2 Festivals and a Bloody Long Queue

Corniche at Muscat, Oman

I’m running out of ideas for posting! Since it’s double festival season again, Muslim Eid al-Adha / Aidil-Adha and Hindu Durga Puja, I’ll post things of what we did at this time last year.

Last year was good, Eid fell in the middle of the week, so with the weekends added, we had a full 5 day break. This year we had a total of 3! And with the baby due anytime, we just stuck around the house, ate, slept and put on some weight.

We started our first day of the 5 day break last year with a small traditional ritual for Durga Puja (it happened to fall on the main day of Durga Puja). (Durga Puja is Anu’s family’s biggest festival of the year. It is also the biggest festival in Bengali Hindu areas and is basically a major festival in East India, North East India and Nepal). This is what you have to do, Gorkhali style: -


Blessing the children of the house, with incense, uncooked rice, banana paste, etc. You have to paste uncooked rice on the forehead of the kids and pass them some money. We did a short cut and just threw some rice on Justin. It’s the gesture that counts, right?

Then we started our journey to Oman, via Hatta. We reached the Omani border post (Wajaja) at about 12.30pm. We exited the immigration complex at 8.30pm. Yes, it took 8 hours! The immigration process is very complicated. It involves half an hour of looking for a parking, 15 minutes of figuring out what’s happening inside the marketplace of a complex, 7 hours and 10 minutes of hanging around, chit-chatting with strangers, and queuing up to reach the immigration counters, and 5 minutes of paying and getting the visas stamped on your passports. (I’m recycling some material here! See previous post.) If you have a group with you, which everybody has (it’s an average of 5 passports per person queuing up), you can take turns queuing up, or your friend can help you grab a coffee, a pizza, some KFC, or something while you chat up complete strangers to break the boredom. You can also watch the kids up to their antics, playing, shouting, sleeping, giggling, crying, running around and bumping into people, throwing tantrums. What a wonderful place!

Lessons learned: - If you want this experience, do visit during an extended holiday weekend. If you hate waiting, best visit at 3am (they open 24 hours!), or don’t come during a holiday in the region.

We reached our hotel in Muscat past midnight.

Scenes from Muscat, where we spent our Eid 2013 in: -




Mutrah, the congested part of Muscat, with narrow roads hemmed in by rocky hillocks, shops and houses.


Mutrah Souk






Along the Corniche, near Mutrah, Muscat, Oman


Old Muscat, with Fort Mirani in the background


A view of the bay at Old Muscat, from the front of Fort Mirani


Sultan Qaboos Mosque, at a newer part of Muscat


The newer parts of Muscat, from the front of the Sultan Qaboos Mosque. That black Toyota Yaris on the right was our car for the trip!

Pune Diary Final Chapter

Grounds of the Aga Khan Palace, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Went to Pune for a day last week, to bring niece Karishma to Dubai, to help out with chores, especially since our second baby is due anytime now. For the time being, baby is just ‘baby’, but we’ve sort of reconciled that it’s gonna be a boy, like it or not. (But of course we’ll love him to bits. He’s our son after all). We’ll come up with a name, sooner or later.

Not much has changed in Pune since we left in Feb last year. The airport’s still small (but sometimes small is good). The city roads are still as bumpy as ever. The bus stops are still located in the middle of the roads (yeah, this is how it is in Pune, the cars, trucks, what-you-have, all travel on the side lanes, while the bus lanes and bus-stops are on where you will usually find the fast lanes! When you get off the bus, you’ll find yourself right smack in the middle of the highway, which you will then have to cross to get to the shops, houses, etc.) The favourite food is still limited to deep-fried varieties of bread and potatoes, and extra-spicy curries.

Staying here (or more accurately, 80km away from here, in Daund) for 2.5 years has made us quite fond of the city, with quirks and all. So much so that after we moved to the Pune area, Pune has become something like a second base in India for Anu’s family – sister, niece, nephew all stayed, worked or studied here at one time or another.

Pune’s not a bad city. Smaller (than Mumbai and other megacities), so more manageable traffic-wise. Pleasant climate and milder weather changes (unlike Rajasthan or Delhi). Nice (and cheap) grapes and wines (the best plus point of Pune in our opinion). Quite a few up-to-date malls, hotels and restaurants (see earlier posting). And I heard that the road connecting Daund to Pune is mostly done, so it’ll take less than an hour to reach now (used to take 2 friggin hours for 80km!). So here’s a selection of some sights of Pune as a small tribute to this city we called home for 2.5 years. Maybe we’ll meet again later on, who knows? But that’ll be another story.


Aga Khan Palace, Pune – the Aga Khan is the head (or Imam) of the Nizari Ismaili Sect, a branch of Shia Islam and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. During India’s colonial times, the Aga Khan held a status similar to that of a Prince i.e. he was granted gun salutes by the British, the only religious leader to have such a status. This palace was donated to the people of India in the 70’s by the reigning Aga Khan, who now resides in France.


Samadhis (monuments honouring the dead) of Gandhi’s wife and secretary at the Aga Khan Palace – the Aga Khan Palace in Pune is famous for being the place where the British put Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and his secretary under house arrest for 2 years during the Indian struggle for independence. Gandhi’s wife, Kasturba Gandhi and his personal secretary, Mahadev Desai died here during the 2 years of internment.


Road leading to the Osho Ashram (aka Free Sex Ashram), Koregaon Park, Pune – this ashram (spiritual retreat) is famous for its Guru’s views on sex, and for his lavish lifestyle when he was in America. (Osho or Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was for a time known as the Rolls-Royce Guru. He was said to have 90+ Rolls-Royce in the US, given to him by his many followers in the west). Osho was a controversial figure. He moved back to Pune after being deported from the US due to some immigration violations. The ashram is now one of Pune’s top tourist attractions. Nope, we didn’t enter the ashram. It costs a couple of thousand rupees, or more, but it includes robes, a whole day’s programme of meditation (or was it 2), and a mandatory HIV Test. I dunno how true it is, that you can have free sex in the ashram, but why else would they need the HIV Test for huh?


Mutha River, near the Shaniwar Wada Fort, Pune – Pune is a city of rivers and bridges. I dunno how many river crossings there are, but it sure feels like a lot when we travelled across the city.


A view of Pune during the monsoon from nearby fort, Sinhagad (see previous post). Note how green Pune is.


High spiky doors of the Shaniwar Wada Fort, Pune – To keep out extremely tall men… Or it might just be for the elephants


Garden of the Shaniwar Wada Fort / Palace


Mandai, a famous landmark in Pune – I think it’s a fruit and vegetable market

And how can an Indian city not have a street bazaar? Here they are: -


Fashion Street, Pune – what do you think they sell here? Hint: look at the name




Tulsibaug (pronounced Toolsee-Baag, meaning Basil Garden in Hindi), Pune


Last, but not least, here’s the patron god of Maharashtra, Lord Ganesh, in Tulsibaug – You can see Ganesh temples and shrines all over Pune and the Ganesh festival in September each year (Ganesh Chaturthi) is one of the biggest festivals for the people here.

Forts of Maharashtra

The Lonely Mountain, Erebor… haha just kidding, too much Hobbit! (But seriously, why did the producers have to extend The Hobbit to 3 movies long? Should’ve stuck to ONE, like the book!) Anyway, this is Daulatabad, Maharashtra, India

Here’s a recap of the forts in Maharashtra. Compare this to my earlier posts on the Forts of Rajasthan and of Gulf Arabia. For what it lacks in grandeur and details (a lot of it are in ruins due to the constant warfare in the area), it sure makes up for it through its amazing locations! Just see for yourself: -


Daulatabad Fort atop a mountain shaped like a wedding cake, with sheer stone cliffs at its sides. The only entrance was through a narrow upwards sloping tunnel, with stairs at one point where the guards could launch fiery objects and hot oil on invaders, and a narrow bridge, and was regarded as a very formidable fort. Despite this, it changed hands many times. On one occasion, the fort was conquered after the attackers bribed the guards. Doesn’t look like much has changed in India since then, huh?


Pratapgad Fort (at the top of the hill), near Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra – known for an important battle where the then newly established Maratha Kingdom won against a much larger army of the Sultanate of Bijapur and went on to eventually become the Maratha Empire.


Some fort (or are these only walls?) on the road to Murud-Janjira, in between the main Mumbai – Goa Highway and Murud Village on the coast. There’re countless such structures all over the place.

Maharashtra, being at the centre of India, has seen its fair share of wars. It is home to the Maratha Empire, a number of Deccan Sultanates, the southern bastion of the Mughal Empire, and not a few Princely States. Wars raged right till the British took over (so the British actually did some good after all!). That explains the run down condition of so many of its forts.




Janjira Island Fortress – see my previous post




The fort at Baramati. Baramati is an important industrial city near Pune, rival of Daund (where we stayed), and stronghold of Mr Sharad Pawar (i.e. supremo of the NCP, or National Congress Party and ex-Agriculture Minister of India). This fort houses the government offices. Most cities here have their own forts. It’s like a mandatory structure in Maharashtrian towns, for some reason.


Foggy fort, Sinhagad, near Pune – yep, that’s the best shot I have of the fort! Note: do not visit this fort during the monsoon season, unless you absolutely love fog. I still can’t understand the logic of building a fort in a place where everything is shrouded in fog! How do you defend anything when you can’t make out your sister from your wife? Hold on, is that a kid or a doll? See? I told ya, he can’t even make out a kid from a doll!


Shaniwar Wada, fort / palace, Pune City, Maharashtra - another city fort

Dominion of the Slave Kings

Impregnable sea fortress, Janjira, on the coast of Maharashtra, India – this fort was said to have withstood the attacks of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the Marathas and until the independence of India, remained undefeated. After independence, like all the princely states in India, the state of Murud-Janjira joined the Indian Union, and ownership of the fort passed on to India.


India’s own Battleship Island (remember the villain’s hideout in the James Bond movie, Skyfall? That's in Japan). This is India's version – Janjira Fort, Maharashtra, India

Another coastline, and another beach. This one from across the Arabian Sea, in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. This area was once part of the princely state of Murud-Janjira, a mini kingdom ruled by the Siddis, descendants of slaves from the Horn of Africa (area around Somalia and Ethiopia).

The Siddi were originally brought to India by Arab and Portuguese merchants. Some of them gained a reputation for their strength and loyalty, and later became warriors for hire (mercenaries). They eventually went on to possess their own state at Murud-Janjira. Most of them are Muslims.


Family outing at Janjira Fort, Maharashtra, India - notice how small Justin is at that time? He's like 13 months old then


A view at Janjira towards the mainland


The entrance to Janjira Fort, on the north coast of the island, accessible only by boat from nearby Rajapuri


The river mouth at Murud Town


Amrita at a beach near Murud, …think it’s Kashid (Google Map …what else hahaha)


Sunset at Kashid Beach, Maharashtra – and from here, we drove all the way home to Daund the same evening-night! Some 250 kms, and more than half of that on congested or rural roads. That's one of the reasons why Anu hates my travel plans... but we got to see an entire new area, and such an interesting fort, didn't we?

The Quaint Port of Sur

Sur, Ash-Sharqiyah South Governorate, Oman

More photos for my ‘travel blog’. Better this than nothing, right?

We stumbled upon this interesting port town on our way to the east of Oman. Here’re some pictures. Sur happens to be the capital of this region (Ash-Sharqiyah). In the past, Sur was known for its maritime trade and boat building industry (it still builds boats). According to an Omani gentleman we met at the UAE-Oman Border Crossing at Hatta (Wajaja), Sur used to be one of the main ports that Omanis used to set sail to escape the extreme poverty and isolation of Oman in the years before 1970. In 1970, just before the current king took over, Oman had ONE primary school (yeah, you read correctly), and that too only up to Grade 5. Omanis who could afford it, snuck their kids overseas for an education and a better future. (Don’t quote me OK? This is what he said, I dunno how true it is!)

Yeah, we discussed all that and a lot more at the Wajaja Border Crossing. This crossing is an experience by itself. In this busy world, nothing will create more rapport and friends than queuing up for 8 hours to get a visa stamp on your passport (and the queue’s only about 50 m long). Wanna have this once in a lifetime experience? Try crossing from UAE to Oman via Hatta during Eid al-Adha, or one of the big local holidays. I guarantee that you’ll meet tons of new friends and get ample opportunities to mingle with the locals. I’d have taken some photos if it wasn’t for the “no photos, or your cameras will be confiscated” rule in the complex.

Anyway, enjoy!








More views of Sur


Lunch, Arabian Style – after (or was it before?) our Chicken Mandi meal (aka the most common Arabic dish around), what else?