WOW!! AYUTHAYA!!

A beautiful place, where every frame makes a incredible picture :)

It is called Ayuthaya.

MY FIRST TIME # 5 SKY TRAIN

It was 2010, when I made smalls steps into the gigantic Asia to kill my travel bugs.

It was not the first time I was travelling outside India, but the first country I visited outside India in Asia is Thailand. A very convinient destination for Indians to travel. This country gives Visa on arrival at its immigration for 15 days. 

But I realised, what impressions I had of Thailand was not enough. 

This country is way developed than I had imagined in terms of tourism and infrastruction. High rise buildings, great night life, good fashion at cheap price, delicious thai food etc floods the immigration gate at the airport. 

One of those days I decided to take a metro train with friends. I was surprised when my friend called it Sky Train. I had been in metro  train in Calcutta but never I had been in a sky train. I was amazed. What is it anyway...!! 

Later I realised it is an organised system of transport which runs on an elevated bridge. I was very impressed for the passengers commuting in this organised system. The ticketing, the signs, the dos and the donts and most of all the dedicated queues of passengers to enter the train. 

Everything was calling for my attention and I was very wishful to have the same systematic medium to commute in India. 

I am very glad to do this sky train in my travel in Thailand for the first time. 

SONHARE É GRATIS(To dream is free) # 4

Here comes again, a dream for free. It feels so good as traveling any day is a dream come true. So while am not traveling, to dream of it is a bonus. 

This time I am meeting my friends from Portugal in India. It is bit questionable why most of my dreams are with my Portuguese friends!! 

Even I do not have an answer to this. May be because in my head I am convinced that they travel the most. But of course am also with my friends and family this time. 

So my friends Jorge, Inacio and Leninha are visiting me in Orissa and I vaguely remember taking them for dinner with a friend Joe. So we rest the night and set out for the day tour in the city of Bhubaneswar and Joe would take all of us to see Puri and Konark. My mother and eldest sister Lily ask us to take special care of Leninha as she is pregnant. The typical Indian concerns ;) 

With a flick of a second, we four are in Cusco to see one of the Inca's fort. Jorge and Inacio tells us that they have been to this fort several times with Nomad's groups. So I and Leninha should visit it and they would plan the rest of the day. 

Then there was this huge fortified wall, which was very Inca's style. The way to the door are three parallel narrow paths made of solid stones and if one slips off these pathways then falls into a dangerous cliff. These pathways were as narrow as only two persons can cross at a time. I ask Leninha if she needs any help to which she says she can manage on her own. While she is trying to cross like a confident and brave girl; holding her long white gown in her hands, I am scared like a chicken. I look down and imagine of a Harry Potter movie. When I look beside at Leninha then I see that she has a very small tummy bulge.  I am very curious to ask as its already September and the baby is expected anytime. Then how she has a very small bulge. But then I hold my curiosity as it is not nice to ask this to a girl. 

Anyways we both cross the path safely and were under the hood of the fort gate. It starts to rain. I find a safe place for Leninha. As we are waiting, I notice one guy is smiling at me who looks like Jonathan from my previous workplace(Deutsche Bank). But then later he tells me that he was smiling because he is Indian. Later I see more Indian looking guys and all wanted to take pictures with Leninha for which they are friendly with me. Another typical Indian stunt. From no where Jorge pops in to save us as one of the guys were trying to flick our pockets. He tells us that it is a scam and we should watch out our pockets. 

He tells us that he and Inacio have decided that we should call it a day and rest at home as the rain is due to a huge low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. 

Next moment, we are in Sarat Bose road in Calcutta. It is all lit up like Durga Puja. I love this thing about dreams that you can be anywhere across the globe in a flick of second. It is like you are in a time machine. We are walking in the street and the wind is very strong. We all try to make circle and protect Leninha because she is like the star in this story ;)

There was another friend of mine there but I do not remember now. Later we all are sleeping in my mom's house in Bhubaneswar. I see Leninha in deep sleep and snoring little bit. 

Then again I find myself sleeping in a very high end hotel. I wake up as Jorge is shouting: Buntyyyy!! 

Wake up slowy, the breakfast will be over in half hour. I am still lazy. Then I finally wake up when a Filipino woman throws her younger son at me. She tells me that she is a huge fan of Jorge and wants to take his interview. I should take care of her younger son for a while. The mother is making the interview and the elder son is annoying Jorge at the same time. 

I woke up!! This time for real, when the kid in my dream starts to pee on all the walls of the hotel room. 

VIRTUAL TOUR OF LISBON :)

Ladies and gentlemen!!

Here is the virtual tour of Lisbon from above. 

These are the few pictures I made while exploring Lisbon in my bedroom :)

LISBON CALLING ....<3

Portugal was the third country in the european continent I visited.

 Between the places I have been in Portugal, I have a lot of fond memories of Lisbon for the more time I spent here. So this very moment am missing Lisbon a lot. It felt those monuments from the virtual tour were literally calling me.

The moments I had in Lisbon are all playing up in my mind. The Belem tower, the discovery monument, the Jeronimus Monastry, the lift of Santa Justa, the Lisbon cathedral, the St Jorge Castle and many more. All these monuments are telling me to come back, revisit and explore more of the city. 

I want to go back!! 

For my crave to eat a Bacalhau(cod fish)

 For the promised caracois from Antonio

To drink with Xana. 

For a superbock treat from Pauline

To drink Sumol, Pedra and some Guarana

I am sure to try some Bifana

To roam around the Rua Agusta

To dance my legs at Lux

I want to go back for the friends and family I have there.

PORTUGAL NOSTALGIAAAA !!

What a trip!!

1 AM : I suddenly woke up and my TV is on. May be I forgot to put the timer on. But then rarely I do that as am taught to switch off the TV before I sleep. 

But, today I am glad that I am spoiled. As I woke up with the TV noise, I see the program, World from Above, being telecast in Discovery HD WORLD. This program showcases the beauty of the city from above with ariel views. 

I was thirsty and bit sweaty too as I have the fan off for the constant rain which makes it cooler inside the house. However, all that is gone in a flick of a second when I saw the Portuguese Map and the narrator explaining the journey of the day. 

Yes, it is Portugal and the journey starts from one of my most favourite place in Portugal and ends in another. The pre-decided journey is Serra D'estrelas - Coimbra - Obidos - Nazare - Cabo de Roca - Cascais - Oeiras. I have been to all these places but Obidos and Nazare. 

In short, the Serra D'Estrelas is the mountains of Portugal. 

Coimbra is called as the city of Students.

Obidos which is now in my to do list is a beautiful heritage place. 

Nazare is a beach town to relax and gets the highest wave of the year. Who knows one day I would be there to take a ride on the Funicular to the beach. 

Cabo de Roca is beautiful and is pride of Portugal. It's cross demarcates that this is where is the westernmost point of Europe. 

Caiscais and Oeiras are the resort towns and fishing village by the beach. 

Last one and the most epic one is Lisbon. A city with many definations. The capital of Portugal, the point from where Portuguese colonized the Brazil in west and India in the east. The city from where Vasco da gama set his voyage to find India sailing around the entire coast of African continent.

The journey ends with Christo de rei overlooking the 25th April bridge. 

Now am in a state of Nostagia and I am sleepless. 

I am missing Portugal......... 

1 Picture Story # 2

Mohamed Al Gami!! 

A 98 year old man; same age as my grandfather if he would have been living. He had seen many ages, many wars and many boundaries. Born in Qatar he had crossed many countries and reached India by feet where he lived for 6 years as a money lender to local businessmen. Ever since that he is back in Qatar and never left his country. These money lenders who came from Afganistan and further west asia are very popularily know as Kabuliwalas in India. 

He barely spoke English and very little Hindi which was more influenced from Urdu  and Multan. I did not understand everything and could pick only in bits and pieces. For his personality and the life he lived, he became a hero in my eyes.

Really, it was a priceless moment I lived that day.