Turkey - Cappadocia

In antiquity, Cappadocia included all of central Anatolia, stretching as far as Ankara in the north and Adana in the south. Today the region includes the area in and around a small triangle formed by Ürgüp, Avanos, and Nevsehir, where the canyons are the deepest and the pigments in the rock-cut churches are the richest.

While it's possible to visit the major sites of the area in 2 full days with the assistance of a local tour operator, a few days here (AND with the assistance of a good operator here - there are many) are without a doubt, the better choice.

The tours can be tailor-made (and therefore more pricey), or you can choose from a stable of standard issues. Typical day tours include: 1) a visit to the Open Air Museums of Zelve and Göreme, overviews of the valleys from Pasabag and Dervent, a climb up to the top of Üçhisar Fortress, and an optional pottery demonstration in Avanos, and 2) visits to the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu and a leisurely 4km (2 1/2-mile) hike through the monastery-rich gorge of Ihlara Valley.

Tours may also include horseback riding; more challenging sports such as mountain biking can be easily arranged, but these are generally not advertised. Operating with the most experience in the region is Argeus, Istiklal Cad. 13, Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-4688; fax 0384/341-4888; http://www.argeus.com.tr/), which provides expert guidance on Cappadocia and Ankara, as well as destinations throughout Turkey. Regular group tours, including all museum entrance fees and lunch in a restaurant, cost 101YTL ($75) per person for groups of six or more; private tours cost 300TYL ($220) and get cheaper the more people you have. Argeus is also the local representative of Turkish Airlines.

For a more off-the-beaten track experience, contact Cappadocia Tours, Istiklal Cad. 19/9, Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-7485; http://www.cappadociatours.com/), which is the companion agency to Gamirasu Hotel. Led by Süleyman Çakir, tours and hotel stays will be assured the highest of quality; think visits to local village events and historical hikes lead by Süleyman or a professional archaeologist. Expect to pay 216YTL ($160) per day for between 2 and 10 passengers including the guide and driver.

For an additional 34YTL ($25) per person, all entrance fees will be included (these do add up), as well as vehicle expenses and an a la carte lunch, including wine.
Aiming for the middle ground is Stone Park Tourism, Istiklal Cad. 19/E, Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-8897; fax 0384/341-5348; http://www.stonepark.com.tr/), at about 88YTL ($65) per person per day. As for budget outfitters, they come and go, and vie for your business around the bus station.

Cappadocia's main attraction and the customary starting point for an overview of what the region has to offer, the Göreme Open Air Museum is a monastic complex composed of churches, rectories, and dwellings, and one of the earliest centers for religious education.
The practice of monasticism was developed by St. Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (Kayseri) in the 4th century, as a reaction to his increased disillusionment with the materialism of the Church. St. Basil's definition of monastic life, based on the idea that men should live in small, self-sufficient units with an emphasis on poverty, obedience, labor, and religious devotion, took root in Cappadocia, later becoming the basis for the Orthodox monastic system.
St. Basil, his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of Nazianzoz (St. Gregorios the Theologian), greatly influenced the course of religious thought through their writings, contributing to the development of Eastern Orthodoxy. In his extensive writings St. Basil describes the nature of the Holy Spirit as a trilogy, while St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote of the dogma of the Virgin Mary, and St. Gregory of Nazianzoz developed the thesis on Jesus as a representative of the indivisible nature of the human and divine. Because of their contributions, Cappadocia became known as "the land of the three saints," but was soon divided in two in A.D. 371 when Emperor Valens rejected Basil's thesis on Jesus as the son of God.

There are at least 10 churches and chapels in the museum area dating between A.D. 900 and 1200, each one named (after a prominent attribute) by the local villagers who were exploring these caves long before there was an entrance fee. The paintings and decoration represent a flowering of a uniquely Cappadocian artistic style, while the Byzantine architectural features of the churches, like arches, columns, and capitals, are interesting in that not one of them is necessary structurally. The best way to approach the site is to begin in a counterclockwise direction toward a clearly marked path.

During the Iconoclastic period, many of the frescoes and paintings were damaged, while the eyes of the images were scratched out by the local Turkish population superstitious of the "evil eye."
Past a small rock tower or Monks' Convent is the Church of St. Basil, whose entrance is hollowed out with niches for small graves. This is a common feature of Cappadocian churches and it's still not uncommon to reach down and come up with a knuckle bone every now and again in the more remote valleys. Another recurring theme in Cappadocian churches is the image of St. George slaying the dragon. St. George was considered a local hero, as local lore equated the dragon with a monster on the summit of Mount Erciyes. The church is decorated with scenes of Christ, with St. Basil and St. Theodore depicted on the north wall.

The Church with the Apple (Elmali Kilise) is one of the smaller churches in the area, carved in the sign of a Greek cross with four irregular pillars supporting a central dome. The church was restored in 1991; however, the frescoes continue to chip off, revealing a layer of earlier paintings underneath. Paintings depict scenes of the saints, bishops, and martyrs, and to the right of the altar, a Last Supper with the symbolic fish (the letters of the word fish in Greek stand for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Savior"). The name of the church is believed to refer to a reddish orb in the left hand of the Archangel Michael in the dome of the main apse, although there's also speculation that there used to be an apple tree at the entrance to the church.

Santa Barbara was an Egyptian saint imprisoned by her father to protect her from the influences of Christianity. When she nevertheless found a way to practice her faith, her father tortured and killed her. The Church of Santa Barbara, probably built as a tribute, is a cross-domed church with three apses, with mostly crudely painted geometrical patterns in red ocher believed to be symbolic in nature. The wall with the large locust probably represents evil, warded off by the protection of two adjacent crosses. The repetitive line of bricks above the rooster in the upper right-hand corner, symbolically warding off the evil influences of the devil, represents the Church.

The Snake Church is a simple barrel-vaulted church with a low ceiling and long nave. One fresco represents Saints Theodore and George slaying the dragon (looking suspiciously like a snake), with Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena depicted holding the "True Cross." Legend has it that she discovered the cross upon which Jesus was crucified after seeing it in a dream, and that a piece of the cross is still buried in the foundations of the Ayasofya in Istanbul. Other sections of the cross are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and in St. Peter's in Rome. Another interesting portrait is the one of St. Onuphrius on the upper wall to the right of the entrance. The saint, a popular subject in medieval art, lived the life of a hermit in the Egyptian desert near Thebes and is usually depicted with a long gray beard and a fig leaf over his privates.

Until the 1950s the Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise) was used as a pigeon house. After 14 years of scraping pigeon droppings off the walls, these newly restored frescoes, depicting scenes from the New Testament, are the best preserved in all of Cappadocia and a fine example of 11th-century Byzantine art. Because light is allowed in through only one small opening, the richness of the pigments has survived the test of time. At the time of this writing, the additional 5.50YTL ($4) admission fee for entry into the church had been suspended.
Cut into the same rock as the Dark Church and accessible via a metal walkway, the Church with Sandals (Çarikli Kilise) takes its name from the two imprints on the floor inside the entrance. In the land of truth-stretching, these footprints have been given some weighty religious significance, but the fact is, they're just footprints and all of those stories are just more creative embellishment. The church is carved into a simple cross plan with intersecting barrel vaults. The frescoes, which date to the 11th century, depict the Nativity, the Baptism, the Adoration of the Magi, and other New Testament themes.

The last thing to see before exiting the museum is the Nunnery or Girls' Tower (Kizlar Kalesi), a six-story convent cut into the rock with a system of tunnels, stairways, and corridors. The convent housed up to 300 nuns, whose proximity spawned rumors of a tunnel connecting the tower and the Monks' Convent to the right of the museum entrance.
About 5m (17 ft.) outside the exit to the museum site on the right is The Buckle Church (Tokali Kilise), the largest rock-cut church and the one with the most sensational collection of frescoes in all of Cappadocia. Of all of the narrations of scenes from the Bible in the region, these are painted with the most detail and use the richest colors.

The Buckle Church is a complex formed of four chambers: the Old Church, the New Church, the Paracclesion, and the Lower Church. The Old Church dates to the 10th century, with pale hues of red and green painted in strips to represent scenes from the New Testament. Panels of rich indigo painted with pigments from the lapis stone dominate the New Church, carved out of the eastern wall of the Old Church and decorated with Eastern-style arches and a series of arcades. The Paracclesion is a chapel with a single apse, and the Lower Church has three aisles and a burial space or krypto.

The high plateau behind Tokali Church brings you to Kiliçlar Valley, named "Valley of the Swords" for the jagged formations that seem to slice into the sky. This is a favorite spot for hikers because of its high cliffs, deep ravines, and vineyards, in addition to a tunnel that forms part of an old drainage system. The cliff walls are dotted with dovecotes or pigeon houses hollowed out of the rock to harvest valuable fertilizer -- pigeon droppings are rich in nitrogen -- by area farmers. There are several old churches in this valley, but they are closed to the public. The best way to get to the valley is to enter along an access road from the road between the Göreme Museum and the town.

The highest peak in the region and the most prominent land formation, the Üçhisar Castle is a larger-than-life sculpture. A climb up the 120 steps to the summit of the fortress is a logical introduction to the rocky scapes of Cappadocia. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Byzantine army took advantage of the natural elevation of three of the area's rock formations and used them as natural fortresses. Üçhisar, together with Ortahisar and a rock castle at Ürgüp (now in ruins), provided the means for an early-warning system using mirrors and lights, sending messages among the fortresses and as far afield as Istanbul.

Today the outer layers of Üçhisar's rock have been washed away by erosion to reveal a honeycombed structure of tunnels and cavities, rising above the man-made facades of the modern semi-troglodyte village. Recently discovered was a secret tunnel leading to the riverbed, which provided an emergency water supply in the event of an attack.
This area near the village of Uchisar is named for the thousands of pigeon houses carved into the rock. It is a surreal vision: an outrageously phallic landscape straight out of a Salvador Dalí painting. The conical formations are the result of volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago. Eons of wind, rain and other forces of nature have eaten away at the volcanic rock creating tufa, a soft and malleable stone. Many of these cones, known as fairy chimneys, contain caves and labyrinths.

As early as the third century, those chimneys became a hiding place for early Christians who fled persecution from the Romans, and then later from raiding Muslims. They dug deep into the rock, carving out underground cities that went eight stories below ground, as well as thousands of cave chapels and monastery cells. As recently as 20 years ago, most of the cave dwellings were empty — abandoned for more modern, concrete homes. In the last several years, though, affluent Turks and foreigners have started turning them into second homes and, in a few cases, boutique hotels like the Cappadocia Cave Suites and the recently opened Anatolia Houses.
URGUP AREA - 23km (14 miles) east of Nevsehir; 6.5km (4 miles) east of Göreme.

Of the major villages in Cappadocia, Ürgüp strikes a balance between preserving its Anatolian traditions and cultivating an unobtrusive yet irresistible tourist infrastructure. To meet the rising demand, hoteliers are all too eager to create magical and otherworldly accommodations for an increasingly upscale market. Crumbled hovels are snatched up for a song, human odors of food and sweat are scraped away with the top layers of porous tufa, and perfectly charming romantic retreats materialize. Of course, one day, all of those abandoned terraced houses will sprout brand-new facades, a gentrification process that, while polished and attractive, will probably be devoid of the character that drew us here in the first place. The process has already begun, particularly in the wake of press provided by the highly popular Turkish soap opera, Asmali Konak. But for now, Ürgüp remains a tranquil yet convenient corner of Cappadocia that makes an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding valleys.

Near Ürgüp and carved into a uniquely pink tufa, Zelve was once home to one of the largest communities in the region, inhabited by a Greek population until the 1922 population exchange, when Greeks and Turks were "repatriated" to their mother countries. When Muslims took over the valley, a mosque was hewn out of the rock, and stands near the entrance.

The first known inhabitants of the valley were monks, and although we can say for sure that they carved out the chapels, it's unclear who first began hollowing out the valley. The cave dwellings were used by local villagers up until 1952, when the structures were determined to be unsafe and the villagers were moved en masse over to nearby Aktepe, or New Zelve.

Now a national park, Zelve consists of three consecutive valleys whose walls are riddled with living quarters, blind tunnels, passageways, and traps for protection against attacks. Footholds chiseled into the smooth vertical tufa require an agility once aimed at keeping out unwanted visitors, but now present a fantastic challenge to modern-day rock climbers. Those interested in hiking should set aside plenty of time to explore the area, following a path over the mountain to Red Valley, about 4km (2 1/2 miles) away. Exploring the caves can be exhilarating, challenging, and downright dangerous. Don't attempt anything fancy without a guide; Argeus offers excellent guided tours, but you can also arrange one through one of the many shops in town.

Wherever you see tour buses or souvenir stands, there's bound to be something interesting. Pasabag, also known as Valley of the Monks, is a forest of cone-shaped fairy chimneys more shocking and lifelike (not life-size) than most. Not surprisingly, it's a popular stop for photo ops.
The chimneys of Pasabag harbor a number of chapels and dwellings used by Christian hermits, the most prominent of which is a tri-level chapel with depictions of the life of St. Simeon. St. Simeon the Stylite lived a life of hardship and denial in Antioch around the 4th century, high atop a 15m (50-ft.) pillar. Later hermits were inspired to do the same, initiating a "stylite" movement of isolated living.

Berlim (em português)

ViagensGonzaloMelendez33131-BERLIM (em português)

Berlim é a capital da Alemanha, e a historia da cidade reflete a história deste país (países em algumas épocas), particularmente a dos últimos 140 anos, que reflete a história do mundo inteiro. É uma cidade com a qual me encantei desde a primeira vez que a visitei, como estudante em novembro de 1972, até a minha última visita em janeiro de 2000. Volto a Berlim sempre que posso, e fiz amizades lá para durar uma vida inteira.
Nos anos 80 particularmente, viajei muito a Berlim, a negócios e para visitar amigos. Foi um dos lugares mais marcantes da minha vida por uns 18 anos, entre março de 1981 quando passei a viajar regularmente a Berlim, até dezembro de 1999 - quando comecei a me desvincular com a cidade, já pensando em mudar para América do Sul. Mas ainda vejo as notícias e outros programas da Deutsche Welle Berlin, na TV a cabo no Brasil, quase diariamente.

Os meus laços fortes com a cidade na época dos 80 e 90 estão muito ligados a amizades lá, que também eram personalidades conhecidas na então Berlim Ocidental. Conheci um e outra por meio de um outro, e assim ganhei uma vida muito variada e de VIP em Berlim, sem ter ido atrás dessa vida. Mas essas relacões me abriram as portas e os olhos a vários universos existentes dentro de Berlim, que poucos conheceram. Minha amizade com o empresário berlinense, Bernhard Kramer, que tinha minha idade e muitos interesses em comum, foi fundamental.

O Bernhard foi um dos meus melhores amigos entre fevereiro 1981 até sua morte repentina em 1993. O bairro dele em Schöneberg, local de seu magnífico apartamento antigo de mais de 300 metros quadrados aparece acima, bem como outros lugares de interesse nosso por perto. Só soube da morte do Bernhard por um telefonema ao teatro dele em julho, para avisar que eu estava chegando a Berlim. Havíamos estado juntos com outros amigos no ano anterior nos "Florida Keys.

Key West em particular virou seu lugar favorito desde que ele foi lá por recomendação minha no verão de 1981. Depois fomos juntos a Key West várias vezes e ele, o irmão Jonas e mais dois amigos de Berlim nos visitávamos mutuamente na Flórida ou em Berlim várias vezes por ano, durante uns 12 anos. O Bernhard era advogado, diretor de teatro, crítico de música clássica (com show de rádio semanal em Berlim), cantante de ópera wagneriana (tenor), e comentarista de política e história.

Os melhores restaurantes de Berlim nos recebiam como VIPs a cada visita, e sempre ocupávamos os melhores assentos do "Deutsche Oper Berlin", "Theater des Westens" e o "Berlin Philarmonie" regida na época por Von Karajan, como cortesía ainda por cima. Depois dos concertos ou peças ou óperas, saíamos com artistas, cantores, diretores e outras figuras singulares de Berlim Ocidental da época. Depois passamos pela difícil transição à Berlim unificada. Foi difícil porque o governo alemão ocidental cortou os subsídios à ex-Berlim Ocidental, uma vez que já não era necessário sustentar um ambiente artístico e cultural fabuloso para triunfar sobre a defunta rival, Berlim Oriental.

Enfim, depois da morte do Bernhard, eu continuei visitando Berlim todos os anos (só que não no maravilhoso apartamento enorme e antigo da Motzstrasse em Schöneberg). Alguns anos fui várias vezes, e em 1998 morei na cidade alguns meses, estudando alemão e as incríveis mudanças que estavam acontecendo em Berlim, o maior canteiro de obras do mundo nos anos 90. Em 1999, o Parlamento e o Primeiro Ministro se mudaram para Berlim. O Presidente já o havia feito alguns anos antes. A partir de então, em '99, Berlim voltou a ocupar sua posição histórica como a cidade européia mais importante entre Paris e Moscou, e a capital do país mais rico da Europa.

Por Berlim passaram durante os últimos dois séculos todo tipo de governo na história européia - o típico Reino Européu, o Império, a Anarquia, o Socialismo original, uma República (Weimar) fracassada, o Nazismo, e finalmente o país e esta cidade foram dividas entre o comunismo e o capitalismo, entre os dois adversários da Guerra Fria por 40 anos, até 1989. Nenhuma outra cidade alemã foi dividida, nenhuma outra foi tão marcada pela história mundial, e nenhuma outra cidade do mundo foi o foco da Guerra Fria, e o centro das duas Guerras Mundiais do século 20. Aqui está a catedral de Berlim no centro da antiga Berlim Oriental, hoje no distrito Mitte que é muito abrangente e simplesmente significa "Meio" ou "Centro."

Muitos tem uma imagem autoritária, militarista e nazista de Berlim. No entanto, nenhuma outra cidade grande alemã foi tão anti-fascista como Berlim. Hitler mesmo não queria mudar para Berlim - A Vermelha ("Rote Berlin"). A seguir, a restaurada NEUE SYNAGOGUE em Oranienburgstrasse (Mitte).

Hoje, Berlim não é só capital da nova Alemanha, e a maior cidade entre Paris e Moscou, mas também um dos 16 Länder (países distintos até 1871, mas agora estados). Portanto, não se pode generalizar sobre um país que é composto por 16 Länder. Cada Land é diferente, e várias Länder (o plural) são compostas de dois ou mais estados alemães tradicionais. Alemanha só virou um único país - ou Império (O Primeiro Reich) em 1871, e não incorporou o "Öster Reich" (o Império Oriental) que em versão fonética francesa virou Autriche, e Austria em outras linguas.

Berlim foi durante quase 200 anos a capital da Prússia, o país que impulsou a unificação da Alemanha em 1871. Portanto, a capital da Prússia - Berlim - virou a capital da Alemanha Imperial, logo depois, da Alemanha Republicana, da Nazista e finalmente divida em 2 após a derrota na Segunda Guerra Mundial em maio de 1945.

Depois dessa derrota, A Alemanha perdeu várias "Länder" (estados alemães por centenas de anos) para a União Soviética e Polonia como: Prússia Oriental, Silésia, e a maior parte da Pomerânia e da Prússia Ocidental. Eu visito a capital alemã desde que era estudante na França, em 1972, e posso assegurar que os berlinenses são muito diferentes do estereótipo dos alemães. São mais joviais, quase mais latinos, pode se dizer que os outros alemães incluindo os bávaros de Munich, outro povo alemão muito alegres.

A capital, que antes era dividida entre Ocidental (capitalista) e Oriental (socialista), sempre foi uma das cidades com mais ferveção da Europa. Antes da época de Christopher Isherwood (cujas estórias sobre Berlim nos anos 20 rendeu um romance e o musical e filme CABARET), Berlim já estava na vanguarda. Esta era liderada pelo Dr. Magnus Hirschfield, que fundou o primeiro instituto para sexualidade em 1893 na capital do nazismo, realizando estudos fantásticos que foram infelizmente incinerados pelos nazistas.

Identificados com um triângulo rosa, os homossexuais como os judeus com estrela amarela, tinham que exibir obrigatoriamente sua orientação sexual sob ordens da Gestapo, sendo submetidos a campos de concentração: tudo que o Hirschfeld (judeu e gay) conseguiu em termos de sexualidade humana se perdeu - o material todo foi destruído ou danificado.

Mas com a queda de Hitler, tudo mudou. Berlim, a sede do III Reich, passou a ser junto com Amsterdã (na parte ocidental), a capital gay da Europa nos anos 60 até os anos 90, quando a cidade foi reunificada e voltou a ser a capital da Alemanha reunida. Entre os anos 60 e 1989, a cidade era a mais liberal, mais avant-garde e centro cultural da Alemanha. Fora o ambiente, a grandeza da cidade (mesmo sendo uma parte da cidade tracional, Berlin Ocidental era maior que Munique e Hamburgo juntos) e o ambiente jovem tornou Berlin-West a cidade "cult" da Europa até a queda de muro em 1989.

Enormes subsídios à cidade ocidental para enfrentar a cidade oriental e comunista criou uma vida cultural como a de Nova York (com um terço apenas da população de NY). Os jovens alemães que moravam e mudavam para Berlin-West em massa eram isentos do serviço militar obrigatório alemão. Eles e a tensão da Guerra Fria e espionagem internacional criavam um ambiente mágico. Aqui aparece o Palácio Charlottenburg, reconstruido depois da guerra. O nome da Princessa Charlotte deu o nome ao Palácio (Schloss) e ao Bairro, que se definiu como o centro da antiga Berlim Ocidental. Antes da guerra já era o centro do pujante centro ocidental que se formava em Berlim desde 1870. Desde reunificação, Charlttenburg é o centro do "City-West."

Hoje a ex-Berlin Ocidental representa dois terços da atual capital Berlim. A vida cultural e alternativa continúa e se expandiu muito na parte Oriental. Mas com o status da cidade como capital do maior e mais importante pais da Europa (83 milhões), a terceira economia do mundo (atrás dos EUA e o Japão), Berlim tem muito mais importância ampla no mundo agora, além da vida cultura e vida underground, que ainda é impressionante, mas não são mais as caraterísticas mais marcantes desta cidade singular.

A igreja da memória "Gedächtniskirche" no centro de Berlim Ocidental. Nesta praça, o Bretscheidplatz se reunem os bairros de Mitte (Centro-distrito Tiergarten), Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, e meu bairro em Berlim - Schöneberg. Este começa do lado sul da praça. Na Berlim pós 1990, o Centro (Mitte) vqai desde aqui, até a Alexanderplatz, no centro da antiga Berlin - Ost, passando pela região de "Unter den Linden," a Porta de Brandenburgo, e o Tiergarten/Zoo, ao nordeste desta praça.

Depois dum "boom" de construção como nunca se viu antes, Berlim é a mais moderna capital européia, adaptada aos novos tempos. Moderna, high-tech e vibrante, hoje temos 135 bares gays espalhados na cidade, abertos 24 hs. Berço do techno - o hino gay - acontece em julho uma festa que é o maior sucesso para todas as tribos embaladas na onda techno: a LOVE PARADE.

O mapa da noite em Berlim? Depois de visitar os centros históricos, ou no desdejum por exemplo, já que a maioria dos points fica 24 horas on line, você pode conhecer a atividade ao redor da Nollendorf Platz (centro da vida noturno desde a época de CABARET) e seu mais famoso bulevar - o Kurfurstendam. Berlim continúa sendo o destino "number one" para os GLS, e se você quer curtir uma ferveção extra consulte o jornalzinho Spartacus Guide, com umas dicas emergenciais. O triângulo gay fica no distrito de Schoeneberg com Wittenbergplatz e Nollendorfplatz, no meio da cena. É muito comum e berlinense ir para estas áreas.

No Kreuzberg você vai encontrar uma fauna mais variada, mas bastante separada entre homens e mulheres, além duma grande comunidade turca. Mas antes aproveite as compras e curta as variadas feiras e 'mercados de pulgas' que têm por lá, dá para encontrar desde objetos de antiguidade até roupas e acessórios.. Ah, não esqueçam a vida noturna. Até a última reunificação da Alemanha em 1990, a vida cultural e noturna era, talvez, a melhor razão para visitar Berlim Ocidental. Ainda é um centro cultural e noturno fenomenal. Há clubes de todos os tipos imagináveis, incluindo clubes só de leathers e S/M, que (esses sim) são uma especialidade alemã.

More Berlin (English)

ViagensGonzaloMelendez33131 BERLIN!
The division of BERLIN into zones of occupation in 1945, although seemingly arbitrary, followed exisiting local government boundaries, and the dual profile which emerged was by no means solely a product of the Cold War. In his famous interwar collection of short stories, Goodbye to Berlin, Christopher Isherwood wrote:
Berlin is a city with two centres – the cluster of expensive hotels, bars, cinemas, shops around the Memorial Church, a sparkling nucleus of light, like a sham diamond, in the shabby twilight of the town; and the self-conscious civic centre of buildings around the Unter den Linden, carefully arranged.
The latter, the political and cultural core of the Imperial German capital, duly became the heart of East Berlin and of the GDR, while the former quickly adapted itself to the makeshift role of city centre. Because of the decades of division, the reunited city found itself with two of almost everything, but the rationalization process has already reduced the duplication quite markedly, and will eliminate it almost entirely over the course of the next decade.
Although never a conventionally beautiful city, Berlin has much fine architecture, as well as an extraordinary spread of museums which collectively rank among the very richest on the planet. It also has a wide range of bars and restaurants, a vibrant nightlife and strong traditions in the performing arts. Because it occupies a vast geographical area, one interrupted by a plethora of parks, forests and lakes, Berlin is not a place that is appreciated easily or quickly, but with effort you'll discover Europe's most fascinating capital, where 20th Century European History lives.

Travelblog-India Part 1

Travelblog-Minha Viagem à Ìndia, 1a Parte Viagem à India em setembro/outubro de 2000
Primeiras Duas Semanas

Como cheguei:Miami-Roma ALITALIA; Roma-Moscou AEROFLOT; Moscou-Delhi AEROFLOT: Delhi-Moscou AEROFLOT: Moscou-Roma AEROFLOT; Roma-Miami ALITALIA

Para viagens dentro do país usei a Jet Airways, a única com check in decentes, horários seguidos à risca e ótimas refeições a bordo. Oferecem um "India Pass" de três semanas que deu para conhecer uma parte do país e com muito conforto e mordomia.

Depois de chegar ao aeroporto de Delhi, fui recepcionado por um guia, que me levaria ao hotel, e me apresentaria ao meu motorista e carro privado que teria pelos próximos 6 dias. Nesse mesmo dia, encontrei com dois conhecidos que tinha conecido pela internet, e visitei boa parte de Delhi no meu carro particular. Vi muito porque quase não saí do carro, tal era o assédio de vendedores e pedintes em cada parada "turística."

Na manhã seguinte, continuei conhecendo Delhi, dessa vez Old Delhi, e no dia seguinte embarquei com o mesmo carro e motorista no Golden Triangle Tour: Delhi - Jaipur - Agra - Delhi, cujo recorrido aparece aqui em inglês, tendo copiado e adptado a maior parte dos meus comentários do site da minha operadora turística.

So, after breakfast, I went off on a sightseeing tour of New Delhi where ornate buildings recall the days when India was the Jewel in the crown of the British empire. Visit the 11th century Qutab Minar ,India Gate and the grand government buildings, the President’s House , Red fort , Mahatama Gandhi Memorial. I also visited Laxmi Narayan temple popularly known as Birla Temple. Night: stayed at hotel

Next day: Delhi - Jaipur. We drove through the arid state of Haryana to the state of Rajasthan, perhaps the "most Indian looking" state in the way foreigners stereotypically see India. I arrived in Jaipur in the afternoon at the Holiday Inn, a pleasant hotel with architecture perfectly blending with Jaipur's beautiful buildings. I was greeted by my tour operator's local guide.

Day 4: In the morning I had a sight seeing tour of Jaipur, covered the CITY PALACE - A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.

I also visited JANTAR MANTAR - This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.

HAWA MAHAL - The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Their five-storey structures of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women. Night stay in Jaipur with a great dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The next day (Day 5) would be a highlight: Morning visit the majestic Amber Fort, is one that cannot be easily described. I rode up on an Elephant to the former capital of the royals set against the backdrop of the wooded hills. In the late afternoon, I met two more friends I had made on the Internet (who lived in Jaipur), and had a wild party in my hotel. Unforgettable day!

In Portuguese, I'll add:
Jaipur é a capital do Rajastão. Por isso, é uma cidade barulenta, caótica, cheia de atividades, enfim tudo aquilo tudo que se espera da India. Camelos, elefantes, macacos, vacas e uma buzinacao de gente, bicicletas, scooter e rickshaws foclorica. Jaipur é conhecida como cidade rosa, "the pink city. O centro astronomico do seculo XVI nao funciona infelizmente. O marajá da época morreu sem deixar instrucoes de uso dos mega monumentos matematicos). Mas ele deixou um belo palacio. É comum ver o atual maharajá tranquilo passeando de carro com o filho. O monumento de Vishnu e Lashmi, que tem pouco mais de 20 anos é o predio mais lindo da cidade, riquissimo.

Back to English, on the sixth day we drove, about 5 hours, frpm Jaipur to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri-a perfectly preserved red sandstone “ghost town” which was the estranged capital of mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1569 and deserted when its water supply failed.

On the way, it was interesting to see how very traditionally dressed young girls stood on opposite sides of the highway in several stretches. My driver explained that these were road side whores (mainly for truck drivers). On onene side there stood Muslim whores, and on the other Hindu whores. The distinction between Hindu and Muslim comes exists right down to the prostitutes each group uses for pleasure. I arrived in busy Agra late in the afternoon, and met yet another friend made on the internet, at the Holiday Inn in Central Agra.

The next morning, sunrise visit to the magnificent Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world surely the most extravagant expression of love ever created. 20,000 men laboured for over 17 years to build this memorial to Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Also visit the Red fort - the rusty and majestic red- sandstone fort of Agra stands on the banks of the river Yamuna and the construction was started by Emperor Akbar in 1566. In the afternoon, I returned to the hotel, and walked around Central Agra with my local friend Rahul.


THE TAJ MAHAL




The next day, the same driver took me back to Delhi in the same car. This time I stayed at the centrally located Broadway hotel, as the next day I would take a JET Airways flight to Jammu, to discover the foothills of the Himalayas and the twin capitals of Indian Kashmir: Jammu (the city of temples) and Srinigar, located in a valley surrounded by the towering snow-capped Himalayan Mountains.

In Jammu, I stayed at a hilltop hotel overlooking Kashmeri valleys. One of the nights, a Sikh friend, Harry, whom I also met on the internet, came from neighboring Punjab state where he worked as a doctor in a local hospital. This made my stay in Jammu and Kashmir even more special.

After two nights in Jammu, and flying over the Himalayas four times on the JET Airways flights - both the flight in and out stopped in Srinigar, I got great panoramic views of that part of Kashmir, and of the Himalayas, a feat which a year later became impossible due to the ongoing friction between India and Pakistan

From Jammu, I flew on JETAirways, with a stop in Srnigar, to Delhi, where I had to overnight for a morning flight to Khajuraho, an amazing city, full of (very erotic) Hindu sights, and great food, nice people.

So, on Day 08, I arrived there on JET Airways. After transferring to yet another wonderful Holiday Inn, a resort like Inn, with a huge pool, lots of activities, I went out with my private guide on his personal motorcycle and had dinner at a nice local place.The Holiday Inn, by the way, also offered excellent dining. It caters to vacationing upper-income Indian families, unlike the other two more mixed clientele Inns I had previously stayed at, in Jaipur and Agra. Khajuraho boasts legendary temples. It's location, away from the railway and main trunk roads, make Khajuraho very special, with no teeming masses of population. It's the odd Indian city a tourist can enjoy in peace, and really get to know how families live. People know each other; they'll invite the foreign tourist to their homes. I felt special here.

KHAJURAHO

Acknowledged as one of the world’s artistic wonders, these temples dedicated to the Hindu pantheon of Gods are covered in carvings that are a paean to life and love. Built within a short span of a hundred years by the Chandela Rajputs, the 10th century temples lay forgotten until they were discovered in the present century. Khajuraho has achieved fame for the sensual appeal of its erotic sculptures.

On Day 09, I visited the fascinating temples of Khajuraho, India's unique gift of love to the world, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. They were built between 950 and 1050 A.D. The divine sculptures in these temples, are a tribute to Life itself, embodying everything that is sublime and spontaneous about it. The murals depict the life and times of the Chandelas, and celebrate the erotic state of being.

The next day, my guide and I explored the Western, eastern and southern temples of Khajuraho while my guide explained the intricate meaning and legends behind each describable sculpture. The Western Group Kandariya Mahadeo is the largest, and most typical Khajuraho temple. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it soars 31 m high. The sanctum enshrines a lingam, while the main shrine is ornately carved and depicts various gods, goddesses, apsaras (heavenly maidens) in elaborate detail.

Chaunsat Yogini is the oldest surviving temple in the group (900 A.D.), this is the sole granite temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. Another Kali temple, which was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is the Devi Jagdambe temple. Chitragupta Temple: Dedicated to the sun-god, Surya, this temple faces eastwards to the rising sun. The Vishwanath Temple enshrines a three-headed image of Lord Brahma. Lions guard the northern entrance to the structure, while elephants flank the southern flight of steps that lead upto it. A Nandi bull faces the shrine. The Lakshamana Temple has a lintel over the entrance, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, showing the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort. The sanctum is adorned with a three-headed idol of Vishnu's incarnations, Narasimha and Varaha.

The Adinatha Temple is the last of the Jain temples. My young, well educated guide was a Jain, by the way. This temple is dedicated to the Jain saint, Adinatha, and is gorgeously adorned with sculptures of yakshis among others. The three Hindu temples in this group are the Brahma temple, which has a four-faced lingam, The Vamana temple which is embellished with images of ravishing apsaras at their alluring best. That Night, I enjoyed a wonderful "Souind and Light" Spectacle against the backdrop of Khajuraho's central temples.

Day 11/ Khajuraho - Varanasi (By JET Airways, of course) After breakfast, I transfered to the airport to board the flight for Varanasi-said to be the India’s most sacred city situated on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It is also the oldest living city in the world. As a place for devotion and worship, with hundreds of temples dotting the city , sunrise on the river front as seen from a boat can be a spiritually uplifting sight. It has a fascination uniquely its own, a quality of sublime beauty, a timeless eternal appeal.

Varanasi is the city which cannot be described, only experienced, the oldest and holiest city of India with Temples, Aurangazeb’s Mosque and one of the biggest universities in India. Evening viewing of the “Aarti” ceremony on the Ghats. Night stay in Varanasi.

Varanasi (or Benares) - the Hindu Holy City on the mighty Ganges. Varanasi is the city which cannot be described,only experienced. Sight seeing in Varanasi (the oldest and holiest city of India) covered Temples, Aurangazeb’s Mosque and one of the biggest university of India. Evening view “Aarti” ceremony on the Ghats.




The next day started with another unforgettable experience, a private sunrise boat ride at the river Ganges to observe the daily ritual of pilgrimage visitors to the Ghats. Later I t was taken on an excursion to Sarnath, 10kms east of Varanasi. This is one of Buddhism’s major centers in India. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha came to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. We also visited the deer park and the museum and retuned late to Varanasi . Night stay in Varanasi.

Next day: Varanasi - Calcutta. Calcutta will be described in the blog covering the other half of my trip to India.

Then from Calcutta, I flew out of the relatively modern (it had jetwalks!) Domestic terminal, and took the cross country flight between India's two largest metropolis. I arrived about two hours
later in Bombay. My next blogs are about Bombay, and my final 2 weeks in India.

De Calcutá, viajei direto a Bombaim, e depois a Delhi novamente. Meus próximos blogs relatam as minhas últimas duas semanas na Índia.



Delhi é a mais ocidental das cidades, com partes que lembram outros lugares do mundo. Apesar de datar de tempos imemoriais, foi destruída e reconstruída várias vezes. A última pelos ingleses. em Nova Delhi, trata-se na verdade de uma cidade planejada, com largas avenidas arborizadas e grandes monumentos, como o bucólico samadhi (memorial) de Gandhi e o conjunto de palácios dos ministérios e presidência.

No centro do centro fica Connaught Place, ou simplesmente CP. Trata-se de um conjunto arquitetônico insosso de colunas brancas que reúne lojas e restaurantes. Bem do lado se situa o mercado, um subterrâneo enorme com muitas lojas que chega a ser divertido, apesar de um pouco claustrofóbico.

Old Delhi é o que há de especial em Delhi. uma trama de micro-ruas que lembram o que seria um grande centro comercial medieval. Pouca luz solar, higiene quase alguma, uma gritaria, o lugar é um delírio - mas só para quem não sofre de pânico. O comércio é impressionante, se vende de tudo, tudo, tudo mesmo.

No centro de tudo fica a segunda maior mesquita do mundo. O clima é pesado e ocidentais não são bem vistos, como sempre, principalmente pelos muçulmanos. Portanto dê um pulinho penas para cumprir o ritual turístico.

Eu fiquei hospedado na primeira e ultima parada em Delhi no Rajendra Place, um bairro simpático de classe média alta (novamente, para padrões indianos) com um bom comércio e bons restaurantes em volta de uma praça relativamente charmosa.

O que mais interessa a muita gente em Delhi é a visita a Qutb Minar. Construído por volta do século XI, o centro muçulmano usou pedras e pedaços de um templo hinduísta erguido no século IV. Mistura imagens de deuses dentro de uma mesquita.

A vida noturna em Delhi na verdade se limita a três noites em três clubes da cidade:
. Pegs and Pints, às terças. Perto do Chanakya Cinema em Chanakyapuri. Bar e restaurante que vira clube à noite entre 22h30 e 1h. Enche bastante, toca música de Bollywood.
. Concorde, no Westend Inn, aos sábados. Perto do Radisson Hotel no caminho do aeroporto.
. Pacific Blue, aos sábados. Atrás do Anupam PVR em Saket.

Vem aí a segunda parte que falará de Bombaim, Calcutá, Chennai (ex-Madras) e Kerala, a "Bahia" da Índia.

Travelblog-India 2000 Part 2

CALCUTÁ Formerly Calcutta and, more rarely, Kolkotta, by any name it still conjures up images of squalor, poverty and urban disaster. Too few bother to discover its enchanting colonial beauty, the energy and humour of its people and the charm of the city's distinctly Bengali soul.

Yes, Calcutta surprises - abound in the heart of India's beautifully ramshackle culture capital, a title it has managed to hold on to for more than 200 years. In Imperial India, Bengalis came to be regarded as the ethnic group of India's intelligenzia. More recently, the Indian art film (as opposed to the popular "Bollywood blockbusters") was born and grew here. A long history of distinguished writers and artists also support that intellectual image notion. As the capital of Imperial India until the 1930s, it was "the center" of South Asia, and its major port - thus attracting the best of everything from India and the bordering East Asian countries.
As a major British city, second only to London in the Empire, Calcutta acquired grand English architecture, particularly grand Victorian Government Buildings, Residences, Public Squares & Gardens, and railroad Stations. After the opening of the Suez Canal in the 1860s, Calcutta lost importance to Bombay - which was now up to 2 weeks closer to Europe, by ship. The move of the capital to Delhi also hurt Calcutta. But its sheer numbers in population, the infrastructure of a grand city the English left behind, and its proximity to Asia and to the new Indian state of Bangladesh kept Calcutta on top at many levels, and in the minds of many. The city also has a history of heavy socialist and communist sympathies.

This "red" perception of Calcutta hurt its chances to compete with up and coming cities like Bangalore, Chennai (Madras), satellite cities around Delhi, and of course with Delhi itself and Bombay, as a place for foreign capital to invest. Calcutta's communist sympathies did land the city India's first underground Metro (or subway system), 20 years before Delhi had one. And the liberal (for Indian standards) attitudes, have created a pulsating student and university life. Calcutta has a more open society in general. Though it's mostly Hindu, its streets are cow-free, and its Hindu population is generally more tolerant to Muslims and Christians, among others, than in the other big Indian cities. And Calcutta has a big Muslim community. Perhaps 40% of the population. After all, Muslim Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) is just across the border. Calcutta is the capital of India's West Bengal, and Dacca is the capital of Bangladesh (East Bengal). But both entities are home to Bengalis, and both states share similar culture and the Bengali language.

Here, you can see Durga on her tiger. She's one of Calcutta's major Hindu deities. There's a huge festival in her honor in late Septemberand early October (which I was lucky to experince in 2000). The atmosphere in the city is carnival-like during this Festival.

Although recent archaelogical evidence suggests that a sophisticated civilization (Chandraketugarh) dating back 2000 years existed near Calcutta, its documented history is that of a very modern city. In fact, it's largely a British creation, as I mentioned, that dates back only some 300 years and was the capital of British India right up until the 20th Century. In 1686 the British abandoned Hooghly, their trading post 38km (23.5mi) up the Hooghly River from present-day Kolkata, and moved downriver to three small villages - Sutanati, Govindpur and Kalikata.

Despite the post's initial lack of success, in 1696 a fort was laid out near present-day BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square) and in 1698, the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb's grandson gave the British official permission to occupy the villages. Kolkata grew steadily until 1756, when Siraj-ud-daula, the nawab of Murshidabad, attacked the town. Most of the British inhabitants escaped, but those captured were packed into an underground cellar where, during the night, most of them suffocated in what became known as 'the black hole of Calcutta'.

In 1757 the British, under Clive of India, re-took the city and made peace with the nawab. A stronger fort (Fort William) was built in Kolkotta and the town became British India's capital. Much of Kolkotta's most enduring development took place between 1780 and 1820. Later in the 19th century, Bengal became an important centre in the struggle for Indian independence, and the resultant unrest was a major reason behind the British decision to transfer the capital to Delhi in 1911.

Loss of political power did not alter Kolkata's economic control and the city prospered until after WWII. The partition in 1947 of India (creating Pakistan) devastated Kolkata. Bengal and Punjab were the two areas of India with mixed Hindu and Muslim populations, and the dividing line was drawn through them. The result in Bengal was that Kolkata became a city without a hinterland, while across the border, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was a hinterland with nowhere to process or export its produce.

Furthermore, West Bengal and Kolkotta were inundated with tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from East Bengal, although fortunately without the brutal violence and bloodshed that Partition brought to Punjab. The massive influx of refugees and the departure of the British, combined with India's postwar population explosion and economic hardship, led to Kolkotta becoming an international urban horror story. The work of Mother Teresa's Kolkata mission focused worldwide attention on the city's festering problems. In 1971 the India-Pakistan conflict and the creation of Bangladesh led to another flood of refugees, and Kolkata's already chaotic condition further deteriorated.

Slowly, through governement public works programs of the 1980s, the success of the Indian technology sector in the 1990s and the continued strength of its people, Kolkotta has begun to find its voice again. As though to underscore its re-emerging identity, the city abandoned its British imposed name of Calcutta and in late December 2000 had its traditional identity officially reinstated Kolkata).

From Calcutta, I flew on to Bombay (covered separately), then on to Trivandrum in Kerala, and to Chennai (formerly known as Madras), before returning to Delhi, where I spent an additional 5 days or so before leaving India. I may add more information on Kerala and Chennai. But frankly, the South did not impress me much; hardly at all after the experiences I had had in the rest of India.

The South was just more teeming poor cities with rickshaws, more heat, and more temples full monkeys (at best - some don't even have monkeys, and have little relevance to non Hindus). The languages and scripts used in signs were notably different, as were the films shown in cinemas. There wasn't the preponderance of Hindi-spoken or sung "Bollywood" productions seen elsewhere.

I found no really different, interesting architecture either. The people are nice; different, much darker-looking like the blackest of Africans but with Caucasian features and Asian-like straight hair.The landscape & beaches are nice. But having been born in the Caribbean, lived most of my life in Miami (waterfront), visiting the Hawaiian Islands & Polynesia & now living in Brazil, Idon't think the most beautiful beach in Kerala or Goa would impress me. They're pretty, but they are no reason to go to India.

To wrap it up, I left Miami on Wednesday, September 20th, and came back on the 20th of October, 2000. During that time, I followed the following route, just for the record (I may forget soon):

First 2 weeks: Miami - Rome(2days) - Moscow (stop only) - Delhi(2 nts) - Jaipur(2nts) - Agra(2nts) - Delhi(stop) - Jammu(3nts) - Srinigar(stop) - Delhi(stop) -Khajuraho(3nts) - Benares(Varanasi) 2nts.

Second half (last 16 days):
Varanasi - Calcutta(4nts) - Bombay(4nts) - Trivandrum(2nts) - Chennai(1nt) - Delhi(4nts) - Moscow(stop) - Rome(1nt) - Miami

Bombay - Mumbai

The India Gate-Bombay

Vamos falar em Bombaim, onde muitos começam a viagem, mas para mim, desta vez em outubro de 2000, foi uma estadia de 5 dias no meio da viagem inteira. Bombaim é a maior cidade da Índia e está entre as maiores do mundo inteiro; também é capital financeira e cultural da Índia, moradia dos deuses e astros de Bollywood.

Apesar das autoridades terem trocado o nome oficial da cidade para Mumbai, todos continuam se referindo como Bombay mesmo. Ao contrário de Delhi, que tem partes que lembram cidades ocidentais, em Bombaim o choque se dá logo a primeira vista.

Os cheiros são fortes, a higiene fraquíssima, o trânsito enlouquecido e as pessoas de uma gentileza comovente. Há multidões de mendigos em todos os sinais de trânsito e nas portas dos inúmeros templos. Porém, comparado com Delhi, aqui ainda se encontram pessoas que falam bem inglês.

Como o trânsito de Bombaim é a verdadeira manifestação do caos, evite usar táxi. Uma corrida entre Juhu (o bairro chique e de praia) e o centro leva de 2 horas e meia a três horas, em qualquer horário. Prefira os trens, velhos e empoeirados, mas eficientes. Compre sempre bilhetes de primeira classe, que já parece terceira classe.

O primeiro lugar a se conhecer é "The India Gate"ao lado do Taj Mahal InterContinental Hotel, marco arquitetônico do país. Mas não confunda com o Taj Mahal em si que fica em Agra. Foi construído no começo do século passado por um milionário indiano que foi proibido de entrar em um hotel inglês. Como toda vingança bem feita, conseguiu superar o luxo de qualquer outra construção jamais feita pelos britânicos. Vale a pena pelo menos uma visita nem que seja para tomar um café. Serve também como refúgio da confusão do centrão, que fica logo atrás.

Atrás do Taj vale começar a caminhada pelo centro, conhececendo Colaba, o bairro mais histórico da cidade. Este é o coração de Bombaim. O nome original provem das palavras portuguesas "Bom" e "Baia." A peninsula hoje chamada Mumbai (renomeado com o nome de um deusa hindú local) passou a ser chamada Bombay pelos novos colonizadores ingleses.

"Bom Baia" foi cedido a Inglaterra como presente (dote) de uma princesa portuguesa que casou com um príncipe inglês. Os ingleses usaram Bombay como o porto principal indiano no Mar Árabe. O porto principal e a capital das Índias Britânicas foi, até os anos 1930, Calcutá.

Porém, a partir de 1860, com a abertura do Canal de Suez, Bombaim ficou muito mais próximo da Europa e do mundo desenvolvido inteiro da época. Assim foi crescendo, ultrapassando Calcutá em importância. Ao mudar a capital da Índia para Delhi (que também fica mais próximo a Bombay), o destino de Bombaim foi determinado. Por ter praias e lindas montanhas ao redor também, Bombaim virou uma espécie de Rio de Janeiro das Índias.

Mas as praias ficaram cada vez mais sujas. Hoje em dias TODAS as praias a menos de 40 kms de Bombaim são impróprias para o banho. Você tem que viajar bem mais ao norte de Juhu Beach (a "Barra da Tijuca" da Índia) para achar uma praia limpa. Mas o visual continua bonito. Isto contribuiu à criação de "Bollywood" na área. E com o maior porto e maior aeroporto, e uma população que fala mais inglês que em outras cidades, Bombaim virou a capital econômica e financeira da Índia, e de toda a Ásia do Sul. Também possui o Bombay Stock Exchange, a bolsa mais importante da região, entre as mais importantes do mundo.

"uma praia" de Bombaim

Mumbai (aka Bombay), as I said in Portuguese above, is India's Big Apple, with the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans on weekends, bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty and red double-decker buses, IT millionaires and boasts one of the world's most important and fastest growing stock exchanges. It is also the infamous cages of the red-light district, Asia's largest slums, divisive, occasionally violent politics and powerful mafia dons.

This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. Mumbai has vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and more bazaars than you could ever explore.

The best time to explore Mumbai is between the months of September and May, when the weather is relatively dry and cool. By the first days of June, it becomes unbearably hot, and a couple of weeks later, the monsoon sets in, drenching the city nonstop for almost 3 months. By mid-September, it's usually OK - hot and humid, but somewhat bearable. November through March are probably the best months.

If you want to come to Mumbai for a big event or spectacle, make it Ganesh Chaturthi, an 11-day Hindu festival in August/September. This colourful event reaches a climax with large images of the elephant-headed god being immersed in the sea, notably off Chowpatty Beach; as if filthy but lively Chowpatty Beach needed any more pollution. You may find yourself connecting back and forth through Bombay when traveling through India, as it shares with Delhi the position of air and land transportation hub.