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.