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May 2012 Issue

Ahmedabad Based 1st Travel e-mag

Greece the true experience

Did you Missed the Earlier Issue of Travelloholic

Travel Magazine

October 2011

Ko Phi Phi Don

Amazing Thailand can be explored visiting Ko Phi Phi Is-

land, Be ready for a virtual exploration if you are going to read.

Jambughoda

Conversation with the nature at Jambughoda can be felt

if you are ready to talk to nature

Dholavira

The most ancient city of Asia; A place built 5000 years

ago.

November 2011

Ladakh

Super Natural Beauty on the paradise called Earth. Lad-

hak is one of the place still uncovered by many travel freaks.

Zainabad

The real Kutch experience where you can enjoy peace

with interesting sight seeing spots

Seychelles

Unexplored Paradise; collection of 115 inner and outer

islands, if you are a water lover, this place is for you

December 2011

Jordan

Ancient Wonders, Modern Luxuries: Favorite with those who follows

Rann Utsav

The Celebration of Life, unique manifestation of varied

cultural ethos of the region. Opportunity to explore white Rann

Himachal Pradesh

Mini Switzerland. Unlock facts of cool winds; Khajjiar,

Chamba, Dalhousie.

We have saved memories for you

have some glimpse here

Japan The Land of Rising sun

Ages ahead in tourism freaks the place. Tourists get attracted from the beauty of technological

world

Explore Indian Forest Adventure vs Nature. Are you ready ?

Heritage city —uniquely Heritage

Maldives Always Natural

come face-to-face with some of the most incredible beaches in the world

A Beautiful Scenery Matheran The only

hill station where vehicles are banned

Kerela the cool blue Arabian Sea on the west

and the marvelous western ghats.

January 2012

February 2012

Switzerland Its Fun to be here

Consider breaking your holiday with natural beauty, plan a fun at your holidays...

Fasnacht The traditional festival full of colours and events

Hampta Pass — Adventurous Great Himalayas

March 2012

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April 2012

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Previous Issue - Travelloholic Travel Magazine

May 2012

In this issue...

Cover Story

01 Greece The true experience

Faith-based travel and recreation. Greece conjures up images of ancient ruins; archaeological sites and more

than 6,000 islands; only 227 of these islands are inhabited.

Greece Photography by: Mr. Farhan Tauheed explore more at: www.farhan-tauheed.com/

01 Athens

11 Meteora

19 Santorini

25 Cape Sounion

Travel Stories

A Trip to the Vatican Museum

-Deepak Gulati

Agumbe Rainforest

-Shraddha Rathi

On visiting India after 9

months

-Deepak Gulati 55 New Terminal:

Vadodara Airport

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Travel Toonz 61

Greece has just too many things to offer and its just going to take a LOT of visits to cover the whole thing.

Greece has just too many things to offer and its just going to take a LOT of visits to cover the whole thing.

Athens

01

Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily

negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum. Modern Athens is a major European city, vibrant and safe, where history meets with comfort and fascination. The Acropolis is one of the world‘s most famous landmarks and Greece history and culture, combined with the

nightlife, a wonderful climate, traditional cuisine and renowned Greek hospitality are just some of the countless attractions Athens has to offer. They provide a unique opportunity for those visiting the cradle of the concept of democracy, an experience you never will forget. If you think of seeing Athens in one day, don't bother because you will have been in Athens but you will not have seen it. Do yourself a big favor, take enough time to discover Athens. Afterwards you'll be very happy you did.

Athens is a tourists' heaven..... if you are willing to take the time to see it

Entertainment

From June to September, Athens demonstrates a unique cultural intensity, the heart being the ancient Odeion of Herodus Atticus (Herodeion). It provides a stage for the greatest events on the program of the city‘s most historic arts celebration, the Athens Festival (part of the Hellenic

Festival). The same colorful festival atmosphere pervades the whole city. The Acropolis Sound and Light show is held in English every night from April to October. Tickets can be booked with Athens Festival Box Office. Night Life

Athens Nights Almost as alive as the town is during the day, it is at night... Athens offers you a choice in whatever kind of entertainment you like. In a lot of cafes, bars and restaurants you will find live music, sometimes even during the day. An evening out in the theater, ballet, classical concert or a pop concert in one of the open air amphitheaters will leave you with fond memories of Athens. There are many places were you can enjoy typical Greek music and can dance to it till dawn breaks. The golden rule of respecting others and they will respect you, is as applicable to Athens and its nightlife as it is everywhere else in the world. Don't drink and drive. Taxis are cheaper than a funeral.

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What to see in Athens ? Acropolis

The most famous site in all of Athens, this large hill lies in the center of the city and

contains a cluster of ancient ruins.

The Acropolis Museum

Modern, up to date building on the foot of the Acropolis housing important ancient

Greek statues and much more

National Archaeological Museum

A museum featuring the art and artifacts of the Minoans, an ancient tribe of people who

once dominated the Aegean Sea

Odeum of Herodes Atticus

Second-century theater built into the hillside.

Hammam Baths

Hammam baths has to be on your list of ‗must do‘s‘ when in Athens since it‘s the only authentic hammam in the city. Hammam baths offers you the ultimate relaxing

experience through a blissful full body scrub during the bath and a glorious massage on warm marbles. You will feel your skin so soft and refreshed as never before.

Filopappos Hill

This hill is a favorite for weekending Athenians who come here to picnic and admire the breathtaking views.

‗‘When the Acropolis looks like it is swarming with ants because of all the tourists,

Filopappos is the escape. It has a great view of the Acropolis, it's free, and it is so nice when the weather is good. The hike to the top is easy and you get a 360 degree view

of the city. Don't miss Socrates' prison, it is amazing to see it built into the rock! This is

a good place to picnic.‘‘

Gazi

A busy neighborhood lined with shops, restaurants and lots of bars.

Tower of the Winds

A graceful stone tower dating back to the first century AD.

Dora Stratou Greek Dances Theatre

See traditional Greek dances in this 800-seat garden theater.

Psiri

The place for the young and chic: this neighborhood is lined with the trendiest shops,

clubs and bars in the city; place for real greek nightlife. walk around and find your "cup of tea". from low key bars to crowded nightclub.

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The Parthenon in Athens is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Parthenon has stood atop the Acropolis of Athens for nearly 2,500 years and was built to give thanks to Athena, the city's patron goddess, for the salvation of Athens and Greece in the Persian Wars.

The building was officially called the temple of Athena the Virgin; "Parthenon" comes from the Greek word parthenos, "virgin." It is a universal landmark not to be missed. Plan to spend a full day. By the way, a single ticket al lows you to visit Parthenon as well as the other archeological sites around Acropolis; including Theater of Dionysus

Eleuthereus, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Sanctuary of Asclepion, etc.

The early morning sunlight makes for much better photos.

It opens at 8 am and if you are early you can enjoy the place to yourself with very few toursits.

Must not miss to observe

Although the nearby Temple of Hephaestus is the most complete surviving example of a Doric order temple, the Parthenon, in its day, was regarded as the finest. The temple, wrote John Julius Norwich, "enjoys the reputation of being the most perfect Doric temple ever built.

Even in antiquity, its architectural refinements were legendary, especially the subtle correspondence between the curvature of the stylobate, the taper of the naos walls and the entasis of the columns."

The stylobate is the platform on which the columns stand. It curves upwards slightly for optical reasons. Entasis refers to the slight swelling of the columns as they rise, to counter the optical effect of looking up the temple. The effect of these subtle curves is to make the temple look even more symmetrical than it actually is. It would be great idea to have a guide so your trip will be full of super information, stories and fun. Words cannot describe the awe that this monument makes you fell when you are visiting it. It's one of a kind experience. The building's symmetry and beauty is just amazing. Be sure to visit here. Make sure you have

good walking shoes .

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Every Sunday at 11:00, tourists gather in front of the Parliament building on Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos) to watch the ceremonial changing of the guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guards (Evzones) wear their traditional white kilts, red and black caps and red clogs with pompoms only that day or on special occasions. On every

other day, the Evzones wear regular khaki uniforms with skirts and the changing of the guard takes place every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day. The guards are tall and well-trained soldiers. They belong to the "Proedriki Froura", the guards of the President of Democracy. It is a high honor for every Greek soldier to be chosen as an Evzone. Each soldier mounts guard for one hour at a stretch, 3 times every 48 hours. They work in pairs in order to perfect the coordination of their movements.

The Evzones on Sunday parade originally founded as a royal guard in 1868, this elite corps has about 120 members and enjoys much better accommodations and conditions than the typical Greek army conscript; The Evzones or Tsoliades wear the traditional and historically meaningful uniform and receive exclusive forms of training and benefits. With a history spanning over more than a century, the Greek Presidential Guard was officially founded in 1868 as a regiment of the Greek army.

Today, the duties of the Evzones are of a purely ceremonial nature. The team of Evzones is also called the Corps, Flag Guard, Palace Guard and Royal Guard, the last two vestiges of the royal regime.

Syntagma Square is a busy commercial area in the center of Athens, not far from the Plaka tourist area. The guards in front of the parliament building change hourly in the summer because of the heat. The changing of the guard ceremony is fun to see. Also, the Syntagma metro station has interesting archeological info. It is worth checking out the area while on

route to other nearby attractions.

Syntagma is crowded with Athenians and tourists during the day and night adding to the atmosphere. Several cafes including MacDonald‘s are scattered around the square or more leading into the pedestrian zone. It is the most popular square in Athens and a great place to hang out or use as a starting point into other areas of the city. You can have some rest

on the benches, enjoy the free WiFi and plan your next moves in the day.

This is likely one of the most

touristy things to do, Don't try touch

them when they guard, or else you will get a sound warning or worse.

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Meteora

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Meteora is one of those places that is different to what you can find anywhere else. The monasteries perched on top of the natural rock towers are awe inspiring. The ingenuity and tenacity of the monks that built them so many centuries ago is amazing.

The Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List under criteria as a "monument of Humanity that has to be maintained". The buildings of

the monasteries seem like a continuance and a natural ending of the rocks. Furthermore, because they are a priceless artistic and heirloom treasure. Moreover, the presence of many monasteries in such a small place, as well as the Orthodox spiritual life and exercise have provoked the admiration and the interest of people all over the world. Finally, because the monas-teries are conveyors of culture, which "as we know" is not restrained in any country. The views are stunning over other monasteries and watch out for the rock climbers on nearby rocky outcrops; you feel like a bird seeing everything from high.

Be prepared to spend a day touring the area visiting the old Monasteries which are well built in areas one would never imagine so as they can remain somewhat free from external influence. When you first see some of these old Monasteries you wonder how they were built on top of very

scenic rock faces. The scenery alone is breathtaking and one needs to be reasonably fit to climb the thousands of steps to reach the old places which are still in use. Make sure you research ahead because some of these places are closed to the public on some days of the week. Meteora is a mountainous area above Kalambaka with enormous and

unique rock formations that became refuges for hermits and monks because of their isolation from civilization. Today, Meteora is home to monasteries that cling to these oddly shaped rocks and despite their inaccessibility, these have become enormous tourist destinations. people who love natural tourism will adore it, also people who like to admire man's respect of nature and it's essence in a given place, the perfect marriage between man and nature Even a caution that this can be a physically exhausting experience for most travelers. Please be prepared.

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Meteora literally means "suspended in air", The entire landscape is very different than anything, that anyone would have seen so far!

In 14th century, after the Turkish invasion, the monks moved their place of worship on top of these rocks to hide away from the army. At that time accessing such places was very difficult and only a rope was used for

transferring goods etc.

The monasteries are still operational today but life is much easier now as the places are easily accessible even for tourists.

The climate in the region varies greatly according to the time of year. It may be sweltering during summertime, but extremely cold in wintertime. Rainfall is generally heavy all year round, especially at higher altitudes, but the driest time of the year is during summer. Meteora consists of six christian orthodox monasteries on top of very tall

sandstone rocks. The Holy Monastery of St. Stephen. It is one of the most attainable as we don't have to cope with innumerable stairs to reach it. The small single-nave church of St. Stephen was built in the middle of 16th and decorated in 1545 or a little later. The 'Katholikon', honoured to St. Charalambos, was built in the Athonite type, in 1798. The

old refectory of the convent is used as a museum nowadays.

The Monastery of Holy Trinity.

The Monastery of Holy Trinity is very difficult to reach. The visitor has to cross the valley and continue high up through the rock before we arrive outside the entrance. The church is in the cross-in-square type with the dome based in two columns, built in 1475-76 and decorated in 1741. The spacious barrel - vaulted esonarthex was founded in 1689 and decorated in

1692. A small skeuophylakeion was added next to the church in 1684.

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The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron.

It is the biggest of the Meteorite monasteries. The church 'Katholikon', honoured to the 'Transfiguration' was erected in the middle of 14th c. and 1387/88 and decorated in 1483 and 1552. The old monastery is used as a museum, nowadays.

The Holy Monastery of Varlaam. The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second, after the Great Meteoro, big in size monastery. The church, honoured to

the three Bishops, is in the Athonite type (cross-in-square with dome and choirs), with spacious esonarthex (lite)

surrounted by dome as well. It was built in 1541/42 and decorated in 1548, while the esonarthex was decorated in 1566. The old refectory is used as a museum while North of the Church we can see the parekklesion of the Three (Bishops) built in 1627 and decorated in 1637.

The Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas. It is the first to meet on our way from Kastraki to Meteora. The 'Katholikon' dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a single - nave church with small dome, built in the beginning of 16th c. It was decorated by the Cretan painter

Theophanis Strelitzas or Bathas, in 1527.

The Holy Monastery of Rousanou.

It is dedicated to 'The Transfiguration' but honoured to Saint Barbara. The 'Katholikon', in the Athonite type, was founded in the middle of 16th c. and decorated in 1560. Both, the Katholikon and the reception halls are in the ground floor while the 'archontariki', cells and subsidiary rooms are scat-tered in the basement and the first floor.

Other Monasteries

There are many other monasteries in Meteora, but they are closed (without monks), like "Ypapanti", "St. George Mandilas", e.t.c.

How to come to Meteora

Meteora is very close to Kalampaka and Kastraki. You can access

Kalampaka from Ioannina, Thessaloniki, Athens by bus or train.

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Santorini

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Santorini was formed as a result of an enormous volcanic explosion. So basically it is a water filled caldera, which essentially means if viewed from above, it looks like a circular island with two little dots in the middle, which

are called the islands of Nea and Palea Kameni. There is no lava activity there, but sulfur fumes can be still seen coming from the huge craters. Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from Greece's mainland. Santorini Greece is one of the most popular destinations of Greece and is known as the home of one of the most spec-tacular landscapes in the world. Another popular reason for coming to Santorini are the legendary sunsets, some of the most spectacular in the world.Ia is one of the few places on the island which is both close to a sea and offers a good view to a sunset over the sea: in other towns, the sun disappears behind the volcano. Additionally the town of Fira is stunning. Be sure to explore the areas outside of the towns. There is beautiful coun-

tryside where tradition still survives. Cave houses (both abandoned and occupied), gardens, vineyards, small family business, and tiny churches are there to be discovered.

Beaches Red Beach

The Red Beach is a beach composed of black and red volcanic rocks, near Akrotiri. Red Beach earns its name from the iron-rich sedimentary rocks in the cliff face towering above you, as well as the red sand. It's quite crowded, it looks really romantic at sunset time. Perissa Beach

You will find a very touristy but amazing endless black sandy beach with

an enormous rock called Mesa Vouno rising from the sea. Kamari Beach

The landscape is very similar to the endless black sandy beach of Perissa. The difference is that Kamari is not built in the same manner. Monolithos beach

Monolithos is one of the less crowded beaches. It is situated near the airport. This area has just a couple of accommodations and tavernas

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Cape Columbo beach

Cape Columbo is characterized by the impressive rocks formation. It is a quiet beach of the East side of the island.

Perivolos beach

Perivolos is situated at the continuation of Perissa, on the long black sandy beach. Baxedes

This is the main beach at the north side of the Island. Baxedes is a peace-

ful place with black sand, it is much more like how Santorini was like be-fore tourists discovered the island. This is not the best beach when the north wind is blowing. It is easiest to get there by rented or private car or motorbike. Pori

This is an amazing beach on the east side of Santorini where the rocks have a very unique red color to them. This is an excellent beach for those

who do not mind walking a bit to get there. No facilities, restaurants, or shopping is located here.

Mesa pigadia

A beautiful rocky beach near the nature side of the island by the town Akrotiri. About 800 meters away from the Akrotiri main road there are res-

taurants on the beach itself.

Agios georgios

at the southern tip of the Santorini this beach has everything from water sports to

beach bars. There are a few small taverns here and it is the per-fect spot to have a quiet swim and avoid the massive crowds. You can reach this beach from Emporio

and Perissa by rented or private car. Walking is also an option.

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Cape Sounion

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The temple with the moon rise

The Macedonian Dancers, can you see a resemblance of the

clothes with the Kelash tribe?

Beautiful Sun set

The Kelash dancers here

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A Trip to the Vatican Museum

-Deepak Gulati

The security screening at the entrance hall of the Vatican Museum is such

that you should be forgiven for thinking that you at a domestic US airport.

Bags are not allowed inside the museum. Fortunately, cameras are.

The tour of the museum begins with a walk through a long corridor lined with tens of old, yellowing busts of various vintages. When you are looking at busts that are thousands of years old, a cracked neck, a broken ear, or a chipped nose does not come in the way of your appreciation.

Travel Story

It brought to mind the iconic shot of the Bhopal gas tragedy (I was just 6 then – too young and too far away to make sense of the event).

I was a tad shaken on seeing this one bust:

Travel Story

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An adjoining hall with another sets of busts and statues looks a little less dolorous – largely due to the generous quantity of sun streaming in

through the beautiful, domed roof.

This statue reminded me of Mark Zuckerberg:

Alas, this was just Herm of Hermes. This section with busts and statues was just a tiny portion of the museum and was followed by corridors with beautiful painted ceilings and floor pat-terns that looked almost contemporary:

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Even while taking pictures, it was very clear to me that the paintings overhead were a lot more detailed than my eyes were capable of seeing from a few feet below. But this realization didn‘t fully sink in till I zoomed into the pictures.

And here is a small section from the bottom left corner of the above picture:

The richness extended well into the third dimension. As we walked along with the other visitors, we found ourselves in a long corridor with monochromatic relief-work all along the ceiling.

Photography becomes a bit of an intense physical sport when you are try-ing to take pictures of ceilings in low light. Just as one corridor would end, a door would lead us into another one – grander and more colourful than the one we were leaving.

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It‘s a heady feeling to see the artistic output of several centuries condensed into a few minutes. I found the leap from antiquity to Renaissance most thrilling. When you follow the flow of the crowd that the museum has decided; so that the visit might conclude in Sistine Chapel, most paintings on the ceiling appear upside down. I had to stand against the traffic to click the pictures.

The long chain of corridors eventually ended in a series of large, airy rooms whose walls and ceilings were covered in elaborate paintings depicting scenes from coronation ceremonies and battles. They seemed to radiate light.

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Some modern works of art were also on display. Their minimalism is a bit jarring. It was as if we had gone back to the primitiveness of a cave painting.

Or may be the works were carefully chosen to accentuate the effect of

what awaits all visitors and the end of their tiring walk… As I eventually walked into Sistine Chapel, I was so dazed and dazzled that I didn‘t notice the signs prohibiting photography. That the signs were on the walls and I was looking at the ceilings all along must‘ve had something to do with it too. I removed the lens cap, pointed the camera to the ceiling, composed that perfect shot but before I could press the shutter-release, a burly, balding guard was standing next to me yelling

– NO PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE… SIR. It was an awkward comical moment – all eyes were on me, and the guard who looked determined to prevent me from taking a picture even if it meant physical intervention. I meekly apologized, smiled sheepishly and left the place as soon as I could without it looking a deliberate, hasty retreat. It was like being at a party where you are treated to a multi-course meal of choicest, exotic delicacies but when it‘s time for dessert, the hosts tell

you leave.

My wife consoled me with the virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. I don‘t think anyone could have done a better job of photographing it. The visit ends in the Vatican post office. As I walked down the spiral

staircase, I was happy at having seen so much but sad in the knowledge that the two plus odd hours that we had spent here hadn‘t been enough.

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A journey to the mystical Agumbe Rainforest where the first creations of God still survive- undisturbed, unchanged, dangerous- but still very much

enchanting

Agumbe Rainforest

-Shraddha Rathi

After spending a day getting my car into tip top shape and packing my basic essentials and photography gear, I set out from Ahmedabad in a bid to reach Agumbe within a space of 2 days. Owing to my self-taught driving capabilities, I knew that I could easily cover the distance of 1600 kilometres in two days while still having enough time to stop over and rest at a couple of small villages on the way.

Travel Story

After spending a day getting my car into tip top shape and packing my basic essentials and photography gear, I set out from Ahmedabad in a bid to reach Agumbe within a space of 2 days. Owing to my self-taught driving capabilities, I knew that I could easily cover the distance of 1600 kilometres in two days while still having enough time to stop over and rest at a couple of small villages on the way.

Travel Story

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I started off from Ahmedabad at 4.30 in the morning and headed over to National Expressway-1 which connects Ahmedabad to Vadodra. Just before I got onto the highway, I stopped at a small roadside tea stall which was just opening up for the day. Over a pre-breakfast meal which consisted of tea generously laced with ginger and tulsi leaves and a packet of the evergreen Parle-G biscuits, i considered the lengthy drive up ahead of me. Grogginess gone, I joined the Expressway at the SP ringroad intersection and proceeded to drive onto Vadodra. Anybody who has driven on the NE-1 will know that the roads are a drivers delight; but since they are as straight as an arrow, the driving experience does not tantamount to much more than straight line speed. As much as I love well-paved roads, it is driving on the curves that I truly relish. With these thoughts still running in my mind, I reached Vadodra. Past NE-1, I found the roads to be surprisingly well paved, even though Monsoon had hit the state hard. With no early morning traffic and an occa-sional truck on the highway, I made up good speed and in a space of two hours found myself on the Industrial Corridor of Gujarat. The twin cities of Bharuch and Ankleshwar are known for their factories and industries; but little is known about the life of the people there. Looking at the hordes of people engaged in their daily commute to work, I stopped and thought about life from their perspective. Living in a place where the air was rancid and where the water was toxic, they had a life none would envy. It is a wonder then that the basic raw material for the ‘Fiery Red’ colour of the Ferrari; the car of dreams for many, is produced in a place where no one would dream to live of. Moving on, I stopped at a town by the name of Navsari which is predominantly the native of many Parsi families. Finding my way past the tiny lanes of the town, I finally hit upon a restaurant run by a well known Parsi family which had been recommended to me. Over a meal of steaming fish gravy, minced prawns and rice, I had a conversation with the proprietor who resignedly informed me that his business was slowly dying due to commercialization and the general lack of time with people. His customer base was now slowly shifting towards the middle-aged and the elderly who had a lot more time on their hands than the youngsters; who did not take kindly to the concept of waiting for 45 minutes before their food arrived. Agreeing with him wholeheartedly, I felt an immense sadness at his plight. Here was a well established family run business which had seen the highs of clientele; but it was slowly drowning in the fast-paced lives of the people today. Bidding the proprietor a warm farewell, I started the next leg of my journey towards Bombay

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Agumbe; within itself is so much more than just a rainforest. It is a place which still is ruled over by the increasingly diverse flora and fauna, a place where you can be a hypnotized spectator, a place where you are a trespasser in the land of the ‘King’, a place which will live in your memories no matter where you subsequently go. Just as I started my return journey out of the Rainforest, my car CD player echoed my thoughts by playing Hotel California; ‘You can check out anytime you like, but you can never ……. leave’

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On visiting India after 9 months

-Deepak Gulati

Nine months is the longest stretch of time that I‘ve spent outside India. When you leave a country, it‘s fossilised in your memory as you left it. For example, the Indian cricket team might have had a miserable summer in

England last year and an even more disastrous (if such a thing was even possible) tour of Australia, but to me they remain the champions who won the world cup less than a week before our departure. The flight to Delhi from Schiphol is a direct flight for us but for the majority of people boarding the plane, it‘s a connection from Canada or US. The wailing infants, the oversized bags which people possibly cannot fit in the overhead bins, that sense of entitlement to two handbags, those heated arguments about seat selections – in a way you are in India the moment you are onboard the flight. By the time the security queue cleared up and we got to board, the overhead bins above our seats were already overflowing. Indignant, but thankful for living in times where what would‘ve been a long, possibly perilous sea voyage is now a mere nine hour journey home, we slid our backpacks under our cramped seats and buried ourselves in the inflight magazine. My enthusiasm for visiting India had already begun to fizzle out.

The announcements at Delhi airport are in Hindi and English. It‘s a pretty unremarkable fact except that this was the first airport in many days where I could understand the announcement in as many languages as they‘d make them in. I was already suffering from the cognitive overload of being able to understand all that was being spoken around me. I‘d love to learn Dutch, but for now I am quite content not being able to understand a single word of the conversation that goes around me inside

the trams. The problem with coming home to a language you understand is that little snatches of other people‘s conversations, those little details of other peoples‘ lives begin to overwhelm you. In developed west, they try to automate a task to the point where you don‘t need people to do it. Whether it‘s the numerous ticket vending machines or the automated check-in kiosks at Schiphol, the emphasis is on cutting humans out of the equation. It‘s quite the opposite in India. Every little task is an opportunity to generate jobs. In the men‘s loo, a uniformed member of the airport staff stood next to the paper towel dispenser handing the paper towels enthusiastically to every person who‘d wash hands.

Travel Story

On learning of this new development the wife remarked – ―be glad you didn‘t see people sitting in chairs next to travelators going ‗mind your step‘‖. I won‘t quite put it outside the realm of possibility. Apparently, well-meaning members of the airport staff randomly take suit-cases off the conveyer belt and pile them at a corner somewhere. It was a bit infuriating to find out that our suitcases were the lucky ones to be selected. After over 45 minutes of waiting, you are apparently expected to discover these things on your own by overhearing other people concerned about non-arrival of their suitcases.

As I paid for our taxi home, I realised that I was subconsciously performing the calculations from Euro to Rupees in reverse. Nine months ago everything in Amsterdam seemed exorbitant, the mathematics when done in reverse, makes things at home seem reasonably priced. The wife always thought I was bit of a generous tipper and a positive side effect was that my tipping no longer seem anything out of ordinary this time – I suspect she was doing the reverse math too.

The coinage seems to have become even more confusing. I cannot reliably tell the older 50p coin from the new 1 ₹ coins or the older 1 ₹ coins from the new 2 ₹ one. Some of the newly minted 5 ₹ coin look and feel a bit like the new 1 ₹ coin. There was a new 10 ₹ coin that is visually quite distinct and looked a bit like ‗inverted‘ 2 € coin. I have not exactly been fond of Delhi. It‘s a city my parents chose to settle

down in and there is nothing I can change about that. So I put up with it like one courteously puts up with a difficult colleague at work.

Travel Story

49

Somehow the city seems a little more rundown each time I visit it.

The traffic seems a little worse (we were stuck in a jam, boxed in by trucks at 1:00 AM owing to a minor roadside dispute that was being settled in typical raucous Delhi style with profanities involving families of the parties concerned). The autos seem even harder to come by. The buses are as erratic as ever. It never registered before, but 9 months of using public transport all over Europe made me realize the bus stops in Delhi never had timetables. If you are lucky they‘ll have an up-to-date route numbers printed somewhere. The metro thankfully remains fast and efficient.

Though some routes are bursting to seams. You don‘t get Mass in the Mass Rapid Transit till you sit in Delhi metro on a route involving Connaught Place. I took a ride in the metro to Gurgaon this time. I had been recording the metro announcements in Prague and Rome and assigning the voices of announcers a persona. I decided to play this little game in Delhi too. The persona I‘ve settled on is ‗newsreader‘:

‗Ghitorni‘ is probably the most unusual station name I‘ve heard anywhere. It sounds like a word that you‘d bludgeon someone with. The announcer in English seems to say it with a disdain one reserves for foul things in life. I was particularly thrilled at seeing Qutub Minar from the metro stations. It was not entirely dissimilar to thrill of seeing the Eiffel Tower during our metro rides in Paris.

They never seem to run out of excuses to dig up Connaught Place. It used

to be Metro earlier and this time it was the laying of the underground gas pipelines (or is it a new parking?).

I am sure the malls were taking the sheen away from Connaught Place even without help from Public Works Department. Back in early 2000, Ansal Plaza was the closest thing Delhi had to a mall. The malls I visited this time in Vasant Kunj, Saket and Gurgaon could‘ve been anywhere in the world (that it‘s the same handful of brands that we see everywhere add to this illusion). Sure there were occasional fit-and-finish blemishes that gave it away (wires sticking out of the walls in some corner, floor that had marble sanctioned for it but never saw it and so on), but overall they

are a glitzy, air-conditioned world cocooned away from the harsher realities outside.

51

The food remained a highlight of the visit. Mom still cooks paranthas and gajar halwa to die for. And Delhi is still the best place for chaat. On many occasions though, I found the food a little overwhelming. Much like the city – too much was happening at the same time. I‘ve never been able to explain my fascination for Bangalore. There is a certain calm that descends over me each time I land there. It‘s the city

where I came of age (though the wife will assure you that no such thing has ever happened) and can truly call my own. What I didn‘t know was if I‘d be able to call it a home. I rented a flat for the entire stretch of 9 years I spent there and I can‘t go back to it. Save for a handful of close friends and wife‘s sister, I have no other connection whatsoever to Bangalore. Traffic in Bangalore was nothing I was unprepared for. Actually, it was already in such a bad shape when we left, that it couldn‘t possibly have gotten any worse. It seemed a little warm for this time of the year but the constant, gentle, cool breeze was always at hand.

Some of my regular haunts had closed down – I particularly missed the Crossword at Residency Road. Blossom continues to, well, blossom. Their collection of second-hand books is as dusty, musty and disorganized as ever. They are trying to catalogue the books in the shop but it‘s not very reassuring to search with software that is riddled with typos (Author is spelled as Auter, Title as Titel). All the books I tried to locate were for some reason filed under ‗Humor.‘ After half an hour of looking around I just stopped looking for books I wanted to read and instead spent time browsing for random books I might like to read. I guess that is the proper thing to do in a second-hand bookshop.

My barber was still around and I couldn‘t have come back without a haircut. I was recognised and promptly given my brand of ‗short from sides, but medium in the middle‘ cut. Konark at Residency Road still does idlies from heaven. They were piloting a tablet based ordering system where your orders are directly beamed to the kitchen. It looked cool, but I am not entirely sure if it has changed anything (they continue to have two sets of waiters – one that take the

order, and the other that bring it from the kitchen to your table). The malls that had opened while I was still in Bangalore seemed a little worn already. The multiplexes, on the evidence of the only movie I watched (The Descendants), seemed a little worse-off too. The screen at INOX in Garuda had scratches that were clearly visible. The sound system had a very audible electric hum that stayed with us all through the movie. And we are so used to seeing movies with Dutch sub-titles now, that our experience seemed strangely incomplete without them. The trip wouldn‘t have been complete without a ride in the Bangalore metro. It opened in October last year and as of now just covers 6 stations on a single line. It‘s still new and small enough to be more of a tourist attraction. The signage and announcements were in 3 languages (Kannada, Hindi and English). Our ride from MG Road to CMH Road definitely took less time and money than autos would have and on the basis of that one ride alone, I am tempted to declare it a success. Overall, I had a much better time in Bangalore than I did in Delhi. But I am not sure if I can call it home any longer. In fact, I am not sure what that thing called home is, let alone know where it is.

53

In view of the rapidly expanding aviation industry the existing terminal building at Vadodara airport was already running out of capacity and was becoming insufficient by 2010. Hence it was critical to build a new integrated building by 2010.

By the end of 2012 a new terminal building was to be ready to meet the forecasted demands and smooth

operations.

A new terminal:

Vadodara, Gujarat (India)

Hence the Airports Authority of India called for a design competition based on the short-listing of the consultants as per the pre-qualification. Creative Group, an Architectural consultancy based at New Delhi lead by the

Principal Architects Prof. Charanjit S Shah and Ar. Gurpreet S Shah was declared as the winner of the competition for the futuristic and sustainable design proposed by them. The Creative Group are the principal consultants for the various other

major airport projects in the country which includes the Chennai Airport

project completed at a cost of 2015 crores, a globally acknowledged

project as one of the most sustainable and innovative airport architecture

in the entire world; ―The Wave‖ the new airport at Dabolim, Goa costing

397 Crores is another marvel of Green architecture in India due to be in

Travel Article

―We have attempted to

create a sleek and

contemporary building that

reflects the age in which it

was built and the age it

shall dwell through. The

sweeping curves deliver a

sense of elegant boldness

and clarity. Much like the

profile of the building the

inter ior spaces are

maintained as column free

space and conceived as a

single entity visual to make

the circulation hassle-free.‖

In view of the rapidly expanding aviation industry the existing terminal building at Vadodara airport was already running out of capacity and was becoming insufficient by 2010. Hence it was critical to build a new integrated building by 2010.

By the end of 2012 a new terminal building was to be ready to meet the forecasted demands and smooth

operations.

A new terminal:

Vadodara, Gujarat (India)

operation by the end of this year and the Raipur Airport terminal building

costing 129 Crores again enriched with several sustainable features and

due to be opened

The award winning Architecture of the Terminal building proposed by

Creative Group is focused on modernity and sustainability yet adapted to

government budgets. The firm has evolved a design on par with

international architectural scenario.

“THE DREAM”

The Architecture and the Engineering of the new integrated terminal

building at Vadodara is an illustration of fanatic ecstasy. Destitute of flimsy

effects, the terminal display the influence of engineering marvel and holds

a strong identity featured with simplicity.

Travel Article

55

The new terminal building at Vadodara is an ultra-mordern structure having a huge archway that formulates the entire envelope of the building. The fusion of transparency and gloomy façade on North-South and East-West respectively wraps the entire terminal building and is an outcome of careful analysis of the building orientation. With focused design philosophy to increase the efficiency of resources, architect has envisioned the terminal as Green building. The perceived design modulation based on the drama and foresight, inherited the vision to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and

the natural environment. The space augurs well in terms of natural ventilation due to the introduction of the skylights and a clear circular openings resulting into a multi dimensional space.

Material and resources- Careful assessment of the material palette and adherence to the ECBC code ensures the main motto of the architect to conserve energy. Bricks have been replaced by AAC blocks (Aerated autoclaved blocks) which ensures thermal insulation. Besides insulating

capability one of AAC‘s advantages in construction is its quick and easy installation.

“THE EXPERIENCE...” The most prominent structural feature for the New Integrated Terminal is the huge archway that warps the entire terminal and accentuates it to form a space which is immense and transparent when visualized. Skylights follow the geometry of the trusses further opening the structural framework to allow natural light to permeate the terminal. These space frame trusses will allow for column-free public spaces on both the landside and airside terminal spaces. The regular fully triangulated structural scheme and repetition of the basic structural module terminate

in maximum resourcefulness and to assist in limiting the overall depth of the structural envelope, girders are post tensioned and the beams and slabs that will frame into these girders will be designed using conventional reinforced concrete construction methods. This system has been adopted to preserve the maximum flexibility for possible future operational changes to the terminal. The project experiments with the term dynamic solid and also plays with

the idea of opposites. The architect in his pursuit has looked for qualitative internal spaces and appealing external façade. The conceptualized image of the terminal is apparent and systematic. The terminal at Vadodara accentuates on visual connection through all directions along the central zone due to prevailing clear directions between airside and landside along with intuitive way finding. Dedicated and defined vertical and horizontal movement for every activity to avoid chaos is another key factor in the organized planning scheme. Landscaping within the terminal footprints – One of the most interesting components is the design of the stepped pool between the visitor‘s con-course and check-in hall and baggage claim hall. The architect has tried to recreate the volumetric proportions of the inte-

rior spaces within the repositories of architecture. Sound of flowing water

accentuates the experience inside the terminal and profiles a memorable

experience for passengers crossing over these pools as the first step of

their journey.

“FUNCTIONAL CLARITY”

The location of the terminal and the Apron are consistent with the airport

master plan. The location of New integrated terminal allows for the overall

expansion of the airport to continue with minor disruption to adjacent I

nfrastructure. The city side development incorporates a road network to

connect to the existing main highway system. The separation between

Incoming and outgoing traffic is retained by a continuous loop of roadway.

57

Sub-surface car parking facility has been provided at North-east corner of the site. The facility is designed to accommodate 250 car parking spaces and will allow full view of the terminal from the roadway system.

The green belt in front of the terminal will comprised of high density tree plantation with ornamental trees in a row to give serene yet glorified

effect.

18 check-in counters are indicated per the peak hour passenger processing rates along with the provision of screening lanes with each X-ray scanners and a full compliment of required security equipment for security. Three security lanes will be dedicated for Domestic passengers and one will be dedicated for International passengers.

All checked luggage will be processed through a dedicated Explosion Detection system on Ground floor level. There will be one EDS machine required to meet the programmed projections.

The new integrated terminal design philosophy perceives the idea of hassle free journey and thus accommodates all the services to match

International standards.

“THROTTLE INTO THE FUTURE” Transforming possibilities into opportunities contemplating of a sustainable

society has always been the driving force to innovate and explore the

unknown. It is the power of imagination which sows the seeds of sailing

beyond the line of horizon, achieving the impossible and conforming the

environment while setting milestones; thus embarking upon a new future

for the mankind to prevail.

PUBLIC CONCOURSE FROM ENTRANCE PUBLIC CONCOURSE FROM BALCONY

HOLD ROOM VIEW

59

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Mr. Farhan Tauheed

Greece Photographs Miss Shraddha Rathi Agumbe Rainforest Travel Story

Mr. Deepak Gulati

Travel Story

Miss Nisha Agnihotri

New Terminal: Vadodara Airport

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