The UK – Wales Pub Crawl

Everybody has been to the UK, everybody knows it – even cousin Marta does. OK, but not everybody has been to the ICI, Ltd. (Imperial Chemical Industries).  This was the largest chemicals producer in the UK (founded in 1926) until it was taken over by AkzoNobel in 2008 and dismantled.
It also developed and operated the world’s biggest bio-reactor which, at that time, interested me. I got to actually see that bio-behemoth that was 10 times the size of the largest conventional bioreactors. 
As it happened, I got invited to talk shop at the most impressive ICI research headquarters located half-way between Liverpool and Manchester. In the middle of nowhere, only fields all around it – and that very location in the fields is of importance to my story here.

All done, I was looking out of the window of one of the bosses’ office there when he mentioned, pointing outside, “They are all rentals” – meaning the cars parked on a fairly big lot. Obviously seeing a big questionmark on my face, he added an explanation:  “We are somewhat isolated here and our people need cars to get around – so we have a whole fleet of rental cars available.  Would you like to spin one for your days in England ?”

Actually, I was just contemplating what would I do for those remaining 5 days that I had in England. 
The offer couldn’t come at a better time – and I found myself on the roads of “UK West”. Welsh castles – my educated head suggested and I added “pubs” to that cultural idea.
The cozy rustic charm of English pubs is well known and I was not familiar with it at that time.  I glanced at the map and then, dutifully on the left-hand side of the road, the engine of my ‘rental’ just purred –.

A few miles and there they were, the famous ancient Welsh castles, or distinguished ruins of them.
I recall Conwy, Caernarfon, Aberystwyth, Criccieth – and several pubs in each of the villages with impossible Welsh names that I drove through. History to contemplate, rugged coast and mountain vistas to enjoy, some stop-over beers to taste – and here came juuust a tiny bit of a disappointment :  There was hardly any food in those lovely pubs !
Of course that I remember hearing about that - but it was so hard to believe that those cozy places wouldn't feed you.
I guess that things are getting better on that front.

But then, those local beers were not quite fitting my Czech beer palate either.  But this little disenchantment did not bother me at all as I drove through impossibly narrow country roads hemmed in by hedges and hand-piled walls of black stones, even roofs of farmhouses scattered through the countryside were covered with that black slate.
Strange and haunting.

To make a circle, I had to turn away from the Wales coast – inland, into England. First road sign mentioned Stratford-upon-Avon – that invariably meant Shakespeare !
OK, why not ?  Take in one play perhaps. I drove in and they played, you would not guess, Romeo and Juliet, my goodness !
One cannot miss that – and I did not.

It happened to be a new staging of the play in a contemporary set up – very controversial (Romeo drove a car !). The theatre critics and I had something to talk about for years. Nothing could beat that and I headed straight back to return the ‘rental’ up 'north' in Runcorn - and flew home.
Thank you ICI !
A bit of the UK in a very unusual and unplanned way. I have been to England not much, but several times, however, hardly anything can beat this whimsical and scenic trip full of little happenings !

THAILAND – 5.5 Tons of Gold

I must see that ! The Golden Buddha, discovered by accident when a chip of clay chipped off as it was being moved in 1954 and a rope broke.

Made in 13-14^th century (Sukhothai Dynasty), the statue was eventually completely plastered over to prevent it from being stolen by Burmese invaders in 1767. Moved several times, it was largely forgotten for almost 200 years.  Now it sits pretty in a large new (2010) building of the Wat Traimit Temple. Considering human nature, it is a small miracle that no attempts have been made to steal the statue whose gold content alone is worth some US$ 250 million.

I dropped in on Bangkok on my way back from India to connect with the well known Asian Institute of Technology.  As a European, I was a bit disappointed by the relative novelty of Bangkog (Thai capital since 1801).  Ilustrious as it is, most of its picturesque temples and pagodas date back only a few centuries – thus made a rather ”Disney-land” impression on me. Bangkok now dwarfs other Thailand’s urban centers in terms of importance – and also in chronic and crippling traffic congestion.  Located in the delta of Chao Phraya river, Bangkog is practically afloat on water – and sinking through soil subsidence. Make a depression in soil with your heel and it quickly fills with water. There are fears that the city may be submerged by 2030 -

A turist destination, the city is well known for its vibrant street life and cultural landmarks, as well as its notorious red-light districts.  It was somewhat shocking when the first thing the hotel employee carrying my suitcase asked me “Sir, would you like a scotch and a girl ?”  (Hmmm, I declined both).

Worth seeing is the traditional Thai "finger dance". The girls doing it are trained for it in special schools since early childhood. The flowing and gracious movement of hands and fingers is to behold. Take a look in this video -

 

I don’t remember how it came to it, but a lasting impression left my visit to a huge rice mill – one with a special environmental twist. From a multi-ton supply of rice delivered on several large barges every day, the operation did not discharge any polluting substance whatsoever.  All was recycled, all was used. It was the owner himself who used his imagination, clout, funds and engineering education to design, build and operate a series of interlocking systems accomplishing this goal. For example, the waste rice hulls fueled his electricity-generating plant and the residual ashes were being used to produce cinder blocks for building construction. 

Among affiliated operations converting other rice-processing waste products was also production of chickens, fish and bananas – these productions are integrated into so called “polyculture”. No waste – that is the future that we need. All this was an amazing large-scale toy for the enthusiastic well-to-do mill owner.

I cannot say that I got to know Thailand, this was just a short visit to Bangkok – but it left an impression -
Also a culinary one - it is hard to walk along the streets of Bangkok with food temptations all along. Have a taste of this exotic food - or at least take a look :





 

IRAN – In a Spin

It was quite a shocker and I did not quite know just what was going on. A loud procession of people was pushing through a Tehran street – beating themselves with whips and chains chanting something I did not undersand. It did dawn on me that they were in a kind of religious frenzy. Flagelantes, I was later told and this was Ashura, the holiest day of the shiite muslim religion. The sight of their naked bloodied backs is still haunting me. Whoever does this, even in a religious ceremony, is in some kind of a trouble.

And so they were – and this was nothing compared to what the Iranians had to live through a little later. Revolution, regime change, mass arrests and executions, a vicious war, oppression. Beautiful and potentially rich Iran has become a pariah state, embargoed, excluded and isolated.
As I arrived in Tehran, way then, at my first glance I realized that I had not seen so many expensive cars in my lifetime. That was a long time ago and particularly Tehran was full of very rich people. Actually, like so often throughout the history of mankind, that probably was the undoing of the whole society.

Obviously, the population just could not absorb the pace of modernization that the shah introduced – unevenly and unsensitively, mainly financed through the oil revenues. Accompanied by progressive oppression in order to control the country. His rule became more and more detached from the reality and more despotic. The system was falling apart and I came in just at the cusp of a historical moment – how many of them ancient Persia has gone through ? During my brief stay, I visited several campuses and as students were talking to me, I felt the underground social tremors in our discussions. And then, soon after I left, the shah was ousted and the Ayatollah (Ruhollah Khomeini) came to power and sheer madness took over.
Followed an exodus from the country that went into its historical spasms to last for decades. I met many Iranians since – in Canada and in the USA. One of Iranian students in my own lab decided to return – despite our warnings as I happen to know something about “revolutions”. Her brother was killed then and she was persecuted when she returned home. She had to work in a factory for “re-education”. Eventually, she was lucky and a decade later ended up in Australia where her family has been living happily ever after.

As I was staying in Tehran for only perhaps a week, I truly only had some quick “impressions” during my stay. Tehran was extremely modern and throbbing with life – nestled in a huge sloping flat-bottom valley surrounded by high mountains.



We made a trip to a ski resort (Shemshak), one of the best kept secrets of Iran, perfect alpine skiing – so I also briefly checked it out there, look :

I was fascinated by the way bread was made, practically on the streets in fired owens filled with pebbles. One can have Sangak bread plain or with sesame on top. Absolutely delightful.
Look here, but don’t try to do this at home :

And Iranian food ?
From an  internet  discussion:
● Why is Iranian food so bland ?
● I like Iranian food, their kebabs, however, most of the dishes have no spice in it, and you can't really taste much flavor. Arab food in comparison has more flavor, Afghan food is more spicy and obviously Pakistani/indian food is really spicy and flavorful
● Lol. Arab food better than Iranian food, are you kidding me ? Arab food is literally boiled meat. Iranian food is not overdone with spices, which can hide the quality of meat and ingredients. Spicy food, despite being tasty, can be a real copout for any chef as you can literally load anything with spices and they will all taste good if one likes spicy food. But what about the subtle hint of herbs, the freshness of the ingredients, the taste of actual meat, the interplay between pulses and vegetables. If you can't appreciate non spicy quality food, it's not the food, you just have an undeveloped palate.
● I agree Iranian food is very classy, it is almost looks like French food. Iranians as a people are also very classy. However we are talking about flavors here. I didn't find the food too flavorful, despite being very elegant/classy.
● It's like asking why is Indian/Pakistani food so spicy ?  (Now, go figure !)

ISRAEL – The Craddle

Israel is a country new and yet ancient. Far-reaching history and legends that have their origins in the murky times of humanity. The cradle of our Western civilization that rests in monotheism and kept reading the Bible for millennia. I certainly wanted to visit there, to pay my homage.

The Middle East has been a place of continuous unrest for thousands of years. It is in a flux today – and who thinks that some solution is possible to that troubled region may be deluding themselves.
I do not intend to get involved with politics in this blog – but that may be outright impossible when mentioning anything to do with the Middle East. Arguments, discussion - and conflicts - are a way of life there. And, again, going millenia back.
I had to notice right away as I was flying to Israel from Iran. Two enemies ancient and current. David and Goliath.
I have never been subjected to a more thorough personal security search as before boarding that Israeli ELAL flight from Tehran.  And it was before the time of the terrorist threat. And then the flying – the plane flew direct but not to Israel - rather towards Greece, way up north. Somewhere close to Greece, all of a sudden the plane banked turning left and headed due south to Tel Aviv - following a strange “L”-shape trajectory.
It was not allowed into a good part of the Arab air-space, that's why. Good neighbors, you see.

And so finally I was there – in the holy land. It used to take pilgrims, just like crusaders, perhaps half a year to reach that destination. Tel Aviv is flat and modern. A big city noisy with traffic. My colleagues from Tel Aviv were expecting me and soon I was on my way to Technion in Haifa.
Haifa was a more likeable destination – a smaller European-like port city, hilly and it sounded all kinds of languages. I had a professional connection there centered around growing algae and purifying water. There is a lot of excellent research done in Israel. 
The population of Israel is well connected to the outside world and its level of education by far exceeds the Middle East average.

What remains strong in my memories, however, is the historical aspect of my visit with Jerusalem at its focus. And so there I was, in the crooked streets of the Old City, home to many sites of seminal religious importance, among them the Temple Mount and its Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, the Garden Tomb and al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jerusalem is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.

 

Archaeologists have unearthed a 7,000-year-old settlement in northern Jerusalem from the early Chalcolithic period. They describe it as the oldest discovery of its kind in the region The part of Jerusalem called the City of David was settled in the 4th millennium BCE.

In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters

 

While most of the revered Jerusalem places are sort of low lying, the most recognizable landmark is the  Dome of the Rock (Al-Haram al-Sharif), a shrine located on the Temple Mount, initially completed in 691 CE on the site where the Jewish First Temple and Second Temple had stood.  It is an amazing structure with its exquisite art work patterned after Byzantine churches and palaces.

 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre – The church contains, according to traditions dating back at least to the fourth century, the two holiest sites in Christendom:  the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, known as "Calvary" in Latin and "Golgotha" in Greek, and Jesus's empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected.
 

The main denominations sharing property over parts of the church are the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and to a lesser degree the Egyptian Copts, Syriacs and Ethiopians. Meanwhile, Protestants including Anglicans have no permanent presence in the Church and they generally prefer the Garden Tomb, elsewhere in Jerusalem, as either the true place of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, or at least a more evocative site to commemorate those events.

And I ended up disappointed.  Jerusalem, being the center of Christianity, is steeped not only in history but particularly in religion with its legends, rituals - and power-struggles. The memorable places in Jerusalem were crowded with pilgrims and tourists and far from serene, majestic and “holy” as I imagined it. Over the time, different churches made various claims and there has been incessant fighting over these “holy” places.

There has been a perpetual religious frenzy of (competing) religions that have not hesitated to clobber each other over the head at any opportunity in the name of God - to this day.  
Not my kind of spirituality –

Due to its position and history, Israel lives in a permanent state of alert. Its army is strong, omnipresent and effective, called to smaller-scale actions frequently.
It conducted several wars with its belligerent neighbors in the recent decades. It also built a barrier wall at critical border stretches that cannot be overlooked.
How many walls need to be built to keep us from each other's throat ? It is perhaps better to share our meals, prepare them and enjoy together : 

Israeli cuisine comprises local dishes by people native to Israel and dishes brought to Israel by Jews from the Diaspora from abroad. Israeli Jewish fusion cuisine has been developing, particularly lately influenced by immigration. 

Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of Jewish dietary law. The Torah specifically forbids eating of 4 animals, the hare, hyrax, camel, and pig.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDIA – The Castes

I thought that we could never make it through – but the car somehow did weasel through all that impossible traffic on the road to Rishikesh. Donkeys, oxen-pulled carts, trucks, people, buses, bicycklists, motorcycles – and us, all was on that road, all the way.  Actually, it seemed that the whole of India was there.  Little did I know as I found myself in India then. I was invited there to address the International Biotechnology Symposium in New Delhi.  My view from its location in a swank international hotel was onto a sea of tin roofs of a dirt-poor favela. What a contrast !

India is a different - and crowded world, with a lots of poverty.   When you first exit any airport in India, it’s like walking into a swirling human hurricane, with sounds, bodies, and shoulders occasionally knocking into you. In a country with an average of 385 inhabitants per square kilometer and a population of 1.21 billion, personal space isn’t a practical cultural feature.  

What shocked me most in India, however, was the deeply rooted and quite perceptible class division in the society. Even with formally abolished caste system, caste social layers are there. And that is ‘hereditary’, born in one caste – that’s it for life. Maybe that’s the reason for the passivity of the poor– born on the sidewalk, stay on the sidewalk and die there. Without even cleaning up that little square of one’s existence. No hope -

What makes it worse is the arrogance with which the ‘higher caste’ treats the lower ones. 

When I was visiting the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, I was shocked noticing a major construction site where semi-naked men were carrying loads of material on their heads – like a sub-human chain of slaves. In the very adjacent building, a big-wig colleague was telling me about hi-tech advances in his lab, completely oblivious to what we could see out of the window.  In his eyes, those workers just did not even exist.

Elsewhere, on a domestic flight in India, I was similarly astounded by extremely rude and arrogant treatment of air attendants by the passengers – mainly well-to-do business people.  I was ashamed for them –
I also had to deal with the problems several of my Indian male students had with female peers – they just could not swallow the fact that there was a female professional and maybe even more advanced than them. So deep-rooted attitudes.

At the Symposium,  a gentleman approached me with an offer to visit their penicillin production plant – he turned out to be the Vice-President of that enterprise located about 130 miles north of New Delhi. I did not know that his plant was one of the largest in India, I did not know that Rishikesh was one of the holiest hindu pilgrimage places, and I did not know that I would be picked up by a choffeur-driven black limousine next day – and we weaved our way all the way to Rishikesh.

I gave them a talk about bioreactors and they showed me theirs. Impresive. I mean both J   Then I got to see the famous Rishikesh City, a meat- and alcohol-free city and the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’. And some of what I saw –

●  The sacred river Ganges flowing out from the mighty Himalayas there on its long journey to the ocean.

●  ‘Sacred’ cows roaming freely in the streets always have the right of way if they stop traffic – as in many other parts of India.

●  Dead bodies being incinerated in pyres and ashes ceremonially thrown into the river. There was the first dead body I have ever seen.

●  Pilgrims taking a ritual 'cleansing' bath in the Ganges.

Despite the pollution of the Ganges, the water in Rishikesh is relatively unaffected by the pollution as the major polluting points are down the course of the river in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. Wild river rafting upstream, however, leads to careless accumulation of refuse and plastic lining the banks of the sacred river. 

Back in New Delhi, I wanted to see the architectural jewel of India – Taj Mahal. It is truly serene and magnicficient  although the way to it is like usual – crowded.  It’s raining men, women and kids, cows, auto-rickshaws, everyone and their mother, brother, plus four cousins will be in your way – simply walk around them and don’t get upset at the occasional shoulder fender bender. Letting a bump or strolling in crowds upset you will only transport you to temporary insanity as you miss half of the peculiar sights along the way. It is said that 1 week is enough to hate India, 2 weeks are enough to love it.
As an European, I came to India with my hat off, considering and curious about the culture some 3,000 years old. A predecessor of ours. Now, as everybody likes to criticize the contemporary “non-culture” of North America, I made my own specific conclusion from the small India travel exposure that I had :

        All considered, I cannot help preferring this contemporary American ‘non-culture’ that can dress and feed its people – to that 3,000-year old 'culture' as I witnessed it in India !

And, in the closing, how about Indian cuisine ? Indian food is as varied as India geography but locally, it doesn’t necessarily include hygiene as an ingredient. In addition, plates are normally cleaned with tap water that may be a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It’s unlikely that anyone, from the cook to the waiter, will have washed their hands with soap most of the day. Try not to think about how your plate was handled.

The style of food I love – fully robustly spiced, various tastes and styles. As the Indians fanned out into the world, they brought us Indian food in a plethora of savory and authentic Indian restaurants. And so I could find a unique compromise and enjoy them every once in a while in our Montreal. I would even dare to say that in the contemporary UK, Indian restaurants saved the culinary scene.

NEPAL – Sunrise in the Himalayas

I decided to give myself a little “reward break” after spending some time in the crowded and busy India – and headed for the mountains, by air to Kathmandu, Nepal. And what a difference. Right away, I noticed smiles on faces of many people who treated each other with kindness and dignity.. Granted, there were still poor people but gone seemed to be the Indian caste arrogance. And people were busily tilling their terraced fields etched into the mountain slopes everywhere around, with the majestic and unforgiving peaks silhouetting in the background.

But no, one cannot see the famous Mount Everest from Kathmandu. The city features numerous monasteries and other Buddhist sites like the Budhanath stupa, 36 m high and history that dates back to the 5th century AD. 
The most imposing stupa in Asia. Kathmandu is full of Buddhist monks – and Himalayan trekkers.

If I still did not have it, I caught the mountain fever there and then.

And then - the sunrise in the Himalayas ! A lifetime experience, one just has to see it, a must. But for that one should be outside of the city, somewhere on a mountain. I did not have much time for trekking, so I organized a taxi ride somewhere higher up for that. While I don’t remember the taxi ride price, I very well remember being picked up at 2:30 in the morning – because that early was a total punishment. It was cold and pitch dark and we drove and drove, up-up-up on some logging road – or at least it felt like that. After about a 2-hour slogging, the car stopped on a nice clearing, overlooking a valley shrouded in clouds well below us. I had to believe that because I could barely see anything in the darkness. But wait – soon will be the sunrise !

To cut a long wait and story short, I just say that there was none ! Sunrise that is. As the sky was getting brighter, silhouettes of huge surrounding mountains became painted on the sky.
Then, just before the expected sunrise, like on order, clouds from the valleys below us ascended and completely surrounded us in their totally milky fog. One could barely see one’s oustretched hand in that dense fog that was getting brighter by the minute. It all happened so fast that I could not even get my camera out. Good, there was absolutely nothing to photograph for the posterity – just that milky dense fog.
It should have been like this luckier photo here :

And for me, a sunrise in the Himalayas ? Humbug – none of it whatsoever !
However, by about 10 a.m. the fog burned away and we were rewarded by a wonderful crisp view of the valleys below – with the sun happily shining way high overhead.
I felt personally cheated by mother nature. On the way back, I could not believe that we drove up the same way – the rough mountain road appeared absolutely unpassable but the taxi driver somehow managed to fly through it even back to Kathmandu.

I took a stroll through the city and yielded to a sincere invitation into one of many carpet stores. I never saw that many Persian carpets until in Nepal where they are made. Yes, the weaving skills have been shifting eastward from Persia. I like oriental rugs and the owner spoke very good English. We chatted, he was showing me this rug and that as we were sitting on a huge carpet pile and sipped local tea.
When I mentioned that I was Czechoslovakian by origin, he highly praised “one of the best books on oriental carpets in the world” - written by Czechs ! And rushed to bring it and show me.

“But even that one has errors in it, “ he confided. “You see, this and that - and that – “, he pointed out. “Write to the authors”, I suggested, “they would be eternally grateful to you”.
“Oh-noooo,”  came back a polite but firm response. “We want the errors in there as we want to keep the carpet mystigue.”  Business, I guess, often relies on some mystigue –
Errors or not, we are happily enjoying the mystigue of several of these carpets at home. But the shining pink silk one that I liked most just would not fit our cottage-style home (= I could not afford it).
I wonder if it perhaps still waits for me in Kathmandu -

Everybody (and me too) connects Nepal with Mt. Everest (8,848 metres, 29,029 ft) – and Sir Edmund Hillary’s famous “because it‘s there”. I almost did not get to see it – it is so far from Kathmandu. But I guess that’s only good because everybody and his cousin want to climb it. It’s poor peak might get worn out by the traffic. Nevertheless, expedition after expedition keeps streaming to it and up the mountain. Leaving mountains of garbage strewn along the way, along - also well over 200 corpses still on the mountain, with some of them even serving as landmarks.

While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather, wind as well as significant objective hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. The treacherous mountain climbing is not for everyone and the expeditions are nowadays strictly controlled, limited and - expensive.

I got to see the mountain the easy way – from the airplane on my way back. Only I am not sure which one it was in the sea of majestic peaks reaching for the super-blue skies.

And Nepalese food ?
What they eat is certainly influenced by the neighboring India. However, the Kathmandu Valley features the Newa cuisine, a subset of Nepalese cuisine.  It is one of the most celebrated food variety in the country, consisting of over 200 dishes. It is more elaborate than most Nepalese cuisines because the Kathmandu Valley has exceptionally fertile alluvial soil and enough wealthy households to make growing produce more profitable than cultivating rice and other staples.