Embarking on our Bali adventure today. The journey followed the familiar ritual of airports: standing in endless queues, navigating immigration, and dutifully completing forms that seemingly vanish into administrative oblivion. Despite the travel fatigue, the promise of Bali’s lush landscapes and vibrant culture made every tedious moment worthwhile. However, after traveling via Singapore, when I landed in Denpasar airport in Bali, I was immediately struck by the contrast. Instead of the sterile international airport experience, Denpasar welcomed me with stunning traditional artwork adorning the walls, an absence of the usual luxury retail bombardment, and the gentle, mesmerizing sounds of live Balinese gamelan music floating through the terminal. This authentic cultural immersion began right at the airport gates, signalling that perhaps Bali would be a journey unlike any other. Then I visited the toilet and a different kind of surprise awaited me – no attendant, moderately dirty and a paucity of stalls, something that I am not accustomed to anymore because the
travel
Taking the train to Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The station When I started in the morning, I was expecting a “normal” train station, i.e. trains coming in, whistles, hustle-bustle, vendors … you get the drift, right? specially if you are from India 🙂 However, as I took the metro to Union Station, Toronto, toeing my daughter like a obedient student, I did not expect to view a “calm” station. I mean, while the hustle-bustle was there, there was no sense of hurry (in Canada, every one walks fast paced, no time to be laid back, or smell the flower on the way, so that is par for the course), no anxiety for “train chut raha hai” … people were buying coffee from Starbucks, munching into their morning croissants and standing in queue to board the train. Queue? and where was the damn platform? All I could see was a big large majestic looking hall, where train numbers and gate numbers were displayed in electronic boards and people queuing
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