The Ajanta Caves March 9th

Entrances of the Ajunta Caves

One of the big draws of Aurangabad is the Ajunta caves. They are caves hewn out of solid rock 15 to 22 centuries ago. The caves were “lost” for a 1000 years when they were covered with dirt. They were re-discovered 200 years ago. We entered several large caves that were perfect large square rooms with large columns and a carving of Buddha on one wall and “cells” for the monks off the main rooms. It was difficult to comprehend that everything was crafted from solid rock – nothing else was used. All the engraving on the columns and walls were done in the rock.   There is some painting that was done on the walls and ceilings.  The paint has faded but because the caves were hidden some painting has survived.   All the 30 caves were done for the Buddhist religion. We spent 2 hours there and visited only 3 caves. Our guide made sure we saw the best caves first. A very impressive and well maintained sight.

Cave 1 a Buddhist Monastary

Central Statue of Buddha

Ceiling

Train to Aurangabad March 8

Drying the hay

After yesterday, I was nervous about getting to the train on time but at 05:30 there was no traffic at all. We were on our 2^nd class air conditioned coach by 20 to six. The train left at 6:15 dead on time. The landscape was dry and arid with green patches where the farmers had irrigated the fields. Our coach seemed to have several dedicated people who cooked, cleaned and washed while we were still in the seats. My favourite was the food man who took our orders for breakfast and delivered a hot omlette. He then served coffee and tea, which looked really poor. He poured powder out of a plastic dispenser and then filled the cup with hot water and served it. It tasted wonderful. It was only later, when Joan had her third cup, that I realized he was pouring hot milk out of his water jug. Instant coffee never tasted so good. 

He also took our order for lunch and then delivered a cardboard box of fried rice with veggies. It looked ordinary but the taste was nice. I had just about finished mine when Joan handed me a plate of unknown food. The family across the aisle had brought their lunch and the mother made up a plate for us. We tasted it somewhat timidly and had no idea what it was. At this point the boy came over and told me to mix everything together and put it in the bread to eat. I mixed and folded and we ate everything. It was delicious but we still have no idea what we ate.

Mini Tag Mahal

In the late afternoon we visited the mini Taj Mahal. It is a copy of the real Taj except the builder skimped on the material and used plaster instead of marble for most of the walls. Now 400 years later it is easy to see that plaster does not age as well as marble. None the less it is still an impressive building. It is the tomb of the wife of a Raj, She is the only one buried there. As the guide remarked “women are expensive”.

Mumbai March 7

Joan and Tim in front of the 3 faces of Shiva

The morning was spent at the Elephanta Caves – a 1 hour boat ride away. We were accompanied all day by a guide from Mumbai. During the day we found out that she was president of the Mumbai Guides Association. She was very serious about her work and at one point she called over a security man and told him to stop leaning against the pillars because it caused wear and tear on the carvings. She was quick to pick up on our interests and when I asked about a group of women all dressed in the same saris she approached them immediately, We learned they were midwives from a small town, all in Mumbai for a conference,

On the recommendation of our guide, we ordered a thali for lunch. It looked pretty spartan with 5 very small bowls of food, but the refills kept coming until I realised I couldn't eat any more. We had several delicious dishes that we had no idea what we were eating. We love Indian food.

Lunch plate

The laundryMen District

Mumbai March 6

The Gate of India

The Taj Hotel

We flew from Singapore to Mumbai today. This is our first visit to India. Mumbai is big, loud and colourful, It has a population of 22 million which is 2/3 the population of Canada. We have only seen the area around the gate of India where the architecture is good and the colours of the saris worn by the Indian women are fantastic.

Chinese New Year

We arrived in Singapore after an uneventful flight.   The Chinese new year holiday had already begun and we went to Chinatown on Sunday night to take in the celebrations. The atmosphere was like a carnival with several streets closed off and street vendors everywhere.  There were several stalls of  tacky items, so we bought some.  I saw a really flashy Buddha with a glowing marble and running water, but I resisted the temptation.   We are beginning the year of the dog.

The Year of the Dog begins

 

Getting ready for Singaore

W.e are leaving for Singapore on February 21st.  We will be there March 3 for Cameron's first Birthday  We will spend 2 weeks in Singapore and then 2 weeks in India, in the Mumbai area.

November 15 Singapore

The Raffles Hotel

The Raffles hotel is a colonial building of impressive size. It takes up a whole block and is a famous landmark in Singapore. It is the home of the Singapore sling and a great place to eat. The Sunday morning brunch is popular and Caroline, Ali, Joan and I joined the crowd today for the buffet. It's too bad I couldn't eat more. I tried to pace myself and not eat any bread. I lost track of how many times I went up to the buffet for food, but I tried every fish dish I could find (around 10, but I had small portions). Then I tried 3 versions of mutton. I never made it to the beef or the dessert table.

I ( Joan) also really enjoyed the food and my 3 Singapore slings. There is a huge choice of all courses, all of which are very beautifully presented {especially the appetizers) and delicious.

In the evening we went to the Cirque du Soleil show Totem, which is doing a 6 week run in Singapore. We all left with a WOW feeling. They put on an amazing show.

Cirque du Soleil

Thanks again to Caroline and Ali for arranging such a wonderful day in Singapore.

November 14 Singapore

We flew back to Singapore and had a rest day. In preparation for the Canadian winter we spent the afternoon by the pool. In the evening we enjoyed a meal of Chili Crab – a Singaporean specialty. Like lobster it takes a lots of effort, but unlike lobster the whole dish is covered in chili sauce and you get very messy. Fortunately they have a sink right in the restaurant which I could use. Afterwards we walked to Marina Bay to see the sound and light show.

Skyline from Clarke Quay

November 13 Kuala Lumpur

Our first priority was to get to the Twin Towers for a 9:00 a.m. visit. We visited the Skywalk on the 41^st floor. The Skywalk joins the 2 towers on the 41^st and 42^nd floors. After that we visited the 89^th floor viewing platform for the best view in KL.

Joan on Skywalk

On this floor there were viewing binoculars which we used. I saw a very pretty mosque with 2 minarets It looked like the National Mosque. After the visit Joan and I split up and I went to visit the National Mosque. I hopped on the subway and then took an elevated walkway. I made a wrong turn and ended up doing a 3 KM walk to cross a highway. I entered the mosque via a side entrance and the guard asked what I was doing there. When I said I was there for the photography he told me to go around to the front for the best pictures. This was not the Mosque I had seen through the binoculars. It was a new modern mosque which I found very non photogenic. The fountains and the flowers helped but it was a very square building with very little character. I never did find the nice Mosque.
 

One of the Twin Towers

The Public Bank across the street

November 12 Kuala Lumpur

Petronis Twin Towers

We got on an 8:45 AM flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and we were at our hotel before 11:00 AM. We were on our way at 11:15 to have our first close up look at the Petronas towers. The temperature was hot and the sun was shining, but we discovered that Kuala Lumpur has passageways above ground and covered against the sun and rain. They also spray out cool air which makes walking around the city rather pleasant. The towers were built by the state oil company and incorporate Islamic and Arab influences. At 452 m tall it is the highest twin towers complex in the world. The towers have a pleasant park with fountains, pools and playgrounds on one side, which gives photographers a great view.

We have tickets to go up the towers tomorrow morning and are looking forward to that!.

November 11 Singapore

One day to rest up and do the laundry. Joan went shopping and I went picture taking. The opportunities were limited as the rain started when I came out of the subway and continued all afternoon. Near sunset the rain stopped and I went to a good spot for night pictures. I couldn't believe they had put a whale statue in the middle of my favorite fountain.

Who put a whale in my fountain?

We went for supper at Caroline and Ali's favorite dim sum restaurant and finished the evening with several games of bananagrams. Dim Sum is a meal of steamed dumplings. You have a choice of a hundred different types. You order several different kinds when you sit down and the dumplings come at irregular intervals depending on the kitchen. They are steaming hot and delicious.

November 10 Mandalay

Temple Arches

Some of the 729 little Temples

Adding Gold Leaf to Buddha

Mandalay has an area of temples on a hill called Mandalay Hill. Caroline had arranged a driver to take us around all day and drop us at the airport for our 4 PM flight. Our driver drove us up to the top of the hill and we started with temple no. 1. The architecture was different, in that shiny glass was prevalent on the walls and the temple used arches instead of posts. It was reminiscent of a mosque rather than a temple. The temples we saw today were built 1500 years ago, but have been redone several times due to fire and wars. Even though today is Tuesday and not a holiday, the temples were packed with local families going about their business. The temples were also packed with vendors selling flowers and souvenirs. I was particularly pleased, in temple no 1, to see the flower sellers and souvenir sellers going after the locals and ignoring the tourists. I wanted to see how the locals handle the hawkers. The locals seemed to completely ignore the vendors and the vendors stop yelling as soon as they passed. When the vendors approach a tourist they always start with a question “Where are you from?”. We always respond politely and then the vendors lock in and walk beside you until either you buy or ignore them long enough. We need to learn not to be so polite. The second temple we visited was called the largest book ever. 729 Marble slabs containing ancient script are housed in 729 little Stupas surrounding the temple. Here there were fewer locals and more tourists. The hawkers included several young girls who use the line “you buy, I go to school”. Unfortunately, the more they sell the less likely they are to go to school. The third temple we visited was packed with locals. It contains the most revered image of Buddha in Myanmar. The worshipers were applying Gold leaf to the statue of Buddha but only at the base. Women were not allowed past a certain point so they sat near by and watched the ceremony on closed circuit television. As a male I was allowed to walk right up to the Buddha and take pictures. After a quick lunch we were off to the airport and then flew back to Singapore.

We thank Caroline and Ali for having organized and accompanied us on our amazing trip to Myanmar!

November 9 Fly to Mandalay

Kings Palace

Another early start as we flew from Bagan to Mandalay at 8 AM It was the shortest flight ever – about 25 minutes and we were at our hotel by 9:30. We visited the Royal Palace in the morning and then took a taxi to visit U Pein bridge. It is a 2 KM long bridge made mostly of teak wood. We walked halfway across the bridge and then stopped to take pictures . It was a great photo op.  One of the nicest parts of the trip was to see the number of locals out enjoying the sunset and the socializing that happens on the bridge. 

U Pein Bridge

Three Monks on Bridge

November 8 Bagan

Another early start. We had a 5:00 AM pickup for our hot air ballooning trip this morning. We were at the field in the dark and they fed us coffee and croissants while they got organized for the dawn takeoff. About 20 balloons lifted off and we floated over the temples and countryside of Bagan. It was awesome. The light was perfect and the temples are so varied and plentiful it hard to take it all in. We floated for over an hour and enjoyed every minute of the trip. We landed ever so gently and then they got us out and fed us Champagne. What a great way to view the temples.

Inflating Balloons

Temple Group

Holy Temple

Next we rented electric bikes again and set off for the temple viewing tower. From the air it looked like an old temple, but as we got close we could see it was new and modern. It was built in 2005. From the tower, which was just under the height of the tallest pagoda, we could see the temples and their groups. We returned to the viewing tower at sunset and as luck would have it – it was happy hour.

Viewing Tower Sunset

November 7 Fly to Bagan

Joan Checking out the Buddha

We were up 4:45a.m. for another early morning flight. We met Caroline and Alistair at the airport for a flight to Bagan. This is an area of pagodas and temples that were built between 600 and 1400 AD. The origin is unclear but it seems every king and noble built a temple in the area. There are over 2000 structures ranging from very large to very small. The temples are everywhere. There can be 2 beside the road and another 3 temples 50 meters behind sitting in the fields. Most seem to be unused but every one I checked had an statue of Buddha inside. The last temple we checked had an inscription from 1200 AD and was showing it's age. It looked like a good place for Count Dracula. We all rented electric bikes and toured the countryside this morning. Joan balked at driving her own 2 wheeled vehicle, so she rode on the back of my bike. That poor bike worked really hard going uphill.

(Note: Near the end of our trip another rider overtook me and flagged me down. He was from the bike rental company. He wanted to change bikes because they noticed Joan wasn't using hers and they gave me a more powerful bike. Now Joan and I are the fastest.)

After an afternoon swim we went out on our fast bike and visited the “Count's” temple when the sun was setting. We walked through the fields for a good camera angle and the sun co-operated.

Facing East

Facing west

November 6 Rangoon

Cargo Ship on Rangon River

Guardian Lion at Temple

Buddha on the Cobra Throne

Joan and I started with a visit to the post office for post cards and stamps. Then we took a ferry across the river to Dallah. Yangon(formerly Rangoon) is on the Yangon river about 5 km from the ocean. There is constant traffic on the river with boats of all sizes coming and going and fishing right in front of the city. On the Dallah side of the river we took rickshaws for a tour of the countryside and pagodas. We enjoyed the fishing village, but the rickshaw drivers have a con going with a visit to a tsunami ravaged village. My driver kept pointing out ruined homes and telling me the residents had no food. Then he told me we had to make a contribution to the tsunami fund of 1 bag of rice We ended up at the local gangster's house who had several bags of rice available of differing quality for only $55 each. I realized now I was being set up but it still cost me $10 to get out of there. Then after the ride I had to haggle for the cost of the rickshaws. The drivers brought in the head shark who informed me how I had cost his drivers lost wages by being 10 minutes over time, He had to listen to my retired senior story and we came to an good agreement but I didn't have enough local currency. So we haggled over exchange rates and I paid him in Singapore dollars. I think I lost that argument too.

Elephant Fountian in Peoples Park

In the afternoon I returned to the Shwedagon Pagoda to take more pictures. I was impressed by the people this time. At the entrance I stopped to put on my sari and the 2 girls behind the counter started to giggle. Then one girl came out and helped me put it on. She knew exactly what to do and my sari stayed in place for the next 3 hours without any problems. Later on I was taking a water break, sitting on the stairs when an old monk approached me. He asked about my family and then introduced me to his grandchildren who were skipping along beside him. When he was leaving he asked me if I was christian and when I said yes, he gave me a christian blessing which was very moving. What a role model! After the sun had set and the sky had darkened I headed to the park across the road to take more pictures As I was leaving they turned on the dancing waters and music. What a nice finish.

November 5 Fly to Rangoon

We were up early to catch a 7:20 flight. We flew to Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon) to experience Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the first time. It was a 3 hour flight with a 1.5 hour time zone change so we landed before 9:00 local time. We visited 2 of the major temples in the morning and then visited Shwedagon in the afternoon. We had driven by Shwedagon in the morning and had seen an avenue leading to the temple through a park. We returned to the park and walked by a segway stand where you could rent your own Segway. I rented 2 Segways so we could ride to the picturesque avenue, but Joan refused to ride one( I tried twice to ride my Segway but stepped off both times as I was unbalanced and twice got whacked painfully on the shin by a whirling Segway. Thus has ended my Segway career -Tim went on his own - J) But the renter came with me and wouldn't let me go off the paved path. What a waste! I walked to the avenue and met 2 monks who wanted me to take their picture so I did.

Then I caught up with Joan and we went into the temple. What a temple – golden spires and domes everywhere, thousands of people everywhere, monks in purple and orange everywhere. It was a true experience and we never stopped gawking in the 3 hours we were there. We need to go back tomorrow.

November 4 Singapore

Super Tree

Super tree trio

Super trees

This evening we went to the sound and light show at Gardens By the Bay. The garden has “Super Trees” that are made of iron and filled with peat moss and various plants. We saw them 2 years ago when they were just started and the plants only went up the trees 6 feet. Today the bottom 50 feet of the “Super Trees” are covered in foliage. These trees are an experiment in sustainable vertical planting. As we sat in the tree gardens, music filled the air and the trees were lit with various lights of all colours. It was a very enjoyable experience and the show is free every night of the week.

As we walked home, we came across another sound, light and water show on the history of Singapore, so we watched that as well. We find it neat that they can project images on sprays of water.

November 3 Singapore

Finally we took the tourist bus tour of the sights of Singapore. It's a ride in a double decker London bus with an open top. We baked in the sun for the first hour and then stopped for a drink, and a hat and suntan lotion. We rode the second hour back on top then moved to the air-conditioned downstairs for the final 15 minutes. I really enjoyed the commentary about the history of Singapore and the modern customs they now have. The unique city areas like Litte India Chinatown and the Arab quarter are the original boundaries allocated to these races when the British were in charge. Since becoming a city state in the 50's Singapore has maintained the status quo on racial makeup with Chinese(75%), Indian(13%), Malay(10%) and others being the 4 fixed categories. Beach Road, which is in the middle of the city, was the real beach until a land reclamation project 50 years ago. After the tour Joan went shopping at the Cloud Forest and I went picture taking. We had supper with Caroline and Ali at the huge food court near their apartment building.

Sands Casino with Cloud Forest Building on the right

Singapore Flyer

November 2 Singapore

Arab District

Sultan Mosque Singapore

Joan and I returned to the Arab Quarter this afternoon. I sat and had a large beer while Joan browsed the shops. This is the Muslim area of town, All sorts of textiles are sold here, which are used for womens' and mens' traditional clothing. Most women in the Arab district wear hijabs and a lot of the men wear skull caps. The main Mosque has recently been painted and the gold dome towers over the surrounding district. The shops are old two storey houses with shuttered windows on the second floor. The area is picturesque and surrounded by skyscrapers. It is nice how Singapore has kept some areas of its history – Chinatown ,Little India,the Arab Quarter , the Quays.