20 hours in Irun,Spain

                             

                   

 “We'll spend a night in Irun on our way to Madrid ,” Bee,  my travelling companion announced with a  dictatorial finality.

“Irun???”

“Its in the Basque region of Spain.” The words jolted my memory like a tsunami wave  bringing forth facts and figures  which I had taught as a  teacher. 

Straddling both France and Spain and partly in the Pyrenees ,with the Bay of Biscay to the north,  it is inhabited by the Basque people ,speaking a language( Euskara) distinct from other European languages and having no linguistic relative. A very old race ,they have survived invasions , foreign domination and dictators. While most ethnic  groups and sects in the Iberian Peninsula blended into the main stream with the march of time , the insular Basque community survived .

How did we reach Irun

How did we reach Irun

map showing parts of France and Spain, bay of Biscay

                               

                     

At 7.30 in the morning we  boarded the train at Bordeaux heading for Hendeyne.Tickets are between  27 to  30 euros. Both stations are clean , signage is clear and there are English –speaking staff at the information desk .The train was spacious , enough room for luggage and filled with retirees and holiday makers most of whom were heading for San Sebastian. Like most French trains there is a catering facility, so the need to take  packed snacks does not arise.  The journey takes approximately 3 hours As we munched on our sandwiches and coffee we took in the landscape  while traversing small towns , beautiful countryside  and picture -perfect  vineyards .

We reached Hendeyne at about 10.30. It is the farthest point of South –west France , a frontier town before entering Spain . Despite the fact that the route is traversed by thousands of people,  since it is the link between  Iberian Peninsular and the rest of Europe, the station is small, just about 4 platforms, so you’ll never get lost .

You can walk across to Irun (Spain) from Hendeyne (France) across the Santiago Bridge over the River Bidasoa. We, however, took a little train, after crossing the frontier gate, running for just 6 mins.to reach Irun station. Thus we entered the land of the Spanish Armada, flamenco dancers and  the painter Francisco Goya nodding a “Hola” to one and sundry.    

Tip: Train tickets fluctuate. Book your tickets well ahead to get fair discounts.
 For short journeys take the regional trains (REC) than the TGV high speed. Although wash-room amenities are available in all stations sometimes you may have to make small payment.Therefore keep some ready change ready.

Where did we stay

Bar Pension Restaurante Bidasoa

                                             

  We had an  early morning train to Madrid. Therefore, we decided on an accommodation just near the railway station and what better place than “Bar Pension Restaurante Bidasoa” at 60euros per night . That was our Paradise for the night. 

I have never stayed in a place like this.The name of the hotel was self-explanatory; it is a bar frequented by the elderly pensioners at all times of the day . Even at 10.30 it was pretty crowded. You can access the rooms of the Pension(small hotel)through the bar and the restaurant lay beyond the watering-hole.

 Our tussle with the unknown began when we realized that nobody could speak English though they understood us (I think). A furtive look leapt into my eyes and my face contorted , witch-like,  as it often does, when I am about to speak   a foreign language .

“ Senorita, Hemos reservado una habitacion aqui”(we have a reservation here) ,I said.  Something went terribly wrong for the beautiful lady  looked at us blankly and smiled. The accent  must have been a pain to the  ear like incoming artillery.  Bee  solved our problem by wielding the Google translator successfully.  Smiling all the while she rattled off a string of incomprehensible sentences and called for the young Sou Chef, who knew communicative English,  to settle the necessary modalities. “Una estancia confortable” she said . “Gracias.” Yes, we both understood.

The room was small but very clean . The teeny-weeny bath-room had us “walking – in” backwards. The invisible noise which was as soft as muslin coming from the other room made us realise that the walls were thin. “Remember , you get what you pay for,” I was told. Nevertheless we had a comfortable night  , fresh for the next leg of our journey.

Tip: a) It’s good to know a few sentences of the local language. 
       b)“Seista” is important for every Spaniard . Shops are shut and restaurants are closed.              Therefore have your meals well ahead of time.
       c)sncf.com/en and renfe.com/en are the two websites to check for train time-tables in               France and Spain. 

                        

near our hotel

                            

                                       

What did we see and eat

Twenty hours is not enough to see everything that Irun has to offer, with eight hours spent sleeping. We walked around taking photographs of a few landmarks, visiting the shops,absorbing the sights,sounds and flavours of the region.The spots we covered were the Town Hall and square , the church , the Palacio Arbelaiz . We didn't have time to go inside the Museo Romano Oiasso.

Proximity to the sea has made fish an important item in their menu apart from local vegetables and meat .Tucking into the Marmitako (fish stew) and Pintxos(finger food) along with a glass of Sangria ,our evening was made.

 Marmitako (fish stew)

Sangria

                                                            

We inter-acted with the elderly gentleman at the bookstore who made an interesting statement ,“The Romans have come and gone but we are still here.” The region has seen turbulent days during the revolutionary movement led by the ETA (Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna meaning Basque country and Freedom) in the 1970’s saw 100 people dying every year.Violence had become an outdoor activity of the people leading many Basque people to re-settle elsewhere.

Things have changed after the cease-fire in 2010 . Today the Spanish Basque Autonomous Country is more autonomous than many other parts of the continent, having the highest per capita income in Spain leading to immigration from poorer parts of Spain and the world. Though there are 30% fluent Basque speakers and 18% passive speakers, efforts are being made to revive the language.  A beautiful country with beautiful people!

The Evening saw groups of retirees entering the bar of the hotel which had three screens telecasting football . Real Madrid was the popular club being cheered ,although I was told there is a team “Atheletic  Bilbao” where all players are Basque.The bonhomie at the bar was all pervading with much laughter ,back-slapping and jokes in a language that was beyond our reach. Beer did the rounds . We joined the cordiality and heartiness of the folks before we called it a day.

Tip:  a) Have time in hand to make a trip to San Sebastian , the nearby sea-resort.

‘       b)Be a Roman in Rome”and do what the locals do.

        c)Don’t be nostalgic about home-made food . Be adventurous , dig and eat !!

My travelling partner, Bee

                                

Let me end with the words of Nelson Mandela:“After climbing a great hill , one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

Nature at its best (photos).....Vancouver BC

Last year we spent 5 weeks in Vancouver BC just before winter set in . One of the most  serenely beautiful places on this planet. This blog is  about the Hues of nature ........

The loveliness of it all

English bay

Sea-shells.....beautiful but forgotten

A peaceful world of their own

Our hearts be so clear

Enjoying the sun

Beauty in their simplicity

English Bay .....BC

Tranquil

Stillness of Nature

Imposing Remnant

Relax

Sky is the limit

Interesting trail

where waters are falling and valleys calling

autumn is here

hues of autumn

KHONOMA, Nagaland ---Nature Undisturbed

                       "One's destination is never a place , but a new way of seeing things."

You don’t need an alarm clock in Khonoma . At the crack of dawn , the crowing of the village roosters wakes you up to a clear, azure sky and a 360 degree view of the verdant hills. Before the sun has consolidated its position in the sky,the folks are on their way to work on the beautiful terraced rice fields and the children are off to school in their smart attire.  It was an amazing weekend !!

How did we reach Khonoma?

We clocked approx. 334kms to Kohima, capital city of Nagaland, north-east India, and another 20kms to Khonoma village.  NH 37 bifurcates to Asian Highway  1(AH1) near Nowgaon taking us via Doboka and Dimapur to Kohima. The roads are fairly good save for patches in Assam and the sinking area(land-slide prone) in Nagaland. However,it is possible to fly into Dimapur or reach the town by train , but the next 69 kms to Kohima has to be covered by road. The drive was a visual feast.The rains made all the difference to the green foliage.


                       " Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.."

After  having spent a night in Kohima , we drove onwards to the “Green Village” of Khonoma.

 It is barely 20 kms from Kohima but we took an hour. The best route is to come through the Jotsama –Peren road but  my travelling partner, Bee, likes to take the unbeaten track  and chose the more challenging route where our GPS got confused leading us to ask strangers for directions at every bend. The road is narrow, uphill, partly gravel  and  there is no signage till the highway.   Nevertheless, it was an interesting ride , almost like a treasure hunt trying to locate the “shy"village: “shy”  cause you don’t get a glimpse of the hamlet nestled amoungst the hills, perched at 3048 meters above sea level ,  till the last 3 kms when  a U-turn is made. 

Khonoma Village.....  two kms ahead

                                      "We were in for the right things at the right Inn"

Where did we stay?

Michael , our guide, affable and knowledgeable, a proud Naga of the Angami tribe,  met us at the Baptist Church. Incidentally , there are three churches –A Baptist church, Roman Catholic and a Revival (not sure?)----in a village of 5000 which reflected the religious values of the inhabitants. The earthiness of the village was evident in its simplicity. 

We drove into Dovie Pie Inn, an abode of a unique stay, where the staff is friendly , room is  clean with an adjoining terrace where we could sit to take in the geographical terrain and mysticism of Nagaland. The Inn offers rooms from $30 to $50. Nice name, Dovie Pie ; it was named after the owner's ancestor .

Dovie Pie Inn

The terrace....360 degree view of the hills

What did we do ?

Without  wasting much time after check-in  we set out with a steely resolve to capture everything in one day. Armed with sturdy  walking shoes and our igloo-shaped umbrellas  we followed Michael (cell no: +91 98628 63176 )  on the historic village trail. A great story teller , he walked the talk....the history of the village , covering the wars with the Btitish in 1879-80 , pointing out the memorial of the British officers who laid down their lives attempting to capture the village. 

Memorial

 The age-old  village was  impregnable at that time,  with fortified walls and four gates atop a hill making it impossible to be occupied. During the World War II (Battle of Kohima) the villagers played a note-worthy role in shipping artillery through the hills and ravines to the British army in kohima.

 In the 1950’s during the time of the Naga insurgency , the village was raised to the ground by the Indian army ,forcing the population to abandon their homes . Mr A.Z. Phizo who spear-headed the movement for an Independent Nagaland as leader of Naga National Council(NNC) belonged to this village. There is a memorial at the far end in honour of the martyrs. The area has seen good and bad days. Today, it stands tall as one of the greenest and cleanest villages in India. It is peaceful and serene . The proud sons of the soil have done well . Many have moved out into the world.

Fort

“We don’t cut trees or kill animals,” said Michael . Once upon a time he was a sharp-shooter , bringing in trophies by a dozen . That’s history for him . ...he lives by the River Khuru ,rich in Rainbow Trout,  grows flowers and vegetables  and writes books about his people. Hunting having been the main occupation historically , it was difficult to convince the older generation of the essence of conservation . Trophies are still to be seen in many homes as a reminder of the past.

Trophies...reminder of the past

  Khonoma Nature and Conservation Trust and Tragopan Sanctuary has made singular contribution to conservation. The sacred grove of trees is revered . Although shifting cultivation continues , it is done in a very scientific manner. The alder trees are hardy and resistant to fire.The Tragopan bird is a diminishing breed but you are very, very lucky you may spot one.
An abode of a unique flora and fauna ,( alder trees, bisons and tragopan Bird) the model village of Khonoma has a regular water supply and electricity at every home. The cobbled paths and steps have been built by the local work-force with materials from the village quarry , each group of boys accountable for their section. There are 3 high schools and 3 primary schools. Surprisingly, I spied three cell-phone towers which speaks a lot about the penetration of the phone companies.

Cobbled path....neat and clean 

You cannot leave Khonoma without visiting a “Morong” or dormitory for bachelor boys. Made of

bamboo, these traditional, beautiful  huts is the home where the young boys learn life-skills, folk-lore, ancestral songs and facts of life.There are songs for every occasion .
 A few lines of a lullaby particularly appealed to me :

 “Cry not my little one, Fear not for I am here, Will hold you, come what may in my arms.”
 
The Morong is an essential part of every boy's life and a symbol of pride of each village . It houses the trophies and weapons of the young men. Although the convention of staying in a Morung is fading with the invasion of modern practices , Khonoma is still known for its active dormitories.   Popular sports are wrestling , foot-ball and volley ball.

A model Morung...a show -piece

                                                        Shield on display inside the Morung


                                "I love going out of my way, beyond what I know.........."

For trekkers and nature –lovers the village is an ideal destination.All arrangements are made by the tour-guide.

 The World War II trail is particularly popular and takes about 8 hours. The novelty of walking down to the paddy fields is an experience which every city-dweller would enjoy. Forty varieties of rice are grown. The USP of the Dzouku Valley Trail is the all-pervading stillness ,hush and the symbiosis of the individual with Nature. Unlike other trails , you do not hear the sound of a car-engine even in the remote distance.

Terraced rice-fields

                                   "The next best thing about eating food is talking about it...."

   What did we eat?

Smoked , dried ,fermented and boiled are the cooking methods used . Rice is the staple carbohydrate. The King Chilli ,bamboo shoots  and “axuni”(fermented soya-beans)are essential ingredients.

 Boiled vegetables and boiled organic edible leaves like yam , mustard , pumpkin are served. Pork with bamboo-shoot is a hot favourite.  

We gorged on the food after a full-day....we dug in and ate like pigs!!! A glass of rice beer completed our day. No neurotic fear of fighting the fat !!!!

Sticky rice, pork bamboo shoot, dried fish chutney, lentils with herbs, boiled veggies

The gold coin faded with the day's end. Tucked away in a remote corner of India , Khonoma lives on its own time zone far removed from the rest of the world despite its connectivity. The moment you step into the cobbled walk-ways the small pristine village begins to tell its ancient story.

 

Evening

As we sat on the terrace listening to Michael’s tales of yore, the fog engulfed us, darkness set in . The gurgling of the river water  was amplified in the twilight . The fading sound of  crickets stirred me

into creativity. I wrote and wrote till I fell into deep slumber and woke when the cocks crowed !

Let me end with a quote from Louis L'Amour "I think of myself as a troubadour, a village story-teller the guys in the shadows of a camp-fire..."

In traditional attire

Cambodia : the Kingdom of Wonder and Optimism

                   

                                                 " Two roads diverged in a wood and I--

                                                    I took the one less travelled by 

                                                   And that has made all the difference."

We entered Cambodia in an unusually strange, awry and even comical manner to say the least. A two-wheeler (Xe-mo) brought us into the country of the Kampucheans for $1 dollar each !

Entry  and Visa

                                             
                                " No two countries are the same , but human hearts are the same"

Bee , my travelling companion, who loves to take  “the road less travelled by,” and wants to settle in every country he visits, decided to take a bus  from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in Vietnam to Phnom Penh(Cambodia). There were many options but we zeroed in on the Mekong Express Limousine Bus Services. Tickets ranged from $15 to $36 depending on the comfort level that you were offered. The departure point varied on certain days , therefore it was wise to check a day ahead. The journey took 7 hours  .We boarded early morning to find ,to our surprise, that most of our co-passengers were  European tourists and a few locals. The courteous tour guide rattled of information and statistics preparing us for the trip.
As the bus took off, the urban settings gave way to green paddy fields dotted with   villages reflecting the timeless simplicity of rural life in  both Vietnam and Cambodia. Light snacks were served . Everything was hunky-dory till we reached the border out-post of Moc-Bai.

Moc Bai border gate

Exiting Vietnam at Moc Bai was hassle-free . We boarded the bus which  took us through No-Man’s land into the Cambodian out-post of Bavet.  The bus conductor collected all our passports and deposited them at the counter where a pompous looking gentleman sat on a high chair---was I imagining------ exuding an air of condescension at us lesser beings. Each name on the passport was called at a leisurely pace  for immigration clearance.  My name being a mouthful sounded down-right ridiculous in the Khmer accent, but thankfully the sign and stamp were placed without any question.

We were the last to cross the immigration hurdle only to find that the bus had left  without us. --Standing  high and dry outside Bavet out-post  with only our passports and wallets in our hands, we didn’t know what to do. A young Kampuchean lad told us that the bus driver was as hungry as a wolf and had taken off  to the nearest restaurant for lunch.

 “So how do we reach Phnom Penh?”we asked. 

“No problem , $1 each . I will take you to the bus.”

We jumped on to his motor –cycle , two pillion riders clinging on to the Kampuchean, speeding off like a fighter pilot in unknown territory , straining our tired eyes to locate the bus, oblivious of everything else. We reached the bus . The apologetic conductor tried to pacify us , the co-passengers shared our anxiety but the bus driver remained as blank as an empty bottle , unrepentant , our words sounding Greek to his ears.As he wolved down his plate of Bai Sach Chrouk(pork and rice) we tried to enjoy our  lunch , the little that we had, but the out-of –the world experience had jaded  our taste buds , filling our bellies with mixed feelings. 

Note: Cambodian visas can be got either on line(E-visa),through the Cambodian Consulate in your country or on arrival . The USD is accepted everywhere but it is wise to carry some local currency for at the immigration if you pay in Dollars there are chances that you will not get the change back . We didn’t face this problem but others did.

There are five/six entry points into Cambodia . Make sure you mention the point of entry and exit (in our case Moc Bai -Bavet) clearly in your application form or you will be turned back.

Crossing of the River Mekong

              " The river has seen it all: the good , the bad and the ugly"

  

Crossing the River  by ferry at Neak Loeung  has become a thing of the past with the opening of the 2220meters long ,Japanese –funded bridge over the Mekong River on the 6^th of April 2016.

   We are a part of the history having  experienced the joy of sailing across the river on a ferry      crowded with passengers and hawkers in equal number selling lotus pods, shrimps, fried-      grasshoppers, peanuts etc.

ferry crossing

 As I sat on the bus , our co-passenger (a French tourist) came to tell me that the bus was precariously perched  on the edge of the ferry and if the ferry braked abruptly we will be floating down the Mekong delta. My hands folded in prayers   as we cruised across to the other side.
Highway 1 is an important commercial route between Vietnam and Cambodia . It had been the battle-ground of many wars . During the Cambodian Civil War an American B-52 dropped a 20 ton load killing many and crippling many more.In all probabilityyou will see physically challenged adults selling goodies at the ferry point.

palace at night

   Phnom Penh
  

This is a city of contrasts , changing rapidly like most Asian Capitals. Dust and dirt co-exist with swanky buildings , beautiful parks and glitzy malls. Walking along the riverfront will give you a fair idea of what the place has to offer . A meal can be as cheap as $2 or as expensive as $100 +     

The Royal Palace , the Silver pagoda , Victory gate , the National Museum  and the most interesting Central market (Phsar Thmie) housed in a French –Cambodian building  are  must-sees. Book your tickets online and don’t be disappointed if parts of the Palace is cordoned off for reasons known to them. Queues are long .Go armed with a water bottle and moist tissues.   

 The Killing Fields and the Genocide museum are amaze-balls which will leave you thanking God for all that he has given us . They are vivid reminders of the brutality of the Khmer rouge regime. Avoid these places if you don’t want your vacation to be scarred with morbidity and sadness.

SUNRISE AT ANGKOR WAT

" If a picture is worth a thousand words , why did God create captions

  
                     

                         
Where did we stay
In the midst of the gritty polluted city we stayed at an island of serenity, Hotel Billabong. A family hotel with spacious rooms, friendly staff catering to the western and Asian palate it is located in the centre of the city. We loved every minute of our stay and got value for the money spent.

hotel Billabong

                              t.

                 
  Angkor Wat

Leaving Cambodia without seeing the majestic Angkor Wat would be a greater sin than the original sin that led to the fall of Man.It was the biggest Hindu  temple in the world , taken over  later by Buddhist priests as the religion spread. Today , the nation has a 96% Buddhist population. The temples are a standing reminder of the extent Hinduism spread. It captures Khmer architecture in all its glory.

    Since our tickets on the Mekong Express were booked on-line much earlier we made our way to the nearest town near Angkor Wat, Siem Reap. It was a travelling experience that left me hot and burning like hot-cross buns. A combo of the sun and human body heat made life unbearable inside the vehicle turning it into a furnace despite the air-conditioning . Foreign tourists took off their shirts ,children were restless and I tore my hair apart. The buses were perfect ; it was the weather that played spoilt -sport.Three nights later we made sure we returned to Phnom Penh in a spacious limousine.

               

SIEM REAP: Pub Street

Siem Reap was a small village which has grown into an active touristy town with the Pub Street being the arterial road where   night –life happens. Energy level is high and every evening is party time. Lined with cafes, pubs and restaurants having  amusing names like Blue Pumpkin, Easy Speaking , Angkor What?, Soup Dragon and of course Red Piano made famous by  the visit of Angelina Jolie and the crew of “Lara Croft: Tomb raiders “.  We tried the“Tomb raider” cocktail one too many ( lime+tonic+cointreau) and spent the rest of the evening wracking our brains silly over the nomenclature of the restaurants. Incidentally , the Red Piano was named because there was a big Red Piano when the owner bought it !  If you want traditional fare visit the bye-lanes of the old market area and select from the array of goodies –smoked scorpions, roasted tarantula and grilled toad. Bee, tried it all reminding me with every bite that I was missing something unforgettable. 

What did we eat........
                                 
" One cannot think well, love well, sleep well , if one has not dined well" 

rice in a egg-casing

frogs legs

rice,meat,pineapple

steamed fish

      


John , our tuk-tuk driver , a perfect gentleman and a magician –of –sorts, had everything up his sleeves be it tissues, bottle-opener  , rubber slippers etc, He  was booked on-line two weeks earlier  . He met Bee at our hotel and planned our itinerary for Angkor Wat and the adjoining areas. The Angkor Wat complex covers an area of 162.2 hectares housing 1000 temples  reflecting the Khmer architectural glory ,making it impossible to see all of them . We decided on the Angkor Wat, Bayon , Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. Bayon was my favourite and  by far  the best  with its numerous calm , smiling faces carved on its exterior.
Make sure you remember the number of your tuk-tuk and register the face of the driver in the inner recesses of your mind because all tuk-tuks and the drivers look the same and in the tourist melee you will have a tough time locating him . Sometimes the driver leaves you at one end of a temple to pick you up at the other end.  Guides are available. Often the driver doubles as a guide for no extra charge. It will be wise to read about the temples before you visit.

Beautiful Bayon : my favourite

 If you think getting up at 4.30am ,armed with a torch-light and a water bottle is your idea of a holiday , then go ahead and do so because the sun-rise at Angkor is amazing and can be framed for posterity. Over 2 million tourists visit the temples annually making it impossible to be alone or click a picture without someone unknown in the shot. But John took us back during lunch time the next day to capture those precious moments.  However the best time to see Angkor is early morning or in the evening . Unlike other temples Angkor Wat faces the west leaving many to speculate that King Suryavarma built it with his funeral in mind.  Don't try to venture up the steps of the main temple if you have vertigo or you will find yourself crawling on all fours and your intestines will be doing a voodoo dance while coming down.

The night market is interesting where you can pick up a thing or two including precious stones. A boat ride on the Tonle Sap will make your Cambodian trip memorable.The Apsara dance recital was the grand finale to our trip.

with the Apsaras at Angkor

  For a country that has seen  it all...the scourge of Pol Pot , napalm bombings, land-mines it is a country which looks ahead with optimism and cheer .The resilience and patience of the populace , strenghtened by their religious values( 96% Buddhists) and a glorious ancient past make Cambodia a nation to reckon with. It is changing fast. Like the rest of the world cell-phones, e-books and laptops are the best friends of the new generation.   We loved it all and hope to go back to sail down the mekong Delta!  


 " Travel makes one modest.You see what a tiny place you occupy in the World."