Mayan.....Mother.....Yucatan.....

"Oh! how fascinating it was to read about Mayan civilization - their pyramids, calendar and the lost history!!" my Mother said with gleaming eyes after reading the book I got for her from Mexico City.  Well, then it is time to plan a trip to Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula. In 2006, around July 4th we planned this vacation trip to Cancun.  The turquoise blue beaches, warm tropical weather and the hospitality of the resort staff made our trip memorable.

As always in vacations, I did feel strange for a while without my laptop and not having to think about work. My Mother wanted me to program myself to go back into the ages to be with the Mayans in the midst of the bustle of modern Cancun! Mayan history goes way back to the pre Colombian era. It is sad that the series of conquests including the Spanish wiped away most of their history and culture.
The Mayans built the pyramid with such precision that during the spring and autumn equinox the shadow that falls on the neatly cut steps will resemble like a serpent. It is called as "Kukulkan" in Mayan language. The famous ball court with a nice rectangular field where rituals were performed. There are many interpretations about the rituals being performed with human sacrifice. To me it is difficult to believe some interpretations without conclusive evidence!!. We also visited the Temple of the Warrior, Observatory and the Temple of the carved columns.  I remembered Erich von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods" and the parallel architectural features in the ruins of Greece, Carthage, Egypt and some ancient temples in India.

On our way back my Mother said, "When I see the tourists in these ancient sites it gives me a positive feeling that human race is in the process of understanding the value of diverse cultures and the need to respect one another. When you care you want to nurture and preserve even if we know the impermanence of life itself." I will always remember this.

My heart goes out to all who have taken a moment of their time to nurture, to care, to love someone including our grandest Mother of all - our Planet Earth.

Happy Mother's Day

Peace on Earth 

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Swiss....Cheese....Yes....

Yes....Switzerland was our next destination. My Mother put it beautifully by saying, "Well I do not have to prepare for this trip studying historical facts or refer Fodor's guide. All one has to do in Switzerland is just to imagine that you are walking holding Mother Nature's hand".  Sure it was.

The first time I went to Switzerland was in 1997 on a Eu-rail adventure trip with friends.  I have to write about that fabulous experience one of these days.

This adventure with Mom was more well planned but full of excitement.  What I learnt in those trips both with friends and Mom was that the travel itinerary must have some spontaneous acts and out of the tourist routes. The heart of Switzerland lies in its beautiful mountain villages. Though I like Geneva, Zurich and Basel which are nice cities to get around especially for business trips, yet my favorites are Interlaken and Grindelwald. The towering peak of Mt. Eiger and the Alps range makes you feel humble and happy.

Alright, no Swiss trip is complete without tasting the real Swiss Fondue, Brie and of course chocolate. The best Fondue I had was in Grindelwald. We stopped at this restaurant for dinner. The Chef gave me a wide choice of vegetarian and patiently taught me the nuances of properly selecting the cheese dips.  I looked out of the window.  Mt. Eiger with its tall majestic peak glistening under the moon light looked so comforting.

We loved the villages on the way. Sometimes we stopped at a village cafe to learn more about the local lore's and tales. One such story we heard was about why the window sills have beautiful flowers in every village we passed thru. According to the tradition if the plants looked healthy and blooming it means that the household is peaceful and happy. If the flowers are withering and not pruned properly it means that there is some problem or issues in the house. The villagers usually step in to find out the reason and to help.

Interestingly, when human beings lived in a more communal and sharing way of life the interaction was more face to face. Now, we have created a "Web" around us, operate in a www World! Technology is an enabler to change the traditions. But the quest to connect, to share, to love and to be loved are still the same. Right?

We reached back to the hotel and checked the map to visit Lichtenstein another tiny country in the Rhine valley bordering Austria and Switzerland. My mind wandered from Mt. Eiger to the Himalayas, the Andes and the Rockies. What a beautiful planet is ours!


All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Mother …….London……Reflection….

Mom always had a great fascination for London due to its history and the treasures that were taken from India to adorn the British Royals. I think even the school anthem they had in those days “God save the King” must have been a part!. My grandfather worked for the British government and like all the educated middleclass family, talking and thinking in “English” was considered as a “cool” thing to do. My Mom literally grew up surrounded by books and poems of Wordsworth, Keats and Shakespeare!!. Luckily being an orthodox Hindu, my grandparents also taught her Tamil and Sanskrit literature and religious hymns which she adored and mastered.

Ok coming back to England, when I started going to London on business trips, I have decided to take Mom also with me. When I asked her to join me in one of those trips, she was very enthusiastic, started humming “London Bridge is falling down” and created a list of tourist spots to visit. She was very happy that she is visiting London as a free Indian now and not when India was ruled by Britain.

We arrived in Heathrow and there was not much scrutiny as it was one of the pre 9/11 period. We took a taxi and arrived at the Hilton near Nelson Square. My Mom said that every landmark looks very familiar as she had seen them many times in the Travel Channel or read in the books. Well, after a brief rest and breakfast we headed out. My Mom said “Imagine the time when the Palace had no electric lights and the horse carriages carrying those Dukes and Duchess in the cobbled stone streets of London”!

The principle of Monarchy in England has changed with the time and with the Parliamentary democracy, the Royals have become a “Living Museum” concept. I think the choice to maintain that tradition even though it cost a considerable amount in the budget, is important as we can witness the continuity and the preservation of an antiquated tradition unfolding in front of our eyes. We need those brief moments of “awe” and “wonder” in our lives to become a child again and to enjoy a fairy tale!

The most awaited Crown jewels! We went to the London Tower to see the jewels. The Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock throne plus beautiful Emeralds, Rubies and Sapphires looked adorable in the well protected show cases and heavily guarded. It is also amazing to see how a piece of lowly carbon was transformed into a piece of dazzling diamond in the cradle of the mother earth and gained value to be followed by war, treachery and greed.



London trip can never be completed without a visit to the British Museum, Greenwich, Stratford at Avon Stone Henge, and the Oxford University. In Oxford, my Mom sighed and said that she never had the opportunity to go to College. I said “Mom your scholastic aptitude and research mind is unsurpassable. Without you I would not have gone to College”. With a new vigor and a sense of gratitude, I took Mom back to London right into the Regent Street. Yes, to the oldest Indian restaurant in London, Veeraswamy’s. The Manager was happy to narrate the history and the famous people who had visited the restaurant to my Mom while I was busy munching the best onion and vegetable pakoras!!




All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Mother.....Mycenae.....Musings

When I said that I want to rent a car to visit Mycenae, my Mom immediately said "No I don't want to you to drive outside of Athens when you do not know enough Greek to follow the signs or be able to ask for help on the way". None of my defenses worked out. In the end it dawned on me that after all I want Mom to enjoy the vacation and why ruin that for her. What fun it would be if one of us was worrying. So, with smiles I asked the concierge to book us in the tour for Mycenae.  The bus promptly left the hotel around 7.00am.  First we visited Corinth. The land bridge that connects the Peloponnese peninsula and the mainland Greece was built sometime in the late 1800's.  After some photo shoots we were heading towards Mycenae. The olive groves and vineyards greeted us. The yummy Kalamata olives comes from this area.

Today, Mycenae is an archaeological site with ruins from the bronze age, the skeletal remains of a citadel, a town near the city Argos. Through Homer's epic Iliad we know more about the history of Helen "the face that launched thousand ships", Troy, Mycenae's opulence, its famous King Agamemnon's victory in the Trojan war. Facts or Fiction, his epics dated 10-11th century BC remain immortal.

One name that always connected to Mycenae is Heinrich Schliemann who had systematically excavated the sites at Mycenae and brought to light the Agamemnon's mask. But the  bronze age citadel and the Lion's Gate was excavated by the Greek archaeologist Kyriakos Pittakis.  Our tour group made Ah... and Oh... sounds and with camera's clicking we looked at the famous Lion's gate that belongs to the bronze age architecture perhaps around 1600 BC -1000 BC that represent the connector of bronze age into classical Greece.  My  Mom was quite happy to see the sites and said that she always imagine the big picture of how this would have looked in the ancient past.

The arid mountains and the dry summer breeze rustling thru the Olive trees whispered that humans are part of that history, integrated event of migration, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement or detriment. In our journey on this earth, we can only rediscover or reinvent, but cannot create a universe with a sun and a moon.

The tour guide announced that lunch will be served in a nice vineyard boutique restaurant and the vegetarians will get a special Greek salad with fresh feta cheese and yogurt.





All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Mother....Greece.... Glimpses

I want to reminisce some of the great moments of traveling with my Mother.  In 2001 suddenly we planned for a Mom and daughter vacation.  First, we headed to Switzerland, spent some days in Zurich and then went to Athens. My Mother couldn't wait to go to Greece.  She prepared more for this tour by getting books from the library and brushed her knowledge about the history of Greece.  During the entire trip I never needed a tour guide as my Mom was the walking encyclopedia, guide and a historian.

We landed in Athens around 7.00pm. On our way to the hotel we could see the Acropolis veiled in florescent lights.  We stayed at the Hilton Athens and I think the Manager must have read the excitement on my Mom's face and he gave us the room with the Acropolis view. Both of us stood in the balcony gazing the Acropolis and my Mom said, "Today, the temple of the Goddess Athena was just a reminder of the past but the vibration still brings numerous modern day pilgrims - the tourists".

Next day we started exploring the classic side of Greece. Our first stop was the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. It is a beautiful seaside and we felt sad for the ruins. We also saw Lord Byron's graffiti in one of the pillars. It was a great day trip and we enjoyed every minute of it.

 Much awaited Acropolis! I was humming the music of Yanni whereas Mom was telling about the Elgin collections in the British Museum that were taken from the Acropolis. Her unique sari always collects fans for her. I remember this guy from Bulgaria was so interested in taking a picture with Mom!

When she saw the Olive tree supposedly an offspring from the sacred tree that belonged to the Temple in its heydays, my Mom was happy to go around the tree in clockwise as in Indian tradition and prayed. I could still remember the gleam in her eyes filled with serene peace and joy.  After a nice dinner at the Placa (a bazaar near Acropolis), we returned to the hotel. The moon was bright and the Acropolis looked beautiful silently witnessing the passing of civilizations, cities, wars, opulence and people - with the knowledge that everything on this earth will pass....

My Mom started telling me the history of Mycenae our next location.

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.