a unique perspective on this crazy world

waiting for a tiger named godot ;)

June 28, 2015

As has likely become apparent by now, going on safari in India involves being constantly covered in a layer of fine dust, a lot of silence staring at nothing particularly interesting and considerable jostling for position should anyone manage to find a live animal in the wild… If you have always imagined yourself on stage in “Waiting for Godot”, this is your moment to shine 😉

You definitely need some patience and if you are a prima donna who doesn’t like getting dirty, it’s likely better to stay at a five star hotel in one of the major cities.  But it is absolutely worth the hours of boredom and giving up washing your hair because it seems pointless.  Even though I couldn’t get a beer, Tadoba was my favourite tiger reserve.  Since we went to FOUR, I was party to a lot of shop talk about tiger reserves.  Tadoba is definitely more under the radar and I gather it is a bit of a renegade park compared to the more established ones.

As noted earlier, the parks are divided into zones with separate gates.  Officially, you have to stay in the zone that corresponds to your gate.  Tadoba was my first park so I was still very naïve about this whole tiger tracking experience so these are not statements of fact, just deductions I made by eavesdropping on other conversations as the tour progressed.  I think our driver may have taken us out of the zone we were really supposed to be travelling in so that we could find tigers…

In any event, we DID see tigers!  Pretty much every safari.  I was completely spoiled by travelling with and beyond in Tanzania during the migration and seeing lions 10 times on 10 safaris so I quickly realized I had to dial my expectations back and be grateful if I saw a sole tiger for more than two minutes – and if it was close enough to get a photo where one could tell for sure it WAS a tiger.

tiger crossing road

tiger close up

As noted, our first day was more boot camp to see how you fared under duress and the tiger we spotted was underwhelming.  Day two, however, rewarded us with a close up of a tiger crossing the road.  Hard to get great photos but that was definitely a TIGER!

Things got a little light on the tiger front after that so the pressure was on when we set out on our final game safari at Tadoba.  In the lodge, I had read about a female tiger that had been born in the tiger reserve and was apparently nonplussed by groups of humans madly trying to take photos of her.  The article merely seemed to be a taunt.

Because I was growing tired of lemonade and there was a mini fridge in the room, the staff kindly provided me with a small container of milk so that I could take advantage of the chai I bought in Delhi.  It tasted so good I decided I should have a second cup.  I strongly advise you not to drink tea before you go on safari!

Tea is a major diuretic and I was now about to be subjected to three or four hours of being shaken silly in a jeep in a situation where hiding behind a bush might involve you being mauled by a random tiger.  Generally, bathroom facilities in India are challenging so I thought I could make it…   Of course, I should have said something to the guide instead of trying not to take the safari off-course…

I was surviving and knew I could make it back to camp but we still hadn’t found a tiger and Clemens was very disappointed.  By that point, finding a bathroom was a lot more exciting than finding a tiger so I was trying to send mind waves to just stop looking and head to camp.

But, no, that was not to be.  Instead, we went off on some Indiana Jones mission to a part of the park we

tiger spotting

tiger spotting

had not yet seen.  I prayed there would be no tiger so we could drive just as fast back to the lodge.  It was really close to closing time and I knew we had to get out there very soon.

that tiger

hey tigger pose for me 🙂

My prayers were not answered – but Clemens were 🙂  It was an incredible sighting.  I wish I could have enjoyed it more.  Not only was my bladder ready to explode but I ran to the end of my memory card so was frantically trying to delete photos so I could get some photos of the tiger.  So, let my bad judgement allow you to make better choices.  Limit your liquid intake BEFORE you go on safari.  Suck it up and use a yukky bathroom and stop the safari if you really need to.  And make sure your memory card is not almost full!

But even if you screw up like I did and you are in physical pain, seeing a tiger in the wild will be worth it.  Even if you don’t get a photo, you have SEEN it.  But I did get a photo –   I’m a tough girl… 😉

 

 

Category:

travel stories

1 Comment

Tagged with:

in the shooting gallery with the wildlife junkies ;)

June 20, 2015

India was not my first safari.  It was my first tiger – but I felt fairly worldly from a safari perspective.  I mean, most people don’t know where Botswana is, let alone its virtues as a safari destination.  But Svarsara Jungle Lodge attracted the junkies.  Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is notable as Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park.  Project Tiger was started in 1973 to conserve the Indian Bengal tiger.  It began by establishing 9 Tiger Reserves.  There are now 47 Tiger Reserves.  And there are some tigers in them!  It’s a bit controversial as to how serious India is about tiger conservation – and it’s a big, complex job.  There are a lot of people and not many tigers and too many people in China thinking consuming bits of tiger will make them more powerful.  No!  Just work on your self-esteem and learn to be more charming – leave the beautiful tigers in peace.

https://www.svasararesorts.com/svasara-lodge.html

http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Sanctuaries/Sanctuaries.aspx?strpage=TadobaNPSanctuaries.html

pretty even without tigers :)

pretty even without tigers 🙂

Whether there are actually tigers in the Tiger Reserves or not, there aren’t a lot of tigers left in the world so India has done a good job of convincing you to come to India to see one.  A lot of people go to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.  It’s likely the most famous (we will get there too :).  It has plenty of lodges to stay in and plenty of publicity.  Tadoba is more of a hidden secret.  There is little accommodation and most people come on a day trip.  But you can stay at Svarsara Jungle Lodge – so we did 🙂

As previously noted, I was just tagging along so was like a little kid at the table while the adults talked about serious stuff.  I didn’t realize the parks were set into zones with different gates and you couldn’t necessarily move around the whole park.  That it mattered what gate you started at and that you would need to line up and wait for the park to open.  (I hadn’t even memorized the names of the parks we were visiting at that point… bad girl!)

Because of the storms the first evening we didn’t follow the normal dinner protocol – and didn’t interact with other guests.  The weather had cleared by day two so we met for drinks (i.e. soda pop :)) before dinner and were able to mingle with other safari guests.  We also attempted to watch a film about Indian wildlife.  We tried to watch it at least three times – but the power would always kick out before it ended and we got tired of watching the beginning so finally abandoned the project.

Clemens normally goes on safari alone so is good at interacting with other guests.  That night we met a Dutch

one of india's most famous birds

one of india’s most famous birds

couple who also went on safari pretty much every year and they talked parks, gates, animals, facilities, cameras, etc.  I’d already noticed that my very nice Nikon didn’t really cut it.  I felt a bit like I was in Afghanistan rather than India.  With all the safari vehicles lining up and then drag racing in the dust, it is a bit much so a lot of people have bandanna and scarves tied around their head and their mouth with only their eyes visible.  They are dressed in camouflage colours to not scare the animals.  And they are brandishing gigantic cameras with dust and rainproof covers that look like weapons.  I was clearly out of my league 😉

I quickly realized Tadoba was a bit of a hidden secret so attracted the wildlife junkies who had already been everywhere else.  Some had already seen tigers in other parks.  They all talked the lingo and knew all the park names and shared tips on the best gates from which you wanted to enter.  It was a fascinating new world.  I am a snob about lots of stuff (food, wine, literature) but I’m just excited to see animals.  I even like monkeys and deer!  Clemens refused to stop for anything that pedestrian for at least two days…

When we got to Kanha, it was even more fascinating.  I am pretty sure I overheard some people exchanging details so they could plan a trip to Ethiopia together.  Ever since a taxi driver in Amsterdam educated me on how fascinating Ethiopia is, I have wanted to go.  So I managed to work my way into their conversation.  It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.  They invited us to have dinner with them so the six of us sat in the dark under candlelight being fed mysterious food we couldn’t see and drinking Kingfisher beer (the alcohol ban lifted in Madhya Pradesh).

Eddie sounded like he was from Michigan but his father had been one of the first people from discover the virtues of outsourcing from China so he had lived in China for a long time and ran a specialty auto parts supply company out of Shanghai and had tacked tracking tigers onto a business trip.  Philippe and Sonia were from Paris with charmingly accented English.  I think they were brother and sister but Eddie was the only person in India I could really understand clearly J   I am normally great with accents but had to really listen in India.  Whatever their relationship, Philippe was hilarious.  Clemens is pretty quiet but given that he is an engineer for Daimler, he could connect with Eddie.  To add another perspective to the table, we had the only female wildlife specialist I met during my travels.

baby monkey doing yoda pose for me :)

baby monkey doing yoda pose for me 🙂

It made for an evening of incredible conversation.  Even though I think the Americans’ attitude toward guns and violence is bat-shit crazy, I do love them.  It’s always dangerous to generalize about an entire national group but I have encountered so many Americans like Eddie during my travels – friendly, generous, gregarious.  He sat at the head of the table and really led the conversation and, between the two of us, we got everyone involved.  It’s not very often I feel like the most boring person at the table…

But it seemed like everyone had already seen gorillas (for sure three had, maybe four).  I was the girl who hadn’t seen a gorilla in the wild.  The girl who hadn’t been to Ethiopia.  For god’s sake, I haven’t even been to Kruger – which is apparently far too touristy! 😉  Big deal I’d been to Paris so many times I have completely lost count.

In this crowd, I was listening and learning.  I wasn’t jaded at all.  I still got excited when I saw a baby monkey!  It was refreshing to see there was so much more to see and experience in the world.  I have already booked to see penguins in Patagonia next year but incubating a plan for Zambia.  I am well on my way to becoming a wildlife junkie.  Now I just need one of those big-ass cameras to properly shoot in the gallery 😉

 

 

Category:

travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

did I accidentally sign up for an ashram? ;)

June 14, 2015

India has been on my list for many decades but there are so many places on my list it is often an unexpected catalyst that compels me to actually book the plane ticket.  In this case, it was celebrating a milestone birthday with my ex-husband.  Yeah, a plot twist before the trip even starts 😉  But we have stayed good friends and celebrating milestone birthdays with friends is kind of the theme for 2015…

That is why you will see me running through India at a breakneck pace, eschewing culture in favour of tiger stalking and living in a bubble… It is a different travel experience tagging along on someone else’s trip, especially in the developing world, but it adds an element of surprise.  I might have been less surprised had I not been working every minute until I got on the plane and done a bit of research but all the essential elements had been organized by others so I could just show up and see what I had gotten into…

One thing I had definitely gotten into was very little sleep!  We were going on 17 game safaris, which started even earlier than in Africa.  But first we had to get to Nagpur.  There aren’t a lot of flights so we had to be at the airport around the time early risers are getting up.  I realize it seemed strange to the lady frisking me at the Delhi airport and stamping my boarding pass far more than seemed necessary that I didn’t know where I was going but I did pay enough attention to know I was getting off at the first stop.  Obviously the travel agent had been a bit sub-par and we weren’t sitting together on the plane.

But I got off at the correct airport and we were off on our first major car journey in central India.  They were all supposed to take copious numbers of hours per our itinerary and I am sure at some point the estimates were correct but we got lucky on our first go and had roads with a lot of modern infrastructure so we breezed along and got to the lodge in record time (according to the itinerary at least).

I would get used to the traffic patterns in India but our first leg was a bit disconcerting.  Mostly it was because we had a lot of decent roads so our driver could gun it.  It felt like the Autobahn although I know we were never going really fast by first world standards.  Of course, on the Autobahn you are not in a car juggling pedestrians, motorbikes, tractors, giant trucks, other cars and COWS!

The freaky part was that you had to stop for cows (and they knew it) and occasionally there was another car and no shoulders – or lines for passing.  If playing chicken is your thing, you will love India!

Eventually I started to relax.  I am certain there are accidents – and do NOT DRIVE in India – but, like in Africa, if you let a local handle the traffic, your chances of survival are high.  They have lots of practice and just seem to anticipate the right move.  No one is trying to get killed – and no one is actually going that fast – so they just all accommodate each other.  It is a little frightening – but also impressive – to watch.  You think you are about to be part of a head-on collision but somebody finds enough space to squeeze back into the traffic and you pass by as though nothing special has occurred.  We sheltered developed world types who waste all that space in the middle of the road where we paint lines…

Needless to say, though, arriving at the lodge felt very relaxing!  Especially as it was modern – not only did I have a good private bathroom, I had a mini-fridge and air conditioning.

We arrived in time for lunch.  I like Indian food.  I was excited.  Lunch was pretty good.  Cafeteria style so not amazing but better than adequate and we asked for more of the wonderful lemonade we had been welcomed with upon our arrival.

We explored the property a bit enjoying the questionable weather that meant less heat but potential thunderstorms.  My first Indian safari began a few hours later.  We met our guide, Shirag.  He was very personable and interesting.  It felt like my fond memories of safari in Africa.

the first tiger

it is an actual tiger in the wild!

In India, you are required to bring along a park guide.  They don’t generally do much except take up space in the vehicle but it provides jobs in the developing world so I am OK with it.  Clemens is a serious photographer so he set the game plan right away.  He would sit in the second row of the jeep managing all his photographic devices.  I would be left to deal with all the others who had to climb aboard 🙂

Most of the time this worked really well as I had the first row all to myself.  Unlike Africa, the Indian safari vehicles are pretty basic and there is little cover for passengers.  Safaris normally occur in the dry season and it isn’t much of a problem.  I had not expected it to rain in April in India and had to pack light.  I’d brought a rain jacket to Cambodia and never worn it so thought I wouldn’t bother clogging my backpack with unnecessary stuff.

Don’t follow my example!  It’s funny how memory manages to fade the edges from bad experiences.  At first it was fine, just a bit of a drizzle.  I was freezing as I expected it to be 40 degrees not 15… and had dressed for 40.  The game drive was scheduled to last three hours.  I could – and probably should 🙂 – have just wimped out and traded places with the park guide as he was sitting beside the driver where there was some shelter but there was a tarp so I figured it would be fine.

tadoba wild boar

our first wildlife at tadoba

What I hadn’t anticipated was how dusty it is in the dry season in India.  Tadoba is covered in red sandstone like the outback in Australia.  So I spent most of the three hours with a very dirty tarp dripping reddish water on me as I attempted to take photos.  I would have just given up and headed back to the lodge as the animals also didn’t have a rain jacket so they were not likely to be posing for photos.  But I sucked it up and was rewarded by actually seeing a real live tiger in the wild!  We weren’t too close and it was hard to get a great photo but there were still some tigers left in the wild in India.  I also got see gaur, sambal, chital, dhole and langur – and the landscape is beautiful.

spotting gaur

gaur are giant cows

I was really excited though to get back to the lodge, have a shower, put on more clothes and have a beer with my dinner.  That’s when I discovered there was no alcohol at the lodge.  I’d started reading about India before I began the trip and would read three books about it during the trip.  The one common theme seemed to be spiritual awakening.  Someone was always going to an ashram or seeking out a guru.

That is just not my thing.  So it was strange the first night to contemplate whether I had accidentally signed up for something with all the same hallmarks – no alcohol, very little conversation, lots of time spent in silence waiting for something to happen and contemplating one’s own thoughts (three hours frozen and being dripped on under a claustrophobic plastic tarp to see a tiger lying under a tree far away for five minutes).

The first safari was the hardest… I still don’t want to go to an ashram but at least I know I can survive accidental de-tox and meditation – and the lemonade was delicious 😉

 

 

Category:

travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

delhi three ways…

June 10, 2015

In a lot of places I visit I feel like a pioneer and the locals are excited I showed up.  In India, it was the exact opposite.  I came armed with so much information and other people’s opinions it was hard to know what to expect.  It is an amalgam of civilization employing lifestyles spanning several centuries all co-existing.  Getting my visa to visit had proven to be an exercise in frustration, misdirection and unnecessary bureaucracy so I was prepared to be tested upon arrival.

But instead we breezed through 21st century India.  The airport has been upgraded, customs was easy and the tour director was there to meet us and escort us to our luxury air-conditioned SUV.  Our guide pointed out the infrastructure improvements from hosting the Commonwealth games –  shiny new roads, hotels and metro stops.  We arrived in the wee hours of the morning so there was no traffic and we whizzed up to the gate of our hotel to try and get a tiny bit of sleep before our daunting day in Delhi due to begin in less than six hours.

We stayed at the The Claridges in New Delhi.  I was particularly entranced by the breakfast.  One of my favourite parts of India was lots of fresh, juicy watermelon.  Usually I both ate and drank it!  I likely should have been drinking coffee instead.  I didn’t realize we were going to see all of Delhi in one day!

http://www.claridges.com/the-claridges-newdelhi/overview.asp

We began our journey in 21st century India but our first tourist stop was going to take us back a few centuries.

I hauled a bunch of school supplies with me to India as I was told one of our activities in Delhi was to visit an NGO and I could donate them.  Our NGO experience ended up being the most memorable part of our whirlwind tour of Delhi.  Vishal is a product of the Salaam Baalak Trust.  It’s an organization that takes kids off the streets of Delhi and gives them a place to live and an education.  It’s a similar project to Tania’s work in Siem Reap albeit on a much larger scale.  Michelle Obama has visited Salaam Baalak Trust!

http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/city-walks.html

Somehow I suspect the Secret Service did not let her participate in the Salaam Baalak Trust city walk.  It is her loss.  Luckily I had been reading books about India before I got on the plane so came prepared to be shocked.  I think because I was so prepared for shock – and had been living a very insulated life my first few hours in India – I wasn’t shocked..  But India is not for the faint of heart.

The city walk starts from just behind the central Delhi train station and continues down some alleys and side streets.  On our walk to meet Vishal, we noted the well-fed rats scampering close to our feet and the mountains of garbage arranged like a modern art installation against the sides of buildings.  Then we saw the dead rat covered in scavenger insects.  The only part that I found unnerving were all the stray dogs lazily wandering past us as we loitered in the alley waiting for the tour to begin.  I am too cheap to get rabies shots (I also think they are really painful) so just try to follow the travel medicine doctor’s advice to not get bitten by a rabid dog or feisty bat…

I think I was paying more attention to the dogs than they were paying to me and our tour eventually got underway and the streets were more benign 🙂  We were joined by a whole gaggle of young girls out to see the world as part of some youth outreach program.  Vishal was 18 so he must have been having a heyday having all these pretty young girls hanging on his every word.  And the dude was charismatic in addition to being Bollywood handsome.  He told me he wanted to get into tourism and I assured him he would be a success.

keeping the alley clean...

keeping the alley clean…

The tour takes you through some of the streets and alleys of old Delhi full of stray wires, throngs of people and accommodation for backpackers experiencing the “real” India.  It was definitely a stark contrast to The Claridges.  One of the tour highlights is trying to guess the purpose for the religious paintings on the wall in a narrow alley.  None of the girls knew the answer.  Vishal enthusiastically explained that they were there to discourage people from urinating against the wall.  It’s a very religious place so peeing on a goddess just doesn’t seem right…

The tour ends with a visit to the headquarters of the trust, where I was able to lighten my suitcase by donating my supplies, make a donation and see the photographic evidence of Michelle’s visit.  India is a fascinating, but often frustrating, place so it’s nice to see an organization making positive change.

Now that we had been forced out of our bubble we were ready for more

typical delhi street

typical delhi street

“real India”.  Our guide introduced us to a rickshaw driver and we were off to see Chandni Chowk.  He was pedalling a bicycle so it was hardly at a breakneck pace but navigating through all the chaotic traffic made it feel more like being on safari.  One area that is particularly colourful and interesting is the marriage market, chock-a-block with saris in every possible hue, extravagant and sparkly jewelry and myriad traditional decorations.  Trying to capture it on camera was a daunting task but I just kept

wedding prep

wedding prep

clicking as we bounced around.

impressive red fort

impressive red fort

Then it was time to do a whirlwind tour of important buildings…Jama Mazid (the largest mosque in India), the historic Red Fort, India Gate and Parliament.  All are impressive and worth the visit but less interesting than the chaotic streets of old Delhi.

As a foreigner, you have to get your rupees in India.  The plan was to hit Deutsche Bank to get a good rate but it ended up that we had arrived on a public holiday so instead were taken to a moneychanger.  I didn’t do much research before I left on exchange rates but it’s likely worthwhile.  It also would probably help to not spend only one day in Delhi and have it be a public holiday 🙂  It’s not clear whether I got ripped off or not but I only exchanged a little there and succumbed to just exchange money at the hotel.  It seemed that you got a better rate on a major currency.  The upside of our visit to the moneychanger was that I got to try some tea 🙂

I am fairly obsessed with chai.  It was the Turkey experience again.  We were seated.  Tea was poured.  A sales pitch was presented.  You could leave without buying something but it would be awkward.  And I wanted to bring some chai home so I went for the buy a lot and get one free offer.

By that point we were exhausted and trying to convince the driver to take us back to the hotel but Indians can be quite wily.  I think it comes from living in a very complicated country.  So, ostensibly, we were on our way back to the hotel… eventually…

But first we had to acquire another guide who would take us to an even older part of Delhi, back when the Hindus were having a good time living la dolce vita before the meanie Mughuls showed up and wrecked everything.  He was a university professor and provided an excellent tour but we were living on vapours by that point so I can’t remember the entire history lesson…

We did see an interesting early Hindu temple.  And then he dragged us through the streets of a very

cows rule!

cows rule!

real part of Delhi, full of cows, rats and garbage but also full of colour and people going about their daily lives.  It’s the kind of walk that makes privileged westerners really appreciate how easy their lives are.  Every time I turn on the kitchen tap I marvel at how lucky I am to have copious quantities of water that I can just pour into a glass and drink.

Eventually we convinced everyone that we really wanted to go back to the hotel.  It seemed a little dull after our wild day in Delhi.  I did have likely the best meal of my entire India trip and had an expensive but lovely cocktail in the bar, which felt more New York than New Delhi.  I was back in 21st century India having spanned seven centuries of history in one day!!!

 

 

Category:

travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

not that I would wear any of it ;)

June 7, 2015

I have been on the road almost constantly since my last post so have lots of new travel tales but haven’t had any time to commit them to paper.  My summer project… thought I would start with some exhibitions that are current in case anyone is inspired to check them out…

I was one of those children who made clothes for my dolls.  I didn’t have access to Vogue.  I’d never seen a designer dress.  I didn’t even know the concept.  My fashion inspiration came from the Simplicity and Butterick pattern books my grandmother brought home from the dry goods department where she worked when the new ones arrived.  I learned that I could put in a request and I could have my very own collection.  I poured over all the shapes and styles, noting the subtle changes that transformed the base pattern.  It was an early education in tailoring – and perhaps the reason I lean toward Armani rather than Galliano.

Most of the photos of me as a child show me dressed in embarrassing outfits.  I have no idea why they want to bring the 70’s back.  Those were some scary moments in fashion…

But it was a time of high drama, especially in western countries.  The 60’s ushered in the concept of social change but most of it happened in the 70’s.  I was too young to appreciate most of it, especially as I lived in a remote rural community where not that much was changing.  One thing I did know about was David Bowie.  Before the internet, information was hard to come by.  I didn’t even know the Talking Heads existed in 1977, let alone that I should be buying that album.

My first fledgling teenage romance was with a drummer.  It was a headbanger rock kind of town so most of his favourite songs just sounded like noise to me.  But then he played “Changes”.  We had common ground – and I liked him a little more…  It became part of the soundtrack of my life.

I am not particularly interested in famous people and think most of them would likely prove to be quite boring in person – but Bowie is an exception.  He was my first decent musical choice so I know quite a lot about him but never really thought much about his social impact.  Being a big Bowie fan, I was intrigued when I emerged at Gare du Nord last month and saw intriguing posters of him all over the station.  Luckily, I had dinner the next night with friends from Vancouver who informed me there was an exhibit at the Philharmonie de Paris.

philharmonie de paris

philharmonie de paris

I was worried that – in the age of the internet – my lack of research and preparation for Paris – would render me ticketless but the Philharmonie is new and in an area of Paris I have not yet explored so worth the trip even if I couldn’t get into the exhibition.  It appears there are still some tickets reserved for people willing to make a journey to the ticket office in person.  You need some patience but eventually you get in…

It was definitely worth the wait.  The exhibition originated at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It’s called “David Bowie is”.  It’s hard to describe, as mercurial and enigmatic as Bowie himself.  You walk through a series of objects, videos, photos and costumes depicting Bowie’s biography.  You have headphones and the music changes as you roam to put the right soundtrack to the particular part of the exhibit in which you find yourself.  It includes the expected key points in his biography and the musical history but what makes it really resonate is the analysis of Bowie’s influences, collaborators and social impact.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/touring-exhibition-david-bowie-is/

I am one of those people who have spent a lot of time searching for the meaning to life.  For me, it’s been a combination of art, culture and relationships.  So it was fascinating to see how Bowie was influenced by books, music, travel and the people in his life – and how his achievements were generally part of a collective of talented, intelligent, interesting people.  He was just the most famous name in the group.

Anyway, go check it out for yourself.  It closed on May 31, 2015 at the Philharmonie de Paris but it’s touring internationally so see if it’s coming to a location near you…

The Victoria and Albert Museum featured heavily in my May sojourn in Europe.  They have also put together a killer exhibit on Alexander McQueen called Savage Beauty.  It’s on until August 2, 2015. I would recommend booking in advance.  I’m not sure if I just got lucky, or if my friend Monica’s E&Y connections scored us tickets, but they are definitely in high demand.  Seeing the exhibit I could understand why.  While there are very few items of clothing or accessories I would have any interest in actually wearing, it is fascinating to be inside Alexander McQueen’s head as he dreams this stuff up.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/

The V&A has made it very atmospheric so it doesn’t feel like a museum but rather a strange trip into a dark, gothic Romanian forest where you are wary that Dracula might jump out from behind a mannequin and bite you on the neck.  The coolest part is a room staged like a cabinet of curiosities.  On the walls, items are placed in boxes like a giant Renaissance cabinet of curiosities.  In the center, there is a 21st century bank of monitors playing video from multiple McQueen shows on a continuous loop.  It’s a perfect embodiment of his sensibility – strange old-fashioned exceptionally English clothes modified for the 21st century.

If you also made clothes for your dolls – or just are really interested in fashion…

There are two more stops for you in Paris.  The Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent is hosting an exhibit “Yves Saint Laurent 1971 – the Scandal Collection” until July 19, 2015.  It’s for fashionphiles.   It’s basically a chance to look into the archives at a couture house.  You can see the entire design process for one of the finished garments and see sketches and mannequins displaying some of the pieces from the collection as well as watch some very old-fashioned fashion videos.

http://www.fondation-pb-ysl.net/en/Exhibitions-196.html

The 1971 collection was heavily critiqued because many felt Saint Laurent was glamorizing the Nazis and the

marvels of paris museum route

marvels of paris museum route

war was still fresh in the memories of the people who could afford couture.  Like Bowie, he was pushing boundaries and making people feel uncomfortable.

My final foray into European fashion was at the Palais Galleria Museé du Mode, a new addition to the wonders of Paris.  Until August 23, 2015 they are hosting an exhibit on Jeanne Lanvin.  I know the name but that was about it until I went to the exhibit.  The clothes are stunning – the antithesis of H&M.  She started as a milliner so there are lots of hats.  The clothes are sumptuous, full of embroidery, topstitching, cut-outs and other couturière virtuosity.  Nothing I would ever wear but easy to appreciate the craftsmanship.

http://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/jeanne-lanvin

What was most fascinating though was her business acumen.  She was a 19th century titan of commerce, a self-made woman in a world in which women couldn’t even legally vote in most places.  Apparently she was very customer-focused.  She was a real estate tycoon.  Jeanne started the whole craziness of dressing toddlers in mini-me designer clothing 🙂  She branched out into lingerie, menswear, interior design.  She created her own fragrance.  She opened shops to sell her wares to the public.  She had a distinctive logo.  Jeanne Lanvin knew how to brand herself before the concept was even a concept 🙂  An inspiring lady.

There is much to be inspired about right now so start making your travel plans…

 

p.s. if you are a fashion junkie, there is also a Jean Paul Gauthier exhibit at the Grand Palais – but I discovered it is closed on Tuesdays – but the walk to the other museums was worth it.

http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/jean-paul-gaultier

 

Category:

artsy stuff, shining examples, travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

ya wanna try them all? ;)

February 28, 2015

I am finally not working every minute so hope to post a little more often

I have spent this week in a haze of nostalgia hankering for the land of Oz.  It’s the Vancouver Wine Festival, one of the world’s best.  I have been going for a very long time – since the Aussies taught me about wine and I came back to Canada with all this wine knowledge and a sophisticated palate.  Back in those days, wine was mostly the province of men over 50.  I searched the yellow pages and found a wine society I could join only to discover there was only one other person in the room who looked about my age – she was there with her mother.  Vanessa became a great friend and I owe a lot of my social life in my 30s to that chance encounter.

Homepage

But this is about Australian wine!  I was especially moved because it was the birthday of my best friend from my Sydney days just last week so Australia was already on my mind.  Each year the Vancouver International Wine Festival has a feature country and this year it is Australia.  So I had lots of opportunities to taste wine and chat with people with genuine Aussie accents.  The first winery I hit last night was Longview.  Mark was going to explain where Adelaide Hills was but I said, “I’ve been there.  That’s why I am here”.

Homepage

For those who don’t know Adelaide Hills, it is a coolish climate region in South Australia near Adelaide.  Australia is the land of sunshine so getting the evening temperature to 9 degrees is not easy.  It’s what makes the wines of Adelaide Hills a little more special.  They taste less “Australian” and more “European”.  I discovered Adelaide Hills as a by-product of my friendship with Elizabeth.  I always promised I would come back for her wedding but appreciated that is not the ideal time to spend time with friends so I came early and told her I would disappear for 5 days a little ahead of the wedding so she wouldn’t feel responsible for entertaining me and take myself on a wine tour of South Australia.

I hired some lovely gentleman off the internet (before doing this was common) who had grown up in the Barossa.  Trevor squired me around South Australia and treated me like I was his daughter.  I have the mindset of an engineer so naturally I arrived with a gigantic list of all the wineries I wanted to visit.  He is very gracious so did not tell me I was crazy… We devised a plan.  I would learn to spit and we would try to do seven or eight wineries a day.  Some would be from my list and some would be his suggestions.

http://www.auburntours.com.au/auburntours.htm

We would spend two days in the Barossa Valley, one day in the Clare Valley, a day in Adelaide Hills and a day in McLaren Vale.  Five of the best days of my life.  Drinking the different regions side by side allowed me to really see the differences and decide what I wanted to buy from which region.  Since I live in Canada where wine has a sin tax that exceeds gasoline (seriously, these are plants – they are GOOD for the planet 😉 it was challenging to drink and not buy.  I had already quizzed Elizabeth and her soon to be husband in Sydney so decided their wedding present would be a case of wine – different types so they could be opened at different times in their marriage.  Trevor had lots of contacts at the wineries so it was organized it could be a mixed case and would be shipped from the winery where bottle 12 was purchased.

That was Peter Lehmann.  I have quite a few wonderful Australian winery experiences but I have a special place in my heart for Peter Lehmann – and Trevor.  When we arrived, not only did I try a bunch of different wines but each was paired with a snack.  I really wished I could have shared it with someone.  I was so wowed by the experience that I bought more than one wine there and finished the case.

http://peterlehmannwines.com/

If you would like to learn more about wine, there is no better place to go than Australia.  As I was informed last night, you don’t talk about “terroir” 🙂  You will taste it but keep that word to yourself.  I have spent a lot of time this week gushing to Australian winemakers or marketing reps and recounting some of my winery experiences.

a great place to drink aussie wine :)

a great place to drink aussie wine 🙂

Not all aspects of aging are welcome but sometimes being old works in your favour.  I was extremely fortunate to meet an Aussie in Toronto who was determined to teach me about wine.  Then I moved to Sydney with him.  I went to people’s houses where they had BOXES of wine!  They went to the Hunter Valley and stocked up as they tasted the wines at the actual wineries.  In the early 90s it was like being Alice in wine Wonderland.

There was no Yellow Tail.  Monty Python was still making fun of Australian wine.  Mostly it was just drunk by the locals.  And the locals drank wine out of 2L boxes from Riverina (which was very drinkable).  I caught a lot of grief for my extravagance.  I was willing to pay $10 for 750 ml of wine when I could get 2L for $6 – what was I thinking? 😉

As a novice, it was a transcendental experience.  The Aussies are the most unpretentious people I have met so you just rocked up to the winery and they said, “ya wanna try them all”?  In those days, there was no marketing.  It’s a wonderful place to grow grapes so most wineries did a bunch of different varietals.  There was a Riesling, a Gewurtztraminer, a Sauvignon (no blanc), a Semillon, a Chardonnay, a Merlot, a CabSav, a Shiraz and possibly even a Port.  You learned the difference between varietals by trying them all!

The Chardonnays were really oaky and I couldn’t drink the Shiraz – I felt like I was chewing wood instead of drinking wine.  I was a newbie wine drinker.  Riesling and Gewurtztraminer were just my speed.  It was how I discovered Gewurtztraminer – it took me ages to be able to pronounce it like a German instead of an Australian 🙂  I have so many memories of hanging out in bottle shops, drinking wine I purchased in restaurants and finding hidden gems in obscure wine shops (buying a ten year old Cabernet in a bottle shop at Circular Quay and hoping it was still OK – it was magnificent!)

My interest in Australian wine scored points with my boss who was a connoisseur.  And the Aussies like to drink 😉  It was a very freewheeling place back then at least.  I didn’t go back to the office to try to work after the News Corp audit completion LUNCH but it was incredible.  Wonderful Aussie produce paired with (I think) five different wines… I still remember the Petaluma white, one of his personal favourites.

I also remember when Grange was $64 a bottle.  I never got to drink it!  I bought it for my Australian boyfriend for his birthday.  When Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc costs $12, $64 is an astonishing amount.  Of course, it needs to be aged and our relationship didn’t last that long.  In 2000, Elizabeth and I searched Sydney trying to find a bottle of Grange so I could try it… without success, even though it cost over $300 a bottle by then.  I finally scored some by random accident in Canada where I think I paid just over $200.  I know it was a bargain!  I drank it with my friend Iain who has spent time in Australia for work and could appreciate the significance of drinking a bottle of aged Grange… we decided it wasn’t that great.  I mean, it was great… but not $200 great… so I would encourage you to try something else.

There is a cornucopia of wonderful wine from the land of Oz.  DO try to go there and drink it with the locals.  I’m not even sure if I would be drinking wine if it wasn’t for the Aussies.  They certainly made my virgin wine drinking experiences an absolute delight.  And they taught me how to introduce others to wine.  Start with Riesling, not Cabernet Sauvignon.

So, a shout out to Aussie winemakers and all the people with whom I have shared the pleasures of Aussie wines 😉

 

 

Category:

eating & drinking - well, travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

jealous of Geneva?

February 7, 2015

still lacking in free time but I am going to try and write about some of my past travels before I get on the next plane… four new adventures already scheduled for 2015 so there will be new stories 🙂

Geneva is a gorgeous place and water plays a major role in its beauty.  But it’s kind of sterile and apparently it’s full of dictators, drug lords and arms dealers who have cut a sweet deal on taxes with the Swiss government so, Dubrovnik, there is no need to be jealous.  You don’t need to recreate Lake Geneva in the squares of the Old Town.

It was my final day in Dubrovnik.  It all started innocently enough.  I had my penultimate delicious multi-course breakfast washed down with delicious Croatian sparkling wine as light danced on the walls of the Old Town in the distance.  As I walked toward the Old Town, there were little sprinkles of rain.  But I live in Vancouver so it wasn’t even umbrella worthy.  I was looking forward to shopping in the outdoor markets and taking home as much local handicraft as I could squeeze in my suitcase.

But I had bought the attractions pass at my first museum and needed to knock off a few more to get my monies worth.  By the time I got to the Rector’s Palace, it was definitely raining.  I’d just pop indoors for an hour or so and come back out to sunshine… Not exactly… I thought I had seen violent rain in Singapore.  Now I understood why everyone was so excited when I arrived that the rain had stopped.  I gather it is unusual so you SHOULD go to Dubrovnik in September.

not your typical visit to the rectors palace

not your typical visit to the rectors palace

And even if it rains, it will be fascinating.  Most of the Rector’s Palace is indoors and the rain was no problem but there is also a courtyard.  The pillars seemed to be designed to perfectly channel the downpour into the center of the courtyard.  There were three people with large brooms sweeping the rain to the drains so the tourists didn’t have to swim to get through the courtyard.  A lot of us were taking pictures – it was an extra attraction 🙂

http://www.dubrovnikcity.com/dubrovnik/attractions/rectors_palace.htm

It was a little wet in the Rector’s Palace but I didn’t realize how sheltered I had been until I exited.  An umbrella wasn’t a lot of help.  I expect this is why they recommend not travelling to tropical places during the wet season.  What had been quaint medieval cobblestones the day before was now a shallow lake.  Most people had their pants rolled up and their shoes in their hands.  Groups of tourists were huddled under awnings.  It was quite the site but it was raining too hard for me to take a photo.

There are steep, narrow side streets off the main thoroughfares and the water was gushing toward the square at such a ferocious speed that it looked like Iguazu, a series of mini waterfalls.  I had thought I was smart and would just tough it out instead of trying to pack into an already overcrowded awning shelter so waded my way through the waterfall in search of the War Photo Museum.  Obviously, the War Photo people were smarter than me and the museum was closed.  I realized that opening the door might cause a rush of water into the building so it may be a challenge to find refuge until the rain abated.

I got lucky and found refuge in D’vino, a wonderful wine bar I had already discovered.  Croatian wine is delicious and undiscovered so it was far more than refuge from the rain.  I even met a fellow solo traveller from Melbourne.  She had even been in Russia, a country that is still on the list.  She proved Aussies are intrepid travellers and that Dubrovnik is far from everything else in Croatia.  She was doing a day trip from Split – at least eight hours of travel.  She definitely wasn’t going to see the Dubrovnik I fell in love with but it would be a story.

http://www.dvino.net/

The rain eventually abated and even stopped at times so I was able to do more than sip Croatian wine and chat with strangers.  The War Photo Museum allowed me in and it was a really poignant experience.

It is the intent of War Photo Limited to educate the public in the field of war photography, to expose the myth of war and the intoxication of war, to let people see war as it is, raw, venal, frightening, by focusing on how war inflicts injustices on innocents and combatants alike. 

http://www.warphotoltd.com/

When it stopped raining for a little while at least, I indulged in my obsession with ice cream.  Dubrovnik is crawling with places to satisfy your cravings but my earlier samplings had just been OK.  I am sure I wrote the name down but I can’t find it.  I apologize.  If you enter from the Ploce Gate, walk almost to the end of the main street and look for the line 🙂

Excelsior Hotel is a cornucopia of delights and there is no requirement to leave so it was tempting to not risk more rain that night but it was my final evening in Dubrovnik and I wanted to experience as much as I could.  Started at La Bodega for a simple dinner.  Then wandered the romantic flood-lit streets able to wear shoes again.  I happened upon a good jazz band playing in the street so decided to sit and order a glass of wine and soak up the atmosphere.  Dubrovnik is a small town 🙂  Ryan and Peter – the Scots from the previous day’s sailing adventures – happened to walk by so they joined me before heading to a casino.

Was trying to see if I could stay awake long enough to check out a nightclub called Revelin that I kept seeing advertised.  Of course, it didn’t open until midnight and

worth staying awake

worth staying awake

the real action would take place at 3am.  But it was my last night.  You definitely need to stay up late but it is quite the scene and in an old stone tower.  It’s the new eastern Europe giving Amsterdam and Berlin a run for their money.

Culture Club Revelin Dubrovnik

I go to nightclubs to dance but I realize lots of people go for other reasons and there is generally some entertainment in addition to the dancing and people watching.  That night it came courtesy of Boris.  Like Patrick from Ireland, how can you not talk to Boris from Croatia?  I do love the confidence of young men who think they can teach me stuff.  A reverse Mrs Robinson 😉  I really doubt it but the conversations are entertaining.

Boris was too alpha male for me though.  He was gorgeous, had an Ivy League education and spoke excellent English.  I doubt women say “no” to him very often.  He walked me half way to my hotel before I convinced him he should just go back to the nightclub and find some boring young girl.  But it was flattering 🙂  I think the highlight though was when some Australian guy stopped us looking for pen and paper to get some girl’s number.  I do all the technologies so could help him out.  Hopefully he got a date.

On planetm, life is never dull 😉

Category:

eating & drinking - well, travel stories

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

Tag Cloud