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After having spent good amount of time visiting Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, it was time for what I love to do during travel – going off-beaten path. With some search and enquiry, I decided to go to Daraw, a village near Aswan, famous for its camel market. I learnt that camels are brought from as far as Sudan and sold here and the market is in existence for many years. Enquiring at the reception and the hotel travel desk, I came to know that it is better to take a bus there; no cabs come to Daraw.
So dawned my day with an excitement. I took a luxurious highway bus which passes through the village. I had to walk for a long distance from the bus stop; don’t remember if it was 2 or 3 km; not that it mattered. I was in a place where time has come to a stand still. I was walking on a dirt road with old mud houses on both sides, with wild bushes here and there. A Chevrolet Jeep carrying a man with a mobile phone zipped past to announce the existence of modern life in the otherwise ancient village. Along the way, I watched in awe, men traveling on donkeys, camels tied and carried in Jeeps and fertile fields.

I would have walked for couple of hours, and there it was, a huge ground with countless number of camels. May be 500 or may be 1000! Kiddy ones, healthy ones and lean ones (I am sure there were female and male too, but I don’t know how to differentiate). I have never seen so many camels in one place. Some of them were lying down, others standing on three legs (for the fourth one was tied so that they wouldn’t run away), and few others were grazing whatever was left on the ground. My eyes were twinkling in surprise.

At one end of the market, there was a thatched roof and men were sitting and smoking water-pipes and others drinking black tea. There was an old man who has been a guide for the camel market for a period that he can’t remember. He took me around explaining how to identify a race camel from a camel brought for just plain meat. There was a big butcher shop within the market. He even said the approximate age of each of camel. Those men were amazed with the digital pictures I took of them. So with the video camera, I shooted them and entertained them with the video. They were happy and I was much more than happy. For few hours I witnessed life lived in an ancient way.

On my way back, I stopped by a road side shop. There was a big pan and the guy was making something that looked delicious. I asked, ‘what is it?’. His answer seemed like a shout! Then someone emerged out of nowhere to explain, in rather broken English, that it is a made of spinach and…, again something that I didn’t understand. I asked him a simple question: Is it good and he shook his head up & down to imply yes. I ended up eating few and I found them very delicious.

Thus went the day; a memorable one, partly living in the ancient Egyptian way.

Ooty is a well-known hill station in Tamil Nadu, India. In fact Ooty was the only tourist town known to us when we grew up. From School trips to Honeymoon trips every one went to Ooty. My sister and I had been to Ooty in family, school and college trips. But my brother-in-law had not seen Ooty. So off we went to Ooty during 2004 New year holidays.

At noon 28th December, we checked into YWCA. After a warm bath and a homely lunch, we set out to explore Ooty. Ooty looked similar to any other major city in the region – totally crowded with people, here and there some cows and dogs, walls full of graffiti, and large hoardings; but with a notable difference – a pleasant cilmate. We took an auto-rickshaw to botanical garden. It is a huge garden hosting species from all over the globe. The British estabilished the garden as early as 1848. Though it is well planned and maintained, it has a bit of artificiality attached to it. We strolled around bullying each other, taking pictures and eating maze. We didn’t want to do a lot on the first day itself and so we returned to the hostel quickly.

29th
We hired a taxi to see around. There are guided tours with mini vans. But then you are restricted in time and place. That one reason was enough for us to go for a taxi. First we went to Dodapetta peak which is 2623 meters high and is the highest peak in Tamil Nadu. From here there is a wonderful view of Ooty and near by towns, collectively known as Nilgris. Nilgris is full of tea estates. How about stopping by a tea-estate? We stopped by one whose owner has around 2500 acres of tea gardens. Oh Man! Not every one in India is poor. There are five kinds of teas – the first four qualities of tea are for exports and only the last one comes into Indian kitchens. We had a taste of all teas and bought few packets as well. Then we drove to Sim’s park, a botanical garden in Coonoor, a near by town. It has much more natural settings than the one in Ooty. Sim’s park has a tree planted in 1850. We also visited Dolphine’s nose, named for the shape of the rock, and Lamb’s rock, named after an Englishman, before returning to Ooty for a boat ride. Ooty lake was constructed in 1824 by Mr. John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore, who located and constructed early settlements of British Raj in Ooty.

30th
After enjoying the well trodden tourist path, we decided to go where others don’t go usually. We were passing through woods and being with unspoilt nature. Each of us were saying, “Wow! we never knew such places exist in our region”. All of these places became known to public after series of Tamil movie shootings here.
To start we walked down a pine forest region to reach a lake. There is no boating, no shops, no crowd – just the lake surrounded by green mountain ranges. We thought we found a great place. The driver told us to wait for the next. Of course to find something great you need to exert sweat, even in the cold climate. We did so when we walked up to a place called 9th mile. I don’t know the reason behind the name. But it is worth walking up. There is nothing but lush vegetation everywhere you see. The mountain range at the background makes it even more romantic.
When we got to Pykara waterfalls, we learnt that there is not much water there. Actually my sister was very much eager to see the ‘Nilgris Niagara’. But still we wanted to walk there to see how it looks without water. Good that we walked there. There was no waterfalls, but it wasn’t disappointing. It looked like we were in a canyon. We took lots and lots of pictures. The only disappointing trip was to Pykara boat house. It wasn’t worth walking for an hour. Still, we were walking through the forest and so we did enjoy the walk, up and down. Wasn’t it time to return? No, we still had Glenmorgan. This is a power station which lies between the mountains and a winch to get there, but we should have gotten the permission and we didn’t. But no worry, even without the winch it was a gorgeous view. We were surrounded by layers of mountain ranges and beneath us stood thick, dense forest. We couldn’t have asked for more.
With a complete satisfaction, we drove back to Ooty. We couldn’t believe what we saw. Our legs needed rest, off we went for rest.

31st
After a full day of walking and enjoying the nature, we decided to take it easy. We took rest in the morning and in the afternoon we visited Rose Garden, the name tells what it is. But we were not in season, so couldn’t see roses in full blossom. Still, we came to know that there exists so many types of roses, not just in color but even in structure. Afterwards, we wandered around the commercial road, mostly window shopping. We bought some herbal oils. At 20h00, there was a special New year buffet at YWCA. It was a homely atmosphere with homely food. I heard that many frequent visitors came by for the party. It is not surprising, considering the fact that YWCA staff are very friendly and courteous.

1st
For a change we decided to use the public transport to go around. So we took a bus to Kotagiri, a near-by hill station. There is another reason as well, we were told there is not much to see in Kotagiri except the Kodanadu view point. Kotagiri is 30 kms from Ooty and it takes one and half hour by bus and from Kotagiri we had to catch another bus to reach the viewpoint, which is another half hour travel by bus. From this view point one can see, Moyar river forming a natural boundary between Tamilnadu and Karnataka. It takes curves and bends and beautifully enriches the land for vegetation. Together with the river, other peaks of the western ghats presents an idyllic view. The stylish ‘M’ shaped Rengasamy peak is a unique sighting. After around an hour enjoying the scenic beauty, we left back to Ooty.

2nd
We planned to visit Mudumalai, a wild life sanctuary. We booked our trip with Sri Murugan Travels, a day prior and the guy came promptly and collected the money. The van was supposed to pick us by 14h00. But around 15h00, he called us to say that there is seat only for 2 persons and would we be willing to postpone our trip. What a customer service! As we didn’t have another day, we couldn’t make it to Mudumalai.
We went on with walking around the city, watching TV, and talking to a German couple staying in YWCA.
After days of being with nature, homely YWCA and piercing cold, it was time to say good-bye. We enjoyed being in Ooty and found a part of India we never knew before. We have with us sweet memories to cherish and lots of photos to revisit.

I packed my bags for the first time for a personal trip. It is not that I have not taken any trips before, but they were official and hence organized: tickets were booked; initial accommodation were taken care of; some one in the destination airport to receive. But now, I had to do them all. I booked the flight, registered in the youth hostel association, read about Italy. I was so excited about the whole thing and was ready to enter a new spectrum of experience.

Venice
I arrived in Venice on Saturday night. I went to Venice youth hostel. Though I registered in the youth hostel association, I didn’t reserve, because I was told that rooms will be available. But as it was weekend, there were no rooms left. The receptionist suggested an alternative – there is a camping ground in the mainland and the last boat leaves in 10 minutes. After quickly finding how to get to the boast stop, I ran with the heavy back bag. Camping ground had enough of places for all of us – some Americans and other Australians were also sailing in the same boat, I mean in the same condition. It was huge and had lots of permanently parked campers. They even had a small dining room. The room was enough to have a cot and a wardrobe. The couple next door informed that there are mosquitoes and even lent me a mosquito repealer cream. I had a very pleasant sleep. God bless them.

After the breakfast, we all set out for the island. I joined with Tommy, an American studying in Scandinavia and a crazy Mexican whose name I don’t recollect. Together we strolled the streets of Venice. Tommy had learnt enough Italian – to ask for direction and to say thanks, which are essential and sufficient for any trip. I was surprised at the sight of the way Venetians dried their clothes, almost like in India. We didn’t understand how they managed to get the clothes to the other end of the rope which was tied between two houses. As Venetians lose more and more land with raising water levels, they had learnt to utilize the available water space, floating market being just one of them. After lunch, we waved good-bye and went our way.

I bought a three day boat pass valid within Venice. It was only 17.50 in Euro, but in Italian currency, Lire, it was 35000. With the introduction of Euro, lots of Italians have lost the honor of being millionaires. Having bought for such a huge price, in Lire, I would get in one stop, get down in the next, stroll for a while, then get on to go to the next stop enjoying the expanse of the water. I also spent considerable amount of time at San Marco (St. Mark’s) Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals in Europe, probably in the globe. In addition to the beauty of the Cathedral itself, a huge number of pigeons surround the tourists. As one spread the food on their palm, the pigeons are on the palm and shoulders to pick up the food. And a Polaroid photographer will take an instant picture of you being adorned with pigeons.

Earlier, I made an appointment with Paola who lives around 50km away from Venice. She is an Italian and we use to take the same route to work when she was in Brussels. She was moving back to Italy only few days before I went to Venice and she left her phone number with me. She came with her boy friend. After walking around St. Mark’s Cathedral, we went to her house. She cooked dinner for us and we chatted about so many things and finally went to bed.

Florence
Then I left to Firenze (Florence), a beautiful city in Tuscany. Having learnt the lesson about accommodation, I already booked in the youth hostels. The youth hostel brought the nostalgic thoughts of college life. In college, I lived in hostel sharing the room and we had such fun that, I enjoyed the hostel living more than the college study. I spent very little time in the Florence hostel and did not get to know any one other than my room mate, Alexandar, who comes from Hamburg, Germany. Yet, it was a wondrous feeling to be back in a hostel life, though for short period. However there was one thing which I did not expect, much different from the college hostel – there was no covering for the shower rooms. All inmates were taking bath with absolutely no cloth and were not bothered that there was no covering for the room. I couldn’t. Eventually I managed to find a room which had a screen covering half of the room, which was sufficient enough for me. The next day, I took the shower early, before anyone even entered the bathroom.

Florence had plenty of museums to see, being the home of legendary artists like Michelangelo. But the city was extremely beautiful too. Added to it, the weather was pleasant. I had to choose between strolling the city and admiring endless paintings and sculptures. I made a compromise. Florence is one city where I planned my visits so well. I visited L’Academia (The academy gallery), where the famous David sculpture by Michelangelo is placed. It is the central attraction of the gallery. I do not understand the fascination of the nakedness for the artists of the renaissance period. Though I can appreciate the art in these works, I cannot fully comprehend the need for such an exposure, despite hailing from the country which gifted Kamasutra.

Climbing 85 meters high Bell tower through the spiral, steep steps was really a breath-taking experience. Later, I would climb many more towers in other trips. But Bell tower being the first, it was very exciting, and exhausting too. There was a huge bell at the top of the tower. From there, I had a spectacular panoramic view of the city.

Next I wanted to go to Uffizi gallery. But the queue was too long and I didn’t want to waste any time standing there. There were other things to admire – fresco in the baptistery, replicas of David, Michelangelo gardens, tombs of Michelangelo and Macheiavelli in Chiesa di Santa Croce and the splendid city itself. After visiting other museums and strolling along the river, I finally went to Uffizi gallary in the evening. The gallery contains some of the masterpiece works of Italian and International artists – Michelangelo, Lenardo, Ruben, to name a few.

Pisa
Having heard that Pisa is near Florence, I couldn’t resist going. How often have I read about the leaning tower and the endless attempts to preserve one of the world wonder? How could I go without a visit? So I made a detour. It was slightly raining. But what is a holiday, if all goes well? If you are in a holiday, you have to look at the brighter side at all times. And that was, it was not a heavy rain and I can still walk around with out much annoyance. There was a pleasant sensation as the drizzling drops slide through the skin, especially when away from all kinds of pressure and worries. The route was particularly beautiful. There was ongoing repair to correct the leaning of the tower. Interestingly I found out that the tower was a bell tower for the cathedral of Pisa. Due to the continuous leaning of the tower and the subsequent repair works, climbing the towers was not possible. Altogether the detour was worth it.

Rome
Then I took the train to Rome. I should mention the Italian ticketing system that I have not found in other countries. The ticket is valid for 3 moths and there is no fixed time that the passenger has to take. Within 3 months, one can catch any train that goes in that route. Doesn’t that have the passenger’s ease in consideration?

As is the case almost everywhere, the youth hostel was away from the city. Though the hostel was not as fascinating as in Florence, I had a good company unlike in Florence. There was this cousin brothers from Argentina.They spoke enough English to entertain interesting conversations. They even offered me what they claimed a a tasty Argentinian drink. In the night, along with the drink, we would chat endlessly about our experience and share whatever tips we had come to know of.

Rome has been the epicenter of art, culture and power, over many centuries and so there are plenty of historical sites to visit in and around Rome. Due to this aspect, I did not see Rome as a beautiful city as like Venice and Florence. An analogy that I too often remembered was that, the days in Venice and Florence was like being in the company of a cheerful, attractive and particularly young girl and on the contrast the days in Rome was like being with an experienced, worn out, old lady. Each are enjoyable in a way, for the later has the fables and the earlier has the charm.

One of the historical sites in Rome that still has a considerable effect on current affairs is the city of Vatican, or to be precise the country of Vatican. The country’s terriority is largely confined to the piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s square). The piazza is bounded by two huge semicircular colonnades, each made of four rows of columns each. There are two fountains at the center of the piazza. The columns are so arranged that they look as a single column when looked at a point near the fountain.The famous Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Church) stands in a place where, as per the tradition, thousands of Christians were slaughtered including St. Peter in the early Christian era. Emperor Constantine ordered building of the church and after 1000 years the current basilica was built almost replacing the old one. Dress regulations are very strict to visit the Basilica.

Muse del Vaticano (Vatican Museum) in the north of the Basilica hosts incredible collection of arts and treasures collected by various popes. It is so huge that even a wandering would take few hours. The museum is divided into various rooms – Egyptian gallery, Tapestry gallery, Christian Museum and so on and on. As photographic flash light is detrimental to the paintings, they are not allowed inside the museum. The court of the pigna separates two groups of the Museum where an ancient bronze pine cone stands. The Museum also leads to the Sistine Chapel, the papal chapel where the cardinals all over the world gather to elect the pope. It is full of paintings – Temptation of Christ, The Last supper, Sermon on the mount and so on. The frescoes on the walls are magnificent and are done by Michelangelo.

A short walk from the basilica leads to Castel sant’ angelo which was a mausoleum built by Emperor Hadrian for himself and his family. Later this impressive structure was converted into a defense fortress to protect Popes. As the threats waned, the successive popes transformed the fortress into a place for pleasure and recreation.

Even in a ruined form, the Forums of ancient Rome illustrates the excellence of the Romans over the other contemporary cultures. As most of the area is in ruins, one has to stretch their imagination to see what laid there in the early centuries. If your brain bleeds of the stretching, just watch a good historic movie. However, few structures, like the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, are still intact.

Gladiator, the movie by Russel Crowe, has brought Colosseo (Colosseum) into a limelight, where gladiators fought with fellow gladiators and wild animals to entertain the seated audience including the emperor. If a gladiator successfully disarmed his opponent, then he will turn to the public, or the emperor if he is present, to decide the fate of the foe. The famous thumbs-down meant death and thumbs-up meant appreciation for the gladiator and he might win his freedom. What a highly civilized butchers!

After the dusty Forums and the cruel Colosseum, I visited the nearby Palantine Hill which was the imperial residential area during Roman empire.Though this too is filled with ruins, the cool breeze and the pleasantness of the grass expanse releases the tiredness. It is worth climbing the hill.

Rome has an array of monuments. As Rome is not built in a day, one cannot visit it in a day either. There is enough to see. Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune Fountain) in Piazza Novano, Fontana di Trevi, Spanish steps and the fountain in front of it, Justice Hall, bridges on the river Tiber are few of the sites I managed to see within the short span.

My friend Xavier Tomsej joined me for the last two days of the trip. He came to Rome on an official trip. We checked in to a hotel. As an extravagant display of history, even hotels have busts of persons. I wasn’t anymore interested in seeing the runis of the Roman empire and Xavier already visited Rome earlier for his honeymoon. So we both decided to skip ruins and walk through Rome. Our first stop was the green Pincio hill. The park, the fountains and the view of Piazza del polpolo were fantastic.

We decided to visit Catacombe (Catacombs), where the early christians buried their martyrs and others in tunnels carved out of the soft rocks outside the city. Around 500,000 sepulchres have been found so far. Occassionaly the christians held their masses there. There are around 60 such Catacombs along and near Via Appia (Appian way). Catacombe di San Callisto is the largest and most famous.

On the way to the Catacombs is Domine Quo Vaids where, according to legend, a fleeing St. Peter had a vision of Christ. When asked “Domine Quo Vadis (“Lord, whither thou goest”), Christ replied that he was going to Rome to be crucified again because of St. Peter abandoning him. Peter returned to Rome and was martyed.

Every good thing has to come to an end and so was my holidays. By all means, my first holiday trip was spectacular. With the feeling of satisfaction and an expectation for the next trip, I flew back to Brussels.

After my sister and I left home to pursue higher studies, we did not have a family holiday. Now that I work abroad and come home only once a year, we spend very little time together as a family. Unlike other years, when I spend most of the time at home eating, resting and sleeping, I wanted to make this year holiday season a memorable one. I wanted to provide a glimpse of what I love about my stay in Europe – going places. I searched for a good place and a good deal.

Lying in the west coast of India, Goa remains a favorite tourist spot for Indians and foreigners alike. Goa has everything to satisfy a tourist – sunny beaches, palm trees, tasty cuisines, pleasant climate, vast history and so on and on. It seemed the best place to be for a family holiday. And, there was a package deal from Indian Airlines and Majorda beach resort – 3 nights and 4 days Full board (flight + accommodation + three times meal). Could it be any better? Bingo, Goa we go.

My parents enjoyed every bit of their first flight – take off, flight meals, and panoramic city views of Chennai and Goa. I sensed an excitement on all of us. My parents and I were excited about the trip and my sister? She looked excited too. But we wouldn’t know the real reason behind her excitement until the last day. Anyway, the whole family was charged with fun and excitement.

At Goa airport, the resort staff received us and we drove to the resort. Driving through, we witnessed the fertility of Goa. When we arrived at the resort itself, we were given a warm welcome by placing a kum-kum on our forehead. We felt pampered and it was just a beginning! After that, we were given a welcome drink. Mom quickly realized that it was cocktail of alcohol drinks, for don’t take alcohol. But Dad didn’t bother. He was in full spirit, not only he finished his but drank Mom’s too.

After a satisfying lunch and a bit of rest, we gathered back at the reception for a sight-seeing tour organized by the resort. First stop was the Shri Manguesh temple. The guide told us that Lata Mangeshkar, the famous Indian lady singer, has her roots from this town. On our way to Old Goa, the guide explained that Goa is calm, safe and fertile and most of the people are above the poverty line. He also said that it is a prevailing belief that this is because the body of the sixteenth-century Christian missionary, St. Francis Xavier is lying here. Goa being predominantly catholic, this belief is not surprising. Old Goa is known for its churches. There was only ten minutes given to us to see four churches. Instead of ‘seeing all and having seen none’, we stayed in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, where the body of St. Francis Xavier is kept. After time for shopping, eventually we arrived at the much awaited boat trip.

There are moments which ends before you realize it began. Well, the boat trip was such a one. It was an hour of folk music, western music and accompanying dance. Sun went down tired. But the compere and his team infused energy into all of us. There was dance for kids, for couples, just for men, and for girls. In between there was even a lucky draw for a Goan champagne.

Back at the hotel, it was time to satisfy our appetite. I should make a mention of the excellent cuisine and the service at the restaurant. It was buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Normally Dad and I are good eaters; Mom and Sister are not so much. But it was different there. She went back to the buffet many-a-times to fill her plate. Nothing has given me more joy and satisfaction than seeing my mother enjoy. Hats off to Majorda’s chef.

Next day we went to Colva beach. Palm trees, clear sand, absence of crowd and sailing ships at a far distance provided a lovely ambience. We spent quiet a lot of time walking around and drenching our feet. When we got tired, we sipped a tasty tea and drove to city center. We didn’t see much in city center except the municipality garden. After walking midst the flowers and taking photos of each other, it was time for lunch. Late in the afternoon we drove to old Goa again to visit churches. On the way, we stopped at Viceroy’s arch which was built by the grandson of Vasco da Gama. It is a miracle (religious or otherwise) that the body of St. Francis Xavier isn’t decaying for centuries. Once in ten years, the body is kept for public display. The church is impressive and is declared a world heritage by UNESCO. Crossing the road there are few more churches. After her usual prayers of ‘Keep my kids safe and happy’, she was ready to taste Majorda’s cuisine once again.

Next day was Jan 6th, three kings day. I had read in the net that it is celebrated well in Goa. Around 10 in the morning, we took a taxi and drove up to the church of the three kings. Taxis were stopped at a certain point and then it was all walking uphill. We went right for the high mass. The church was highly packed. Every year three children from near-by village are selected. They are decorated as kings and they are brought up to the church in horses. Their procession is one of pomp and glory. In this whole episode, these kids are the celebrities. The mass is a typical catholic high mass – pretty long one. After the mass, there is another event. The crown of these kings is placed on heads of the people around. So the crowd gathered around these kids. Mom being a believer of these religious symbols, she went near one of them and eventually got the crown on her head. She was so happy and satisfied. As it was too crowded, should be in thousands, we decided to wait and see around the church instead of leaving immediately. The church is on a hill and hence gives a beautiful panoramic view of the near-by villages. The church itself is beautiful and built in Portuguese style. After a while we started walking down watching the shops on either sides of the road. When we reached bottom of the hill, we had sugarcane juice to quench our thirst.

After another tasty lunch, we decided to take some rest. Walking uphill and downhill under hot sun made all of us very tired. Good rest and a high-tea refreshed us all. Having decided not to exert ourselves too much, we got to Majorda Beach, just at the back of our resort. We walked past entertainment centers and sea-food centers, talking various things. When sun totally disappeared, Dad and Sister went to the resort and Mom and I sat down and exchanged Tamil poems which we haven’t done in years.

Next day, with advice from a taxi driver, we visited a folk museum named, ‘Ancient Goa’. It is an innovative idea attracting many tourists. Here they have recreated an ancient Goan village. With clay statues for men and women, the museum places the ancient living in vivid memory. The narratives of the accompanying guide helps us to visualize the bygone era.

Time had gone fast. Three days flew faster than we could have imagined. But the memory will stay afresh for long. With mixed feelings, happy that we took the trip; sad that it has to end, we packed our bags and went to taste Majorda’s cuisine one final time.

While we were waiting in the room, for the van to pick us to Airport, my sister broke the reason behind her over shyness and that blushing smile we found on her face often – she is in love with a colleague. For me that added spice to the already exciting trip; for my parents, it was definitely a shock (if you don’t know, in India marriages are usually arranged by parents). Eventually they would get married in the same year, with my parents blessings. This made Goa trip all the more unforgettable for the whole family.

During my stay in Belgium, I spent Christmas alternatively between India and Belgium. For once, I wanted to celebrate Christmas somewhere else. I heard and read that Spaniards are party-loving people. So I thought Spain would be a perfect place to be for Christmas. My Belgian colleague and I, decided to fly to Malaga, a beach city in the Costa del Sol region. Together we were ready for a rock & roll.

My friend had such a laugh on Christmas Eve. After the complimentary breakfast the waiter asked my choice for the dessert, for which I choose fruit salad. He brought something unusual (at least for me). He brought a plate with apple, orange and banana, all as whole fruits. Not sliced, not in syrup, not in a bowel but as whole fruits in a plate. Spanish fruit salad is indeed a memorable dish.

After that eventful breakfast, the waiter informed us that the restaurant will be closed at 4 p.m. that day and so we will have to take care of our dinner. Anyway, we weren’t planning to have dinner there; we were anticipating hours of dance, drinks and loading ourselves with sausages. Obviously, we were least bothered of the closure.

Where we stayed wasn’t a beach resort, but a little walk and we were in the beach. We walked through the beach and entered the city center to pick up some information on parties that night. To our surprise, there was none. Simply none. Unbelievable, but yes, there were no clubs or bars opened that night. They explained that Christmas is a family event for the Spanish and so all the shops would be closed by evening. We were highly disappointed, but had a little hope that there will be exceptions. After all, Malaga is a famous tourist place.

We started our hunt for the open bars and restaurants around 8 p.m. We walked big streets, we walked small streets, we walked here and we walked there. Yet, we didn’t find a single restaurant or bar opened.

Thankfully both of us didn’t get annoyed, rather we were making fun of each other of our fate in flying to Spain for party and now walking endlessly for food. Our feet started to hurt and stomach pleaded for food. At last, we saw a light and it was Chinese. We flew all the way to Malaga to eat fried rice for Christmas. But we ordered a real good wine. There were few others enjoying Chinese food in Spain. The cute Chinese waitress was kind to all of us. God Bless the Chinese, especially those in Spain.

To beat the disappointment of the Christmas party, we decided to visit the famous caves of Nerja. The rock formation, due to geological process over millions of years, is just fantastic. The colors and the shapes of these rocks is a natural wonder. We forgot our disappointment and marveled at these columns of magnificent rock formations.

We didn’t have a Christmas party; but we had loads of fun. Aloha Malaga!