Nepal Trip

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single click. – Jame Zu.

Another journey into the unknown, fueled by my misfired neurons that very often leaves my readers; I used the plural for readers, because I’m sure that there are some poor souls out there who have nothing better to do in life than to spend time reading my travel log.

So this all started many months ago, I wanted to take a trip, I didn’t know where, nor did I care. I just didn’t want to spend my birthday in Bombay and wanted to just get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Suggestions flew from all angles; I took each suggestion, studied it carefully and then made an informed choice. Well whom am I kidding, I just checked how much each suggested trip would cost me, and how difficult it would be to get there and chose the one that I could plan, or a better operative word would be ‘book’ with the help of a couple of clicks.

Dharamsala, Shimla, Leh, Port Blair and a few other names. – Checked too expensive for an Indian visit. So I looked at International travel, with a visa on arrival, criteria.

I learned that as an Indian citizen I can visit 55 countries without a hassle most in south East Asia, a British citizen can go to 188 countries without a problem, getting back to the search I found Kenya which was in the list of 55 countries. I checked the airfare and it was 24K, not bad for an overseas trip. So I was all set to book my tickets when I realized that my passport was expiring in May. I needed a passport that was valid for a minimum of 6 months.

So Kenya was now on the back burner. I needed to find another place quickly. A couple of people suggested Nepal, so I thought what the heck let’s do it. I checked the airfare -19K, click, click type type…enter – Ticket booked.

Now, you should know if you already don’t that I am a last minute packer and I just hate planning, so if you’re nodding in agreement, you are the other person who has nothing better to do in life than to spend time reading this. So getting back to the blog, I packed an hour before and headed to the airport.

I wanted to convert some more INR into USD, but apparently the Bombay Airport has a few departments that do not follow the 24/7 schedule Forex exchange being one of them. I had no other choice but to convert it in Delhi. I was seated at 18D aisle, I was happy I had the entire row to myself; well that happiness was cut short. In popped a lady in her mid-30’s who had apparently decided to carry her entire make up kit on her face, she had false eyelashes and thick layer of every shade you can imagine. She looked like a walking pallet for a suffering makeup artist. 

On board we also had the talkathon – 2 women different rows having the most animated conversations for 2hours non-stop, the sad part it was not even interesting, other than that, the flight was smooth, and I reached Delhi on time.

The Delhi airport is massive times 10. It’s swanky and every 50meters they have these cool looking vending machines. I was thirsty so I thought I’d get a bottle of water. I punched in the code, No response, I did it a couple of times however the same result. I got my money back and went to another one – I fed the machine my money and waited… I saw the empty row get activated and then the machine thanked me for making a purchase, so I quenched my thirst with this bottle of Ghost water, it was so clear, that the water and the bottle was invisible.

I didn’t attempt to buy anymore invisible stuff; I walked and walked and walked some more until I came to the International transfer area. I headed to the Forex exchange counter and handed the guy my passport and ticket and gave him 20K INR and asked for USD, “Sorry sir, you can’t get USD if you’re going to Nepal” He politely changed all my 500 and 1000’s into 2 fat 100 rupee bundles.

Boarding pass in hand I walked another 8miles to the other end of the airport. I was tired and 2kgs lighter when I finally arrived. Immigration was a treat, the officer felt offended and disappointed that I didn’t speak Punjabi. I could care less.

I was directed to terminal 7B, which was a mile away, literally a mile away, I walked and walked and passed all the possible stores you can imagine. The duty Free section was huge. I saw a Mercedes and clicked a snap of it, and then I waited to board the flight.  I saw one very nervous passenger; probably it was his 1^st flight. He buckled himself so tightly I was afraid he’d pass out, and when the plane hit some turbulence his eyes shot wide open and he gripped the seat handles.

I don’t know why but people generally think that if they strap themselves tightly it’s safer, now if the plane was going to crash, I’m sure that the all so robust seat belts wouldn't prevent certain death.

I've never understood why planes have floatation devices installed, how many lives in the airline history have been saved due to these so called life jackets.

You’re in the air 35000+ feet, now if you’re going to crash, you got to be lucky to be over water and you need to hope that the pilot is as skilled as Chelsey Sullenberger. I expect people to know who he is, so if you don’t Google it.

If you don’t have water in sight, well you got to hope your, so called life jacket, magically transforms into a parachute. Now seriously wouldn’t you be far safer if they installed parachutes. I don’t know why, no one has thought of that.

The flight to Nepal was absolutely awesome, very picturesque, it’s a pity I didn’t have a point in shoot camera, I had to make do with the BlackBerry. I got a few fuzzy snaps of the Himalayas. Tip: ask for the window seat on the right hand side when flying to Nepal, you will get to see the Himalayas.

The temperature at Nepal was a beautiful 10degrees C, the airport was small and pretty disorganized. Tip:- An Indian can stand in any queue, just filled the disembarkation card for foreigners, (white one), Nepalese (Yellow), pretty racist huh?

I waited in the queue to get through immigration and then after a long wait, I proceeded to customs, since I had only a carry-on bag, my baggage was not checked and I just breezed through the green channel.

Outside the airport I got myself a Nepal Sim card (130 INR + 1 Photo) and then got a taxi, I asked him to take me to a hotel that was in the range of 400 – 500 rupees and he took me to Brihaspati – I asked the guy, how much the room cost and he told me to check it first.

The room I was shown was absolutely amazing, so I went down and told him I would take it. He did some calculations and told me it was 2400 INR, WOW, for 5 days, I was brought down to reality when he told me it was for one day. I flatly refused it was way out of my budget, He looked at the cab driver and then at me. I could sense his irritation with the cab driver, but he politely told me he had another room.

I was tired and would have taken anything at this point, to my surprise, the room was pretty good, barring the flat LED TV and a sofa, and it had everything that was important to me, a place to sleep and a clean toilet.

It was 1200 per day + taxes (something I found out later) I paid him in advance and headed up to my room, I had a shower and then I ordered for some chicken kolapuri, 2 parathas, and a Jeera rice. A meal fit for a king, at least in my books.

I spent the rest of the afternoon editing snaps and then I took a couple of short naps from 4pm to 10pm. I had a shower and then went down to the restaurant and ordered chicken biryani. I know so typical of me.

The next day I got up early at 7am, I was feeling too lazy to get out of bed, but I was in a new country and I wanted to make the most of my trip, so I showered and got dressed and headed to explore the city, I walked about 2 kms and I reached this beautiful café KTM Espresso it was near the Ducati showroom. The place was exquisite and posh. I had an awesome breakfast, bacon and cheese croissant and a hot chocolate.

Post breakfast, I walked and took a few turns and voila right in front of me, my hotel, however that’s not where I intended to reach. I headed to the hotel to charge my camera and then after an hour I went to the Garden of Dreams, it was about 20 minutes away. I went wild clicking snaps from every possible angle. It’s a park and most couples go there. I was the odd man out.

I spent about two hours over there and then I went to a travel agent to check for bus tickets to Pokhara, the local bus is around 500 NPR and the slightly better private bus is around 1100NPR, I chose the slightly better bus.

I was not sure if I wanted go to Pokhara the next day and told the lady that I would call in the evening, I went shopping in and around Kathmandu and stopped by for lunch at Sherpa Mall, I bought a Jacket and then after a light unintended very expensive snack at the Annapurna restaurant. I went back to the hotel at 5pm, on my way back I had decided that I was going to check out and go to Pokhara the next day. I called up the travel agent and got the last seat on the bus, literally the last seat.

I got up at 6am the next day and went to the bus stand. The bus was on time and we were on our way to Pokhara, I was seated next to a Swiss couple we never introduced ourselves, and its good we didn’t. We started to chat about Bombay and how busy it was. I compared it to New York and they nodded in agreement. They asked me about places to visit and I was bored so I thought I’d spice up and make Bombay seem more interesting. 

I started with facts and embellished the truth in the middle and ended with a flat out lie. So in the beginning I told them that some of the places that should see were ‘The Gate Way Of India’, ‘Leopold’s Café’, Kala Godha, Marine Drive, Bandra (oh how could I forget promoting Bandra) and the National Park in Borivali.

I also told them an interesting story about how Juhu Beach got its name, a story most people don’t know. Commander Juju Whu came to Bombay in the 17^th century and was given a stretch of land by the British, along the coast line as a token of appreciation for the services he rendered in the form of hand to hand combat training for the British troops. In time Juju Whu was known as Juhu. 

I also spoke about the Mithi River and compared it to the Seine in Paris. They were spellbound and were looking to Visit Bombay on their next trip.

The bus stopped at a really nice Resort Riverside Spring – they provided us a buffet lunch which was really nice, now that’s the difference between the regular bus and the slightly better one. We made a few stops and by 3pm we reached Pokhara.

Pokhara was as beautiful as I imagined it to be and trust me I have a good imagination. It’s surrounded by mountains, and the air absolutely clean and untainted. The temperature during the day is around 4 to 5 degrees and in the evening it drops to 1 degree. Tip: - If you arrive by bus, the lake is only 5 mins away and unless you have heavy luggage, do not take the taxi. I paid 100INR for a 3min ride.

The taxi guy took me to the 1^st hotel on the block literally the 1^st hotel – U and I, however it was only I and ME. The lady who runs the hotel told me it would be 500NPR a day Inc taxes, however I’m sure you can get it for 400. I was tired so I didn’t argue. The room was decent; it had 2 beds and a large Bathroom. I needed a place to sleep and a clean loo and that’s all that mattered to me. Spending 1100NPR on a plush place was not required.

I had a quick shower and then I got my camera and headed out. I clicked about a million snaps of the lake and the 7 hills, however no sign of the Himalayas, the place was packed with tourist shops and restaurants, I walked the length and breadth of the lake, or so I thought. I dined at a nice place Bella Napoli. The food was OK.

Later that evening I went back to the hotel and I thought I would get myself acclimatized to the Pokhara temperature. So I decided to have a cold shower, and the best way to do it was to just turn on the shower and stand under it and in time I would be used to cold or so I imagined. I stood under the shower and turned the tap on …a total shutdown, every molecule in my body was frozen solid instantly. I could have sworn that if I needed to use the restroom, I would poop ice-cubes, I stuck to hot showers from then on.

15^th March – Well, yeah my birthday. Whoopee ME. I got up late – very late around 12:30pm, I had a shower and I went to the lake. I hired a cycle for the whole day or 5hours (300NPR) I scouted the area and discovered more hotels and restaurants further down the road. I was going to go further, when thunder rumbled in the distant the sunny skies was now overcast with dark clouds, I rode as fast as I could back to the cycle shop and returned the bike, as soon as I did that the rain came pouring down, and to make it more exciting it started to rain hail stones, well that’s some solid blessings I received on my birthday.

It rained for about 2hours, and then as quickly as it started the skies were blue again. I rode back to the stores and got myself a wet proof bag. I stopped by at ‘Once Upon A Time’ restaurant for lunch a very nice place and great food. Post lunch I went back to a travel agent and checked for the fares to Kathmandu via air. I was pleasantly surprised when the guy told me it was only 2600NPR (1600INR), that meant that I could spend an extra day in Pokhara, and avoid the hassle of checking into a hotel for a couple of hours and then going to the airport the next day. The Pokhara airport was only 4kms away and I had a 7:30am flight.

At around 6pm I went back to the hotel and dozed off, I guess it was the earliest I’ve ever gone to sleep on a holiday. I got up intermittently to check my messages and then around 9pm I was dead to the world.

Friday 16^th March, was a bright blue sunny day, I took a stroll down by the lake, and what do you know? On my right the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas; it was hidden the previous day with thick cloud cover. I snapped away until I had my fill and then took the by-lanes of the village and found some really nice hotels. I walked for about 8kilometers and headed up to the trekkers trail, where all the paragliding happened and then I clicked some more snaps of the place and took the local bus back, the bus is the best means of transport and its cheap (10NPR).

I went to a nice place ‘Gurkhas’ for lunch and then after some shopping for souvenirs I went back to the hotel. I spent the evening editing snaps and then I packed my bags and paid the hotel bill. I set my alarm for 5:40am.

I didn’t have dinner, I just went to sleep, in all the excitement of coming back to Bombay I didn’t really sleep. I was up before my alarm rang and I had a quick wash, as the water was freezing. I started my long walk to the airport as no taxis were available, but it did not matter as the walk was very pleasant and in no time I was at the airport.

Pokhara airport is small, very small, and its roof top restaurant, has a breath taking view of the Himalayas and the airfield. So there again I clicked some more snaps of the Himalayas and when I had my fill I packed my camera and waited for departure.

My travel agent told me that I had to pay the airport tax of 200NPR and charged me at his office, TIP:- the airport tax has to be paid at the airport and not to the travel agent. When flying from Pokhara to Kathmandu, make sure your 1^st inline at the departure gate and when they start to open the boarding doors, run to the plane and sit on the left hand side of the aircraft. You will get an amazing view of the Himalayas. Well I was a bit too late and had to make do with just enjoying the view from the other side.

The flight to Kathmandu was nice, and I was in an aircraft filled with shutter crazy Chinese (South Asians) I thought I clicked a lot of snaps, well the small Chinese woman beat me by a terabyte, She would click anything that moved and didn’t move. She clicked a snap of the sign that said NO CAMERAS ALLOWED, PHOTOGRAPHY PROHIBITED. She clicked snaps of every Nepali national, the flight attendant, the pilot, the plane and the tourist on-board.

When we reach Kathmandu she started clicking away, the door, the check in counter, the baggage conveyor belt, the customs, the bomb squad dog, the escalator, and the list goes on and on. I’m sure that in a couple of months in some remote part of China, you will see a replica of Nepal, Pokhara and the airport. Some ingenious idea of a theme park, I’m pretty sure you will also see wax works museum of all the passengers on flight 702 and possibly a replica of yours truly.

I checked in at Kathmandu and waited to head to Delhi. I thought everything would be boring and uneventful until I reached Bombay, however I never fail to find some way to create unusual situations for myself.

I discovered that all Nepalese traveling overseas have pinch of rice pasted on their foreheads. I presume that they are either smuggling rice to India, or maybe that's their way of ensuring they always have something to eat in case they get hungry on-board.

So everything was peaceful since I last updated my story, until I had to board the flight back to Delhi, in my enthusiasm to help an old lady fill her disembarkation form, I left my passport and ticket on my seat, and when I got back it was gone. A million thoughts ran through my mind, “Terminal”, “Jailed Abroad” and other no so amusing scenarios. Then after a few minutes, I heard my name on the PA system. They had found my passport. Yeah I was finally heading back to India.

The flight was absolutely smooth, great landing, I reached Delhi Terminal 3 and headed to security check and the I got some alcohol for my Manager from duty free and then I was approached by a guy from the Forex exchange he asked me to buy 2 more bottles of  Chivas Regal, I was hesitant, but I complied. Unfortunately for him they had already stamped my ticket.

The poor dejected fellow just walked away like a lost puppy. I breezed through customs and then headed to get my connecting flight to Bombay. I went to the transit terminal and I was in for a rude shock I had to go to terminal 1 which was on the other side of nowhere. I had to leave the airport catch a bus and head 6+kms to the old airport. I finally reached and then I was advised that I had to put the booze in the bag and check it in. So I packed my clothes around the bottles and sealed the bag. I got my boarding pass and got the bag checked in.

All my troubles that I experience just a while ago was washed away by Sudhir Kumar, a very kind GO-Air assistant, he plastered my bag with handle with care stickers and called the Go0-Air crew to make sure my bag was safe.

I wrote a long letter of appreciation and thanked him for going that extra mile. He was beaming with delight. I finally got my boarding pass and walked into the airport. Delhi Terminal 1 isn’t that bad; I went to the café section and ordered some food from KFC. Then I waited for my flight to Bombay.

Some things I learned on my trip to Nepal are that we take life in general for granted. Things that we experience day in and day out are forgotten and unappreciated. We focus more on the have not than the haves. Life isn’t complicated, we just spend too much time trying to change things and in the bargain often make a whole mess of things. People, nature, and relationships, both professional and personal are also undervalued.

I learned we need to cherish everything we have, because you never know one day it will be gone. So take some time out while reading this and go and tell someone you really care about how you feel about them. When you step outside, take time to appreciate your surroundings and the natural beauty we have all around us, lastly and most of all thank God for giving you 5 lovely senses that enable you to appreciate all these things. 

Our lives are enriched with beauty all around us, we need to value it. At the moment I’m at 38000Ft and I can see a million lights blanket the city of Mumbai, every light gleams brilliantly and signifies life, hope and dreams. As the pilot starts to prepare for the final descent, the thought of coming ‘Home’ injects a sense of comfort and peace. So I bid you farewell, until I decide to take my next trip into the unknown, and hopefully not alone. Nepal Snaps

KOLAD Kracker

It was an old house with a thatched roof, the door was ajar. I walked in and saw a blue and gold light emit from the floor below. I looked for the door to the basement but I couldn’t find it. I leaned against the bookshelf and the wall began to move the light got brighter and brighter….I could hear Stereo Hearts play in the background it kept getting louder, that when I was jolted back to reality….it was 6am… my alarm was ringing. I hit snooze and tried to go back to the dream, but I couldn't.

I got up packed my bag and then went for a shower. I made sure I didn’t miss anything this time. I usually forget something on each trip. I was all packed and ready to leave. Dan, Anaika and Raj (female) were meeting me at Bandra station. I was super excited as Kolad was famous for its adventure sports.

I met the Charlie’s angels at Bandra and we went to Hersche and picked up some stuff to eat. We were all set and headed to Panvel. People believe that I am programmed to get lost; I believe that I let people experience new places whenever they come with me.

So one hour into the drive, we were miles away from where we should have been a place between Thane and Kalyan. I don’t believe in asking for directions as I am programmed to find my way, or so I think, I have started to doubt my instincts based on the last couple of trips. So we made the most of it and circled the area twice and finally called one of the guys for help.

In the meantime we had a little photo shoot in the car and then got to know that our guide (Deepak) spotted us, pulled up besides us, gesticulated wildly for a few minutes, trying to get our attention, but we were too busy smiling for the camera. He finally gave up and called us and we followed him.

Kolad is far, very far that’s about the best representation I can give you on where it’s situated, for more information go to google.com. So we drove through every possible road you could take to reach Kolad, we didn’t want to let the other roads feel left out.

Some roads required some more attention than the rest, so Kalpana spent some quality time with them, going back and forth a couple of times. After driving for almost 6hours straight through unchartered lands and breaking every rule you could possibly imagine, like reversing for over a kilometer on the express way, we finally reached ‘Pooja Farms’.

The road to ‘Pooja Farms’ is straight with two left turns, however I am guessing ‘Pooja’ didn’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry to visit her farm, so she kept the signage very low-key and discreet. It was slightly bigger than an A4 size sheet with ‘Pooja Farms’ printed in Bright red. I was not expecting the Las Vegas lights or neon indicators, just a bigger Board not hidden by leaves.

Don’t get fooled by the distance indicated on the boards, 20kms is more like 30kms. After a couple of minutes we finally saw a Big Sign ‘Pooja Farms’.

Our excitement seeing ‘Pooja’, I’m referring to the place, was as exuberant as if not more than a shipwrecked crew finding land. The place was nice 2 lovely studio huts on the banks of a lake. We changed, freshened up and clicked snaps like there was no tomorrow.

After a nice lunch most guys took a short nap and then we regrouped in one Hut for the evening. We had music, fine company, and a lot of sing along sessions. Post dinner the party was still on, everyone was in high spirits and for most the spirits were high in them.

The events of the evening were hazy for few and one even saw a red helicopter circle our camp. The morning put everything into perspective. All were sober, some a little dizzy, but all was good. After another photo shoot, we had breakfast and headed back to Bombay.

Since we had taken every possible route to reach this place I had a fair idea about the way back. So we left ‘Pooja’ with some fond memories and we were on our way. The drive back was smooth and winding roads were just amazing, however the twists and turns proved a little too much to manage for some.

Anaika, who is prone to sharing her meals with mother earth or in some, occasions even a vehicle, wanted to give something back to Kolad, decided to share her breakfast with mother earth, Gurdeep not wanting to be outdone did it not once but twice. After a very generous offering, we decided to leave, however one car got a flat, after a quick pit stop, and we were back on track. We stopped for ‘Chai’ and were making good time.

18kms Panvel, (take a right), so I did… I guess Kalpana and Kushal thought right meant ignore, go straight. Well they were heading to some God forsaken place and finally decided to turn back when they saw the next Toll booth. We headed to Vashi Inorbit as Dan was about to spring a leak. We made it in time and my car seats were saved.

After 45mins the two missing cars arrived and we said our goodbyes and headed home.
Another memorable trip came to a close, I didn’t get the time to go kayaking or do some adventurous stuff, but it was nice. All you really need is food, a beautiful backdrop and some great company and you can party and have a great time anywhere.

Jaipur Trip

It was a warm Saturday morning and I woke up feeling just ten cents short of a million, I was eager to get out of Mumbai. My break from work had just started and I didn’t want to waste a single minute of it.

So after a quick shower and a scrumptious breakfast, my edgy fingers tapped away furiously looking for holiday packages across India and internationally.

I had initially thought of just packing my bags and heading to the airport, however, I wanted to get a better deal online. I didn't want to be too fool hardy and risk spending, the little I had saved.

So after a few quick taps and clicks, I was heading for Sri Lanka, I entered my credit card details and was about to click ‘process payment’ when sanity struck me and I decided to check the cost of the hotels.
Well thank God, I was born with some intelligence, I was relieved that I waited. The hotels were out of my budget and I wouldn’t want to go to a different country and have no money to spend on shopping.

So Sri Lanka, was put on the back burner and I decided to go local. Cochin was my next destination, a beautiful place, affordable hotels, and very romantic, I was all set to finalize the deal, when I started to think, Beautiful place, pretty romantic, and I am going alone. It would have been too depressing.

So another destination thrown into the bin, time was running out and almost half the day was over. I had to decide, so after another quick search I checked the deals on Jaipur. I got a good deal on the air tickets and the hotel I selected wasn’t too bad, Well so I thought.

I decided the more I thought about the pros and cons of my trip, the longer it would take for me to decide and I would land up at Little Flower staring at the ceiling, until my vacation got over.
So without further thought I clicked ‘Process payment,’ the moment I hit that key, I knew that there was no turning back and I would have to make the most of it.

So I packed my bag, net book, camera, and clothes, and checked to see if I had everything in order. It took me 10 mins to pack and 3mins to do a quick check. I got dressed and headed for the airport.
I engaged a rickshaw and I was on my way. My rickshaw driver presumed I was getting late and he spared no effort in getting me there in less than 15mins.

I am sure that Schumacher would have been very proud of his driving skills. He swerved, cut and zipped and zoomed through traffic lights and within an inch of other cars. He cut through traffic like a surgeon on steroids. Well, I must give him credit, I did enjoy the ride. I was hoping that this would not be the only excitement or highlight of my trip.

It’s been over a year since I went to the airport, the domestic airport is pretty swanky, I was impressed; I checked in and waited for my flight.

G8 111, echoed on the intercom and I got up and heading to the boarding gate. After screening your carry on, at security check, they also check your bags thoroughly before you board the aircraft. They ask you to open your bags and they look through everything. I just don’t understand why they can't do it earlier.
A very attractive lady, probably in her mid-thirties had her bag opened and out popped some racy lingerie, much to the amusement of the other passengers. She didn’t seem too fazed by the incident. I put her down as a frequent flier.

I boarded the aircraft and a couple of minutes later I was on my way, as the plane flew higher, I sat back and thought to myself ‘this is it’ in a couple of hours I would be in Jaipur, no plan, alone and 5days to make the most of this trip.

2hours later I was over Jaipur, it was a smooth landing and as the plane grew to a halt I switched on my handset. Low and behold not a single message, I guess no one missed me; The Jaipur airport is absolutely stunning. I was amazed how advanced they got since I last came to the pink city.
I went to the prepaid taxi stand and got my ride, I soaked in the architecture and scenery and after an hour I reached my hotel.

I checked in, had a shower and headed out to get something to eat; I went to the Kebab Palace, awesome food great service. Then I took a rickshaw back to my hotel. Day one was uneventful, I changed and headed for a shower and crashed.

Sunday was a better day, I woke up at noon and headed for brunch, I stopped at a local café and after a quick bite I went to Jal Mahal only to find it closed for renovations. I travelled by the Jaipur local transport bus.

I could write a whole new chapter on my experience, but I’ll cut to the chase and try and summarize to the best of my ability, well I learn t over the last couple of days, on the travel etiquette of a foreigner in Jaipur, I refer to myself as a foreigner, cause the only thing different about them and I, is the colour of our skin and accent to some extent.

So back to the Jaipur bus, it comes in various sizes large, medium and small, but you don’t get fries with that. Large – like the Ac buses sans Ac, we have in Bombay they are known as the Jaipur Transport bus; however to me I know them as the stealth express or the invisible beast, because this bus magically appeared only once I boarded the small bus and would disappear as soon as I alighted.

The medium bus, as large as a regular school, or Goa bus and Small, you will find a lot of these guys running around, the most easy to catch and I’m guessing the cheapest.

So I get into this small bus aka sardine express and it’s empty and I’m thinking to myself this is not so bad, until a couple of seconds later the bus is filled to capacity, and I don’t mean the Virar local capacity, a Virar local would be a much better option.

So now that the bus is filled, and I am assuming we are going to be on our way, when I hear, the conductor yell out, now to the locals or disguised locals I’m guessing he was calling out the following destinations, however to me it seemed like he was saying, let’s see how many people we can pack into this bus.

What is worse than traveling by a packed bus, is traveling by a packed bus filled with people who believe on expressing their flatulence freely with flair.

I learned a very short time to breathe every 4mins; I believe I cleared SCUBA training level 2. I wanted to contact the Guinness Book of World records and show them how you could squeeze 50 people in a mid-size bus.

I am 5.7 and very lean, however my head almost touched the roof of the bus. So you can imagine how spacious it was, at one point I felt I was practicing for a part in the black swan, I had just about enough place for the little toe on my right foot, and I managed to sustain this balancing act for half an hour until I was spewed out onto the street.

For some inexplicable reason throughout my trip, I noticed that people of Jaipur wanted to go everywhere I went. Because every time I would board and empty bus, it would get full in seconds and when I got off, everyone else also decided to get off. It happened too often to be a coincidence. I guess the people of Jaipur love me.

The people in Jaipur are pretty friendly and help you find your way. I tried to blend in by trying to imitate the Jaipuri accent, but I was as inconspicuous as a Chinese in Nigeria. So I stuck to my Bombay Hindi, mixed with English. In the evening I decided to go to a new place. I walked about 2kms and finally found a non-vegetarian restaurant, not too fancy but the food was good.

Day 3 started off well, No Monday Blues, what a relief. I got up 6am, heaved a sigh of relief and went back to sleep. I woke up at noon and after a quick refreshing shower I headed to the shopping square also known as the big square, or badi chopar. I browsed around but didn’t find anything appealing. So I headed to the holiday inn and had lunch over there. After lunch I went to the arts and crafts gallery and picked up 2 wooden boxes with ceramic drawers painted by blind one armed Rajasthani workers, well I'm just kidding, they had both their arms.

I visited the Havaa Mahal, clicked a few snaps and headed back, I took the sardine express and reached the hotel drenched with sweat and accompanied by 50 different odours from all parts of Jaipur and Rajasthan. I had the longest ever shower and changed into a new set of clothes.

In the evening I went to the Raj Palace for dinner, the place was exquisite, the food was served in gold rimmed plates and the silverware was actually pure silver. After a scrumptious meal, I took a rickshaw back to the hotel.

Day 4, I got up at noon and went to the city palace, I clicked a few snaps, and then I headed to an art shop, and got some souvenirs for my team, I knew I was getting taken for a ride, but I was in no mood to bargain. I was just tired and wanted to head back to the hotel. Day 4 was a pretty lazy day. I spent the evening packing my bags and I did a quick check on what I spent. I went to sleep early.

Day 5, the final day in Jaipur, I got up a 10am, I settled the bills and I was on my way to the airport. I hitched a ride with Thomas a Spaniard who was also heading to the airport. We started chatting along the way and I learned that he was in India for 3months. I was really hungry so I stopped at the Marriott for breakfast and paid my share of the fare to Thomas.

The breakfast was absolutely amazing; I ate to my heart’s content and was happy that it was 50% cheaper than Mumbai. I decided to walk the 2.5km stretch to the airport, as I was stuffed and needed some exercise.

The walk was very pleasant as the skies were overcast. At the airport I met a fellow traveler Jagdish from Gujarat; a very friendly fellow. He introduced himself as “Myself Jagdish, you can say me Jag”, You say your name please”.

Jag probably thought I was listening very intently to every word he was saying, and he was right, I was because I was trying to decipher what he was trying to say. Some sentences like “I was shutter last night, as I wet in thunder rain” ,“my house have father, camel and mother” and the best one “Camel is my brother”,
He’s got one kinky father, I thought to myself. Well Jag had to leave as he was taking the spice jet to Bombay. I was leaving an hour later via Go Air.

I learn t a lot from this trip, as I do from most of my solo trips. Looking forward to many more trips across India and the world, hopefully I’ll have company next time.

Phoenix Reunion-RiverGate(Karjat)/Nandanvan(Thane)/Dominica’s(Gorai)

It had been a very long time since I met my ex team 'Phoenix', so I shot off an email to get everyone on board. A couple of mins later I got a flurry of replies.

I put that down to initial, uncommitted excitement. "Awesome", "Phoenix Rocks", "Count me in" and "Wouldn't miss it for the world" were some of the responses.

I was excited and got into planning this exciting event; Venue: RiverGate- Karjat, as the days went by the initial excitement settled down and reality set in.

"Sorry can't make it", "Just realized I have other plans", the awkward I'm not coming in spite of committing grin and other fantastic excuses, made our 16 strong phoenix team, look like a sparrow ninja (just coined that term). So now we were down to 10.

A couple of days later we decided to book RiverGate, party of 10. Luckily they were already booked, so we decided to go to Nandanvan; a place with good food, a private swimming pool and clean toilets/washrooms. So Liz our chief organizer made the arrangements.

Nandanvan it was, excitement was still simmering and most of us were anxious and looking forward to this reunion. A week later we had 1 more cancellation. Now were down to 9. Expenses revised, updates sent. Approximately 1300 per person. A week later another one bit the dust. We were now 8.

I did a quick revision of the picnic cost and sent an update. Samuel sent teasers, trying to uplift the waning fervor.

8th and 9th of July was the D-day, all my bags were packed and I was ready to leave. “Nandanvan here we come” echoed in our hearts.

I was doing an early morning shift and in my excitement in left my wallet at home (ID, License, and Money)

We had collected money earlier so it didn’t really matter, at first. So we had a team huddle and decided how we were going to go. When we got another suicidal sparrow flame out, it looked more like phoenix was turning into ashes. So now we were the super 7.

Now, the price just went up per head and it was too expensive to go to a place that was half way across the world, and required ‘Me’ to travel by public transport, it was just not going to happen.

So Liz, our dear Liz was on the phone again, finally we called this place called Dominica’s.

It was 2pm and we were scheduled to leave at 4pm. Liz seemed absolutely baffled when she called up as they told her we needed to adhere to 2 very important rules. 1# No loud Music – understandable and 2# No Hookers - ???

Who did they think we were, and why would 4 guys and 3 girls take Hookers for a picnic???

Well after checking with the rest we all in agreement that we would have to skip the hookers this time.

Now that we were downsized to 7, like the global economy in 2008, I decided that I had to get my wallet, if I was going to drive all the way. So Liz and I headed to my place. We reached my place and were back in a jiffy (5:15pm) just an hour and 15mins behind schedule.

Tanya, Adrian, and Sam took the ferry and reached the place. Liz, Shiv, Tina and I drove to Manori, we reached at 8 after picking up the alcohol.

Finally Phoenix reunited, we had 7 important people, and the rest didn’t matter that that time.

The food at Dominica's was pretty good.  We talked for a bit and then started playing ‘Taboo’ and then ‘Monopoly’.

At 1am, Tanya was tired so she decided to take a quick cat nap; I guess she was referring to the cat that swallowed a whole box of sleeping pills. Her cat nap lasted 9hours.

By 2am, most of us were operating on standby mode; one by one we all took our own cat naps.

10am, most of the cats were still sleeping, so we woke them up, ordered breakfast and started a another game of ‘Monopoly’

I don’t want brag, but since it was a dream run, I thought I’d let you know how the game ended. Well to say the least, I owned everything, I mean everything, and one by one I picked them off, putting them out of their misery and on to the street, well figuratively.

After a quick lunch we packed our bags and a couple of snaps later we headed back home.

Overall it was a nice spontaneous picnic with some great company…

Looking forward to more outings with my ex team, let me correct myself my team, they will never be an ‘Ex’ cause they are always there!

Love and Relationships

B
Being in a relationship is a wonderful feeling when things are going well and can be the disastrous when it hits troubled waters.

Now relations can be romantic or platonic. In case you are wondering it’s the opposite of romantic. My knowledge on this particular matter has improved leaps and bounds over the years. My astute power of observation and a few personal experiences have propelled me to be a relationship Guru. 

Don’t let my single status sway your faith at my ability to provide good sound advice. At the moment I will just talk about the 7 stages of Love.

1.   Admiration/Attraction

2. Infatuation

3.  Hope

4.  Love

5.  Passion/Obsession

6. Fear/Doubt

7.  Ecstasy

It all starts with admiration and when you start to feel comfortable around that person you get attracted to him/her. You see yourself spending more time around your object of affection and find the slightest excuse to meet or interact.

Over time, your attraction gets a lot stronger and then you start to get infatuated with that person and enamored by his/her presence. You feel a nervous energy consume you when that person is around.

You hope your feelings are reciprocated and accepted. You will tend to scrutinize every word action and inaction to get validation of the person’s level of interest in you.
If the feeling of infatuation last for more than four months, you can presume that you are in love. 

In time you will become obsessed with your new found love and will find no fault and accept all imperfections. At this stage you can say that ‘Love is Blind’

Over time you get used to the attention and your attraction and excitement of being in love will diminish as you will start to take this for granted. At this stage you will tend to question and doubt if your lover still feels as passionately as they did before. 

Most couples part when they fail to keep the roaring fire of passion alive. They tend to slip in to a routine and boredom creeps in.

Very few get to the stage of unconditional love and ecstasy. This stage consists of a higher form of love spiritual love.  

During each stage you will come across certain choices

1.   Continue and moving forward

2. Stall

3.  Slow down or go backwards

4.  Exit

At each stage, your intuition will tell you what to do and when to do it. 

By taking notice of the signals from your head and heart, you will be better able to interpret what your intuition is telling you. At each stage, consider, “What am I thinking and feeling?” Are you receiving conflicting messages? Is your head saying one thing and your heart another? This is often the case, particularly in romantic relationships. What happens is there is an agreement error, a contrast between your thoughts and your feelings. This is perfectly normal. 

They make a conscious effort to progress slowly and purposefully through each stage, enjoying the process, while allowing their love to develop naturally.

Communicating is the key ingredient in making any relationship work

You should be open and honest about your feelings, so that you can trust that everything has been said and understood by both parties. 

Don't be afraid to speak your mind. If love is true then you will be able to share exactly how you feel without the fear of what your partner will think about you.

Its important to feel a 100% comfortable to say and do whatever you want to do. Don't try and be someone you are not, as in time you will just become a clearer picture of who you really are.

Even if you find that things aren’t what you would have hoped for, at least you know what is going on and then you can work on making it better.

Most of us have experienced love blindness. We either think we love someone or do not realize until it is too late that we actually did love someone. You do not have to be blinded by love. You have the power to recognize it, but you must use smart decision-making skills to avoid making fatal relationship mistakes. 
 
As you progress through each level, you will no doubt experience excitement and anxiety, hope and fear, arousal and dis-arousal, certainty and uncertainty, along with a myriad of other feelings. You will need to work hard at balancing the messages that you are receiving from both your head and your heart to most accurately interpret the incoming, overwhelming information—it is very easy to be misled.

So my only advice to you is to look out for signs, listen to your head.

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime...

I've met a lot of people in my life, a few have made a lasting impression and some have faded with time.

Over the years new relationships are forged and old one either remain dormant or fade with time.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON...It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to help you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend and they are! They are there for the "Reason" you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. Sometimes they die. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. Your need has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON...It is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. 

Manori 06 03 09

On the 6th of March 2009, my team and I went out for a picnic to Manori (Palm Beach) 

The planning was a mess, but I was determined to make it happen, we had rescheduled too many times. 

Some people did not come for various reasons, but looking back... it did not matter. Everything that happened, happened for the best. 

After work on Friday all our bags were packed and we were ready to go, we were not leaving on a jet plane, but something close, we were going to the Marve Jetty. 

We set out at 5pm...All excited that this was finally happening...2 rickshaws 6 people. 

Rick #1 Gaurav, Adrian, James, Rick #2 Tanya, Maria, Rajesh...we were on our way. Well almost! 

Once you reach Malad Marve ( you come to a T junction and you need to take a right to go to the marve jetty) 

I've been there many times so I should know....But for some inexplicable reason, I did not listen to "Gaurav" a guy in my team and took the left that goes towards the "Resort + Retreat" and 10mins into the journey. We got a call from Rajesh, who seemed concerned that we had not reached, because we had left before them. 

We told them we would be there in 5mins....15mins later winding down some unfamiliar road, our Rickshaw driver was also concerned as he was as lost as I. 

When you have 3 guys in a rick, asking for directions is out of the question. But better sense prevailed on the instance of out rickshaw driver, we asked a local where the "Manori Jetty" was.... 

In the opposite direction was his reply... Gaurav and Adrian did not look too pleased...They failed to find the humor initially. 

I'm sure Rajesh and the girls had the "WTF" expression when we told them that I had made an error. 

20mins later we reached "Marve Jetty" - Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut...but since I'm always so honest. 

I told them that I had made this same error last year when were going on a picnic to the same place... 

Apparently I am a slow learner... so they forgave me, at least that's what I thought. If you see the initial pics on the way to Manori, they do not look happy. Courtesy James. 

We reached "Palm Beach" the memories of my last trip came flooding back, peppered with whole gamut of emotions and images. 

The Swimming pool, aka "Tabela" (correct spelling courtesy K) the unlimited servings of "French fries" and yummy Chicken tikka starters. 

The lunch and dinner is not something I really look forward to.. It’s palatable. The breakfast menu is devoid of anything to "My Liking" The coffee, too milky, no cheese grilled sandwiches, bacon and eggs(made just the way I want them) ....but I'm too fussy. 

I can be sure that normal people will not have a problem. 

Looking back at this trip, we did not do anything out of the box, or play any of the standard picnic games. 

It started off as a photo shoot, cause I love photography, my team was not as eager as I but it's ok. I know they will appreciate it. 

We had a few quiet conversations, interspersed with overly accented echoes of my statements. My quirks (bringing a Bed sheet and a pillowcase invited some more comments) 

We had people playing songs on their cell phones.. None of us had thought of bringing speakers or Music. 

I can say it was a very relaxing picnic as most people were perpetually asleep. 

In the morning, we decide to go out for a trek (going out clicking snaps on some of the rocks) It was nice. 

I got to click a lot of snaps and I was happy. We got back and my team had breakfast and I watched. 

A little bird seem to be really friendly and very hungry, not sure if it was a he or a she, because initially with was running after Imran and later on it was fascinated by Tanya. 

It provided us with some entertainment, when it jumped on Tanya's plate... I did not have my camera at that point of time... But it was a hilarious sight. 

The guys played water polo and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, I sat out and clicked snaps. 

The women lazed around in hammocks till lunch time. 

After lunch, we went back into the room and chatted for a while. Sam pestered me to sing and I told him I couldn’t and they would regret it ….their persistent paid off and I sang a song (more than words - 1 stanza) and then they did not ask me to sing again and I don’t think they will ever ask me to sing again. 

Then Tanya sang a song, in Hindi – no idea what it meant but it was really nice. So the next time we go out, she will be summoned. 

Then everyone went to sleep…. Yes again. 

I decided to meet my ex team, they were down the road at Dominica’s, I met up with them for a while and then I went back to Palm Beach. 

We had to check out by 6pm, so we packed and got everything organized and spoke about our next trip in July. 

A few more group snaps and we headed back to our busy lives. 

Every snap I clicked has a story and I’m sure our next trip will be more memorable and fun. 

Till then…take care