What I Like About Countries

 The food, and foot massage.. in Thailand.

The Ha Long Bay, in Vietnam.. 

The discipline, in Singapore. Also the public transport.

The politeness, and the public baths- Onsens- in Japan.

The language, in Malaysia.

The National Parks, in the USA.

The pretty islands in Greece. And Moussaka, my favourite dish.

Simple, hospitable people in Cambodia.

Greenery in Sri Lanka.

The temples in Bali, Indonesia.

The openness in Holland.

Monuments in Italy. Venice too, though Bezos didn't invite me..

Of course, many things about India.. will list those out separately.

What Travel Has Taught Me

 If you can afford to, travel. If you can't, still try to.. coz it's a great teacher. You learn through observation, immersion, and a lot of interactions. For instance, I was fascinated by the varied experiences in recent years at Vietnam, Ladakh, Japan, Bali, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, during international travels. Also, within India, I went to Nagaland for the first time, and had a fascinating interaction with an MLA and a Minister, and learnt a lot. Also met a businessman who drove us around, and told us about modernisation of business practices.

People in Bali including taxi drivers were very polite, punctual and well-behaved. Their architecture- temples particularly- is fascinating, and different. 

Japan is a very modern country technically, but they follow quite a few traditions too. Innovators in many ways, ahead of the West.

Vietnam- just the Ha Long Bay cruise is enough to give you goosebumps. And they have a Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius, my hero..

Cambodia has a rich culture, partly Hindu, part Buddhist..

Sri Lanka grows a lot of tea and spices, and follows Ayurveda..

Singapore is known for good governance, and Management of govt. services. Great universities too.

Countries I am Aware of

 I became aware of England due to the language that they left behind. Vilayat meant England. There were a few Anglo-Indian families too, when I was growing up. Not sure if there are too many left. But in college days, USA was definitely the dream destination for many. I applied for an M.S. too, but managed to go there later for a Ph.D.- not in engineering, but Management. During stopovers in Europe, visited Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany (West at the time), and Holland. France more intimately, thanks to Anne, a friend from Brittany we met at Clemson. 

Many years later, I have met people from Sri Lanka (have a good friend Samudrika there), Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, S. Korea, New Zealand, Dubai, Sharjah, Australia, England, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China ( I have a couple of friends there), and so on. 

I am yet to visit Down Under (Covid stole my thunder), and a few countries like China, and South America and Africa. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. But I had friends from Iran, Nigeria and Portugal in my Ph.D. program, and also from Turkey, and a colleague from Venezuela at Greenwood where I taught.

That is not a bad score! Yes, I know there are around 190 countries, but I am just one person..

Interesting Conferences

One was on Retailing (about Online versus Offline Pricing), and a paper I had written had an unexpected reaction on fb- lots of people requested a copy, and I was amazed.

Another very interesting conference was in Beppu, a small Japanese town. Met some amazing professors and students there, and got a taste of Japanese culture- one of the most polite people on earth. Another was in Sri Lanka, and I thought about why we in India don't do more in partnership with their universities-could be very fruitful.

There were others, one in Cambodia by ABEM, that enabled a visit to Angkor Wat, which was on my bucket list. Some of our domestic conferences- one on Social Media at Bangalore, and another on film and literature at BITS Goa recently, also gave me  a chance to explore interesting themes.

Travelexp 4- Cambodia

This was one trip I will cherish for a long, long time. Very impressed by a lot of things including their simplicity, cleanliness, and heritage. Also the use of U.S. currency everywhere-and an easy visa process.

 Just so you know where it is- Managed to go to Vietnam too, later on..

 Rooted to the camera (above) and nose-touching (below)

 Entering a complex. and posing (below)

 I was not the only one- Angkor Wat (above) and Phnom Penh poser.

 Ok, if there's a garuda around, I have to be seen in his company.

and the last one shows the beauty and the symmetry of Angkor temples once again.

Cambodian Fantasy- Pics

Phnom Penh, near and in Royal Palace. Above, and two pics below.

Standing tall. Angkor.

Apsaras (not kidding, they are called Apsaras) on walls.

Poetry in stone- Angkor Wat temples, Siem Reap -below (with the Missus) and above.

The Killing Fields

There is a period in the history of Cambodia when one man, who called himself Pol Pot, killed a few million of his own citizens, in a nightmarish call for a "pure, peasant-driven" society (influenced by Mao's ideology). He seized control of the capital, and literally drove all the urban people out of the cities, into rural camps with hard labour and little food. Many died of starvation, and all who were perceived as threats were simply put to death- these included govt. officials, celebrities, intellectuals, traders, businessmen, doctors, professionals, and minorities from other nations and religions.

The atrocities lasted four years, from 1975 to 1979, and ended when Vietnam removed him from power. There were several reasons for his rise, including turmoil of the Vietnam war in the neighbourhood, and the ambiguous stand of the Cambodian government led by their king. But the brutality that he unleashed was equivalent to the death camps of Hitler. There is a monument that the government built in memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy, at The Killing Fields (where many of the people were put to death) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, open to tourists.

 The monument.

 Some flowers in the compound.

A grim reminder, preserved skulls found in mass graves nearby.

Angkor Wat Temples

Angkor Wat has been on the (bucket) list for a while, and a conference in Phnom Penh provided the opportunity. You can go there straight (and not via Phnom Penh), as the nearby airport is an international one- Siem Reap. The temples are a great place to wander around for a couple of days (with a tuk-tuk to drive you from one temple to another)...a bit like the Hampi-Vijaynagar complex in size. The temples are in worse shape than Hampi, but some are being restored with help from Germany, India and France. Anyway, here are some pics-

 Shot on the go, from tuk-tuk.

The moat around the main temple.

 Three on the rock, and two in front.

 These are Apsaras (celestial nymphs). There is a German project to restore all the Apsaras (!)

 Our tuk-tuk, a contraption with a bike pulling a cart.

 A long shot!

 Walls full of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

 Bayon temple..against a blue, blue, sky.

 Interesting point of entry.

 This one has entangled roots of large trees. Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider was shot around here.

Closer look at the faces.

Phnom Penh- Photo Essay

 Garuda and me.

 An interesting govt. building.

 and a similar Royal Palace.

 Conference colleagues- Sunway Hotel.

 Silver pagoda in the Royal Palace complex.

 Laxmi(s) carved into the door.

 Boat carrying salads. Buffet.

Wandering around the Palace grounds.

Flying Zebras and More

There was this place called Flying Zebra pizzas that I happened to eat at in Siem Reap, Cambodia. A small, homely but distinctive eatery, it had a wood-fired oven that was right at the entrance, and you could see the pizza being put inside it- it was a big oven. The taste of the thin crust pizza was very different, may be because of the wood. Better than many I have eaten elsewhere. It was served on a wooden plate too.

The TV played Charlie Chaplin films- a couple of classics that I must have watched ages ago in a theatre were on, bringing on nostalgia. There was also an interesting drink available, made of crushed mint and ice, with lemon juice and water/soda that looked unlike anything I remember having before.

In other words, a nice touch here, a nice touch there, and service with a smile. What more can a customer ask for?

Another interesting feature in Phnom Penh is that all streets are numbered, so they are easy to find on a map. They have names too, but names are usually tough to find for outsiders. Tourist-friendly, I'd say. And US dollars are in use for public transport or any other purchases, so you don't have to change currencies, saving a lot of bother. The local currency is Riel, which is about 4100 to a US dollar.

Hotel Design- Cambodia

 Lounge at the reception.

 Entrance.

 Restaurant.

 Lamp shade.

 Above, pond with a shrine at the far end. Below, a view of the first floor.

This was a hotel called Tea House Urban Resort in Phnom Penh that I stayed in. The design is stunning, open plan, and pleasing to the senses. Why don't more hotels look like this?