Bye Trinidad....Welcome....New Year 2015.....

 Welcome 2015! It is great to be getting back to the US just on time for the New Year. The end of the year holidays in Trinidad & Tobago with family was great.
After the  the proclamation of abolition of slavery (1865) in the USA, the human traffic from Africa was dwindling and the slaves became expensive for the plantation owners in the island. The next best opportunity is to use the poor agricultural laborers from India which was then under the British rule.

As we have seen time and again, the previous generation's toils paid off.  The descendants of the laborer  with their sheer hard work and education have reached the pinnacle. The Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is of Indian origin. The temples, cuisine, music all reminded me of India.  The famous shore temple at Waterloo is a must to see and so also the tallest Hanuman statue in the beautiful Dattatreya temple.

We also visited the house of V. S. Naipaul the Nobel Laureate from Trinidad. I am not a great fan of Naipaul but it was fun to take pictures near the Lion House.  Everyone seems to know about his book "A house for Mr. Biswas" !   Las Cuevas and Maracas are the must to visit beaches. Caribbean spiced curry, cocoa plantation, tender coconuts, and the ethnic mix make this island a must to visit again list!

The hospitality of the islanders in Trinidad & Tobago was great. I have to write more on this. With New Year's count down has began in hours, I am praying for a peaceful 2015.

   HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015! 

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Berlin.......Brandenburg Gate.....Silver Jubilee......

Yesterday, Germans celebrated the 25th anniversary of coming down of the Berlin wall. The World joined to remember the demolition of the wall on November 09, 1989, and its long history of escapades, protests, revolution, different ideology, and the triumph of democracy.  The Brandenburg Gate has witnessed the construction of the wall after World war II.  The Brandenburg gate was originally constructed as the triumph arch. The architecture and the theme is Roman with a neo-classical flavor.

In 1998, when I visited Berlin, Brandenburg gate was open and one could go thru the gate freely and of course no wall, no fear, and no GDR!.   I could see the difference between the west and the east Berlin. East Berliners talked highly about their culture, opera and art despite the fact that economically they are not well off like their neighbor at the West side of Berlin.  Construction was going on and the East Berliners were adjusting to the free democratic lifestyle from a socialistic government sponsored plans and lifestyle.  After chatting with the people in the coffee shop,  I joined the crowd to get into the train station of Osten Berlin.  A happy group was singing Bocelli's "quante partiro",  I stood and listened thinking that,"Yes, time to say goodbye to all differences and oppression".   The bells at the nearby church started ringing, and the whole place looked happy with smiles under the beautiful blue sky.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Australia....Adelaide....Aha moment....

 I read about the news that Lonely Planet has named Adelaide as the top 10 cities to visit in 2014.  Aha...I need to write about my visit to Adelaide. This is another episode in the Aussie Chronicles.

Adelaide is a quaint city bordering the outback and my first visit was to the Fleurieu Peninsula to watch the whales.  Next stop was Barossa and Clare valley famous for its vineyards.  The locals told me that the Jesuits who fled from Poland has planted the vines sometime in 1851.

My main motivation to visit Adelaide is the Silver Band falls. We drove from Melbourne to Adelaide first to the Grampians National Park.  The park ranger in the visitor center at Halls Gap was very helpful in explaining the trails. The falls welcomed us with misty sprinkles. Interestingly the water falls into the ground and disappears and come out again 55 yards away. The falls does not form a ground pool either.

Just like any other city, Adelaide has a past in the Aussie history.  Gold... mining...immigration...expansion...assimilation....abandonment...and resurrection.  Only the rivers, mountains and the cliffs are standing timeless like a silent witness.

.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

America.....the Beautiful.....Backroads......

For the past few months I travelled in the back roads, some of the cities that were not in my bucket list.  The miles and miles of corn fields, farmlands, shining metal silos, old farmhouses and church steeples filled me with joy and I hummed "America the beautiful".
The famous Route 66 in Tulsa Oklahoma to some historic cities of the mid west, the local traditions and cuisine do provide that decadent charm.

Terre haute, a beautiful city in Indiana on the banks of the Wabash river. It has a history that dates back to the 18th century when the French explorers named it Terre haute or High land.  The closest airport is Indianapolis. It is also a college town closer to Evansville.  I have tasted the best pan cakes in the Main Street Cafe at a small nearby town Paris.


Nestled on the Saginaw Bay, Bay City is another quaint old town sharing German heritage. Lake Huron provides the water source and sports activities.  The waterfront market has so many specialty stores. The best one is the St. Laurent Brothers Candy store. One of the very old family owned stores since 1904. The toffee crunch is the best that I have ever tasted. Yummy! Bay City has 4 sister cities. Looks like Ansbach in Germany is famous as one can find the street signs mentioning Ansbach.

My back roads journey will continue....

PEACE ON EARTH!

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Maya Angelou.....Poet....Homage.....

We lost a beautiful poet laureate Maya Angelou today.  Margurite Johnson was born poor in St. Louis, worked as a singer at a strip club in San Francisco. She changed her name to Maya Angelou very aptly. Her autobiography, "I know why the caged bird sings", has inspired many men and women not only African American but all of us who underwent some sad episodes in life.

She read her poems at the President's inaugural ball, friends with Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
A true inspiration to all of us. We bow to thee in respect dear Maya.

Human Family 

By Maya Angelou 1928–2014

I note the obvious differences

in the human family.

Some of us are serious,

some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived

as true profundity,

and others claim they really live

the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones

can confuse, bemuse, delight,

brown and pink and beige and purple,

tan and blue and white.

I’ve sailed upon the seven seas

and stopped in every land,

I’ve seen the wonders of the world

not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women

called Jane and Mary Jane,

but I’ve not seen any two

who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different

although their features jibe,

and lovers think quite different thoughts

while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,

we weep on England’s moors,

and laugh and moan in Guinea,

and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,

are born and die in Maine.

In minor ways we differ,

in major we’re the same.

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

March.... Madness.... London....

March madness began from Maui! Took the red-eye back to DC, off to London from Washington Dulles.
As always a "sky warrior" need to be prepared for this last minute travel plans and have to enjoy every moment like a child in a toy land. Interestingly, spring has started in London compared to the cold pronged winter in the East Coast.

I stayed in Bracknell and the commute was not so bad.  One evening we had our business dinner in Windsor. Windsor is always special for me.  During my first business trip to London in 1997, I stayed at the Castle Hotel just opposite to the Windsor castle.  I used walk across the Thames to see the Eton College and the beautiful gardens.  This time I did not have time to go to the British Museum. I love the museum collections on Assyrian and the Egyptian rare artifacts. Some of them are even better than the one in the museum at Cairo.

I visited Piccadilly and nothing changed much in the two years. It was nice to meet couple of my old friends in the city.  I find the Britishers more relaxed and not worry too much about terrorism.  Security at the Heathrow airport was as usual.  I am so used to the procedure that I can remove shoes and put the laptop on a tray in a minute!

Could not believe that the week was gone just like that. Sitting comfortably in the BA flight to go back home, I was reminiscing about the visits made to the cities in UK. Apart from London, in Manchester I had a great time with my colleagues when I visited Liverpool with them. I will blog more on Liverpool one of these days. The flight attendant announced that due to the turbulence there will be an hour delay. I smiled, thinking how travel helps to develop patience!

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Maui.........Hana.......Mahalo.....



With Mom -Honolulu 2002

 Maui in Febuary!  When it is an incentive from work, escaping the cold east coast weather for an annual meet sounded good. During my previous trip on a family vacation, I landed in Honolulu, toured around Ohau and the Kona or big island.  I was quite happy that this time it is Maui and the road to Hana!


Maui 2014

Stayed at the Grand Wailea resort. It is an awesome place with its private beach and olympian swimming pools.  One can enjoy the sun rise and sunset peacefully.  Enjoyed the Polenisian vegetarian cuisine or the famous Lua.  The highlights are the visit to the Halakela crater, rain forest, whale watching and snorkeling.

It was great to meet my global collegues and family. The green island looked amazingly unperturbed inspite of the rush of groups of tourists. One week seemed not enough. Said "Mahalo" (which means Thanks in Hawaiian Language), packed enough macadamias, and took the red-eye to the mainland. Time to start my another hop across the pond to London.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.