Forty two kilometers or so outside Mumbai, you will find the Kanheri Caves, located inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.  These caves were once Buddhist dwellings and date back as far as 2 B.C.!  Some caves are home to large bat colonies, while others contain carvings.  You can walk all the way to the top and see the Nala Sopara coast, as well the lakes the give Mumbai its water.  At the top, there’s this large plateau and a way out through the wooded Yeoor trail.  If you love nature, you want to take this trail; it’s an absolute must — but, remember, you should get permission from the forest office.  Be careful, if you go during the monsoons or  the rainy seasons, because these complex of caves fill up with amazing waterfalls, but that makes it extremely slippery.  You can either negotiate a fee for a guide to take you through the caves or go with a group.  I’d recommend the group, myself.

My wife and I left one of the five star hotels mumbai and took one of the black/yellow taxis to the caves after we made a deal with a driver who spoke English well and certainly seemed happy to take us.  We were there on a public holiday and for some reason I still can’t understand, on the holiday only white tourist taxis may take the road into the caves.  So, we walked with our driver from the main gate!  And it’s an EXTREMELY long walk, maybe as much as seven kilometers!  It’s a good thing that a shop at the top sells soft drinks, but that’s not a great way to rehydrate.  The caves, though, are absolutely amazing, and a monk took us through them, and it was wonderful, even though he requested more of a tip than I expected, but I don’t regret the trip at all.  It was fantastic — just don’t walk it!  Take an inexpensive tour bus instead; even on a day other than a holiday, the black and yellow taxis would be let in.  Even so, my wife and I are going to remember this trip for a long, long time.   Just remember to take water with you — because you can’t buy plain water at the caves.

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We just got back from a trip to New York City last weekend. We drove down from Round Lake a town in upstate New York north of Albany. A drive we have taken many times but going to New York City this time of year is always spectacular. The scenery of the Hudson Valley is beautiful at any time of the year, but in the fall it is exceptional!

We drive south from Round Lake to Albany where we pick up Rt. 9W that takes us through cities, towns and villages all the way down the river to Fort Lee, New Jersey. The dive takes us all day as we take our time and the road goes through the cities and towns. As we head south we go through the city of Kingston and then Esopus where the stately old monasteries and convents sit in the pine forests perched high above the Hudson River. It is a particularly beautiful area with a lot of forest and undeveloped land over looking the river which is a mile wide or more at that point.

As we head south we go through High Land, Marlborough, Vails Gate and then we come into Newburgh. It is usually lunchtime when we get to Newburgh and like to get something to eat at a restaurant on the newly redeveloped water front. They have done a lovely job with the water font in Newburgh. Resturaunts, night clubs, art galleries and shops now line the river there along with a marina. Here in a city that ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the country just a few years ago.

After lunch we continue on our way south through the very quaint and historic village of Croton on Hudson go over Storm King Mountain, a drive not for the faint of heart as you drive hundreds of feet above the river in a road cut into the sheer rock face of the mountain. Shortly after that we pass West Point and not far beyond West Point we come to Bear Mountain where we usually take a few moments to get out of the car and enjoy the sculpture park.

From there we continue south to Fort Lee, New Jersey where we get on the George Washington Bridge and cross over the Hudson River into Manhattan. Then we checked into our New York City five star hotel and settle into our room and prepare for an exciting weekend in the city.

Although we do enjoy our visit to the city, I think I actually enjoy the drive through the historic Hudson Valley even more.

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Stacey and Pat had not been able to take a vacation in two years. They were both complete lovers of travel and they always saved as much money as they possibly could, often sacrificing other pleasures, so that every summer they could spend time in a city or country they had never before been to. Their hope was that one day they will have visited all the places they had interest in and could start repeating trips. One of the places they most looked forward to seeing again was Thailand.

They traveled there five years ago and spent time in Phuket and Bangkok. They were absolutely amazed with the culture and arts scene and simple did not have enough time to visit all that they wanted to. The Phuket resort they stayed in was on the beach and they had great views of the water. It was absolutely beautiful to wake up every morning to the smells of the street cafes and drink a nice cup of tea out on their beach side balcony. They were so comfortable in their room and on the beach they almost had to force themselves to visit some temples.

However, they new they only had a few days before they would move on to Bangkok and they wanted to explore as much of this island as they possibly could, so they ventured out. They visited the Old Town and spent an afternoon enjoying the small museums and quaint cafés and shops. Recently Pat has read that there are plans to develop a floating city above Phuket and that it should be finished in about ten years. This was intriguing to both Stacey and Pat as he also read that there were plans to include a casino in the new city. Pat was a huge fan of black jack and Stacey loved poker tables. If only they could get back in the swing of traveling they may be able to return to Phuket in time to for the opening of the new floating city.

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There are many sights to see in Bangalore.  Travelers are amazed by the art, the architecture and the gardens.  The history of the city is thousands of years old and as would follow, there are many options for exploration in the museums.  Historical and heritage sites abound.  There are theme parks and architectural tours.  The markets are lively visions of the city as well as the restaurants, the coffee shops and the four star hotels.  Bangalore however, has one attraction that is not to be missed.  Music and art and, these are two aspects of life which drive the culture of Bangalore, and in the city, this is brought together in one spot.  The Musical Fountain.

There are other fountains in the country of India, other musical fountains actually, but none can compare with the technology that went to creating this one in Bangalore.  The fountain was created with the idea of multimedia performance and technology in mind.  The features are unimaginable, the hardware and in the MIDI interface systems are most advanced.  All of the behind the scenes workings are what come together to literally enthrall and captivate audiences.  The Musical Fountain is easy to reach by any means, public transportation is an option as the train system has a stop located nearby.

The Musical Fountain is also located just across the street from the Nehru Planetarium, and along the path to the Golf Grounds of Bangalore and the Chitrakala Parishat.  This makes it possible to see and experience a few aspects of the city, all in the same day.  The fountain was designed by a company out of Hong Kong, the BNA Technology Consulting Firm.  It is equipped with a system of hydraulics and a hi-tech pump system which not only recycles the water, but serves to better allow the water to “keep time” with the music.  Patterns set to music range from the tail of a Peacock to organ pipes, clapping hands to cross-streams and mists…all depending upon the music the water is reflecting.  This is one visual and auditory delight that should not be missed.

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There is an excellent option for a vacation, where instead of spending time getting to know a foreign city, you spend time on the body and mind, focusing on getting to it again, as if it were a lost friend that’s just come back home.  Spa resorts are a very popular choice these days, because they offer you a chance to focus on relaxation and rejuvenation, instead of these being splendid side effects from the exhausting work of travel.  There are many places where you can take in a luxurious spa, too, if you want to combine the pleasure of the respite and energizing effects of good health with another city, to get the full effect.  It can be a way to see the world, and to enjoy it by meditating in the new georgraphies, where you can focus on adjusting your rhythm to the rhythm of the place.  Another advantage to this is that you can be sure you’re getting away from it all, and making yourself harder to find.

There are many excellent choices for places to go.  India can offer some excellent ayurvedic spa treatments, as can Malaysia, and Indonesia can provide some fantastic contemporary and ancient Javanese practices for a total experience.  Switzerland has its local treatments, as does Cyprus, and some of the most mysterious might be found in Ireland.  For the spas, there are therapies that are based on very old wisdom from the land, but evolving with contemporary technologies, to offer a splendid spa experience.  There are other traditions here that might not be found without a little digging, and they are certainly fascinating.

There are many people here who practice traditional forms of healing, that comes from a Druid source, and adapted for contemporary concerns. That is to say, traditional medicine evolves like anything else.  Forms of divination that can be found here are dowsing, and using the pendulum and rod to ask questions about the past and future.  Some of the more spectacular forms of divination involve using dreams as a source of inspiration.  Some of the techniques are rather complex, like wrapping the body in animal skins and sleeping in the forest, sleeping on graves, as well as simply contemplating the problem while incanting, and then letting the dreams provide the answers overnight.  This speaks to a desire to predict the future, perhaps, but also speaks to a need to understand the present more fully, and offers a period of meditation to precede action.

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