The future is here... Dubai

Remember those episodes of Simpsons which are science fictionish and show the future? Vast expanses of land with air bubbles for humans, located far from each other.

Dubai reminds me a lot of that. Long roads and highways snaking all across. With futuristic, gleaming steel buildings cropping up suddenly. And buildings like you have never seen before… towers reaching into the sky, sailing boats, pyramids, spheres, lakes… as if Picasso had been given an open canvas.

Many of these have amazing malls. Huge. The sort of space we can’t think about. The price of most of the stuff, INCLUDING the food, is the same as Switzerland. A country which the Lonely Planet says even Westerners would find expensive.

We’ve come a long way from the time where the whole of India would head to Dubai to shop. But the scale of the place makes you imagine what the future could hold.

And the malls are welcome oases of air conditioning which protects you from the desert heat.
The new Metro takes you from one mall to another.

The steel and chrome modern wonder of Dubai is a complete contrast to the Swiss cities with their 19th century stone buildings, fountains, narrow cobbled streets… all in a concentrated area. Cities like Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva represent the old order.

Our cities in India are like gangly teenagers trying to get there.

Does Dubai represent the future? Cities created on an architect’s elm?

Are we ready for it?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZurich..... Camp Zurich

We landed at Zurich yesterday. Was a bit lost at the station before we finally found a Tourist Service office to guide us to our hotel. For once our hotel was far from the city centre. A full eight minutes by tram.

Our hotel, Leonardo Rigihof is really nice. Each room is named after a Zurich intellectual. Ours is named after a gentleman with a long name and has a German explanation on who he was.

K did a song and dance number when she stepped into the small but very modern room. Wooden or Pergo finish on the floors, wooded paneling on the bathroom exteriors making it look different from the rest of the room, a water colour like sketch of old buildings with calligraphy on the wall by the very comfortable bed, modern and aesthetic lighting, well designed bathroom gleaming and yet pleasing to look at, glass doors curtains with watercolour strips which open onto a largish balcony which looks onto a lovely stone house with a slanted wooden roof and bright flowers in the window.

Most of our hotels in this trip the aristocratic Villa Toscane at Montreux, the cottage like Christiana at Zermatt, the stately early 1900s building with a 21st century soul Waldstatterhof at Lucerne and now Rigihof go against the popular belief that base level three or four stars in Europe have very small and dingy rooms. Each of these hotel rooms have been quite different and distinct.

We had kept all our shopping for Zurich which was a bit of a bummer as all shops were shut as it was Sunday. The city looked like the Fort area of Mumbai on a Sunday. An office district, with European buildings from the beginning of the last century, completely empty. We have faced the biggest language problem here so far.

We were bored and for the first time got onto a river cruise. The staff at Toscane and Ricky at Waldstatterhof had warned us against a river cruise. They were right. It turned out to be the singularly most boring experience in Switzerland. The sort of thing where a boy and girl might enter as friends, decide to get married in between and file for a divorce by the end of the trip.

K and I rested our weary feet for one and a half hours and joined the jubilant exclamations of all around when the cruise ended.

Hopefully today, a Monday, is another day.

Switzerland, the final hours .... Camp Zurich

Last night we realised that it was the first day that it was the first day on this trip when I didnt blog in the trip. Its -the apostrophes and brackets don’t work on this comp- been really wonderful writing about the trip. Thanks for reading it and commenting.. And I guess a big thanks go to K who didnt mind my disappearing to business centres and cyber cafes for hours.

Today is the last day of Durga Puja. I remember we used to look forward to these five days all year long in Calcutta. Nothing much happened otherwise there. And the last day sucked and we used to feel so crestfallen. Just like the last day of a great holiday.

Legend has it that the Goddess Durga returns to heaven with her family after fived days on Earth. Ironically we leave Switzerland on the same day.

Which says it all.

A short stop over at Dubai at my aunts and then home.

More Swiss travel tips....Camp Zurich

When you ask for the restaurant closing time here specify restaurant vs bar... we missed a lovely dinner at Luzern as we were told that the restaurant would be open till 1 am while only the bar was

You can have a sit down dinner for two at Mac D for 10 swiss francs or Rs 500, handy when the recession has set into your holiday budget

Zurich is completely shut on Sunday and is very avoidable. Dont plan any shopping on Sunday

The river cruise here is the singularly most boring experience in the world. The staff at the hotels of Montreux and Luzern had warned us against it. Took one last evening as there was nothing else to do. Its the sort of thing wher you might get in as acquaintances, decide to get married half way through and plan your divorce by the end. K and I used the one and a half hour to catch our breath

Berne identities.... Camp Lucerne

We completed twelve days in Switzerland yesterday and it was symbolic that we got a glimpse of the non touristy face of the country on the sane day.

K wanted to check out the Museum of Psychology at Bern. I wanted to check out the Chinese restaurant at Bern station. So we jumped into a train from Lucerne and headed to Bern.

The museum was well into the city and it didn't seem to be part of the main attractions. We reached there after a number of bus changes. It was apparent why too many tourists don't go there. It was an old mental hospital which was converted into a Museum come school for psychiatry. Just up K's street as she has studied psycholgy and it's her passion.

The problem was that it was all in German. K was excited first and then crestfallen as it was all Greek to her.

We headed back.

We got to see another side to Bern as we returned to the central, touristy part of the city.

I had earlier gushed about the lovely buildings and cobbled streets of central Bern?

Well we had strayed into its underbelly. Empty streets. Rows of clinical, coldhouses. Reminiscent of the world behind the Iron Curtain of yore. Very different from the picture postcard Switzerland that we had seen so far. This part of Bern was far bleaker than the Bern I had fallen in love with.

I was so relieved to get back to the fairyland of Unesco's heritage section of Old Bern.

I am on a holiday. I am an escapist. I want the full blown Yash Chopra 70 mm experience,not a black and white Mrinal Sen on vacation. If I want stark reality I will head to Chinchpokli in Mumbai.

Freud would have smiled somewhere. We got a glimpse of the Schizophrenia of the country on a day when we were headed to a Psychologie Museum. Perhaps a rub off Satnam Sanghera's excellent 'Boy in the top knot' which I am reading here? Schizophrenia features prominently there after all.

Notes: Like old Albert and his wife, I fully acknowledge K as an equal partner on the post as she suggested the theme and the heading. What the hell, she started finely chopped and named that as well as faraway diaries for me. So like Albert I too promise that if I ever win a Nobel for blogging, she gets it ... we'll leave the percentage vague shall we?

More Swiss travel tips....camp Lucerne

• Most departmental stores shut by six pm, across cities. So do food counteres there so don't bank on them for dinner
• A lot of restaurants shut by 5 PM. If you see a place you like and and plan to have dinner then better check if they will remain open later
• The only way to get hot coffee at Starbucks is to ask for a takeaway. The cold weather could be a reason why the coffee in a mug goes cold quickly. Still at six francs or 300 Rs, tepid coffee sucks

Swiss army travel tips ... Camp Lucerne

We have been at Switzerland for about twelve days now. And its symbolic that we had to stand in a train for the first time today. Are the touristy kid gloves wearing off?

But the place is growing on me and I have got dangerously used to clean roads, cool weather, hopping between cities without a worry on trains, picturesque roads, big smiles, beautiful buildings, lovely bakes and a stress free life. Gosh, how will I get used to the Curry Road bridge traffic again?

These are some of the things that I have picked up so far which could be of use to anyone coming to Switzerland:

• Come with one piece of luggage per person. A suitcase with wheels. A lot of travel happens across trains and this is important
• Food - cheapest eats would be the takeaways from departmental stores at stations and malls. You can get sandwiches, quiches, bakes, pizzas, salads and the works. Mid range sit down dinners could come to about 20 - 25 Swiss Francs (Rs 1000) per person with a main course and a drink. Which is cheap by local standards. Mac D could be a bit cheaper. Fine dining? Search me!!! But seriously, comes to at least 50 Francs per head from what I've seen in the menu cards outside restaurants. There are enough vegetarian options around and people would understand what you want in big cities. Big cities have Indian restaurants too. I've not been there so no idea on prices
• Water from the tap is drinking water. So you can save some more here by buying a bottle or two and refilling them. Otherwise a bottle costs 2 Francs or hundred bucks
• They often have sparkling water (soda) so be sure you ask for 'still' when you are buying water
• Coffees are very good and must haves here. The departmental store dispensers are cheap and very good too. Much better than most coffees in India
• Swiss Railway pass - A must. You can buy this in your base countries. Opens doors to all trains (except the mountain ones), buses, trams and even a lot of museums. The country becomes an open canvas once you have one and we make plans once we wake up and go wherever we want with this. You can get discounts on places like mountain trains which are private and not covered by passes
• When you are moving across cities you can keep your luggage in the vestibule of the train and sit wherever you want. It's safe
• K will hate me for this but some sliding doors in trains do not open automatically if you are 5 feet or below as it doesn't sense you :)
• Clothes - you will need upper and lower thermals, sweater, jacket, woolen cap, woolen socks and gloves in the snow no matter how silly they seem while buying them in India. Carry an open jacket too. The cities get hot and you might want to take it off at times
• Most hotels do not offer a porter so you will have to lug your luggage up to your room
• If you have a bad back then get your medication from home. A back spray cost me 15 Francs or Rs 750 here. Very effective though
• Don't feel embarrassed to go to a chocolaterie and buy a single chocolate. They seem to be used to it
• Don't believe anyone who says that Switzerland is very montonous and is only about natural beauty. Each day has been a different adventure for us
• The German speaking areas are quite comfortable in English and the French speaking areas make an effort too. Folks generally are very friendly and offer to help in case they see you are stuck with someone because of a language issue
• Electric charging points are a problem. Only two pointers work here so make sure that you have the right ones for your mobile and camera chargers
• Most big train stations have only 'Mr Clean' loos which could cost you anything between one to four Francs depending on gender and er, use. Using the reasonably clean ones in the train before getting off is a better idea
• Ticket collectors in trains are very friendly and double up as travel consultants and babysitters. Feel free to ask them anything. Ideally about the town you are going to
• Shopping is fairly expensive here so write a lot of blog posts as gifts for your friends at home :)

Will add to this as I think of more