Monthly Archives: November 2009

Rajmata of Jaipur

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One of the most important lessons you can learn in life is to never wear emeralds with a green sari, because they look so much better with pink.  This was a life lesson told by the beloved Gayatri Devi, who passed away in July, 2009, in Jaipur.  She was one of the key figures in this magnificent place for many years, and there are many good reasons to visit here, besides following her life and footsteps, but those are probably good enough reasons.  There is a spectacular city here, and there are many adventures waiting for those who come looking for them.  The city itself is built on a grid that’s based on a mandala.  Mandalas are those circular representations of a cosmos, or a circle the represents some kind of totality, although in this case cosmos works very precisely, because it was intended to be alinged with the planets, paving the way for the citizens’ good fortune.

There’s still that sense of impending luck here, and it can permeate everything on the best days.  It’s much easier to track, however, when you’re investigating your own fortune from the insides of one of the splendid luxury hotels.  Jaipur has many faces, and many sides, but some of the most elegant of these can be seen when your accommodations are in the lap of luxury.  You can enjoy spectacular views and lovely details all around you, tasting fantastic cuisines and enjoying a spa treatment, enough to make you think you might be royalty.  In your dreams, you may even dream of meeting Jackie O sitting for tea with Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur.

She was known as the Queen Mother of India, and had a particularly full and spectacular life, but even at 90 years, her death is experienced as a great loss.  She was a great politician, earning the respect of JFK among many others, and also was quite well known for her extravagance, which is something she picked up at a young age, growing up in the posh parts of London.  Gayatri Devi was also considered to be one of the most stylish women in the world of her generation, and ranked in all the top ten most beautiful women lists.  Her presence will always be felt here.

Volunteering in Cape Town

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We overslept and the thought of hiking up Table Mountain seemed to be a no go, but after breakfast in bed at one of the Cape Town, South Africa hotels, invigorated us and we decided to take on our trip to a winery that one of the other hotel guests told us about. All they had to do was mention that the winery serves chocolate with the tasting and we were already there in our heads.

We had to go through an estate to get to the winery, that was unexpected and delightful all at the same time. The wines were all good and the chocolates were a nice change to sometimes a monotonous sipping of wines. The estate was beautiful and Mediterranean. It was way off the beaten path that we had to take a dirt road to get there. It made us feel like we were far removed from civilization, but in actuality, it only took us 25 minutes to get to the airport.

We had to drop off one of our fellow travelers at the airport. We then found our way to a new acquaintance’s apartment. He had an unbelievable view of the city and of Table Mountain. Actually, he had this view from every room of his apartment! This made me think that my ‘one of a kind’ view from my apartment in New York City wasn’t a ‘one of a kind’ view. Our new found friend takes us to a township where he visited the Philani clinic and employment project. Local women are employed and get to doing weaving while their children, who have the effected bodies of malnutrition, are treated and schooled.

It was shocking to see the level of disparity between the downtown and the townships. We felt like our new found friend wanted us to know just how fortunate we were (which we never doubted). We ended up buying several woven pieces, place mats and bags and when purchased tons of water and donated it to the clinic. We really enjoyed playing with all the children. They are so innocent and their love was genuine. We hated leaving the place, but has our new found friend told us, we don’t belong there. We’re tourist, but if we were locals, he’d be happy to make us volunteer. He took us back to his apartment and he cooked us dinner and we ended up going to a club. But, somehow, clubbing it in Cape Town just didn’t feel right.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

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A spectacular island getaway, Phuket offers all the promise of a place far away from the world you know.  The local Thai and Malay population is very lively and fascinating, and it’s worth time getting to know the history of the people here.  It’s history is as complex and complicated as island living is simple.  The splendid appeal of the beaches are a huge draw here, attracting tourists from all over the world, coming to see the magnificent beaches.  It’s history as a trading port makes it particularly strong in offering a generous hospitality for those who come to visit Phuket.  Beach resorts are some of the best places to discover how cultures can turn hospitality into an art form.

Despite the amazing laziness that can characterize your days here, where beaches and clubs can be the only things on your agenda, there is a lot to do here.  The night life is very vibrant, and there are many places where you can dance until the sun comes up.  There is also a rich blend of cultures, and some of the local festivals are the most colorful and fascinating on the planet.  If you have the chance to attend the Vegetarian Festival here, you’ll get a chance to see fire-walking and other amazing feats of human consciousness.  There is also a lot of piercing here, where the practitioners will demonstrate the presence of the divine by performing acts that push physical limits to an extreme.

These sights could possibly be a bit disturbing to some, especially children who have never been exposed to these things before, and precautions should be taken.  But in general, these are the same precautions that are necessary before taking part in any kind of cultural ceremony, where some knowledge and understanding is absolutely necessary, and behaving like a good guest is always a good protocol.  Candles and joss sticks are in large supply at this festival, and an awful lot of fantastic food.  Vegetarian, of course.  Keep in mind that this is a very sacred ceremony, and then prepare to enjoy yourself.

A Foodie in Ibiza

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There is a great Ibiza Restaurant, well most of the restaurants are great, really. I took a walk along the marina on day and my choice of restaurants were endless. I made sure to go out every evening, around 8pm, because that’s when Ibiza comes alive with people. I estimate around 1000 people walking around the marina front and through the small lovely back streets trying to chose from the plethora of cafes, pubs and restaurants. Fish is the best here, it’s as fresh as it can be, straight from the Mediterranean sea. Most of the seafood restaurants have tanks outside on the open-air patios full of shellfish. The back streets manage to fit tables outside anywhere they can, there’s barely enough room for a passer bye to stroll through.

I found the Santa Eulalia, the San Antonio and the Cala Llongs to have some of the most delicious food to offer. I heard some people thing that San Antonia is strictly for beer drinking, but that’s so totally wrong. San Antonio can not only serve a great tasting beer, but quality food.

Below, I’ve give a list of some of the other restaurants to try while in Ibiza. You won’t be disappointed by any of these choices.

Davids Pizzeria: He make the best pizza and the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted. His pricing is reasonable and he has a special deal almost every night. I got a small pizza and a soft drink for less that 10 pounds.

Then, for a nice fish place, try Fishermans Kitchen: The menu is varied and offers appetizers and main meals. They had a daily selection of delectable, mouth watering specials. The chef here also makes some of the delicious meals for San Antonio

For Thai, try the Banyan Palace: Excellent Thai food served inside an enclosed private garden. It is on the expensive side, but it is the best Thai in Ibiza.

Now, I really recommend not missing Chiringuito Restaurant: it’s located in a private cove on the Cala Gracionetta beach. It’s the best restaurant. Go there. Eat and enjoy. You’ll be back more than once.

The Perfect Temperature for Your Hot Tub

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Hot tubs are great for relaxing and for soothing aching muscles, it is important that the temperature is monitored for a tub or a spa that is too hot can become dangerous.  This is one of the most important general rules that new hot tub owners must follow.  For me the hotter the better, but this is not good as when I take a soak that is so hot, I feel a bit light headed when I am stepping out of the hot tub.  I have found it necessary to really stick to the recommended temperature and I always make sure that the thermometer is in working order.

In any home or backyard spa and hot tub, the recommended temperature should not exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit.  To sit in a tub that is hotter than this for an extended period of time will not only cause one to become light headed, but can lead to more serious physical consequences.  And if your children are going to be joining you for a relaxing soak, make sure to lower the temperature just a bit.  Kids have tiny bodies, so they heat up quickly.  Very young or very small children should never spend time in hot tubs.  And for older children, make sure that they never immerse their head under the hot water.

And while it may seem like a great way to ease aches associated with being pregnant, women who are pregnant should really just avoid soaking in a hot tub throughout their pregnancy.  The risks to the fetus from the high temperatures are just too great to take that chance.  Hot tub temperatures are a personal preference for most adults.  It is just necessary to practice common sense and to follow the recommended temperatures.  I have adjusted my own tendency to turn up the heat, and the result is that I can now get out of the tub, refreshed and rejuvenated, but not light headed and dizzy.  It is the perfect compromise.

Lubbock City Parks

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Dave was fifteen when he visited his maternal grandmother in Lubbock, Texas for the first time. It was not the first time he had met her, it was just that she usually visited his family twice a year and had done this for as long as he could remember. Then, the summer he turned fifteen he received the invitation to spend a month in his grandmother’s house. While he loved her very much he never felt that he knew her that well because he only saw her twice a year. And on top of that, Dave had just recently made a commitment to go steady with his girlfriend and had been looking forward to spending some quality time at the local pool with her.

However, Dave was a sensitive person and he did think that spending a month with his grandmother would give them both the opportunity to get to know each other better and maybe even become closer. This was not an uncommon response from Dave who had shown an emotional maturity far beyond his years since he was a young child. And so it was settled, Dave left for Lubbock, Texas and the comfort of his grandmother’s small house. He initially wondered if it might be better for him to stay in one of the hotels Lubbock but his mother assured him that he was welcome in his grandmother’s home and a hotel might make the visit feel too formal.

One of the aspects of the city that Dave noticed first was the amount of parks it had. He and his grandmother had plenty of afternoon walks and picnics in these parks, which Dave found to be refreshingly peaceful yet invigorating. He particularly enjoyed the ducks at Higginbotham Park and they spent quite a few afternoons there. His grandmother also took him to the Buddy Holly museum, which Dave thought was fascinating. He enjoyed all of the memorabilia and also learned a lot about his career and music. The summer stay at his grandmother’s turned out to be what Dave hopped it would. The two of them had a great time and grew closer together. And his girlfriend was eagerly waiting for him when Dave returned home.

Honeymoon in New York City Includes Phantom of the Opera

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Travis and Denise were beginning to get frustrated and overly stressed out about the details of their wedding and reception planning. They had both wanted a small service, but it seemed to continue to grow without their consent or intention. Both families keep adding names and service needs and before they knew it their initial intentions to accommodate the small requests had gotten way out of control and their wedding had taken on a life of their own. They had both reached the point of worrying that their families would also try and control their lives together when they decided they needed to start laying down some boundaries.

They got their opportunity to do this one evening when they were attending a dinner party at Denise’s parents’ house. Someone asked them where they were planning to take their honeymoon at which point they both realized they hadn’t even discussed a honeymoon. Before the inquirer, or anyone else, had a chance to offer a suggestion, Denise and Travis started laughing and in unison said without hesitation New York. Then they laughed some more as they remembered a party they had attended many years ago, before they had ever talked about marriage. Someone there was asking everyone to name their ideal honeymoon location and both Denise and Travis said New York.

As a gift to each other and as an official declaration of independence, they made their reservations at one of the best hotels New York City. Travis was interested in visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and Denise was excited about getting a chance to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, and not on tour, although she wasn’t sure why this made a difference. They would also spend some of their gift money shopping at some of the prime 5th Avenue stores and couldn’t wait to take a romantic stroll through Central Park. These plans were enough to get them through the rest of the details regarding the actual wedding and reception.

Michelangelo and Florence High Renaissance

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The first thing that comes to mind for many people when they think of Florence, Italy is the great architecture and the beautiful works of art. It was known as the cradle of the Renaissance and it produced one of the greatest artists in history, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, who was born near Florence. His name is almost synonymous with the Italian High Renaissance. He is most known for some of his marble sculptures and his painting works that are in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Most if not all of the guests in the hotels Florence Italy are aware of the great artistic reputation of the city.

Of Michelangelo’s sculptures his statue of David is definitely the most recognized statue in the world. The masterpiece was completed between 1501 and 1504 and stands just over five meters tall, which is 17 feet. One of the distinguishing elements of this work is that prior to it most depictions of the Biblical David displayed the boy hero after he had conquered the giant Goliath. However, with Michelangelo, he presents the Shepard prior to the conflict. His David is in a state of contemplation over the upcoming battle. After its official unveiling in 1504 the statue came to be a symbol of the defense of civil liberties.

The Last Judgment is a scene that Michelangelo painted on the alter wall in the Sistine Chapel. This work took four years to complete and he didn’t begin working on it until three decades after he had finished his work on the ceiling. The ceiling of the chapel is one of the most famous works of art in the world and also one of the most loved and respected. Pope Julius 11 commissioned that work that would take about four years to complete. One of the most famous images from this scene is the hand of God giving life to Adam. This is one of the most widely reproduced images in the world and prints of it hang in homes across Europe and America. In order to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo devised his own platform and scaffolding. It is commonly believed that he painted the ceiling while lying on his back though in actuality he was standing.

The Greater Kailash District of Delhi

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One of the most posh neighborhoods in Delhi, India is located on the south side of the city, Greater Kailash.  Here one will find a myriad of shops and markets with the most modern designer clothing.  This neighborhood is divided in two, simply known as Greater Kailash One and Greater Kailash Two.  The first is more affluent with regards to the value and the cost of the real estate and the land, and is where some of the most wealthy people in India live.  Along side the trendy and hip shops located in the area, there are many restaurant serving fine cuisine, night clubs, and discos and some of the most ritzy and glamorous five star hotels in Delhi.

The busiest markets in the city is also located in Greater Kailash and that is the M-Block Market. This is a great place to find even more items, products and clothing as well as some very fine restaurants.  However be prepared for crowds and traffic jams when venturing into the busy area.  Another aspect of this neighborhood is the extravagant architecture of the houses, all illustrating the opulence of the residents.  The houses are done in elaborate style, and most of them are gated or have doorman standing watch twenty-four hours a day.  This is the area of the city where trends and style is important.

For a different view, one that is a bit more indicative of the society on the whole, the neighborhood on the west end of Khari Baoli will perhaps be more to you taste and your sensibilities.  The markets in this neighborhood, including the Sadar Bazaar, will reflect the majority of the culture and the population of New Delhi.  However, if the world of wealth and extravagance is a world you want to immerse yourself within, you will be comfortable and satisfied when spending time in Greater Kailash of New Delhi, India.