Bali Sojourn- Part II (Pura Besakih) This holy ‘mother temple’ of Bali is situated about one kilometer up the slope of the Mount Agung. The mountain rises for another two kilometers behind Pura Besakih, which is the largest temple in Bali. The height of the mountain is 9888 feet, (highest in Bali) and it is a volcano, which erupted in 1963 killing some 1600 people. Surprisingly, the temple did not suffer any damage. In the Hindu cosmology, the primordial ‘Sea of Milk’ was churned by Gods and Demons to get the ‘Nectar of deathlessness’. (Amrit) They used the mount “Meru” as the churner and the serpent ‘Vasuki’ as the rope of the churner. So, practically every Hindu temple represents the mount Meru. ( Read my blog on Angkor Thom ) In Bali too, this idea ... read more

Barossa Valley Wine region The barbeque was well under way at Linda’s place. That being a man’s job, Kim was busy attending to the barbeque and all the men were with him, “helping’ him, though I fail to understand how the men were ‘helping’ him, when all they were doing was, tasting the meats, drinking the wines, smoking and talking. Maybe the talking was supposed to help. We, the ladies, sat sipping the excellent wines brought from South Africa by Linda and enjoying our freedom from the kitchen. Linda, our friend, is a curly-haired girl from South Africa and after her wedding to Kim, a German, has moved to Germany. However, before moving to Germany, she converted all her South African money in shares and debenture into Euros. She also bought 4 casks of South ... read more

Adelaide (Opalized Fossil of the dinosaur Plesiosaurus) Adelaide is small and laid back, I mean the central Adelaide where we were staying. Of course I am aware that Central Mumbai too is deceptively small and laid back, so I wouldn’t bet my bottom dollar (rather rupee) on it. Adelaide Botanical gardens would look wonderful in the Spring, Summer and Autumn, but in winter, they looked drab and haggard. Look at the photos of Lotus Pond and Wisteria Bower. I am sure the Wisteria Bower would give the “Garden at Giverny” a run for its money in the Spring. However, there were a still a few flowering shrubs in full bloom. They were not in the least bothered that the rest of the garden had shed leaves and had become barren. Probably they were following some ... read more

New Zealand scenic journeys 1)Auckland to Rotorua via Waitomo Glowworm Caves The coach traveled through the fertile grassy valleys where woolly sheep, rectangular cows (I call them rectangular cows, because the Jersey breed has right-angled rumps, whereas Indian cows have curved rumps) and sleek deer were cropping lush green grass. The rivers and lakes, filled with crystal clear, unpolluted waters, further enhance the beauty of these pastoral scenes. New Zealand’s economy appears to be based basically on sheep, cows, deer and tourists. Each sheep, cow and deer is a factory that converts grass into wool, milk and venison respectively, whereas the tourist converts the ‘sweat of his brow’ in New Zealand’s currency. 2) Rotorua to Wellington by Desert Road New Zealand is blessed with the snow peaks of Southern Alps, glaciers, ... read more

Rotorua highlights All New Zealand towns are beautiful, but Rotorua is beautiful and unique because it calmly sits on the ground of geothermal activity along the shore of Lake Rotorua. As we approached the town, the smell of Sulphur was strong in the air and within the town also, we could see several vents spewing sulphrous water vapor. We had thought that our dear Mumbai must be the only city with a fertilizer plant within the city limits that spewed noxious Sulphur vapor and Phosphorus vapor in the air, but no, Rotorua too does it. Cheered by this familiar smell, we explored Rotorua. Near the lake, they have a Yacht Club, just like our Mumbai, and two teams were boarding their boats and preparing to race, or that is what we thought. However, they did not ... read more