded our boat, named ‘Boat Trip’. I like the honest, direct simplicity that Theo & Giannis (twin brothers) gave to naming their business ‘Theo & Giannis Boat Trip’, after a fairly short brainstorming session no doubt.

If they were to open a restaurant I guess it would be called ‘Food’.

Giannis asked me my name.

Me:“Andrew”

Giannis:“Angry?”

Must be something about my accent. “No, I’m very calm and genial. It’s ANDREW.”

International Maritime Law mandates safety instructions for passengers, flotation vests, etc, on all passenger craft. Theo was not a pedantic legal scholar, or just overlooked the safety bit that day. I asked someone where the vests might be - he indicated they’re usually in ‘those bins’ that he pointed to. I looked in one. It was full of very large rocks - ballast - clearly more important than vests. I guess the philosophy was if we go down, we do it quickly, and end the suffering expeditiously.

The blueness of the sea here is extraordinary - I’ve never seen anything like it.

We arrived at our first beach. The anchor dropped. I looked for the jetty - none to be seen.

I said: “Where’s the jetty? How we get to the beach?”

“No jetty - just swim there”.

“It’s a kilometre away - I can’t do that! I’ll drown!”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot, it’s about 4 bathtubs long to the beach. My great grandma could do it”.

“But she’s long dead, surely?”

“Yes, and she’d still make it. Jump in or I’ll push you!”

It was way more than 4 bathtubs, but way less than a kilometre. I made it.

We repeated this at another beach later.

I really enjoyed swimming to shore from a boat - such a simple thing, but it was a highlight of the whole trip. You get ashore with no towel, and no phone!! Robinson Crusoe!!

The Greek Isles are amazing.

The beauty of the villages, the quality of the light, the friendliness of the natives, the deepest blue of the sea, the clear warm waters combine to make an incredible experience. Middays are very hot in summer, but the mornings and afternoons are sublime. Food is very simple and perfect. Samos wines are very good.

Greeks in these isles have a very long life. I need to emulate the turtles, and live at their pace. No drugs needed. I won’t even fight over watermelon rind - I might live to 150.

I had an overnight in Istanbul before the next UK phase of the trip. I stayed in a hotel near the airport on the Black Sea. The beaches could have been lovely, but were a bit squalid with rubbish.

It was a very Muslim area - the men were all enjoying the water, and all the women were dressed in full garb, tending to the men’s needs on the beach. They were so covered I couldn’t see if they were angry or sad, or how badly they were sweating.

I saw one foreign woman in a skimpy bikini in the water. Brave - she may be at risk of being stoned to death. Lucky it was a sandy beach.

The taxi driver to the airport had an interesting driving style. It was a medium amplitude low frequency sine wave, ensuring equal time in all lanes (without signalling of course), and a symphony of horns from drivers behind us. Next stop London.

Europe 2025 - 2

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

There are comments on many photos.

You need to view the gallery full screen, and click the ‘info’ icon so you can see them, and also where they are on a map.

Photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWe4qBK6vfJ83h8k9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hhW9knYxvsLooTnJ9

14/7/2025 Evening

Bosphorus Cruise

Istanbul is incomplete without this, so I booked a sunset cruise. There were many I suspected to be Russians on board. The men (older) all had extravagant watches (genuine, not fakes from the Bazaar), and a coarse brutality to their features. From the thickness of their necks all would suffer from sleep apnea, and reflux from their ample bellies. The women (younger) were festooned with ostentatious jewellery, lips and tits plumped to bursting, each carrying enough botox to be a bio-weapon, unable to show any expression, their physiognomic gearbox stuck in neutral.

My suspicions confirmed after hearing a few syllables - the language is instantly recognisable, and always sounds threatening even with innocuous phrases like “Can I park here?”, which while being a question, is invariably interpreted as the statement: “I park here.”

You don’t say ‘Nyet’, you just affirm.

I resisted the urge to say “Slava Ukraine”, as I was outnumbered (and being a coward, not wishing to swim in the Bosphorus - these guys know how to throw people off high places). These were clearly ‘Bratva’.

The women coruscated with a synthetic effulgence, dimmed by the darkness of their companions souls.

[I enjoyed writing that pretentious sentence (a ‘pretensentence’?).

I am however very mindful of the heights of Russian culture, which I admire. I am currently reading ‘Dead Souls’ by Nikolai Gogol in an attempt to become more literate (and maybe stop a doomscrolling habit). It is a spectacularly good read, a masterpiece laced with cynicism and very dark humour. Often hilarious. Full of erudition and wit.

A friend recently described me as “at best, half erudition, but definitely half-wit.”

The cruise was very relaxing, beautiful buildings on the shore, and a cool breeze welcome relief on a hot day. The Russian women did not outshine the sun glittering on the Bosphorus.

I could have done the cruise for less $$, and without distorted unintelligible commentary from our onboard host over corroded speakers if I just caught some public transport ferries, but I had forgotten the instructions from reception on day one, couldn’t read the map, and couldn’t bother Googling.

15/7/2025

Four Museums in one day

Too hot to wander around outside, it was a day of refuge indoors. I set off well fed, even after sending 80% of my breakfast back untouched.

Basilica Cisterna

Short queue, still had touts offering ‘skip the line’ tickets when I was actually pulling out my card to buy the ticket at the counter. Very impressive example of engineering - a vast underground cavern for the city’s water supply, dating from the 6th century. Forgotten for centuries, rediscovered in 1565, then restored in phases in 1985 & 2020. An incredible sight. 5 star.

Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum

No queue at all. The place was nearly empty. Wonderful examples of arts, clothing, carpets. 4 star.

Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam

A hokey, very run down museum with mostly replica items. NOT air conditioned, so very stifling. There was a guard at the entrance, with a metal detector gateway. It was turned off, the guard languishing half asleep in the heat. Quite fascinating and educational nonetheless, but the Melbourne Islamic Museum is far, far better. Don’t bother going here unless it’s a cool day and you’re very bored. 1 star.

Istanbul Modern Art Museum

A really wonderful experience of predominantly Turkish artists. A very modern building, with a well curated selection, mercifully free of many examples of the sort of installation to which one responds “I could do that!”. 5 star.

On the way back to the hotel, I was tempted by a kebab, chicken or lamb (which I thought the better of after the ridiculously portioned breakfast - still full!!).

A sign at a restaurant said ‘Killed by traditional Islamic methods’.

I pondered briefly how one would strap a vest or belt to a chicken? How big a detonation is needed - is a large firecracker enough? Is it necessary for the chicken to peck the detonator itself, to be a martyr, or is remote controlled OK?

My mind often wanders to places it shouldn’t.

Europe 2025 - 1

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

First instalment of this holiday’s travel journal. I’m a bit behind on writing it. Istanbul, Samos, London, Scotland, Italy & France.

Quite a trip - 8 weeks. Images:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eVcuu658XNTcMwok6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PQ5DocVB9UbREtww9

12/7/2025 20:00 Setting off on the first holiday after last year’s disaster, where I developed an acute gallbladder in the taxi to Melbourne Airport, and abandoned the trip after some weeks in Italy, as I needed surgery. Preferred to do it in Melbourne.

So far, so good - I’m in the lounge at Tulla, and no major organ failure.

Next stop - Istanbul, where I expect Mehmet to be waiting in a van to whisk me to somewhere near the hotel (it’s in an old part of Sultanahmet where cars cannot go, so I’ll have to walk a few minutes). 13/7/2025

Arrival in Istanbul - I note a missed WhatsApp call from my booked driver, Mehmet. I return the call:

Silence, then I said ‘Hello?’.

Silence, then finally “Mr Andrius? You have bag?”

“Yes, I have bag. I’ve followed the directions you sent, have gone through Door 14, crossed the concourse, and am in the carpark at elevator P2. Should I come to the next level?”

Silence again.

“Don’t move. I am finding you. I know you are where. You have bag. Wait me.” I felt I was listening to a Turkish Liam Neeson or Jason Statham on the line.

Soon a face emerged from the lift - looked more like Statham. He sounded like a cross between a guard in Midnight Express and Borat.

“Mr Andrius. You have bag. I am taking your bag.”

I wondered about the bag obsession - had somebody slipped something in to it for clandestine delivery?

“It’s no problem really, I can manage the bag - it’s not heavy.”

“I am taking bag. Welcome to Istanbul.”

I followed bag and new possessor to the vehicle. It was a huge black van, with very blacked out windows.

I wondered briefly if I had mistakenly booked a rendition to a Syrian prison instead of a cab downtown.

The hotel was in an old town one way street that was banned to taxis in the day, and I expected to be dropped nearby & walk to it.

Of course, Mehmet turned the wrong way into the street, past a policeman he gestured to, and dropped me right out front. Next interaction was with the hotel reception. I have rarely been welcomed with such extreme enthusiasm, like puppies to their human returning home, or for an oil sheikh in a Rolex store.

The reception desk was extremely wide, and my chair was low, so my head was only barely above the surface. The lady put a map on the table to point out sights to see.

I didn’t need to be Pythagoras to conclude I must stand for a functional visual angle.

She said “Please! Sit down!”, then pushed the map so far across to me, I expected her next to climb on to the table. She remained at a back breaking lean for the duration - her core must be strong.

Many circles, scribbles, lines and annotations later the map was unreadable, I had the next 7 days of my 2 day stay organised, and a complete description of local public transport. It was late afternoon, so I only saw the Spice Bazaar, first built around 1660 - it was impressive, probably reasonably authentic as few tourists would buy kilos of unimportable raw spices.

Dinner at the hotel. Pretty expensive, but delicious with a lovely rooftop view. 14/7/2025 Daytime

Breakfast at the hotel was INSANE. It was included. I opted for Turkish rather than American. See photo for what arrived for ONE person. On delivery to the table I asked the waiter when the other 4 people were arriving. Hagia Sophia - One of the world’s wonders. A Christian church in the 6th century by Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Over centuries it became a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again. Reflects the religious changes in the region over centuries, with the minarets and inscriptions of Islam &mosaics of Christianity.

‘Skip the line’ tickets on the internet were very confusing with hundreds of sites offering, so I took a punt on the queue. When I arrived at the queue, there were about 10 people ahead. I was still bombarded by touts spruiking ‘skip the line tickets’, right next to the ticket office, when they could clearly see I had no more than 3 minutes wait.

The building was amazing inside - awe inspiring. The outside is not so impressive, as hard to see with trees and buildings hiding a lot of it. Blue Mosque

Had to remove shoes inside. It was a very hot day, and lots of people inside whom I suspect were wearing synthetic socks on the basis of the pervasive aromas that weren’t incense.

The Hagia was breathtaking in many senses, the Blue Mosque in many scents.

It was a nice building, but not a patch on the Hagia, which had the considerable advantages of superb art, and shoes on feet.

I left soon, and dosed my feet with anti-fungals on return to the hotel. Grand Bazaar

Dating to 1455 after the Ottoman conquest, it was the worlds first shopping mall. Currently 4000 shops, 30,000 sq m, 250,000 - 400,000 visitors a day.

I have never seen so much cheap junk in my life. The Temu of Turkey. There were probably some good shops, but I didn’t explore all 61 streets.

I advised the Rolex shop owners I would love to come into their shops, but I could not afford such quality, and that I was only interested in the cheapest

Chinese simulacra that I was certain they wouldn’t darken their premises with. I was happy to admire the $500,000 Richard Mille from afar, and declined the invitation to try it on.

There were guards and metal detectors at many of the entrances, and free access from others - puzzling. Were they sure bombs would only come through these particular gates?

Lead in the roof has been stolen over time, and replaced with concrete. The building represents a major earthquake hazard the next time a big one happens (expected soon!!). More to come….

Sydney holiday May 2025

Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nyXUDEqWfXe8u5zo6

Europe 2024 - Cancelled trip

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT

This was the trip that was supposed to be 8 weeks, and was killed after 3, due to health issues - exploding gallbladder. So, there is not much in the way of photos or commentary, other than to say the Italian health system is pretty good.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WRVaq6E5dEWJ7DSg9

Japan 2023 - mainly Kyushu

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Off to Japan for a month. 1.5 days in Palm Cove first, before Jetstar Cairns - > Osaka.
1 & 2 Palm Cove BnB with a very (perhaps tooo) friendly couple. The bloke made it very clear he was a Knight Templar Mason, with walls covered in pictures of various ceremonies, and lots of swords on the walls. Was very hot there after Melbourne. Superb dinner at NuNu - seriously good food - an Asian twist to local produce, with a lovely waiter from France whose accent was so thick I could barely follow her.\

3,4 & 5 Osaka
The baggage handlers certainly aren’t following Australian standards - each piece was placed on the belt upright and aligned perfectly parallel to other bags. There were numerous staff whose job was to realign bags if they fell or were jostled. Yep, we’re in Japan... Stinking hot and humid.
Despite the humidity we did a lot of (uncomfortable) walking.
Saw Osaka Castle, & the History Museum (because it was cold inside). Found really great coffee at Brooklyn Roasting Company. Saw a HiFi shop with amps more expensive than my car - made me wish I didn’t have bad tinnitus and wasn’t going deaf. Discovered ‘Maid Cafes’ where guys pay go to have flirty chat with ‘frilly tacky maid’ dressed young girls, and drink overpriced anything - no touch or sex - weird (but there are a few that offer ‘additional services’). The first time I saw one of these places I thought it was an ice-cream shop (see photo). V said I don’t need to go in, as she is happy to talk to me for free with no touch either.
Saw a mall full of kitchen stuff that could outfit every restaurant in Japan.
Osaka Okonomiyaki for dinner - fabulous. Explored the Dotonbori area, went to Kalko wine bar with some unusual wines. Had our first Japanese red - Black Queen grape - it was OK.
Next day at the Aquarium - one of the world’s largest. Spent hours there, not just because it was cool inside. Went big store shopping, and had Daimaru (exquisite) takeaway to eat in the hotel (because it was very cool), with a terrific Domaine du Pelican chardy.\

6 & 7 Hiroshima
Arrived middle of the day - found a REALLY superb coffee at Wakakusa cafe., found after intense Googling (junkies need fixes). We went there every day - they were sad when we left town. Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki that night - different to Osaka style - it’s full of noodles. We preferred the Osaka variant, but the restaurant was great fun. Atomic Bomb Museum next day - very powerful and intense experience. We stood at ground zero., and looked at building ruins. It wasn’t a joyous day. Izakaya night - incredibly good, and quite cheap at Hiroshi Toda. Said goodbye to Wakakusa, and had a sensational Matcha Tart from Boulangerie 101 Brio. The Japanese often out-French the French.

Osaka: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PSYKxoaKsRuYKAy96

Hiroshima: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NySABdbuEcsp5Wtq7

8 & 9 Fukuoka
Took Shinkansen from Hiroshima. At Hotel Vista - nice place.
No relief from stinking hot humid weather - horrible. As usual, the first step was locate good coffee. Success - REC coffee, very serious baristas, about 100m from the hotel. We went there every day....
Pretty happy with hotel wifi.
Fukuoka is a very lively town. Lots of new exciting architecture, young people, and a really good vibe.
Two nights here, both evenings easting at the same place, sort of. GohGan night I, Goh night 2 - I won’t bore non-foodies with the fine details, but the first is French-Japanese-Indian, the other Japanese. Goh was in the top 50 Asian restaurants for some time in his previous place, as was his collaborator Mr Gaggan. This is their new venture - it kicks goals. Saw some temples, then had to recover from incipient heat stroke. Then Asian Art Gallery - was very good, and cool....
Tomorrow get a rental car & head off for the 18 day drive around Kyushu.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/95RdgTb3JohzVV4w7

10 Huis Ten Bosch, near Sasebo
Strange place - a Dutch replica village theme park - it sounded so weird we had to go.
At the entrance, I could get tickets at discounted price for seniors.
I had to show ID with date of birth - I was flattered it was necessary.
After seeing my ID, despite it not being my birthday, the lady behind the counter showed me a Google translate text on her device that said “I want to wish you a Happy Birthday orally.”
I wasn’t quite sure how to reply, but I really appreciated the sentiment (I’ll be back next March) ...
Strangest theme park I’ve ever been in. In usual Japanese style, they did the replica very well. Had interesting glass and ceramics museums. Far too hot to see much of it.
All the restaurants here closed (!!) except an expensive buffet, which we didn’t want, so we ate $2 seaweed wrapped rice balls from the 7-11, with sake. I left there with the word ‘Why?’ ringing in my head.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kvRJo1S1mEaWFe1LA

11 & 12 Nagasaki
I think we landed on the surface of Venus, and not Japan - the weather here is unspeakable this whole week.
Our first stop was a 30 minute drive north (the opposite direction to Nagasaki) to get a coffee at Rinoami Coffee Roastery (of course for coffee any detour is OK). It was a little box in a car park, with a master craftsman inside. He had many carefully selected beans on offer, and meticulously (and slowly) made our coffees - they were awesome - enjoyed in the car, with the AC running full blast, listening to ABC Radio National on ABC Listen app.
We then went east to Hasami, then to the bay at Sonogi, where we took a circuitous route on the Omura Bay Green Rd. Saw intense green lushness everywhere, and spectacularly beautiful rice fields at Onigi Rice Terraces, then a pleasant meandering drive to Nagasaki (Candeo Hotel - super breakfast with awesome view of Nagasaki from 11th fl).
Great coffee at Komekoya Coffee Stands - lovely lady with great coffee.
A-Bomb museum next. It was as harrowing as Hiroshima. Glad Australia only mines Uranium, rather than ‘value adding’ (and Ranger Uranium worked efficiently for many years, with low waste, due to great software). Saw a life-size model of the actual bomb - it was apparently painted bright yellow.
Went to the lookout at the mountain overlooking Nagasaki - fabulous views of city and bay.
First night dinner at Taichi Sushi was excellent - super friendly old guy one man band - $80 all up for two. Next Ramen at Ramen Hiiragi - amazing pork broth tomato ramen and ‘wow’ gyoza, great sake - $45!\

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s3CDetVvxZTFPYX9A

13 & 14 Kumamoto
The drive from Nagasaki to Kumamoto is a bit dull. There was an interesting and lovely bit as we detoured off the main highway to cross the mountains. We have a small Toyota Aqua hybrid rental.
As we hurtled round the mountain bends at a blistering 40-50kph (the speed limit), G-force undetectable, the sound of the motor reminded me of Shakespeare - full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
But, it’s stupidly economical.
Fairly good coffee at Cafe Superb (exactly near nothing at all, on the 444 road, near Saga), run by two delightful sisters.
Dinner both nights from Sushi Inaho - first night dined in, second night take-away as they were full. They give you a spectacles cleaning wipe when you arrive, so you can see the sushi in fine detail, perhaps?
Saw Kagoshima castle, then had a drive into the country to near Mt Aso, on the Mt Aso Milk Run Rd. All of Kagoshima’s motorcycles were out that afternoon, all tootling along at about 50kph. Nobody speeds here. More really brilliant coffee at the ‘Off Toko Cafe’, (who roast their own beans) in a small side street in Ozu. They had a bizarre but brilliant sweet potato with creme brûlée - more delicious than it sounds.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jK3HTRq5w3VDL18KA

15 & 16 Kirishima Onsen
This time a fabulous drive to Ryokojin Sanso Hotel (weatherbeaten, but well located and good value). Wanted to walk to some hot pools at Ebino Plateau, but it was mostly closed due to volcanic activity. Great scenery all the way, lots of no G-force corners. Dropped to a blissful 23 degrees at altitude.
Had SPECTACULAR coffee on the way at ‘AO Hostel and Cafe Lounge’. It was a new, super cool trendy cafe, with amazing coffee, better cannele than Bordeaux, and a Matcha cake to die for. ‘Slayer’ coffee machine. All this in the fairly nondescript town of Hitoyoshi.
Great outdoor onsens at the hotel. Big omakase feasts. To escape the heat, drove around the mountain, but weather was very poor - rain, clouds.... Had our first not so great coffee.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4qUm3Si7D9q8zfc38

17 & 18 Miyazaki
Pleasant drive through ultra-green forests and very steep hills. Found more unbelievably good coffee at ‘Wonderful World Coffee’, a very swish new building again in a very nondescript location. The owner had this wild ‘alt’ look the Japanese do so well.
Visited Kirishima East shrine, whose origins date to 950, and was most recently rebuilt in 1772. Also Gion Shrine in a cave, where Susano-o, Kushinada-hime, and Yamata-no-Orochi are worshiped.
Stopped to see an ancient stone bridge (and got a leech on my leg I didn’t notice until hours later when V said ‘You spilled wine on your pants’, but it was a litre of blood). Hit the coast and some great scenery south of Miyazaki off the 222 road at Nichinan. It’s a ‘surf coast’, but looked anaemic compared to much of Aus surf.
Walked around Aoshima island until just before heat stroke, then went to Natural History Museum. In the last few weeks I have been a huge fan of museums (good or bad) and any building with good air-con. This one was showing age, but was a very good ‘old school’ example (and free) - lots of pinned butterflies and bugs. We were swamped with staff attention on arrival - I think we were the first visitors in months. They ensured (politely) we couldn’t leave until EVERY exhibit was seen, for fear of offending them.
Had Miyazaki Wagyu dinner from a small resto - was as good as you would imagine. Simple - wagyu, shredded cabbage, salt, soy, wasabi, miso soup, beer. $75 for two all up.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bUwW6Y6u1RacLif8A

19 Takachiho (and Gorge)
En-route coffee at Strawberry Switchblade Cafe (how could you not go to a cafe with that name?). Great coffee, super friendly guy with some English. The counter was obviously part of his home. When asked why the name, he said ‘Because I just liked the sound of it’.
The gorge was very beautiful.
Had fantastic sushi in a strange restaurant (‘Take-Sushi’), where we wandered through the family house (it seemed like a Japanese ‘Ma & Pa Kettle’ outfit) before finding the sushi counter down the back. The miso soup finisher was mind blowing. The kitchen had utensils, crockery, etc dating back a thousand years, and enough pieces to cater to the MCG. His sushi counter seated six....
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yvu3GfU7gZxTYgnE7

20 & 21 Kurokawa Onsen ‘Oyado Noshiyu’
I had allowed Google Maps to track me on this trip, to help me remember where I’ve been. When checking my history, I was very flattered that it decided that a large part of my trip I was riding a motorcycle - the algorithm felt my journey was unlikely in a car (V nodded in agreement). The car: 67kw, 1490cc motor Toyota Acqua, on Gillette Razor tyres. The roads were very windy.
Two days of luxe retreat. The road to Kurokawa was truly spectacular scenery. Couldn’t stop much for photos as the roads are narrow with few places to stop, and jaw dropping views are often from a high bridge (and always a large truck on your tail).
Amanoya Sukawara shrine in a cave at the base of a gorge is a short walk from Amanoiwato Shrine - the 200m vertical descent to here took us from ‘sauna’ to ‘tepid’ (alas not the ‘cool green gorge’ experience I desperately hoped for). The sacred cave was the dwelling place of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. It was somehow a 400m vertical climb back to the car (I didn’t imagine it...) and the sauna had become Venusian atmosphere.
Saw some insane WTF things unexpectedly on the way - a massive, epic scale ‘tree house’, now abandoned, overgrown and rotting by the side of the road (who built it? Why???). I wanted to explore it, but two things stopped me - I doubted my insurance covered ‘Tree House collapse’, and I didn’t want to repeat the leech experience - not enough blood left.
Then not much further there was about a kilometre of roadside animal topiary. Japanese crazy is a joy to behold, and is really, really crazy. The ryokan was quite stunning. An absolute haven of tranquility and elegance. Super high quality dinner, in our own private dining room. The stocks in various dishes were out of this world.
There are numerous outside Onsen baths, and even a personal one in our room! Permanently flowing hot spring water bath 24/7 - no water shortage here. Is 4 baths a day too much?? I’ve never been so clean - gnotobiotic outer surface for sure (even my mind is being purged of demons). Overwhelming politeness and bowing from staff.
Finally a bit cooler here.
Drove to a few waterfalls - Nabegataki and Nabekama - blissfully within 50 vertical metres of car parking.
Another great dinner, and 3 more baths...
Next - off to Beppu, feeling v clean - won’t need a shower for weeks.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EyoMRVvP3V3PKCbY9

22 & 23 Beppu
The road to Beppu was quite spectacular. Lots of mountain views, and Google maps even routed us onto a tiny dirt road, where hikers seemed very surprised to see us, having left their cars long behind.
They seemed to think they had right of way. The Toyota valiantly arrived at a major (in the sense there was bitumen) road in due course.
In our endless quest for quality espresso, V suggested a place truly in the middle of nowhere, ‘Mugikura Coffee Roaster’, some distance off the Okabungo Green Rd, in the village of Chiunji - in the mountains between Kurokawa and Beppu.
As is becoming weirdly normal, we found a passionate young guy with a roaster and top end espresso machine pulling top end shots in a forest. We saw Mork chocolate (which is made in Nth Melbourne) for sale on his bench!! This led to a conversation about his time in Melbourne, and that his neighbour was an Australian (Craig, from Tasmania, who was an engineer, who subsequently studied law, and does major engineering dispute resolution cases globally, working from home...), who came to meet us with his Japanese wife and two loveable Akita dogs. He advised us the coffee guys father was the local Buddhist monk (clearly not celibate, which we discovered is common in Japan) and showed us around the village temple, and then his recently built new home on 50 acres his wife inherited, with an invitation to catch up with an NZ mate of his down the road to watch a rugby match that arvo. We would have if it wasn’t getting late. Our 10 minute coffee stop had already blown out an hour and a half.
The quest for coffee has had many rewards this trip, and we are encouraged to become more extreme in this journey, here and globally.
Arrived in Beppu at the excellent Amanek Beppu Yula-Re hotel.
Fabulous breakfast.
Went to the 7 Beppu Hells (I have been told so many times in life: ‘Go to Hell’, and I finally made it). A bit touristy, but impressive nonetheless. Visited Shidaka & Kagurame Lakes in the arvo. Great views, and finally really good weather - 20 degrees, a cool breeze, warm sun, clear blue sky.
Our coffee search led us to Othello Coffee Roasters, who DIDN’T do espresso! However, a nice lady there advised us to go to ‘One Rain (Ichiu)’ Cafe. It was the best cafe experience I’ve had. Not only superb coffee from the new ’Leva Class’ lever pull machine, but the place was an exquisite haven of peace - a new cafe with brilliant design unlike any other, and the most pleasant lady who ran the place and delivered the coffee like a tea ceremony.
Dinner was at stylish ‘Charcoal Grill Seven Wheels Sara’, a Shichirin (hibachi) grill restaurant. Had kick-ass chicken, and ‘wow wow wow’ local very marbled beef, washed down with great sake. Perfect day.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/i14tDpaiAriUhzJT8

24 & 25 Hita
Went to the Bamboo Museum before leaving Beppu. The works inside were quite stunning in their beauty. There was a no photo policy (why???), so there are only a few pics I snapped when no-one looked.
On route to here, stopped for numerous great views, then a coffee of course, and met the same barista from the mountain at Mugikura Coffee (they have a shop in Yufuin as well).
Had a local treat from Milch, a bakery, which was like a biscuit base with a soufflé on top with a huge runny middle. There was a queue, and we could see why. Best $5 we spent in a while. Wandered up and down the main tourist drag - very very busy.
Visited Takatsuka Atago Jizonson Buddhist shrine. The main feature of this are the huge numbers of stone jizo (guardian deity), covering one side of the mountain there. Impressive.
Arrived Hita late arvo at the Route Inn. Wandered in search of the fabled Mamedamachi shopping street, but I think Google led us astray. Mostly everything closed at night. Ended up at a Ma & Pa Gyoza restaurant - Itsupinkō. Idiotically cheap - $6.50 for a huge plate of Gyoza - it’s all they do. It was real local food, and delicious.
Quiet day - wandered around, found passable (nice flavour but very mild) coffee at the train station. Dinner at a small Izakaya - yakisoba for me, omelette rice for V, beer.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9zJkauCv5kq2LKrt7

26 & 27 Kyoto
Long travel day - drove to Fukuoka, then Shinkansen to Kyoto - arrived late arvo.
Nishiki market - utterly packed with tourists - barely an Asian face. Wandered the streets, stumbled into a tiny 4 seat restaurant ‘Nico’ run by one woman, who was a great chef & certified sommelier. Had a European style meal (no chopsticks!), and some interesting wines - she really knew her stuff.. The wine list was very carefully curated, but difficult to navigate - all in Japanese, no English - tedious using google translate for a wine list...
The cassoulet was better than anything I’ve had in France.
Next day good coffee in a carpark ‘WEEKENDERS COFFEE TOMINOKOJI’ - tiny box serving great brew, with a crowd outside. Wandered around the Kyoto Imperial Palace, found more superb coffee at ‘Story’ - really impressive.
Gion area in arvo.
Throughout Kyushu we barely saw a westerner anywhere. They are all in Kyoto.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nEunqGhMFvAUEB1eA

28 - end Tokyo
After another great coffee at Ogawa Coffee Sakaimachi Nishiki in Kyoto, wandered around before Shinkansen to Tokyo. Arrived Tokyo station - as crowded as expected. Nearest exit had a taxi queue of at least an hour. Bugger that - went to other side of station, with plan to get a metro, but found taxi queue of ZERO - walked straight into a cab.
Had grilled eel, and wood fire seared tuna at an Izakaya. Pretty good but not stunning.
Coffee situation around our hotel is dire - nothing within kilometres.
So, we travelled kilometres - to GLITCH coffee - OMG, it was amazing. It was like a laboratory. Super busy with young people enjoying tasting flights of pour-over. We had 2 cafe latte, with a small scone. Most expensive coffees of my life - $30 for 2 + bun. Worth every cent. Mind bogglingly awesome. The flavours of our 2 different Columbian beans lingered for ages. I can’t do better at home, alas. When the Japanese grab hold of something, they go way beyond. I love this country.
Wandered through Imperial Palace gardens, then National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo (MOMAT). It was terrific.
In almost 4 weeks here, we have had one night of non-Jap food. So, tonight was pizza night in Tokyo. “The Pizza Bar on 38th”, world’s best ranked pizza ($200+ for an 8 slice degustation... ) was booked out for over a month. We went to Sabasu in Akasaka. Long fermented base from Kyushu flour. Black garlic, enoki, eggplant pizza - stunning (about $30 + wine). Had a Grenache Blanc, and a Barbera (with a taste of a Moldovian red as well).
Discovered the owner was from Adelaide, and ran ‘Pan & Vine’ restaurant there. Small world. Really good night out. Back to sushi + sake tomorrow .
Went to a small Izakaya across from the hotel, only visible on Google Maps when you were right next to it. The place had a really classy vibe. Run by a lovely lady (another one woman show), again with a superb list of French wine and some truly incredible sake. We tried a range of sakes - using Google translate on the labels showed one was from Fukushima - it tasted fantastic, but we declined a top up (a mistake? Gamma rays can be medicinal...).
The Izakaya was so good we went twice.
Went to another modern art place, but it was too modern for me (and I thought I was a progressive leftie...). Better art can be found in Tusmore, SA.
Made a mistake buying the airport train ticket, and was stopped at the exit (politely, of course - unlike USA, they don’t pull a gun on you), and needed to pay more to get to the departure lounge.
Messy departure experience with Jetstar (but flight OK).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z6hd4eTL5Tc3Re8n9

Coolangatta
Horror arrival with Jetstar at 4:30 am in Cairns - expected a lounge, but we got car park pavement for 4 hrs before next flight to Coolangatta. Declined a shared bottle from a brown paper bag outside, but grateful for the offer.
A few days on the Gold Coast catching up with relatives and enjoying Australian beachwear in its minimalist fineness.
Arrived in Melbourne to pre-booked hand surgery (nothing major - but have to say, sedation these days is pretty enjoyable. It made me think - what is better value? The anaesthetist, or a good Grand Cru - both much the same cost) - fantastic way to end a holiday :(
https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9iu8kMnok1NkgqaA

Australia - Outback Vic & SA

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT

A long road trip from Melbourne to Mildura, then Flinders Ranges, Adelaide and back to Vic via coast, in a big loop

Lake Tyrrell

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ax7knM4o12yBbMAf8

Silo Art, Sad Towns

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bf6LfEfzowFSHCPK7

To Mildura & Stefanos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GJ1Rwpjnk1JYwcu5A

Broken Hill, Silverton

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vChPrwt2ZuPZufPh7

Into SA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CeqZFbZxcUcMpTgF9

Flinders Ranges, SA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bh56ooenbjnckmSY7

Country Towns - sadness

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dRKCmFXqs4TiYv7p8

Mayura Station - Wagyu dinner

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NgztKT1SA4j932mH6

From SA back to VIC

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xe74SyaZB2zz74Hj8

Morocco, Spain, France 2023

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Morocco, Spain & France Trip Diary April - June 2023

Paris

10 Apr 2023 Monday
Arrived 8pm CDG after an unrefreshing flight. Delayed 1 hr out of Melb -> Dubai, so we were very rushed to transit to onward flight. Emirates food and entertainment not as good as Qantas. Missed trying the Emirates lounge. Amazingly our luggage arrived on the same plane in Paris - we were expecting it to join us a day or two later. Taxi to Artus Hotel. Great place – very comfortable, with very good staff, and all-encompassing breakfast. Great attention to detail – a well run business.

11 Apr Tuesday
Walking trip to look at Art Nouveau buildings in the 16th. The walking tour was developed by asking ChatGPT to provide a walking itinerary of interesting Art Nouveau buildings, and provide a KML script to plot on google maps. Amazingly, it provided a list, and did the script (minus the closing tags). The co-ordinates were a little off in a few places – AI not perfect yet. As I didn’t double check, we went to a few wrong spots.

No lunch after a big breakfast.
Café at Coutume, at Grand Epicerie. Coffee quite good – almost Melbourne standard. The Epicerie it was part of was unbelievable – full of foodie treasures, from Petrossian caviar to First Growths.

Museum Marmottan Monet – fantastic! No queues, really good art, fabulous building. Lots of Monet. Not sure I like Monet that much – just pretty scenes of gardens, mostly.

I pondered whether impressionism was just lazy art – couldn’t be bothered painting a scene properly, or whether Monet had poor eyesight, or a bad optometrist, and it was realism from his perspective. On looking at Wikipedia afterwards, I discovered he did indeed have bad eyesight! So maybe Impressionism was restricted to the myopic. His later art was very impressionistic – more like vague smears – but eventually he had eye surgery and his paintings got better again.

The other art there highlighted the Neo-Romantic movement, which I liked much better than impressionist smears.

Dinner at Le Comptoir de Relais – fantastic very authentic bistro, nice wine list. We were there in 2010 – nothing had changed. That is both good and bad. I had onion soup, rich with superb, aged Comte. V was aghast at the entrée – ordered a terrine, expecting a slice about a centimetre thick. What arrived was a large container with nearly a kilo in it. I have a horrible suspicion that after we took a slice out of it, it was then passed on to the next diner who ordered it. Not hard to see an infection control issue here, but I won’t think about it for long. It was delicious. I had a beef daube, V a seared tuna. Just walking around Paris is very pleasant, although it was freezing.

12 Apr Wed
Army Museum visit in the morning – it’s huge. WW2 was a big deal for the French – they will not forget it. Saw an exhibition on religious internal wars in the late 1500’s – it was very complicated politically, and I didn’t have several months to read all the material to remotely understand it. I know there was a lot of blood.

Went to look at some covered Galleries of Paris. Started with Vero-Dodat, because we were close. Then Galerie Vivienne, because…. Visited Samaritaine – just like an airport duty free – full of very expensive stuff that no-one was buying, and it wasn’t duty free. Dinner at Kitchen Galerie Bis (KGB). Incredible degustation. The rabbit was a ‘death bed meal’ candidate.

13 Apr Thu
Looked at Notre Dame, but couldn’t see how far they have gone in repairs. I suspect their estimate of time to complete and money will be wrong. Saw amazing Art Nouveau house at 29 Ave Rapp. Had quite superb coffee at Terres de Café Saint-Germain-des-Prés – a Kenya single origin. They mostly sell roasted beans there. Only two seats inside. Saw Eiffel Tower, missed the riots, then went to Palais de Tokyo and the Museum of Modern Art. Saw the World’s Largest Painting!

Dinner at Gaya by Pierre Gagnaire. Sea foody restaurant. One star Michelin. Fabulous staff. Had white asparagus, lobster bisque with gnocchi, monkfish & john dory. Sommelier suggested a lightweight Crozes-Hermitage rouge, which went surprisingly well with the fish.

14 Apr Fri
Breakfast of excellent rolls at Gare Montparnasse, with pretty shit coffee. Even more freezing. Very grumpy taxi to station as it was a short trip. Wanted cash. TGV 320kph to Bordeaux.

—-

Bordeaux – too short a visit
https://photos.app.goo.gl/79yvkMkrbhTyGbY4A

14/4/23
Got here very fast on TGV.
Bought a 3 day Bx pass online before arrival enabling unlimited use of all transport. Discovered we needed to buy a Metro ticket to get to the office to pick up the pass, which was not retrospective.

All of Bx is absolutely lovely – very clean, elegant, and charming. One of the nicest cities I have been in.
Wandered the streets for a bit, then went to the Customs Museum. Despite sounding like it would be tedious, it was actually fascinating, and in a beautiful space as well. Learned a lot about tax, and how difficult enforcing customs was – nobody wanted to pay tax. A King (can’t remember which – Louis the something?) privatised tax collection in regions, allowing some locals to collect tax on govt behalf, and pay themselves a cut from the takings. It ensured the odium went to the collectors, and not the King. No possibility of corruption, of course….

Tobacco smugglers used dogs with backpacks of tobacco to run past border guards.\

After big eating in Paris, we had a quiet snack at a wine bar.\

15/4/23

Found awesome coffee at KURO – as good as Melbourne.

Spent much of the day at La Cite du Vin – a spectacular modern museum all about wine, globally, noit just Bordeaux. Highly recommended.

Caught the BAT3 boat on the Gironde for some views from the river. Wandered around Bx some more, then went to dinner at the invitation of Alex Rychlewski (https://bordeauxwineblog.com) who was a gracious host. We ate and drank just the right amount, of course.

16/4/23

KURO shut today, so went to Goutu – not quite as good, but extremely good pastries. Wandered some markets, drooling.

Saw amazing Lumiere show at https://www.bassins-lumieres.com/

It was at a decommissioned submarine hanger. I was tempted to write graffiti on it: “I don’t think, I know”. Went to Musee D’Aquitaine – another gem.

Another small dinner of charcuterie at Le Metropolitain wine bar. Next morning back to KURO for coffee before flight to Morocco.

Bordeaux is fantastic – could easily spend a lot of time there. Next flew from Bordeaux to Casablanca

—-

Casablanca, Marrakech, Anima Garden

Photos:

Casablanca: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EWf4FTtKbSobxpnj8

Marrakech: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lz1Be1ZTpPuNWZqD7

Anima Garden: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hKAVsVDRTXyFHf4g9

17/4/23
Casablanca

Landed, and bags arrived as well. Very efficient service from Maroc Telecom gave us data sims 20G for 20eu. Airport is a long way out – took an hour to get to hotel. Casablanca was not quite as expected – very new, modern, affluent – more Mercs & Audis than Toorak, and lots of flash highrise. Traffic worse than Melbourne, not as bad as Cairo. Genuine Brownian Motion (well, less collisions but certainly not laminar flow). Hotel Gauthier pleasant, but staff seemed somewhat robotic. Went wandering looking for an ATM. It worked. Delicious buffet dinner with lots of different tagines, and a live oud player and drummer, who were excellent.

In Casablanca everyone speaks French – not much English. Saw almost zero tourists.

18/4/23
Wandered a little to see the Villa des Artes (spectacularly clean and well maintained), and some Art Deco architecture near the medina, the Arab League Park, Mohammed V square. Found truly excellent coffee at a place called Bondi Coffee Kitchen (yes, started by an Aussie).
Dinner at hotel again as it was so good. Tonight, the restaurant was packed – it was a holy day – the 26th day of Ramadan, and people were there to have a feast. At sunset at the instant they could eat, it was a frenzied pack at the buffet – we went in after the first wave – there was enough left.
Don’t stand between Muslims and a buffet at sunset during Ramadan. Music again – same guys.

19/4/23

Met our guide Asaad, and driver Mustafa. Drive to Marrakech. Scenery at the start was like a trip from Melbourne to Adelaide via the boring route. It got better closer to Marrakech. Staying in fabulous Riad Adore. Wandered around in the afternoon in the Medina, and only got slightly lost once. Dinner at the riad – again fabulous. A beaut selection of creative salads, then a chicken tagine with green olives and preserved lemon, on the rooftop on a balmy evening, serenaded by the calls to prayer. It was spectacular – equal top chicken dish ever (with Coq au Vin at ‘A La Biche au Bois’ in Paris). Asaad is a devout Muslim – I will be converted by the time I leave.

Everyone in Marrakech speaks English. Heaps of tourists.

20/4/23

Marrakech sites with Asaad. Marrakech is very beautiful, and remarkably well kempt and clean. Warm day – 26.

Bahia Palace, Madrassa Ben Youssef, markets, Menara Garden, Koutoubia Minaret, the Saadien Tombs, quick lunch at Al Baraka (nice pigeon bastille, passable couscous – OK but wouldn’t go back), a carpet shop where the proprietor was unsuccessful with us, although the carpets were very nice, apothecary where they did sell Argan Oil to us, the Jardin Secrete, Jemaa el-Fnaa, Souk Semmarine.

Dinner at Riad – Harira soup, beef tagine and vegetable tagine – again delicious!

21/4/23

Anima Garden – exceptionally beautiful garden with many interesting sculptures. I don’t think Ive ever seen a garden where everything looked so healthy, well tended and perfect. Sheer delight.

Afternoon wandering around Marrakech. Bought some fancy sweets for our driver and guide for Eid Mubarak gift. Due to Eid, many museums, etc closed early, so we stayed at the Riad, which is pretty nice and relaxing. After the weekend, life back to normal for them all.

Having dinner again at Riad. Leave tomorrow for Ait Ben Haddou, going over the Atlas mountains.

The town featured in the third season of Game of Thrones, as the cities of “Yunkai” and “Pentos” where most of the scenes with Daenerys Targaryen were shot.

The fortified historical city provided a setting for Daenerys’ battle with the Second Sons to liberate slaves.

—-

Ait Benhaddou, Agdz

The bandwidth on wifi here is about 1mbit down, 0.5 mbit up. I can’t upload the photos to google today. The mobile data is fast, but I have limited GB, so I don’t want to burn it early in the trip. Will follow hopefully in a few days.

22/4/2023

Eid (end of Ramadan). Wishing everyone Eid Mubarak. Left Marrakech at 10am after a nice breakfast at Riad Adore. Roads were very quiet. Long drive to Maison d’hotes Irocha via Telouet and Ait Benhaddou.

This was probably the most spectacular drive I have been on. The scenery was incredible as we headed into the Atlas moutains and over the top. Very windy (as in curved) roads. Morocco is incredibly scenic.

Went to Telouet to see the palace of the Glaoui dynasty, which is steadily crumbling. Glaoui were collaborators in the war and viewed as traitors, hence the current king seems happy for their historic palace to dissolve.

It was very impressive, nonetheless.

We drove within sight of the Noor Solar Farm near Ourzazate – very impressive tech on a large scale. The largest solar field in the world, 580 MW, over 300ha.

Has some conventional solar panels, and also molten salt heat storage. You can see the glow of the sun rays being reflected onto the top of the 250m tall tower.

Then, Ait Benhaddou – more impressive ruins, and a site for many films (including scenes from Game of Thrones). The scenes today were filled with such amazing sights I don’t think it was photons entering my eyes – they were a new particle called ‘beautons’ and ‘spectaculons’ – only these are capable of transmitting the sights and doing adequate justice. My photos do not do the beutons justice - I will blame the iPhone not having beuton/spectaculon receptors.

Interestingly, the coffee in Morocco is quite pleasant everywhere, whether espresso or drip. Totally unlike Italy or France where it is pretty hit and miss. We were at a truck stop café, and the espresso was quite delicious. I think some Yemen coffee culture is strong here. We have not had a bad coffee yet.

Maison Irocha was full of charm and character. Spectacularly located on a hill with great views. They offer a walk to view ancient rock carvings many thousands of years old, which we were unable to do due to late arrival. The owner was very pleasant (he was a geologist previously). The shower became pleasant about 30 minutes after I turned it on. The initial flow rate was about 1-2ml/minute.

The day was quite warm – high 20s. More tasty tagine – turkey this time.

23/4/2023

Getting hotter – about 32 (not what we were expecting based on typical climate averages). Shorter drive to Agdz, and to Tamnougalt where Kasbah Caid is. It’s a Kasbah of enormous character. Our room is comfortable, but no air-con, and the day is mid 30s.

We had a cooking demo of how to do tagine, then had too much lunch trying to eat it all – delicious.

A freak heat wave is hitting Morocco just as we are here – up to 38 in all the places we are going this week. This pleases me not. I have Lithuanian genes which operate in a range between -15 to +20. 38 is well into my red zone. Being born in Australia does not alter genetic composition. Did a tour of the Kasbah and garden area, then more tagine.

Some Berber music was played in the Kasbah – it was quite a hoot – very lively. Four drummers, a castanet like instrument with player atached, and a guitar (it looked like a four string banjo, but sounded a bit like a National Steel Resonator) connected to an amp. They sang as well, loudly, with gusto, and mostly in tune. Night ended perfectly with a cold shower (by choice, not due to vagaries of Moroccan plumbing), as it was so f…n hot. Discussed the prayer calls with our guide, Asaad. I asked if it was compulsory for all the mosques to have worn out, lo-fi crackly speakers. He advised some newer ones were actually reasonable fidelity. We hypothesised about whether soon it would be compulsorily blasted into everyones airpods.

24/4/2023

Best moroccan breakfast yet – a variety of breads, one stuffed with a delicious spicy veg concoction, olives, omelette, spicy coffee. On the road again to Zagora and beyond. Had lunch with a Tamegroute local – beef tagine, turkey kebabs (perfect!!). We saw local bread ovens, a Madrassa, and local ceramics being made. Got slightly taken for a ride buying a few bowls, but we didn’t mind as they need the money more than us. Slavery only ended here in 1956!!! The drive there and back was also filled with beautons. Much cooler at 7:30 pm – balmy now. About to have dinner. Will send photo links after I have uploaded.

Links: To Ait Benhaddou, Telouet - 22/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/n5wSKXmdgGtjC9G17

To Agdz, Kasbah Caids 22-23/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2jaY15CLo87nqsEF6

To Roses Valley, Kasbah Chems 24-25/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xnGH1TmCsYZuJ9bS7

—-

Roses Valley, Erfoud, Sahara, Midelt

To Erfoud 26/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EfmHWArxKtWBEHaZA

Rissani, Desert sculptures 26/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dhimzKirTt7w3TAbA

Sahara 27-28/4/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rNXktCpc5cMgP7ny7

25/4/23 Tue

Another spectacular drive, to the Roses Valley – at this time of year the Damascus Rose is in bloom, and forms an important part of the economy – all sorts of rose products.

I had better stop putting ultimate superlatives onto a drive, as each one upstages the last. Stopped at a roadside petrol station, with café. It was spotlessly clean and modern. They were doing a roaring trade in tagines as well. Had a coffee which was pretty good. The local closest equivalent to Melbourne ‘magic’ coffee is to ask for a ‘nous-nous’ – half-half long espresso shot and foamed milk. I’m amazed at the coffees here – reliably good.

The wifi at the station was 100MB symmetrical. Uploaded photos here very quickly.

Went to an old movie studio featuring sets from some very old movies. It was great being in a museum where everything was fake. Arrived at Kasbah Chems – spectacular location, very beautiful accommodation. The floor in the internal patio was strewn with rose buds and petals. The aroma was incredible.

26/4/23 Wed

Drive to Erfoud, to La Rose du Desert hotel. More amazing scenery. Decent coffee again at petrol station.

27/4/23 Thu

Morning trip to some amazing sculptures in the desert. On the way visited some underground canals (qanats or khettara) built in 14th century or earlier, to channel water into the desert from the mountains. Access points were regularly excavated. See https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89133/ancient-waterways-in-morocco

The huge sculpture constructions were by a German artist Hannsjorg Voth, on cosmic themes. They were incredible. First questions I asked were “WTF & Why?”. https://www.sensesatlas.com/territory/hannsjorg-voth-connecting-the-earth-to-the-stars/

In the arvo drove from Erfoud to the Sahara.

Had a Berber ‘pizza’ at Rissani, where we saw the markets – ingredients were camel meat, onion, egg, almonds, and spices, stuffed inside dough and baked. Kind of like a calzone (a ‘camelzone’?). It was delicious. At a sidewalk café. 38 degrees – didn’t really feel like eating, but it was great. I even had a coffee – also very good, from a pretty daggy looking place.

Our guide said the camel pizza was only in summer – “That’s when they murder the camels”. I think he meant ‘slaughter’. The details of how they are murdered was also described - type of knife and where in the neck, and that there was a lot of blood.

Next stop ‘Luxury’ desert camp at the base of sand dunes at the start of the Sahara. It was crazy hot. It cooled a little by about 8pm. Dinner didn’t happen until nearly 10 pm.
‘Luxury’ means there was a bathroom inside the tent.\

Usually, water problems when travelling generally involve having no hot water. Here, we couldn’t find a cold tap, and the toilet flushes with boiling water. At least it cooled a lot at night, so sleep was possible, and the morning was beautiful. The tent door and all flaps were wide open – fortunately no scorpions visited.

Conversations about dinnertime go like this everywhere in Morocco:

“What time is dinner?”
“Any time you like, from 7:30 to 10pm”
“Great – 7:30 then?”
“Certainly, sir – 7:30, Inshallah” (Inshallah=God Willing)

Nothing ever appeared much before 9. Same story for breakfast. Lunch seems to occur about 3pm.
God in Morocco is not willing for us to eat early. We have learned it is pointless to ask about time.

28/4/23 Fri

Up before sunrise, climbing dunes for the views. So many tracks from insects and animals on the dunes. They are very active at night. 4WD trip through dunes with a driver with rudimentary English. We asked him how many languages he speaks with all the tourists – he said, “Language salad – chopped up everything”.

There is an incredible amount of fossil material readily visible on the desert surface in many rocky outcrops - trilobites, ammonites and other things clearly visible. Saw water wells in the desert, spectacular scenery, visited a nomad camp, where the very friendly Fatima gave us a nice mint tea. She had nice teeth. Nomad activity has been curtailed somewhat by border closure between Morocco and Algeria, so the nomadic camps here are not so nomadic. I wondered about their quality of life. While the camps are very basic infrastructure wise, they are not squalid. I wonder how tourism has changed things – is it now a human zoo?

Every tent we passed in the desert had a 4WD parked next to it, with tourists visiting, and leaving a ‘donation’. I think our driver was struggling to find a parking spot for a while. If a tent had 3-4 visits a day (seems very possible given the tourist numbers), then the income would be quite reasonable. A cynical part of me briefly wondered if they don their Nikes and go home to town to watch Netflix when the tourists are done for the day? For them to live well, is it a necessary condition to live badly?

Return to Erfoud in a hot 4WD Toyota with windows wide open. Driver asked if we wanted to stop for camel milk - unpasteurised, warm and fresh, on a 38 degree day, we politely declined.

29/4/23 Sat

Erfoud -> Midelt. Trip to Fez begins. It’s a long way, so the trip is broken up with a stay at Midelt – a fairly nondescript waypoint town, that even the official Moroccan tourism website struggled to enthuse over:

“Want to discover Midelt? There are a thousand and one ways to do so. If Midelt does not have a vast historical heritage and possesses few museums, the city nevertheless deserves more than the simple role of staging post which is generally its lot in life.Located at the foot of Mount Ayachi, Midelt is a small town at medium altitude.”

The drive was yet again spectacular. Stopped at a servo for coffee, and grilled kebabs with bread and harissa. Bought Mehjool dates. Accommodation is again delightful (Maison Pomme d’Or). The landscape around Midelt started to have trees appear, and is an apple growing area. Midelt slightly cooler. Dinner was yet again delicious.

Erfoud to Midelt 29/4/23:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1g4sodHs59i48Nsr6

Midelt to Fez
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zrc7syQr15VgsduY8

Fes
https://photos.app.goo.gl/y1FQiC9KdkGPoYXFA

30/4/23 Sun

Middle -> Fez via Ifran

A group of Spanish motorcyclists were staying at the hotel, along with their heavily laden adventure BMWs and Yamaha Teneres. One had lost his spectacles, and was gesticulating wildly to the staff like Manuel in Fawlty Towers, who looked uncomprehending. Vivienne found his glasses, and he was utterly ecstatic, bowing deeply in appreciation, like she was an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

I envisaged a blind Manuel on a motorbike heading into the Saharan dunes.

Usual story of a lovely drive. On a high plain, enormous numbers of sheep and goats. Shortly before Ifran we stopped to see Macaque monkeys by the side of the road, in a forest. These are being fed by tourists, which is not to their long term benefit. We saw large forests of cedar. Ifran is very unusual - the buildings have sloped roofs, European style. It has a university, and seems very affluent (lots of Merc, Audi, Range Rover). There are ski fields nearby.

More delicious roadside cafe tagine and nous-nous. Arrived in Fes, Riad Toyour - stunning! Great dinner here - Moroccan salads, tagine (again!) & pastilla in their very beautiful green courtyard with many caged songbirds. They have Moroccan wine here, but am maintaining an alcohol free Morocco (I will break the drought after 21 days, on arrival in Spain).

Monkeys:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJd359vTkdGkXVFb7

1/5/23 Mon

Fez. Morning walk in the Medina with a guide. Crazy place. Saw the Royal Palace, a synagogue with one of the oldest Toras surviving. There was a well below the main level where brides were washed before the wedding - it looked terrifying - it was quite deep - to be thrown into this before the ceremony would not have been pleasant. Saw a craft museum, madrassa, mosque, numerous shops, narrow alleys, the famous tannery (smelly, but nowhere near as bad as expected), a communal oven (people make their own dough, then cart it to the oven to get it baked) - the full medina experience.

Went for another stroll through Fes in the arvo.Walking back to the Riad, after having an unplanned GPS detour, arrived at an empty intersection, with a lone Moroccan sitting on the kerb. As I looked puzzled at Google Maps, he asked:

“Looking for something?”
I replied, jokingly: “Eternal happiness”.
He said: “Take your time”.

That’s exactly what they do here.

2/5/23 Tue

Borj Nord Armament museum
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Eue9zBTMK4TszLLF8

Photos are not interesting unless you like guns.

Quiet day - small drive into the countryside to see Seffrou & Bhalil, but things seemed to be shut, quiet arvo in Fez. Went to the Arms Museum - it was extremely well done. A history of armaments from spears to machine guns. One of the better organised museums I have experienced. It was lovely and cool on a 36 degree day.

3/5/23 Wed

Fes to Chefchaouen 3/5/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bQkY45QhCbiRtHXj9

Fez to Chefchaouen, the blue city. Stopped at Volubilis for a tour of the ancient Roman settlement. Very interesting. Another lovely drive. Chefchauoen is very hilly, very pretty, mostly pretty clean, but there are a lot of cats, and attendant shit.

Navigation is tricky. We thought that having survived the Medinas of Fez & Marrakech, this should be a doddle. We had a very unambitious target of a restaurant 120 metres from the Riad. My finest sense of direction and Google Maps on the latest iPhone resulted in a journey of about 1-1.5km to find the place. I could have asked any child on the street for directions (for as little as 1 Dirham, about 12 cents) but I was too stubborn and proud to admit I couldn’t find something 120m away.

For comparison, a 2km trip in Marrakech Medina took about 2.3km, and a 2km trip in Fez was about 2.5k.

4/5/23 Thu
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ggGUUwALV284ZEko9

Day in Chefchaouen. Asaad gave us a nice tour, and predictably deposited us in a carpet shop, where predictably we were fleeced, but not too badly (after a few weeks you learn to bargain a tiny bit).

Our guide was born in Chefchaouen. He said when he was a child it was white. The blue came when a few blue painted buildings got instagram famous, and tourists started coming, so everybody started painting more blue, and the rest is history. So maybe the other stories about the blue are bullshit?

5/5/23 Fri

Tangier & American Legation Museum 5/5/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DL8BFK6P1KfNQ2Nv5

Drove Chefchaouen to Tangier.

Said goodbye to Asaad and Mustafa. Had a little wander around Tangier. Saw the American Legation Museum, which was fascinating. I learned a lot. A very strong bond exists between Morocco and USA. Morocco buys USA armaments, whereas Algeria has Russian junk. There are tensions between these countries over the Sahara -

I suspect Morocco would win a war.

Tired of tagines, we had a Japanese dinner at a slightly strange restaurant in the Medina. No sushi, just ramen, rice and okonomiyaki. Probably should have stuck with tagine, although the owner was nice.

6/5/23

Asilah 6-7/5/23

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FqRWk4WaTYQhvQgh6

Drove down the coast for a night in Asilah, a sleepy town not far from Tangier. Atlantic Ocean views.

7/5/23

Tangier 7/5/23 and ‘Aux 3 Portes’

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2QzMS5sYmEgdhNN87

Driving from Asilah to Tangier, for a final night in Morocco before Spain.

Our driver Karim engaged in a stunning manoeuvre en route, as V described ‘Worthy of James Bond’. He spoke on the phone numerous times during the trip.
We were driving along a 4 lane expressway (80k limit), when he slowed to a near halt in the centre of the road, to match another car approaching from the other direction, also in the middle of the road.
The two cars drivers windows were open, and our driver handed a sheaf of documents to the other driver as the cars passed each other, without stopping, and both then accelerated away.
Were we in the middle of an espionage event?
We arrived uneventfully at the hotel without being stopped by anyone with guns.

We asked Karim why he did that.

He said it was easier than pulling over and crossing the road.

We stayed at an utterly amazing hotel - Aux 3 Portes. Never been anywhere so amazingly decorated. Like being invited into an art collectors home. A balcony

high up with views over the Gibraltar Strait, and Spain was visible on the horizon.

Superb finish to the trip, despite being crook.

8/5/23

Ferry to Morocco - everything on time, no crowds at all at the Gare Maritime - breezed through.

Spain arrival also very fast, taxi to Algeciras for a car (VW).

Forgot to activate the local sim while I had internet this morning - they don’t self-boot…. Noob tech fail.

Drove to Jerez. Pleasant scenery, but very like Aus. Stopped at Medina for a good (but strong) Cortado. Very hot day.

Walked around Jerez, late arvo tapas & sherry. First booze in 3 weeks - tasted pretty damn good (compared local Fino with Manzanilla).

9/5/23

Jerez, Andalusian Horses
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qa3tzDaGzWQ31pvN7

Morocco bug strikes back - was just hiding…

Still managed to see the ‘Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre’ horse performance. It was amazing. If you can teach horses to do the things they did, why can’t we teach children to tidy their rooms?

Spanish horses were highly prized by the aristocracy centuries ago - they were the Ferraris of the era. No horsewomen today….

Very hot arvo - stayed inside. Didn’t eat or drink today - trying to starve the bugs.

10/5/23

Visited Alcazar of Jerez - interesting.

Morocco - the memories will linger forever in our minds, hearts, and immune system.

We have left Morocco, but it hasn’t completely left us (however the killer T & B cells are winning).

Drove to Ronda. Views over the chasm are breathtaking. Our apartment is spectacularly located, with probably better views than the Parador. Jerez was quiet.

Ronda is awash with tourists - so many bus day-trippers, and corresponding shit restaurants to match.

Breaking the drought - bottle of Samsara ‘Samsara’ 2016 (Petite Verdot) - a Ronda area wine. Extremely good! Very Bordeaux-like. Had a few grams of super expensive Bellota Jamon - 140eu/kilo, with local goat cheese. Meal fit for a King. The Jamon was utterly incredible - intense, sweet, nutty, with phenomenal length. The fat melted away. Equivalent of top Wagyu. Cannot ever be vegetarian. There is a Bullring here.

Went to a classical guitar concert - Spanish musician, Spanish guitar, Spanish composers - was great.

11/5/23

Ronda 10-11/5/23, Bullring
https://photos.app.goo.gl/P6hJiAveZYkKCTis8

Ronda in the morning. Saw the Bullring - fascinating, and brought home how brutal the spectacle was. Good museum, showing the history of bull killing over millennia. It was a single purpose arena originally. The sand in it was a special variety that ‘drained blood well’. Hard to reconcile ‘macho’ status of bullfighters with their Liberace outfits.

Drove to Seville. Got lost 3 times trying to find the car park near the apartment. Had a GREAT coffee at Syra (finding the ‘Coffee Trip’ app dead reliable). They even have ‘flat white’ on the menu. Quiet night in with a nice local bottle and cheeses, courtesy of the very nice and knowledgable fellow at ‘Botellas y Latas’.

12/5/23

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4ZVxREoqui7HbhPs7

Seville full day. I got sick again - had to pull out of Cathedral visit & flamenco show. Not driving the porcelain bus, just Bristol Scale 7.

13/5/23 Seville - still crook. Did Alcazar visit in arvo. No food, just water - very fatigued.

14/5/23

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BN7VgDXuR4ch9JYe9

Drove to Cordoba. Walked around a little. Still crook - very fatigued. Ate a few crackers.

15/5/23 Still crook.

Visit to Mezquita in the morning. Stunning. Feeling better in the arvo, took a punt on Syrian chicken kebabs - no issues :) Cured?? Shokran Allah!

16/5/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FX2hL8mzw8RTAS8n6

Drove to Granada on N-432 via Zuheros, a pretty mountain village high on a slope, Interesting small museum of daily items used in village life over the last century or more. A particular Google review described it as ‘A guy spent his life collecting his neighbours junk’. Cruel, but essentially correct. It was very well laid out and interesting nonetheless. Very pretty drive through rich agricultural land.

Staying in the Alhambra complex at the Parador - accommodation whose foundations are a thousand years old. Fortunately, the wifi was more recent, as was the bathroom. Had dinner at the Parador - finally well enough to eat. Food was good, but not exceptional. Wine list small, mostly local, inexpensive, but tasty. You don’t need to spend a lot to drink well here. Grumpy, efficient, officious waitress.

17/5/23

Tour of Alhambra, Palace of Charles V (unfinished). Truly one of the world’s great buildings. Downloaded ‘Tales of the Alhambra’ to my iPhone. Dinner at Parador again. Suckling pig was outstanding. Grumpy waitress was smiley and friendly today. Treated us like family. Tut-tutted that we only ate 6 of 10 large Jamon croquettes in the entree (they weren’t small). The suckling pig tonight was exceptional. We ate a smaller percentage of main & dessert (serves were non-trivial). Only Americans could complain about serve size.

18/5/23

Moved to apartment in central Granada, in another ancient building, owned and renovated by an architect who lives in it. Taxi to the apartment (high on a hill in Granada, with great views) dropped us at the bottom of a long flight of steps (stairway to heaven?) - no cars could go near the apartment in the ‘old town’. We had 2 heavy bags.

I thought ‘Fuck, I didn’t research this bit very well…’.

Saw the Cathedral, Royal Chapel, and then the most extravagant church in the universe - Franco Cozzo gone mad at Basilica de San Juan de Dios. There was a skull of a saint there - a Catholic ‘relic’. One of the teeth was fake, not the original (see photo - the upper left incisor is not an upper left incisor). Has no dentist ever noticed this here before? Does this invalidate the relic? Should I inform the Vatican? Would they care? Have I uncovered a scandal? Fake relics??? Fabulous dinner at ‘Manigua Bar’ - best food in Spain so far. Michelin level cooking. Utterly outstanding, very cheap for what it was.

19/5/23

Croissants at Malamiga, which has arguably the best croissants in Spain, and better than most I have had in France - big call, but true. Went to Abadia del Sacromonte, a short bus trip from the city. Beautiful Abbey, with some interesting history, dating back to 1500s. Saw the famous ‘Lead (as in the metal) Books’, inscribed in Arabic, which have an interesting story. Viewed the Alhambra from the Mirador St Nicolas. Quiet dinner in apartment with sandwiches, salad, and J. Palacios ‘Petalos’ Bierzo 2021.

20/5/23
https://photos.app.goo.gl/B8pLFytTKCNtm7Wy5

Big day - train Granada to Barcelona, then pick up car (a manual Golf) & drive to Ca L’Amagat, high in the Pyrenees. Last day in Spain (but we will be briefly back soon). Alpine town, quite cool, weather pretty ordinary, rainy - can’t see the hills (: . Dinner at Ca L’Amagat. Simple, tasty local food. Had pig’s trotter - not quite like Donovan Cook does it….. Wine list very local. Regions I didn’t know existed.

21/5/23 Sun
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1PaNTAohk2PpWvXn7

Drove into France, Chateau de Riell, a Relais & Chateau hotel - very nice, a bit of lux after some simple days. Six course degustation at the restaurant there, which is in the Michelin Guide. Rainy miserable day, couldn’t see the mountain peaks.

22/5/23 Mon
Very rainy miserable day - stayed inside mostly. Went to the village Mosset (‘un de les plus beaux villages de France’), where horses wandered the main road. Pleasant diversion.

23/5/23 Tues
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LD7NXqbEFdhiw86FA

Off to Tarascon sur Ariège - only chose here because of proximity to Cave Niaux, and my CBF research skills at the planning stage of the trip. This day was one of the highlights of the trip - saw the 16,000 year old cave paintings deep in the Cave Niaux. No photos allowed, alas. It was spectacular. Long walk into a totally non-touristy cave - no walkways, no lights, nothing. We had to carry a torch, guided by a young French archaeologist. Tarascon was a bit meh, just chosen as it was close to the caves. Another rainy crappy day. One of those towns where everything was shut on Tuesday. Had takeaway empanadas and arepas from a Venezuelan cafe (delicious), chatted with the daughter (with perfect American English) about how deadly Australia is (spiders, snakes, etc). Enjoyed with some local wine (bought from a small but very select wine shop run by a nice lady with no English, despite which we communicated perfectly about wine) at the very basic B&B, with great views from the 2nd floor window in the 5 minutes it wasn’t raining (and had a fabulous breakfast with homemade cakes and yoghurt).

24/5/23 Wed

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dZXy9wpFSXWJ6KwL9

Off to Ausson. Visited Foix. Had a great coffee at Cafe Lihue. Toured the Foix castle (walk to the top of a steep hill…) and museum. Stayed at the large B&B of a Dutch couple in Ausson. They recommended a restaurant in Spain, 45 minutes drive away - we didn’t bother. Best wifi of anywhere I have ever stayed - nearly 500MB symmetrical. Spectacular view from our window would have happened if the rain stopped and clouds lifted, which it didn’t. Were almost overrun by very tiny red spiders in the garden where we ate takeaway (from the town, not Spain). We should have stayed in Foix last night, or tonight - you don’t have to drive to Spain for a good dinner if in Foix).

My rental Golf is a great car, but is annoying me a lot. It keeps telling me the key battery is nearly flat. I could just buy a new battery for a few euros, but I have drawn a stupid, senseless line in the sand that tells me it is Avis’ responsibility, not mine, so I will probably get stuck somewhere when it dies, and it will be my fault.

25/5/23 Thu

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9ZBqxBuUN78ruEGx6

Off to Argeles-Gazost - high in the Pyrenees. Very twisty roads, went over the Col d’Aspin. Gloomy day, rain, but occasional sun. Visited Bagneres de Bigorre - a pleasant spa town. Scenery on the road was great, but nowhere to stop for pics - a common problem on very narrow twisty mountain roads. Great drive, loved it, but some people don’t like corners. Dinner at the excellent ‘Au Fond du Gosier’ (does that translate as ‘down the throat’?). Superb 3 courses for 38euro. Had a local 100% Tannat wine - first time ever for that grape (might be the last - it was nice, but ‘Tannat’ is very ‘Tannic’).

26/5/23 Fri

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yRLW6UW59rowr2GX7

Drove to Cirque du Gavarnie, and did a long walk. Lot of uphill. Spectacular. Weather turned out reasonably OK. Well earned dinner at ‘Les Petits Pois Sont Rouges’ - another superb 3 courses for 38euro. Had a local white - 100% Petit Courbu - Chateau Bouscasse ‘Les Jardins Philosophiques’, another first. It was pretty good - I would buy it again.

The car is annoying me again - messages appear on the dash saying ‘take your foot off the accelerator’, and ‘stay in the middle of the lane’ (as I ignore the lane assist using all the road to increase the radius of the turn, to decrease G force and make the drive smoother…). I’m not joking - it really does that.

It’s almost like a passenger that doesn’t like narrow, windy roads has possessed the brain of the car…

27/5/23 Sat

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PxZFmthEQDaF8wu28

Drove to Pont d’Espagne, to see Lake Gaube. Weather good this morning as well (despite forecast of torrential rain and thunderstorms). It’s a strenuous, rocky, uphill hike (elevation gain of nearly 2 Rialto Towers) to get there, over a distance of nearly 3 k, which is just what I need, so I caught a chairlift up to a spot 20 minutes from the lake, and did a long steep downhill walk back - tough on knees and quads. Gravity is your friend to a point. Ate at the Gite - fabulous local unpasteurised cheeses, quiche, a Basque inspired veg & viande bake, and more local wine.

28/5/23 Sun

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CBhFnp45PTaJrebW8

Long drive over the Pyrenees to Spain -> Vielha. Lots of rain, very twisty mountain roads. Wanted to go over the Col de Tourmalet, but the weather there was very bad. Staying at Vielha Parador, with the best view from the restaurant that can be imagined in the Pyrenees (the rain cleared enough we could see mountains for a few minutes).

Dinner was authentic Valle d’Argan. Spectacularly delicious Jamon Bellota, then melting ‘Veal Jaw with Mushrooms’ stew, and Boar with Green Peppers. Waiter asked ‘Is all eating good?’.

My reply included words from Spanish, French, English, and a language that doesn’t exist, and I have no idea what I actually said, but I think he got the idea from the very clean plates he collected. It’s hard having spent time in France to switch from ‘bonjour’ to ‘hola’, and ‘deux noisettes’ to ‘dos cortados’, etc.

29/5/23 Mon
https://photos.app.goo.gl/E1rh6tkwzrVBp5SF8

Vielha to La Seu d’Urgell

Long, windy drive. Pyrenees are spectacular. Staying at the Parador. Has 8th century foundations. Wandered around town a bit.

30/5/23 Tue
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gBGmrhAuuz8AFByz6

Enjoyed the market. Drove east to look at more mountains and villages. Drove into Andorra. Spectacular hills, but Andorra itself looks more like a heavily policed tax haven than anything else. Saw a HUGE Mercedes dealership, and lots of high end German cars. The locals don’t pay much tax. Had spectacular lunch at Restaurant Arbeletxe. Chef had spent a little time at El Bulli, and it rubbed off. This place should be mentioned in Michelin. Sleeping off lunch for the rest of the day.

31/5/23 Wed

Long drive from La Seu d’Urgell to Masia Can Canyes, near Montserrat, which we had a little look at. Seemed a bit Catholic Disneyland-ish. The Masia was beautiful accommodation - set in vineyards, with great views in every direction, including Montserrat. Atmospheric dining room, and delicious simple dinner, with a great local Grenache. Nice bookend to Spain part of the trip.

1/6/23 Thu

Drove from Masia Can Canyes to Barcelona - very heavy traffic. Train from Barcelona to Lyon. Nearly missed the connection at Montpellier, as lots of doors at the station were closed, and it took a long time to change platforms. Barely got on board in time!

Arrived late arvo, walked around a bit, then had best dinner of the trip at L’Etabli - mentioned in Michelin, and truly worthy of a star. Seven course degustation, with 4 amuse bouche before the start, and an extra one at the end - total of 12!!!

2/6/23 Fri
Busy day in Lyon. Funicular to the Basilica, enjoyed views, numerous museums. The Roman Lugdunum one was good, with many beautiful tiled floors. Art installation by broken glass artist at Fourviere. Saw the Cinema and Miniature museum. Lots of actual props from movies, and spectacular miniatures (see photos - they are all about a foot wide!). Surprisingly interesting. Simple dinner at Cave Terroir - nice wine list, good terrine, very tiny serve of fromage. Found an interesting wine shop with zillions of wines I’d never heard of, and a very friendly lady running it.

3/6/23 Sat

Boat trip on Saone. 27 degrees - feels hotter than that - humid.

4/6/23 Sun

TGV to Paris again. Galleries Lafayette. Dinner at Freddy’s wine bar.

5/6/23 Mon
Canal St Martin. Shops. Dinner at Ambos

6/6/23 Tue

Final walk in Paris. Flight to Melb via Dubai. Delayed on the plane by over 2 hrs due to traffic controllers strike. Missed connection in Dubai, so Emirates put us up for 5 hrs at the Marriott.

“Open your eyes wider” said the immigration policeman in Dubai (which is a country I hadn’t planned to enter, particularly when it was 36 degrees at 2am).

The facial scanner at the airport refused to accept that I was the person in my passport.

I thought ‘This could be a problem…’.

UAE was not a destination in this holiday, just meant to be a stopover of 2 hrs.

India 2023 - 11

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Mahabalipuram / Chennai – heading home…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FnjsAvZpXV434iT4A

Stopped on the way at Mahabalipuram, which was amazing. Lots of 7-9C temples (the Pancha Pandava Rathas) built during the Pallava dynasty that signified the dawn of the Dravidian architectural styles.

These temples were unfinished. No-one is sure why – maybe the commissioning King died, went broke, lost interest, war got in the way, a tsunami buried the town (there is evidence for that), killed by his kids for wasting their inheritance? No matter why, even unfinished they were quite spectacular. They were all monolithic temples – carved out of solid rock. This leaves no room for error in manufacture.

Maybe the King was OCD, saw too many crooked lines or imperfections and sacked or killed all the sculptors, then couldn’t get anyone to finish them? Like Trump trying to find a new lawyer every month?Also saw one of the largest bas relief rock carvings in the world, ‘The Descent of the Ganges’. Spectacular!This was quality graffiti – even better than Banksy.

Chennai (it used to be Madras) is a huge city, and clearly very prosperous. The old British buildings in the centre are very grand. The traffic is like Melbourne rush hour, without lane markings or obligations. The traffic here doesn’t flow – it mainly congeals, or coagulates.

I’m staying at a flasher place than I would normally choose – the Taj Connemara. I had a vegetarian degustation – superb, and there was even an Indian dance performance.

On a walk through Mylapore, the old part of Chennai, I saw a big sign on a building: SRI RAMAKRISHNAN MATH BOOKS SHOWROOM.

I thought, cool, I’d love to see what a huge Indian showroom dedicated to Maths books looked like.It turns out, ‘Ramakrishna Math’ is a monastic order – basically another cult – nothing to do with Mathematics. This one is also very big business, owning large areas of land in central Chennai. However, it does some good works, runs schools, etc. The showroom has books to do with teachings of this sect, not algebra.

Visited the Kapeeshwarar Temple dedicated to Shiva. Then the St Thomas Basilica (the same dude who landed in Kochi in 52 AD to preach to the Jews already there). Apparently, he died here (speared not by mosquitoes, like Vasco, but an actual spear), and was buried. The Portuguese built a church here in 1523, and rebuilt 1896.

Unlike the Portuguese, the Vatican deliberately left a finger bone behind when repatriating remains.It was interesting to see a crucifix on the altar there that showed some cultural blending. There were peacocks either side of it (peacocks relate to a story about Parvati, Shiva’s wife), and the cross was placed in a lotus flower.

A Mary figure outside was dressed in an Indian saree – yet more cultural appropriation.Next was the small boat fishing site on a beach – there were hundreds of small boats there on the shore. They go out very early to a mile or two offshore to fish, returning to sell shortly after dawn. I was too late for the beach markets, and can confirm the aromas were as high as the noon time of arrival on a hot day.

It limited my sightseeing time.

Finally a brief visit to Fort St George, built by the British in 1640. St Mary’s Church, built in 1680, was interesting. It has 4 ft thick walls, to make it resistant to attack (lots of aggro around at that time). Clive of India was married there, as was Elihu Yale, who gave name to Yale University. It is a very open building, for air to flow – large wooden shuttered windows that open.

The trip was over.

I spent nearly a month with Krishna, to whom I have to say thanks. He has a degree in Economics, and a modest interest in politics. He severely dislikes the Communist Party in Kerala. He has a dream of buying a ‘Jawa 42’ motorcycle, because his son was impressed by a Bollywood hero that rode one, and wants his Dad to be that hero. He was a safe driver – he always slowed down when using his phone, and he would never double-overtake on a blind corner on a narrow cliff road with poor visibility, while drunk. When overtaking, his priority was to do it as slowly as possible, so any oncoming collisions would likely not be fatal, rather than return to the correct side of the road quickly.

I became very blasé at the sight of oncoming traffic (you will see it whatever side of the road you are on anyway).‘Correct side of the road’ is not a meaningful concept in India. As I said before – when a God is driving you, what could possibly go wrong?I tipped him really well, for a great job.(** I lied – he doesn’t drink, or do any bad things – he really was safe and courteous – best driver in India. Hire him if you go.)

I’ve been vegetarian (90% vegan) for 3.5 weeks, only 2 meals a day, no snacks. No alcohol at all. Only drank water and chai.I haven’t lost a gram.

This indicates this diet is complete bullshit.

I’m going onto a ‘Red Meat, Red Wine’ diet for the next month, and will compare the two.I’ve had cardamom daily, and still can’t see the fluorescence of rodent urine, but my third eye can now see deeply into my inner realms.

So what have I learned on this trip? To worry not where one has been, worry little where the road leads, and enjoy being a particle in your traffic flow, more aware of what is around you at every moment – especially inflammable trucks.

If you haven’t been to India – go – it’s amazing.

Bye for now – see you next trip.

India 2023 - 10

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Pondicherry

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v2Xf3G7WQGz94FpH7

The road to Pondicherry went through a lot of agricultural land – rice fields, sugar cane, Tamarind trees lining the road often. Stopped to visit a few more temples. I will probably be a Hindu by the time I return. It was a nice drive.

Pondicherry is a coastal town, and also a small state with very low tax, especially on booze, which is why it gets very busy on weekends, and police check cars leaving the state. There is a ban on single use plastics here – very welcome.

It has an interesting French history, and currently appears to be trying very hard to be French. The streets all have French names, the restaurants are mostly French named, there is an Alliance Francaise here, croissants outnumber idlis and dosas, and it’s full of French tourists. I had an escargot au raisins that was not bad at all. They play syrupy French music everywhere. It’s an Indian caricature of France.

You can tell it isn’t France though – not a single waiter has been rude, the coffee is drinkable, it’s easy to get a taxi, and no farmers are burning cars in protests on tariffs.

They boil the milk here, but I’m OK with that (kills bugs…). The police still wear French police style hats. When the French left here, they offered Indian residents the possibility to get a French passport and remain French citizens – many took up the offer (those that didn’t now seriously regret that). They are able to get French social security and disability payments, which exceed local average wages by orders of magnitude. I read an article where a guy said he hadn’t had to work since 1964. People they marry become French and also qualify for benefits, so the burden on French taxpayers increases yearly. The French hoped it would remain an island of Gallic culture, but it descended into a mire of permanent subsidy and corruption. Colonial Karma bites.

It is trying so hard to be Euro, that it is sadly nearly impossible to find vegetarian dishes on menus. One thing this trip has shown is that being vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean staring into bowls of sadness and despair.

I went on a tour, part of it on a cycle rickshaw. I wouldn’t have chosen this myself, as I wouldn’t be so cruel as to ask anyone to push my carcase around on a hot day, but it was part of a package. I almost suggested we change places, and I do the cycling (but I didn’t). It was an odd tour, as my guide was on a scooter, and would meet my rickshaw at designated points. Was the point of the rickshaw to experience colonial oppression from a colonial viewpoint?

We visited the Tamil quarter, the Muslim quarter, the Hindu quarter, the French quarter, the French colonised Afro Indian (Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion) quarter (clearly ‘quarter’ does not equal 25%), and more churches.

Originally there were 2 quarters – the French ‘White Town’, and ‘Black Town’ for everyone else.

The markets were as always interesting, and I was very glad the fish market preceded the flower market, and not vice versa, as it was late afternoon. The fish market is entirely run by women – the men just provide the fish and ice.

This sounds like a perfect arrangement for many men.

Imagine the conversation in Australia:

“G’day, whereyagoin’, mate?”

“Out fishin’ on the boat all day, mate – the missus said don’t come back without a full Esky, but if I forget the ice again I’m done for, mate.”

“Ahh, ya lucky bastard – I have to stay home and mow the friggin’ lawn, mate, or I’m done for.”

When bidding the cyclist farewell, I tipped generously, but he still looked disgruntled. I could tell he was thinking “You fat bastard”.

I visited my first Ashram – the Aurobindo, started by Sri Aurobindo and his ‘partner’ Mirra Alfassa (known as ‘The Mother’). To enter you need to fully switch off your mobile, and be silent.

It was full of flowers, and calm, meditating disciples, quite a few western. No-one was levitating. I struggled to look suitably reverential – I felt everyone’s third eye boring into my skull. I was reminded of the book ‘Karma Cola’, by Gita Mehta, which was about flocks of hippies invading India in the 60’s, describing traditions of an ancient society being commoditised and sold to those who could never understand them. I bought it in Nepal decades ago, and it stopped me becoming a hippie. The Ashram is buying up lots of properties in the French Quarter, and renovating them lavishly – they have a LOT of money.

I also visited Auroville – a ‘Universal town where all can live in unity, harmony, transformation of consciousness, blah, blah’ – along with the Ashram a creation of The Mother, inspired by Sri Aurobindo. By now it was supposed to have a population of 50,000, but currently only about 2,000. I visited the Matrimandir dome viewing site– you cant go inside without a booking.In the visitors centre, I was so overwhelmed by their guiding principles, the potential for such inner peace, the opportunity for my soul to reach its full tranquintessentialessence (I made that word up – you won’t find it in OED) in the stars and galaxies above, I enquired about joining up on the spot.

When they said they had no wine cellar, I lost interest.

The visitor centre sells exactly what you would expect – incense, floral soaps, necklaces – standard hippie trinkets. Oh yes, I DID see someone there in low crotch fisherman pants (I have photo proof)!

Auroville is a fascinating story, along with the Ashram. Since the death of the original principals, it has been mired in political infighting and scandal (far exceeding anything Labor sub-branches or factions could ever get up to).

It required an Act of Parliament to intervene and impose governance. It is huge business, with opaque trust structures, and there was a BBC doco on pedophilia allegations. It gets funding from all over the globe (including DFAT!).

There’s something fishy about that much money for only 2000 people. Some things keep repeating – where have I heard about a charismatic guy and a female enabler and wealth and minors? Was it Epstein & Ghislaine?

I wandered the streets, saw colonial buildings, and went to the beach at dawn to see sunrise.

The promenade was packed with walkers and joggers, and just one hippie dancing to the sun. The passeggiata here is early. It was so pleasant, and a breeze was blowing in from the Bay of Bengal, a cool, fresh ocean scent, with just a few high notes of microplastic nanoparticles for piquancy.Kids in the water were being chased out by a policeman because ‘NO SWIMMING’ – what is it with Indian beaches and no swimming???

There will only be one more missive in this India series. I’m off to Chennai for a brief stay before heading home, so might not be much more coming.

India 2023 - 9

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Karaikudi – Tanjore

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pXMfMjJ4hxtxVd78A

One gets the impression mosquitoes are a problem in an area when hotel bathroom kits include industrial grade organophosphates to douse ones-self with (neuronal damage and cancer is a lesser evil than the local bugs?). This has been the case in the last three towns. The fate of Vasco da Gama occupies my mind.

I visited some ‘antique’ shops in Karaikudi (it’s famous for them – they were initially filled with the treasures of abandoned Chettiar mansions, but I suspect these contents were all sold decades ago). While some items were genuinely old, a large number are replica/fake. I saw an identical item in multiple stores. It was fun browsing. I was tempted to say, “I don’t want any antiques, please show me the cheaper replicas – it’s all I can afford” and see what happens, but I didn’t.

As I was casually Googling things in the area to see, I came across an interesting temple, which featured thousands of painted terracotta horses. Link here: The Terracotta Horse Temple - The Ayyanar Temple of Chettinad - Thrilling TravelAt least look at the pictures, if you can’t be bothered reading the details. I thought it would be interesting to visit. I asked Krishna if he knew about ‘The Horse Temple’.

He said, “Absolutely, it’s on the way to Tanjore, we will go there”.

We stopped at a place, and he said go down that path, there are lots of horses.

Indeed there were an astonishing number of small terracotta horses arrayed on both sides of the path, which led to a small shrine, but it didn’t look anything at all like the pictures in the previous link.

Here's where incomplete research, assumptions, and lack of precision in communication lead to a divergence between expectation and reality.

He had taken me to ‘A’ horse temple, not ‘THE’ horse temple in my mind. I didn’t know that horse temples were in the plural around here.

The temple I intended was the ‘Sri Solai Andavar Temple’.

Where I ended up was the ‘Shri Elangudi Ayyanar Temple’, which is a much less grand scale – a village shrine, really, not a temple. An easy mistake…..The terracotta horses looked very small, old, weathered and many were broken. Not bright, shiny, freshly painted as expected.
My mind was: “So this is where Indian Piñatas go to die….”

It was actually a very interesting and oddly spiritual place to visit, and I felt a strong sense of the faith and customs of the villagers, as the horses stared at me (you can move and their eyes follow you…).

I think I got more out of it than if I’d gone to the other place. A fortuitous mistake, and a valuable lesson about research and communication.

I didn’t tell Krishna about the error, though – he would have been gutted, even if I said I preferred where we ended up.

So I saw the Shrine of a Thousand Horses - appropriate as I came there from the Room of a Thousand Mosquitos. At least I’m staying in classy places, and I don’t have to retire in the Bed of a Thousand Bugs (my student days are fortunately long gone).

The very swish Svatma hotel has the usual offerings of overpriced spa/massage/aromatherapy/ayurvedic treatments with every conceivable oil and herb. I wondered if the coconut oil, tamarind and ginger scrub included being covered in lettuce and balsamic, with a squirt of lemon juice?

A novel treatment I haven’t seen anywhere is featured here – a ‘Sound Spa’ where a massage table has 50 strings under it that are plucked to produce resonant sounds that synchronise your brain waves, balance chakras, etc, etc (see the photos for full details). Half hour $50. I declined, fearing it might resonate with the tinnitus and explode my brain. I wonder what qualification the operators have or need?

The rooms here have a ‘feature’ where the TV turns on when you enter, and plays a calming, soothing loop of nice things. After looping a few dozen times I was no longer soothed.

I’m not technologically incompetent, but I couldn’t turn it off.Defeated, I dialled reception, who advised a specific sequence of buttons on the remote, which silenced the thing. I had to repeat this sequence every time I entered the room.

Why couldn’t they document this in the info sheets, or make the default ‘off’?

In Tanjore, I saw the Palace Museum & Library, and the incredible Brihadishvara Temple, one of the biggest in India.The museum has a spectacular collection of old bronzes of Hindu deities between the 9th & 13th centuries. Parvati is the main Hindu goddess. Her sculptors were really into crafting figures that were quite callipygian (a fabulous word, one of my favourites – look it up here). Many thousand year old Kardashians to see.The library is one of the largest in Asia, est. 16th C, and has over 50,000 manuscripts, but only a few are ever displayed. There have been plans to digitise it for many years, with little progress. No photos allowed. I saw palm leaf Sanskrit manuscripts dating 11 C, and an old illustrated book in English about ancient Chinese Punishments - somewhat unpleasant. I think my teachers at a Catholic school used this as a manual.

The temple is a UNESCO Heritage Monument, dated 1010 AD, built by Chola King Rajaraja, and utterly spellbinding. Constructed in only 10 years, all with interlocking blocks and no mortar (1000 year old granite Lego – lucky for Lego the patent expired). It houses a nearly 9 metre tall lingam, weighing about 80 tons. I didn’t get to enter the temple to view this, as it was a festival weekend with huge crowds and the queue was over 2 hours long. I felt time poor, and my last Indian crowd experience confirmed I am not agoraphobic. So no photos inside.

There is disagreement among scholars whether lingam represents a penis, or is an abstract representation or sign of Shiva. The only lingam I saw that day is well known to me and unlikely to draw crowds or queues, is of comparatively inconsequential dimensions, is not for public display anyway, and no photos will ever exist.

Had a nice small vegetarian dinner, and retired early after a long day, without salad dressing, no vibrating, but not out of tune.

India 2023 - 8

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Karaikudi/Chettinad

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CkiZ2mFWGEZVYUpj8

Final dinner at The Heritage was delicious. I thought the staff were asking if I was non-binary (I thought WTF??), but it turns out they were asking if I wanted Naan with Biryani – I’m still having trouble with south Indian accents and my tinnitus.

A short drive today – 2 hrs to Karaikudi. Krishna refers to cows on the road as ‘traffic police’ – they make you go slower. Staying at the Bangala Hotel, whose restaurant ranked in top 50 in India by Conde Nast in recent times. Everything is eaten by hand, no cutlery, off banana leaves. They have written their own cookbook, based on Chettiar cuisine.

Having been on the road for 2 weeks, I am now quite used to Indian traffic, and I’m seeing beauty in its self-organisation, unfettered by external rules.Drivers go as they please, in full knowledge others will slow and give way. Horns don’t shout ‘Get out of my way!’, like in Straya. They are not aggressive.

They are a gentle ‘I’m here – please notice me’. Indicators are meaningless, as they are often left on for hours after a turn, but generally unused. Who needs rules, when everyone is accommodating? The traffic bends and pulses, like a jazz improvisation, with potholes the staccato notes. I was finding the ebb and flow almost meditative, then Krishna said “There was a big crash here yesterday – three trucks and a car. Eight people incinerated in the fire. Huge inferno.”

Sometimes musicians hit the wrong note.

I was inspired to write an Indian traffic Haiku en-route:

Car-eography

Trucks and bikes dance like ballet

Will I burn today?

(Car-eography is a 2 level pun – imagine the word ‘choreography’ spoken with an Indian accent for double the groan…..)

Dinner was great, but maybe not top ten. Seemed like too many staff, and service was random but very friendly. I’d rate it very good, not outstanding. They run a Chettiar cooking school here – 7 days intensive $USD1500, all inclusive. At the moment there are chefs here from New York and Japan studying. I had a small cooking demo of black pepper chicken and masala prawns.\

Old Chettinad mansions are aplenty here, but most are run down, abandoned and derelict. It was clearly grand times for them in the last two centuries. The Chettiars were wealthy merchants. The wealthy here have relocated overseas.

Unknowingly, I ran into really massive traffic jams caused by people attending Jallikattu events (a ‘bull taming’ sport).

Bulls from different villages are brought to an arena. The bulls are then let loose.

Participants grab the bull's hump and try to tame it by bringing the bull to a stop, or riding for as long as possible.

VIDEO:Indian Rodeo mixed with Running of the Bulls! It’s completely nuts. I regret not knowing about it, so I could attend, but judging by the traffic it would have been another black hole compression event. I’m sure people watch in hope of seeing someone gored.

India 2023 - 7

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Leaving Kerala and the Western Ghats for Madurai.

Photos (best seen on a PC to see the annotations):https://photos.app.goo.gl/uZ8AS1Gy5x9teVF17

Goodbye to Kerala, hello Tamil Nadu. Keralans speak Malayalam, Tamils speak Tamil. They communicate in Hindi or English. There are 22 official languages. Krishna pointed out many billboards on the way to Madurai, which advertised the weddings of couples. It is apparently something that is done here – it shows off the family status, wealth, and connections, with pictures of family, including academic qualifications. He said: ‘We don’t do this in Kerala’.

The plains are much hotter than Munnar – went from 19 C to 33 C.

Staying at The Heritage Madurai, which used to be the old Madurai Club, on 17 acres. I have a nearly 300 year old Banyan tree outside my room. It’s my spirit tree – it’s girth rapidly increases as it ages.

Colloquialism for the day: “He will be blinking” - the expected reaction when an Indian is surprised by, or finds odd, or doesn’t understand something you do or say. I said to Krishna “I will go ask xxx for yyy”.
He responded “He will be blinking”, indicating my request was not something I should pursue.
The standard Indian facial expression is very flat and neutral. If you smile and wave at anyone, you invariably get a smile and wave back – I have been smiling and waving at everyone.
Regular question is “Where are you from?”, and “Australia” gets a bigger smile, and immediate mention of cricket, which I know nothing about (I will be blinking…).

The Meenakshi Temple is probably the most magnificent building I have ever seen (truly). Originating around 1100. I went inside to view the daily evening ceremony, where an image of Lord Shiva is carried out from his shrine by temple priests, in procession in a chariot, to his wife Meenakshi’s shrine where he’ll spend the night.

This ceremony dates back millennia. It is accompanied by a drum, and a large wind instrument. Ancient and very traditional, except I noticed the wind player (who was quite virtuosic) had a backing drone (Tanpura) produced by an app on an iPhone (again, I was blinking).Sadly, no photographs were possible due to terrorist threats in 2008 resulting in strict security and the banning of mobiles in some temples (except for holy musicians). It was an unforgettable experience, but without photos, I will probably forget.

I wandered the town, looking at markets, and learned about the practice of inscribing Kolams on the ground outside houses. The kolam is drawn by women every morning in chalk or rice flour to welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity, into the home, and drives away the evil spirits.

I arrived in Madurai on a major religious holiday, which was good and bad. Many temples were closed, but I was able to see close up what happens during a ritual. It was the Full Moon Float Festival (or Teppam), where Shiva & Parvati were taken from the Meenakshi temple onto a float on Teppakulam Lake. It was an insane crush of people that my guide led me into (I thought ‘We are going into that? I am blinking.’).

We got near the front through his experienced crowd navigation tactics (persistent, forward only Brownian motion).

After being packed to a density that I thought would result in a gravitational collapse into a black hole, a policewoman gestured me to come through the fence and come up close to the float.

After finding out I wasn’t being arrested, I felt rather privileged, to put it mildly – there were tens of thousands of locals pressing to get a view, and I was one of the few allowed close, with a police escort, and I’m not even Hindu!

Did my guide bribe someone? He said they had a policy of being nice to tourists.

A frame from ‘Life of Pi’ featured this festival.It was a fascinating experience, happy to do once only.

India 2023 - 6

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Alleppey to Munnar

Photos (best seen on a PC to see the annotations):https://photos.app.goo.gl/s84Mc58d8z1NZ1Li7

Videos of Tea Factory:https://photos.app.goo.gl/a4r7iRarVdAg34Gj8

I learned a quaint colloquialism: “He will take the blood from your neck”. It refers to someone who talks to much and won’t go away (ie a pest - mosquitoes are the origins of that phrase). When Krishna said “You will meet Rajesh, and he will take the blood from your neck”, I was initially alarmed (was I about to meet a vampire? Get stabbed?), until he explained. Mr Rajesh did indeed talk too much – I was exsanguinated.

Krishna is very happy, as Alleppey is his home town, and he was able to stay home for a few nights.

I learned a lot about the Catholics here from host Rajeev, and why they are called Syrian Christian Roman Catholic – nothing to do with Syria except St Thomas who came to convert them arrived from Syria in 52AD. Rajeev, like everyone I have spoken to is very anti the Communist state government. Rajeev thanks Catholic schools for the 100% literacy in Kerala, although some others think the government may have played a role.

It was a long (5 hr), slow, winding drive to Munnar in the upper regions of the Western Ghats, much cooler than down below. Spices and tea grow here, and there were plenty of rubber tree plantations on the lower slopes. Munnar is a very tourist region. Catholic churches everywhere.

I passed a sign on the way saying ‘beware of attacks by wild elephants’, but was unable to stop for a photo (of that sign – not elephants). I’d be more concerned about the elephants forcing me to join their herd, given my current circumference, than being trampled.

Stopped at a touristy garden with lots of spice trees and bushes, although it isn’t the right season for many of them, so it looked pretty scraggly, but it was interesting nonetheless. At one point the guide pointlessly pointed to a bush which was literally a few unidentifiable pointy dried sticks that secateurs had randomly attacked. There was a shop with very overpriced ayurvedic pills – I resisted the temptation, despite the exhortations my memory would become perfect and I would magically lose weight.

The Spice Tree hotel is swish. It’s spectacularly located high on a slope, on a cliff face, in beautiful forest. It’s a five story climb from my room to breakfast. I’m getting the forest-bathing hippie vibe happening again, but this place is pretty sophisticated, so wearing rainbow crochet drop crotch fisherman/harem pants is off the agenda.

Oddly, no A/C here, but the temperature is perfect. At dinner the restaurant was full of old, very well dressed British. I was a fish out of water in my King Gees and sandals (a quintessential Aussie slob). Masala chai here was 200 rupees (plus 18% tax) - I had one earlier today en-route at a nice enough place for 24 rupees. They get away with it because this place is very isolated.

Visited a tea manufacturer. An educational experience indeed. In the ancient factory, where huge machines apparently designed without many OH&S concerns whirred with operators one small slip away from becoming part of a tea bag, it seemed odd that tour groups were herded through in close proximity, where a stumble could result in dismemberment at best (see the videos).Much was learned here about tea, and the value of life. The rubbish quality of what goes into teabags was confirmed – I will never use bags again – it’s pretty much floor sweepings – the tea company guide said this, and said no-one should drink it. There was a tasting of many different teas, all delicious except the bag quality one.

I discovered ‘White Tea’, from young buds harvested before they have opened fully, from the best plants, treated to minimise oxidation. The brew was clear, delicately flavoured, with a scent of stone fruits and flowers. About $400/kilo.

The scenery around Munnar is very beautiful. Big mountains and well kempt tea plantations.

India 2023 - 5

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

To Alleppey, Kerala Backwaters

Photos (best seen on a PC to see the annotations):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/q56M8gM6rNc5cwut9

As I plunge deeper into Kerala, mosquitos seem to be more prevalent. They are tiny, and make no sound at all, but pack a punch above their weight (like chillies here). Being so silent, I briefly wondered if they had electric motors?

Covered in bites, scratched until bleeding, I said to my guide:
“I hope there are no mosquito borne diseases around here?”
Guide: “Oh no, sir, it’s not a problem at all – have no concerns!”
At Vasco da Gama’s grave: “What did he die from?”
Guide: “Malaria.”
I am reassured.

Alleppey was listed in the top 5 UN Clean City list, with almost no biodegradable waste, from numerous biogas plants. Waste management here is a beacon of excellence. I visited a beach near here, which I would happily swim in. The roads are reasonably clean. Kerala was the first state to achieve 100% Primary education, and has the highest literacy rate of about 95%.

On the way to Alleppey, there were many Catholic penitents on a pilgrimage to a cathedral nearby (St Andrew’s), some in procession, with a flute and Indian drum band which sounded quite Bangla – very odd juxtaposition. There are old Portuguese churches everywhere here, and Catholicism is extremely obvious. Muslims are also quite obvious from the frequent calls to prayer, although mosques seem well hidden. There is little evidence of Hinduism to the casual eye – they mind their own business.

I am staying on the Kerala backwaters at the beautiful Pamba Heritage Homestay, with host Rajeev, who used to be a software engineer at Accenture, on a thankfully breezy upstairs room with a balcony over the river (it’s quite hot – 32 – this is outside the Lithuanian comfort zone). Internet is pretty good. Vegan dinner delicious.

I went for a slow cruise in a Sikkhara boat along the backwaters.It was a supremely relaxing experience, seeing this world pass by, the people going about their lives.

It was so profoundly relaxing, I fell into a tranquil, deeply meditative state.

I’m sure I levitated.Then, just as I was about to achieve Nirvana, I fell into a deeply catatonic stupor.

I was only roused by an Indian TeleMarketing call asking for ‘Mr Bill Campbell’.

I mischievously replied: “Bill Campbell died quite horribly a while ago.”

TM: “I’m very sorry to hear that, sir.”

Me: ”It’s OK, I didn’t like him. One of the solar panels you sold him last time fell off the roof and killed him. Where did you get my number? It’s on the Do Not Call list.”

TM: “I don’t know, sir.”

Me: “Can you please remove this number from your lists?”

TM: “Yes, sir!”

He won’t. It is there for all eternity - no matter how many times I am reincarnated, the phone database will survive – no god, Hindu, Pagan, not even the hammer of Thor can destroy it – there are infinite backups.

The backwaters are truly lovely and peaceful. The river was quite clean as well. There was a welcome rain shower on the return, the sky was clearer, and the air smelled wonderful. Almost Paradise – just a little too hot. I briefly wondered ‘Who the hell was Bill Campbell?’.

I slept well after a lovely dinner, to be woken at 5:30 by a boat playing very loud syrupy Bollywood pop (a few days ago it was an Imam).

India 2023 - 4

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Day 7-9

Photos (best seen on a PC to see the annotations):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/81bpnah4Xk33PoxD9

Kochi is quite a military town, with large Naval and other armed forces bases, and a shipyard where aircraft carriers are built. I just missed a visit here by Modhi yesterday (election soon – posters everywhere). Krishna said the Communist state government here will remove all the BJP posters the next day. The communists here seem very unpopular.

I learned the tuk-tuk is called the ‘Air Conditioned Indian Ferrari’ here. Seeing lots of electric ones, and electric scooters. I preface all trips with “Hello! No, I don’t want to visit your brother/cousin/uncles shop, no matter how magnificent his wares are, and how low are the prices, or I won’t get in”, before the driver utters a word. Then the fare negotiations: “How much?? I said I’m FROM Australia, NOT that I wanted you to drive me there”.

Travel from Calicut to Kochi was via train – 2nd class air conditioned car (it was the only class available – I wasn’t being a scrooge). The seats were better than Jetstar economy, with more room, and the A/C worked very well. There were only 2 people coughing in the carriage (fewer than in a Melbourne tram), and it was otherwise a quiet and comfortable trip.

Did a round of the Kochi sights, starting with the famous Chinese fishing nets (established around 1400AD), which are steadily disappearing – not surprising, as they are surrounded by garbage and I think all they can catch these days is typhoid – a sad end. The net operators are fishing for tourists, not fish – more rewarding to charge them to come up close for the selfie.

I’m still not seeing fabulous beaches, or anyone at all swimming – just large crowds at water’s edge, staring out to sea, all avoiding looking down at the first few metres of ocean.

India really needs the mayor of Sultan Bathery as PM.

Other sights were the Paradesi Synagogue (built 1568), one of the oldest active, and the even older Kadavumbagan Synagogue (1200, but some renovations since). Maintained by a Jewish businessman (one of only 18 Jews left here). The St Francis Church (also 1500’s), Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica (also 1500’s, but rebuilt in 1880), and the Indo-Portuguese Museum (full of religious artefacts). Not a bad day’s work for an atheist! There aren’t any Mosques of note here, and they wouldn’t let me in anyway.

I saw Vasco da Gama’s tomb in the church. The remains were removed to Portugal a few years after burial – presumably to prevent locals dancing on it?

I (nervously) had a seafood thali dinner at Oceanus (recommended by Krishna). It was utterly delicious and filling, for $7, better than many Michelin degustations. The sardines baked in banana leaf were brilliant. Enjoying dosas with sambar for breakfast. Outstanding vegan lunch at Subhiksha restaurant served on a banana leaf (no cutlery – hands only). Discovered a refreshing hot drink ‘pepper water’.

A 30 minute ferry ride cost 10c. A 30 minute bus was 20c.

India 2023 - 3

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Day 5,6 Calicut

Photos (best seen on a PC to see the annotations):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SaFpmuBV1U9besn19

Vasco de Gama set foot for the first time here on May 20, 1498. I’m here 525 years, 7 months, 26 days later. It was probably quieter then. I feel the history, deeply. The aromas of millennia fill my nostrils. Vasco had fewer aromas.

My enthusiastic hope the town ‘Sultan Bathery’ was a harbinger of generalised Keralan punctiliousness has been diminished a little – things are more in line with pre-trip expectations – entropy reigns supreme again.

I visited the famous Calicut beach, but Australians will not be blown away, especially when there are signs saying ‘NO SWIMMING’….(why?).

I had a local guide (Mohan K, 76) take me to some unexpected places. We were in an ELECTRIC Tuk-Tuk! India is moving faster than Aus in some ways. It was a brilliant experience – very quiet, no smell, and still the old tuk-tuk character of uncomfortable seats and no suspension – a win on all counts. A charge lasts about 7 hrs of driving around. Since it doesn’t sound ‘tuk tuk tuk tuk’ any more, which is where the name came from, will the new name be ‘Wheeeeee’ (with an ascending inflection)?

There is serious boat building going on here. I went to a yard at Beypore where a 130ft dhow, entirely teak, called an ‘Uru’ was being painstakingly built by hand. It takes about 2 years. The cost of it seemed reasonable at about $2mil (before luxury fitout, motors, etc – just the hull & decks). All the wood was being sawn by hand (to avoid burning off oils, and maintain waterproofing, etc). I noted that every single bolt and nail was individually checked (see photos), and it all seemed pretty well put together. It (and many more in recent years) were commissioned by people in Qatar, including the Royal Family. They are built without any plans or drawings, it all coming out of the head of the master carpenter or ‘maistry’. The art is about a thousand years old, and passed down orally via apprenticeships. Utterly unique.

Visited wharf and fish market – I was pleased to see a lot of ice. There are a lot of birds sitting in the hall (see photo). I hope they don’t shit on the fish containers.

Next stop was weaving artist Vasu at Tasara Weaving Centre. There were spectacular pieces hanging on the walls, but the place was in a huge disarray being prepared for a large woven art workshop and exposition, so we weren’t able to see much. Vasu was a charming man who generously spared a few moments. If I was rich I would commission a piece.

Next Mishal Mosque, originally built in 1340, burned by Portuguese in 1510, and rebuilt in 1578. It’s typical of medieval mosques, with no minarets or cupola. Largely timber. I couldn’t go inside. Kerala is about 30% Muslim, and Calicut nearly 40%.

Saw a wholesale coconut market, unchanged for centuries in how it works. Coconuts are graded by size and water content, determined by tapping and listening to the sound. Everything carted on heads. I stepped back centuries.

Saw the old Catholic cathedral, Lutheran Church, & Town Centre.

From Mohan I learned cardamom is good for eyesight and brain function, so now I will eat it constantly. I also discovered raptors can see rodent urine from great heights (it fluoresces, and they have UV receptors), as an aid to target their prey – rats probably don’t know this. I’ll let you know if I can see rat pee after a month of daily cardamom pods. Mohan is very learned, but it’s difficult to follow his accent, at times as impenetrable as a Keralan jungle. I’m sure I missed many such pearls, such as which spice assists weight loss and smarter investments.

Dinner at the Raviz was superb – Keralan cuisine is absolute tops. This is how vegetarian should be done.

India 2023 - 2 to 4

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Day 2 to 4 Photos: Mysore-Wyanad https://photos.app.goo.gl/tazF3miEPJr7ckwG8

Wyanad https://photos.app.goo.gl/gwnjqbLF4iC6yqLm8

Travelling in India always involves some anticipatory fear (eg will the next fart be a shart??). I’m pleased to say that after my leaf indiscretion at the market, I have suffered no detectable consequences so far.

After Efkay breakfast off to Wayanad. First part of the drive nothing special, but gradually became greener and more pleasant.

Stopped for petrol at Gundlupete, a forlorn place. However, there was a cool old cinema next door, and a wine shop (I didn’t go in – I was scared they wouldn’t let me out without buying something – I still haven’t learned to say no to Indian shopkeepers).

It was the last stop in Karnataka. We would briefly pass through a corner of Tamil Nadu, before entering Kerala. We entered Bandipur National Park, which has a lot of wildlife, including tigers, but they are impossible to see. Expensive safaris have a hit rate of probably 10% if that, but nobody says so as it will kill tourist bookings.

Tigers are camera shy, and find tourists loud, boorish and not very tasty. It is a single lane road with 40k speed limit and lots of speedbumps, and signs say ‘no photos’. If a ranger sees you take a picture from an open window while stopped, you will be fined. This is to keep traffic flowing, and stop people getting out of their cars and harassing the wildlife. I saw monkeys and a deer. The highway is closed off at night, and apparently wild elephants wander the road – looking for a street party I guess.

From this park, we entered Kerala.

It’s like another country compared to the India I have seen before. Lush, green, verdant, tropical. The roads are better, wider, smoother, and the traffic calmer. There is very little rubbish around. The towns are prosperous and clean.

Sultan Bathery town was a standout – CARS AND BIKES ARE PARALLEL PARKED IN AN ORDERLY MANNER!!

We continued driving through ever more lush country up the hills to Aranyakam Homestay. This place is incredible. It’s on a 30 acre organic coffee plantation (alas only robusta – they sell it for $3/kilo), and has everything else growing there. Cinnamon, pepper, cardamon, chillies, betel, every herb you can think of, bananas, flowers, so many fruits – it’s a botanic garden of delights. Within minutes of arrival I had turned into a full on forest-bathing hippie.

Coffee is being harvested now, and there are flowers on the bushes – coffee flowers have a beautiful scent. That combined with all the other spices here resulted in a truly overpowering perfume pushed around by the odd cool breeze (very welcome as it’s quite warm). I have to use hyperlatives (superlatives are nowhere near good enough) and wave my arms around like one of these (ctrl-click here) to give a sense of the intensity of the experience.

The food here is pretty good, and not just zero kilometre, but zero metre, and the owner Rajesh is very proud of his 100% organic status. He has a deep love for this place and needs little prompting to show and explain everything. He had his own elephant, which he recently sold (too expensive to keep). Fresh pepper and cardamon off the bush are incredibly fragrant and intense. I tried a small red chilli – jeeeezuz, the burn, but it was delicious (the bigger problem was eye burn from chilli-finger later – like a police spray assault). The spice we experience at home is so dialled back compared to this (like a village Burg compared to Grand Cru).

Rajesh picked a cinnamon leaf off the tree, and said “Chew the stalk”. A really sweet, pure, intense burst of cinnamon superconcentrate – if you ever get a chance, try it. The grapes here taste almost like passionfruit.

Looking at the last few paragraphs, you might be thinking ‘He’s taking drugs’. I’m not, but if this is how one experiences life on drugs, I might take them up.

Or move here.

The homestay is perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep valley with the Chulika River at the base. It’s very basic, but I’m OK with that. There is a lovely bamboo tree house at the cliff with a spectacular view (I was concerned it might not be rated for my weight, but it held, although a chair didn’t…).The only drawback is a Mosque nearby (with the usual out-of-tune Imam, and shitty distorted speakers), which murders sleep. The non-Muslim locals are clearly VERY tolerant and non-violent.

Went for a walk through a local tribe village - Ambalakunnu ‘Scheduled Tribe’, at Chulliyode in Wayanad. They are among the most marginalized – an interesting story. The govt is supporting them with housing and services. Amongst the poverty I met a woman there who is studying an MSc in Psychology – impressive that so many obstacles were overcome.

India 2023 - 1

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Arrival & Day 1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/McmzVqgR6C9nARUM8

India is mad. By most criteria. I love this place.

Arrived in Bangalore after a nice Qantas flight. MEfkaysthe airport by an exuberant tour company rep, and my quietShrutir.

On leaving the airport, the rep proudly stated how new (opened Jan 2023) and wonderful the airport was. It’s clearly had a rough year – I would have guessmaistryears by how weatherbeaten it was, and the bumpy taxiing of the plane. It seems everything in India HAS to look old – maybe things age quickly, then stay much the same for another 900 years? Or do they build things, then immediately scratch and dent them?

After a pleasant enough night at a non-descript hotel with a reasonable (Indian) breakfast, I set off with driver Krishna - if a God is driving me, I’m sure I will be safe.

Krishna is from Aleppey, and has 2 sons, with their names tattooed on his forearm. He is no livewire, but he seems very nice. He drives calmly, but has the opinion the lane marking on the road is where the centre of the car should be, although he is not rigid about this, with random drifts to left and right. He was surprised I wanted to sit in the front, but I said that was what Aussies did. Krishna gently berated me for what he deemed was an ungenerous tip to the hotel doorman. I thanked him Efkayse advice, and promised to do better in future. He thinks Modi is pretty good.

A guide that travelled in the car with us briefly had an interesting take on seatbelts – he would buckle it up before getting in, then sit in front of it - a true libertarian! Gladdens my anarchist heart. He probably emptied the syringe before having his Covid shot.

First stop was the India Music Experience Museum. Not many photos, as most of the exhibits were audio (headphones supplied). It was fantastic, but took 90 minutes through bad traffic to get there. I discovered my Shruti is G#. Not much to see in Bangalore, which while being a major business centre, has little else to recommend it. It’s ramshackle mostly, and unaesthetic.

The road to Mysore was dull, but had some interesting rock formations. Visited a Sultan’s palace at Sriringapatna, before arriving at Mysore. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the smells of India – that ever present spice and dust, with the odd random exclamation mark of urine here and there, and the general chaos.

Efkays Home Stay is quite magnificent – a beautiful restful calm oasis. The Homestay dinner was delicious, as was breakfast – all vegan Indian. Met a British couple who retired to Sierra Nevada in Spain and run tourist rooms there – I may stay there in future.

Mysore market was very rich in sights, and my mind wandered a little – I tasted a mint leaf when offered, and then immediately thought ‘Oh, crap!’, as I may have ingested a dose of dysentery or giardia or worse, so will be fearful for the next few days. I had a rule to not eat any salad at all here.

Then another palace.

Dinner at Parklane Hotel with a few of the other guests at Efkays. It was OK – tasty but nothing special. Efkays was much better.

India 2023 - Itinerary

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

My India 2023 Trip Summary: Google Map of places: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1y_5Od1IokuWOeMzVAw6YfzX4OvU6Bxo&usp=sharing

January 10 - Day 1: Arrive Bangalore Bangalore Goldfinch Retreat, Bengaluru

January 11 - Day 2: Bangalore-Mysore Srirangapattana Mysore Efkay’s Home Stay, Mysore

January 12 - Day 3: Mysore Mysore Morning Heritage Walk of the Palace and Market

January 13 - Day 4: Mysore-Wayanad Wayanad Aranyakam Homestay, Kerala

January 14 - Day 5: Wayanad Wayanad Village Walk

January 15 - Day 6: Wayanad-Calicut Calicut (Kozhikode) The Raviz Resort and Spa Kadavu Calicut

January 16 - Day 7: Calicut Calicut Tuk Tuk Tour

January 17 - Day 8: Calicut-Cochin Cochin The Malabar House Hotel, Fort Kochi

January 18 - Day 9: Cochin At leisure

January 19 - Day 10: Cochin Ernakulam Sightseeing Tour from Cochin

January 20 - Day 11: Cochin-Alleppey Alleppey Palm Dale Heritage Resort, Alleppey

January 21 - Day 12: Alleppey Palm Dale Heritage Resort Alleppey Local Activities

January 22 - Day 13: Alleppey-Munnar Munnar Spice Tree Hotel, Munnar

January 23 - Day 14: Munnar Spice Tree and Munnar - Local Activities

January 24 - Day 15: Munnar-Madurai Madurai Heritage Hotel, Madurai Meenakshi Temple Madurai Evening Ceremony

January 25 - Day 16: Madurai Madurai Morning Walking Tour and Sightseeing

January 26 - Day 17: Madurai-Chettinad Chettinad The Bangala Hotel Karaikudi, Chettinad

January 27 - Day 18: Chettinad Exploring Chettinad Region

January 28 - Day 19: Chettinad-Tanjore Tanjore Svatma Tanjavur Resort, Tanjore Tanjore Sightseeing

January 29 - Day 20: Tanjore-Pondicherry Pondicherry Dune de L'orient, Pondicherry

January 30 - Day 21: Pondicherry Life of Pondy Tour

January 31 - Day 22: Pondicherry Auroville Pondicherry

February 1 - Day 23: Pondicherry-Mahabalipuram-Chennai Monuments at Mahabalipuram Sightseeing Chennai Taj Connemara Hotel, Chennai

February 2 - Day 24: Chennai Chennai Tour - Peacock Trail

February 3 - Day 25: Chennai-Melbourne

Italy - Puglia 2022

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Italy, a bit of Rome, then Puglia

A week in Rome, 3 days in Naples, then east to Puglia. Rome 1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/jU5ihx6GupJDq2Ts5 Rome 2 https://photos.app.goo.gl/NLZaUDfRNp5Lpbar7 Rome 3 https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPs3dpqFPmkyrvws7 Rome 4 https://photos.app.goo.gl/h15x6FLdiXWTVUfZA Rome 5 https://photos.app.goo.gl/xP46EYenF3xiZYx27 Rome 6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/1LDok8AQFYyLik9m9 Rome 7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/AqKNgcUjX5FbCgg79

Rome Enoteca Buccone dinner https://photos.app.goo.gl/VDjgvSDwRmfSeSn27 Casual delicious simple - great wine bar

Rome Carter Oblio dinner https://photos.app.goo.gl/pCKHP3KnsCCjxwJ49 In Michelin Guide - no star, but good enough for 1* for sure

Naples https://photos.app.goo.gl/S8wc2juWdVaEUqZ37 Naples is very grubby - difficult to like. Have avoided Camorra so far. Haven't had time to see the good bits. Have to bargain with taxi drivers - wanted 25euro for a short fare. We said 'No'. Price dropped to 15. We said no & started walking - he drove up to us a minute down the road, & settled on 10...

Sorrento Lunch https://photos.app.goo.gl/sKT3wm8iZgApj2UB8 Day trip on ferry. This was at 1Michelin restaurant Lorelei. Exceptional. View & location were 10. Expensive, but worth it. Sorrento lovely but very crowded.

Matera (& a brief stop at Castelmezzano on the way - just stopped for photos) 3 nights. Could easily have stayed more. https://photos.app.goo.gl/X7RiR13GVD1YbJog7

Lecce - 2 nights https://photos.app.goo.gl/dGqgcBPvB4BJtpsy7

Ostuni - 3 nights https://photos.app.goo.gl/ND2wKUQRkwZDAxSa6 more Ostuni https://photos.app.goo.gl/5PTStvy5zza1wpfA6

Half day trip to Alberobello https://photos.app.goo.gl/gAvvaE5QUWonbT8x6

Lunch trip to Ceglie Messapica, to a Slow Food recommended restaurant, Cibus https://photos.app.goo.gl/jt7ohV935fYXuFfu7

Polignano a Mare - 2 nights here https://photos.app.goo.gl/KaymCLNkwRY1Es3q6

Brief stop in Putignano - just coffee & cake https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uoy8FXgHutEAt5wJ7

Agriturismo Masseria Storica Pilapalucci, 3 nights out in the middle of nowhere. Lovely quiet spot among olive & almond groves, some old Trulli, and Slow Food mentioned the restaurant there https://photos.app.goo.gl/nu5AfiyVjjBgbw156

Brief stop in Trani - also coffee only https://photos.app.goo.gl/3tFGptPQRYFZJ81K9

Gargano & Vieste - 3 nights https://photos.app.goo.gl/m5JQf5EPrcAcm1HHA

Eating and drinking totally local, as zero km as possible. Haven't been disappointed yet, even by cheapish wines.

Heading back to Rome tomorrow for a few days, then Melbourne, which has far better coffee than anywhere in Italy, and I think Mother Dough in Hawthorn makes better pizzas.