Finding the post office (Mundhwa, Pune)

For people looking just for the info:
Wikimapia Link
Google Maps Link -
18°31'47.67''N,
73°54'33.24''E
 (Lat/long info as identified by Location services on my iPhone)
If you are comming from Mundhwa towards Ghorpadi.. Keep an eye for the rusted gate on your left. See picture below. It should be just after the Army Sports Institute campus starts (on your right).



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It was indeed a big deal.

I had to send the the ITR-V acknowledgement by Indian Post (yes..they want it by normal post, no registered post, no courier and of-course no electronic copies). Strangely this is the last step of the e-filing process!!!

So the search began for the nearest post office. I am staying near Hadapsar and everyone pointed me to the Post Office in Ghorpadi. I started off by looking at the Indian postal department website. but sadly I could find no store locater kind of feature. Put in your zip code and it gives the name of your post office but not the location.

Google maps did not help at all. Seems like it has to go a long way before one can look up an indian address and expect accurate results.

Anyway I did find the Mundhwa Post office and just wanted to share the location.

Paisa Kya na kare kaam

People tend to value things that are not easily available. Never thought greenery could be one of them. Recently I had been on a trip to Al Ain and Jebel Hafeet. Al Ain is a well known oasis here and as expected there is enough greenery in and around it. Then we moved towards Jebel Hafeet, a mountain famous for the beautiful sight at sunset. On the foothills is a hot spring, which has been turned into a picnic spot. People from Dubai and Abu Dhabi throng this place during weekends. And here, I saw yet another miracle that only money can buy. Take a look at the pictures below..

This is a view from the public park around the hot spring. The greenery right in the middle of the desert attracts a lot of people. But the fact is that, the hot spring is just a thin trickle of water that feeds a large pool.


As we moved out, the stark difference became quite visible, the cliffs around were made of sandstone/limestone. Clearly quite inhospitable to any kind of vegetation and the hot spring not enough to bring out greenery over such a large area..

This view from the top of the mountain brings out the isolated green patch right in the middle of the desert..

So how is it possible.. As our car passed close to these patches, I could not help notice the network of pipes that spread over this huge area. All this greenery has been brought about by drip irrigation. Sprinklers work all year round to add color to this lifeless cliff faces.

I could not help wondering... all this at what cost... surely paisa kya na kare kaam...Clearly Adam Smith's law of scarce resources doesn't hold good here. Resouces, especially money seems unlimited and wants dont need to get prioritized..

As someone from a developing country where there is so much poverty.. where so many dreams, hopes and enthusiasm dies for the lack of resources, I can hardly say this is money well spent...

DubaiDiary: GoodMorning Dubai

For most people like me, the day you wake up to see the sunrise is definitely special.. Whatever be reason for waking early, it's a new chance..

The world looks different during different times of the day and there is a special glow that the morning sun brings with it. OR may be simply because I see so few sunrises..

This morning, I decided to click away a few memories of a morning in Dubai and went off with my cam to the creek...join me..

The first rays of the sun on the Dubai creek
The Magic that the golden rays bring.. everything looks magnificent.. You are looking at a Dhow, that's what boats are called here...
The famous twin towers... Couldn't miss out the chance to shoot it with an aircraft :)
Footpath..Bank Street.. by the time i returned, people were ready to go to their work..

Bank Street again.. Al Rostamani... a name all expats know.. that's how u send money back..

DubaiDairy:Al Ain - my trip to an oasis

I had pictured an Oasis so many times in my head and I am sure so have you. Right in the middle of the desert with nothing around except date palm trees and a water hole. A few tents may be strewn around with camels sitting and watching you with their sleepy eyes.

So when I got a chance to go to Al Ain, I was really excited. Here was my chance to see an Oasis. On the way, I kept asking if the oasis is in Al Ain or somewhere nearby. I was told that it is the city itself. But still, the picture of an Oasis still hung in my head. When we reached Al Ain, there was surprise in store for me.

It is a sprawling city (actually the fourth largest in UAE) with beautiful roads, gardens and tastefully built buildings that give you a really different feeling, especially when you have just come out of Dubai. It is known as the Garden city in UAE and I could see why. There were big trees and I would not have believed it was possible in the middle of the desert, if I would not have seen it. I latter came to know, all this is because of a number of underground springs in the area. The temperature there was also much cooler and the greenery really soothing.

The first stop was the Al Ain Palace Museum, and it was really a great place to see how people lived and what the original culture was. But all the time, I was looking for the "OASIS". We managed to move there only after we fulfilled the demands of the youngest member of our team, Sohan, who would not let us go anywhere before he saw the zoo :)

A view from inside the Museum

Majlis Room - Museum

Now the zoo here is a quite a decent one, considering the fact that it is right in the middle of a desert and they have really tried to create a habitat for each animal. It was interesting to watch how they have managed to keep all sorts of animals from Gorillas to Ostriches to Penguins..

We finally proceeded to the OASIS but yet again I was disappointed. There was no central waterhole surrounded by palm tree or tents around. But soon I was climbing the palm trees plucking fresh dates and enjoying the scenery around. I learnt that there are a number of oasis of varying sizes in and around Al Ain and this one was one of the largest. The settlements around Al Ain are one of the oldest in the area and the government is ensuring the beauty of the place in maintained. I really appreciate the efforts, especially the ban on high rise buildings. Most of the buildings in the city are single storied and even in the heart of the commercial center, never beyond 2/3 storeys.

Al Ain

They are so tasty..

The best part was the trip to Jebel Hafeet (Jebel means mountain). As we moved towards it, a very interesting view emerged, you should see how they are trying to green the mountains around. Drip irrigation is changing the face of the mountains. Though we missed the target of watching the sunset from the top, it was a wonderful view of the entire town. As we climbed the serpentine road up to the crest of the mountain, the temperature drop was noticeable. The AC as shut off and we rolled down the windows to take in the magnificent view. The one hour spent there made me feel really great. I always feel elated whenever I am on a mountain top and the feeling here was no different.

A trip worth taking. Just go there and enjoy...

Dubai Diary: Hot and happening

This was the first weekend and I did not want to miss it at all. The ground work was already done during the day and it was about 11pm when I left the hotel with a couple of friends. One of them suggested Pancho and we walked round the corner to enter the pub/disco. Having paid a penalty of 70 dirhams for making a stag entry, we walked into this happening place. I did not really why they chose this one but once we were IN, I guessed it pretty quickly. It was filled with people from all nationalities and with equally varied backgrounds and strata of life. For me it was the first glimpse of what Dubai truly was. Reminded me of some of the descriptions of port cities in some of the classics. People from almost whole of the Islamic world found a place and to add to this clourful mosaic were Russians, Europeans, Indians, Philipinos and of course the locals.

Soon the stage was taken by beautiful Russian and we had a great show of belly dance. Soon to follow the was a live band. As they started singing the dance floor as let open to the public. What was really noteworthy was the collection of songs that was being played and change that brought onto the dance floor. Representing the myriad cultures that was mingling with each other, the dance numbers changed from Arabic to English to Urdu to Hindi to a number of African languages I could not understand. As each song changed I could see the joy that it brought to the people who understood the song and quickly jumped into the dance floor. I am sure each number was a smashing hit in its country of origin. Of course those of us who did not understand continued to dance but the lead was taken by the people who understood it and the joy of dancing to the tunes of a song from their own country clearly showed on their faces.

By the time we left it was 3Am and I had seen a glimpse of the spirit of Dubai. People from all over the world come here to work, earn and have a blast of a time...May be that’s just one facet of it and I am eager to see more..

Duabai diary: Karachi darbar

Right across the hotel where I stay is bustling Pakistani joint called Karachi Darbar. The problem with big hotels is that no matter where you are they serve food that tastes the same and I really wanted to taste the local cuisine and that was the reason why I walked out of the hotel to have my dinner. Entered into this one just on an impulse and I am so happy I did. One of the oldest hotels out here in Bur Dubai, it’s a hotspot for hundreds of people looking for good tasty food that probably is as close to home as possible.

I have become a hardcore fan of the food out there. One, the items on the menu look so familiar to what you would find in some of the best in India. Two, the taste is so good that by the time you walk out of the hotel, you not only filled but extremely satisfied. Three, you can’t better define value for money. Not only is the quantity of food enough, the price is very affordable.

Why did I chose a Pakistani restaurant on day 1 when there were so many Indian names around, I don’t really know.

pitstop Dubai

From the land of Du_bhai!!!!!
Every pitstop is to be enjoyed... more than a temporary break in the thrill of the race, it’s a chance to realign, learn and get ready for the next lap.
Almost a year after I denied (actually vehemently fought back) the offered to take up an assignment in the Middle East, in what I can say a 180 degrees turn in situation; I willingly agreed to take up an assignment in Dubai.
After a dramatic weekend marked my frantic calls between the travel desk back home and the airlines, I managed to board the flight from Bangalore. As I began to ease up, the next twist in the tale came up. My flight reached late and I missed the connecting flight from Bahrain. Managed to get the next flight (some 3hrs latter) to Dubai but the uncertainty was not going to end till finally walked out of Dubai airport. I was so happy to see the person from the hotel who had come for the pickup.
As I finally reached the hotel and slumped on the bed, I sat thinking, the uncertainty and pain apart, I did know a lot more than I would have, if the things would have gone the normal way. If put it in the way we put it in my profession, normal/happy flows have to be captured but the challenge lies in capturing the exception flows. The robustness of a process/system is known only when things start going wrong. Well professional gyan apart, here are a few interesting things I came across:
1. For Dubai, most of the times, you get the visa on arrival and this information has to be there with the airlines with which you are travelling. Or else, they just won’t let you board the flight. Got to know after I had to return once from the airport because someone in the travel desk had goofed up and I did not know because when things go right you need not know!!! Anyway, I (and my friends who had gone to the airport to drop me off) did need a full day sleep after a day of hectic packing and a full night of partying. (we figured out that was the best way to stay awake and leave for airport at 3.30 in the morning)
2. BIAL (Bangalore International Airport) authorities have done one great thing. I am so happy they have a free wi-fi in the departure lobby. And I just could not miss the chance to test my ASUS p527. The speed was great. Just had to send an sms to a number and you got a uid and pwd. I mention this because I could not connect to the wifi at Bahrain Intl airport, though my phone did detect a free network.
3. The day I was sitting with that guy from travel desk to get my tickets done, I asked him if 1hr is safe enough for transit between 2 flights. He said Bahrain is a small airport and anyway its in the same terminal so don’t worry. Well you should. If it an airport where you are landing for the first time, you WILL take time to figure things out and flights do miss their schedules. So use your head, don’t listen to some joker who pretends to know more than he does. But if you do land up in a situation like I did, the airlines/airport will have a ‘transfer desk’ that would handle situations like these. They would route you through the next available flight without charging you. But I guess that’s when you have boarding passes for both the parts of the journey with you.
4. In Dubai airport you have to collect the original visa papers (if it is visa on arrival), go for a retina scan and then proceed to the customs/immigration. No one really told me that I have to go to a certain counter in the airport to collect my visa!!!
5. In Dubai airport, there is a duty free shopping area after you cross the immigration and collect your baggage.. can be valuable information especially if you plan to pick up some stocks at the last minute.
PS: when you try to log in into blogger from dubai, the page comes up in Arabic.. but thankfully I could spot a box on the top left corner that let me change it into English :)

My Laddakh story: The beginings

Every trip has a story.. I hope to pen down this story as it unfolds...

So here is how it all began.. Three friends were idling about in a flat in Koramangla and suddenly one of them (Manish aka Cheeku) suddely brings up this topic of making a trip to laddakh. And soon all of them get into the thick of it. As Vishal (aka Tarzan) and Cheeku get all excited about it, I was busy taking a video.


After almost a year, I suddenly stumbled upon the video on one of my backup discs. I uploaded it to youtube and thus the story started all over again with a mail. For the next 2 days as the conversation picked up pace and there was a flurry of calls to and fro between Bangalore and Delhi, there were several exciting twists and turns.

All of us decided on a deadline to checkwith our workplaces and confirm availability of leaves. I was the only person who was open for any date after 20th of June. On the verge of changing jobs, I had manged to squeeze out a 15 day period before I joined a new organization. So understandably I was most excited about making good use of this time and kept pushing the rest for the trip.

Here comes the first twist, Vishal after having shown a lot of optimism dropped out on the 13th of June. But then enters Rahul (aka bak****), and there could have been nothing better than having a person from Jammu to accompany us. Rahul was full steam into the plan and we started discussing the finer details of the itinerary and stay. Naturally good with numbers, he came out with the fact that the flights from Leh to Delhi was costlier that that from Delhi to Leh and Deccan flight was the most suitable to our needs. The return journey has to be by road so that we can enjoy the picturesque Kargil-Srinagar route. Of course his inclusion in the trip also added a stop in Jammu (where his family stays), but he sold us out describing the beauty of Srinagar and Jammu which we cant afford to miss, having gone so far. So we were all Ok with the return route via Kargil, Srinagar and Jammu on the way back to Delhi.

Now here comes the next twist. Enter Umang (aka Kida) with his inherent capability of creating turmoil even in the calmest of situations. Since there would be four of us now, we can make the trip all the way up and down by road. The trip would be in his car and even volunteered to drive most of the distance. But according to him, the route via Manali was the most suitable and we should spare a day or two in the beautiful Manali valley. So we went ahead and finetuned the itinerary according to this new plan. The route was researched (including details like the availability of petrol bunks on the route) and we set another deadline to confirm our participation in the trip. But as betted by most of our other friends, Kida ka kida jaag utha and we realized we cannot take his car. Cheeku was clear his car was certainly not an option. Any way, Kida seemed unsure about the leave from his workplace and soon there were again a flurry of concalls to work out back up plans.

Booking a taxi for the whole journey appeared quite expensive and the last weekend (14-15 june) ended without any concrete plans. There was more to come before the week ended, Rahul informed that he may have to spend that particular week at his home because of an emergency in his family.

While this was happening, SOS were sent out to serveral other important personalities.. that included Radhasisir (aka Randa).. who sadly replied from Malaysia saying he wont be back by July 1st. Dilip who stays with me, was already in a soup having exhaused all his leaves and wanted to save the rest of his leaves for his brother's marraige scheduled latter in the year.

So there we were again, quite unsure if this trip was going to take off or not. Cheeku and Me were still hoping that Rahul and Umang would still manage to join us. Just to make sure that we dont fall back on our intentions, we decided to go ahead and book our tickets (one way). Thats how the situation is right now....

But I am having a feeling we are going to Leh anyway :)

Journey in Sleeper class with Indian Railways

There was no specific reason for taking the trip to Pune by train. When it all started, it was supposed to be 4 of us, and we agreed that the trip was going to be great fun. Going back to Pune was supposed to be a trip down the memory lane and to me Indian Railways was an integral part. So much so, we decided to take the Sleeper tickets, all agreeing that people in the AC boggies are too snobbish and we wanted to have blast.

And the day finally came. I was standing outside the Bangalore Railway station with my backpack waiting for Vishal who had the tickets. Nothing seemed to have changed. As I leaned on the railings watching the glowboard saying Bangalore railway station, I wondered if Saifi was still there. I checked my mobile, and his number was still there. I remembered the day, I had first got this number. I had been in Bangalore for just about a month and I had to go to my home
town. Got leave in the last moment and by then, there were no tickets available. A flight ticket was out of question at that point of time and I was so desperate I had decided to go anyway. The plan was simple, try your luck with the TTC, else all you needed was a bedsheet and find a suitable flat empty surface.

Well thankfully I did not have to do either, because there was Saifi. A friend gave his number in the office and clearly spelt out how it worked. "He is not an agent, there is no office, no address and he takes clients only on reference. You are supposed to go the railway station, give him a call and he will come and meet you in the reservation lobby. When he comes to you, tell him your desination, pay him in advance plus a charge of 200 rupees. The rest he takes care of. You would get an confirmed ticket." And i swear this mysterious charachter was good at is his work and he did save me the trouble of sleeping on the train floor that night.

Now coming back to my pune trip, I was going through a flashback of memories attached with Udyaan Express. I was just remembering the last time I was anywhere near it was when we were leaving Pune after MBA. Most of the guys from Delhi were to leave on most probably the Goa express at 4am and Randa was leavin by Udyaan. It was supposed to leave at an unearthly hour of 1 AM and there were a bunch of us who were there that day on the railway station to say the final good buy. Having made the 25Km drive from Hinjewadi to Pune Station after a good see off party, I was lying half awake, half dazed on the platform. Some one was taking a video with his handycam and it was all fun, we were leaving but no one missed any chance to pull a leg if someone got sentimental.

Anyway, Vishal reached and I realized that it was gong to be just two of us. Randa was flying to Malyasia and Dilip was already on a flight to meet his parents. For the first time, the whole thing seemed like a very very bad idea. Bangalore was boiling like a pot and Vishal reminded me, this was nothing. We were to pass the barren lands of Vidharva the next day, and the snobbish crowd of AC boggies appeared like great wise men to me. Any way, the journey had begun and it was upto me to make the most of it. We moved on to Comesum to pack off some dinner. I am not sure if Comesum is there at other places but during those 2years in Pune, the comesum on the Pune Station used to be our last hope of grabbing a quick bite at 2 AM before we returned to our hostels.

And so started my journey. We shared the cubicle with another Marathi family. A family of 5, husband, wife, a kid of 4, another of abt 1 and the father of the guy. Nothing is more convenient than the Indian Railways, when you have to travel with a family like this. There were so many things that had not changed, that remained so typical of a train journey in the sleeper class. A few hours into the journey, the family took out their dinner. As we feasted on our packed dinner from Comesum, I could not help sneaking a peek at the nice home made Chappatis, Sabji and achar that my fellow travellers were enjoying. The meal was typical, you can almost predict what a packed meal for an Indian family making a train trip would be. Puris or chappatis with a dry curry/bhaji, I remembered my mother used to pack it for me every time I made an overnight trip on the railways and i really enjoyed it.

A few hours latter, something that I almost knew would happen begun to unfold. Both of us had the Lower berths and if you are a young guy with a lower berth, then it is almost certain that you would be approached by someone with either a lady or a senior citzen to exchange the coveted lower berth for an upper or middle berth. I never hesitate to do that, actually the upper berth is more convenient since you can wake up whenever you want. But the summer heat meant that you could sleep off only after 11 in the night when the roof has cooled off. Anyway, we chatted off till 11 and by the time we climbed onto the upper berths, it was cool enough.

The next morning, I somehow woke up at 6AM.. yes... too soon but the train had stopped waiting for a signal and i decided to climb down and have some fresh cool breeze. The topology outside was typical of the dry deccan region and even at 6 you could feel that it was going to be a hot day. I climed back and assembled the new camera I was taking for my brother. I missed my Canon S3IS but the photos from this was were not that bad.

Some time latter, a shoe shine boy came along and as vishal stopped his for a shine, i watched him work. When the time came to pay, I realized that, the standard rate had increased from Rs5 to 10. With inflation above 7, i guess they deserved a hike. He tried to sell me a special sole for my shoe and I could not help pointing out his cross selling efforts to Vishal. He said thats something he knows even without a MBA.

One after the other vendors came selling their wares and i picked up the Bhel, the Vada pao, the Misti Dhoi, the butter milk, the coffee and cucumbers. After all, this is why we were in the sleeper in the first place. Having it from them seemed so much more natural. I mean if you are travelling by any no frills airlines, the nice over painted lady who sells you a bottle of water for 3o bucks and sandwitch for 100 bucks really makes me feel out of place.

Well all this time, I could not help notice how unprepared I had come for the trip. The family i had mentioned earlier had brought bedsheets and air pillows while my back pack made up the pillow for me. The breakfast and even the lunch for the next day was well packed. There was special food for the old man and the lady who were doing a Shaniwar fasting. There were enough snacks for the small kid and a nice lunch for the man which he was kind enough to invite us to share with him.

All the way along, there were short distance passengers who kept climbing on to our reserved berths and expected us to share it with them. It's a matter of 2 hours sir, they would alway say. And then of course there were the TTCs. I realized that the Side Lower berth was reserved for the TTC on duty. There were two very young guys who were the TTCs for the trip. Most probably very fresh into the trade, i watched them in amusement as they returned from their rounds and started exchanging notes on the seats available and the challans they had made out.

Anyway, by the time we reached Pune, it was around 3 and the trained stopped near Hadapsar just on the outskirts of the CIty, waiting for the signal. I figured out, it would be closer to get down here and pick up the bike from my brothers place before we made the trip to Baner. So we jumped off onto the tracks and found our way to the Hadapsar station after having walked about 300ms. A small station with a few people sitting here and there, this place did not seem like one that would have a taxi stand outside. As we walked out, we found a single auto rickshaw with its driver napping in the seat. We woke him and as i asked him to take us the address I gave him, we haggled for 5 mins on the right price. So finally we were at my brothers place, the train journey had ended and we were thakful that we had made the return tickets by flight.

But looking back, I think it was a great journey. You should keep travelling by Indian Railways from time to time, even if you can afford other means of transportation. It shows you so much of real India and such a variety of people. Forced away from your laptops and with nothing to do, you really start taking interest in the people around you and more often than not you would enjoy the feeling of having to do nothing but just enjoy the journey.

my talks with Cab drivers..

Having landed in this country (USA) without a driving license, i knew i would be relying a lot on these people. I took buses whenever i could but had to get into cabs more often than i thought i would need to. May be san rafael being a small town on the suburbs of san francisco did not have many buses but latter i realized that the places i was interested in, did not necessarily interest many people, so buses did not go there. For example Muir Woods is such a wonderful place but buses run to that place from here for only half the year...

Anyway before i get off too far from what i wanted to write.. i was talking of cab drivers. They are an amazing lot. When you are forced to share a 6X4 space with another person, you better start talking to him else u keep feeling strange. And I have found they can be pretty good conversations.

The first cab i took from San francisco airport to san rafael belonged to someone who was from Palestine!!!!!! I said wow.. i never thought i would meet someone from palestine. And then within that 1 hour drive, we shared small bits of our countries and our cultures.. Then i asked him how long has he been here, and he replied 15 years. But did he dream of going back.. Yes he did.. he hoped life would get safer there and one day he would return..

That was the first and then there were many more.. I met one from brazil.. he asked me do you mind me keeping this FM channel on. I said no problem, by the way is it spanish. He said yes and it is very simillar to my mother tounge. We got into a conversation. How long had he been there in USA?? 12 years..

And then one day, i met a cab driver who was from Iran... yes.. he has been here for years.. but cheered me up with a "Namaste.. kaise hain aap" A guy in his 50s i guess, who said he had been in india for some time.. A short trip but he was good company.. made me forget the mad day i had had in office that day..

And then of course, there were people born and brought up in america.. A nice man who said he tried learning Indian Music for some time.. and he said he used to play violin.. i have my own doubts over whether you use that particular instrument to learn Hindustani Music (thats the word he used)...

They are an amazing lot.. Some show unexpected wisdom, some make up great stories and some just reflect a shade of humanity that you had not been in touch with for some time...Its never been a loss, starting a conversation with these people. Sometime i would like to pen down some conversations i have had with cab drivers in Mubai.

But for now, I have at least one more long cab ride coming in the next few days. That should be for my trip to SanFrancisco airport to catch my flight back home. I am wondering who this character would be... if he is interesting enough you will meet him here :)
cheers..

Trip to Muir Woods

A day to remember...

Here are some snaps

There is light ahead

I just love this photo... I think this is one of the best pics i have taken..

From On the way to...

This was taken just outside my office here(McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, CA, USA), and somehow the view was magical. The mountains behind me hid enough of the sun to make this possible. Seemed to convey very pictorially what we love to believe. There is light ahead..

One of the basic assumptions that gives you the will to take the next step.

Gandhi in SFO

It was my first weekend in San Rafael... Felt like it would be really a waste to spend it at home. So went off to San Francisco..
Guess who I met..

From San Francisco

Yes...
This statue is at Pier 1. Port of San Francisco complex..

From San Francisco

A small plaque explains his contribution to Non Violence..

Did not expect it here.

What no one told me..

This is my first trip abroad.. and that happens to be USA.
From the time it became know that I was going, several pieces of advices started coming in. Some solicited and others not.. I was trying to keep each one of them in mind while preparing to come here. There was even a formal session that my company made me go through.. But there is no way you can know some things or be prepared for them, unless you go through.

I am trying to pen down some of the firsts for me on this trip...
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1. No one adviced how to be prepared for jet lag. Certainly something that would
have helped me, considering the fact that I was travelling across several time
zones. I have already posted something on this. Here is the link..

Some
things I did without really knowing and I guess it helped.
A) Adjusted my
watch to the destination time. On the first leg of the flight from Mumbai to
London, to London time.. and then again to San Francisco time once I took off
from London. Just why did I do it... so that I do not miss my connecting flight
in London. N then I saw it helped.. How did i do it.. There was a flight info in
the entertainment module in BA flight. Shows the departure location time as well
as the destination location time..
B) No liquor: They say it helps. I guess
it did. But let me tell 9/10 hrs in a cramped up seat..a little wine would not
have been so bad i guess
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Edit1:
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2. here is a small thing i should have been very sure before i came here.
Here money comes in
$100, $50, $20, $10, $5, $1 - all notes...oops .. bills
- All of the same shape and size!!!
And here come the coins
0.25 -called
a quarter
0.10 - called a dime
0.05 - called a nickel
0.01 - called a penny
May be a look here would have helped http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coins_of_the_United_States_dollar

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Edit2:
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3. I brought along my cell phone. Though i did not intend to use it here, I needed it because it had all my contact numbers. I also brought the charger along. But it never occured to me, that it wont work with 11oV. Guess my Electrical Engg. degree needs a shake up..

Same problem with the battery charger for my Digicam.
Not that it is a big problem but it is going to take some time to figure out a place where you can get an adaptor/convertor to get these working. N beleive me, those look costly out here. I would have preferred a trip to SP Road in Banglore before i left..

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Siva Samudram

It was some time back that we had been to this wonderful location.

About 120 kms from Bangalore, it takes about 2and half hours to reach. The roads are really good(Mysore Highway) expect the last 30kms (you have to take a detour from the highway).

Here are a few pics..

From Siva Samudram

From Siva Samudram

From Siva Samudram

We just could not let this oppurtunity go. Did some adventourous crossing upstream and reached the top of the falls. The view from the top was wonderful. You might have seem rainbows several times..but have you ever seen one below you?? We did and it was just too good. I did not dare to take my camera as we crossed the river, so that sight would always remain only within our minds. That reminds me. My friend commented, we risked our lives to cross the river and climb to the edge to see the waterfall.... but i considered it too much of a risk for my camera to accompany me..

Strange ways our minds work .

From Siva Samudram

Take look at the background of the picture below. It's just picture perfect..

From Siva Samudram

Crocodile bank!!!

Yes!!! even I was surprized by the name. Situated some distance off Chennai on the East Coast Road this place is a nice place to visit. You just cant see so many Crocs at the same place anywhere else. And yes there is also a small section for turtles and snakes out there. So plan your trip and get a little more educated about these magnificient creatures. But for the time being you can enjoy some of the snaps from my visit..

A word of Caution!!!!

If you thought they were slow, read this!!!

NO PARKING !!!!


The World of Crocs!!!!
Want a trip through this piece of land!!!



Close Up Smile!!!

Cool Place to live!!!

Can U see the spark in his eyes!!!!

Three Musketeers!!!! We are also here!!



Hi !!!!!!!!


Ye Dosti.. Hum Nahin...