Caribbean diaries (2) - Miami, Panama City and San Salvador

Miami

Fort Lauderdale from the air

Miami was a base for us when I was in the Caribbean and I flew in and out from there many times (6 times at last count). So I got to see it lot more from the top than on the ground 😁. And it looked just like I had imagined. The skyline while landing in Miami was always enchanting. A mix of the high rises in the city, with sun and waves all around it. And while landing at places nearby, like Fort Lauderdale, you can see the retirement houses lining the coast, with their huge houses, swimming pools and palm trees all around. The whole coast is densely populated, with lots of buildings and palm trees lining it for tens of kilometres. Also once when I was landing, we also flew over a long stretch of swamps all the way to Miami, which made for pretty pictures. So from the top, it was definitely a different experience every time.

Miami downtown from the air

The airport experience though was never great. There were always long queues for immigration, lot of confusion and very rude staff every time. There was a lack of clear directions in the airport, especially when taking connecting flights between terminals. Immigration took forever, with the attendants very rude to you if you do anything out of the ordinary, like take out your phone! And the US flights are quite low in service anyways. The whole experience just leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. And it made me decide to avoid connecting through US airports as much as I can.

During my stay in the Caribbean, I twice stayed there for a night between flights (once in Fort Lauderdale and once in Miami), and once spent a whole weekend in Miami. My first night there was spent in Hyatt House hotel in Fort Lauderdale which was quite a disappointment. The hotel was very downmarket and full of very random and scary people. It barely had any facilities or eating options. I tried walking to the nearby mall but the sidewalk was closed. So I decided to order in the food and what came was so American - a lot of food! Overall my experience wasn't great and I would never recommend the hotel to anyone. But the drive there from Miami had been quite refreshing, with palm trees and holiday homes everywhere, and a nice relaxed vibe to the air. So clearly, there was something better in the offing in Miami.

Retirement communities

So I turned up there again, for a weekend, when we stayed in Miami and ended up doing nothing much really 😀. We were staying in a huge airbnb in one of the gated communities in the city and it was an amazing experience. Staying in a 7-8 bedroom house with multiple living places and its own pool was definitely a unique experience. We walked around the area a bit and got to see some of the huge luxurious houses around which were interesting.

The whole vibe of the city was so relaxed and it was raining the whole weekend. So we ended up just doing indoor stuff at a slow Floridan pace. Our first outing was a brunch in the warm weather at Morgans which was a nice start to the day. And we spent the rest of the day shopping at the Sawgrass shopping mall.  We spent some time walking in the Design District and Birknell, both of which seemed fun to explore. They were full of graffiti and street paintings everywhere. The city felt spotlessly clean, well lighted and quite posh. In the evening we went for dinner to Beaker and Gray and called it an early night.

The next day also, the weather wasn't too great. So we spent the rest of the day lounging in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, with a view of the waterfront. And so the weekend was done, without having done anything much. As expected, the ubers as is everything in the US were huge. But surprisingly, most of the drivers did not speak English which felt a bit of a surprise as we were in the US! But I guess, Miami is a lot more spanish as compared to the rest of the country.

Swamplands?

My last night in Miami was when I had missed a flight and ended up staying 24 hours in the city. I stayed at the W hotel in the city centre with a beautiful view outside of a river and a nice park. But the world cup was going on at that time and I ended up spending the whole day inside itself. So inspite of having spent so much time in Miami, I still haven't explored much of what it has to offer outdoors. And even after having been to Miami 4 times, I haven't managed to visit the South Beach yet! Maybe I need to go on another trip to Miami then?


Panama City

Boats moving towards Panama Canal

I barely spent 24 hours in Panama City but it somehow left an impression on me. A good one, one which makes me want to visit it again. The first view I have of Panama is of flying in and seeing the country from the air. When land slowly comes into view, and you can see hundreds of ships making its way into the Panama Canal. And then, we saw lot of beaches with high rises and resorts next to it, followed by vast lands of rainforests and then we landed in Panama City. As soon as we started driving through the city, I experienced a kind of richness which was missing in all the other places I had visited in the Caribbean.

The waterfront

And it turned out to be exactly that. Panama is quite rich and well developed as compared to most of its neighbouring countries. Most of it comes from the Panama Canal and its consistent stream of revenue, but over the years Panama has developed into a successful South American hub. A lot of the well educated people from around Central and South America come and work there, and its a nice melting pot of immigrants from across the continent.

A view of Panama city

The city felt very modern and lot safer than some of its neighbours. Again, I spent most of my time in the office and the hotel in the city centre which looked fab. The waterfront was full of people enjoying walks. There were malls, offices and apartments in highrises all next to the waterfront. And hills nearby behind the highrises. They all made for fascinating shots at sunset. There was the typical beach-ey feeling about the city, which felt relaxed and luxurious. And somehow I came back with the feeling that I want to spend more time there for sure one day.

My biggest surprise on the visit: Panama is a rich and well developed country, and a popular place for expats in Central and South America to come and work.


San Salvador

I spent two days in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador but again spent most of my time in the hotel and the office. I did get a good sense of the country though, based on the small visits I had outside and time I spent with some locals. The people in ELS are Mestizos and I could easily merge with them. In fact, many people spoke to me in Spanish when I was there 😀.

ELS is a poorer country as compared to Panama and very unsafe. We again had strict instructions to not go anywhere without security. I noticed lot of guards outside buildings walking around with armed guns, which clearly indicated that we hadn't got the wrong advice!

A view of San Salvador

There were lots of malls around. And the nice areas felt very nice. I went out to two malls for lunch and dinner and liked the vibe I noticed there. Good restaurants and people out in the warm weather enjoying the nice meals. Also the country felt a lot more conservative than what I had imagined all of Latin America to be like. In fact, there was something there which made it feel a lot like India - with its so many potholes and the difference between the rich and the poor.

As I said, I did not get to see much of the country. I had the option to go and see a volcano which was very near. However, I debated going there and decided against it after hearing how unsafe the city is. So I decided to leave instead for the airport, which again was a nice drive. I passed through lot of hills and green dense forests on the way to the airport. I did feel sad leaving without exploring the country, but maybe thats for another time 😀.

My biggest surprise on the visit: There was a volcano within 30 mins from the city of San Salvador.

Caribbean diaries (1) - Haiti, Trinidad, Martinique

Caribbean diaries (3) - Ocho Rios, Port Antonio (Jamaica)

Caribbean diaries (4) - Negril and Kingston (Jamaica)

Impressions of Japan (3/3)

Part 1 - Tokyo and Nagano
Part 2 - Kyoto and Koyasan

In the 10 days we spent in Japan, we mostly stayed in the central part of the Honshu island. And even though we stayed in major touristy places, we still got to get a good feel of the country. And this time was enough for us to realise that Japan is an island within itself (geographically and philosophically speaking). Even though it has integrated with the world now, it is still isolated in its mind, and happy with it...


The country

The overwhelming feeling about Japan is of a comfortable mix of the old and the new. As much as it still embraces its deep culture, it has taken modernity and perfection to a new level. The country presents a very nice picture of the country of today, ahead in technology and running itself in perfection. The number of machines and devices everywhere, the bullet train running to the second, and all of this in a spotless country make it seem perfect. It also makes it easy for tourists to feel at home and comfortable very soon (as we did too).

You can see advanced technology and modern infrastructure everywhere. The most famous of that is of course the Japanese toilet seat which is present everywhere, even on the trains. With 5-15 different buttons, all with very specific functions, they are a pleasure to use. And I always wonder why no one else uses them across the world.

The Japanese have a fascination for vending machines and you can see them everywhere, dispensing all kind of unimaginable wares. We even found a machine inside our temple in Koyasan! The train network both within the cities as well as across the country is very good. The Shinkansen of course tops it all. The smaller villages we passed on the way during our trains seemed to all have all the infrastructure that you would need. They felt well connected and comfortable to live in. So all in all, the country seems to be as modern as we have always imagined it to be.

There are very small other things all around which make tourists feel welcome very soon. All the hotels (at least the ones we stayed in) gave phones in the rooms, with local data and minutes all for free! All restaurants have plastic copies of food kept in the window to make it easier to order what they want. And everything is safe. You can even leave your wallet unattended for hours and still find it where you left it.

All these things as much as they make tourists feel comfortable things, stand alongside a lot more which wouldn't make it as fun to stay in Japan as an immigrant. And that is the different and lack of openness in the culture and the people. Most of the shops and boards everywhere are written in Japanese, with very few things described in English which would make it mandatory for people to learn Japanese to be able to live in the country. And the people also felt happy to be polite and helpful, but still very distant and aloof. Happy within themselves.


The cities

We visited a few cities, and passed through a few while on the bullet train. And they all looked quite the same. Very modern, with lots of high-rises, lights, malls on every corner and full of shopping. There are loads of cartoon displays and ads everywhere. And lots of gaming shops too. This is something definitely found lot more in Japan than other places I have visited. And shopping is huge everywhere too, especially beauty products.

Tokyo felt like a cross between Hong Kong and London somehow. At times, it felt like a normal city, quiet and residential, with single storey houses and lots of machiya houses peeping through the new constructions. But at times, it felt like a mad-house, with its high rises and flashing lights everywhere, and people always running somewhere.

The metro in Tokyo was very very dense with too many lines everywhere. The linking of the metro wasn't very convenient though, with sometimes long walks required to change lines at the same station. You even had to swipe the card again, as the lines were owned by different companies. Some of the lines had cushioned seats but most weren't as comfortable. There was also a lot of haze everywhere, I think the air is more polluted than London. Tokyo felt like a good mixture of the fast and the slow, but somehow not a city I would like to live in for the long term.

Kyoto felt very different though. It felt slower paced, as if it was in a different century all together. There were more canals and open spaces there, less high rises and lights, people walking around in their kimonos, and it definitely felt warmer and more liveable as compared to its faster capital.


The people

The Japanese people have lots of articles written about them, how some of their qualities are very deeply entrenched in their culture and in them. And its so true. You can see it in all their interactions, and its very cute and interesting to see it.

Some of the terms which are commonly used to describe them are diligent, polite, respectful, stoic and punctual. And you can see it in a lot of things. For example, we saw one of the guys in the airport putting luggage tags. And he was doing it with so much dedication and diligence, we couldn't have seen that anywhere (least of all in India). The ticket checker in the Shinkansen would bow every time he or she entered a coach and left a coach. Even if no one noticed them doing it!

They all love following rules, and we never spotted anyone doing anything which is not allowed. Sometimes they followed the rules too much, carrying out each of the steps required and I thought some of them were very slow in their jobs because of that. But I guess doing a job well is quite important in their culture.

Politeness and friendliness is everywhere. We all know how the Japanese like to speak respectfully with everyone, adding 'san' at the end of the name. And bow while speaking with everyone. During our visit, we also noticed that they take the effort to help you, with shopkeepers sometimes even coming out of their shops to give you directions. Which is quite unlike say, the US or even some parts of Europe. And even if they don't speak a lot of English (which a lot actually don't), they will still make a lot of effort to help you. Also, you can notice that many times they are frustrated with tourists and their manners or lack of respect for rules. But still, they contain their frustration and are nothing but polite to everyone.

The Japanese are generally very hardworking, disciplined and quiet. You can always seen them standing in a queue, especially while getting on the Shinkansen. And they would get on with no delays, within the stop time. Working late is quite the norm, which we noticed seeing the heavy office traffic (all in black suits) in the metro at 10 pm on a Friday. Most of them also wore masks, which I heard was because cleanliness and civic duty is high in priority for them. Some wear masks not to get sick, while other wear it not to make others sick 😇.

We also found them quite serious most of the time. All the people travelling in the metro were quiet. They didn't talk much or loudly, didn't even laugh much. And most of them were looking at their phone all the time. I think we were the loudest group at most of the places we went 😊.

While all this is very positive, I honestly did think that the people there lacked openness and laughter. It's good to be hardworking and diligent and disciplined. But sometimes too much of that can make you lose your ability to loosen up, relax and have a good time. Just a laugh here and seeing some lightness there was something I missed a lot in the country, like we have in India (too much of it I would say).


The culture

I don't think I can write a lot about the culture of Japan here, as that needs its own books. I will however write about some things I noticed.

The first of course was about the two main religions of Japan - Shintoism and Buddhism. Apparently both of them exist together, with each having its own use. A lot of the temples and shrines that we went to were one of the two. The Shinto shrines would have a Tori entrance gate, a place to wash hands and a place to worship but without idols. You can also get married in a Shinto shrine, as it is not as much as a place of worship as a place to get together. Their names always have ji next to them. Buddhism on the other hand had temples, with statues of Buddha inside and incense burners. And people went there to pray more than anything else.

I think the Japanese have mixed western ideals with their own values very well and co-exists\ with the traditional and the modern next to each other. You can see enough people in western wear as in Kimonos, and in some ways, I found that quite similar to India. They are quite a self sufficient country and do not encourage immigration much. In fact they have made it very tough and so its not a surprise that we did not encounter too many people from outside Japan living there other than the tourists.

The Japanese gardens are very specific to their culture and they love them. Their gardens have rock landscapes, flowing water, small wooden structures, wooden bridges and a mix of many types of plants. Which even if similar to other gardens has its own uniqueness. The Japanese also love food and that is obvious with the quality of food they have. We did not have much of sushi (!!!) but all the Japanese food and the Indian food we ate was all very tasty. And I think that signifies how much importance they give to good tasty food.


Few tips for travel

- In Tokyo, it makes sense to buy the daily metro pass. Depending on how much you travel, it will probably be cheaper than buying a pay as you go ticket
- Buy the JR pass for travel on the Shinkansen. It allows travel for a longer time, say a week but only for foreigners. So you need to buy it beforehand and they are delivered only outside the country
- If you travel in large groups, you can turn around the seats in the Shinkansen to sit facing each other 😊
- Book restaurants in advance as they get booked out very quickly, especially in the cherry blossom season
- If you are vegetarian, you can find amazing Indian food to eat. Just search for the good restaurants
- Buy Japanese cosmetics, especially Shiseido but even some of the local brands. Their quality is better than other cosmetics
- For each of the cities, especially Tokyo, choose a few things to do rather than trying to do everything. It can get too hectic and boring after a while if you try to do everything

The exquisite town of Sintra, Portugal

This summer, I spent a few days in Portugal in the town of Sintra near Lisbon. It was a work trip but somehow, I made time to make two short trips to town and I was glad I did. It turned out to be a tourists delight with beautiful vistas of sun-kissed Portugal dotted with palaces and parks. A true paradise on earth and worth returning to some day.

View from Sintra

This is how Sintra is described on one of the websites and it was exactly that - 'With its rippling mountains, dewy forests thick with ferns and lichen, exotic gardens and glittering palaces, Sintra is like a page torn from a fairy tale. Its Unesco World Heritage–listed centre, Sintra-Vila, is dotted with pastel-hued manors folded into luxuriant hills that roll down to the blue Atlantic.'

Lisbon from the air

While landing in Lisbon, I got some breathtaking views of the city and around - of the sea, estuary, bridges, the city filled with orange coloured roofs and white buildings, and of green hills far off. It all felt very sunny, bright and warm even when landing. And once out of the airport, of course it was the same feel, the typical relaxed atmosphere that I always sense in Portugal. It had been the same even on my last trip to Faro in Algarve.

I took a cab to take me to my resort in Sintra. The driver did not speak English, so we had a quiet journey but the views on both sides were quiet captivating. With all the picturesque sun-kissed houses on both sides, shining in the sun, with baroque churches dotting them sometimes. The drive also made me realise that Portugal is a little less developed than a lot of Western Europe. People drove all over the place and didn't really follow the rules. Also the road wasn't perfect and at times we encountered water standing on the road!!

Penha Longa resort

I was staying at the Penha Longa Resort and it was awesome (at least what I got to see in between work). It was a huge open property with golf courses, running tracks, old historical structures and an old monastery on its premises, all located within a huge green belt. The monastery had been converted into a meeting convention centre but still retained all its beautiful paintings and tiles, plus the church.

Inside the monastery

The hotel had infinity pools and gardens all around, tons of eating places and all its rooms had a beautiful balcony with a green view outside. I didn't get a chance to explore the resort at all actually but I can see how it would be a fun place to stay on a weekend. While checking-in, I also ran into a big Indian group at the resort who were there for a wedding. Clearly destination weddings have become very very huge in the sub-continent, all the way till Portugal!

When I had realised I was going to Portugal for the conference, I had assumed our resort would be near the sea and I will get a chance to relax on the beach. It turned out that it was actually far away from the beach. Thankfully, a friend of mine told me that I should definitely visit the town of Sintra as it was culturally very rich. Given I hadn't read or heard about it earlier, I wasn't expecting a lot but was pleasantly surprised. It turned out that Sintra was the summer holiday location for the Portuguese kings as it was cooler, and so had a lot of things to do and explore.

It was quite spread out and was essentially a suburb of Lisbon, about 30 mins from the national capital. Even though it was a small little town, it had a few palaces, some monasteries, a few gardens, a Moorish fort on the hill, forested hills and a few beaches around. The town is located on a side of a hill and is reachable through narrow winding roads passing through picturesque colourful buildings, with a mix of Portuguese and Arabic architectural influences. All in all, offering a lot to tourists to explore for a day or two.

Pena Palace

I made a couple of short trips to town and got to visit the Pena palace, the National Palace and the town centre. At the Pena palace, you walk through the Pena Gardens which surround the Palace and have a few things to visit, like the fern gardens, a few statues, a huge cross on top of a hill, a valley of lakes, the stables and so on. You need to walk up about 800m from the gate to get to the Palace or you can take the bus inside the park complex, to go from one place to another.

Cathedral

The icing on the cake though is the Pena Palace. It is a luxurious fantasy palace built on top of a hill, integrating architectural designs from across the world and painted in bright colours - yellow, red, blue and grey providing a majestic sight. It started out as a monastery and then was renovated to convert it into a palace. The current structure was designed by a German architect, and its ownership has passed through many of the Portuguese royal families over the years.

View from the Queens Terrace

The whole palace is painted in bright colours, with multiple structures taken from different forts and palaces. They have Moorish tiles decorating some of the walls, with archways looking into the horizon, towers from typical castles and so on. Its a photographer's delight with its colours, and various architectural shapes ranging from Baroque to Arabic to Rajasthani. The Queen's terrace next to the queens room was one of the places where you can get a good view of the Palace, the park and the sea beyond. And I sat there for a while taking in the view and doing some work on my phone 😀.

Inside the palace, you can walk through many of its rooms and it is pure luxury. It felt like a country house with grand rooms filled with exquisite furniture, gorgeous paintings and other wall decorations which was unique to each of the room, plus with panoramic views of the country outside up to the sea.

View of Moorish castle

Then I walked to Tritons terrace leading to the the cathedral, along the side of the palace through the watch towers to where you can see the Moorish Castle glistening on top of the hill. You can even visit the castle remains from the 5th century when the Moors ruled Portugal but I had ditched that. Every turn in the castle felt like a photo point and I enjoyed every moment of the couple of hours I spent there.

View from the gardens

After the palace, I strolled through its forests and the fern valleys and other gardens, stopped at some of the sites but essentially just explored the area lazily. It was a refreshing walk and I passed through the Queen's chalet on my way out. I also got some majestic views of the palace from the garden on my way out. You can easily spend hours there in the complex if you want. It had turned out to be a very sunny and warm day which I had loved. And maybe was the reason for such a huge crowd turning up there on a Wednesday. Anyways I had a nice time in my short break there and would definitely recommend a visit.

Vintage cars

I made another trip to the National Palace for dinner one of the evenings, which was located in the city centre. It was apparently the summer home of the King and so very lavish and luxurious in its decor. We were driven there in vintage cars through the small streets of Sintra which felt awesome with the cool breeze blowing on your face.

Outside National Palace

We first took a tour of the palace and saw its richly painted rooms, with decorated ceilings, murano glass chandeliers and lot of other such displays of wealth and art. We also got to see attractive views of the city and the sea beyond during sunset from one of its windows, as well as an enchanting shining view of the Moorish castle on top of the hill in front. There was clearly a lot of money in Portugal which was spent lavishly across their palaces, looking at the luxurious feel of the two palaces in Sintra itself.

Random painted buildings in town

The last day I again went to the city centre but ended up not doing much as I had my luggage with me. So I walked up one of the roads and found a small church with an open area to sit. It had a fascinating view of the houses below and the sea beyond. There was a wedding happening in the church at the time. And a person was playing a musical instrument in the open area behind the church.

And I just sat there for a couple of hours, just enjoying the view and ambience with the musical background. It was pure bliss. And I loved it. There is something about warmer countries which I love. A relaxed feel which makes you forget all your worries. It was so nice to just be in a small village like this in the middle of nowhere, and enjoying the moment. This is the picture that I took away with me about Portugal and Sintra, and will always remember with fond memories. It was perfect.

Quinta Palace

After my stop there I walked around the town a bit and realised that it had many amazingly beautiful buildings. I passed by a few which were exquisitely painted and decorated with tiles, and looked beautiful. As I kept walking, I also ran into the Quinta da Regaleira palace which looked magnificent from outside. It looked so intricate from the outside, with its own gardens and is definitely something for the next time. Sintra is a place so simple, and offering so much, I can see myself coming here again...