Here is an interesting list of 100 books from the Travel site WorldHum (via Nathan Bransford)
1) A Dragon Apparent, by Norman Lewis
2) A House in Bali, by Colin McPhee
3) A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway
4) A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby
5) A Time of Gifts, by Patrick Leigh Fermo

Read the rest here

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1. Holiday list 2008
2. Travel lessons learnt the hard way
3. Book Tag: My Son’s Story by Nadine Gordimer

Nguyen Tuong Van will be hanged tomorrow. In Singapore. Because he was trafficking heroin. It makes me sad – this is in a world where terrorists go scot-free. Even people who had run concentration camps have had lesser sentences. I am against capital punishment, except perhaps in cases of the most heinous crimes. And in my books, drug trafficking just isn’t one of them. Much has been talked about Nguyen Tuong Van’s death sentence. I have nothing new to add, so I will just say “Peace be to all”.

But the incident has made me of think of Singapore today and put me in a melancholic mood. Its probably not the best time to talk well of Singapore. Yet, I feel like writing about Singapore, as I knew it.

Every once in a while friends and acquaintances, often those who haven’t stepped outside of Changi airport, decide to tell me their views on Singapore. Sometimes, they tell me it is such a beautiful efficiently run city. Some others just can’t believe how people can live in a place that has such a stifling government and care about nothing else, but their materialistic needs.

I don’t usually bother to argue. At the end of the day, its not my home country and my feelings of loyalty are, at best, stretched. But I can’t help but feel that Singapore is misunderstood. Singapore is the quiet girl in the class who gets straight As in the exams, but is never really popular in school because she is such a prude. Yet she tries really really hard to be the cool-kid. Her parents tell her that she should “seriously” have fun! Yet, they tell her that grades are all that really matters. The poor prude girl is really confused. Could anyone have known that beneath the pristine doll-like image, there is a silently troubled child, with a complicated and sullied inside, every bit as human as anyone can be.

People don’t see the real Singapore – the real Singapore doesn’t exist in the tall financial centers or the huge malls or the parliament buildings, where they make us believe democracy has some role to play. Singapore is not limited to the yuppies who aspire to buy the latest Porsche or the Armani-aspiring corporate mogul-wanna-be who couldn’t care less about what happens around them, as long as they get their 5 (or is it more now? )Cs. Thats just what is presented to the outside world. In fact, even many Singaporeans see themselves through those tinted shades.

If you want to see the heart and soul of Singapore, wander not through Millenia walk or Suntec city, but through the narrow roads of China Town or Little India or Arab street, or even the little parks around Bishan or Ang Mo Kio. The fat lady who sells you the Char Kway Teow or the little girl who brings you the ice kacang at the hawker centers, has a story to tell, if only if you had the time to listen. Singapore is not a land of boring, law-abiding people who don’t think and who work and walk like machines – its a place with as much life and emotion as any other, if only you would look beyond the surface.

If the heart of India is in her villages, the heart of Singapore is in her HDB flats. Thats where the dreams are dreamt and tears are wept. If the Singapore government doesn’t hear the collective sigh of the heartlands, they would miss out on reaching out to the real Singapore. And if they don’t let us see the real Singapore, we will all go back with our own false images. If Singapore seems to you like a land straight out of Pleasantville, its only because someone has put a thick filter which blocks out all the colours, somewhere between your eyes and the reality. And you know who that someone is. It is often one’s flaws that makes us human, and thus beautiful. As you desperately try to hide your flaws, you also hide yourself. Singapore, isn’t it about time that you let us see the real you?

The next time someone talks to me about Singapore, I just wish they would talk about not just the concrete buildings or the super clean streets or the democracy that doesn’t seem to be, but something less superficial. Lets talk about the heart of Singapore, shall we?

Comments (In the spirit of free speech, the comment moderation was off. But please note that the comments below are not my opinions)

1. Singapore, the  misunderstood child

   "Singapore is the quiet girl in the class who gets straight As in the exams, but is never really popular in school because she is such a prude."
   S beautifully introduces us to the real Singapore behind the glitz and glamor of a fishing vi…

   Trackback by DesiPundit — December 1, 2005 @ 6:56 am

2. Most Beautiful post I have seen in a along time, excellent post. Yes, every country has its hells kitchens and madhobani or as you said HDB flats. You or anyone couldn’t have presented it in a better way.

   Comment by tony — December 1, 2005 @ 8:41 am

3. Oh, your post sounds so right!

   I was there — may be about six years ago? — just for a few days. I went in with all kinds of preconceived notions about the place – about how it is all very stifling, and how basic human freedoms are neglected, and how the people must be feeling pretty bad and so on. During that visit, I realised that what I had were not personal notions, but personal neuroses. In a way, that one visit cured me!

   Having said that, I do wonder about Singapore: having achieved a great amount of financial success, is that the only end? Surely there is more to life? At what point will the people rise up and say “I have had grown enough in this — the economic — dimension, but I want to grow in other dimensions too”?

   Comment by Abi — December 1, 2005 @ 10:46 am

4. Beautifully written … I’ve visited Singapore many times, but this makes me want to go there and take a fresh look.

   Comment by anjali — December 1, 2005 @ 10:47 am

5. The sentences are always so severe there?

   Comment by Arunima — December 1, 2005 @ 2:27 pm

6. Tony, Anjali : thanks! =)

   Comment by S — December 1, 2005 @ 4:46 pm

7. Abi, thanks for dropping by. And I am glad you dropped the pre-conceived notions after a short visit. Not many people do that, even after spending time in SG..

   Financial success is definitely not the only end and I think Singaporeans are slowly realising it. I think the time is ripe now, for Singapore to rise above the economic dimension and aim for holistic development. Especially since most of the current generation haven’t known the hardships that the older generation went through – they are not satisfied with financial stability and success in itself, but seek more out of life.

   But IMO, this is also the time the Government needs to act (or maybe not act so much) in the right direction. I think the Government realises it too, but what will they (and the people) do about it ? – we’ll just have to wait and see..

   Comment by S — December 1, 2005 @ 5:43 pm

8. Arunima, thanks for dropping by.
   For drug trafficking, yes, it is always so severe.
   For the rest, lets just say its not a very forgiving country.

   Comment by S — December 1, 2005 @ 5:48 pm

9. Singapore, the misunderstood child

   I cannot help but feel that this person grok something about Singapore–at least the Singapore that I know and call home…

   Trackback by From a Singapore Angle — December 1, 2005 @ 8:19 pm

10. Beautifully written.

    I’ve visited Singapore a couple of times. Every time, i’m struck by the efficiency and ethic, that always seems to be on the surface. Everyone’s smiling and doing their job. But there always seems to be some kind of underlying desire for something else.

    And there are little moments of madness, that you see in little India or China town…..just telling you that there’s more there than meets the eye.

    Comment by Sunil — December 1, 2005 @ 8:53 pm

11. Very poetic, and very true.

    Comment by Elia Diodati — December 1, 2005 @ 10:01 pm

12. Sunil, Elia: Thanks!

    Comment by S — December 2, 2005 @ 8:22 am

13. Beautifully written with every word well verse in its meaning of what Singaporean is about. I will spend more time on your blog to read what had been posted before and here after. Glad to know some blogger with indepth thoughts about their own country.
    Thankyou for your education…

    Comment by Kristoffer — December 2, 2005 @ 11:28 am

14. “I am against capital punishment, except perhaps in cases of the most heinous crimes.’

    Which also means you’re not against.

    “And in my books, drug trafficking just isn’t [heinous].”

    I beg to differ. You probably never have punks coming up to you, brandishing a switch blade, and asking for crack money, have you? And whose fault would it be if I’d died that day?

    Comment by phil — December 2, 2005 @ 11:40 am

15. you have romanticised singapore. it is still tinted. that’s where the problem is. if you rule, we will probably have cotton candy balls for meals. unfortunately, our constrained space and the lack of resources have produced broken souls in the heartlands.

    tired souls.

    interestingly, we are emerging a ’softporn’ industry. our hearts, concealed i am afraid, may not be too far the image of NKF.

    pleasantville we are certainly not. try taking out the first L from the word!

    Comment by goldfish — December 2, 2005 @ 1:29 pm

16. thanks…for looking deep beneath the surface, to see who really makes up Singapore

    Comment by MQube — December 2, 2005 @ 4:04 pm

17. You are absolutely right and have expressed it so beautifully.

    Comment by rana (blowin’ in the wind) — December 2, 2005 @ 5:59 pm

18. Well put, you.

    My Philipino colleagues love Singapore’s stability though. They’ve been to the much more “vibrant” Hong Kong to live, and yet, we are still better than them in many ways, especially the food!

    Whenever they talk about Singapore it’s with a comforable fondness. We Singaporeans have only gripe. Weird huh. Some foreigners prefer our country than its citizens. Darn.

    Comment by barffie — December 2, 2005 @ 6:09 pm

19. Singapore Angle: Thanks for linking, and for defending my post in your blog comments.

    Goldfish: My intention was not to romanticise Singapore and I don’t think it has even come across as such. Thanks for visiting anyways.

    Phil: No, I haven’t had punks coming up to me, brandishing a switch blade, and asking me for crack money. I am sorry if you have had that experience. But that doesn’t make drug trafficking an offence serious enough for a state to kill somoene over. You could just as easily have an alcoholic brandish a blade and demand money for his next drink. I am not saying drug trafficking is good or even that it should not be punished. It should be. But just not with capital punishment, thats all.

    Kristoffer, MQube, Rana, Barffie: Thanks for the nice comments and for dropping by!

    And just to clarify for those who seem to think I am a Singaporean: I am not. So, this is still a foreigner’s view, albeit from someone who has lived there before.

    Comment by S — December 2, 2005 @ 8:42 pm

20. You’re most welcome.

    Comment by HUICHIEH LOY — December 2, 2005 @ 10:07 pm

21. This is an excellent post! The real Singapore can only be felt when you live here long enough, among the Singaporeans, within our neighbourhood.

    Comment by DarkHarf — December 3, 2005 @ 2:14 am

22. my apology. on second read(first was a quick browse), the essense of your message was clearer.

    the fat lady who sells the Char Kway Teow should thank you!

    but then, her heart needs a check-up!

    too much ‘fat’ content!

    Comment by goldfish — December 3, 2005 @ 3:16 am

23. Amazingly well written post. I, going a step ahead, can say without conviction that this place sux big time.

    The city, unlike India or any other free country in the world spends so much on camouflaging the negative aspects of it and till date it has succeeded in wooing people frm all countries by developing the brand as the most strategic location this side of the world.

    There are lots of such sad stories, and with the media and trade unions totally taken over by the government, there is really nothing that people are exposed to. The hard sob stories go unheard…and people have accepted the way things are, bcos they are constantly bombarded with news reading how big they are in the world..

    Comment by Arun — December 3, 2005 @ 6:30 am

24. beautifully conveyed…

    Comment by dude — December 3, 2005 @ 8:35 am

25. I don’t really think you have the right perspective of Singapore. Singapore is the child who was always tiny and sickly. Her parents weren’t rich and she didn’t come to this earth with a silver spoon in her mouth. She was so poor that there was no water in the house to drink, and her neighbour squabbled about sharing water supplies. Singapore sensed that if she didn’t pull up her socks and be the hardworking, strict child, there would be no reason to give Singapore a second glance because there are relaxed, rich children around who don’t give a damn about safety and security.

    Hence Singapore worked really hard at building up herself. People think it’s strange a scrawny kid does well. They think it’s strange that from nothing sprouted something.

    Our tall buildings and our clean streets tell of our hardwork and past suffering. The rich have worked hard for their money, and those currently poor constantly encourage their kids to study hard. If you look at Singapore’s best schools, you have a more than half of the students staying in HDB flats.

    Yes, Singapore is misunderstood. People only notice when you’re rich and successful and attribute it to luck. Only large countries with a long bloody history have a real story to tell, while tiny spots of land should remain unseen and unheard.

    I’ve always felt amazed that people think Singapore is exceptionally clean. I thought that is the way it should be. In fact any neighbouring country has natural forests and rivers, and should be at least ten times cleaner than us. It isn’t hard to keep a place clean, just don’t litter! I don’t even litter overseas where there are no fines for littering. So it’s not just the fines that prevent people from littering, it’s a mindset that wants to preserve the cleanliness of the place.

    Singapore also has poor people, or rather, even the rich eat at hawker centres and their offspring take the same public transport as every other person. If you think that having poor people are flaws we’re trying to hide, perhaps you live in a fantasy world. Well-off Singaporeans lead a good life, but they stay down to earth and rooted in local culture.

    Comment by ice — December 3, 2005 @ 7:49 pm

26. No matter what brickbats are thrown at you, arguably it is still a beautifully written and emotive piece. Thanks for trying to see the 7/8s of the iceberg that is hidden.

    Comment by Aristocrat — December 3, 2005 @ 7:55 pm

27. Nguyen’s brother also a convicted trafficker

    Aussie court suppressed fact that he was a drug runner and given jail term for savage attack on teen

    SYDNEY – THE brother of an Australian drug courier hanged in Singapore is a convicted drug trafficker and had been sentenced to jail for a savage samurai sword attack, but details of the case were suppressed due to fear that they could jeopardise clemency appeals.

    KHOA’S CRIMINAL BACKGROUND was not publicised in Australia, in order to avoid jeopardising his twin brother’s plea for clemency in Singapore. — EPA

    The Australian reported yesterday that Nguyen Tuong Van’s brother, Nguyen Khoa Dang, in 1998 repeatedly slashed a teenager with a samurai sword, seriously wounding the 17-year-old’s arm, buttock, ankle and left knee.

    He was sentenced to three years in jail for the attack, which resulted in the victim requiring plastic surgery.

    But County Court judge Meryl Sexton suspended the jail term because Khoa’s ‘personal situation…(had) become so traumatic because of (his) brother’s situation’, the newspaper reported.

    The judge ordered that the sentence be suspended partly because his twin brother was awaiting execution in Singapore.

    She also banned publication of case details while Australian officials repeatedly appealed to Singapore not to hang Nguyen, said The Australian.

    Details of Khoa’s conviction could be published yesterday for the first time after Judge Sexton lifted a publication restriction imposed to avoid jeopardising Ngu- yen’s plea for clemency.

    Khoa faced court in June last year, where he pleaded guilty to riotous assembly and recklessly causing serious injury.

    In December 1998, Khoa was involved in a brawl between Asian and Islander youths in a park in the northern Melbourne suburb of Reservoir.

    The prosecution alleged that Khoa armed himself with a samurai sword and struck Glen Kohu repeatedly, causing him serious injury.

    The Australian reported Judge Sexton as saying that Kohu was confined to a wheelchair after the attack, forced to leave school and had since struggled to stay employed.

    The trial took more than four years to reach the county court, partly because of concerns about the effect it would have on the Singapore trial of Nguyen, who was arrested in December 2002, according to The Australian.

    In April 2003, Judge Sexton agreed to adjourn the case because of Nguyen’s trial in Singapore.

    ‘Amongst the reasons for my doing so which I can refer to was the effect on you of having your twin brother awaiting trial in Singapore for a capital offence,’ The Australian quoted her as saying.

    Khoa is a convicted drug trafficker.

    He had also previously served time for drug-trafficking offences and was released from prison in July 2002.

    Nguyen claimed in his trial that he had been trying to smuggle heroin to pay for his brother’s mounting legal bills, partly incurred by the court case that followed Khoa’s involvement in the brawl.

    The court heard that Khoa, now 25, left home against his mother’s wishes, abused drugs and alcohol and was a frequent customer of Melbourne’s Crown casino.

    Nguyen’s arrest had resulted in ‘an increase in (the) level of (Khoa’s) maturity’ but he had relapsed into heroin use in 2003, possibly as a result of his brother’s arrest in Singapore, The Australian quoted Judge Sexton as saying.

    Khoa was in Singapore last week for the execution of his brother.

    Nguyen’s family left last night for Australia with his body.

    Mr Lex Lasry, who has been the family spokesman, addressed the media although the family members kept mum at Changi Airport yesterday evening.

    Asked about Khoa’s criminal record, Mr Lasry said he did not know about it and dismissed it as irrelevant.

    ‘I don’t have a view about it,’ he said.

    ‘I’ve got some views about Khoa and where he’s going from here and I don’t want to say anything about that.’

    Comment by Lexx — December 4, 2005 @ 8:05 am

28. Your post is the most banal and predictable one I’ve read for a long time. Come on, no country or city is as it seems on the surface as seen by packaged tours1 So, tell me another!

    Comment by lucy — December 4, 2005 @ 9:50 am

29. It is all a question of perspective. Comparatively speaking, Singapore is really not a bad place to live at the moment. Eventhough there are many things that’s right about the place, I can’t help feeling, the prevailing ideology embraced by its leaders will bring increase suffering to its general populace in the years to come.

    And it’s not restricted to Singapore alone!

    Comment by Icebreaker — December 4, 2005 @ 11:22 am

30. Hrm, how insightful! I can’t help but nod in agreement but isnt that the same for every country, every person living on the surface of this earth? Yes, i think it is.

    Comment by dominique — December 5, 2005 @ 6:54 am

31. interesting essay you wrote. i live in singapore and i’m a foreigner and i have many things to say that make singapore feel like home and the meaning of illusion. I can say i’ve experienced every part of singapore. eating at sarangoon gardens to partying at every place possible from zouk to MS to screaming at a store owner in sim lim to sell me a phone for $60 to realizing i need to learn chinese in chinatown(i can understand singlish perfectly, slangs included)to getting my drivers license in angmokio. I’ve also lived the illusion that singapore offers such as international school to condos to partying at New Asia at the swiss hotel and the materialistic bullshit. It has it all, but it lacks something. a love for the country that is REAL. Just about every Singaporean i’ve talked to (very local ones and foreign wannabes) seem like they want to get out of singapore. The only freedom they have is money and to spend. you watch tv and unless you have cable, its brain washing media corp. all movies/news are censored (even scenes which are very meaningful) and aside from ads and commercials, when do you see a singaporean idolizing a local star? its always a foreign one. just walk into far east or heeren and its so obvious. now they’re gonna ban smoking in bars and clubs and newton and all hawker stalls and every place possible!?!?!?!? are they kidding? lets hope that all teh uncles and aunties there don’t give a crap. singapore used to be a nice place. but singapore is changing at incredible speed in front of our eyes into something where paranoia sits in our minds like a bad itch you can’t reach. everything that makes the “cultured” parts of singapore are being destroyed and renovated for corporate shit or preserved only for tourist attractions. i love singapore. Even though it’s small n all, it has a lively atmosphere that i can’t help but love. but this has been changing over time and seeing the direction its headed, i can see that opinion changing.

    Comment by splashes — December 5, 2005 @ 8:46 pm

32. the movers and shakers in that nation doesn’t want to accept the reality that they are but a very small country with a very small dwindling population(locals)with tremendous odds against them so they keep harboring the hope of being big, as in being extremely competitive so as to achieve no. 1 status in as many fields as possible, because to them, that’s how this small city state is going to survive and the people generally believed it!

    but poor thing, most are dead tired. many can’t get out of the rat race. many can’t afford to stop working to enjoy their twilight years. probably many will face financial problems later as the populace ages!

    most of their problems are self made. they have this philosophy of protecting mega enterprises at the expense of the people and at all costs! to them, the survival of enterprises is the survival of the people because jobs are involved! however, my personal view is that, that wisdom in the long run has many social repercussion. unfortunately, there are billions of dollars at stake in those enterprises and many VIPs involved. so i do not foresee they would want that change.

    so the pressure will always be – first, the survival of corporate entity over the individual entity. the individual then becomes a digit in such a city state.it purpose is to feed the corporate entity.so from the day the individual is born, he/she is given a number or a value to the day he/she dies. in other words, the individual will be graded for life! either in performance or how much the person has in his/her bank account,owns,possess etc.

    why?because the movers and shakers cant think beyond the marketplace! they are trapped in that place eventhough they are sincere about seeking an even distribution of wealth. but that’s not going to happen any time soon because, the elites favor a trickle up system lead by their powerful businessmen!

    the final discourse will be very suffocating at the bottom! many young today do not know better because, they still have their youth to enjoy. but the fruits are beginning to show. if they don’t change the current course, i think, they have to accept the erosion of everything pure and sacred which they once held dearly!

    from gold to silver to bronze to iron and clay. such a ruler can only be degenerative!

    that’s my personal view

    Comment by nano — December 6, 2005 @ 5:26 pm

33. Thanks, everyone, for the comments. Appreciate the different views on the topic.

    Comment by S — December 10, 2005 @ 6:37 pm

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Portage, also called a carry, is a place where boats are carried over the dike from one canal into another. Something, which is quite hard to imagine, till you actually see it.

Broek op Langedijk, literally means the bridge on the long dike. The village, about 50 kms north of Amsterdam, consists of houses built on the dike that was built to protect the land from the vagaries of the North Sea. The region around this is called the “Realm of the Thousand Islands”. In actual fact, the number of islands dotting this area is close to 15,000.

Around the year 1000 AD, the North Holland of today was mainly a peat area dotted with peat rivers. Houses were built on the banks and the surrounding sands were used for agriculture. However, during the 11th century there were several dry summers, which rendered the land unsuitable for agriculture. In the ingenious Dutch way, ditches were dug around the land, resulting in a lot of water ways surrounding numerous islands. The small islands were used for cultivating vegetables and fruits. The proximity to water kept the plots relatively warm even during the cold Dutch winters. The size of the island was determined by what one man could cultivate by hand. The reclamation continued for centuries and ultimately, the “Realm of thousand islands” was born.

Before 1887, the island gardeners sold their vegetables and fruits directly to the boatmen and traders. However, the negotiations took a lot of time. The solution was to set up an auction. On 29 July 1887, the world’s first vegetable auction was held here, at Broek op Langedijk. The auction was first held as an open air auction, but over the years, a jetty was built, then a roof and then an auctioneer’s high chair and thus the auction house slowly evolved.

1903 saw an important development in the evolution of the auction house — the auction clock. Till then the auctions were held orally, and sometimes led to misunderstandings.

And in 1912, the whole auction was moved to the sail-through auction house as we see it now. 1900 wooden piles were sunk into the water and they support the beautiful auction hall. Just outside the auction house are the mooring halls, where the farmers would wait their turn in their vegetable boats. In its heydays, there would be around 100-150 boats waiting on a typical auction day.

When it was their turn, the farmer would sail into the auction house. The auctioneer would then facilitate the auction, Dutch style. Did you know that the Dutch auction, made popular in recent years thanks to the Google IPO, was first started by a trader here in Broek op Langedijk? In the traditional Dutch auction the auctioneer begins with a high asking price, which is lowered until some participant is willing to accept the auctioneer’s price, or a predetermined minimum price is reached.

If you are ever in Broek op Langedijk, you must attend one of the highly entertaining auctions. Admittedly, they are no longer real auctions and is a part of the museum, but the good news is that, now you can pretend to be a trader from the seventeenth century and bid your way to glory.

The auction starts with the auctioneer quoting the minimum price. This shows up on the auction clock face, and steadily starts dropping till one of the buyer indicates his willingness to pay the price by pressing the button in front of him. But be careful what you press for, thanks to my trigger-happy husband, we almost walked away with 65 kilograms of onions. Thankfully, the Dutch auctioneer took pity on us since we did not understand the language, and instead just decided to nickname him the Onion Trader for the rest of the session.

There are many auction houses all over North Holland — Enkhuizen, Grootebroek, Medemblik, Hoogkarspel, Broekerhaven, Opperdoes, Avenhorn, Noord-Scharwoude, Warmenhuizen, Hem and Obdam were all sail-through auctions. But the one at Broek op Langedijk was the first and the last, closing its doors finally in 1973.

Related posts:
Aalsmer flower auction
Holiday list 2008 (10)

References:
Lonely Planet Netherlands
The Undutchables

More pictures:

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1) Marrakech: I know this is cheating, since I have already been there this year. But still counts as part of 2008 travel list. And if I may recommend, definitely a place to go to. Desert, mountains, culture, food, arts crafts, the old, the new – everything in one place – that’s what you have with the magic of Marrakech. You can read more on it here and see the pictures here.

2) Libya : Putting Libya on the list is a leap of faith – I am right in the process of trying to get a visa, and I must say the whole process has been difficult, to say the least. But if the Visa Gods be kind, I will be there – to see the beautiful Roman ruins at Leptus Magna and Sabratha, to camp out in the great Saharan deserts, spend some time in Tripoli and hopefully get some good Mediterranean sea air.

3) Prague: Prague was on my 2007 list, but I didn’t make it. Hopefully 2008 will be different. Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, it is supposed to be is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. As if to drive home the point, statistics show that it is one of the most visited cities in Europe.

4) Heidelberg: How could I have lived in Germany and missed Heidelberg? I know I know. But then, the cities closest to you are the ones you often end up not visiting. Now that there is a five hour drive between me and Heidelberg, I think I will make a weekend trip to this city of castles. Heidelberg is also a beautiful university town and the difficult part of this trip will be deciding whether to go there in March for the Heidelberger Frühling Music Festival or in June for the fireworks display Heidelberger Schlossbeleuchtung or in September for the Altstadt Autumn Festival. Tough choice.

5) Budapest & Bratislava: Eastern Europe is the general theme for the year. What with the opening of the borders of 9 more countries to the Schengen area, for those like me who have always found visas a hassle, the options have just dramatically increased. I can hardly wait to visit the beautiful cities of Buda and Pest and soak in the steamy healing waters Hungary is famous for. Bratislava may not be the most beautiful of cities, but there is something about the sound of the name that makes me want to visit it – may be it reminds me too much of Baklava, and just makes my mouth water.

6) Warsaw & Krakow: Ah, Poland, here I come! Krakow is supposed to have one of the most beautiful city squares in whole of Europe. I have seen quite a few impressive ones, the last one being Djmaa El-Fna ( I know, it is not in Europe, but still), so I am curious to see what is so impressive about the Krakow square. Curious I am to see Warsaw too – popularly known as the phoenix among cities – rising literally from the ashes, every time it was obliterated.

8) Tallinn & Riga: Four hours apart, I probably shouldn’t club Tallinn and Riga together. I would most likely do them in separate trips. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is one of those hidden gems that escape the eyes of the regular tourists. And I hear it is Europe’s newest party scene whatever be your inclination, though I am very far from being a party tourist and am much more intrigued by the history and beauty of the place. As for Riga, I have no idea what you could see there, but wouldn’t it be cool to go to a place where everyone spoke Latvian. I have no Latvian friends, and I have never heard the language – sure, I could google up a Youtube video, but nothing beats hearing a language in its natural habitat, does it? And usually, exotic languages come from exotic places.

9) Milan : Non-exotic, main stream and borderline boring, I know, Milan is so last century. But I must go there to shop. A pilgrimage to the Prada warehouse and non stop shopping in the quadrilatero della moda is firmly in the cards. Girl friends willing to ditch their better halves and come armed with credit cards and shopping shoes are welcome to be my travel companion, especially if you don’t wear the same size of clothes as I do.

10) Holland the unknown: Last year, we did most of the usual suspects in Holland – Hague, Rotterdam, Gouda, a night trip to Maastricht, Aalsmere, Enkhuizen, the Friesien islands up north – we have exhausted most of the places you would find in a guide book. It is time to haunt some locals, fish out some hidden treasures in this country and explore!

So there, that’s plan for the year. It is not cast in stone, so any suggestions are welcome. And I hope may be the list, and eventually the travelogs when I get round to write about the places I visit, would help you choose your own travel destinations.

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- Choose your time of travel carefully. It is best to choose the fringes of the peak season for your travels. Avoid the winter, because it’s just too cold, a lot of attractions may be closed and you may not have enough daylight to maximise your visit. In most countries in Central and Western Europe, the high tourist season tends to be June-August, which will of course be the best times in terms of weather, but the cons are that everything tends to be a lot more expensive, you will meet more tourists than locals and its hard to find good accommodation unless you plan very well in advance. So, the months of April, May, Sep and Oct tend to be a better choice.

- There are several backpacker inns, where you can get cheap bunk beds. A good place to look for them is Gomio. If you are traveling as a less than 4 person group and you need to share the room with strangers, don’t rely on the goodness of people – ask for a locker (a lot of the places have free lockers) to keep your valuables when you go gallivanting. And valuables on a backpacking trip are not just those that are expensive, but anything, if lost, would make the next legs of your journey miserable. However, if you are traveling as a couple, some of the low-end and mid-range hotels, can offer you a ’small’ double, which may be cheaper than two beds in a youth hostel. This is especially true in the off-season, because the youth hostel prices don’t vary too much across the seasons, but the hotel tariffs do. But that said, you meet less colourful people at hotels as compared to backpacker inns. You often get the best travel tips, adventure stories and fun times at these places – so make your own trade off.

- In many European countries, special fares are available for those below 26. This is true for trains, museum entries, hostel stays and so on. Ask for them, because even if you look your age, the person at the counter may just be absent-minded and forgetful. On some train routes (esp. Thalys and Deutsche Bahn), even if you won’t get a cheaper fare, you may get upgraded to first class for a marginally higher fare – and thats really worth it too.

- If you are from outside Europe, the easiest way to get around, is often to get a rail pass, available at Eurail . But if you reside anywhere in EU, you can’t buy that, and you have to resort to Interrail. But make sure you travel enough to make it worth it. I can’t say one is better than the other because it depends on individual itineraries. But in the last two trips we planned, it turned out to be cheaper to buy train tickets separately. This is especially the case if you are planning on night trains (not all night train routes are served by rail passes) and if you are planning to go off the beaten path (often the train routes in the places less traveled to tend to be sparse and infrequent), making it a convenient option to go by buses or to rent a car.

- Make the effort to learn a few words in the language of the place you are visiting. Even if the only words you can mutter are ‘Sie’, ‘Merci’, ‘Guten Tag’, and you come off as linguistically-challenged tourist, your efforts will be appreciated and you will be better off than a linguistically-indifferent tourist. And you never know when you will be in a place where you absolutely have no way out without some local language and some words are better than no words.

- Eat heavy breakfasts and lunches and save on dinner. May be this one is really for the shoe string traveler, but I firmly believe that the less I spend on a particular trip, the more places I can cover with my fixed travel budget and so every penny counts. Bed & breakfast places tend to be good value for money, with a decent (don’t expect the impressive breakfast spreads like they have in most Asian hotels) breakfast of breads, cold meats and dairy products. Most cities have good lunch menus which are filling and cheap. And dinners are just over the top! So, get to the local supermarket and buy a loaf of bread or some soup to keep yourself satiated till morning. And if you are a real foodie, a little research beforehand will ensure you find the best of any city’s cuisine.

- When you are booking hotels, first try the ‘aggregator’ sites that search several hotels. Good ones are allukhotels, activehotels and hotel.com. There are several others specific to regions or countries, which can easily found by a google search. Not only do they save you time, but also they tend to offer slightly cheaper deals than booking directly at the hotels. Internet booking usually tends to be cheaper, but there are sometimes hidden gems in most cities that have no online presence and hence can be known only through word of mouth. Best places to find them – backpackers’ travelogues and travel forums.

If you are still reading, I hope you could found at least one little tip to make all that reading worth your while!

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We arrived at Marrakech on a bright sunny Christmas morning – the contrast could not have been starker – from grey wintry Amsterdam to bright sunny Marrakech, from Christmas décor at every street corner to a country which seemed collectively oblivious to the commercialization of Christmas, from bicycles and bakfiets on the streets to mule-driven carriages and old men pulling handcarts.

Marrakech is the capital of Southern Morocco. It was once the capital of all Morocco, a majestic city that could hold its own among the large Moroccan cities of Fes, Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca. The fortunes of Marrakech have risen and fallen over the last thousand years, as it was attacked, dominated, and then lovingly rebuilt by its many conquerors. From the Phoenicians to the Romans to the Byzantines to the Vandals and to finally the Arabs, this Berber metropolis has seen many visitors – wanted and unwanted – and yet managed to retain a culture and tradition that is uniquely its own – a splendid mix of its nomadic Berber roots blended with all that came after.

The Riad where we stayed at, Dar Ihssane, is one of the many old townhouses that have been converted into convenient accommodations for the increasing numbers of tourists, who come here in search of something old and something new. Unrivalled in their personable service, Riads also offer the tourists an opportunity to experience traditional Moroccan living, and to examine and appreciate at close quarters the colors and crafts that seem to adorn even an ordinary man’s humble abode. Dar Ihsanne, also provided us with the occasion to have an excellent home-made Moroccan meal, specially cooked for us by our housekeeper, Hanane, under a starlight Mediterranean sky.

Djemaa El-Fna
Just a stone’s throw away from our Riad was Djemaa El-Fna. The Djemma El-Fna is not a place to visit, but an experience to relish. A vast open-air square, with thousands of stalls, vendors and buskers active at any time of the day or night, the El-Fna is a pandemonium of every imaginable sound, sight and smell – Here, you can buy almost everything from rare spices to old quaint coins to herbal medicines in shady bottles; delight in any experience from snake charming to henna tattoos to belly dancing; savor whichever taste appeals your palette – from disconcerting lamb heads to innocuous salted snails and mouthwatering sesame sweets. The Djemaa El-Fna, flanked by the distinctive Koutoubia Minaret is undeniably the icon of Marrakech and probably the first image every visitor would conjure up when they think of their time spent here.

Koutoubia
The Koutoubia minaret, with intricately carved cedar wood steps and minute gold, silver and ivory marquetry, is supposed to be a jewel of Islamic art – unfortunately only Muslims are allowed inside the mosque. However, even the views from outside are well worth a visit. The three golden-brown globes on top of the minaret are said to represent the three principles of Islam – Faith, Prayer and Fasting. Legend has it that they were made by melting the gold jewellery of the wife of Yakun ul-Mansur, the Almohodan ruler who finished the mosque in 1189 AD. To ensure that they would never be stolen, a genie has been enslaved by a magic spell, and forced to keep watch over them. And anyone who attempts to approach the globes with less than noble intentions would have to suffer the wrath of the eagerly waiting genie. This is one of the many examples of Arabian and Berber folklore that are a part and parcel of Marrakech life.

Souks
Souks – the Moroccan equivalent of the bazaar – is the life blood of Marrakech. There are textile souks, leather souks, metal souks, wood souks – pretty much a souk for everything. Narrow shaded alleys, lined on both sides with shops crammed with wares manned by eager and often, charming vendors, the souks are a delight even to just walk through. And if you are the kind who takes particular pleasure in haggling yourself to an unbelievable deal, you are just in the right place – Haggling is as much a part of Moroccan culture as is tagine and mint tea

Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts are a major part of life here – more than half of the people of Marrakech apparently earn their living from the crafts. Perhaps because of the Islamic tradition of never depicting the human figure, much of the ingenuity and creativity of the arts here seem to have been directed at depicting the world outside. Repetitive patterns, geometric shapes and multitudes of bright colors make the designs unique and surreal, often reminding one of infinity with all its grandiose. Apart from the souks, one place to buy the wares at fixed prices and to watch artisans at work, would be the Ensemble Artisanal, a state-run artisans’ complex, which is about 10 minutes walk from the El-Fna.

(To be continued)
For more pictures, click here

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Last week, we drove to the Aalsmeer flower auction house (below)- Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer – the largest commercial building in the world, covering a size of 1 million sq.m or 200 football fields. Every day, millions of flowers and cut plans are brought to Aalsmeer, where it is auctioned off to potential buyers all over the world, thus setting the price of flowers and effectively making it the wall street of flower trade.

Who would have imagined the complex journey each flower has made before it reaches our homes?

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It is true that changes are afoot in a nation that – after the Asian Financial Crisis, and the terror caused by the spread of SARs – realised its government could never offer it complete protection. The bargain for freedom from want in return for silent cooperation was not legitimately struck. It was based on the false notion that Singapore was a nation in charge of its own destiny rather than a small sliver of land, smaller than the dot that represents it on the global map.

It made me think of my last trip to Singapore, a couple of months back. Every time I visit Singapore, I am surprised by the pace of change. I, in my nostalgia, try to seek out places I knew from before, and am constantly reminded that I am oh-so-outdated.

But this time, I was struck by the number of foreigners. I still remember the time I first came to Singapore. The year was 1995 – sure, there were some foreigners around, but we felt like foreigners – I mean, we felt like we were a minority – as I assume, foreigners in any country are supposed to feel.

I was in Singapore for just a day and had way too many people to catch up with – so I set up shop at a cafe near Millenia towers and as I had cup of coffee after cup of coffee with friends who managed to sneak off work for a coffee break, I indulged in one of my fav pass times – people watching – and I was more than amazed by the proportion of foreigners – almost every other person seemed to be a foreigner!! And for the first time, I heard murmurs of dissent among my Singaporean friends, and we had some lively discussions on the topic.

I don’t quite get it – why is the Singapore Government so desperate for foreigners? Do they really need so many foreigners – to perhaps, the extent, that you have to ask who is the minority here? I can only imagine the government has a plan – and a good one too – that is behind this mass import of “talent”. But none of my Singaporean friends seemed quite able to explain to me the rationale behind the policy. Which begs a bigger question. This is just one of the many policies that the Government makes on behalf of the citizens. I wonder, without due political participation and debate, why do the people assume that the Government will get it right every single time? What if they are wrong?

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What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
- W.H.Davies

Happy Easter, and hope you had a good break.

I know you didn’t ask, but yes, I had a good break too. I had not looked forward to a holiday as much as I had to this one, for a very long time. Not because I was off to the most fascinating place on earth, or because I had always wanted to go there, but because I really needed a break. I used up a lot of my vacation days last year when I went to India on holiday, but somehow, going home to India is never a “holiday” – it is that period of one’s life when you turn over your life for the fulfillment of everyone else’s whims and fancies. Here, take my life – now, think of it as an odd football – yes, I know its not really round, but who said I am not crooked – now kick it all you like – yes, that’s a good pass – now I will wait for that person to pass judgment on my life – and then off we go again, ouch! that hurt, but hey, who am I to complain, I am but an odd football – and then after the few weeks that feel both like an eternity and a fleeting moment, I salvage whatever I can of the worn-out ragged odd ball, and amble back – to live in nostalgia and regret, with annoyingly recurring questions of belonging and love – no more closer to the answer, but irreversibly moving along a path, undeniably helped by the deft passes and the cheering and the booing that now seem permanently stuck in my head like a broken record.

Well, this was not like that. This was three self-indulgent days when I could do whatever I wanted to do – no family, no bosses, no societal norms. Just me and the never ending canals. Yes, I went to Venice. I know, I am big on travelogues and I am supposed to love places and make a big deal about the beautiful sights I saw there, and I do intend to get to that eventually. But surprisingly, when I am back from a holiday, or when I am on holiday – the actual location does not matter as much as the fact that I am there. In the moment. Not thinking of tomorrow. Not regretting about yesterday. Just plainly living in the present. Staring at the lapping waves, and letting anything and everything happen. Just let it be. Don’t try to be in charge. Don’t try to be in control. Don’t be responsible. Just be a child again. With awe and wonder in my eyes. Feel the freedom of the wind as it brushes past my cheeks. Smile at the bird as it soars above my head, and decides to rest on a pole safely away from my reach. Tap my feet in tune to the bobbing of the boats, as they try to catch every wave.

Standing atop the Rialto, amidst the thronging crowds, staring into one of the most beautiful sights – The Grand Canal – which has the unique quality of being bizarrely busy and silently serene at the same time – enjoying the cool spring breeze and managing to tune out the clicks of a hundred cameras and loud voices in a multitude of languages – I felt blissfully alone. The century-old monuments staring back at me could have crashed down in a breathtaking avalanche, the gondoliers could have thrown down their oars, capsized their gondolas and joined each other in a triumphant synchronous dance, the water could have risen till all were submerged, just because it has been feeling cross at a world, where just about everyone has an opinion on the rising water level, even when no one has the slightest clue – and I could have still felt the peace. I would have still felt oddly detached, and not felt the need to react or to absorb, to witness or to wade in. It was just me. Alone, even in the maddening crowd.

And here I am, back at home, physically alone, typing away at the rigid keyboard of my new laptop which has not lent itself to familiarity yet despite the many hours I have already spent with it, kept company by the occasional cold blinks on my task bar announcing new mail and people signing into the various messaging systems from all sorts of time zones – and I feel strangely crowded – like everyone wants a slice of my life and a piece of my peace. Across the borders, across the miles – friends I love, family I adore, cultures I admire – I want to absorb all and be part of all. Ideas cram my head – its time to get up and act. The world is full of possibilities, things to be done, races to be run, mountains to be conquered – for after all, atop every mountain, there must be a moment of peace.

There is a reason we love traveling – its not the bustling boats on canal grande or the expanse of San Marco square or the golden mosaic at the Basilica – it is those stolen moments in our otherwise busy lives, where we indulge our desire to break loose of all the strings that bind us tight, where we pause to add in a new bandage or adjust an old one that keeps our weary souls together, where we can be alone to finally really be – see ourselves as we are, not through the eyes of others; to do those things we want to do, not those that are expected of us; to feel those emotions that come naturally to us, and not those we are conditioned to feel; to pen those words that can’t seem to stop flowing, without stopping to think what they mean and why they are and what will they mean to anyone else – to just be us, and connect, for once, not with everyone around us, but with our very own inner selves – and finally be able to be happy.

Just happy.

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