Vendicari : And so spoke the country...

It was a short run from Noto - within about 15 minutes from the bus stop, we were going past farmhouses amidst a sea of yellow - it is Lemon season and this was the countryside that we hoped to experience! My wife & I were staying at Le Zagare Agriturismo, just off the highway. On the other side of the highway was the famous Vendicari reserve. Around the farmhouse were lines of lemon trees and right next door, a vineyard. The vineyard was off limits so we went ahead about 10km towards Marzamemi to visit the Feudo Ramadinni cellars.
The real experience though was the walk through the vendicari - deserted Tonnaras, wild cacti and blue waters to make this one of the most picturesque regions of Sicily. With a handful of people walking around, all one could hear were the birds and the waves crashing upon the shore. Silence is gold these days, but its abundant here in the vendicari. But then, we did come here for the countryside! (and some lemons)

Le Zagare Agriturismo 

Lemons trees on the farm

....and lemons for dinner!

Water birds in one of the lakes in the reserve

egagropili on the shore, tonnara in the distance

In a deserted Tonnara (tuna factory)

Around the Tonnara

Vendicari beach

Watching the waves

At Marzamemi, a picturesque fishing village

Vineyard near Marzamemi

Ladakh : Four days with the elements

Pangong lake

For millennia, humans have tried to break down what they see & perceive into basic building blocks, fundamental causations; elements if you will. Artists would capture earthly beauty in different forms, and men of science would strive to find the reasons for their existence. But, the elements themselves were rarely an object of praise and awe, in fact they are more likely to be described in stories of destruction – tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis etc.

But, now in 4 days, we were to experience them as never before, in the world’s highest ecosystem – Ladakh, a barren wasteland that rarefies life itself so that the elements might surface in all their glory!

Now, a 4 day trip is quite normal for most places, but here one element was going to make that a bit tougher – Oxygen. It’s a precious commodity at 3500mts in Leh, dropping by about 40% in density from sea level. AMS is common and we had to rest on day 1 to acclimatise, but the threat was always around the corner as we took on the passes of Khardungla and Changla. But as the air gets thinner, life giving water comes forth in more ways than one.

Snow near Khardungla

Enjoying the snow after Khardungla 

We travelled in September, the shoulder season, when the weather transits from a pleasant summer to the blistering cold that freezes all activity quite literally. The passes though, are still open and Khardung la, once the highest motorable road in the world, promised a lot. It is a fairly quick ascent as you leave Leh behind, soon a little larger than a speck on the barren landscape. But, after South Pullu, the frost begins to appear – as icicles, retreated glaciers and finally hardened snow at Khardung la itself. But, the real treat was to come during the descent from K-la. Mere moments after we crossed, the normally blue skies gave way for grey clouds and fresh snowfall that followed us for at least 1000m of descent, and as the earth gets covered in sheets of snow, it becomes for a coast dwelling Bombayite nothing short of winter wonderland. Lower, down towards Khalsar en route to Nubra, small villages appear amidst the barren landscape, clinging like parasites to a river along the slope or one flowing through the valley. And so they must – in this moonland of a world, water is a precious resource. But not all water is life giving. The next day we travelled to Pangong lake – a high altitude salt water lake that does not support much life (no fish). It’s only fitting that here surrounded by lifeless mountains, the lake does the same. But the hues of brown with the strikingly blue water lashing upon the shore of balancing stones is an allure for most. So much that it brought the production team of the Bollywood movie ‘3 idiots’ here. The movie was successful and made Pangong famous. But, with that came hordes of more idiots to her shores, many looking for that selfie on Kareena’s scooter or for that award winning accomplishment – to tell the world they stood where the 3 idiots stood! On the fourth day, my travelling colleague overheard a tourist screaming out a famous line from the movie – “All is hell” (All is well). Please save Pangong lake.

A sparkling river in a lifeless gorge

Night sky @ Pangong

The colours of Pangong aren’t specific to the lake. Our trips along the Skyok river and in Panamik were a feast for the eyes. Red to purple to green – who says the earth is just brown?! For a change, it was the rocks, boulders and sand rather than the flora that gave us colour. Speaking of sand, we got yellows and greys too – amidst the dunes of Hunder. These are the images that can test a Sony Bravia!  

Shades of Panamik

Crossing the dunes

The Shyok route throws some wide valleys at you

Sunset at Tsemo Gompa

Mist at Panamik

Leaving a mark @ Hunder

Apples from the hotel garden@Hunder

The elements tested us too, physically. But, they left us better and in rapture. Earth, water & air left us with a high. Before you ask about fire – well, yes we didn’t get fiery sunsets or an orange autumn. Perhaps, we needed more time.

*Thanks to Sidney & Nyzel for the photographs

ITINERARY

Day 1: Fly to Leh + Acclimatize

Day 2: Leh to Panamik to Hunder (via Khardungla)

Day 3: Hunder to Pangong (via Shyok)

Day 4: Pangong to Leh via Changla

Day 5: Fly back to Bombay

Vietnam: Order within chaos

There is no dearth of 2-wheelers in Vietnam       [@Saigon]

But, there is silence to be found in the villages...    [@Trang An]

.....and on the high seas       [@Bai tu long bay]

Tradition and modernity jostle for space on her roads       [@Hanoi]

At times it can co-exist       [tai-chi @ Hoan Kiem lake]

I sincerely hope that tradition isn't left behind     [@Hanoi]

For now it lives on...    [@walking street, Hanoi]

Cà phê trúng trails

I must confess, I’m not particularly a coffee person - just one cup every morning for a spurt of energy to take me past a day of chores. But, the prospect of having egg coffee in Vietnam got me quite excited – as all things local & traditional do.

It was one of the first things (along with Pho) that I had asked for in restaurants in Saigon. I got enough and more Pho, not so lucky with the coffee. As I was to learn, most Vietnamese prefer their coffee bitter and black. For white, they add condensed milk. At cafes, the coffee would be served without sugar, and no matter how much sugar I added, it was never sweet enough!! Furthermore, in the South, I sensed a clear preference for cold coffee as well – to the extent that, if not clearly mentioned at a cafe, the default coffee served would be COLD. Later, during the Cu Chi tunnels tour, our guide, Hang, tells us that getting egg coffee in Saigon would be difficult, “Egg coffee is amazing, but you only get it in Hanoi. Not sure why, but maybe it is because of the cooler climate there”.

So be it! The wait continues....

When we landed in Hanoi a few days later, we immediately hit the Thuy Ta cafe which sits on the North bank of the Hoan Kiem lake. It made for a wonderful evening, looking out at the lake. But, my hopes were dashed - they didn’t serve what I needed. However, on the way to the lake, I had noticed a cafe, ‘The Note coffee’, that had a board outside saying that they served Egg coffee. I made a mental note of it for later. My disappointment extended to next morning when there was no egg coffee for breakfast at the hotel as well. Our guide to Trang An, Long, later explained, “Egg coffee is just for tourists. Locals have black coffee. It is made with raw egg yolk, so people get a bad stomach”.  Another case of diminishing tradition? Perhaps, but my hopes weren’t diminished yet!

Next morning, I headed to the Note Coffee. Opposite the Thuy Ta, this cafe was narrow but lifted a few storeys above, so it gives its customers a good view of the lake and street around it. But, before I could finally enjoy some Ca phe trung, I found myself lost in the decor of the cafe – Notes, from customers, posted all over - on chairs, walls, tables, everywhere. It certainly made for an interesting read. That was cut short though, as <trumpet blast> my coffee had arrived – with a little note J

But it didn’t seem like anything I read in the reviews – it wasn’t creamy, it wasn’t thick, it tasted like the coffee I got back home. When talking to the waiter I realise that there was no egg yolk and less condensed milk. The search continued...

Inside the Note Coffee Cafe

My coffee, with a note :)

So, I left behind a note as well

With one day left in Hanoi & Vietnam, I had to switch from explorer/traveller mode to Google search mode. Not proud of it, but it had to be done.

Top of the recommendations was Giang cafe on the eastern edge of the old quarters. It took some time finding the place, primarily because the entrance is really small & narrow. I go upstairs to find the tables and chairs overturned – I was in too early. The owner walks in and turns on the lights to reveal a dusty, small room with old paint clinging to its walls and even older paintings hung above- surely this is the place! The coffee was placed on my table 10 mins later. The two layers of the coffee were visible through the transparent mug that was in turn placed in warm water (to keep the coffee warm). It was thick, creamy and tasted like tiramisu. I had finally found my Cà phê trúng and the search was worth it!

The real deal!

Inside Giang's

Don't miss the entrance

Later that evening, I tried another from the Google list – Cafe Pho co on Hang Gai. The coffee wasn’t as good as Giang’s, but the view was unmatched. You have to enter the cafe though a silk shop on Hang Gai and climb 3 floors to a rooftop where you get an amazing view of Hoan Kiem lake.

@cafe pho co

Breathtaking view from the top

And if you are wondering what happens to your stomach after 2 cups of egg coffee in a day – well, nothing. I guess Mr. Long was wrong.

Buying Coffee in Vietnam

• Around Hoan Kiem & in the old quarters, you will find plenty of coffee shops selling Local coffee and weasel coffee
• Most people will agree that very few producers still use the right method to make weasel coffee. If you curious read the below link for how weasel coffee is produced
• http://www.huongmaicafe.com/blogs/vietnam-weasel-coffee/
• I finally bought Huongmai coffee in Hanoi which was a bit expensive (360k VND for 250g, about thrice the cost of other brands), but most reviews said that it was the real deal
• In Saigon, our guide, Hang (from water buffalo tours - http://waterbuffalotours.com), had recommended going to the Phuc Long cafe at 63 Mac Thi Buoi. They grind the beans fresh here. Unfortunately, I didn’t get time in Saigon to pick up any
• If you are interested in buying the filter as well, they are available for as little as 15k VND in the markets

The islands of Venice

The vaporetto line 1 along the grand canal is scenic but long 

The Grand canal

The Grand canal 

San Giorgio island from San Marco

San Marco from the San Giorgio campanile

View from the San Giorgio Maggiore campanile - in the foreground is the church and in the background the Salute church

The colours of Burano

Burano Lace

View from the Campanile of Santa Maria Assunta Basillica at Torcello

Glass making at Murano

Finished samples, Murano

Timeless Pizza!

I often tell people that I was introduced to Pizza by Michelangelo and Raphael. No, not the artists, the Ninja Turtles! Yes, growing up, our ‘heroes in a half shell’ were the latest crime fighting stars and pizza became the coolest food of the day! You won’t catch me narrating my early encounters with pizza to the Italians though. They take their art and food very seriously, and my statement would be nothing short of blasphemy!

But, my pizza experiences were limited largely to the Indian subcontinent, where the food is more commercial. So I was looking forward to the tasting the real stuff in Italy. My first journey took me to Naples – about 225 kms from Rome. It was a tour to Pompeii with City Wonders (https://citywonders.com/) that included a hike to Mt. Vesuvius and pizza at Naples.

Naples is the home of Pizza – at least the modern version, or so I’m told. If you think Italy’s history manifests in just stone buildings, you are in for a surprise. Pizza has its own history and it unfolds here in Naples.

The flatbread isn’t an Italian creation. It was consumed across the Mediterranean and Asia in different forms and was often eaten with different toppings. In the 1700s, Naples supported a large number of working poor (“Lazzaroni”) who found Pizza convenient – cheap and easy to consume. 

The Marinara and the Margherita are considered to be the ‘classics’. The first, is older and is named after ‘la marinara’ or the seaman’s wife who would prepare this food for husband when he returned from the Bay of Naples. The second has a more interesting story. After Italy’s unification in 1861, King Umberto I and his Queen visited Naples in 1889. The royal couple wanted to sample the local fare which of course consisted of Pizza. But there was a special variant that the Queen enjoyed – it resembled the Italian tri-colour with Basil, mozzarella and tomato. This was the first Margherita pizza, named after who else but the Queen, Margherita. The queen’s liking of a poor man’s food probably triggered the wide adoption of the food across the country which spilled over to other parts of the world when the Italians migrated.

Keep it rolling

The tour takes us to a restaurant in Naples for an original ‘Napoletana’. It’s fluffy and soft as compared to the ones in Rome which are thinner and have a crusty edge. As I sunk my teeth into a bit of history, I couldn’t help but compare the soft bread and the elastic mozzarella to the tandoori chicken pizza I got back home, or worse still, some chilli paneer version of it!

Next stop was a cooking class in Rome with InRome cooking (http://www.inromecooking.com/). Chef Max who is from Sicily quickly tells us the difference between Roman and Neapolitan pizza – similar to what I had heard on the tour 2 days earlier. But, we weren’t here for tales of Pizza’s history – we had to make our own Pizza. Max quickly gets into the method of making the perfect dough and somehow I wasn’t surprised to learn that a key part of the process was the time you leave the dough to rest – good things in life take time right! Longer the time, the lighter is the base. We add the tomato sauce and the toppings, shove it into an oven for about 5 mins and out comes a Pizza!

How in the world did this become a fast food – centuries to mature and at least a day to make!

The output

References:

• Chef Max and our City wonders guide Becky
• http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages
• http://www.unico.org/pdf/The_History_of_Pizza.pdf