Cape Town for my limbs

 
 At times what matters most is a room with an ambience and a view for days. Light it up with some sunshine and October blooms and never again shall i complain.

Lost in India

My first “real” encounter with India was through the eyes and adventures of Mr Phileas Fogg in around the world in 80days. India, I reckoned possessed a certain spirit and mystique that went beyond the imagination of a ten year old boy. Later on, the India setting would have a different meaning as I read Martin Luther’s story and the impact Ghandi had on his philosophy. But all this never truly nudged my curiosity to venture beyond the written word. Years later, I found myself in India.

If you are reading this, the year is 2009AD and over the last 20 years India has become an outsourcing/off-shoring hub for the world. While the world marvels at the economic progress of this nation, my first 3 week sojourn across India awakened the marvel I read about as a 10 year old.

If ever there was a place that changed significantly my world view and hope for the human race India would be the place. Here stands a nation, endowed with individuals extremely rich and poor, a country no different in beauty and ugliness to the next, with a chequered and glorious past a source for its present hope and angst. Its no paradise, BUT everyone of its people is enamoured with a spirit of determination and is engaged to make his/her life better in whatever little way. If not in this life at least in the next!

Somewhere over the Rainbow

What lies beyond the rainbow? Toulon,  Literally. If you chase the rainbow from Paris heading south, in the Côte-d'Azur region of France you will end up in Toulon. Its a famous city and takes the best of the Mediterranean climate with wonderful landscape. Perhaps one day when i make my pot of gold i too will become a resident of a terra cota villa with endless views of the sea.

 

Zanzibar

I am pretty much sceptical about a lot of things. And living in a world where everything is hyped up, a good dose of scepticism is within measure to keep one's sanity. Thus i landed in Zanzibar at my sceptical best, thinking about the many things i could be doing with my time and better places i could be. You see i had just come back from the world famous beaches of Australia- Gold coast and Perth- and Zanzibar just seemed excessive, a broken record. Boy was i proved wrong. I expected to see a lot of Seith Africans and the British crowd, alas it’s the Italians and Spaniards that adorned the white sands and indulge in a lot of activities one could be mistaken for thinking there were somewhere in Europe. er NOT Quite, this place is the most idyllic African paradise you can ever imagine.....yes you can quote me on that one! There is something about the untamed, natural, unspoilt beauty of Zanzibar.  (Caveat- not every part of Zanzibar is idyllic- take time to choose the right location)