Category Archives: 2024 Travels

Colorful Japan

Bright tones of fall foliage, luscious sushi, and dynamic vistas captivated Ed and me during our 3-week trip to Japan in November. From the robust red of fresh tuna sushi to brilliant yellow ginkgo trees and a gleaming gold temple, colors bombarded us from every angle.

Fall Foliage Emerges

The trees were just starting to turn colors, as the peak date was later than usual due to the warmer-than-average temperatures experienced throughout the summer and fall season this year. But they did not disappoint.

Both the male and female varieties of the ginkgo tree put on a vibrant yellow show. And, the Japanese maples were brilliant.

Mt Fuji Peeks Out From the Clouds

One of the most iconic sights in Japan is Mt Fuji, its tallest peak. Often shrouded in clouds, we were excited when it emerged into view during our hike near Kanagawa. The nearby orange shrine and dancing water captivated us.

We were not alone in our quest to see this beloved mountain. At our vista point, there were two couples trying to take a photo of their dog in front of Fuji! The dogs had to be patient and keep posing until the mountain appeared.

Vermilion Torii Gates

At the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in southern Kyoto, thousands of brilliant orange Shinto gates grace a winding path up sacred Mount Inari.

The beginning part of the trek is very crowded with other tourists and pilgrims.

But further up the mountain, the crowds eased and the gates offered a chance for solitude and photo ops!

Kimonos In Every Hue

If you want to look Japanese for a day (or an hour), you can rent a traditional kimono, complete with hair ornaments and wooden Geta sandals. This activity is very popular with Chinese tourists, although many Japanese guests also enjoy the look.

We especially liked this mother/daughter pair!

Cosplay Teens

Cosplay — a version of performance art where teens wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent specific characters — is popular in Tokyo. We saw communities of teens colorfully dressed to the nines!

Japanese Food Delights Us

We enjoyed the variety of cuisine in Japan. The sushi was fresh and exquisite.

Even the smallest hole-in-the-wall restaurant provided beautiful plating and accompaniments to our meals. Dishwashers must be very popular in Japan since there are a myriad of dishes for each meal.

Pricing was completely reasonable for the quality of the food. This tasty ‘lunch special’ at a small local restaurant recommended by the taxi driver was less than $7 per person. We waited patiently with a throng of locals, removed our shoes, sat down at a low table and dug in!

Weekday lunch special at local restaurant

At other locations, Kobe Beef was pricey, but delicious. Each morsel was incredibly tender and tasty.

Udon was usually very cheap and filling.

We loved the barbecued Unagi (eel) at the Tokyo Tsukiji Fish market.

Also delicious and colorful was Shabu Shabu, where we cooked Wagyu beef right at our table.

And, cheaper but also tasty, was Takoyaki, a local street food.

Tempura Treat

For dinner on our last day, we met with Daisuke, a business school classmate who lives in Tokyo. He has had an illustrious career as a very senior civil servant in the Japanese national government. He is now president of a university in his prefecture. He took us to a private room with a private tempura chef. Each course was expertly dipped in a batter made with special flour and delicately fried before our eyes. The chef served the delectable shrimp, scallops, asparagus, pumpkin and other tasty morsels immediately after preparation. Delicious!

Japanese Rock and Roll!

During dinner with Daisuke, he asked, “What time is your plane tomorrow?” When we said we had a car reserved at 10:30, he smiled and said, “Ok, let’s go to one more spot.” We agreed; loaded into a taxi and sped through the rainy Tokyo night, not knowing our destination. We arrived in Roppongi, the hip nightclub area, and were delighted to enter Kento’s, an American oldies club, complete with a Japanese rock band perched above a rollicking dance floor. The band was crooning “You Give Me Fever…” and the crowd was rocking. Daisuke says that he’s brought many international guests to this club since it opened in 1976, and they all enjoyed it — especially Russian visitors — who he thought were definitely members of the KGB. An excellent ending to our visit!

More to come! Our next post deals with the logistics of our trip.

Following the Tour … In Italy!

Firenze Frenzy

Florence was abuzz with energy as yellow Tour de France banners dotted the landscape on light posts and buildings. Spandex-clad spectators were everywhere, riding bikes of all sizes and brands.

The day before the start of the tour, the Tour hosted a fair in a main plaza, where sponsors handed out logo-ed swag and bike stunt artists performed entertaining shows.

Le Grand Départ

On the day of the tour, we found an excellent viewing spot near Ponte Vecchio, in the middle of Florence. We waited a few hours, and chatted joyfully with the many spectators, most of whom were Tour devotees or experienced cyclists.

Before the race, Italian kids and their parents rode their bikes through the cobblestone streets. The atmosphere was happy and electric when the caravan started around 11 am. Sponsor cars drove slowly along the route. Many were blasting music, with passengers waving enthusiastically to the throngs of fans.

At noon, the cyclists appeared riding rather slowly in a big bunch. This was the ‘neutral start’, where the cyclists proceed as a group. The projected ‘stars’—Pogacar and Vinegaard—were safely ensconced in the middle of the pack.

A few kilometers out of the city, the official ‘race’ began, and they were off! This meant that all of the spectators were ‘off’ too! As you can imagine, traffic was quite gnarly.

We waited for a while in Florence and then drove towards the next stage of the race. Many roads were closed, since the cyclists were using them, so Google Maps took us on a beautiful, circuitous route towards the Emilia-Romagna region.

Earlier, we had reviewed the map of stage 2, and googled potential places to stay along the route.

We “scored” by reserving a room at Villa Liverzano near Brisighella. We were delighted to discover that their driveway was right on the tour route.

And, even more delightful were the lovely accommodations, views, and exquisite courtyard dinner. There was one other couple who identified as ‘Tour Groupies’ so over dinner, we strategized where to watch the event the next day.

Day #2

We parked at the base of the villa’s driveway ant took a short walk to the top of the Cote de Monticino.

The Category 3 hilltop finish was festive.

Even the porta-potties had Italian style.

We waited a bit, and then the caravan passed by with the fleet of sponsor cars. A few moments later, J Abrahamsen, the current ‘king of the mountain’”’ crossed the summit in his polka dot jersey.

Soon thereafter, the peloton rode by quickly. We learned that Pogacar would take the yellow jersey that day, and would only relinquish it for one day going forward.

Relaxation in Tuscany

After the frenzy of the tour, we headed back towards Tuscany to visit our friends, Nancy and John in Anghiari, a small village near Arezzo. We enjoyed our two-night stay and delighted in the wonderful local cuisine and relaxed lifestyle. Nancy writes at itch.world on life as an expat.

The view of the walled city from the guest room window was breathtaking.

We visited Anghiari five years earlier and were so happy to return! Actually, this was the impetus of our trip to see the Tour. When Ed read that the Tour would start in Florence, he beamed, “Cool … we can watch the start, and then visit Nancy and John!” This set our trip planning in action.

Visiting A Sacred Site

We visited the Sanctuary of La Verna, a hilltop monastery, made famous by a visit by St Francis of Assisi in 1224. It is a beautiful pilgrimage site located in a National Park. We reverently toured the grounds and admired the views.

So, arrivederci Italia! Our trip was short – only two weeks, but memorable. We are grateful that we could combine the hustle and bustle of the Tour and with “la dolce vita” of Tuscany. Until next time!

Puglia is for Eating

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In late June, Ed and I spent a delicious week in Puglia – the “heel” of Italy’s “boot”. We rented a car to meander around ancient olive groves and marvel and unobstructed ocean vistas. And, Puglia delighted us with colorful orecchiette pasta, fresh seafood, abundant olive oil, and spectacular gelati.

Gourmet Delights

Orecchiette – literally “small ears” – is a shape of Puglian pasta dating to around 1500. Our orchiette came with a variety of sauces, including a Puglian specialty – Orecchiette con le cime di rapa – handmade orecchiette with turnip tops

Even the most lowly hole-in-the-wall cafe offered the freshest cuisine and homemade flair. We especially enjoyed the mussels and clam linguine in a plaza in Gallipoli.

And an 8-course farm-to-table at Masseria Il Frantoio in Ostuni under twinkling lights was divine. An English-speaking sommelier guided us through the delicious wine pairings.

Not to be outdone, the pasta and calamari at a seaside restaurant in Castrignano del Capo was terrific.

And, the tiramisu topped it all off on many occasions!

Oceans Beckon

Less touristy than its northern neighbors, Puglia is nestled between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic sea. We were able to swim in both bodies of water on back to back days. The water was warm and the waves were undulating and mild. Nice!

The drive along the Salento peninsula was breathtaking. We drove from Otranto to the most southern tip of Italy – Santa Maria de Leuca. This scenic winding road flirts with the edge of tall limestone cliffs, dropping off into the frothing Adriatic sea and offering some of amazing views. In June, we were early for the throngs of tourists, so traffic was light.

Home of the Trulli

Alberobello, a highly-visited town in Puglia, hosts over 1500 conical structures, known as trulli. Dating from as early as the mid-14th century, they feature conical roofs built over whitewashed mortarless buildings.

The trulli were designed without mortar because they were supposed to be temporary farm shelters. According to experts, “These iconic rural dwellings began appearing as early as the 14th century, and their popularity originated because of a 15th century decree that made urban settlers pay taxes to the crown under feudal rule. If the king’s inspectors came collecting, the villagers could easily demolish these inexpensive buildings into a pile of stones and hide in the forest, and then rebuild them once they’d gone.” We enjoyed walking around the current trulli, and witnessed a local wedding at the only trulli church in the world.

Gourmet Farm Says

Puglia is dotted with masserias — rural farms converted to boutique bed and breakfasts. The masserias are located outside of villages throughout the region. We stayed in two of these – in Ostuni and Otranto, and both were delightful. In Ostuni, we marveled at the orchard with thousand year old olive trees. We learned that Puglia produces 40 percent of Italy’s olive oil.

Charming Villages

Puglia has many small towns nestled among the olive groves. One of our favorites was the hilltop town of Ostuni, known as the “White City”. The whitewashed city beckons visitors from afar.

And the ubiquitous Aperol Spritz is very popular!

Visiting the Cave Dwellings

We spent a magical day and night in Matera – one of the oldest continually occupied settlements in Europe.

Cave dwellers settled here in the Paleolithic Age and residents lived in these caves (in cohabitation with their pigs and goats) up until the late 1950’s. They built an amazingly complex labyrinth of caves on top of each other, nestled along the cliffs.

We visited this cave that had been transformed into a shop.

It was definitely more hospitable than this cave in the early 1900’s, when residents lived in the same cave as their animals.

Today, the caves have morphed into boutique hotels, shops and residences. The town gained popularity when Mel Gibson filmed The Passion of The Christ in 2004, since the ambiance resembles ancient Jerusalem. And, popularity increased when James Bond performed automotive theatrics in Matera’s main plaza in No Time To Die in 2021.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Matera and appreciated the guided tour provided by a local resident. (Matera is technically not in Puglia, but it is in a neighboring state, Basilicata.)

One Minor Wrinkle

During our journey, we had a flat tire in Otranto. Luckily we were near the curb and were able to drive the car to safety. We had noticed a female traffic officer nearby and we showed her google translate’s version of “flat tire” in Italian. She knew just what to do. She called “Bilo” and later told us (in Italian) that he would arrive in treinta minuti (30 min). So, we chilled near the car, and Bilo arrived shortly thereafter.

He put on a spare and we followed him to his shop. The correct tire was not in stock, but we gave him a deposit for a new one and returned the next day, where he put on the tire. The rental company never knew anything about this. And, luckily we were able to tour the countryside using the spare, so our itinerary was not compromised. And, since none of the parties were bilingual (including us), google translate came to the rescue!

Arrivederci Puglia!

Our week in Puglia was relaxing and lovely. We were sorry to leave and hope to return soon to sample even more gourmet delicacies and visit more charming villages. Next time – without a flat tire!

A Glimpse of Modern India

A Visit to Goa

After Pune, we proceeded with Rahul and his wife, Shiny, to Goa, a lively beach town on the coast.

The Portuguese ruled Goa for more than 450 years. This history can be seen in its crumbling forts, baroque architecture, whitewashed churches and cuisine. We learned that the Portuguese left Goa as recently as the 1960s.

We especially liked the Basilica of Bom Jesus, dating from the 16th century.

Sunset on the beach was breathtaking. It seemed like the entire town was outside and enjoying walking along the sand.

In Goa we sampled the local Konki cuisine.

And we enjoyed a nightclub with live entertainment. We selected ‘These Boots are Made for Walkin’ for the singer, and our friends were surprised that we knew all the words!

Goa was relaxing and so much fun! We loved the Portuguese influence and we are so grateful for Rahul and Shiny’s warm hospitality!

Onward to Mumbai

Our final destination was Mumbai, where we stayed in the famous Taj Mahal Palace hotel. (This was the site of the serious bomb attack in 2008.)

The hotel was gorgeous. We enjoyed a tour of the facilities led by a man who had worked there for over 40 years as the personal butler for the CEO of the hotel. He told many colorful stories about famous guests and parties. And, although he was off that day, he knew everyone who was working during the 2008 attack. A memorial fountain pays tribute to those who lost their lives.

But not everything in Mumbai was modern. We also visited the world’s largest outdoor laundry (which uses the same hand washing methodology from ages past.)

And we visited Elephanta Island, with caves from mid-5th to 6th century AD. The stone carvings in the temples in the caves were well preserved and intricate.

We also took a walking tour of the Dharavi slum, which was founded in 1884. Our guide was a resident of the slum, and our tour fees supported education and training for children of the slum.

Photos are not allowed on these tours (to protect the privacy and dignity of the residents), but the tour company provided a link to a few images.

So, thank you India! We had a fabulous month – so much variety and interesting sights to see. We especially enjoyed getting to know the people and culture. Even though there are 1.4 billion people here, we were not overwhelmed by crowds of humanity. Instead, we found peace and quiet and warm hospitality. We’re grateful for the opportunity to visit this fascinating place!

Tracking Tigers and Leopards

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On our trip to India in April, we spent two nights near Ranthambore National Park, home to 80+ Bengal tigers. We boarded a safari jeep early in the morning to track the tigers. It was chilly, and we were happy for our hats and coffee-to-go.

Ranthambore National Park is divided into zones. The guides and drivers participate in a lottery to determine where they can travel daily so areas do not become overcrowded. We were lucky to visit Zone 1, where tigers were spotted the previous day.

Encounter With a Tiger

We cruised through the morning dew and were happy to hear the chatter of monkeys – this is the “warning call” for the community of leopards, sloth bears, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boars, crocodiles, and a wide variety of bird species who live in the park. This chatter means, “Lookout … tiger nearby!” Our jeep proceeded to the area of the monkey chatter. We waited quietly, and then this magnificent tiger appeared:

She picked up a dead spotted deer carcass to determine if it was high enough quality for her cubs.

She decided, “Yes – it’s fresh, and my cubs will love it”, and trotted off through the forest towards her cubs.

Other jeep drivers had also heard the monkey call and headed towards this spot. So we were not alone during this encounter with the tiger. Instead, we were joined by BBC cameramen and tourists on photo safaris.

During other drives in Ranthambore Park, we spotted additional tigers, but most were at a distance, and some, like this cub, were well camouflaged in the bush.

Other Animals Populate the Park

In the park we saw a variety of other wildlife, including this spotted deer nursing her baby.

This sambar deer was alert, always listening for predators.

The monkeys provided a constant chatter overhead.

And the birds were varied and beautiful.

We loved going out in the jeep and admiring the vast variety of vegetation and scenery, but it was also good to get home to the lodge and enjoy the sunset.

Leopards Lurk Over the Village

Later in our trip, we stopped in Narlai, a traditional village where leopards live in the stone caves outside of town. We took a jeep tour at sunset and saw this magnificent creature checking out the town below. Apparently, their diet consists of small mammals like dogs, spotted deer, and baby calves. They usually don’t bother humans, but we didn’t get too close to find out!

We stayed at Rawla Narlai, a regal hunting lodge, where British royalty spent the night on journeys between Jaipur and Udaipur. The arrival at this lodge was a surprise. We were driving through a typical village with local commerce and cows lying around the street. As we turned the corner, we found a gate with a doorman dressed in white with a red turban. He opened the gate, and this majestic lodge was right there – nestled behind the gate and right in the town. From the swimming pool at the lodge, we could see the local temple that was carved into the nearby mountain.

Villagers Add Local Color

The four-legged creatures were not the only amazing characters we saw on this journey. We toured Narlai with one of the men who worked at the hotel. He took us to the temple on the mountain and serenaded us with a drum.

Other residents were also colorfully dressed in local attire. Many men donned traditional turbans.

While women wore intricate nose rings and beautiful saris.

The children attended a local school and were delighted to have visitors, especially when we contributed to their library fund.

Visiting the countryside allowed us to appreciate the traditional lifestyle still carried on by residents. Working in the field looked exhausting!

We decided you need a strong back, excellent hip flexors, and good balance to prepare meals in this community.

Visiting the countryside was a treat, as the lifestyle is much more traditional than our experience in some of the larger cities in Rajasthan.

Our next stop is modern India. Stay tuned.

Royal Rajasthan – From “Pur to Pur”

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Ed and I recently spent a month exploring the regal areas of Rajasthan in Northern India.

We traveled along the well-trodden route from Jaipur to Udaipur to Jodhpur … our “pur to pur” tour. In ancient Sanskrit, the “pur” suffix denotes town or city, so Jaipur is Jai’s town, paying homage to Maharaja Jai Singh II, who established the city in 1727. Rao Jodha founded Jodhpur in 1459, and so on. We also traveled to Jaisalmer, a fortress town established in the 12th century by King Rawal Jaisal. (The suffix ‘mer’ denotes that it was once a lake.) Each area offered its charm and beauty.

Since the Rajasthan royalty cooperated with the Mughals and the British over time, palaces, temples and forts were not destroyed (like in many other parts of India). Many still stand in good condition after 600+ years.

Visiting Jaipur

One of our favorite destinations was the Amber Fort in Jaipur, where we donned traditional turbans and rode up to the fort on an elephant.

We later learned that elephants don’t like this work. The government has new laws (encouraged by PETA) limiting the number of people they carry at a time and the number of trips to the fort per day.

If Ed needed to wear a turban daily, he would have to add at least 15 minutes to his morning routine, as tying a turban is quite an intricate process! The fabric was eight meters long.

Jaipur became known as “The Pink City” when, in 1876, the Maharaja painted most buildings pink—the color of hospitality—in preparation for a visit by Britain’s Queen Victoria. We admired many of the pink structures, including the Hawa Mahal. Women used to peer out of the many small lookout holes in this building to see what was happening in the street.

A few minutes after we took this photo in the middle of a crowded night market, Ed realized he did not have his wallet. We surveyed the sidewalk and rushed back to this location. Unfortunately, we did not find it. We assumed either we left it in the hotel or he dropped it.

We didn’t find the wallet at the hotel either, but when Jan looked at her phone, she found this message titled “Regarding your Purse”:

A shopkeeper had spotted a suspicious-looking person picking something off the street. When he went to investigate, he realized it was a wallet and took possession. He found the neighborhood policeman and turned over the wallet, but first, he found our business card in the wallet and sent a message saying he had my wallet. We quickly summoned our driver and returned to his shop. He wouldn’t accept a tip. Honest people can be found everywhere.

Blue Jodhpur

The Mehrangarh fort beckoned from all parts of Jodhpur. Originally built in 1459, the complex spans 1,200 acres.

Night views from rooftop restaurants also focus on the fort.

Jodhpur is known as the “Blue City” because many buildings in the oldest areas are painted blue.

This theme was artfully carried out at the remodel of our hotel, the Raas Jodhpur, which was once an ancient palace.

Golden Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is called the “Golden City” because the yellow sandstone used in the majority of architecture has a yellowish-golden tinge. Unlike most other forts in India, Jaisalmer Fort is not just a tourist attraction. It houses shops, hotels and ancient havelis (homes) where generations continue to live.

Jaisalmer was a major junction on the Silk Road. Riding camels is still a tradition in the area, and we were happy to take a ride at sunset.

Hospitality Galore

Many palaces and estates have been converted into luxury 5-star hotels. The level of Indian hospitality on our journey was incredible. Each room was different—many had balconies, patios, views, and/or sitting rooms. The staff was incredibly gracious and welcoming. Our view of the sunset from the hotel roof in Udaipur was lovely.

Happy Holi!

We were happy to be in Udaipur for Holi, the celebration of Spring. The night before, the town was festive, with many locals (and tourists) dancing to traditional Indian music.

On Holi day, donning white outfits, everyone in town threw paint on each other to celebrate flowers, spring and new life! We started the day in pristine outfits.

Our clothes became increasingly colorful as the day wore on. We originally thought that people would throw dried paint at each other. But no, it was much more personal. Instead of throwing, many of our new friends would smear wet (or dried) paint on your face, hair or clothing.

To top it off, local children delighted in spraying each passerby with their water guns! This added a wet layer on everyone’s clothing and helped blend (or smear) the paint.

By the end of the day, we were covered in paint and ready for the shower! (I had a Zoom for Stanford call at 4 pm that day and needed to ensure I was presentable. Even though my hair still had a slight green cast, I was able to pull this off!)

We heard that there is a traditional marijuana-laced drink named “bhang” that is part of many people’s Holi tradition. We didn’t try it, but we noticed everyone was in a very good mood! Perhaps next time.

Touring the Taj Mahal

En route to Rajasthan, we visited the Taj Mahal. Although it looks pure white from a distance, the vast quantity of inlaid jewels that grace the structure is breathtaking. We learned that it took 20,000 people 22 years to build this magnificent building. We visited at sunset and sunrise the next morning.

It was truly a “bucket list” moment!

Smooth Sailing

Due to the patience and skill of our driver, Milap, we were lucky to enjoy a smooth trip throughout Rajasthan. With the crazy traffic and honking around India, Jan often remarked, “I’m so glad Ed is not driving!” This is an understatement!

Our trip to Rajasthan was planned by Ajay Sharma, a Delhi local who’s planned trips for friends in Sun Valley. He was an excellent choice. If you’re interested, you can reach hin at holikurry@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram. We’re happy to provide more details.

https://www.instagram.com/indiawithajay

This is the first of three installments of our memories of India. Watch this space!