Peru......Lima......Legendary.......

Lima is my first stop in the Machu Picchu journey.  Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador had an important role in the history of Peru. He is instrumental in conquering the Inca empire. He founded the first Spanish capital at Cuzco in 1533 and later founded Lima as the port city to send the Inca treasures to Spain.

 Our exploration of the city began with the Huaca Pucllana ruins. These are the pre-Incan settlement with pyramids and citadel built with hand made bricks. The museum display the tools, ceramics and some textiles recovered during the excavation. This settlement dates back to 100 AD to 650 AD.
The city is beautiful with the winding coastline.  We stayed at the JW Marriott at Miraflores. The ocean view was amazing and after a great breakfast headed to the historic center of the city. I am reminded of Madrid with its Spanish colonial buildings and churches. Notable one is the Monastery of San Francisco with its circular cupola and baroque style of art. The monastery and the adjacent churches were built in the 16th century. The catacombs with its labrynthian passage and the neatly arranged skulls gives an eerie feeling. 

The Plaza de Mayor is the central part with palaces that were turned into government offices and is vibrant with tourists, and Quechua speaking locals selling traditional arts and wares.
Quechua's are the indigenous people of the Andes. Peru is promoting Quechua language to be included in the school curriculum. Some justice to the descendants of the original inhabitants who were tossed, looted, and exposed to a new culture and way of life. Once again, how can one get angry now for the incidents that happened long time ago? All we can do is not to repeat the sad and inhuman parts of the history.

 While coming back from the city to the hotel, I saw a group of school children running happily and beaming with joy. That is the future.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Machu Picchu..... Pacha Mama......Magnificent.......

Machu Picchu always had a special place in my "Bucket List"! Now that I have completed my pilgrimage to that magnificent place high on the Andes mountains, what the Inca's call as "Pacha Mama" meaning Mother Earth, I could have put a tick mark against it but my heart says "you need to go there again"!

Yes, it is a magical place where the Sun and the Moon were once worshipped along with the great omnipotent God in those ancient temples.  The Incas called them the Trinity. The number three is sacred for them. The remains of the past, the beliefs of the Incas
are seen in the foundation, walls, and the remnants of a great fortress and temples.  There are no sculptures, inscriptions except for the condor (Peruvian look alike of a bald eagle) and the intricate works of the architecture looking at the Wayna Pichu and the towering Andean mountains around. 

The best July 4th Holidays for me and also thanks to my baby sister who patiently traveled and listened to what I have to say on the Inca civilization till we reached Machu Picchu. Then I became quiet, awe struck and wonder struck, the words lose their meaning and silence reigns. The ancient power engulfed me with its caressing comfort and reminded me once again the impermanence of life and motivated me to be my best.
My chronicles on this pilgrimage will continue in the subsequent blogs. My plan is to blog my trip to Lima onward to Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Puno, andLake Titicaca. 

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Italia.......Antico......Bellissimo.......

I was in Toronto watching the CNN coverage on the Papal election. Catholics all over the World waited for the white smoke from the chimney to rise in the air announcing the next shepherd.  As a non-catholic, it was interesting to listen to some of their views on reforms that are required in the church to suit modern times.  I think every institution be it political, religious or social cannot escape the change. It is only the pace. Sometimes it is like a slow soil erosion and other times it could be like a tornado.  Any change when it is peaceful and painless in other words, smooth transition always benefits the concerned country, group or congregation.  Welcome Pope Francis!


The news also brought nostalgic memories of my trip to Italy.  My first trip was on Eurail from Austria to Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice in 1998.  It was great to travel with $ than € !!. The train hissed thru the tunnels of the dolomites, passed tuscany and into Rome. The Italian immigration began with the "Policia" starting the passport check. It was chaotic, loud and yet some invisible order that pushed us into the city with the warning that always hide the valuables and money.  Coming to reality with the warning, I realized that I am not on a "Roman Holiday"!! but a simple tourist adventure.

 Italy fascinates me with its ancient cities, sculptures, paintings, music and food.  Romans certainly contributed to the emergence of the regal Europe. In Rome the first place I wanted to visit is the Sistine Chapel and the St. Peter's square. Michael Angelo's famous marvels are here and in Florence.  I remember that the guards in the Basilica wanted me to follow the dress code of wearing a skirt and not jeans or pants.

It was like walking in a dream by seeing the statue of David, Florentine buildings, fountains, gardens, coliseum, venetian canals, gondolas, and fashion.  The amalgamation of cultures, philosophy and arts that happened centuries ago still prevails.  I hope this country comes out of its economic crisis soon so that another Michael Angelo or Davinci can surface!

PEACE ON EARTH!

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

March 8th.....Promise....Hope.....

March 08, 2013. United Nations has chosen the theme "A Promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women".  Widely known or unknown, many women have made an impact on others.  A small footstep forward alone in a desert nomadic tent or an organized group, rich or poor, school educated or not, princess or pauper these women have passed that light of hope to all of us.

This year let us remember all that brave women of the World.  Let us get inspired by their energy, hope, kindness, and dreams.

(Pictures British Museum Collections)

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Gandhi......King.......Dreams........

January 31st!.  A month is already gone in 2013.  It looked like it was only yesterday I have made resolutions and counted the dreams for the New Year!.
Today,  I pay my homages to Mahatma Gandhi  who was shot dead on  this very day. His dream was to free India.  His only weapon was his moral courage and adherence to non-violence.  Gandhi's principle of non-violence inspired  many including Dr. Martin Luther King who was born in the USA.  He dared to dream to end segregation thru civil rights movement.
 
On January 15th we celebrated  Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.  Dr. King's passion for total freedom and respect paved the way for many to dare to dream and also realize their dreams.


Another dream unfolded in history for the second time when Mr. Obama took the presidential oath on January 21st, 2013.   Washington DC witnessed millions of people cheering not only for the President but also for continuing the principles of democracy, and the dreams of the Nation's founding fathers.

Usually, winning the second term for a President is more like a  feeling of  having graduated.  No pressure for the next term.  However, we hope that Obama can leave a legacy of  great leadership.
                                                          

                                                              PEACE ON EARTH


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Reflect.....Rejoice.....Ring the bells......

It is Christmas eve.  Time to rejoice and to thank for all the blessings.  Time to remember the beautiful children and adults whose lives were taken abrubtly in Newtown CT.  So far, Mother Earth has seen many brutalities all over the World.  War, hate, intentional and non-intentional crimes, destruction of nature, natural disasters to name a few.  Love, hope,  prayer, caring and sharing alone will ease the pain of loss and destruction.  Let the bells that ring tonight bring peace and consolation.

Let joy and love prevails.

***WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS***

             PEACE ON EARTH

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Perogeis....Plum Vodka.....Poland......

Landed in Warsaw on a cold afternoon during early November. The fall season is still reluctant to go away and the trees still had some leaves. Luckily I had a weekend in between the busy work week to explore the culture and the city itself.  Warsaw, like most of the ancient cities developed on the banks of the Vistula river pronounced in Polish as "Viswa".   Poland's sad history covers many wars the important one being the Polish invasion by the Russians and the Germans.

The old town is the best place to stroll and to taste the Polish specialty like the perogeis. The restaurant owner understood my vegetarian requirements and recommended the one made with potato and cheese filling. It reminded me of Indian Samosa!.  Poland is also famous for vodka just like its neighbor Russia.

Needless to say, Perogeis and plum vodka are the best combination.


Apart from food, Polish music and art are quite enchanting.  Chopin's music can be heard on the streets. I mean literally! There are small benches on the street which has the recorded music of Chopin. When you walk the street and feel tired,  press the button, the music plays!

I did manage to see most of the tourist attractions that reminded of a war stricken past - thru photographs, museum artifacts and the co-existence of communities like the Jewish ghettos, buildings that are built on top of the rubble, the vibrant old town and the modern business centers.  The city looks beautiful with a poignant past, resilient present and full of dreams for the future.  Thanked the Marriott city center staff for making my stay a memorable one and headed to Frederic Chopin airport to catch a flight to Walldorf Germany, my next stop.

PEACE ON EARTH

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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....



All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

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

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

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.

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

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. 

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.