SummaryThe 4th of July is one of the most important dates in American history as it celebrates America's Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. It leaves me slightly confused; there's my British upbringing that makes me want to shout treason, but there's my Panjabi heritage that thinks, 'you did good America'.
July 4th, or Independence Day, is a time of being with your family and therefore there is an exodus from the city the weekend before. In fact, I did a day trip to Long Island on the Friday before, and the traffic leaving the city throughout the day was incredible. For me, July 4th was the perfect opportunity to see how New York City celebrated one of the biggest days in the American calendar. SummaryAirport Security *****
Reception of locals *****
Its been less than three weeks since I came to New York and its pretty safe to say its unlike anywhere else I have been. It's loud, dirty, polluted and I absolutely love it! It seems like I walk into some political disorder wherever I go; it happened in Thailand, it happened in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Barcelona and now America. I got here less than a week before before Donald Trump became President and since then the city seems to be in almost a continuous state of protest. In between the protests, I've managed to walk around a fair bit of Manhattan and managed to visit parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. The first thing I noticed was the size. The buildings are bigger, the roads are bigger, the cars are bigger, the people are bigger but the main part of Manhattan itself is quite small, surprisingly small actually. However, it manages to pack quite a punch for its size. SummaryAirport Rating ***** (Eurostar) Reception of locals *** Cost: £££££
It's the most visited city in the world and a city that is synonymous with beauty, class and elegance. There's a reason why places around the world are sometimes called "the Paris of the ...insert geographical location". Despite living fairly close to Paris, I haven't been to France since a school trip I scarcely remember.
The city itself is very old, founded in the 3rd century BC, it has grown to be one of the most populous cities in the world, although compared to somewhere like London, it isnt particularly large in size. I was lucky when I went as I have a few friends currently living there. This meant that even though I only went for a weekend, I was able to fit in a lot of things as they knew the city inside out. As with Singapore, Koh Samui, Madrid, Barcelona and Santiago, having someone who knows the local area definitely helps. A bar doesn't mean you have to drinkI'm not sure how it began. Centuries of almost continuous warfare meant Sikh soldiers were known for carrying around certain natural painkillers. One of the leading Sikh Misls (conferederacies) of the 18th century, the Bhangi's, were given their name due to their love of cannabis and some Nihang Singh's protect their practices of taking Sukkha (peace giver) passionately to this day.
However drinking alcohol, although recorded, wasn't a Sikh favourite until Sikh's started to get power and money in the early 1800's. Left unchecked, alcohol consumption in Panjab has reached epidemic proportions, its now one of the largest areas of alcohol consumption per capita in the world. My mom tells me a story that during her pregnancy with me, she went into labour while my dad was out drinking in the pub. And although alcohol didn't kill him, it certainly didn't help. Back home in the Midlands I worked behind the bar of the largest club in the city when I was a student and also worked part time in an Asian wedding hall. I've pretty much been surrounded by alcohol my whole life, and I'm sure thats the same for many Panjabi families. Sikh's are so closely linked with alcohol that if my friends offer me a drink and I refuse they look confused, even my white friends ask me "what sort of a Sikh doesn't drink?". Something isn't right in our community. But thats another post for another day. So when I talk about my favourite rooftop bars, I'm not saying go out and get drunk (that's on you). I love these places because they are a world apart from the small town in central England where I was born. Tall buildings with amazing views of a beautiful city, whats not to love. Now thats out the way, here are my 5 favourite FREE rooftop bars in the City... The Sacred Valley (Urubamba Valley), PeruThe Sacred Valley of the Incas, also known as the Urubamba Valley, is a valley in the Andean Mountains in Peru.
The Sacred Valley, or El Valle Sagrado was formed by the Urubamba River that runs through the area and is located north of the ancient Incan capital of Cusco. The area called the Sacred Valley encompasses the towns of Ollantaytambo, Urubama, Calca, Pisac and Chinchero. The proximity of the river, fertile plains and natural defences made this an ideal area of settlement for Quechua people and it was one of the last bastions of Incan culture before it was conquered by the Spanish. To this day the area produces a lot of the crops that feed the nearby city of Cusco, but it is making an increasing amount of money from the tourist trade. Trips to Machu Picchu pass through this valley and locals have made a business out of selling everything from Quechuan cuisine to clothing/equipment needed to climb the mountains. The area of the Sacred Valley is one of outstanding beauty and almost every point looks over a view like something out of Lord of the Rings (the good part, not the fiery hell part). I visited a couple of cottage industries while I was out there, drank some purple corn juice and generally just admired the views. My walk around Ollantaytambo was perhaps my favourite experience. The town has ancient Incan ruins, a small community feel and a landscape unlike anything I have seen anywhere else. Although most of my hike to Machu Picchu took part in the Sacred Valley, the pictures below cover only the towns in the valley itself. |
AuthorBritish Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures. Categories
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