Monday, July 30, 2018

'Stop deification of Le Corbusier' - by K.J.S.Chatrath


 'Fatima's Hand' which seem to have been copied by Le Corbusier for his 'Open Hand' and which was touted as his idea!

Now some admirers of Le Corbusier want his plan of constructing a 'Governor's Palace' to be revived in Chandigah.....
And who will benefit from this crazy idea? 
Don't ask me as the answer is obvious.

Monday, July 23, 2018

बर्फ, जाम और शराब !

A dear friend has shared this nice one:
                                       

                                                      "बर्फ का वो शरीफ टुकड़ा                                                                     
जाम में क्या गिरा... 
बदनाम हो गया..."

                           "देता जब तक अपनी सफाई...                                          
वो खुद शराब हो गया....."


Statutory Warning: Drinking alcohol is injurious to health!

'The Joy of Monsoon- Let us all get wet!' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

The Joy of Monsoon - Such rains don't come often. Come on, throw away the umbrellas. Let us all get wet!

Saturday, July 21, 2018

'A visit to Purmamarca, Salta Province, Argentina' - by K.J.S.Chatrath


 

I visited the interiors of Salta province of Argentina in 2017.  The travel was by bus. One of the  visits was to Purmamarca, a tiny town situated in the background of multi-coloured mountains. But these multi-coloured mountains cal for a separate detailed article.

 Source of map: Rand McNally


Purmamarca is a village  in the Jujuy province of northwest Argentina, situated at an elevation 7625 ft or 2324 metres.  It's set at the base of a striking, multi-hued mountain called the Seven Colors Hill. From the village, the Paseo de los Colorados trail leads into the surrounding desert landscapes for views of the mountain. Adobe houses line the streets, and 9 de Julio Square hosts a popular crafts market. Nearby is the centuries-old Santa Rosa de Lima church.

Photo of a poster put up by a 'Hostal' there.

While passing through this village I saw this old lady sitting the stairs of her house, attired in  the traditional 'Indian' dress and knitting. I found it to be a very soothing view.

I asked her, through gestures, if I could take her photographs. She nodded yes and then got busy in the world of knitting.




 

 Coloured mountains at Purmamarca. 

  Coloured mountains at Purmamarca. 

  Coloured mountains at Purmamarca. 

 Colourful and modestly priced handicrafts on display and sale in this village.
 
 Wall art in Purmamarca. 

Another view of wall art. 

Cemetery of Purmamarca. This photo sourced from internet


Marriage Registrar's Office


Laundry.

I would strongly recommend all my readers to visit Argentina. It is a fabulous country- full of diverse places, inexpensive with very friendly people and popular cuisine. The cuisine, which is generally beef based, may create some problems, but then pizzas are available all through. 

As a friendly gesture towards India & Indians by the Argentinian authorities, no Visa Fee is charged from Indian tourists applying for Argentinian tourist visas. 



'Hey Prabhu (A prayer to Lord Indra)' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Thank you for sharing this Supreet Dhiman.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

'Compatibility, beer and the Balkans' - by K.J.S.Chatrath



I had, over the years, succseeded in convincing myself that after years of close companionship, beer and myself had developed serious compatibility problems. Mercifully, during my trip to the Balkans in June last, I was able to successfully explode that myth and we are back as 'just good friends', as we were before.

Statutory Warning: Drinking of alcohol is injurious to health!

  Cheers to beer!

Sincere thanks to co-traveller in the Group, Marcia Murphy for these photos. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

'GST, briefs & God's Grace'....by K.J.S.Chatrath.

Rough English  translation would be something like: "Bow before God's grace that in spite of imposition of G.S.T. briefs are still available at the rate of Rs.100 for 4 pieces!"


Imagine how brief these briefs would be at Rs.25 a piece!

Sincere thanks to my friend L.K.Joshi for sharing this gem.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

'Want to know more about Hell?' - by K.J.S.Chatrath


 I did a 14 day road trip called The Balkan Kaleidscope last month. It was operated by Penguin travels. The Group assembled in Sofia, bulgaria and left in a mini van on day two. On entering Serbia, the van was stopped for a 'Toilet break' at a Petrol Pump. My eyes fell on the following bright cans in on display there. 



 
Hell is an energy drink in Serbia challenging  the Red Bull. I did give it a try.  It has a pleasant fruity bubblegum taste and is sweet. The nearest in taste would be Peru's famous 'Inca Cola', since taken over by Coca Cola.

A can cost 60 RSD (Serbian Dinar) or approximately 40 INR in a petrol pump shop in Serbia.

It didn't take me to Hell but dropped me short of Heaven

Hell Energy is a popular energy brand distributed primarily in Europe and Asia. Hell Energy Ltd was founded in Hungry in April 2006 as a privately owned company. Within three years it became the market leader in Hungry.

It comes in the following variants:
HELL Classic
HELL Strong Apple
HELL Strong Red Grape
HELL Strong Cola
HELL Multivitamin
HELL Zero
HELL Summer Cool
HELL Ice Cool
HELL Magnum
HELL Strong Focus.

My recommendation- worth a try.

Friday, July 6, 2018

'Travel...यह ज़िन्दगी न मिले दोबारा (You wont get this life again!)' - by K.J.S.Chatrath


Let us stop discussing politics & pretending to be intellectual know-alls. Travel. Be always on the move......Come on my Fifty-Plus Traveller friends यह ज़िन्दगी न मिले दोबारा (You wont get this life again!)

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

'Japanese show that they are superior human beings' - by K.J.S.Chatrath


Japan lost to Belgium in the World Cup Football match. Images showed Japanese fans with tears streaming down their faces as the final whistle was blown.

They might have lost the match but they won innumerable hearts across the world- including mine.  They cleaned up the Rostov Arena before they left.

My respectful salute to these superior human beings.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/world-cup-2018/6680684/world-cup-2018-heartbroken-japan-fans-clean-stadium/