Changan.....Xian.....Warriors......

My mind was set to visit the all time famous warriors of Xian.  Yes, I mean the Terra Cotta Warriors!.  On a lovely sunny morning I took a flight from Beijing to Xian.  Xian is the modern name given to the ancient city of Changan located in the yellow river basin.  The city has seen more than 13 dynasties the famous being the Qin Tang and the Ming dynasty. The city now house the 8th wonder of the World, the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horse museum aka archaeological site. 

The Terra Cotta warriors and horses supposedly guard the mausoleum of  Emperor Qin Shi Huang. It is amazing to see the Warriors standing in battle like formation and each one of them is a unique life like figurine.  Just like in ancient Egypt, death was a powerful phenomenon and the Emperor has to protect himself during the journey to the nether world.
After visiting the different chambers and seeing the museum artifacts one gets inspired to become a warrior! So the quick way is to get behind a life size Terra Cotta Queen!
There is also a modern pottery barn where they make the life size warriors and horses just like the ancients did.  We all can be an  Emperor and Queen and can buy our own Warrior and Horse to guard us! 

Xian is also a major city on the ancient Silk Road trading route and once textile industry flourished here when merchants from Asia and Middle East brought silk and woollen goods like carpets. They traded and also settled down and integrated with the Han people, the original inhabitants.  Today the Muslims form the large majority of the Hui ethnic group.  There is a mosque built in typical Chinese architecture style in the Muslim quarter.

I was thinking about the ancient marvels and the ethnic groups that passed through this land who brought ideas, art, culture, invented, created, worshipped, lived and left behind the artifacts.  I was trying to search a Qin, Zhou, Tang, Han, or Hui among the crowd all I could find is only a smiling proud Chinese proving the amalgamation.  Having tasted a nice Sichuan cuisine for lunch - vegetarian dumpling and hot pot I have reached a Zen state which will certainly drive me to the next stop, the Wild Goose Pagoda!


 China Chronicles will be continued....



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Great wall.....Amazing......Armstrong......

The journey to the Great wall began after the visit to the Jade mines and factory. There are options to hike to the highest point. To hike from the start or take the cable car to the top and from there continue the hike on the wall.  We took the cable car option to the highest point. The view was fabulous. The building of the wall began as early as 7th century BC.  The first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang supported the building of the wall. Since then empires changed, but the wall was continuously being built till the Ming dynasty. The wall extended on the mountains covering provinces and strategic posts on the Silk Road. The traders and travellers paid toll to cross the great wall.  Today the wall is witnessing tourists from all across the globe paying an admission fee.  UNESCO has proclaimed the Badaling side of the great wall as its heritage site. The grand panoramic view made me to wonder on the marvels of an ancient man-made structure on these mountains, preventing enemies, paving way to interact with far off lands,  and preserving the culture. I silently stood on the very old remnant of the wall paying tribute to those workers and builders.

This weekend Neil Armstrong passed away. Landing on the moon was indeed a 'giant leap for mankind" and he won my heart as a hero when I was a school girl. My prayers to him.

PEACE ON EARTH

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Cities.... Tombs.....Ming.....

I got into the dilemma when the two Great wall tour options were offered to me. One is the most visited Badaling or the North Pass and Mutianyu in the South East which also connects with Badaling.  I chose Badaling mainly to check out the famous Ming great wall and the fortress.  With the itinerary settled,  I concentrated on the business side of the trip.  The most awaited Saturday arrived. The Beijing morning was sunny, the tour guide chirped the history of Beijing and its famous city gates that separated the royals from the commoners. 

After hearing a nice lecture about FengShui, we stopped at the Ming Tombs. The ancient faith in life and death and sending the soul to the nether world follows the same belief system be it a Pyramid built in Egypt or in Mayan land.  Apparently, immortalizing a mortal king or queen must have reinforced the power and monarchy.  The Ming tombs contain beautiful jade artifacts.  The museum has some of the treasures that are recovered from the tombs. The history of  the Ming dynasty unfolds like a suspense thriller. The penniless Buddhist monk who had overthrown the powerful Mongolian Yuan dynasty and to become the famous Ming emperor Hongwu.  He got support from the red turban rebellion, the White Lotus secret society, and the scholars from the school of  Confucius. These factors helped to change the fate of China from 1368 onwards. The original ethnic group Han regained their power in the Chinese history. The cities Nanjing and  Beijing flourished developing a class conscious society with a powerful monarchy. I was thinking that the human race is always trying and experimenting with changes and like a volcano where the old lava is being pushed out to churn the new one the old ideology and belief system are pushed out to pave way for the new one!

After touring the tomb, and when crossing the gate that supposedly divide the mortal from the immortal World, the guide asked us to shout in Chinese that "we are back into the World again" ! We promptly shouted in unison so that our names will be taken out of the register of death for a while!  We headed to a nearby Jade mine and factory and had our lesson Jade 101- difference between jadeite and different types of jade. A fascinating experience but expensive as one is tempted to buy the gift items.
Having visited the netherworld and back into the earth again, our mortal souls craved for a nice lunch. The guide took us to the restaurant and I had the vegetarian clay pot. Sometimes part of heaven can come in disguise as food!!!

China chronicles will be continued.....


PEACE ON EARTH


All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

China....... Changes........Capitalize

Beijing,  gripped by one ideology after another, one regime after another is now basking under the shades of the capitalist high rise buildings.  The development is amazing. It is almost 10 days now since I landed up in Beijing and every day has not gone without an "ah" or a wow!

The infrastructure development is amazing.  Like the petals of the lotus, Beijing expands spirally with its ring roads. The well kept gardens, parks and the tree lined streets give it a zen like peaceful setting.

The high rise apartments dot the skyline of the city along with the corporate offices and the shopping malls.  Khaki green uniform coats are things of the past.  Designer stores like Burberry, Tiffany, Chanel etc entice the customers.  Spending power reflects the Chinese empowerment.

Has poverty been completely eradicated? Of course not but there are more opportunities. The hutongs, migrant workers, working class with low income, homeless are still there. But, it is the optimism, the sense to achieve that vibrates and the city marches to the tunes of capitalist economy with smiles.

China chronicles will continue.....




PEACE ON EARTH



All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Celebration....Jubilation.... July 4th....

Washington DC has taken a festive look with flags and fire works .  Time to celebrate and remember history. This is a time to view history as it is and not to pass judgement or evaluate the past with today's references.

I am not a poet otherwise I would have written something like an "Ode to the democracy and freedom!".  Freedom is not a simple concept. It can be nurtured and sustained only by a strong constitution that promotes democracy and respect for a fellow being. The founders have foreseen that.

But, when anyone asks me about the best moment of happiness as an American, I can say that - the time when I return from abroad and the immigration officer with a genuine smile greets me, "welcome back to the USA". 

Happy July 4th!

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Coronation....Jubilee....Kolkata....

My path crossed again at Heathrow. Yes,  I am on my way to India. The airport duty free shops are adorned with the diamond jubilee celebration of the Queen.  Even the airport security and ushers are wearing the purple sash and the British Airways lounge looked festive too.  I do like the BA lounge these days as the food they serve has become more like the regular London cuisine!! aka Indian!!

While browsing the Internet I came across this news about the discovery made  in the RCAHMS ( Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland)  archive -  a collection of photographs of India from early 1900 or around 1912.  They mention about the photographs must have been taken during the visit of George V and his Queen. I definitely know our Bengali family friends and especially dear Mashima will enjoy these pictures of  old Kolkata (Calcutta).
                                                     

Here is the link to the website and gallery.

http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/news/lost-imagery-of-india-discovered

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Hello.....Helsinki......Kiitos......

I could not believe that it is May already! The past two months had been hectic but pleasant.  Busy schedule yet calmness prevailed. In April I visited Finland for work. First hop at Helsinki the capital, and then to Turku in the eastern shores of the Baltic coast. From here one can take a cruise to Stockholm.   
When I landed in Helsinki the April showers welcomed me.  The driver gave me a bright smile and we proceeded to the hotel in the city. The tall conifers looked like soldiers standing still on either side of the guard rails on the road.  On the way the driver pointed at a  retirement community full of Russian immigrants.  Finland was once occupied by the then Soviet Union and one can see the influence. Helsinki is hosting the design month and the city center was full of tourists in spite of the rain. One can easily walk around or take  a tram to visit the museums, art galleries, and the cathedral in the senate square. I did not miss the Finnish sauna in the Hilton.

The sky was clear and blue when I travelled to Turku on the east coast of the Baltic sea. Turku is a small town by American standards but one of the ancient towns located at the cross roads connecting Sweden and Finland.  The famous castle at Turku is its landmark. Finnish are very hospitable and happy when I said "Kiitos" which means Thank you.  My Finnish colleagues took me to an authentic Finnish restaurant Brahen Kellari in the City Center.  I got a very nice vegetarian dish along with Parmesan potato puree and French beans salad. The chef was happy to give us details of the Finnish history when the land was consistently under occupation by Sweden and then Russia.  He said the restaurant was named after General Brahen and kellari means cellar.  

 I walked back to the hotel from the restaurant. The land, the people, the language, the culture looks different but when one takes a few minutes more with non-judgemental compassion, one realize that it is the same universal principle that guide us all.  The chill breeze lulled and I looked up to see the clouds running fast in the starry lit sky reminding me about the meetings tomorrow yet asking me to stop and enjoy the stars.

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Deutschland....De-escalate.....Decisive....

2012, the year of the Dragon, Mayan predictions about December 21st, economy, eco system disturbances, political and social unrest in many parts of the World - with all these do we have something to hope for and to celebrate?  As a die hard optimist I believe that with hope we emanate positive energy and that make us to look for solutions.  I found this in my chauffeur Mr. J  during my business trip to Germany for a week in January.  It was a nice Sunday morning when he picked me up from the Frankfurt airport to my hotel in Waldorf.

As usual I was curious to find out how Germans are facing the current economic situation and their perception about Ms.  Merkel,  a woman chancellor in the Father Land whom I admire for her leadership qualities.  Mr. J reflected that as a German he found her doing a good job but still more has to be done in the areas of unemployment and economy as a whole. Many Germans are now doing 2 or more jobs to keep up with the house mortgage and raising children. He showed me the pictures of his two twin daughters and his dreams and hopes for them. The best part was his determination to fight the odds. He took up this part time job with the travel company,  when his factory announced about a possible upcoming layoff. He decided to do the chauffeur job so that if at all he lose his full time job he has something to backup. He wanted to gain experience to even start his own car service. Yes, that is the spirit, that is the hope and dream of an achiever. 

He asked me whether I want to stop at a bakery.  Ofcourse I have to whiff the aroma and taste my favorite Deutschland breads and pastries! This time not much time to travel around except visiting Karlsruche.

Now it is February. Happy to be back in the USA. 

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Revolution.....Resolution.......Reinvention.....

The year 2011 is at the last lap waiting to touch the finish line.  Revolutions are the headline news. In Tunisia, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, Syria the people surged against the oppressive regimes. Media has described the revolutions in many names, "people's", "inciting", "parliamentary" to name a few.  Internet and technology played a major role in communication and organizing protests and marches. Violence and bloodshed has left an indelible mark. The resolution to have a democratic election and government was not achieved everywhere. The journey is long and the road need to be built not by the fundamentalist or radicals but by the people who are oriented towards democracy and peace.

When one part of the World is going thru the revolutionary process,  the other half of the World is rallying to reinvent itself by questioning the financial structure and market economy.  Media is calling these as social unrest and protest. In Russia it is "election unrest".  In the USA it is "occupying Wall Street". World leaders are meeting in summits, blaming each other and arguing why economic theories did not work.  European Union and the pan euro concept has increased the animosity between the core and the peripheral EU countries. In the USA, we are waking up to reality that in a global market structure, competition can lead to power shift if the own resources and internal issues are not taken care of.

Yet with all the unrest, protest, uncertainty, confusion, there is always hope.  A democratic election, a non-violent protest,  an entrepreneur creating jobs,  actions towards protecting the environment, a thought that comes even occasionally to leave a cleaner earth for the future generations, an action plan to uplift the oppressed from poverty, a statement showing solidarity to help the abused children, building a school in a remote village, a medical research that save lives -  if these small steps are extended exponentially will there be a need for painful revolutions.....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! PEACE ON EARTH!

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Newzealand....Nostalgia.....Kia Ora....

In 2004, I lived in Melbourne Australia for about a year. I enjoyed my time to explore the outback, neighboring countries, or islands whenever I could get some time off from work.  I could not resist the enticing tourism posters, to come and experience the “Middle Earth” the land of the hobbits! The movie the Lord of the Rings! was shot in a village about 50 miles away from Auckland.

On a beautiful sunny day, arrived in Auckland the city of the sails. I learnt my first Maori language lesson by saying “Kia Ora” which is “Hello. Enjoyed the scenic harbor and the waterfront. The Maori museum provides a wealth of information about the indigenous people Maoris’. Fortunately, unlike the ancient aborigines of Tasmania who were completely wiped out the Maoris’ retain their culture and language in Newzealand.

From Auckland we drove to Rotorua, a beautiful place with miles of geo thermal spas and geysers spewing hot water and sulphur fumes larger than the ones that we see in the Yellowstone National Park. The whole area is another master piece of nature. Fire and water inside the secret labyrinth under the earth comes out as magical geysers and fountains. After the nice spa experience, went to Ruapehu to see the volcanoes and the Crater Lake.

The next city on the itinerary was Wellington. Its Kapiti coast is famous for gourmet food. I got fabulous vegetarian food, with special local cheese and lovely macadamia tart for dessert. The pastry shops make you to stop and admire the countless varieties of artisan bread and rolls. Needless to say that it is food lover’s paradise!
At night the city sparkled with lights. Thought about the past when there was no electricity and the harbors shimmering with oil lamps. Human life has come very far in its journey. The Southern Cross that looked very bright in the country side seemed faded with the city lights. Yet it winked and reminded me to move from the middle earth further south towards Christchurch and Queenstown.

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Resurrect…..Revive……Remember……

On August 30, 2001 I returned from Athens after a memorable vacation in Greece. My plan was to work remotely the next 10 days and to enjoy the perfect weather in DC. On September 11, 2001, at 8:00am I started a conference call with my developers in Bangalore and Santa Clara. Around 9:15am my mobile was constantly buzzing with incoming calls.  I ignored them till 9:30am to finish the con call. Later I realized those calls were from our concerned friends.  Yet another incoming call. I noticed that it was from Hans our good family friend from San Antonio. When I answered he asked me, “Are you OK? Where are you? Hope no one is traveling”. I told him that we are fine and I am working from home. He asked me to turn on the TV and gave me the brief sad news of the WTC attacks.

One by one the towers were coming down. The attack on the Pentagon was being relayed. An act of insane cruelty.  Sun Microsystems immediately sent an advisory as not to travel and to extend our system support to New York offices. I contacted the local hospital whether they need blood or volunteers. So much pain and disbelief that it all happened right here and we are witnessing it. A great painful and yet another episode in human history when innocent people were killed by a group of terrorists. It was very sad to watch the TV about the families who lost their loved ones. At the same time despair was turning into hope when the valiant firefighters, courageous law enforcement personnel, and heroic volunteers who managed to resurrect the city within weeks.

After every incident when innocent people are killed or subjected to violence we think that may be this is the last one. Do we need more protection from these acts of terrorism or prevention? I think it will take the “whole village” to inculcate non-violence to be the future means for promoting peace.

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary and a befitting memorial will be held for the people who lost their lives on that fateful day of September 11. It is not easy to console but life must move on. Let us pray and hope that hate and violence will be replaced by love for humanity and peace.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Alaska....Glaciers....Gorgeous....

When you think of Alaska - glaciers, polar bears, grizzly’s, moose and salmon dance in one’s mind - not in the same order for everyone!! Perhaps a fishing enthusiast may think about salmon! During the first day of our visit, we went to the Portage glacier, Spencer Whistle top and the Grand view. After returning from Barrow, we took a cruise to the Prince William Sound to see the glaciers. We drove up to Whittier to catch the boat. The scenic Seward Highway has multiple view points to check the Belugas bobbing on the tides or the mountain goats on the towering Chugha ranges. We also managed to see few bald eagles on our way. The tunnel that leads from Portage to Whittier is 2.5 miles in length. This is used both by the train and the automotive. Hence the tunnel is opened only on a set timetable to move the traffic from one side to the other.

The boat captain said that during winter most of the residents of Whittier move to Anchorage or other closer cities like Girdwood or Portage to avoid the winter blast coming thru the tunnel. The cruise began passing thru the mountains where glaciers are hanging like beautiful white and blue quartz. It is sad that with the global warming some of the glaciers are receding. We managed to spot a school of otters!! May be shoal! One of the otters was very bold to follow us for a while and then vanished into the deeper waters. A humpback whale appeared like a steam engine hissing out jets of water. Few seals also curiously looked at us. In the yonder mountain fortress, we could spot some bald eagles nest. One huge bald eagle majestically circled around. Everything seemed

to be magical!

The cruise slowly reached near the glacier and halted.
The glacier looked like multiple sculptures arranged like a fortress protecting the icy layer that is cascading from the mountain. Every now and then a rolling chunk of ice will fall into the ocean. First we were alerted by a rumbling noise. The ice cracked slowly and pushed a big ton of icy rock that descended into the ocean like a cascade of a waterfall. The cruise stood still. The glacier must have seen so many ships, people, birds and animals during its long journey from the ice age. The sea gulls that have nested on the rocky cliffs lulled at the boat as if asking “why are you here in my territory?’. The water stood still around the glacier due to its depth. No one talked. A silent communication was going on with the nature. The deep blue water, bright quartz glacier, green trees on the mountains, waterfalls, birds and the sun looking from the clouds conveyed that this is peace and this is bliss.

 

“Come inside for a nice chocolate mousse and coffee”, the captain announced!

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Alaska.....Arctic crcle.....Awesome

Imagine celebrating 4th of July on  "Top of the World" in Arctic circle!!.
The plan is very simple. Land in Anchorage, see the glaciers and take off to Barrow the last frontier city up on the North slope of the Arctic circle.  Once the travel plan was set all one has to do is to pack up some winter clothes and hop into a plane.  On our first day, we explored the city museum and the downtown Saturday open market highly recommended by Hilton staff.  The next day we went to the Portage glacier, Beluga point and the wildlife conserve to see musk ox to Kodiak bears! After acclimatized to the constant 18hrs daylight we packed only the heavy winter jackets and boots to visit the arctic circle.
On July 4th morning we took a flight to Barrow from Anchorage. The Barrow airport is very small and one of our fellow passengers,  a teacher who lives in Barrow said that everyone in Barrow knows each other.

After a warm welcome from the hotel staff we settled on "Top of the World"! yes this hotel is situated on the shores of Arctic ocean. The hotel staff recommended that we have dinner at the Pepe's restaurant. As soon as we entered, we were surprised by the beautiful 4th of July decor and there entered Ms. Fran Tate who owns this Mexican restaurant also works as a part time DJ on Saturdays in KBRW the only radio station in Barrow. She whimsically said that if we try the Polar bear plunge in the arctic she would give us all a certificate!

Without a sunset or darkness the time moved on to the 24/7 daylight schedule!!.  After a nice morning walk, we hopped into the tour bus with our guide Sam an Inupiat. We went on a long ride on the tundra stopping at the ancient burial mounds and whaling sites, villages where the seal meat was hanging in the backyard clothesline. Sam explained about the whale and seal hunting expeditions by the Inupiat. They hunt only the bow head and beluga whales and never the Orcas or any killer whales. Also, they keep a quota system that only a set amount of whales will be killed for food every year. The whole community participate in this project.  The Inupiats moved from subsistence economy to cash economy during the second World War when the US Navy established a base in Barrow and helped the villagers with housing and schools.

The Arctic ocean looked calm with floating icebergs. We managed to touch the ocean and climbed on the icebergs that floated closer to the shore. Our tour ended with a visit to the Inupiat cultural center and museum. The Inupiat children sang, danced and demoed the blanket toss and other games. The rhythm and the ancient music conveyed that after all we the humans have common needs for food, shelter, work, and entertainment.

About 8:45pm we boarded the flight back to Anchorage for the rest of the awaiting adventures. I looked out of the window and felt that the arctic sun was smiling brightly.

                                                  PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.