Spices and Travel

You are greeted by his fearsome personality in the arrival lounge of Suvarnabhumi international airport. His blue green face, a snarling mouth, and curving tusk-like canine teeth makes you shudder. You meet him everywhere in Thailand, in form of Khon masks, souvenirs, paintings and as guardian of all major temples. Have you wondered about this fierce character? He is Ravana, or tosakanth in Thai, from the Indian epic Ramayana; its main protagonists are King Rama and his wife Sita and the antagonist, the dreaded evil personified, Ravana. Of course, the main theme, as in any classic drama, is the victory of good over evil. The saga began when besotted by Sita's beauty, Ravana, known for his weakness for beautiful women and virility, abducts and whisks her away to his kingdom. There are two significant encounters that would shape the course of Ramayana: Ravana molests Vedavati, the beautiful hermit and forcibly takes her; and, Vedavati prophesied, before killing herself in a pyre, tha

After months of dreaming about visiting Thailand, I find myself living in Ao Nang, a beautiful little village by the Andaman Coast. Its idyllic beaches, limestone cliffs, emerald waters do not seem real. I have to pinch myself at times. The village itself is not spectacular in terms of architecture. The legendary friendliness of Thai people is not an exaggeration though. They welcome you into their hearts and homes, which is a bonus as you get to sample the delicious Thai cuisine - home style… But true to my blog name 'wandering gypsies', I feel restless in my one bedroom villa. I feel too settled. I even have a cat named Trouble… My backpack seems to be gathering dust… it beckons me and yesterday I stuffed it to the brim and it felt good on my back. Maybe it is time to move on again.

Stepping out of my warm bed, I make my way to the kitchen. I fill the kettle with water. Bleakly, I wait for the water to boil. I add black tea leaves, crushed cardamom and cinnamon. The water comes to a full boil. My body, mind and senses start tingling as the smell of tea and spices waft from the kettle. To this dark decoction, I add generous amount of milk and sugar. I let the tea steep for a minute. I pour out a tall cup of the sweet tea, or Chai - an invigorating way to start my day. As I sip my Chai, my mind wanders back to my travel in India. Chai is the beverage that is the common thread that runs from the length and breadth of India - Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Surat to Patna - “unity in diversity.” The whole country is dotted with numerous Chai stalls and from dawn to dusk, thousands of people converge into these stalls (think about the squares in Europe) – office goers, laborers, philosophers, poets, writers and occasional tourists. Anytime is an occasion to have a cup of Chai.

My six months of travel in India is culminating today with a visit to the holiest cities – Varanasi. The “holy” status is conferred upon this city, along with Benares, Kashi and Rishikesh, due to the fact that the river Ganges flows through them. According to the Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga descended from heaven in response to the prayers of King Bhagiratha, whose ancestors were reduced to ashes by the curse of Sage Kapila. Lord Shiva agrees to break Ganga’s fall to earth by taking her on his head and safely knotting her in his matted hair. From there Ganga continued her journey to the place where the ashes of King Bhagiratha’s ancestors lay, liberating them with her magical waters. Millions of devout Hindus throng to these holy cities to bathe in the Ganges, believed to wash away one’s sins and ensure a smooth journey heavenward towards moksha, the eternal freedom. The riverbank or Ghats are a sight to behold with saffron robed sadhus (holy men), devotees, flower sellers, half nake