Author: David

Sri Lanka has 22 million people and more than 6,000 wild elephants in a very small island, southeast of India.  The beginnings of this complex are 5 orphaned elephants, put under the care of the government.  Expanded to include injured animals, it has become a premier breeding program for the Sri Lankan elephant, a subset of the Asian Elephant.

Reputedly the world’s first care home for destitute pachyderms, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage marked its 50th anniversary in February 2025.   This has also been a successful breeding program, and today we have four generations of elephants there, with the youngest 18 months old and the oldest 70 years.  

The elephants follow a daily routine that mimics their natural behaviors in the wild.  They are taken to the river for their daily bath, they can cool off and socialize.  This is where David and Karen entered their daily routine, at the river. . .     We saw the water canons spraying the herd and all the cute antics, the pachyderm’s interaction with others.   We waited on the sidelines, while the elephants walked through town and back to their home, and then we followed up by visiting the orphanage, saw the refreshed elephants in the natural habitat, and saw the afternoon bathers get ready for their river time.  

It was a good giggle, and an uplifting view of these well cared for wards of the government.    As for the remaining 6,000 wild elephants in the National Parks, wow, I bet it would be a sight to see.  

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Our first two ports were in Malaysia. 

A Drive around Kuala Lampur

One of the most famous landmarks of Kuala Lumpur is the incredible Batu Caves. Built on a limestone hill, Batu Caves is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India.  A refuge since ancient times, Batu Caves began its transformation into a sacred site in 1890 thanks to an Indian trader.  Today, it stands as a beacon of Hindu culture and spirituality.

In the Batu Caves area, you are greeted by a magnificent sight: a 42.7-meter-tall statue of Lord Murugan standing majestically before 272 colorful steps. Climbing these stairs is not just a physical journey but a spiritual ritual, leading visitors to the main cave adorned with glittering stalactites and stalagmites.

No visit to Kuala Lumpur is complete without a stop at the Petronas Twin Towers. Time magazine has placed the Petronas Twin Towers second in a list of 21 of the most recognizable global landmarks, They used to be the tallest building in the world, until 2004, but still remain the tallest twin towers. Even though Burj Khalifa (Dubai) has dethroned them, the Petronas Twin Towers are iconic. 

KL Tower, or Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower, is a telecommunications tower in Kuala Lumpur city. It stands at an impressive height of 421 meters, and is ranked the 7th tallest tower in the world. This is not to be confused with the “tallest buildings”, “tallest structures”, etc. The actual tallest “Tower” in the world is the Tokyo Skytree in Japan.

Thean Hou Temple is one of the most beautiful Chinese temples in Asia. Famous for its thousands of red lanterns, this temple is dedicated to Tian Hou, the goddess who protects the fishermen.

Before the colonial era, 9 families with established royal bloodlines, ruled over their independent Malay kingdoms. After the British left, and independence was declared, a rotational monarchy was created which allows each of them equal opportunity to serve as supreme head of the federation.    Malaysia’s rotational monarchy is composed of the hereditary rulers of nine Malay states. The positions of king, and deputy king are passed among the nine, with each serving a term of five years.

While largely ceremonial, being king comes with special functions and privileges enshrined in the Constitution.    And he gets to live in some cool digs.

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Great Peking Duck in Singapore. It rivaled the Peking Duck we had in Beijing several years ago.

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Fair well to India!

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Palaces in India have always been a visual treat. Be it the resplendent residences intricately carved and decorated or those that showcase engineering marvels – Indian palaces have always inspired beauty, magnificence, and power.Apart from being majestic monuments, these palaces are worthy remains of India’s long history. Many of them have withstood the test of time and showcase a bygone era. I have always been fascinated by how architects and workers functioned in the past with their primitive tools.

In 1970, Indira Ghandi transferred the legal titles of kings to honorific titles.   She also imposed a wealth tax on the royalty. Properties could be placed in trust to the government and were eventually reopened as museums or schools.  Under this plan, royalty could keep their own landholdings, subject to taxes, of course.  With the prohibitive costs of managing their large estates in a post-independent, egalitarian India, most of the country’s royalty chose to convert their homes (and by that we mean massive colossal palaces which would require GPS to navigate through them) into luxury hotels. And it’s more interesting than anything you could learn in a classroom, because it offers some mind-bending luxury as a side benefit. 

We stayed in three palaces along our route. . . . . Great digs.

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India has historically been a land of magnificent temples. They were not only important sites for religious worship but also served as centers of learning, art, community gatherings and festivals. Temples held great wealth and were the pride of the communities in which they were built.  Such temples became targets for foreign invasion or destruction. Conquering temples could be a source of wealth, social and political control. 

India’s temples include important sites to Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Ganesha, Hanuman and the many forms of Brahman. Each temple has its own jyotish and vastu, its own power of sacred time and sacred space as a gateway to the Eternal and the Infinite. The temple is not just an outer structure to be admired but an inner presence to take us to a higher consciousness.

After the Indian Army defeated the Mughals and became the dominant power in India in the eighteenth century, they began an active campaign to take back important temples, and to restore those that had been damaged or neglected. Other Hindu communities did the same.

A new India is arising under the Narendra Modi government, which has a profound respect for India’s enduring civilization and its diverse traditions. We see a new concern for temple restoration as part of a national cultural awakening. This extends to sacred sites of all of India’s dharmic and mystical traditions. It is not just a UNESCO-type approach or museum center, but as a living restoration of an ongoing cultural icon.

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What’s that one thing that pulls you into the world of travel? We have asked this question often and the answer remains the same, “The People”. The curiosity to meet strangers on untrodden paths, and eventually knowing them during the journey lures us most when it comes to traveling.

We travel, we meet and we move on. But during those journeys, a few are able to make a deep imprint on your mind by their mere appearance, presence, stories, passion, or just indescribable connection. We always somehow wanted to freeze those moments in our life’.

So, never missing the opportunity to connect with strangers and capture a few of them into the lens. Having been traveling to numerous destinations in India and have tried capturing some of the most compelling faces from various corners of the country. Though a static picture can’t capture the entire gamut of experiences like sound and smell, calmness and chaos, peace and drama, it sure does depict a story worth telling.

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We would like you to meet Noori, our favorite tigress in Ranthambore National Park.    Noori, a female Hindu name, means shining, brightness, the dearest and talented messenger of the god.  Our Noori was born in 2016 and she is an empty nester; her 3 cubs have recently left looking for a territory of their own in the greater Ranthambore National Park.

The Ranthambore park is separated into 10 zones, that scheme allows for better administration of the resources there, for example only 5 jeeps are allowed in each zone during morning or afternoon safari, so as to over stress the tigers, management can identify which tigers tend to remain in a specific zone, entry and exit of safari jeeps are checked at each zoned gateway.   

The foundations for the Ranthambore fort were laid in 944 AD.   The fort and the surrounding forests were royal hunting grounds.  In 1966 the fort and forests were handed over to the government of India.  A wildlife survey showed a dramatically 

low population of tigers, India’s national animal.   President Indira Ghandhi started Project Tiger in 1973, Ranthambore then became an area for tiger conservation.   It is 1,334 km in size and Noori is one of 70+ adult diurnal (active during the day) bengal tigers and approximately 20 cubs.   Cubs stay with their mother for up to 3 years.

We saw Noori near the fort in zone 2, our guide. . . so accurate, predicting nearly every movement the tigress would make . . .    If the tiger would cross the road, or come back on a different pathway.    When other vehicles left in search of new sightings, our guide hung back, somehow knowing that Noori would emerge from her under her tree, and sure enough, we were the first vehicle when she wandered onto the ridge.    

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Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, is a wonderland teeming with wildlife and whispers of history. This former Maharaja hunting ground is now a haven for majestic Bengal tigers, elusive leopards, and a dazzling array of creatures.   It took David and Karen 4 bone jarring but exhilarating safaris to finally see a tiger basking in the sun.  But that is another story.   This is “the rest of the story” . . . . 

The tigers and leopards need to eat, and we saw creatures the likes of which we have never seen before:   The Nilgai or Blue Bull is India’s largest antelope, to me it looks like a horse and is about that size.   When a tiger is able to take down one of these bad boys, it will satisfy their appetite for about 10 days.   The Sambar Deer is about the size of an American deer.  The guides said these are very salty and so a delicacy for the tiger, they provide a rich source of salt in their diet.   And finally, the Chital Deer, aka the Spotted Deer.  With reddish-brown coats and white spots they are just captivating, they are genteel and graceful.   From the tigers perspective, not much meat, so they are left for the leopards to enjoy.  

Near the end we suddenly saw a sloth bear.  Known for a shaggy coat and long snout, it forages for termites or fruits.   I’ll made sure I included a picture of his claw, so you can see what we are talking about.  

We saw egrets, vultures, eagles, owls, woodpeckers and  amazing kingfisher!   Ranthambore was an opportunity to not only observe wildlife in its raw and untamed beauty, but also to enjoy a sunrise from a ridge or take a moment by a stream to savor the serene moments and gratefully, take it all in.  

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An absolute highlight!

The Taj Mahal is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture. Its recognised architectonic beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and voids, concave and convex and light shadow; such as arches and domes further increases the aesthetic aspect. The colour combination of lush green scape reddish pathway and blue sky over it show cases the monument in ever changing tints and moods. The relief work in marble and inlay with precious and semi precious stones make it a monument apart. We visited this breathtaking site during sunset and sunrise.

One knows that ‘The Taj’ is one amongst the World’s Wonders!

One knows that it is one amongst the UNESCO World Heritage Sites!!

One knows The Taj as a legend of eternal love of an Emperor for his favourite Queen!!!

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A Day in Delhi

For me when I travel, my thirst for the unusual seems to be getting more, not less.   India is a great choice, if you want all of your senses to be awakened.    

We started our day at Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque in all of India. It’s absolutely humungous!   It holds up to 20,000 Muslin congregants!

Women have to cover up completely to go inside, so Karen felt like a wizard from Harry Potter, a gryffindor, I think.    We spent some time with the man who was reading the Koran aloud, he invited Karen to sit with him, it was a true spiritual moment between two human beings.    

Chandni Chowk, Delhi’s oldest market district is truly starting out at the deep end in terms of that all-important culture shock!    You are likely to see anything!   We toured by rickshaw, so it was only a quick drive by, through this marvelous street scene.  

Humayun’s tomb was created for the 2nd Mongol emperor, and was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, bigger and better than the first, of course.   The Taj is an experience separate from all the rest.  

And finally, we learned so much about Gandhi, his image is everywhere!   We learned about the independence movement, and Ghandi’s place in Indian history.   He was assassinated by one of his staff 4 months after achieving independence from Britain.   We went to the martyr sight, and the museum that evolved at that place.  He was an amazing man.  

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The Attari – Wagah border crossing is the primary road crossing between India and Pakistan.   All day, passports are checked, cars and trucks are processed through, but just before sunset, it is a magical place.   The gates open and each side prepares to beat retreat for their flag which is located exactly on the border and between the border crossing gates.   

Firstly, two Indian women march towards the border gate and halt, raising their feet high up to their heads, followed by 10 soldiers who march forth in pairs. It was a show of national pride, power, friendship, and unity.    Each pair of soldiers, after they raise their feet high above their heads, perform war dances feature aggressive movements, loud chants, and intense expressions designed to intimidate enemies and embolden the performers.

Each aggressive show of strength from Indian military is mirrored by the Pakistani security forces, with the audience appreciation of the performance and country pride on each side of the border.   It is noted that neither side stepped over the border, and after 45 minutes of giving and receiving smack, they shake hands and coordinate the lowering of their respective flags, play taps and close the gates.    That is until the next night, when another 10,000 guests show up to watch the haka like ceremony again.

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Nestled in the city of Amritsar in Northwestern India is the Golden Temple, a site of immense beauty, peace, and devotion.   This sublime masterpiece of worship is undoubtedly the most recognizable Sikh temple in the world. 

Sikhism, originated in the late 15th century, and carries a distinctive spiritual path emphasizing the values of devotion, humility, and service to humanity. The Golden Temple embodies the principles of inclusivity and sanctuary, welcoming both visitors and pilgrims irrespective of their background or belief. 

The most captivating and immediately apparent feature of the Golden Temple is the resplendent gold façade. This golden façade creates a mesmerizing effect in the daytime that transforms into a warm and ethereal glow as the sun sets. This captivating spectacle draws at least 100,000 pilgrims and visitors every day, contributing to the awe-inspiring aura of the sacred site.

The Amrit Sarovar, or “Pool of Nectar,” encircles the Golden Temple, offering devotees a place to cleanse themselves before prayer. A dip in this pool is believed to bring spiritual cleansing and healing.

 The Sikh tradition of langar, (free meals) established in 1481, is a cherished practice maintained at the Golden Temple. Donations entirely fund this communal kitchen and it is run by dedicated volunteers who undertake tasks like cooking, cleaning, and serving langar.  Approximately fifty thousand meals are served to visitors each day at the Golden Temple, and this number doubles during religious events.

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First night in Singapore, a local favorite.

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March 1 – April 19, 2025

MS Zuiderdam

February 11 – 25, 2025