Roughin' it up with the gals!

My grandmother, is in her late 70s’, but every other month she looks for reasons to travel, making plans that fit her limited budget and medical conditions. My parents are no different. I distinctly remember Amma, heavily pregnant with my brother then, holding a steady smile, while Achan adjusted the focus on his SLR camera. Our last holiday before the baby's grand entry. What I am trying to say is that travel, is in my blood. It doesn't matter when, where, with whom or how I travel – the end, justifies the means.

Not long ago, a friend of mine, Archana, visited Delhi on work. She extended her stay to spend some time with Gowri and me, and that is how the three of us woke up to the view of snow-capped mountains some 2,800 meters above sea level.

It is a good morning @2,875 meters above sea level

But that’s the last part of the story; let me start at the beginning.

The three of us, Gowri, Archana and me, boarded the HRTC bus at Kashmiri Gate ISBT in Delhi, and settled in for an uneventful, rickety ride up hill. The bus took us to Dharamshala, from where we traveled further up to Mcleod Gunj. We had not prebooked our hotel, and most hoteliers were reluctant to give rooms to ‘unchaperoned’ Indian women. The willing ones asked for exorbitant dollar rates. We eventually managed to get a neat and clean space at Kunga Guest House, and after breakfast, made an impromptu decision to trek to Triund, a place recommended by my Belgian friend Katrin. We hired a cab that took us to the foot of the hill and from there, our trek began.

We had done some asking around, and knew that Triund was a three hour trek with a magnificent view at the top. This said, I must add that we were largely unprepared for what awaited us. I had chosen to wear a sleeveless cotton top with baggy pants and flip flops, and we were carrying two water bottles, a few biscuits and cash in a small backpack. Five minutes on that dirt and gravel track up hill, we figured that this whole trekking business was not really meant for people who hail autorickshaws for the smallest of distances. This was serious, labour intensive business.

Virgin trekker, we struggled with each step

"Triund is just a 9 km trek," Katrin had said. The enormity of a 9 km uphill walk hit me only after the first hour. I was puffing and panting like an old steam engine and had to stop to catch my breath every few minutes. To make matters worse, I could see that we hadn't done any real climbing at all. We were pretty much where we started - a mere 15 mins uphill for expert trekkers. Thankfully, Gowri who was far more athletic than the two of us, offered to carry the backpack the whole way up.

We had just crossed the first of the three milestone cafes, when we were nearly over taken by a group of Israeli women travelers and their dog. They decided to walk with us, and soon we were taking pictures and exchanging stories. In Israel, two years of military services is compulsory for both male and female citizens (with a few exceptions). After the said time, they can choose to continue with the defense forces or take an alternative career. This bunch was taking a year off to see the world before deciding their future, and they were full of questions about India. Emma, the dog, belonged to the owner of the hotel they were staying in, and she had chosen to follow them that morning.

One of the girls, Noa, was feeling a little under the weather and frequently reached for her tissue-roll. She’d blow her nose and carefully pack away the used paper in a packet she carried for this purpose. By 12 noon, the sun was uncomfortably warm and Emma stuck out her tongue. We passed around a bottle of water, and when it was nearly empty, Yale took out her military knife and carefully sliced the bottle into two, before placing one part of it on the ground for Emma to drink. Once Emma had had her fill, the bottle halves were packed away - one kept for later use and the other for when she’d find a waste bin.

Sharing our worlds with the Israeli backpackers

Soon they continued on their way, and we promised to meet them at the top. Others, who passed us slowpokes by, encouraged us to keep going. You’re nearly there, they said. With every step the view got better, the air colder and my non-exercised muscles groaned louder in pain. There were times when we debated about turning back. At the second milestone, also known as Best View Café, we flipped a coin to decide. 

We rested, flipped coins and marveled at the view

Heads we carry on, Tails we go back. Flip. Heads – thrice! So up we went. Walk. Pant. Drink. Climb. Stretch. Walk on fours. Pant again. Climb. Repeat exercise. Until finally, six hours and 15 minutes later, we set the record for the slowest climb ever. No, I am not ashamed; on the contrary, I’m rather proud that I didn't give up.

We were now 2,875 meters above sea level, and the climb had brought us to a level ground from where we got a 365 degree view of the world around – civilization far below that looked like lego toys at a distance, a range of snow-capped mountains, sharp cold winds and a beautiful silence. From one of the three makeshift shops set up in the area, we hired a tent and some blankets for the night.

Life in the great outdoors                       

Soon it was dark and someone lit a bonfire. The three of us and our Israeli friends dined on a simple meal of rice, dal and roti, freshly prepared by the shopkeepers. The cold was becoming unbearable, my flimsy cotton attire did not help and neither did the warmth of the fire. The winds grew in strength; somewhere far away I heard the clasp of thunder. We snuggled inside the tent, it was compact and comfortable but an hour later we woke up to the sound of howling winds and loud rain as it beat against the roof of our tent.

This was our first experience in the great outdoors, and our understanding about survival in such situations (even though we had all seen Man vs. Wild on Discovery Channel) was limited. Are tents waterproof? Can it stay put if the wind is strong? Wasn't it tied to some pegs on the ground, and didn't water make the soil loose and soggy? Would it therefore fly away, leaving us at the mercy of the elements? Our phones lay mute and reception-less near us. If anything went wrong, help would reach us only in the morning. It was a cold, scary night and my prayers were no longer whispers. (The girls have not stopping teasing me about this since)

I heard someone call my name at a distance and I snapped awake. There was silence. I unzipped the tent, and peeped out. The fury of the previous night had given way to the most beautiful day. Fresh mountain air pricked my nostrils, the grass was green and wet and there were puddles here and there. Eden stood impatiently outside. “It is nearly sunrise, you want to see it or not?” she asked. We crawled out, one at a time. Our traveler friends had with them a camp stove bought in Nepal, and they offered us delicious cups of honeyed tea. Together we watched as the faint rays of the sun gently woke up the mountains.

A fresh morning in the mountains

Once again, tissues, tea bags and covers were collected and put away in the carry bag. This time, I asked them why they bothered, especially because no one else in India seemed to think along those lines. “It’s a habit; we always carry an extra bag to collect waste. Back home, everyone goes camping with their family or from school and we are taught to never throw anything out in the wild,” Roni explained. I picked up the biscuit packed I’d dropped and shoved it into my pocket.

The walk down was easier and uneventful. It took us four hours this time, and whenever we passed slow trekkers on their way up, we told them that the memories are sure to last longer than the ache in their legs.

Returning to civilization

A trip like this with the girls, can also be liberating. You watch out for one another, stand guard when one has to pee, talk you heart out, share your dream, fears and sins, push yourself forward, encourage each other, learn, share and together experience the magnificent. Now that is a bond you don't form everyday.

Nature's beauty cannot really be explained in words, and I'm no Wordsworth to try. So leaving you with images of Triund.

View from the top

The sun between the mountains

Lead me, kind marker

The walk uphill

WE MADE IT!! Mixed emotions after 6 hours and 15 mins of climbing

Some Happy News

www.amazingtravelstories.com

I just came by to share some happy news... Words fail me, when I try to explain how happy I feel today (notice the double 'happy' use?).

My travel piece on Malaysia, which also appears on this blog, won the 3rd place in an online competition conducted by www.amazingtravelstories.com. This contest was open from September 2011 to October 2012, and the winners were finally announced on the 1st of November, 2012. Here is the announcement.

Amazing Travel Stories, looks for stories and experiences that are interesting and maybe unique. It is about personalizing a journey, sharing your thoughts and involving the reader in your travel plan.

So what's stopping you? Let's all write our hearts out!

Tête-à-tête with the Australian MasterChefs!

MasterChef Australia's judges Gary and George, comes across as two people comfortable in their own skin - confident and at complete ease. They have a great chemistry going and can talk to both children and adults and their charm, can light up a dark room (Ok, I am exaggerating a bit there). They take turns to speak, when one pauses mid-sentence, the other pitches in, adding a funny anecdote or an extra point. They laugh a lot, and make the audience laugh with them.

Watching them speak to a group of invited guests at the event ‘Gary and George Unplugged’ was like seeing a well edited show, and I did think to myself that those two were the greatest showmen!

Interview Excerpts: (Watch the story here @ 10:15 min)

That's George and Gary, Unplugged!

JuniorMasterChef Australia is a wonder show. It surprises me no end how those little children can prepare the things they do…

Look who is cooking too!!

George Calombaris: Well, their families have brought them up in an environment where food is the main focus. I grew up in a family where food was the center of our world and it was at the dinner table that we argued and cried and laughed. When we sit down at the table, we don’t start eating until mom sits down and we don’t leave until dad finishes. Little rituals like these that surround food, makes it exciting. Similarly, these are a select bunch of kids who belong to families that allow them to cook, and not cook to become chefs but cook to celebrate. We are there just there to inspire and guide them.

We measure, we chop, we cut and we cook.

Gary Mehigan: In Australia, many, are what we called 'Helicopter Parents', they keep hovering around their children, worried if they would get hurt, fussing about them... but it is really when you let them be, that they explore their creativity, enjoy what they do and also grow. Take the parents out, and then if they get hurt and have to put on a band-aid, they think of it as a trophy.   

 I have a dream

Is that why your show focuses only on food and stays clear of propaganda and gimmicks.

George Calombaris: If you came to us and said, ‘I want to be on TV’, then we’d probably just turn away. We want to know a person’s dream. It’s an amazing opportunity, a person gets to spend seven months in the MasterChef kitchen meeting some of the greatest chefs in the world and going on to live their dream, and if that dream is to build a pastry shop, doing one cake top at a time or a canteen, it doesn't matter. As long as they have a dream and a clear idea, we want to see them change their life for the better.

On the show, all the contestants appear very friendly, but are they really that good to each other?

George Calombaris: Working with different people is difficult, but they live with each other in a house, and so they have got to get along. It takes them a couple of weeks, but they soon learn that when they are together they do better and also learn from each other. And that helps in the kitchen, for example, Philippe Mouchel who was in Season 4, was great with bread and soon everyone was asking him how it could be done.

Gary Mehigan: It is interesting really. When they come into the show, they believe they can learn off us or from the other chefs in the show, but they soon figure that they learn as much from each other as they do, from any of us.

Victory celebrations at the MasterChef kitchen

Things follow a predictable pattern these days, and we know how it will turn out. The show is shot over six-seven months, so if you are in the top four, then you have been living in the same house with each other for six months. First day: Top 50 is ecstatic, and couldn't imagine anything happier than this in life; soon they form groups... and before long they become disillusioned and wonder why they were even doing this. They have forgotten why they went on the show in the first place, and then we have to sort of help keep things in focus for them.

Most of them think that they can come on the show and just cook, but in reality television is a slow and intricate process, and at times we have to sit them down and let them know that what they have got here is a whole life experience. It is preparing them for something new – it teaches them how to behave on television, how to interview, how to do a photo-shoot. It’s after they realise this, that they relax and begin to really enjoy being on MasterChef.

From what is seen on MasterChef is one to presume that people in Australia eat elaborate or fancy meals?

MasterChef Australia Special

Gary Mehigan: No, people lead simple lives actually, but MasteChef has taught them how to look at everyday things and create something new using them. The trick is to shop differently, because then you don’t have to go into the kitchen and see the same old things every day. The reality is that there is only so much that you can do, but if you bought things like Chinese black vinegar or soya sauce or mustard oil then you can cook differently.

MasterChef Australia did spark an overdrive of cookery shows. In fact we had MasterChef India, but that was a disaster…

George Calombaris: Maybe it is a great show, and you guys were not giving them a chance, because every journo we spoke to has told us that it was a disaster.

Gary Mehigan: We met Ajay Chopra three days ago, and he is a great chef. He said that the worst thing for MasterChef India was that the expectations from it. But from what I have heard, they had approached the show differently. It was a little harder, authoritarian and sterner. But we have always been encouraging - giving constructive feedback, one negative and always two positives. I think that is the secret of getting the best out of people. And I also think it is indicative of the way people and society is, like in Australia we have a different way of living, which encourages people through schools, colleges, and the whole support network and we try not to be negative. This is a very Aussi characteristic. And we treat everybody the same.

Firing up an appetite

MasterChef Australia has also sparked the love for good food, wouldn't you agree?

Gary Mehigan: I don’t think there is anything more topical than food. Let’s be honest, it is food and water and we want to know where our food comes from, whether it was grown property and if it’s sustainable. Also if we can go on eating the way we do, for centuries to come. And there couldn't have been a better time, that globally food has become such a hot topic.

And what would you say to the idea of adding a bit of food history to your show, maybe explore the concept of food metaphors and origins, historically I mean.

George Calombaris: Matt Preston does a lot of that. We try and connect dishes with history, where it is grown, some nostalgia and childhood memories. Because when you try and cook something on the show, it comes from somewhere, and there is a personal story.

Gary Mehigan: And you know what, we have got to make it entertaining. We are very popular with the middle demographics and children. So we have got to make that show appealing and entertaining and we have to follow the stories of the contestants and make them cook. 

So if you want a food history show, then you can flip the channel, watch it and take notes and do all of that, but when you are talking to an audience that is 8-12 years old, like we do on MasterChef Australia, you've got to make food fun and when you are talking to an audience who cooks very simply, you have got to make the idea of cooking something elaborate, fun - which is what we try and do.

Enthusiastic 8-12 year olds @ the kitchen

And with that, they were gone – whisked away by the organisers to judge the 'Creative Cooking for Kids' competition organised as part of Oz Fest India. 

PS: Picture credit goes to google.

Infinite, Unlimiting Effects of Soft Power

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His and Her Stories

One evening, I happened to overhear some ‘female-talk’ in the powder room. In my defence, I wasn’t paying any attention, until the sing song tone of a certain voice made it impossible to not listen. She said, “In all this rush, I forgot my brush!”  

I could not see her, but those words formed an image in my mind. A socialite, I thought. For, to them, a bad hair day is the biggest catastrophe, and there is a nasal tone of helplessness in all their voices. Anyone, silly enough to presume they need help, should take a lesson from the story of the Spider and the Fly. 

The King in Exile

When I stepped out, my eyes automatically searched for the owner of the voice, resting on a middle aged lady in an expensive looking sari. The younger women with her said, “You shouldn’t be worrying about your hair, you look perfect!”  She said that with an emphasis on the word ‘perfect’. I walked away before the conversation went into grave hair details.  

I smiled at a few familiar faces. Some of them, made an appearance at every social event. I wondered how they had the energy to dress up every single day. I was at a book launch, and though it was the author’s maiden book, I decided to go because I have been hiding away for too long, and I did not want to be forgotten. 

Before the launch, I met her for a brief couple of minutes. Sudha Shah told me that the book was a story waiting to be told. She explained how after reading Amitav Gosh’s The GlassPalace, she had wondered what happened to the exiled royal family. Impressive - I had read that book too, but I’d never thought about the Burmese King and if I had, I did not bother to find out. She then spoke of how this thought became an obsession, how she had to travel extensively to meet people and the characters of the book, now her closest friends. And then came the big one - The King in Exile is all facts and no fiction! 

All that glitters is GOLD

The official launch began with a slide show. In Burma, she said, royalty lived in golden palaces – literally. They ate on utensils made of gold, brushed their hair with wooden combs set in pure gold, inlayed with rubies and the palace itself was a cluster of buildings gilded in gold. The king was God’s representative on earth and he lived in great style. Until, the British came. 

King and his family is exiled to the Brick House in Ratnagiri, India

The book is in three parts - King Thibaw in Burma, his exiled life in Ratnagiri and the story of his children and their families. Some no longer acknowledge their Burmese connections, living and working in India in dire poverty. Others have moved back to Burma, but with the end of monarchy, they are simply private citizens. 

I listened to the stories the author had to say about her meetings with the family… how the great grandson living in Burma requested her to get him Shimla apples, because he has heard his grandmother talk about them, how the youngest child born in this lineage, looks Burmese, even when her mother and grandmother has none of the characteristic Mongolian features… her experiences that spanned across seven years, that ultimately became the book.  

His grave in Ratnagiri is unmarked, and next to him rests his daughter

A lot of research, understanding and scanning has gone into the writing The King in Exile. And though I have just started reading it, I am completely bowled over by the kind of work that has gone into crafting this. 

Thinking back, ‘rush’ and ‘brush’ had rhymed. I should have guessed that it was not a co-incidence. 

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