Journeys for Knowledge

After two action packed days, today moved at a much more relaxing pace. I did not even leave my bed until ten, but soon after I joined Sanjay and his friend Sophie for a simple breakfast. After discussing San Francisco and my experiences with reading ancient literature, I got ready to head out for my only point of interest for the day, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

The double decker bus trip took over an hour, with a bus change in a Brazilian part of London. Upon arrival at the mandir (temple) stop I realized this temple was not just any temple. The mandir was constructed of pure marble, with carvings of the various forms of divine beings, from Hanuman to Shiva to Balaram and more. Inside were altars to some of the most popular of these gods, along with the holy sages who founded this mandir. Even though the place was busy with tourists, I felt supremely isolated and calmed. It was an absolute joy just to walk through the temple quietly and take in the environment, which took me back to my many trips to the Berkeley mandir.

After a good hour there, I made my way home and packed my things before lying down. Despite sleeping in, I was still exhausted from the previous night. Soon my cousin Ameet came to pick me up, as I had planned to spend the rest of my trip with him and his family to rejuvenate the old familial ties. We caught after 20 years and went over all the basic information I’d need for my stay in England. Despite what I said earlier about Sanjay’s place, there is a certain appeal in having a true home to come back to. The nice thing about Berkeley was no matter what happened, if I needed a break I could always come home. After a lovely evening with Ameet and his family, it’s comforting to know that I will have a similar sanctuary during my time in Cambridge.

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After a long day of walking around yesterday, I decided to have a relatively slow morning, finally stepping out at 10 to make my way to Leicester Square to meet my friend Reilly from Berkeley.  While we were supposed to meet at noon, naturally I arrived incredibly early and decided to simply wander around town. Eventually, I stumbled upon Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, as well a small Chinese district that was distinct but in no way comparable to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

By the end of these wanderings I found Reilly, and we set off for lunch. Lacking any better ideas, we opted for Indian food at Masala Zone. The waiters kept asking if I needed an explanation about the food, because for some reason Indian food is quite complicated. That said, the vegetarian thali (platter of small dishes) was indeed delicious. Thanks to the restaurant’s Wifi we were able to plan out the rest of the day, and set off for East London.

The first stop was Spitalfields Market, a large open air market for clothes, jewelry, and other artistic crafts. It was fairly packed but still interesting to walk through. Next was the Fire of London Monument,  a free standing column built to commemorate the 1666 fire of London and the strength of the people’s recovery after. The best part was for two pounds you could climb the staircase inside for a great view of London. Once again my plans had proven to be insufficient to occupy a whole day, so Reilly suggested crossing the Thames to visit the Bororugh Market. This was more of a farmer’s market, along with ample amounts of great smelling food. We got smoothies, took in the amazing smell of bread and cheese, and moved on. By chance we happened across the Globe Theater, which I hope to return to one day this year, before parting ways at St Paul’s Cathedral.

By the time I returned home I was exhausted, but little did I know that my day was far from over. Sanjay had invited guests over for dinner, so I cleaned up and showered before they arrived at 8. Most of the evening was spent talking over wine and dinner, with a brief break to look over photos of a woman named Princess Lulie of Turkey, whom all of the guests had known quite well before she passed away. As the night went one I realized this woman was the first Muslim woman to study at Oxford, and had encountered several spies both for and against Britain during her time as an art historian. I now realized this dinner was to commemorate her death, and the way she had touched these people’s lives.

After dinner the conversation moved past Lulie and went into higher subjects. We heartily debated the war in Syria, the repercussions of cloning animals, the structure of Biblical and Babylonian Law, and even the merit of video games. I mostly followed along with the conversation, only chiming in if I had something truly useful to say. This discussion was just casual talk for these people, but it was something I rarely experience back in college. By 1 AM we all finally retired for the night, but I wonder how many more late nights discussing the finer points of ancient law I will experience.

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Since most of yesterday was spent in a plane, car, or flat, I didn’t actually get to see much of London, or England for that matter. After getting an Oyster card from Sanjay to pay for public transit in the city, I walked out my door and jumped right into the heart of London. Today’s plan called for visiting the Victoria Albert Art Gallery, the Natural History Museum, and the British Science Museum. Admission is free for almost all museums and galleries in London, which made it quite easy to pop from one to the other.

Since there were crowds at the museums I visited the gallery first. While there was much to be found in the British art galleries, as some might expect I was drawn to the Asian art sections, with interesting selections from India, China, Korea, Japan and beyond (see photos below).  The East Asian galleries were familiar yet still new, but the Indian gallery had many artifacts from Colonial times that I had not seen before, including a desk built in Visakhapatnam, once famous for its furniture, but now known for its naval shipyard. I confess I did not explore this gallery to the fullest, but if the art is not provoking thoughts within me, I can’t do anything but pass it by.

Next up was the Natural History Museum, which was full with dioramas and demonstrations on everything from climate change to dinosaurs to the human body. What really struck me was the sheer amount of fossils the museum had in its collection. There was one long hallway that was two stories of wall to wall fossils, and apparently those did not even include the dinosaur fossils, which were undergoing renovation. The Science Museum was right next door so that was my next stop. It was mostly filled with artifacts from the 1800s onward, documenting the progression of mankind and our technology. It was interesting to see Britain’s perspective, considering they ushered in the Industrial Age before anyone else. Of course by the end American marvels were stealing the spotlight, like Cray-1 supercomputer and the Apollo 11 command module. It reminded me of the Tech Museum in San Jose, but less interactive.

So these three places were supposed to take up a whole day, but alas I ended up finishing at 1. After grabbing a sandwich for lunch I decided to spend the rest of the day exploring Kensington Park and Hyde Park, which were just north of my location. The parks were very well kept and full of monuments and memorials to various aspects of British history, such as the discovery of the source of the Nile, Princess Diana, and even Peter Pan. The best part was by far the birds, which swarmed over this one pond and were extremely friendly. There were swans and ducks and pigeons, but also many species of bird I did not recognize. Still it was fun just to walk and interact with them.

Of course there’s no more fitting way to end a day of walking in London than some fish and chips. I had already picked out Kerbisher and Malt thanks to suggestions on Reddit, and had a very satisfying meal before finally coming back home and retiring for the evening. While bits of the day forced me to adjust to the differences between England and America, walking through museums and parks was actually very familiar for me. It just goes to show that there’s something universal in appreciating the cultures and wildlife of our world.

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Normally a ten hour flight to London is something to balk at, but after traveling to Okinawa during school, and giving up a whole semester to make that 18 hour flight to Australia, this flight seemed rather mundane. In an almost poetic fashion, my Hindu meal was Chicken Tikka Masala, a national favorite in the UK, with a side of Channa (chickpeas). Most of the flight was spent listening to music on my new massive headphones and attempting to sleep in cramped conditions. Amazingly I was successful for 3-4 hours.

Upon landing I went through immigration and customs quite smoothly. I found out later that the customs process involves you walking past one way windows with agents analyzing you for any anomalies. Once outside I was making my way to the Underground to meet my family friend Sanjay, when he offered to call an airport limo for me. Thus I left Heathrow in a stylish Mercedes instead of a tube.

Forty five minutes later I was at my new home, Sanjay’s flat in downtown London. Not only did he graciously offer me a place to stay, but he gave me a key so I’m free to come in and out as I please. Of course I do have family in London that I intend to visit, but having the option to explore London autonomously is exciting. But that’s a story for tomorrow, I need to rest for the remainder of the day so I don’t succumb to jet lag too soon.

Greetings to everyone curious enough to visit my blog.

Over the next six years I will be pursuing my Masters and PhD in Physics, the former at the University of Cambridge in England and the latter at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan. I did not intend to travel the world in the course of my graduate studies, but these institutions will teach me the breadth of skills and knowledge I will need to be a proper scientist. Thus I embrace this adventure before me and will record the many highlights in this blog.

I do not intend to post on a regular schedule, for rarely does life conform to our schedules and time tables. However, this will be the best place to remain informed on my travels and pursuit of knowledge, both in the scientific and literary realms. In one week I depart for England, so expect an update late next week about my adventures in London.