tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81082568161891582142024-03-19T01:46:10.432-07:00Pinky SaysRamblings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-86040018330117780832015-10-06T06:31:00.002-07:002016-08-18T03:24:06.222-07:00China: Life as a Beijinger for 8 days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s tough to describe a country that’s so complex and
varied. In our experience, China was freakishly original, a tad alien, and fabulous.
You read a lot of stories in the media and hear about other people’s experience
and form an opinion. While I don’t contradict all, I do believe that each
traveler has a unique experience so you need to go out there and find your own
despite what you read and hear. China was like stepping out of our comfort
zone into another planet. It was so different from any other country we
had visited and the only country where we did feel like foreigners. China just blew
our minds and exceeded our expectations. </div>
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Let me start where it all began. I chanced upon a poem
written by me when I was 8 years old. When reading through the lines I realized
that though my bucket list as an adult had changed, my wish to visit the Great
Wall has remained. </div>
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So I went ahead and booked the tickets but it took me around
two weeks to inform Joy. He is quite the reluctant
traveler and I knew what his reaction would be, so had to build up a case that
China was a place he wanted to visit, he just didn’t know it yet. So I
started with the Great Wall, one of the seven wonders that’s a must see, moved
to the Forbidden City, and then sold him on the idea of the bullet train (I
don’t know whether we will see one in our lifetime in India), and the
Terracotta Warriors. He was sold out on the bullet train idea because he loves
technology but he still wasn’t fully convinced about the China trip right till we
landed and began exploring. Now he wants to live in Beijing.</div>
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<b>Let me start with places to visit
in and around Beijing</b></div>
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<b>The Great Wall:</b> Construction
first began around 221 BC by the first emperor of a unified China who ordered
that a number of existing walls along the northern border be joined into a
single system to protect China against attacks from the north. The best-known and
preserved sections of the Great Wall were built in the 14th through 17th
centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty. However, it didn’t really prevent
invaders as Genghis Khan, the mighty Mongol ruler did control most of China for
a period of time. In 1987, UNESCO designated the Great Wall as a World Heritage
site.</div>
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The best-known section of the Great Wall of China–Badaling,
is very popular and receives millions of tourists because of it’s proximity to
Beijing. The Mutianyu section is close and very popular too. There is even a
cable car that will save you a hike up to the Wall at Mutianyu for those with
limited time and it is said to be very scenic. However, I wanted something more
challenging, so researched and found that Jinshanling is the least visited
section of the wall because of its distance from Beijing and great for hiking
due to its fabulous scenic views in the mountains. </div>
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Joy and I at the Great Wall Jinshanling</div>
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The Jinshanling Great Wall starts from the Wangjinglou Tower
in the east and ends at Longyukou in the west and stretches about six miles (10
kilometers). So off we went to Jinshaling. It was a 3 hr bus ride through the
scenic countryside on the outskirts of Beijing. There were such lovely orchards on the way and we even
viewed a gorgeous sunset on the way back. Once we reached Jinshanling, we soon learnt the trek is not easy. Though it is very very
beautiful and captivating, it is also exhausting as most of the trek is a steep upward climb. Phew!</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">You see a tower in the distance and think that's my destination which doesn't look too far but the climb to reach each tower is so difficult and once you reach that tower you see a view of more towers that are higher in the mountains. Very misleading. :)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Though some
sections are restored, there are some unrestored sections so it is advisable to
tread carefully and wear suitable hiking shoes. </span></div>
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I did see folks in slippers and
floaters and wondered how they managed. Some of the steps are uneven with loose
stones. And some stairways to reach the top of the towers can be really
steep and so narrow that you have to tread sideways. I have tiny feet and still
had to struggle. It’s like climbing a high bar stool with your body and feet
placed sideways on the step for balance. I crawled my way up through many
sections as the next step was chin high for me. :D</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">In some sections, they have done away with steps altogether.
So it’s just a steep vertical climb which can make you very dizzy especially
when you look down. </span></div>
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To sum it up, you will be really out of breath coz it’s
like climbing a steep mountain which you are because this section
does lumber along the Greater and Lesser Jinshan ('Gold Mountain') Ranges.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Also remember that while hiking it is important to look
back. You get to see the way you have traversed so far and the most fabulous views.</span></div>
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Overall, the Great Wall is impressive and just took my breath away. Thanks to Vera and her stories about her Mom and Harbin that I had an entertaining bus journey to and fro. And also to Michael who waited patiently for me when I couldn't walk any more and the group had moved ahead. Travel is all about the wonderful people you meet on your journey and they will always be a part of my memories of the Great Wall.<br />
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<b>Forbidden City</b>: The
Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from 1420 to 1912 from the Ming
dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It served as the home of emperors and was
also the political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years until
their reign ended. The complex comprises around 980 buildings and now houses
the Palace Museum.<br />
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Joy at one of the courtyards in Forbidden City</div>
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We took bus no 82 from where we were staying for CNY 2 (CNY 1
is around INR 10) and it dropped us off at Tiananmen Square. We followed the
large crowd till we reached the entrance to the Tiananmen Gate. Once you enter
the square of the first building, there are ticket counters on the right for CNY
15 to enter Tiananmen Gate. We decided to proceed further to buy tickets for
the Palace Museum which is Forbidden City. Foreigners in China need to show their passports in order to buy tickets for entrance to the Palace Museum (Forbidden City complex). It costs CNY 60 per person for the entrance.<br />
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When we were in the queue, tour guides who speak English started hounding us. If you are part of a tour group, you will not face that problem but for backpackers like us, they hounded us everywhere. :D And well though it may be more convenient having a
guide in a place that hardly has any English signage or people who speak
English, it’s not impossible without one. I had done 6 months research and had information and maps in Chinese and English so I was confident I didn't need one but if you are a little lost, then maybe advisable to take a guide.<br />
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I had spoken to a lot of people on how vast the complex is so avoided going to the buildings on the right or left and
kept walking straight from building to building. It still took us a little over two
hours because so much to see and read. There are free English brochures available in the information center as you enter the main hall. The brochure provides not only a bit of history but also a map of the entire complex so you can choose which building you want to see. Outside each building, there are inscriptions
describing what the buildings are in Mandarin as well as English for
foreign tourists. So as I've mentioned before, if you are adventurous and confident enough, you can visit without a guide.<br />
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Do note that Forbidden City has a daily limit of 85000 visitors. So if you are not part of a tour group who would have bought the tickets online for you, do go early to buy your tickets before it reaches the limit. Since the day we visited was a Chinese National Holiday, by noon there were already 85000 visitors and they had stopped issuing tickets.<br />
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View of more buildings inside the complex</div>
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Some of the buildings were fascinating but I did get bored after a while. I mean there is a limit to how many of the Emperor’s ceremonial hall or courts, living quarters for the household, the hall where he selected his concubines, and the quarters where they stayed that you can view.<br />
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History is fascinating and the architecture is detailed and
lovely but after a while it all got blurred and looked the same. My personal
opinion aside, I still feel it is a must see if you visit Beijing. The
Forbidden City is impressive and UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in
1987.</div>
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<b>Jingshan Hill:</b>
Even before exiting Forbidden City, I could spy the Pavilion at Jingshan Hill
and that fascinated me. I had read so much about the views that
couldn’t wait to reach it. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The view of Forbidden City from the hill is
splendid.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Panoramic view of the old and new Beijing from the top of Jingshan hill</span></div>
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Jingshan hill is an artificial hill constructed entirely
from the soil excavated in forming the moats of the Imperial Palace and nearby
canals almost 1000 years ago. It is also known as Coal Hill, from an old rumor
that the emperors kept a hidden stash in the park. The last emperor of the Ming
Dynasty, Chongzhen, committed suicide by hanging himself here in 1644. The
entrance ticket is CNY 2.</div>
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The Jingshan Park is
fabulous and well maintained. Since it was their national holiday, we saw
groups of people congregating in various areas of the park, carrying the
national flag and singing. It was a very festive atmosphere.</div>
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<b>Lama Temple: </b>The
Lama Temple known as Yonghe Temple was built in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty.
It originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs and was later converted
into the court for Prince Yong, a future Yongzheng Emperor. After Yongzheng's
ascension to the throne in 1722, half of the building was converted into a monastery
for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace.<br />
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Worshippers lighting incense sticks</div>
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The Buddha in the main hall</div>
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Gods, worshipers, and a monk charging at those of us with cameras</div>
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The entrance ticket cost us CNY 25 and they also gave us a
CD, which we are yet to view. There are 5 main halls, and almost each hall had
3 statues of Buddha. </div>
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<b>Confucius Temple:</b>
After exiting the lama temple, we stumbled upon the Confucius temple quite by
chance while exploring the lanes on the opposite side of the road. It’s just
about a km from the Lama Temple and the entrance ticket cost CNY 30. It’s
lovely. Don’t miss it if you visit the Lama Temple.<br />
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Posing with Confucius</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCR4GNim6_VvENCxRvmIAtwtUAhNXir0Jk5ao8eRIW45dBtWwb5vbYIaCTalgMFb5ZQTuTKciwm31F8DIeHmvtG88y5-DMqTyuhK64vMZOooT7Fq_EyjvO0wgoncwjNetdWh-7AIFBQc/s1600/Joy+at+Confucius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCR4GNim6_VvENCxRvmIAtwtUAhNXir0Jk5ao8eRIW45dBtWwb5vbYIaCTalgMFb5ZQTuTKciwm31F8DIeHmvtG88y5-DMqTyuhK64vMZOooT7Fq_EyjvO0wgoncwjNetdWh-7AIFBQc/s640/Joy+at+Confucius.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Joy at the Confucius Temple complex</div>
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Interesting tree in front of the structure at the Confucius Temple complex</div>
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<b>Summer Palace: </b>The
Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing,
China. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World
Heritage List. The day we visited, it was a Chinese holiday, so it was crowded,
and no buggies were plying to take us around so we were forced to walk. It was
cold, windy, and the lake waters were choppy so we couldn’t even get a boat
ride to get to the other shore. </div>
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View of the Summer Palace from the entrance</div>
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Joy at the entrance. It was a cold windy day and we were ill equipped for the weather. </div>
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Posing at the Willow Bridge. It was so serene and lovely</div>
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Funny signs at the lake side of Summer Palace</div>
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If you do visit, my tip is to take the buggy.
Walking is all nice for exercise but in China all these places are so large that
it can get tiring especially if you are trying to squeeze in other places in
your itinerary. I’m exhausted even thinking of it because we walked for 4 to 5
hrs around the area before we could exit. Yes, it is that vast.</div>
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<b>Temple of Heaven: </b>Also
known as the Altar of Heaven is a medieval complex of religious buildings. The Emperors
of the Ming and Qing dynasties visited the complex for annual ceremonies of
prayer for good harvest. The surrounding park is vast, well maintained, and you
will see playgrounds, old folks congregating and doing tai chi and other
exercises.</div>
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The Temple of Heaven complex</div>
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<b>Accommodation</b></div>
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After booking the flights, next step was finding the accommodation. I went through reviews for hotels in several sites but just wasn’t happy. Then I chanced upon this listing in Airbnb and knew I had found the perfect place for our Beijing stay. This home is in one of the few remaining Hutong areas (alleyways) of old Beijing, with courtyard houses in traditional architecture. </div>
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Entrance to the home where we stayed in the hutongs</div>
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View of the traditional Beijing homes from the terrace of our home in the hutongs</div>
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It was the most charming place to stay for two vagabonds like Joy and I. There was a lovely open kitchen where we could make our own breakfast and snacks. The kitchen was stocked with fruit salad, milk, different types of cereals, homemade bread, cakes, cookies, juice, tea, coffee, and even beer which we could help ourselves to whenever we wanted but we rarely did as we were out since morning. The residence was in a quiet lane and yet a 2 to 3 minute walk from the noisy and bustling restaurants and bars near the lake, less than 10 minutes walk from the Drum and Bell tower, and around 3 to 4 kms walk from the Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Jingshan hill, and other historical sites. <br />
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Our stay there was fabulous and we met some wonderful people. Andrew (visiting from Melbourne) was our unofficial guide to every place in and around Beijing. He also gave us helpful tips for the next part of our journey to Xian for the Terracotta Warriors. Andrew and Yang Zhi (our host) were kind enough to make last minute reservations for us at one of the popular restaurants that served Peking Duck. So off Joy and I went with Jag (an artist from Jamaica) and Andrew for a delicious meal with wonderful company and interesting stories to share. </div>
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View of the Bell and Drum Towers from the terrace</div>
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A bar overlooking the lake. At night it is crowded with music streaming. Most bars around the lake have entertainment with their in-house band</div>
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Our taxi driver dropped us till the Yandai Xiejie hutong known as Crooked Street in English, our host came to receive us and we wheeled our luggage through tiny alleys for about 5 minutes to reach their gorgeous home. Quite an adventure! </div>
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Crooked Street - entrance to our hutongs where the taxi dropped us off</div>
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The lanes are quite tiny and vehicles cannot enter but they do have rickshaws that charge an exorbitant amount to take tourists around. There were two subway lines 6 and 8 around five minutes walk from their home, and depending on which part of the city we were visiting, the subway was what we used the most to get around Beijing. It was a time-saver, inexpensive, and very convenient.</div>
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<b>Transportation<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Well, like in India, there is the good and the bad. You read
a lot of the taxi and rickshaw scams and just like any place in the world you
need to be careful. In the stations and airports, it is advised to go to the
designated taxi stands and take the metered cabs to avoid getting cheated.
There will be touts trying to get you out of the queue but do not go with them because
there are horror stories of passengers being fleeced for astronomical sums. </div>
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The only times we used taxis in Beijing was to and fro the
airport, and on the way to Summer Palace when we accidentally got down in the
wrong subway station and were totally lost and couldn’t figure out where to
proceed. However, must say the three cab drivers we got, though they didn’t
know a word of English, were nice and didn’t fleece us. We carried a tourist
map with us that had listings of all historical places in Chinese and English,
so we communicated by just pointing out the name in Chinese whether in the
subways or cabs or the bus.</div>
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We made extensive use of the subway to visit all tourist
destinations and even to the Beijing railway station to book our fast train
tickets to Xian (which I will cover in another post). Our host provided us with
smart cards that can be swiped in the Beijing bus and subway network. We filled
about CNY 70 and still had around 30 remaining for their next visitor when we
handed back the card. Beijing has an extensive network of around 15 lines and
once you figure out the system, it is the most convenient, reliable, fast, and
inexpensive way to get around. They even have English signs and announcements
for the stations when you are in the train but always good to look at the map
on top of the door and figure out. Do remember it’s hard to find anyone who
speaks English so always good to know where you will be heading and what lines you
may have to change to reach the destination station. </div>
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For example, even though we had to change 3 trains to get to
Beijing West railway station, it just took us around 20 minutes. We had to
swipe entry in the first station we entered on line 8, then get on the train and get
off at a line 6 station, then we proceeded to another platform where we could
get the line 6 transfer line, again board the line 6 train and get off at a line 9 transfer
line. Again, when you reach line 9, proceed to the line 9 transfer platform,
get on the train and get off at Beijing West railway station. At the exit point
is where you need to swipe your card again and then it will display the amount
debited and amount pending on the screen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHESD1ihYrsK6cQN8_OSKUde5rtdBPIwhE-bXCynmVX2d07wcy2fASqldWmvcuooiTSHCJaU-ju7or3IgL3eScckxiS1p3MCIrYCpP_GRPJ9Hcg8R4lpIxL242JImOEIGR0Gb4Rr_XC9I/s1600/Subway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHESD1ihYrsK6cQN8_OSKUde5rtdBPIwhE-bXCynmVX2d07wcy2fASqldWmvcuooiTSHCJaU-ju7or3IgL3eScckxiS1p3MCIrYCpP_GRPJ9Hcg8R4lpIxL242JImOEIGR0Gb4Rr_XC9I/s640/Subway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The names of the stations and transfer lines are provided in English too at the top of the door in every train. Tiantandongmen on line 5 was the subway station to reach Temple of Heaven</span></div>
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I know it sounds tricky but once you get the hang of it, it’s
very simple and easy. There are trains every 1 to 2 minutes. The frequency is so
good you don’t even need to wait very long and you can cover very large
distances that may take 1 to 2 hours by road in just a few minutes. At the end
of our trip, Joy and I felt like Beijingers because most days we would take at
least 9 to 12 trains to and fro. That’s how extensively we used the subway.</div>
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Another important thing to remember when travelling by subway is to figure out the exits. When you exit the subway, there are signs and maps at the exit points telling you where the exit leads even in English. If you get off at a different exit, you may not be able to find the place or you may have to walk a lot to your destination as we discovered. We got off at a wrong exit when visiting the Military Museum. The subway too had only street names and no signs for the Military Museum so we went back, binged it (Google, facebook, twitter, YouTube and most other sites that we frequently use are banned in China) and visited again next day this time using the correct exit. We did find it but unfortunately to Joy's dismay, they had reached their daily limit of visitors.</div>
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<b>Personal Opinions<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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People who have visited did warn us about racism, pollution, smog, cleanliness, the cuisine, and even the lack of English that is
a big hindrance to communication when you move around. Some Twitter travel chat
folks had some horror stories and wished me all the best. I do admit I was a
little apprehensive but my desire to hike the Great Wall was
much more than my worries. And while I do know that some points can be deterrents, like I've mentioned earlier, each traveler has a unique experience.</div>
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<b>1) Interaction with the locals:</b> We did feel foreign, which we were in their land but not
in a bad way. In the subway, folks did stare but more out of curiosity as
to who are these 2 brown skinned people and where are they from. And it's not an uncomfortable deadbeat stare that
Indians have, they look away immediately. They would smile and even make room for us to sit once the crowd
lessened. During rush hour in Xian, the subways were crowded and we let two
trains pass by because we just couldn’t get in. The third train, this lady got
in, gestured, and pulled us in. Despite the communication barrier, they would
point at Joy’s watch, phone, or something on his T-shirt and try and make
conversation. Most were obsessed with his Jeep cap. Though Joy had no clue what
they were talking about, Joy would smile, nod back, and reply. People were very
friendly and nice.<br />
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In Forbidden City, a middle-aged man who may have been
visiting from out of Beijing, came over to Joy and asked him something. Joy
thought he wanted his photo taken so offered. The man shook his head and
pointed to Joy and then him. That’s when we figured out he wanted a photo with
Joy. His friend came over and clicked a photo of them. In another incident, we were tired so sat down on the steps of a building when this group of women in their 20s or 30s
appear, smiles at me, says something in mandarin, sits next to us, then I notice the
selfie stick at the end with Joy and me included in their group pic, they
click, say bye bye and leave. It was fun.<br />
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Another thing that I
noticed was there are security checks everywhere in the entrance to all subways
and even Forbidden City. Whereas the Chinese old woman in front of me was
frisked to such an extent that she was almost dancing, I walked over and was
just whisked through without a check. It happened too many times so am guessing
they don’t frisk foreigners.</div>
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<b>2) Pollution and smog:</b> Beijing is a big city and am sure
pollution levels are really high but we didn’t face the smog. Guess we got lucky coz it had rained before we reached
and all we saw were clear blue skies. Smog does exist and I heard people need
to wear masks and move around when the levels get high but we didn’t face it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjteMtQ5kbIY5bbFaBGhbHarUlh2_X7PaZbGot30mtrAR9cHzJAcjA3hON4UyQAmOSTNsGL7P7rkrBABljMls4R222HQdFCgdTm6rYddOihTRq8vqgOrABHaSj8SO_GXDJPQqT4vofqM/s1600/Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjteMtQ5kbIY5bbFaBGhbHarUlh2_X7PaZbGot30mtrAR9cHzJAcjA3hON4UyQAmOSTNsGL7P7rkrBABljMls4R222HQdFCgdTm6rYddOihTRq8vqgOrABHaSj8SO_GXDJPQqT4vofqM/s640/Blue.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Clear blue skies</div>
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<b>3) Cleanliness:</b> Despite what I had read about the dirt
everywhere in China, I found Beijing to be one of the cleanest cities I’ve
visited. I heard that things started changing mainly during the Beijing
Olympics when the government was on a mission to clean up China and showcase it
to the world. The streets are clean, the subways, and parks are very clean but
sometimes the public loos can be a little filthy especially outside the station areas. </div>
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<b>4) Cuisine:</b> Before I left and after I got back from China,
the first question most folks asked me was what am I planning to eat, or how was the food, and how did I
manage. Many asked me whether I tried scorpions or snakes. While we did not eat creepy crawlies and bugs, which are available mainly in the night markets, it’s not the predominant food. China has so much to offer in terms of cuisine and we did have our hits and misses similar to any cuisine around the world even in India. While the famed Peking Duck may not have been my favorite, I loved the Fish Manchow, wild mushroom dish, and the serving of green leafy vegetables suggested by Andrew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_1TsUSdDtUGpBqJL4LGJMXcOM9w36tdCTP7K0q-l7HRLnQ4RDiisyy9HAGaf2i2vAFv7g_Uhqx1m_OrxKxSpL3SBjXTM59VsQrL4V6mKge37TYdP8BwMZIvNfBJH8y0jqDhEK_yT4Xw/s1600/peking+duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_1TsUSdDtUGpBqJL4LGJMXcOM9w36tdCTP7K0q-l7HRLnQ4RDiisyy9HAGaf2i2vAFv7g_Uhqx1m_OrxKxSpL3SBjXTM59VsQrL4V6mKge37TYdP8BwMZIvNfBJH8y0jqDhEK_yT4Xw/s640/peking+duck.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The famed Peking Duck, Fish Manchow, accompanied by some greens</div>
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Chinese cuisine is as varied as Indian cuisine depending
on the regions so it's difficult to classify them all as one type. Joy and I always loved Sichuan cuisine (In India we may be
familiar with Szechwan) for its spicy flavors resulting from use of garlic and
chilli peppers. We also liked Hunan cuisine and the
Uyghur cuisine from Xinjiang, the Chinese Muslim province. Joy freaked out on
the lamb chops and kebabs in the Muslim Quarters of Xian. I will be covering Xian in another post.</div>
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Most restaurants serve lamb and chicken besides pork and beef. They also serve some tasty vegetable dishes. The menu is usually in Mandarin but they have pictures of the dishes, so it was easy to select and point to the side of greens that we wanted to accompany our main meal of fish and meat. Of course, at times, we didn’t know what meat we were eating till much later, but what we ate in China stays in China.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmakLwwxTmNenMK_hyphenhyphen_9P3M_GX7sIqxKIhX9BJuPpAb5Xb260YBVPgIOVVoLPB28JenTo8v9j-63deP2fVm4drgYWfTrt7ZnLcqwvfzWpE0Nm3wydSobAOKOWrp4UMDDg7OEsxqOYZAuQ/s1600/Muslim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmakLwwxTmNenMK_hyphenhyphen_9P3M_GX7sIqxKIhX9BJuPpAb5Xb260YBVPgIOVVoLPB28JenTo8v9j-63deP2fVm4drgYWfTrt7ZnLcqwvfzWpE0Nm3wydSobAOKOWrp4UMDDg7OEsxqOYZAuQ/s640/Muslim.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Dining at the Muslim Quarters in Xian</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNN8-kvQbm4mofWYtdPkNmFElrku5DKPZURkaN1zCoT-m_SIV6tYj5YSGMb_Yz7qHGPNwXuj3AmrGhuO06Rm-IQEwrVI0zdVNwKIDmjTrYc38u3Wk6mgj0fNbxKYZ1h_l-1w_R1BqSiSs/s1600/Food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNN8-kvQbm4mofWYtdPkNmFElrku5DKPZURkaN1zCoT-m_SIV6tYj5YSGMb_Yz7qHGPNwXuj3AmrGhuO06Rm-IQEwrVI0zdVNwKIDmjTrYc38u3Wk6mgj0fNbxKYZ1h_l-1w_R1BqSiSs/s640/Food.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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While sightseeing, Joy and I would pick up steamed dumplings or steamed buns for sustenance when we couldn't have a proper meal. This reminded me of the delicious Tangra breakfast that Pauline would pack for me on a Monday morning. I remember visiting one of the street markets in Kolkata early in the morning with Sandra and Julie where we feasted on one the most delicious breakfast of steamed buns, dumplings and so on. When in school, I think most of my education about China was from the stories Julie told us about her visit and how varied the cuisine was depending on the region especially for those who lived near the borders of Afghanistan, Russia, or Mongolia.<br />
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Another point to note is that fork and spoons are rare so if you are uncomfortable with chopsticks, you can carry your own cutlery. We got so used to chopsticks, that on the flight back home we were finding it difficult to use cutlery.</div>
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<b>5) English:</b> Most of the posts I’ve read complain
about the lack of English but for god’s sake you are in China after all. :) China's population is
almost 1.4 billion comprising around 20% of the world’s population so they can survive
quite fine with their language. Also, unlike Hong Kong and India which were under colonial rule for more than a century for English to have made inroads, mainland China was quite untouched. The government has been taking steps so that the next generation learn English especially in Beijing and Shanghai and you may find folks at the information desk of airports and
some stations who speak passable Chinglish. However, it’s still rare to meet folks who
understand even a word of English when travelling across China. For us, that’s
what made it more fascinating.</div>
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Those who visit with tour groups don’t need to bother about lack of English because your guide will shepherd you from place to place but for backpackers like Joy and me it was an adventure. Yes, we did face several challenges but that's part of traversing the road less traveled! China wouldn’t have been as fun if we hadn’t had the chance to discover things for ourselves. Yes, at times it was a merry go round but it was worth the merry go round.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There is so much more to this country and I wish to go back and explore the rest some day. But for now, just happy with the memories of my one and only trip. Will try and cover the bullet train journey to Xian for the Terracotta Warriors for travelers in another post.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-25996615273951071352015-04-09T00:57:00.000-07:002015-06-09T00:36:58.500-07:00Spectacular Langkawi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Such gorgeous islands with crystal clear sea water and perfect sandy beaches. Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 beautiful islands located in the Andaman sea, 5 of which remain submerged and can be viewed sometimes during low tide. To get there we flew Malindo Air (recommended by a Twitter chat buddy) from the domestic airport in KL called Subang to the main island Pulau Langkawi (Pulau means Island). The ticket price was around INR 1100 (USD 17.6) return per adult and it was an hour's flight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDEONFnb7csZcKaEqukqjAUjroHlSkHSoX1atFrqjiueHOxrn_S3GvObaD3a_myPXPIlHZv2qZ8XjLoZcN4RgZD8qPt2R6bpfR0h86Un-o_5nuJXwpjLbb2gm0LW9FRN8oj1XypU90Vw/s1600/20150401_131352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDEONFnb7csZcKaEqukqjAUjroHlSkHSoX1atFrqjiueHOxrn_S3GvObaD3a_myPXPIlHZv2qZ8XjLoZcN4RgZD8qPt2R6bpfR0h86Un-o_5nuJXwpjLbb2gm0LW9FRN8oj1XypU90Vw/s1600/20150401_131352.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The stunning Cenang beach</div>
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Langkawi is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its stunning geological landscapes such as the numerous geo-parks, caves, mangroves, islands, limestone rocks and fossils that are millions of years old.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx5prHbnq5Q/VSEynsnKi_I/AAAAAAAAKys/6ZwiJKpoHNI/s1600/DSCN2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx5prHbnq5Q/VSEynsnKi_I/AAAAAAAAKys/6ZwiJKpoHNI/s1600/DSCN2564.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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While driving around the island, we would come across such gorgeous random white sandy beaches and would stop for clicks. Nature at it's disgustingly stunning best! ;)</div>
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Accommodation you will find plenty on the internet for all ranges but I decided to stay at a backpackers hostel recommended by a blogger. It cost us RM 20 by cab from the airport to the hostel. There are dorms available too but that would have been a bit of a bother for Joy so booked an AC double room instead for RM 80 per night. Rooms were very basic with an attached bathroom with no toiletries, a TV (that we never got time to watch), a fridge, a double bed with a soft mattress, and towels were provided. There was a tiny portico in front of every room where you could lie on the hammock, two chairs with a table overlooking the common garden, and even a clothes rack to dry your clothes. The hostel even had a canteen that was open till 11 pm where you could meet visitors from around the world. Very basic but cost effective for those on a budget.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-muai_vke_Mg/VSFIreZu-zI/AAAAAAAAK0s/FEN7T_hHsWA/s1600/DSCN2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-muai_vke_Mg/VSFIreZu-zI/AAAAAAAAK0s/FEN7T_hHsWA/s1600/DSCN2252.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The canteen at the hostel. We hardly ate here because preferred the local meals in the restaurants nearby but it was a nice place to meet other folks, read, collect maps and other guide books and discuss the various tours. Location was fantastic because the main Pantai Cenang main road was just a 5 minute walk and yet this place was quiet in a secluded lane.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVyUMOHrd8M/VSJ7sfCKjnI/AAAAAAAAK34/SgIu6mKDz1w/s1600/20150401_191624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVyUMOHrd8M/VSJ7sfCKjnI/AAAAAAAAK34/SgIu6mKDz1w/s1600/20150401_191624.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Sunset at Cenang beach. Just a 5 minute walk to all the pubs restaurants on this beach from the hostel.</div>
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We hired a car from T-Shoppe which has branches all over to explore the island. It cost us RM 110 per day for a small car and that was really convenient and comfortable. You can hire bikes too at RM 30 but for all the beach destinations we visit, Joy and I still can't stand the sultry weather. Petrol is cheap. Don't remember the exact price but we did fill RM 20 worth of gas and drove around almost 12 hrs a day for 2 days. We must have covered the complete island at least 3 times and directions were very easy as road signs were everywhere and we also carried a map. The roads are nice and there is hardly any traffic. Also, the drivers are very disciplined and maintain distance between cars. Didn't see any bumper to bumper traffic even in Kuah Town.</div>
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Now about sightseeing. There are many tours that you can go on. Some tours have a pick up and drop from your hotel. You can shop around or check with the hotel because most have a tour desk.</div>
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1) Island hopping tour is the most popular. We paid RM 30 per adult. It is a 4 hr tour. A van arrives to pick up all guests from the hotels and there you are taken to the harbour where the trip begins.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCPAkQCuaTSMXBLIHc459sYlKefuUb8rnFt69IJXVIXh8aXPQaZYdN1dGZ099Ce9CrSXeOCad1itUgV94i8eFXMTzK1w113IjlQeAk3WTQWHQeIUaQznEJ7_ygi24pwbKpkgjbobFBME/s1600/20150329_141346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCPAkQCuaTSMXBLIHc459sYlKefuUb8rnFt69IJXVIXh8aXPQaZYdN1dGZ099Ce9CrSXeOCad1itUgV94i8eFXMTzK1w113IjlQeAk3WTQWHQeIUaQznEJ7_ygi24pwbKpkgjbobFBME/s1600/20150329_141346.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The harbour where the island hopping tour begins</div>
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Visitors are first taken by boat to the Pulau Dayang Bunting. Once you reach this island, it is a 10-15 minute walk through a forested path that is steep at times to reach the Pregnant Maiden lake. There are monkeys on the way so it's advisable to keep any edibles and water bottles safely in the bags. Don't try to feed the monkeys as some overzealous tourists did despite numerous signs. They can get aggressive and just wouldn't leave them. The Pregnant Maiden lake is a scenic freshwater lake surrounded by mountains. You can swim here or go on a pedal boat ride.</div>
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At the Pregnant Maiden Lake</div>
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Next, we were taken on a thrilling fast boat ride crossing several islands, and then the boatman stopped for eagle feeding. It was quite a sight watching the eagles swoop to catch the small dead fish thrown into the water. Langkawi's main symbol is a reddish brown eagle. The word Langkawi has been derived out of two local words. 'Lang' which comes from the word 'helang' meaning Eagle, and the word 'kawi' stands for 'reddish brown'. </div>
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To catch an eagle</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This huge majestic structure of a reddish brown eagle at the Eagle Square in Kuah town facing the waters at the Jetty, symbolizes Langkawi's deep connection with the birds.</span></div>
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At the end of the island hopping tour, we were taken to the breathtaking Beras Basah island where visitors can again swim in the clear sea waters for an hour. If not interested in swimming, you can lounge in the shade and just relax.<br />
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The beach at Beras Basah</div>
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2) The mangrove tour is a 6 hour tour and cost us around RM 85 per person. The tour begins at 9 am. Again, all tourists are picked up from their respective hotels and driven to the gorgeous Tanjung Rhu beach where the tour begins.<br />
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This was the Tanjung Rhu beach where we boarded our boats for the mangrove tour</div>
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This tour was quite an experience and we got a fantastic guide called Wan who regaled us with anecdotes about all the places we visited on this tour to the Kilim Nature Park. It felt like another world compared to our mundane city lives. Spread over an area of 100 sq km, the Kilim Nature Park comprises well-protected green mangrove forests, isolated white beaches and blue lagoons.<br />
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It was fascinating learning about the flora and fauna and the natural inhabitants of the forest. We saw swimming monkeys, various eagles, visited the crocodile cave, the stinky bat cave, and even the fish farms in the open sea. The only disappointment was lunch at one of the fish farms which was included in our tour price. We were served soup, salad, fried rice, and chicken nuggets. Most of us were disappointed because we were looking forward to eating fish at a fish farm and not chicken. So I would advise those interested in a fishy meal that you check with your tour guide at the time of booking.<br />
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Hole in the Wall fish farm which also has a restaurant serving amazing sea food. You can book with them separately if you want to dine here and they send a boat to pick you up and drop you back.</div>
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Swimming monkeys at the mangroves. It's a really tough life for them in these forests because these forests don't produce any fruits. So these monkeys survive on whatever the land provides or rather the water so mainly fish. Every living being here is either prey or the predator.</div>
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Boat ride through the dense mangroves</div>
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The crocodile cave</div>
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This was the exit from the stinky bat cave to the mangrove forest. We needed flashlights to view the bats on the roof of the cave. Bats are nocturnal animals</div>
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3) My favorite was the Sky Cable. Such fantastic views. Tickets are available at RM 35 per adult but I decided to go for the crystal cable cars that cost RM 85 because there are no queues for that and I love the glass bottomed floors.<br />
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You enter the oriental village where there are several shops to pick up souvenirs and then reach the base station from where you can purchase the tickets. From the base station, you continue till the middle station where you can get off in the view points and take pictures and then continue to the top station.<br />
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View of the Sky Bridge from the cable car</div>
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The sky bridge is still in progress as shown in the picture above. However, it is partially opened and there was a long circuitous hazardous climb on steep broken mountain paths to reach this spot. We had to pay RM 5 and sign a form stating that the state government would not be responsible for any accident that may occur during the trek to the sky bridge. I huffed and puffed along with other tourists to reach the sky bridge but the views were so worth it. It was scary standing on the bridge and they had these glass floors installed in several sections to add to the fear factor.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPtYySZfR98/VSFH4gwaSJI/AAAAAAAAK0Q/rxaBBYwKyB4/s1600/DSCN2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPtYySZfR98/VSFH4gwaSJI/AAAAAAAAK0Q/rxaBBYwKyB4/s1600/DSCN2204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the Sky Bridge</div>
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However, once the sky bridge is complete, which should be in a month or so, it should be just a 100 meters walk from the top station.<br />
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4) Seven Wells Waterfall is near the sky cable station but that involves a trek like everything else so would advise you to go on this trek another day. We drove down early morning and the place was really empty. You have to hike up the steps carved in the mountain and then there is a sign on the right where you need to get off that path and go to view the waterfall. It's through a forest and it was really eerie as we could hear the sound of the animals in the forest and Joy and I were the only ones on that mountain path. Since there were no rains for over 2 months, the waterfall was just a trickle but the natural beauty of the forest and the pools are still worth it. You also have a view of the cable car station from the waterfall. There was no charge for visiting the waterfalls. We just paid RM 2 for the parking.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Over 2000 steps and you are only halfway there and then the jungle dirt trail begins</span></div>
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Then you have to walk back to the point where you took a detour and continue upwards. It's very very tiring. Every place in Malaysia involved so many steps. :) I thought I was done with hiking after Mount Batur in Bali but I was wrong. It was a grueling trek up for half an hour and we thought we had reached the seven wells once we spied a clearing with pools of water. But the sign there said that was the starting point for seven wells and we were only half way there. Phew!<br />
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The view of the stationary cable cars from the waterfall was pretty eerie</div>
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We were exhausted but decided to give it a try. The jungle path got narrower, the trees were tall and dense and we couldn't see the sky even though it was around 10 am. There were monkey fights and all kinds of creepy crawlies in the jungle so after a 10 minute hike we decided to head back coz we didn't meet any people on that path. And everywhere there were signs saying the state government wasn't responsible for any casualty. :) The waterfall was tiring but that's the easy part. Not too far but the seven wells seemed to be high on the mountains above and would have loved to see the view from there but oh well maybe another time. We were just not prepared for a trek.<br />
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Besides the tours, we loved exploring the beaches, driving through random isolated stretches of road, and visiting restaurants and pubs across the island. The cuisine is a mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian food. In the main street areas, you also get a lot of continental food so there's something for every palette including Arabic and Thai.<br />
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Pantai Cenang stretch had so many wonderful places to dine and we explored quite a few. Tomato restaurant was one of my favorites. It had the most delicious buffet of my favorite fishy dishes and didn't cost much around RM 15-25 for 2. Joy and I sure have large appetites for two tiny people and considering the amount we walked, instead of losing weight, we gained a few kilos with all that good food. :D<br />
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I also loved the Yellow Beach Cafe and The Cliff (which was a little pricey compared to other places but food was great and fantastic views) overlooking the Cenang beach. I think my favorite pub would have to be Naam OMG at the Cenang Mall. They had live music and the singers who were a husband wife duo were so talented and could sing any genre and in so many languages from Arabic to Korean to popular english numbers and even Bollywood. And to top it he played so many musical instruments beautifully, the trumpet, drums, guitar, but I loved the flute. Every night after dinner and drinks at other places, we would head there just for the music before calling it a night.<br />
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Lunch at The Cliff which had fabulous views. Crab fried rice, succulent lamb gravy, and roti</div>
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Another reason to visit Langkawi is shopping. There are loads of duty free outlets and most stuff here is much cheaper than in KL. We are not much of shoppers but seeing the prices Joy turned into such a shopaholic that we had to buy a suitcase and pay excess baggage to tow all that back home. So much for duty free. ;)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-34157093750205289342015-04-08T00:56:00.003-07:002016-10-15T02:00:49.485-07:00Kuala Lumpur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another vacation over, another one to plan through the hot summer days. Don't know when that will be but planning keeps me going. Always feel in a state of limbo after a vacation...the memories stay with you awhile till life seeps in and makes me wake up to my reality. :)<br />
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So here are some notes from my trip in case you decide to visit Kuala Lumpur. Will cover Langkawi in the next post.<br />
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Let me start with the things I loved about KL.<br />
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1) The cuisine was delicious and the prices are fantastic. There's something for everyone. We could have a meal with drinks at a posh restaurant somewhere in Pavilion Mall and spend RM 80 to 150 (RM 1 is around INR 18) per meal or choose to dine in the numerous curry houses or food courts with their delicious beef, lamb, chicken, fish fries and curries and spend RM 15 to 20.<br />
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My personal favorite were the curry houses. The aromas whenever we went by those curry houses always made my stomach growl. :) I am a fishy person so dined on ikan (fish) most meals including breakfast.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">My staple breakfast diet was roti sardin which cost just around RM 3.</span></div>
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If Indian folks don't want to try the local cuisine, there are plenty of Indian restaurants around serving vegetarian fare but don't know much about those because Joy and I didn't venture there.<br />
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2) The skywalks were so convenient and comfortable for pedestrians to get around. There was a skywalk right next to our hotel which we used to get anywhere and everywhere. We could use the skywalk to get to Pavilion Mall right across the street, to get to the monorail station on the opposite side, and even the train station at KLCC, or to Petronas.
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On our way back via the skywalk from KLCC </div>
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There are different exits to reach various buildings and points and there are clearly marked signs everywhere. Petronas was just a 10 minute walk away from our hotel using the skywalk. Bonus was that it's air conditioned so you get some relief from the sultry weather outside.<br />
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3) We also found the public transport fantastic;the public buses, trains, or monorail that we used to get around whether it was to visit the mall at KL Sentral or for our sightseeing trips in and around KL. Most of these stations were in a mall or lead to a mall so there were plenty of information desks to ask for information in case you got lost. Will write more about the costs later.<br />
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Okay so I found the food delicious, people friendly and nice and very helpful, the transportation was comfortable. Now about things that weren't so comfortable. :) One was the sultry weather. Second were the filthy public loos whether in the malls, restaurants, and even the domestic terminal Subang Airport.<br />
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Let's move on to sightseeing in and around KL:<br />
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1) Petronas is a landmark in KL. You can view glimpses of these towers from many parts of the city. We were lucky that we were staying just a 10 minute walk from Petronas and this was the place we headed to once we landed and reached our hotel. We had time to kill before our check-in at 12 noon and since we reached at 8 am made sense to head out. I decided to heed the advice of my Twitter travel chat buddy and instead of paying RM 90 per person to go inside the towers as we've seen too many views from Asian high rise buildings, headed to the park opposite Petronas. The park is so well maintained and it was lovely walking around and getting glimpses of different views of the towers.<br />
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The night before our trip ended, we did go back to get night shots. They have a musical show at the fountains in front of the towers every day at 9 pm and it was gorgeous to watch.
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There were several visitors sitting near the steps in front of Petronas to watch the show but then you have your back to the towers. I would advise visitors to go to the other side of the park where you can click pictures of the dancing fountains with the Petronas as the backdrop.<br />
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2) Next were the Batu Caves. We checked in at the hotel after lunch, took a shower, and decided to head to Batu Caves. The guy at the reception gave us a map with instructions how to get to Batu Caves. Since we were at KLCC, we had to first reach KL Sentral that is the hub of all transportation and then take a train to Batu Caves.<br />
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Train to Batu Caves from KL Sentral</div>
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A 2 minute walk from our hotel over the skywalk and we were at the closest monorail station Raja Chulhan. Bukit Bintang station is also close by but we found the crowd less at Raja Chulhan and preferred it coz we always found seats. We bought our tickets from the kiosk at around RM 2.40 per person, collected our change and the tokens, and off we went to KL Sentral in 10 minutes. When you exit the monorail station, you are right at the KL Sentral mall. From there, you just need to take a few escalators up and down inside the mall before you reach the KTM Komuter counter where you can purchase tickets for Batu Caves. There is an information desk right at the entrance to the mall in case you are lost or need directions. We purchased return tickets for RM 4 and headed downstairs to catch the train. Didn't have to wait long. The train arrived in 5 minutes. A very inexpensive air conditioned ride to and fro. The last station was Batu Caves so we got off there, exited the train station and the entrance to the Batu Caves is right there.<br />
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There were no entry fees for Batu Caves so just had to spend on the transportation to get there. We ignored the monkeys and climbed all those steps to the top cave. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Murugan at the topmost cave and once you reach the top of the steps you find hawkers selling KL memorabilia.<br />
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3) The last day of our trip, after we got back from Paradise Langkawi, we visited Genting Highlands. The previous night I met my Twitter friend Carole who is travelling the world and volunteering along the way. She decided to join us and decided to have a vote on where to go next based on the cable car ride. Here's her post:<br />
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<a href="https://dropmeanywhere.com/2015/04/13/vote-pinky-and-the-cable-car/">https://dropmeanywhere.com/2015/04/13/vote-pinky-and-the-cable-car/</a><br />
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So dawn breaks and we wake up and off we go on that familiar route. We go to KL Sentral by monorail and hope to catch the Genting Highland Bus from there but when we reached the counter they told us the next bus is in 2 hrs. So we decided to take a cab instead. In the prepaid counter, they asked for RM 90 but Carole mentioned that we should take the red taxi outside coz they are cheaper than the blue ones. We got a red taxi for RM 70 and the driver dropped us off at the cable car station. We decided to take the bus back so that we could experience the bus ride. How do I write about different modes of transport if I don't try the bus? :) So we went to the counter got a round trip cable car ticket for RM 12 per adult and a separate counter for bus tickets from Genting Highland back to KL Sentral at RM 4 per person. Quite a steal.<br />
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The cable car ride was fantastic and we could see the clouds ahead. The resort ahead was an imposing structure. Once we reached the resort, we looked around and had lunch before heading back. I didn't find anything impressive about the resort. Just another glitzy grand structure with casinos but I think the trip to Genting is worth it for the cable car ride. The view is awesome.<br />
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About the flight, it was my first time travelling Air Asia from Hyd to KL and we had no idea that Air Asia has a no free checked in baggage allowance. You are only allowed 7 kgs as carry on baggage and there is a charge for any baggage that you check in. So an adventure ensued with loads of irate passengers at Hyderabad airport and towards the later part of my vacation a string of tweets back and forth since from India they were asking INR 900 per kg. However, in KL they had a fare package of RM 105 for 20 kgs which worked out to around INR 90 per kg. Still wonder why the excessive difference in baggage rates from 2 countries.<br />
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My Twitter friend, Carole was charged baggage fares that were more than the flight fares at Kochi airport so it sure seems Air Asia was pissing off a lot of folks. Once I reached India, they did call me and I gave them feedback on their rude customer service and the unfair baggage rates in India compared to the charges in Malaysia so hoping for the best that they resolve these issues and are more transparent, fair, and customer centric. As I conveyed to them, low cost does not necessarily mean bad customer service. Travelled Malindo in Malaysia and Indigo in India. The customer service for both these low cost airlines in two different countries were fantastic and they do offer 15 kgs free baggage allowance.<br />
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To visit Malaysia, you need to get a visa prior to travel. We applied at TT Enterprises <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><a href="http://www.ttsvisas.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">www.ttsvisas.com</a> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">and we received our passports with the visa stamp within 7 working days. The visa is valid for one year. However, wish more countries offered Indian citizens visa on arrival.</span></span><br />
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Langkawi was my favorite part of the Malaysia trip. Such gorgeous islands. Will cover Langkawi in the next post. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-54073548328391895562014-08-19T07:46:00.005-07:002014-08-22T22:22:06.696-07:00Blue Matsya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Blue shuttered windows and a lighthouse! I fell in love with
the Blue Matsya when I saw photos in a blog around 2 years ago. Looked so
serene, loved the creativity in the décor of the beach house, and the personal
little touches that Swati, the owner has brought into it. It’s a self contained
rustic two bedroom beach house right on the beach miles from civilization. It’s
between Udupi and Mangalore and around 40-45 minutes drive from both places.<br />
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Footprints on the sand. View of Blue Matsya at Kaup from the beach</div>
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Lighthouse view from the upper terrace next to the bedroom</div>
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Swati has installed wooden slabs on the stairs that gives it a rich and warm look and instead of a railing attached ropes to anchors and there's a tiny library in the nook below the stairs. Books that visitors leave behind at the Blue Matsya</div>
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Those looking for room service, luxury of a hotel, or television this is not the place for you. What appealed to me is the solitude and the rustic touches of the beach house that made it so homely. Our neighbors were mainly fisherfolks. We made our own tea, did our dishes, lugged the deck chairs in and out depending on the rains, and locked up every night. So much like home but I do know that's not what everyone looks for.<br />
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Blue shuttered doors leading to the veranda with a sea view where we plonked ourselves on loungers and spent hours gazing at the sea</div>
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Fishermen homes. Our next door neighbors who visited us and regaled us with tales of the sea. Wonderful, warm, and friendly people</div>
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To get there we took a direct flight from Hyderabad to
Mangalore. If you have time, you can drive down too but after umpteen trips on
the road, didn't seem too appealing at that point of time so we took the easier
route. There are also trains to reach Mangalore or Udupi.<br />
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As soon as we arrived, Sarsuakka the next door neighbor who
helps Swati manage the beach house as she lives in Mumbai, served us a
lovely south Indian breakfast. Since it is a self contained guest house with a
fully equipped kitchen, you can cook your own meals too but we opted to eat the
local cuisine and ordered out. A few times, Ramanna, the next door neighbor who
is also a fishermen bought us prawns and fish and his wife served us some delicious
home cooked meals using the traditional Konkani recipes. We just couldn’t get enough of the fabulous
coastal cuisine. Our sustenance was fish, fish and more fish. If you live by
the sea, well, what can you expect! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />
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Catch of the day by Ramanna, the fisherman and caretaker of Blue Matsya. Fried fish cooked by his wife Sarsuakka</div>
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We took one day to do some sightseeing but then figured we
didn’t want to go traipsing around at all coz the beach house is so fabulous
wanted to make the most of it. After all how many places have such rooms with a
view. Even the loo had a fabulous view.<br />
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A loo with a view</div>
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It was a luxury having the whole beach
house to ourselves and no television, no laptops. Felt good to be disconnected from
the world for a few days and the constant sound of the
sea was music to the ears. We fell asleep to the sound of the sea, woke up to the sound of the sea.<br />
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Watching the sunset through lazy coconut palms at Blue Matsya</div>
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The next four days were spent mainly lounging in the deck
chairs gazing at the sea, the fishermen, the sunsets, the trawlers, long walks
on the beach, visiting the lighthouse, and generally lazing around. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> <br />
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Kaup beach from the rocks near the lighthouse</div>
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Sunset view of the lighthouse</div>
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The views from the lighthouse are absolutely fabulous. Gets
crowded during holidays when everyone flocks to the beach and the lighthouse but
week days especially mornings and during the day, you pretty much have the
beach to yourself.<br />
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Superb view of the coastline from the lighthouse. Waves crashing on the shore and the rocks. Blue Matsya in the distance</div>
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Close up of the Blue Mastya from the lighthouse</div>
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The one day we took out for sightseeing included a trip to Udupi, Manipal
and Maravanthe. First, we visited the Krishna Temple at Udupi which is famous
as it’s the only temple where the lord has its back to devotees. The story goes
that a poor man who was Lord Krishna’s devotee was not allowed into the temple.
The man refused to give up and found a small opening at the back of the temple
from where he would pray to Lord Krishna. Moved by his devotion, Lord Krishna
turned to face him and turned his back for ever.<br />
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The pond within the Krishna Temple complex</div>
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We also visited Manipal, a hilly and pretty University town
and then headed to Maravanthe which is 65 kms away. The roads to Maravanthe were
really really terrible but the beach is picturesque and makes up for the drive. You
have the fabulous coastline of the Arabian sea on one side and the river on the
other side. The road slices through the river and the ocean and sometimes
during the monsoon we heard that the road gets flooded when the sea meets the
river. But I did feel that since we are already staying in a fabulous beach house, the tiring trip to Maravanthe through dusty broken roads was something we could have skipped.<br />
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Joy and I relaxing after the temple visit</div>
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The Blue Matsya is so fabulous, homely, warm and welcoming I haven’t had
my fill. There's loads of places to visit and things to do which we couldn't as it was monsoons and the sea was stormy. Would love a boat ride to see the dolphins, visit St. Mary's Island off Malpe beach and so on. I do need to go back again and again even if it's just to rejuvenate away from the stressful city life.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-55032725619391378022014-05-05T08:38:00.000-07:002014-08-20T03:25:20.707-07:00Mesmerizing Bali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Where do I begin about this amazing amazing land! I had read so much about Bali and expected it to be just another beach destination. However, this was one holiday that surpassed my expectations in every respect, the beauty of the place, the culture, the food, the people, I just haven't got enough and need to go back someday. Not only to old familiar places to do things a little differently or spend more time but even to cover all those places I couldn't the first time round. Hopefully, am a bit travel wiser and prepared for the second trip whenever that is. :)<br />
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There is just so much to see and do in Bali. So much packed into this tiny tiny island. There are gorgeous islands with national parks where you can indulge in watersports and go diving and snorkeling to view the awesome marine life and fauna, most famous being Menjangan and Gili Islands.<br />
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Menjangan Island</div>
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If you are looking for cooler climes you can head to the mountains of Kintamani and climb a volcano or canoe at Lake Batur.<br />
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Mount Batur from the base of Lake Batur</div>
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You can relax in the midst of stunning coffee plantations such as Munduk or gaze at beautiful green terraced rice fields that dot the landscape all over, or visit one of those charming temples by the sea at Uluwatu or Tanah Lot, or chill in the numerous sandy beaches near Kuta, Seminyak and other areas of Bali.<br />
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I will give several disclaimers coz I know that not all travellers have the same experience and so what may have worked for us, may not be something that you liked or are looking for. Again, there were many things that I may have planned differently which hopefully will be useful for first time travellers while planning their itinerary around Bali.<br />
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Most folks head to Kuta, Seminyak, or Ubud to stay as soon as they land at Denpasar and that is what I would recommend after a long international flight. We instead headed to Lovina which is a 3 hour drive crossing rice fields, coffee plantations, and the mountains. A beautiful drive but very very exhausting after a long flight. It was the best stay of our entire trip but for those looking for nightlife and the city buzz, Kuta may be the best place to head.<br />
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Lovina is a laidback and sleepy hamlet that was ideal for us weary city folks. We stayed at the Gino Ferucci villa which was convenient because it was right at the harbor where the boats head out in the morning for the dolphin rides. Lovina is famous for the boat ride at sunrise to view dolphins and though you may or may not see dolphins, it's a wonderful experience.<br />
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Boats at the Lovina Harbour ready to set sail for dolphin gazing</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The gorgeous sunrise</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The swiftly changing colors of the sky during sunrise</span></div>
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So many boats out there to catch a dolphin</div>
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The villas are gorgeous with their own private pool, zen garden, entertainment and dining area, kitchenette equipped with cooking stove, microwave, and the service was excellent.<br />
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A self-contained home away from home. And for those worrying about the cost, we paid INR 5000 per night with breakfast included at Gino Ferucci. It was a steal but you do need to scour online for travel deals. If you are customizing your own holiday, you can try Agoda, DirectRooms, MakeMyTrip and several others.<br />
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If you are going on a packaged tour, then your travel agent should provide you a list of options. Am a finicky traveller and prefer to plan my own trips, so I read a lot of online reviews on Trip Advisor too before finalizing on hotels or places to visit. I also read over 36 blogs before I shortlisted a few that were a must see for me and ignored the things that didn't interest me such as Indian food in Bali. :) When travelling Joy and I prefer trying the local cuisine but I do understand the need of vegetarians coz most places we visited had none or limited vegetarian fare, so it was a little tough for our vegetarian friend.<br />
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About hotels, depending on the area you want to stay, you should be able to find decent, clean accommodation even for INR 2000 per night. If you don't find any, contact me and I will see how I can help through the numerous new friends I've made this trip. :)<br />
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Next day, after the dolphin ride, we headed to Menjangan Island, a diver's paradise.<br />
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Approaching the gorgeous Menjangan Island. Menjangan means "deer". The locals gave the name after spotting a herd of wild deer swimming towards the island.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The sea around the Menjangan Island was of two shades. Green near the island where it was shallow and we could see the corals from the crystal clear waters, deeper shade of blue where the ocean dipped and where the divers dived.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Ganesha temple at Menjangan Island. There was a ceremony that day and boat loads of people arrived from the mainland in their traditional costumes to give their offering.</span></div>
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The marine life and coral at the ocean floor is truly spectacular and unique.</div>
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This island is where diving first started on the island in 1978 under the sponsorship of the Indonesian navy. A rickety bus arrived to pick us up from our hotel filled with a few other tourists from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium. We stopped enroute to pick up snorkeling and diving gear and then it was a one and a half hour adventure through the beautiful countryside till we reached the Labuhan Lalang harbour from where we took the boat to Menjangan Island. The boat ride takes around half an hour and is really scenic as you can view the coastline of the Bali Barat National Park and the east Javanese volcano Prapat Agung in the distance on a clear day.<br />
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Next, we headed to Kintamani to climb the active volcano Mt. Batur. Again, from Kuta, Seminyak, and Ubud, they organise a day trip of a coffee plantation, Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave), and Kintamani for a glimpse of Lake Batur and Mount Batur but after reading travellers reviews decided that we must do the trek so for that it made sense to set up base in Kintamani. We stayed at The Ayu.<br />
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Besides us, there was only one family from Europe staying there. We assumed maybe because it was off season but our guide later told us that only those keen on the trek visit Kintamani. Visitors come on day trips and leave the same day.<br />
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It's like a sleepy hill station so not much to do. Even the restaurant at the hotel serves dinner only till 9:30 pm. Fortunately, we were exhausted after the sightseeing and trip enroute from Lovina and since we had the trek planned and needed to wake up at 3 am, we crashed after an early dinner.<br />
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We set off at 4 am the next day. It was pitch dark and several of the flashlights didn't work which made it even more challenging to scramble up the mountain in complete darkness. It was a tough and exhausting 3 hour climb but the view at the peak was totally worth it.<br />
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After having breakfast cooked in volcano steam at the makeshift hut at the peak, we headed to one of the craters, an exhilarating one hour trek past smoking fissures and through slippery lava clad path.<br />
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I made sure I didn't venture too close to the crater after hearing that a Swiss tourist had fallen into the crater 4 years ago and died. Then began the tough descent down. We finally reached our hotel at 11 am after a 7 hr trek.<br />
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Our guide told us it's easier for the Swiss tourists but it's tough for people from the plains like Netherlands and of course for those with unhealthy city lifestyles. If you do plan to climb a mountain, try and build your stamina and exercise atleast 2-3 hrs a day months before the trip. Don't just land up from your stationary desk jobs like Joy and I did and decide to climb a volcano. :D It's painful.<br />
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From Kintamani, our last destination was the bustling Kuta where all tourists head. Enroute we stopped at Ubud, visited Goa Gajah, a coffee plantation, and even the Ubud Art village. It was a bit unsettling for me adjusting to all that hustle bustle in Kuta after the serenity of Lovina and Kintamani but yet Kuta is a must stop for every traveler to Bali.<br />
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Legian Road is the most happening road for all tourists. Restaurants, shops, pubs, the nightlife is fantastic for those looking to party. Sky Garden is the most popular spread over 5 floors with 8 different night clubs playing varied music. Mbargo and Paddy's Pub are other popular places. The whole street is buzzing all night. There are numerous open air karaoke bars and restaurants, people are dancing on the streets, there were even fire jugglers entertaining the crowds outside Paddys. The energy is just fantastic.<br />
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During the day, you can shop for interesting souvenirs or head to Kuta beach from Legian Road. Some of the beaches you must cover are:<br />
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Dreamland Beach: The most gorgeous sandy beach I have ever seen.<br />
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Padang Padang beach also known as Julia Roberts beach because several scenes from Eat, Pray, Love were shot there. It's interesting because it's like a hidden paradise. You need to walk between these close rock formations and the moment you step out, the view is just fantastic.<br />
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A must visit are these gorgeous temples for the sunsets; Uluwatu and Tanah Lot. I would recommend that you go early around 3:30 to 4 pm so that you can walk around the cliffs and explore before you settle down for the sunset pics. :) The shots you get when the sun is up are different from the sunset ones.<br />
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Uluwatu is a Balinese sea temple in Bali. Built in the 11th century, the views from the temple are spectacular. We stayed for the Kecak dance that is held every evening in the amphitheater at 6 pm. After the balinese dance enacted at GWK Cultural Centre, did not really find the Kecak dance very interesting but the backdrop of the sunset from the amphitheater was spectacular. It was a packed house with tourists from all over the world.<br />
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These monkeys at Uluwatu can be a menace. They snatch anything and everything so keep your stuff safely. They snatched a lady's sunglasses from her head and cameras too. They threaten humans so keep a safe distance and ignore them.</div>
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The Kecak Dance begins where they enact the Ramayana</div>
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Packed house while watching the sun set over the ocean at Uluwatu</div>
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The next day we head out to Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot is a Balinese temple formed on a beautiful rock formation by the sea which has been shaped over the years by the ocean tide. Poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders.<br />
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Sunset at Tanah Lot</div>
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Bali provides Visa on Arrival for most countries and that includes India, which is really convenient. You have to pay an entry fee of $25 (they accept dollars) and while leaving the country, there is an exit fee too of IDR 200,000. Note that this exit fee is accepted only in Indonesian currency, so do keep this amount handy.<br />
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And before I end, our trip wouldn't have been this splendid if not for the wonderful, friendly, helpful people we met.<br />
- Dwi and his wonderful team at Gino Ferucci who ensured we had a wonderful stay and taught me a few Balinese words.<br />
- The restaurant owner and chef at Lovina who was so warm and welcoming and started talking about the Ramayana when we mentioned we were from India. I had the best meal there and this is where I fell in love with Balinese music.<br />
- Gede, the best tour guide ever who didn't let me give up on the Mount Batur trek and encouraged me till the finish line at times even helping me through the difficult stretches.<br />
- Made, our driver and guide who gave us so many insights into Balinese culture and patiently took us wherever we wanted even though it was last minute detour and planning on our part,<br />
- The staff at Ibis Suites in Kuta especially Saubhagya (loved his name) who was the Receptionist, Tour Guide, Driver a bit of everything,<br />
- And lastly this interesting woman cab driver from Timor Island who dropped us to the hotel from Kuta beach just half an hour before we had to leave to catch our flight back.<br />
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Memories to last a lifetime. Hope to go back some day.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-37969240274764715372013-12-15T21:36:00.003-08:002013-12-15T21:36:41.632-08:00Is Love a Crime?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Been thinking about the recent judgement regarding section 377, an archaic law introduced during the British rule, and wondering why do we have a problem with love? Whether it's the moral policing that keeps occurring across the nation or the family structure with their boundaries of love and marriage defined between certain communities, religious beliefs, language, caste, orientation, and so on, why do we humans have so many prejudices?<br />
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Who are we to judge that a consensual act between two adults of the same gender is criminal, whereas marital rape isn't? From time immemorial, we seem to be having a problem with love. Love marriages were frowned upon but entering an arranged marriage and sleeping with a perfect stranger on your wedding night was acceptable. Love is like a dirty word. Doesn't exist. Something to be frowned upon. We are a nation of over 1.3 billion but sex doesn't happen. Babies are not an effect of procreation, it's god who gives us babies. We are in a perpetual state of denial about love and sex.<br />
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Back to section 377, it's sad that the individual rights and freedom of the (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) LGBT community are at stake not only in India but as per reports all over the world. Even in countries like France, New Zealand, and Singapore.<br />
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Been hearing the term "unnatural" quite a bit and wonder what gives us the right to define an act of mutual consent between the same sex as unnatural. If someone has a different orientation from your own, does that make it unnatural. What's definitely criminal and unnatural is when force is used. If it's rape, child abuse, that's a crime. Then why is an act of mutual consent being considered a crime?<br />
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Another argument that keeps coming up against LGBT rights is that it's against our culture. If culture dictates that it involves disrespecting our fellow human beings, we need to do away with such culture. Whether it's the system of sati, caste system and child marriage, reformers have fought these social evils. Where is the sanctity of this so called culture that persecutes minorities based on gender, social strata, religious beliefs, orientation and so on. Even our mythological tales and carvings in our temples such as Khajuraho depict that the LGBT community existed and were accepted even in ancient times.<br />
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So why did we become so intolerant? What makes us so insensitive towards the choices and preferences of other individuals, if it doesn't match our own beliefs? When will we learn to live and let live, and let love that transcends all boundaries such as nationality, religion, color, caste, orientation flourish?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-64816294090545685142013-11-21T06:25:00.003-08:002013-11-22T21:24:09.871-08:00A Few Good Men<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As the Tarun Tejpal controversy creates such outrage and spirals out of control in social media, I begin to wonder. It's shameful and though it terrifies us, depresses us, makes us question our beliefs and morals, aren't we in some way responsible for allowing such acts to happen in alarming frequency? Right from the time a child is born, the conditioning and discrimination begins. This divisiveness is not just restricted to the nationality, religion, caste, skin color, or the language one speaks but extends to gender, class, wealth and power too.<br />
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Folks are quick to blame the not so fortunate literates or those from the so called lower classes (yes, these class distinctions still exist in this land of an ever increasing gap between have and have-nots), but what do they have to say when the educated of our land with degrees from IITs, IIMs, and even Oxford, Stanford and Harvard engage in horrific misdemeanors and criminal activities such as corruption, exhortation, and exploitation of others. Can we really blame and pinpoint one social class when crime extends across all boundaries? The perpetrator can be from any background.<br />
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Now onto powerful men like Tejpal! History has been filled with powerful men who have choices! Some of them choose to use the power bestowed to them responsibly, whereas some misuse and twist it to meet their own desires. Aren't there thousands of Tarun Tejpals out there? In recent weeks, news of the judges and lawyers exploiting interns have rocked the nation. Now what makes them commit such acts? Does the heady sense of power intoxicate them and make them feel like they can manipulate and control anyone. And when they get away with their misdemeanors, does it make them more brazen that they continue their acts without fear and a care in the world as if they are kings of the world.<br />
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I think the need of the hour is to set up proper and adequate committees for every sector and organization to address any kind of issue, even those concerning folks at the top. After all, absolute power does make some folks immune to the system and that can be dangerous.<br />
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And do we really need a comparison with the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky episode as I've seen in some tweets? While I am not here to preach on the morality and personal integrity of a person's character, and why they choose to cheat on their partners, wasn't that a case of mutual consent? It cannot be compared to this Tejpal incident where the young journalist repeatedly said no, but yet he persisted. For more on the case, check this link:<br />
http://delhidurbar.in/tehelka-editor-facing-sexual-assault-allegations/<br />
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Hasn't it always been like this? Just as in the animal kingdom where the beasts stalk their prey, in the human kingdom, the rich and powerful prey on the weak or vulnerable sections. Some fight back, some don't.<br />
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As reports state, Tarun Tejpal's introductory speech during the THINKFEST 2011 had the lines, "You're in Goa, so eat, drink, make merry & sleep with whoever you want." What about consent, Mr. Tejpal?Irony is one of the taglines at the THINKFEST 2013 stated, "The beast lies within us."<br />
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While these beasts exist, it's also important to differentiate between the beasts and the few good men that exist on this planet. With similar incidents of molestation and abuse being reported in the media everyday, a friend of mine was lamenting that he's ashamed and scared of being an Indian man. I get that. It's important not to cast everyone in the same mold. We need to remember that for every beast out there, there also exist a few good men and men can be victims too.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-32809445683114166392013-07-22T20:49:00.000-07:002013-07-23T04:05:00.360-07:00Blue Blood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Waking up to social networking updates and news about the royal birth and that too a male heir to Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, I smile. Hate it or love it, the lives of the monarchy continue to fascinate us. Quite reminds me of the movies I've been watching in recent times about the nobility and aristocracy of England.<br />
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A movie that stayed in my mind was "The Duchess" based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, who was quite a fashionista and created quite a scandal in the late 18th century. Keira Knightley does a brilliant job portraying the character of the Duchess and the trials and tribulations that she faced for not bearing a male heir till much later brings out the social prejudices prevalent. Not so different from the mindset of majority of our population in our nation where giving birth to a son is still paramount and female infanticide is pretty common.<br />
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This obsession with giving birth to boys reminds me of a whatsapp group conversation with our friend, Ashwini last week. The lengths people go through to have a male child. Apparently, since male baby causing sperms die very quickly, they work best only on the exact day of ovulation and the closer it is deposited to the cervix, the better the chances of fertilization, so there are techniques to get there. Several other superstitions abound such as eating asparagus before coitus (am too influenced by Sheldon from TBBT these days) and not eating strawberries as they can cause a girl child to be born. Phew!<br />
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Back to the royals, the conservative nature and rigidness of the royal customs were and still are a sharp contrast to the infidelities and betrayal played out in their lives. Guess it was a kind of rebellion against very strict protocols. In modern times, it seems to continue going by the tabloid gossip of royal lives such as Prince Charles, Lady Diana, Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson and now Prince William and Prince Harry.<br />
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Our obsession with the monarchy remains even after we realize that all those fairy tales we read about finding our Prince Charming and living happily ever after is not so true. It sometimes takes a few takes before happily ever after such as in the case of Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee for whom King Edward abdicates the throne. If you watch the movie W.E. based on the life of King Edward VIII, you realize that it was not quite happily ever either. W.E. is a must-watch brilliant movie for those interested to get a sneak peek into the lives of royalty and is produced and directed by Madonna.<br />
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Talking about royalty, wonder why we still cling on to old institutions such as the monarchy that are inherited and not merit-based even in these times of so called democracy? Is it because there is something so romantic about the royal lineage that we hate to let go of archaic conventions our minds have grown so used to after reading all those stories of kings and queens across the world and spanning centuries?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-45189838151160637172013-07-10T05:23:00.000-07:002013-07-11T01:53:40.636-07:00Who or What Inspires Us?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
LinkedIn sends me a mail to get inspired by the most followed Influencers. I go through the list and see the names of a few bigwigs and smile. Oh well, now are they going to dictate who should inspire me? :)<br />
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Are we supposed to be inspired by only folks in the rat race and who've made huge sums of money judging by the list? Social media does have a way of pandering to people's egos and hyping things up to such an extent that you start to believe in it. However, if you delve a bit, you will find that it's all about visibility and often the achievements are hollow and there is no real depth or quality to it.<br />
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Am I supposed to be admiring Ambani or Mallya for their ill gotten wealth and ways of flaunting it through monstrosities like Antilla and yachts and high flying calendars even in cases where their employees have not been paid for months while they live the high life or the majority of people in our nation live in dire poverty? It's not in their business interest after all to part with their wealth especially when there are loopholes in the system where they can avoid payouts to those who deserve it. Isn't it the job of the government to look after the welfare of its citizens? Why should these big folks care as long as their names make it to the richie rich list every year?<br />
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It's like the music channels these days that keep playing such horrendous music till it's drilled into your senses and you start believing that it's top of the charts although the lyrics make no sense or the music is plagiarized from another popular number and at times even outright non-melodious. Or those endless movie promotions that keep being replayed on television channels and celebrities on social networking sites who promote it even though it may be the crappiest movie ever made and you go and watch based on their feedback and once you do, you realize that it was a huge mistake. After all, in these times it's more of driving up a hype, ass-licking, and doing favors for people rather than honest and quality feedback.<br />
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It's like I shout out all your so-called achievements from the rooftop and you do the same for mine. Or was it you scratch my back and I'll scratch your's? :) Oh well, these days you don't even have to shout from rooftops; all you need to do is broadcast it across social networking sites and there you go, it's creating a breed of self-obsessed, attention-seeking, narcissistic individuals. This attention-seeking is like a drug and at times often promotes mediocrity and cheating one's way to so-called success like all those voting contests that you come across. The more the votes, and that is what determines the outcome of one's success. And sorry, you may send me repeated requests but am still not going to vote for anyone's child on any social networking site. I wouldn't know what to judge and isn't it unfair on some other deserving candidates whoever they are just because I am an incompetent judge? :P So hate me but still not voting.<br />
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I watch the news and see more self-promotions happening even in the aftermath of the Uttarakhand tragedy. The army, locals, NGO's and some extraordinary humans doing some amazing work and helping those affected without shouting it out from the rooftops and there you have our politicians squabbling and boasting about flagging off relief material when isn't it their duty as public servants to ensure the welfare of the citizens? Do they need to spend funds that could be used in rehabilitation work in running large newspaper ads promoting the so-called relief work that their leaders are engaging in? And then you get to know that the stuff flagged off is rotten or hasn't even reached the folks who require it as the trucks are still stuck in some other state. Politicians have ceased to surprise me these days with their insensitive and incompetent ways.<br />
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Back to influencers, even though I do admire some of the famous ones such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Azim Premji, and the Tatas for all their charitable contributions, it's still my low-profile colleagues, friends, acquaintances, and some extraordinary strangers who I've met that amaze and inspire me for their large hearts with so less resources.<br />
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Ordinary folks who are wealthy in their thoughts and deeds and who are making a huge difference to the lives of others every day. The ones who teach impoverished kids for free, undertake campaigns and promotions to provide them access to free education, school kits etc, the ones who work with orphanages and differently abled people, the folks who help slum dwellers day in and day out, those friends who help the homeless, and women who have been violated and abused, striving against all odds despite having access to limited funds or welfare. At times they even face a deep risk to their lives by helping others and yet that does not deter them from their chosen path.<br />
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Those nameless faceless folks who shy away from the limelight and public praise. They may be your neighbor, colleague, friend, acquaintance but each day they tirelessly thrive to help others. I do know that we live in times where the shallow world of social media and the material wealth folks accumulate will continue to dictate who the achievers are and who we should admire, but for me it's these folks who quietly go about changing lives without a care for rewards or praise who are the real heroes!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-8438130983889767852013-06-14T09:50:00.000-07:002013-06-14T20:04:32.448-07:00Hong Kong and Macau<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been some time since my last vacation. Should have written this 5 months ago but now all that post-vacation excitement has worn off and am back to my pining for another, may be it's time to relive the past until the next one, whenever that is. :)<br />
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Juin had been inviting me to visit them for ages so finally decided this was it and there began our plans. Well, don't quite know where to start and how to describe a city. There's always so much more, an eclectic mix like any other city in the world, yet each city has it's own unique charm and brand and Hong Kong is no different.<br />
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It was a fabulous 7 day trip exploring the sights and sounds of Hong Kong and Macau, getting to stay with Rahul, Juin, and Aanchal at their fabulous apartment in the mountains of Repulse Bay overlooking the South China Sea. A view to die for. :) Maybe, I should let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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The apartments at Repulse Bay overlooking the South China sea</div>
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Repulse Bay beach on a sunny winter morning</div>
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What I loved about the place is despite the crowds, in a city which is as congested as any Indian city, the public transportation system was so efficient whether it were the buses, MTR (Mass Transit Railway), ferries across islands...everything seemed to function like clockwork.<br />
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Some places to visit are the Peak for the fabulous panoramic views of Hong Kong city. We went twice: the first time for night shots and the second time for day shots and though it was a cloudy, foggy winter day, it didn't detract from the beauty.<br />
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My favorite was the trip to the Ngong Ping village to see the Big Buddha and Lantau Park. To get there, you can take the MTR till the Tung Chung station. Once you reach, it's walking distance to the Tung Chung Cable Car terminal. We did see several trekkers hiking across the Lantau Country Park to the village but I would recommend that you take the cable car because it not only saves time if you are on a short trip but the cable car ride by itself is an experience. The Standard Cabin costs around HKD 135 and the Crystal Cabin around HKD 220 but since we were there around New Year's, the holiday rates were a little higher and it cost around HKD 280 for a round trip by the Crystal cable car which is definitely worth it. You get panoramic views of the Airport, the Lantau country park, the South China Sea, the Tung Chung Bay below, and a fabulous view of the Big Buddha and the Ngong Ping village as you approach it.<br />
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The cable car ride to Ngong Ping Village </div>
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View of the airport from the cable car</div>
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Across the South China sea into the Lantau National Park area</div>
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View of the Park from the Glass-bottom of the Cable Car</div>
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First glimpse of the Buddha from the Cable Car </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Gateway to Ngong Ping Village </span></div>
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Almost there after the steep climb of several steps</div>
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View of the Village from the top </div>
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Happy to be there after months of planning</div>
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Another place worth visiting is the sky100 observation deck located on the 100th floor of ICC, the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong that offers a breathtaking 360° panoramic view of the city and the Victoria Harbour. We wanted to be there to view the fireworks on Dec 31 midnight, however it was booked for a private party, so we did an afternoon visit and got to view the last sunset of the year.<br />
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It was also fun exploring the streets of Wan chai and Kowloon and getting harbour shots of the skyline from the ferry. So had my fill of skyscrapers this vacation. Nature appeals to me more but the views from the harbour and the peak were just too fabulous to miss. For night clubs and restaurants, there are several around Wanchai and Stanley but my personal favorite was Soho where you have one of the longest escalators and you can just step off any exit along the way to visit any of the popular restaurants or night clubs.<br />
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Macau is another attraction you would not like to miss since it is just an hour away from Hong Kong by turbojet ferry. If it's just for a day, all you need to do is carry your passport, go to Sheung Wan Ferry Terminal, to book yourself a ticket to Macau. There are ferries plying almost every 15 minutes to half an hour during the day and one hour throughout the night so even if you get late while returning from Macau no worries. It costs around HKD 148 by Economy Class and around HKD 298 if you are travelling Super Class. Queues are there everywhere but immigration is efficient and a breeze. Visa on arrival at Hong Kong and Macau. Once we arrived at Macau, we negotiated with a cabbie to take us around some attractions and then drop us off at the Venetian. If you have time, there are buses plying from the terminal that take tourists around but Joy and I neither had the patience nor the time and we wanted a customized itinerary to suit ourselves because we knew exactly what we wanted to see and what we didn't want to see thanks to Aanchal's extensive inputs that she wrote down for us knowing what we liked. Some of the places to visit are at the Senado Square, that's the heart of the historic central part of Macau (if interested in history).<br />
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Ruins of St. Paul</div>
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The cannons at Mount Fortress. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">These canons were used once when the Dutch invaded Macau in 1622.</span></span></div>
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Museum of Macau</div>
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You can also visit the Macau Tower for some panoramic views of Macau city. By now, Joy and I had quite enough of panoramic views especially after the fabulous Ngong Ping village tour but decided to go for it and quite enjoyed the bungee jumping ruckus that we got to view from the top. :)<br />
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We were lucky to get an interesting tour guide/cab driver who had some stories to share. He had swum across the China sea to Macau decades ago and made that his home. Throughout the tour, he had some interesting anecdotes about his life, the gambling, how it had taken a toll on the locals, the politics, the transition from the Portuguese to the Chinese. It was quite entertaining listening to his perspective and way of life. We finally bade him farewell at the Venetian.<br />
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Besides the rich Portuguese history that reminded me a lot of Goa, the mainstay of Macau are the casinos that are everywhere. There are around 33 casinos all across Macau such as the MGM Grand, Sands Macao, Casino Lisboa but due to lack of time we decided to visit only one and chose the Venetian. If gambling's for you, the hotels are all very grand and nice but somehow all these artificial man-made creations were not my idea of fun or beauty after the wonders of nature and the historical aspects of Macau.<br />
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After a nice Portuguese lunch at the Madeira and walking and exploring the grand corridors and shops of the Venetian for a couple of hours, we decided to head to the terminal to get back. Almost all the hotels have free shuttle services every hour so we just hopped onto one to take us back to the terminal where we could get a ferry back to Hong Kong. Macau has much more to offer so I would advise staying at least one or two nights to explore the islands.<br />
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Loads of folks told us to visit Disneyland but decided to give that a skip coz we had no interest in visiting some American fantasy land in Hong Kong and miss out on the local flavors. If we had kids, we might have gone, but the idea of wasting a day to see man-made castles and disney characters, and amusement park rides really didn't appeal to us but if you are interested, you should definitely go. I am a very fussy traveller and before each trip I do a lot of research on the internet, talk to people who may have visited, and then plan where I would like to go and what I would like to do and Disneyland was a big no for us though I do know people who had loads of fun.<br />
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Another thing was shopping. We were quite fed up of seeing the same clonish designer boutiques that are now dotted all across the world. Every MTR station had a glitzy mall above and I can understand why people asked us to go shopping but then again what can I say! The handicrafts and local wares of Nagaland appealed to me much more. Read this interesting line on Twitter today posted by Anupam Kher and thought of Hong Kong though it's applicable to every city where these same clonish malls exist: "One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greed." For us a vacation is about the experience, the people you meet, and the local flavors, sights, and sound. Until my next...the Konkan coast beckons.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-6830664207968890212013-06-10T23:48:00.002-07:002013-06-11T23:42:15.139-07:00Jiah Khan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jiah Khan's suicide got me thinking. It's hard accepting lopsided relationships and it's true life's not fair. There are millions who go through unrequited love but does that mean one needs to resort to suicide? If a relationship doesn't work for you, shouldn't you just gracefully exit? We are so fixated on that one particular door that sometimes we fail to see the million other doors waiting to be discovered and explored. Isn't that true for so many of us?<br />
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I do agree it's sad that her life had to end this way. Similar to everyone else, when I first heard the news, I thought it was the pressure of living up to people's expectations and her dwindling career fortunes that made her take this drastic step. Been reading several articles, the ones that stayed with me were posts by Ramgopal Varma and Gul Panag. Reading their views, I kept thinking to myself was it worth dying for because she was still so young and had so much to live for.<br />
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Then as the day progressed, more news came trickling in about the suicide note, her dreams, hopes, despair, and a volatile, abusive relationship. He did sound quite an ill-mannered, brute of a ****head and deserves to be punished for abetment of suicide but still wondered was there really no other way out but suicide? Couldn't she have walked out on such a loser who showed her no respect? Living in modern, cosmopolitan Mumbai, weren't there options available for her to move on? Was she a prisoner under some bondage?<br />
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Aren't relationships all about adding some value to your life? Since this was clearly not working and he was abusive and insulting, wasn't it self-destructive on her part to stick around? I know it's tough at that point of time when one's mind is in turmoil and denial with all kinds of conflicting thoughts but the sensible thing to do would have been to walk out. Guess it's easy to think of possible solutions here, but then again how would we react if we went through the same intensity of the pain or emotions unless we put ourselves in her shoes! And that intensity or obsession called love can also be a dangerous killer where all good sense flies out of the window.<br />
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Reading her letter, it is sad thinking about the mental and physical trauma she had to go through at the hands of a clearly delusional and dangerous psychopath. And it's scary to think that there are so many of these psychopaths out there. They roam freely among us in all stratas of society. It's a gray area so nobody wants to acknowledge that such people require psychiatric care and counselling because that will mean admitting there is a problem. Some are so dangerous that they should be locked up. Even parents look the other way and treat it as bad temper or immaturity when their offspring is actually a threat to society. Though this is violent and unacceptable behavior, there is a thin line so it's still not considered a crime. Having known and heard of so many friends, acquaintances, and strangers who have undergone similar abuse and trauma, wonder if there is some way we can reach out and help such folks caught in these hopeless situations. Shouldn't there be awareness created of such offenders?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-27840445940397525462013-06-04T20:58:00.003-07:002013-06-04T20:58:31.016-07:00Controversies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last few days, amidst all the brouhaha about scams, IPL, politicians etc etc that we are inundated with in the news, there were two folks that caught my eye even amidst controversy. Well, not many will agree and am sure everyone has their own conflicting views which they most certainly are entitled to, but here's my take.<br />
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The first was Neha Sambri who wed Ankit Chavan, the cricketer accused of spot fixing during the IPL. Every article I read used strong terms to denounce him: disgraced, tainted, accused. On social networking sites, there were a lot of tweets and updates questioning her decision to go ahead with the wedding and some even mocking her foolishness. I think she displayed amazing strength of character on her part to stand by someone through the tough times and not just abandon him the moment controversy struck. Whether it was the right or wrong decision, only time will tell but I felt it was a nice thing to do in this self-centred, fast-paced world. After all, life is filled with ups and downs and the people who stand by you through both the good and bad times are the ones who really matter.<br />
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The other was Michael Douglas who faced a lot of flak and tons of brick-bats for his "cancer disclosure" but it takes guts putting yourself out in front of the world, cutting through all the BS, and telling it the way it is, right or not. There have been conflicting stories and statements issued by his spokespersons but that didn't stop the humor and judgement about his revelations on my timeline. Irrespective of how and why a person catches a disease, be it cancer or AIDS, I feel they need our support. Having seen my near and dear ones go through the suffering, may be I am a tad too sensitive when I hear the word "cancer" but oh well that's how I feel. It was brave of him not to sugar coat his experience and hopefully the awareness created may help save other lives in future.<br />
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While on that topic, some optimistic news I read here. Hope there will soon be a cure for this dreaded disease. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/health/promising-new-cancer-drugs-empower-the-bodys-own-defense-system.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=tw-nytimes&partner=rss&emc=rss<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-19059138379093202922013-05-15T02:04:00.001-07:002013-05-16T04:48:21.499-07:00It's a VIP World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The ongoing developments of the recent brawl where two techies were beaten up by Ram Charan's bodyguards just reiterates that this nation is of the VIP, by the VIP, and for the VIP. The techies are too scared to even file a case though there are pictures showing the brutality of the bodyguards but it's not hard to figure out why. It's a VIP land where commoners are bullied into submission, the cops fail to protect you, and the judiciary doesn't provide justice. Instead, the guilty can go scot free, whereas innocent folks are made to look guilty or facts are twisted as is being done in this case. From the time this incident was reported, every day there’s a new twist. Made me remember this incident that occurred last year where his VIP dad's entourage bullied us off the road.<br />
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We were on our way to Novotel for a friend's farewell dinner and were waiting in this unusually long queue of cars near the Hitex Exhibition Centre around 2-3 kms from the hotel, when we heard these loud blaring sirens. We turn around to see this fleet of VIP cars hurtling towards the queued cars, and cops in motor bikes telling everyone to get off the road. Many started arguing and Joy refused to move as there was no space due to the long line of cars ahead of us, but these burly mean looking bodyguards appeared and started knocking on the windows demanding that we get out of there. There followed a loud, heated argument and things began to turn a little nasty, so I convinced Joy to reverse and move out of the way. We finally reached the hotel 15-20 minutes later to find that it was Chiranjeevi's cavalcade that had shoved us off the road because he had to attend a music launch hosted by Maa TV. Was telling Joy thank goodness he moved coz if not there may have been a similar incident as the one involving those two techies.<br />
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This incident raises a lot of questions. Do our politicians and stars deserve such royal treatment? Is it right for them to get such privileges when ordinary citizens have a struggle commuting through those same roads? When they are so incompetent at their jobs, should we elevate them to such undeserved status thus moving them even further from ground realities.They are elected to power to bring in improvements and positive change, but end up using the system for their own benefits. How can we expect them to understand citizen issues when they don’t face the same because they are bestowed with special privileges. Roads are cleared for them even for non-emergencies such as a music launch or dining out at Chutney’s. Do they truly deserve these benefits especially since they are blatantly misusing the power and authority bestowed on them?<br />
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I personally feel that the only vehicle that deserves special treatment on the roads is an ambulance carrying a patient. Last Friday when we were on our way to dinner around 7:30 in the evening, we were in a traffic jam around a km away from the busy Jubilee Hills traffic signal, when we hear sirens. We turn around to see this ambulance stuck because there was just nowhere to move in that peak hour traffic. We wondered how a path could be created for the ambulance to cross that busy stretch, which was choc-a-bloc with cars. Joy asked an auto guy to help clear the way and it was heartening to see how in a couple of minutes, a crowded jam-packed stretch was cleared to give the ambulance passage. While our screen heroes and politicians disappoint and act like privileges are their birthright, it's the extraordinary citizens who are the real heroes everyday.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-11605353601424022662013-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:002013-05-13T23:18:48.641-07:00Mother's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Suffering from finger fatigue these days and thought I would keep away from writing this weekend but the string of quotes on my timeline across networking sites forces me to write my thoughts on this gimmick called "Mother's Day". Seriously, what's with the commodification of the "Mommy"? The most hyped and abused term these days. On one side, you have folks singing odes and on the other it's the vile that's spewed using that name. As someone said on my Twitter TL today: "Made Mom read the TL. She was so happy reading those Mother's Day tweets. Until a tweet containing 'Motherf******' popped up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I've known folks who revere their Moms to an unrealistic infinity quick to use such terms. Isn't it a sham? I know most of us love our Moms but is it also fair to "commodify" Moms as hyped by our movies from time immemorial and now continued by these marketing campaigns to sell their wares? Even Anna Jarvis who first conceptualized Mother's Day was disillusioned with it's commercialization in later years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Mom or not, aren't we all humans with a mix of virtues and vices? No person is truly perfect and especially not that scheming Mom, a son absolutely adores, but who is quick to defile and harm a new woman entering his life. Or the ones who may have knowingly abandoned their kids. Am not talking about the folks for whom circumstances may have forced them to abandon their kids, but the ones who don't give a damn after producing one.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Thinking about it, it's their choice after all whether they want to abandon or keep their kids and who knows we are not saints either before we judge anyone, but don't we need to be a little sensitive before going around posting inspirational photos such as: "I've got the best Mom in the world". It not only creates unrealistic expectations and do you mean the billion other Moms in this universe are not good enough? How do you define "the best"?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Also, what about the Dads? Even though there is a father's day, I never see so many odes being written to them. I've seen some amazing Dads, including my Oz bestie's hub (will not name them lest I embarrass them) who may put even some Moms to shame so why elevate only a mom - child relationship to a godly one? I know that someone may spew that dialogue of not knowing coz I've not experienced carrying a child in my womb for 9 months. However, I love my Mom and Dad equally and am grateful to my Dad for the most amazing childhood and for all that he has given me. It would absolutely not be fair to put down his care and affection just coz he did not carry me in his womb.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Even if Joy and I did decide to spawn kids, which we still don't, and are happy about our decision seeing the current state of affairs in the world, I know we would be mature enough to accept the love from our kids rather than have this superior mother-child bond that overshadows all relationships including the one with the dad. Each relationship is special in it's own way and I would not like to put down one over the other. I know many of you will not agree with my views but that's okay. My views are meant to reflect what I think and feel and doesn't aim to please . :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>For me, every relationship is special, and every day is a day for my loved ones be it my Mom, Dad, aunts, uncles, extended family, cousins, friends, and so on and not just coz some moron somewhere wants to peddle their wares or elevate a certain relationship to an unrealistic pedestal.</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-11429413304606457772013-04-25T07:25:00.000-07:002013-05-13T19:12:10.026-07:00Graffiti on the Balcony Walls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With so many things driving me up the wall the past few weeks, "crazy me" had to go and find a wall to get crazy. Yeah, when the going gets crazy, the crazy get going! :)<br />
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Was grocery shopping after work last week when I happened to spot a box of crayons at the store and had a sudden brainwave. It's funny how ideas and thoughts strike at the strangest places. It's been a childhood fantasy to scribble on walls but since I never did at that age, maybe now was the time for a balcony wall makeover. A school friend who was staying with us over the weekend was reminiscing about the lovely view of the Kanchenjunga that we took for granted in our boarding school years in Darjeeling. That brought back memories of ladybirds we would gather into glass jars and daisies that we would collect from all over the countryside. Felt a wee bit sad as am still trying to come to terms with the view of the lovely yellow mustard fields which I enjoyed the first few years now being replaced by the debris of this construction site. Well, living in Indian cities what else can I expect, so maybe scribbles can add some cheer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIOzu1UrEg3EuVyenH5B5z6yo_RUonyIokMp1jbuRCDB2UxuLo7VZQ2-0csIqi0c5nDwAgglzr8km5N5qTVMt9il3B3UKnWZ3gFVcUNP2mKeOP4kKjdx1LwkUKEU4LYcCwXCxZYcH5-0/s1600/Crayons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIOzu1UrEg3EuVyenH5B5z6yo_RUonyIokMp1jbuRCDB2UxuLo7VZQ2-0csIqi0c5nDwAgglzr8km5N5qTVMt9il3B3UKnWZ3gFVcUNP2mKeOP4kKjdx1LwkUKEU4LYcCwXCxZYcH5-0/s400/Crayons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyways, when you are inspired, inspiration arrives from several places. I thought about the graffiti wall they had in the old, homely, cozy Flurys before they went and got a "makeover" to this now snooty, cold, and impersonal establishment. Remembered the "Before I Die I want To" scribble board at Truffles Cafe where guests can write their fantasies and wishlist. Another inspiration was this blog I stumbled across a few weeks ago - a stranger who scribbled on the kitchen walls of her beautiful home. Next, I went through several web sites for some interesting one-liners (so far I've got 12) and with my tools all set, I began my handiwork.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVNMpxaG9gDXLa_OO_vRihpQwddoH_xZXNQDvkltIeOvbM8L-kLtMeEqQGUNzBRCE4TFh0apGkmS_SPiQcZqRlP77iBTC46q4BnXIfR1N5ruA04R2lLXkN4clv2JdPo7zbPH0jQ88Lt8/s1600/Chocolate+and+Dirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVNMpxaG9gDXLa_OO_vRihpQwddoH_xZXNQDvkltIeOvbM8L-kLtMeEqQGUNzBRCE4TFh0apGkmS_SPiQcZqRlP77iBTC46q4BnXIfR1N5ruA04R2lLXkN4clv2JdPo7zbPH0jQ88Lt8/s400/Chocolate+and+Dirt.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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After a week of scribbles, I do find it outright amateurish and kiddish but console myself that at least my plants don't have to look at drab walls. I've been terrible at it and don't remember when was the last time I used crayons. May have been Class IV or Class V after which we must have progressed to water colors. It's still work in progress coz the only time I get to scribble is around midnight or at dawn before the sun wakes up, but will keep at it whenever I get time because for now the balcony walls are my canvas. :) Also, nobody's seen my scribbles yet. No, not even Joy coz he rarely steps into the balcony and if he doesn't, am not telling. :P However, the conclusion is that I should avoid my own art work in my next home WHENEVER WHEREVER that will be.<br />
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I remember EL James mentioning in one of her interviews that 50 shades was an output of her mid-life crisis so may be this is kinda my output. Her mid-life crisis made her millions, my scribbles on the wall won't make me a penny, but oh well. :D Was telling some pals that scribbling on the wall may even be a way to diffuse the sadness, anger, and frustration that I feel at the distressing news events thrown at us everyday. Are the people inhabiting this planet getting loonier or were they always this way? Oh well, enough said!<br />
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P.S. If you do come across some interesting and funny gardening quotes, please share. I have 3 walls to scribble on.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-2732126755812463292013-04-20T21:38:00.002-07:002013-04-20T21:38:24.076-07:00Ochre Walls and Blue Shuttered Windows on my Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My balcony's been on my mind and once something's on my mind, it's like a bug that refuses to go away. With all the construction work going on right opposite our building, there's always some residue of rubble or cement that greets me when I step out. It's coated all over the grill, the floor, the walls, and even my plants till I give them a good wash morning and evening.<br />
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It's very, very, very annoying but I can't do much except wait for the work to complete before I can go ahead and paint my balcony a lovely, deep shade of ochre. Since there's absolutely no point cribbing and feeling sad about things beyond my control decided it was time to make the best of limited resources. Woke up today morning before the sun did and decked the dusty grills with some bottles that I've been hoarding.<br />
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Now all I need to do is fill these bottles with a couple of money plants that trail and entwine across the grill and that should add some cheer. Meanwhile, I dream of ochre walls and blue shuttered windows...maybe it's the call of the meditteranean. Oh well, someday.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-62864279790384944462013-03-19T04:05:00.003-07:002013-03-19T04:05:41.516-07:00Addicted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A peek at the new batch of plants delivered by gamlaa.com. Fingers crossed they survive the harsh summer. Love them already!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-10714332128034717032013-03-16T09:23:00.000-07:002013-04-09T21:10:12.299-07:00Flop DIY Projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjPn09v9k1yZ1L0T12clk6tM_5hSELvQ39orkU7bghUyZQcH3VjKEEYDkBcs-bqgXPUnQlVWZTSnbWWKavewEZRqGOjpI4TFWsqt-eBRrKQmKuTAh0LDSl0hDzo0oXYpCCWjKn5hsfOY/s1600/Beer+Basket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjPn09v9k1yZ1L0T12clk6tM_5hSELvQ39orkU7bghUyZQcH3VjKEEYDkBcs-bqgXPUnQlVWZTSnbWWKavewEZRqGOjpI4TFWsqt-eBRrKQmKuTAh0LDSl0hDzo0oXYpCCWjKn5hsfOY/s320/Beer+Basket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Got quite a stash of bottles last night so decided to put it to good use in some DIY project. My first thought was to hang the bottles from the balcony grill but after reading umpteen instructions online realized that cutting off the base of the bottles was a little too complicated for a beginner like me so chickened out. Then tried hanging them from ropes secured at the top, but after entwining them with the clothesline shaped like a tangled basket, still didn't feel secure so dropped that idea. Next, tried putting them in old handbags and hanging them on the railing but felt it may snap so gave that up too.<br />
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Guess it was just not my day. Gave up the creative buzz in my head and went back to simpler methods. Oh well, there's always a next time.<br />
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Also, while browsing through a few pages for DIY, chanced upon this site gamlaa.com. Was pretty kicked about it because finally I get to order plants online and though they do not have herbs and other organic saplings yet, saves me the trouble of lugging indoor, outdoor, and some flowering plants. There were around 9 pots that I had retired for the summer but now that home delivery's available, got online and placed my first order. Now waiting for the beauties to arrive. Fingers crossed. :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-2443628670371147272013-03-10T06:35:00.001-07:002013-04-16T21:11:00.694-07:00Serendipitous Sundays<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Waking up on a Sunday morning to my plants is the most joyous activity right now in my life. Other days, its the hustle bustle of life where I am rushing through one chore to another but Sunday mornings are sacred.<br />
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So was shuttling back and forth tending to my plants, listening to melodious old songs wafting out in the background on Vh1 when something stopped me in my tracks. Happened to glance out of the dining room window and saw the sky change color in a matter of a few seconds from a dull grey to a bright orange. Was spellbound. My first instinct was to hunt for a camera but then decided to savour this moment in solitude instead of uploading just another sunrise pic to this already crowded digital world.<br />
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The beauty of the sunrise seemed to have eclipsed all other tasks so I sat back and watched the sun, in peace with the world for a few minutes till the doorbell rang and the maid woke me up from my utopian reverie. :)<br />
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So back to my rambles about my plants. The latest plant that I am fixated on is coriander (dhania). I've been reading several blogs on how to grow dhania and decided to try growing them at home. So here's a peek at the weekly progress of one of the dhania plants.<br />
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Still in the germination stage but hope by next week there is more progress. If all goes well it's going to take another 10-15 days before I can begin using my own home-grown produce and then I can get more ambitious in the gardening arena and venture to other produce too. :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-40908744465485641412012-12-06T19:57:00.000-08:002013-04-09T21:03:03.421-07:00Why Red?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIDFMZNpr5eAINa4EvuYgVlfc9EoecHJYufol6dXHdUkUc_nWH1SSrrzWL_l3oNYZilTE9jeaznD2CGpD_4fIW-BTU3Uc-Gmwa1JqSasCnyhBNvhZkvN0PwcgB5L6dc0mc77bth0MGtU/s1600/Deskplants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIDFMZNpr5eAINa4EvuYgVlfc9EoecHJYufol6dXHdUkUc_nWH1SSrrzWL_l3oNYZilTE9jeaznD2CGpD_4fIW-BTU3Uc-Gmwa1JqSasCnyhBNvhZkvN0PwcgB5L6dc0mc77bth0MGtU/s320/Deskplants.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Was admiring these wild red flowers that a co-worker brought us today and wondered why does red signify love! Why not blue, white, yellow, pink, purple, and so on? Loads of beautiful colors in the world so why was red the chosen one?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Red also denotes blood, a warning or an error message in documentation, or is used as a sign of failing a test or exam when teachers use red pens to differentiate the grades. It also denotes the traffic signal or those signs on the highway signifying some danger ahead. There are also so many idioms or phrases associated with the color red such as "seeing red" or "red tape" or "receive a red card", so wonder why is red used in the context of love?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-31150825326130174612012-11-25T06:39:00.001-08:002013-04-09T21:01:53.274-07:00Saas Bahu versus Sitcoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just a random thought. Wonder why saas bahu (MIL-DIL) serials are so popular in India? Why do we not have sitcoms such as Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and so on? Is it a reflection of our so called repressive culture and society that glorify medieval customs such as karva chauth with their portrayal and stereotyping of an ideal bahu? Are these serials also leading to an over active imagination where folks start taking these plots seriously and imagine they are victims of such behavior in their real lives too? Wonder if it is because of these soaps that I hear of incidents such as a mom-in-law chopping off her daughter-in-law's tresses while she is sleeping.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-20194512806596166202012-11-23T23:21:00.000-08:002013-03-10T06:36:50.191-07:00I Am Crushed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I don't know why it took me this length of time to finally post something today. There have been loads of ideas, thoughts, madness floating around in my head but guess it will take some time to sort out my rambles and note it down. It's all become a blur inside but will hopefully post my numerous ramblings more often.<br />
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For now, what's keeping me super busy before and after work is my new obsession, my latest crush, the current love of my life. Since I do not own a space outside to do my own gardening and live in an apartment in one of our cramped, polluted Indian cities, I've been trying my hand at a little gardening in my tiny balcony.
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Guess the older I grow, my thoughts seem to turn more to those idyllic childhood days living in the midst of nature where greenery was abundant.
Winters meant a variety of flowers that chai memsahebs would painstakingly plant in front of their bungalows. Chrysanthemums, dahlias, phlox, pansies, zinnias, poppies, etc etc and of course your own home grown organic vegetables in the backyard. I remember the flower shows in February an annual event where everyone would compete with their best in all categories be it for the best bungalow with the best flower garden and vegetable garden, or for the flowers, non-flowering plants, vegetables, or even home grown produce.
I would painstakingly prepare flower arrangements a week in advance to prepare for the children's section. Those days there were no smart phones, technology around so guess this was our way of entertainment and keeping ourselves busy. :)I remember my Dad spending hours in the garden tending to his prized garlic or papaya trees and Mom all excited about the strawberries and the flowers.
Though I admit I am not yet a great gardener like my parents, I do try my best and guess will get there and hopefully I can afford a tiny garden someday. :) However, I do often wonder why I didn't inherit my parents fabulous gardening genes. :)
For now, will post a few pics of my flowering plants that blossom now and then in my tiny, sunny balcony.
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It was fascinating watching the progression of this hibiscus bud to a full grown flower over a period of 3 days and I did bore Ange and Serena for a while with daily posts till Angeli suggested that maybe I should start a joba blog. :D
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I am also a little worried about going on vacation next month in case the maid or the watchman forgets to water them and have been looking at those automatic plant watering systems on Amazon and other sites though I am hopeful and sure they will be fine. Guess I've become a little protective and sometimes think to myself that now I know what it's like to have kids. These plants are like my kids and am going to miss them. I know this is not a good example and those who've been expecting us to produce kids the last few years will not be happy reading this comment, but well that's the closest I will ever get to having motherly feelings and I am perfectly fine with it, say what you may. :P Now I'd better scoot before my thoughts start flowing here faster than my ability to process them. ;) </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-23262583748751877732012-11-23T20:19:00.002-08:002016-07-26T01:06:24.175-07:00The Art of Gifting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The most annoying thing to receiving a gift that is so horrendous that you cannot ever imagine giving anyone, is when someone asks you whether you liked the gift and you have to be so diplomatic and lie that you absolutely loved it though you HATE it and are cringing from inside. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Even though they know that it is something worth not gifting and they absolutely would not use it in their own lives, they gift you anyway. In this case, it is not the thought that counts because they were not thinking of you at all. It was more of a chore and wondering what do I have in the midst of my existing gifts at home that I do not like and would like to discard because they do not want to make the effort and go and shop for you. It's that thoughtlessness that I do not appreciate but of course I would never show it upfront and still say it was lovely so guess that makes me a hypocrite, eh! And that's why I rant here. :P</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I believe the value of a gift does not matter. It may be a flower or a plant but it has to be something worthwhile and not something that makes the receiver grimace. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">When you do know what a person likes, their hobbies, their preferences in music or books, the stuff they like to wear, the objects they like to collect or do up their homes with, and their personal tastes and preferences, then of course it is sacrilege giving them something that you would like to discard, a hand-me-down that you know they couldn't use and neither will you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">My first rule is never ever gift someone something that I would never use or care for. Second is never pass on gifts that I have received or do not like because who knows when that may come round. A boarding school pal received the same present that she had gifted someone on their birthday with the same wrapping paper intact. Another dear school pal of mine complained how she would constantly receive crappy gifts from a friend till her gift was gifted back to her through another friend who she had passed it onto. Sounds quite like the merry-go-round. :P </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">If there is a budget crunch or you are in doubt as to the other person's tastes and preferences, I think saying it with flowers or a box of chocolates is always the best bet. When the maid gets me a flower in the morning I am happy, or someone gives me a small chocolate bar, that makes me happy. And if someone gives me a book or a CD based on my tastes, or even a small potted plant that makes my day because it shows that the person has taken the time to think of me. Oh yeah, simple things make me happy. I am even elated if someone sends me a mail or a letter remembering me and some nice nostalgic moments. Now that is being thoughtful.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As I reiterate, it's the thoughtfulness that matters and not the thoughtlessness. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Wonder why most Indians still try to pass around useless gifts. If you have to gift, GIFT well. Again, I do not mean in terms of material wealth where you always need to buy a branded watch or perfume but can be something small but tasteful that shows the receiver you were thinking of them and they matter. And sorry, I would not like to list the thoughtless gifts I have received here. I think I've been diplomatic enough with this post. :D</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">PS: This post was written 4 years ago and I guess I have changed as a person with low tolerance towards crappy gifts. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I have a school friend who still hasn't stopped with the passing around of hand me downs. When I was in college, she would give me the worst presents, which included a gold top, bathroom slippers that she later admitted she was passing on. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Yeah, I've taken a lot of BS but that's changing and I'm beginning to stand up for myself. :D</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Two decades after college, she visits my city and even though I repeatedly told her that not to give me clothes knowing my past experience, she insisted it was from a particular brand, spoke like it was gold she was gifting me, and gave me the worst shapeless shabby crumpled T-shirt I have ever seen. I figured out </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">over the phone</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> that she was trying to pass it on even before she reached India but she didn't heed my advice and gave it anyway. I posted it on various Whatsapp groups for my friends to decide and common referendum was I should return it so that's what I did. ;) </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And this is why I don't blindly follow brands or fashion</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I just think if you are a good friend, you will make an effort to understand a person's choice and especially when you live in another country and haven't seen the other person in a really long time, clothes can be a big no-no coz of the fit, style, preference, and size. Even in brands, it's not like we all have the same taste. What I may like, somebody else may never wear. It all depends on our height, weight, and comfort with certain clothing. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Well, I am happy with a bar of chocolate but when someone supposedly your friend gives you such a thoughtless gift and refuses to even listen to what you are saying, it just gives the impression that they </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">don't really care about you. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-30135720927684977932012-09-18T07:36:00.002-07:002012-09-18T07:42:35.525-07:00We Are Squeaky Clean Indians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few days ago, after dining at the food court in Inorbit, I visit the washroom and find this beautiful well-dressed lady applying make-up. Her 2-3 year old daughter is whining in Punjabi that she wants to pee. The lady lifts her daughter and sets her over the wash basin right next to where I am washing my hands and tells her to pee. I am shocked and disgusted but control my anger and politely tell her that there are 10-12 loos that she can take her daughter to pee in. She angrily retorts that she is only a baby and how does it matter. I tell her she may be a baby in her eyes but it is unhygienic and definitely not the place. I really think a crash course on peeing etiquette for kids is required since such parents exist. She retorts angrily that she can do what she wants and her child's pee is pure as they drink milk only so what's the big fuss. I lose it and tell her that a 2-3 year olds piss may be pure and drinkable for her but definitely not for me. I have no intention of viewing kids pee, pure or not, over wash basins and as a parent she needs to teach her kid the right etiquette and manners. She gets offended and starts abusing me but I leave as my friends are waiting and don't bother to retort as a crowd joins in and takes over.<br />
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Well, that triggered off this post. :) We were taught in school that cleanliness is next to godliness. That euphemism cannot be lost in context of our squeaky clean nation! Cleanliness for us means treating any place outside our homes including shopping malls, movie halls, parks, roads as the great Indian dustbin. Cleanliness also means expecting others to clean up for us. After all, India is a nation of servants where the poor and underprivileged are expected to clear up for the rich folks.<br />
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We crib about the filth and tend to blame it on illiteracy and the poor. Are the educated and rich not contributing to the great Indian trash pile at all? We see trash everywhere, outside apartment complexes, flying out of building windows, car windows, and any other nook and crevice possible. Literate parents, when out in a public place, conveniently give up their snobbish spic and span avatar to don an ugly Indian avatar. Suddenly these perfect mommas forget all about their ‘class’ and ‘upbringing’ and encourage their kids to trash anywhere and everywhere. In malls, I've seen parents wipe their kids’ fingers or some other part of their anatomy and throw the tissue paper right there on the ground despite the presence of numerable bins placed at convenient locations. Where is literacy involved in this trashing? I recently saw this message on the Facebook page of one of the apartment complexes in town. A flat owner publicly requested parents to ensure that their kids do not pee on the lawns where people play games, stroll, or sit on the grass. Despite the washrooms being right next to the swimming pool, parents encourage their kids to leave their urinary signature in the pool instead of ensuring they inculcate good habits. Is this some kind of territory marking akin to the dogs?<br />
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I see our watchman trying his best to keep our building clean and clearing garbage every morning but who is there to help. Folks upstairs throw litter outside their windows not caring that there are people who live downstairs or that they are littering the garden. They don't care or take it for granted that others will clean up for them. One fine Saturday night I even saw a whiskey bottle hanging on the branches of the tree outside my window. Yes, we are very proud and clean Indians, aren't we?<br />
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Even our clean, green, manicured office environment is not spared. Hordes of empty tea and coffee cups, cigarette butts, and discarded snack packets are found lying everywhere regardless of the umpteen dustbins all over the campus. So who is to blame for all this litter? Do we still blame the poor for not clearing the trash we generate or do we inculcate clean habits of disposing of one's own trash?<br />
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Last night, we were at our friend's place and he was telling us how they have been trying to implement various green measures at his workplace, one of the world's premier IT company where the choicest of folks come from the best educational institutions. One of the green measures was to reduce wastage of natural resources by getting rid of paper cups and introducing ceramic mugs in the pantry for their employees use. Even then the logistics of it has been immense because people don't return those used mugs to its rightful place after using them. You can spy those mugs lying all across the campus from the car park to the lawns and almost every nook and cranny possible. It has turned out to be a gigantic logistics issue for the service staff to go and hunt all across their large sprawling campus for those tea and coffee mugs. It has even been found in people's homes and in the outside railing of an apartment complex.<br />
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All this trashing also makes me wonder if we are turning out to be a wasteful generation due to the use and throw policy prevalent these days. Earlier, things were built to last and you would see furniture and crockery being reused and passed down from one generation to the next.. The older generations believed in recycling whether it was those empty glass jars for pickles and jams, or the milk packets and newspapers, or old clothes that would be sewn as a patchwork quilt. Even the refrigerators and toasters and other appliances were built to last.<br />
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However, in these instant times, where new is better, we are quick to generate waste way more quickly than the previous generations. It is futile wondering what kind of planet we are leaving for future generations. Our planet has over 7 billion humans generating colossal amounts of garbage, exploiting the earth’s resources in numerous ways, and contributing to the extinction of several species. The harm being caused to our environment is simply unimaginable. We now live in a fast moving consumerist age where people dispose off gadgets faster than clothes or until the next version of that phone hits the market.<br />
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Is this craze for new justified? What exactly are we chasing? Do we really need that many gizmos in a lifetime? Isn't this a dangerous trend in terms of the colossal amount of waste? Well, guess that's a different topic for another day.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108256816189158214.post-38686863178985971962012-09-09T04:48:00.000-07:002012-09-09T04:48:35.971-07:00Tiger Tiger Burning Bright<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How times have changed! When my Dad was posted in the tea gardens from the 70s till the early years after 2000, we would hear of several isolated incidents of tigers and leopards attacking people and cattle. They would be captured and handed over to forest officials instead of being killed. That is because most species were by then in the endangered category and many had reached a stage of extinction, so we were out to save whatever was left of our wildlife.<br />
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However, hunting was quite common in earlier times whether for sport or safety. I was home in July enroute to Assam and was going through my parents albums when I chanced upon this photograph of my granddad and his colleagues with a tiger.<br />
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My granddad at the centre with his co-workers</div>
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My granddad was the Manager of a tea garden called Narayanpur near Tezpur. My Mom's early childhood was spent mainly in the tea gardens. The later years she was sent off to Calcutta for her education where she lived in a big, fat joint family in New Alipore with loads of aunts, uncles and cousins. :) However, during the holidays, she would visit my grandparents in Assam.<br />
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This incident occurred before she moved to Calcutta. One afternoon, sometime in the late 1950's, my granddad came home for lunch and informed my grandmom that a tiger had been hiding in the tea bushes and had attacked a woman tea plucker biting off her hand. The woman was immediately transported to the nearest hospital and the other tea pluckers had gone off to their quarters early as it was too dangerous with the tiger still on the prowl somewhere in and around the tea bushes.<br />
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News had also spread like wildfire that the previous night the tiger had taken a few hens, goats, and other domestic animals from the living quarters. That was also the reason everyone suspected that the tiger may return any time and were frightened.<br />
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When dusk fell, my grandfather instructed the night chowkidar to check that all doors and windows were properly sealed and ensure that no one stepped out of the bungalow. After giving instructions, my grandfather got into the jeep and drove off in the darkness of the night.<br />
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It was a cold night and in Assam darkness descends even quicker during the winters. Those days there were no phones and my grandmom was extremely worried about my granddad's safety. She kept a vigil all night waiting for him to return. My Mom and her sisters all huddled up with my grandmom and wouldn't let her go anywhere out of fear. From the labour quarters which is at a distance, the sound of drums and tribal music could be heard rising eerily to a crescendo and fading out again. The labour quarters were made of mud and thatch roofs and were not very safe. The labourers lit a bonfire and there were festivities with song and dance not only because it was "Bada Din (Christmas)" but also to scare the tiger away with the sound of drumbeats.<br />
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My Mom doesn't remember when she fell asleep but she does remember waking up once in the night and seeing my grandmom chant prayers with these beads around her fingers. She went back to sleep and was woken again by the sound of voices. My granddad had returned and it was almost day break.<br />
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He narrated how he and Mr. Pandit spent the whole night in a machan built over a tree. They tied two goats and chickens to the bamboo sticks at the base of the machan to lure the tiger out of the jungle. The tiger got tempted and as soon as it appeared, they fired a couple of shots.<br />
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There was a lot of celebration and jubilation at the garden next morning. At 10 am, my granddad took my mom and her sisters to the office. The dead corpse of the tiger was placed right in front of the office and still looked scary. My Mom felt he may wake up any moment and attack again. She was frightened but also felt sorry for the tiger as she imagined that the tiger would be missed by his family members. This is one childhood memory that stayed with her and that is why she has kept this faded photograph for over 50 years.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02673038760489922041noreply@blogger.com3