Two more couples from Malaysia arrived late Tuesday night to join pakdokter and company for the Palace on Wheels holidays. Dr Segaram and his partner, Dr Sheila came from Shah Alam, and Dr John Chew and Dr Khoo Phaik Choo came from Damansara Heights. Except for John, who is an engineer, the rest are all medical doctors in various different specialties. And we all had known each other for some years.
We had a full free morning to kill and four of us ( John, Phaik Choo, pakdokter and partner) decided to hop onto the tour offered us by the local handling agent. The first stop was the 'Swaminarayan Akshardham'. This is a unique complex of Indian culture which beautifully showcased Indian art, wisdom, heritage and values as a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan ( 1781-1830). Set in a vast 100 acres site, built over a 5 year period, this complex was opened around 2005. Its theme-park-like character however could not be pictured here as photography was not allowed in its premises.
The next stop was the Qutb Minar. We had to drive across the city, passing by the famous campuses of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( a world-recognised medical institution) as well as the IIT ( Indian Institute of Technology) - India's equivalent of the MIT ( Massachussets Institute of Technology) which has produced many world-class engineers who spearheaded India's leap into the Information Technology both in the Silicon Valleys of California as well as in India.
The Qutb Minar is the world's tallest brick minaret. It measures 14.3 metres at the base and 2.75 metres at the top rising to a height of 72.5 metres.
Construction started in 1193 under the orders of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi. But he only managed to complete the base. His successor, Iltutmish, completed another three storeys and the the last and fifth storey was completed by Firuz Shah Tughluq in 1386 - more than 200 years later.
It consists of superposed flanged and cyclindrical shafts seperated by balconies. Made of fluted red sand-stone, it is covered with carvings and verses from the Quran.
Qutb Minar was built on the ruins of Lal Kot, in the city of Dhillika,the capital of Tomars and Chauham, the last Hindu rulers of delhi. This complex initially consisted of 27 ancient Hindu and Jain temples which were destroyed and their debris used to build the Qutb Minar.
Phaik Choo, John, pakdokter and pakdokter's partner...
does it not look a bit like the Petronas twin Tower..?Before driving back to the hotel, we stopped at a Tea Specialty shop. Here we listened to a presentation on the different types of tea, its quality and how to drink them. It was a bit like a wine-tasting do. The best tea which should be drunk 'black' ( meaning neat with no milk or sugar) are the ones which came from Darjeeling. Assam teas are good with milk and teas from the Nilgiri Hills down south in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are good for iced-tea. Quality of tea is also dependent on whether it is first-cut ( mostly tips only), second cut ( younger leaves which are usually sold as orange pekoe) and lesser and lesser qualities. Pakdokter decided to buy a small selection to be tested when back home. And the shop also had a range of spices for the kitchen. pakdokter bought a 1 gm tiny box of the first grade saffron which cost 700 rupees!.....Hopefully pakdokter or partner will find time to try out our culinary skills with this supposedly high-quality Kashmiri saffron ( pakdokter remembers this saffron was cheaper in the coop shop in Kerala..)....
teas and spices...
No comments:
Post a Comment