Amit Sinha's Travelog

In 2006 I had started this blog to record my thoughts as I traveled around the world on a 6 month sabbatical. 3 years on, I am now married, have a son, and am back in New York at my job.

I am now starting my blog again, with the intention of making this a resource for travelers who want to head out on their own, or with friends/family, and are seeking destinations, tips and things to do that one wont find in the typical guidebook.

Normally, going tothe middle of nowhere meant going away from civilization and basic amenitiews such as running hot water, electricity, heating, internet, cable TV etc. However, today I visited a place which manages to provide all amenities yet in an environmentally friendly and economic way.

SECMOL is an organization in Ladakh which has a campus about 20kms away. You reach it after a 30min bus ride followed by a 3km walk into what looks like nowhere. But once you are there you see a campus which is completely reliant on solar energy. Through ingenius construction they are able to achieve a temperature of about 10-15 degrees celsius in an area that sees temperatures as low as minus 20 to 30!They also have access to all modern tools such as TV and internet. The placeis designed keeping local architecture in mind and recycling waste and other eco-friendly practices. At the same time,its not like you have to “rough it”. It really shows that a viable eci-friendly life can be lived without sacrificing modern amenities (except maybe ironing your clothes as the iron uses a lot of energy).

A thought that also came to my mind while visitingthem was that maybe development cannot be measured in per capita GDP. Someone with the same amount of wealth, if given access to hygenic conditions, education, entertainment and other basic items that they currently don’t have, it leads to a better life, and uses less resources.

The west is consumed by stories of rising energy prices, and India and China are scrambling around the world trying to secure energy supply for a growing economy. While infrastructure may require conventional fuel, maybe we as individuals can try and implement energy-smart practices such as better designed homes, solar etc. ???

Ladakh gives you the feeling of being far away from civilization and very close to it at the same time. You could be walking down a street where the only things you are are snow-clad peaks in the horizon, and maybe a few monastaries and yaks here and there. Then take a rught and you enter the main market place where there are cyber cafes and shops like any tourist destination. Ladakh caters to an international clientele, and keyboards in the cybercafe have chinese, japanese and hebrew scripts on them!

 This is my second day in Ladakh and its been a unique experience so far. Flying in, I was convinced that our Boeing 737 was going to lose a wing, or a wingtip at the very least. You could hear the wind howling outside and all you saw around you were white peaks, with no sign of any civilization. Then, magically, there was a calm around us and we were greeted with a view of a valley, unlike anythign I;ve ever seen. The airstrip where we landed was literally a table surrounded on all sides by mountains, gleaming white from a fresh coat of snow.

The Oriental guest-house, where I am staying is comfortable, albiet without electricity or running water. The lack of such amenities is more than made up by the warmth and friendliness of my hosts, the ladakhi family who run the guest house and make it a point to feed you three hot home cooked meals a day, to the point that you are literally bursting on the seams. They also conscientiously provide you with a large bucket of cold water and a small one of hot water early in the morning… their hospitality cannot be substituted by electricity, even though it would help.

I spent most of yesterday sleeping and taking rest, to avoid altitude sickness. This morning spent most of the day in the company of the women who run Namgyal, an institue that helps disabled children.

A few days ago, I was sleeping in a tent on the banks of the ganga, and white-water rafting with a gang of eleven other people I had not met before. Again, no electricity, the toilet was a three-sided box with a hole on top for you to sit on, and one at the bottom to send your business down into a sand pit. Instead of water you uised a mix of sand and lime to “wash down”. Very eco-friendly, and quite easy to use actually. Rafting was a lot of fun, and swimming in the Ganga was just fabulous- all sins washed, and given that we were north of Rishikesh, the water was clean as well. In the afternoon it was great soaking yourself in the icy-cold water of the Ganga while temperatures soared to above 30 degrees celsius around you.

Both being at the campsite in Rishikesh, and being in Ladakh, have got be intrigued about eco-friendly living… it really might be possible to have the same quality of life that u are used to, but using less resources… hmmm, must think about that at some point.

But now its time to head back to the guest house for some good home cooked food and rest. Maybe there will be electricity for me to use my laptop and also read!

 

Got into Mumbai on Sat night, April 1st, visiting friends and family.

Here are the places I went to, in case you decide to make your way here. If my friends who took me to these places are reading this, kindly add your comments and correct my errors

1. Asia Wok (Bandra, above Shopper’s Stop) : Restaurant, Casual, yet well appointed, and shanghai prawns to die for. Order at least two plates per person. Good view. Reasonably priced for Bombay ($10)

2. Out of the Blue (Bandra or Pali Hillish I guess, next to Olives, off Carter Road) : Excellent afternoon place. nice decor, simple, and not in your face. Nice pastel colors, outdoors are nice as well. sizzlers are absolutely great here. If going in groups, definitely order a pitcher of mimosa- its made with freshly squeezed orange juice. A little on the higher side, but definitely worth it. ($10-15)

3. Taj Lands End (Bandra Bandstand, next to Searock): Their breakfast buffet has one of the largest offerings of any breakfast buffet. Omlettes, dosas, multiple types of cakes, muesli, you name it, its here. Go early as they close by 10:30am, and definitely on an empty stomach. Good view of the sea as well.

4. Zensi (Bandra, near the ICICI Bank branch, walking distance from Shoppers Stop): Excellent decor, very mediterranean feel. comfortable couches outside to relax, good for chilling for a few drinks. Have heard that it gets pretty crowded on fri and sat, but on sunday it was prettty quiet. (About $7 a drink)

5. Great Punjab (next to Shoppers Stop): Good Indian food. Excellent paneer and kababs. Decor is ordinary but food more than makes up for it. Very reasonably priced for the food (Four of us ate for $30)

6. JPMorgan’s Technopolis Campus Cafeteria: A full Indian meal, with yummy mutton curry, dal, palak paneer, rice, roti, and vegetables for Rs. 30 (a little less than a dollar). A compelling reason to join the firm I’d say.

7. Cafe Coffee Day: Local answer to Starbucks, all over India. definitely have the Ethiopian Kava

8. Candys: relaxed breakfast place. Nice sandwiches and pastries and coffee. Very european feel with greenn leafy outdoors. Right next to Lilavati Hospital.

9. Brittannia Coffee House: Iranian coffee house that takes you back in time. In the town area, its a short walk from the high court near the customs house. I don;t remember the name of the area. Incredible food. Had berry pulao and boti-”something that means potato chips” which were out of this world. You have to go here if you are in the town area. Its just a very traditional place.

10. Mocha: Was taken to the one near Church Gate, but they are all over the place. Its the answer to Starbucks and its clones. Moroccan feel, with sheeshas if you are interested, but its also a coffee shop with comfortable cushions on the floor ergonomically placed so that you can comfortablly lie down and have a cofffee and a conveersation. If you are not a fan of half a glass of sugar with a little water, I would avoid the country lemonade.

11. Soul Fry (Bandra): Absolutely heavenly seafood (and meat as well, but seafood takes the cake). We ordered about seven or eight different dishes amongst four of us and every one of them was outstanding. The flavors were unique for each, the fish/prawns/crabs etc. were fresh, and for the first time in my life I had cooked fish that I liked (Fish Tikka). Probably my No.1 recommendation

12. Toto’s Garage (Bandra): Cool bar with a garage theme. Great for hanging out and having a few drinks after dinner

13. Hawaiian Shack (Bandra): Small place with good music, and space to dance. Very east villagy feel.

Also spent time at the JW Marriott poolside- luxurious, but also felt a little guiulty, seeing all this wastage of resources (water, electricity) when compared to places like Timbaktu in Andhra, where they used solar power and eco-friendly architecture.