Travel

28 and 29 November

We had been thinking of visiting India for a few years now but we didn’t know where to start. A few months ago, we came across an Emirates advert for reduced-priced tickets for the end of 2016 to various destinations in the world including a number of Indian cities. The most affordable ticket from Mauritius was to Chennai and, on a hunch, we bought four tickets for ourselves and our two kids. Interestingly, when we went to the Emirates office to purchase the tickets, the lady there asked us how long we would like to stay in India and it’s only then that we decided for a little more than three weeks, that is from 28 November to 21 December 2016. Three weeks is quite long but we felt that this was the time needed to really discover the places we would visit. And we had had some prior experience of spending three weeks abroad: in the USA in 2011 and, last year, in France (part 1 and part 2).

We decided to concentrate on the south of India for this trip, leaving the north for another trip in a few years. We did extensive research using TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet mainly and, after a few days, we realised that, even though we could organise everything ourselves, it would be better to use the service of a local travel agent. Fortunately, one of my cousins knew someone very reliable in Delhi running an agency called Merrygo Travels. We contacted the director and he organised our trip based on our multiple and quite complex set of requirements.

We left Mauritius on 28 November and, after transiting in Dubai, arrived in Chennai on the next day. Naturally, we were all overwhelmed by the typical Indian atmosphere (and scent!), the more than heavy traffic (and the car horns!) and the air pollution (as we couldn’t see the blue sky with which we are so accustomed in Mauritius). After thirty minutes, we were delighted to arrive in a very good hotel, the Quality Inn Sabari in T Nagar, very close to the shopping areas including Pondy Bazaar.

30 November 2016

The next morning, after having a copious breakfast, we took an auto-rickshaw to go to the Kapaleeshwarar Temple with its beautiful and intricate sculptures. From there we walked to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple which, in our opinion, was nothing special. We then took another auto to San Thome Basilica which we found quite interesting, especially the attached museum. In all three places, there were a lot of devout people and we quickly understood that religion holds a very important role in India.

After lunch, we walked through a fishermen area to the seafront. We noticed that some of the houses were made of straw and quite decrepit.

1 December 2016

The next morning, we took a 6am Shatabdi Express to Bangalore which we reached around noon. Dilip, a good friend who previously was our colleague at the University of Mauritius, took us around Bangalore to a guest house he had arranged for us at PES University. After lunch with his family, we did some light shopping as Avinash was in dire need of some T-shirts. It turned out to be much warmer than expected at this period in South India and we hadn’t brought enough short sleeves.

2 December 2016

We woke up very early and took a Toyota Innova (which seems to be THE standard car for families travelling across India) and, after some hours, reached Mysore. We visited the palace of Tipu Sultan which was quite magnificent, both the gardens and the interior of the palace (where photography was unfortunately not allowed). From there, we visited the Mysore Zoo which was also quite interesting with a lot of animals which we had never seen before. After lunch in a mall in Mysore, we drove through Bandipur National Park, a tiger reserve, to reach the Wild Breeze Resort in Masinagudi around 5pm.

At 7pm, we left for a night safari in the forest where we were lucky to see wild animals such as elephants, a bear, boars and deer. In the middle of the safari, while rain had started falling, our 4×4 got stuck in a muddy slope. The four people accompanying us took about 30 minutes to finally find a way to dislodge the car from the muck and, as you can imagine, it was a scary but so memorable experience for the four of us. We then drove to the center of the forest, switched off the car and experienced being in pitch dark wild, while rain was still slowly pouring down.

We got back to our lodge after one hour and had a substantial briyani there. We slept very well.

3 December 2016

We did a morning safari in a very cold and misty weather. We had to wake up at 5am and this was tough. One thing we found quite interesting was the inhabitants doing their morning chores: women going to the river to wash clothes, men bringing their cattle to graze, etc. We also saw some animals: deer, peacocks, boars, monkeys, etc.

We returned to Mysore and visited the palace of the Maharaja of Mysore. We were amazed by the gardens and the magnificence of the buildings. The interior of the palace was magnificent, especially the majestic terrace where we could imagine the Maharaja addressing the crowd. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside. After visiting the palace, we checked in at the Ruchi The Prince hotel where we had a good night of sleep, surely dreaming about wild elephants and tigers chasing us through the forest…

4 December 2016

From Mysore, we traveled to Bylakuppe, a Tibetan village about 80km away. When the Tibetans were exiled, a large number settled in India, including, of course, in Dharamsala, where the Central Tibetan Administration resides as well as in Bylakuppe which hosts various monasteries and study centers, the most well-known being the Namdroling Monastery of Nyingma also known as the Golden Temple, which we visited.

The atmosphere was quite different from the other parts of India. We felt we had been transported to Tibet (apart from the excruciating heat…) Bylakuppe was, as a matter of fact, a bonus in our trip, carefully arranged by our good friend Dilip. Thanks to him (and his driver, Manju), we discovered places such as Mysore, Masinagudi and Bylakuppe, which we had not initially planned for.

5 December 2016

We spent our last day in Bangalore exploring the city. We started with the Art of Living in the morning, which was quite beautiful, then went to PES University to meet with some of Dilip’s colleagues. We then drove through the IT center of the city, had lunch, went to school to fetch Dilip’s son and niece and had tea at his place where we learnt that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, had just passed away.

In the afternoon, we walked in the city, visited a few temples, ate typical Bengaluru ice-cream and bought some books. We then returned to Dilip’s place to have dinner and we left after thanking him, his wife and his mum for everything they had done for us.

On the next day, we left for Kochi for the 2nd part of our journey in the South of India.

Discovering the South of Incredible India over three weeks

• Our first week in South India: Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Masinagudi and Bylakuppe (this post)
• Our second week in South India: Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and Allepey
• Our third week in South India: Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram and back to Chennai

We had a very nice three-week holiday in France in May and the beginning of June. The main reason why we had to go in France was to participate in my sister’s wedding celebrations in Toulouse but we also travelled extensively in the south east of France towards Narbonne, Carcassone and Perpignan. Driving to Perpignan from Toulouse was a fantastic experience for all of us.

Wedding of Juju and Stéphane

The wedding took place on 30 May. After lunch, we went to the official ceremony at the Municipality of Castanet-Tolosan where the friendly Deputy Mayor made a nice speech on the importance of marriage. Then we went to Fiac to participate in the wedding celebrations. The setting was fantastic, the food was great and we had a lot of fun till the next morning.

Relaxing after the wedding

The next day, as you can easily imagine, we were all a bit knackered. Of course, the obvious remedy was some more beer and a very nice brunch à la française. By coincidence, Mother’s day was also being celebrated and the kids had some very nice and elaborate surprise gifts which they had prepared in Mauritius.

Les Grands Buffets, Carcassonne and at the newly married

On 1st June, we travelled to Narbonne, about 100 km from Toulouse, for lunch at Les Grands Buffets, a French gastronomic restaurant. After an excellent meal, we visited Carcassonne, a medieval town with beautiful castles and historical features. On returning to Toulouse, we promptly went to have dinner at the newly weds’ place.

Discovering beautiful Toulouse

We really discovered the beautiful centre of Toulouse, la ville rose, on 2nd June, when we explored la Place Wilson, the Capitolium or Place du Capitole, la Basilique Saint Sernin and ended the evening with a nice picnic on the banks of the Garonne in a warm feisty ambiance.

Aeroscopia, Airbus and relaxing at Castanet-Tolosan

A visit to Airbus is a must in Toulouse and this is what we did the next day. We had a guided tour of the factory where we saw the insides of an A380 (no photos allowed though). Before that, we visited the new museum called Aeroscopia, where we walked through the historic supersonic Concorde, the more recent A380 as well as some older planes, including fighters. Back to Castanet-Tolosan, we chilled out in the very warm swimming pool until dinner.

Driving to and discovering Perpignan

On 4th and 5th June, we had planned a trip to Perpignan, where Christina had to present a paper at a university conference. After a 2-hour trip, we reached la ville fleurie, settled in a nice little hotel and wandered through the colourful streets and parks of the town. We were able to enjoy the sights at the Castillet, visited the Palais des Rois de Majorque and sampled the tasty Catalan cuisine.

Going to Albi and having a Mauritian dinner at Castanet

On our last day in the south of France, we visited the bustling market of Albi and its Cathédrale Sainte Cécile before yet another nice meal in a typical French restaurant. To top it all, back in Castanet-Tolosan, we prepared a Mauritian dinner as a special thank you for the whole family.

Back to Paris by train

On 7th June, we bid good-bye to Chérina, Stéphane, Yves and Ghislaine and took the Intercités train for Paris. We enjoyed the bucolic landscapes and the names of the towns and villages such as Cahors, Souillac, Brive-la-Gaillarde, etc. We reached Paris in time for a barbecue dinner party organised by a friend of our uncle.

Last day in Paris and back to Mauritius

We took some time to wander again through the streets of Paris on our last day, completed some last-minute shopping and had a nice spicy lunch in Matchuk’s favourite Thai restaurant. We hugged Angela and Maya before heading for Paris CDG to catch our Emirates flight through Dubai. This three-week trip was truly memorable for us!

We had a very nice three-week holiday in France in May and the beginning of June. The main reason why we had to go in France was to participate in my sister’s wedding celebrations in Toulouse but we also decided to go back to Lyon, the city where Christina and I studied more than fifteen years ago. We managed to meet our friends, visit a lot of places we knew and a few we didn’t and, most importantly, made Anya and Kyan discover the beauty and culture of this great country.

Leaving Mauritius, transiting in Dubai and arriving in Paris

We left Mauritius on 21 May on an Emirates Airbus A380, transited in Dubai before arriving in Paris on 22 May. Emirates was a wonderful experience for all of us compared to the other airlines we already knew and we felt that its reputation was well deserved. The service aboard was top-notch and the A380 had very good legroom for such a tall guy as myself. The on-board entertainment system, ICE, was very well designed and featured a great collection of music, series, movies and games. Dubai was also a first for us. We were not amazed by the duty-free shops (which we believed were somewhat expensive) but I loved the fact that we could relax between the two flights and that I could take a shower. This allowed me to arrive in good shape (and ready to party!) in Paris.

Driving to Normandie

The next day, on 23 May, my uncle offered to drive us to Normandie to discover his secondary residence in Saint-Pierre-Azif, a small village not very far from the coast. On arriving there, we could easily picture scenes from the 1900’s with ladies in their large dresses, gentlemen in their striped swimsuits and driving vintage automobiles. We went to Deauville for lunch where we met Delphine, a good friend of the family, and her two children. We spent some time walking on the beach at Deauville and I can tell you that the sea was cold. No wonder no one was swimming… My uncle asked me to drive to Trouville and then to Honfleur, a typical fishing town in Normandie. Honfleur was brimming with life, with a live concert taking place and loads and loads of people, both foreigners and locals, enjoying the atmosphere. Driving in France was easier than I thought. In fact, it’s much easier to drive there than in Mauritius.

Discovering Parc Astérix in Paris

Anya and Kyan wanted to experience an amusement park again (after having discovered Universal Studio in Los Angeles and Disneyland Paris in 2011). On 24 May, we opted for Parc Astérix because Christina had already gone there fifteen years ago and had great memories. Angela, my aunt, managed to obtain discounted tickets and we spent the whole day there. We had glorious weather and it was a public holiday as well, which meant that the park was full. We had to wait quite a lot to get on the rides, and we even skipped some of them because the lines were too long, but it was ok. As Anya and Kyan were too young (and Christina and I getting too old…), we opted not to do the scariest rides. The fact that we were constantly hearing people screaming was not very reassuring too. We enjoyed the delphinarium which featured an excellent dolphin show.

Visiting Le Louvre and stumbling upon Thierry

Believe it or not, we hadn’t visited Le Louvre before. On 25 May, we corrected this serious omission. Of course, we had to wait quite a lot of time before getting in but it was amusing to watch the Japanese, Chinese and the Indian tourists being so excited to be in Paris. Quite a lot of people were using these stupid contraptions known as selfie sticks and, personally, I am happy that, little by little, they are being banned in museums. The whole point of going in a museum is to discover works of art and taking a picture of yourself should only be a secondary concern. Le Louvre is beautiful with so many different eras to discover. Naturally, we saw La Joconde and the other classics. But we also enjoyed the Egyptian wing. We couldn’t visit everything so we’ll have to go there again. After Le Louvre, we went to Les Halles to have lunch and, by sheer coincidence, we stumbled upon an old friend, Thierry. He brought us to a nice crèperie and made us discover Restaurant Café Georges at the top of the Centre National d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou. The best part was visiting the toilets there…

Going to Lyon, visiting INSA and having dinner at Bocuse

On 26 May, we left Paris to travel by TGV to Lyon, the city where Christina and I had studied more than fifteen years ago. Since then, we hadn’t been there and, as you can imagine, we were very excited. My good friend, Jérôme and his wife Charlotte graciously hosted us for the two nights we stayed in Lyon. On the first day, we visited INSA Lyon where we met two of my teachers. One remembered me while the other didn’t but that was ok as so many years had passed… I was very happy to show to Anya and Kyan the place where I spent so many years both suffering and enjoying. We had lunch in one of these small kebab shops which students love and the kebabs were exactly as we remembered. The kids loved them.

After visiting La Place des Terreaux and La Place Bellecour (where we had watched the World Cup final between France and Brazil in 1998 with tens of thousands of other people), we relaxed at Jérôme’s place. Then, we had dinner at the Brasserie de l’Est of the famous French chef Paul Bocuse. Christophe and Florence with their two boys met us there and, together with Jérôme’s family, we had a great time. I was telling Christina that everything was the same as fifteen years ago, except that all of us now have kids. In fact, there were more children than grown-ups. That’s life, I guess…

Vieux Lyon with Stéphanie and dinner with Blandine and Emmanuel

The next day, on 27 May, we showed our previous apartment near Métro Garibaldi on Cours Gambetta to Anya and Kyan. It’s a pity we couldn’t get in the apartment itself where we had so many parties and great memories, but that’s understandable with people being so security-conscious now.

We met Stéphanie and her daughter for lunch in Vieux Lyon. We ate in a bouchon, a typical restaurant, where we enjoyed food and wine from the Lyon neighbourhood. Visiting Vieux Lyon and rediscovering La Cathédrale de Fourvière as well as the Roman Ruins, made us realise how important it is to preserve historical landmarks, memories and culture. If only we knew how to do that in Mauritius…

We took the kids to the Parc de la Tête d’Or where we met Blandine and her husband, Emmanuel, with their two small children as well as Pascaline and her daughter. Blandine and Pascaline were at university with Christina. The Parc was as beautiful as ever and we managed to see a blooming garden of roses. We then had a nice Lyonnais dinner at Blandine’s and Emmanuel’s place.

Leaving Lyon and arriving in Toulouse

On 28 May, we bid goodbye to Charlotte and the kids before they left for work and school as we were taking the train to Toulouse a bit later. We visited ENS Lyon where I did my MPhil and Lyon III where Christina had studied and this brought back a lot of souvenirs. We were very happy to see how the city had been transformed with the emergence of a new area near Perrache called Lyon Confluence and the arrival of the tramway (which we didn’t get to experience when we left in 1998). We also met Frank, another good friend, in our favourite kebab shop and it was so nice to see that he had my music on his phone.

We left Jérôme’s house in the afternoon to take the TGV to Toulouse. We arrived at 20:00, which, in summer in France, is still day. We were greeted by Yves and Ghislaine, Stéphane’s parents who brought us to their beautiful house in Castanet-Tolosan, a small village just next to the city. There we met my parents (who had travelled to France with us but who went to Toulouse directly from Paris) and, later, Cherina, my sister, and Stéphane, joined us. We had a wonderful three-course dinner together and I have to say that we were amazed by the quality of life enjoyed by Yves and Ghislaine in their cosy home.

Getting things ready for the wedding in Fiac

On Friday 29 May, after lunch, we drove to Fiac where the wedding party would take place the next day. There, we met Cherina’s and Stéphane’s friends who had come to Mauritius one month before for the Indian-style wedding. We all helped to decorate the garden and the room where the wedding dinner and party was planned. Yves and myself had a lot of difficulties setting up the arch but we were delighted with the results. Meantime, Christina, the kids and the others, were helping in setting up the tables, the flowers and the sound system.

Part 2 of this post (the wedding, discovering Toulouse, Narbonne, Carcassonne, Perpignan and Albi) will follow soon.