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Category: Travel

Travel Book list

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Surya

For someone who loves traveling and who loves reading, I read surprisingly few travel books – its sort of like the way I love chocolate and I love ice cream, but I don’t like chocolate ice cream – however, I am always in search of good travel books, in the hope that some day, one…

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Singapore, the misunderstood child

Posted on March 12, 2010March 13, 2010 by Surya

A mail from a friend who has just moved to Singapore reminded me of this post – I had published it on another blog that I no longer maintain and was in danger of being forgotten forever. So this might be the first in the series of reposts from my almost-dead-other-blog, as relevant today as…

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Nigeria – a photo essay

Posted on September 19, 2009September 20, 2009 by Surya

A photo essay based on pics from my Nigeria stint below- You can see the whole set at [link]. Please upgrade your flash player!

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Broek op Langedijk – the first sail-through auction house

Posted on April 20, 2008July 15, 2008 by Surya

“We go boating
Go for tea,
We sail to the portage
Drink sweet milk with cream”

– Dutch nursery rhyme

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.

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Holiday list 2008

Posted on February 11, 2008 by Surya

Every year, I make a list of places I would like to go to. And then end up going to completely different places. But that never stops me from making the list. So today I decided to make a list of destinations I would love to visit over the coming year. Let’s see how many…

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Travel lessons learnt the hard way

Posted on January 27, 2008January 28, 2008 by Surya

The annoying thing about those really cheap deals that you see advertised on the travel agents offices is that more often than not, they are geared towards the lazy traveler. No offence meant here, it’s just that the best deals are to one location, often to a 4 or 5 star hotel which is in…

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Magic of Marrakech – I

Posted on January 13, 2008December 8, 2008 by Surya

Where do you get art and culture, crafts and folklore, warm sunshine and cool nights, colorful water bearers and mouth watering sweets, hustle and bustle yet with peaceful oases-like gardens? After much vacillation, Srijith and I picked Marrakech as the destination to celebrate the end of an eventful 2007.

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.

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Wall Street of flower trade

Posted on May 29, 2007 by Surya

Have you ever wondered why a flower costs that costs 50 cents today costs 5 EUR on Valentine’s day? Why roses cost more than tulips (below), or why tulips cost more than gerberas? Simple matter of supply and demand, you would say. But who sets these prices? How? When? Where? Last week, we drove to…

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Random notes on Singapore

Posted on May 26, 2007May 26, 2007 by Surya

3quarksdaily has a well-written piece on Singapore. 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…

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Bandages for the weary

Posted on April 9, 2007April 17, 2009 by Surya

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…

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