Retracing Vasco da Gama's footsteps

Retracing Vasco da Gama's footsteps

The India International Boat Show (IIBS) 2006, being organised by Kerala Tourism, is all set to be unique with history being recreated. Coinciding with the boat show, the tourism department is organising a 'Vasco da Gama Yacht Rally' that will traverse Vasco da Gama's route when he first set foot here, and culminate near the boat show venue in Kochi. According to Kerala minister for tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and tourism director B Suman, a rally comprising 16 yachts, which have set sail from Greece, would anchor off the Bolghatty Island in Kochi when the IIBS 2006 is on.

Billed as India's premier recreational boating and marine equipment show and south Asia's definitive boat show, IIBS 2006 will be kicked off on October 20 at the Le Meridian in Kochi. The three-day event will showcase the latest technology as well as some of the leading names in the marine industry.

Formatted as a business expo, IIBS 2006 will have special segments in leisure boating, marine equipment, marine engines, and navigational and telecommunication aids, Balakrishnan said. Among the 60-odd exhibitors at the show will be global boating brands like Bayliner, Trophy, Feretti, Walker Bay and Regal. These apart, marine equipment market leaders such as Garmin, Lalizas, Plastimo, Vetus and Volvo Penta will showcase their ware.

The Indian participation will be ensured by boatbuilders Praga Marine, Seaspray Aluminium Boats, Hunter marine, Aries Marine and Alcock Ashdown.

The exhibition comprises 550-sq ft of air-conditioned space at the Le Meridien, 7,000-sq ft of product display space and 10 on--the-water displays.

According to Suman, a special spotlight on the traditional boating sector of Kerala will mark IIBS 2006 and a major attraction will be the display of traditional boat-building and fishing equipment. As many as 25 traditional boat builders will put on show their skills at the expo. IIBS 2006, which will extend till October 22, is expected to provide a one-stop platform for exhibitors and 400-plus buyers from India and overseas. The event is also tipped to be a perfect platform for them to meet potential partners, one-to-one meetings and explore growth horizons. As part of IIBS 2006, a seminar on the potential prospects for marine tourism in India will also be organised on October 21.

The show will be inaugurated by tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

For all ye trobeglotters

There's Simply No Excuse for Being Bored on a Trip

by JOHN HEATON

Published: October 10, 2006

FROM time to time, I hear business travelers complain about how unexciting their trips are. This is nonsense, for the most part. Business travel can be great adventure if you're curious.

Catherine Docter, via John Heaton

John Heaton is an artist, entrepreneur and the host of Quinta Maconda, a 16th-century residence in Antigua, Guatemala.

Maybe I inherited my inquisitiveness. My ancestors' tall ships plied the waters between Connecticut and Shanghai in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Each trip was a perilous and hopeful journey for commerce, and according to them, there was always something interesting along the way.

I've made several trips to Asia to buy antique furniture, and while I'm there I absorb as much of the local culture as possible. I avoid large Western hotels. I go to the local outdoor markets. I buy and wear what the locals wear. I bring my video camera and interview waiters and taxi drivers. I make a point of exploring an area unknown to me.

Some years ago, on my way to Bali, I made a stopover in Biak, in the Indonesia province of Irian Jaya. At the hotel, I spotted a fellow in khakis sitting at the bar, sipping a warm beer.

"Do you speak English?" I asked.

He did. In fact, he had just finished guiding a National Geographic expedition through Irian Jaya and the Moluccas, and was on his way back to Vancouver.

Sensing a golden opportunity, I asked if he would tell me about his journey. "Keep the beers flowing, and I'll fill you in," he replied.

For the next two hours, as we pored over maps, he told me tales of the archipelago and uncontacted tribes. His stories were so compelling that I decided to change my travel plans. For the next two months, I crisscrossed the islands, hardly seeing another white face. The highlight of my trip was being the only outsider to attend the funeral of an important Dani chief. What started as a business trip ended in a real adventure.

Just a month before the Soviet Union disintegrated, I flew to Siberia. Cold and boring, right? Wrong. In Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryat Republic, I met up with Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Habsburg archduchess of Austria. She was documenting the Dalai Lama's historic visit and the Buddhist revival in that region.

Near the Mongolian border some of us rented horses and galloped across the steppes. We had a close encounter with authorities and nearly ended up being thrown into jail. But most important, we were witness to a defining moment in the history of the Soviet Union, if not also for Buddhism.

I find that some business travelers are numb to the portals through which they pass, focusing only on the destination. I think they're missing a lot. Something as mundane as an airport stopover can be fascinating. On a flight from Bali to Madras, India, I had a seven-hour wait at Changi International Airport in Singapore. Instead of sitting around like many of the other passengers, I made a room in the airport hotel my temporary headquarters and went exploring. Changi has a fabulous bookstore, a health spa, great restaurants and a permanent orchid show. It became a destination unto itself for me.

That's when it occurred to me that there is no such thing as a boring place. Only boring travelers.

By John Heaton, as told to Christopher Elliott.

Email: elliottc@nytimes.com

Some Must Visit Blogs of fellow travellers

As you know,
I'm one of the finalists for the travel contest.

Still waiting anxiously for the results, in the meanwhile I browsed some blogs of my fellow Contestants and each one of them has some really interesting work posted. Either travel descriptions or breathtaking photographs.

So here go some links to their blogs, in no particular order.

# I've been a fan of Akshay's work since a long time. I've linked to his photo features on my Whazzupmumbai blog very often.

# Harshad runs his own trekking company & has covered a lot of Shivaji's forts around Bombay and Pune. I don't understand most of the technical specs of cameras that he talks about, but his photographs are BRILLIANT. Some of his pictures of butterflies (if you have ever tried to photograph even one, you will know how difficult it is) are going to be published in books written by naturalists Isaac Kehimkar & Krushnamegh Kunte
Browse through Harshads blogs :
Through His ViewFinder
Trek blogs of his various outings in the Sahyadris and Himalayas, along with photographs

# Sahil's picture on the site, doesn't do him justice. He hardly uses any words on his Blog : Myopic Endeavour preferring his pictures to do the talking. He's a really interesting person & so much fun to talk to.

# Mridula has been travelling & blogging about her travels since over a year. On her blog, she says "For me travel is a form of escape, from my daily routine" I think she has put so eloquently, what we all feel. She is a consistent trekker and her blog has lots of stories, tips & pictures which tell the tale. Wish I could have met her, but that will have to wait till I take a trip to Delhi.

# Altaf has a different take on life ...the way he sees it. He's currently in Kaintholi on a Global Xchange program & living like a local so he has some really interesting stories to tell.

# Sheetal blogs on Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing-wax where she blogs about the happenings in the twin cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad. My Ex-City

# Divya blogs at Chronicus Skepticus Currently a Visual Merchandiser, who's also been a copywriter, a visualiser (at the same time), a web-designer, an editor, and a (garment) production manager.

# Rahul is the poetic soul among the finalists. Do visit his blog to read some of his original works of fiction.

# Apurv is the current editor of PaGaLGuY.com, a highly popular website most MBA aspirants would be aware of. Read his take on things at What Blog Men!

Gautam & Simona do not have blogs that I know of.

It was fun meeting 8 of the other contestants. (2 from Delhi & 1 came in later that evening) There were some excellent & passionate photographers amongst the group and when Harshad, Sahil, Akshay & Gautham spoke about lenses it was a foreign language to the rest of us. But we did share a lot of interesting stories about unusual places to travel, great photo ops, where & what to eat & a lot of other stuff like that. Most of us met each other for the first time, but we all had fun because of the kindred fellowship of travellers.

We ended with a fun lunch at Kobe's on Hill Road

Now all fingers crossed for the results. May the best man/woman win.

Ok Tata Bye Bye

I'm so excited.

I've been shortlisted for a travel contest. Which involves travelling
& Blogging. Hardly ever been selected for anything earlier :)

Check out the contest and my profile on
http://www.oktatabyebye.com
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/Krishma.asp
(Yes they have spelt my name wrong in the link, trying to get them to correct it)

The final selection is next week. I'm not sure how they will do it. But have a vague feeling that they may do so based on popularity of the contestant & ability to draw viewers.

Requesting you to please view my profile & drop me a comment, even if its just to say "All the best, Kim" or "Don't think u should go" But please comment.

Hope there's a lot of you looking for something to do on a slow Friday afternoon.

Please, please, pretty please. :)

Kim
http://kimelody.blogspot.com - the XL Blog
http://mbajobsindia.blogspot.com/
http://whazzupmumbai.blogspot.com

Photo Feature on Ratnagiri (Maharashtra)

Who hasn't heard of Ratnagiri ?

Famed for its Alphonso/Hapus Mangoes....


The drive from Mumbai (Bombay) was 8 hours long with a couple of breaks along the way, but the scenery more than made up for the long journey. I hear the train journey has some beautiful views too.


We stayed at the wonderful "Kokanes Kohinoor Samudra Resort"
Located on the Ratnagiri - Pawas Coastal Highway, its away from the city, situated on a cliff, sprawling over 2 kilometres from end-to-end, it has the most brilliant view from every room in the multiple buildings.




The town of Ratnagiri is pretty small & so easy to navigate after driving around in Mumbai.
We first headed towards the Thibaw Palace - which was built for the exiled King & Queen of Burma (now Myanmar) in 1910-11. They lived here until they died. This would be a familiar name for those who have read "Amitav Ghosh's - The Glass Palace"



It has also been partly converted into a museum. The museum is rather pitiful as it has only 4 rooms. One on the ground floor which has some old sculptures salvaged from the Ratnadurg Fort. The 3 rooms on the first floor have some old, badly damaged copper vessels, old photographs and the last room is an attempt to recreate the grandeur of the palace. The sad part of it is that, although the furniture is still solid (being made of Burma Teak) the furnishings are terrible. Synthetic bright curtains drag your attention away from the intricate light fixtures.


These 4 rooms and 2 used for offices are currently the only usable rooms in the palace. there are plans to renovate & strengthen the remaining buildings. Hopefully it will be sensibly done.

A short drive away is the scenic Thibaw Point

Do stop here for some wonderful views and to click some really outstanding pictures.

If you are already hungry, a quick drive away is Hotel Amantran which serves up the most amazing Malvani food. At approximately Rs.65/- for a Non-vegetarian thali, you can't beat the price either. The food is much better than the Mahesh's, Gajalees & Highway Gomatak's. Its that great. And the sea food is absolutely fresh & comes from relatively unpolluted waters.


Then take a slightly longer drive to the Ratnadurg Fort. Start with a visit to the Bhagwati Mandir




On the way to the Fort, if you pass throught the city you will see the Majestic Shivaji on a Rearing Horse.


The Ratnadurg Fort itself has a lot of crags, nooks & corners. There are brilliant views to be seen from certain vantage points. But be careful & look out for crumbling rocks.






You will be able to see the Lighthouse in the distance. If you are so inclined you can even travel upto it.


Another sight is the Ratnagiri Cement Factory and Jetty


If The Indian Freedom Struggle and its fighters interests you, Ratnagiri is the birthplace of both Sri Lokmanya Tilak & Veer Savarkar. Both their houses are within a few feet of each other within the city.

Sri Lokmanya Tilak's Janmasthan has been converted into a museum in his honor. It is open through the day. The house has been preserved as it is. And its a pleasure to walk barefoot on the cowdung smeared natural flooring. His topi & a few clothes are also on display within the museum.




Sri Veer Savarkar's house has been turned into a kind of library which is only open between 4 & 6 pm.




Round up the day with a nice quiet evening on the beach, Ratnagiri is famed as the "Black and White Beaches Some beaches in the area have black sand and the others have white. The tide here is quite reliable and you can bathe in these waters.


There are a lot more temples and other places to explore in Ratnagiri if you are so inclined. you can also make a lot of short excursions to nearby places like Ganapatipule, Pawas, Dapoli, Guhagar, Karde, Murud and Ladghar