Inspiring Arts by the Bay - Esplanade Theatre

Lovingly called the Durian, it also has a mall attached to it. The entire atmosphere is cozy and inviting. Paintings adorn the walls as you make your way into the theatres. Quaint cafes brewing coffee invite you at every step. Unique shops of art-stuff and bric-a-brac entice you. Aromas waft out from delectable cake shops.

Budding artisans display their works

Contemporary art abounds in Singapore

Since it was the week of Kala-Utsavam, meaning Indian Festival of Arts, we were excited to head out there early, to catch a few free shows too, before settling in to watch Agam. There were amateur bands performing, like Kolaveri Jamz and Sound Check. Sound Check were crooning on the same stage as Agam did, four years ago. It is a good omen for them, I must say, for Agam have risen to great heights since we heard them last, in the very same outdoor stage!

Soundcheck, keep going!

The Marina Bay forms the backdrop of the outdoor stage of the Esplanade

  I loved Agam four years ago, when they performed for free, at Kala-Utsavam, at the beautiful outdoor stage with the shimmering Marina Bay waters as backdrop. The atmosphere ethereal, they made us croon with them, took us along lilting melodies in languages ranging from Sanskrit to Hindi to Malayalam too. The audience echoed in perfect sync.

Agam ka aagaman

Time flew, so did they, back to Singapore this November, this time we paid for the tickets and felt every penny paid, worth it. At the tres grande Esplanade Concert Hall, Agam arrived to much cheering and started off without a word, on their first number invoking Lord Ganapati in typical Indian tradition. They mesmerised us yet again. 

    Invoking the blessings of the Elephant God

Progressive metallic mingles with Carnatic vocal as front-man Harish S belts out classical song after song in his baritone, inimitable style, all set to leave his footprints in the ranks of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Hariharan and other Greats. That unique is his singing. Equally gifted are his buddies at the electric guitars, piano and drums. 

After the concert, we stood patiently in a line to meet and greet them. They patiently spoke to each of us fans and signed autographs. What humility! Hope you keep together the band and the attitude. Go Agam!

We meet again Paris!

I can't tell you how much I love you Paris. Not because I don't know French, I do, un peu. During my various visits, I have seen that you have aged beautifully, you do not differentiate based on skin colour, you walk along with me when I ask for directions, you warm towards me when I speak broken French. You have been my employer, as Alstom, whom I shall fondly remember, forever.

And, as a family, this was the first time I visited you. After living in Singapore, I felt that your metros need renovation no doubt. They have aged since I last visited you about a decade ago. 

We checked into our pleasantly priced Fraser Suites at my old haunt, La Defense. Memories, memories. I spared no effort in taking my dear ones to the places I roamed alone so long ago... looking back so fondly at the beautiful but lonely evenings of roaming the Quatre Temps Mall alone, hunting for deals to take back home in Delhi. 

Soon after checking in, we boarded the bus to La tour Eiffel. The husband and I climbed the tower many years ago, but this time we sufficed with a hundred pictures, in front of a fully lit up tower.

The view soon as we got off the bus!

Then was the march down the Uber-regal Champs Elysees. Couldn't resist shopping for souvenirs at some corner shops and Arcades des Champs Elysees. A gown from Morgan cost me Euro 80. Haven't worn it in six months...the Dinner and Dine got postponed...

It's not expensive to shop in Paris, if you know where to shop. Since I was familiar with La Defense, we shopped till we dropped at C&A, Sephora and other shops where it was raining deals. The teen and I are obsessed with HnM and we don't spare a round wherever we find it in the world, Rome, Hongkong, etc!

Modern art work around La Defense

After so many trips to Paris, we realised that the Arc de Triumph and the Grande Arche of La Defense are actually in a line! 

Two days of Disneyland left us with a sparkle in our eyes. It was the twenty-fifth anniversary and we had great fun at the rides, and the spectacular shows. After Universal Studios, Singapore, where we are used to Express passes to avoid the lines, it was disappointing that Disney doesn't provide any Express pass options. Many popular rides were announcing closures, and that too after standing in the queue for several minutes. We took train passes for three days, to use it mainly on our visits to Disneyland, station Chessy. 

Disney Magic

We had just one day to roam the mighty Louvre. Couldn't decide which of the never-ending Salles to enter! We did the Egyptian, Asian, African, Roman/European and a few more. While the family was happy to literally run through the mighty and gigantic art works and sculptures, I tried to read up whatever I could in this endless labyrinth of antiquities. Saw the Mona Lisa all over again, frankly wondering how the other exotic paintings of Botticelli, Raphael, Rembrandt, etc got left behind... each a Masterpiece, what else could a non-artist like me say! 

Endless displays, each a masterpiece 

We saw gilt-edged furniture, chandeliers, beds, mantels, mantelpieces, candelabra at Napolean's ultra-regal Apartments, with our feet aching but eyes sparkling. 

Napolean's Dining hall

Even a simple bus ride entitles you to drink in the beauty of Paris

We bade good-bye to Paris without a boat ride on the serene Seine, but something tells me we'll be back ... je reviendrai, belle Paris.

A festival, A cruise and A waterfall - Lucerne!

 Eurorail to all Indians brings to mind the Yash Chopra movies. We took TrenItalia from Rome to Milano, Milano to Art Goldau and from there, Lucerne, Switzerland! We moved trains from Milano to Art Goldau in exactly five minutes, all seats in First class.

 A short bus ride took us to our tiny Hotel by Lake Lucerne. Nothing much to say about the Hotel itself, no "belle views" since a high wall blocked any possible view of Lake Lucerne. It was clean though, with just one unforgettably rude overseer.

The streets downtown were crowded with party goers. Stages were erected at very short distances with beautiful rock music blaring out. We even met our old neighbours there. As usual, we began hunting around for vegetarian food and found people queuing up for wraps. But ew! The 'chefs' handing out the wraps were profusely sweating, wiping it with their hands, happily handed over the wraps to the waiting customers who said nothing...yes we too had the same wraps hoping ours were cleaner. 

Winding, fairytale roads of Lucerne below cloudy hills...paradise!

We then moved to the beautiful Kapellbrücke chapel bridge for a walk and some pictures of this ancient covered foot-bridge on the river Reuss. Shopped for a few souvenirs, had food at an Indian restaurant and retired with a sigh.

The next day was our day trip to the amazing Mt Titlis, which I have blogged about already. 
Day 3 was when we took a train to Interlaken. Scene after breathtaking scene rolled past us as we sat comfortably in our First Class seats. We had some delicious soups and pasta at the Pantry car too. Whether to explore Lake Thun to the west or Lake Brienz to the East was a question. It got resolved when the concierge said the boat to Lake Brienz left in two minutes. We managed to get in just as the gang plank was about to lift off.

Wonder who lived in this castle overlooking Lake Brienz...

A friendly, handsome Captain greeted us and ushered us to the top floor since we had First Class tickets. With the cool breeze in the afternoon refreshing us, we stared in silence at the green mountains and the lucid waters around us. A canteen inside the cruise served us hot chocolate and finger fries, so we never wanted to leave the boat for small stopovers and pictures. It was evening by the time we docked. Even the restless kids never asked for their devices, so awed were they by nature at her best.

A waterfall gushes into Lake Brienz

Words don't do justice to Switzerland's pristine beauty. On Day Four we took the train to Rhine Falls. 
The captain of the small boat we took to hover around the foot of the Fall, said that the River Rhine is 1253 km long from Switzerland to the Netherlands. I shuddered a little as the boat chugged too close to the Falls, but reminded myself that it was just a few metres tall. We headed to see the sculpture of the 'Dying Lion' after a tasty lunch. 

Men may come and men may go, but you go on forever Mighty Rhine....

May no lion suffer as thee...

The world's most mournful monument is how Mark Twain describes the sculpture of the dying lion at Löwenstrasse. Set in solid stone, the wounded lion was sculpted to commemorate Swiss soldiers who were killed during the French Revolution. It is set in a beautiful park with lofty old trees, and beneath the sculpture embedded in rocks, is a small pond, all befitting the grace and majesty of the animal. 

It soon started to drizzle and we took our umbrellas and headed to the 'Old Souvenir Shop'. Sure enough, a friendly old man patiently showed us the cuckoo clocks of Black Forest, which I ticked off from my wish-list! We got one that cost us € 196. But its not a purchase you get to make every day! We took a few pictures atop the many steps of a chapel next to the shop. Had a very expensive but simple and tasty Indian dinner at Kanchi. The staff was gracious too. We retired early that night, since we had a train to catch the next day, to make our way to Paris via Basel! 

Watch out for Paris.... will take you there soon ....!

WHY BUY SO MUCH ?

Just read a story about a disciple asking the Buddha for a new bedsheet. Upon being asked, he said he used the old sheet to make window curtains, the curtains to make napkins, the napkins were used to make mops, the mops being in tatters were used to make wicks for oil-lamps! 
Whew! That was actually a trip down memory lane. Why? Our older generation actually has used old saris to make curtains. I have made Indian dresses out of old saris too. We have seen our elders buying vegetables using cloth bags sewn from old clothes. Now why have we become so obsessed with showing off our buying capabilities ? I wonder if we were better off with less spending power just a few decades ago. 

• There was no need to shout out to our elders to use less plastic, because they anyway did. 
• Plastic tiffin boxes have replaced the old steel and brass-lined lunch-boxes. 
• We never had to worry about plastics or colours leeching into our foods.
• Plastic disposables have replaced the beautiful plates and bowls made of leaves.
• Siblings now hardly wear hand-me-downs because of changing fashions.
• We never bothered about evening wear, gym wear, night wear, party wear, office wear, just our uniforms and a few clothes so carefully bought for our birthdays, New Years day and Diwali.
• Replace the word clothes with shoes - how many ever heard of sports shoes, dress shoes, beach-sandals, etc? Nah, in my childhood, it was a pair of shoes for school and a pair of sandals for everywhere else.

Do you agree friends? What's your idea to buy less and save the earth?

To all my aquaphobic friends...

Yes, Mysore had standard swimming pools in those 80s...

Mother enrolled me for swimming lessons in CFTRI campus when I was all of ten. In Mysore, looking back, its amazing that we had this swimming pool complete with a diving board. From 4 ft it went deep till 10 ft! Gopal Uncle taught me to float and beat my legs too. All of this in water four feet deep. The pool was crowded but nobody minded. Everybody took a shower before entering too.

The trouble and anxiety started when he asked me to swim free style in 6 ft deep water. I heard that a friend started to swim in the six-foot section of the pool, but retreated to the four-foot section. I followed her. After that, Gopal Uncle stopped bothering about me.

Mother was busy with her full-time job as a scientist and a player of Table tennis too. She never checked what my progress was, and neither did I have the good sense to let her know. After some arguments, I quit at the age of eleven, while most of my other friends had learnt to swim. A nasty classmate even remarked to my friend that I would just "stand in a corner and practise leg-beating," I wonder if she knows I know and still remember.

Mysore to Delhi..

Time passed, I left my childhood and adolescence in Mysore, got married and moved to Delhi. We moved into our own apartment, with a pool! A rarity in 2005. Still no progress. Indian women think a hundred times before entering water, I've observed. In the five years we stayed in our lovely apartment , I would have entered the water five times.

Delhi to Singapore...

We moved to a luxury condominium in Singapore in 2013. There came Coach Nic in my life. She swam like a fish, she taught me graceful strokes but alas, couldn't get rid of my anxiety in water. Try as I might, I could not exhale and inhale without my feet going down! "You are almost there" she never stopped saying, bless her. She had the patience of a Buddha with me.

That was three years ago. We moved to another beautiful condo on the same street four months ago. I asked friends in my new condominium to practice strokes with me and was surprised to know what fears lay hidden in their minds! " What if I get water in my mouth", "what if I slip" and so on, made me feel like a pro at swimming....Was glad to know that my misery had company.

A new coach was also hired, a few months back, since there was a group of friends who wanted to start swimming. That was for one hour only. One by one, they dropped out stating they would first overcome their fear of water, with the help of their kids, husband, etc. No amount of pleading and encouraging helped.

Breakthrough of sorts...

Last month I pushed myself into the pool. This itself was a major break-through because I always looked for company to enter water. The only progress was that I made new friends, equally phobic. Well, I didn't give up, went two days ago. It was a blessing that there was no one to chat with, because I introspected every mistake of mine, armed with a gamut of theory on swimming and breathing.

And voila......!

This morning too, I went for practice, but without much gusto...Lo and Behold! I finished my first full breadth (not a length but what the heck, its a beginning!) without pausing. Hmm? Was that a dream? Did I really exhale in water and inhale with my neck out? Then my second... The breathing was laboured but I finished six rounds!

WHAT? Yes!! I can say I swam today!  And if I could do it, so could you!

Ascent to the Crown - Mt Titlis

 The Iphone in our little room in Lucerne says its 11:39 pm, but even with my eyes drooping, the mind is playing out the exhilarating day I had, riding up 3000 meters by the majestic gondola, admiring Mt Titlis, the crown of Switzerland. Heaven on earth.

The people here are beautiful and friendly, maybe it is the beautiful nature they are surrounded by. It is heartening how they have done a lot to preserve what Mother nature has bestowed on them. Every tree cut is to be compensated for, the lady-guide said on the mike, in the huge, silent, luxurious coach, as she took us from Lucerne to Engelberg.

From there began the literal ascent to the ice capped peak, Mt Titlis. ‘’Do not look down’’, my friend warned me over Whatsapp. For me, who has a fear for high thrill adventures and flights, I must say it was not half as scary. Our cable car gently ascended the mountains. Breath-taking scenes of the mountains passed us, first decked in green gold. We glided past the grazing cows with their tinkling cow bells, then the green gave way to dark rockland patched with pristine snow. The dark and white patches very much looked like their cows.

The cows didn't give a moo while we climbed.....

Not unlike a Yash Chopra movie still.....

            Higher and higher the cable cars sailed, first thousand, then two thousand….and while I held my breath, 2500 m, no more green trees, only white, shining ice. I did wince when the clouds engulfed our car at 3000 m. I thanked God that the cable cars needn’t "see" anything to do what they were doing! Phew! Landed safely at 3000m of white heaven, with the Alps in clear view.

patches of snow on the rocks pretty much like the hide of the cows below

You will catch your breath as clouds blind you in your cable car...

But just as I was recovering my breath, the family dragged me onto the ice-flyer. It stopped mid-way, maybe to let the stiff wind pass. I peeped down to see that the mountains below were just 10-15 feet away… and was relieved to be back after a five minute stint on this vehicle. Was relieved that the ice-tubing section was closed... but wait, I still have to climb over the hanging bridge, again engulfed in clouds. As the bridge shook violently with so many climbers, I hung on to its sides, not able to see through the clouds, exactly how deep the cliff below was.

The bridge hanging mid-air, mid-snow...

Our legs dangling as we ride the Ice-flyer...the snow fifteen feet below

            After these real-life, high-thrill rides, with the best beauty I have experienced, I was least excited to see the cut-outs of SRK and Kajol in her jazzy green clothes at the entrance to the tourist centre there.

            Since the whole of Switzerland is so popular with Indians, we even got an Indian buffet, nearly Indian, and my fussy 9 year old actually ate a bite or two. We bought palak-paneer without the paneer (imagine that in cheese country), lentils and rice. At the appointed time, we scurried to the rotary gondola, which descended gracefully with almost a hundred excited tourists. In the lower stations, we changed into individual cable cars and again heard the gentle tinkling of the cows, the cows still didn’t care a hoot. Down on the ground finally, the mind still enticed by the beauty just witnessed and grateful for the safe trip, we packed samosas and idli at the Indian restaurant there, though I questioned the manager why his staff are not wearing gloves to pick food….no answer. The bus left soon after a few more pictures and a sip of ginger tea. Later the bus crew realised that a family was left back! Hope they have reached back safely… wish the crew called out attendance, a sure-shot way to make sure all are in. 

       The only news to mar this exhilaration was the family who fell hundreds of feet to their death, when the cable car that carried them in Gulmarg, Kashmir, fell due to trees falling on the cable! A basic mistake… how come the trees weren’t cleared around the cableways…

Sawasdee Ka Thailand

New Zealand was what we were looking at, while planning this past summer vacation. When we saw the low temperatures of South Island, we changed our mind to warmer climates. Oh but its gonna rain in June! was what we discussed and so, finally we booked our flights for a ten day outing in Thailand.
My idea of a holiday in Phuket would not have been just to idle in Club M. Phuket instead of sightseeing. But in order to keep the kids happy, we booked two interconnecting rooms in beautiful Club Med, on the Kata beach.

The resort is said to cater to multinational cultures. But we could sense the under-currents when the 'GO's or Gentle Officers of the resort quickly slid to escort guests of their own nationalities/ skin tones...!
Four nights of all sports you could imagine, fun, food and round-the-clock drinks. The kids were escorted to clubs of their own age groups. Stage performances every night. A spectacular performance by our kids too, after practice of just a few hours. Rip roaring laughter with cross-dressed males on stage were the highlights.

The Kata beach was just across the road. With a drink in hand, you could head out for a lazy hour or two on the many chaise-lounges lining the beach. If you are okay with the afternoon sun, head out for the many water-sport activities of the resort. A disheartening thing I noticed was a small drain trickling dirty water quietly into the sea, in a far away corner of the beach, not very noticeable...


Time to leave to the next and best part of the holiday - Bangkok! We had wondered what to do for six days in Bangkok but with the teen madly after shopping, we could have spent a few more days here. Conrad furnished us a beautiful two-bedroom suite. We prepared our own dinner in the kitchenette  on many nights. That is, on those nights when we had not eaten a yum Thai meal outside.

The malls were close by in swanky Sukhumvit. Siam Paragon, MBK malls were huge and glittering. Had an altercation with a cheating cab driver and the moment he said he would not charge by the meter, we got off, allowing him to swear vehemently. Siam Square was also close by to our residence. Bought a pair of ultra-comfy sandals from Isetan.

The Sea World was better than any underwater sea-life we have seen in the world! Bigger and better than we had expected! A must see, with a trip behind the scenes too, you can even admire the sea life from the other side of the display!

But Asiatique was by far the best hang out for me. A good choice of food and clothes. A long dress and a short one at just S$12 was too surprising. A man jumped the queue while we were buying a snack. Upon telling him so, he arrogantly said he did not understand.

The Asiatique had such fun sculptures and more...

We could not make it to the Chatuchak weekend market, mainly due to paucity of time. We had to do the most popular attractions - the Emerald Budhha with the Grand Palace, the Reclining Buddha, the ride on the Chao Phraya River, phew...the temperature was not soaring but the sun had a way of sapping out all moisture from the body, while we toured around the majestic Grand Palace.

The opulence of the Grand Palace is only to be seen to be believed

The show-stealer? The super glittery spectacular, Siam Niramit show. Thailand being infamous for some adult stuff, we were in for a pleasant surprise when we entered a village themed pavilion. Greeted by statues of elephants, we took a ride in their artificial canals in real boats. We tasted Thai delicacies, vegetarian ones of course. They stopped feeding the guests, just after the first bite though!  Some had coconut milk and some had mango. But these things were just the prelude. There was even a traditional dance before the actual show.
The Grand finale was full of Gods, Apsaras, elephants in gold costumes, Kings and queens decked in all splendour, and the lighting made it surreal. The show was over by 10 if I recollect. Money and time well spent!

Scenes from Ramayana the great Epic, painted on the temple walls

Our flight back was in the late afternoon. Since I did not want to regret it, I quickly slipped into the mall attached to our Hotel and got a one hour massage done.

Churning of the ocean beautifully brought to life at the Suvarnabhumi Airport

You are so close to Singapore,  I wanna come back for your spas and your foods Bangkok!