Santorini and the Myth of Atlantis

Blue, alluring, eluding, breathtaking blue. My first thoughts as I steer my imagination towards the splendor that is Santorini. Alluring for its pristine white and blue waves; eluding for the shadows of Atlantis. Perhaps its beauty is closely followed by a certain mystery, the source of its magnetism to begin with.
The story of Atlantis and the Greek islands of Santorini is one such affair.

The tale begins with Plato’s dialogs which suggest the existence of Atlantis, an island the size of present day Lybia and Asia combined. It was a prosperous land with highly civilized citizens proficient in trade, economy and an evolved lifestyle. However, in time, power corrupted their minds and as a lesson to one and all, the Greek God Zeus destroyed the nation. Many believe that Plato related this as a lesson to his disciples about the virtues of goodness and honesty. Myth or reality, only a step or two back in time would tell.

As for Santorini, also known as Thera, the land basks in the glory of its success today, with Atlantis being a but a romantic muse for travel guides and old sea farers alike. The fact that centuries ago, the highly accomplished Minoan civilization based in Thera, where wiped out in an earthquake fuels this myth.

Perhaps Poseidon, the ruler of Atlantis and King of the Seas , still watches over his kingdom, or what’s left of it, a mere reflection of its past glory. However, the sheer mystery of it allures mankind and the throngs visiting Santorini only seem to increase by the year. Just like its fabled friend though, Santorini prone to seismic activity threatens to reiterate history or should we say reiterate the past mystery.

Another quest for Atlantis has taken researchers further south with a theory that Atlantis did not sink, it merely moved all the way to Antarctica and is still preserved under ice. This is yet another attempt to uncover reality; a debate between humanists and scientists.
A riddle, a romantic mystery and don’t we perhaps prefer it remain so?

Hypnotic Dubai

“Sair Rehmet honi chahiye, zehmet nahi,” meaning ‘A trip should be a blessing not a hassle,’ said our chauffeur for the day.

After a flight covering 2000km – roughly the distance between Mumbai and Dubai – we were set on a six hour Dubai Darshan with our jovial driver.

This was a long overdue family trip abroad, and it was almost like experiencing it all in a mere five day spree. The inspiration – Dubai Shopping Festival, the outcome - thanks to diverse demands from mottled members of the family, we practically covered every active inch of the city and managed to cart back home a truckload of shopping.

To give you a description – my mother wanted to shop, “The main factor for the trip was the Shopping Festival after all,” she justified. The sister so obsessed with her planning each day a month in advance with specific places to visit and set schedules for each, and the Dad with a army mission to touch down at all the acclaimed monuments and buildings of the famous city.

Here we were, trying to fit in parts of each into a measly five day touristy visit to Dubai. Thus, with my sister’s mastermind plans, we set off on our first day in Deira, the high profile part of the city to visit all the mirage like metal and mortar beings (all the famous buildings, for those vary of metaphors and alliterations).

Burj Dubai, Burj Al Arab, Emirates Tower,The Palm Islands, Burj Khalifa, Atlantas; the biggest, the tallest, the floatingist, etc. etc. all in tandem, characteristic to the Arab equation – The Best = The Biggest.



But after the initial awe, the futility of it all is almost funny. They have masterminded intelligent fountains and bays in the core of a desert; drinking water however is not a commodity. They use glass as the primary material for building their monuments; resulting in towering Green Housees making the exteriors worse off by the extreme air conditioning to minus the effect of all that trapped heat from the glass.Phewww...Just an observation.

Leaving behind the high tech buildings and MNCs at Deira, we strolled via the creek to the Abra Station. With a mere one dhiram, we each bagged a surprisingly fascinating ride in a wooden boat or abra; that being just the first in a change in the locale. Reaching Bur Dubai – meaning beyond Dubai, we were transported back to the Arabia that existed centuries ago greeting us with wooden dhows, bobbing abras (boats) busy spice and gold souks (local markets) and pristine mosques.
From Zara and Tiffany, to H&M and Sketchers; but don’t miss out on the little things with a signature of Arabia – like the attar – the oil based perfumes that you can buy aplenty at the local markets, the bright yellow gold at the gold souqs and traditional curled Arabic slippers.

Mesmerised I was, yes I’d say, but in love...no, not really so.

We skied in the Snow Park at the Mall of Emirates, won a Dolphin painted auction, shopped around the world in a mere 4 hours at the Global Village, were interviewed by a local radio station too and tested our stomachs to the hilt during the Desert Safari (I’m not giving that out, you go try!) But all in all, be it shopping for gold, clothes, shoes, accessories, availing the services of the best hotels and restaurants, experiencing the various rides, et all; the bottom line is very aptly summed up by a line in The Lonely Planet Dubai Guide:

“Dubai isn’t only the name of the city – it’s an instruction”

That Heady Feeling Again!

This is not a write up about a place you are about to visit or may like to visit any time, its not an expression of a beautiful locale and all the fun things you can do there..

It’s about that heady felling..

You’ve just hung up the phone and what immediately overwhelms you is that heady feeling..
You begin drafting your leave application letter and just as Mr. Boss signs it off, you’re off!
“A shawl perhaps, it’s going to be chilly out there in the open jungle of Ranthambore” You think; or “I’ll need those waterproof shoes for the rafting sector of that trek,” you plan.

A backpack, loafers, mosquitoes’ repellent, camera, ipod, floppy hat, sunglasses, swim suit, clothes, shoes, lotions and potions...all spell - A Holiday!

That heady feeling of excitement as the Rajdhani chugs onto Mumbai Central’s platform, you’re going to get on it, set your luggage under those nostalgia filled blue seats.
As the sun sets, you sit yourself or with your gang on the train steps, some smoking chai or sipping sutta. And as the train stops on a deserted station in the middle of nowhere, you quickly slip on your loafers and step out into the chilli night sky, blowing smoke rings.

Be it a road trip, flight or a sojourn by sea; the journey itself is what gives you that heady feeling.

So as a fellow traveller, I say this – don’t rush it, live that moment to its fullest, before you know it, you’ll have reached your destination, sauntered around only to get back to an overflowing inbox.

Scuba Part 2:Maldives

They say Diving in the Maldives is one of the best dive experiences. Since this was my first dive, registering that fact took a long while!

It didn't hit me till I saw the tiny islands from my airplane window.

The water! Oh so brilliant blue! Indigo and Blue, Indigo and Blue! Less than a kilometer away that too!

Yes, I had browsed websites about it, yes I checked it out on youtube, but no, I couldn't believe the blue!

I had never set foot on a boat before, let alone an island. Fun trips in Goa and rafting on multiple occasions are a different thing altogether..What am I talking! Here I was on what is probably the world's most beautiful string of islands! I was in the Maldives!

Among the bunch of islands collectively called Maldives, my dive center at the Embudu Village was located a hop, skip and jump from the Taj Exotica Resort Island.

While waterborne, Motion sickness is a grinch. They say its all in the mind really, but after a meal, when the boat you're traveling in impersonates a pendulum, the mind has no say. However, the 45 minute boat trip from the airport to our island was tackled with, without any mind/body revolts; they didn't get the time to react, too struck by the beauty of the blue.

We were to dive the following day as there is always a twelve hour gap between your flight and the dive, so everyone jumped in with their snorkel and mask. It was two at noon, the sun was at its zenith and I was too overwhelmed with the scene. It almost felt like a soap bubble, broken if touched! However, Anees and my dive buddy Remu pushed me and then I finally jumped in.



Potent salt water! In my nose, mouth and eyes! It didn't help that I was an average swimmer and the fins I was wearing suddenly seemed to pull me down! Panic! It took me a while after that to adjust breathing with the snorkel and keep afloat while moving the fins. But as I gradually calmed down and opened my eyes, the scene I witnessed blew me away!



A huge shoal of Groupers inches away from my nose, a Parrot fish or two staring me in the face, a bored baby Shark with the look, 'there comes another sloppy human,' changing course, a Sword fish quickly darting by, a fleeting glimpse of a Sting Ray! A whole new World! But the corals; pink and lilac, they were the icing on the cake.

I was aware that over the next five days, we were to repeat the same tasks like in the pool back home, the thought of being in open waters made me very nervous though.But I need not have worried to begin with, everything was planned and organised so beautifully and each time we reached between 15-18 feet depth, you had just no space for worries. The extent of fascination was hypnotic!



Over the span of five days we saw a variety of stunning fish including Clown fish(of Finding Nemo fame), turtles, huge manta rays and a small but mesmerising ship wreck!



I panicked to begin with, was hesitant on the first dive, attempted to shriek underwater with glee while playing hide and seek with a clown fish, was reprimanded for chasing a turtle and finally was christened as a Diver while wearing a mask and snorkel with bear poured down through it!

Yay! Am officially a diver!


Post Maldives, I tried the dive center in Fathiye, Turkey; but the experience wasn't as exciting as Maldives mainly because of the lack of corals and very few fish. But there's lots more to see out there, many dive destinations like Egypt, Mauritius, The Bahamas and Thailand to name a few. But the first time I opened my eyes underwater and saw at least a hundred fish staring at me.. that sight, I shall never forget!

I started off with the best, looking forward to a lot more!

(Photo curtosy Anees Adenwala and Aniruddh Kasliwal)

Scuba Part 1 : Mumbai

July, 2009. It's funny how you can exist in multiple spheres at one time.

Here I was, mid way through an MBA, in between assignments, Maggi and chai; a huge pile of books, fake balance sheets posing fake profits, the best drug for the worst sleep...My screen beeps with a new desktop theme and I wake up from my slumber. I see a 13" screen full of blue, a dolphin bubbling by, an Orca gushing out in glee and a diver, a scuba diver a silent witness to the scene ...

Well, most of that was my slumber driven imagination, inspired by a static desktop underwater picture, but my scene post MBA was set. I don't need too many signals to hear the Calling.

Cut to September 2009, The Orca Dive Club Office in Mumbai. Anees Adenwala, an underwater videographer and my soon to be Scuba Guru handed me a 'Scuba Diving Kit' and a set of forms to be filled, Et cetera, Et cetera. All I'am thinking is, Comeon! Just tell me when do we begin!!

In all, it takes 8 practice dives to be certified as an open water diver. The first four dives are pool dives, done in controlled environments, so as to learn all the basic communication signals under water, correct usage of gear, fining technique and getting acquainted with the environment. This is followed by four dives in the sea, the exercises remains the same, but the experience is something else entirely.

Practice session, Day 1: Okay, so there's the Buoyancy Control Device (BCD), a jacket that holds all your gear in place; the air cylinder, the mouth piece and octopus, your gills for the sojourn, a set of weight belts to help you sink and a pair of fins. To say the gear felt weird in the beginning is to state the obvious.

You have to learn to breathe in and out through your mouth. Your nose and eyes are covered in a mask . This is probably the only sport that encourages 'bad manners'. You have to spit into your mask for a natural de-fog fluid. The constant breathing in through your mouth piece and sending out bubbles as you breathe out is called 'bubble making' in kid lingo.

I was amazed with the things you can do in your club pool! Ever played power frisbee under water? Han! Han!

Practice session, Day 2: "All you want to do is goof around," says Anees, indicating towards the book and chart; yes I had to study. Way better than Balance Sheets I thought, and this was SCUBA, so what the hell! Terminologies, hand signals, a dive chart about interval diving, nitrogen levels and depth, session three and four went on thus.

Says he,"It's vital to know the exercises I'am teaching you today," as I slip into the heavy, heavy-duty (15kg) gear. As we descended into the deep dark end of the pool, he sits mid-water in padmasana while I struggle to float i.e. attain neutral buoyancy! "Oh not to worry," he says, "you'll be just fine in the ocean."

Right.

A few head-first (instead of foot-first) dives, gulping a lot of chlorinated water, rubber sharks and Frisbee games later, I was set to hit the ocean.

As the cliche goes: or so I thought..

Of Priceless Souvenirs and Cherished Memories

We spoke different languages, met by an element of chance; yet, his instant endearing act of hospitality will always be my most cherished memory. Where the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean share common ground, Turkey is the land I owe this priceless souvenir to.



It was just my second day on a backpacking trip to Turkey.

After a month of plans, research and bookings, we finally set off for a Western Loop of Turkey; picking up and hot air ballooning across western Cappadocia, scuba diving through southern Fathiye, lounging at Greek influenced Selçuk and dropping off at mesmerising Istanbul.

Our route was to take us from Mumbai to Istanbul, a change of flights onwards to Cappadocia. We touched down at Gülşehir at midnight and drove down to Göreme via Nevşehir.

Waking up at dawn at one of Cappadocia’s beautiful Cave Hotels, I stepped out onto the fresh cold stone floor. The sight that awaited me was pure magic – beyond the peaks of fairy chimneys, the soft rays of the early morning sun formed a silhouette around a magnificent hot air balloon rising up into the deep blue sky.

It was a novelty to actually step into one and get my first ride, though the experience of watching a multitude of them soar up above was exhilarating. To top it all, they give you a certificate to just stand in, enjoy a glass of champaign and enjoy cruising through the sky with a breath taking view below.

Cappadocia has an enchanting mystery to her, an eclectic blend of the old world Arabic charm and bohemian gypsy culture. It is a hub for backpackers and luxury travellers alike with places to explore and cuisines to sample that fit all budgets.
In the evening, it’s almost as if King Midas himself touched all the tops of the fairy chimneys giving Göreme a golden glow.

The journey by road from here on to Fathiye is long but breathtaking as you are travelling across high hills and valleys that finally open up to the sea. Make sure to be awake in the last lap of the journey as you see a gradual change in landscape from tall conifers to shrubbery and then on to cruising along a deep turquoise sea.

I was looking forward to Fathiye for my first ever independent scuba diving experience. After having secured my Open Water Dive certificate in Maldives, this was my first attempt without the watchful eye of my dive instructor back home.
From there, we drove up to Selçuk to experience a deep Greek influence. Ephesus consumed us with history and took us back to the beauty of yore but it was the small cottages in the hills of Şirince that will always stay back in my imagination.

After drifting through the history of the land we were now cruising through modern Istanbul. It is a bridge between the ancient multi-dynasties and Atatürk’s contemporary Turkey.


My favourite things to do in Istanbul: Arabic Music, Mevlana Dervish dance, fish sandwich, the Grand Bazaar, short cruises along the Golden Horn, meandering around the Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace and most important of all – dream about Cappadocia!


And the food you say? From a simple traditional Turkish breakfast of boiled brown eggs, freshly baked bread with raw tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh garden berry jams to famous İstanbullu fresh fish sandwiches from bobbing bright boats at the Eminönü docks, döner kebaps, tavuk doners, an assortment of meat and eggplant preparations to the honey soaked baklavas and snowy turkish delights; my taste buds were on a roll!

Just imagine passing by a crisp, modern eight lane expressway squeezed in between an old world solid city wall extending to infinity. Yup, that’s just it. My last memory in the city sums up the overall image of Turkey that will be set in my imagination for a long time.

To say that I covered the highlights of Turkey’s 780,000sq km in a mere nine day sojourn is to clearly state the impossible. But seeing as I have truly fallen head over heels with the land’s charms, this was merely the beginning of an enchanting saga.

But I must end by saying that this trip would be just a trip without the souvenirs and memories I received from the people I befriended. I thank Jamal for making our stay memorable at the wonderful Dervish Cave Hotel in Göreme and Mustafa Mizrak for the endearing fatherly affection; the coffee Table Book and poster he gifted me are priceless and John for making my apprehensive moments while diving at Fathiye a sweet reminiscence.

Goan Rain

My third trip but a first during the monsoons. For a water baby like me, it was just..Heaven!

Wet green blades of the coconut trees, vision
The hum of the sea, sound
The fresh whiff of the earth, smell
Drops of pure rain melting on my skin, touch
The welcoming tang of the imli sweets... taste

Ohhh... A brutal attack to all the five senses! A mere photograph will not give you the same feel.
Just imagine it.

There for just two days, camping in the quiet of the South, the Goa I remember during the film festival (IFFI) is a different world.

Women working in fours in the brimming rice fields, not a soul disturbing the wild wild sea...so different from the touristy Goa we all see.

That’s the pleasure of travel, going to the same place, three times over, but discovering a completely different world each time...

A gift, I’ll treasure in all my travels.