Malaga, located in Southern Spain on Costa del Sol, is a most historical place. It was a significant trading post for the kingdom of Granada. After the Romans, the Moors from Africa had occupied most of the Iberian peninsula in the 9th century, till the 15 century.

The Alcazaba fortress is the most standing memory of this past, built by the Moors. Inside the fort is a small palace, a lively garden, and courtyards with stunning views of the city center and an expansive look at the Mediterranean from the walls and the castle. Below the fort is a Roman theater built in the 1st century by Roman emperor Augustus, but only recently discovered. Supposedly, this fort was constructed by recycling g stones from this theater and other civic buildings from the Roman and Byzantine times.

The Malaga Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church built over the mosque. It is a stunning structure located in Old Town. The South Bell Tower is still unfinished as a reminder of the Bishop’s contribution to the Spanish and American troops fighting the British in the American Revolution.

All tourists will get to visit the Antigua Casa de Guardia. This building is a small iconic bar founded in 1840 that serves wine from the same original barrels and is grown from the same vineyards. It has a royal warrant for seeing wines to royalty. Round the corner, and you enter Calle Marques de Lareiso, a beautifully paved street built in 1891. This wide pedestrian street is lined with expensive stores, offices, and apartments and is considered one of Spain’s most expensive streets.

Constitution Square is at the end of the street—a popular place for gatherings, celebrations, opinions, and expressions. The first bullfight took place here two days after the fall of Grenada. There is even the Spanish constitution carved in metal embedded in the floor. Walking down the narrow, cobblestone-paved streets with the tiny arched homes gives you a distinct impression of what life was like when the Moors lived here. Round the corner is a small hallway where the gypsies performed the first public flamenco dance.

The Atarazana market is a vibrant place, built-in 1876. This place was a naval warehouse in Nasrid times, hence the name from the nets used in the shipyard. On one side of the market is a horseshoe archway with its Moorish design. Gibralforo Castle, perched on top of Mount Gibralforo, was built during the 10th century and is a living memory of what transpired there. During the Reconquista, the drive by Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon was to rid all Muslims from the Iberian peninsula.

In the 1480s, the kingdom of Grenada was the last standing under Moorish control when Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon started the Reconquista to rid all Muslims from the Iberian peninsula. Malaga, being the key trading port and the lifeblood, was assaulted first. It was a long (almost ten years) and costly battle aided by Swiss mercenaries. The queen even hawked her jewelry. When the city finally fell, the inhabitants received the most brutal treatment. First, all the conversos were burnt alive; next, families were separated and sold as enslaved people.

In the next few years, the kingdom of Grenada was in total control of the Catholic monarchs. Right after, in 1492, they approved Christopher Columbus’s journey to the New World. In those days, financing these travels was like investing in private equity today. While the state controlled the ports, the funding was done by wealthy nobles, expecting a return. It took nearly seven years to convince the queen. Most everyone knew there was no sea route to the Indies by the Atlantic. The story goes that the queen gave him a firm no at the final meeting. Dejected, Columbus left and was on his way to France when, after 2 hours, the queen’s messenger caught up with him and told him to return that the queen had changed her mind. The call back that changed the world. The signing took place in the grand opulence of Granada.

After the Reconquista, next came the Alhambra decree. The decree required all Jews to be converted or expelled from the country without any of their possessions. Next came the Spanish Inquisition, a reign of terror to maintain religious uniformity that lasted the early three centuries. Hangings and beheadings were considered salvations over torture methods and burning alive. This was the Castile that Columbus sailed from. In his first communication to Isabelle after Columbus landed, he wrote I have never seen people so peaceful, happy, and always smiling.

When Columbus returned from his first journey, instead of Gold and spices from Calicut, which he promised, all he brought was trinkets, ivory, and natives, kidnapped from their homes and families to be sold as enslaved people. This did not deter the queen, who raised funds for the next expedition of 14 ships. Slavery (Human capital) was already in full swing. The Portuguese were already doing a booming business from West Africa and the Canaries.

In the next 40 years, 10,000 conquistadors controlled nearly 800 square miles of native land and 50 million people. During the reign of Charles (Isabelle’s grandson), fleets of ships delivered some 2 to 8 million ducats (1 ducat is equivalent to 3.5 gms. of Gold) of silver to Castile every year for a century, making the new country Spain the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world. A walk through the King’s palace in Madrid displays this opulence.

The History Museum of Malaga has to rank one of the best in the world. It takes you from some 2800 years ago to the Phoenicians and their cave drawings. A detailed understanding of all the civilizations passed through from the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths, and Moors to the Christians. There is even a Corinthian-style helmet from 600 BC.

No visit to Malaga is complete without a visit to the Picasso Museum. This beautiful gallery has been organized to focus on thematic issues important to Picasso’s aesthetic legacy. His relationship with Malaga and the unlimited versatility of his artistic talent. It spans nearly eight decades of Picasso’s career and his desire to offer his native city some of the fruits of his extraordinary gifts.

It was early April, just another day in the Corona virus lock down. To break the monotony, occasionally the wife and I would take long drives. Most of the drives would be to different forest preserves, around our suburb. Here there is usually less traffic and fewer people. Though the vegetation was still very dry and barren, there were early signs of green shoots. 

This one particular day, we drove up north to the edge of the Des Plained river to visit the Lloyd Lewis House, that is listed in the National Registry of Historic places. This Usonian house was built in 1939 by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This Architect is still world famous for his “Organic” style of designing structures, that was in harmony with humanity and it’s environment. After viewing the building and its surroundings, we headed back home.

It was late afternoon and the sun was lazily setting toward the west. The drive was very pleasant since the road was very narrow and winding. The area was heavily wooded. The homes were on huge lots of maybe a few acres. As I turn the corner, out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw the head of a Buddha statue. I casually looked to the left while I was driving, and all I saw were rows of trees. I kept driving but that image stayed in my mind. Since this was a single lane road I found a safe place to make a U-turn. My wife obviously was quite perplexed. I explain to her what I thought I saw and wanted to go back and verify. 

I pulled up the car around the area I thought I saw the statues. I got out of the car and walked around the edge of the property line. Lo and behold about 100 yards in front of me were distinct Buddha statue heads. All I could see were outlines since I was viewing between trees and shrubs. In a month or so this view would not have been possible because the vegetation would have been much thicker. They were definitely Buddha statues in black stone about 10 feet tall. 

For most people it would not be a big deal. For many believers in the Buddha teachings the finding of his statues in the middle of the midwest, in the middle of US is really a big deal. The world over, there are many Buddha statues in memory of this saint. We have many Buddha statues in my house and we have traveled to many parts of India, Thailand, Cambodia and other parts of the world to visit his monasteries.

Sidharth was the original name of this Indian prince, who gave up his family, kingdom and all earthly possessions in search of  enlightenment. As he travelled, along the way, people followed him and his teachings. His followers soon became so wide spread, that even after nearly 2000 years, Buddhism is now the third largest religion in the world. 

We drove home. We were determined to come back and see if we could get a closer viewing. After a few days, we came back to the property and this time drove up to the house. I rang the bell a few times but there was no answer. It seemed eerily quiet. There was a mailbox on the road, so I left a message requesting permission to enter the property and view the statues.

Will I get a response? What is the story behind the statues? Stay tuned!

We flew into Las Vegas and checked into the Hilton Flamingo on the strip, on Thursday Dec. 27^th.

The next day, the first thing we did was to drive to the Red Rock canyon. This canyon is located about 13 miles outside Las Vegas. Here there are large red rock formations, a set of sandstone peaks and 3000 feet walls called the Keystone Trust. There is also a 13-mile scenic drive through this canyon with striking colors to witness. Many millions of years ago, this was once a desert with vast expanses of huge shifting sand dunes. These dunes lithified, cemented with calcium carbonate and iron oxides, to develop as the colorful Aztec Sandstone.

Afternoon spent at the busy “The Mirage” casino. Evening we went to a magic show of Chris Angel, at the Planet Hollywood. After the show, we had a good buffet dinner at this casino.

Drove to Black Rock canyon at Lake Mead for a cruise that starts at the Lake Mead marina. We bought tickets and sat in the boat. Unfortunately the boat had mechanical problems and the cruise had to be cancelled. The cruise was to see the Black Rock canyon and the back of the Hoover Dam. Evening we went to see the show, The Beatles “Love”, Cirque Du Soleil at the Mirage. It was the most exhilarating performance to famous Beatles songs. This is a must see.

The next day Sunday, we got up early and drove 270 miles west to see the Bryce Canyon in Utah. This canyon is made up of thin walls of rocks called fins. Frost-wedging enlarges the cracks in the fins, creating holes or windows. As windows grow, their tops eventually collapse, leaving a column. Rain further dissolves and sculpts these limestone pillars into bulbous spires called hoodoos. The delicate climatic balance between snow and rain ensures that new hoodoos will emerge while others become reduced to lumps of clay. This was the most wonderful experience to see nature in this form. One almost feels like you are on a different planet. Unfortunately, due to the partial Government shutdown, we were only able to view the canyon from the Sunrise and Sunset points.

Monday, we spent all day on the strip – visiting the casinos, shops and shows.

Evening after sunset, we went to “The Bellagio” to watch the musical water show. With the popular songs being played, everybody was rocking. The casino had an amazing evening buffet. After dinner, we hung out at the strip to witness the massive fireworks display on New Year’s Eve. Lots of OOHH’s and AAHH’s.

Next day Jan. 1^st 2019, we flew back home.

Our trip to Cairo started on a direct flight from New York Kennedy to Cairo.   We arrived Cairo around noon and checked into the Sheraton Hotel. The Hotel is right on the border between Cairo and Giza, where the pyramids are located. With the jet lag, we took a short nap and around 5 PM headed to Giza where the pyramids are. We had dinner nearby at the restaurant Abou Shakira. After dinner, we saw the first glimpse of the great pyramids. In the shadow of the dark, they looked eerie and colossal. Its looming presence dominated the entire landscape. There was a sound and light show, which by today’s standards looked very ordinary.

Day 1 starts with breakfast and a trip to Giza plateau, to visit the 3 pyramids. The largest is Khufu, built as a tomb for Pharaoh Cheops. Then there are the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids. With some difficulty, you can enter the pyramids, but it is a challenge. Also, there is nothing really to see because the interiors have either looted or moved to a museum. Hard to even imagine that something so mammoth, built 4000 years ago could have such extraordinary shape and impeccable geometry. Built as massive tombs for the pharaohs, they were constructed by teams of workers, thousands strong. They have survived today as an awe-inspiring tribute to the might, organization and achievement of ancient Egypt. The workers were actually farmers. When the river Nile covered the fields during the flood season, the farmers would be redeployed by the highly structured bureaucracy to work on the Pharaoh’s tombs. The floodwaters made it easier to transport the building stones to the site.

In front off the pyramids is a mammoth sphinx, the sculpture of a man with the haunches of a lion, so named by the ancient Greeks. More worthwhile is the slow and lazy camel ride around the pyramids, that gives you a breathtaking view of the pyramids infrastructure. You get an idea of the old settlements, complete with areas of large-scale food production and medical facilities.

After lunch at a very nice restaurant, El Dar Darak we drove to the previous capital city of Memphis. Eating in Egypt would never be an issue. They have very good breads, salads, grilled meats and the comfort foods like Hummus and Baba ganoush.

We first visited the open-air museum, to see the colossal limestone statue of the famous Ramses II. Just south is the Saqqara Complex. These look like humble ruins compared to all the others. This was where the first or experimental pyramids were built. You can see the step pyramid of Zoser, the red and the bent pyramid of Dahshur. This is the area where the Old Kingdom pharaohs were buried, while the subjects were buried in hundreds of smaller tombs. You need to go below ground level in an entrance only 5 feet high for about 50 feet to view these ruins. You can see the various stages of development in this complex, as builders gained more confidence in their use of new material and mastering construction techniques. Lot of restoration has taken place to give visitors a safe experience of this historical past.

Day 2 starts after breakfast, when we boarded a flight to Luxor for the Nile river cruise. After landing, we were taken straight to the boat, checked in and had lunch. After lunch, we went for a tour to the KARNAK and LUXOR temples.

The open air Karnak complex is composed of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated not only to the THEBAN triad but also to the greater glory of the pharaohs. The huge complex covers 2 square kms., and is dominated by the great temple of AMUN-RA. This is where we get our first look at the now famous teenage phenom, King TUT. The famous hypostyle hall has a spectacular forest of giant papyrus-shaped columns. (Papyrus is a local plant, from which paper was made). The enclosure to the main temple is lined with ram-headed sphinxes. It was recently discovered that buried below the surface, is a paved 3 km avenue linking the Karnak and Luxor temples, lined with human headed sphinxes. This area is now being excavated and restored.

Luxor temple is less complex than Karnak, but still very imposing. There is a massive 24 meters high pylon, first raised by Ramses II and decorated with his military exploits. There are double rows of columns, the walls of which are decorated with scenes of the pharaoh making offerings to the Gods. Right in the middle is a modern day mosque dedicated to a local sheikh. There is even a shrine portraying Alexander the Great as an Egyptian pharaoh. History shows (in Alexandria), Alexander represented himself to the local Egyptians as one of their Gods, for acceptance of his rule.

We returned back to the boat, which was docked there, so that we could visit the west bank the next day.

Day 3 after breakfast, we drove to the west bank of Luxor to see the Colossus of Memnon. These faceless huge statues representing Pharaoh AMENHOTEP III, are about 18 meters high. These figures are cut from a single block of stone and each weighing about 1000 tons. These figures are the main entrance to the funerary temple, which is now slowly being restored.

Next we proceeded to the valley of Kings. This is royal burial ground and has 63 tombs. These tombs are buried deep in the ground, and with a limited number of them open to the public, they are definitely worth visiting. The paintings on the walls of the tombs will leave you gasping. The longest lines are to see the mummy of King TUTANKHAMUN, in its gilded wooden coffin and his Sarcophagus. The reason this tomb was never discovered till recently was because they built this tomb way below another tomb, so the looters would never find it. When this tomb was finally found more recently, it was in all its glory intact, and is in full display at the Cairo museum.

Next we visited the dazzling memorial temple of queen HAPSHEPSUT. This modern looking temple blends in beautifully with the rugged limestone cliffs nearly 300m. tall. Above the temple are Colonnades on both sides and an upper terrace leading to the sanctuary of God AMUN-RA. While restoration work is still in progress, this is a breath-taking monument and a must-see.

We returned to the boat for lunch and the boat set sail. While sailing, it gave us time to explore the boat, meet new people and make new friends.

The boat docks and the next morning on Day 4, we are taken to visit the Temple of Edfu. This is probably the best-preserved temple of HORUS, the Falcon god. It gives a very relative view of Paranoiac architecture in conception and design. We return to the boat for lunch and the boat sets sail toward KOMOMBO, to visit its temple. Something very unusual about this temple, is it is shared evenly in half by 2 gods, the crocodile god SOBEK and HORUS. We were told that they might also have had 2 priesthoods. We return to the boat and set sail for our final destination ASWAN.

Day 5, the last day on the boat. The tour in Aswan may seem a little anti-climatic. It is like returning to modern life. We visited an ancient quarry to see an unfinished Obelisk, the largest yet discovered. We toured the huge dam that President Nasser got built, diverted the Nile and made all kinds of changes to the landscape. They even relocated stone by stone of the PHILEA temple to AGILIKA Island. The small boat ride to the island was a lot of fun. We returned back to the boat for lunch and that was officially the end of tours.

We hired a sailboat and later a motor boat to take us south on the river Nile to visit the native villagers at Nubran. These natives have here for god knows how long. They are a very different people and nothing like the other Egyptians we saw so far. Camels rule the streets. Visiting the village was worth it and the boat ride back and forth was most relaxing.

Next morning, we disembarked, headed to the airport and flew back to Cairo.

We went back to Cairo to go to Alexandria. My suggestion, skip Alexandria and from Aswan go to ABU SIMBEL.

From Cairo airport, we drove straight to the Cairo museum. This museum is a must see. Amazing statues and artifacts. The biggest attraction is the Treasure room of King TUT. After all these days of imagining Pharaoh wealth, this really drove home the wealth of ancient Egypt. The “Weapons” room was very revealing. The Pharaohs were not into facial hair and looking at their advanced shaving equipment, I understood why. Don’t buy the museum DVD, it doesn’t work.

After lunch, we visited Coptic Cairo. This place is a fascinating counterpoint to the rest of the city. It is unfortunate that this place needs to be cordoned off with security and limited accessibility just because of the religious significance. You can visit the oldest church, the oldest mosque and the oldest synagogue all within these walls of Babylon. Bought a beautiful piece from the market and shipped to US for the memory. Final tour was to Islamic Cairo, home to the Cairo’s oldest bazaar, Khan El Khalili. We return back to the hotel to prepare of our departure next day to Alexandria.

We should have headed home. It’s about a 3-hour drive to Alexandria. We drove straight to see the catacombs. This is an underground Roman cemetery, but accepting the Egyptian process of mummification. After lunch, was a visit to the new Alexandria Library. This was built on the same site as the Great Library, considered the archive of ancient knowledge, which was burnt down. Outside there is a bust of Alexander. After reading so much of the glory of Alexandria during the reign of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, here there is nothing to see. You could see some if you would take scuba diving lessons for 4 days. Then you will be taken underwater to see those ruins, because they were left there and not brought to the surface for all to see. After the library, we were taken to QAITBAY Citadel, built by Sultan Qaitbay in the 15^th century. There is nothing in this city about their Greek or Roman rulers.

Hoping to see something, the next day we visited the Alexandria museum.

The museum is definitely worth visiting, though it is not as extensive and encompassing as the Cairo museum. This museum does take you from the Pharaohs to the Greek and Roman periods,  and then leading into the Byzantine and Islamic eras.

We drove back to Cairo, to prepare for our return back home.

Egypt is a country definitely worth visiting, if you are a history buff. You enter into a time warp that takes you back a few thousand years. You witness a civilization that was not only obscenely wealthy, but were very intellectually advanced. Even today, I don’t think we understand mummification or the process of life and death as they did. We are going to find out a lot more of these people as we keep digging. The whole country of Egypt should be preserved and excavated, because there is a whole lot left to be discovered.

I drink a glass of this every night. These are the ingredients:

1 Quart low-fat buttermilk

1 Quart drinking water

4 types of leaves – coriander, parsley, mint and curry leaves

Slice of ginger cut up in small pieces

A small cut up chilli

A pinch of salt

A small spoonful of ground Turmeric

An inch of Cinnamon stick

A few Whole cardomon pods

A few Whole Cloves

A pinch of Cumin seeds

A few Whole Black Peppercorn (helps the Turmeric absorb in the body)

A pinch of Saffron

Squeeze some fresh lime juice

Mix well in a container that has a strainer in its spout. Keep in the fridge.

 

Dixon, Illinois is about 100 miles west of Chicago. It is a sleepy little town with a population of 16,000 people. It is famous for being the hometown of America’s favorite 40th. President, Ronald Reagan, who grew up here. There is a beautifully restored boyhood home of his and next to it a cute museum. The museum is very informative and a glimpse into the past. From the photos and movie clips, it does seem that in those days, people were very respectable of their president, compared to the present. Everybody needs to visit this museum, just to get a contrasting view of then and now, just in terms of respect and etiquette. Ronald Reagan was an amazing personality. He worked as a life saver in Dixon, and in his autobiography he says his greatest achievement in life, was the 77 lives he had saved. When he went to Los Angeles with some group, he was made to take an audition for a movie role, as a joke. After 8 months, he was called to cast for a role in a film. The rest is history. There is a nice tall statue erected next to his home.

Each June, WWll is recreated in Dixon, Illinois at Elks Page Park. The enactment starts with a B-52 bomber flying overhead. The scene is in Southern France in the summer of 1944, where the American troops who had landed in Normandy and slowly progressing inland to liberate France from the Occupying Germans. The advancing American troops are ambushed by the entrenched Germans, and in the pitch battle that follows, the Americans have to retreat.

There are exhibits and stalls set up where visitors can browse and buy all kinds of paraphernalia  from that period. One can buy uniforms, badges, books, equipment, troop flags and emblems. Yes, you can even buy Swastika flag. It was really amazing to know that every bit of clothing, equipment is individually owned and operated. The German tank was operated by it’s owner.

Overall it was a great presentation of our past to honor “the greatest generation”. The battles were very convincing and seemed realistic. I would take ear plugs next time. The gunfire could be very loud.

There is also the Abraham Lincoln angle also. There is a very nice bronze statue of Lincoln facing the river. In 1832, a young Abraham Lincoln marched up the Rock River valley as the leader of the Sangamon County volunteers. His troops fought in the Blackhawk Indian Wars at Fort Dixon. It was what chief Blackhawk said at the close of the war in 1852, that made an impression on me – “The Rock River was a beautiful country. I loved it and fought for it. It is now yours. Keep it as we did”.

Chief Blackhawk would not want to see what we have done to it.

All this has been possible thanks to my childhood friend Subbarao

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This is a test page. Arrived in Harrisburg on Friday, August 3, 2018 around 5:30 PM. Went to Hotel Town House suites and checked in . After washing up went to Anu’s house. Stayed till midnight and came back to room. Next day, we went to see the State Capital. After that Civil War museum. Lunch at Strawberry square on Walnut Street. Eat at Subway. Went back to room, washed up. Evening back to Anu’s for Birthday party. Fun Party. Back to room late.

Next day got up late. Went to lunch at “The Millworks Brewery.” Went to airport for flight back.