Tag Archives: Travel

In My Hands Today…

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Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents – Cami Ostman

Second Wind is the story of an unlikely athlete and an unlikely heroine: Cami Ostman, a woman edging toward midlife who decides to take on a challenge that stretches her way outside of her comfort zone. That challenge presents itself when an old friend suggests she go for a run to distract her from the grief of her recent divorce.

Excited by the clarity of mind and breathing space running offers her, she keeps it up — albeit slowly — and she decides to run seven marathons on seven continents; this becomes Ostman’s vision quest, the thing she turns to during the ups and downs of a new romance and during the hard months and years of redefining herself in the aftermath of the very restrictive, religious-based marriage and life she led up until her divorce.

Insightful and uplifting, Second Wind carries the reader along for the ride as Ostman runs her way out of compliance with the patriarchal rules about “being a woman” that long held her captive and into authenticity and self-love. Her adventures — and the personal revelations that accompany them — inspire readers to take chances, find truth in their lives, and learn to listen to the voice inside them that’s been there all along.

In My Hands Today…

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Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road – Kate Harris

“Every day on a bike trip is like the one before–but it is also completely different, or perhaps you are different, woken up in new ways by the mile.”

As a teenager, Kate Harris realized that the career she most craved–that of a generalist explorer, equal parts swashbuckler and philosopher–had gone extinct. From her small-town home in Ontario, it seemed as if Marco Polo, Magellan and their like had long ago mapped the whole earth. So she vowed to become a scientist and go to Mars.

To pass the time before she could launch into outer space, Kate set off by bicycle down a short section of the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel Yule, then settled down to study at Oxford and MIT. Eventually the truth dawned on her: an explorer, in any day and age, is by definition the kind of person who refuses to live between the lines.

And Harris had soared most fully out of bounds right here on Earth, travelling a bygone trading route on her bicycle. So she quit the laboratory and hit the Silk Road again with Mel, this time determined to bike it from the beginning to end.

Beaches or Mountains: What kind of holiday do you prefer?

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While wondering what to write, I saw this writing prompt and thought it was apt for today. It’s summer time now and we are all thinking about past holidays, unfortunately here, travel is still not allowed. Since Singapore is tiny, we usually travel out of the country for all holidays, even if it’s a short weekend jaunt. This is unlike most other countries which have a rich hinterland which can be used as holiday destinations.

So, mountains or beaches? This is easy and difficult at the same time, because I love the water. My ideal holiday destination would be a place somewhere in the mountains, surrounded by greenery and overlooks a water body. I don’t know swimming and am not very fond of water sports, so a beach holiday would not really be a preference. Though I would say that a hammock on the beach or even a nice lounger with access to cool drinks and a good, gripping book is what a real relaxing holiday is all about. However, for those who do, a beach holiday can provide hours of fun and relaxation.

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Anyone who has spent time at the beach already knows that the beach is the perfect stress reliever. In fact, Hippocrates created a word, Thalassotherapy, for the buzz you get from being by the sea. Science has even proven that a day at the beach can lead to increased mood, better sleep, and a general feeling of bliss. A day at the beach increases the Vitamin D production in the body, an essential ingredient for healthy skin and bones. It also boosts the immune system and general mood. The ocean’s saltwater is a natural saline that can clear sinuses, which can help fight infection, allergies, and general sinus issues. The minerals in saltwater are great for the skin and the sand can help with exfoliation. Recent studies have also found that sea air is full of negative ions which help bodies absorb oxygen better and help balance levels of serotonin. One study even proved that negative ions can help treat seasonal affective disorder. Researchers have found that the sound of waves actually changes brain patterns, it puts the mind into a deep meditative state. There is even one study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health that showed that exposure to blue spaces like bodies of water, had a better effect on mood than exposure to green spaces like parks and trees.

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At the beach, looking out at the vast ocean which changes minute to minute is awe-inspiring and watching the waves roll and ebb with the sun glistening on the water can make hours feel like minutes. And how can one forget ocean sunrises and sunsets which showcase all that is beautiful in nature. It is like watching a beautiful painting come to life. For those living in climates which are cold, a beach holiday is a chance to escape the weather. Though for someone like me, who grew up in a tropical climate and now lives in one, the heat is not the best reason to go to the beach. Seafood lovers have another reason to love beach holidays as it is known fact that the best and freshest seafood is found in coastal areas. Sitting in a beachside shack with some delicious food, watching the waves would probably be bliss for such people.

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Other than what I have written above, those who like water sports would also enjoy a beach holiday as well as those who enjoy diving, snorkelling and wakeboarding. Lovers of the marine life can also take rides to check out the many marine creatures with experienced guides. Many coastal areas are home to coral reefs, both natural and artificial, that are a haven for marine diversity.

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Mountain and high altitudes have been shown to have positive effects on everything from muscle building to fighting obesity. In the mountains, one can disconnect and relax completely and be connected with nature. One can enjoy the early morning mists, the dew on the trees and grass and who can forget the loads of oxygen and fresh air one gets in the mountains. Walking barefoot in the grass is a feeling like no other.

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One study showed that even a weeklong vacation in the mountains can have a positive impact on weight loss. Participants at a higher altitude lost an average of 1.5 kg per person in a week even when they kept to their regular diet and activity level. Not only does the high altitude have a positive effect on the metabolism, it also reduces appetite and increases the feeling of being satisfied after eating. Higher altitudes also lower the risk of heart disease. At high altitude, the lower oxygen levels force the body to produce new blood vessels that increase blood flow to the heart. The air up in the mountains has lower pollution levels which also has a positive impact on health. Spending time in the mountains has shown to be beneficial for people with asthma or other respiratory problems and the scent of pine and lavender, be found in the mountains, has a calming effect, reducing depression and stress. The mountains are nature’s gym and vacations in the mountains tend to be more active with even a gentle walk that takes in declines and inclines, and gravity being a great personal trainer. Hiking which has a whole range of health benefits like increasing the heart rate, exercising the core muscles, increase bone density, build strength in the legs, buttocks, hips and lower back and reduces the risk of diabetes. So, time spent in the mountains can transform the body and mind.

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There is also an interesting study done by psychologists of the University of Virginia. Psychologist Shigehiro Oishi and colleagues Thomas Talhelm and Minha Lee in a series of three studies, tested whether there is a link between personality and an aspect of physical ecology: flat terrain versus mountainous terrain. For one of the studies, the research group analysed a database of 613,000 personality surveys across the United States to see whether introversion and extroversion was associated with a state’s geography. The study found that only one of the Big Five personality traits predicted terrain preference – extraversion.

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Extroverts prefer beaches to mountains and introverts love the mountains more. The study was developed on the basis of the psychologists’ hypothesis called person-environment fit which suggests that people choose surroundings that help them fulfil their desires. The study also reveals that mountain lovers are more introverted than beach lovers. Mountain lovers seek isolation when they travel and hence, they wish to go to the mountains where the population density is low and the probability of meeting people is less. People who prefer beaches are extroverts, who like to socialise.

Participants perceived wooded/secluded terrain to be calmer, quieter and more peaceful. In contrast, participants in the flat/open condition perceived the terrain to be more sociable, exciting and stimulating. The study found that when people want to socialize with others, they prefer the ocean far more (75%) than mountains (25%). In contrast, when they want to be alone, they choose mountains (52%) as much as the ocean (48%). Results of the study also showed that introverts tend to live in mountainous regions, while extroverts live in open and flat regions. The researchers caution that there is no evidence mountains make people introverted, but rather, introverts tend to choose mountainous geography because of the secluded environment.

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According to the lead researcher, Shige Oishi, individuals should consider their personalities more closely when choosing a place to live as some cities and towns have a geography that is more accommodating for some people than for others and if someone knows they are introverted, then they may be rejuvenated by being in a secluded place, while an extrovert may be rejuvenated more in an open space.

So, in conclusion, beach lovers are social, have a large group of friends and can often divulge in small talk. Their phones do not stop buzzing and they make friends freely and easily. They probably love music and believe in the notion of carpe diem which means to live in the present moment and be too concerned about the future. A mountain lover is an introvert at heart, who likes seclusion and loves their own company above anybody else’s. They are creative, be it writing, painting, sketching, or singing and belong to the mountains because they think they bring out the best in them. They are also philosophical and like conversations that are much deeper and love talking about art, nature, life and philosophy. They are also better listeners.

When I initially said I would prefer mountains, it was right up my alley as I am self-professed introvert and maybe that study is absolutely accurate. What about you? Are you a beach person or someone who prefers the mountains?

In My Hands Today…

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Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China’s Past and Present – Peter Hessler

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. That sense of time—the contrast between past and present, and the rhythms that emerge in a vast, ever-evolving country—is brilliantly illuminated by Peter Hessler in Oracle Bones, a book that explores the human side of China’s transformation.

Hessler tells the story of modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world as seen through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In addition to the author, an American writer living in Beijing, the narrative follows Polat, a member of a forgotten ethnic minority, who moves to the United States in search of freedom; William Jefferson Foster, who grew up in an illiterate family and becomes a teacher; Emily, a migrant factory worker in a city without a past; and Chen Mengjia, a scholar of oracle-bone inscriptions, the earliest known writing in East Asia, and a man whose tragic story has been lost since the Cultural Revolution. All are migrants, emigrants, or wanderers who find themselves far from home, their lives dramatically changed by historical forces they are struggling to understand.

Peter Hessler excavates the past and puts a remarkable human face on the history he uncovers. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.

Travel Bucket List: India – Lakshwadweep Islands Part 4

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Minicoy, locally known as Maliku in the local language of Divehi, is an island which, along with Viringili, is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of the archipelago. Divehi is also the national and official language of the Republic of Maldives. The language is a descendant of Elu Prakrit and is closely related to the Sinhala language, but not mutually intelligible with it. However, the Lakhshadweep administration refers to Dhivehi as Mahl due to a misunderstanding on the part of a British civil servant who came to Minicoy in the 1900’s. The official asked a local what his language as and he replied Divehi-bas. When the official looked confused because he had never heard of this language, the the islander said Mahaldeebu as he knew that locals on the subcontinent referred to the kingdom to the south or the Maldives by that name. The civil servant then recorded the language of Minicoy as Mahl.

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The ancient name of Maliku was Mahiladu meaning women’s island which is derived from the Elu Prakrit term Mahila du, which literally means woman island. However, the name Maliku is thought to have been derived from the Arab trader’s term for the island, Jazirat al-Maliku or the the island of the king. Minicoy islanders have long settled in the Nicobar Islands across the Bay of Bengal and regularly travelled back to Minicoy. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands had a reputation in the Maldives and Minicoy of being inhabited by cannibals, and so collectively the Andaman and Nicobar groups were called Minikaa-raajje by the Maldive and Minicoy islanders which meant cannibal kingdom. A British official once asked a Minicoy islander what the name of his island was and was told he was Maliku but usually lived in Minikaa-raajje or Nicobar. The official thought Maliku and Minikaa were the same place and recorded the name of this islander’s home as Minikaa which later became anglicised as Minicoy. So because of this cross-cultural misunderstanding, Maliku would forever be called by a name that sounded like cannibal in the local language.

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The Maliku Atoll has a lagoon with two entrances in its northern side, Saalu Magu on the northeast and Kandimma Magu on the northwest. Its western side is fringed by a narrow reef and coral rocks awash. The interior of the lagoon is sandy and has some coral patches. The Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy and the Laccadive Islands. The closest island to Minicoy is Thuraakunu in the Republic of the Maldives. Since 1956, the Indian Government has forbidden the direct travelling between the two islands despite their geographic proximity and ethnographic similarities. Maliku Kandu is the traditional name of the broad channel also called the Eight Degree Channel between Minicoy and Ihavandippulhu or the Haa Alif Atoll in the Maldives. There are remains in an area of the island known as Salliballu dating back from Minicoy’s Buddhist past, about 800 years ago. The most conspicuous archaeological sites are two mounds or large heaps of ruins belonging to a stupa and another related structure. These sites were investigated by the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1980s and excavations yielded few discoveries, for the sites had been much damaged and vandalised previously. Still, a much-damaged large Buddha head was found buried in the area. The name Salliballu originated in the local name for the Christian cross, because the locals say that an inscription with a cross was found there. But it is likely that, coming from a Buddhist site, it was a cross-shaped mandala or visvavajra, like those often found on inscriptions in archaeological remains in the Maldives. Local oral tradition has it that Kamborani and Kohoratukamana, two princesses from the Maldives, came to Maliku. When they arrived, the tivaru, who had been living there before, left the island for Sri Lanka. The Kamborani’s descendants are the bodun or the land and shipowners and the descendants of Kohoratukamana are the niamin or captains. The other status groups are made up of the descendants of their crew.

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According to the documented evidence, Minicoy Atoll has been under Indian administrations since the mid 16th century. Until the 16th century, the Laccadives was under the suzerainty of the Kolathiri Raja of Chirakkal in what is today the Indian state of Kerala. With the Portuguese ascendancy in the region, it became necessary for the Kolathiri to transfer sovereignty of the islands to their hereditary admiral, the Ali Raja of Kolathunadu or Cannanore. However, the kings and queens of the Maldives also issued edicts addressed to the subjects in their realm Malikaddu Midhemedhu, meaning between Maliku or Minicoy and Addu. Previously Addu was the southernmost island in the dominions of the Maldive kings and was in the Addu Atoll. A 1696 grant issued under the seal of the King Siri Kula Ran Mani or Sultan Mohamed IV of the Maldives, regarding the building and upkeep of a mosque in Finey at Thiladhummathi atoll in Maldives, referred to him as Malikaddu Midhemedhu ekanuonna mi korhu anikaneh nethee korhu meaning the sole sovereign with no other over what lies between Maliku and Addu.

In 1857, suzerainty over Minicoy transferred from the East India Company to the Indian Empire when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress and in 1790, Maliku was surrendered to the Court of Directors of the British East India Company by the Ali Raja Cannanore, Junumabe Ali-Adi Raja Bibi II. The Ali Raja was allowed to administer Maliku in return for a tribute to the East India Company. On 27 July 1795, Junumabe Ali Adi-Raja Bibi’s monopoly over coir trade was abolished and in 1905, under the heavy burden of debts to the Empire, Mohamed Ali-Adi Raja of Cannanore agreed to surrender sovereignty and control over Minicoy, but died before the formal transfer which was finally signed on 9 February 1909 and backdated to 1 July 1905 and Minicoy came under the district of Malabar. After India’s independence, India held a plebiscite in Minicoy in 1956 to determine whether the people of Minicoy wished to join the Indian Union and a referendum was held and because of an absolute majority Minicoy joined the Indian Union. In December 1976, India and the Maldives signed a maritime boundary treaty whereby Minicoy was placed on the Indian side of the boundary.

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The cultural traits of Minicoy differ from those of any other island in Lakshadweep. Manners, customs, lifestyle and food are similar to those of the Maldives to the south of Minicoy and Malikubas, officially referred as Mahl by the Lakshadweep administration, a dialect of Dhivehi language, is spoken on the island. Like in other Dhivehi-speaking communities, the right-to-left Tāna script is used for writing. The social structure is anthropologically interesting, being a matrilineal Muslim society where a man will live in either his mother’s or his wife’s house. Property is inalienable and owned by houses or the matrilineal descent groups. Minicoy islanders, like the other Lakshadweep islanders, follow Islam. Thuraakunu in the Maldives is the closest island to Minicoy. Formerly there was direct trade between both, and fishermen from both islands used to visit each other. This exchange continued even after Minicoy became part of India, but since 1956 the Indian government has forbidden these visits between two nations.

Investigator Bank is a submerged bank or sunken atoll located 31 km to the northeast of Minicoy Island in the southern region of the Nine Degree Channel. The bank was named in 1886 after the wooden paddle hydrographic survey vessel HMS Investigator.

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Minicoy is the second largest and the southernmost among the islands of the archipelago and is located 201 km to the south-southwest of Kalpeni, at the southern end of the Nine Degree Channel and 125 km to the north of Thuraakunu, Maldives, at the northern end of the Eight Degree Channel. It is one of the few inhabited islands of the group and is one of the 36 small islets. The small island has a total area of 4.801 sq km and is known for its vibrant coral reefs and quaint white-sand beaches. The atoll contains two islands with the main island located on the eastern and southeastern side of the lagoon, along the reef fringe. Minicoy is almost completely covered with coconut trees and one of the few landmarks of the island is a tall lighthouse built by the British in 1885 which offers jaw dropping views of the island and the sea. Juma Masjid is another attraction which is an old mosque built in the medieval era and houses the rich ancient sculptors that were found on the island. Minicoy has a tropical Savanna climate, with a warm temperature throughout the year. The best season to visit this island is during the winter months from September until May. Foreign nationals are not allowed to visit this island.

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On the southern side of the main island lies the uninhabited islet of Viringili, also called the Small Pox Island where formerly the lepers of Minicoy were banished to this island where they lived in abject conditions. Viringili is barely 200 m in length and is fringed with gravel and covered with bushes. A few stunted coconut trees grow in the center of the island which is 0.6 km from Minicoy.

This ends the series on the Lakshwadweep archipelago. Writing this series has made me want to visit, but that’s a thought for another day. I’ll be back soon with a new state to explore in India.