Travels

2011-09-13T16:45:00.002-04:00

July 1, 2011
The trip started with Max, Srijoy, Mikku and I driving to Washington DC in a rental car. Drive was uneventful and we reached Washington in good time and stayed at the usual suite hotel and spent the evening with Tejinder and Laurie.

July 2, 2011
The day was spent mostly in getting around DC. The boys went to a museum and we went to a mall and then finally connected up and headed out to the airport after a brief stop at another mall. Flight was a little delayed but worked out OK. Was able to upgrade Max to WT Plus.

July 3, 2011
Reached London OK and took the taxi to Kaju mama’s house. The stay was pleasant and we spent the afternoon going around London. Srijoy was leading the tour with him picking out the places for Max to visit. I had to return to the airport to retrieve one of the suitcases. Got back in the evening for an excellent home cooked meal with Kaju mama and Lenny.

July 4, 2011
Spent the day visiting different spots in London and again Srijoy took the lead. While the boys did the visiting, Mikku and I relaxed at different spots having coffee and stuff. The boys went to the Tower of London and the London Eye among other places. Eventually returned to Kaju house and we had dinner with the family of late Montu da.

July 5, 2011
Took the taxi to Heathrow and got there in plenty of time to be able to relax a little at the airport. Flight to Delhi was uneventful and got there in time. Went over to Saptagiri for the night.

July 6, 2011
Had a car for the day and went to a few spots in Delhi including Akshardham, Qutab Minar and the Select City Mall. Later had dinner with Kinshuk and family. The first student Christie arrived late that night. All were back in Saptagiri.

July 7, 2011
All five of us flew to Calcutta. Max, Srijoy and me were at AC 140, dropped Christie at the house and Mikku went to D-50.

July 8 to July 18, 2011
Calcutta with students, visits and highlights:
Victoria
St. Pauls
Tipu Sultan Mosque
Bira house of Abhijit
DPS visit organized by Sonali and Mikku
New Market
Mani Square
City Center
Hakka restaurant
Visit to homes
Raichak day trip including the boat ride and the fight at the restaurant
College Street
Presidency College
Generally hanging out together
Srijoy and his relationship with the students was certainly worth observing
Srijoy driving
Anurag and DJ
Rana’s visit and lecture

July 19, 2011
We all left together and flew to Delhi on Kingfisher and got there in time to get to the hotel Saptagiri and have lunch there. Everyone had settled down in the hotel and had the afternoon off. A few of us went over to Ambience mall and spent the afternoon there and eventually had dinner at the Punjabi Nawab restaurant down the street. Carrie, Rachel and Kendall were with us too.

July 20, 2011
All of us left for the airport in the morning and flew to Leh again on Kingfisher. Carrie and Kendall went off to Bangalore first and Rachel followed later. We all went to the Namgayal Hotel. Things were a little different with Mr. Dorje being more busy with his family. We rested in the afternoon and took the car over to the Hall of Fame and Leh Palace in the late afternoon and early evening. Mikku stayed mostly at home as she was not feeling well. We had dinner together eventually.

July 21, 2011
We went off on the day trip towards Himis monastery. Stopped at Thiskey monastery on the way, then on to Himis, and on the way back stopped at Shey Palace and then Sindhu Ghaat where we ate a really bad packed lunch. Evening was mostly in the market with dinner eventually at the Chopsticks restaurant where we had a major incident with the service.

July 22, 2011
Had a shorter day with a visit to the Gurdwara and then the river confluence. Had lunch in the tiny town of Nimu where the food was really inexpensive. Then back to Leh and mostly in the markets. Had dinner at the little restaurant just next to the hotel.

July 23, 2011
Started early and had the arduous (7 hour) drive over Khardung La to the Nubra valley. Went to see the double-humped camels of the silk route and the sand dunes. Students and the kids went on a ride on the camels. Then checked into the organic camp. This was a lot of fun with the kids doing dumb charade and other activities. Had a bonfire and did the story of Ramayan.

July 24, 2011
Stopped at Diskit monastery and the large Buddha facing Pakistan (which is about 50 miles away) and then drove back to Leh. Jay was ill and it was quite an unsuccessful feat trying to find medicines in Leh on a Sunday. Eventually had dinner at the Tibetan Kitchen restaurant. All through the time in Leh the electricity was turning on and off and Internet connectivity was minimal. We had the lecture from the Buddhist scholar in the evening as well.

July 25, 2011
Took the morning flight back from Leh to Delhi. Arrived in good time and took off with the family to give Max a driving tour of Delhi eventually ending up at Rohit’s place. Spent some time there before driving back to the hotel and meeting up with the students for dinner at the Punjabi Nawab place again.

July 26, 2011
Mikku, Max and Srijoy left for the US. The students and I had two cars (Innova and Xylo) and we left for Jaipur. Drive was uneventful and settled down at the hotel. Had already eaten lunch on the way and so went off to see the City Palace and after that the students wanted to rest so back to the hotel. Later had dinner at the Indiana Restaurant which plays the interesting Rajasthani music.

July 27, 2011
Morning to Amber Palace, lunch at the usual place near the palace. Stopped by Jaal Mahaal and saw the kid perform magic, it was really quite impressive. Then on to the Gopal and Ram/Sita temple near Galta where the number of monkeys has certainly diminished. Finally drove on to Agra and stayed at the Howard Portico hotel which was really quite nice. Dinner at the Only Restaurant.

July 28, 2011
Headed out for the Taj Mahal at about 5 am. It was an interesting experience but was somewhat dampened by the rain. The students enjoyed being there early. Hung there for about a couple of hours and then headed back to the hotel and had a great breakfast. Eventually started the drive back to Delhi with lunch on the way. Got to Delhi in good time and Carrie and Rachel were back too. Had the evening off.

July 29 to August 8, 2011
On July 29 all of us including Carrie and Rachel moved to the houses in CR Park. The move went smoothly and then the visits and highlights of Delhi were:
Qutab Minar
Humayun’s Tomb
Driving tour of the main area
CP and Pallika Bazaar
Akshardham
Jama Masjid where Jay lost his shoes
Red Fort
Moti Mahal Lunch
The Delhi Metro
Trip to Rohit’s House
Baha’i Temple
Movie together (Zindagi Na Mile Dubara) with Anurag
The Delhi boys and trip to Taj Palace bar
Urban Pind
Meals at Kebab Factory, Oh Calcutta, Pind Baluchi, Mainland China, Chung Wa, Swagath, etc.
Jamia lectures and visit
Malls
Rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk
Dinner from the guest house
Aurobindo Ashram

July 9, 2011
All the students were gone by the end of the day and I came to Calcutta. Spent the evening with Dada bhai and Phuchku da and family.

July 10, 2011
Did most of the stuff with Ma including a trip to Tea Board. Had Pizza Hut lunch. Spent some time at City Center, later went to D50 and then the evening was mostly at home. A few people came to visit. It was really raining hard in Calcutta

July 11, 2011
Most of the day was running errands and getting stuff. Went to D 50 for a bit, then evening was at DDP. Raja came to visit and that was nice. Continuing rain.

July 12, 2011
Took the morning flight on Indigo to Delhi, spent some time at the Café Day outside the airport and that was quite nice (no toilet though). Afternoon was at Jamia and it worked out well.

People met:
Tejinder and Laurie
Kaju mama
Rohit and family
Kinshuk and family (including a lunch at their house)
Raja
Rana
Panky and his son and his son’s friend
Several CBS folks at Raja’s father’s niam bhanga
Mala Boudi and her family including Sampurna
Baro mami and family including Pintu
Choto Pisima
Namrata and Babli including lunch at their place
Samrat and family
Tripti di
The people at MOP Vaishnav when I went to Chennai for the day on August 5, 2011
PC Maulik
Khuku Mashi and family
Sonali
Deltu

Observations
As in the case of 2010, this was an eventful trip with the students keeping us all active. What was different was the presence of Max and the way in which Srijoy connected with the students. I too connected with the students, but this year the students also were much more independent (or I gave them more independence) and thus the general sense of doing things together was not as prevalent. The experience was more akin to truly teaching a class as opposed to the “family” that could also happen in such cases. The interactions between Carrie/Rachel and the class and me was also quite complicated and needed some negotiation. The process was as tiring as ever, but some of the logistics worked out OK and thus was less of a concern.

Flashback: Nuggets of Memory from the Summer of '10

2010-08-16T10:35:00.001-04:00

Suitcase pile at the Ibis Hotel restaurant before we left for Calcutta

The heat going up the ramp to the plane in Delhi

Dazed and confused look on all faces at the first briefing about the house at Salt Lake

Big hole in Tania’s bedroom

Rachel noting how the globe on the INTECH building had a different orientation with India in the center

Tracy and the dogs

Trying to wake Carrie up on her first morning in Calcutta

Going to the medical shop in Salt Lake with Tania and Will and the shop that sold electrical products having no electricity

Rachel slowly coming alive as she ate her dinner at “Silver Chimney” on the first night in Calcutta

The makeshift classroom in the “girls’ house”

The incredibly smelly fish market that Dr. Mitra took us to

Srijoy generally becoming human in company of all

Checking on the ill ones

Kiki generally sleeping for nearly 17 hours

Laundry book

Cleaning out the water shelf at Big Bazaar

The endless curiosity of all and my attempts to answer all the questions

Driving in Calcutta

Srijoy driving in Calcutta

The Agra guide

Pulling a car with a rope on the highway

Timing belt repair in one hour for the cost of Rs. 700 in a road side shop

Feeling high with the lack of oxygen

Kevin’s geology lesson

The flies and the monkeys at the temple

Will’s conversation with my mother about Hinduism

The endless pictures of the girls on strangers cameras

How anxious I was at Jama Masjid waiting for Kendall and Lisa to come down from the Minaret

Tania, “You are such a worry wart!” when I told them not to hang out the door of a fairly fast moving train

Carrie and the newspapers

Kendall and the matrimonial

Tracy falling ill in Delhi and still wanting to go out

Kevin in the mornings

Will and Srijoy racing up the hill in Leh and me completely worried about them and sending the driver up to carry them back

The constant headache in Leh

The really strange person who we called “party”

The mosquitoes at Red Fort at night

Walking the girls back late in the evenings at Delhi

Epiphany’s box of books

Lisa and her camera

Will and SK exchanging pants standing on the side of one of the busiest streets in Delhi

Rickshaw ride through Old Delhi

Me hanging out the door of the train and feeling that breeze that only can be felt next to the open door of Indian trains

Rain in Jaipur

Translating Aisha for the girls

The dead lizard in Erin’s room, I never got a chance to see this, but did hear about it

Shuttling people around Salt Lake in the small Maruti Zen car

The dinner at Oh! Calcutta and Erin’s birthday cake

Chocolates

Kevin’s morning drink

Running out of tobacco

Movie night in my guest house room

Palika Bazaar and the book and video shopping

Kendall punching in 500000 when she really meant to take out only 5000 at the ATM machine

The number of loans, counter loans, money returns, and accounting

The lost car in Leh and me completely and really losing my temper

Losing my temper at the Jaipur hotel about the lunch bill

The constant anxiety that one of the kids will get lost and trying to keep in touch by text messages

Two lost phones and one lost internet card

Falling asleep at one of the loudest nightclubs I have ever been to

The locked door at Lisa/Kiki/Tania house

Constant sense of panic (that is just me)

Losing a significant amount of weight

Turning several shades darker

Packing in more than a natural number of people in the cars

Trying to convince people that 1 am is late enough and time to go home

Buddha’s toasts

How tired we almost always were

Not remembering what it means to be bored (this I am borrowing from a FB update from Kendall)

Often slipping into Bengali when talking to some

Teaching people who seemed genuinely interested in learning

Carrie the Bollywood encyclopedia

Excess baggage

Forgetting what my room number was at Ibis Gurgaon and accidentally walking into Kiki and Lisa’s room

Lisa’s ticket cancelled

Tania’s problem with the credit card at the time of check-in

My problem with credit card at the time of check-in

Buying tea with the girls at Market number 2 in CR Park

Beer with Kevin at Hakka at City Center

Baggage logistics throughout the trips

Female porters at Leh

Security at Leh airport

The yogurt at Namgyal Palace

Visit to Mr. Dorjee’s house

Meeting Mr. Dorjee’s mother and speaking to her on the lawn of Namgayal Palace

Driving tour of Delhi and visiting the India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s residence) and the Parliament

Aurobindo Ashram and meditation

Erin’s birthday at Oh! Calcutta at Nehru Place in Delhi

Lunch with Korak, Kingshuk and Chiku, all old IIT friends

Managing money for some of the students

Diarrhea and Metrogyl

Indigestion and Unienzyme

India Summer 2010

2010-08-16T10:31:00.001-04:00

July 2, 2010

This is a very different kind of blog because this time the family that travelled together was not just the three of us, but along the way it grew and we created bonds and friendships that changed the entire nature of the journey. So, to truly appreciate what we experienced you need to also look at some of the other documents I refer to in this journal.

Our trip began with the usual drive to Charlotte to catch the flight to Washington, DC. The difference this year was that Srijoy drove. He did a good job and we reached in good time so that we had a little time to relax at the Starbucks. The flight to DC was eventless and unmemorable. Since we had a rental car Srijoy did not have the option to drive. We got a little lost trying to find an IHOP where Srijoy, evidently, really needed to eat so he could get a lot of meat before going to India. So, I dropped Mikku and Srijoy off at the IHOP, and went and checked in at the hotel (one of the suite hotels by Marriott). That evening we did a take out from a local restaurant and called it a day since Srijoy and I had plans on going to a tour of downtown DC early next morning.

July 3, 2010

Srijoy did not wake up until about 11:30 am. We did not go downtown, I got some work done and then watched a really interesting movie on TV. Everybody were ready to move at about 1:00 pm. We checked out of the hotel and packed the car and drove over to our friend’s house – Suprotik and Piali – had a little time there and then we all went off to Tyson’s Square Mall where we met up with Tito and Laurie and we all ate at the California Pizza Kitchen. It was a pleasant and relaxed meal and eventually we all went our own ways and we headed back to the airport after a brief stop again at Suprotik’s house. We were at the airport in good time and returned the car. The British Airways flight was delayed and so we had some time to sit and relax and by the time we were on the plane we had finished dinner and I was ready to sleep. I put my usual “Do Not Disturb Unless We are Crashing” sign on my blanket and basically slept it through to London. This is a neat trick that I had learnt somewhere in my numerous travels. If you are on a night flight and you intend to sleep then this sign stops the attendants waking you up for a meal that you do not want or bothering you with other service that they might provide. The only time you do not need this sign is when you are travelling long distances on American carriers where the notion of service is non-existent, indeed, now that I think about it, I probably first saw this sign on a flight attendant on United Airlines. It was meant to discourage passengers from disturbing the attendant! You do not need the sign on American carriers because no one would dream of disturbing you to provide you with service.

July 4, 2010

We reached London at about 10:30 in the morning and Kaju Mama was there to receive us at the airport. We went over to his place and met another couple who too were his guests. Ask me about this offline, but I made a strategic decision to invite the couple to come out for a brief London tour with the three of us. Those who know me well, and are faint hearted, do not usually accept these invitations. They know a “tour” with me (and my family who support me in this) involves significant work. Indeed, my close family (including mother and in-laws) are very astute and would politely suggest that I go by myself. The only ones in my family who are able to keep up with me (and perhaps better me) is a cousin of mine, older than me, but he and his wife can keep up with me. So, this unsuspecting couple in London readily agreed to the tour with the three of us. In this tour, which lasted about 6 hours we touched –Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch, walk down Oxford Street, M&S (for a quick coffee), walk down Regent Street, Piccadilly, Soho, and for some bus-related reason, Hammersmith, before returning to Wandsworth, the trip also involved the usual shopping stops that Mikku does, and I “threatened” to take them all to Hamley's but Srijoy resisted, after all he is too old for Hamley’s now. When I got home, I sat down with my single malt (which Kaju Mama very thoughtfully keeps on hand when I come) in the well-manicured little backyard he has and chatted with his friend Lenny. Srijoy was offered the blue drink Kaju Mama keeps for Mikku and him. The couple decided to lie down for a bit before dinner, which was a grand meal prepared by Kaju Mama. Soon after we called it a day.

July 5, 2010

I was up early, and so were Srijoy and Mikku, and the couple too. I politely invited them to a tour that day and suggested we will leave around 10 in the morning and be back about 6 in the evening. A look of panic clouded their face. After all we are related (which we discovered soon after we met them) and it is impossible to say no to an invitation. However, they said they had made separate plans for the day and would not be able to join us. We thus went our own way. We walked to the British Rail station, took the Southwest train to Victoria and then changed to the train for Greenwich. It was a pretty hot day in London, and we walked over the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian. It was a nice morning and then we went back to the station, got a few sandwiches and headed back to Victoria. We ran into a few problems with the Oyster card, but were able to sort it out. The trick with that card is that if you forget to check in and out of the stations then you get charged more, but we soon worked it out. We then headed out to Camden Town and spent most of the afternoon there. Srijoy went around the stores that sell the “scream” and studded stuff and we just kind of hung out there. Eventually got back to Piccadilly and soon headed back to Wandsworth. Kaju mama and a well-rested couple were at home and we all went to see Kaju Mama’s church. It was a really old church and Kaju Mama being one of the main persons at the Church we had a good inside look at the Church and Srijoy had a chance to try out the Church organ. It was a really nice visit and we got back home in time for another really good supper.

July 6, 2010

We were somewhat tired and we took it easy in the morning (the couple had gone out on their own). After a leisurely shower we eventually went down to our staple pub – “The Old Sergeant” for a pub lunch and glass of Guinness. We then took the bus to Covent Garden market. We kind of hung out there for a little bit, had some coffee, watched the street shows, visited Jubilee market and then headed out of there to go on to Tower of London. Here we joined the “Jack the Ripper Tour” with a very knowledgeable guide who walked us around the streets of east London taking us to the places where the Ripper killed his victims. He was asking us to imagine how the place was when the Ripper operated in the light of gas lamps and the mist and the only sound you heard was the laughter from the pubs and tinkling of the policeman’s keys. The only sound we heard was a fair amount of traffic and a lot of Bengali since the area has now been mostly colonized by people from Bangladesh! But, Srijoy had his fill of gory stories and since the Dracula tour was not available we had settled for this. We eventually got back to Kaju Mama’s house and called it a day.

July 7, 2010

Our taxi from Kwik Kab came on time and we headed out to Heathrow. We actually reached earlier than when we could drop our bags and so had a coffee and muffin. Check in and other stuff was smooth. We were supposed to meet with some of the students going to India at the airport. We waited for a little and realized that no one was there yet and so we went on to the gate and the flight to Delhi was long but uneventful. Reasonably good food, and a few drinks before landing and we were in good shape. We arrived mostly on time and as we were waiting for the bags, I started to get a sense of what was in store for the next month. As series of text messages began to come in from Tracy who had landed in Calcutta and none of her bags had arrived. Thankfully Abhijit was there and I was soon texting like a maniac with Abhijit trying to coordinate things in Calcutta while waiting for our bags in Delhi. Such matters would soon become habit (see the document containing the memorable text messages). Anyhow, the bags did arrive and we made our way out of the customs area. Thankfully, the three we were supposed to meet with – Kendall, Epiphany and Will – were actually there, safe and tired. The hotel – Ibis Gurgaon – had sent the vehicles and we loaded up and headed out to the hotel. I think there were about three cars and soon this team travel would be routine. At the hotel we were informed that there was a problem with the rooms and that Will and I would have to share a room with one bed in it. I said I needed a room to myself (Srijoy and Mikku were in one tiny room, as were Epiphany and Kendall). At any rate, in spite of words exchanged, I did not get a room till about 3 am and slept for about 2 hours.

July 8, 2010

I got up and was kind of just high on adrenalin. Rounded up the three cars and headed out to the airport with Will who had an early morning flight to Calcutta. After dropping him at the domestic airport the cars and I headed over to the International arrivals. I was quickly learning Hindi and understanding how to coordinate multiple cars and drivers. The BA flight from London had arrived and soon five of the girls were out – Tania, Rachel, Erin, Lisa and Kiki. We loaded up and headed to the hotel (see the accounts of the travel elsewhere regarding what we all did). The kids were obviously tired and disoriented. India can hit you pretty hard, and I had a sense of what they were going through. But they were really curious and I realized that I have a long month ahead of me, answering the million questions that constantly came up. What I did not realize at that moment, is how much I would love this experience and the bonds that would be made between these human beings many of whom did not even know each other very well. We got to the hotel and we got the additional rooms so the folks could rest a bit and freshen up. We set 11:00 am as the meeting time for all to come down to eat and then head back to the airport. In the meantime I had met up with Kevin and had to take a very expensive car and go to Mahipalpur to check out the hotel where we would be staying when we returned to Delhi. It turned out to be a pretty busy morning and before we knew it the kids were down for lunch. I had to make sure all ate well and then we packed into 3 vehicles with all our bags and headed out to the airport. There was an interesting event here because unknown to us, Lisa’s ticket had been cancelled. I had to buy a ticket at the airport and get her going. There some issues with Tania’s credit card, but eventually we were all checked in and we completed security and headed to the gate. The adventure had begun. We were only missing Carrie who would arrive the next day. The flight to Calcutta was interesting because all the girls and Kevin slept through it. Mikku and I were really excited to be travelling with all of them and even though Mikku was returning for the first time since Tinku’s passing, the fact that the kids were with us changed things. We reached Calcutta eventlessly and after collecting bags, Mikku and Srijoy went off with her parents. Abhijit was there at the airport and we ran out of cars and had to get a taxi. We first stopped at the boy’s house in BL block and dropped off their bags and then went off to the BE block house where all the girls had already arrived. Abhijit crew had nicely assigned the rooms and I let them settle in. They were dazed and confused and tired. I felt a little sorry for them, and left them to their new dwelling place which Tania described best, “I am not used to this.” I then went home and saw Ma for a bit. Thankfully, Abhijit had already arranged a car for me since the Avis car deal fell through but I was mobile. I went over to the BL block house and picked up the boys and we went over to BE block and met up with the girls who seemed a little bit more relaxed and awake (except poor Rachel who was really off). We all went to Silver Chimney and had dinner there and Abhijit joined us as well. Left them at their respective homes and I went off to AC and called it a day.

July 9, 2010

This day started with going to the girls’ house and getting them up and ready to go out to get some of the essentials taken care of. We all went to the City Center and started with orienting them to City Center and giving the opportunity to get to know the place. This was followed by exchanging money and getting to an ATM to take out some money. Some wanted to do a little shopping so I gave them some time while Kevin and I had a beer at Hakka. We all then ate at Hakka and we went on to our next destination which was the Reliance Mobile Shop to meet with Partha and start of the process of setting all up with their phones and Internet connections. This was a long and complex process and it took a while to do that. In the meantime, it got to be time to go to the airport to pick up Carrie who was arriving from Delhi. Kevin and I drove over to the airport, picked her up and we were back right about the time when the rest returned from the phone center with their phones and Internet cards. I did not stay for dinner with all and had them eat on their own.

July 10 to July 21, 2010

This was an interesting period for Mikku, Srijoy and me. We all realized that this trip to India was completely different from any other trip we had ever taken. We have always come to India for a holiday, with some research activities that I would do. This time we were there as teachers of a team of people whose entire lifeline in India depended on the three of us. This realization had sunk into us even before we left, but the enormity of the task we had taken was becoming manifest as the ground reality started to alter from day to day. The three of us did not know the people we had brought over with us, and not many of the students knew each other. All of a sudden we were thrown together where only the three of us had the cultural knowledge to assist our students to navigate the new culture they were in and become, at least temporarily, a part of the culture. The first days in Calcutta demonstrated how adaptive we can all be. Everyone fell into the roles they had to, the students made friends quickly, teams began to take shape around common interests, and a camaraderie developed where I was so drawn in with the group, that at times I too forgot that I was a mere teacher, because in this immersive system one is never a teacher only. Mikku, Srijoy and myself in our own ways played, teacher, friend, guide, accountant, translator, driver, doctor, counselor and most importantly the role of the persons they knew would always be available for them. These 10 days were the ones when the bonds developed, and the connections were made. The three of us were also busy with family. There was Tinku’s annual puja, there were a few family gatherings, there were things that had to be done for the parents, but in all of this I always felt a level of satisfaction and happiness that I have not felt for a long time. The students changed my experience of Calcutta completely as Calcutta began to change each individual in the group and the group itself. I really enjoyed going to the girls’ house sometimes after dinner, or early for breakfast and spend the time with them getting to know them much more and better than I have ever known my “students” in my teaching career. At some point, by the end of these 10 days, I was occasionally calling the students “beta” (an affectionate term for a person in the position of a son or daughter or nephew or niece), and it was happening naturally and automatically. This was the formative period of what would later be labeled as the “India Family.” The details of the days are recorded elsewhere in the other document, but what was going on in this period was pure learning at every moment of our lives during those days. We learnt to know ourselves, each other, the community we had created, the community we were immersed in, and the land we were living in. I learn to look at Calcutta differently, and the company of 11 individuals charmed by Calcutta and Salt Lake reminded me why I have always loved this city (which really became palpable to all after the experience of Delhi which proved to be a different and much less pleasant experience). At the end of the 10 days, all wanted to spend the rest of time in Calcutta and not go anywhere else. The departure from the houses was not teary but pretty close, and that demonstrated to me that the course was a success. Study abroad is not just going to a country, and studying about the country. Study abroad is really becoming a part of the country, its culture and its people. In this we were successful in Calcutta. And in Calcutta, Srijoy transformed from being a detached teenager to someone who was really making connections with the team of students. That transformation was absolutely fascinating to watch and it came to a point where he stuck with the 11 any time we did things together.

July 21, 2010

We left from Calcutta on the morning flight of Indigo and reached Delhi with no issues other than some baggage problems related to real excess baggage. Once that was solved we boarded the flight to Delhi, and had the minor hiccup of Kevin leaving his computer at security, which, however, was retrieved. We reached Delhi and a flotilla of cars were sent by Hotel Saptagiri to get us and our bags to the hotel. After check in we decided to go to Ambience Mall in Gurgaon. I had to run an errand with British Airways so I took a separate car and went there and then joined them a the mall. However, in this process I met our driver, Surjit (the students called him SK) who proved to be a reliable and trustworthy person and played a special role during our stay in Delhi. We all had dinner at the Nirula’s Restaurant at the mall and eventually called it a day since we had an early flight the next day.

July 22, 2010

We had a very early start, and many in the group had left their bags at the hotel for the Leh trip. We all piled into cars and got to the airport in time for the 6 am flight to Leh. The flight was fantastic and view out of the windows was breathtaking as we crossed the Himalayas and left in the south to get to the desert plateau that is Ladakh with Leh being its main city. When we landed in Leh, and the doors of the plane were opened most of us choked because of the lack of oxygen at 11,000 feet. There was some paper work at the airport since we were foreigners and eventually we met up with Mr. Dorjee the owner of Namgayal Palace and we took another multitude of vehicles and got to the hotel/resort. The place looked really nice and the rooms were quite good too. We had breakfast and we all decided that it was important to rest and get accustomed to the altitude before trying to do anything else. Most people slept, and I got some work done. My problem was that I was out of breath all the time, but I did not yet experience the headache that others were feeling. Srijoy claimed he was “high” and just listened to his music. That afternoon, we started our exploration of Leh and details of that are elsewhere.

July 22 to July 25, 2010

The bonds that were built in Calcutta between the students and the three of us matured and took real shape in Leh. Here now we were actually under the same roof. There was no separation between the three of us and the group. We ate together, we travelled together, we shopped together, and we were out of breath together at 18,000 feet at Khandri-La. Srijoy became one of the students and actually participated in the lectures that I had. Swati was there as part of the India Family that had now gelled. Not only were all of us assimilated into the culture, the students were beginning to adopt the culture. This is beyond appreciating the culture, but this is where the cultural comfort is sufficiently high that the inhibitions were disappearing. Carrie and Rachel would spend an hour chatting with a shop keeper, Kendall and Kevin would go have tea with a Tibetan refugee woman, Tania and Will would visit the home and temple of Mr. Dorjee. And I felt completely connected with this group. The connection really manifest itself at the party thrown by Mr. Dorjee where we were all a part of one team – the India Family – exploring new things and experiences. Americans all of us, we were all in a new place (including Mikku, Srijoy and me, because Leh is so different from the rest of India), and we were marveling at how beautiful and unique the place was.

July 26, 2010

Finally, it was time to leave Leh. We had a morning flight back to Delhi and after rather a stringent security we were on the plane and arrived in Delhi without any hassles. There was again a flotilla of cars to receive us and after several hours, we were all settled into our guest houses in Chittaranjan Park (near Market number 2) of Delhi. I was really tired by the time the process was completed. We then all went to Greater Kailash II (GK II) M-block market and had lunch at Swagath after which we took the cars and did a driving tour of Delhi to show all the major political points of interest. We were still tired from the Leh trip and eventually we all gathered at the house where five of the girls were (this too was called the ‘girls’ house’)and we ordered pizza for dinner. Called it a day after that.

July 27, 2010

We got the cars from SK and we did a day trip of Delhi, starting with Humayun’s Tomb in the morning, Ansal Plaza (Mirchi restaurant) for lunch, and then Qutab Minar in the afternoon. Mikku and Srijoy did not go to the Minar but spent the afternoon at Ansal Plaza and we eventually met up at the girls’ house for dinner that they had ordered to say goodbye to Mikku and Srijoy.

July 28, 2010 to August 10, 2010

I dropped Mikku and Srijoy at the airport in the morning and got back to the guest house to teach class at 9:00 am in the girls’ house and the last part of our sojourn in India began. I was missing my family and I realized that the team was missing them too. This was a transformative moment because their departure reminded us all that we too would be leaving soon. I do not think we were considering that possibility until the two of them left. What happened in Delhi, I am able to explain on two premises, first the reality of leaving was brought home by their leaving, and secondly, the extended discussions about how Indians leave India and come back (NRI) prompted an interesting process in some members of the family – we (of course, I always did), started to consider ourselves as NRI. Carrie would be the walking encyclopaedia on Bollywood, Kendall would look at matrimonial in the newspapers, others would spend extended time with young Indian boys that they met, some would venture out on their own and bargain with the auto drivers as if they were local, and one could pass for A Rai and is probably be on numerous home videos and pictures in Agra, Delhi and Jaipur. I realized that this family has gelled to the point where there are conflicts in the family and I was expected to be the mediator. As in all familial groups, conflict is a necessary and important part of building relationships, and if someone asked me, I can identify in this group all the elements that defines what it means to be a family. Even though the culture in Delhi is despicable and as Calcuttans we were very critical and wary of the offensive manner of the young men of Delhi we realized (and I did too) that over the past month we had all become Indians, and as Kendall put it, when we go back not only will I be a NRI but many in the group would feel like NRIs (Non Resident Indian). As we travelled on rickshaws, autos, taxis and as we sat and laughed together in the movie theater, or walked together in Jama Masjid, and ate together in Moti Mahal, or danced to Rajasthani music in Jaipur or sweated together in Agra Fort and had discussions in class while eating Budhha’s Alu Gobi, we were all becoming Indian and India was leaving an indelible trace on each of us, even on me who used to be Indian, and re-discovered the country through the eyes of my Indian Family. That is when I recognized that my goal of complete immersion for the students has been met. Each learnt different things, but if education is about broadening the horizons for the students – then all have been educated in their own ways. The ancient “pathshala” and “ashram” system still works. By the time we were done in Delhi, there was a true sense of parting as we got ready to go back to the United States. Our sense of home (even my sense of home, about which I thought I was so sure) was transformed. I knew that none of these 11 individuals with whom our lives were permanently intertwined will ever be the same again.

Details of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in other files. Also, Will left for ‘merica on August 9 night.

August 10, 2010

It was now time to leave. I told them that they should do what they want to on this day as long as all their bags were ready to be transported by 12:30 pm. Using four taxis from the taxi stand at CR Park Market 2, Kevin I transferred about 30 bags from the guest houses to Hotel International Inn in Mahipalpur. The rest were off on their own exploring Delhi in the midst of the first truly torrential downpour of the monsoon in Delhi. Kevin and I ate lunch at a dive near the hotel. All were back in the hotel by about 6:30 pm (except one) and we all went to dinner to the same dive where Kevin and I had had lunch. After dinner, we came back to the hotel and started to prepare for the 4 who would leave from India that night. We got the cars ready, baggage packed and I finally saw off Epiphany, Tracy and Kendall at the new international terminal of Delhi airport. Rachel went independently to the airport a little later to catch a later flight. Got back and called it a day.

August 11, 2010

The day started early. I had to round up Tania, Carrie, Lisa, Kiki and Erin and get them to the airport. We left at about 6:00 am and after dropping them off I went on to the domestic airport for my flight to Calcutta. Got there in time, and spent most of the day doing bank and other work with my mother. Had lunch with family at Hakka in the City Center. In the evening Dada Bhai came over and it was nice evening with us three cousins.

August 12 and 13, 2010

Hung out in Calcutta. Went to the usual shopping places – City Center, CA Market etc. – and also met with friends and family. The evening out at the Lake Club was fabulous as was the home cooked meals and sharing that with Raja who dropped me at the airport on the afternoon of 8/13.

August 14, 2010

Early morning flight from Delhi to London. Afternoon with Kaju Mama and then evening with family in London. Assisted Kaju mama with some of his computer needs and was really tired by the time I went to bed.

August 15, 2010

Right now, on the flight from London to Washington.

2010-07-30T09:43:00.004-04:00

Highlights of the Summer Session 2, 2010 (not in any particular order):

Victoria Memorial (the memorial made for Queen Victoria in Calcutta at the peak of the British Raj)

Botanical garden (this has the largest and oldest living Banyan tree)

Dakhineswar temple (the holiest of the Kali temples in India)

Tipu Sultan Mosque (a mosque right in the center of Calcutta built about 500 years ago)

College Street (the intellectual heart of Calcutta with booksellers lining the street)

Sunderban outskirts (the Ganges delta where all went on a boat ride)

Cognizant (the IT Giant of India where we heard from the one of the VPs - Raja - an old schoolfriend)

St. Paul’s Cathedral (the center of the old British parish in Calcutta)

Presidency College (one of the oldest academic institutions in India)

Anand Restaurant (vegetarian South Indian restaturant where a lunch can be had for under $2)

Peshawari Restaurant (the upscale restaurant at Sonarbangla serving food from Afghanistan)

Silver Chimney Restaurant (the first restaurant by Salt Lake swimming pool where we all ate dinner)

Bira rural home (the place where we all did fishing and the fish that was caught was fried and served)

City Center Mall (the place where we all went regularly for meals and shopping in Calcutta)

Handicrafts Fair (the place selling all the Bengal handicrafts)

Grand Hotel (the old Victorian era hotel where we went for afternoon tea)

Mani Square Mall (another major mall in Calcutta)

Ambience Mall (the largest mall in Delhi where we all ate at the legendary Nirula's restaurant)

Leh palace (the 1,000 year old palace that is the epicenter of Leh)

Japanese shanti stupa (11,000 feet and relatively new Budhist stupa)

Leh town (at 10,000 feet the center of Ladakh District with its numerous shops and restaurants)

Himis monastery (at 10,000 feet that represents one branch of Tibetan Budhism)

Kargil Road (that meanders through the Ladakh range and leads to the 1999 Kargil battleflield)

Indo-China friendship road (that connects Leh to Srinagar)

Shey palace (at 11,000 feet with one of the largest Buddha statue in the World)

Indus river (Ladakh)

Ganges/Hooghly river (Calcutta)

Jamuna river (Agra and Delhi)

Primitive restroom (at the restaurant outside Shey palace, where everyone went neverthless)

Budhist scholar (who came and spoke to us about the basis of Budhist philosophy)

Sunshine café Leh (where we all ate together)

Leh Tibetan refugee shops (these were all over Leh and some students did ethnographic research there)

Alchi monastery (1,000 years old continuously operating monastery where I was rebuked by the monks)

Picnic by mountain stream (a spot that was chosen randomly and provided a peaceful place to eat)

Tibetan kitchen (the restaurant that was always crowded in Leh)
Confluence of Zangstra and Indus river (where one could see the different colors of the water)

Dinner at Namgyal place (with Mr. Dorjee who treated us to a fantastic meal)

Mitra dancing to Swati singing (somewhat emberassing but fun)

Khandri-la highest motorable road at 18,000 feet (the treachosous drive upto a point where it was nearly impossible to breathe)

Delhi guest house (spread out over three houses in CR Park with G1373 becoming the congregation point)

GK 2 market (where we went for the first lunch in Delhi)

Swagath restaurant (the restaurant where we ate the first lunch in Delhi after coming back from Leh)

Falling sick (Erin, Tracy and somewhat Kiki and Tania)

Driving around Delhi (to see the epicenter of Indian politics)

Humayun Tomb (that was the prototype for the Taj Mahal)

Qutab Minar (nearly 600 years old minaret in Delhi)

Pizza delivery (to the guest house in Delhi)

Chinese delivery (to the guest house in Delhi)

Tere Bin Laden (funny movie that some of us watched)

Taj Mahal (enuff said)

Temple in Vrindaban (that some visited while the car was being repaired)

Broken car (one car pulling another on the highway tied by rope)

Agra Fort (one hot day)

Irritating guide (at Taj Mahal that we all hated)

Meeting Rana (Ananda's school friend who helped explain the importance of the TMC political party)

Meeting Raja (Ananda's school friend who helped explain the position of outsourcing)

Meeting Rohit and family (Ananda's school friend who invited us all to dinner at his place)

Meeting Dr. Mitra (Ananda’s cousin) family

Meeting Swati’s parents

Meeting Ananda’s mother

Swati and Srijoy leaving early in the morning

Akshardham (the massive temple complex in Delhi)

Commonwealth village (seeing this from the road to Akhardham)

Jama Masjid (one scary place in the epicenter of Muslim Delhi)

Red Fort (the light and sound show and sodas at the resturant)

Moti Mahal Restaurant (in Daryagung where Indira Gandhi and Kennedy have eaten)

Rickshaw ride through old Delhi

Autorickshaws in Delhi

Kuki (ask the students)

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai (the blocbuster we all went to see together with me doing real-time translation)

Nehru Place restaurant where we all ate the less expensive Baluchi food

Ansal Plaza (the oldest mall in Delhi)

Mirchi restaurant (in Ansal Plaza where we all ate lunch)

Hotel Swagath (in Mahipalpur where we stayed a night and left our bags when we went to Leh)

Free days (when nothing was programmed and all did their own things)

Lotus temple (the Delhi center for the Bhai faith)

Kalkaji market (where we went for luggage shopping)

Naivedam (the South Indian restuarant from which we ordered food and eventually went to also in Kalkaji)

CR Park Market 2 (our home address for the autorickshaws)

Connaught Place in Delhi (where we went for shopping and then lunch at the Chinese place)

The evening gatherings at the central houses

The sleepy streets of Delhi in the early morning

The Ajmer Shatabdi at 6 am from Delhi to Jaipur with breakfast on the train

The traffic jam outside Jaipur station

Umaid Palace (the heritage hotel with the terrace restaurant in Jaipur)

City Palace (this is the center of the Man Singh's dynasty in Jaipur)

Jantar Mantar (the curious astronomical garden of Jaipur)

Indiana Restaurant (the traditional Rajasthani restaurant with music and dance)

Taking the autos back from the restaurant and conversation with auto driver

Bidis (a very traditional tobacco smoking product)

Amber Palace (the large palace on top of the hills which many reached on elephant back)

The restaurant in Jaipur where we ate lunch

The remote temple to Hanuman which is inhabited by hundred of monkeys and millions of flies

Quick shopping in the Pink City

Waiting room in Jaipur station

Ajmer Shatabdi back to Delhi with dinner on the train

Tere Bin Laden (movie with some of the students)

Aisha (movie with students)

Birthday dinner for Erin at Oh! Calcutta restaurant

Lecture at Jamia Milia University

Lunch at the University cafetaria

Dinner at the Delhi girls' house

Hotel International Inn the night before leaving India

The Delhi rains the day before we left India

And then it was over

Egypt November 2009

2009-12-11T05:47:00.001-05:00

Egypt and bit of Germany, November 2009

November 4, 2009

We had Snowy packed off with Will on Monday night and Srijoy did some of his homework the night before and we left from home at about 8:00 am after a quick stop at Starbucks on Robinhood for coffee and rolls. We took 40 and 77 to Charlotte and as usual 77 was backed up right near exit 25. We discovered an alternative route taking exit 25 that actually took us through pastoral Charlotte and we got to the airport in comfortable time. It was beautiful sunny fall day and the check in was eventless and we settled down for our flight to Philadelphia. The flight was on time and we arrived in Philly just in time for lunch which we ate in a relaxed way at the food court of the airport. The Philly airport is basically a shopping mall with an airport attached to it. There are all the major name brands one can think of, and it feels different from the duty free shopping you get at Heathrow or Dubai because the shops operate more as stores and not so much as shops at an airport. We took an unhurried stroll through the mall and eventually boarded the Airbus for Frankfurt. US Air, like most other American carriers, is really awful in terms of service. The food was marginal, the booze cost $7, and the stewards were really rude or extremely rude. Oh, I so miss the old days of air travel when the planes were nicer, the service was actually "service" and not the hurried "get out of my way and finish your food" attitude that the American carriers have. I have realized that it is best to avoid American carriers when travelling overseas because any other carrier is better than the American ones. Anyway, we survived the crossing and reached Frankfurt a little ahead of time because of the tail winds in fall and winter. After a long time Srijoy and I did a night-crossing of the Atlantic (Mikku had done it recently for Stockholm) and it was actually not too bad, and I could see how this could be much better with a better airline.

November 5, 2009

We went through customs and security with little difficulty at Frankfurt. Collected the bags and took the elevator to the walkway and across to the Sheraton that is totally connected to Terminal 1 and checked into the Day Room at the Sheraton. This works well in cases where there is a significant layover between the two flights at Frankfurt. The hotel is nice, and the room can be booked online and they would let you into the room as early in the morning as needed. Provided a place to catch up on some sleep lying on a bed, a shower, and download all the e-mail. We rested there for a few hours and then went back to the terminal. Checking in with Egypt Air was relatively simple and the security at Frankfurt is much more civilized than what we have in the USA. Went through security relatively quickly and sat down at the Goethe Bar and had a breakfast at noon. The airport is not very nice and the terminal and gates we were in was rather sparse with respect to duty free shops. We hung around for a bit and then went off to the gate. The plane boarded mostly on time, and there was a bit of a wait on the tarmac. Egypt Air proved to be quite good. The food was nice and plentiful and the stewards were helpful and polite. There was a hint of racism towards non-whites on the flight, but it could have been a mistaken attribution on my part as well. There was no alcohol served on Egypt Air since Egypt is an officially Islamic country and the airlines is the national carrier of Egypt (we learnt later that Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution declares it as an Islamic country). The landing in Cairo was at night and we did not have window seats so did not get the glimpse from the sky. The airport had the typical odor one connects with developing countries and was immediately reminiscent of going to India or Peru. The airport was quite large and much bigger than Delhi airport which I was expecting it to be like. It was quite a long walk to the immigration area. This is where things get interesting. For people travelling under an American passport one need not have a visa stamped on the passport to board the aircraft from places like Frankfurt, London or New York, especially if you are on Egypt Air. However, on arrival in Cairo the individual must go to one of the three bank counters that come before immigration and purchase a visa for $15 per passenger. It takes only a few minutes to do this. Then, the person must complete a short form and stand in line, as in any other country, for the immigration officer who looks at the form and visa and stamps the passport and you are in. We got our bags after that and exited into the waiting area. It was quite large and we were expecting to see a driver from the hotel (JW Marriott) but there was a bit of a confusion about that, but eventually we got into the bus for the airport. The temperature outside was pleasant and the desert was palpable even at night. The roads were very good and reminiscent of the West and they drive on the same side of the road as in the USA. We arrived at the hotel and check in and service was very similar to what one experiences in India. The room was quite nice and had a balcony attached to it. I went down to arrange for transportation and other stuff while the others had a room service dinner. I finished the sandwich we had bought at Frankfurt. Because of Srijoy's allergies, we always carry some food with us in case the food on the plane appeared doubtful. Anyway, we were tired, and called it a day. I actually slept out on the balcony. We were on the sixth floor and it was quite pleasant.

November 6, 2009

We had a little difficulty getting up, but there was a reservation for the morning free shuttle from the hotel to go to Saqqara the site of the step pyramid. This is one of the older pyramids of the sequence of pyramids and was about 40 km from Cairo. We were also outside of Cairo and we were actually in a new development called Mirage City which is full of really expensive homes and shopping centers and hotels like the totally new JW Marriott. We had to select this hotel because it was one of the few that would allow three people in the same room. We made some coffee in the room and I got some croissants from the little bakery in the lobby. We then got to the van. It was a comfortable air conditioned van and there were a few other co-passengers. There was an older couple from Europe and a young man from Goa. The journey took us from the hotel along the Cairo ring road towards the city. It is not usually understood that the Cairo metropolis is one of the largest in the World and it is made up of three parts. To the east of the Nile is Cairo, to the west of the Nile is Giza and to the north of both these places is the area called Heliopolis which is both the site of the ancient city as well as the modern suburb where Mirage City is located. So we drove along the ring road which is comparable to any highway across the World. The first thing we noticed was the bare desert. Te sand appeared to be coarser and different in hue from the desert we have seen in the outskirts of Dubai. We soon approached the city and was struck by the jungle of incomplete multi-storied homes. They had bare brick outsides and it was explained that many families in Cairo do not complete the homes to keep open the option of adding to the houses. But it creates a bizarre look of a city that is incomplete. It was like driving past a brick jungle. The road was starting to get a little more crowded (8 lane highway) and we were soon at the Nile and we crossed the Nile. This was an exhilarating feeling. Perhaps never in our dreams had Mikku and I felt that we will ever get the opportunity to see this river. When growing up in India these were the esoteric places - the Nile, the Volga, the Danube - and thankfully at least I have seen all three and Mikku has seen two of these. The Nile is huge, the crossing point is similar to the crossing of the Mississippi near northern Illinois where the highway cuts into Iowa. The highway crosses over the river and then we entered the city of Giza. Suddenly we spied the pyramids. That was another moment of simple awe. You can see the pyramids from the highway as the city has grown into the pyramids. It just shows up in the distance and you realize that these are really much larger than what we have seen in the pictures. More importantly, they are plum in the middle of the city. You just drive up to them with a KFC right next to the Sphinx. But we were not going to the pyramids today. We skirted around the pyramids and got on the local road leading to Saqqara. Driving along this road was completely reminiscent of driving in India. Street side shops selling wares, some auto repair shops and things that are completely familiar to us but would be clearly interesting to the Western eye. It was clear that there are similarities in countries like Egypt and India, although Egypt remains a more affluent country. The drive to Saqqara took about an hour and we eventually drove up to the first real pyramid we would see - the step pyramid built as the first experimental pyramid which looks like steps rather the shape that has been popularized as the icon of Egypt. What was really interesting was the fact that we were actually standing in the location of a human-made object that is nearly 5,000 years old. There are not many places in the World where it is possible to be so close to an object that is that old. The place of course was infested with the annoying souvenir sellers one sees all over the World in places like this (except in the USA). These people are annoying but they add a flavor to the place which makes it more real as opposed to the antiseptic feeling one gets in places where these pesky people are missing. We strolled around the compound and was then led to a tomb where we saw 5,000 year old hieroglyphics inscribed on the walls of the tomb. This was a tomb where one could walk in through a door. The next place they took us to was a another pyramid and the tomb was inside the pyramid. Being largely claustrophobic I decided to give it a pass and Srijoy and Mikku did go in there and they spent a few minutes in there. After that visit we got back into the van and drove back to Giza right next to the main pyramids. The tour then ended up in a perfume shop. The Egyptians claim to have perfected the science of perfumery using natural ingredients. Not sure how accurate that is, but this was definitely a tourist trap where they take tourists and attempt to sell extremely high-priced perfumes and perfume accessories. It was, however, interesting to learn about the medicinal claims of the perfumes. We spent about an hour there. In the meantime, there was a little street disturbance outside the store (which was called Siwa) and it was interesting to see the crowds and the people much like Delhi, Lima or Bogota. What was also striking was the auto-rickshaws by Bajaj that have ended up in Cairo as well. Looking exactly like they do in Calcutta, these autos use the "share ride" concept and this really took us directly back to Calcutta. Some of the street corners looked the same as well. After the perfume factory trip the next stop was the papyrus place. This too was a tourist trap and we spent even less time there and took a taxi leaving the tour. The taxi system is also similar to many other cities like Lima or Calcutta. There is no meter, and the price is negotiated before you enter the taxi. Since English is barely used this becomes a bit of a challenge if one does not understand or speak Arabic. The tour-guide driver did the negotiation for us and we went through the infamous Cairo traffic, crossed the Nile and reached downtown Cairo. We got off right near the national museum and strolled around the huge plaza before finding a hole in the wall joint for a quick lunch. For about 30 Egyptian Pounds ($6) we three had a really good meal. We then walked down the main shopping stretch of the city and eventually negotiated with another taxi to take us to the El-Azhar Mosque. Before that we had chatted with a souvenir shop owner to figure out the acceptable cost. The drive was through the labyrinth of Cairo's Islamic Area until we reached the area of the mosque. Like in other Islamic areas (much like Kidderpore in Calcutta) the mosque is surrounded by one of the largest bazaars in the Arabian World. It was huge and we walked around there for some time before going into the mosque. A guide imposed himself on us and insisted on telling us the history of the mosque and explained the different aspects of the mosque. In our times we have seen many cathedrals and churches across the World but this was our first genuine look at a mosque. Mikku had to use the tiny scarf she thankfully had with her to cover her head and shoulders and was reminded about that a few times. This is one of the largest mosques of the Arab World and has a world-renowned madrasa (religious school) attached to it. We saw it all and then left the mosque after me receiving the traditional Islamic kiss from the guide (after he had cajoled us to pay him 60 Egyptian Pounds to show us the mosque). What was interesting was the fact that when we were leaving the mosque and went to retrieve our shoes, the shoe-keeper asked for a Pound each for the shoes, which was OK, but then asked me how much I paid the guide. The guide had prepped me for this question, and told me to say ten pounds only, which I did. So, even in the mosque there is a racket going on, where the guide will give the shoe-keeper half his taking (5 Pounds) and pocket the rest. Interesting. We then walked around the market some more and decided to take a taxi back. We decided to get a slightly higher level "metro cab" that would go on the meter. The hotel had given a direction card written in Arabic which the I showed the driver and was hoping he would know. He seemed to say he knew, but it became clear very soon that he had no idea. So much like in Dubai, some years ago, my trusted phone with Google maps came to the rescue as I was explaining to him in whatever English he knew to get us to the hotel. This resulted in an altercation where I refused to pay the fare shown on the meter because of the way he had screwed up and we had to go around in circles. I was able to prevail and thus did not have to pay the whole amount. We then decided to go down to the Lebanese restaurant for dinner. There was a woman singing live doing a pretty bad job, and I suggested to the DJ that there was a singer from India with us, and told Swati to go and sing, but she refused, although the restaurant was willing to give her a chance. We strolled around the hotel some before finally calling it a day. I again slept on the balcony but was accosted by mosquitoes earlier in the morning.

November 7, 2009

For this day we had arranged for a private car with a guide to go to the main pyramids. This was a little expensive but having the English speaking driver and the guide was a big help. We again took the ring road, and things were much more crowded today, yesterday was a Friday and a holiday but being a working day things were backed up. The pollution also hung heavy on the city displaying the very familiar brown sky of Lima, Calcutta, Delhi and other such places. It took us a little longer to get to the pyramids after a stop on the way to pick up our young guide and to buy some cheap Chinese batteries for my camera which lasted all of 5 minutes. The tickets were pre-purchased and it is possible to drive right up to the main entrance area of the vast pyramid complex which borders the city on one side and open desert on the other side. It was obviously an awesome experience only marred by the pesky guides and the flying polybags that is slowly making the area dirty. The complex includes three major pyramids as seen in the iconic pictures and it is possible to drive from one to the other eventually reaching a "panorama point" from where it is possible to see all the pyramids. The pollution was so heavy that it was really difficult to get a good view but one could sense the awe it must have inspired to people who would see the pyramids rising from the dust and appearing to touch the sky. The panorama point is also the starting point for a one-hour long camel ride that takes one through the desert and right to the sphinx. Although we were hesitant the guide convinced us to pay the money and take the trip. Mikku could not go for her bad back, but Srijoy and I mounted one camel which was led by a young Arabic person on the second camel and we started the trek. Horrifying experience. A camel ride in general is uncomfortable. Sharing a camel is absolutely not recommended. Srijoy was in the front and had something to hang on to, and I was on the back hanging on to Srijoy. He can lean back on me, I have clear air and a drop to the ground, sliding down the camels arse. Not a good thing when the land is undulating and the entire English lexicon of the fellow leading us is limited to "lean back," "hold on" and a quizzical "go faster?" Also to note, unless you are in the habit of stretching your inner thigh regularly (the last time mine were stretched when they pulled me out) across a large saddle, then after you get off the camel you will walk bow-legged and with immense pain for a significant amount of time. By the time we reached the Sphinx I would have been happy to be let off in the middle of nowhere as long I was off the back of the offending animal. The Sphinx was also as impressive as the pyramids. We went around the area and then the guide took us to a "stock" restaurant where we paid through our noses for a really bad meal. I was also somewhat nauseous in the morning from jet lag or indigestion, and although the camel ride stirred me enough to have digested everything in my gut, I was not too keen on the meal. After lunch we went off to a curio store, also a tourist trap, and was led into buying a pair of chartuses (these are oval necklaces that has ones name written in hieroglyphics). The salesperson was really very good and surely charmed Mikku and Srijoy into spending the money. We then took the van and went on to the Egyptian Museum. Although the building and upkeep was not as swanky with museums in the West, this was a place of immense treasure including all the gold discovered in King Tut's tomb. Much of the wealth from the other pyramids were plundered and much went off to Europe, but King Tut's stuff is all in this museum. We also the famous mummified animals featured in the National Geographic magazine. We spent about two hours there and then said our goodbye to our guide and returned to the hotel. I went and got some sandwiches from the Mobil gas station which had the "On the Run" shop. We finally called it a day. I also realized that using the rented cars from the hotel was getting unnecessarily expensive and had finally contacted a person off the Web who was going to send a car at a much less price the next day.

November 8, 2009

The car arrived as promised and we ate our normal breakfast and then headed out on the car towards the Giza pyramids. We decided to do this on our own today to get the freedom of the time to look around. The driver tried to pull a fast one on us by taking us first to the Sphinx and imagining that we would go with a guide. We told him that we were not going to do that and had him drive us to the other end where we bought our tickets and drove into the main pyramid complex. There we spent some time taking pictures and then went on to the Panorama point. Here Srijoy decided to venture out on foot into the desert and he definitely enjoyed the freedom. Being a desert we could see him walk for a long time. We spent some time there and then had lunch at the downtown Marriott. After lunch and the time at the conference we let the driver take us to a restaurant on the Nile and we sat there for some time before heading back to the hotel and waiting for the evening events with the conference. I had paid off the driver and he had left by then. The whole car hire system is exactly similar to the one that exists India and having done that many times the process of paying off and tipping was really simple. It was a good thing we have travelled so much because the process was quite familiar to us. We had a little time before the conference dinner to which the family was also invited. We strolled along the banks of the Nile. Cairo on one side and Giza on the other was coming alive with the night lights as the hotels and offices started to look like any other city in the World. It should be noted that I am writing this after spending a few days in Delhi, and although I speak of the similarities between Cairo and Delhi, it is the fact that Delhi is far more foggy in December and the way one could see the city lights of Cairo and Giza along the Nile, one would not see that in Delhi. Cairo also has a larger number of skyscrapers than Delhi which is more spread out and other than the housing estates of Dwarka there is not that many skyscrapers in Delhi. Anyway, I digress. After the Nile walk we got back to the meeting point for the dinner. We were taken on a luxury coach through the horrendous traffic of Cairo, here Cairo beats Delhi, as I will describe later. The distance was short and we eventually reached the walled city of ancient Islamic Cairo. The treatment of the delegates was nothing short of royal. We were placed on a electric cars so that we did not have to walk too far and escorted to a Mosque and Madrasa which was specially shut down for a private tour of the invited delegates and their families. This was an amazing experience to be treated with incredible amount of importance and shown all the details of the Islamic faith system and the education system. After that we were taken by the electric cars to the largest mansion in Cairo - a huge place with 115 rooms and sprawled out. It was the residence of a former Muslim ruler of Egypt and we were treated to private dinner with live entertainment. The specific entertainment program was called the Tanoura show. This is a show of male musicians and dancers who perform some really interesting and acrobatic dances. This is highly recommended for visitors to Cairo. We watched the show sharing the table with a lady and her husband from Moscow. The lady was well versed in English but the husband had no English at all. She works for the Public Opinion Research group in Moscow and what was interesting was that when Mikku and she went to the bathroom, we just sat quietly at the table since there was no way to communicate until the lady returned. These are priceless moments that really become learning moments for Srijoy who found the incident amusing but telling. The program and the dinner went late into the night and eventually the Director of the Center that had organized the conference offered the three of us a ride back to the hotel. A retired member of the Egyptian Army it was really interesting chatting with him about politics as we slowly made our way through the Cairo traffic that does not ever let up, even at midnight, when the added peril are teenagers on motorbikes who do their biker routines on the roads to add to the chaos. We finally called it a day at the hotel.

November 9, 2009

We had the same driver and the same car and we decided to get out of the city and go towards Saqqara again, but go beyond that to the bent pyramid that we had seen from Saqqara. This was a good hours drive into real Egypt and the similarities with towns in the central part of India was just amazingly striking. Reminded me of places in Bihar and MP where the small towns would have dusty roads, road-side stalls selling all kinds of wares, animals (mostly donkeys in Egypt) meandering around, stray dogs, and the amazing look of freshly slaughtered meat being sold by butchers shops exactly like the markets in the Beckbagan and Park Circus areas of Calcutta. There were the ubiquitous auto-rickshaws and the school kids in uniforms as we made our way out into desert to the area of the bent pyramid. There are two pyramids in this area. One is a standard shape (which was the final shape that they settled upon, first starting with the step pyramid, then going to the bent pyramid shape and then the final one that is familiar to all). The area was right next to an Egyptian military base (Egypt has compulsory military training for all youngsters, and can muster a huge army in case the uneasy peace with Israel was to be disturbed) and we could hear artillery testing going on there. Srijoy entered this pyramid too and then we moved towards the bent pyramid. The road was rough and the car was not very comfortable and so we decided to just pictures from a distance (in the desert there ain't no trees to stop your view!) and then headed back towards Giza from where we took the Fayoum Road to go towards Fayoum the location of one of the largest oasis in Egypt. The traffic was so bad that at one point we almost decided to turn back but my GPS suggested that things would clear out soon and it did. The journey to Fayoum is completely through the Sahara desert. As I mentioned earlier, this is a different kind of desert from the one in Kuwait (which I have seen) and the one in the United Arab Emirates (which too I have seen) and more like the Mojave in USA. The sand appears rougher and there was more undulations in this part of the Sahara. The pollution melted away very soon and we were under the bright sun and the mirages were absolutely admirable (we also discovered that it is very difficult to photograph a mirage) but we really understood how real the water looks in the midst of the sand. The road was quite good and was a four-lane highway and we did lay some toll. We eventually took the right turn off the Fayoum road and headed to the oasis called Lake Tarun. It was a serene blue lake and we sat at a restaurant by the lake and ate fried fish and Egyptian rice. Of course, the fish was caught almost right in front of us from the lake. After a little while there, we headed back to Cairo. The first forty five minutes of the drive was fine, but the last 20 miles took 3 hours. It was absolutely horrendous. The driver and I used GPS to track out alternative routes but nothing was flowing. It seemed as if the whole city was in gridlock for no apparent reason at all. This does not happen in Delhi. Yesterday, I was at Bhikaji Cama place (actually the Lotus Garden Chinese restaurant) for a meeting and my driver was warning me that we needed leave by 7 pm to be at the airport (international) by 8 because of traffic (those who know, think about Bhikaji and basically Mahipalpur, usually does not take more than 30 minutes) and he was right. I got delayed and did not leave until 7:30 and the traffic in Delhi was bad but it was flowing. A short nap in the car later we were at IGI by about 8:15 which was not bad at all, and was within what was predicted. But as the driver in Cairo said, nothing is predictable about traffic there and so by the time we got back to the hotel we were absolutely exhausted doing nothing but sitting in a car. We got food from the Mobil station and called it a day.

November 10, 2009

We checked out of the hotel after our croissant and coffee breakfast and took the shuttle to Cairo airport. There was another couple of Indian origin in the shuttle and we discovered that their son had studied at the Babcock School of Management of Wake Forest. Small world indeed it is. Check in with Egypt Air was smooth and so was security and immigration. The duty free area of Cairo airport is not large but quite comfortable. The flight was on time and we left for Frankfurt. About four hours later we were in Frankfurt which was quite cold and damp. We got our bags and went to the Sheraton connected to the airport. That is when I discovered that when selecting the cheapest room I had accidentally booked a room closer to downtown. The airport room was too expensive, so we left our bags with the concierge at the airport Sheraton and headed out on train to the other one. It was three stops on U7 or U8 and then a small walk to the hotel. We were relaxed and the walk was nice even though it was a little chilly. After resting at the hotel for a bit we took the tram to Old Stadt. Frankfurt is on the river Mein and downtown Frankfurt is basically a concrete jungle much like any other Western city. But it looked beautiful in the twilight and we eventually got off just past the Bahnhoff station and reached the old square. We have been here a few times before, but Srijoy really wanted to see the Cathedral. We spent a little time in the Church, and being cold and dark we decided to get some hot soup at a local bistro. Hung around the area for a while and then strolled over the central shopping area of Frankfurt. Much like Oxford Street of London the place has all the usual name stores and we went into C&A for Srijoy's underwear. Interestingly C&A the old English chain is no longer on Oxford Street but can be seen in Europe. We bought a snack, and it soon started to rain, so we hurried into the subway and after a few false starts we got back to where we needed to be and then to the hotel. Did an India take way from the store next to the hotel (of course as in much of Germany the Indian restaurants are run either by people from Pakistan or Bangladesh, but they brand them as Indian stores!) and called it a day. A curious thing happened at the main railway station in Frankfurt. Mikku and Srijoy had gone into a store and I was outside next to a café which had beer on its menu. When I asked for the beer the lady said that they sell it in cans and she cannot give it to me, but I need to take the can out of the fridge. I did that and paid for the beer and eventually drank it on our way back in the subway in a brown paper bag (oh so big city this behavior is). But can you guess why the store owner was unable to touch the beer can? Tell you when I see you.

November 11 2009

Our flight was at about 11:00 from Frankfurt. We checked out early and took the tram to the train and then the train to the airport. Got our bags and checked in. Later had a cup of coffee before security which was really smooth and civilized and we commented on it and the person reminded us that we were not in the USA and we all agreed that the American system is one of the worst in the World and is really more of "theater" than security. The Europeans do it far more unobtrusively and have far better profiling and surveillance and do not hype it up as we do in the US. It really got comical and really annoying yesterday in Delhi when Continental Airlines put the passengers through their special security checks before boarding the aircraft. I was able to carry though a lighter (oh that is so banned), matchboxes, undeclared small bottles of whisky. So when the fellow in Germany smirked about not being in the USA, having travelled as much as I have, I could not but agree. As I have travelled (if you look on Facebook, you will note that it stands at 35 countries now) I have seen the dismal state of the "image of USA" that has run through globally, and is just recently being repaired. This requiem of "you are not in America" runs through many places from restaurants where the portions are meant for normal human beings, to soda shops where a drink is not defined as ice with a little bit of the drink, to people who would look you straight in the eye and say "Your bombs killed my son" (I had that from an Iraqi school teacher who had fled Iraq and drove taxis in Dubai) or to curious and educated independent book store owners in Calcutta who once asked me if Clinton was bombing Libya to distract from his trouble with Monica. Anyway, I digress into politics. But after the security at the airport, we browsed the stores a little and then boarded the none hour flight to Charlotte. As always the service was dismal but we have gotten used to that with American carriers. Actually, Continental to Delhi from Newark was tolerable mainly because of an efficient attendant who was actually willing to help the passengers as opposed being hostile to passengers (and God forbid if you are an Indian on a flight going to India you can be assured of being treated like dirt by the Continental attendants, it is even worse on the way back as I am on the flight). This lady, who interestingly was on the flight to Delhi last week, is again on the flight back and recognized me (it is a little scary when flight attendants start to recognize you - that means you are travelling a lot) made both the legs much better than what it could have been. We did not have such as person on the US Air flight from Frankfurt to Charlotte so we cowered in the plane (as did all other passengers) hoping that we would not upset the attendants and get singled out for rebuke. Anyway, we eventually got to Charlotte and after getting the bags (which has become really efficient at Charlotte) we were out of the airport and back home.

The Egypt trip was over and it was really good.

Since the Egypt trip, I also spent a week in India. I flew the nonstop from Newark to Delhi, and the trip was mostly work but it was still enjoyable.

2009-08-13T08:11:00.000-04:00

July 3, 2009

Milan picked us up from home about 8:30 in the morning and we stopped by at Starbucks for some rolls and coffee and headed to the airport. It is always nice to have someone drop you off when you are leaving home and it makes the trip more personal rather than taking a cab when leaving on a long trip. It was really nice of Milan to do that given it was a holiday with the long weekend and he dragged out of bed to do that. The check in at the airport was eventless, although we were a little concerned with the weight. The person checking us in was a trainee with United and I had walk her through the check in process, and remind her to ask the security questions and check our IDs before accepting our bags and giving us bag tags. There is something bizarre about the passenger telling the airline personnel what to do when checking someone in and accepting the bags. Too many plane trips would do this to you. Anyhow, the security check was OK other than Srijoy having to deal with his studded belt that proved to be a bit of a challenge. We hung out at the gate most of the time and the United flight was actually on time and we reached DC with no problem. The airport shuttle did not take too long and we were soon in the hotel and the room turned out to be really nice with Srijoy getting a separate room altogether. The growth of the budget suite hotels has really made this possible where one can get a “suite” for the price lower than what one would pay at some of the name brand chains. We had already eaten lunch at the airport so I contacted our friend Tito who had just recently moved to DC from Brussels and he came over soon and we drove over to his place in Maryland. His wife Laurie and he have rented a really fantastic place set back by a lake and the drive took about an hour and Tito was kind enough to give us a ride. On the way we stopped at small boutique cafe for some ice cream and then went on to Tito’s place. We hung out the evening and Tito cooked a fabulous Indian dinner which we all enjoyed after Laurie and their daughter got home a little later in the evening. Tito eventually drove us back to the hotel and it was late and Mikku accidentally left her glasses in Tito’s car, which was actually a BMW SUV. We eventually called it a day.

July 4, 2009

We had an early start from the hotel and took the shuttle to Dulles. I had completed the check in and had boarding passes ready so the process was quick at the counter. Security clearance was also eventless and we had reached there early enough that we could relax and catch up on e-mail and phone calls. The United flight was eventless too and the Atlantic crossing was quick. The seats were comfortable but lacked electrical outlets and so could not get much real work done but did watch some TV. The entertainment system was archaic and we were once again reminded that it is always a mistake to travel on American carriers when traveling internationally. The service is pitiful and you have to pay for everything which is really irritating. I really wished that British or Virgin or someone would restart the morning service to London from DC. Anyway, being in cattle class on and American carrier is not a good way to travel. We reached London a little early. Had a good view of London from the plane and immigration at Heathrow was painless. The bags took a while to arrive and we eventually waited about 30 minutes to get the Hotel Hoppa (H5) to go from the Terminal to the Slough Marriott. It was nice to return to the familiar hotel. The rooms have not changed much over the years and the “Chaps” bar is still the same. Settled down in the room and got a little bit of room service and eventually called it a day.

July 5, 2009

We got up in time to go down to the breakfast buffet. The traditional English breakfast is still something that I really enjoy. It is certainly not the best thing for one’s arteries but it tastes darn good, with the blood sausage, the bacon and the heaps of scrambled eggs and fried tomatoes. Almost reminiscent of the Harry Potter breakfast. We did not have too much time to eat it all, but we again took the Hoppa 5 to Terminal 3 for the flight to Milan. The flight was on Lufthansa which actually has now moved to Terminal 2 and that caused a bit of flutter but we checked in OK and again security was smooth. Most of the co-passengers were Italians who are similar to Indians in many ways. At airports, train stations, bus depots, and post office lines, Indians suffer from a chronic anxiety that they will somehow miss whatever they are seeking – getting on a plane or posting a letter – unless they manage to work their way to the beginning of the line. It is not that they are against waiting but it is waiting in vain that causes the anxiety. Perhaps for us Indians this is a genetic left-over of years of British Colonial rule where to be noticed by the “Sahib” one needed to be at the head of the proverbial line. Thus all over India people jostle, push, punch, pinch and pull to get ahead. Interestingly, Italians seem to do that too. This was evident as people started to cluster around the gate, perhaps anxious that the plane would leave without them. We felt really at home with this and before we knew, we were on the aircraft and settled into our seats of a Lufthansa flight which was operated by BMI. The flight was delayed about an hour but after that things were relatively smooth. We reached Milan’s Malpensa airport about 4:30 in the afternoon. This was our second time in the airport and there was some familiarity with the airport that helped. We got the rental car (Fiat Punto with automatic transmission and diesel fuel) and a GPS navigation system and headed out of the airport. Thanks to the GPS system (TomTom) we were not allowed to lose our way because the very stern lady who had been hired to do the voice for the system would chastise me if I went the wrong way, or if I drove too fast, or if I was near a police camera, or if I marginally had any evil thoughts related to the way I drive. It took a little messing with the system to shut her up and restrict her to just giving directions and not passing judgment on my driving, which has been honed on Calcutta streets and thus worked admirably in Milan. We got to the hotel with little difficulty and after checking in and settling down decided to go for a stroll on via Washington. We reached a Metro station and decided to buy the 1 Euro tickets to go Milan’s main plaza – the Duomo Plaza. With Srijoy now older it is simpler to do these things and we reached the plaza as it was starting to get dark. We sat in one of the cafes and looked at the drink menu. Nothing is inexpensive in these cafes of Milan. A glass of wine was billed at 7 Euros (about $10) and a bottle was billed at 20 Euros. Anyone knows that a bottle has more than 3 glasses. So, once the waiter confirmed that we could take the left over wine with us, I ordered the bottle and Mikku and Srijoy each ordered a glass of Coke. Without looking at the Menu. And, each glass of Coke was 7 Euros each. So much for dinner. We had just blown our entire dinner budget on two glasses of Coke and so I drowned by financial woes into the bottle of wine while Mikku and Srijoy (sometimes together, sometimes separately) walked around the plaza where a classical music concert was about to start. So we hung out there for a bit and eventually took the Metro back and walked back to the hotel picking up a sandwich on the way. It was interesting to note that the Duomo has been run over by vendors from Bangladesh who would typically sell roses to the tourists. We too were tourists but the vendors avoided us, knowing full well that we were the “stingy” ones and would not pay 10 Euros for a rose. It was curious also how some of the cafe owners looked at me and not seeing any flowers in my hand were suspicious of what I was doing in the cafe! Most people who looked like me evidently come into the cafe to sell flowers and not to drink 7 Euros Cokes! We finally called it a day.

July 6, 7 and 8 2009

These were the conference day and most of the days were at the conference. The Conference was held a little outside of Milan at a location off the highway that connects Milan with Genoa. The car was essential for that purpose. The conference went very well and made very important and interesting contacts with people in the technology given that this was a hard-core tech conference and they were very interested in the work that was going on in Communication with respect to the new media.

During this period we also did some traveling in and around Milan. One of the places we went to was Cervnia. This place is on the South side of the Matterhorn part of the Alps. If you were to look at the map, it would be evident that the Swiss town of Zermatt was only a few miles from Cervinia and there was some information on the Web that it is possible to take a series of ski lifts and cable cars that would allow one to go from Cervinia to Zermatt. This information on the Web is incorrect. Here is how it really works – there is a series of cable cars and ski lifts that takes you up to an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet (very uncomfortable for the sensitive types that need a good amount of oxygen to live), then if you have time (means you need to get there before about 10 am) you can either ski, snowboard, or walk over Plan Masion – plateau of ice – for about a mile to reach a second set of ski lifts etc. to go to Zermatt, and you can not come back the same day because the lifts close at a stipulated time. The Web sites about Cervinia and Zermatt fail to mention the little detail about having to ski along Alpine glaciers to go from one place to another. It is also very foggy there and that can make the project a touch risky because you could aimlessly be boarding on ice (which Srijoy really wanted to do) to be later discovered by slobbering dogs with bottles of brandy which is supposed to sustain you till the fog clears. We went up to Plan Maison, held our breath for about 30 minutes and then came back to Cervinia. The lunch at Cervinia was nice and eventually came back to Milan. The toll ways in Milan are expensive and you can really travel fast (only after you have been able to shut up the TomTom lady, who was probably having silent paroxysms as I was reached 190 kilometers per hour (about 130 miles per hour) and her internal system was set at 100 kmp).

The other excursion was to a town near Genoa off the Mediterranean coast. The drive there was pretty for the last part where it winds along the coast much like in Big Sur California with the sea to one side and the mountains on the other. We spent a little time at the beach and it was really hot there. As always, beaches in Europe present a completely different affect compared to the USA. The umbrellas are much more closely spaced and the beaches appear much more crowded. We had to rent two chairs and an umbrella while Srijoy was in the water. We then drove into Genoa and allowed ourselves to get lost a little and took in the beauty of the old port town and eventually returned to Milan.

An interesting fact that we discovered about Milan (at least the area on via Washington) is that all eating joints are shut on Wednesday nights. There was a lone pizzeria open which was totally full. After a long wait we got a table. There was a gentleman having dinner by himself in the table next to us. Since we were talking in English he started chatting with us and we had a great conversation with a Delta Airlines pilot who does the JFK-Milan run. It was really nice chatting with him.

Generally, Milan and Italy proved to be really nice and was similar to our past experiences in Italy – very reminiscent of India.

July 9, 2009

We left early from the hotel (Milan Marriott on via Washington) and drove back to the airport. It was really difficult to find the entrance to the rental place and so had to leave the car in the car park and it was getting late for the flight. So we had to scramble a little but made it to the plane. Got into London Heathrow more or less on time and after immigration we got the mini cab that took us over to my uncle’s house in Wandsworth. He had left the key in a safe place and it was nice to get back to our home in London. We had eater on the plane and were not too hungry and decided to go out a bit. There is a nice place on Garret Lane right by the Pizza Hut which is run by a Thai family who serves both traditional English and Thai food. Mikku ate some Thai stuff, and I enjoyed a really artery-thickening bangers and mash while Srijoy ate the traditional English breakfast. It was a nice summer afternoon in London and I strolled the antique store on Garret Lane. Found an old hard-cover Enid Blyton and a Desmond Bagley novel. The fellow was asking two sterling for each and did not buy. We walked over to Earlsfield and took the train to Waterloo. The Southbank street festival was on, and we just strolled around the London Eye and had a cup of coffee, crossed the bridge and walked by Parliament House on to Westminster and sat on the lawn for a bit and then walked through St. James Park and took a London taxi to Piccadilly and walked the back alleys of Soho marginally aimlessly which was a nice thing. Soho has changed so much over the years. With the arrival of Maggie Thatcher the seedy Soho was cleaned up much like New York’s 42nd Street and now it is a maze of alleys with boutiques, and bars. I still remember the peep show places and the general aura of Soho (I am talking mid-1980s) but much of central London is now become just a huge shopping area although you would still see the crowds at Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Mikku did some window-shopping and we did people watching. Finally took the bus to Vauxhall station where Mikku found a stall selling really good chicken patties, and we took the Southwest train back to Earlsfield and walked back home. It was a nice and relaxed afternoon in London. Kaju mama was already there and we had a couple of drinks, and excellent dinner and then Kaju mama and I went off to see Mantu da and it was a nice evening overall. Srijoy had his first alcohol offered by Kaju mama with dinner – a fruity drink that had 4% alcohol. We eventually called it a day.

July 10, 2009

I was up early and saw off Kaju mama to work. I caught up with some work as well and after Mikku and Srijoy were ready we went back to Earlsfield and went back to Waterloo. This time, Srijoy really wanted to go to Camden Town. I remember the old Camden Town filled with spiky-haired punks and the general counter-culture that you only find in places in Camden Towns, Brixtons and Oaklands. I was not very wrong, and Camden Town has maintained its counterness. It is no longer punks but it is the place for skaters and skater outfits. Srijoy has been into that counter-culture some especially with the clothing and accessories and so he was in Heaven. We walked up and down the area and bought a few things. We then walked over to the canal and sat down at one of the food shops and had fish and chips. After some more time at Camden Town we took the bus back towards Covent Garden and got off on the way to check out some of the music stores. This is when we noticed billowing black smoke in the sky and much of the area was doused in smoke. There was a huge fire in Soho and that had caused the smoke. We went into a Borders Book Store and waited it out eventually taking the bus back to Waterloo station. Mikku wanted to go to Tower Bridge so we used the day pass to its full and went on there and then by the Thames. It was getting a little chilly so we decided to take a bus back towards Piccadilly and then to Waterloo station. Entire central London was messed up because of the fire, so we had to walk some but eventually got to Waterloo and then back to Earlsfield and a the bus back home. Kaju mama and Lenny were there already. After freshening up we all got into his Jaguar and drove to Windsor and had an excellent Chinese dinner on Windsor High Street. It was very pleasant and quite expensive (40 sterling for the three of us with beer) but it was a nice evening out. Got home and called it a day to get ready for the long flight the day after.

July 11, 2009

Kaju mama dropped us off to Terminal 5 Heathrow for the flight to Delhi. We hung out there and had coffee at Starbucks and got some food for the flight. We have generally started to carry Srijoy’s food with us since the airline food often causes trouble for him. The flight boarded on time and we were in Club World Plus which allows a little extra leg-room and an electrical outlet for the computer. The British Airways flight left at about 10:00 am UK time and got a significant amount of work done on the 9 hour flight and reached Delhi late at night. Immigration was smooth but the bags took a while. The hotel shuttle driver was waiting for us and we were soon in the room, somewhat jet lagged but not too bad and called it a day.

July 12, 2009

The jet lag made it a little difficult to get out of bed but the enticement of a breakfast buffet was sufficiently strong. It was a little bit of a let down because much of the stuff was western fare. One flies to India to eat a puri and aloo breakfast or at least a good masala dosa. Neither was easily available and so had to cajole the waiter to arrange for that. It was done and we felt we were really in India because the food really does make all the difference. The heat was intense and even going outside for a smoke was not comfortable. We eventually took the shuttle to the new domestic airport of Delhi and were really impressed by the set up. The announcements were not clear and we accidentally stood in the wrong line with the customary jostling, but eventually found our plane and boarded and left on time. We flew Indigo which is India’s ‘no frills’ airlines and my experience with them has been consistently good. Flight left on time and we reached Calcutta in time as well.

This time, I had arranged for something different in terms of transportation in Calcutta. Typically, we used to get a vehicle along with a “driver” who would bring the car over in the morning and stay for 10 hours. We could use the car to go to places and the “driver” would drive us there and then park the car and sleep in the car. Sometimes the “driver” would also help carry luggage, and on occasions go to the market to get samosas. The role of the “driver” is a unique Indian invention who, for the permanent variety, almost could become a Jeeves-like person who would serve the “driven” in a very faithful way. In its temporary version, the “driver” could be a different person every day, and some could be a Jeeves and another could be Nicholson-like character in The Shining – completely loopy. It is a sort of Russian roulette with the “driver” with the way we did the car hiring. Indeed I made a generic “driver” entry in my call phone and updated the cell phone (usually called “mobile” in India) number each day as a new driver would arrive. The rental agencies were also somewhat shady institutions and one could never be sure what might be in the trunk (boot to some and dicky to others) or who else might have used the car the night before. All of this was getting tiring in the past years, and not to mention the fact that once the “driver” left with the car there was no way to go anywhere except by public transport which no American (even the naturalized variety) refuse to use. On top of all these, there was the fact that I needed to be mobile (not of the cell phone variety, but moving around) to make the different meetings in Calcutta related to the Wake India program. So, I decided to rent a car as one would do anywhere else in the World and got a car from Avis. This was one of the best decisions I made on this trip. The method was simple: go to the Avis Web site, and do the rental as you would do for any global location, then call the Avis Calcutta number (+919748403561 or +919810327660) and reconfirm the reservation 24 hours before the pick up time and give them your mobile number. Thereafter Avis takes over. As soon as I had landed in Calcutta I received a text message on my phone giving me the car number, the name of the “handler” and his mobile number. After collecting my bags I called the handler who brought the car right to me, I signed the paper work and was off in my own personal Ford Fiesta for the same price I was paying for the crappy old junkie cars before. Moreover, I had it for me 24/7. Driving in Calcutta could be a nightmare if you do not understand the psyche of Calcutta. You do not drive in Calcutta to go from one place to another. You actually use your brain to drive in Calcutta, quickly projecting forward every move of other moving object around your car, and then computing very quickly the best path to take. Love to see that MIT or Carnegie Mellow tram do a little bit of robotic driving in Calcutta, probably need a Cray just to predict what the taxi driver and the auto rickshaw will do in the next nano second as they are about to rip out your side mirror. This is what is called driving, not sitting brainlessly in a vehicle staying between white lines drawn on the road. That being my idea of driving I loved my Ford and its responsive stick-shift and actually felt alive again. Now I know the best solution to boredom – drive in Calcutta – never a dull moment. Be interesting if I applied the same principles in Winston.

So, after getting the car, I drove on to AC 140. Mikku, Srijoy, Babulbaba, Boudima and Tinku had also come to AC 140 and we hung out together for a bit and then they went off to D50 and I stayed over in AC140. Dadabhai came to visit that evening and it was really a good evening. This trend of visiting continued for the entire stay in Calcutta. We saw a lot of people in Calcutta and it was the same group as always. There was also a gathering at Stadel where many of the weddings had taken place and the high point of the trip was the visit by Tulda and Bibi Boudi from Raigarh. They arrived the day after we reached and we hung out together quite a bit. I also had to go to Delhi for a couple of days during the stay to work on the Wake Forest India program. The trip to Delhi was very productive and got a lot done in a short time. Also met with my publisher in Delhi and that went very well. After the return from Delhi there was a gathering at AC 140 that was well attended by all family members. After that Tulda and Boudi returned to Raigarh. Mikku and I also saw a couple of movies at the City Center Inox Theater. This theater has a “morning show” usually at about 9:30 am and the ticket prices were half the regular price (which is about Rs. 150, $3) and that was quite nice to watch movies in the morning. In all we saw three movies – Kambakht Ishq, Luck and Ice Age 3. We also had a great gathering of the Calcutta Boys group – there were three visitors this year – self, Papu from USA, and Arijit from Japan and the usual Cal group. We met at Barbecue Nation a new really good restaurant that has opened up in Sector 5 of Salt Lake. We also went to the usual haunts – Mani Square, New Market, Grand Hotel and Abcos where we met with Avijit and his wife Swati. Overall the stay was very productive and quite pleasant.

July 13 to July 28, 2009

This time in Calcutta I also had some dental work done and that was really well done by Dr. Anirban Bhattacharya. Going to his clinic in Motijheel was a trick especially in the Ford and it was equally a trick to drive back home by myself after the surgery. The trip to see Kaju Mama’s family in Tiljala was also fun, I did not venture in there with the Ford, but parked it at Ruby Hospital and took a cab into the by lanes of Tiljala. Calcutta is indeed a city of contrasts and visits to Motijheel and Tilajala shows the contrasts in stark light. There are stores like Home Town (in Rajarhat) and the high rise swank flats in New Town just as there are the inner lanes of Park Circus and Beckbagan. Also met with the EMMRC group in Calcutta who will play a pivotal role in the Wake Forest India program.

We finally left Calcutta on July 27 morning. Drove the car back to the airport and dropped it off there. Went on to Delhi and met up with Kingshuk, Ketoki and Avijit Roy (Caco) and that was the day it rained the most in Delhi this year. It was still a nice evening in Delhi. Then on the 28th of July we left from Delhi heading out to London and then back home.

Everything in our family changed that day when Tinku passed away on the 28th in Calcutta. I can not write about this, or the loss of my dear friend Ross Smith in the blog, but be happy to talk when we meet. Treat life carefully because you never know when it will be lost.

2009-07-02T08:48:00.002-04:00

Snowy's Vet:

13367259111 Corner of Reynolda and Polo, can also kennel if needed

Winston emegency contact - Beth Hutchens of Wake Forest Univ 336-758-6160 or (336) 782-6021 or hutcheb@wfu.edu

Contacting Swati 336-692-4410 or basus@wfu.edu or 011-91-9831775523
Contacting Ananda 336-682-5727 or ananda@wfu.edu or 011-91-9831775562

Can also text to any of the numbers above

In case of lost dog contact the Vet and they can trace by implanted chip or by calling 800-336-2843 and using member number 1878313

Dubai and India December 2008

2009-01-05T05:53:00.001-05:00

Dubai and India, December 2008

December 15, 2008

We got up as usual and I dropped Srijoy to school. This trip is
especially difficult because he is missing about 5 days of school and
that can be quite strenuous in 8th grade. So, we at least had him
attend two periods today. I took the time to stop by the office and do
a few chores and then got back home, packed the car and picked up Mikku
and headed back to Srijoy's school and picked him up. The drive to
Raleigh was eventless but a traffic jam stopped us from going to the
Indian restaurant for lunch. It was actually a nice and warm day and we
went to the outlet mall food court and ate a quick lunch. We then
headed to the airport, put the car in parking, and the check in was
quite smooth. So was security and although the flight was a little
delayed things went OK. We got to La Guardia; the flight path was
rather odd and we did not get a good glimpse of the Manhattan skyline;
we then got into a cab and went over to the Fairfield Inn near JFK.
Relaxed the evening and ordered a nice Indian dinner delivery. We
ordered far more than what we needed but the food was good and we
eventually called it a day.

December 16, 2008

The marvels of modern technology now allow one to fly 6,000 miles
non-stop and we were about to do this. We took the hotel bus to JFK and
check in at Emirates was smooth. The line moved quickly enough and we
had our bags checked to Dubai. Security at JFK is really bad given how
important the airport is and the line just winds around for ever. We
were eventually on the aircraft (A300-330) around 10:30. The seats were
OK and we settled in for a 12 hour flight. These planes have added a
camera in the front where one can see the outside from the pilot's point
of view. The seats were marginal and were just about comfortable enough
for the long flight. The seats did provide a laptop power outlet which
was very convenient and also had a very sophisticated entertainment
system. How things have changed from the days of the three-tube
off-colored video projectors where everyone had to watch the same movie
to the new systems that offer more choice than what makes sense! The
flight service on Emirates was marginal in cattle class and I was not
terribly impressed. I still feel that Virgin overall does the best job.
The flight was long, and I slept the best I could since I had work in
Dubai. We reached Dubai a little early, with the winter jet stream
helping us, and reached the new Terminal in Dubai.

December 17, 2008

We reached Dubai at about 7:30 am. The new terminal is simply an emblem
of everything Dubai is about. It is huge and shiny new. Given it
became operational in October 2008, everything about it was just smooth
and efficient. It took almost no time to get through passport control.
One needs to understand Dubai as one of the most striking places in the
World. I first went to Dubai in the late 80s and I remember the desert
city it was. Everything changed in the past twenty years, and the Deira
district with the old markets or "souks" by Dubai Creek has basically
become "old Dubai" and the city has expanded into the desert. It was
visible from the plane as it approached the new sprawl that is Dubai and
that is what the airport represents - the new Dubai where things are
either the tallest (as in the case of Barj Dubai, the tallest building
in the World that we saw), biggest (as in the case of yet another
airport being built) or have some exceptional value. And all this is
owned by the "Emiratis" who make us about 15% to 20% of the population
and employ expats from all over the World to run the city. The global
recession has marginally affected the place and the construction boom
goes on undaunted. Our bags arrived quickly and we were soon in the
exit area. A person with a placard was supposed to greet us, but no one
was there. I knew that the person was from Bangladesh and so called his
mobile but realized that his version of Bengali was remarkably different
from what I knew and what continued for about 30 minutes was an extended
unintelligible conversation as both he and I were getting increasingly
irritated. It was clear that he was saying that he is at the airport,
and he was upset I could not see him. I was outside near the taxi stand
(where he claimed he was) and yelling at him in Bengali for not having a
placard. Srijoy and Swati were inside the airport. What Srijoy noticed
was the fact that a very agitated man was yelling in Bengali on the cell
phone and looking around inside as if looking for someone. They
realized that this was the person who had come to receive us. So Srijoy
came out and told me that there was a man inside yelling in Bengali on
the phone. So, I continuing to yell on my mobile went back inside, and
the taxi driver and I realized that we were yelling at each other. Once
the confusion was resolved we got into his cab. The problem was that he
drove a regular taxi and they are not supposed to meet and greet people
at the airport. What he was doing was marginally legal but he was doing
it as a favor to another Bengali, because my contact in Dubai had
requested this particular taxi driver to pick up the fellow Bengalis.
We chatted in the car. I was able to revert to the Bangladeshi Bengali
(or as many would call it Bangal) since in my childhood I lived in a
neighborhood with many people from East Bengal-East Pakistan-Bangladesh
and I have a good sense of the different Bengali. Anyway, we had also
reached Dubai on a day when there had been a rain shower in the morning
creating much consternation to the desert city and so the entire city
was in a traffic gridlock. We still enjoyed the drive marveling at the
160 storey needle being built in a way that it is visible from any part
of Dubai. We reached the apartment at about 9:45 am. The Manipal
University of Dubai had arranged for an apartment hotel for the stay in
Dubai. It took a while to find it, but it was quite nice. The
apartment had a large sized living room, two baths, a kitchen and bed
room. The temperature was perfect with a high of 78 and low of 57. I
had to take a quick shower, and then we went to the small little cafe
upstairs for a quick cup of coffee and then at about 11:00 I was picked
up to go to the University. The session went well and I returned to
the hotel about 3:30 in the afternoon. The three of us then rented a
chauffeured car, this time with a driver from Pakistan who was a very
wise, knowledgeable man and said was once an elementary school teacher
in Lahore, and we took a tour of some of the new areas of Dubai
including the brand new Dubai Marina and the Palms area. We also saw a
glimpse of the new Atlantis Hotel which is a near exact replica of the
one in Nassau and just marveled at the amazing amount of growth here.
We decided to skip going to Dubai Mall and fought incredible Dubai
traffic, for which it is infamous, to return to the mall near our
apartment. There we met up with Fokiya, my contact in Dubai, and her
daughter and we had dinner together at a Chilies restaurant in the food
court of the mall. Being a Muslim country the only place where one can
get alcoholic drinks are restaurants in 5-star hotels. No alcohol is
sold in any restaurants. We walked around the mall some, and eventually
returned to the apartment on foot since the taxis were unwilling to go a
short distance. Some things are the same all over the World! We
eventually called it a day, which for us had really started in New York.
When we went to bed we were as good as dead from the jet lag!

December 18, 2008

We slept in as much as we could, and eventually left the apartment at
about 11:00 am and took a regular Dubai taxi to the airport. The
departure area of the new terminal is just as impressive and we
encountered a new technology that was quite impressive. We did not have
to stand in line to check in our bags. They have developed numerous
kiosks where one can print out one's own baggage tags, put them on the
bag, and the system of conveyor belts simply takes the bag away. This
was really helpful since there was no waiting involved in the process.
We cleared through passport control and security quite easily and
entered the duty free shopping area of the terminal. Although it is
quite large, my sense is that Terminal 5 in Heathrow simply is still the
best. The Dubai shops are not as varied as Heathrow and surely there
are fewer shops in Dubai. I think Changi in Singapore is also a bit
bigger than this one. But then, Dubai is about to build the largest
airport in the World and things would change again then. We boarded on
time and the aircraft was a decrepit old machine. Generally, Emirates
offers really bad equipment for all its South Asia destinations. This
was really a cattle carrier and we survived the 4 hour flight to
Calcutta. It was dark when we reached Calcutta. The new arrival area
in Calcutta is quite nice, and the baggage arrived quickly and we were
outside fairly fast. There was the driver with the placard and driving
down VIP road on the winter evening was exactly what Calcutta is about.
There is something totally unique about Calcutta winters with the fresh
vegetables, the cool climate (72/50) and the thick smog that settles on
the city every evening as well as the hordes of mosquitoes that appear
from no where in winter. We reached AC 140 in good time and spent the
evening with the family.

December 19, 20 and 21, 2008

I was busy these two days running around doing different errands
including bank work for Ma, getting the final touches to the party in
place and generally taking care of the numerous things that pile up in
six months. Spent some time with the family in the middle of all the
running around. We made the necessary pilgrimage to New Market (see my
other blogs about Calcutta) to get some stuff as well as the traditional
stop at the Grand for a beer in La Terrace - the olden coffee shop at
the Oberoi Grand. The party to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary
of Swati's parents was on the evening of the 21st. It went off really
well, with nearly 45 people coming to party. We had rented out the AC
Block Community Center where we decorated the upstairs and laid out the
buffet downstairs. Much of the arrangements were done by my friend
Abhijit Basu who really was instrumental in putting this in place. The
food was catered by Guin Caterers (different kinds of starters, luchi,
traditional lomba-kata begun bhaja, dal, alur dam, fish curry, mutton
curry). I had got the gulabjamun from the AC Block Market sweet shop
and also an anniversary cake from Monginis (who actually took the order
for the 2.5 kg cake the day before and got it done, no cake stores take
special cake orders between December 20 and January 2 because they are
so overwhelmed with providing the holiday season cake demand) and of
course paan. People really enjoyed the food because Swati and I had
chosen to create a traditional Bengali wedding dinner menu in stead of
the new fangled "Chinese" and "Continental" fares that has become
popular with noodles, lasagna, and burgers in the same buffet line! The
caterers also did a really good job, because their core competency is in
Bengali cooking! Some of the food was actually cooked on site using the
traditional tools I have seen in the weddings of my cousins in the 70s.
The guests left around 10:30 pm and we had a really good party to
celebrate the auspicious anniversary.

December 22 and 23, 2008

I was in Delhi. Srijoy and Swati were in Calcutta. My work in Delhi
went very well. Some details - stayed at the Janpath Hotel which is not
bad, but with Delhi hotel prices touching those of Tokyo, that was what
Wake Forest could afford. Also, found an inexpensive solution to the
hired car high prices. I got into a regular cab in the morning, and
simply did an on-the-spot contract with the Sikh driver (Sir ji!) for a
much more reasonable amount than what the hired taxis cost. What is
interesting is that neither can I trust him, nor can he trust me. My
first meeting was at the Crowne Plaza at Friend's Colony. I just told
him to wait in parking, got his mobile number and promised to call him
when I was done. There was no guarantee I will be back. I also did not
leave my heavy briefcase (which I did not need for the meeting) in the
car, because there was no guarantee he would not run off with it. But
the system worked and he was with me all day and actually took me to the
airport at 4:30 am to catch my early morning flight back to Calcutta on
the 24th. Flew on Indigo airlines and they were really quite good and
much less expensive.

December 24 to 28, 2008

There was a lot of meeting people over these four days and a lot of
family events. We all went to see a Bengali movie (Tintorettor Jisu) on
the 24th evening and we were able to take Shanker da who is recovering
from a broken foot. The cinema hall was very well equipped to serve a
person using crutches and who could not easily go up and down stairs.
We also went to the South City Mall and tried the gelato in the food
court. That was quite nice. There were numerous trips to City Center
and I also went back to New Market to get DVDs of Indian movies from
Symphony and undergarments from Naskers (really, I do not think I have
ever bought undergarments from any store other than that!). There was a
Christmas Party on the 25th that was arranged by my nephews and we had
some great kebabs and ordered mediocre Chinese from Haka at City Center.
Also, met up with Joy over lunch at Bar B Q on Park Street and visited
Music World. Walked on Camac Street some window shopping. Also met up
with all elders in the family. Spent most of the afternoons dealing
with Srijoy's home work. Took Ma to the bank for some work as well and
generally spent the 4 days mostly catching up with people. The
highlight was the lunch on the 28th where 15 of old school buddies (and
three wives) from Calcutta Boys School (CBS) again gathered together for
lunch. We met at Marco Polo (on Park Street) and they had set up a
table for us on the lower level. Most of us were there by 1 pm and what
was interesting is that the restaurant realized that it would be a
mistake to send any other customers to the lower level with the amount
of noise we were generating. These unofficial reunions have really
become quite successful and it is really interesting to see how
incredibly successful this group has become in their respective
professions. For this one I met someone after nearly 30 years and it
was really interesting to see the confusion that ensues! Also, was able
to spend one evening with Rana which is something that we also have
almost never missed for all the years. One of the days we also went to
the Emirates office to get the hotel vouchers. This was a busy four
days with much accomplished including doing Ma's medical insurance and
visa for her trip to Singapore in January.

December 29, 2008

We were up early and were quite ready by 8 am when the car arrived to
take us to the airport. Reaching the airport was eventless, but there
was utter confusion at the airport as a Boeing 747 had just brought back
a load of people returning from the Huj pilgrimage to Mecca. The whole
area was overrun with buses and taxis that had come to take the
pilgrims. The upshot was the fact that there were no baggage trolleys
and we had to lug the suitcases all through security and up to check in.
The process was long. There was a Bangladesh Biman flight leaving at
the same time along with the Air India Express flight and those
passengers were marginally accustomed to the civilized behavior of
standing in line. Srijoy was amused by the number of times I lost my
temper yelling at people who were trying to cut in front of us in the
immigration line. Eventually we were part of the cattle on another
Emirates cattle carrier taking the expat labor to Dubai (actually what I
realized about the crowd on the plane was that a fair portion were
headed to different parts of the Middle East and Dubai is the point of
transfer, because when we actually reached Dubai, most of the people on
the flight headed for the transfer desk and only few like us actually
entered Dubai). Again the new terminal was really impressive, and we
breezed through passport control and customs and took the bus to the
Millennium Hotel. The hotel was nice, although a little worn. Right
next to the airport, this is the hotel we stayed in about 8 years ago in
2000 when we had gone through Dubai during Ramadan (see that blog, there
are some interesting stories). Emirates has taken over a complete
section of the hotel and uses it to board the transit passengers like
us. They gave us two adjoining rooms and meal coupons. We left the
hotel at about 4 and took a taxi to the Deira area where the famous Gold
Souk (Gold Market) of Dubai is located. This is a place where one can
get any form of gold ornament one desires and people from all over the
World come to window shop. We spent most of the evening there and then
walked around the numerous stores and shops that make up the old market
area of Dubai. We spent some time there and then took a taxi back to
the hotel. This was a bit of a trick since the taxi driver was a new
arrival from Pakistan, a young man of about 20 who kept his radio dial
on a Muslim religious channel all through the drive (and did not want to
change to a music channel when Swati requested it - I told her to back
down because he was obviously not approving of anything other than the
religious prayer channel). The fellow was really polite and nice and we
realized that he had no idea where the hotel was, and since Dubai keeps
changing, I too was a little disoriented. But thanks to the combination
of my trusted Cingular phone, Google Maps and my GPS receiver, I was
able to direct him back to the hotel. It cost us an extra 5 Dirham ($1
= 3.5 Dirham) but we were back. After a short rest in the room we came
down for the complimentary dinner buffet. In the meantime, Soumitra (my
CBS friend, who I had not seen for nearly 30 years) and I had connected
up and he and his wife came over and we had a few drinks together. As
Srijoy has sometimes said to me: It seems to him that there is no major
city in the World where I do not have a friend either from CBS or from
IIT. We really have developed a global network and I feel confident
that I can be in any major global metro and would be able to find a
friend who lives there. So, here we were two people from CBS catching
up after 30 years sitting in a restaurant in Dubai. Eventually they
left and we called it a day.

December 30, 2008

We had an early start since we had to get on the 8:10 flight from Dubai.
Had a pretty good breakfast at the hotel and then the shuttle to the
airport. As usual, it again stunned us with its size and efficiency.
We hung out at the gate going through some of the duty free shops. We
realized that things in Dubai are not necessarily any cheaper and I
decided to wait to return home before buying the new phone handset. The
flight boarded on time and it was quite an experience to enter the A380
with its double-decker approach. Being in cattle we were stuck to the
downstairs, but what was noticeable about the downstairs was the fact
that the head room was much greater and it made the area look much more
spacious. It was truly a huge aircraft and walking up and down the
plane offered quite a bit of exercise. The flight was very long (about
14 hours) but I got a fair amount of work accomplished on the plane.
Arrival into New York was a little bumpy for Srijoy because of a food
allergy but we eventually made it to the hotel OK. There was an
incident that night which I can share when we meet. It was bizarre and
was caused by sleep deprivation and a general disorientation due to the
long flight. I do not think I want to do this long flight again, and
would much rather stop in London as we usually do.

December 31, 2008

Finally reached OK taking an earlier flight and stopping in Raleigh for
groceries and lunch at Tower.

2008-12-30T17:05:00.002-05:00

San Diego November 2008

Friday November 21, 2008

Srijoy and I left from home at about 8:30 am for the drive to Charlotte.
It was an eventless drive and we got there in good time. It took a
little bit of time at the airport to get the bus from the parking lot to
the terminal. The check in was relatively painless, but we did not get
the anticipated upgrade. After security we spent some time at the
Starbucks coffee shop and we got a sandwich for the flight. The first
leg of the flight was up to Las Vegas. They had put us on an exit row
seat and so they had to move us to a normal seat because at 13 years
Srijoy was not allowed to sit in the exit row. We spent time chatting
on the plane and bought one of the packed lunches to supplement the
sandwich. The flight was a little delayed and we were worried about
missing the next leg from Vegas to Orange County John Wayne Airport.
But thankfully, the flight from Vegas was delayed as well. The airport
in Vegas has a series of slot machines and I tried my luck and came out
ahead. Srijoy noted that the airport was relatively bereft of children,
and he felt that the place was rather child-unfriendly. This was
especially true for the restaurant where Srijoy was not allowed in
because it also had a bar and no one under 18 was allowed in. He was
not very pleased with Vegas airport. The next leg was relatively short
and we arrived into the LA area when it was still light outside. One
could see the pollution that engulfs the entire coastline as a brown
haze hung over the area very reminiscent of other cities like Lima,
Delhi and Bogota. One sees such a haze over New York as well but it is
certainly more pronounced over the LA area. We landed through the smog
and the airport was relatively friendly and easy to negotiate. The
rental car agency was with the airport and we walked down to the garage
to pick up the car. There Srijoy noticed that a red Ford Mustang was
also available for rental and we quickly changed the vehicle and the two
of us left the airport in a red Mustang. This was really a great
feeling to be driving a "muscle" car and Srijoy was totally thrilled.
We used the GPS system to find our way to the ocean-side drive. Both
Srijoy and I realized that the West coast is remarkably different from
all of the USA. He felt it was certainly richer and it showed. The
highway cuts through the numerous coast towns between LA and San Diego
with the innumerable boutiques and other stores. We stopped at a
Starbucks for tea as both of us were a little jet lagged already.
Eventually, we got on to rather crowded highway 5 South and headed into
San Diego. Our hotel was a Residence Inn by the Marina. After checking
in, I went downstairs and ran into Allan; we chatted for a while as
Srijoy took a shower and we eventually ordered a spaghetti dinner and
called it a day.

Saturday November 22, 2008

I had to be at a conference panel early, so I had to get up and get
ready while I let Srijoy sleep. I got some breakfast for him and I
headed out to the conference hotel. Being a Saturday it was not too
difficult finding parking. I finished my work and returned to the hotel
as Srijoy was getting up. We had decided that we would do a trip to
Tijuana in Mexico for the day. We tied up with Scott and Kevin Heston
who also decided to go to Mexico that day. We left the hotel at about
11:00 am and drove south along highway 5. On the way Srijoy and I
realized that he did not have any ID with him; so we stopped at a strip
mall and got a copy of his passport. This is usually a good idea since
I would have the passport with me, and if he were to get separated from
me, then at least he would have a copy. We then drove further south
until we saw the "last exit in USA" sign and pulled off the highway.
There are a series of parking lots in this area and we picked one and
after parking the car, we walked across the bridge and into Mexico. The
entry was rather undramatic - just going across a turnstile - and we
were in a different country. The entire atmosphere changed immediately,
and as Srijoy noted, it was like entering India or some other developing
country. The cars honked, there were vendors on the street, small shops
and a general sense of activity all around. The place was a little less
clean than USA and Srijoy enjoyed it immensely. We walked through the
markets and the pharmacies and reached the famous arch of Tijuana which
stands at one end of Avenue Revolution. This is the high street of
Tijuana with the gift stores and the numerous restaurants, not to
mention the strip bars and the general one-dollar beer joints that never
ask for an ID. Actually, Srijoy could have had a drink here if he
wanted! We did some souvenir shopping and then found a restaurant for
lunch. The beer was cheap and good, and the Mariachi band kept the
place very lively. We ate a relaxed lunch and then decided to continue
to stroll down the avenue. We had spotted a huge flag that dominates
the Tijuana skyline and we decided to see the flag up close. So, Srijoy
and I went off the beaten tourist path and we were soon in authentic
Mexican neighborhoods. Our slight resemblance to the local population
made us less conspicuous and we strolled along the streets walking
through an area that was clearly the car repair place of Tijuana. These
are not dealerships that sell swanky car parts, but these are
hole-in-the-wall stores that are run by people who have learn their
trade tinkering with technology! We had to walk up hill a bit until we
reached the park adjoining the massive park which was all opposite some
kind of a military area. Now we were far from the beaten track. We
hung around the park for some time and then took a different route back
towards the arch. We were soon back in the tourist area and were again
accosted by the vendors. One thing we have learnt is to highlight our
Indian-ness in places like Mexico. The vendors quickly distinguish
between the richer Western tourists and the poorer Indian tourists. I
think we got better deals because of that. It was also clear that
Indian tourists go to Tijuana because many of the vendors knew enough to
say things like, "Namaste," "Salaam Alekum," "Shasta" and one called
Srijoy "Gandhi" and another offered a sale price by reducing the price
of the item by "ek rupee!" Typically, when we are in situations such as
this, we do not speak in English with each other, and Srijoy now knows
not to use his standard American accent, but revert to the Indian
English or stick entirely to Bengali. Interesting how people make
attributions based on nationality and ethnicity! We finally walked back
to the border crossing area and had to wait in line for about 45 minutes
before re-entering USA. We walked back to the car and then drove back
to the hotel to set down for a little before heading out to the
Department party. The party was in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego
and it went really well. It was at a jazz place and Srijoy enjoyed the
music. After the dinner (with Jason and Parul) Srijoy wanted to check
out any heavy metal music bar. We chatted with a rickshaw driver and he
suggested a place, we walked up there but it was not much good. We
eventually got back to the car and headed back to the hotel and to bed.

Sunday November 23, 2008

Again, we were up early and we decided to make the most of the day.
After the breakfast, we drove to Sea World. We got there just as it was
opening and we spent the entire day there taking in almost all the
shows, eating lunch at the Budweiser cafe and watched the Shamu show
twice. We actually left from there just as it was closing which meant
we had spent about 8 hours there! After that we got back to the hotel
and connected up with Allan. The three of us then drove over to the
conference hotel and connected up with Jason. It was a nice night, very
pleasant, and we walked along the marina and found a sea food place.
Srijoy enjoyed his scallops and we had a relaxed dinner, eventually
getting back to the hotel about 10:00 pm and called it a day after
sitting and watching TV for some time.

Monday November 24, 2008

I had most of my work in the morning on Monday. Srijoy decided that it
would be best to leave the hotel and come out with me. So we checked
out of the hotel, put our bags in the car and we headed to the
conference hotel. Srijoy sat through the two panels and then had coffee
with Greg and we headed out of San Diego. It was bit of a cloudy day
and we drove at a leisurely pace north towards LA. Our aim was to get
to Venice beach. On the way we stopped at a restaurant and had a nice
fish and chips lunch and as we headed back up north the traffic was
getting thicker and we decided that going to Venice beach would be
difficult. So we pulled into a city called Newport Beach and drove all
the way to the beachside. We spent the evening at the beach. Srijoy
chased the sea gulls and pelicans and it was really nice to be at an
un-crowded beach like that. We were rewarded with an excellent sunset
that was so pretty that many people came to simply watch that. We hung
out there for a bit and then headed to the hotel. The Residence Inn had
some free snacks and Srijoy made a dinner out of that. We were both
tired, so we lit a fire in the room and sat around it for a while.
Srijoy and I chatted a lot that night talking about many different
things until it was time to call it a day.

Tuesday November 25, 2008

We left early to return the car and fly back. The first leg of the
flight was to Phoenix. It was relatively uneventful and we had some
time to grab a bite to eat in Phoenix and then got the flight back to
Charlotte. We got upgraded to first class for that segment of the
flight and it was quite pleasant. We reached Charlotte on time and were
home by about 11:00 pm.

2008-10-28T06:07:00.001-04:00

The old blogs did not have comments turned on, and I can not turn on comments on the older posts, but you can use this post to comment on an older blog, and all future blogs would have comments automatically turned on.

2008-08-03T23:33:00.002-04:00

Greensboro, Philadelphia, New York, London, Prague, Dresden, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Delhi, Calcutta

July 2008

June 28, 2009, Saturday Greensboro-Philadelphia-New York

We left from home after a brief stop at the Starbucks on Robinhood and headed to the airport. The drive was eventless, and after checking in I parked the car in the long-tem lot (it is not cheap, and comes to about $6.00 per day). Walked back to the airport and security was eventless. The flight was on time and we reached Philadelphia OK as well. Got the bus to the car rental and was on the way in a van very soon. We drove into downtown Philly and stopped by the convention center. Walked around Chinatown and stopped at a really smelly fish store and then walked through the Chinatown gate to a Vietnamese restaurant. These Chinatowns are more or less similar all over the US, with the customary Chinese gate, the street shops selling exotic fruits (not exotic to anyone East of the Atlantic), and the numerous Chinese restaurants. The food at the Vietnamese restaurant was interesting but nothing spectacular. Over the years, if I have leaned one thing about food: Not to ever stray from the trusted food that one is used to. Trying new things is a good thing, but as far and food and self is concerned, would much rather have my fish and chips with a pint than all this exotic stuff with unknown dead animals and fluids whose sources are at best suspect. I am OK with new ideas, technology, inventions, political movements, and places, but keep the food the same!! It was a really hot day and we strolled back to the car since Srijoy was really tired. We had to deal with a really intense storm and some nasty traffic as we headed towards JFK airport. The trip took longer than anticipated because of the traffic. There was also a lot of rain. We often complain about being stuck in traffic jams in Indian cities, but the journey from Philly to New York was quite bad as well. We eventually reached the hotel we were booked at – the Fairfield Inn in Jamaica, not too far from JFK airport. We have stayed at this hotel before and the rooms are not bad for the price (about $180 with taxes), given how expensive hotels have become in New York. After a brief rest, I took the car back to the rental return and took the hotel back. Soon after, Robert, my former student, came over. We sat and chatted for a while, eventually calling it a day for the early start the next day.

June 29, 2008, Sunday New York-London

We were up early to make the 5:30 am bus to the airport. The check in and other formalities were simple because I had completed the online check in and simply had to do the bag drop at the airport. We were in the brand new JFK terminal and everything went relatively smoothly. The seat selection on the plane was a disaster. While Mikku and Bebo had good seats, mine was really cramped. A little smooth talking had me exchange the seat with another fellow and I was comfortable for the rest of the time. The crossing was innocuous, although the food on Virgin was not as good as it used to be. Reached London on time and had a glorious view of the city as we circled over Heathrow. They really need to fix that airport. We arrived in Terminal 3 and immigration took a while as always. The bags arrived OK and we walked down to the Underground station. Bought the tickets to Hammersmith and got on the train. We got a taxi from Hammersmith to Wandsworth (about 20 Sterling) and Kaju Mama (my uncle from my mother’s side) had left the keys to his place (15 Wandsworth Close) with his neighbors. We got in, relaxed, and soon Kaju Mama, Lenny and Tony were back from the church. They had a big do at the Church for St. John the Baptist Day. We sat around chatting for some time before calling it a day. I did a portion of the repacking to prepare for the Europe trip.

June 30, 2008, Monday London-Prague

We had to get an early start since we had a morning flight from Heathrow Terminal 5. I did the online check in at home. We then walked from Kaju’s house on to Arndale Center. It was a nice cool morning and the walk was not too bad with the two suitcases. There is a taxi stand in front of Sainsbury at Arndale and it took a few minutes for the taxi. We took the taxi (6 Sterling) to East Putney Underground and bought the tickets for Heathrow (this is usually a 7.5 Sterling ticket for “two adults and 13 years old”). The journey was eventless and we got to Terminal 5 without any problems. The terminal is brand new and is only meant for British Airways flights. The checking in was eventless and all we had to do was a bag drop and then we went through security which was quite a good technology too. They are starting to use a conveyor belt system that simplifies the process of getting things through the X-ray system. The terminal was quite large and we went to a restaurant and had a nice meal before going on to the gate to board the BA flight to Prague. The two-hour flight was nice and there was a good meal as well. Unfortunately there was a liquid spill on my computer key board that led to a series of events making my computer relatively useless for the rest of the trip. Not a good thing right at the beginning of the trip. Anyway, arrival at Prague airport was quite smooth and we picked up our bag and walked across the street to the Courtyard Marriott hotel. This was a brand new hotel and the room was really nice. I had selected to stay here because we were getting the room for free (thanks to Marriott Rewards) and the airport is well connected to the city center. There was a distinct East-European feel about the place even though the hotel was swanky new. After a brief rest we decided to venture to the city center. There is a shuttle that goes from the airport to the city center and being the first time we decided to use that. The drive from the airport was through a city that bore all the signs of an emerging Capitalist system that had been under a Soviet-style system for years. There was the garish display of the 24-hour McDonalds next to large concrete blocks of houses that once must have housed the CIA safe-houses in the height of the Cold War. It is said that Prague is one of the prettiest cities in Europe. That was not immediately evident as we pulled into the city. The bus dropped us off by the Hilton in the City Center and we strolled along cobbled streets on to the main square which was reminiscent of many other plazas we have seen across Europe. One of the main attractions of the plaza is a clock tower that has a display of the mechanized figures (including a skeleton) that announces the hour. We watched the display and hung out at the square. The restaurants along the square were really expensive and we strolled away from the square and found a less-expensive restaurant that Srijoy had already noticed while we were walking towards the square. The dinner was goulash soup and some salad. We then walked back towards the Hilton, and on the way checked with a store to figure out the best way to get back to the airport. We were also approached by a shady character who said “namaste” and then proceeded to offer to buy dollars from us, very reminiscent of what happens in India. We had decided to take public transport back to the hotel, and I was a little apprehensive because it was starting to get dark and we were in a completely new city. The process of getting back to the airport was to take the underground to the end of the line to a station which had a bus service to the airport. This was a far less expensive option than the shuttle bus. We took the underground which was quite nice and then took the bus. The journey took about 40 minutes and we were back at the hotel without a problem and decided to call it a day. There was a casino connected to the hotel and I went there for a bit. We were planning on a complete day in Prague next day.

July 1, 2008, Tuesday Prague

We took an early start and after coffee and breakfast in the room we walked over to the ticket place in the airport and purchased the all day bus ticket. All together for the 3 of us this was about $15.00 and allowed unlimited use of the bus and underground. We took the bus to the underground station and then took the train for one stop to the jumping off point for the visit to Prague Castle. From the train station we took a tram that took us all the way up to the courtyard of the castle. We stopped for a coffee and cake before entering the castle. It was a regal castle as they usually are in these places and we strolled along the castle grounds before reaching the gardens. This was a really pretty and quite place and after a small entry fee we walked down the slope through the garden before leaving the castle. We arrived at a street that was obviously the area where all the foreign consulates were and we decided to take some pictures at the Indian Embassy, and we could not find the US Embassy. The street led to a large plaza where we took the wrong tram to another plaza. The idea of “taking the wrong tram” and getting lost is quite relative when one has no specific destination. We were just strolling along the streets of Prague, taking in the ambience which continued to display the peculiar historical moment we were in. At the place we had reached, Srijoy spotted a large Starbucks and we went in for some coffee. We then started to stroll towards the famous Charles Bridge of Prague which has been made famous in numerous movies such as “Mission Impossible.” On the way we stopped at a grocery store where we picked up a few sandwiches and like many others, we sat on the pavement and ate the food. It is important to use bottled water in Prague since the regular water could be suspicious. We then slowly strolled along the bridge looking at the sculpture and the numerous street vendors selling their ware. The bridge leads across the Danube into the old quarter of the city; we strolled through that area stopping at souvenir stores and then reached the Jewish Ghetto. This was one of the oldest Jewish quarters in Europe rivaled by the one in Venice (which too we have been to) and we walked around that area. We bought a little souvenir from a street shop who accepted British currency. We then strolled over to a post office to post the picture postcards and stopped for some coffee before heading to the railway station. It took a bit of time to figure out the cost and time for the trains to Vienna and we were also thinking of a day trip to Berlin. The latter was not conceivable as a day trip so we decided to do a trip to Dresden instead. We then all got back to the hotel by the same route using the bus and underground combination. After a supper at the hotel I went back to the station and bought the tickets to Dresden and Vienna. The Dresden ticket did not require a reservation but the Vienna one did. I finally called it a day after returning to the hotel.

July 2, 2008, Wednesday Prague-Dresden

We tried to leave in good time to catch the 10:30 am train to Dresden. We reached the station in good time only to be told that we were at the wrong station. We did a mad rush to get to the other station and still made the train since the train was running about 10 minutes late. This was a good lesson since we would not make the same mistake for the train to Vienna. The train was not bad and the second-class tickets (the total cost was $150.00 for the three of us) put us into a coupe with 6 seats. Our co-passengers got off before we entered Germany. The countryside was not spectacular but was dotted with old factories that were relics of the Soviet days. What was striking was the similarity in the look of these factories and what we see in India. There was a time in the 1960s when India was quite friendly with Russia and there was a good amount of technology transfer between the countries. Many of the factories in India were built around Russian plans which were more geared towards heavy machinery use with scant concern for making a profit. The West is used to manufacturing systems that are geared for maximizing profit. The socialist planned economy was geared towards producing standardized (often inferior) goods that were made in State controlled industries. Being an engineer, I am able to see the difference in the design of factories of the two systems. It was fascinating to see these now-defunct factories as we traveled the two hours from Prague to Dresden. Arrival at Dresden was smooth. We got out of the station and walked into the information area to buy the day pass for buses and underground. Bebo was quite surprised to see me speak workable German to communicate with the ticket clerk. We then strolled towards the city center of Dresden. After a while of strolling in the heat, we decided to get on the tram and took the tram to the city center. Dresden used to be notorious in World War II for receiving the wrath of Allied bombing that completely destroyed the city. After the War, under East German rule, the city was the hotbed of KGB and Statsi (East German Secret Police) operations. As we walked around the city there were many displays of the Soviet times especially with a large wall mural on the side of a city building that displays the classic Communist imagery of the sickle and star along with the images of working class people. From there we walked on to the site of the re-constructed Protestant Church that was completely destroyed in the War. The plaza also had a statue of Martin Luther who started the Protestant movement in Europe. We then walked over to the river side and had a drink at a café (we had eaten lunch in the train) and then took the tram across the river to see the broad plazas of Dresden. We strolled around there and found a post office to mail the postcards, and Bebo and I had ice cream. It was really hot and we took the tram back around the city (going past the huge synagogue) to the Zwinger which is an old Baroque building surrounded by a park and lake. We really took it easy there spending time cooling off there. Eventually we left the Zwinger and took the tram back towards the station. On the way to the station Mikku picked up some Chinese food, and Bebo and I got sandwiches for us. We also stopped at a store in the station to get some more food which we ate on the train. We were back in Prague late in the evening and called it a day. I took a little stroll before going to bed.

July 3, Thursday Prague-Vienna

We started early from the hotel since we had to make it to the station on time. The check out process was smooth and there was a bit of a confusion regarding the bus. Mikku was confused as to where to go to get the bus. We eventually got on the bus and took it out to the transfer point for the subway. Getting the suitcase down was not a big problem and we got on the train. This time we got off at the correct station and it was a bit of a rush at the last moment to push the suitcase through stairs and up ramps to make the train just in time. The train was running a little late, but we were able to get into the correct compartment (the inter-city trains like this require a reservation, and we had assigned seats). Mikku and Bebo found the seats and were able to arrange with a co-passenger so that we remained together. The journey was uneventful (except for irritating co-passengers who could not reading aloud in Spanish from a travel guide), as we left from Prague and pulled on towards the South. There was a lot of evidence of the Soviet-era influence, especially with the way in which the factories were built. The countryside was innocuous, rolling hills and meadows and a few cities. There were a lot of sunflower plantations and it reminded me of the movie from way back called “Sunflower,” which was also set in this part of the World. We had a lunch of sandwiches and goulash soup on the train and the weather remained warm as we pulled into the Sud station of Vienna. The change from Eastern Europe to Western Europe was very visible as soon as we crossed into Austria. I had read about this change on another blog, and it was interesting to observe how the quality of the houses, the roads and the cars changed instantly, even though everything else looked just the same – the same rolling hills, and meadows. We got taken at the station by a Turkish cab driver. We were in line for the cabs, and this fellow pushed forward and offered to take us in his cab. I was tired and not thinking right. The basic rule of taking a cab anywhere in the World is that the passenger should pick the cab driver, and never let the cab driver pick you, because the only reason a cab driver will pick a passenger is because the passenger looks gullible and is easy picking for inflated fares. I had also not done my homework well enough about cab prices and distance of the Marriott from the Sud station. So when the fellow said it would be 20 Euros, I fell for that as well. As it turned out, the actual fare should have only been 10 Euros, so I yelled at the fellow when we got off the cab, did not tip him, and hopefully made him feel miserable enough for duping me. The check in was smooth and the hotel was very nice. After resting a little we decided to venture out. The Medlin subway station was right across from the hotel. There was a Turkish restaurant there selling kebabs. Mikku and Bebo decided to get a bite to eat there and the price was reasonable. They had donner kebab sandwiches. The owner was very friendly. In the meantime, I bought the 3-day transportation pass (also called the Vienna Card) so that we could travel freely on the public transport system. We had decided to stay at a hotel a little away from the central area, so the train was going to be important. Even when we had come to Vienna nearly 15 years ago, we had stayed out of Vienna to avoid the central city crowds. After the snack we took the subway for one stop to get to Schonbrunn Palace. This was a place I well remembered from our previous visit, and it was interesting to get back to a place in Europe (other than London) where we had been before. This is starting to happen as we go back to the same places and there is a strange pleasure in returning (as was the case with Geneva and Paris a few years ago). Since we have traveled so much, this is not unexpected and I anticipate this will happen more as we get older. Who would have thought back when we were growing up in Calcutta, that there will be a time when we would get as familiar with London as we are with Calcutta! The palace grounds were really nice as they always are. It was, however, terribly hot and so we tried to stay in the shade as we walked through the front courtyard and back into the rear of the palace with the well laid out garden and the maze made out of shrubbery. We sat around in the grounds for a bit and then walked back to the bus stop to take the 101 back to Medlin and to the hotel. Srijoy noticed that there were cycles to be rented and we decided we would do that tomorrow. We rested at the hotel and I worked on the conference paper sitting in the hotel bar using the free drink coupons they had offered. Later went out to the Kebab shop to get some dinner. We had decided that we are going to change our food behavior on this trip and completely avoid the “room service.” In stead we scoped out local restaurants and either went out to eat there or I would pick up the food. Later in the night I returned to the Turkish restaurant and started chatting with the owner. Seemed like a really enterprising person, named Shenoy, who was really interested in opening a Turkish restaurant in India. We chatted for a while and we realized that this is a feasible concept. We exchanged e-mails and decided to stay in touch. Then got back to the hotel lobby and was hanging around there watching a group of Indian middle-aged men negotiating with the travel desk for a day trip of Vienna. Could not help over-hearing that they settled for a 700 Euro price for a van. Was really curious to see who would pay nearly $1,000 for a van for a day. My curiosity (eves dropping) was soon noticed and the leader of the group strolled over to chat. Turned out he was the Minister of Irrigation for the state of Andhra in India and was there in Europe on an “official visit” accompanied by business tycoons (who were ostensibly footing the bills) and other government staff. Sat and chatted with them a little, and finally called it a day.

July 4, Friday Vienna

We got a reasonably early start and had a quick breakfast in the room. While Mikku and Bebo were getting ready, I went down to the lobby and hung out. Ran into the Indian MP again, as well as a large brood of Punjabis who were holidaying in Vienna. After Bebo and Mikku were ready we took the underground from Medlin over to Karlzplatz which is considered the central area of Vienna. Our first goal was to retrieve the tickets for the evening concert. After a few wrong turns we located the office and got the tickets. Then we started to walk towards the museum area and spent a bit of time waiting in vain to see the President of Crete who was about to emerge from his hotel. We did, however, see the whole motorcade go by a little later. Vienna is one of the cosmopolitan capitals of the old empires of Europe. The city is dotted with regal palaces and large plazas. We walked over to one of the palaces and then strolled over to the statue of Mozart. Srijoy wanted to sit there for a bit and we took a few pictures there. Then we walked over to the Maria Theresa area, which was under renovation. I have never been very impressed by Vienna and this time there was way too much renovation going on making it a little less appealing. We eventually stopped at a cafe and had a sumptuous snack of true Austrian confectionary and espresso. This is a specialty of Austria and I have always absolutely enjoyed the cakes and pastries of this part of the World. Unfortunately, the slipping dollar has made these little pleasures very expensive and our little foray into the Viennese pastries set us back about $30. We then strolled over to the Roman ruins and I left Mikku and Bebo there to go off to the conference. Things went well there. Later I met up with them at the Standplatz from where we walked over to the theater district, and stopped at a small cafe for sandwiches. Also got a map of Hungary from a roadside kiosk. There is a significant presence of Middle Eastern people in Austria. It is difficult to say if they are legal or not, but many of the kiosks, and restaurants are owned by people of Middle Eastern descent. They stand in stark contrast to the local German-speaking Austrians, and one can feel a certain nervousness in the air given the Austrian history of dealing with people of different races. We then walked back towards the underground station. Srijoy really wanted to do the cycle riding, so we dropped Mikku off at the hotel and Srijoy and I took the train on to Schonbrunn Palace where we knew there would cycles to hire. Now pay attention. The cycle hiring process requires a Visa or MasterCard. Essentially what happens is that each cycle is connected to a numbered parking slot. The central renting kiosk computer knows which parking slot has a cycle available. To rent, it is important to register a credit card with the system. This Srijoy and I did and I put in all kinds of personal details into an unknown computer system in Austria (why, I wonder, my credit cards get compromised about every six months, I am on my way to Bogota in August, and wonder where my CCs will end up!). After learning about me, and ostensibly trusting me, the system asked us to pick a bike. This we had already done, and once we punched in the parking slot number, the bike was released from the slot. Srijoy was happy, the computer was happy and it returned to the home screen. Now, I needed a bike, so I started the process of renting by punching in the appropriate buttons. I also was now the proud possessor of a userid and a password carefully registered with the bike rental system of greater-Vienna. Then the machine hiccupped. It was confused, and its normal system was being called to question why one person would want to rent two bikes. In the extreme wisdom of the rigid Austrian system, it was unthinkable that one person, with a credit card, would want to rent two bikes at the same time, so the system was designed to rent one bike per user (defined by the user id). Now this was a bummer, because our plan was to rent the bikes and ride then back to the hotel and return them at a return point near the hotel. This was not to happen, unless I set up a new userid. Undaunted, Srijoy and I decided to set up a new userid using the solitary credit card that I had just used to rent the first bike. Now, the Austrian system, asks, why would the same credit card be connected to two userids? That must not be allowed. Thus, unless I could conjure up another credit card, I was shit out of luck. Of course, the only other card I had in my “travel wallet” was an Amex, which, naturally, the system does not accept. So, here we have spent 20 minutes of the 60 minute rental (1 Euro per hour) struggling with a ridiculously narrow minded algorithm. Eventually, I allowed Srijoy to ride the bike around for about 30 minutes, unaccompanied by me, around the streets of the capital of Austria. There must be very few thrills in the life of a 13 year old that is more exciting than the freedom of going around some Vienna streets and parks on a bike unencumbered by parents and un-tethered because his cell phone was not with him. I, unfortunately, was worried until he returned. We then returned the cycle, and took the 101 bus back to the hotel, to get ready to leave for the concert. We stopped at Shenoy’s restaurant for a quick bite. Srijoy had a pizza and Mikku had a falafel sandwich. We took the underground back to Karlzplatz and there found our way to the Musichall. The setting of the hall was just marvelous and the concert, which lasted about 2 hours, was astonishing. It was indeed a pleasure to listen to Mozart’s music sitting in the same room where he once sat. Called Ma to wish her happy birthday before the concert. Srijoy absolutely enjoyed this experience. We eventually got back to the hotel about 11:00 pm after an interesting encounter with a group of high school kids from North Carolina. I went to Shenoy’s restaurant for a chat, a beer and donner kebab sandwich. Then called it a day.

July 5, Saturday Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest

We had wanted an early start from the hotel since we had planned on doing many different things that day. Unfortunately, we got out later than we had wanted to. We took the underground from the Medlin station to Landstrasse. There is a train service from this station to the airport where we would be renting the car from Thrifty. We were able to find the correct platform but had neglected to buy the tickets, so even though there was a train we could take, we were unable to do that because we needed to buy additional tickets for the trip to the airport. We had to get back to the station, and I used an automatic ticket dispenser to get the tickets. That was not very wise because we were unable to take advantage of the discount we should have received for possessing the Vienna Pass. The next train was about 40 minutes later, and so we hung out at the station. It is interesting how years of travel have helped to develop an instinct about reading complicated timetables and other charts. The Austrians are particularly good at methodically showing what train comes when and where it goes, the system is almost comparable to Japan. Knowing some German, I was showing Srijoy how to interpret the system. He is actually getting better at this every year and at least for London, I feel confident that he would have no trouble negotiating the Underground on his own. It is also curious how all underground systems follow a similar logic. This is perhaps one of the few global standards that have emerged unwittingly. The way in which land must be used leads to a specific logic of developing these systems. Also, since underground systems are bereft of any landmarks other than station names, there is no distraction or doubt about where to get off for what transfer. It is not a system that is built around being able to identify specific landmarks to offer clues about one’s location, in stead one just needs to be able to read a map and one can move smoothly from one place to another. There ought to be some research about these systems to see how a-cultural these systems are and thus if you understand one system you can follow all the others. Anyway, the train arrived and it took about 30 minutes to get to the airport. Since we had arrived later than anticipated, Thrifty had given away our vehicle, but they quickly arranged with Budget and we soon had the keys to a Ford Fiesta (the renting process was amazingly smooth and not much different from what one experiences in the US) and we were on our way to the rental parking lot. The car was very nice, and it took me a bit to reorient myself to a manual car and once I had that worked out, we headed out of the airport and looked for signs for Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The drive was supposed to be about a 40 kilometer distance, and there was some heavy traffic as we left Vienna but once we took the highway to Slovakia the traffic thinned. The countryside was non-descript with two major features we had already seen – the sunflower plantations and the windmill farms. The road was very good, and there was no clearly evident speed limit, so I was able to drive at about 90 to 100 miles per hour without any difficulty. We did not have a very good map, but again years of travel has taught us what to look for when getting into a new European city (I did use my GPS unit as a compass to get a bearing on which direction I was going). We unfortunately missed the exit for “Centrum” and so had to take a detour which was actually very interesting because we drove through old neighborhoods with the traditional Eastern Block Soviet-era high rise and institutional grey and ugly blocks of buildings. Some of the areas were quite run-down and depressed and one could feel that the country was still struggling with coming to grips with a new political and economic World. It was a study in contrast because the Soviet-era buildings were juxtaposed with garish advertisements of the latest consumer products, one not quite fitting with each other. The days of the oppressively planned economy of traditional socialism was jostling with the emergent conscience-free capitalism. It seemed that the city was struggling with this. We eventually made our way back to the center of town and walked over to a plaza that could have been lifted directly from a pastiche of books written by the Russian dissident Solzhenitsyn and Tintin comics. The typical East European plaza with the clanking trams, the web of overhead wires, and the Slavic church in the background. The few eateries did not really offer much in the way of lunch and we strolled along one of the streets radiating from the plaza. We found a place that claimed to have Italian food and sat down and ate. Strangely enough, there was a family from Sri Lanka also eating there; they too had come to see Bratislava. After lunch and interaction with a rather playful waiter, we walked down the street which was lined with different kinds of stores from small boutiques to sex shops and tattoo places. There was not much that was appealing and we strolled back to the car, and decided to head out. It was about 2 pm and we had a 2 hour drive to Budapest. If you are keeping count, we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Slovakia and were heading to Hungary. The drive out of town was eventless. Thankfully, someone at the Vienna hotel had tipped me off that there are some road taxes that need to be paid to use the roads in Hungary. Again some instinct kicked in (because the language was unintelligible) and I noticed cars pulling off the highway into a rest-area kind of place. On a hunch, we too pulled in there and sure enough, there was a road tax to be paid. What was interesting about this experience was the fact that the whole thing happened solely by a combination of instinct, observing other cars, and a general sense that this was the place for the tax. There were no signs that we could understand. In the end, it really is just experience. The combined road tax for the use of the roads in the region was 8 Euros (I never really understood what time period it was for, but I was not worried since I was going to be there for just a day). After that we hit the highway again (M7/A7) towards Hungary and Budapest. We crossed into Hungary in about 40 minutes. These have all become open borders with no check posts at all. But, one should not miss the remnants of watch towers and the steel gates that can be shut at a moment’s notice bringing back the Iron Curtain. It is not as if all the check points are gone, they have only been opened up. We drove steadily at about 85 to 90 miles per hour and were in the outskirts of Budapest by about 4 pm. The hours spent the night before studying the satellite maps of Budapest helped me to negotiate our way towards the center of town. Traffic was light but it was very confusing. We stopped often to get directions, but were unable to communicate. We also did not have any Hungarian money and a place selling maps refused to accept Euros. It was quite disconcerting to be driving around a very large city without a map, not knowing the language, and no local money. The only thing helping us was the map that I had kind of imprinted in my brain, and the GPS showing compass directions. It was also starting to rain lightly. We eventually figured it out and drove over to the Danube and found a parking spot not too far from the main tourist plaza. After that, it was easy, because Budapest was no different from Prague – one tourist stretch and the stores and cafes. We hung around there for some time, and then strolled over to the river’s edge. The sun had come out and we hung around there for a while before coming back to the Plaza. We had already had some food (goulash soup, boiled potato and beer) and we finally headed back to the car at about 8 pm. We did not get to see much of Budapest, but got a feel for the city which was quite similar to other former Eastern block cities that are slowly changing over to the Western system. We headed back along the main stretch and on purpose decided to explore a bit. Got to see the old Budapest railway station which appeared to be in some disrepair before heading back out of town. The drive back was eventless, except we stopped to get some gas. Srijoy had a lot of questions about the history of Communism and the Cold War and we chatted on the way back. It was dark when we got back to Vienna, and we were again lost. However, a combination of GPS Compass, and the general idea of the layout of Vienna allowed us to get back to the hotel without too much trouble. It was about 11:00 pm. Srijoy and Mikku went to bed, and I strolled over to Shenoy’s restaurant for a beer and donner kebab sandwich. Unfortunately, Shenoy was not there, but his cook was. Hung out there for a while before returning to the room and calling it a day.

July 6, Sunday Vienna-London

Being Sunday, the drive to the airport from the hotel was not difficult and the route was quite straight forward. It did not take all that long at all. The car return area is completely different from the place where we picked up the car, and it is a bit of a trek to get to the terminal. We also did not have any Euro coins left to use the carts (these usually need a 2 Euro coin to release the cart, and then you get back 1 Euro when the cart is returned). We walked on to Terminal 2 for the British Airways departure. Checking in was smooth, since I had already checked in over the Internet. We were a little early and spent time chatting with a family from New Jersey who were also in Vienna and were on their way back home. After dropping the bags at the British Airways counter, we went through security and into the duty free area. There was a nice food court there and we hung around there and had some more goulash soups and beer. Then we walked over to the gate area. The departure was smooth and we were back in Terminal 5 at Heathrow. I was very apprehensive about the luggage (as you might know, T5 was a disaster when it first opened in 2008, but things have gotten better, but BA is notorious for mishandled baggage, so it is considered a small miracle if BA actually delivers bags at the correct destination), but it all arrived OK. We took the underground to Hammersmith and had to wait about 5 minutes for the 220 to Wandsworth (the bus usually leaves from the C bay of Hammersmith station). The bus ride takes about 40 minutes from Hammersmith (one terminus) to Wandsworth Arndale Shopping Center (the other terminus). Since it was a pretty day, and we were not too tired, we decided to walk over to Kaju Mama’s house. It is a good 10 minute walk down Garrett Lane and Lenny was at home when we got home. Settled down, and soon Kaju Mama was home. We then all went out for dinner (our treat) to a chain of restaurants called Nando’s. The food was very good. After dinner, Lenny took the bus home, and we drove over to my other uncle’s place. Mantu mama is also a cousin of my mother. We went to his place and spent about an hour chatting. We were all quite tired by then and decided to head back home. A slow London rain was falling as we drove back to Whitehead Close.

July 7, Monday London

We decided to take it easy in the morning since it was a typical London day with a cold drizzle and cloudy skies. I was also still struggling with trying to find ways to dry the clothes I had laundered the night before. The dryer did not seem to work as well as I had hoped. Started to put them next to specific lamps to try and get them dry by the afternoon. We were also a little tired from all the traveling and decided it would be best to just relax at Kaju Mama’s home. He left for work about 8:00 in the morning, and we fixed ourselves some coffee and breakfast. Lenny left a little later, and at about 11:00 we walked over to the pub on Garret Lane called the “Old Sergeant.” Srijoy wanted a pub lunch and this was close by and we had been there before, so we decided to go over there. Had a Guinness and fish and chips. After lunch we strolled over to the Arndale shopping center and spent most of the afternoon there. Finally, after a quick stop at Sainsbury, we walked back home. We had ordered the taxi from Kwik Kars (their office is right on Garret Lane very close to the intersection with the Pizza Hut, their phone numbers are: 88746000 or 88746868) and the driver arrived quite on time. Our plan was to go to Hammersmith (he was going to charge 15 Sterling for that, and then take the train for 7.50 Sterling to Heathrow), but the driver, a person of Pakistani descent, made a good point in saying that for just 5 Sterling more we could be in Heathrow in his cab. Since it was raining, and I did not want to mess with the heavy bags at Hammersmith station, we decided to drive off to Heathrow. The driver was really nice, albeit very loud, and we were in Heathrow in good time. Check in for Virgin Upper Class in Zone A, Terminal 3, was quite smooth. The system has been vastly improved and there is now a dedicated elevator for upper class passengers that is operated by a scanner reading the bar code off the boarding pass (very cool and slick) and leads you off into a special security area which then whisks you into the duty free shopping area of T3. We headed straight for the Virgin Club and settled in there. Both Srijoy and I got haircuts and I also got my shoe shined (as I have done with this shoe, which I only use for the India trip, every year, at the club for the past several years, all of this is complimentary, and I usually just give a small tip). We also tasted the different food and I had some good single malt Scotch. Bebo and I also played some pool and we took a few detours out to the duty free areas. Eventually, we boarded the flight and it left mostly on time. I was sleeping before we reached 10,000 given that the upper class seat converts into a flat bed.

July 8, Tuesday Delhi-Calcutta

Had a fairly relaxing sleep on the plane and got up and brushed and cleaned up. These are some of the advantages of traveling upper class, and had a nice breakfast. We landed in Delhi nearly on time, but had to wait a long time to get our bags. That was a bit of a hassle, since one of the bags was stopped by Delhi customs who mistook the numerous metal cables of the myriad telephone and camera chargers as jewelry when looking through the X-ray machine. Anyway, we had Driver Yadav sent by Jeetendra’s car service (same person I had used for the Simla trip in 2007) with a Toyota Inova. We drove over to the Mahipalpur Radisson and sat in the lobby for a while, freshened up, had a beer, and then headed to the lunch buffet. It was terribly expensive (Rs. 1,100 for adults, with the Rupee converting at about 41 to a dollar), but we indulged. The food, as always, was really good. We sat in the lobby for a bit after finishing lunch and then headed to the domestic airport. Check in there was smooth and we went through security. I had forgotten that Indian airports do not allow you to carry matchbooks on board and so I had to rummage through my carry on bag and give up nearly 40 matchbooks collected from many different places over the last year! The flight was at 6:00 and it left mostly on time. We arrived in Calcutta about 8:30 pm. Babulbaba, Boudima and Tinku (Mikku’s family) were at the airport with a car, and I had also ordered a vehicle. We loaded the two cars and headed to my parent’s place – AC 140 Salt Lake – and I got a little delayed in traffic. The other group had already reached AC 140. My mother, who lives downstairs in the two storey house, was very ill with a throat infection, and she suggested that Mikku and Bebo go over to stay at Mikku’s parent’s house at D 50 Mahavir Vikas, also in Salt Lake. However, we got an opportunity to see Namrata (aka Nimi) who is the newly wed bride of my nephew Babli. He is the son of my cousin Shanker da and his wife Ruma Boudi, who live on the second floor of AC 140. We had missed the wedding in November 2007 and so this was the first time we met Nimi. We were all quite tired, so after chatting a bit we all called it a day.

July 9, Wednesday Calcutta

Got up a little jet lagged in the morning and realized that Ma was not feeling very well. I decided it would be wiser to leave for Delhi today in the evening in stead of trying to catch an early morning flight tomorrow, since that would disrupt her rest in the morning. So started to work with the different airline options to see what might be available for a reasonable price. Also, went to Standard Chartered to withdraw some money and to State Bank to get Ma’s pension account updated. Then off to City Center Mall. This is a mall that has come up in Salt Lake about 4 years ago and provides a very convenient shopping option to get anything from groceries to cell phones. This is modeled after the open malls of the West where the shops are distributed over a large area and there are lots of open spaces where one can stroll around doing window shopping. Since we have been going there for several years, we have come to know some of the people at the stores such as the music store and the money exchanger. This place also has a multiplex called Inox and provides a convenient option to watch movies. The tickets are rather expensive (about Rs. 200 for a new release) but it offers a nice environment to watch movies. I spent a little time there and then went off to D 50 to visit for a bit. Later, went back to City Center to pick up some pizza for Ma since she was not feeling well and wanted something different to eat. Later in the afternoon Mikku and Bebo came over to AC 140 and we spent some time chatting with Shanker da and family upstairs. I finally left about 6:00 pm using Shanker da’s car (and driver) to get to the airport and headed out to Delhi.

July 10, Thursday Delhi

Delhi – the trip to Delhi was very successful.

July 11, Friday Delhi-Calcutta

I was up in reasonable time to have a quick bite at the coffee shop and then got a regular cab to get to the airport. Checking in and other events were smooth and the Jet flight was just about an hour late, which was not too bad at all. Got to Calcutta OK, and checked out the self-drive car rental option. It is certainly doable, but requires that the reservation be done online via Avis, but there is no real cost advantage, and one will have to deal with the hassles of driving. Got a pre-paid taxi and got back to AC 140 at about 1:00. Had lunch and then headed out to D50. Picked up Bebo, Mikku and Tinku and headed off to the City Center to deal with the returning of Bebo’s toy gun. It was quite an incident and remind me to tell the story when we meet. Then Bebo was really interested in going to Central Calcutta to check out the air guns that I had told him about. So, Bebo and I drove down to Esplanade and got dropped off in front of Bata. Bebo and I then walked down Chowringhee towards the famous Metro Gully. This is a narrow lane in Calcutta next to the legendary Metro Cinema Hall where I remember seeing many a movie. This lane is lined with stores of all different kinds, and it is said, that with the correct connections, one can get tiger’s milk here. We went past that place and to the Daw Gun Store which must be as old as when the first Winchester was made. It has the old musty odor that can only come from the mixture of the aroma of hundreds of years of gun oil, paper files, and the dust that has accumulated on top of the gun shelves. We checked out several air guns, and Bebo decided against getting an air gun. So we walked back to Metro Gully and Srijoy got an air soft gun similar to one that he used to have in the past. After that we got into one of the ubiquitous Ambassador Taxi (these are the hallmark of Calcutta which has the largest number of Ambassador cars manufactured by Hindustan Motors, and about 90% of all taxis in Calcutta are Ambassadors. This is also Srijoy’s favorite car and so he never misses a chance to ride in an Ambassador when he gets the chance). We took the taxi to Grand Hotel (another icon of Calcutta, I have described it in other blogs) and we went to the coffee shop and I had a beer and Bebo had fresh coconut water, We left for the City Center after that and picked up Mikku and Tinku and went to AC 140 and D 50. I eventually got back to AC 140 since my friend Raja was supposed to come and visit later in the night. However, that plan did not work out, and I called it a day at about 11:00.

July 12, Saturday Calcutta

We had decided to do some shopping for the ongoing home renovation at Winston and so Mikku and I went off to a specialty mall in Calcutta that only sells home construction stuff. It was quite an impressive place with all kinds of home-related material ranging from handles for kitchen cabinets to some very nice furniture. The place is called Homeland Mall and we spent most of the morning there. Were able to get some ceramic tiles for the kitchen and a few other things for the kitchen. The point was to get some stuff that would be impossible to get in the USA, and thus add a little unique aspect to the construction. The mall was quite different from the other Western-style malls that have mushroomed all over Calcutta and the other metros of India, and we quite enjoyed browsing through the furniture store and other shops. Also, had lunch at the Mall at a small (and only) sandwich shop. We then got back home in time for Mikku and family (including Srijoy) to go watch a new release movie called “Jaane Tu.” I went back to AC 140 and took a nap. Later in the afternoon, at about 5:00 Samrat, my cousin, came over and we spent most of the afternoon just chatting. Mikku and Bebo also came over at about 7:30 to briefly meet with Samrat, and then they returned to D50. I waited at AC 140 and there were several other visitors including my cousin and family and my school friend Debapriya (Raja), who came at about 9:00 pm and we sat and chatted till about 11:00. I was down with a cold and sore throat, and was not operating at my best. Finally called it a day after Raja left.

July 13, Sunday Calcutta

Did not do a whole lot in the morning, but after the car arrived went to D50 and picked up Mikku and went off to the new shopping center called Mani Square next to the Apollo hospital off the bypass. This was yet another of the Western-style shopping malls with the name brand stores. One special draw for this place is the only McDonalds in Calcutta and it seems that the place absolutely fills up on weekends. It was not that crowded in the morning and Mikku had to get a new watch and we went to the Titan store. We looked at a few other stores including the American Dollar Store which was actually selling things that cost much more than Rs. 41 (the going conversion rate for the dollar). I was not terribly impressed by this place at all. We then took the car and went on to another place called the Big Bazaar which is also a new store of the Indian WalMart-like chain of stores. You can get everything, from groceries to underwear, in the same store. We browsed around for a bit and Mikku purchased a few things that were needed for our home in Winston. I also got Ma’s pressure cooker there. Mikku also got a couple of pairs of sandals. This is a relatively inexpensive store and offers discounts just as the discount chains in the West. These are all signs of increasingly expanding economy as more people are getting larger buying power to become consumers of goods that range from very expensive cars to fancy cell phones. We then headed back to D50 and I dropped Mikku off there and got back to AC 140. Had lunch at home and mostly slept in the afternoon given it was a typical monsoon afternoon that one only sees in Calcutta with brooding dark clouds and an incessant rain that threatens to create instant urban flooding. Just the right set up to sleep. Later, at about 4:00 went out again and picked up Mikku and Bebo and went off to Lake Town to visit my aunt. This is my father’s sister, and we had a tragedy in the family with her middle son (i.e., my cousin) passing away from a massive heart failure about 3 weeks ago. It was good that we visited and met up also with my other cousin, Phuchku da and family. We spent about an hour there, and then headed out to Dum Dum Park to my other aunt and cousin’s place. I lived in the house at Dum Dum Park between 4 and 15 and have very fond memories of living with the extended family made up of my widowed grandmother, bachelor uncles, my cousin who was studying medicine, my parents and numerous other people who always seemed to be visiting. The house now is in a state of disrepair, and one of my aunts lives there by herself. Next door, is the house of my cousin, so a visit to Dum Dum Park usually involves a brief stop at the old house to see my aunt, and then on to the newer house of my cousin. We had dinner with my cousin (Buro da) and my other cousin, the one who lives upstairs at AC 140 (Shanker da) was also there. We had dinner together and we also had a particularly good 21 year old aged single malt Scotch which was really excellent. We were there till about 10:30 after which Shanker da drove us all back to D50 and we dropped Mikku and Bebo off there and went back to AC 140.

July 14, Monday Calcutta

Off to D 50 and picked up Mikku and Bebo and we went out for lunch. Ate at a Chinese restaurant (Big Boss) in Calcutta’s Chinatown named Tangra. Although the food was good it was not spectacular and Szechwan Palace in Winston (that is owned by an ex-Tangra person) does a pretty good job too. The food however was quite inexpensive (Rs. 500 for all of us, no drinks) and after that we went off towards New Market. We had a new driver and he was quite good. We got dropped off in front of Grand and we walked into New Market. In spite of all the glitzy American-style malls, there is something absolutely charming about this 150 year old market (used to be called Hogg Market – where all the English used to shop) which is built in a way reminiscent of old English markets. I never miss a visit to New Market when I am in Calcutta. It is oppressively hot inside (there is no air conditioning) and some of the stores are older than time. I think I have never bought undergarments from any store other than Nusker’s Hosiery at New Market who sell this special vest made by Gopal that, I believe, is most authentic when bought from Nusker’s at New Market (Hanes can not hold a candle to this stuff). After Nusker’s went to Modern Toy Store which is about 100 years old and I remember coming here since I remember coming to toy stores. Srijoy will not miss a trip to Modern Toy Store in Calcutta (or for him, he has not missed a trip to Hamleys on Regent Street in London until on this trip for the first time) and we spent some time there, and went on to Symphony to get a few music CDs. Mikku got some stuff too and then we walked to the Bata shoe store and then to Grand hotel’s Coffee Shop (these days it is called La Terrace, or something fancy like that. In our days, the mid-70s, going to the coffee shop was a treat because it was really really expensive and as college students we could hardly afford it, but we did occasionally go in and order a pot of coffee and share it between 5 people after an all-night McLaughlin concert in Calcutta and before taking the early morning train back to IIT to barely make the morning class). After New Market we got back to AC 140 where Mikku and Bebo spent a little time and headed back to D 50. Night at D 50.

July 15, 2008, Tuesday Calcutta

I spent the morning mostly at Standard Chartered Bank dealing with the Fixed Deposit account and then went off to D 50 before lunch and picked up Mikku and Bebo and we went to the City Center. Had lunch there after buying Bebo’s new phone handset (Samsung C170) and then went shopping for a bit. Got a nice outfit for Bebo and we eventually got back to D 50 and I dropped Bebo and Mikku off there and went on to the electrician’s shop (Saltee Electrical next to Bijon Bhawan) to order the face plates for the Indian-style Anchor switches we would be using for our new construction in Winston-Salem. This was Srijoy’s idea to get the switches custom made in Calcutta to give our place a unique touch. I ordered 15 sets of switches for a total of Rs. 480 ($11). Then got back to AC 140 and sent the car back to D 50. Mikku and Bebo arrived in AC 140 around 6 pm and we went and had the special dinner prepared by Shanker da and family for Bebo and us. We had missed Nimi and Babli’s wedding in November of 2007 and so they decided to do a special treat for us. It was a sumptuous meal. My other cousin, Buro da stopped by in the evening as well. Eventually we dropped Mikku back at D 50 and Bebo and I went to sleep at AC 140.

July 16, 2008, Wednesday Calcutta

Bebo and I had to get up early in the morning and Ma fixed us our breakfast. We were ready by 7:30 am and my cousin (Buro da) picked us up soon after. We were on our way to watch the launching of two naval ships that were just built in the ship yard which my cousin managed until a few years ago when he retired. He still continues in the role of an advisor with the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE). He had invited us to this special occasion. The drive took us all the way to the Western edge of the city, by the Hooghly River, and the Calcutta Docks. I had been in this part of the city, perhaps 30 years ago. The area is predominantly Muslim and is the general area of the Calcutta Port. We went to his office and had to wait there for about an hour after which we drove to the launching area. The GRSE is an undertaking of the Government of India and its primary client is the Indian Navy. There was a lot of Navy brass at the launching which was quite a grand affair with the actual launching being done by the wife of a Vice-Admiral. We had front row seats given the official VIP (Very Important Person) position of my cousin. The launching was followed by a reception which we attended as well. Eventually a friend of my cousin dropped us off at Park Street and we took a cab back home and had lunch at home. After lunch, Bebo and I went to D 50. Mikku and all decided to watch a movie and so we left Bebo at D 50 and I took them all to City Center. Mikku, Boudima and Tinku went off to see the movie, and I did some grocery for Ma. I then returned to D 50, picked up Bebo and returned to AC 140 since Bebo was going shopping with Nimi and Babli. I hung out at AC 140 discussing the plans of my cousin’s possible US visit in October. Later in the evening Bebo got back to AC 140 having acquired a Kohlapuri Sandal as a gift from Nimi and Babli, and spending some time at the video arcade in City Center. Mikku also got back to AC 140. Later at night, at about 9:30 my cousins Sanjay and Moushumi came over along with Moushumi’s husband Joy and all five of us went out for dinner at Abcos. This is a nice restaurant chain right in Salt Lake. Had a few beers and a nice meal (it was Joy’s treat) and dropped Mikku back at D 50 and they dropped me off at AC 140 about midnight.

July 17, 2008, Thursday Calcutta

Bebo and I hung out in the morning, not doing too much in particular. I went through Ma’s financial papers to ensure everything was in order. The car arrived around 11:00 and took Bebo with me to D 50. I dropped him off there and then went to Standard Chartered. As planned, I withdrew a significant amount of the cash in a move to close the account. Then went to UCO Bank to ensure that I was a nominee with Ma’s account. There was some work required there. Then went on to D 50 where I picked up Bebo and Mikku and we came back to AC 140 where all of us ate lunch at home. Then I went back to UCO bank to take care of a few more things with the nomination, but the work was successfully completed. Back to AC 140 and picked up Mikku and we went to PC Chandra Jewelers at Ultadanga. The sales person was kind of weird, but we did a little shopping. Then back to City Center where I converted the money, went to Airtel to check on renewing my Calcutta phone number while Mikku did some shopping. We then got back to AC 140, relaxed a bit and went out with Bebo to my uncle’s place (this is my mother’s eldest brother and his family lives in AA block) where we spent about 30 minutes, after which we went to D 50 and picked up Mikku’s suitcase and got back to AC 140. The evening was mostly spent at home upstairs and downstairs, and Bebo had an invitation to have dinner upstairs. Later at night, Mikku and I took a taxi to the newly developed mall called Silver Springs on the bypass where we met up with Alo’s (our friend in Winston-Salem) mother and sister at the Oh Calcutta restaurant and was treated to an excellent evening (BTW, this OC does not have a liquor license yet, and they have a temporary license that only allows them to serve alcohol on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). We were dropped back home at about 11:00 pm and we called it a day.

July 18, 2008, Friday Calcutta

Got up as usual and kind of hung out at home. Ma made the coffee, tea and toast. Bebo slept in a bit, and we finally got ready at about 10:00. There was a bit of a problem with the car. Our driver thus far (Baapi Pradhan) was not feeling well and we did not want to risk an infection. So we cancelled that car, and then realized that it was not possible to get another car from Sonata. I was a little displeased with Sonata any way, and withdraw my prior (in earlier blogs) recommendation of this rental. But we needed a car, and so Nimi was able to find one for us with a company owned by Pulak Chatterjee (out of BE block in Salt Lake). The car arrived within 10 minutes and Bebo was happy to see a white Ambassador, which still remains his favorite car. In the meantime, I had gone to City Center to get the tickets for the movie that Mikku and all would be watching in the afternoon. After I got back, the three of us went off to Khuku Mashi’s house (this is an aunt of Mikku and lives in Salt Lake at FC 78) where we spent an hour or so and returned home to AC 140. There we gathered up Nimi. Babli and Ma and went over to D 50. It was Mikku and my plan to treat the newly weds to a nice lunch. So, at D 50 we put the elders in the Ambassador along with Mikku and Bebo (so this car could easily hold 5 adults and a kid) and Nimi, Babli and I took a taxi to Silver Springs and went to the Segree restaurant. It was a pretty nice place and we had a sumptuous lunch (pretty reasonable, a meal for 8 adults and 1 kid with a few beers was at Rs. 2,500 along with tips). After that, Nimi, Babli and I visited the BMW dealership that has recently opened at Silver Springs. They wanted to test drive a BMW (the least expensive one is being sold in the Indian market for the equivalent of $60,000, where one can get a very good Indian luxury car for about $8,000). It was a little tricky to make the test drive happen, but years of street smart kicked in and we were soon zipping around in a 300 series BMW, and Nimi and Babli were quite happy (remind me or them to tell you the details when we meet!). We then took a cab and got back to City Center. Mikku, Ma, Boudima and Tinku were watching a movie there at the Inox Theater (Kismet Konnection) and I dropped Nimi and Babli there, and got back to AC 140. The Ambassador was waiting for me there. I took it back to the electrician’s place and then to D 50. I picked up Bebo from there and we drove to my school – Calcutta Boys’ School (CBS). Srijoy had shown an interest in going to my school and the trip was certainly fun for me. There was a little difficulty when they did not want let us in, but a little sweet talking with the security guard got us on the grounds. The buildings looked very good, they seemed to have been renovated, and we walked around the grounds. I showed Bebo the place where we had our daily Chapel service before school. It is interesting that I went to a school that was built around the Methodist Christian tradition, but there was nearly no Evangelizing. That was the experience of growing up in India. Religions do not fight with each other when they have co-existed in a civil manner over hundreds of years, and have not been incited by outsiders to become enemies. There are places in Delhi where a mosque and a temple share a common wall, and people of different religions exist in relative harmony. No doubt there have been moments of violence, but the amount of religious diversity that can be found in a public bus in Calcutta would drive the TV Evangelists nuts, not knowing who to convert first! That was CBS for us where Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, Zoroastrians all went to Chapel and listened to Mr. Hicks (a Welsh Missionary) as he taught us about life (and, if we did not learn well, was never to spare the cane) and being human and not necessarily of a specific religion. All these kids, irrespective of faith, class, creed and caste, learned to smoke in the same back alley behind the school and were treated the same way by Mr. D’Souza or Mr. Gangully (who slapped me 20 times in a row for each spelling mistake in a 5 page Bengali essay that I had to write in 6th grade. This teacher had a favorite nail that stuck out on the wall by the blackboard, and he had an interesting habit of fiddling with the nail as he taught us about Tagore’s poetry, so as retribution, after the slapping incident, that involved others, we discreetly removed the nail from the wall, leading to his attempting to find the familiar spot and not being able to. He was perhaps one of the best teachers I have ever had in my life, and to be sure, I am careful about Bengali spellings when I write Bengali). So, Srijoy and I went around the school yard, and I unsuccessfully tried to take a picture next to the plaque declaring the school motto – “Dei Mundos Deo.” We then took the my familiar route back from school to Salt lake – a route that I used to take every day of my life when I was in school. On the way I was able to show Srijoy the house I lived in till I was 4 years old. I have faint memories of the place because we moved to a suburb of Calcutta in 1964. We were eventually back in Salt Lake. Mikku and Ma were still at the movie, so Bebo and I went upstairs in AC 140 and we spent time hanging out with people upstairs. Later in the evening my school friend Rana showed up and spent the evening chatting at home over a few drinks. Called it a day after Rana left. Bebo had dinner upstairs.

July 19, 2008, Saturday Calcutta

We had a relaxed morning just doing some basic packing and getting ready for the day. The car arrived around 10:30 am and I made a quick trip to City Center to get some chocolates and look for the lost umbrella. I was pretty sure I had left it at the City Center Airtel store but the folks there said that they had found nothing. I then strolled around the Center a bit and eventually got back to AC 140 and picked up Mikku and Srijoy to head out to the Calcutta Boys’ School get together. The location was Rajat’s house on the other side of the Universe. Salt Lake is in the north-eastern part of Calcutta whereas Rajat’s place on Moore Avenue is on the southern side of town. It took a good hour to get there because of a traffic snarl near Ruby Hospital on the bypass (they are increasing road space by reducing the size of the traffic circle in front of Ruby, so the road is frequently jammed). We then took the Anwar Shah Road connector from the bypass. This was a hilarious moment because I was following the route on Google Maps on my smart phone using GPS, and Google Maps does not know of the existence of this section of the road. So, on the map it looked like we were driving through open land without any road. So much for the accuracy of these maps, of course, it shows a significant bias because Google Maps is really not interested in updating the map with every new road being built in India. Anyhow, this is not a good road to take (I wonder if Google Map is so smart that it knows that this is a road from Hell and does not show it on the map), because this has become the primary feeder road for the Southside Shopping Mall and it is always clogged up. We eventually got to Rajat’s place. The party there was incredible. Our good friend, Kanjilal (who I had last met in 1979, and could not immediately recognize – duh!) had cooked a kasha mangsha (this is a really spicy stew made of goat meat that is cooked entirely in oil and the fat from the meat, for about 6 to 8 hours after a 24 hour marination) that was absolutely delicious and was accompanied by a biriyani (a special form of fried rice of the Mughal heritage, usually made with goat meat or chicken) and followed by some excellent dessert. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, this gathering is something that has evolved from the efforts of one of 90 kids that graduated high school from CBS in 1979. His name is Debapriya Das Gupta (now some head honcho with the IT consulting group called Cognizant). This fellow started a Yahoo group several years ago with a handful of the graduating class from nearly 30 yeas ago. Using the Internet, this group grew online as the process of networking connected up long-lost friends. At some point, about 4 years ago, it was decided that the online group was large enough to put together offline gatherings, which were also triggered by people visiting Calcutta (where a large portion of the friends still reside). Today, there were 18 of the 90 (actually really 88, because sadly two of our friends have passed away) at Rajat’s house (which was effectively destroyed by the activities of 18 high school buddies getting together with abnormally large amounts of alcohol for an afternoon gathering – I recorded a 750 ml bottle of Scotch completely empty (I think Kanjilal drank most of it) and numerous bottles of beer. Most of the spouses and children were there all of whom have also become friends. Among the 18, there were two from the US, a couple of guys who had specially come down from Bombay for the gathering and the rest from Calcutta. As always it was a fabulous afternoon and we finally left at about 3:40 in the evening. We dropped off one of my friends at Ballygunge Phari and then went to my cousin’s place in Beckbagan to see another newly wed nephew of ours (a February 2008 wedding we missed). It was good to meet up for a bit, we also went to the third floor to see my other cousin. This is the house where my mother her spent part of her years before she got married. I remember this house well as my maternal uncles’ place (Mamar Badi – Bengali). There were three uncles whose families lived in this house that was built by my mother’s father. It is bang in the middle of Calcutta with the city alive around it. When I was a child we used to live in a suburb that was quieter and more bucolic, and visiting my maternal place was quite a challenge for me because I never really liked the noise of the city. The house I grew up in had a huge lawn, a large backyard, a pond in front of the house and one behind it. I could loose myself in the yard and be completely surrounded by nature. The house in Beckbagan was just the opposite. There was a barber, a butcher and a pharmacy as you stepped out on the pavement. There was no yard and the only place where we could play was on the flat terrace. Playing cricket on the terrace of a three storey house is never easy, especially when there was an old Muslim graveyard (with only two graves though) right in front of the house, and the cricket ball would land there whenever anyone hit it hard. It was agreed that if someone dropped the ball in the graveyard he is automatically out. One fun activity that one could do on the terrace was flying kites which we did a lot of. On the day of Vishwkarma Puja (the God of Engineering) the whole of Calcutta took time out to fly kites. Every terrace in the city would have youngsters flying their kites and it was a common practice to entangle the strings of each other’s kites and through a very careful maneuver cut the string of the opponent. This was a sport where we spent many hours preparing the string – we would take the entire length of the string, many yards long, put it between poles on the terrace, and then make a concoction of finely ground glass and glue that would be carefully applied to the string creating a string that would cut through the opponent’s string. This concoction was called “manja” and the kite flyer with the better manja would often win the competition in the sky. There was significant skill involved too in how well the manja was applied – too much would make the string too heavy, and too little would not be sufficient – and there was skill in how the kite flyer maneuvered the string while flying the kite and dueling with another flyer. One of my maternal cousins who was good at this would come out with bloody hands after an evening of kite flying (remember the string is a jagged stretch of ground glass that one must pass through one’s fingers to maneuver the kite). So this was the house we visited, and we left about 5:30 and headed back to Salt Lake. We stopped at D50 for a few minutes, dropped Bebo off there, and then Mikku and I returned to AC 140 and sent the car off to D50 to fetch Bebo and the rest from D50 to AC 140. Being the last evening of the trip we all wanted to be at the same place. Soon, Bunu di came along and we hung around chatting. Mikku’s parents were leaving around 8:00 pm and as we were seeing them off, we noticed that there was significant activity in the Community Center across the street from AC 140 with a TV truck and a TV reporter. Bebo and I went to investigate and discovered that the local Bengali TV channel – Star Ananda – was doing interviews of “common people” to see their reaction to the turmoil in Indian politics surrounding the nuclear deal with USA. We got roped in for the interview and spent about 30 minutes at the Community Center. It was an opportunity to meet some old neighbors like Arup da. Although I was interviewed, that part was edited out (probably because I made a wisecrack about being American and really did not give too much about the deal – you know the typical superpower arrogance perfected by some top leaders in USA), but Bebo enjoyed the process. We finally called it a day since we had an early start the following day. Bebo had dinner upstairs.

July 20, 2008, Sunday Callcutta-Delhi

We had an early start from AC 140 going to the airport. I was up at about 4:30 am, that interesting time on a summer morning when the breeze of the ceiling fan feels just a tad chilly since the outside is at the cool dawn temperature. I lazed a bit but soon realized that it was time to get ready and going. We were all up by about 5:30 and Ma made coffee, tea and toast. Babulbaba, Boudima and Tinku arrived around 6:15 am and the large Tata Sumo SUV was already there. There were 5 largish bags to load and we eventually left around 6:30. The whole household was there except Didibhai who was still suffering from a fall a couple of days ago during her morning walk in the park. The ride to the airport was eventless. As always, I hired two official porters (these are the people who have name tags and the question to ask them is: “Can you go all the way to the check in counter?” If the answer is affirmative then they are good to be hired). This is the beauty of the Indian life-style. I did not have to lift a finger to unload the bags, put them on the buggies, or do anything related to the baggage. We went through the bag X-ray. This is a strange practice in Calcutta, where all checked bags are put through an X-ray scanner before they can be checked in. The process produces more false positives than any other system I have ever seen. I do not think my electronics-laden bags have ever been passed through without a thorough rummaging through my dirty underwear that I purposefully use to pack the electronics. Anyway, check in at Jet followed the same routine as in the past many years. Once the bags are weighed the check in person always says that we have excess baggage, and I have to explain to him that we are actually headed to the USA. This is one moment you feel the power of the “super-power.” Everywhere on this planet, airlines allow 50 pounds of checked luggage per person. You can carry 10 five pound packets (although the logic for that would be hard to support) and the check in clerk will not bat an eye lid, but if you exceed more than 50 pounds, even if you are carrying just a few cubic inches of heavy metals, the check in clerk, anywhere on this planet, will throw a fit – except if you are in inter-planetary travel to America. All is pardoned. You are now allowed up to 2 bags each of 50 pounds since you are going to America (Oh! Hail America!!!) So, once the check in clerk saw that we were indeed crossing the pond, also known as the Atlantic, he was happy to allow 95 kilo grams (yes, that is about 200 pounds) of baggage distributed within 5 bags without even showing any curiosity about the fact that 3 normal people (whose combined body weight is probably under 200 pounds) are traveling with this much baggage. Of course, since we were going to America, it was considered normal. After the check in, we made our way to the book store and purchased another Commando Comics Book set and then to the few stores that are starting to appear at the airport. We made our way to the Executive Lounge, using my Priority Pass membership and relaxed for a bit before going through security and settling into the lounge. The incense sticks I was carrying for my uncle went through eventlessly. Called Didi from the airport and then boarded the Jet flight to Delhi. The food was average (considering it was free, I should say it was good), and the flight marginally on time. After arrival, the baggage claim was a mess. As always, there was a person taking bags off the belt to “help” passengers, while some like me were waiting downstream on the belt and never saw our bags being hijacked as soon as they appeared. Mikku saw this happen and helped to retrieve the bags. So, in Delhi (or mostly any other Indian airport) be sure to stand at the point where the bags first appear on the belt to ensure that stray people are not arbitrarily picking bags off the belt. Our trusted Mr. Yadav, the driver, was there outside with the Toyota Inova and after loading up the van we headed to the Crowne Plaza at Friend’s Colony. In the meantime, I had connected up with Kingshuk, my college buddy, to meet with him and his family (his wife, Ketoki, is also my college buddy; they met at IIT, did some Chemical Engineering for themselves, and have lived happily ever after, now with two adorable kids – one just finishing high school and the other in middle school). We checked in at the hotel and realized that the lunch buffet was incredibly expensive as was the restaurant. So, on Kingshuk’s recommendation went to Lotus Pond (a Chinese restaurant that was really good; you need to take a right out of the hotel exit and you can not miss it, but you will miss it, if you go towards the Friends Colony Market) and had a great Chinese lunch. Then we headed out to Rajghat (the memorial to Gandhi). Srijoy is a great fan of Gandhi and wanted to see Rajghat. We met up with Kingshuk’s family there. It was really, really hot at 3:00 pm in Delhi. The heat index was probably at 120 F and the last part of the walk to see the memorial is barefoot on concrete with no shade. The place is minimalist in architecture – a black marble slab with the words “He Ram” (the last words spoken by Gandhi, when he invoked the Hindu incarnation Ram as he died from the assassin’s bullets) inscribed on the stone and an eternal fire burning at the spot. It was quite a serene and somber place and we walked back to the book store selling Gandhi-related books. Srijoy was very pleased to have been able to make this trip even though the heat was incredible. We decided that the next stop would be the Bahai Temple called the Lotus Temple. It was a good 30 minute drive to the temple and the place was really crowded. It was nearly 4:30 by then and the heat was even worse. Mikku was suffering, and Kingshuk said that it would be un-healthy to stay out in the sun even though I was willing to fight the crowd and go to the temple. So, we headed back to our cool cars and decided to go to the Ansal Plaza Mall where it would be cool. It was definitely cooler inside the Mall but it was quite crowded. There is a certain degree of culture shock for me to walk into these places that look very Western but retain a degree of Indian-ness that makes these truly hybrid spaces. The name brands are all the same, but it is possible to walk into a book store and buy books that would be impossible to find in America. The anchor store – Shoppers Stop – looks like C&A or JCPenny, but the products are all different. Anyway, Mikku and Ketoki were taking way too long, so the kids, Kingshuk and I just hung out and chatted. After the ladies got done, we all headed to the Asean Village where we found a nice eatery called Tonic and Ketoki treated us to some really good kebobs and tandoori (Ketoki, has just been appointed as the Deputy General Manager of Samsung Engineering in India, after she spent several years working with the consulting firm called Engineers India Limited, indeed, she is one of our few class mates from IIT who has stuck to hard-core Chemical Engineering). We hung out there for some time and eventually we said bye to each other. They left for home while went back to the hotel. We have been traveling so much that it is often disconcerting, because both Mikku and I were slipping into Bengali when speaking to the waiters at Tonic, forgetting we were in Delhi, and not in Calcutta. In Delhi the staple language is Hindi, but we kept on using Bengali, which is the staple of Calcutta. Kingshuk really got a kick out of this! After getting back to the hotel I let the car go (total was Rs. 2,500 including a Rs. 50 tip – this included pick up from airport and all the traveling through the day, we had the car for about 10 hours). Later in the evening we thought of getting some more kebabs and biriyani and I went over to the pub in Friend’s Colony market and got a take out (Rs. 1,000 for kebabs, biriyani and raita). We eventually called it a day at about 10:30.

July 21, Monday Delhi-London

We needed an early start from the hotel to get to the airport on time. Mr. Yadav was there in time and we loaded up the car and checked out of the hotel and headed to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. It was a busy morning but we reached OK. The airport is being re-done and it looked quite nice. Check in was a little rough since we wanted our bags to be checked in all the way to Washington, even though we were staying a night in London. The check out girl finally did that and we went through immigration and went to the lounge to wait for the flight. The Clipper Lounge at IGI is quite nice and we ate some of the snacks. We eventually cleared security and boarded. Upper Class was quite empty and they treated us really well. The flight was very comfortable. We reached London nearly on time and since we had the “Fast Track” immigration coupon and no bags we were soon on the train going to Southfield. I called Kaju mama from East Putney station and he was there to pick us up at Southfield. As always he had prepared a fantastic dinner for us and we ate and chatted for a while before calling it a day. I had also called Kwik Kars for a pick up the next morning.

July 22, Tuesday London-Washington-Richmond

The taxi arrived on time and we took it to Southfield from where we took the train to Heathrow Terminal 3. Check in was OK and we verified that our bags would indeed get to DC. We then went through security and stuff and since we were back in coach class there was no access to the lounges. However, used my Priority Pass and spent the morning sitting in the Serviceair Lounge in T3 before boarding. The flight to DC was long (about 9 hours) but eventless. All the bags had arrived and immigration and customs was not an issue. I have usually found DC to be the best way to enter the US. I then got the rental van and we started driving out of DC at about 4:30. Traffic was not too bad and we drove till 7:15 in the evening and stopped right South of Richmond at a Holiday Express. Ordered some pizza and Chinese delivery and called it a day.

July 23, Wednesday Richmond-Greensboro

We were up early because of jet lag, so had a really large breakfast and then headed out to Winston. Drove non-stop and arrived in Winston by about 10:30 am.

2007-10-31T09:21:00.000-04:00

Wednesday October 17

The day was mostly spent in travel. We got a phone message in the morning letting us know that the US Air flight to Philly from Greensboro was going to be delayed. This meant we would have a longer layover in Philly. That was not a bad thing. We got to Greensboro airport in plenty of time and had a little bit of time to do some work. The flight to Philly was eventless, although delayed. We had lunch at the F-Concourse food court in Philly. These airports all are looking the same. Perhaps because I travel quite a bit I have grown to see subtle differences in the behavior of the people which gives the airports character beyond the very standardized food courts and other stores. I have seen so many “Hudson News” stores that I have lost count. When I was in India every railway station would have the “Wheeler” book store on the platform. The Wheeler of childhoods has now become the Hudson News. The Philly food court was interesting. As I was standing in yet another “Sbaro” Italian fast food line I overheard the people serving the food speaking in Bengali. It was interesting ordering Italian food in Bengali especially when their Bengali was the Bengali of Bangladesh as opposed to my West Bengal Bengali. The spicy potato that they have became “Alu bhaja” and the eggplant dish became “begun bhaja.” All that was missing was some “luchi.”

Anyhow, as we waited Srijoy caught up with some homework and I did some work. We eventually went on to the gate and flight to Montreal was eventless. Customs and immigration in Montreal was not a hassle and we were able to get out swiftly. There was a bit of a line at immigration but nothing major. We were quite delayed though. Our original plan was to arrive at about 1:30 into Montreal but it got to be 4:30 by the time we were getting our bags. I had rented with Payless and so we had to take a hotel bus to the Hilton and the Payless counter was located in the hotel lobby. It turned out that the rental outlet was also owned by an Indian family. We chatted a bit and then picked up the van. We hit the highway (A40 going East) at about 5 pm. It was horribly backed up with rush hour traffic. The radio was marginally interesting given we were in French Canada and the language was starting to irritate me. The lack of English when the surrounding is no different from upstate New York was a little disconcerting. We wound our way out of Montreal and it was getting dark as we finally hit the open stretches of the highway. The drive was pretty with fall in full swing. The leaves had turned and the setting sunlight literally put the forests on fire. We had not realized that we were hitting Quebec at the peak of Fall.

We eventually pulled into the outskirts of Quebec City about 8:00 pm. Finding the hotel was not a hassle (Courtyard Marriott, there is only one in Quebec City right by the St. James gate into the old city). The people spoke marginal English. I suspect they spoke better English than they showed. It is the old French style. I think the entire French speaking World still can not get over the fact that in establishing global colonialism they lost the language war to the people on the island. So, this passive aggressive French attitude about English. I have witnessed this in every French speaking area I have been to such as Geneva, Paris, and of course French Canada. Anyway, the hotel location was really nice right across from the public open air skating rink which was already open. I handed the car to the valet and checked in and wanted to exchange the US money for the Canadian Dollar. Not good news. What used to be 2 Canadian for 1 US is now 0.9 Canadian for 1 US. This was a shock and its ripple effects were felt all through the trip. What happened here? I thought we were the global leader (bully!) and we can not buy even 1 Canadian with 1 US? The main effect of this was the way things are priced in Canada. Going back to the days of the Canadian Dollar being under par things were priced to be on par. Thus a burger would cost 8 Canadian and that seemed reasonable. Now the price tag has not changed making that same burger incredibly expensive to poor Americans. This actually made the trip more expensive than anticipated.

We finally called it a day after a really expensive room service. Srijoy did some homework.

Thursday October 18

We got up early and breakfasted on the breakfast bars we had wisely brought with us. Mikku made some coffee in the room and so we did not have to go for the 12 Canadian Dollar breakfast buffet downstairs. We walked to the lobby and asked for directions to Starbucks. OK, get this, there is no Starbucks in Quebec City. I was doomed. I was directed to a café which proved to be unnecessarily evening for something that could be barely called coffee. We took a stroll around the old quarters, going through the artillery park, the cobbled streets and up to the Citadel which offers an excellent view of the St. Lawrence River. Quebec City has a very European feel to it, specially accentuated by the French language and influence. I eventually broke off from Swati and Srijoy and went off to the conference for most of the rest of the day. The conference was excellent and doing a best practices presentation brought out a large audience.

I met up with the family later in the day and we strolled around the old quarters. Of note was observing the shooting of some kind of an advertisement film right inside the old quarters. Of course we had no clue what the ad was for since everything being spoken was in French. We took the funicular down to the water side and then walked back towards the hotel. It was still light out and we went on to the skating rink. It was a lively place with lots of people skating. We rented a skate for Srijoy and he went skating and had a ball. It was a really lively place and it was just fun to listen to the music and watch people skate. Somewhat reminiscent of Rockefeller Plaza of New York but on a much smaller scale.

We just hung around outside for some time before eventually getting back to the room. Srijoy did some homework and we called it a day.

Friday October 19

Spent a little time in the conference after the in room breakfast. Also packed the stuff and went to old town to get some supplies. Eventually we hit the road going North East from Quebec City. Our destination was a place called Baei St. Paul which is at the mouth of the St. Lawrence fjord. The drive took us by the Mount Moncerey Chute (or waterfall). It was a beautiful fall day and we decided to stop at the water falls for a bit. The family pack allowed us unlimited access to the ropeway and we took it to the top of the Falls. A quaint French café was located there. After some expensive beverages we walked to the Falls and down the steps. Srijoy got a little wet from the spray. The place was not very crowded. This part of Canada goes through a lull in tourism during fall. The summer holidayers are gone, and the winter ski season is still not quite started. The weather was pleasant with colder nights and brisk days. The sun was out most of the times. After some more time at the Falls we continued going north. The towns were getting smaller and quite deserted with the shops mostly closed. The road winds by the St. Lawrence offering breathtaking vistas of the fall colored land by the sparkling water. We made it a leisurely drive stopping often and eventually got to the Motel. Finding a place to stay was tough at this time of the year. There are no chain motels in this area. Most of the Web sites were in French and when I had called to talk the people acted as if they did not know any English. So, I had made the booking through a generic reservation site. The hotel I had gotten was at best average. The service was poor, and the people were the basic garden variety rude French Canadians. They seemed to dislike the fact that I made no attempt to do the “Merci” with them but stuck to my “Thanks.” The room was not too bad and overlooked the garden. Srijoy and I spent some time in the garden while Swati relaxed in the room. Later in the evening we drove down to the town of Baei St. Paul. It was a small quaint town mostly devoted to art and artists. There were a few very nice galleries. We strolled down the main drag. The best thing was that there were hardly any other tourists there at all. Just some locals. We went into a chocolate museum (chocolate is big in this part of Canada) and we all had cognac filled chocolates. It was only after having it did I tell Srijoy about the cognac. He was amused. We had located a nice small café already and we got there and ordered a bottle of wine and had a very relaxed supper. It was good to slow down for a bit. The prices were really hurting. After that we drove back to the motel. It was still not too late so after Srijoy’s homework we caught up on episodes of the TV show called “Office.” It was a nice relaxed day and we eventually called it a day.

Saturday October 20

We left from the hotel by 10:00 am. Again we did the breakfast cereal bar and the in-room complimentary coffee. The drive today would take us further North East along the ever widening St. Lawrence to a town called Baei St. Catherine. After a quick gas stop we headed out. The place was getting increasing desolate and rugged. The towns were getting smaller and sleepier. The scenery was also changing as we were going further north. The peak of fall was over here and the trees were bare. My Global Positioning Unit told me that we were now at latitude of about 47 degrees north. It was not cold though. There were hardly any cars on the road other than some slow tractors. It was clear that some of the towns had shut down for the impending brutal winter and the “snow birds” have flown south. After about an hour and fifteen minutes we pulled into the sleepy town of B. St. Catherine. Other than one tavern everything else was closed. Other than that, we counted two other taverns and one hotel all of which was closed. There was not a soul anywhere. The day was perfect for our reason to be up there. The tavern owner spoke English and pointed out the boat dock. The gift shop was open and we were told that our boat would arrive at 1 pm. We still had an hour and half to spend. We drove about a mile up the road where it ends and one has to take a free car ferry to continue on the other side of the road. We did not do that but came back to the tavern and had lunch. After lunch we strolled by the waterway and eventually got back to the dock. It was sunny but a bone chilling North wind was blowing. The boat arrived at 1:25 and we boarded it to leave at 1:30.

This was the reason to come all the way North. The 3 hour boat ride takes the passengers up the St. Lawrence to a place in the fjord where one can see whales. We are talking about live wild whales that circle around the boat and you can see them in their natural habitat. From when he was very young Srijoy has been an avid whale lover and this was Heaven to him. There is no guarantee that one would see a whale but the very thought was exciting. Remember whales are mammals and so need to surface to breathe. This involves blowing water out of their spout taking in air and going under water. So one can see the whales when they come to the surface to breathe. Srijoy and I situated ourselves outside the heated cabin of the boat (there were probably 50 people on the boat) and took up a place at the fore of the boat. The boat was traveling at about 18 miles per hour and the wind chilled one to the bone. But then we saw it. A beluga whale surfaced and pushed its head in the air. That was only the beginning. For the next three hours the boat circled an area where we saw numerous whales of different kinds (Srijoy knows all the names). Some were really large, such as the fin whale which is the size of 10 elephants. Some were really close to the boat too. This was really a high point of the trip. After the boat left the whale area we got back inside the boat and had a hot cup of coffee from the concessions stand in the boat and finally were back a the dock.

We headed back towards B. St. Paul. It was dark by the time we were back at the motel. Hung out at the room and generally relaxed. Srijoy did homework. I eventually got some take out from a solitary McDonalds! The dinner at the hotel had a set menu with each person at 35 Canadian. It was unaffordable!

Sunday October 21

We had kept this day aside for the drive back to Montreal (about a 5 hour drive). We ate breakfast at the hotel. It was a really nice sunny day. We took some pictures at the hotel, packed the car and headed south. Again went through a set of sleepy old towns. Srijoy wanted to go back to the skating rink in Quebec City. Since it would be on the way, we decided to stop at Quebec City. Had lunch in the old town and then Srijoy did some skating for about an hour. Mikku also tried but had a bad fall very quickly and decided not to try any more. We spent the afternoon strolling around the old town. Eventually headed out towards Montreal. The drive was eventless. Everyone was quite tired. However, we did pull into downtown Montreal for a bit before heading to the hotel by the airport. It was an eventless evening. I returned the car and we just stuck at the hotel eventually ordering a Chinese delivery.

Monday October 22

Had an early start to get to the airport. Again had a long layover in Philly. Had lunch there. The flight was then further delayed due to mechanical problems. Our hope was to reach Greensboro by about 4:30 in the evening but we did not get in till about 7:00. Most of the time was spent in Philly airport where we did get a chance to catch up on work, homework and phone calls.

2007-07-23T05:35:00.000-04:00

This is the latter part of the India trip of 2007, read on below for the first part of the trip was was more interesting!

July 7, 2007

The stay in Calcutta was extremely busy. There was a lot to do and many people to catch up with.

Every single day was basically divided into three parts – the mornings were busy with errands, the afternoons and evenings would be lunches and dinners with different people.

On Saturday, July 7 we got up a little late in the morning after the troubles of the night before. I had ordered a car and went off to the City Center in the morning and bought the toaster that my mother needed and also topped up the mobile phones. The City Center is an American style Mall that is about a 10 minute drive from my mother's place.

Then Mikku and I left from home around 12:30 pm for the Calcutta Boys’ School luncheon. There was no more water logging on the streets, but the roads were in pretty bad shape. There was a mild drizzle falling and Calcutta was the same. The number 4 bridge that connects the by pass highway to the city was crowded as ever. We were able to get to the restaurant in good time. A steady rain was falling and my friend Kunal was waiting outside the restaurant. The good thing in India is the availability of chauffer driven cars. Typically a small air conditioned car with chauffer and gas costs about $20 per day. All drivers have mobile phones. So, as soon as you are in the car, you need to get that phone number. The driver would drop us off in front of the place we needed to be and when we were ready we could call him and he would pick us up. I typically give Rs. 100 as tip (about $2.00) at the end of the day and they are happy. The cars are always pretty good and some of the drivers know the city well too. Parking is a nightmare in downtown Calcutta. So we had our driver drop us off in front of Tung Fung and we went in.

We had a smaller group this year – Babui, Raja, Rajat, Tuklu and a couple of others. Most had family with them. Srijoy had chosen to stay home with my mother and my cousin’s family. We drank a significant amount of Kingfisher beer and all made a note that the next time we come back to this restaurant it is important to remind them to really chill the beer. It was lukewarm at best. But the chin-wagging was fun. We ate a nice Chinese lunch for an incredibly low price. Hung out. Caught up with the old stories. All realized that age was catching up with us. This is a group of people who have known each other since before first grade. We have stayed in touch over many years and have now created a cyber community that has members all over the World. I call the group members “sleepers” – an old Cold War term. As we travel across the World all we need to do is send one message out to the group and someone, who we might not have communicated with for a decade, will say “I am here” and we connect up. When combined with the strongly knit community of the former students of the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur (give or take 3 years from my year of graduation) there are very few places left in the World where we do not have sleepers. One e-mail is all it takes. Most of these guys are also doing extremely well in their careers. Some are VPs of major global IT companies, one is the lead editor of one of the largest dailies in the World, another is a renowned violinist trained in Russia, one set up one of the best hospitals in Calcutta, and the list goes on. Access to this group changes how things are done. The doctors can be relied on to provide the best care be it in the US, UK, India, or Australia, the others can provide logistic support wherever they are. This is an important part of the trip to India, to catch up with the old crowd.

After the lunch we came back home. We did make a short trip to see Swati’s parents that afternoon but spent most of the evening at my parent’s place chatting with my cousin. There was a lot of catching up to do and it was fun. Thankfully it was a relatively quiet evening and we finally called it a day.

The next day, July 8, we also had a late start. We were home for most of the morning, with a quick visit to City Center to get a few things we needed for the stay. There was the need for bottled water as well as the need for some supplies for my mother. I had already set up the phones to operate as life long phone numbers in India which means that anyone in India can call us without having to make an international call (my number is +919831775562 and Swati’s is +919831775523).

We got back home for lunch and soon after Mikku left with my cousins to partake in a traditional Indian activity – go to see a probable bride for our nephew. This is a part of the traditional “arranged marriage” in India. The custom for the Bengalis is that the parents of the boy/girl would meet the other parents and the boy/girl to evaluate the “fit” between their child and the other person. These visits are done by the parents and other family members. Since Mikku was in town, and being the aunt of the boy, she was ideally suited to do this task. Bebo and I stayed at home with my mother. We did go to CA Market and City Center to get some stuff for Ma, but we returned just as Mikku and all were back and the verdict was that the girl was not suitable. Swati was quite clear about this as were my cousins. These are awkward situations and it was an interesting experience for Swati, although she was somewhat reluctant to partake in this evaluation process. Later that evening my other cousin and his wife showed up and we whiled away the evening.

I left for Delhi early on July 9 morning. I flew Kingfisher Airlines. The service was quite good and really enjoyed the flight. Met up with Mr. Rajesh and Mr. Bhargav there and the meetings went really well. I was back in the hotel by about 7:30. Got out the Hindustan Times and had a fairly nice evening. I was in Delhi on July 10 as well with two day meetings. Nothing spectacular but got the data I needed. Got back to the hotel about 4:30 pm (stayed at the Ashoka, it is not bad and very friendly). I had meetings all evening on July 9 and most of the day on July 10 and was in bed late on July 10. Took the morning flight on Kingfisher to Calcutta and was home by taxi by about 11:00 am. Stayed at home for most of the morning. In the afternoon Mikku and I went off to City Center for some shopping. Got back to my parent’s place at AC 140. When I had left for Delhi, Mikku and Srijoy had also moved to her parents’ house.

We spent a little bit of the afternoon at both homes and left for a wedding reception at about 6:30 in the evening. This was the wedding reception for the son of one of my mother’s old friends. My mother wanted us to come to the reception. It was way out on the bypass all the way past Ruby Hospital. This gave us a chance to check out the new residential developments along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of Calcutta including the Highland Park high rise apartment development where many people we know had bought homes. The journey was excruciatingly slow with traffic backed up quite a bit.

Once we got to the reception, I was not terribly impressed by the arrangements. It was in the apartment of my mother’s friend and it was hot and full of people I did not know. Mikku and I excused ourselves and left my mother there since we had to get to the Outram Club on Theater Road to order the meal for the family gathering that we were organizing. Those who know Calcutta would know that the easier way to do to do this trek is to take the bypass back to Science City and then hang a left towards Park Circus and get to Theater Road from that direction. The brilliant chauffer we had did something else. He took the Gariahat Connector and then got on to Broad Street and Palm Avenue to get to Amir Ali Avenue to eventually get to Theater Road.

Big mistake.

These are narrow serpentine lanes and the little gain in shorter driving distance is well made up by the traffic jams. Nevertheless we were at Outram Club about 8:15 and my eldest cousin, Dadabhai, was nursing a Bacardi and Coke. I ordered a Scotch on the rocks and we all quickly ordered the meal for the gathering. Outram Club is an old British Private Club that is now populated mostly by the arts and theater elite of Calcutta. It is not unusual to run into contemporary theater and TV stars at this club. We finished the ordering and rushed back to the car.

It took us about 45 minutes to get back to the place where we had left my mother. She was ready to go and we did not want to eat at the reception. We then made our way back to my mother’s place. It was about 11:00 pm and Swati and I had spent most of the evening shuttling around Calcutta. I was mildly irritated. Swati and I dropped my mother off and we went off to the Hyatt for a quiet late evening supper. We went to the coffee shop and their dinner buffet was still on and we ate there. Eventually we went back to Swati’s parent’s house and we called it a day.

On July 12 I had ordered the car to pick me up from Swati’s parents place at 8:30 am. I first went off to the airport to exchange the tickets. Cancelled out the Jet Airways tickets and bought the Kingfisher tickets for our return from Calcutta to Delhi. I then went off to the City Center and got the movie tickets for everyone (the five ladies – Swati, her mother, her sister, my mother and my sister-in-law all watched and enjoyed the new Bengali release called “Anuranan”). Then off to Dalhousie (downtown Calcutta) and picked up my American Express card which had eventually arrived (to know more about this, read about the first seven days of the trip). Then got back to my mother’s place. Had lunch with her and then she and the others went off to see the movie.

Srijoy and I stayed at home. The rains had stopped for the past four days and it was really hot. We have one room with a window air conditioner at my mother’s place and we sat in that room whenever we would be home. The outside was muggy, hot and humid. We called the a/c room the "cold room." By hot we mean about 98F with 95% humidity and the temperature never went below 85F.

That afternoon, my cousin and his wife arrived in Calcutta. They live in the Central Indian state of Chatrishgarh in the town of Raigarh. It was a pleasure to see them after a few years. They arrived in the afternoon and we sat at home and chatted. Later in the evening we basically just stayed at home. Since Swati and Srijoy were at her parent’s place my cousin, his wife and I decided to bunk down in the cold room and we spent most of the night chatting and catching up.

It was really like the old times. My cousin, who is about 11 years older than me, had his first job as an engineer in the paper mill in Brajrajnagar – a small industrial town in the hot and dusty central part of India. This was soon after he had gotten married. I had spent my summer after high school with the my cousin and sister-in-law in their bungalow studying for my IIT entrance exams. I do believe that the retreat to their place to study was instrumental in my cracking that exam and entering IIT. It was really nice to see them and catch up.

The next day, on the 13th, I had ordered a car for all of us to go out. I had gotten a larger vehicle (the Toyota Qualis). My cousin, his wife and myself left from home at about 9:30 in the morning. I had set up Internet access for my Indian mobile phone and was able to use the GPS system with my phone. It was interesting to track our progress through Calcutta. We went on to meet my sister-in-law’s sister-in-law at the Command Hospital. This lady was going through chemotherapy for lymphoma and we spent some of the morning with her. After the hospital visit we went on to New Market.

Although it is called New Market (which it was about 100 years ago) it is one of the oldest markets in India. It is possible to buy anything there (the legend is that you can tiger's milk there if you were willing to pay the price). I have been going there since I have been a child. Each store is a little haven of curious things. I think I have never bought underwear anywhere else in the World. The good old Nusker store has been where I have been going for the past 30 years. So has been my cousin. The old Symphony music store guy knows me so well that I am obliged to bring him a little tobacco every time I visit. The Modern Book Store always remembers me as the author of the books they have sold. New Market is like an island of the old forgotten Calcutta that existed before the American multinational invasion. Before going to the Market we stopped by at the old colonial Grand Hotel for a cup of coffee. Did our shopping at the market and then got back to the Grand, got back to the car and drove over to the Forum Mall on Elgin Road.

This is like any other mall one sees all over the World. The characterless set of name brand shops selling the same stuff from Singapore to Sydney. Anyhow, it does have a nice restaurant and we planned on eating at Oh! Calcutta located on the top (6th) floor of the Forum. I ordered a beer (Kingfisher – yes made by the same United Breweries group that owns the airline by the same name), and we chatted. Soon my friend, Rana, joined us. The appetizers came and we were whiling away the time. It was not until Swati called that we realized that our food order had not arrived and we were sitting there for about 2 hours. We all were upset at that time. There was quite an altercation in the restaurant. They profusely apologized and we left in a huff. Unfortunately there was no more time to sit in the restaurant since Swati needed the car at 4:00. We got back to Salt Lake at about 4:00.

Picked up Swati from her parent’s place and we got to my mom’s. We had about a couple of hours before going for the evening party at the Club. This party was arranged by Swati and me and we were using my cousin’s membership to gain access to the club. We were at the club by about 6:45 and people started to arrive soon. It was a nice evening with a lot of food and fair amount of booze (Dadabhai, Phuchku da, Indira boudi, Tulda, Shanker da, and parents). We finally called it a day about 10:30 and all went back to respective homes. Again spent the evening chatting with my family.

On Saturday July 14 I had again rented the larger Qualis car. I had some work at the bank and other stuff in the morning and then about 11:30 all of us went to visit some of the elderly family members. We first went to Mandeville Gardens to see someone (mam da) who had recently survived a stroke. We then went to my aunt’s place for a bit. This aunt of mine had lost her husband, my uncle, 45 years ago and had never remarried. I try and make it a point to visit with her whenever I am in India, even if briefly. We then tracked back to Fort William to order the food and make arrangements for the party on July 16. The Fort is the old military area of Calcutta and since Swati’s father is a former Indian Army person he has access to their clubhouse. We got there about 1:30. I had a beer as Swati and her dad made the arrangements. We then headed back to the City Center. I had some foreign exchange business to take care of there and I went off on my own while Swati took the rest for lunch to the food court of City Center. I had a quick bite at the Kookie Jar restaurant. I met up with them later and after dropping people off at various places, I went off to Abcos to meet with my friend Abhijit. He has been really helpful in making a lot of arrangements for things I need to take care of in India. We had a beer together and I headed over to Swati’s parents place by 5:30.

She had already packed her stuff and so we loaded the car and got back to my mother’s place. If you are keeping count, you would see I have been on the move since the morning and was quite tired. Anyway, we got back to my mom’s, unloaded the car, freshened up and headed out to my cousin’s place for a high tea.

It was incredibly hot and Swati was not feeling too well. The air conditioning at my cousin’s place was not working too well. Anyway a few drinks later it did not matter as much. We hung out there till about 9:30 at night and got back home to my mother’s place. We were quite worn out by then and called it a day.

The Sunday morning of July 15 was relatively quite. I ran a few errands in the morning while Swati was getting ready. After she was ready we went to the City Center for some time and then on to ITC Sonar Kolkata (yes, the name has changed from Sonar Bangla to Sonar Kolkata since the Sheraton group has pulled out of the hotel and it is run only by ITC now) to meet up with my friend Rana. Swati and I had a lunch by ourselves at the Pan Asian buffet (it was really good) and then met up with Rana. We chatted with him for sometime. In the meantime, I had sent the car off to pick up my cousin sister from her place in Sunny Park. After she joined us we said bye to Rana and came back to my mom’s. Swati and my sister (Moushumi) spent the afternoon in the cold room while I caught up with my nephew (Babli) who had just arrived in Calcutta.

It was a busy evening.

Soon Swati’s parents came over, followed by our old friend (Bunu di) and her family. It was finally pouring with rain which helped to bring the temperature down some. Swati and my mother fixed some snacks for us and it was nice evening over all. We all called it a day at about 11:30 after everyone had left.

On Monday July 16 we spent the morning in packing. I had to do some last minute shopping which I did in the morning.

We then went and visited my aunt in Lake Town and then my uncle in Salt Lake.

I had some foreign exchange work at the City Center so I went off there and Swati did some last minute shopping there. We were home by about 1:45.

Had a quick lunch and then had to work out a problem with Virgin changing our booking reference numbers for the Delhi-London flight. I put on the “Guru” movie for Srijoy and my mother. Swati packed and rested and I went off to meet with Abhijit and recharge the phones. I had also gotten a mobile phone for my mother and so had spent some time in the morning training her with it.

Finally at about 5:30 pm we headed out for the last party of the trip. We picked up Swati’s family and headed out to Fort William. The arrangement there was really nice. The party went off very well and we returned home about 11:30. I was up late making CDs out of the pictures we had taken during the trip. Finished up the last minute packing and went to bed at about 1:00.

The morning of Tuesday started early as we got ready to leave. Mikku’s family arrived to see us off. My cousin’s family from upstairs was also there. We got ready, loaded up the car and left from home at about 7:15 am. We were in the Qualis car that we had used throughout the trip. The familiar driver from Sonata dropped us off at the domestic terminal. Checking in was smooth. I had an official porter help me with the bags and after check in we got the lounge club from Kingfisher Airlines and went on to the Clipper Lounge. We had a little time and I prepared my presentation for the afternoon. The flight was just a little delayed and we left from Calcutta at about 9:40 am. The flight was eventless. We watched some TV and relaxed. The arrival at Delhi was OK. All the bags had arrived. There was one helper from Kingfisher airlines who helped us with the bags. We had to wait outside for the complimentary hotel shuttle but we were soon at the hotel. We were staying at the Radisson.

I had to leave for the lecture soon after we had checked in. I had an invitation from Jamia Millia University to deliver a lecture on my research. They had sent in a car to take me to the location. I connected up with some of my former professional contacts. The lecture went very well and it was chaired by a well-known Indian journalist called Saeed Naqvi. There was a little tea party after the lecture. I was dropped back at the hotel at about 5:30. I had another meeting at 6:00 pm with the Delhi research group I was working with.

That evening the plan was to have Kinshuk (my friend from IIT) come over to the hotel so we could eat dinner together. I had called his wife, Ketoki (also a person from my graduating class at IIT) and told her we were at the Radisson. At about 8:15 they called and said that they were stuck in traffic and would be there soon. This meeting has been a tradition with us for many years. We could not do the meeting on the way to India because of the snafu with the missing airlines. So we were all looking forward to getting together. About 15 minutes later they called and said that they were knocking on our door and we were evidently not responding. They had ended up going to the wrong hotel – they were at the Marriott which is where we sometimes stay as well. It was about 9:00 pm and as with many other things on this trip, we realized that this was not to happen and we decided to wait another year to get together.

So there.

Mikku, Bebo and I went downstairs and ate at the I’Ching Chinese restaurant and got back to the room to call it a day.

We got up about 8:30 am on July 18. We went down for our complimentary breakfast. It was a good meal and we finished up around 10:30. Got back to the room and finished up the packing and eventually left the hotel about 11:00 am. The ride to the airport was eventless except that I had accidentally caught my fingers in the car window. It hurt a bit. Checking into upper class was smooth.

Delhi airport is actually quite an efficient airport compared to many other airports I have seen. The sequence is somewhat sane. After checking in we did immigration and were in the duty free shopping area. We went to the Clipper lounge and relaxed there. Mikku browsed the stores a bit. We were then ready for boarding and the security check is done at the time of boarding. It is a very thorough check but it is done quite efficiently. Having been used to terrorism for much longer than the USA, India has a very elaborate checking system. It can get irritating but they check everyone unlike the “profiling” of non-Whites that is done in the Western airports. We finally boarded and had a very pleasant flight.

Virgin really looks after its upper class clients. I think the main thing about upper class is the privacy. One does not have the feeling of being on a “bus” as is the case with Virgin cattle class which we would be traveling on to get from London to New York. In upper class there are fewer people and it is possible to relax without having to look at people around you. The part I have enjoyed the most is sitting at the bar, sipping a drink and reading a magazine! There was a long delay in London in getting a set of moving stairs and sufficient buses.

The London airport is really in need for some changes. It is unable to cope with the traffic that is passing through it. We finally went through the fast track immigration, picked up our bags and headed to the left luggage place. Dropped our bags there and then took the tube to Southfields station.

I had called my uncle from Earl’s Court and he was there to pick us up. We went on to his place, relaxed the evening, had a Scotch followed by a really nice dinner. We eventually called it a day about 10:30 pm. It was a nice an cool day in London and it felt good after the heat in India. I sat outside in the backyard for a bit before going to bed.

We got up really early on Thursday July 19. We had our booking for the 7:42 am Eurostar train from Waterloo station to go to Brussels. We got ready fast and were out of the house by about 6:15. Took the 270 bus to Earlsfield station. Got the tickets for the train from the kiosk. These machines can be a little confusing but the tickets finally came out. We took the Southwest train to Waterloo. There was a little time left and we had a cup of coffee and some rolls. Then went through immigration and security to enter the Eurostar lounge. The immigration was done by French police since we would be going through France. The train boarded right in time.

The train looked much like the bullet train of Japan. The inside was not as clean and nice as the bullet trains but more like the normal European trains. It was relatively empty and we found a nice set of seats that were not our assigned seats. Train left on time and we wound our way out of Waterloo and headed south towards Dover. The train soon picked up to its cruising speed of nearly 180 miles per hour. There was an announcement soon before we entered the chunnel – tunnel that runs under the English Channel – and it took us 20 minutes to cross from UK into the Continent. This was the first time we have traveled the chunnel. This really beats the nearly 2 hours long really choppy crossing by hovercraft which we have done in the past. We emerged out of the chunnel into France right outside of Calais. The train then went non-stop through France and entered into Belgium finally reaching Brussels right on time at about 11:00 am (it is a two hour journey, but Brussels is GMT plus 1).

My friend Tito and his wife Laurie were waiting to receive us at the station. I had completely lost touch with Tito for many years and it was really interesting that we got in contact just a few months ago and then in a short while had the opportunity to see them again. We took the Brussels metro to the Grand Plaza. This is the main plaza in Brussels and similar to many other European Plazas. On one side stood the really elaborately done city hall. We walked down the side streets dotted with souvenir stores to see the Manichen Piss statue that is the symbol of Brussels. The streets were similar to numerous other streets and lanes we have walked in Europe. We got back to the plaza and sat down at one of the many cafeterias that were in the square. Had a lunch of ham sandwich and beer. Chatted and caught up. We then decided to get on to the hop and go tour bus from the Central Station area. This cost about Euro 16 per adult and it allowed us a good view of the main sites in Brussels. The bus finally took us to a place close to Tito and Laurie’s home. We got off the bus and went on to their place. It was a nice apartment and Laurie made tea and we sat around chatted for a bit. Eventually we took the tube back to the Grand Plaza stopping to take some pictures by the statue of Montgomery close to Tito’s house and also stopping at his office for a bit. We all ate the Belgian waffles at a street side store. Srijoy liked it but not as much as he thought he would. We walked back to the plaza.

Laurie, Swati and Srijoy went off to the stores while Tito and I sat at a cafe in the plaza and chatted. We all eventually left the area about 5:30 pm and made our way back to the Brussels Midi station. Tito and Laurie left and we boarded the Eurostar back to Waterloo.

Srijoy got on my case about smoking all through the trip back. We got a train back to Earlsfield and then the bus back to Kaju Mama’s house. It was a little after 9 pm when we got back home. As usual he had prepared an amazingly great dinner of roast lamb. Dinner was followed by some more chatting, dish washing and we called it a day about 11:30. It was a nice single day visit to Brussels that capped off the trip for the year.

Among other notable events was that the flight from London to New York was delayed 3 hours because of bad weather in London, and the flight from New York to Greensboro was delayed about 3 hours because of a faulty aircraft. By this point, we simply expected it! Finally, it was really good to see Viren who had come to pick us up at the airport.

Below is the description of the first part of the trip.

2007-07-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

June 28, 2007

It was a hot day and we were ready with the bags in good time for Ajay to give us a ride to the airport. It is always very nice when someone drops off at the airport. It makes the trip much more personal. We got to the airport in good time. Ajay went off to work after dropping us off. We went to the cafeteria. Caught up with some phone calls. Srijoy played on the DS and we finally went through security and to the gate.

There was a large number of kids come from a camp to see the airport. We were stuck behind them at security and that took a while. The flight went out about an hour late. Got some sandwiches from the solitary store on the “sad” side of the Greensboro airport and ate on the plane. This has become so routine for me that it can be boring. Srijoy, however, enjoys the flights. He got a window seat, somewhat on the wing, but he was happy.

Got to Newark.

The bus from the hotel took a bit of time, but we were soon in the hotel in a really nice room at the Springhill Suites. The pool was not working and so we could not do much with that. Hung around, watched some TV, Mikku caught up with work, ordered a very nice Indian delivery (somewhat pricey at about $50.00) and finally called it quits.

June 29 to July 6, 2007

It is easy to write of this period simply by stating that Murphy’s Law works. Everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong. The few days also shows what experience does. The years of traveling allowed us to overcome each one of the obstacles thrown at us.

July 29th started somewhat innocuously. It was a warm summer day in New York and we were supposed to catch the 8:20 am flight on Virgin Atlantic going to London Heathrow. Simple enough. I had simplified the process further by doing an online check in and we decided that leaving the hotel at 6:00 in the morning was sufficiently early. It was only a 15 minute ride to the airport on the hotel’s shuttle. Many, many other guests had planned similarly! The 6:00 am shuttle was too small and it could not accommodate all the guests, particularly since it arrived somewhat full. We were a little perturbed but the hotel folks said that another shuttle was on the way. Naturally, shuttles run every 30 minutes and there was indeed another shuttle that arrived. Thirty minutes later. Thankfully, it was a larger bus and the driver was kind enough to drop us at the departure area (Skip This If You Do Not Want Details (STIYDNWD): The Newark airport is weird. Most of the hotel and other shuttle buses drop off and pick up passengers from the P4 parking lot area. You need to take a train to this place to get into a bus. If you are leaving from EWR the bus will drop you off at P4 and then you have to make your way to the appropriate terminal for the check in and departure. This means you need extra time when traveling out of EWR). The check in was amazingly smooth. We dropped the bags with the bag drop counter and went on to security. This was a bit of a hassle.

It was the day on which the car bomb was discovered in London. We did not know this yet. We had not watched news in the morning as we had left from the hotel. So, passengers traveling to London were examined with extra personal attention (body cavities excluded). We made it to the waiting area with just a few minutes to spare and watched the news of the car bomb attempt. Groan. London would be a mess. If only we knew what a mess!!

The flight boarded on time. I have been traveling Virgin Atlantic since 1985 and they have consistently kept their coach class to meet the standards of “cattle class.” Smaller seats would probably be illegal. They should have those little things they have at County Fairs where a child must be a certain height to get into a ride. Virgin should seriously consider installing such a system – if you are taller than a midget do not fly Virgin cattle class. You can tell that this is the airlines of a class-divided ex-colonial society which treats the “upper class” quite differently from the peasants. The service was marginal. The food was awful. What passed for the “full English breakfast” was soggy eggs, sausages of unknown origin, and rather curious thing that was probably made from potato. See the fun about taking the day flight to UK is that it is nearly 2 pm UK time by the time the plane is airborne. Within three hours it is time for a cocktail!! Except Virgin believes in watered-down crap and thus the crossing was sober! We reached London on time at 8 pm.

I like Heathrow airport. It is the British version of Peak Fitness. “Ahoy,” they would say, “mates been sitting and flying for the last 9 hours, so,” they figured, “make them walk.” The walk from the gate to immigration was long. The line moved fast through immigration. Inane questions about my profession were asked. I responded disdainfully, as all self-respecting people should to immigration clerks! The baggage at Heathrow arrived surprisingly quickly and we did not have to wait more than 20 minutes (not including the 45 minutes for the walk and immigration!).

Got out of the airport and went to left-luggage (STIYDNWD: the facility in Terminal 3 has moved, and is next to the smoking area, the cost is now 6 Sterling per bag per 24 hours). Then took another 30 minute stroll to the Underground station and got the tickets for the station closest to my uncle’s house (STIYDNWD: Piccadilly line to Earl’s Gate to change to the District line towards Wimbledon to Southfields 7.5 Sterling single for three). It was about an hour before we got to the station. It was really nice to see him. He took us back to his place. Had bought a bottle of Scotch on the plane. We had a few drinks with his friend Lenny. My uncle has a really nice detached home in Wandsworth. It is an old Victorian 2 storey with the quintessential little patch of the “back yard” which he has done up nicely. We eventually called it a day after dining on French pastry that had prepared for us. By the way, we saw an amazing moon rise as we took the train from Heathrow to my uncle’s house.

The next day, June 30 2007, we were up around 9:00 in the morning. Did not feel too jet lagged at all. After a simple breakfast of English cookies and coffee we decided to go to central London for the day. The plan was to spend the day there and come back to my uncle’s house to take a ride with him to Heathrow. This would prove to be a very bad decision. It was a rainy day when we left from his home. With two “brollies” we were well prepared for the London rain. Walked down to Garret Lane and I bought the day pass for bus and underground (STIYDNWD: For two adults, and a 12 year old on a weekend it came to about 15 Sterling). Took the number 270 from the bus stop opposite the Pizza Hut on Garret Lane towards Earlsgrave British Rail Station. The London buses are always fun. You see people of all nationalities, faces that tell stories of land left behind, languages that are spoken in London and perhaps one other remote part of the World. It was a short ride on the bus. It was still pouring so the brollies came in handy.

The train ride from Earlsgrave to Waterloo station was very pleasant. The Southwest British rail system winds its way through the outskirts of London. We got a good view of the Eye of London, the London Egg and the Parliament House. The Waterloo Station is very reminiscent of Howrah Station in Calcutta, India. The Howrah station was built to resemble the British counterpart. In my life I have traveled through Howrah Station hundreds of times and as the train pulls into Waterloo one can just imagine that you have just reached Calcutta. The winding meshwork of train tracks, the 14 platforms spread out in parallel with each other, the semi-oval covering of the platforms and the long walk to reach the station all work the same way. We then walked into the labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath Waterloo to find our way to the underground to Leicester Square – the theater district of London (STIYDNWD: BTW, if you are wondering how we used the day pass on British Rail, be warned that the ONLY place you can use the day pass on British Rail is for travel between Earls field and Waterloo, if you go beyond Earlsfield then you get a fine, of course you can not go beyond Waterloo because the train terminates there). That area of London is really crowded with people milling around.

Because of the bomb issue in Piccadilly we had decided to avoid eating at our regular Garfunkel’s in Soho but decided to go to our “alternative” one across the street from the Leicester Square tube station. The meal was the same we have had for lunch at Garfunkel’s every time we go to London. I had the bangers and mash, while the others ate the English breakfast (STIYDNWD: This is not cheap, because of the way the dollar has plummeted with $1.00 buying 0.50 Sterling, the meal with one beer was expensive at 30 Sterling). It was nice to see the crowds walking around Leicester Square, the cheap theater ticket stalls, the eateries and the constant London drizzle.

After lunch we took the tube to Bond Street station. Bhasker Bhowal, my friend from 3rd grade was supposed to come visit with us. He is a distinguished doctor and the Director of the Medical Training system for the University of Leicester. He was taking the train down from Leicester to spend the afternoon with us. We had decided to meet in front of Selfridges on Oxford Street. As always, I love Oxford Street. The little stalls selling all kinds of London souvenirs, the imposing store fronts – Debenheims, Marks and Spencers and Selfrideges. The street itself is narrow but has huge sidewalks that are always chock full of people. There was significant police presence with the terrorist threat being that high. On this afternoon there was also a procession of the Gay and Lesbian Society of the Metropolitan Police of London. We watched the parade some, stuck our heads into some of the stores and eventually met up with Bhasker at about 2:30 in the afternoon. The problem with London is that it is very difficult to find a place to have a pint if you have a 12 year old with you. The regular restaurants (e.g., the numerous eateries along Oxford Street) will require you to order food if you want to have a drink, whereas the numerous pubs would not allow Srijoy inside. It turned out that Bhasker was less familiar with Oxford Street than I was. So, what we did is go to one of the pubs I was familiar with where there was a seating area outside the pub. There are few like that in the Oxford Street area, but I knew of this one which was off Oxford Street. Although it was a little damp and chilly we sat outside the pub and had a pint or two. It was nice to meet up with Bhasker after about two years. Catching up on stories and all that good stuff. We eventually called it a day at about 5:00 and took the tube back to Waterloo and the train back to Earlsfield. We got a London cab from the station and got back to my uncle’s house at about 6:00 pm.

We left from his place for Heathrow at about 6:15. He drives a 2 year old Jaguar and it is a really nice vehicle. This is the quintessential “rich uncle” who can casually say that he is tired of the two year old Jag and wants to get a new one soon.

The drive from his place to Heathrow usually takes 45 minutes. Being a Saturday we were expecting it to be a 30 minute ride. The next part will make most sense for those who know London some. So, we took off towards Putney, went over Putney Bridge, and decided to hit M4 soon after crossing through Putney. M4 was flowing well and I was looking forward to an early check in and some time at the Lounge. I noticed that the traffic was getting thicker when we were about 4 miles from the Terminal 4 interchange off M4. I remarked about it but did not make much of it. The next interchange (this is what is called an ‘exit’ in USA) was for Terminals 1, 2, 3. Traffic was backed up. M4 was moving smoothly towards Slough but the Terminal interchange was backed up. It was 6:45. We were about 2 miles from the Terminal. It was pouring with rain. We were all kind of relaxed since we had made it in good time. I was a little surprised about how slowly the traffic was moving. We saw some emergency vehicles up ahead. We surmised that as soon as the accident was cleared we would be on our way.

Thirty minutes later, at 7:15, we had moved a few feet only. I was starting to get a little uneasy. There were some folks who were getting off the cars and walking in the rain towards the Terminal. Clearly they had earlier flights than ours which was at 10:00 so we just needed to be at check in at 8:30. By 8:00 we had moved about 100 more feet. We realized that there was a problem beyond an accident. People had been sitting in their cars for nearly two hours now, some were getting out to take a leak by the road side.

At this point, e called Lenny, my uncle’s friend, and we learnt that there was a bomb blast at Glasgow Airport and the entire UK airport systems were messed up! It was time to panic. At 8:30 we had moved another 200 feet. There was no way we were going to make the flight. We were totally confused about what was going on. The radio was not giving any information other than the new PM of UK asking all to stay calm. Not many people were following his advice. We finally pulled into the parking lot for Terminal 3 and walked over the Virgin check in. It was 9:15 and we were told that the 10:00 pm flight to Delhi was closed, meaning no one could check in any further. In the meantime, I had sent Srijoy, Swati and my uncle to fetch the luggage from the car, hoping that there might be a faint chance that we would actually get on the plane. No such luck.

I joined the excessively long re-ticketing line and after a long wait the ticker counter person said that all flights to Delhi were booked for the next several days. This was not good, since our family was arriving in Delhi the next day to join up with us to take the trip to the Himalayas.

Many years of travel has taught me to not trust what ticket agents say. Before using my “scream at the top of your voice” technique to get a ticket, I politely asked her whether she could fly us anywhere in the vicinity of Delhi – say Singapore, Dubai, Bombay – anywhere nearby. No. Scream at the top your voice right about now. Suddenly tickets came available for the next night. It never fails. So we were now booked to arrive into India, albeit in Bombay, a day after we were supposed to arrive in Delhi. In the meantime, my mother, Swati’s parents and her sister would arrive before us in Delhi. All of us were supposed to take a road trip to the Himalayas starting about the same time when we would now be flying over Afghanistan on our way to Bombay (which is a good 1,000 miles from Delhi). You need a map and a good understanding of air corridors and time zones to appreciate what I was calculating as I was ticketing.

Anyway, we left the airport about 10:30 at night and drove back to my uncle’s house. Mikku and my uncle cooked a fabulous quick meal. I got on the Internet which meant I was sitting in a “Harry Potter’s first room” under the stairs kind of a nook where my uncle has his high speed cable connection. Trolling the ticket sites finally brought forth a one-way ticket from Bombay to Delhi which I quickly purchased for an inordinately large amount of money. Then I called the hotels and re-aligned everything. Finally I called my father-in-law and let him know that we are arriving a day late! Went to bed about 3 am UK time.

The next day was a Sunday, July 1 2007. While we had slept in London, the monsoons had decided to come in with real force in Bombay. I was woken by a call from a friend in India who was in the loop via text messages I was sending him, and I was informed that the city of Bombay was shut down because of rains. I was assured that there was no way I was going to be able to make it from Bombay to Delhi. Aaah, I said, “this is nothing (remember Wag the Dog).” This was followed by several phone calls from India warning us of dire consequences of flying into Bombay. These were well wishers who were missing a major point.

I was already trolling the Net and quickly discovered that airplanes were flying in and out of Bombay airport. The flooding had cut off the airport from the city. That was not a problem we had. We would fly into the airport and fly out of it, so I knew I would make it.

Of course, in the mix up I had forgotten that we fly into the International airport of Bombay, and fly out of the Domestic airport – a good 3 miles away which requires driving through the city. The city, of course, is supposed to be flooded.

Now, one needs to understand the term “flooded” in the Indian context. There is one kind of flood where the water basically wipes out entire swaths of land and Malthusian population control kicks in. This is fine because you know you are screwed and you can do nothing. The other kind of flooding is where the water simply becomes an irritant with streets being water-logged making vehicular traffic a mess. Bombay was experiencing the latter. So a good vehicle would do the trick. I was going to Bombay after about 15 years and I had about 10 hours, sitting in London, within which I had to organize a vehicle that would take us the 3 miles from one airport to another.

Wag the Dog – “this is nothing.”

Trolling again on the Net I identified several taxi company phone numbers. Skype! Started calling the numbers. But of course, these were land-line phone numbers, and it was a Sunday, and the city was flooded, so no one was answering. Either the phone lines were down or they were not at work. So, now I needed to find a mobile phone number for a taxi operator in Bombay while sitting in London. It was getting late in Bombay. Not good. Moment of inspiration – why not call my taxi operator in Delhi and see if he has a mobile number of a taxi operator in Bombay. Bingo!

Mr. Jeetendra in Delhi said that I should call Mr. Harish in Bombay. I had a mobile phone number of a taxi operator in Bombay. It was getting to be noon in London. I told the brood (Swati, Srijoy, my uncle, and his friend Lenny) that they should all get ready because I wanted to go out have Sunday pub lunch. Hey, I was in London, it was a Sunday, it would be stupid to not take advantage of this.

While they got ready I got a hold of Mr. Harish in Bombay and he said that he had a 4X4 that he will send to the airport for the airport transfer. So all the pieces were now in place.

Guess again.

Note that this is coordination between two time zones. It was about noon in UK which meant it was about 4:30 pm in India. My family was in the air flying to Delhi, we were supposed to have received them at the airport in Delhi. Unfortunately, we were in London. I had to arrange a car to pick them up from the airport and bring them to the Radisson Airport Hotel in Delhi. Not only that, I had to cancel the room I had booked for Swati, Srijoy and me before 6 pm hotel time, and I had to book 3 new rooms at the hotel for the following night.

Internet.

I sent the fax to the hotel letting them know that the airport transfer was needed for the elderly travelers, and I cancelled my room. Of course, the hotel was sold out for the following night.

Interesting situation.

I now had to find 3 hotel rooms of reasonable price in the capital of India at about 24 hours notice while sitting in London.

How did we survive before the Net?

In about 20 minutes we were booked into a Holiday Inn. Of course, now the issue was to send instructions to my father-in-law. Fax to the Radisson with clear instructions. We were getting hungry. Eventually by about 1:00 pm UK time, I was satisfied that all the pieces were in place.

We went off to the local pub.

A Guinness (for breakfast, because I realized all I had eaten till then was a cup of coffee) followed by a roast chicken, Yorkshire pudding and potatoes set things straight. After lunch my uncle drove us to Hammersmith Underground station and we took the subway to Heathrow. We were at Heathrow at 4 pm for the 10 pm flight to Bombay. If we had done this yesterday we might not have faced all these hassles.

We picked up our bags from the left luggage and went to the Virgin check in counter. I decided to do the “shout at the top of you voice” technique and told the check in person that I do not want to go to Bombay. After some shouting she said that we could be put on standby to Delhi. However, we will only know if the standby cleared at 9 pm.

Cool.

So we put ourselves on the standby list and it was about 5:00 pm and decided to go to a restaurant for a drink. After settling down at a table I went to the bar to order the drinks. The guy handed me two drinks and I signed my Amex card receipt. At that moment, there was an announcement on the Heathrow public address system that the Mitra party was needed at the check in counter. We were thrilled, it must mean that we were actually cleared on the stand by and would actually not have to go to Bombay.

Wrong.

We rushed down to the check in pushing extremely unwieldy Heathrow luggage carts to be told that the Delhi upper class had checked in full and we will have to go to Bombay. So we better check in for the Bombay flight. Check in was smooth. We had 3 hand bags and two small strollers that the check in clerk said would be fine as carry ons.

Wrong again.

Heightened security at Heathrow meant that all passengers were allowed only one bag as carry on. If you know Heathrow Terminal 3 you would realize that this meant that we had to go all the way down to check in zone A for Virgin with these two bags which we not had to check in and rejoin the security line. Naturally security checking was thorough and we eventually got past passport control and the duty free mall of Terminal 3.

I decided that we deserved a lounge break after all this, and we went to the Virgin lounge and finally sat down to have a Scotch and to organize all the stuff we had to hurriedly put into our bags at the Security snafu.

Something was missing.

My Amex card.

Think, I said to myself, when did you last use it. Of course, at the bar before check in. I had left the card at the bar. So we had now cleared security, cleared immigration, left UK, sitting in a secure lounge and my Amex card was in the insecure part of Heathrow. There was no way I could go back there to get my card. But someone from there could come in and bring it to me.

So, I walked up to the lounge customer service lady and said what had happened. She smiled. “Heathrow has been evacuated because of a bomb scare, that bar is now empty.” So, what had happened is that while we were doing security and immigration and entering the sanitized part of Heathrow there was another security issue at the airport and the in-secure part of the airport had been cleared. Those in the sanitized part, i.e., us, were OK and would be able to leave but others in the un-sanitized part were screwed.

Scotch.

Got to a phone and cancelled my Amex. An arrangement was made that I would pick up a new card in the Calcutta American Express office 10 days later. Essentially, we were now going to be without our primary charge card for the next 10 days of the trip.

Oh Joy!

More Scotch.

Swati then noticed that there was a very familiar looking very old man in the lounge. She came up to me and said, “You know Dev Anand is sitting there.” So, to put this statement in perspective think of your one of the most favorite film star from when you were in your teens. And your wife comes up to you and says that film star is sitting next to you in the lounge. At that moment I realized that fate had arranged for me to meet Dev Anand and thus we were going to Bombay. I went up to him, unfortunately he was going to the bathroom, so I followed him into the bathroom and he was little alarmed I think. But, for all other Dev Anand fans, I shook hands with him (It is $5.00 to shake hands with me from now on if you are a Dev Anand fan)! I was now happy. We boarded the plane and he was almost literally next to me on the plane. The Scotch allowed me to fall asleep quickly as we headed on our way to Bombay. We were now 24 hours delayed and not going to our destination.

“This is nothing.”

It was Monday July 2 2007, at about noon that we landed at Bombay. It was somewhat wet and dreary. The flight was comfortable and the breakfast was nice. Virgin does a very good job in upper class where they treat you as royalty. It is quite easy to use frequent flyer points to upgrade a cattle ticket to upper class. We usually do that for the night flights. The upper class seat becomes a flat bed and one can actually sleep. They also give a nice sleeping suit. I think Srijoy has a dozen of these and we have not bought pajamas for him for a long time.

Clearing customs and immigration in Bombay was a breeze. We were about to leave the airport when I remembered that I needed to get some rupees to pay the car driver who was coming to transfer us from one airport to the other. So I asked Swati and Srijoy to wait while I was at the foreign exchange counter changing money. My back was turned to what went on behind me. After the exchange I looked up towards Swati and Srijoy and they had the largest smile on their faces I had seen in a long time. Wow, why were they so happy to see me exchange Sterling to Rupees?

So I walked the 150 feet or so to them. They still had the silly smile on their faces. Swati said that they had just seen Abhisek Bachchan and Aishwariya Rai walk past them and Aishwariya smiled at them. My back was turned when these two absolute contemporary super stars of Bollywood had walked past me. I was exchanging money.

Completely devastated I ran to get a glimpse. Did see the guy. I was interested in seeing the gal in real life. So a very satisfied wife and child kept on telling me how the actress was wearing boots matching the color of her eyes. My back was turned. Anyway, got to the car. The road was clear and dry and the transfer to the other airport was event free.

We checked in and the flight left almost on time. Thankfully the flooding did not affect the process. We were in and out of Bombay without any more hassles. The aircraft was quite nice. The Jet Airways plane was one of the newer planes with the seat back video screen with a good selection of shows.

We eventually landed in Delhi at about 5:00 pm, about 30 hours after we were originally supposed to reach Delhi. Luggage was smooth and the family was there to receive us. We had rented two vehicles – one Toyota Inova and an Ambassador. The latter is Srijoy’s most favorite car and he was thrilled to have access to an Amby for the next few days. The chauffeurs put the bags in the luggage hold on top of the Toyota.

The drivers were hard-core Jats. They had no English, some Hindi and mostly Punjabi. So all through the trip communicating with them was a challenge. Being Jats they had the typical jat streak in them which meant that they had their mind set on what they wanted to do and did not much care about what the passengers wanted. Of course, other than Mikku’s father who has some Punjabi, we were also having difficulty talking to them. I have some Hindi so I could tell our driver – Balvinder Singh, a Sikh – a few things but I was not always able to understand his responses in Punjabi.

Srijoy and I rode in the Amby and we reached the Holiday Inn about 6:30 pm. Check-in was OK, there was a little confusion about the rate. The “shout at the top of your voice” technique took care of the problem. We settled into our rooms and the family went off to the adjoining McDonalds for dinner. I had a business meeting that evening and took care of the research project that will bring me back to Delhi in a few days. After concluding all that eventually called it a day. Told the drivers that we would be leaving around 7 am the following day for our trip to the Himalayas.

The temperature in Delhi that day was about 110 F in the day time and it had significantly cooled down to 95 by the evening.

The next day, July 3 2007, started as a hot day in Delhi. We made some coffee in the room, and breakfasted on the complimentary fresh fruits in the rooms. Srijoy and I walked out to a nearby ATM machine to get some cash. We all gathered at the lobby about 7:30. The bags were loaded back on the cars and we were ready to go.

The place we were going to was Kasauli which was about 150 miles north of Delhi. We left Delhi taking National Highway 1 and went past the Red Fort, the Shrine to Mahatma Gandhi, the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and we slowly moved outside of metropolitan area of Delhi. The highway was good. Being in a tourist taxi the speed limit was maxed out at 65 kilometers per hour. There was sufficient police presence to encourage the drivers to go slow. The Indian highways are dotted with eating places called “dhabas” which offer a basic meal, a dirty toilet and resting area. The mercury was inching to about 100 and I fired up my GPS system, and the computer as we tracked our path using Google earth (STIYDNWD: If you ever want to do this you need three pieces of equipment and some preparation. First you need a GPS receiver with Bluetooth. These are tiny units about half the size of a cigarette pack. This connects with the satellites in the sky. Next you need some hardware/software combination that would connect with the receiver and report the Lat/Long for your location. Finally, you need a computer with Google earth installed on the computer. Since you can not assume that you will have an Internet connection on the road, it is safest to have “flown” over the area in Google earth and saved it in cache. Now it is possible to punch in the lat/long info to fly to the exact location on Google earth). I had a mini tracking office set up in the front seat of the Amby as we drove out of Delhi, into the Indian state of Haryana.

We stopped at a dhaba for the drivers to get their breakfast. The family ate some “alu parathas” which are basically like a potato pancake. I decided to avoid this since I was not about to take any chances of getting ill. Srijoy and I ate some potato chips and canned coke (STIYDNWD: Never, ever drink “fountain” soda in India, make sure you get a can, not a bottle, and drink from the can, obviously this applies to bodies that are unfamiliar with the Indian system).

We then hit the road again and went through historical places such as Panipat – the location of numerous battles between the different invaders that have attacked India; Kurushkehtra – the location of the ultimate battle between good and evil as depicted in the Geeta; and finally to Ambala – the site of one of the largest military establishments in India (we are now fairly close to the Pakistan border).

Since Swati’s father is a former military officer, he has friends in many places. He had contacted one of his former colleague/friend who lived in Ambala. We drove through the Ambala Cantonment and Srijoy was thrilled to see all the tanks and armored vehicles and we met up with Babul-baba’s friend. We spent a little time at his home enjoying a beer and then went on to eat at a local restaurant. It was hot in Ambala.

After lunch we left Ambala at about 3:30 pm and proceeded roughly north-east towards the Himalayas. This is a mountain range unlike any other in the World. It is huge. It stretches for hundreds of miles in all directions. I have had the opportunity to see the Alps, the Rockies and the Andes. Those are essentially hills compared to the Himalayas. One has to see this to understand what this mountain range is. Once can begin to see the 6,000 to 8,000 feet foothills miles before the climb begins. We took NH 73 through Pinjore stopping once on the way to cover up the bags with tarp since it looked like it would rain. The drivers did that work. We then reached Panchkula where the road bifurcates, one going towards Chandigarh the capital of the Indian state of Punjab and the other going towards Kalka the entry point to Indian mountain state Himachal Pradesh (“Him” means snow and ice, “achal” refers to place, and “Pradesh” means state). We reached Kalka and had to stop to pay an entry tax for the state (STIYDNWD: This is true every time one crosses a state line in India).

The Amby refused to start up after that. The engine would not crank. The drivers opened up the hood and the cause was diagnosed as eroded and dirty battery connections. A wrench, some water, some grease and about 40 minutes later we were ready to begin the climb into the mountains.

The road is windy and narrow. Every turn is a game of chicken. Will the truck give way or not? The landscape was lush green with tropical plants covering the mountain sides. Feral monkeys sat by the roadside awaiting bits of food thrown at them. Srijoy was absolutely enthralled. This is a mountain unlike any other in the World. It was starting to get to be twilight as we ascended. After about 2 hours of climbing we reached the fork near the mountain village of Dharampur where we took the left hand turn to climb to Kasauli our destination. The next 15 kilometers was more climbing and it had gotten dark. We finally reached Baikunth Resort at about 8:30 pm.

The place was at an elevation of 5,600 feet and a cool mountain breeze soothed us. In the distance one could see the lights of Chandigarh in the valley. After settling down into our three rooms we sat down in the lawn and had a drink. Srijoy quickly made friends with the resident mongrel of the resort and named him “wantee” because it was clear the dog seemed to want something all the time. The resort had a nice restaurant and we finally had dinner together. The meal was very good and we called it a day at about 11:00 at night.

The next day, July 4 2007, was my mother’s birthday. It began to rain early in the morning but it let up about 5:30 or so. The mist started to clear about then too. I got ready and took a stroll around the resort. It was really pretty. As the others got ready I got a breakfast basket packed.

The drivers had disappeared and it took a bit of time to locate them. Eventually, we all were assembled. Meanwhile we had a little celebration of giving my mother her birthday gift and instead of cake, we cut some fruits. We headed out of the resort at about 8:00 am.

We were heading north east further into the mountains. Our destination was the town of Kufri which is a ski resort in winters. The drive took us through Solan a fairly good sized mountain town, we skirted by Shimla – the old summer capital of the colonial rulers, and the four hour drive took us to the elevation of about 8,600 feet where we got a good view of the Himalayas that stretched into the horizon darkened by the monsoon clouds.

One irritation was that my Indian mobile phone had quit working that morning. It was unclear what the problem was. That comes later in the blog. So it was difficult to locate the drivers who kept disappearing at importune moments. After a brief stop in Kufri we started to roll back down to Shimla. Swati’s dad also had someone he has set up a meeting with in Shimla. Unfortunately, that connection did not happen in spite of trying to find the obscure address in Shimla. It was also the case that the house in which Swati and her family lived in at Shimla in the early 60s had been torn down to be replaced by a new development. We then went to the central part of Shimla. The city is laid out in a way where the upper locations are “car free.” We had the drivers drop us off at the base of the elevator that takes people up to upper Shimla. We rode the elevators and found a restaurant that seemed nice. We had lunch there followed by a little hassle about the people accepting credit cards. A fire in Chandigarh had brought down all network connectivity making it difficult for stores to accept credit cards.

After lunch we strolled down the street lined with shops selling all kinds of ware to find the school that Swati attended as a child. Indeed we found the school. We took some pictures in the school area. After a little shopping we took the lift back to the base where the cars were. We then started the climb down from Shimla back to Kasauli. It was an uneventful drive although the scenery was stunning. We stopped for a bit in Solan and then reached the resort back at about 6 pm. It was a little warm but we still sat outside in the lawn and had a few drinks. The dinner was again at the resort restaurant and it went well. Called it a day about 10:30 pm.

The next day, July 5 2007, everyone was a little tired. The decision was made the night before that we would not go out of the resort too early in the morning. I was still up at about 5:00. I took my camera and did a complete stroll of the resort. This was a nice resort and had some useful facilities such as a very reasonably priced laundry service. So we were getting our clothes laundered each day. After my stroll had a cup of coffee in the lawn.

Around 9:00 everyone was up and ready to eat breakfast. The breakfast was included with the price of the room and it was a really nice meal. Unlike the buffets one sees in some places, this breakfast was from a menu that contained traditional Indian fare such puri (puffed bread) and bhaji (vegetable curry) as well the other standard fare such egg to order and stuff. I had a puri-bhaji.

I realized that the group was quite worn out and they would not budge from the resort. I decided to take one of the cars and went on to the village of Kasauli. It is a military base and security is quite tight. Once in the village most of the area is pedestrian only. I strolled through the market and found the Internet cafe I was looking for. Spent some time catching up with work and correspondence. Then drove over to Kasauli Club (a private club in Kasauli) and tried to see if we could a day’s membership to eat lunch. No go. Went to an ATM, got some money out and drove back to the resort. People were ready for lunch.

Since the dining room was being washed, we had lunch in the room. The rooms all had verandahs and so it was nice to sit outside and eat. It was quite warm at that time.

At about 2:30 pm Srijoy and I realized that no one wanted to leave the resort. The two of us went back to Kasauli in the Amby and had the driver take us to place called Manki Point. This is the site of a high security Indian Air Force base. Within the base is a very old Hindu temple. Since Srijoy had never really seen a Hindu Temple we had decided to do the hike. It was a climb of about 1,500 feet along a 30 degree gradient.

We walked up the security gate of the base. The place was crowded with children coming out of the local school and so was quite festive. It was cool and cloudy. Being a military establishment we were not allowed to carry any electronic devices with us. We knew about that and so all we had was an umbrella and bottled water.

The security guy asked for a picture id. I pulled out my North Carolina drivers’ license.

Not wise.

He wanted to see a picture Id issued by an Indian government organization with an Indian address on it. Aaah, hm! “Sorry sir, I do not have that.” Then he asked the question I was dreading, “Are you an Indian?” Now, as a communication professional, I saw that he had asked the wrong question (the correct question should have been “Are you an Indian citizen?”). To his question, I could truthfully say “yes.” There is surely some Indian in me. So I said “yes.” Then he asked “What is your address?” Again the wrong question. Let’s see, he is holding my NC DL in his hand with the Linbrook Drive address on it. This guy is no Bozo, he seems to know what he is doing, so I truthfully give him my parents’ home address in Calcutta. Then he goes, “but you live in America.” I answer affirmatively. Then came the really bad question, “Are you American?” Now, I could write a book to answer that question. But that did not seem a wise strategy when trying to enter a secure military base. I simply said, “Yes.” And he said, “Sorry you can not enter the base.” Note that in these kinds of situations the “shout at the top of your voice” is not a good technique. “Grovel” works better. I pointed at Srijoy and in the best Hindi I could muster basically told the man that we have traveled 10,000 miles, and then climbed all the way till here to pay our homage to Lord Hanuman whose foot touched this particular mountain where you have now built a base. Can you deny us this opportunity? Something clicked with him. He took down my name, kept my DL, and gave us the pass to enter the base. Once in, we walked past the base area and began the arduous climb to the temple. The place was full of monkeys and Srijoy had a ball.

Eventually we reached the temple. We spent a little time up in the clouds and began the climb down. We then took the car and drove back to the village. Met up with Swati and her mother who had come to the village in the other car. The remainder of the group was resting in the resort. Srijoy and I were really tired and we returned to the resort by about 5:30. I completed some of the packing and we sat in the lawn to spend our last evening in Kasauli. That night we got some of the suitcases in the cars, had a nice dinner at the resort and Srijoy spent some time playing with Wantee. We eventually went to bed about 10:30 knowing that a long day was ahead of us.

The next day, July 6 2007, we took a very early start from the resort. We had got the packed breakfast the night before and we were able to hit the road about 7:30 am. We winded down the mountain road back to the plains. Then we joined up with the highway and were on our way to Delhi. We stopped for lunch and finally arrived in Delhi about 4 pm. We first went to the rental car place and paid off for the car. We then drove to the Radisson near the airport. We rested in the lobby over a drink for about an hour, finally leaving for the airport.

The 8:40 pm flight to Calcutta left on time. The arrival in Calcutta was eventless. The city had experienced torrential rain for the past four days. There were two cars waiting for us. One was an Amby that Swati’s family with fewer bags took to go back to their house. We had a Tata Sumo (an Indian SUV) so that we could fit all the bags in it. My mother, Swati, Srijoy and I were in this one going to my parent’s house.

The road from the airport to the city was incredibly gridlocked due to water logging. There was water all over and it was drizzling. We were moving at a snail’s pace when the driver declared he was out of gas.

Yes, the idiot had come to do an airport pick up with an empty tank hoping to swing it.

It was about 11:30 at night. The place was a mess. Years of street smart kicked in. I hailed down an empty Amby cab, put the three of them in it and one suitcase and sent them off. It was raining hard at that time, the temperature was 95 and the humidity was 100%. I do not know what got me drenched, my own sweat or the rain. I started to hail down other vehicles. Some stopped but none could fit all the suitcases. Eventually another Sumo stopped. I transferred all the bags while profusely cursing the driver of our dead Sumo and hitched a ride home. I reached my mother’s house at about 12:30 at night. Finally, about 1:30 we were all in bed.

What a trip!

2007-04-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

Japan Blog

March 25, 2007

We left from home about 10:00 am and the drive to Greensboro airport was eventless. The flight check in at Greensboro was done by a rude person leading to some angst. The car got a $5.00 ticket too. Anyway, I left the car at long term parking and came back to the terminal. We went to the cafeteria and had a quick lunch. Caught up on a few phone calls as well. Flight was delayed about 30 minutes, but after boarding it went smooth. Got to Chicago about 3:30 pm local time. Bags arrived quickly and went to catch the Dollar bus for the rental. No bus was in sight so rented from National (note: make two car reservations for each trip and catch the bus that arrives earlier, it is very irritating having to wait for the bus). The car was a SUV. We got to pick the vehicle and Bebo picked a luxury vehicle which we did not rent! There was a Gujrati guy who was at the rental counter and was very helpful. We drove down Kennedy to the Circle. Even on a Sunday afternoon it was a 20 minute ride. Went on to Sears Tower and circled the block. Took a walk around the tower. Chicago was pleasant and windy. Then drove down Michigan Avenue and tool Lake Shore to Sheridan and then to Devon Avenue. Did the necessary shopping and drove back to the Residence Inn in Rosemont. Good location right on Touhy off North Manheim. Checked in and hung out in the room. Eventually got food from the Chillis close by. Called it a day around 10:00 pm.

March 26, 2007 (USA)/March 27(Japan)

We got out of the hotel after a nice breakfast. The Residence Inns have a nice breakfast buffet and Srijoy enjoys that a lot. We then put the bags in the car and drove off to the airport. Turned the car in and took the bus to the airport. There was a little confusion about the terminal. It is useful to note that All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flies out of Terminal 1 in Chicago (although most other international flights go out of Terminal 5). The check in process was lengthy, but there were no issues with the weight. After the check in we went to the United Admiral Club. This came as a part of flying on ANA Business Class. The club gave us some time to relax. Eventually went over to the gate area and were boarded right on time as is expected with a Japanese air lines. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-300. The business class seats were comfortable but I have seen better. The good thing was that the power supply had a normal plug outlet and did not require the airplane adaptor. The LAN port was not working. The service was very good. There were little Japanese innovations that made the flight nice. The overhead compartment had a mirror inside so that you could see inside the compartment even if you were not unnaturally tall. There was also a neat step ladder built into the seat side, the food was OK, not the best, but that was because it was mostly Japanese food which Srijoy and Mikku enjoyed. They served sufficient amount of booze. The video was good and had the individualized movie choices with the stop, rewind and other functions. The air map was quite good, but mostly in Japanese. The flight left on time and was 13 hours long. I got some sleep on the plane, watched part of “2001 A Space Odyssey” while Mikku and Srijoy watched some other stuff. Bebo worked on his homework a little bit as well. They served another meal before landing. The arrival was on time at 1:40 pm of March 27. Of course, we gained about 14 hours but lost a day having crossed the International Date Line.

Narita arrival was smooth. The bags arrived quickly and customs was not a problem. Once exiting, the signs for the Airport Limo were quite clear. These are orange signs and quite visible. We bought the three tickets (3,000 Y for adults, conversion is 113 Y to a $). The people spoke very little English. The bus ticket indicated the time it would leave and the bus stand it would leave from. I checked on the Japan Rail pass exchange but it was a long line, so looked for an ATM and that was a little tricky. But found one and took out some cash. The weather outside was cool and cloudy. The bus arrived exactly on time, the porters put on the tags and gave us the receipts. The porters loaded the bags and we boarded the bus. No one spoke English. We were starting to realize that this was going to be a different experience. I had two 10,000 Y bills with me and no change to tip with. Felt bad about that and boarded the bus. The drive from Narita Airport is mildly boring. The landscape is made up of primarily industrial areas and buildings. We did see some cherry blossom on the way. There was some traffic as we approached Tokyo. All signage was in Japanese and it was difficult to understand where we were going. The bus driver was making a few announcements but everything was in Japanese. The bus made a few stops and eventually reached the Ginza Tobu Renaissance Hotel. It is a Marriot chain hotel. The bus driver unloaded the bags and the hotel bell boy picked up the bags. We walked in to check in. The people are polite, but somewhat robotic and emotionless. The check in process was smooth and I asked to change my 10,000 Y bill into smaller bills. The lady did it and then said that there was no tipping in the hotel. What she failed to mention is that there is no tipping in Japan! This is a society out of a science fiction novel. There is virtually no crime, everything is planned, the people dress exactly the same way, they behave the same way, and since everyone is exactly a duplicate of the other (as in most collectivist societies) there is no confusion. The system works like clockwork and everyone will conform to the system. There is some magical force controlling the system and everyone trusts the system. The worst disaster is when the system fails or when someone questions the system. More on that later. So the bellboy brought the bags upstairs. We settled down. Everyone was tired with the travel and the jet lag. Srijoy and Mikku ordered from the room service menu. It was mostly Japanese food. I had spotted an American Denny’s restaurant and I went and got a take out club sandwich from there. I had also gone down to the lounge to have a drink, but it was priced at $10.00 for a shot of Chivas, and chose not to indulge! Eventually we called it a day about 9:00 pm. The Internet was free and we were able to use Skype to make a few phone calls. Had trouble with Amex and had to call them to approve charges in Japan.

March 28, 2007

As expected we got up very early. This is what happens when one travels west, and the jet lag wakes you up early. We took it easy and took long showers, I prepared for my conference and we generally took it easy till about 6:30 when we went down for the breakfast. It was a nice spread, mostly normal breakfast food. There was some unidentified fish and since no one spoke English (it was beginning to get a little tiring) we had no idea what it was. There was a drink that was labeled in English as “Pokari Sweat.” That was intriguing. We later discovered it was the name of an electrolyte replacement drink and thus was called sweat. It turned out to be a very popular drink all over the place.

After the hearty breakfast we got the camera and other stuff and took a taxi to Tokyo Station. No one spoke English. It was a challenge explaining to the taxi driver where we wanted to go (the problem is that Tokyo station is like a city, with numerous entrances, so just saying “Tokyo Station” is not sufficient, it is also necessary to indicate which of the 6 entrances you want, this was impossible to explain without knowing Japanese), but we eventually got it explained. Once at the station we started to ask around about the place where we could exchange the Japan Rail vouchers for the tickets. With very little English signage and with nearly no one speaking English this was a very difficult task. Tokyo station is large. There are two main entrances. It is laid out in a North-South orientation. The entrances are to the East and West. The east side entrances are called the Yaesu entrances. The west side entrances are the Marunouchi entrances. On each side there are three entrances – the North, the Central and the South. It took us a while to figure this out because all the station maps we were getting were in Japanese and trying to match a sign on a board with a pictograph on the map is a trick. Anyway, we eventually figured out that the JR pass exchange point was near the Yaesu Central Entrance (since we entered through the Marunouchi South gate this was a trick!) There is also a complete shopping mall in the station and a wrong turn could put you in the middle of a departmental store! For some reason people in Japan do not create any trash. So there is a woeful lack of garbage cans. It took us 7 days to realize that there was a system to that too. Unlike the wily nilly trash cans you would find distributed in a station anywhere in the world, the trash cans in Japan are located next to vending machines only. They have specific openings that allow you to throw in only things that fit. Thus, a Starbucks coffee cup can not be thrown into the one for cans (unless you crunch up the cup, which we creatively did!), but you have to find a trash can that accepts trash of that size. And everyone would find that specific trash can for that trash. Prozac! Anyway, doing the exchange for the ticket was a long-drawn process but we got our JR passes. This allowed unlimited travel for 7 days on any Japanese Train (except the Nozomi trains). The price of each ticket was $250 and it is necessary that these be bought outside Japan. But we really used this a lot and hardly paid for any transportation. Once we had the tickets, we headed out to see the Meiji Shrine. This was on the Yamanote Line (this is a circular line that runs around the central part of Tokyo). We took the train to Harajuku and the shrine was a five minute walk from the station. There is no English signage, so to get to the shrine, generally start saying “meiji” to any one you see and they will politely respond in great detail in Japanese, then say you understood nothing and ask for hand gestures, eventually you will find the place. The day was beautiful and sunny and we found a cafe by the shrine entrance and had some coffee and croissants and we walked into the shrine area. It was really pretty and very traditional. It was a really good experience to see the shrine. We then stopped at the souvenir store and did a little shopping. Given it was such a nice day we decided to go to the Imperial Palace area to see the cherry blossom (we were lucky to be in Japan when the cherry blossom was in full bloom). We took the JR back to Tokyo station. The system is so obsessive that each station is almost exactly 2 minutes apart. There is a computer screen in the train car that shows which coach one is in, the next station, and minutes to the next station. When we reached Tokyo station we saw the sea of Japanese men and women – dressed exactly the same way – dark suit, white shirt and dark colored tie. It was so eerie that you would think you were watching a real-life rendition of the movie “I Robot.” No one was different. This was like being in a school with a school uniform that everybody wore. In my work I teach about hegemony – a process where people simply conform without question – I saw it in real life. Yet, people from Japan have conquered the World financially. I suppose it comes from the extreme discipline that is ingrained in the culture. Tokyo is like New York with every person stepping out of the movie “A Bridge on the River Kwai.” In a moment, it suddenly occurred to me that what that movie shows is exactly what Japan is about – collectivist society which conforms! Amazingly efficient and desperately boring, at least during the working hours. So, we got out off the train and walked down a road (we have no idea of the name, no signage in English) and reached the outskirts of the Imperial Palace. It was a nice rampart and we walked around taking pictures of the cherry blossom and the bridge across the moat. We were starting to get hungry and so we walked a little more and then took a taxi from a taxi stand. We told the guy to take us to the Sony building in Ginza. We walked through the Sony showroom, somewhat reminiscent of the Sony showroom on Michigan Avenue in Chicago (which, alas, is not there any more). Some of the stuff was cool, but most of it was for the local Japanese market. Srijoy and I were somewhat under whelmed. We then walked down the main stretch in Ginza, the shopping district of Tokyo, and got to a restaurant for lunch. The menu was in Japanese with some pictures. Srijoy and Mikku ordered some exotic stuff, I stuck with what looked safest – a chicken noodle soup. The food was expensive, but was served very aesthetically. No one spoke any English. After lunch we walked down to the Kabuki Theater. Took some pictures there and then headed back towards the hotel. We strolled around the hotel and discovered a Starbucks Coffee Shop (hallelujah)! Since my routine at home involves a Starbucks nearly every morning this was a gold mine for me. Finally some comfort food! We also discovered a post office in the street behind the hotel. Mikku and Srijoy then went to the hotel and I went off to Meiji University for the conference. Again getting there was a trick since there was no English signage after I got off at the station for the University. It was really difficult to find things and it was beginning to get frustrating. Clearly these people did not care about the people who do not speak or understand one of the Japanese languages. You are on your own and your street smarts will have to help you figure out things. The conference went well and I got back to the hotel. We then took a cab to the Tokyo tower. This is a tower which is a copy of the Eiffel tower (the Japanese copy things very well – they have adapted the British transportation system in Japan, this made things simpler for us since we are very familiar with the British rail system, the Japanese system was easy to figure out even though they refuse to use English). The tower was really nice. We rode up to the top and got some fantastic views of Tokyo. The lights in Ginza looked really nice. We then took a cab back to the hotel. The Tokyo cabs are very efficient. Each has a GPS system built in and so if you can give them the address they will get you there. The price starts at 660 Y and then goes up with distance. You charge up if you get stuck in traffic. We were back at the hotel and Arijit called soon after. Arijit and I went to school together at Calcutta Boys School. He is now the country head and CEO of State Bank of India in Japan. He was running late and Srijoy was tired. So we dumped the plan of going out to his place. He came to the hotel (in his chauffer driven car, no less!) and we went to a pub in Ginza and hung out. It was great to catch up, particularly sitting in Tokyo. Our Calcutta Boys School network has been amazing. There is hardly any major city in the World where we do not have someone from our batch of 1979 graduating class of only 70 students. We do regular gatherings in Calcutta, but we have had smaller meets in other parts of the World. In the last month, one of my batch mates based in Calcutta (heads up a significant part of the IT giant called Cognizant) came to Charlotte and spent a weekend at our place in Winston-Salem, and two weekends later I was having a scotch with another batch mate in Tokyo! Anyway, we chatted till about 10:30 at night and we finally walked back to the hotel. Mikku and Srijoy were already in bed and I called it a day.

March 29, 2007

It was another glorious day in Tokyo. We did not get as much of an early start, but walked over to the Starbucks and had coffee and croissants. Although the hotel was offering a free breakfast it was only for 2 people so they gave us 6 coupons for 3 mornings. We used 3 the first day and saved the other 3 for the last day. After the Starbucks coffee we walked over to Shimbashi station for the Yamanote line. We took the train to Shinjuku (11 stops and so about 22 minutes, it was comical how systematic the process was) and got off there. By this time, we had acquired a map in Japanese and would point to our destination on the map for the taxi driver and he would take us there (interestingly if the map was in English the taxi driver was stumped, not because he would not be able to eventually figure out the place, but it was not what he expected and the normal script of his life was being broken and he was thus miffed, I wonder what would happen if the system ever failed. As Arijit said, if the system fails, the whole country would become neurotic!). We took the cab to the Goyen garden. The cherry blossom was fantastic. We spent the morning there and took a lot of pictures. We had some coffee (this is the first time I have had hot coffee served in a can) and then took a cab back to the station. There we took the train via one change to the Sensoji temple area. We got off the train and cabbed it to the temple area. It was a really crowded and festive area. Lots of rickshaws as well to serve the tourists. We walked towards the temple. Most places in Japan do not take credit cards and so I wanted to take out some cash. Walked into a convenience store that claimed to have an ATM. The instructions on the screen were in Japanese. Could not use the ATM. The girl at the counter was able to convey that there was a major bank down the street and so headed there. Was standing in line for the ATM and the guard came over and said in broken English that the ATMs were only meant for Japanese bank cards. The only place to use a foreign card was in a post office which he said was down the street. We walked over to the temple area and I had Mikku and Srijoy wait as I tried to find the post office. It was conveniently hidden again without any English directions. Some hand gestures from locals lead me there. Got out some money and walked back to where Mikku and Srijoy were waiting. It was a really crowded area and it was good that we were using the walkie talkie (most US cell phones do not work in Japan, they have a very strange system that is incompatible with the rest of the World, fits in with the general philosophy of Japan). We walked around the souvenir shops and then on to the temple. Really nice, and very similar to Hindu temples. Lots of use of incense, and there was also a pagoda next to it. Looked nice with the cherry blossom all around. Since Mikku wanted to stroll the shops I walked ahead and found a bar where I had a bottle of Japanese beer. It was quite good. Soon Mikku and Srijoy arrived (again the walkie talkie was a life saver) and we found an interesting Japanese restaurant for lunch. Very traditional where you sit on the floor and eat from a low table. Mikku and Srijoy were able to eat, I watched. My sense of food requires that meat and fish be cooked over fire, this is not necessarily true for Japanese food (particularly if you order “tuna” not realizing that it will be totally raw). I had another beer. I have also cut out beef from my diet, but I did eventually try the partially cooked Japanese beef steak. We left from the temple area and took a cab back to the station. We took the train to Akihabara which is renowned for the electronics shops. We walked around the “the Electric Town.” Very impressive collection of electronics. Nothing was necessarily cheap (as in Singapore or Dubai, Bebo and I agreed that those electronics markets were better) and nothing you buy there would work outside Japan. Asking for overseas products yielded weird looks as if there was no reason to sell products that would work outside Japan! We eventually got bored (which is odd for Srijoy and me in an electronics market) and we took the train and left the area to take the train to Shimbashi station. There we changed into the non-JR special train that uses an automated system to do a loop from Shimbashi out across the Tokyo bay, over the Rainbow Bridge and into the Daiba area of Tokyo. We took the train to the Daiba station and walked down to the water side. It was pretty with the sun setting over the Tokyo skyline. We went to the Aquacity Mall and hung out there. There was an interesting replica of the Statue of Liberty outside the Aquacity Mall. Had a quick drink there and then got back on to the train and took the entire loop. There was an amazingly large Ferris wheel that was beautifully lit up. We also got to see the excellent lighting of Tokyo Tower. We eventually got back to Shimbashi. The Ginza lights looked amazing and we took a cab back to the hotel. Did room service and called it a day after doing a little bit of repacking. We had reservations for the morning train to go to Mt. Fuji.

March 30, 2007

We used the breakfast coupons to eat at the hotel. Checking out was smooth. We took a cab over to the Shinjuku station after leaving two suitcases at the hotel (leaving the suitcases was free). The cab dropped us off at the station and we had two suitcases with us. We found a Starbucks at the station and stopped for a cup of coffee. It was a little tricky negotiating the station but we eventually found the location of the tracks for the train to Otsuki. With the JR pass it is necessary to have reservations for the long hauls. The reservation is free but it gives a specific car number and seat number. The trains work like clockwork. There are indicators on the platform about where each car will arrive, there are signs on the platform that show how to queue to get into the train. We got on the train and stowed our bags. The trains obviously run on time and we reached Otsuki with no problem. There we had to change into a non-JR line (thus had to buy the tickets separately, it was about 1,000 Y per person) to take the narrow gauge train up to the town of Kawaguchi. It was a crystal clear day and we reached the Kawaguchi station. Naturally the ATMs did not work, so had to go to a bank across the street to change some dollars to yens. Srijoy was a big help running between the bank and the station to get the passport and other stuff. Traveling has become much simpler and easier as he can constantly help. He always pulled one of the suitcases and he can be relied upon to do things. Really is a different experience traveling with him as he grows up. Anyway, we bought the tickets for the sightseeing bus which allows one to hop on and off (500 Y per person for all day) and we went over to the Kawaguchi lake area. It was a picture postcard day and got many pictures of the mountain and lake. Strolled over to the boat house restaurant and had a nice lunch (finally I found something I could eat – a vegetable curry fully cooked, with rice). We were booked into a pension for the night. I should say that Arijit was kind enough to lend us one of their cell phones to use on the trip. This was quite useful. I used the phone to call the pension. Of course, no one spoke English at the bed and breakfast pension. Thankfully the restaurant owner spoke some English and he was kind enough to call the B&B and it was agreed that they will send a car to pick us up from the station at 5 pm. The town of Kawaguchi is tiny – a small hill town with Mt. Fuji as the backdrop. We eventually took the bus back to the station and then strolled over to the post office and the adjacent 7/11 store. Hung out at the store and did some snack shopping. Suspecting that there would only be Japanese food at the pension, I got myself a pre-packed ham sandwich. We also got some potato chips, salad and small bottle of sake. We walked back to the station and went to the information desk where the person was supposed to meet us. Our meeting time was 5:00 pm. Of course, being Japan I began to get agitated when no one was there and it was 3 minutes after 5:00. So walked over to the person at the information desk, and surprisingly he spoke English. He called the pension and sounded like he reprimanded them for being late (the system fails and thus there are consequences). It turned out that there was some miscommunication and they had not even left to get us. There was some strong Japanese words spoken and we were assured that the pick up would arrive in 20 minutes. And it did. The pension was owned by a couple. Bebo called it a Japanese Fawlty Tower in reference to the classic BBC TV show about the hotel owned by a couple. As we entered the house, we had to take our shoes off and we were offered sandals. The shoes were neatly tucked away in a cubby hole with our room number on it. The room was excellent. It was an interesting mix of Japanese and Western. There was an attached bath and a loft with a Japanese style dining space. The attached bath was a Western bath and not the traditional Japanese bath. There was a lounge downstairs with a piano. I went down there and quickly realized that we were in a place where no one knew English. It was also clear that there was no food to be had and there was no restaurant nearby. I had a drink and thought this over as Bebo played the piano. Srijoy and I eventually realized that the only way to communicate with the owner couple was through pictures. So we started drawing and they said “Hai hai” indicating that we were connecting. I have saved the pieces of paper that we used to do the drawings and we eventually agreed that at 8 pm the owner would drive me to a nearby Italian restaurant where we could get pizza or a chicken sandwich (imaging doing this when no one understands each others language!) However, by the time 8 pm arrived, we decided that we had had enough snacks and dinner was not needed. I simply went downstairs and drew one picture showing that we were going to bed! We soon did go to bed.

March 31, 2007

The morning was a little dismal. It was cloudy and foggy outside. We went down for the breakfast which was really nice. I had gotten up earlier and had gone downstairs to use the computer. The gentleman was setting the table. People in Japan frequently use masks to either prevent infecting others when they have a cold (so we quickly realized that people wearing masks were most likely ill with a cold) or to make sure that they do not pollute things with their breath. For instance, the gentleman (about 50 I would say) was setting the table for breakfast and was wearing a mask. I asked for a cup of coffee. This was not expected and sent him into bit of a rush and he scrambled to make the coffee. The expectation is that coffee is had with breakfast which does not start till 8:00 am, and it was only 6:00 am then, and why would someone want coffee then! Anyway, after a shower and all we all came down for breakfast. It was a very good breakfast and we enjoyed it a lot. There were just 5 rooms in the hotel and all the guests sat down and had breakfast together. After breakfast, we were driven back to the station. There we took the toy train down to Otsuki. From there we took an express train to Hachujio. There we changed into a local train to get to Sin-Yokohama. The journey took us first through the hilly area around Mt. Fuji (which was invisible because of the clouds) then from Otsuki to Sin-Yokohama (sin means “new”) we went through the industrial complex of Japan. It was one unbroken city with numerous factories and then the port area of Yokohama. At Sin-Yokohama we had to change to the bullet train to Kyoto. This was a new experience for Srijoy (Mikku and I had ridden on the French equivalent of the bullet train the TGV many years ago). Naturally the train arrived on time and we boarded it and got to our assigned seats. It was really fast (at the fastest it goes at 270 km/hour) and we relaxed for the rest of the trip to Kyoto. We arrived in Kyoto on time at 3:30 in the afternoon. We dropped the bags at the station. The station was huge and had a shopping mall with it. We took a cab to the Teji Pagoda and temple. It was a cloudy day so the cherry blossom did not look very bright. We spent some time in the pagoda, the adjoining temple and the Japanese garden. It was really a nice serene place. This was principally a Buddhist temple and had great overtones of the Hindu tradition. Srijoy and we had a very interesting discussion about religion there. We then strolled through the back streets of Kyoto to return to the station. I called the Holiday Inn and they said that there would be a shuttle bus to pick us up at the station at 6 pm. This gave us sufficient time to pick up the suitcases and walk over to the place where the sign said “Holiday Inn shuttle.” We noticed a rather unruly group of American teenagers near that area too with numerous bags. The bus arrived on time and the American kids waved it down. This is something that should not happen in Japan. The driver should have come to the exact place where the sign was, where we had qued up. The system failed. The Japanese driver broke out of script and stopped where the kids were and proceeded to load them. We, who were in line, got screwed. The bus got full and some of us who were in the correct line were left without transport. I called the hotel and yelled at them for a bit and realized it was pointless since they did not understand English. Those who were left over (us and a Japanese family where the gentleman spoke English) took two cabs and went over to the hotel (about 1,900 Y). My first reaction was very American – kind of yell at the hotel guys to get my cab money back. However, that does not work in Japan. When we got to the hotel the Japanese gentleman and I approached the manager and I let him do the talking. One thing we had done was take pictures of where the bus had stopped to prove it was at the wrong place. The Japanese gentleman did not yell, and so I did not either. We showed the manager the pictures I had taken and the manager apologized profusely and refunded the cab fairs to us. I realized that yelling would not have worked here, what was needed was a rational proof that the system had failed and thus the manager was shamed into compensating us! Face and shame is really important in this culture. Meanwhile Mikku had completed the check in process and we got to the room. Relaxed and eventually Bebo did a room service and we got food from a Chinese restaurant downstairs. I could eat that food. We eventually called it a day.

April 1, 2007

The day was somewhat dismal with a cloudy sky. The Holiday Inn stay did not include the breakfast and we left early from the hotel after buying the three bus passes (500 Y each). This allowed all day travel on all city busses. We walked out of the hotel and took the bus from the hotel to the Gion area of Kyoto. It was a long ride but was pleasant. Desperately needed coffee and was able to find a Starbucks. After breakfast there we walked into the Gion area and park. There was a great display of cherry blossoms and we visited a shrine similar to the Meiji shrine in Tokyo. We then walked through the park. Being a Sunday there was a local market that was selling all kinds of wares. We walked through the park. What was interesting was the lack of garbage cans in the park (we had not yet figured out that the trash cans are next to vending machines!) and we eventually handed our used cups to a store owner who threw them out for us. We then walked through the back alleys of what is called the Eastern Hills of Kyoto and went to one of the most important temples in Kyoto called the Kodaiji temple. On the way we had tea at a small Japanese restaurant and did some souvenir shopping. The temple was very pretty and we had to take our shoes off to walk through the temple. We also were able to stand and watch a traditional Japanese wedding with the accompanying tea ceremony and the people dressed in traditional Japanese clothes. We then walked out of the temple and walked along the back roads of Gion to eventually catch the 206 to Kyoto Station. Srijoy was hungry and wanted to eat Sushi. The station has a huge mall with an incredibly large food court. We found a Sushi bar and Srijoy and Mikku had sushi made right before them by the sushi chef. I had a beer. We then walked down to find a sandwich place and I had a turkey club. After spending some time at the station we took the JR train to the area called Arashiyama. This is a part of Kyoto which is set next to the Hozu River. The train ride is about 15 minutes from Kyoto station. A series of small lanes with cafes and stores leads to the temple and the river with the wooden bridge. It was a pleasant walk. Srijoy and I decided to do the hike up the mountain to see the monkey park. Mikku wisely decided to browse the stores by the river. It was an arduous hike up a very steep hill to reach the top where we were accosted by numerous monkeys. They have a system (remember it is Japan) where you can safely feed the monkeys and Srijoy really enjoyed that. We then took the hike down the hill and it was starting to drizzle a little. It really was fun to do this hike. Mikku was waiting for us at a café and we had coffee and cake and then walked back towards the JR station. On the way we saw the station for the Keifu railway and we bought the inexpensive tickets to connect us to the JR station and avoid any further walking (I was dead after the hour hike up and down the hill). We connected up with the JR line and got off at Nijo. It was getting dark and rainy and so we decided to simply take the 206 back to the hotel. At the hotel we stopped by in the Mall and Srijoy purchased a Japanese computer game for the PS2 system (which eventually did not work on his PS2 at home!) and we eventually got the take out from the Chinese place and called it a day.

April 2, 2007

We took an early morning walk from the hotel to the Mister Donut store and had breakfast. We then checked out of the hotel and took the 9:20 am hotel shuttle back to Kyoto station. After a quick stop at the station Starbucks we found our way into the station to get to the platform for the Hikari Bullet train back to Tokyo. Things worked smoothly. We got some snacks where the lady refused to sell me AA batteries because she saw that my walkie talkie only takes AAA batteries and she was confused as to why I wanted to AA batteries. It was impossible to explain to her that I had a camera as well and that needed AA batteries. This had happened many times. Since the store owner would not understand the word battery I would show them the battery in my walkie talkie. They would gladly sell me the AAA batteries (which they saw in the walkie talkie) but would be reticent about selling AA batteries. It did not make sense to them why I would want to buy batteries that did not fit the gadget in my hand! Anyway the bullet train put us in Tokyo (again exactly on time) at 1:15 in the afternoon. The plan was to leave the bags at the station and then go to the Sumo Museum, come back pick up the bags and then go to the hotel near the airport, check in and return to Tokyo to meet up with Arijit and go to his house for dinner. I did not assume that it would take me an hour to locate the left luggage point in Tokyo station. This was perhaps one of the most frustrating hours in my life. The map I had showed the location, but every relevant signage was in Japanese with some English translations but not for the luggage service. I asked a bunch of people but all spoke or understood no English. This was a surreal experience, and eventually, I was standing in the middle of the milling crowd of identically dressed Japanese businessmen in Tokyo station, and basically just said, very loudly, “doesn’t anybody f*&*^ speak English here?” and there was one Japanese man who stopped and said he did. This kind person showed us the carefully hidden luggage service place where we could leave our bags. Having wasted nearly an hour doing this, we were tired and we decided to change our plans and rebooked us into a hotel in Ginza (same one we stayed in earlier) and took a cab out towards the Sumo Museum. By this time we had gotten an English train map, but because we were so tired, we decided to cab it to the museum. Naturally, the cab driver did not speak or read English and so when I showed him the location on the map he did not understand where we wanted to go. My pronunciation of the place was inadequate and I eventually told him of a place near our location whose correct Japanese pronunciation I knew. This helped, then we computed that as soon as the cab price hits 1,400 Y we would be near the place we actually wanted to go to. So, as soon as the price hit 1,400 Y I asked the cab driver to stop. This was confusing for him, it did not fit the system since we were still not at the location he was supposed to take us. It took us another 400 Y in cab price before he reluctantly dropped us off. We got out and we were exactly by the Sumo museum where we wanted to go! It helps to spend 18 years of one’s life in one of the biggest cities in the World. Eventually, all cities work the same, once you know the system, you can work it! I feel apprehensive for Srijoy who is not getting the city smarts that can only come from years of living in a large city, hopefully he will learn it later in life, and through these trips. Anyway, we walked over to the JR station that was supposed to be close to the Sumo Museum and were unable to locate it. A really helpful old lady walked us over to the museum. It was a small museum but was connected to the stadium where they have Sumo wrestling. We browsed the store for a little bit and then took the JR back to the Tokyo Station, picked up the suitcases from storage and took the JR to the Shimbashi station and cabbed it to the hotel. Interestingly the hotel had been changed to a Courtyard (from Renaissance) Hotel on April 1 and so Internet was no longer free in the hotel. But as with all Courtyard Marriot hotels there was a lounge and a free drink was offered. We settled in and at 6:00 Arijit came over. We all got in his car and we drove to his place (it was about a 40 minute drive). Being the country head for State Bank of India he lived in a really nice home. We sat and chatted through the evening. I think this was one of the high points of the trip to see a school friend from years ago in Tokyo. His wife, Nandini turned out to be related to another very old friend from Mikku and my neighborhood in Calcutta. We had known that our neighbor (Shyamal Kar) had moved to Tokyo many years ago. Just by chance it turned out that Nandini was related to Shyamal’s wife and we so got a chance to chat with Shyamal da and his wife on the phone. Had we known this connection (and how small the World is) we would probably have met up with Shyamal da’s family as well. Srijoy spent the evening with Arijit and Nandini’s sons – Joy and Jeet. We eventually ate a sumptuous Bengali dinner and Arijit and Nandini drove us over to the Megura JR station, we took the train back to Shimbashi and were back in the hotel by about 10:30 pm. Quickly called it a day and went to bed.

April 3, 2007 (USA and Japan)

We got up early and after a quick breakfast in the room got our bags loaded into a taxi and headed for Tokyo station. It was a rainy day in Tokyo. We had reservations on the Narita Express JR train from Tokyo station at 8:00 am (April 3, 2007, Japan time). Train was on time and we reached Narita at 9:00 am. Check in took a long time, so we had to rush to the plane without too much time at the duty free stores. The plane left on time at 10:45 am (April 3, 2007, Japan time). I had a couple of drinks, breakfast and went to sleep. Srijoy and Mikku watched TV. I slept for about 5 hours. At about 8:00 am (April 3, 2007, USA time) the plane was over Chicago (after a 10 hour flight). The weather in Chicago was bad and so the pilot took the plane to Washington DC. There we sat on the plane on the ground for about 1.5 hours as the plane refueled. We then flew back to Chicago and landed at Chicago at about 11:30 am (April 3, 2007, USA time). So we had effectively spent about 15 hours on the aircraft. Chicago O’Hare was a mess since the storm had disrupted all flights. We eventually got onto a plane at 5:30 pm (by then we were traveling for about 21 hours) and reached Greensboro at 8:30 pm. Two of the bags did not arrive. We got back home after picking up Snowy and entered home at about 9:30 pm on the same date that we had left from Tokyo! But after traveling for more than 24 hours.

Peru Trip

2006-10-13T23:18:00.000-04:00

Trip highlights:

Airlines flown: Delta, Song, Copa (Panamanian), LAN Peru, Bebo had a total of 10 flight segments
Geographic highlights: crossing of the equator, staying at the highest altitude we ever have, seeing the southern most tip of the Amazonian rain forest, experiencing Spring in October, visiting beaches of the Atlantic and the Pacific in the same trip
Other: Seeing the similarity between Peru and India, seeing the old Inca civilization and Machu Pichu, the protesters in Lima, the football team in Cusco.

September 29, 2006

We left from home about 10:00 am and drove to Raleigh Durham airport. Parked the car and checked in with Delta. Security was quick and then onto the flight to Atlanta. Mikku had bought some lunch and that was wise. The flight from Atlanta was on Song Air a subsidiary of Delta. This was a really neat aircraft with satellite TV on every seat back TV screen. The flight was on time too and we eventually got to Miami where it was warm. Took the bus to the Fairfield Inn and ordered a pizza dinner and went to bed early.

September 30, 2006

We had to get up really early to be ready for the morning flight. Unfortunately, the taxi came late but thankfully the check in at Copa airlines (of Panama) was quick enough, as was security. We left from Miami on time and the aircraft was comfortable and the meal good. We reached Panama City in about 3 hours and saw the Panama Canal from the plane. The Panama City airport was nice and we browsed the duty free stores. They boarded the Lima flight on time, but soon after boarding they told us to get off (most of the announcements were in Spanish with no English translation, this was true all through the trip and people do not speak much English at all, so it is good to know some Spanish). There was a mechanical problem and the flight was to be delayed. What was amazing was the way Copa treated the passengers. They first handed out snacks and drinks by setting up a table next to the gate. Then, since it was getting to be lunch time they offered a sandwich and drinks. I do not think I have seen any airline treat people so well. Since they could not fix the aircraft (which BTW we had just flown in on from Miami!) they got a different aircraft and we were on our way to Lima. We reached Lima in about 3 hours. I had arranged with the hotel (Lima Sheraton, very reasonably priced at $100 per night) to have transportation sent to pick us up and Mr. Israel who was a Peruvian who spoke good English was there to receive us. Getting into Lima was uncannily similar to getting into Delhi. It was as if we had suddenly reached India, because the place smelled the same, sounded the same (car honking all over), looked the same (somewhat ill kept houses) and the people looked the same. The experience was unreal because we were really stunned and as the taxi went through Lima, we did not know how to react. The minibuses drove exactly the way they do in Kolkata with the conductor hanging out of the door banging on the door and announcing destinations. They are called in Combis in Peru and they race each other like they do in Kolkata. They stop where they want and go where they want. Traffic crossings had no rules, and people would try to outwit each other as they drove. There were people on the streets and many auto rickshaws imported from India and made by Bajaj. There were Marutis on the road and the air was thick with pollution and the sky was the same dirty brown one sees in Delhi. Of course, being in the Southern Hemisphere it was spring there and it was still cold and the weather was exactly the same as winter in Delhi. Once we entered the Sheraton lobby it smelled just like the Sheraton in Delhi (they must use the same air fresheners!) and just as it happens in India, once you enter the lobby of a good hotel you leave India outside in a same manner once we were in the hotel we simply left Peru outside. The hotel had a casino attached to it but Bebo was not allowed there so we did not go. It was a little later and so we just stayed in the hotel and watched the sunset that we have seen numerous times in Delhi, an orange sun setting in a brown sky! We had room service and called it a day.

October 1, 2006

We did not have to rush too much in the morning but had a relaxed breakfast which was very good (included with the price of the room) and then brought our stuff down from the room. Check out of the hotel was quite smooth and we took the black cab for Soles 52.50 to the airport. The check in process took a while with a bunch of school girls in front of us! After the check in we had to pay the airport fee and then had to rush to the gate because it was getting late. The flight was on LAN Peru and it was a pleasant flight. Even on an hour's flight they fed us a good meal. We flew South East over the Andes and landed in Cusco the old Inca capital and one of the major cities of Peru. The altitude of Cusco is about 3,300 meters which makes it about 10,500 feet. The air is very thin at this altitude and breathing is a problem. As soon as we left the aircraft I realized I was in trouble. I could hardly breathe and so had to walk slowly and do everything slowly. Mikku and Bebo were having less breathing difficulties. Picking up the suitcases was a real problem and we eventually left the tiny airport and Edwin and Yanni our travel guides were there to receive us. I could hardly walk. We took the transport to Hotel Savoy. There were a load of police in riot gear all over the hotel. Evidently they were protecting the football team from Lima which was in Cusco to play a game that evening. They were expecting trouble and so had the police all over the hotel. As we were checking in the hotel staff offered us Coca tea which is a brew made from the leaves of the coca plant which produces the fruit from which cocaine is made. The coca tea has no narcotic effect but is supposed to help with altitude sickness which I was feeling as a dull headache. We all had the coca tea and we sat in the lobby and worked out the afternoon city tour. We then went off to our room freshened up some, and I went out to get some bottled water. Other than in 5-star hotels (which Hotel Savoy was not, BTW, the room with breakfast was $55.00 per night, and the room was quite OK) the water in Peru is not drinkable for foreigners and we needed to have bottled water with us all the time. No wonder it felt like going to India! I also got some dollars and soles out to pay for the Machu Pichu trip the next day. We came down to the lobby around 2:00 and Yanni was there to greet us. There were more police there now and we walked towards the main square. There was a huge procession of fans approaching our hotel in this dusty old town and we watched them go by. We then took a taxi to the main square where we met up with the tour which was led by a very knowledgeable woman. She showed us around Cusco Cathedral constantly reminding us how bad the Spanish conquerors were and how they deviously converted the indigenous Inca to Christianity. Cusco was the capital of the Inca civilization until the Spanish came to make it civilized and destroyed the Inca civilization and replaced it with a European Catholic system. Our next stop in the tour was a museum about this process where the Spanish basically took the old sun temple of the Incas in the middle of old Cusco and built the Spanish power base around that. We then left Cusco to travel up the mountain towards the old Inca town of Saksyhuman. This was built out of stone and the Spanish destroyed much of this too, but some remain as ruins and we walked around there. Every step there was torture since we were now at about 12,000 feet and I felt like there was no oxygen there at all. Anyway, it was a beautiful place up in the Andes. At the next stop on the tour they showed us the old sacrificial place where the Incas used to sacrifice children and animals. Bebo proceeded to climb the altar where the sacrifices were done and the guide was not happy since many people have been killed on that altar. The walk was excruciating for me and I had to stop often even to go 30 feet. The next stop was another ruin. It was getting to be evening and the air had gotten even thinner. The guide said we would have to walk 20 minutes each way to see the ruins. I decided not to go and both Mikku and Bebo also stayed back in the bus and we watched the sun set over the Andes highlands. After that we climbed down to the Cusco main plaza and the bus dropped us back at the hotel. After a brief stop in the room we went over to the adjoining restaurant called Charlotte Restaurant and had dinner. There was a little issue about making sure there were no nuts in the food, but we eventually had a nice dinner and arranged with the restaurant to deliver a packed lunch to our room next morning for our trip to Machu Pichu. After that Bebo and Mikku were both complaining of headaches and nausea which are common signs of altitude sickness, so they went to bed and I went out with Edwin and Yanni to pay for the Machu Pichu trip and also to the market to get some snacks and supplies for the trip the next day. I did not have my jacket with me and it was quite cold. They eventually dropped me off at the hotel and we finally called it a day. Some police was still there but there was no trouble because the match was a 3-3 draw!

October 2, 2006

We had to get up quite early today. Right around 6:00 am the guy from the Charlotte restaurant brought over the packaged food. We got ourselves ready and went down to the lobby. Edwin came to pick us up around 6:20 in the morning. It was a sparkling day but any movement was quite agonizing because of the lack of oxygen in the air. I was certainly suffering more than Mikku and Bebo. The train station was quite small. We were introduced to our guide there and we got our seats on the Vistadome car right at the back of the train. We were in the last compartment. The train was clean and comfortable and left on time at 7:00 am. Getting out of Cusco valley requires having to cross a mountain range and the train takes a zig zag switchback path to do this. It went through Cusco city and the area looked exactly like a city in Rajasthan. Without a doubt the people were very poor and the trash lying around the railway tracks was very reminiscent of India. It was like taking a Shatabdi express luxury train in Western India. Soon after departure they offered a breakfast of sandwich and coffee. Bebo chose to drink coffee instead of the coca tea this time. This was the first time he had coffee on this trip. The train journey was marvelous. It takes about 4 hours to get from Cusco to Agua Cilantres the jumping off point for Machu Pichu. The landscape changes quite dramatically. First, the train climbs out of Cusco valley and enters the Andean plateau. The elevation is around 10,000 feet. It continues at this altitude for quite some time and then it catches up with the Urumbamba river and follows it down towards the Agua town. Here the highland gives way to lush Amazonian forests and the elevation goes down to about 7,000 feet and I could breathe again! The train track follows the river for the last hour and a half eventually reaching the last stop. We got off there and went to the bus stop for the bus ride to Machu Pichu. Buses run every few minutes and the ride up is quite harrowing on unpaved roads. It started to mist up and began to rain about half way through the 30 minute bus ride and eventually when we reached Machu Pichu it was raining quite hard. Mikku had an umbrella (we knew it would rain being a rain forest), Bebo had a raincoat and I had a jacket and hat. Machu Pichu is a town that was built by the Incas in the 1500s. This was hidden from the Spanish conquerors and so survived the colonial destruction. However, the Incas had left around late 1500s and since then the town was overgrown by the rain forest. In the early 1900s an American professor from Yale University came to the Urumbamba valley to find another legendary Inca town called Vilabamba, however, he ran into the relics of a town next to the old (machu) mountain (pichu). Hiram Bingham had first thought this was Vilabamba but when it was clear this was a different hidden city Hiram named it Machu Pichu. The place took several years to clean up and now it is one of the World's top tourist sites. We had an excellent tour of Machu Pichu with a very well informed guide. It rained some, it was misty at times, and then the sun came out. We had a two hour guided tour and then we had a little time to spend by ourselves. Bebo got to see the llamas and take pictures with llamas. We then went to the picnic area near the restaurant and ate our lunch from the packed boxes. It was a nice meal. The tour was over at that point and we took the bus back to the railway station. There was a huge market of handicrafts and souvenirs near the market and we bought some stuff there and eventually boarded the train at 4:30. The train left at 5:00 pm. The journey back was very pleasant. At one stop I got off the train to have a smoke and there was a fashion show on the train along with a guy who did a little Inca dance. This was a really amusing part of the train ride but it kept us engaged. We eventually reached Cusco about 9:30. Edwin was there to pick us up and we got back to the hotel. I was again having difficulty breathing. Bebo went off to bed and I went down to the restaurant to get a take out dinner. Mikku and I ate in the room and eventually called it a day.

October 3, 2006

Having had a late night we decided to sleep in a bit. Did not get out of bed until about 7:00 am. After the shower and stuff had breakfast in the restaurant of Savoy. Taking the suitcases downstairs was a real trick since I was having serious difficulty breathing. The batteries had again run out in the camera and so we could not take any pictures. The driver with the van arrived around 9:30 and it was a fifteen minute quick drive to the airport. Checking in was relatively smooth and we got some batteries to take a few pictures outside Cusco airport. Mikku did a little bit of shopping. We then paid the airport tax ($4.50 per person) and went through security into the waiting area. It was a bare area and the announcer was using a portable PA system to make flight announcements. The flight left on time and we arrived in Lima OK. I had already called Mr. Israel and he was there to pick us up at the airport. It was again $20.00 to get to the hotel. Being a week day the city was busy. Lots of school children because they have a three-shift school system with some morning schools, some afternoon schools and some night schools as well. The pollution was amazing and the odor of diesel fumes, very reminiscent of Delhi and Kolkata was all over. We got to the hotel OK and after checking in we freshened up and came back downstairs. In the meantime, I had done some research on the daily tours and realized that it would be best to do things by ourselves and not go with organized tours since they were really expensive and are very time-bound. We debated taking a regular city taxi but decided against it and took a black cab to Plaza Armes also called Plaza Mayor. This has the town hall, the palace and the Lima cathedral around the square. We entered the Lima Cathedral (entrance was Soles 10.00 per adult) and we were given a private English speaking guide to accompany us and show us around the cathedral and its museum. It was quite interesting to note the obvious hostility that the people have towards the Spanish conquerors and it is an interesting mixture of hostility and gratitude. After the cathedral tour we walked around the plaza. Got a book on Lima in English and then had coffee at a café. Went into the major departmental store in Lima and left quickly since it was nothing special. We then walked down Union Street with its numerous shoe stores and walked all the way to Plaza San Martin. By then the batteries had run out again and so we could not take any pictures here. We then walked down a narrow street where we did find a nice souvenir store back towards the hotel. The street, the smells, the pollution and the general atmosphere was like walking on Sudder Street in Kolkata. It never ceased to amaze us how similar Lima was to an Indian metro. At one point after we got back to the hotel as we were standing in the tiny balcony hearing the cacophony of horns, I asked Bebo to shut his eyes and think of another city and he naturally said Delhi. We had a room service dinner and called it a day. Bebo and Mikku watched a movie on TV and I went to sleep.

October 4, 2006

The day was not too dreary and we got ready quickly and went downstairs for the breakfast. It was a good spread and we had a relaxed meal. Around 9:30 we left the hotel. We debated taking a yellow taxi, but since we were going a bit of a distance we decided to take the black cab the hotel offered. This is a bit of a racket with the hotels and they give you a sense that the regular cabs are unsafe. That thing might work with inexperienced travelers but I was not getting convinced. But the black cab driver, our good old Mr. Israel, was only asking for Soles 20 and since I was still unfamiliar with the city I decided to go with him. It was a 25 minute ride through the crowded streets of Lima, constantly being reminded of India, and we eventually reached the Pueblo Libre neighborhood to see the Larco Museum. We let the cab go at that point. The entry into the museum was expensive and I paid in a mixture of dollars and soles. It is important to note that there is a racket going on with money which I was just beginning to figure out. Here is how it works, if you were to take out Soles 100 from an ATM machine it would cost about $30.86 at a rate of Soles 3.24 per dollar. Now, they accept dollars and soles at all places. So, if a taxi driver says that it is Soles 12 to go a distance, and you do not have the Soles they would take $4.00 for the same distance. Note the Soles 12 is really only $3.70. While one such transaction might be not a huge difference, when you begin adding it up it gets big. All ATM machines offer you the opportunity to take out Sols and Dollars, and I was making the mistake of taking out dollars and paying for things in dollar effectively offering myself an exchange rate of 3.00 when it should have been 3.24. Once this was clear, obviously all the dealings were in Sols from then on. Anyway, the Larco Museum was mostly about the Inca civilization. It was pretty nice and there was a special show of Inca gold. This is a private museum and they let you see their store house which has thousands of artifacts stored in there. We strolled around the garden and went on to the café in the garden. While we had coffee Mikku and I separately visited the special gallery (can tell you about it when we meet). Bebo had some coffee too. After the coffee we took our first regular street taxi and went over to the National Museum of Archaeology for about Soles 7.00. There was a crowd of school kids there and we spent a fair amount of time in the museum. Bebo's translating machine was very useful. We saw a good view of the history of Peru. The same taxi driver picked us up at 1:00 and we drove along Costa Verde along the Pacific towards the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores. There we went to the Larcomar Mall which was reminiscent of an open air Mall somewhat like (but smaller than the City Center of Kolkata) with touristy stores and a food court. Had lunch there. The Peruvian batteries were really bad and I had to buy new batteries every day. The only other place I have had this experience is in Kolkata. We hung around there and went to a café for a bit. We then walked out of Larcomar and walked down Avenue Larco towards the Miraflores plaza. This takes you on a busy street with the JW Marriott at one end and the Miraflores roundabout at the other. We took a leisurely stroll stopping at stores and when we got to the Miraflores Park there was a big celebration going on there about the Peruvian Special Olympics for disabled people. We stood and watched the proceedings. The mayor of Lima was there and we took some picture of him. Nice festive area. The entire park here also had free wireless Internet access. This was quite unique. We went on to the main roundabout and took a yellow cab (most of these are Tico cars while some are the Indian Marutis). These are ramshackle little things and the drivers almost never speak any English. Anyhow what would have cost Soles 30.00 on the black cab, we paid Soles 10.00 to get back to the hotel. The driver brought us along the highway that runs through Lima and it still took us a while to get back. It is important to remember that by Lima, they really mean the central part of the city from Plaza Garu to Plaza Armes. The other areas such as Miraflores, Barranco, San Isadora are different municipalities, so if you are in Barranco and want to go to Plaza Armes in Lima you need to say that to the taxi driver. Just saying Plaza Mayor or Plaza Armes is usually not sufficient. Once back at the hotel we just kind of took it easy. Bebo wrote his journal and we ordered room service and called it a day.

October 5, 2006

It looked really dreary outside when we got up. We had a bit of a later start and went down for the breakfast. As always it was pretty good and after a good meal we got back to the room to pick up the camera and stuff. We eventually left at about 10:15 in the morning. We took one of the small cabs to the San Francisco Cathedral close to Plaza Armes. It was a Soles 10 ride and took about 15 minutes mainly because of the diversions and the traffic. The church was really old and was infested with pigeons. There was pigeon poop all over the courtyard and Bebo had a fabulous time chasing the pigeons. There was no charge to enter the church. There was actually a sermon going on inside when we entered. Being in Spanish we understood nothing but did note the elaborate Catholic ceremonies. We then went to the museum and catacombs. There was an entry fee there (Soles 10 for adults) and we were told that we could only enter with a guide. So we waited thirty minutes for an English speaking guide and when no one showed up we got our money back and left. There were a lot of school kids at this museum too. Bebo fed the pigeons while we were waiting. We then took another taxi (Soles 7) to Plaza Armes. There was something going on there with tons of riot police all over the place. As we sat and had coffee in one of the cafes they started to shut the plaza down. We managed to walk in and the whole place was shut off with no one allowed in or out, luckily we were among about 50 people who were in. We strolled over to the palace and waited for the changing of the guards at noon. As the changing started we realized why the plaza was shut down. There was a huge throng of protesters with placards and shouting slogans who were approaching the plaza. The riot police went after them and chased them away. When the changing of the guards was over Bebo wanted to see the protesters so we walked back down the way they had come (this is Union Street which connects Plaza Armes with Plaza San Martin, it is a pedestrian only street with shops all around). We did not see the protesters but saw a good amount of riot police all over the place. We took another cab and for about Soles 12 the driver took us to Barranco. This is a residential area with a nice park with vendors selling all kinds things. We strolled around the stalls and discovered that there was one stall selling Hindi music video compilations on DVD for Soles 8.00 each. We got a few of these given the price and the oddity of finding Hindi music video in a neighborhood of Lima. Later we walked over to eat at Rustica where we had an authentic Peruvian lunch buffet (I did not find too much I liked! There were no fish and chips or any recognizable food!! Actually, in terms of food, with all my travels across the globe I have seen that one can be pretty confident about finding fish and chips nearly anywhere in the World, but I did not see much of that in Peru. Mikku and Bebo had a good time with the Peruvian food). It was not expensive and the restaurant was really quite nice. There was only one manager who spoke English and he was really nice and helpful. After lunch, since it had gotten nice and sunny, we took another cab for Soles 7.00 to a Barranco beach. The beach was misty and the Pacific surf was high. We were prepared for Bebo to get into the water and he had a nice time and he stayed in the water for about 30 minutes. I got some nice pictures of the Pacific Ocean in Peru. We then flagged down a taxi and for Soles 12.00 went back to Union Street and got to the store that sells bags and bought the cheapest bag in the store and walked on to Plaza Armes. It was about 4:30 by then and the police was all gone. We all took a horse carriage ride (Soles 3 per person) around the square and then walked back to the hotel taking a different route along a street which was reminiscent of many streets in Kolkata as usual. This was a street that had a series of stores selling electrical goods. Unlike the "mega stores" of the USA, here were numerous similar stores selling the same category of goods. This was quite fun. It was getting a little chilly and we eventually got to the hotel and took some pictures outside the hotel and got back to the room to pack. Bebo did his journal and I got ready for my paper and finally we called it a day and ordered room service.

October 6, 2006

I got up early and got ready quickly. My paper was at 9:00 and went down and ate breakfast. Then went over to the conference area. Place was quite deserted. Eventually people showed up and we had a good group for the paper. As usual the material was translated into Spanish and French. The papers went well. Had some coffee after that and met up with Mikku and Bebo. They came back to the conference area and took some pictures. We then walked down to the small shopping arcade in the basement of the hotel. Finally got back to the room and completed all the packing. We left the room around 11:15 and it took about 30 minutes to complete the check out since it was really crowded downstairs. Walked outside and talked with the taxi guys and got the car for the airport. It was Soles 52.50 as we had negotiated earlier. The drive to the airport was busy. As usual there was quite a bit of traffic, but we got there in plenty of time and got checked in with Copa. Then went on to pay the airport tax and got a sticker shock. It was $30.50 per person and they only take cash. Thankfully I had the cash to dole out $90.00. Security was easy and we ate lunch at the solitary but nice restaurant and did some souvenir shopping. Flight was on time and I watched TV shows on my Zen and Mikku and Bebo watched a movie. Reached Panama City OK and changed to the Miami flight. There was another security check there and they took away the bottled water. Food was good on the flight as always with Copa. Watched the movie "Click" on flight and got to Miami about 11:00 pm. Immigration and customs was very quick and we were out of the airport and in a cab in about 30 minutes. Took a taxi ($32.00 flat fee) to the Days Inn Miami Beach South. This was the cheapest option on the beach and so the hotel was a little off, but we got a corner room which was huge in size and had a beautiful view of the ocean. It was a full moon night and looked really pretty. Eventually got to bed at about 1:00 am.

October 7, 2006

I got up early and went out to the balcony to see the sun rise. It was a pretty and got some really good shots. Then showered and got ready and went down to meet with the person from Coral Gables. She got there about 9:00 am and we drove over to a local Starbucks and had coffee and talked about the project. Back in the hotel about 9:45. Mikku and Bebo were still getting out of bed. I went down to the beach and rented the chairs and the umbrella for the day (very expensive - $30.00) and sat and read a book on the beach. Quite the perfect day for the beach with lots of sunshine and a mild breeze and it was not too warm. About 11:00 we all went and ate a really greasy breakfast in the hotel's breakfast room (we had to pay extra for this). Being one of the cheapest hotels in the area, it was a little run down and ill kept. We then all went to the beach and Bebo entered the water around 11:30 am. Mikku and I sat under the umbrella and occasionally went into the water. Around 1:30 I walked over to the restaurant by the hotel (turned out to be an English pub kind of place) and had a couple of drinks and ordered food. It took a while but eventually got the food to the beach and we all sat and ate on the beach. We then hung around there till about 4:30 (which meant Bebo was in the water for about 5 hours) and got back to the room. Showered and cleaned up and then went out along the strip for dinner. Found a Middle Eastern restaurant and had dinner. That was quite expensive too. Back to the hotel after a stroll on the beach which looked excellent in the full moon night and in bed to get ready for an early morning flight the next day.

October 8, 2006

We had an early start from the hotel. The morning wake up call did not work, but we were up. Went downstairs and got a cab driven by a guy from Pakistan. We were at the airport in good time for the 7:10 am flight. The flight was delayed out of Miami and we got into Atlanta in barely enough time to change planes. Were able to pull it off in spite of a gate change. Got into Raleigh in time. Went off to Tower restaurant for lunch and then to the temple. Spoke to the priest and headed back home. Back by about 4:00 to pick up Snowy.

2006-07-24T17:16:00.000-04:00

July 14, 2006

Got up without the alarm since the time difference was helping. Got packed and went down to the restaurant for the complimentary breakfast. Had a dosa, and puri and bhaji. It was a good breakfast and really enjoyed it. Got back to the room and got the bell man to get the bags down and loaded into the car. Checked out and headed out to the airport. The Virgin upper class check in was smooth but immigration took a while. Settled into the club and I went to the Internet kiosk (Reliance has one with the duty free shops, it is Rs. 100 for thirty minutes which is a really good deal and they accept Indian currency, many of the shops in duty free do not) and cancelled the hotel in London since we would be staying with Kaju Mama. He is my distant uncle from my mother’s side. A bachelor, he has lived in England for nearly 30 years. He was very close to a gentleman called Colin and when Colin passed away about 10 year ago, he left his entire estate to Kaju Mama. So my uncle now lives in London and had many friends among whom Lenny is a close friend. We had never stayed with Kaju Mama before and decided to take him up on his offer this time. The boarding of the flight was smooth and we were off right on time. Being upper class we were very comfortable and I was able to watch a movie on my computer as well as get caught up with work. It was a clear day and got excellent views of Afghanistan. Was hoping to show Bebo Tehran, but because of the ongoing conflict the flight went over Southern Russia and avoided most of the mid-East. We still got to London on time and were out through immigration and customs by about 6:30 in the evening, UK time. We had to wait a while before Kaju Mama arrived at the airport. I took a cab with our 4 bags and Bebo and Mikku rode with Kaju Mama. The cab driver made the mistake of taking M25 at 7:00 pm on a Friday evening and I was too tired to give directions. Eventually he got on M4/A4 and that was a disaster going into London on a Friday night. He missed the Hammersmith bridge exit and we ended up having to cut through the traffic in South Kensington and we were stuck all the way through. If I had known this is what he would do I would have rented a car driven myself. Kaju lives in Wandsworth which is close to Putney. His place is off Garrot Lane and obviously they had gotten there before I did in the taxi. At his place we met Lenny. About 65 years old, Lenny is a divorcee. An artist by profession he was a doting friend and they had really prepared for our stay. Kaju’s house (which he inherited from Colin) has four bedrooms up stairs and one bathroom there too. Downstairs is the kitchen and the living room, small wash room and a quaint little garden with a lily pond and eight cats that regularly visit. Lenny has decorated the house and does most the garden work. Although Lenny has his own place, he spends the weekends with Kaju. We were also informed that there was an Irish gentleman who would come late in the night and would be in one of the bedrooms. So, Mikku and I were in the other and Bebo in the third and Kaju and Lenny in the fourth master bedroom. Kaju is also an excellent cook and a perfect host. He had prepared a many-course meal for us and we really enjoyed the evening, eating, talking and generally getting to know each other better. Bebo enjoyed the attention he got from Lenny and Kaju and eventually we called it a day. I stayed up a little and repacked our bags since the plan was to leave all but one bag in Kaju’s house as we headed out to Ireland the next day.

July 15, 2007

We had a relaxed start of the day. Got up and went downstairs and fixed myself a cup of coffee in Kaju Mama’s well appointed kitchen. Hooked up the computer and got some work done for the conference. Soon Lenny was up and I fixed him some coffee and we sat and chatted a bit. As the others got up I made some tea for all and then Kaju Mama declared that he was going to cook a full English breakfast. As we started to get ready, he was there preparing a grand breakfast. By that time George, the Irish guest who now lives in Spain, had gotten up too and had come downstairs. George is about 70 and has lived in England and Australia for most of his life. Once he developed problems with breathing he was advised to move to a warmer and drier place so he sold all his stuff in London and moved down to Spain. Now he comes and visits London occasionally and stays with Kaju Mama. He was an interesting person and after the hearty breakfast we all sat in the garden and chatted. The conversation turned to memories of the War and both Lenny and George remembered the bombs and the shelters. George also told us stories about his life in Belfast the height of the IRA activities and how his restaurant was bombed and the way in which the different parties tried to extort money from business men like him. Srijoy was thrilled to hear these stories. We eventually left around 11:30 in the morning and Kaju Mama drove us to Terminal 1 at Heathrow, we had to circle around once but we were there in plenty of time. Got checked in and then hung around trying to resolve the problem with my Amex card. Eventually the Aer Lingus flight left about 40 minutes late for the 50 minute flight to Dublin. The immigration was simple and went to rent the car from Thrifty. Discovered the problem with Mikku’s Amex as well. Eventually got the car and headed out West towards Enfield for the hotel. Was lost once, but eventually got to the Marriot Johnstown Hotel and Spa at Enfield. It was an old mansion and it has been made into a hotel with additions. The room was very nice and we got settled in and eventually ate at the bar and called it a day.

July 16, 2007

Left early in the morning. Took M4/N4 into city center of Dublin. Being a Sunday morning everything was completely deserted. It was not difficult finding Trinity University and there was plenty of parking that early in the morning. Went off to the conference and spent most of the day there. Later in the afternoon picked up Mikku and Bebo and came back to town. By then it was getting crowded but was able to find parking by the river. Walked on to Temple Bar and then on to Dublin castle. The city is nice but not quite as picturesque as many other European cities. Kept walking along Dame Street by the theaters and eventually went on to Temple square. This was an interesting mix of old and new and we picked a small Italian bistro for lunch. Had a nice leisurely meal and then walked on to Trinity University. Took some pictures around there and bought a ticket for the bus and took it to the other end of Dame Street to the Christ Church. Could not enter the church but walked on to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and spent a little time at the Cathedral gardens. Took another bus back to the Parliament house area of Dame Street and stopped at a café for drinks. This is the great thing about Europe with all its little cafes and the pubs. We then started walking back towards the car and stopped at a convenience store for supplies. The clerk was from India and he suggested that we go to the larger market for stuff. We walked quite a bit and eventually reached the Jarvis shopping center. It was a pretty standard mall, and Mikku went around it some as Bebo and I rested. Eventually we walked back towards the car. I had the two of them wait by the river and I went and got the car and we headed back to the hotel. Traffic was not too bad and we were eventually back in time for a drink at the hotel.

July 17, 2006

Took off in the morning after some conferencing and traveled along M4/N4 going east towards Dublin. Took the Naas exit and veered off to the South East towards County Wicklow. Ireland is divided into specific counties and they are all distinct in their own ways. This particular county is to the South of Dublin and is well known for its valleys, hills and ultimately its beaches. We drove through Naas and stopped on the way at a small town and I got myself a couple of shirts given that I was running out of clean clothes! Had tea there too. The road gets tricky after Naas and one goes through hilly roads through rather barren hills and valleys and then through Wicklow pass to get into Glendalough. This is a tourist stop and we spent just a few minutes there, looked at the upper and lower lake and then moved on towards Wicklow. The town of Wicklow was medium sized. We headed towards the beach and had a pub lunch and then Srijoy spent some time at the beach. This is a different kind of a beach given it is mostly made up of pebbles with hardly any sand at all. It was quite nice and the water was really calm and serene. After some time there we moved back to the town center and Mikku looked at the shops and stuff and we eventually headed out going back North along the coast road. Although it is called the coast road, it really does not get too close to the coast. I tried a side street and ended up in some one’s barn. Had to get out fast before they caught us for trespassing! We then went through Newcastle and eventually stopped at Bray. Had a drink there and then headed down to the esplanade by the ocean at Bray with a view of Bray Head which is a hill that overlooks the sea. It was hot but sunny and clear and we strolled by the sea and back to the car. It was getting a little late and so we headed out of Bray. Was able to find N11 fairly easily and we went off on M50 and then on M4 to get back to Enfield. Dropped Mikku and Bebo at the hotel and went to the city and found a Centra grocery store. Got some sandwiches and snacks from there. Spent the evening relaxing in the room and finally called it a day.

July 18, 2006

Left the hotel around 10:00 after a good breakfast. Our first stop was Malahide castle. This was reached by M4/N4 towards Dublin and then taking M50 Northbound to Malahide Road and then to the town of Malahide. Parked the car and waked over to the castle. It was a long walk but it was pleasant. The castle proved to the ancestral home of a family and we took the brief tour of the castle. It was mildly interesting. We then took a taxi back to Malahide station. Both the round trip ticket to Dublin and took the train to Connoly station. It took about 30 mins to get to Connoly. There had lunch at a pub and walked back to Connoly and took the Luas tram all the way to Jone’s street – the home of the Guinness brewery. We bought the round trip/unlimited bus ticket and tool the Luas to visit the Guinness brewery. The ride was fine, and there was a little walk to get to the storehouse. Got the tickets, went to the gift shop and then walked around the brewery. Finally on the 7th floor got the free drinks and spent some time there. Left from Guinness and took the horse carriage (about 30 Euro). From Temple Bar walked by Trinity and took a bus to St. Stephen’s Green. Sat around there for a while and then walked down Grafton Street back to the bus stop. Here took a bus back to Connoly and then the train at 6:35 pm going to Malahide. Picked up the car there and drove back home. The drive back was OK and dropped Mikku and Bebo at the hotel and I went to Enfield to get sandwiches. Got two of them made up at the Deli and was back in the room by about 8:30. Did some packing and arranging and called it a day.

July 19, 2006

We left from the hotel after a good breakfast. It took about an hour to get to the airport. The car return process was simple. It was a good thing that I had filled up the car before leaving (Gas was Euro1.21 per liter making it about $6.00 per gallon). The check in went smoothly enough and we were at the gate in time. Got some duty free stuff as leaving. The flight was uneventful. Got to Heathrow Terminal 1 and the baggage collection was smooth and got out to the terminal. Left 3 bags in left luggage (it is now 6 sterling per bag per day) and went down to the underground. Bought the all day train and bus pass and took the Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus. It was the hottest day of the season in London (33 C) and since nothing is air conditioned things were quite miserable in the train where if felt like a sauna. We got off at Piccadilly, it was a glorious day and we took a few pictures and walked over to Glasshouse Street and our Garfunkels. Lunch was a little late and I also went down to the subway and got some money out. We then walked over to Shaftsbury Avenue and took a taxi to Foyle’s bookstore on Tottenham Court Road. Walked around there and discovered some of the old bookstores that sell used books and stuff. That was quite nice. Bebo also enjoyed visiting the stores. Returned to Foyle’s and met up with Mikku and we then walked over to the Oxford Street corner and took a bus to John Lewis on Oxford Street. Browsed around. Bebo was getting tired and so went to the Café Nero in the House of Fraser, had a cup of tea and then walked over to the Bond Street underground and took the trains to Hammersmith. It was really hot and crowded in the subway given it was rush hour. We got on the number 220 from Hammersmith to Wandsworth. It was a long, hot and somewhat uncomfortable journey. Eventually got off in front of Southside shopping center, walked down Garret Lane but decided to take a taxi to Kaju Mamu’s house. Bebo was excited to ride the black cab. Kaju Mamu was home already. I had a quick beer and then headed out for Heathrow at about 7:00 pm to get the suitcases. It was a long journey, the bus took a while to come, the train I was in cancelled near South Ealing and so had to wait for another train. Eventually picked up the bags and was back on a train by 8:45 and was back in Hammersmith about 9:30. Was picked up by Kaju Mama from the Hammersmith. Home by 10:00, had a sumptuous dinner sitting outside in Kaju Mama’s lawn. Eventually called it a day after doing the necessary repacking. Chatted with Kaju Mama some and went to bed around midnight.

July 20

Got up early. Was ready with breakfast of coffee and crackers and as the others got up I moved the suitcases out. The car with the driver (Sam, from Sri Lanka) showed up at 7:15. We loaded our bags and headed out for Gatwick. Sam knew the area well and we took all the right roads and got to the correct terminal about 8:30. Checking in with US Air was smooth. Did a little shopping at duty free and were eventually on our way on time. US Air coach service was average to bad. The food was hot but tasteless, the electric outlet could not power up my inverter and so was unable to use the computer too much. The entertainment system was good but being a cheap shit American carrier they charge $5.00 for the headsets (BTW, alcoholic drinks are also $5.00 per piece). I decided to stick to my DVD player and watched a Hindi movie. To note, US Air does not offer the sky map so you are clueless as to where you are when you are flying. This is standard for most airlines, but not US Air. Bad airlines. Got to Charlotte on time though. Immigration and customs was good. Best thing is that the “re-checking” of bags is no longer the case in Charlotte. So we were out quickly. Got the rental van and headed back home. Picked up Snowy on the way and we were home by about 6:30 pm.

2006-07-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

June 25, 2006

Took the morning flight (Jet 9w922) to Kolkata. Everyone from D-50 was there to greet us. I had the rental car there too with the driver (Surojit). Got to AC 140 about 11:30. Everyone hung out for a while and then Mikku and Srijoy went off to D-50 for the first part of the stay. Spent some time with Shanker da and Didibhai and then went off to the City Center Mall. Bought a new air conditioner for the house and had it delivered. In the evening stayed at home. Rana, my friend from school, came at 5:00 and then later in the evening others such as Sudip, my cousin, and his family came and later still Dada Bhai, my cousin, and family came over. I was tired but it was good to see them all.

June 26, 2006

In the morning went off to Punjab National Bank with Ma and Avijit to make the necessary arrangements for the vault. The matter went very smoothly thanks to the ground work that Abhijit had already done. After completing the PNB work, went off to City Center for a bit. Eventually got back home and the people came over to put in the new air conditioner. It worked well and brought much needed relief. Mikku and Bebo had come over too. In the evening dropped them off at D-50 and went off to Lake Club. Had a nice evening with my cousins. Hung out there till about 10:30 and finally got back home.

June 27, 2006

Being my birthday and being this was happening in India after many years Ma was quite excited and so there was the elaborate arrangements in the afternoon. Mikku and Bebo came over for lunch and we hung around home. Later in the evening, everyone from D-50 came over as well and we ordered Pizza and spent the evening together with Shanker da and Didibhai as well. There was a cake that Tinku had brought over and we cut that.

June 28, 2006

The morning was generally getting ready to leave. Had lunch at home and did some chores in the morning. Later took Mikku, Tinku and Bebo to new market. Got some of the stuff and went to Grand for lunch. Things got hurried and simply had to pack a lunch and leave. Dropped them off and stopped by at home and then went off to the airport. Flight was a little delayed and the Air Sahara flight reached Delhi around 6:00. The car with driver Singh was there. Went over the Marriott and spent the evening there.

June 29, 2006

Left from the hotel around 5:17 in the morning. The journey was smooth but the car was not doing well with the air-conditioning. We made it the outskirts of Jaipur in 4 hours and stopped at the Le Meridian resort for coffee. I was coming down with a cold and needed a hot drink. Got lost a little getting to the Institute but eventually got there. Had a nice meeting with the staff and then the lecture went very well. Had lunch with the Director and then headed out about 2:00 in the afternoon. Stopped by the shops on the way out and then got on the way to Delhi. It was fierce fully hot and the AC simply was not working. It was quite bad until we got caught in the dust storm. It was quite an interesting experience as the dust blew off the desert and the temperature fell from 114 F to about 95 F. Eventually got into Delhi about 7:30 pm. Was not feeling too well. Kinshuk came to visit and we chatted for some time and I eventually called it a day about midnight.

June 30, 2006

Took the morning Jet flight from Delhi. Getting to the airport was not a problem. Flight worked on time. From Dum Dum went straight to D-50. Had lunch there and then went off shopping and such. Later in the evening Mikku and Bebo shifted over to AC 140.

July 1, 2006

The morning was at home. Went out to have lunch with Moushumi and Joy. At Peshwari at ITC Sheraton Shonar Bangla. After lunch went over to see Sudip, my cousin, and family in Tangra. Got back in time to prepare the roof for the party. The roof party went well and was attended by Phuchku da and family, everyone from D-50, Dada Bhai and family and of course Shanker da and Didibhai had done all the cooking. It was a pleasant evening.

July 2, 2006

The morning we went out to see Pishima and all in Lake Town. Had a little bit of a late start in the morning and so after Lake Town went straight to the restaurant for the school reunion. It was the restaurant where the old Wadorf used to be on Park Street. Nearly a dozen of the old boys showed up and many with families. It was a rollicking time and we really had a great time. Hung out there till about 3 and then went to Dum Dum Park, first to Dadabhai's house and spent a little time with them and then went over to my aunt’s house next door (Bhaima) and spent a little time with her. The driver knew Dum Dum Park well and so he took us through the neighborhood where I grew up (lived there from 6 to 14) and we showed Bebo the site of where my first school used to be next to the temple. We then headed back home. Bunudi and family visited in the evening. That evening Mikku, Ma, Boudi-ma and Tinku went off to see a movie (“Fanaa”) at the 89 Theaters and Bebo and I spent the evening upstairs with Shanker da and Didibhai. I eventually went to get the ladies from the theater. It was a rainy night.

July 3, 2006

The morning was mostly at home. For lunch met up with Sanjoy Sengupta and Sammy at the Hyatt bar. It was an interesting meeting. In the afternoon all of us went off to see the new movie “Krish” at the City Center. Being shot in Singapore it was interesting to see the movie. Later in the evening, went off to see Khuku mashi and then had a drink with Abhijit and Swati at Abcos.

July 4, 2006

Nothing too much to do. It was Ma’s birthday and we spent the day mostly shopping and going out the City Center and such. In the evening everyone from D-50 came over and Shanker da and Didibhai joined us all for a dinner of dosa, dahi vada and other stuff I had got from Gangotri restaurant. In the evening went and visited my uncle (baro mama) at AA block in Salt Lake.

July 5, 2006

We decided to spend most of the in packing and resting. Had to go out in the morning for some last minute shopping and checking in with the vault at Punjab National Bank. Then in the afternoon, Mikku and I went to City Center and finally got back home around 5:00 and started to get ready. In the morning had to pay off the car as well and make arrangements for the return from the airport for the India group. Also got a pair of eye-glasses done for a prince of Rs. 1,000 (about $20.00) and they were supposed to be delivered by 8 pm. Dada bhai and Boudi came to see us off. So went back to the City Center to pick them up, they were not ready and the person promised that it would be delivered to the hotel in Delhi when we return. Eventually had dinner and left from home for the airport at about 8:30. There were two cars, one Qualis and one Esteem. The check in and security was smooth except for having to open a couple of suitcases for close inspection. At the airport ran into Gorky and old friend from school and the Salt Lake neighborhood. Flight left on time. Singapore Airlines was nice and empty and Bebo and Ma could stretch out and sleep a little during the 3 and half hour flight.

July 6, 2006

We arrived in Singapore after the night flight at about 6:00 am. It was 32 Celsius outside and for the rest of the stay the temperature changed little. The humidity was about 99% and thus we were in a truly Equatorial climate. It was rainy outside but that did not help! We took a Maxi Cab (seats a max of 7 people and takes a lot of baggage for a flat fee of 35 Sing [about $21.00] for any point to any point in Singapore. Shaped like an ellipse the furthest points in Singapore are 24 miles apart and one can drive from one end of Singapore to the other in about an hour. We took the Maxicab to the Le Meridian hotel in Changi Village close to the airport. We had arranged for early check in and so we got the three rooms and the people all went to bed to rest. I got a cup of coffee in the restaurant and then called the car people to come and deliver the car. In the meantime Buri called. Buri, or Bedashruti or Munmun, is my niece. She recently (February 2006) got married to a guy she met on the Net and moved to Singapore where her husband, Sandeep, works in the IT industry. Mikku and I had missed the wedding and thus had decided to make this trip to Singapore mainly to see Buri and Sandeep. So, Buri came over to the hotel about 9:30 and we waited for the van guy to show up. A person called John came over with the van which eventually proved to be a converted cargo van that could seat people in very uncomfortable conditions. We went with John and had to make the up front weeks rental payment of 410 Sings. I had already wired 200 Sing as a security deposit. John then left and Buri and I went to the 7-11 to top up the cash card. All cars in Singapore have a toll collection equipment similar to the E-Z pass used on may toll roads in the USA. The toll is deducted from a cash card (which can also be used to pay other things such as parking etc.) and I had to top up the card so there were funds in it. Buri and I then had a cup of coffee and came up to our room. Mikku was up by then and eventually all of us drove to the food court in Changi Village and had lunch. The food at these food courts is really quite cheap and we enjoyed the lunch a lot. We then drove to Buri’s place on Gelang East Avenue 2. They live in a high-rise apartment building called Sims Ville (it is right off Sims Avenue). It was typical apartment house and we went up to her place on the 9th floor and quite liked the place. Ample for a newly wed and very nicely located with the MRT rapid transport right next door. It was very reminiscent in a way of the place that Buri’s parent’s shared in Brajrajnagar right after their wedding. I had visited them there and spent some time with them and now had the opportunity to find the new generation in a similar situation! The two interesting aspects about the place is that it is under the flight path of the Singapore Air Force crafts that fly into a base a little South West of their place and it is also about 4 blocks from the designated red light area of Singapore. Given that Singapore is a very regulated society with a quasi-dictatorship in place (as some say it is a “gilded cage”) the city-state is very sterilized and completely controlled by unseen hands (and huge numbers of surveillance cameras), the location near red light area is no cause for concern at all! More important than the place was Buri’s hospitality. She was really nice and it was truly like coming home to visit her place. Since everyone was tired we decided to spend just a little time at her place and head back to the hotel. I had been reading the good map I had bought at the gas station and figured out that Singapore can be easily navigated by understanding the major highways that are identified by abbreviations such as PIE (Pan Island Expressway) and so coming back to the hotel was easier. We got back and I walked back to the food court for a drink. Eventually all of us went over to the food court and had dinner at the Indian stall. Called it a day after that since everyone was really tired.

July 7, 2006

The jet lag had proved to be an issue and people took a while to get ready and going. Additionally, I had to make sure that the room was emptied by noon. I got everyone ready and packed by about 10:30 and left for the Bird Park around that time. It was a long drive all the way from the Changi Village hotel on PIE and then ECP and then AYE to the Jurong Bird Park. Realized that would not be able to come back to the hotel by noon and so called Buri and asked her to go over to the hotel and stall them for time. Barely dropped them off and got back around 12:15. Buri was there and she helped empty out the rooms and the valet took all the bags down. Also, realized that the air conditioner in the van was not working (they call it aircon in Singapore) and so called the car company and they said they would get me a new van. So Buri and I sat and chatted in the hotel lobby and eventually John showed up with a new van. Very similar to the other one but the AC was working. Got it loaded up and then went over to the food court for lunch. It was miserable hot. Buri and I ate together and as it was getting late had to finish up and I headed out towards Sentosa Island and Buri took a bus home. I drove on ECP and took the Keppel Road exit eventually to get to the Sentosa Gateway Bridge. Sentosa is a small island south of Singapore and this has been developed into a tourist area with resorts and other attractions. I had to pay 2 Sings to get across the bridge and eventually found the Costa Sands Resort. It was a nice resort but I had to move all the bags by myself in the afternoon heat and that was quite a feat. I do not believe I have sweated this much ever before in my life. I set up the rooms and barely had time to head back out to pick everyone up from the bird park. Took the West Coast Highway and then Clementi road to get on to AYE towards Jurong and was able to get them from the same spot I had left them. They had enjoyed the bird park. Took the same way back and there was an unfortunate incident on the way back. This is something that I can tell you about when we see each other and if you remember to ask. I would rather not disclose this in a blog but it is safe to say that I have never been as unnerved. Anyway had to pay to get back to the island and were informed that we should have our hands stamped at the Ranger’s Office every time we leave Sentosa and we would not have to pay. We did this every time henceforth. We got to the resort and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the place inspite of what had happened earlier. We hung around by the pool and Srijoy took a swim and then we all went to the beach. It was pleasant at the beach. We walked over to the beach restaurant, had to bribe the greeter 10 Sing to get an early table but after a drink at the “Cool Deck” beach bar had a nice dinner and walked back to the resort and called it a day.

July 8, 2006

I got up early and got some work done. The wireless internet was working again at the hotel. Bebo and I went to the pool for some time. Babul-baba also joined in. I had gotten some work done earlier in the morning. This morning Babul-baba chose to stay back and the rest of the group left to visit the nature reserve at Bukit Timah. It was a little tricky getting there since I was still getting used to the roads. After a few wrong turns we got there. It was really hot and humid and Tinku decided to sit out the hike. The rest of us started on the hike through the rain forest and after a while Ma and Boudi-ma turned around as well. We pushed on and it was really nice. This was a true equatorial rain forest and one could feel the steamy heat. We went somewhat further and we too turned back and met back with the rest of the group. We then headed towards downtown and I took the Havelock Road exit off CTE and ended up in Chinatown. The parking lot was really interesting. We had to drive the van into an elevator that took the car down into the underground lot. We went to the People Park shopping center and had lunch at the food court. Had some really strange food but it was generally OK. Everybody seemed to enjoy their foods. We then split in two groups – Srijoy and me, and the rest – and checked out the shopping mall. It was interesting and got a sense that some things are really cheap in Singapore. Mikku bought a few trinkets and we eventually headed back to the hotel. Got back around 3:30 and Bebo hit the pool. We hung around till about 6:00 and then ordered a Maxi Cab and went off to Buri’s place. Took detailed notes about how to get there and that helped me later. We were there about 6:30 and met Sandeep, Buri’s husband for the first time. Really nice person and we had a very pleasant evening. They had cooked up a storm and so we had a great dinner and generally a very nice night. Again ordered the Maxi Cab and got back to the resort around 11:30. There was a huge beach party in full swing and it proved to be a noisy night.

July 9, 2006

We had a late start because we wanted to take it easy in the morning. The party from the night before had also been very rowdy and some could not sleep too well. It was not possible to go to the pool since there was a wedding going on pool side. People eventually got ready around 11:30 and we took the van over to Buri’s house. They, however, decided not to go out with us. We then drove over from Buri’s place to Snow City which is close to the Singapore Science Center. We got there about 12:30 and had just missed the show. So we bought the tickets for the 2:15 show and had lunch in the tiny cafeteria of Snow City. It was a nice meal and then we were eventually allowed in. All of us had to put on parkas and those in shorts (Bebo and me) also had to put on parka pants. They then lead the group into a large area (size of a couple of football fields) where they have snow lying around, the temperature is about -8 Celsius and they have a snow slope for snow tubing. Bebo had a ball doing that and the others just enjoyed the snow. They could not stay there for more than 20 minutes and we left from there and headed out. It was a rainy day and as we made our way to East Coast Park a really bad storm came in. Took the AYE and ECP to get to Exit 13 and take the left on to East Coast Park. It was raining hard. We eventually made it to the McDonalds and I found parking there too. We went to the McCafe and ordered tea and coffee. It was raining persistently. Buri and Sandeep showed up soon as planned. Since it was raining, the ladies decided to hang out at the Café. Sandeep, Bebo and I took a walk in the rain to the beach. It was nice. Then the guys just hung around outside chatting. Eventually at around 5:30 we all made our way to the Indian restaurant (Kamala Vilas) and we had an early dinner. Before that Bebo and I had gone to the beach for some time and Bebo had a nice time at the beach inspite of the slight drizzle. I just stood under the umbrella! After the supper at the restaurant, which was Sandeep and Buri’s treat we took the van and drove to the zoo for the night safari. This was a very unique experience of traveling on a tram through a zoo at night and seeing the animals. There was an interesting show that we attended as well and Sandeep, Buri, Mikku, Bebo and I also walked a trail and saw hyenas and tigers which at night looked quite menacing and uncomfortably close! It was a great experience and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Eventually after a brief stop at the gift shop our group took the van back to Sentosa and Sandeep and Buri took a taxi home. I was a little lost on the way back and took the West Coast Highway viaduct and got off at Brani Gate 2 and had to make some illegal turns to get to the Sentosa Bridge. Got back around mid night.

July 10, 2006

This was the day we had earmarked for shopping. We all got up and ready earlier than other days and got in the van and drove over to Buri’s house. We got there in good time and we then took two taxis and went to Mustafa’s. This is a Singapore institution. The store was originally started as a small Mom and Pop organization many years ago. With time this grew into one of the largest shopping centers in Singapore that is open 24 hours and has pretty much anything you would want at a very affordable price. Shopping in Singapore is tricky. There are small shops that sell stuff that could be of suspicious origin and quality. This is where Mustafa’s comes in because they guarantee good products at reasonable prices. It is located bang in the middle of Little India and has become an icon of the Indian presence in Singapore. We split up into three groups – Srijoy and me, Mikku and her parents, Buri and my mother – and shopped for stuff we wanted. I got a camera, lots of computer peripherals and games and stuff. The process is quite interesting. For the high price items the clerk will give you a little pink slip and you pay for the product at the cashiers and after payment take the receipt and the pink slip to the place where you got the stuff and they would give you the merchandise, put it in a plastic bag, and then zip lock it so that you can not put anything else in it. After the shopping Srijoy and I went to a food court for a beer and ginger ale. We left all our shopping at the store’s left luggage area and had lunch together at the restaurant called Anandabhumi. The place is full of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants with shop signs written in Indian languages. After lunch we went back to Buri’s place and picked up the van. Since Mustafa did not have some of the stuff we were looking for we decided to go to a store on Orchard Road – which is the main business district of Singapore. Took the PIE to the CTE and then got off at the Orchard Road exit and parked in the Singapore Place Mall. Had coffee at Starbucks and hung around there for some time. Eventually everyone was tired and we decided to get back to the hotel. Drove purely by instinct and by what I had learned of the Singapore roads and we got back with no problems. Everyone was tired and I was bored. Bebo went to the pool and as the evening dragged on, I had to cancel the dinner date with Buri and Sandeep and we eventually took the beach tram to Palawan beach where we had a nice Indian dinner. Eventually got back to the hotel around 10:30 and called it a day. I did go out to the pool side and snoozed there for a while before going back into the room.

July 11, 2006

Got up feeling a little down because of a cold/flu that seemed imminent. It was a hot day as usual and I got up and went by the pool to access the Internet and get some work done. Since the group was still in bed I decided to walk down to the beach area and take a tram to get some coffee. The tram was quite unreliable and so I walked over to the Siloso beach area and got a cup of coffee. Got back to the room and decided to work some until everyone was ready. Eventually all were up and we left in the car and drove over to Fort Siloso. Dropped the group there and I came back and parked the car at the hotel and walked back to the fort. They were still waiting and we took the bus up to the fort. It was a very educational tour and learned a lot about the history of Singapore particularly in terms of its role in the Second World War. Bebo and I took a walk around the fort grounds taking pictures of the guns and such. Then we visited the gift shop and picked up some souvenirs. We then re-joined the group and took the bus to Underwater World. This was basically a small aquarium, and it had the tunnel walk which everyone really enjoyed. We spent some time there and visited the gift shop and ate at the restaurant attached to the aquarium. It was not a bad meal but it was more expensive than other places. After the meal we took the Red Line bus to the Artist’s Village bus stop. This is the stop for the Merlion – the Singapore Icon – and we all walked to the base of the Merlion. Mikku, Bebo and I went to the top of the Merlion while the others waited below. After some time there we met up with the rest of the group and walked back to the bus stop. Babul-baba and Tinku wanted to return to the hotel. Mikku, Ma, Boudi-ma and Bebo proceeded to the Dolphin Lagoon and I reached the others back to the hotel. We took the Blue Line bus to the main bus station and then the Siloso beach tram back to the resort. After dropping them off I took the beach trams all the way back to the Dolphin lagoon (the ticket for Underwater World is good for the Dolphin Lagoon as well). The show was about to start and it was terribly hot and I was quite miserable from the cold. The show was a bit lack luster compared to what we have seen elsewhere but the Dolphins (pink dolphins) was quite unique. After the show, we took the beach tram back to the bus station and then the Blue Line bus to the cable car plaza. It was incredibly hot and the place was teeming with tourists. There, all but me went to see the Butterfly Park and I hung out at the plaza and had a drink. A storm came through dumping rain and reducing the heat and humidity marginally. After they were done with the butterfly world, we all bought tickets for the Cable car and took it to Mount Fabor on the Singapore side. It was a pleasant ride. At the other end, we had drinks and snacks at a really nice restaurant and then everyone browsed the shops some. We eventually took the cable car back to Sentosa and the bus/tram combination back to the resort. I went off to the 7-11 to get sandwiches and got back around 7:15 pm. Bebo was already in the pool. Had a couple of drinks by the pool and then we all got in the van and drove over to the Ferry Terminal area for the magic fountain laser show. Thankfully I easily found parking and the laser show was really good, much better than what we have seen before. It lasted about 45 minutes and after that we trooped back to the car and were heading back home when we realized that there was the Chinese restaurant we had not tried. They were getting ready to close (it was about 9:30) but were willing to serve us. We ordered and then I needed to go to the restroom. The lady said it was outside and as I stepped outside I saw it was pitch dark and there was no restroom in sight, but there were plenty of trees and shrubs. So, had the opportunity of doing something that all had said is impossible to do in Singapore! Anyway, got back to the dinner and after dinner drove back to the hotel. Everyone was really tired and I was feeling bad from the cold and we called it a day.

July 12, 2006

I got up feeling quite miserable from the horrible cold I acquired. Anyhow, spent most of the morning packing and arranging things. Then woke up Ma at about 7:15. It was raining outside so it was a little dreary. Then woke Mikku up about 8:00 am and she said that Bebo had reacted to the food and had thrown up in the middle of the night. Needed to take it easy. I drove around Sentosa trying to find a place for coffee but everything was closed till 10:00 am, so got back to the resort. At about 9:30 Mikku, Tinku and Ma were ready and I had also had two people load the van with the heavier stuff. I took the three of them to the Artist’s Village bus stop and left them there so that they could walk down to the Sentosa orchid garden. It was a short walk and one needs to walk in the lane between the magic fountain area and the bus stop. I came back to the hotel, checked the three rooms and then picked up Bebo, Babul-baba and Boudi-ma and their bags and we headed out to Buri’s place. It was relatively a quick drive and we were there by about 11:00. The other group arrived by taxi from Sentosa and got there about 11:30. Buri, babul-baba and I then went out to the local mall (the one with Shop and Save) and got Ma’s watch and walked back. It was terribly hot and my cold was not helping. Later, all of us except Buri took two taxis and drove over to Clarke’s Quay by the Singapore River. Walked around there for a bit and had lunch at Hooter’s which was really odd! Then took the Singapore river boat tour and it took us down the river all the way through the downtown area and then out to the harbor by the Esplanade and Merlion park and we got an amazing view of the Singapore skyline. The commentary on the boat was good but could barely be heard over the din of the engine! It was also terribly hot. The cruises are available all over the river side and usually costs about 15 Sing per adult. The cruise lasts about 45 minutes. We were let off at Clarke’s Quay and we walked across the area to the taxi stand. I had to get money out from the ATM at the Novotel and then we took two taxis back to Buri’s place. I sat down then and arranged the pictures for printing. Buri and I went over to the mall at Singapore Post and got the pictures done and got back home by about 5:30. We then left for the airport around 6:15. Took the PIE to Changi and got there in about 20 minutes. Went to the wrong terminal first but then dropped the passengers off and parked in car park C (in Singapore the work for parking is “car park” and not “parking lot” and it is pronounced “capak”). The check in line was really slow, and in the meantime I arranged to return the car. That took about 20 minutes and because of the damage on the car it cost me the 200 Sing deposit. Eventually the India group was checked in and they went through immigration and we took a cab back to Buri’s place. Sandeep was home and we sat and chatted for some time. My cold was really working up. Eventually, we took a bus (number 67) to Little India and we ate an excellent dinner at the Raj restaurant. Since Sandeep has lived in the area for a long time he is well familiar with the restaurants. It was a great meal and it was a treat from Sandeep and Buri. We then walked back to Serangon Plaza taxi stand. It was about 10:30 at night but the place was still abuzz with activity. Finding a taxi was really difficult and Sandeep called a cab and all but Sandeep took the cab back home and then Sandeep came along in a few minutes in a second cab. We sat around and watched TV till about midnight. The couple was really nice and they let us use their bedroom as they moved into the guest room. I was feeling really ill from the cold and flu and so had a troubled night with the sneezing, coughing, and the general Singapore heat.

July 13, 2006

We got up around 7:00 after another really hot night in Singapore. Buri prepared a lovely breakfast of cucumber sandwiches and tea and coffee. Sandeep left for work at 8:30 and we sat around and chatted for a while. Srijoy was still in bed. Then around 9:30 Mikku and I left for Mustafa. We took a cab and then spent the morning shopping in Mustafa. Got some essential items and eventually got done around noon. Took another cab back to Buri’s place. Srijoy was up and was having breakfast. We did some more packing and also helped clear up the mess that we had made in her house. We also went to the food court in the Singapore Post plaza. Had an excellent lunch of tandoori chicken and nan. The heat outside was intense. Eventually got back home, packed and called for a MaxiCab. None were available so we had to hire two regular cabs and took them to Changi. Got there is plenty of time and Buri came along to see us off. She left after reaching us to the airport and we checked in, finished immigration without hassles and did a little shopping and admired the orchids at Changi and eventually boarded on time. The flight was miserable for me because of the bad cold but other than that it was eventless and we arrived in Delhi around 10:30 pm. The Radisson had sent a nice vehicle (the Toyota Inova) and we were at the hotel and in the room in no time. Extremely nice room and we called it a day. I took some more medicines to help me sleep.