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Archive for January, 2009

Qutub Minar Complex

Cities, Delhi

Delhi has been the ground of historical events since the first century – maybe earlier. Empires have been built and destroyed here. It has been the target of invaders coming from the north-western part of the continent and has borne the burnt of these invaders across the centuries. As a result, Delhi is scattered with [...]

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Halong Bay

Seas, Vietnam

According to legends, Vietnamese gods sent a family dragons to help the Vietnamese in their fights with Chinese invaders, These dragons spit out jewels and jades and these later turned into islets and islands that dot the Halong Bay.

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Delhi has been the ground of historical events since the first century – maybe earlier. Empires have been built and destroyed here. It has been the target of invaders coming from the north-western part of the continent and has borne the burnt of these invaders across the centuries. As a result, Delhi is scattered with historical monuments that speak out the stories of the ancient times.
Qutub Minar against the Alia Minar

Qutub Minar against the Alia Minar


On the way to Kumayun, we had almost the full day at our disposal before boarding Ranikhet Express for Haldwani. The plan was to visit Red Fort and the Qutb Complex, but due to Daserra celebrations a few days later, Red Fort was closed to public. This is what we were informed by the hotel – but was not exactly sure about the truth of this piece of information. As time was limited, we headed for the Qutub Minar complex by an auto-rickshaw. The driver charged Rs 400 for the round trip – he would cover the Qutub Minar and the Lotus Temple.

There’s more than the Qutb Minar!!

History has always been my weak point. This was proven once more – when I saw that the Qutb Complex had not only the Qutb Minar, but other structures and ruins.
The unfinished Alia Minar, the Alia Darwaza and the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was fascinating. The Qutb Minar, which itself looks so mundane from far, surprisingly has carvings from the Quaran and other designs on its walls. There is an iron pillar which was erected by King Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. The walls of the Alia Darwaza were occupied by green parrots which flew around the building.

A look at the history of Qutb Minar

The Qutub Complex, is an array of monuments and buildings at Mehrauli in Delhi, India, the most famous of which is the Qutub Minar and is one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. Built in 1193 AD, it had been inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan. It initially housed a complex of twenty-seven ancient Jain temples which were destroyed & their material used in the construction of the Qutub complex by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty, and his successor Iltutmish and further By Firoz Shah Tughlak on the ruins of Lal Kot and Qila-Rai-Pithora (Prithivraj Chauhan’s city). The complex was added to by many subsequent rulers, including Iltutmish and Ala ud din Khilji as well as the British.

Qutub Minar

The most famous monument situated in the complex is the Qutub Minar; other important constructions in the complex are the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, the Alai Gate, the Alai Minar and the Iron pillar, surrounded by Jain temple ruins.
Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and an important example of Indo-Islamic Architecture. It is 72.5 metres (239 ft) high. The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres wide while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with surrounding buildings and monuments.

Alia Darwaza

Alia Darwaza in the Qutub Minar Complex

Alia Darwaza in the Qutub Minar Complex


The Alai Darwaza (Alai Gate) is the main gateway in the complex. The gateway was built by the first Khilji sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji. The domed gateway is decorated with red sandstone and inlaid marble decorations, latticed stone screens and showcases the remarkable craftsmanship of the Turkish artisans who worked on it. It was built in 1311 AD.

Alia Minar

Alia Minar in the Qutub Minar Complex

Alia Minar in the Qutub Minar Complex


Ala-ud-din Khilji started building the Alai Minar, which was conceived to be two times higher than Qutb Minar. The construction was abandoned, however, after the completion of the 24.5 meter high first storey; soon after death of Ala-ud-din. The first story of the Alai Minar still stands today.
It is considered to be one of the most important buildings built in the sultanate period. With its pointed arches, it adds grace to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque to which it served as an entrance.

Iron Pillar

The Iron Pillar is one of the world’s foremost metallurgical curiosities. The pillar is almost seven metres high and weigs more than six tonnes. It was erected by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–414 CE). It is the only piece of the Jain temple remaining, which stood there before being destroyed by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. A fence was erected around the pillar due to the popularity of a tradition that considered it good luck if you could stand with your back to the pillar and make your hands meet behind it.

Cities, Delhi

Halong Bay

Posted by admin On January - 26 - 2009

 

Arrival at Hanoi

I was in Hanoi with two of my colleagues, Brijes and Goutam for official work. When our schedule provided us with a free weekend, the obvious destination for the weekend was Halong Bay. We did not have much information about what was in store for us, but few facts about Halong Bay were attractive. That it was located in the seas and we had the option to spend the night on a boat in the middle of the seas was strong enough reason for myself, Brijes and Goutam to go ahead with our trip.
Initially we scouted around the Hoem Kiem area for a reliable tour operator and get an idea about the cost of the trip. The price variation ($30 – $200) for a 2 day trip was enough to confuse us. Also, being the peak tourist season, the operators that looked reliable to us were sold out for the weekend. So, without going into any complications, we arranged for the tour through the hotel travel desk. The price was an affordable $57/person.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Journey Started
We were picked up from our hotel early in the morning at around 8 AM in a mini van. The van was full as expected.

Jetty at Halong Bay

Jetty at Halong Bay

Our guide for the trip was a gentleman named Kong – who worked full time as a travel guide. He knew three languages other than Vietnamese and worked with the European tourists.

On the way
Within half an hour we were outside the city limits and the road went through green farmlands. It was a welcome break from the crowded streets of central Hanoi. Men with their traditional big straw hats were working on the farms. Past a number of small Vietnamese towns, it was break time after around 2 hours of travel. We stopped in a big shop on the highway which sold traditional Vietnamese handicrafts. Some of them were really good and the price was tempting. Specially paintings made by thread weaving – something unique and really wonderful.

At Halong Bay
At last we reached Halong Bay at around 11:30 AM. The reception area was quite big and organized. In fact it was comparable to any other international tourist spot. For the first time, we realized that it was a famous tourist destination among the Europeans.
The Junk in which we sailed

The Junk in which we sailed


It was crowded and we had to wait for another 30 minutes while our guide Kong went to buy the tickets. In the meantime we purchased some water and a cap with Vietnam written on it in red. Later on, when I was trekking in Nepal, one of the hotel attendants one day fearfully asked me ‘Are you a communist?’ Later I realized that he had seen the hat lying on the table and thus the question.

After a short wait, we followed our guide Kong towards our junk. It was quite a long walk, going across other junks that were lined up one behind the other through there narrow alleys and dodging other people who were returning back from their trips. Our junk was a small one, with two rooms at deck level and another two rooms above it. Apart from we three, our only companion on board was a Spanish couple.
Halong Bay

Halong Bay


After a welcome drink (which was the only free drink on board), the junk set sail. We passed different types of junks on the way – big, small, fancy…. One of the attendants brought out her ware of pearl ornaments and after some failed attempts to sell them, tucked them away and started to prepare lunch. Lunch was delicious – salad, prawns, chicken and prawn. By this time, the our view of horizon was being obstructed by small hillocks at a distance. As we moved near them, we forgot lunch and were on the deck with our cameras. It was wonderful! Limestone islets were scattered all over the surface of the sea. Some were small single rock islets, some were big islands. Some were green, others barren with the rock surface exposed. The place looked out of the world.

Inside Sung Sot
We were proceeding towards the Sung Sot cave, which was one of the biggest caves at Halong Bay. It was quite a steep climb from the jetty to the entrance of Sung Sot cave, but as we went up the view became better and better.
Inside Sung Sot

Inside Sung Sot


The jetty below with the limestone islets at a distance and the junks scattered across the water, some with colorful sails, made a wonderful view. The inside of the cave was a different world. It was huge, and I think 5000 people can be easily accommodated inside it. There were limestone formations all around the cave. What struck us was the artificial lightning provided inside the cave. It somehow took away a lot of the beauty of the cave – the yellow and green colored lights somehow did not go well with the ambiance of the cave. Still, at the end of it, it was amazing! It seemed to be the ideal set of Indiana Jones movies. Was any part of the movie filmed here? We spent quite a long time in the cave.

Phantoms home
It was time to leave to the next place. Well, we had no idea that the next activity would be kayaking. Kayaking and us? Without any experience? No, problem – assured Kong. So it was Kong and Goutam in one kayak and Brijes and me in another. After some initial problems, we were all set, cruising smoothly along the the waters of the South China Sea in our kayak. We were at the level of water and everything seemed so different. Free to go anywhere we like, we went towards an isolated islet some distance away. There was an area which was surrounded by the limestone pillars and water in the center. There was a very narrow, apparently hidden entrance to this area. Once inside, we could feel the silence all around. Totally insulated from the external world, there was absolute silence. Could this be the home of Phantom, our childhood comic hero? We floated in the waters for how long we don’t know – until the silence was broken by the sudden shattering sound of a motor boat. Why did they have to discover the place and come here???
As it was getting darker, we started back on our return journey. On our way back, we saw the perfect sunset: orange kayaks all around, two big junks with bright yellow sails and the orange sun just above the water level and viewed through the sails. What could be better? And I did not have my camera to capture it as Kong had suggested that I leave my camera as it could get wet.
By this time, it was getting dark and our junk moved away from Sung Sot cave. All the junks
anchored around an area of the bay. After another delicious dinner, it was time to relax on the deck of the boat under the open sky.

Counting the stars
Night halt for a junk

Night halt for a junk

How many stars have you seen in the sky? Hundreds….thousands… I could never imagine that so many stars could be seen in the night sky – the number of stars were countless. Brijes started explaining the individual starts and constellations in the sky. The lone deck light was irritating – as it blurred the view of the stars. Everytime we switched it off, the captain of the junk came and switched it on, saying it was required by them to have the light.
After a few on-off attempts, we gave in to his request. Other bigger junks nearby had turned into party lounges with the sound of music and singing filling the air. We were on the deck till late night, enjoying the calmness and quietness of the night before retiring to bed. The sound of the generators were also contrary to the ambiance, but most of them were gradually switched off and boats started sharing among them.

Seas, Vietnam
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