DocDivaTraveller: November 2017

For most of the people Pisa means the Leaning Tower. I am talking about general public and not true travellers. But Pisa has more to itself than the Square of Miracles or Piazza dei Miracoli. Its a small city in the wonderful state of Tuscany with an international airport of its own. The very Tuscan style houses can be found here with the calm river Arno flowing in the middle. As much as we would wanted to spend an extra day here exploring the city, we were short on time and could justice only to the Piazza Dei Miracoli. However during our twenty minutes walk from the station to the Square and back, we imbibed as much as we could from this beautiful little city.

Soaking in the early morning sun outside the Pisa Centrale station

We had an early train from La Spezia to Pisa. I was in no mood to leave La Spezia but then you know the story. It took one and half hours from there and we reached Pisa at half past eight. Then we submitted all our baggage in the station cloak room (it took euros) and then left for the Square of Miracles. Since we were travelling all our our luggage from La Spezia, we did not have any option but to deposit them.

Just outside the Pisa Centrale Station

The Pisa Centrale station itself is lovely. The ground is cobbled and there is a fountain outside. Since it was early morning and that too on a Sunday, it was almost deserted as per our standards :D
We walked and walked. Though we were confident that we were on the right path, still we asked a gentleman in the midway just in case. He turned out to be a Christ preacher. He handed us pamphlets about Christ and wanted us to embrace Christianity. Anyways I won't go into details.

Then we came to the serene Arno river; the river that drains a major part of Tuscany. We were almost on the verge of crossing the entire bridge when the inevitable happened. We spotted an Indian couple approaching from the other side who seemed very familiar. He was Ripun Bansal, a friend of my husband who was a great travel enthusiast. The very reason for their bonding was their insatiable appetite of exploring the world! We knew that they were visiting Paris and Italy during the same time but never knew we would accidentally bump into each other in a foreign land! They were coming back from the Miracle Square and were headed towards Florence. We had a hearty laugh together and of course a selfie over the Arno river.

I could stare at the Arno river forever...

The road never seemed long as the surroundings were so pretty. After all it was our first stop in sun kissed Italy. Again on the way we asked a couple about Torre Pendente. The guy laughed and said that he was a tourist and did not know anything local. i quickly turned to English and asked about the Leaning Tower and he pointed the direction in which we were heading. My husband ridiculed me like anything. he said that one can't expect to find locals in a tourist place like this and too so early on a Sunday morning! Actually the locals did not speak English and I was trying to employ my newly learnt Italian to the fullest :D

After a while we arrived at the Piazza Dei Miracoli.

Getting my first feel of Tuscany

It was a long way to our destination

Gorgeous Tuscan homes...

The restaurants were just opening up...

Dress: Globus
Blazer: jabong.com
Pink bag: Victoria's Secret
Necklace: from Philippines
Sunnies: Turkey

11/30/2017 3 comments

Sometimes one plans a trip keeping certain events in mind. And sometimes there are lucky coincidences. We were quite lucky that in this Australasian trip of ours, we got to witness 3 events by chance: Sculpture by the sea and Halloween in Sydney and Gulangan festival in Bali. Life is all about experiences and our lives definitely got enriched by these events.

When we were researching about the beaches in Sydney, we decided to take the coastal walk...the hike along the Pacific ocean connecting the world famous Bondi Beach to Coogee beach (6kms) with a couple of beaches in between. That is when I came to know about Sculpture by the sea, the largest sculpture exhibition in the world which is free to the public.

Sculpture by the sea is held annually in Sydney from 23 October to 5 November and in March in Perth. This exhibition started way back in 1997. Super excited I was as our stay in Sydney matched with the exhibition date, I put a little research as what to expect and how did this start.

I learnt that the founder David Handley had been wanting something free for the community in Sydney and his education in Prague fuelled this idea. Initially he thought of an art exhibition but protecting paintings from the elements of nature on the sea shore was a challenge and hence this idea was put down. He then came up with the Sculpture concept and the exhibition was just for one day back in 1997. As years passed, this exhibition grew by leaps and bounds with artists from all over Australia taking part and sponsors pouring in huge amount of money. It's indeed a unique concept because where do you get to see the amalgamation of art and ocean?

The exhibition is held along the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama beach. We started our walk from Bondi ( we were staying in Bondi) and were mesmerized as we started seeing the creations. The sculptures ranged from metallic structures to glass creations to even jute like material. Each piece was unique in it's own sense. And the deep blue Pacific ocean provided the perfect backdrop for these creations! Now that we are back to India, we have realised how lucky we have been to have experienced all this!

Tee: From Holland

Shorts: Zara

Purse: Rosegal.com

Sunnies: Ray Ban

Hat: Accessorize

11/29/2017 22 comments

India is the seventh largest country in the world (and the second largest in terms of population), so if it’s your first time travelling there you could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. But don’t worry — we’ve picked out five places you can’t miss to help you narrow down your to-do list. Enjoy!

The beaches in Kerala

It’s impossible to narrow it down to just one — Kerala has some of the most beautiful beaches in Asia and there’s a coastline to suit every kind of traveller.

If you’re looking to stay active, Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam has a surf club so you can make the most of the rolling waves. Varkala Beach, which is found at the bottom of the town’s striking red cliffs, is perfect for people watching, while Cherai Beach is the only option if you want a proper escape from everyday life. Completely isolated, it can only be reached by ferry and bus.

(Photo by Anfal Shamsudeen on Unsplash)

The Himalayas

India is one of the five countries which the Himalayan mountain range runs through, and one of three to have sovereignty over it.

The most popular activities in the Himalayas are hiking and trekking, and there are routes for all abilities and levels of experience. No matter which walk you choose to do, it’s best to arrange your trip with a reputable guide or agency who know the area well and can advise you where necessary. If you’d rather rest your feet, gondola rides and yak safaris are also available.

Looking for something more fast-paced? Adrenaline junkies can try their hand at water rafting, mountain biking, and heli skiing, which involves being flown to the top of a hill before you ski over untouched snow.

Taj Mahal

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal is on most travellers’ lists when they reach India, and it’s not difficult to see why. This enormous, off-white marble mausoleum is tipped with gold and decorated with semi-precious stones, and is surrounded by ornamental gardens. It marks the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan, and took a total of 22 years to plan and build.

City Palace Complex, Udaipur

An enormous complex on the banks of Lake Pichola, the City Palace is part residence, part museum, and in fact contains eleven different palaces within its walls. The museum is accessible to the public and showcases priceless objects and art, including ornaments, paintings, crystal, porcelain, antique furniture, and glass mosaics.

Delhi

Visiting India’s busy capital city for the first time can cause culture shock, but don’t let that put you off. With its landscaped gardens and congested streets, it’s a curious blend of the old and new, and there’s something to see on every corner.

History buffs will have plenty to smile about — Delhi has an abundance of historical sites like monuments, forts and mosques, including Gandhi Smriti. Formerly known as Birla House, Gandhi Smriti allows you to see Gandhi’s quarters and prayer ground exactly as it was in 1948, the year he was assassinated.

To learn more about India’s culture and Hindu heritage, visit the Swaminarayan Akshardham, a temple complex with exhibits, including a boat ride that shows scenes from traditional Indian life. In the evening, it’s worth heading over to the Bahai Temple. Also known as the Lotus temple due to its distinctive shape, this white marble structure lights up the sky at night.

11/29/2017 2 comments

11/28/2017 1 comments

Visit to Amsterdam is incomplete without a peek into its infamous Red Light Area

I had always heard a lot about Amsterdam and its notorious night life. In fact when I was small, all I knew about Amsterdam was its sleazy adult history. As I grew up, I came to learn that almost all countries have such kind of red light districts, only some are more famous than the others. I had been to one of the most infamous red light districts in the world: Bangla Street,Phuket in Thailand. That was an earth shattering shock for both of us, we had not seen anything like that nor we intend to repeat it in the future. Our next trip had a milder night life district: The Burgos Street, Manila, Philippines or I would say that we did not witness the 'adult things'. I really did not know what to expect from the sleaze capital of the world.

It had been raining the moment we had stepped out of the airport in the morning. The night was not different either. We had a quick dinner near Dam Square. The dinner was not deliberately quick actually. The staff was so keen in closing down that I had to literally gobble down my half chicken. Too bad :( We should have ate in one of the restaurants in De Wallen Street or De Walletjes. We could have witnessed the nightlife along with our meals.I just detest eating in hurry :(

The restaurant was 90% closed when we left. We took out our umbrellas and started walking towards our next and last destination for the day. When we reached De Wallen Street, all we could see was nicely lit up pubs and blaring music. People could be heard laughing and glasses tinkling. There was no sign of any 'adult activity'. Hubs was ready to go back to the airport. We were tired, drenched and cold. He even said that the night life of Amsterdam was concealed and we won't be able to see it. But I was not ready to give up. I dragged him further and then we spotted a sweet looking couple whom I mastered the courage to ask about the Red light district. The girl said that it was ahead and it was something we could not miss. I dragged my partner further and then what we saw could not be missed!

Since photography was strictly banned, I do not have clear pictorial evidence. Scantily clad voluptuous females were standing inside glass boxes and luring the passer bys to talk to them. The scene in Amsterdam was very different from Thailand. Then there were adult palaces which offered to fulfil every possible fetish of yours. Live Sex Show was 2 euros for ten minutes and that was the most sought after show. I just tried to absorb whatever was happening around us. Our trip would have been incomplete if we had not come here. After walking around the entire place, we headed to the bus stop to go to the airport.

When we reached the bus stop, we asked for directions as it quite late a night. The regular buses stop and the night buses start. One of the bus drivers got too friendly and offered us a free ride (even though we had an all paid pass for 24 hours ) I was skeptical about accepting his offer as it was so late and dark. Thankfully we reached the airport safely. It was one hell of a day in Amsterdam!