The Palace of Illusions

Just completed reading "The Palace of Illusions" Chitra Banerjee Devakurni a book I bought out of the sheer act of getting rid of my last New Zealand dollars at Christchurch airport before flying back to Sydney. The book took me down the memory lane way back into the late 80's when the epic Mahabharata was telecast ed on national television in India. Reading the book I was still imagining the same characters who actually played the roles in the tele-serial.

Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The book takes us back to the time of the Indian epic The Mahabharat—a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through her narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandavas brothers, Divakaruni gives us a rare feminist interpretation of an epic story.
The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of a king before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at the brothers’ sides through years of exile and a terrible civil war. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her stratagems to take over control of her household from her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female voice in a world of warriors, gods, and ever-manipulating hands of fate.The strength of this novel, is the profound thinking that is woven into the main story.

Moreover it is a good refresher on the values the epic is trying propagate and the view which Draupadi has throughout her existence on the various key events.It provides a totally new dimension to ascertain what was good and evil during the epic and how things that are destined to happen..happen with a rationale behind it.

Can't say whether it is a must buy or not for your respective collection but for my friends in Sydney feel free to borrow it from me.

New Zealand - South Island

Day 8 : We flew from Rotorua to Queenstown and the flight was bumpy due to heavy weather conditions , I was a tad nervous as we were flying in a 30 seater plane. To avoid getting more nervous I started to take pictures from the plane below and captured amazing images of pristine blue lakes below .The images were absolutely stunning , we passed over Fox Glacier and other snow capped mountain peaks. Once we reached Queenstown airport which is a basically a narrow air strip nestled between mountains on three sides , we straightaway went to get our rental car. South Island is one place were driving on your own is highly recommended and I was eagerly looking forward to the long winding drives over the coming few days.

Our joys knew know bounds as we entered into our rooms as we got an amazing lake Wakatipu view from our rooms.
It was day before Christmas and the whole of Queenstown was bustling with people with their red Santa caps and other festivities.We had an amazing organic lunch and then decided to explore adjoining areas.The first thing we saw from our hotel was the Gondala ride which takes you 450 m on top and one can enjoy the view over a nice lunch / dinner. So immediately we booked ourselves for a Boxing day gala buffet dinner. Next I was keen to see more of the Lake Wakatipu hence we started to drive along the lake stopping almost at every corner to enjoy and abosrb the breathtaking views.Lake Wakatipu has a bit of hisotry , its a glacier lake and almost stretches for 45 km uptil Glenorchy which we did visit on this drive.According to myth the lake is in a shape of a huge giant (Manata) in cocoon position.As this was the position in which he fell down when he was killed by the locals , the lake rises up / down in height by 12 cm every 5 mins which is very unique as its landlocked.Again according to myth the explanation is attributed to the rhythmic heartbeat of Manata who is still believed to be alive beneath the lake...wow...fascinating...our drive along the lake took us right upto Glenorchy which is basically close to source of the lake.Again our South Island trip had a great start and we came back to Queenstown for dinner at an Indian restaurant - Freija's ..would highly NOT recommend it ..

Day 9 : Merry Christmas to everyone ...the spirit of Yule was infectious especially in Queenstown ...we were lucky to be there during the Christmas period as the whole township was bustling and there was joy all around...we woke up late hence missed out on the breakfast at the hotel ...hence wifey and I ventured into the main street in search of food...I would like to confess here that allthough Iam of a cheerful disposition ...however when Iam hungry and I can be a pain..you know what I mean..:) anyways most of the eating joints/cafes were scheduled to open mid day and luckily we found a place were we had a quick bite...my sensitive buds can devour any quality of food when Iam hungry....I become like ANGRY ANGUS...

Anyways our plan was to visit Wanaka township famous for lake wanaka and so we packed our car with snacks / essentials to drive to Wanaka which is approx 100 km's from Queenstown.On the way we decided to stop at Arrowtown. Arrowtown is almost 160 years old and the town was formed during the gold rush period.Its about 400 sq m and has basically three parallel streets across the township.It is famous for its well preserved town structure , shops and buildings and also nice gold artefact's. As we went their on Christmas the town wore a deserted look and reminded us as if were in that specific time period. There are a couple of shops famous for woollen and leather and it would be recommended to shop here for the same.

From Arrowtown we drove straight upto Wanaka ..famous for Lake Wanaka. The sight was (again repeating myself) was absolutely breathtaking and we grabbed a quick bite from Turkish takeway as that was the only place open and sat in front of the lake for an hour so. I wanted to explore the township more and was wondering if there was a road which ran alongside the lake and would take me to a place like Glenorchy.What we did discover just outside Wanaka was a township which was idyllic and exhibited a happy state of lifestyle and living.Imagine houses lined up with a backyard looking into one of the most scenic lake sides in the world and for what its worth I found out that these houses didn't cost more than NZ$ 1.5 MM.Compare that with Sydney and you would get an apartment for AU$ 1.5 MM in north shore / CBD for a sneak peak of the harbour ...bullocks...

Anyways post this our day was still not over and we decided to go to Cromwell another heritage town like Arrowtown on our way back to Queenstown. We found a Masonic temple in Cromwell which made me wonder about how well the Masonic society was entrenched even at a far out place like Cromwell in the middle of nowhere way back in the 19th century.

Ohh yes before I forget before reaching Wanaka we did stop my the Leaning tower of Wanaka ,interestingly the clock on the tower moves anti clockwise and it was instated on 1st January 2000.Implying that with each passing day of this millennium we are moving a day back into the 20th century...The Curious case of Benjamin Button....

Anyways we winded up our day with early Thai dinner.... I was a bit sad as this was going to be our second last day in Queenstown.
Day 10 : Our last day in Queenstown started of with a nice brekky by the lake shore and a day spend at bowling.

We went took a Gondola ride to the mountain top and a had an excellent gala dinner with an amazing lake view to keep in our memories for ever. Lake Wakatipu would be forever be etched in my memory and I made a promise to come back to Queenstown soon.

Day 11 and 12 : Boarded the 10am flight to Christchurch and reached in 45 mins.Checked into our hotel and went for lunch.The conditions were overcast and Christchurch reminded me of Adelaide a lot.Later I did come to know that Christchurch and Adelaide have the same town architect hence the resemblance.Christchurh is pretty Victorian in its look and feel.We discovered an opportunity for punting at the Oxford Cove rivulet and got a poor man's experience of Venice.I must say that the experience was romantic with the adjoining willows and ducks adding to the beautiful scenery.

Christchurch is famous for its trams , cathedral and architecture.We discovered a nice fine dining restaurant - The Bangalore Polo Club in the city.It was established in 1859 and the restaurant has an Victorian /Royal Indian look and feel to it.

By this leg of our journey I was missing Sydney and wanted to go back as soon as possible , with no offense to Christchurch ..we just were plain tired. Hence we watched a couple of movies - Sherlock Holmes and 3 Idiots.

We needed to do some souvenir shopping and that's were the rest of our time was spend.

It was the end of an excellent holiday our first international holiday together as a couple.Hence New Zealand will always have a special place in our hearts for making our journey so memorable.

So there we ended our trip and took an early morning flight across the ditch back to Sydney.....

From KIA ORA it was back to GDAY MATE HOW R YA ...

New Zealand - North Island

I have been now staying in Sydney,Australia for the past 3 years , and over these past 3 years my friends and colleagues have always told me about how beautiful a country New Zealand is.So we (my wife and I) started to plan our trip across the ditch to our trans-Tasman neighbours in Aug’09. We have just completed our 2 week trip to NZ and after driving for 1840 km’s,visiting 5 major cities and 12 towns across North and South Island we feel immensely pleased and rejuvenated and also would like to let everyone know reading this blog that calling New Zealand just beautiful is an understatement.It is the most scenically beautiful country I have travelled to and the Kiwi people are warm , hospitable and beautiful.
Please find below a day by day account of our travel :-
Day 1 : Arrived safely in Auckland and checked into Scenic hotel at the heart of Auckland's CBD overlooking the Skytower.All of us were hungry hence we grabbed a quick bite and straightaway ventured towards the skytower and took a tour of it , spending close to 3 hours.The highlight was all of us having coffee at Sky Lounge overlooking the Auckland harbour and city. Came back to our
hotel , took some rest and and bought nice New Zealand white and red wine to give us company at dinner (which was a combo of Indian and Mexican).All of us had the urge to watch AVATAR across the road at Sky theater but we refrained from it.





Day 2 : Woke up and had a sumptuous breakfast and then went to Budget Car rental to get our car - Toyota Corolla , checked if all parts are in order and then switched on the GPS to drive straight to Hamilton.Took us 2 hours to reach Hamilton and we passed by townships of RamaRama,Bombay and Helensville.In Hamilton we went to our friends place and were well received by them , had a heavy brunch there and were forced to stay for lunch...cm on gimme a break my tummy was stuffed..hence we promised that we would join them for dinner at Hamilton.From Hamilton we drove to Matamata a small town blessed with picturesque surroundings and boutique cafes.Matamata was our launch point for our tour to Hobbiton the home for the movie set of Lord of the Rings.
The tour costs NZ$58 per head and is worth every cent if your a LOTR fan / fanatic , else one can spend more time in Matamata/Hamilton.Having said that Hobbiton is a beautiful place and you would feel as if you are in the 15th century , highlight of the place is when you get to enter in to a Hobbit hole and can take pics around the Party Tree.
After the tour to Hobbiton we came back to Matamata and had very nice coffee at Matamata and spend some time in the town before heading back to Hamilton.Reached Hamilton and had dinner with our friends and walked around the city before heading back to Auckland.
We were pretty tired by the end of the day but I was still brimming with excitement.
Day 3 : Woke up a bit late but were all ready by 10am in the morning , the whole day was planned in and around the Waikato region and we drove down towards Waitamo caves famous for the Gloworms and black water river rafting.It took us 3 hours to reach Waitamo and we booked our cave tour and then had lunch at Curly's bar a unique restaurant/bar overlooking lush green meadows. I had a pint of Steinlager and pasta and was refuelled for the cave trip. The caves are famous for their limestone formations and freshwater lakes , the limestone formations are a miniature version/ copy of Jenolan caves @ Sydney..hence might be a let down for Sydneysiders.The highlight is when you take a boat and move further into the caves to look at the glowworms who are embedded into the walls and you feel like you are looking at millions of stars.The feeling is ethereal and you don't want to leave the place at all as its full of mysticism.
Anyways as all good things come to an end so did the cave tour and we were back outside the cave in the real world.After spending some time near the caves /museums we drove back to Auckland and reached by 8.30 pm.Our stomachs were rumbling and we decided to go for Italian , had amazing Italian food capped with nice Chianti red wine .. I was feeling really happy after a couple of glasses and my wife's glare also looked like a smile to me...ahh...thats what good food and wine does to your senses....
Day 4 : This was our last morning in Auckland and we decided to part ways in grand terms ,after checking out we went to Devonport a small village town 20 mins from Auckland famous for its Anglo - Saxon settings and fish n chips. Brekky was on our mind and we went to Mecca a fine dining "Breakfast" restaurant ......after eating a little bit more than our capacity we drove down towards Rotorua - the spa/sulphur capital of New Zealand ..just kidding...
Reached Rotorua around 4 pm and checked into our hotel which was overlooking Lake Rotorua.I fell in love with Rotorua as soon as we entered the township. The lake and surrounding areas pretty much governs all the activities in the city.The place is dottde with Mud / Hot spa's ,the most famous one's are - Polynesian Spa and Hell's Gate. Our first eveining was already pre booked as we had to go to Mitai Maori village for a Maori experience , we were greeted by the village community and were exposed to their customs , rituals and the traditional Haka dance.Post which we again took a glowworm tour and had a nice earth cooked Hangi meal.The village experience is a must do for all first timers in New Zealand.After the great Maori cultuarl experience we retired to our hotel , I was feeling a bit restless so my wife and I went out for a walk across the Lake Rotorua before crashing. I woke up suddenly around 3am in the morning as the whole room was smelling like rotten eggs , was a but tense since I was suspecting that some insect might have slid into my backpack from the Maori village and now it was growing bigger in my room releasing this noxious smell.Well sanity prevailed over my imagination and I gave a call to the reception who informed me that it was the Sulphuric gases which was emanating from the earth surrounding Rotorua.Anyways I slept off peacefully post that.
Day 5 : We decided to drive and visit all the adjoining lakes so our first stop was at Lake Taravera and the adjoining buried village.The very name of the buried village intrigued me as I was thinking of Pompei and ruins like them.So we booked ourselves for the Taravera buried village tour , the village was buried when the now dormant Mount Taravera erupted in the late 19th century.What remains now is some earthen pots a couple of huts and a beautiful walk.It was disappointing as there was a lot of hype over the buried village before the tour , so my recommendation would be a complete no-no to go for the buried village tour. Lake Taravera was pristine and I was dying to go kayaking but was stopped by my wife as she was petrified that I might topple the kayak and sink....she thinks I am the anchor of her life and sometimes view me like an anchor ...pun intended.....
Anyways I wanted to spend more time at Lake Taravera however we had plans to go to Lake Taupo so we pushed the pedestal towards Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and is a beautiful township. Fish N Chips was the mood for the day and so we indulged ourselves sitting write in front of the massive lake. Spend the rest of the day in Taupo and returned back to Rotorua around 7 pm.Needless to say the drive was beautiful as are all the drives in New Zealand.
Day 7 : Was the big day for us as we had White Island (NZ's only active volcano) and a Mud Spa treatment on our agenda. An early morning scenic drive took us to the Bay of Plenty township of Whakatane dotted with beautiful lake shore houses and boutique cafes.We boarded our cruise ship at 9.15 am sharp and I immediately jumped on board asking Amie our hostess if there was a bar on the cruise.I don't know why , but I was feeling like having a JD early in the morning.Anyways we rushed of the Whakatane harbour into the pacific ocean towards the majestic White Island.White Island is 45 nautical miles from Whakatane and the trip takes 1.5 hrs , you can see the island for the last 30 mins of the onwards journey and its looks beautiful.The water near the island is a mix of azure blue and emerald green because of the sulphur river which has trickled down the island into the ocean.A small jet takes you from the cruise to the shores as there is no proper landing area.We walked in and around the island looking at all crevices and the dormant portions.The volcano last erupted in 2002 and is privately owned by the Butler family.NZ govt has an agreement with the family to treat the island for tourism purposes and also as a heritage site.It goes without saying that the family takes a large proportion of all the earnings. Anyways the moments I spend on the island will always remain etched in my memory and I would love to go back there again.We got back to Whakatane and then straightway drove back to Rotorua for our mud spa appointment.The day was the best one of all the days and I slept like a baby aware that this was our last night at Rotorua.
Day 8 : Getting up in the morning knowing that I was leaving Rotorua was not a good feeling I had , I did make a promise to come back to Rotorua soon ...so it was Kia Ora just for the time being.We handed back our rental car at the Rotorua airport (please note you need to pay airport tax here to fly out..) and boarded our 30 seater Air New Zealand Bombardier plane to take us to Queenstown via Christchurch.

..... wait for the next blog for a detailed description of our stay in South Island....