Hyderabbey is drawing to a close. There will be lingering memories for years. 'Twas up early today and off to the office for the last hurrah. We ended up ordering in for lunch with many thanks to the Hyderabad office (Raju, Chandra, Aditya, Naresh, Vasu) for footing the bill. I went with Chandra this morning to look for kurta, one of many traditional India clothing for men. The 44 was the biggest that we could find after going to three stores. That is my size in Canada and naturally the sizing here is different.
After work Aditya and I went to Mainland China for a bite. Aditya said he was not very hungry so only ate almost everything on the plates we ordered. Wow can that man eat :). I am back at Katriya doing a bit of work then off to the port at 1:00am. The bill assembly at the front desk when I returned from dinner was a site to behold. There were some very high-level discussions between Raju and no less than four attendants and VPs while the details of the charges were sorted out. Raju was supposed to get some shampoo for me to take back to Jennifer at the office, but he was unable to get what she was looking for.
The goodbyes where heart felt and I thanked all in the office for everything and making my stay here so warm and enjoyable. I leave HYD at 3:44am for a 4h40m flight to Doha. I do not remember the layover there, but next is the 14h journey to Montreal. I have a layover there of over four hours, then home by 6:10pm eastern.
Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are ... well maybe; depends how much of a debacle the flights home turn out to be. If nothing to report, then the good night will stand. If a debacle on the second degree or higher, there will be more for your reading pleasure ...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
edosipE sdrawkcaB eht fo stluseR
Will I see a short bald man in a suit wearing construction boots? Not really but I did see one bald stocky guy who reminded me of George ordering wedding invitations from the back of the binder.
Will said man not have "gone" for days, actually the whole time abroad? I was thinking of imitiating this ridiculous behaviour but was under a lot of pressure.
Will I run into a wedding where the bride is a buxom female who does not actually get along with her maid of honour? No, but I did get invited to a wedding, unfortunately having to decline as it was the day after I left for home.
Will there be confusion as to the groom's real name, Pinter or Peter? The only confusion was on my part as I had a terrible time remembering everyone's name.
Will that same short-bald guy be accompanied by a woman whose name starts with an "N" and is 4-letters long? Not exactly, but I did meet and work with a man whose name starts with an "N" but has 5 letters.
So, the "edosipE sdrawkcaB eht fo stluseR" ... you decide.
Will said man not have "gone" for days, actually the whole time abroad? I was thinking of imitiating this ridiculous behaviour but was under a lot of pressure.
Will I run into a wedding where the bride is a buxom female who does not actually get along with her maid of honour? No, but I did get invited to a wedding, unfortunately having to decline as it was the day after I left for home.
Will there be confusion as to the groom's real name, Pinter or Peter? The only confusion was on my part as I had a terrible time remembering everyone's name.
Will that same short-bald guy be accompanied by a woman whose name starts with an "N" and is 4-letters long? Not exactly, but I did meet and work with a man whose name starts with an "N" but has 5 letters.
So, the "edosipE sdrawkcaB eht fo stluseR" ... you decide.
Another envelope please
For those who have been with me all along, I made some predictions of what I may see in Hyderabad before I got here. The results ... drum roll:
1-streets crowded with people and more people
Was not dissapointed; there were seas of people wherever I went.
2-streets that are very narrow with coarse gravel shoulders
I was sort of right. There where far more paved shoulders than I expected.
3-vehicles of every possible shape and size from as far back as the 1940's
Again, no let down here. The neatest vehicle I saw was a 4-door Ambassador that looked so British. I saw lots of cars but nothing as old as the 1952 Lada I saw in Ethiopia.
4- roadside stands packed to the rafters with just about every commodity one could ever think of wanting to buy
An understatement ... I am sure some of the stuff I saw in these shops had not been invented yet! Some were very quirky and a delight to behold.
5-a nice assortment of local brew that will please even the least discriminating (yes me Jake!) aficionados of beer
I only tasted Kingfisher as far as local beer goes. It was so boring (not for me) that Jakov would have cringed when he saw me drinking one.
6-colourful garb on the female units, a sight to behold
Every possible colour and then some. There was a wide assortment of native garb on the ladies and it was all so colourful and a sight to behold.
7-clouds of dust wafting throughout the city, reminiscent of the cumulonimbus variety ever-present my 9 months in Addis Ababa
Cough, cough, need I say more. Not as much dust in the air as Africa but still there.
8-a sea of little (and big hands) looking for as many rupee as ferenge (what foreigners are called in many countries in Africa) can possibly part with
Not as much street people as Africa, but they still beg at the traffic lights. One rickshaw driver opened the glass case in the roof of his unit, handed me Rs. 4 and motioned me to give to a lady beside the vehicle. The beggars do not have that look with the head slightly tilted to re-inforce the need for coin as they did in Addis.
9-an assortment of public transport vehicles of every possible shape and size, carting around anything and everything that breathe
Ah yes, the buses. Every shape, size and packed or next to empty, nothing in between.
10-a dichotomy of hopelessly poor inhabitants and quite well off neighbouring individuals
Nothing like finding one of Addis' worst shanty towns in the shadow of the Sheraton Addis where rooms started at $250 USD. Still the obvious separation of wealth between the poorest and the richest.
1-streets crowded with people and more people
Was not dissapointed; there were seas of people wherever I went.
2-streets that are very narrow with coarse gravel shoulders
I was sort of right. There where far more paved shoulders than I expected.
3-vehicles of every possible shape and size from as far back as the 1940's
Again, no let down here. The neatest vehicle I saw was a 4-door Ambassador that looked so British. I saw lots of cars but nothing as old as the 1952 Lada I saw in Ethiopia.
4- roadside stands packed to the rafters with just about every commodity one could ever think of wanting to buy
An understatement ... I am sure some of the stuff I saw in these shops had not been invented yet! Some were very quirky and a delight to behold.
5-a nice assortment of local brew that will please even the least discriminating (yes me Jake!) aficionados of beer
I only tasted Kingfisher as far as local beer goes. It was so boring (not for me) that Jakov would have cringed when he saw me drinking one.
6-colourful garb on the female units, a sight to behold
Every possible colour and then some. There was a wide assortment of native garb on the ladies and it was all so colourful and a sight to behold.
7-clouds of dust wafting throughout the city, reminiscent of the cumulonimbus variety ever-present my 9 months in Addis Ababa
Cough, cough, need I say more. Not as much dust in the air as Africa but still there.
8-a sea of little (and big hands) looking for as many rupee as ferenge (what foreigners are called in many countries in Africa) can possibly part with
Not as much street people as Africa, but they still beg at the traffic lights. One rickshaw driver opened the glass case in the roof of his unit, handed me Rs. 4 and motioned me to give to a lady beside the vehicle. The beggars do not have that look with the head slightly tilted to re-inforce the need for coin as they did in Addis.
9-an assortment of public transport vehicles of every possible shape and size, carting around anything and everything that breathe
Ah yes, the buses. Every shape, size and packed or next to empty, nothing in between.
10-a dichotomy of hopelessly poor inhabitants and quite well off neighbouring individuals
Nothing like finding one of Addis' worst shanty towns in the shadow of the Sheraton Addis where rooms started at $250 USD. Still the obvious separation of wealth between the poorest and the richest.
Ruth Cris Hyderabad
After such a bold statement, would not the next exclamation be something like "not quite!". I returned to Chef Inam's steak house near Golkonda hotel for dinner tonight and had 3-course meal served elegantly. I started with a mais-salade which was lovely. Then the lamb chops with potatoes, beans, carrots, and garlic bread arrived and they were very spicy, just like I ordered them. The 3rd course was two bottles of Fanta. A whopping Rs. 530 with a tip and the owner was there tonight. The two guys that served me were more like boys. Check out the pix that I will upload after this post.
Work was work today and I was in by 8:45. I went with Chandra to Ohri's for lunch about 2pm, then back to the office. I got a lot further at Ohri's today than last time when I went alone. That time they treated me like an alien and let me stand there looking stupid while they gladly served others. The internet was out for quite some time today and I could not figure out how to set up my Mac with the redundant internet we have here. Vasu dropped in to catch up with the gang. I had met him when I first started at Pythian last February. He has been living in Calgary, southwest quadrant for some time while his wife worked on SAP somewhere in the city. I remembered his smiling face the second I saw him.
I left work before 5pm, with plans to do two calls from Katriya. After that, I headed out to the main event for dinner. As I left the steak house, I walked up to two rickshaw drivers; one looked at me and exclaimed "Katriya". Wow. I thought I had arrived a while back when I was giving them directions. Now I am such a fixture I am recognized :).
Work was work today and I was in by 8:45. I went with Chandra to Ohri's for lunch about 2pm, then back to the office. I got a lot further at Ohri's today than last time when I went alone. That time they treated me like an alien and let me stand there looking stupid while they gladly served others. The internet was out for quite some time today and I could not figure out how to set up my Mac with the redundant internet we have here. Vasu dropped in to catch up with the gang. I had met him when I first started at Pythian last February. He has been living in Calgary, southwest quadrant for some time while his wife worked on SAP somewhere in the city. I remembered his smiling face the second I saw him.
I left work before 5pm, with plans to do two calls from Katriya. After that, I headed out to the main event for dinner. As I left the steak house, I walked up to two rickshaw drivers; one looked at me and exclaimed "Katriya". Wow. I thought I had arrived a while back when I was giving them directions. Now I am such a fixture I am recognized :).
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Goa your own way
No doubt reminiscent of that familiar Fleetwood Mac tune? I decided to kill some time on the beach before heading to GOI (Goa international I would presume). I checked out and hit the sand around 9:30am. I am not sure what the fascination is with waves hitting the beach then hitting the beach then ... There were a lot of people in the water today, not surprised since I got wet yesterday and the water was wonderful. The trip to the airport was an event as they always are from my recent experiences in India. At one point I think the paint molecules from my vehicle were bonding with those of a bus in front of use we were so close. I have as yet to see an accident here ...
The airport ... oy-yoy-yoy, madhouse. You first go through a carrier-dependent x-ray machine for your checked luggage. The SpiceJet line was long but moved well. I think the India carriers could teach the North American ones something about speedy check-in. They put a plastic tie on my knapsack as they thought I was going to check it. Those plastic ties, you know the ones that tighten and will not loosen without cutting with a chainsaw? I then go into line #2, queuing for 1072 bound for Hyderabad in 90 minutes. I am told to go upstairs and point to a flight of stairs and the uniformed SpiceJet person says no and points to the other side of the room. Ok, time to clear security in gate 1 ... now is that 1-A or 1-B. Nobody seems to know so I ask again and get two different answers from two airline personnel. Another oy-yoy-yoy. I then see a sign with letters the size of a pea telling me I am supposed to be at 1-A.
Security is quick and I lounge around the waiting room until the flight is called. It was a recent offering from Bombardier in their Q-series. I watch out the window for most of the flight, amazed that I did not doze off ... until I fall asleep. I cab it back to Katriya for Rs. 600 and get to the hotel where the doorman gladly takes my luggage. I have decided to let people assist as they are there to work and, if the customer is so inclined [which I always am], need the tip. I approach the elevator, expecting a Katriya person to be closely following me but no luggage. I go back outside and the doorman motions with a few fingers ... I take this to mean the bags will be along in a few. I go upstairs and wait ... and wait ... and wait. No bags. I go down to the lobby and you will never guess what is sitting by the bell stand?
I stop at the front desk and ask if they have a chainsaw to cut said orange plastic tie off my knapsack. I am then reminded of the hotel's offer to upgrade me upon my return from Goa. Room 604 is the chosen lot, and a guy and me stop in 427, I pack, and then off to 604. I unpack and then have a brilliant idea.
I have probably missed a lot of the Nadal/Djokovic men's final from Australia, so why not check the Slingbox and see when on in Ottawa ... 2:30pm eastern! That's 4am here. That's no good so I get it on the Mac and it's the ________ set and the score is ___ set(s) for ____________ and ___ set(s) for ___________. I watch until the match ends, and am pleased that _____________ comes out on top. This match does not air in North America for another 6.5 hours. Needless to say, it was on live on TSN when the match was played at about 8pm in Melbourne which would have been 4am in the eastern time zone.
I head out for KFC and am now waiting for a beer I ordered 20 minutes ago. There are seven people working the restaurant, five customers (four of whom are at one table), and me ... three of the servers, as well as the maitre'd just came over to tell me they have no cold Kingfisher so I order a Tuborg. When entering the restaurant I notice Aussie tennis on Star Sports ... hmmmm, I should have known that it may be on in the Orchid and not struggled with my online viewing which did not go very well. That reminds me of a funny story ...
This geriatric Canuck gets to his hotel, could be anywhere, but let's say is is in Goa. He tries to find tennis on his room TV and that channel is scrambled. Said senior is proud of himself and decides to give up tennis in the room, and go to the hotel bar where maybe Star Sports is on and lo and behold, it is. The next day when he wakes up, he decides to check the TV in his room and guess what he finds ... Star Sports. A similar experience is found when this person returns to Hyderabad and Katriya; no tennis in his room TV either. After finding it in the Orchid cafe, he has a pretty good idea what he will find in his room after all. You got it, Star Sports. Glad something like that never happened to me :). It gets better; guess what arrives at my table a few minutes later? A cold Kingfisher.
The airport ... oy-yoy-yoy, madhouse. You first go through a carrier-dependent x-ray machine for your checked luggage. The SpiceJet line was long but moved well. I think the India carriers could teach the North American ones something about speedy check-in. They put a plastic tie on my knapsack as they thought I was going to check it. Those plastic ties, you know the ones that tighten and will not loosen without cutting with a chainsaw? I then go into line #2, queuing for 1072 bound for Hyderabad in 90 minutes. I am told to go upstairs and point to a flight of stairs and the uniformed SpiceJet person says no and points to the other side of the room. Ok, time to clear security in gate 1 ... now is that 1-A or 1-B. Nobody seems to know so I ask again and get two different answers from two airline personnel. Another oy-yoy-yoy. I then see a sign with letters the size of a pea telling me I am supposed to be at 1-A.
Security is quick and I lounge around the waiting room until the flight is called. It was a recent offering from Bombardier in their Q-series. I watch out the window for most of the flight, amazed that I did not doze off ... until I fall asleep. I cab it back to Katriya for Rs. 600 and get to the hotel where the doorman gladly takes my luggage. I have decided to let people assist as they are there to work and, if the customer is so inclined [which I always am], need the tip. I approach the elevator, expecting a Katriya person to be closely following me but no luggage. I go back outside and the doorman motions with a few fingers ... I take this to mean the bags will be along in a few. I go upstairs and wait ... and wait ... and wait. No bags. I go down to the lobby and you will never guess what is sitting by the bell stand?
I stop at the front desk and ask if they have a chainsaw to cut said orange plastic tie off my knapsack. I am then reminded of the hotel's offer to upgrade me upon my return from Goa. Room 604 is the chosen lot, and a guy and me stop in 427, I pack, and then off to 604. I unpack and then have a brilliant idea.
I have probably missed a lot of the Nadal/Djokovic men's final from Australia, so why not check the Slingbox and see when on in Ottawa ... 2:30pm eastern! That's 4am here. That's no good so I get it on the Mac and it's the ________ set and the score is ___ set(s) for ____________ and ___ set(s) for ___________. I watch until the match ends, and am pleased that _____________ comes out on top. This match does not air in North America for another 6.5 hours. Needless to say, it was on live on TSN when the match was played at about 8pm in Melbourne which would have been 4am in the eastern time zone.
I head out for KFC and am now waiting for a beer I ordered 20 minutes ago. There are seven people working the restaurant, five customers (four of whom are at one table), and me ... three of the servers, as well as the maitre'd just came over to tell me they have no cold Kingfisher so I order a Tuborg. When entering the restaurant I notice Aussie tennis on Star Sports ... hmmmm, I should have known that it may be on in the Orchid and not struggled with my online viewing which did not go very well. That reminds me of a funny story ...
This geriatric Canuck gets to his hotel, could be anywhere, but let's say is is in Goa. He tries to find tennis on his room TV and that channel is scrambled. Said senior is proud of himself and decides to give up tennis in the room, and go to the hotel bar where maybe Star Sports is on and lo and behold, it is. The next day when he wakes up, he decides to check the TV in his room and guess what he finds ... Star Sports. A similar experience is found when this person returns to Hyderabad and Katriya; no tennis in his room TV either. After finding it in the Orchid cafe, he has a pretty good idea what he will find in his room after all. You got it, Star Sports. Glad something like that never happened to me :). It gets better; guess what arrives at my table a few minutes later? A cold Kingfisher.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Winding down
I had garlic chicken with a fried rice menagerie for lunch which hit the
spot. I just had to test out the ocean and it did not disappoint. I
asked the front desk to keep my valuables and that was no problem. I
asked for a towel and at first that was a problem. The manager was
willing to work something out even though "we don't normally do that". I
kind of thought he would. The waves were peaking at ~4 feet, high
enough to throw even the BFG into the sand if not careful. I caught a
few good ones.
I estimated the water temperature at about 75 degrees, still under some persons' standards (a.k.a., Sweet Thing) but well within mine. I showered and dressed, then went to ... oh ya ... Deva's beach shack to write this note, read Michael Connelly's the Reversal, and wait in anticipation for sundown. I was surprised that the sun is so bright and cheerful each day since I would have thought the dunk in the ocean daily about 6:45pm would extinguish its glow in a short time. Salty ratings follow ...
Atlantic ... very
Pacific ... quite but not as much as Atlantic
Indian ... between Atlantic and Pacific
My experience with the east coast version is mainly southern Florida, west coast southern California, and Indian, well here I am in Goa. Plans for the rest of the day?
Sunset today was not as spectacular as Thursday. The cloudier it is I think the better the show. It dipped into the water today a 60% circle as the bottom was masked by a haze of some sorts. The mercury drops steadily as the sun starts to disappear then gets down to a shocking 15 degrees overnight. Some locals from England said this was a lot cooler than most winters and the breeze this strong is not common. Sweet Thing suggested the water temperature here is probably similar to Zanzibar on the other side of this fine ocean. Life is good as long as I live for today and not fress about what has not happened yet and may not even occur.
I have one less thing to get on my last-minute shopping list. I should remember his name but my ADD got the better of me. I received the buddha keychain from one of the gentlemen who has been very kind to me at Casablanca.
I estimated the water temperature at about 75 degrees, still under some persons' standards (a.k.a., Sweet Thing) but well within mine. I showered and dressed, then went to ... oh ya ... Deva's beach shack to write this note, read Michael Connelly's the Reversal, and wait in anticipation for sundown. I was surprised that the sun is so bright and cheerful each day since I would have thought the dunk in the ocean daily about 6:45pm would extinguish its glow in a short time. Salty ratings follow ...
Atlantic ... very
Pacific ... quite but not as much as Atlantic
Indian ... between Atlantic and Pacific
My experience with the east coast version is mainly southern Florida, west coast southern California, and Indian, well here I am in Goa. Plans for the rest of the day?
- sit on the beach
- sit on the beach AND
- sit on the beach
Sunset today was not as spectacular as Thursday. The cloudier it is I think the better the show. It dipped into the water today a 60% circle as the bottom was masked by a haze of some sorts. The mercury drops steadily as the sun starts to disappear then gets down to a shocking 15 degrees overnight. Some locals from England said this was a lot cooler than most winters and the breeze this strong is not common. Sweet Thing suggested the water temperature here is probably similar to Zanzibar on the other side of this fine ocean. Life is good as long as I live for today and not fress about what has not happened yet and may not even occur.
I have one less thing to get on my last-minute shopping list. I should remember his name but my ADD got the better of me. I received the buddha keychain from one of the gentlemen who has been very kind to me at Casablanca.
Aussie open
Interesting being in a time zone where the open in Australia broadcasts 5.5 hours behind the games (Goa India) rather than 16 hours behind (Ottawa Canada). Thus the women's final, scheduled for 7pm in Melbourne was on at 1:30pm here or 3am in Ottawa. For the sake of anyone in North America who would be on the internet and has not yet stumbled onto the results, I really did not expect ______________ to win so one-sided. She looked weak at the beginning but stormed back to a very impressive win over _______________. Is it youth and inexperience of _____________ or ______________ or the age advantage and experience of _____________ that led to the ____________'s victory?
Substitute "Sharapova" or "Azarenka" as you see fit above in all the blanks except the last ("former" or "latter" goes there :)). Enjoy the match when it is first on in your time zone. I hope I did not spoil it for you. Once when Venus and Serena were playing a slam final, my sister-in-law JJ could not watch the match live so made me promise not to tell her so she could experience it on a replay. I did tell her that Williams won and she exclaimed "Michael!!!" then realized I had told her nothing.
Substitute "Sharapova" or "Azarenka" as you see fit above in all the blanks except the last ("former" or "latter" goes there :)). Enjoy the match when it is first on in your time zone. I hope I did not spoil it for you. Once when Venus and Serena were playing a slam final, my sister-in-law JJ could not watch the match live so made me promise not to tell her so she could experience it on a replay. I did tell her that Williams won and she exclaimed "Michael!!!" then realized I had told her nothing.
Just what was ordered
Time marches on at Candolim beach. The beach hut-el-ais have almost
filled up. The average age of the beachniks today is a lot less than
yesterday. Friday it seemed to be in the early 100's but today the crowd
is down into the 30's. I imagine that could be due to a large influx of
people from the working class who cannot get away during the week. The
beer started winding its way out of Deva's to an anxiously waiting clientele quite early for a Saturday from my experience. I had a cheese and
veggie sandwich with the crusts cut off. It was very nice with a
hard-boiled egg on the side. I had 2 cups of coffee with milk but forgot
my most prized possession at the beach ... hand sanitizer.
So what's left in store for the last 3 and a bit days in India? I do want to still accomplish the following:
A large Kingfisher (cold?) ... $2.40
A scrumptious order of fish and chips at Deva's ... $3.60
Three + weeks in India ... priceless
With all of this and the previous post's banter, I pretty much accomplished what I had hoped to on my 3-day journey to Goa ... do nothing. I had other plans for these three days but, due to an event of which some of you are aware, "nothing" has turned out to be more appropriate/fitting considering the circumstances.
So what's left in store for the last 3 and a bit days in India? I do want to still accomplish the following:
- one last visit to Charminar ... maybe
- one excursion into a shop in Hyderabad to score a traditional colourful cotton outfit ... mandatory if someone at work can fit this in
- conference call with the Pythian India staff on Tuesday ... scheduled
- experience being oncall in India ... scheduled for Monday
- lunch with Aditya who missed the extravaganza on Friday ... to be scheduled
- a Buddha keychain for my youngest ... if easy to find
- a scheme to unload my leftover Rs. ... to unfold if necessary, making sure I take enough home to distribute to grandchildren, Paddy and Sean M.
- one last set of sightseeing around Hyderabad on the way to places by auto-rickshaw ... inevitable
- preparation of final trip report for Rob ... self-imposed deadline of Thursday with prep before my departure
- experience the unforgettable ambience of India ... a pleasure to behold
A large Kingfisher (cold?) ... $2.40
A scrumptious order of fish and chips at Deva's ... $3.60
Three + weeks in India ... priceless
With all of this and the previous post's banter, I pretty much accomplished what I had hoped to on my 3-day journey to Goa ... do nothing. I had other plans for these three days but, due to an event of which some of you are aware, "nothing" has turned out to be more appropriate/fitting considering the circumstances.
Silence is golden?
Three days of silence while I am traveling is rare, ya think? Wednesday
was a typical mid-week day at Pythian, India chapter. It started very
early but finally I rose much later than usual but early to the office
compared to most mornings. It has taken me two weeks to get accustomed
to the time change and now I can sleep 5-7 hours uninterrupted. I gave a
webcast for the India Oracle user group at 9am which was well received
but not well attended. I have learned that regardless of 2 or 2,000
attendees, one always presents with the same enthusiasm as the listeners
are always interested in what I have to say. I am doing another for
this group the third week of February as well as one for the NYOUG on
February 3. That event for NY has over 100 attendees pre-registered.
It was a late night at work Wednesday but I did return to the hotel at an early hour, knowing I had three meetings ... 7:00, 8:00, then 8:30pm. Being at work so much later in India is a way of life. If I lived as close to the office always as I do here, I think I could get used to the hours. Many days I have taken an hour or two doing something for myself knowing the late hour I will be working. I neglected to ensure my Mac was fully charged so the first of my calls worked on Skype before it died. That was from the pool deck. When I tried my second call in 427 plugged in, the signal was not as strong and next to useless. I sauntered down to the Orchid cafe after my calls with plans to retire at my usual hour.
I received my expected morning paper before I went downstairs for breakfast Thursday morning, and inside the paper was tucked an envelope. I read its contents and discovered an invite to a flag-raising ceremony at 8am in celebration of Republic Day. I asked downstairs where the location was and was escorted into the parking lot by the ramp leading up to the main entrance to Katriya. There were few people there but between the time I arrived and the festivities began, the group swelled to over 100. There was a dozen or so appropriately dressed ceremonial guards and amidst pageantry, when the hotel owner finally arrived, the pageantry began. The flag was at half-mast, all curled up into a ball. As the owner and his two boys prepared for the hoisting, the flag un-rolled spilling flower petals onto the stage. There was a salute as the India national anthem was played. I was the only Caucasian at the festivities and was treated as royalty. If the Indians only knew that I was more honoured to be there than they were to have me there.
I met every "dignitary" possible from the Katriya staff and commented on the hotel and my satisfaction with its amenities and service which pleased them to no end. I was offered an upgrade for the last two nights I was there and this may happen when I return tomorrow.
There was a very traditional breakfast after the ceremony and I returned to my room to pack for Goa about 9:15 The cab showed up early and I was happy to leave around 10am for a 12:30pm flight. I had called the same cab as the one who brought me to Katriya upon my return from Bengaluru, to the tune of Rs. 535. This time was the same which pleased me to no end. Being the expert I had become, I approached the door to RGIA with itinerary and passport in hand, entered, and was directed to the SpiceJet check-in counter. Some 1.5 hours or so after my aerosol suntan lotion was confiscated by security. I was happily on my way on a close to full Dash 8 to Goa. Even though this early offering by Bombardier is old, I remembered how much more room they had than the more contemporary Challenger CRJ line.
I landed about 75 minutes later at a much more quaint airport than what I had experienced so far, approached the pre-paid taxi stand, and parted with Rs. 950 for my trip to Casablanca. It may have been too much but as Rs. 250 less that the Hyderabad travel agent had told Raju. The drive took about 45 minutes and I had the sense of getting closer and closer to the ocean every minute. We eventually did a right down a tiny road, the ocean aroma familiar as we got what had to be closer to our destination. The driver stopped to verify we were in the right location and we arrived some two minutes later.
The hacienda was fine except not on the beach as I expected. I was told it was a two minute walk which I expected to blossom to a lot longer. I was not disappointed and headed off to Candolim beach for sunset. It was wonderful and the waves somewhere between Deerfield (FL) and Newport beach (CA) in size and strength. My camera died after I got some nice shots of the sun sizzling as it dipped itself into the ocean. I ate at Deva's shack which has been my hangout all my time here and the location of the composition of this post.
Friday AM was an early rise due to my excitement with a day on the beach. I ate a small breakfast and headed down. The plage was sparsely populated on my arrival and all the dual-chaise lounge enclosures filled up within two hours. It was warm and in the early 20's upon my arrival and crept up to the mid-to-late 20's by noon. I quaffed some Fanta and a large Kingfisher with a burger lunch then returned to the hotel for a 2pm start of the tennis match between Djokovic (1) and Murray (4). Anytime I see either of the Andy's, I think of Chris at the tennis club at home who loves the two Andy's - Roddick and Murray ... (not), taking joy in ragging them whenever possible.
The match was glorious going to the 5th set and a pleasurable way to spend an afternoon of relaxation. I always pull for that young Serbian lad as he is young enough that I remember his entry into the upper echillons of tennis gentry around the time my tennis career (or pain) began in October 2008. The pace was feverish and I would have texted my tennis bunnies at home were it not the middle of the night there. I am 5.5 hours behind Melbourne while in India, a perfect time difference to watch a match at 7pm there. After the intense victory, I went for tandoori chicken at the hotel and retired about 9:30.
I tried to email before turning in but found the Reliance data card close to useless in Goa as had been my experience since I arrived. If I am able to even log in from Goa, the signal is unusable most of the time. I have resisted buying wifi at the Casablanca but will succumb later when I return from the beach. They charge Rs. 300 per day, a paltry sum when compared to the Katriya's Rs. 300 per hour! While at the bar last night, I called one of the staff "Sir". Tapan informed me politely that I am "Sir" and he is Tapan. No problem, but I will continue to show the staff anywhere I travel the same respect and courtesy they always show me. I believe my willingness to respect and relate on an equal level to the locals I have encountered on my trips to Asia and Africa have assisted my acceptance into these communities.
I was up for the usual visit one through the night and was down at the beach by 7:30am. There was nobody here but that is changing as I write. My day will be split between Deva's and the hotel, toying with the idea of watching Maria and Victoria square off for the Australian open women's crown. I remember the player who introduced two odd aspects of professional tennis to the game a few decades ago, none other than J McEnroe. His grunting and arguing with the umpire were a trademark, the first being a modus operandi on the court that has been embraced by none other than Sharipova. Her antics unfortunately are extremely annoying. I have wondered if this carrying on is for the benefit of irritating her opponents or an unavoidable part of her game. I would suspect the former. A lot of pro tennis players grunt but she has it at an annoying volume and intensity. I for one would not mind a grunt-o-meter bring introduced into the sport to tame the excessive antics of such performers. I think JJ's (my sister-in-law) feedback is that it is all part of the game.
It was a late night at work Wednesday but I did return to the hotel at an early hour, knowing I had three meetings ... 7:00, 8:00, then 8:30pm. Being at work so much later in India is a way of life. If I lived as close to the office always as I do here, I think I could get used to the hours. Many days I have taken an hour or two doing something for myself knowing the late hour I will be working. I neglected to ensure my Mac was fully charged so the first of my calls worked on Skype before it died. That was from the pool deck. When I tried my second call in 427 plugged in, the signal was not as strong and next to useless. I sauntered down to the Orchid cafe after my calls with plans to retire at my usual hour.
I received my expected morning paper before I went downstairs for breakfast Thursday morning, and inside the paper was tucked an envelope. I read its contents and discovered an invite to a flag-raising ceremony at 8am in celebration of Republic Day. I asked downstairs where the location was and was escorted into the parking lot by the ramp leading up to the main entrance to Katriya. There were few people there but between the time I arrived and the festivities began, the group swelled to over 100. There was a dozen or so appropriately dressed ceremonial guards and amidst pageantry, when the hotel owner finally arrived, the pageantry began. The flag was at half-mast, all curled up into a ball. As the owner and his two boys prepared for the hoisting, the flag un-rolled spilling flower petals onto the stage. There was a salute as the India national anthem was played. I was the only Caucasian at the festivities and was treated as royalty. If the Indians only knew that I was more honoured to be there than they were to have me there.
I met every "dignitary" possible from the Katriya staff and commented on the hotel and my satisfaction with its amenities and service which pleased them to no end. I was offered an upgrade for the last two nights I was there and this may happen when I return tomorrow.
There was a very traditional breakfast after the ceremony and I returned to my room to pack for Goa about 9:15 The cab showed up early and I was happy to leave around 10am for a 12:30pm flight. I had called the same cab as the one who brought me to Katriya upon my return from Bengaluru, to the tune of Rs. 535. This time was the same which pleased me to no end. Being the expert I had become, I approached the door to RGIA with itinerary and passport in hand, entered, and was directed to the SpiceJet check-in counter. Some 1.5 hours or so after my aerosol suntan lotion was confiscated by security. I was happily on my way on a close to full Dash 8 to Goa. Even though this early offering by Bombardier is old, I remembered how much more room they had than the more contemporary Challenger CRJ line.
I landed about 75 minutes later at a much more quaint airport than what I had experienced so far, approached the pre-paid taxi stand, and parted with Rs. 950 for my trip to Casablanca. It may have been too much but as Rs. 250 less that the Hyderabad travel agent had told Raju. The drive took about 45 minutes and I had the sense of getting closer and closer to the ocean every minute. We eventually did a right down a tiny road, the ocean aroma familiar as we got what had to be closer to our destination. The driver stopped to verify we were in the right location and we arrived some two minutes later.
The hacienda was fine except not on the beach as I expected. I was told it was a two minute walk which I expected to blossom to a lot longer. I was not disappointed and headed off to Candolim beach for sunset. It was wonderful and the waves somewhere between Deerfield (FL) and Newport beach (CA) in size and strength. My camera died after I got some nice shots of the sun sizzling as it dipped itself into the ocean. I ate at Deva's shack which has been my hangout all my time here and the location of the composition of this post.
Friday AM was an early rise due to my excitement with a day on the beach. I ate a small breakfast and headed down. The plage was sparsely populated on my arrival and all the dual-chaise lounge enclosures filled up within two hours. It was warm and in the early 20's upon my arrival and crept up to the mid-to-late 20's by noon. I quaffed some Fanta and a large Kingfisher with a burger lunch then returned to the hotel for a 2pm start of the tennis match between Djokovic (1) and Murray (4). Anytime I see either of the Andy's, I think of Chris at the tennis club at home who loves the two Andy's - Roddick and Murray ... (not), taking joy in ragging them whenever possible.
The match was glorious going to the 5th set and a pleasurable way to spend an afternoon of relaxation. I always pull for that young Serbian lad as he is young enough that I remember his entry into the upper echillons of tennis gentry around the time my tennis career (or pain) began in October 2008. The pace was feverish and I would have texted my tennis bunnies at home were it not the middle of the night there. I am 5.5 hours behind Melbourne while in India, a perfect time difference to watch a match at 7pm there. After the intense victory, I went for tandoori chicken at the hotel and retired about 9:30.
I tried to email before turning in but found the Reliance data card close to useless in Goa as had been my experience since I arrived. If I am able to even log in from Goa, the signal is unusable most of the time. I have resisted buying wifi at the Casablanca but will succumb later when I return from the beach. They charge Rs. 300 per day, a paltry sum when compared to the Katriya's Rs. 300 per hour! While at the bar last night, I called one of the staff "Sir". Tapan informed me politely that I am "Sir" and he is Tapan. No problem, but I will continue to show the staff anywhere I travel the same respect and courtesy they always show me. I believe my willingness to respect and relate on an equal level to the locals I have encountered on my trips to Asia and Africa have assisted my acceptance into these communities.
I was up for the usual visit one through the night and was down at the beach by 7:30am. There was nobody here but that is changing as I write. My day will be split between Deva's and the hotel, toying with the idea of watching Maria and Victoria square off for the Australian open women's crown. I remember the player who introduced two odd aspects of professional tennis to the game a few decades ago, none other than J McEnroe. His grunting and arguing with the umpire were a trademark, the first being a modus operandi on the court that has been embraced by none other than Sharipova. Her antics unfortunately are extremely annoying. I have wondered if this carrying on is for the benefit of irritating her opponents or an unavoidable part of her game. I would suspect the former. A lot of pro tennis players grunt but she has it at an annoying volume and intensity. I for one would not mind a grunt-o-meter bring introduced into the sport to tame the excessive antics of such performers. I think JJ's (my sister-in-law) feedback is that it is all part of the game.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Week to go
The week so far had been uneventful. I worked late yesterday and the same will happen today. I watched the Sens lose to the Kings today, after arriving at work about 8am. I have befriended the VP of F&B at my hotel and have had a number of discussions with him. I mentioned how I was bored with breakfast and he said it was already on his list to "fix". I got the royal treatment today, with specially prepared western pancakes and some grilled chicken. I learned from the many years I worked on the IOUG conference that the people best to get close to in a hotel are the person who owns F&B and the banquet captain.
I hit Shilparamam today for a while to pick up some gifts to take home with me. Suresh Kuna had taken me there the week before last and I needed to go back to pick up a _______ for Annabelle, some __________ for Avery, as well as some ___________________ for Sweet Thing and others, not to mention some ________________ for the offspring as well as a _____________ for Lindsay. I know the unmentioned items in the previous sentence will drive my daughter-in-law bonkers.
I hit Shilparamam today for a while to pick up some gifts to take home with me. Suresh Kuna had taken me there the week before last and I needed to go back to pick up a _______ for Annabelle, some __________ for Avery, as well as some ___________________ for Sweet Thing and others, not to mention some ________________ for the offspring as well as a _____________ for Lindsay. I know the unmentioned items in the previous sentence will drive my daughter-in-law bonkers.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Just in case
I believe I picked up my fascination with languages and character sets from my Father. If as interested as me, follow this link for more information on India's languages. I also picked up, amongst many other topics, my fascination with mathematics from my Dad.
BB - balance of Bangalore
Sunday morning had started early when I got up at 2:30am to watch the Sens lose to Anaheim. I easily fell back asleep until 6:45 or so so liked that. My wakeup did not come at 6:30 but I happened to check my clock and rose when I noticed the time. I had some eggs for breakfast after packing and checking out. Giri was supposed to get me at 8, but called a while later to mention things had got a little crazy at work. He was not oncall Sunday but there was something big going on at work that required his attention nevertheless.
We drove into Bangalore after he picked me up after 9 and the city seemed, as expected, somewhat more modern than Hyderabad. He mentioned there was nothing to really see in the city, but I pointed out that for someone who had never been there, there was probably quite a bit to see. He kept getting plagued by work issues and was on the Air a lot while we first visited the high tech park where one of his previous employers Yahoo is situated,. It was a very nice enclave of buildings with a very green area in the centre flanked by a fountain and come narrow canals.
We went to his domicile around 10:30 or so, a seven storey apartment block that he had pointed out from my hotel when we met for dinner Friday evening. He has a lovely and very spacious 2-bedroom flat, and naturally I met the wife and daughter, the latter whom we picked up at an aunt's place on the way to Giri's. Ashwami is 10 years old and a lovely young lady. We hung out at the apartment for a while as Sangeetha made a meal. The apartment is very spacious and comfortable. I ran across a Givson six-string there, tuned it, and it sounded very nice once a G was a G. I played cards with Ashwami for a while until a sumptuous repast appeared. It was curry shrimp in a spicy broth with a touch of vegetables mixed into the brew. As well we had chicken biryani, a popular rice-based dish very popular in southern India. That was medium spicy and all in all, the company and the feast was a pleasure.
Giri was planning to drive me to the airport but work commitments got in the way. We drove for about five minutes, I said my thanks and how much I appreciated their hospitality, and a roller-coaster ride to the airport ensued. I got in the cab about 1:30, expecting it to take an hour or so to get to our destination. The driver made a petrol stop and also filled his tyres. I scolded him for wasting my time. The gas I could understand but the tyres could have waited. Then the speed of the voyage increased and I was not excited about the balance of the trip. Some of the straightaways we hit 110 kph. I arrived at the airport about 2:35 which was lots of time but was ticked about the delays that led to the excessive speed on the way there. I approached the entrance and was motioned to the Jet Airways guichet to get a paper copy of my ticket to show the guard to gain entry to the terminal.
It took me another 15 minutes to get my boarding pass, then we were bused to a tired piece of equipment in the Boeing family of jets. The plane was full and hot. The air vents pumped cool air very slowly into my face which complicated the temperature in the fuselage. I fell asleep and all of a sudden we were in Hyderabad. The landing was rougher than usual, reminding me of an article I had recently read in the Deccan Chronicle about a carrier in India. The article claimed that this carrier had been caught allowing pilots with minimal skills, having failed testing on smaller apparatus, to fly large commercial jets. The article pointed out this was not far from handing an inexperienced motorcycle driver the keys to a dump truck. At least the dump truck does not carry human cargo whereas the airplane could have a few hundred people on board.
The cab from RGIA to the Katriya followed very unfamiliar territory and I wondered if I was being taken for a ride (literally?) by the driver. On the contrary, when we arrived at the hotel the meter was Rs. 535, whereas my trip to the airport Friday had been over Rs. 900. I showered and went for Chinese at Mainland China which was not open yet when I first arrived. I killed some time at a mall close to the restaurant, and went back after 7pm. I could not eat all the food so brought home a take-away I am hoping to down today for lunch.
I finally met my challenge at that restaurant ... the hot and sour soup was too spicy for even this well-experienced spicy food expert. I had half of it then used the Kingfisher beer to quench my burning mouth. Differences between Hyderabad and Bangalore (at least what I saw of both)?
Bangalore seems newer and not all of the shoulders to the wider streets are loose dirt. Some are covered in large ceramic-like tile being an extension to the sidewalk. The drivers of the motorcycles wear helmets in Bangalore, a local law unlike one of the same which does not exist in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad airport is palatial and obviously newer than Bangalore. Hyderabad auto-rickshaws are mainly green whereas they are black in Bangalore. The English proficiency with the natives in both cities was comparable. The children start studying English right from the beginning. The predominant language in Bangalore, from what I experienced and was told, is Kannada, whereas Hyderabad is a Telugu town. I did not see any of the written Kannada language but have seen lots of Telugu in HYD and it has a fascinating character set. Petrol is the equivalent of of 1.25 CAD or so per litre, reminiscent of what we pay at home.
This week ... three days in the office then Thursday to Sunday in Goa. I am staying in a beach-side resort called Casablanca and hope it does not disappoint. I have a total of nine more days in this whirlwind business trip called India.
We drove into Bangalore after he picked me up after 9 and the city seemed, as expected, somewhat more modern than Hyderabad. He mentioned there was nothing to really see in the city, but I pointed out that for someone who had never been there, there was probably quite a bit to see. He kept getting plagued by work issues and was on the Air a lot while we first visited the high tech park where one of his previous employers Yahoo is situated,. It was a very nice enclave of buildings with a very green area in the centre flanked by a fountain and come narrow canals.
We went to his domicile around 10:30 or so, a seven storey apartment block that he had pointed out from my hotel when we met for dinner Friday evening. He has a lovely and very spacious 2-bedroom flat, and naturally I met the wife and daughter, the latter whom we picked up at an aunt's place on the way to Giri's. Ashwami is 10 years old and a lovely young lady. We hung out at the apartment for a while as Sangeetha made a meal. The apartment is very spacious and comfortable. I ran across a Givson six-string there, tuned it, and it sounded very nice once a G was a G. I played cards with Ashwami for a while until a sumptuous repast appeared. It was curry shrimp in a spicy broth with a touch of vegetables mixed into the brew. As well we had chicken biryani, a popular rice-based dish very popular in southern India. That was medium spicy and all in all, the company and the feast was a pleasure.
Giri was planning to drive me to the airport but work commitments got in the way. We drove for about five minutes, I said my thanks and how much I appreciated their hospitality, and a roller-coaster ride to the airport ensued. I got in the cab about 1:30, expecting it to take an hour or so to get to our destination. The driver made a petrol stop and also filled his tyres. I scolded him for wasting my time. The gas I could understand but the tyres could have waited. Then the speed of the voyage increased and I was not excited about the balance of the trip. Some of the straightaways we hit 110 kph. I arrived at the airport about 2:35 which was lots of time but was ticked about the delays that led to the excessive speed on the way there. I approached the entrance and was motioned to the Jet Airways guichet to get a paper copy of my ticket to show the guard to gain entry to the terminal.
It took me another 15 minutes to get my boarding pass, then we were bused to a tired piece of equipment in the Boeing family of jets. The plane was full and hot. The air vents pumped cool air very slowly into my face which complicated the temperature in the fuselage. I fell asleep and all of a sudden we were in Hyderabad. The landing was rougher than usual, reminding me of an article I had recently read in the Deccan Chronicle about a carrier in India. The article claimed that this carrier had been caught allowing pilots with minimal skills, having failed testing on smaller apparatus, to fly large commercial jets. The article pointed out this was not far from handing an inexperienced motorcycle driver the keys to a dump truck. At least the dump truck does not carry human cargo whereas the airplane could have a few hundred people on board.
The cab from RGIA to the Katriya followed very unfamiliar territory and I wondered if I was being taken for a ride (literally?) by the driver. On the contrary, when we arrived at the hotel the meter was Rs. 535, whereas my trip to the airport Friday had been over Rs. 900. I showered and went for Chinese at Mainland China which was not open yet when I first arrived. I killed some time at a mall close to the restaurant, and went back after 7pm. I could not eat all the food so brought home a take-away I am hoping to down today for lunch.
I finally met my challenge at that restaurant ... the hot and sour soup was too spicy for even this well-experienced spicy food expert. I had half of it then used the Kingfisher beer to quench my burning mouth. Differences between Hyderabad and Bangalore (at least what I saw of both)?
Bangalore seems newer and not all of the shoulders to the wider streets are loose dirt. Some are covered in large ceramic-like tile being an extension to the sidewalk. The drivers of the motorcycles wear helmets in Bangalore, a local law unlike one of the same which does not exist in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad airport is palatial and obviously newer than Bangalore. Hyderabad auto-rickshaws are mainly green whereas they are black in Bangalore. The English proficiency with the natives in both cities was comparable. The children start studying English right from the beginning. The predominant language in Bangalore, from what I experienced and was told, is Kannada, whereas Hyderabad is a Telugu town. I did not see any of the written Kannada language but have seen lots of Telugu in HYD and it has a fascinating character set. Petrol is the equivalent of of 1.25 CAD or so per litre, reminiscent of what we pay at home.
This week ... three days in the office then Thursday to Sunday in Goa. I am staying in a beach-side resort called Casablanca and hope it does not disappoint. I have a total of nine more days in this whirlwind business trip called India.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Not quite
As surprised as many of you may be, the lobby of the Pai Hotel Vista as shown on their web site DOES NOT even come close to resembling what it actually looks like. It is not even close to being as panoramic and contemporary as depicted on he web. I am sure nobody has ever noticed an anomaly as uncommon as this before? I, for one, as the cliche goes, was not born January 20th ...
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday ....
To quote Elton John that is ... so, surprise surprise, Saturday did not disappoint. There is nothing I like more when in "strange" lands than wandering into the burbs. I love passing through all the little hamlets on my way to wherever I may be going. It is so fascinating seeing the stalls and the hoards of people wandering around these settlements and, again no surprose, one thing was NOT lacking in what I saw today ... people, people, and more people. The few trips I took out of Addis with Tagel/Melaku and a few others wound there way through some heavily populated villages, but nothing like today. I have a new term for these little enclaves all over the map in India ... MCHB ... massive conglomerations of human beings. It was fascinating and a joy to watch. My wake up came at 5:35am as planned, my chauffeur scheduled to appear at 6:00. I showered and danced around the stall until I became accustomed to the water that was a tad on the cool side. Whenever I hop into a shower that is not quite warm enough, I think of Mr. Singh who lived near the Kronicks on Cullen. Not long after we moved into Wolverton, we had them over for dessert and the topic of showers somehow came up. Mr. Singh suggested showers should always be cold. That will happen, especially trying to get my Sweet Thing into a cold (or even cool) shower,; not going to happen. Then my first stay at a hotel in Bengaluru and the water is cool. Coincidence (this being the Singh's homeland) ... I think not.
The driver was a bit late. I was disappointed that the front desk was not following through on their commitment to feeding me before I left since breakfast does not start here until 7:30. It was very kind of them to offer but I could not remind them as their generosity was appreciated even if I did not get the food. Lo and behold, a few minutes after I got down here, the front desk guy exclaimed "Let me check on your breakfast" and I ended up with a veggie club sandwich and coffee. What a nice gesture and I was very thankful. I also reminded myself how un-hungry I am most mornings, and those thoughts compelled me to take away the second half of the 'wich.
We headed out of Bengaluru for what seemed to be forever, and finally hit what seemed to be open highway. Then the tolls started and went on all day. My Dad mentioned once how the US government was a leader in levying tolls during the war to help pay for the war effort. They had every intention of scrapping the tolls once the war ended; alas, they forgot and they still exist everyhere in America. I immediately saw signs for Mysore, the ultimate destination of this trek some 120k away. The drive did not disappoint as we whizzed through little MCHB's one after another. There were outlets in all selling probably everything anyone would ever want and then some. They were all delightful. The most recurring vendors were pushing Vodafone and Airtel was a distant second. The vehicles all over the road were of every shape/size/colour one could imagine. I did not see one bus that was even close to resembling any other bus on the highway. I noticed this in Africa and it seems here too that the manufacturers only make one copy of each. Overflowing with riders - an understatement. The doors were open and clientel was literally hanging out the bus to keep cool. I also saw some trains with the steps in the compartments between the cars down with people perched ever so precariously on them. These are the same stairs that are covered by a flor that swings into place in America just before the train leaves.
Oy-yoy-yoy, the trucks, mainly Tata, but lots of other manufacturers whose names I did not recognize. The cars were predominantly Tata, Suzuki, and Hyundai though there was a splatter of Japanese and a few German vehicles. The Hyundai was called a Santos, something which may be unique to India as it was new to me. Since they drive on the left side of the road here. one would expect the slower vehicles to still hug the shoulder side of the 4-lane roads. Fat chance. The slow traffic hugs the median making it a requirement to pass them on the left. I also discovered what we call a paved shoulder at home in this country is many times a third lane. There was lots of impatient horn honking amd the driver threaded his way through slower trafic. It was a difficult manouvere in many cases since the left lane had one or more motorcycles to also navigate around. About 90 minutes into the drive we stopped for the driver to eat breakfast. I took my first pictures there, capturing some kids eating grass at the side of the road. The buses were colourful and each completely full (over-crowded) or almost empty.
Our first stop was a bit shy of Mysore and was another a site where there were a number of touristy sites to see. We saw the final resting place Tippu Sultan who ruled this part of India in the 19th century. We stopped at the location of Colonel bailey's dungeon, where war prisoners were sent to this unfortunate site once captured, and chained to stone slabs sticking out from the walls. We then went to the Ranganatha Swamy Hindu temple. Silly me started to enter the temple and was motioned to come back and ditch the shoes and socks. Maybe I should become a Hindu priest as they probably get to live their lives barefoot ... my favourite. Outside the temple was a high tower-like structure wuth ornate wood carvings part way up the side. I can only shudder to think of how long it took to make those carvings and how many nails were broken doing so. It must have taken years. The pillars holding up the ceiling of te temple seemed to be made out of rocks, more than likely sculpted individually by hand and then fitter together into a pillar. I turned a corner and happened into a colourful small room dug into a wall of the temple. A priest was hanging out and just starting to lead a prayer as people stood still and some kissed the ground, I watched for a bit in amazement.
As one got deeper into the temple, the signs forbiding photography appeared, so I was out of luck until I got outside. There was one location where a rather arge room had been etched into the temple wall. There was a form reclining on the alter. A woman (it seemed) and she was black. She was draped in customary colourful Hindu garb and had flower-like stuff over her. The priest who tended to the alter went inside the room a few times to perform a task for the onlookers. Many were carrying what seemed to be a tay with banana leaves and small coconuts. I thought they would be given to the priest who would deposit said fruits in the holy chamber. On the contrary, he would lower the tray until it touched the floor of the structure upon which the figure was reclining, then hand back to the worshipers. The courtyard to the side of the temple was large, and surrounded by stone everything. There was an especially interesting structure, actually a few of them with differing sizes. in the courtyard. Hmmmm ... they sure look like chuppas to me.
I strolled the flea market across from the temple and was followed by a number of vendors insisting I needed wooden elephants, incense, and fans. I bought something for Annabelle there and Avery is next on my list in the grandchildren department. One of the structures that was attached to the bulding had a bunch of green plant material hanging from one of its corners. Hmmmmmmm ... I wondered? Could it be? Naaah. a gaggle of school children were in the marketplace, all dressed in their read and striped red uniforms and they were a little on the cute side I must say. Our next stop was a palace with a museum in the centre, having been the summer place of Tippu, having been built in the late 18th century.Darilya-Dault is a fine palace at that within grounds covered in very short well-kept grass. It was as short as that found on a golf green. Even the entry structure to the gardens was exquisite.
No cameras were allowed in the museum itself but that did not stop most except me :). The throng would its way around a square room with the outside walls all following a different theme. The first was, I know this will surprise you, was dedicated to war. There was an awful lot of fighting going on in the 17th and 18th century. The next wall was dedicated to people of every shape and size. We then entered a few halls that contained showcases full of memorabilia and paintings/pictures of the sultan's immediate family. There was a long and narrow pool flanked by rows of trees leading up to the museum. Everything was so green and it's so dry in the south if India in the winter that they grounds crew must be busy attending to these little green gems referred to as "grass". There was hardly anyone at the ticket booth when I arrived, but on my way out it was a different story. We left and headed in the direction of Mysore as we climbed back on the main highway. We briefly stopped at none other than a Catholic cathedral Who would'a thunk. We did not stay ther elong as I have seen many of them. Nobody ever accused the Vatican of having too few of such structures in the diaspora.
Our next stop was another temple. I was templed-out so walked through a funky row of closely-packed stalls where the predominant goods were bangles, stuffed animals, wood carvings, and watches. The further one got into the row, the more congested the walkway became. At the end was the temple I could have gone into I I desired. A priest was working the crowd looking for donations and as quite ticked when I dropped Rs. 6 into his bowl. Sorry bud, Rs. 6 multiplied by the number of people who pass through that temple in a given day could amount to some sizeable coin my friend. 'Twas then time for lunch. We drove around Mysore for a while, I excpecting the driver to take me to a hotel which he did. It was the Pai Hotel Vista and I ascended to the fourth floor for a buffet. I am sort of buffeted-out but managed to eat anyways. I had dome buttered and hot naan which always pleases towards the end of my meal. There was a bit of a kefuffle with my VISA card but that was ironed out when I descended the elevator with the restaurant's maitre'd and paid at the registration desk. Next was the main event ... and it was an event, the Mysore palace. I believe the locals call it Mysuru.
Now this was a palace to end all palaces. Not having traveled extensively in the British Isles I am sure there could be many palaces/castles there that make Mysore look small in comparison. Suffice to say, I was impressed with what I saw. There were a handful of building all over the vast grounds of the palace, with the main building dwarfing all others in size, not to mention the attention it got. I ended up sharing a guide with two ladies from Australia at the whopping stipend of Rs. 150 each. It was worth it as it had been the day the Allamraju's and I did Golconda fort in Hyderabad. There were displays of artifacts made from Bengalie teak and silver predominantly. There was no shortage of grand halls with vaulted ceilings adorned with vivid sculptured pillars and pilasters, many with cathedral-like roofs that were a sight to behold. There was a lot of gold on the pillars and some of the baseboards. The guide told us the palace was built for 90,000 USD, mentioning that would not even cover one of the ornate chandeliers if compared to today's prices. There was a sports field on one side of the palace with an assortment of viewing locations where the rich and famous of that era would watch an assortment of events at the invitation of the king. There are certain times during the calendar year that the palace is closed to the plebs such as me, when special events are held by the upper class of the Mysore and greater southern India area. The palace had its own temple, a Sri Shveta Varahaswami structure located in the vast courtyard.
We piled back into the Tata and I told the driver I was done. We headed back towards Bengaluru and I dozed off a bit. The traffic was worse than when we came down and the driver threaded a few interesting traffic-needles all throughout the journey. We settled up at the hotel, and I ended up, with tolls, parting with a whopping Rs. 2,600 which meant, including the driver and car, a mere $52. That was not only a deal, but delivered a fantastic day at that. My immediate plans ... sit in the restaurant at my hotel, write this entry for the BLOG, and crash in time to get up at 2:30am and watch the Sens. Tomorrow is up early, a visit with Giri and his family, then back to Hyderabad on a 3:35pm flight. There is nobody in the restaurant. Is it that to maintain their star rating, they must have a restaurant open from 7:30am until 11:00pm? Let me know ST ...
The driver was a bit late. I was disappointed that the front desk was not following through on their commitment to feeding me before I left since breakfast does not start here until 7:30. It was very kind of them to offer but I could not remind them as their generosity was appreciated even if I did not get the food. Lo and behold, a few minutes after I got down here, the front desk guy exclaimed "Let me check on your breakfast" and I ended up with a veggie club sandwich and coffee. What a nice gesture and I was very thankful. I also reminded myself how un-hungry I am most mornings, and those thoughts compelled me to take away the second half of the 'wich.
We headed out of Bengaluru for what seemed to be forever, and finally hit what seemed to be open highway. Then the tolls started and went on all day. My Dad mentioned once how the US government was a leader in levying tolls during the war to help pay for the war effort. They had every intention of scrapping the tolls once the war ended; alas, they forgot and they still exist everyhere in America. I immediately saw signs for Mysore, the ultimate destination of this trek some 120k away. The drive did not disappoint as we whizzed through little MCHB's one after another. There were outlets in all selling probably everything anyone would ever want and then some. They were all delightful. The most recurring vendors were pushing Vodafone and Airtel was a distant second. The vehicles all over the road were of every shape/size/colour one could imagine. I did not see one bus that was even close to resembling any other bus on the highway. I noticed this in Africa and it seems here too that the manufacturers only make one copy of each. Overflowing with riders - an understatement. The doors were open and clientel was literally hanging out the bus to keep cool. I also saw some trains with the steps in the compartments between the cars down with people perched ever so precariously on them. These are the same stairs that are covered by a flor that swings into place in America just before the train leaves.
Oy-yoy-yoy, the trucks, mainly Tata, but lots of other manufacturers whose names I did not recognize. The cars were predominantly Tata, Suzuki, and Hyundai though there was a splatter of Japanese and a few German vehicles. The Hyundai was called a Santos, something which may be unique to India as it was new to me. Since they drive on the left side of the road here. one would expect the slower vehicles to still hug the shoulder side of the 4-lane roads. Fat chance. The slow traffic hugs the median making it a requirement to pass them on the left. I also discovered what we call a paved shoulder at home in this country is many times a third lane. There was lots of impatient horn honking amd the driver threaded his way through slower trafic. It was a difficult manouvere in many cases since the left lane had one or more motorcycles to also navigate around. About 90 minutes into the drive we stopped for the driver to eat breakfast. I took my first pictures there, capturing some kids eating grass at the side of the road. The buses were colourful and each completely full (over-crowded) or almost empty.
Our first stop was a bit shy of Mysore and was another a site where there were a number of touristy sites to see. We saw the final resting place Tippu Sultan who ruled this part of India in the 19th century. We stopped at the location of Colonel bailey's dungeon, where war prisoners were sent to this unfortunate site once captured, and chained to stone slabs sticking out from the walls. We then went to the Ranganatha Swamy Hindu temple. Silly me started to enter the temple and was motioned to come back and ditch the shoes and socks. Maybe I should become a Hindu priest as they probably get to live their lives barefoot ... my favourite. Outside the temple was a high tower-like structure wuth ornate wood carvings part way up the side. I can only shudder to think of how long it took to make those carvings and how many nails were broken doing so. It must have taken years. The pillars holding up the ceiling of te temple seemed to be made out of rocks, more than likely sculpted individually by hand and then fitter together into a pillar. I turned a corner and happened into a colourful small room dug into a wall of the temple. A priest was hanging out and just starting to lead a prayer as people stood still and some kissed the ground, I watched for a bit in amazement.
As one got deeper into the temple, the signs forbiding photography appeared, so I was out of luck until I got outside. There was one location where a rather arge room had been etched into the temple wall. There was a form reclining on the alter. A woman (it seemed) and she was black. She was draped in customary colourful Hindu garb and had flower-like stuff over her. The priest who tended to the alter went inside the room a few times to perform a task for the onlookers. Many were carrying what seemed to be a tay with banana leaves and small coconuts. I thought they would be given to the priest who would deposit said fruits in the holy chamber. On the contrary, he would lower the tray until it touched the floor of the structure upon which the figure was reclining, then hand back to the worshipers. The courtyard to the side of the temple was large, and surrounded by stone everything. There was an especially interesting structure, actually a few of them with differing sizes. in the courtyard. Hmmmm ... they sure look like chuppas to me.
I strolled the flea market across from the temple and was followed by a number of vendors insisting I needed wooden elephants, incense, and fans. I bought something for Annabelle there and Avery is next on my list in the grandchildren department. One of the structures that was attached to the bulding had a bunch of green plant material hanging from one of its corners. Hmmmmmmm ... I wondered? Could it be? Naaah. a gaggle of school children were in the marketplace, all dressed in their read and striped red uniforms and they were a little on the cute side I must say. Our next stop was a palace with a museum in the centre, having been the summer place of Tippu, having been built in the late 18th century.Darilya-Dault is a fine palace at that within grounds covered in very short well-kept grass. It was as short as that found on a golf green. Even the entry structure to the gardens was exquisite.
No cameras were allowed in the museum itself but that did not stop most except me :). The throng would its way around a square room with the outside walls all following a different theme. The first was, I know this will surprise you, was dedicated to war. There was an awful lot of fighting going on in the 17th and 18th century. The next wall was dedicated to people of every shape and size. We then entered a few halls that contained showcases full of memorabilia and paintings/pictures of the sultan's immediate family. There was a long and narrow pool flanked by rows of trees leading up to the museum. Everything was so green and it's so dry in the south if India in the winter that they grounds crew must be busy attending to these little green gems referred to as "grass". There was hardly anyone at the ticket booth when I arrived, but on my way out it was a different story. We left and headed in the direction of Mysore as we climbed back on the main highway. We briefly stopped at none other than a Catholic cathedral Who would'a thunk. We did not stay ther elong as I have seen many of them. Nobody ever accused the Vatican of having too few of such structures in the diaspora.
Our next stop was another temple. I was templed-out so walked through a funky row of closely-packed stalls where the predominant goods were bangles, stuffed animals, wood carvings, and watches. The further one got into the row, the more congested the walkway became. At the end was the temple I could have gone into I I desired. A priest was working the crowd looking for donations and as quite ticked when I dropped Rs. 6 into his bowl. Sorry bud, Rs. 6 multiplied by the number of people who pass through that temple in a given day could amount to some sizeable coin my friend. 'Twas then time for lunch. We drove around Mysore for a while, I excpecting the driver to take me to a hotel which he did. It was the Pai Hotel Vista and I ascended to the fourth floor for a buffet. I am sort of buffeted-out but managed to eat anyways. I had dome buttered and hot naan which always pleases towards the end of my meal. There was a bit of a kefuffle with my VISA card but that was ironed out when I descended the elevator with the restaurant's maitre'd and paid at the registration desk. Next was the main event ... and it was an event, the Mysore palace. I believe the locals call it Mysuru.
Now this was a palace to end all palaces. Not having traveled extensively in the British Isles I am sure there could be many palaces/castles there that make Mysore look small in comparison. Suffice to say, I was impressed with what I saw. There were a handful of building all over the vast grounds of the palace, with the main building dwarfing all others in size, not to mention the attention it got. I ended up sharing a guide with two ladies from Australia at the whopping stipend of Rs. 150 each. It was worth it as it had been the day the Allamraju's and I did Golconda fort in Hyderabad. There were displays of artifacts made from Bengalie teak and silver predominantly. There was no shortage of grand halls with vaulted ceilings adorned with vivid sculptured pillars and pilasters, many with cathedral-like roofs that were a sight to behold. There was a lot of gold on the pillars and some of the baseboards. The guide told us the palace was built for 90,000 USD, mentioning that would not even cover one of the ornate chandeliers if compared to today's prices. There was a sports field on one side of the palace with an assortment of viewing locations where the rich and famous of that era would watch an assortment of events at the invitation of the king. There are certain times during the calendar year that the palace is closed to the plebs such as me, when special events are held by the upper class of the Mysore and greater southern India area. The palace had its own temple, a Sri Shveta Varahaswami structure located in the vast courtyard.
We piled back into the Tata and I told the driver I was done. We headed back towards Bengaluru and I dozed off a bit. The traffic was worse than when we came down and the driver threaded a few interesting traffic-needles all throughout the journey. We settled up at the hotel, and I ended up, with tolls, parting with a whopping Rs. 2,600 which meant, including the driver and car, a mere $52. That was not only a deal, but delivered a fantastic day at that. My immediate plans ... sit in the restaurant at my hotel, write this entry for the BLOG, and crash in time to get up at 2:30am and watch the Sens. Tomorrow is up early, a visit with Giri and his family, then back to Hyderabad on a 3:35pm flight. There is nobody in the restaurant. Is it that to maintain their star rating, they must have a restaurant open from 7:30am until 11:00pm? Let me know ST ...
Friday, January 20, 2012
Bengaluru or bust
I was up early (for a change) but think I fell back asleep and showered and got ready by 7. I went downstairs for the boring buffet, but managed to have a bit ... same thing day in day out. I hit the office by 7:45am and was the first in naturally. I took my bags for the trip to Bangalore so I could leave from the office.
I watched the first two periods of the Sens and the Sharks and left when it was the end of the second and 3-1 Ottawa. I received a number of calls on my cell in the morning and figured it was a wrong number. The person called back many times so I was not sure what was going on. I prepared to grab the cab that had been reserved about 10:45 and Raju asked if the driver had called at all during the morning. Ah hah! That is who kept calling and he must have thought I was some rude foreigner who did not speak English well.
The ride to the airport was long, but I love whizzing through unfamiliar parts of cities I have sort of seen. I received a call from Raju who told me that the plane was leaving at 12:15 not 1:35. Say what? Anyhow, I was so close to the airport when I found this out there was lots of time. I left the cab and gave the driver a small tip.
I approached the guarded entrance to the airport and was told to go see the Jet Airways kiosk beside the front door to get paper work. They actually gave me a boarding pass and placed me in 18F. I had a muffin and wandered through the departures level then settled in to seat 18F about 12:30pm. The plane left and I dozed off (surprise surprise). I checked the NHL web site before boarding and found the Sens had finished them off 4-1. They are now a few points away from the top of the eastern conference, say what!
Landing in Bangalore was soon thereafter and we were bused from the jet to the arrivals area. I was accosted by 2 two cabbies but ended up doing what all good travelers do ... went into the "official cab waiting area". I was told the fare to my hotel would be about Rs. 1000 and it was. It was a long drive, over an hour. We weaved our way through some rustic sections of the city and there was ample evidence of massive construction efforts, both commercial and residential. I am still struggling with their driving on the other side or, as Mr. Dudley claims, the ONLY SIDE.
The scenery along the way was pretty standard India fare from what I have seen since my arrival some 10 days ago. There were shops of all sorts sharing weathered structures. The little good stores were especially busy and I wonder if they are all preparing for the erev-shabbat meal. We stopped at one point and the driver disappeared to do something at a counter and returned some five minutes later. We were on run down dirt roads, some nice wide limited access highways, and some paved thoroughfares teeming with traffic of all sorts. The auto-rickshaws here are mostly painted yellow and black rather than Hyderabad's yellow and green.
I checked in and the room is lovely. I did like the look of the Vishwaratna hotel when I looked at it here. I settled and washed up then went for a stroll to the Total mall right next to the hotel. That was an experience especially the food floor number 2. I always find it so fascinating seeing what people buy and live on in other countries. I scored some roasted peanuts and am glad I asked for assistance as the ones I was thinking of buying were raw. Once when at Just Kickin' in Kampala, I was so pleased with myself to pick up some peanuts from a vendor flogging his wares at the bar, only to find they were raw; yucccch.
There was a wide assortment of stores in the mall and I could not get over the number of people working in some of these establishments. I would imagine, unlike North America, labour is so inexpensive that there are so many people working everywhere. I applaud the business owners for creating so many jobs. I noticed the same thing when I lived in Addis Abbeba. I spoke to Giri and we are meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:15. I have a private driver reserved for 6am tomorrow for a fun-filled day of sightseeing within 120k of Bangalore. Giri mentioned I could be gone as late as 10pm ... fine with me, bring it on.
I watched the first two periods of the Sens and the Sharks and left when it was the end of the second and 3-1 Ottawa. I received a number of calls on my cell in the morning and figured it was a wrong number. The person called back many times so I was not sure what was going on. I prepared to grab the cab that had been reserved about 10:45 and Raju asked if the driver had called at all during the morning. Ah hah! That is who kept calling and he must have thought I was some rude foreigner who did not speak English well.
The ride to the airport was long, but I love whizzing through unfamiliar parts of cities I have sort of seen. I received a call from Raju who told me that the plane was leaving at 12:15 not 1:35. Say what? Anyhow, I was so close to the airport when I found this out there was lots of time. I left the cab and gave the driver a small tip.
I approached the guarded entrance to the airport and was told to go see the Jet Airways kiosk beside the front door to get paper work. They actually gave me a boarding pass and placed me in 18F. I had a muffin and wandered through the departures level then settled in to seat 18F about 12:30pm. The plane left and I dozed off (surprise surprise). I checked the NHL web site before boarding and found the Sens had finished them off 4-1. They are now a few points away from the top of the eastern conference, say what!
Landing in Bangalore was soon thereafter and we were bused from the jet to the arrivals area. I was accosted by 2 two cabbies but ended up doing what all good travelers do ... went into the "official cab waiting area". I was told the fare to my hotel would be about Rs. 1000 and it was. It was a long drive, over an hour. We weaved our way through some rustic sections of the city and there was ample evidence of massive construction efforts, both commercial and residential. I am still struggling with their driving on the other side or, as Mr. Dudley claims, the ONLY SIDE.
The scenery along the way was pretty standard India fare from what I have seen since my arrival some 10 days ago. There were shops of all sorts sharing weathered structures. The little good stores were especially busy and I wonder if they are all preparing for the erev-shabbat meal. We stopped at one point and the driver disappeared to do something at a counter and returned some five minutes later. We were on run down dirt roads, some nice wide limited access highways, and some paved thoroughfares teeming with traffic of all sorts. The auto-rickshaws here are mostly painted yellow and black rather than Hyderabad's yellow and green.
I checked in and the room is lovely. I did like the look of the Vishwaratna hotel when I looked at it here. I settled and washed up then went for a stroll to the Total mall right next to the hotel. That was an experience especially the food floor number 2. I always find it so fascinating seeing what people buy and live on in other countries. I scored some roasted peanuts and am glad I asked for assistance as the ones I was thinking of buying were raw. Once when at Just Kickin' in Kampala, I was so pleased with myself to pick up some peanuts from a vendor flogging his wares at the bar, only to find they were raw; yucccch.
There was a wide assortment of stores in the mall and I could not get over the number of people working in some of these establishments. I would imagine, unlike North America, labour is so inexpensive that there are so many people working everywhere. I applaud the business owners for creating so many jobs. I noticed the same thing when I lived in Addis Abbeba. I spoke to Giri and we are meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:15. I have a private driver reserved for 6am tomorrow for a fun-filled day of sightseeing within 120k of Bangalore. Giri mentioned I could be gone as late as 10pm ... fine with me, bring it on.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Into the great wide open
Thursday at the office was uneventful which, in the business I am in, is a good thing. I have been taking oncall when I get in first thing in the morning. I did watch Ottawa come back and beat the Laffs after being down 2 zip. I ordered in for lunch Thursday with some pizza which was OK. I left the office early knowing I had meetings at 7pm, 7;30pm, then 9pm to make up any missing time. I could not get a good connection strong enough to attend the daily 7pm team meeting and skipped my 7:30 for the same reason. I got called by someone for the 9pm meeting which was brokered by a better but still not great signal.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Just call me Michael Hyder Abbey
I have arrived ... giving rickshaw drives directions ... I have arrived. Not discussing price before I get in, just passing him Rs. 30 at the end ... I have arrived. I am starting to get the hang of this place, but still puzzled about many things. One word to sum up my experiences in this lovely country so far ... WOW. One of many experiences of a lifetime ... keep it coming please.
Letting off some steam
Late Tuesday at work was a little hectic. I needed some energy so decided to cab it to Lubmini mall and check the place out. I had passed it on my way to the market Monday evening with Suresh. I approached the cluster of rickshaws at the bottom of the road that leads to Katriya and the negotiating started. I showed a driver the address of where I wanted to go and there was a heated discussion settling on 50 Rs. A driver popped up out of nowhere and proudly vaulted to the front of the gathering knowing I would recognize him from a few nights ago. Recognize him I did as the one who over-charged me for a ride that night. He was hoping mind-abyss Canuck would forget that episode and gladly climb in with a familiar face. There have been a few times so far this trip where I wish I could be understood by all the locals. This sure was one. I told the gang that he had charged me too much a few nights ago and had made and extra 75 Rs at the expense of further business. Nice job Mr. Cabbie.
The ride to the mall took about 20 minutes. There was one intersection of gridlock as the cars crossing were pouring into the common ground and the vehicles in my direction did not have a chance. Both the driver and I commented on how traffic cops (2 of them) were a mere 100 feet away but too busy doing nothing to assist. The mall was eventful sort of and I bought three t-shirts for a whopping $14. Then I walked for a bit and was again surprised how pedestrian-unfriendly this burg can be. In some places there were no sidewalks and I was on the road this close to two and four-wheeled machines whizzing by. Just when I had enough I crossed the street (a frogger game) and found a rickshaw to transport me back to Somajiguda. I just mis-typed the word "rickshaw" as "riskshaw" ... think that may be a better name :).
I had some chicken for dinner and retired, knowing/hoping I would be up to watch the Sens and the Laffs play at 5:30am ... doing that just now, 2-2 after 2.
The ride to the mall took about 20 minutes. There was one intersection of gridlock as the cars crossing were pouring into the common ground and the vehicles in my direction did not have a chance. Both the driver and I commented on how traffic cops (2 of them) were a mere 100 feet away but too busy doing nothing to assist. The mall was eventful sort of and I bought three t-shirts for a whopping $14. Then I walked for a bit and was again surprised how pedestrian-unfriendly this burg can be. In some places there were no sidewalks and I was on the road this close to two and four-wheeled machines whizzing by. Just when I had enough I crossed the street (a frogger game) and found a rickshaw to transport me back to Somajiguda. I just mis-typed the word "rickshaw" as "riskshaw" ... think that may be a better name :).
I had some chicken for dinner and retired, knowing/hoping I would be up to watch the Sens and the Laffs play at 5:30am ... doing that just now, 2-2 after 2.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
An adventuresome little monkey
I got very brave and decided to head out somewhere by myself for lunch. I hopped a rickshaw and asked the driver to take me to Golkondal hotel so I could go to Chef Inam's steak house again. He suggested 50 Rs and I loved that as I had started with 100 :). Not long into the journey, I started to suspect he did not know where he was going even though I knew we were going in the right direction. We finally stopped at the side of the road to speak with a local on a bike. The local assisted as much as he could, then I called Adiyta who synched the deal. Off to Chef Inam's.
I had a nice meal, and made the mistake of asking for a receipt. There was some fumbling and I finally noticed the server was uncomfortable with my request so suggested I did not need one. The trip back was 100 Rs, a more reasonable tariff, and I feel fine thanks.
I had a nice meal, and made the mistake of asking for a receipt. There was some fumbling and I finally noticed the server was uncomfortable with my request so suggested I did not need one. The trip back was 100 Rs, a more reasonable tariff, and I feel fine thanks.
Always something new
Monday started around 7am which was record for me since I arrived in India. Work was work, nothing special, nothing out-of-the-ordinary. I found out mid-afternoon that Suresh was planning to take me somewhere after work. I thought it was an event that coincided with Pongal. We left the office about 7:20 and took a rickshaw for what seemed like a long time for a mere 100 Rs. We arrived at what looked like a fair ground with lots of people. We entered and the walking began.
It was some sort of permanent flea market, vendors displaying a wide assortment of wares, clothing, toys, wooden paraphernalia, elephants and buddhas (of course), and tempting assortments of local foods. We walked for an hour or so and ended up in the food court. I had something with dahl inside wrapped in a thin soft tortilla-like object that was very nice. I finished off with an assortment of peas and some other grain-like substances that were mildly spicy. We hopped a rickshaw back to Somajiguda and Suresh negotiated a maximum fee of 100 Rs. He noticed the fare on the way to the park. It was a good thing as the metre on the return vehicle was running fast.
I have figured out a handful of tricks played by the rickshaw drivers to squeeze more money out of unsuspecting clientel:
It was some sort of permanent flea market, vendors displaying a wide assortment of wares, clothing, toys, wooden paraphernalia, elephants and buddhas (of course), and tempting assortments of local foods. We walked for an hour or so and ended up in the food court. I had something with dahl inside wrapped in a thin soft tortilla-like object that was very nice. I finished off with an assortment of peas and some other grain-like substances that were mildly spicy. We hopped a rickshaw back to Somajiguda and Suresh negotiated a maximum fee of 100 Rs. He noticed the fare on the way to the park. It was a good thing as the metre on the return vehicle was running fast.
I have figured out a handful of tricks played by the rickshaw drivers to squeeze more money out of unsuspecting clientel:
- Carry one's wad of cash in a pants pocket, keeping a very small amount of small bills in the shirt. Thus when the trip end and the fare is 150 Rs, after being handed two 100 Rs notes, pull out two 10 Rs notes for change and exclaim "all". Thus the fare inflates to 180 Rs for a self-tipping gain of 30 Rs.
- When negotiating a fare before the start of the journey, include the extra amount required to go a hew hundred metres and pull the U-turn, a common occurrence in Hyderabad traffic since there are medians blocking turns almost everywhere in the city. Then drop the passenger on the other side of the street, negating the median charge.
Monday, January 16, 2012
What a difference a day makes
With reference to Dinah Washington, of course, same applies here. I was in bed not long after my walk and rickshaw ride back to Katriya. I was up a number of times during the night but fortunate enough to fall back asleep. I was up for an hour or so at 4am but fell asleep again waking after 7. Yippee!! End of jet lag hopefully. At the office now which may be noticeably less busy today with the last of 4 days celebrating Pongal.
Schedule tomorrow morning will be different as I will not mind being up at 6am to watch the Senators tangle with the Jets ...
Schedule tomorrow morning will be different as I will not mind being up at 6am to watch the Senators tangle with the Jets ...
Sunday, January 15, 2012
And on the seventh day
I hit the hay 9'ish on Saturday evening, determined this would be catch-up sleep night. I did pretty good, sleeping close to 8 hours or so until about 6:15am. I was up quickly to catch the Sens against the Habs in Montreal. I was not disappointed by a shootout victory engineered by none other than number 11.
I headed down for borefast about 9am then prepared for a trek. I left the hotel and turned left on the busy street, and walked for about one hour. I was not too impressed with what I saw, except the street scenes were as expected in this town. I stopped at a medical supply store and tried to acquire some lip balm. That did not go well. Eventually I got bored and hopped a rickshaw to none other than Charminar. I walked around there for some time and even bought an apple. That was exciting. I went through my bag looking for the water I had packed so I could wash the fruit. No find ... I bought some from a small store and the owner said "60". I was not sure if he meant "60" or "16" so went to hand him a 100 rupee note. He pointed at the 10's in my hand at which point it was obvious he meant 16. An honest fellow. Then came my second rickshaw ride back to Katriya. I sat in the lobby for quite a while and uploaded more pix to Facebook.
I came back up and a while after my return the housekeeping crew showed up and I do mean crew ... two attendees, one supervisor, one suited attendant, two guys who are usually hanging around in the lobby, and the assistant manager. I asked for extra you-know-what and they obliged. I napped for a bit then headed out to Chef Iman's steak house for dinner. The driver wanted 500 rupee and we ended up at 150. The ride was uneventful and after our final u-turn, the establishment appeared on the left. Rudimentary is not the word ... it was CLASSIC. A young boy no older than 12 served me and he hovered at the table while I chose. The menu said everything came with vegetables, garlic bread, and a beverage. Scratch the first and last. Two other young boys appeared and after 15 minutes, my meal.
It was nice and rivaled most steaks I have had in other locales. It was no Zebra Grille from Addis but it was more than fine. I walked a bit the hopped a rickshaw. I learned something about rickshaws again tonight ... always carry small bills as I gave the chauffeur 200 for a 150 fare and got 30 back :) I guess that's a form of self-tipping.
I headed down for borefast about 9am then prepared for a trek. I left the hotel and turned left on the busy street, and walked for about one hour. I was not too impressed with what I saw, except the street scenes were as expected in this town. I stopped at a medical supply store and tried to acquire some lip balm. That did not go well. Eventually I got bored and hopped a rickshaw to none other than Charminar. I walked around there for some time and even bought an apple. That was exciting. I went through my bag looking for the water I had packed so I could wash the fruit. No find ... I bought some from a small store and the owner said "60". I was not sure if he meant "60" or "16" so went to hand him a 100 rupee note. He pointed at the 10's in my hand at which point it was obvious he meant 16. An honest fellow. Then came my second rickshaw ride back to Katriya. I sat in the lobby for quite a while and uploaded more pix to Facebook.
I came back up and a while after my return the housekeeping crew showed up and I do mean crew ... two attendees, one supervisor, one suited attendant, two guys who are usually hanging around in the lobby, and the assistant manager. I asked for extra you-know-what and they obliged. I napped for a bit then headed out to Chef Iman's steak house for dinner. The driver wanted 500 rupee and we ended up at 150. The ride was uneventful and after our final u-turn, the establishment appeared on the left. Rudimentary is not the word ... it was CLASSIC. A young boy no older than 12 served me and he hovered at the table while I chose. The menu said everything came with vegetables, garlic bread, and a beverage. Scratch the first and last. Two other young boys appeared and after 15 minutes, my meal.
It was nice and rivaled most steaks I have had in other locales. It was no Zebra Grille from Addis but it was more than fine. I walked a bit the hopped a rickshaw. I learned something about rickshaws again tonight ... always carry small bills as I gave the chauffeur 200 for a 150 fare and got 30 back :) I guess that's a form of self-tipping.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Saturday in Hyderabad part 2
Stop #4 was the Chowmahalla palace and it was a superb hacienda. The Asaf Jahi dynasty that ruled the Deccan area of Hyderabad, occupied the palace which took over 200 years to build. The palace was obscenely large, and we wandered through grand halls draped in marble. The palace is exquisitely preserved and serves as a rented facility for many social events that frequent the calendar year in Hyderabad. The grand pool in the main courtyard was a site to see, though not as well maintained as the inner palace rooms and staircases.
We climbed up a staircase and spent some time viewing artifacts related to the people who occupied the palace and what they possessed during their lives. We got "busted" when we exited the palace as we were trying to get out the back which was prohibited. We were at the palace for the shortest time of the five venues we visited since we were all hungry for lunch.
Next was lunch. We drove for what seemed like 30 minutes, through geography in Hydearabad that was brand new to me. We entered a gated complex and on the left was the home of Ohri's. On the way in, we were asked that familiar question in this city "Buffet?". I was buffet'ed out so we chose the menu. We were escorted into the dining area along a marble walkway flanked by pools of water. The menu was small but there was lots of choice. Is started planning already for how I was going to trick Aditya into letting me pay as I knew it would be a struggle. They ordered then I got the lamb. After the server left I was asked if I got some appetizers too and said I had not.
A while later the appetizers arrived ... cheese fritters and something I did not recognize. It was brown and grainy, bitter of sorts, and somewhat spicy. I downed a fritter and part of the brown hockey puck as my lamb arrived. It was the size of a football so downed as much as I could. Naturally Aditya and the wife refused at they are vegetarians. Chit chat was nice and we had a lovely 90 minutes of time over the meal. We finished off with two dessert mud dishes, made up of ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter, all members of the "sweet and brown" food group. Aditya picked up the bill, and we headed out to our last stop of the day.
Stop #5 was the Golkonda fort fort, about 15 minutes from our lunch hangout. There was the regular admissiomn fee, paying a lot more for the foreigner, and a guide swindled his way into the mix for an extra fee. We started the trek towards the fort, and stopped in an intricate archway. The guide pointed out that if one stands in the centre of said archway and claps one's hands loudly, that lookout a way way way up the fort structure could hear the noise. A likely story, but we did hear clapping once we reached that lookout about one hour later to my dis-belief. This clapping was used to announce arrivals and departures to and from the palace to help ensure that the gates were never opened longer than it allowed people to pass through. I think they should use this technique for crowd control at the Apple store in Beijing where I recently read there were near riots when the iPhone 4GS arrived in China.
The walk to the top of the fort was long and probably ascended 300 or more rudimentary stone stairs. The gang kept checking to make sure I was ok an of course I was. We saw the barracks as well as the gun slips, and stopped with the guide to impart entertaining facts about said edifice. About an hour later, we were at the summit of the fort, and looking forward to the trip back down to earth.
The trip down was not as easy as I had thought, as said rudeimentray stairs were hard to navigate sometimes. We stopped again on the way down for tidbits of trivia from the guide. Close to the bottom there was a theatre where, in a meer 60 minutes, there would be a light show with a script to accompany in English. I suggested we did not want to hang around that extra hour waiting for something that was bound to start late. We headed out of the fort and this MARVELLOUS day with the Allamraju's ended.
We climbed up a staircase and spent some time viewing artifacts related to the people who occupied the palace and what they possessed during their lives. We got "busted" when we exited the palace as we were trying to get out the back which was prohibited. We were at the palace for the shortest time of the five venues we visited since we were all hungry for lunch.
Next was lunch. We drove for what seemed like 30 minutes, through geography in Hydearabad that was brand new to me. We entered a gated complex and on the left was the home of Ohri's. On the way in, we were asked that familiar question in this city "Buffet?". I was buffet'ed out so we chose the menu. We were escorted into the dining area along a marble walkway flanked by pools of water. The menu was small but there was lots of choice. Is started planning already for how I was going to trick Aditya into letting me pay as I knew it would be a struggle. They ordered then I got the lamb. After the server left I was asked if I got some appetizers too and said I had not.
A while later the appetizers arrived ... cheese fritters and something I did not recognize. It was brown and grainy, bitter of sorts, and somewhat spicy. I downed a fritter and part of the brown hockey puck as my lamb arrived. It was the size of a football so downed as much as I could. Naturally Aditya and the wife refused at they are vegetarians. Chit chat was nice and we had a lovely 90 minutes of time over the meal. We finished off with two dessert mud dishes, made up of ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter, all members of the "sweet and brown" food group. Aditya picked up the bill, and we headed out to our last stop of the day.
Stop #5 was the Golkonda fort fort, about 15 minutes from our lunch hangout. There was the regular admissiomn fee, paying a lot more for the foreigner, and a guide swindled his way into the mix for an extra fee. We started the trek towards the fort, and stopped in an intricate archway. The guide pointed out that if one stands in the centre of said archway and claps one's hands loudly, that lookout a way way way up the fort structure could hear the noise. A likely story, but we did hear clapping once we reached that lookout about one hour later to my dis-belief. This clapping was used to announce arrivals and departures to and from the palace to help ensure that the gates were never opened longer than it allowed people to pass through. I think they should use this technique for crowd control at the Apple store in Beijing where I recently read there were near riots when the iPhone 4GS arrived in China.
The walk to the top of the fort was long and probably ascended 300 or more rudimentary stone stairs. The gang kept checking to make sure I was ok an of course I was. We saw the barracks as well as the gun slips, and stopped with the guide to impart entertaining facts about said edifice. About an hour later, we were at the summit of the fort, and looking forward to the trip back down to earth.
The trip down was not as easy as I had thought, as said rudeimentray stairs were hard to navigate sometimes. We stopped again on the way down for tidbits of trivia from the guide. Close to the bottom there was a theatre where, in a meer 60 minutes, there would be a light show with a script to accompany in English. I suggested we did not want to hang around that extra hour waiting for something that was bound to start late. We headed out of the fort and this MARVELLOUS day with the Allamraju's ended.
Saturday in Hyderabad part 1
So my wild and wonderful Saturday started out pretty early. I was up at the usual time, having crashed earlier than usual (I think) on Friday evening. I made it downstairs to the breakfast club and quaffed the usual fare. The buffet is boring, not because of the food, but pretty much the same thing day in and day out. I came downstairs not long before 9am to meet the driver and Aditya. They showed up at about the same time, closer to 9:30 but I knew they would be late.
Stop #1 was a Hindu temple. We were allowed to drive close and then had to park the car and walk the rest of the way. We dropped our shoes and socks at the "shoe keeping centre" then ascended the first in a long series of marble staircases. We passed Hindu priests camped out along the way, and were often asked to cup our hands together to receive a morsel of coconut milk to drink. The throngs were mostly native, with few foreigners and a lot of muslims, characterized by the garb within which their women were clad. There were pictures and copious statues to the Hindu deities, especially Shiva for some reason. Many of the reliefs and sculptures had two sets of arms, something I would find quite useful if I were to be so lucky. We toured the gift shoppe quickly, retrieved our foot apparel, and piled back into the car - Aditya, his wife, and yours truly. We spent about 45 minutes at the temple and a few times when close to the top, were treated to a lovely view of the city.
We winded our way down some fairly narrow roadways, hardly big enough for passing one another. The little stalls are abundant by the roadside, coconut milk being the most popular fare amongst the vendors. There was a plethora of onyx elephants available in the shoppes as well, having gathered there is some religious significance to this beast. I noticed artistes hard at work making designs and lettering greetings on the pavement in celebration of Pongal this weekend, celebrated in central and southern India. These intricate creations start with chalk drawings, then filling of the lines by hand with an assortment of coloured chalk dust. The lobby and the front drive of the Katriya were adorned with such work. The technique used by the painters was intriguing and I have never seen someone create letters with such straight lines without the aid of any tools.
Stop #2 was the Salar Jung museum, a bit of a drive from the temple. There are two floors to the displays, and each room is dedicated to an art type of the country as well as a handful of other southeast Asian locations, including Japan. One of the most interesting rooms contained an assortment of porcelain and clay toys. The detail on the pieces was outstanding, especially the way the folds in people's garments were depicted. There were animals as well as humans, some of them caught up in fairly intricate states of movement as the carvings were completed. There was at least one item where the person was carrying a bowl of fruit or playing a musical instrument. Some rooms were dedicated to other countries, especially China. There were despriptions accompanying each display written in English, Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu. The letters in Urdu in particuar were a work of art. Much attention was paid to the founder of the museum and his predecessors and successors.
Each room had a security guard, and in one we noticed he was sleeping! He was sitting in a comfortable chair. It reminds me of the security guard in a clothing store who was given a rocking chair then slept during a robbery. The guard's name apparently was Ross or George. We let a gaggle of young school children pass as they were coming out of one of the rooms. They were probably 6-11 or so years old and so striking. The little girls were all dolled up in very colourful native dress and as cute as buttons; same for the boys. There was an assortment of dots and meticulously-placed series of dots not only on the women's foreheads, but some on the men too. I saw as many as three dots on one woman. I have asked Chandra or Aditya if one of them would be willing to teach me about these dots which, upon first glance, I thought signified a woman was married. That is so not the case and I have been told the doctrine leading to the placement of and number of dots is complicated. Bring it on ... I need to know. That adds one to the list of things I want to learn in India, the first being the laws of cricket. If one ever discusses cricket with experts or ones familiar with the sport, you had better not call it the "rules" of cricket or one will snap that they are not "rules" but "laws", thank-you very much.
In one of the rooms. I passed something called the "double statue", sauntered right by, and was pulled back by Aditya to take another look. The statue was in front of a mirror. Forward-facing was Mestophales and in the rear was Margaret. It was neat the way one could see both by the carefully placed mirror. Thanks Aditya! We stopped at the canteen at the museum for a quick snack, and one could acquire a samosa for 7 rupee, a pop for 20, or some spicy peanuts for 15. That's 14, 40, and 30 cents, a paltry sum to us but a much more difficult amount to come across for many others. I found a quick way to convert rupee to dollars ... double the amount then drop the last two digits. Hence, 1,450 becomes $29 or 12,000 becomes $240. After all, I am the system guy when it comes to numbers. My method for tennis is also brilliant, if I do say so myself. If the score difference between the players is an odd number, one serves from the ad (left) court otherwise from the deuce (right) court. Hmmm ... it's 40-15, the difference being 2 (an even number), hence one serves from the deuce court. If it's 40-love, the difference is an odd number, so service is performed from the ad court.
Stop #3 was a mosque called Mecca Masjid, perched in a very famous part of the city ... Charminar. It gets its name from a structure with four minarets, a holy place for the muslim faith. Charminar means "four towers" in English. Next to the edifice is the mosque with more pigeons than people all over the building. We dropped our footwear at the entrance then there was a bit of a discussion between Aditya and one of the keepers of the mosque ... oops, I am in shorts and cannot enter the holy area. They gave me a wrap to tuck in at the front to cover my legs and we saw the entrance way to the mosque as well as its courtyard. We were allowed to take pictures where we were, the shutter just closing and the suggestion of money for the activity just completed given by our guide. We obliged happily. After the mosque we stopped in the bangles area of the market and we got some bracelets for Aditya's wife and the two main ladies in mine. We called for the driver and were whisked down a side street away from Charminar which, as a matter of fact, was quite charming. Charminar is charmin'ing :). While we walked through the market on the way to the mosque, Aditya had suggested I do a better job of hiding my wallet; hence the inside pockets on my cotton vest.
Further musings and important observations from a fun-filled Saturday to follow ...
Stop #1 was a Hindu temple. We were allowed to drive close and then had to park the car and walk the rest of the way. We dropped our shoes and socks at the "shoe keeping centre" then ascended the first in a long series of marble staircases. We passed Hindu priests camped out along the way, and were often asked to cup our hands together to receive a morsel of coconut milk to drink. The throngs were mostly native, with few foreigners and a lot of muslims, characterized by the garb within which their women were clad. There were pictures and copious statues to the Hindu deities, especially Shiva for some reason. Many of the reliefs and sculptures had two sets of arms, something I would find quite useful if I were to be so lucky. We toured the gift shoppe quickly, retrieved our foot apparel, and piled back into the car - Aditya, his wife, and yours truly. We spent about 45 minutes at the temple and a few times when close to the top, were treated to a lovely view of the city.
We winded our way down some fairly narrow roadways, hardly big enough for passing one another. The little stalls are abundant by the roadside, coconut milk being the most popular fare amongst the vendors. There was a plethora of onyx elephants available in the shoppes as well, having gathered there is some religious significance to this beast. I noticed artistes hard at work making designs and lettering greetings on the pavement in celebration of Pongal this weekend, celebrated in central and southern India. These intricate creations start with chalk drawings, then filling of the lines by hand with an assortment of coloured chalk dust. The lobby and the front drive of the Katriya were adorned with such work. The technique used by the painters was intriguing and I have never seen someone create letters with such straight lines without the aid of any tools.
Stop #2 was the Salar Jung museum, a bit of a drive from the temple. There are two floors to the displays, and each room is dedicated to an art type of the country as well as a handful of other southeast Asian locations, including Japan. One of the most interesting rooms contained an assortment of porcelain and clay toys. The detail on the pieces was outstanding, especially the way the folds in people's garments were depicted. There were animals as well as humans, some of them caught up in fairly intricate states of movement as the carvings were completed. There was at least one item where the person was carrying a bowl of fruit or playing a musical instrument. Some rooms were dedicated to other countries, especially China. There were despriptions accompanying each display written in English, Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu. The letters in Urdu in particuar were a work of art. Much attention was paid to the founder of the museum and his predecessors and successors.
Each room had a security guard, and in one we noticed he was sleeping! He was sitting in a comfortable chair. It reminds me of the security guard in a clothing store who was given a rocking chair then slept during a robbery. The guard's name apparently was Ross or George. We let a gaggle of young school children pass as they were coming out of one of the rooms. They were probably 6-11 or so years old and so striking. The little girls were all dolled up in very colourful native dress and as cute as buttons; same for the boys. There was an assortment of dots and meticulously-placed series of dots not only on the women's foreheads, but some on the men too. I saw as many as three dots on one woman. I have asked Chandra or Aditya if one of them would be willing to teach me about these dots which, upon first glance, I thought signified a woman was married. That is so not the case and I have been told the doctrine leading to the placement of and number of dots is complicated. Bring it on ... I need to know. That adds one to the list of things I want to learn in India, the first being the laws of cricket. If one ever discusses cricket with experts or ones familiar with the sport, you had better not call it the "rules" of cricket or one will snap that they are not "rules" but "laws", thank-you very much.
In one of the rooms. I passed something called the "double statue", sauntered right by, and was pulled back by Aditya to take another look. The statue was in front of a mirror. Forward-facing was Mestophales and in the rear was Margaret. It was neat the way one could see both by the carefully placed mirror. Thanks Aditya! We stopped at the canteen at the museum for a quick snack, and one could acquire a samosa for 7 rupee, a pop for 20, or some spicy peanuts for 15. That's 14, 40, and 30 cents, a paltry sum to us but a much more difficult amount to come across for many others. I found a quick way to convert rupee to dollars ... double the amount then drop the last two digits. Hence, 1,450 becomes $29 or 12,000 becomes $240. After all, I am the system guy when it comes to numbers. My method for tennis is also brilliant, if I do say so myself. If the score difference between the players is an odd number, one serves from the ad (left) court otherwise from the deuce (right) court. Hmmm ... it's 40-15, the difference being 2 (an even number), hence one serves from the deuce court. If it's 40-love, the difference is an odd number, so service is performed from the ad court.
Stop #3 was a mosque called Mecca Masjid, perched in a very famous part of the city ... Charminar. It gets its name from a structure with four minarets, a holy place for the muslim faith. Charminar means "four towers" in English. Next to the edifice is the mosque with more pigeons than people all over the building. We dropped our footwear at the entrance then there was a bit of a discussion between Aditya and one of the keepers of the mosque ... oops, I am in shorts and cannot enter the holy area. They gave me a wrap to tuck in at the front to cover my legs and we saw the entrance way to the mosque as well as its courtyard. We were allowed to take pictures where we were, the shutter just closing and the suggestion of money for the activity just completed given by our guide. We obliged happily. After the mosque we stopped in the bangles area of the market and we got some bracelets for Aditya's wife and the two main ladies in mine. We called for the driver and were whisked down a side street away from Charminar which, as a matter of fact, was quite charming. Charminar is charmin'ing :). While we walked through the market on the way to the mosque, Aditya had suggested I do a better job of hiding my wallet; hence the inside pockets on my cotton vest.
Further musings and important observations from a fun-filled Saturday to follow ...
Friday, January 13, 2012
On Friday he rested
The all-hands India meetings were over. There was one straggler in the office when I got in around 9:30am. Suresh left shortly thereafter and the Hyderabadites were left on our own. I worked until about 2pm then Chandra and I went for lunch at a place called Minerva. Naturally he chose the items and they were interesting.
The server first brought a lot of little bowls with an assortment of sauces/chutneys (I think), then the first dish arrived, It contained a few bread-like biscuits about the size of an ice hockey puck, with the consistency of a soft kitchen sponge. The little holes in the item resembled the fizz on top of a glass when you pour soda in and the head builds. I know I will get an update on what this stuff is once I speak with someone here about it. They are served at breakfast at Katriya so I will grab the name from the little sign in the Orchid cafe. We then had the next dish. When it arrived I commented that it was the biggest enchilada I had ever seen. The shell was very thin and crispy, rolled on a tube about twice the size of the cardboard in a toilet paper roll. Inside was some soft yellow'y filling with creamy sauce and what could have been onions. I was afraid to ask what the soft chunks were in case they were some alien substance I do not normally eat. It was, to my re;ief, simply potato.
Rather than go back to the office, I foolishly thought it was nap time and putting my head down for a bit would allow me to catch up on my sleep. I went back to hotel and maybe slept a half hour in the next two hours until Raju called from the office. I returned to work and sat in on a few meetings with Ottawa people and we started the task of hooking up an internet phone for the balance of my stay. Raju gave me the details on a car that had been reserved for me to tour Hyderabad on Saturday. I was told Aditya was coming too which pleased me to no end. I came back to Katriya about 9:30pm, giving myself a real flavour of how life seems to play out for Pythianites in India (working so late that is).
My head hit the pillow again about nidnight, eagerly anticipating the $23 fee for a full day private car to tour Hyderabad Saturday ... next post is details about that journey, and a journey it was at that :).
The server first brought a lot of little bowls with an assortment of sauces/chutneys (I think), then the first dish arrived, It contained a few bread-like biscuits about the size of an ice hockey puck, with the consistency of a soft kitchen sponge. The little holes in the item resembled the fizz on top of a glass when you pour soda in and the head builds. I know I will get an update on what this stuff is once I speak with someone here about it. They are served at breakfast at Katriya so I will grab the name from the little sign in the Orchid cafe. We then had the next dish. When it arrived I commented that it was the biggest enchilada I had ever seen. The shell was very thin and crispy, rolled on a tube about twice the size of the cardboard in a toilet paper roll. Inside was some soft yellow'y filling with creamy sauce and what could have been onions. I was afraid to ask what the soft chunks were in case they were some alien substance I do not normally eat. It was, to my re;ief, simply potato.
Rather than go back to the office, I foolishly thought it was nap time and putting my head down for a bit would allow me to catch up on my sleep. I went back to hotel and maybe slept a half hour in the next two hours until Raju called from the office. I returned to work and sat in on a few meetings with Ottawa people and we started the task of hooking up an internet phone for the balance of my stay. Raju gave me the details on a car that had been reserved for me to tour Hyderabad on Saturday. I was told Aditya was coming too which pleased me to no end. I came back to Katriya about 9:30pm, giving myself a real flavour of how life seems to play out for Pythianites in India (working so late that is).
My head hit the pillow again about nidnight, eagerly anticipating the $23 fee for a full day private car to tour Hyderabad Saturday ... next post is details about that journey, and a journey it was at that :).
Catching up with me
It's about time to get a good night's sleep. The past few nights I have been up about 4am and cannot fall back asleep. I watched hockey two of those mornings and worked a bit before going to the office the 3rd. When up at 4am and online some of the Ottawa office people are still working so we can catch up on goings-on since the start of their business day.
Another day of dynamic meetings with the India staff all day Thursday. Three of them headed back home last night and the rest of us went for dinner. We actually went to two places first, did not like them, then ended up at a deli around the corner from did-not-like-place two. We had Indian fare of course and I was caught by the smoked cashews. What a combination. I also had my first two rides in rickshaws yesterday. One of the locals who works with me insisted "Michael" go by car but I persisted and got to take the smaller mode of transportation. It was a roller coaster ride as I expected as we weaved in and out of traffic with the horn blaring a lot to announce the urgency of our voyage to the rabble.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel the locals were staying at then one of them escorted me back to a landmark he knew I recognized so I could find my way back to Katriya hotel on my own. What gentlemen these people are. While driving to lunch yesterday, there were five of us in the car and I mentioned how appreciative I was that they were speaking English, suspecting it was driven by courtesy to keep me in the conversation. On the contrary, my fellow travelers spoke so many different languages that English was the only one they had in common. Chandra expressed his thanks anyways for my comment.
The commentator on the Sens game this morning proudly reminded me and the rest of the world of a famous Paul Newman line "who are these guys", in reference to the surging Ottawa Senators. They got their first shutout of the season, beating the best team in the east at that. Tonight will be low key. I have two meetings, the first at 7pm and the second around 8:30pm. I need to adapt and adjust my schedule to accommodate the 10.5 hour time difference with HQ for a handful of days.
I am getting a driver and a list of things to do this weekend in Hyderabad. Chandra or others will craft that list. I surfed the web looking for things to do in this burg a few weeks ago and there appeared not to be a shortage of sites. Wherever I end up, I need traditional this and traditional that. I scored my return flight to Bangalore next weekend, a whopping $104 all total if I read the itinerary and did the conversion of currency properly. Reminds me of our $82 fare from Saigon to Da Nang then on to Hanoi five days later in Vietnam in November 2010.
Again I needed two tries to get my coffee this morning and I am just poised to ask for a refill; wish me luck. Off to work shortly for an action-packed day. The other India people are gone so there will be about six of us in the Hyderabad office for the balance of my stay.
Then there is that popular/familiar assumption that if one switches to a Mac, all one's computer woes will end. Well my 1TB backup drive for my Pro had lost two partitions AGAIN. All my Misc and Pro backups ... gone; kaput; dayd! I now tell people the Mac is the same as the Windows machines just with a different-looking set of nonsense. I will admit programs load faster and I do not see the Mac equivalent of the Windows mouse-hourglass. I see what Ben J refers to as the "spinning beach ball of death"; not as much as I was treated to the hourglass, but enough to remind me of Windows.
Another day of dynamic meetings with the India staff all day Thursday. Three of them headed back home last night and the rest of us went for dinner. We actually went to two places first, did not like them, then ended up at a deli around the corner from did-not-like-place two. We had Indian fare of course and I was caught by the smoked cashews. What a combination. I also had my first two rides in rickshaws yesterday. One of the locals who works with me insisted "Michael" go by car but I persisted and got to take the smaller mode of transportation. It was a roller coaster ride as I expected as we weaved in and out of traffic with the horn blaring a lot to announce the urgency of our voyage to the rabble.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel the locals were staying at then one of them escorted me back to a landmark he knew I recognized so I could find my way back to Katriya hotel on my own. What gentlemen these people are. While driving to lunch yesterday, there were five of us in the car and I mentioned how appreciative I was that they were speaking English, suspecting it was driven by courtesy to keep me in the conversation. On the contrary, my fellow travelers spoke so many different languages that English was the only one they had in common. Chandra expressed his thanks anyways for my comment.
The commentator on the Sens game this morning proudly reminded me and the rest of the world of a famous Paul Newman line "who are these guys", in reference to the surging Ottawa Senators. They got their first shutout of the season, beating the best team in the east at that. Tonight will be low key. I have two meetings, the first at 7pm and the second around 8:30pm. I need to adapt and adjust my schedule to accommodate the 10.5 hour time difference with HQ for a handful of days.
I am getting a driver and a list of things to do this weekend in Hyderabad. Chandra or others will craft that list. I surfed the web looking for things to do in this burg a few weeks ago and there appeared not to be a shortage of sites. Wherever I end up, I need traditional this and traditional that. I scored my return flight to Bangalore next weekend, a whopping $104 all total if I read the itinerary and did the conversion of currency properly. Reminds me of our $82 fare from Saigon to Da Nang then on to Hanoi five days later in Vietnam in November 2010.
Again I needed two tries to get my coffee this morning and I am just poised to ask for a refill; wish me luck. Off to work shortly for an action-packed day. The other India people are gone so there will be about six of us in the Hyderabad office for the balance of my stay.
Then there is that popular/familiar assumption that if one switches to a Mac, all one's computer woes will end. Well my 1TB backup drive for my Pro had lost two partitions AGAIN. All my Misc and Pro backups ... gone; kaput; dayd! I now tell people the Mac is the same as the Windows machines just with a different-looking set of nonsense. I will admit programs load faster and I do not see the Mac equivalent of the Windows mouse-hourglass. I see what Ben J refers to as the "spinning beach ball of death"; not as much as I was treated to the hourglass, but enough to remind me of Windows.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
And then there were two
My second day at work began quite early. I was so pleased with myself for having handled the time change so well until approximately 4:30am today. I woke up and could not fall back asleep. I knew of a Sens game I could watch on my Mac at 6am so did a bit of work. It turned into more than I had bargained for so missed the whole first period. When I turned it on it was the end of the first and Ottawa was up 2-0. What a pleasure that was being so far from home but able to watch hockey.
I have been chatting quite a bit with Chandra about cricket in our spare time and we are both committed to my understanding the game while spending the next three weeks in Hyderabad. I initially am thinking of spending my second weekend here in Goa, some 900k west of here on a sweet body of water referred to as the Arabian sea. I prefer to call it the Indian ocean but geographites would take exception to that. My third weekend is so far a toss up between Kolkata and Delhi. I need to scope them out beforehand and then will book something through the internet or lean on a colleague here.
My first weekend is for Hyderabad and I will get guidance from the locals at the office about where to go to see the most typical Hyderabad-style India streets. I have as yet to see the overwhelming throngs of people that I was told to watch out for but I am sure I will not be disappointed.
We have meetings with all the people from everywhere in India working for Pythian. There are about 17 people here and I was told this is the first time they have all been together in one place. I am honoured.
I have been chatting quite a bit with Chandra about cricket in our spare time and we are both committed to my understanding the game while spending the next three weeks in Hyderabad. I initially am thinking of spending my second weekend here in Goa, some 900k west of here on a sweet body of water referred to as the Arabian sea. I prefer to call it the Indian ocean but geographites would take exception to that. My third weekend is so far a toss up between Kolkata and Delhi. I need to scope them out beforehand and then will book something through the internet or lean on a colleague here.
My first weekend is for Hyderabad and I will get guidance from the locals at the office about where to go to see the most typical Hyderabad-style India streets. I have as yet to see the overwhelming throngs of people that I was told to watch out for but I am sure I will not be disappointed.
We have meetings with all the people from everywhere in India working for Pythian. There are about 17 people here and I was told this is the first time they have all been together in one place. I am honoured.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A busy day
Day one of two for meetings with the Pythian India staff was a success, at least from the eyes of this ferenge. There was an eager and dynamic group of about 17 or 18 in the office all day for a bevy of discussions. It all started about noon with pizza (spicy of course) and friendly chit-chat. We got down to business and met most of the afternoon, culminating in a webinar with Ottawa at 7pm. The gang was lovely, almost every one in the room contributing to the discussions. Those who did not speak much displayed paragraphs of input by their body language and facial expressions showing approval or disapproval of things others were saying. We then came back to the Katriya for dinner and I headed upstairs about 9:30pm.
I wrote an essay with my feedback for Ottawa about the meetings. I planned on writing a page or two but ended up with more than twice as much. I rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled, so unlike me as I imagine you may have noticed. I then crashed and was lucky enough to sleep until 6:30am. A whole consecutive 5.5 hours was appreciated.
I settled in on what, so far, is the major difference between Africa and India, using a common life experience to sum up what I have noticed. In Africa (Ethiopia in particular) one orders a coffee in a restaurant and it NEVER arrives; in India, when playing out the same scenario the does arrive ...................................................... eventually (most of the time). The servers stand around and visit with one another long enough to lead me to believe my coffee must be ready. They then visit some more until the coffee is finally ready, and then they do nothing until ................ eventually. The service in this hotel is great and the rooms nice. They use top sheets without being asked so would rate high on the Sweet Thing-scale used universally to rate hoteliers and, unbeknownst to most, more widely accepted than Zagaat or Frommers!
The Hyderabad Deccan Chronicle arrives at my door every morning (except when it does not) and it is a treat to read. 50% of its content is modern current-day Hydarabad and the other half the small town banter we so appreciate. I saw a note yesterday about a rise in chain snatchings in the city. I assumed they were referring to the chains used as barriers to protect parking lots from the swarm of vehicles that end up occupying unchained lots. I thought to myself why would anyone steal these chains, especially a rash of these law breaking activities in succession. I discovered to day while reading a follow-up article on this serious travesty that it is actually scooter thieves pulling chains off the checks of unsuspecting females. I was glad to clear that up.
Needless to say, based on my incessant banter about nothing in this and previous BLOGs, you have probably figured out these sojourns into unknown territories please me to no end. Speaking of ends ... still no action there which
Subhajit, if you happen to read this, I still have not heard from your parents so will not be able to fit them into my schedule, sorry :) To any other natives of this lovely country who may read this dissertation ... the optimal word is "lovely"; the people and everything else.
I wrote an essay with my feedback for Ottawa about the meetings. I planned on writing a page or two but ended up with more than twice as much. I rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled and rambled, so unlike me as I imagine you may have noticed. I then crashed and was lucky enough to sleep until 6:30am. A whole consecutive 5.5 hours was appreciated.
I settled in on what, so far, is the major difference between Africa and India, using a common life experience to sum up what I have noticed. In Africa (Ethiopia in particular) one orders a coffee in a restaurant and it NEVER arrives; in India, when playing out the same scenario the does arrive ...................................................... eventually (most of the time). The servers stand around and visit with one another long enough to lead me to believe my coffee must be ready. They then visit some more until the coffee is finally ready, and then they do nothing until ................ eventually. The service in this hotel is great and the rooms nice. They use top sheets without being asked so would rate high on the Sweet Thing-scale used universally to rate hoteliers and, unbeknownst to most, more widely accepted than Zagaat or Frommers!
The Hyderabad Deccan Chronicle arrives at my door every morning (except when it does not) and it is a treat to read. 50% of its content is modern current-day Hydarabad and the other half the small town banter we so appreciate. I saw a note yesterday about a rise in chain snatchings in the city. I assumed they were referring to the chains used as barriers to protect parking lots from the swarm of vehicles that end up occupying unchained lots. I thought to myself why would anyone steal these chains, especially a rash of these law breaking activities in succession. I discovered to day while reading a follow-up article on this serious travesty that it is actually scooter thieves pulling chains off the checks of unsuspecting females. I was glad to clear that up.
Needless to say, based on my incessant banter about nothing in this and previous BLOGs, you have probably figured out these sojourns into unknown territories please me to no end. Speaking of ends ... still no action there which
- is a good thing (for me)
- I am sure you will sleep better tonight knowing
Subhajit, if you happen to read this, I still have not heard from your parents so will not be able to fit them into my schedule, sorry :) To any other natives of this lovely country who may read this dissertation ... the optimal word is "lovely"; the people and everything else.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
First impressions
It was a roller coaster ride once I got out of the airport. We arrived right on time and I was second off the plane. We hoofed it about 5 kilometres to immigration, not unusual since it can be quite a trek depending on where one disembarks in Ottawa. I was told my boxes would arrive in oversize baggage so headed that way once my suitcase had been commandeered. To my surprise, cardboard boxes started cascading down the luggage carousel. I watched carefully for my 2 boxes which, as it turned out, were the only 2 of many that did not have rope binding them as well as tape. So be it, they made it.
I grabbed my boxes and headed towards the split ... one way goes to the green line (nothing to declare) and the other the red line (dutied objects in possession). I walked up to the attendee at the red line kiosk and asked if this is the red line. He asked me if I was instructed to come to the red line and I said "No". He motioned me into the airport. After all that, including Alain's trip to the bank followed by my trip to exchange $2000 USD into Canadian, no duty charged on iPads.
I head outside and traverse signs being held by drivers, amidst a sea of as many people as live in Ontario (so it seemed) and no "Michael Abbey" or "O'Brien". So I circle around again, cautiously asking uniformed personnel if I am allowed back into the area just outside the airport to look for my sign again. No sign. I ask where I get a taxi, and head down one level. As I embark from the elevator, I have to ask 3 separate people where one can grab a cab as, unlike most other airports I have frequented (a note of sarcasm maybe?), this airport has TERRIBLE SIGNAGE. I am accosted by a cabbie who offers to take me to the city for 1,050 Rs or about $20. Off we go and, a mere 40 minutes later, arrive at Katriya hotel.
There are three guys working the door, and one night clerk at the hotel. It takes me no less than 60 minutes to check in. I am the only client within a 3 mile radius so am not sure why it took so long. I was up in my room by 5:15am, and then experienced a common occurrence in 3rd world countries. However, I was prepared ... a power outage. I fumbled around my room and eventually opened my Mac Pro to provide enough light to ascertain the location of a flashlight. I started sawing logs about 20 minutes later, my trusty flashlight by my pillow.
The phone rang about 10:45 and it was the guys from the office. I told them we could meet in the lobby at 11:30. I dressed and headed off to the restaurant for eggs and toast then hooked up with Chandra and Raju. The excitement was intense as we headed upstairs to check out my duty free (a.k.a., 15 iPads). We ended up getting a porter to bring the boxes downstairs after Chandra went back to the office to get his car. I arrived at work about 12:15 and settled in. They could read my mind, knowing I was bubbling over with anticipation of meeting Aditya Allamraju on my team at work. He and I have spoken a few hundred times since he came onboard late winter.
I had mentioned to Chandra that I had forgot to pack any t-shirts so he promised to take me somewhere to get a few. He and I came back to the hotel about 2:15pm for lunch then headed out to a shopping centre to score some tops. Mission accomplished, we headed back to work. I did a lot of work over the afternoon, met with Chandra and Raju at 4:00pm to discuss the meetings we are having for the next 2 days, and left the office about 8:00pm.
I was determined not to stay in tonight so walked for about 20 minutes, ate, and came back here. The streets were busy but not as crowded as I had expected. The thoroughfares reminded me a lot of Addis; they were busy with a small checkerboard median, and sidewalks that had deteriorated and were broken into pieces in many places. The footing was not great, especially for me who was once described as "falls easily". I went into a few stores and especially enjoyed the grocery store. Half the wares were familiar western world paraphernalia, the other half an example of why I went in ... local ware.
Raju gave me an internet stick. Just like it is at home, the office manager (non-official title) is our best friend. Jennifer does it at home and Raju here. I can now avoid spending $4 an hour on internet without the possibility of a long term discount considering how long I will be here. I spoke to Giri, a guy I used to work with at Pythian and we had a lovely chat.
I grabbed my boxes and headed towards the split ... one way goes to the green line (nothing to declare) and the other the red line (dutied objects in possession). I walked up to the attendee at the red line kiosk and asked if this is the red line. He asked me if I was instructed to come to the red line and I said "No". He motioned me into the airport. After all that, including Alain's trip to the bank followed by my trip to exchange $2000 USD into Canadian, no duty charged on iPads.
I head outside and traverse signs being held by drivers, amidst a sea of as many people as live in Ontario (so it seemed) and no "Michael Abbey" or "O'Brien". So I circle around again, cautiously asking uniformed personnel if I am allowed back into the area just outside the airport to look for my sign again. No sign. I ask where I get a taxi, and head down one level. As I embark from the elevator, I have to ask 3 separate people where one can grab a cab as, unlike most other airports I have frequented (a note of sarcasm maybe?), this airport has TERRIBLE SIGNAGE. I am accosted by a cabbie who offers to take me to the city for 1,050 Rs or about $20. Off we go and, a mere 40 minutes later, arrive at Katriya hotel.
There are three guys working the door, and one night clerk at the hotel. It takes me no less than 60 minutes to check in. I am the only client within a 3 mile radius so am not sure why it took so long. I was up in my room by 5:15am, and then experienced a common occurrence in 3rd world countries. However, I was prepared ... a power outage. I fumbled around my room and eventually opened my Mac Pro to provide enough light to ascertain the location of a flashlight. I started sawing logs about 20 minutes later, my trusty flashlight by my pillow.
The phone rang about 10:45 and it was the guys from the office. I told them we could meet in the lobby at 11:30. I dressed and headed off to the restaurant for eggs and toast then hooked up with Chandra and Raju. The excitement was intense as we headed upstairs to check out my duty free (a.k.a., 15 iPads). We ended up getting a porter to bring the boxes downstairs after Chandra went back to the office to get his car. I arrived at work about 12:15 and settled in. They could read my mind, knowing I was bubbling over with anticipation of meeting Aditya Allamraju on my team at work. He and I have spoken a few hundred times since he came onboard late winter.
I had mentioned to Chandra that I had forgot to pack any t-shirts so he promised to take me somewhere to get a few. He and I came back to the hotel about 2:15pm for lunch then headed out to a shopping centre to score some tops. Mission accomplished, we headed back to work. I did a lot of work over the afternoon, met with Chandra and Raju at 4:00pm to discuss the meetings we are having for the next 2 days, and left the office about 8:00pm.
I was determined not to stay in tonight so walked for about 20 minutes, ate, and came back here. The streets were busy but not as crowded as I had expected. The thoroughfares reminded me a lot of Addis; they were busy with a small checkerboard median, and sidewalks that had deteriorated and were broken into pieces in many places. The footing was not great, especially for me who was once described as "falls easily". I went into a few stores and especially enjoyed the grocery store. Half the wares were familiar western world paraphernalia, the other half an example of why I went in ... local ware.
Raju gave me an internet stick. Just like it is at home, the office manager (non-official title) is our best friend. Jennifer does it at home and Raju here. I can now avoid spending $4 an hour on internet without the possibility of a long term discount considering how long I will be here. I spoke to Giri, a guy I used to work with at Pythian and we had a lovely chat.
Hold it a sec (or 3.5 weeks :))
So I'm sitting here in business class, seat 1A. I am less than 10 feet away from you know where. Considering where I am landing in 1 hour, should I or shouldn't I? It is one of the "famous things" India is known for so I had better give it some serious thought. What if I do and what if I don't? To go or not to go, that is the question.
Do
==
Unlike George, go now then (like George) wait until February to go again.
Don't
====
Too much pressure.
Do
==
Experience my last roll of soft white stuff until said departure date.
Don't
====
Would not suggest going there.
Do
==
Miss the opportunity to test out the airport when I arrive.
Don't
====
The pleasure of experiencing the airport.
Do
==
Complain bitterly about missing something I am used to discovering in said location.
Don't
====
Complain bitterly about missing EVERYTHING that I am used to finding in said location.
Do
===
What a relief.
Don't
====
Relief will come (eventually).
Do
==
Will not need to practice anything more than my first 2 words in Hindi ... beer and namastie.
Don't
====
Learn words associated with the comforts of life right from the beginning.
The envelope please ... just a sec, I'll be right back :)
Do
==
Unlike George, go now then (like George) wait until February to go again.
Don't
====
Too much pressure.
Do
==
Experience my last roll of soft white stuff until said departure date.
Don't
====
Would not suggest going there.
Do
==
Miss the opportunity to test out the airport when I arrive.
Don't
====
The pleasure of experiencing the airport.
Do
==
Complain bitterly about missing something I am used to discovering in said location.
Don't
====
Complain bitterly about missing EVERYTHING that I am used to finding in said location.
Do
===
What a relief.
Don't
====
Relief will come (eventually).
Do
==
Will not need to practice anything more than my first 2 words in Hindi ... beer and namastie.
Don't
====
Learn words associated with the comforts of life right from the beginning.
The envelope please ... just a sec, I'll be right back :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Stopover in Qatar
Musings from the trip here from Montreal on my iPad to be posted later. The airport here is bustling but not as crazy as I saw in Frankfurt or Istanbul. The peninsula is made up of (see how I do) Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran and I am sure I am missing one or more :). I remember when in Africa I found out there are 53 countries on that continent ... how many can you name :).
Scored exit row again to Hyderabad. Looks like two thirds of the people waiting for Qatar here are of Indian citizenship. I sure do admire the colours that many women wear in their native garb. English is prevalent in Qatar as it apparently is on much of this peninsula. I am not sure if this is where George, Elaine, and George flew through on their way to India for Sue Ellen Mishke's wedding, does anyone know? I am 3.5 hours away from the end of my journey and quite remarkably rested. Montreal to Doha was a mere 11 hours, a shadow of my still longest flight to date of 17 hours from Toronto to Hong Kong. That was not supposed to be that long but was for some reason.
Just google'd the peninsula and forgot UAE! Otherwise I think I got them all. Now for as many countries as I can remember in Africa ... Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Lesotho, Sudan, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Cote D'Ivoire, Mauritius, Ghana, Tanzania, Botsawana, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Angola ... still only 26 out of 53 :)
Scored exit row again to Hyderabad. Looks like two thirds of the people waiting for Qatar here are of Indian citizenship. I sure do admire the colours that many women wear in their native garb. English is prevalent in Qatar as it apparently is on much of this peninsula. I am not sure if this is where George, Elaine, and George flew through on their way to India for Sue Ellen Mishke's wedding, does anyone know? I am 3.5 hours away from the end of my journey and quite remarkably rested. Montreal to Doha was a mere 11 hours, a shadow of my still longest flight to date of 17 hours from Toronto to Hong Kong. That was not supposed to be that long but was for some reason.
Just google'd the peninsula and forgot UAE! Otherwise I think I got them all. Now for as many countries as I can remember in Africa ... Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Lesotho, Sudan, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Cote D'Ivoire, Mauritius, Ghana, Tanzania, Botsawana, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Angola ... still only 26 out of 53 :)
The journey begins
The Dash 8 from Ottawa to Montreal was probably more than 8 centuries old; hence the name. It did not disappoint and left right on time. The airport in Ottawa was empty which even surprised an Air Canada agent I encountered.
Squished into 18J on Qatar's flight 928 to Doha. I now know how to pronounce the name of this airline and country ... Kaw-tr, with the accent on the first syllable. I was pleased to score exit row (middle) as this equipment is the one where the exit is a 4-foot wide door in front of me. Hence a 6-foot gap in front of me until the bulkhead between me and the next section of the cabin.
Trudeau was its boring self and naturally, gate 59 was at the other end of the terminal. While walking there I heard a gate change announcement for my flight. Apparently it had originally been scheduled for a slip that was way too close to where I had landed. At the risk of breaking a record, it was moved so I could walk the additional 300 metres. That is now a grand total of 5,345,908 flights where the passengers have been forced to walk as far as possible. My favourite (least) hike to get a plane was on my return from Nairobi to Addis when I was on crutches. One boards planes on the tarmac in Kenya and the jet was a piece from me. That was probably the longest 150 metres I have ever walked or hobbled.
Many times I heard "you're flying Qatar ... you'll love it". I was told the same thing a few years ago when I flew Turkish. That time I was coming back from Addis Ababa through Istanbul when a volcanic cloud had wafted over Europe supposedly from Iceland. I still believe it was a conglomeration of BS from parliament hill. Had I flown through Frankfurt as I had done a few times before, I would have been delayed a few days. Turkish was just another airline and so is Qatar my friend. There is no difference in the space in economy and the food was standard fare.
My second biggest beef (or maybe lamb since I am going to India) is the state of the WC on airplanes. Last year I experienced one that ran out of soap. When I pointed this out to staff, I was told "we don't have any more". 928 is out of towels, not as bad as soap, but disappointed for such a "fine carrier".
I am watching Heat with DeNiro and Pacino. I wonder if those two guys were born at exactly the same time on the same day. I love them together. It's a perfect airplane movie except I keep dozing off. I wake up and do not have a clue what is going on and how they got there. I rewind to try and catch up but that does not go very well. I know, as per standard experience, that once this starts happening with a movie, one will NEVER EVER see the whole thing start to finish. For me, watching movies is like playing tennis--I decide each movie is the start of my stay awake at movies life just like each serve made or received is the start of my new tennis carreer.
I have a bit of a hectic travel schedule for the next few months. I am back from India on February 1 then off to Calgary and Vancouver the 17th for 10 days. After that I go to Vegas the 3rd week of April for COLLABORATE, a user group event I have been attending for over 20 years. Rumour has it I will have some travel companions in Vegas ... none other than one and maybe two of my sons; that would be a treat I'll say :) So back at flight 928; returning to doze-land which is also known as sore-neck-from-sleeping-sitting-up land. As Waters and Gilmour so eloquently said "Wish You Were Here". Or as one of my favourite people at Pythian and I say when closing a phone chat ... good night Chet; good night Dave.
Squished into 18J on Qatar's flight 928 to Doha. I now know how to pronounce the name of this airline and country ... Kaw-tr, with the accent on the first syllable. I was pleased to score exit row (middle) as this equipment is the one where the exit is a 4-foot wide door in front of me. Hence a 6-foot gap in front of me until the bulkhead between me and the next section of the cabin.
Trudeau was its boring self and naturally, gate 59 was at the other end of the terminal. While walking there I heard a gate change announcement for my flight. Apparently it had originally been scheduled for a slip that was way too close to where I had landed. At the risk of breaking a record, it was moved so I could walk the additional 300 metres. That is now a grand total of 5,345,908 flights where the passengers have been forced to walk as far as possible. My favourite (least) hike to get a plane was on my return from Nairobi to Addis when I was on crutches. One boards planes on the tarmac in Kenya and the jet was a piece from me. That was probably the longest 150 metres I have ever walked or hobbled.
Many times I heard "you're flying Qatar ... you'll love it". I was told the same thing a few years ago when I flew Turkish. That time I was coming back from Addis Ababa through Istanbul when a volcanic cloud had wafted over Europe supposedly from Iceland. I still believe it was a conglomeration of BS from parliament hill. Had I flown through Frankfurt as I had done a few times before, I would have been delayed a few days. Turkish was just another airline and so is Qatar my friend. There is no difference in the space in economy and the food was standard fare.
My second biggest beef (or maybe lamb since I am going to India) is the state of the WC on airplanes. Last year I experienced one that ran out of soap. When I pointed this out to staff, I was told "we don't have any more". 928 is out of towels, not as bad as soap, but disappointed for such a "fine carrier".
I am watching Heat with DeNiro and Pacino. I wonder if those two guys were born at exactly the same time on the same day. I love them together. It's a perfect airplane movie except I keep dozing off. I wake up and do not have a clue what is going on and how they got there. I rewind to try and catch up but that does not go very well. I know, as per standard experience, that once this starts happening with a movie, one will NEVER EVER see the whole thing start to finish. For me, watching movies is like playing tennis--I decide each movie is the start of my stay awake at movies life just like each serve made or received is the start of my new tennis carreer.
I have a bit of a hectic travel schedule for the next few months. I am back from India on February 1 then off to Calgary and Vancouver the 17th for 10 days. After that I go to Vegas the 3rd week of April for COLLABORATE, a user group event I have been attending for over 20 years. Rumour has it I will have some travel companions in Vegas ... none other than one and maybe two of my sons; that would be a treat I'll say :) So back at flight 928; returning to doze-land which is also known as sore-neck-from-sleeping-sitting-up land. As Waters and Gilmour so eloquently said "Wish You Were Here". Or as one of my favourite people at Pythian and I say when closing a phone chat ... good night Chet; good night Dave.
Not so fast sir ...
Baggage was very interested in the 2 boxes I was carrying. I had to go to oversize baggage and had to completely unpack the smaller box. I had to open one of the iPad's in the larger box and had visions of unpacking and re-packing 15 iPads. I had to be very careful how I answered some of the attendant's questions. I was asked what was in a sealed bubble envelope and said a "hard drive". It had a USB drive in it and had to do a little bit of back-peddling as I had already answered "yes" to the "did you pack this yourself" interrogation.
Security was not as interested in my electronics collection as they were on my way to England last month. Guess some of it depends on who is doing the checking. Had a few low cal donuts at Tim Horton's (or is it "Hortons"?). Will check out the Sens before boarding in 30 minutes or so.
Security was not as interested in my electronics collection as they were on my way to England last month. Guess some of it depends on who is doing the checking. Had a few low cal donuts at Tim Horton's (or is it "Hortons"?). Will check out the Sens before boarding in 30 minutes or so.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Advice from the experienced
From Chris Dohler-Bandzierz: [a little boy I know from the tennis club. He has an insatiable appetite for gifts from yours truly and when he hears I am going somewhere, he suppresses a desire to whine about what I will bring him back :)]
Well what you can see is endless. It all depends really on how far you want to travel. To be honest my list would be a little different then one provided to you. I spent more time in northwest and northeastern India. If you have time the number one city in terms of experience would be Varanasi hands down!! It is the oldest constantly inhabited city in the world and is the Hindu's holiest city. Delhi is much like the rest of the big cities in Asia really.
There are some neat museums to see, Jama Masjid is a must see while your in old Delhi. Otherwise I would try and stay out of Delhi as it is a grind for what was little reward. But if you do go to Delhi stop by the town of Agra home of the Taj Mahal, it is literally a day trip from Delhi and you can hire a driver on the cheap. The Taj Mahal, and the baby Taj Mahal are the only two things to see in Agra so 1 day is enough. I spent much of the rest of my time in the province of Rajasthan, it is probably the most visited in terms of tourism. There are multiple desert cities to be marveled at here, drivers are cheap to hire. Jaipur and Jailsamer are must sees if you are there.
If you don't get to the north then I would check out Calcutta over Delhi, and head to Kerala or Pondicherry. I have heard from passing backpackers when was there that it was a wonderful place. If you do go to Mumbai you should stop by in Goa and get a tan.
Any way you cut it you will have an amazing time. Hope you brought purell, and be prepared to walk barefoot everywhere, and god be with you if you stand face to face with the notorious Delhi Belly. If you take anything out of this, go to Varanasi no other place on earth like it!
Have fun!
From the infamous Marc Fielding:[a colleague at Pythian]:
Backwater cruise in Kerala
Goa beaches (it's where the hippies (see ** below) went after being kicked out of the US)
Himalayas: Shimla (northwest) or Darjeeling (northeast). McLeod Ganj (Dalai Lama's HQ) is pretty cool too
Golden triangle: Taj Mahal, Jaipur forts, Delhi.
Naturally time will tell what I end up doing in my free time while there. I did a lot when in Africa the first few times since I befriended a few locals who did a good time looking after me. I will know the Pythianites in Hyderabad and, if they have the time, am looking for some guidance on what to do. As all of us know, there is nothing like seeing the sites with locals.
** Funny Marc should speak of hippies ... I have wondered all my adult life what it would have been like to be a hippie ...
Well what you can see is endless. It all depends really on how far you want to travel. To be honest my list would be a little different then one provided to you. I spent more time in northwest and northeastern India. If you have time the number one city in terms of experience would be Varanasi hands down!! It is the oldest constantly inhabited city in the world and is the Hindu's holiest city. Delhi is much like the rest of the big cities in Asia really.
There are some neat museums to see, Jama Masjid is a must see while your in old Delhi. Otherwise I would try and stay out of Delhi as it is a grind for what was little reward. But if you do go to Delhi stop by the town of Agra home of the Taj Mahal, it is literally a day trip from Delhi and you can hire a driver on the cheap. The Taj Mahal, and the baby Taj Mahal are the only two things to see in Agra so 1 day is enough. I spent much of the rest of my time in the province of Rajasthan, it is probably the most visited in terms of tourism. There are multiple desert cities to be marveled at here, drivers are cheap to hire. Jaipur and Jailsamer are must sees if you are there.
If you don't get to the north then I would check out Calcutta over Delhi, and head to Kerala or Pondicherry. I have heard from passing backpackers when was there that it was a wonderful place. If you do go to Mumbai you should stop by in Goa and get a tan.
Any way you cut it you will have an amazing time. Hope you brought purell, and be prepared to walk barefoot everywhere, and god be with you if you stand face to face with the notorious Delhi Belly. If you take anything out of this, go to Varanasi no other place on earth like it!
Have fun!
From the infamous Marc Fielding:[a colleague at Pythian]:
Backwater cruise in Kerala
Goa beaches (it's where the hippies (see ** below) went after being kicked out of the US)
Himalayas: Shimla (northwest) or Darjeeling (northeast). McLeod Ganj (Dalai Lama's HQ) is pretty cool too
Golden triangle: Taj Mahal, Jaipur forts, Delhi.
Naturally time will tell what I end up doing in my free time while there. I did a lot when in Africa the first few times since I befriended a few locals who did a good time looking after me. I will know the Pythianites in Hyderabad and, if they have the time, am looking for some guidance on what to do. As all of us know, there is nothing like seeing the sites with locals.
** Funny Marc should speak of hippies ... I have wondered all my adult life what it would have been like to be a hippie ...
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