We Visited Rio de Janeiro 25 to 28 Apr and 15 to 17 May

View of Rio from Sugar Loaf Mountain

After a very long and exhausting journey of 26 hours we landed in the magical city of Rio at 1430 in the afternoon of 25 Apr. We were extremely lucky to have visited Brazil in the months of April and May, the weather was perfect for sightseeing, lazing around on the beach and enjoying the open street cafes sipping chilled beer. The temperature varied from a high of 26 to a comfortable 16 deg C at night. There were a few light showers in the evenings to cool the city down. We checked in to IBIS Hotel in Nova America, an up market and modern locality.

Nova America

At the banana bar Nova America

From the hotel

Rio is a very old city developed around the Guanabara Bay. The Portuguese first encountered Guanabara Bay on 1 January 1502, hence “Rio de Janeiro” or "January River" (it does not exist). From 1565 to 1889 it remained under the rule of Portugal. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal court transferred itself from Portugal to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the chosen seat of the court of Queen Maria I. Rio has the distinction of being the only European capital outside of Europe. During the Napoleonic period a large number of Portuguese, especially the noble men relocated to Rio. During the same period, a very large number of slaves were brought in from Africa to work in the sugar plantations and gold mines. Rio de Janeiro is home to the largest Portuguese population outside of Lisbon in Portugal. The Black community was formed by residents whose ancestors had been brought as slaves, mostly from Angola or Mozambique.

Today Rio is a mixture of White –  52 %, Pardo 37 % (tri-racial) and Black 12 %.At the time of European contact, some of the indigenous people were traditionally mostly semi- nomadic tribes who subsisted on hunting, fishing and migrant agriculture. There are about 240 indigenous tribes living in Brazil today, totaling around 900,000 people, or 0.4% of Brazil’s population. The indigenous population rapidly declined during the Portuguese rule.

Guanabara Bay, from Sugar loaf Mountain. One has to take a cable car ride to reach the top

Another View

The city

When you sit in open cafes or travel on their metro you can see multi hued people, Rio truly represents a rainbow of different colours, races and culture. Unlike some countries it is very difficult to pin point a person and say he has Brazilian features. Rio is a mixed bag of different cultures, which in turn makes it vibrant and interesting.

At Lapa Botica da Garrafa bar

The city itself is very huge, extremely well laid out, clean and the roads are excellent. The people go about their business in a leisurely fashion, dressed in anything from shorts to formal wear. There is Latino music everywhere to be heard. Football fields are plenty and one can see children enjoying a game late into the night. Food is plentiful and very reasonable. Helpings are really huge. A litre of petrol cost 68 Rs and the radio taxis are very reasonable and safe. We used taxis very extensively as it worked out well for the four of us. Language is a big problem. Not everyone knows English and as a result we had to use Google translator (which worked out well for us)constantly to seek directions, order food etc.

With the  school girl who helped us navigate the metro

The people are very helpful and go out of their way to assist. Rio has a very efficient and well planned metro interconnecting various parts of the city. We used it a number of times. The police and the security staff are very smart, well dressed and make their presence felt. For the coffee fans, there is a variety of coffee to choose from, for their daily fix. There are a number of Cambios for exchange of currency. Carry USD and convert them to Real – R$ as and when required. 1 R$ = 20INR approximate.

We enjoyed visiting Lapa on the very first night. Instead of resting in the hotel we decided to hit the most happening place in Rio for night life - Lapa. It is known for its lively social scene and cultural events. The neighborhood comes alive in the evening with many road side cafes serving beer and local cuisine. The mood is eclectic and care free; no one to ask you how you’re dressed, what you are eating and so on.

The second day we headed out to the famous Copacabana beach and spent the whole day enjoying its beauty. The 5 km of white sandy beach is complimented by the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean. In the backdrop are the thickly wooded mountains providing an intoxicating aura of romance and endless possibilities on the beach. People with a flair for mathematics will find enough shapes and sizes to whet their scientific minds. In the evening, various bands come alive on the beach with light displays. The entire beach is cleaned at 6PM from end to end. Running, beach volley ball and football are very popular. Incidentally we had lovely SKOL beer. They provide beer in a plastic outer container to keep it chilled for a longer period.

Pristine white sand

Immaculate and clean Promenade

Sand sea and the mountains

Sugar Loaf from the sea

The ladies in blue and white complementing the beauty of Atlantic

Amazing shades of blue

Samba music in the cafe

Photo op for Sushama

Beer in a container

With our English travel friends

As the sun set

Thereafter we went across to Rio Scenarium, which is not only popular in Lapa but also in Rio. It is so popular that one needs to book a table in advance. Listed by The Guardian, as among the 10 best nightclubs in the world, Rio Scenarium is the temple of samba music. The place also showcases old artifacts on its high walls. No wonder the girls went on the floor and joined others in gay abandon, dancing and frolicking. They had to be literally pulled out of the restaurant. Late into the night, we returned to the hotel happy and all giddy headed.

Antique clocks adorning the wall

With mannequins

She sang non stop for an hour

It cannot get any better

All are floored

No end to their dancing

The whole of the next day was spent visiting the famous tourist attractions of Rio and driving around the city. The statue of ‘Christ the Redeemer’ is breathtaking and so is Sugar Loaf Mountain. The view of Rio from these places is something to be cherished forever. We saw a notorious ‘Favela” from a distance. It means ‘slum’ in Portuguese. It is a low-income informal urban area in Brazil.

I have placed an unusually large number of photographs of Rio in this blog, as they convey the essence of this charming city.  

At Sugar Loaf Mountain

At Sugar loaf Mountain. This cable car was specially made for Bond Film "Moonraker" to depict a fight in the car with Jaws the metal eater.

A view from the mountain

With the other Viator travelers

An amazing opportunity

Christ the Redeemer in Rio, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa,The statue is 30 metres (98 ft) tall, not including its 8-meter (26 ft) pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 metres (92 ft) wide.
rather than depict Christ with a cross, Da Silva Costa designed to resemble  a cross with his outstretched arms.

This crazy and colorful tiled stairway is the work of Chilean artist Jorge Seleron. In 1990, Selarón began renovating dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house.There are 215 steps measuring 125 metres long which are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. Selarón was found dead January 10, 2013, on the famous Lapa steps. 

Mera Bharat Mahan

Brazilian street art,spread all over the city depicting all aspects of nature and life.In March 2009, the Brazilian government passed law 706/07 which decriminalizes street art. In Rio de Janeiro, the street art is ubiquitous. It exists in all corners of the city from the favela to upper class neighborhoods, from residential to institutional. It is bold in scale and aesthetics, and is anything but graffiti. 

Getting ready for Rio Carnival

On our way back in May we spent a fair amount of time in Nova America, just lazing around and watching people go by. Our best leisure activity was to sit in well appointed open air cafes sipping beer and munching  Brazilian delicacies. Try Bohemian or Brahma beer. The house draft beer is good too. There are a number of good wines for those who prefer it.

We Visited South America. 23 Apr to 18 May.

In the month of January I started planning our annual pilgrimage. A selection of places to visit is fairly complicated. There is always an urge to go on the beaten track, have a safe holiday and come back. South America was always on my bucket list, but the thought of travelling long distances, time and money had kept me away from this option. I watch National Geographic quite a bit and their programmes invariably took me to SA. The more I watched, the more I got hooked on to this part of the world. By February I had homed in on Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. Age and associated health issues are factors which need to be considered while planning trips which are physically demanding and of long duration.  For me, it was now or never.

A lot of friends and acquaintances thought this trip was an over reach from all angles – duration, expenses and the physical challenge. For one reason or the other, none came forward to participate in this odyssey. Some attributed their reluctance to undertake this trip citing security issues, they said’ all the countries you have chosen are unsafe, how can we travel in Bolivia, we will get mugged in Rio’ and so on. At one time it was just Jai and me.

When Jayanti’s colleague, Sushama heard of this audacious but adventurous plan, she very willingly jumped on the band wagon. I had been promising to take Rita, our ‘Sambhandi,’ on a trip and she readily agreed to join the gang. That made four of us.

Planning started in right earnest in end January. Be it South Africa or New Zealand or Cambodia and Vietnam, I always consult our globetrotting friend Kshama for advice. My first question to her as always was ‘will we able to do it?’. After she assured me that it was very doable, I started working out the details. To boost your confidence it is always good to ask someone who has done the trip. I also consulted a naval colleague, Commander CJ Singh, who had undertaken a similar trip a month earlier. Thanks Kshama and CJ for your inputs J

Planning this trip while sitting in Bengaluru was not at all easy. We were going to a different continent, visiting three countries, four different time zones and numerous hotels, attractions and flight bookings. The selection of places to visit in itself is a very big task.

Detailed research and meticulous planning paid immense dividends. In all we travelled 47,000 Kms, visited Rio, Foz do Iguacu, Iguassu waterfalls, Lima, Iquitos, the Amazon rain forest, Cusco, Machu Pichhu, Lake Titicaca, Copacabana, La Paz, Uyuni, the Bolivian salt flats , forayed into the Atacama desert and covered much more in 26 days. We undertook 18 flights during this period and stayed in13 hotels and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. We crossed 4 time zones, made ourselves understood in Portuguese and Spanish with the help of Google translator, tasted different cuisines, travelled in high altitude areas with howling winds and sub zero temperatures.

Each day was different and each offered a totally singular experience. Blazing sun to snowy mountains to waterfalls to exotic cities, arid desert, it was one big jamboree all the way.

Contrary to popular belief, travelling in these places was very safe and we had absolutely no untoward incident during our entire stay. The girls felt safer, than in Namma Bengaluru. The people were extremely helpful, friendly and polite and extended a warm welcome to us at every turn.

Travelling with Jai, Rita and Sushama was wonderful; they make excellent travel companions – cheerful, accommodating and above all blessed with a spirit of adventure.

We returned with loads of unforgettable experiences of places, people and events. Every aspect of the trip unfolded without a single glitch.

I plan to cover all our visits, separately and in detail, in the days to come.

Until then, Cheers.

Goodbye 2016. Wishing all the readers of my blog a happy 2017. Trip to Matheran, Jayanti’s 60th Birthday, Karin’s Wedding, Nagarhole, Barbeque, Hair Styling and other stories.

2016 was a very eventful year. Once again I wish to thank all the readers for continuing to visit my blog and encouraging me to write. It is with utmost pride I wish to inform all of you that my blog has crossed “1, 00, 000 page views”.

2016 Family Get Together

Travelling abroad and within India has become a standard feature in our lives. I have always maintained that traveling is extremely therapeutic and rejuvenating. There is nothing like a jaunt with family and friends to balance one’s life, especially today.

In the months of April and May we visited New Zealand for three weeks. We drove all over NZ from North to South. The country is blessed with exceptional natural assets – lakes, forests, mountains, rivers, beaches, volcanoes, coves, geysers and much more. We were spellbound coming face to face with ‘Maori Culture’. We were most impressed with the way the environment is respected and protected.

We travelled extensively within India. We went to Mumbai and visited Matheran. We also visited Jaipur and took a trip to Shillong, Kaziranga, Kolkata and the Sundarbans. A short stay in Coonoor and Nagarhole ended our travel for 2016.     

Visit to Truefitt and Hill. My nephew’s wife Shree, who manages a very successful PR firm in Bangalore, came home to be part of my birthday celebrations. During the course of the evening she presented me a gift voucher to visit the newly inaugurated barber shop ‘Truefitt and Hill’ in Indiranagar- the oldest barbershop in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in April 2000. Truefitt was established in 1805 by William Francis Truefitt. He styled himself as hairdresser to the British Royal Court and the firm received their first Royal Warrant from King George III. Their advertisement proudly proclaims that Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Sinatra were groomed by T and H hopefully they will add Capt Pubs.  

I was truly delighted that I would be groomed in such a famous barber shop. Some of the guests were upset with Shree for giving me a gift which had no use. They all screamed at her, “Have you seen his head? One cannot get any balder than this”. Ignoring all jibes and innuendos, I went ahead and took an appointment at the hair dressers.

After a short walk around and explanation of the facilities by the manager, I was handed over to the head barber who proceeded with the grooming in the ‘Dukes Room’.

Dukes Room – Royalty

Starting with a ‘Royal Shave’ the barber took me through the most delightful grooming experience of my life. The courtesy and skill exhibited by the London trained barber was simply outstanding. This was followed by a ‘Royal Haircut’, ‘Royal Manicure’ and ‘Royal Pedicure’. The package also included a ‘Head Massage’ and ‘Face Massage’. This 150 minute blissful experience is punctuated with many cups of herbal tea, cookies and pastries. All this comes at a cost. If I were to visit the outfit again, on my own, the same set of services would cost me around Rs10, 000. It was a once in a life time experience.

We visited Matheran. Our early October visit to our daughter’s place in Mumbai coincided with Rita’s birthday. We went along with the Blahs to Matheran for a short trip. Matheran town by itself was a huge disappointment, once again reflecting the utter chaos in the local tourist industry. Bad parking arrangements, disorderly rickshaw pullers and horse attendants, nonexistent roads, dirt and filth all along the approach to the cottages portrays a very sad picture of the hill station. The entire population of Matheran is dependent on the tourist for their livelihood. The government seems to be blissfully inactive and their involvement appears to be totally lacking. 

The only saving grace was our hotel a Neemrana property- ‘Verandah in the Forest’. The Verandah in the Forest is one of the most unique heritage hotels in Matheran. This resort in Matheran was the second house to be built on the isolated Western Ghats by Captain Barr in the 19th century. This impressive building has been converted into a resort whilst maintaining all the essentials of this old time Indo British architecture. A huge verandah with endless period furniture welcomes you and gives the visitor a ‘non hotel – hotel’ ambiance as claimed by the owners. The rooms are huge and cozy, the service is excellent and the food is delectable. The overall setting reminded me of a very well run plantation club. 

The Verandah

Huge - really big

View from the verandah

A posh drawing room

Cozy couple

Birthday girl enjoying dinner with son in law

The drawing, dining room and the library takes you back to a different era – sitting in dinners, opulent china and silver ware, candelabras, coffee in the library, afternoon tea and so on. ‘Verandah in the Forest’ is truly a remarkable getaway from the fast paced city life.

Dinner for the royalty

Jayanti’s 60th Birthday. My dearest wife reached the 60 landmark on 17 Oct 2016. The whole family was excited and made detailed plans to celebrate. Bali and Sri Lanka were ruled out due to paucity of time and finally we chose ‘Jaipur’ the pink city to bring in her birthday. Vivek, Shubhra and Samara joined us at the airport for an early morning flight. We checked into ‘The Marriot, Jaipur’, to be joined by Akhila, Anirban, Ayaan, Agastya and Aarin.

The three day celebration started with a delicious lunch at ‘Spice Court’. Marwari Mutton Tikka, Kheema Batti and Lal Mass stole the show. Going to a restaurant with Anirban and Vivek is a complex exercise involving assessment of various places, consultation with other foodies, research on the net etc. Without exception we end up eating gourmet food and other exotica in the best places in town.

At Spice Court restaurant

All in Jai's honour

In the evening we visited ‘Rambhag Palace’ Jaipur. Even a short stay in the hotel is sufficient to absorb the magnificence of this 181 year old structure. The palace comes alive at night with colorful and elegant lighting and melodious live music in the background. The overall ambiance is one of luxury and unadulterated opulence with a touch of royalty. The hotel staff prepared a lovely birthday cake for Jai.

Simply captivating

A photo op

Cake cutting in advance. Twins had retired

The grand kids and I spent a lot of time in the pool and indulged in a Jacuzzi and sauna.  Marriot looks after the tourist very well, the food is good and the staff is polite and helpful. The next morning we visited the famous ‘Lassiwala’ of Jaipur to quench our thirst. Thereafter we went on a drive around the city before returning to the hotel for a quiet lunch and some badly needed rest.

The evening was filled with fun and frolic.

Joy ride in Jaipur

At Lassiwala

 We visited ‘Choki Dhani’ which offers Rajasthani heritage, music, dance and traditional food under one umbrella. Everybody had something to do in the village -camel rides, arrow shooting, head massage, tribal dance and many other such activities kept all of us busy throughout the evening. The package deal includes a typical Rajasthani meal in an ethnic setting.  

  

Totally absorbed except one - Aggy

A lovely performance

Very pleased with each other

Waiting for the Rajastani meal

We reached the hotel just after the stroke of twelve. We brought in the birthday by popping a bottle of champagne, hugs from children and grand children and many good wishes to Jai.

Masti masters

Very apt

It was a wonderful holiday with our children, their spouses and all the grand children. Like Jai said” This was the best holiday I’ve had in a long time”. 

Jaipur after many years wears a very clean and tidy face. It was a pleasure to drive around in the city. 

A lovely evening with daughter dear. Narain Nivas Palace Hotel Jaipur

While on the subject of Jai’s 60th birthday, the school decided to celebrate her birthday on our return. I was also invited to the function. Both of us were in for a pleasant surprise. The school had organized a full-fledged ’Shashtipoorthi’ ceremony.  The term Shasti in numerology denotes sixty (60). In an individual’s life, the completion of sixty years is referred to as Shastipoorthi. It is regarded as a renewal of marital vows and marks the transition from the material to the spiritual world. The event is marked by the celebration of second round of marriage rituals.

Are you serious

Very serious after the second wedding

All the witnesses

Freedom International School celebrated their Annual Sports Day on 15 Dec 2016 with the theme ‘A Tribute to the Armed Forces’. They invited Air Vice Marshal Sandeep Singh, Commandant of Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE)as the chief guest. A few of us veterans also attended the sports day. All the events were conducted with military precision and well received by the parents and spectators. There was even a Military Tattoo and a marching cadence presented by the four Houses at school. A replica of the Sukhoi aircraft, INS Vikramaditya and Kargil sand models created by the school staff and the students made for a great photo op after the function.

Sushama and Jai giving final touches to 'Kargil' sand model

Wedding in the Hills.  Our niece Karin married Gabriel in Coonoor on the 21 Dec 2016. It was yet another destination wedding. All the close relatives of the bride and the bridegroom were there along with friends of the bride’s parents. The bride’s friends joined the merriment in large numbers and so did the local guests. The three day celebrations included the welcome dinner at Wellington Lake, the Mehendi ceremony at Dunmore House, the reception at the Wellington Gymkhana Club, and finally the wedding at the Taj Gateway Hotel. All the events were organized in different venues which made it extremely interesting.

Karin and Gabriel all smiles

Very proud parents

A photo of for brother and sisters

The wedding was extremely well organized. The planning and the execution of the wedding were excellent. Girija and Shankar had planned all the events with great care and attention to detail. Old friends, good weather and the lovely ambiance of Coonoor made a positive impact on the wedding.

Karin and Gabriel looked radiant in their wedding attire, full of smiles and warmth.

We wish them both a very long and happy married life.

Jai and I along with our children and four grandchildren stayed in a cottage ‘Shunyata’ located eight kilometers from Coonoor. The cottage is located at an elevation overlooking a beautiful valley. The accommodation is very well appointed with three bed rooms and a huge drawing and dining. Early morning tea in the verandah, trekking in the tea garden and sighting wild Nilgiri Gaur in the estate were the highlights of our short stay. The cottage is looked after by a very affable family which is co-located in the compound. Steaming hot, delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner is prepared by the family on request. Considering its lovely location and good facilities, the charges for renting the entire property appeared to be quite reasonable. 

The view speaks for itself

Another view of the valley below

Tryst with Tiger. Daughter and family and the two of us left for the ‘Wilderness Resort’, Nagarhole early in the morning on 26 Dec as a part of our annual wild life trip. Both Akhila and Anirban are passionate wild life buffs. The resort is located at a distance of 195 Km from Bangalore on Nagarhole Road adjacent to ‘Veeranahosahalli Village’. After a sumptuous breakfast in ‘Kamat Upachar’ we reached the resort by lunch time. The condition of road to Hunsur and beyond has improved a lot, making the drive enjoyable. Including the BF stop, we clocked around seven hours. The December weather was extremely pleasant, especially inside the resort. 36 Km further on the same road takes you to the gates of the ‘Nagarhole Tiger Reserve’. The road passes through Nalkeri forest.

‘Wilderness Resort’ is a sprawling resort spread over twenty acres of forested area with every creature comfort to keep the guests happy and contented. The architecture finds a delicate balance between nature and functionality. The builders have ensured all their structures blend extremely well with the natural surroundings.

As you enter the resort through a specially designed gate, an enormous foyer welcomes the guests to the reception, sitting and dining area. The openness of the structure with its high ceiling, immediately unlocks one’s senses to merge with nature. 

There is a very well appointed ‘Activity Room’ with TT, Billiards and many other indoor games.  A small amphitheater is housed near the lobby for screening wildlife documentaries. It also has a party area with a pit for barbecues and bonfires. To keep the guest occupied, the resort has a cute swimming pool, a tall observation post and a rope way to slither across.

Huge and impressive facade

Tall and spacious foyer overlooking the party area, amphitheater and the barbeque pit

Well spread out cottages and suites

The Tent

A typical cottage

There are different types of accommodation from, Luxury Tents, Teak View Cottages and King, Queen and Master Suites. The accommodation is well spread out to enhance privacy and provide an uncluttered view of the flora and fauna. The rooms are really huge with spacious verandahs and some of them have a lovely open air bathing area.

Nagarahole means, Naga – Snake and Hole – Stream. The forest is situated in two districts of Mysore and Kodagu in the state of Karnataka. It was originally constituted into a sanctuary in the year 1955 covering an area of 258 sq. Kms and subsequently enlarged to include the adjoining areas of Mysore district and now extends over an area of 643.39 sq. kms which was given the status of a National Park in 1983.

The morning safari starts at 5.30 am and the evening one at 3.30 pm lasting a total of two hours. We did a total of 4 jeep and 1 bus safaris. On the very first day we were extremely lucky to witness a mock charge by a female elephant and for the very first time I heard an elephant’s shrill trumpet as she reached out to her herd. I was really scared to see an agitated elephant so close, in spite of our driver/guide assurances that it was only a ‘mock’ charge.

Inmates of the forest

Spotted deer

Admiring 

Most sought after

Crested Serpent eagle

Malabar Giant Squirrel

The deadly Gaur

 After the safari we were driving back to the resort and all of a sudden the jeep stopped and the guide showed us a tiger in a clearing. With the sudden surge of adrenalin, the excitement builds up and you feel totally elated. This was my first sighting of a Tiger in the wild and it was truly fascinating.

Waiting for the safari

Every evening we sat in the verandah and enjoyed the stillness of the forest and the tranquility that pervades any forest. Apart from going on all the safaris, the children thoroughly enjoyed being in the open.

We were extremely fortunate to have Mohammed Anees, a well-known herpetologist, take us on safaris. Anees is in charge of ‘Wilderness Resort’ and is passionately involved with wildlife. Being with Anees added a very special flavor to our stay. He kept us busy with his snake catching episodes, tiger sightings and other jungle tales. Anees has been associated with snakes since he was three years old and continues to be a snake saver.  In fact, in the CBSE syllabus, Class V students study a chapter on Anees called, “The Snake Saver”, introduced to create awareness about conservation.

The Legendary Snake Saver

In addition to being a snake saver Anees loves to cook. Mutton biriyani, specially prepared by him was our culinary highlight. The food in the resort is well prepared and tasty.

After three eventful days we left Nagarahole and Wilderness Resort completely satisfied.

Family gathered around a bonfire waiting for the year to end. We finally bid good bye to 2016 and ushered in 2017 by lighting a lantern and letting it loose to soar into the sky and shed light on all.

Cheers until next time.

Once again Happy New Year to one and all