Lazy Sunday Photo- Ice Cream on London Streets

Ice Cream Van- Near Tower Bridge, London

No, no, I didn't even think of eating an ice cream in the November cold in London but I liked the scene. And to put it on record I do not like cold weather and it is cold right now in and around Delhi. I envy people who go about unconcerned in the cold weather and it does not bother them in the least. Like my nephew, he is sitting in two warm shirts, while I have packed myself up, sitting in front of TV waiting for Australian Open Men's final to begin.

South Indian Side Dishes

Lunch at Kamath's in Bangalore, Side Dishes on a Banana Leaf

Can't I have a lazy Sunday on a Tuesday? Looks like I can!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Two of the Most Beautiful College Buildings in Oxford

Christ Church College- Oxford

All Souls College, Oxford

Sticky Post: My Photo with Credit to Someone Else- Is it Time to Ping Again

This post is sticky for a few more days, regular posts continue below. I made it unsticky today (30/01/2008)

Compensation!

Remember that post-

Yesterday I took a flight from Delhi to Bangalore. I picked up the flight magazine (December Issue). I found that in their feature article they have taken a picture of mine with a credit to someone else. And of course there is no question of asking my permission as the credit is given to someone else. I am mad.

Well, I was promised a correction in the next issue and compensation too. Now I have not heard from then in a long while. This mishap happened in the December issue and I agree their January issue must have been in the press by the time we got talking. But now it must be time for the February issue and I have not heard from anyone. Should I wait or should I bother the editor again?

PS. This time the post remains sticky till the matter is settled.

Update (27/01/2008)- I wrote to the editor and asked what was the compensation amount.

He replied that they pay Rs. 500 per photograph normally. To me they would offer Rs. 1000. I am OK with that. I have been updating this at Indiamike too. I really liked this quote by Shakti (see message 85) when I posted the same there-

There is a much larger issue here in that corporations are becoming very casual about stealing imagery from unsuspecting photographers. If the penalty for getting caught is posting a clarification on the source and perhaps a token payment to the original photographer then there's zero incentive for them to change their practices.

So I sent it across to the editor too. Oh, well after reading the quote (I had quoted the source to the editor), the editor went mad and basically tried telling me that I was too small for them to buy pictures from me (I have no issues with that but still they ended up using one of my pictures and I thought I was the wronged party).

By this time I too was running think on patience and I told him it is probably time that I name the magazine and the airline on my blog and at Indiamike.

You would not have believed the complete change of tone in the next email from the editor. Of course, they appreciated that I did not name the magazine. Of course, they would mail me a check in a day or two. Of course, they were interested in my postal address and of course they would send me a copy of the February issue.

All I can say is THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET. That gives an option to mere mortals like me to write.

Update (29/01/2008) Got that check for 1000 rupees, as promised, on time. The magazine has been promised after 2nd February. Thanks a lot for all your support.

The Noodle Bar- Oxford, Gloucester Green

The Noodle Bar, Oxford, Gloucester Green

Noodle Bar turned out to be my favorite eating joint in Oxford. One, the place was not too heavy on the pocket and two, if given a choice, I invariably end up eating Chinese. A few of the dinners and lunches were hosted by the university, so it felt quite strange when one day my colleague asked me what should we have for dinner? I have said this before, I am quite indifferent to food. So, I tried hard to make him decide but he would not budge. We were walking around the city and as I am vegetarian my options are just a little bit limited. I think I looked at every restaurant in the two hour walk as a potential eating place. We had ruled out the Indian fare, as we thought we anyway get a lot of it back home. And some places where ruled out because a single dish would cost more than 20 pounds (don't you think it is a neat idea to display the price list outside the restaurants? I wonder why we often don't do it in India).

After walking round and round I remembered the Noodle Bar near the Gloucester Green bus station. So, we decided to head there. I think almost the entire crowd (the waiting staff and the customers) consisted of students, only we and a few others were the odd people out (read older :).

The Dish with Thick Noodles, Noodle Bar, Oxford

I scanned the menu for vegetarian fare and found a dish with mushrooms (my absolute favorites) and decided to order it. But then the young guy who came to take the order had a bouncer. What kind of noodles would we like Ho Fun, Mai Fun, or Udon? Well, the names definitely sounded Chinese to me. Had to ask him to explain what did they mean! He told us one was really thin noodles, the other really thick noodles and the last something in between. But don't ask me which was which. So we decided to try two types. The portions were huge and I really struggled to finish my stuff. My colleague this day also ordered a veg dish.

Then the next day, we had the same question. Where to go for dinner? And you guessed it, we went to the noodle bar again. And this time we realized that out of the three vegetarian dishes we had already ordered two the previous day! Still, it was fun to have dinner at the Noodle Bar in a typical student environment but where none of the students knew me :)

Jet Airways- Making a Customer Run from Pillar to Post

Recently came across a post on Indiamike about Jet Airways making a customer run from pillar to post. They lost the luggage and then they are not responding through customer care. I thought I will do this small post about Jet Airways to say I understand. The entire thread about the Jet Airways not responding to the complain is here. Following is a short quote-

Let me preface this by saying that I consider myself a patient person. However, my patience is being tested by Jet Airways after they lost my luggage one week ago and have offered me virtually no assistance in recovering it. Their customer "service" is truly appalling!!!! Any advice on how I can get my luggage back??

Cross posted at Blogbharti.

Off Topic- That Magic Drink, Tea

A Cup of Tea- Magical!

I am really surprised how come I did not wax eloquent about my favorite drink in the world. No, this was not the planned post for today. Smita is responsible for this one. She has waxed eloquent about tea and it is infectious. And I have to quote her-

Drinking tea is a form of meditation, did you know?

Just sitting there, with a steaming cup in the hand, the mind is so relaxed, so much at peace. The Buddhist monks still use it as a mode of meditation. Tea is regularly offered as means of learning, practicing, and experiencing awareness in simple, everyday activities.

I absolutely agree with her. There was a time when my daily average (read Ph.D. days) tea consumption was about 20 cups. No, this is true, I can count from one to twenty. Now it is down just to six cups of tea. But 20 or six, I do absolutely adore the drink.

Train and Travel in India

Steve has put up an interesting account of his trip through India and Nepal. I have not read all his posts and I do not know how to link to individual posts but whatever I have read, I find it interesting.

If you are ever the houseguest of friends that have traveled in India do this. Get quietly out of bed, one night at about 4:30 am , stand just outside their bedroom door and start shouting "CHAI, CHAI, CHAI" as LOUD as you can. They'll think its funny and thank you for bringing back many happy memories of their Indian travels.

Another common item hawked up and down the carriages of trains are short pencil length twigs. People were handing over money for these things and so I thought they must be of some value but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what.

I later saw a man attacking his teeth and gums with one and realized they are used instead of toothbrushes. He was really giving it beans and seemed to be quite pleased with the results, giving me a large wide grin displaying his remaining teeth.

Cross posted at Blogbharti.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Mountain Flowers

I must say I am crazy about flowers. Well, I am used to the ones which we can find in the city. But when we go trekking I try to click every new flower that I see. The flower images below are from our trek to Kuari Pass.

Flowers from the Mountain- Blue iris

I do know the name of this flower (the blue Iris) but unfortunately I am really not good with the names of the other beauties that I see.

Mountain Flowers

But as I said I bend down every time I see a new flower and take a picture.

Blue Flowers from the Mountains

One week into the semester and I already feel desperate to travel! Though February is not a good time for flowers really.

How Does Jim Corbett Sound as a Destination?

We are thinking of heading to the Jim Corbett national Park later in Feb. The major factor is the amount of leave available to me (another new semester has started) and we do not want to go too far. If you have been there do let me know how did you find the place.

A Boat Ride on Thames at Night

British Airways London Eye (Sore?)- As Described on the Boat Ride on Thames

I really liked the boat ride I took on Thames on the trip to UK. We all know the pound to rupee exchange rate. You have to give more than 80 rupees to get even one of those pounds. So, spending was not what I was looking forward to in the UK. But then we both have been earning for quite sometime and now I have come to the stage that if I wish, I will really not bother myself over spending in the vicinity of 10 pounds. That is approximately what a boat ride on the Thames cost me (I think it was 6.70 or 7.60 pounds actually).

I took the boat ride from Westminster to the Tower Bridge and back. I decided to come back because I did not wish to negotiate my way from Tower Bridge Underground to Victoria station (remember my sense of direction?).

It definitely was cold that day but not unbearably so. I had no clue what to expect. The night view was great and I was trying very hard to use the SLR on the moving boat (without too much success). The people navigating the boat were the best thing to happen on this ride.

On the ride to the Tower Bridge, the person started (and these are not the exact quotes but paraphrases from memory), "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are not professional tour guides, we work with Thames river authority. Still, if you wish we can offer you a commentary, so those in favor of it please raise your hand." I was quite busy with the camera, so didn't raise my hand. Then came the voice "So, only three to four hands are up, maybe we should not." Hearing this I raised both my hands.

I do not remember all of what they said but some of it was really witty and caustic. Like one of the first things that you can see on this trip is the London eye. So they would say, "Ladies and gentleman, on your right is the British Airways London Eye sore (in a dead serious voice) and if you have not been taken for a ride by the BA till date this your chance to be taken for a ride."

Blurred Picture from the Moving Boat on the Thames

In a similar fashion they would make fun of so many things modern. The bluish building above apparently was referred as a 'blue carbuncle' by someone (did they say Tony Blair?). Our boatman rightly likened it to the pit of a nuclear reactor (OK, OK, I have not seen the pit of a nuclear reactor but I like his analogy better). The things that got a favorable word were monuments like Saint Paul Cathedral or Tower of London.

I remember I changed my position once on the moving boat to try and click a better picture on the other side. I must say the person at the helm had his eyes all they way on me till I settled down again. No, I did no fancy a dip at night in Thames in that cold weather. Still, I was thankful for the concern.

On the way back I heard the same stories again but then I still liked them! Also, this was my last day in UK and I was wondering if it would be four years again till I go abroad? Before this I was in Italy four years back and now that I write this, I realize I have blogged very little about it.

Lands End Lighthouse Luggage from Lands' End- This Review is Long Overdue

Lighthouse Luggage courtesy Lands' End

Long time back (in fact, now when I look at the date of the conversation, it was my birthday!) I got a mail from a good lady from Lands' End. They asked if I would be interested in receiving a carry on bag from them (free of cost) as they plan to put it in the hands of some frequent travelers?

In reply, I asked the good lady if she had any idea that I live in India and they would have to ship it all this way? She replied that it would be no problem. And sure enough after a few days I had it!

But then when we travel within India we generally rough it out. So, the bag was not used for quite some time. The first time I used it was for my trip to Nainital (another coincidence! sponsored bag for a sponsored trip) but then didn't got around writing about the bag episode then. I took this to UK and I must say I liked the stuff. It is much more sturdy than my VIP skybag (but then this one weighs more, though it is OK as I don't have to carry it) and doesn't feel flimsy. I like the top pockets as I am one of those who need to keep things till the last moment that miraculously appear in my hand out of nowhere. Also the handle push button is more conveniently located at the top rather than requiring you to bend to operate it. Another good feature the possibility of stuffing a few things extra because of the design that lets it expand a bit when really stuffed (discovered this while coming back from UK).

And what I liked best about the episode? I am quite wary of blogging about stuff that I get free without disclosing the fact that it is a gift. So, before saying yes, I asked if I could mention that this was a gift. The reply was yes of course and I need not blog about it till I felt like it. So, that is what I have done. Now that I have used this quite a few number of times, I am comfortable talking about it.

In Search of a Wash Room at Dubare!

Dubare Elephant Camp, Coorg

I remember the trip to the Dubare Elephant Camp for many reasons. One, I am afraid of animals (I know bad of me but that is how it is) and I was wondering how would I the trip go. I did not go near the Elephants but otherwise quite liked the place and watching the giants from far. Actually I took an elephant ride too, I am not so afraid if I do not touch the animal.

Also, in the picture above you can see the Nariyal Paani (coconut water) stall where Sudhir and I struggled to buy the coconut water.

But I remember it for another reason. This was one of those trips where I miscalculated the water intake and needed to use a wash room. Those of you have traveled in India know that wash room at times becomes a luxury at various spots and one has to keenly look at the intake of water on road trips.

I asked our Club Mahindra friend Joy if there was a loo on the premises. He said, "No madam. But I know a lady here and she would let you use her wash room." I was quite apologetic but agreed to inconvenience the lady. I am quite thankful that she let me use her facility but that too was just a makeshift thing.

But even more than this what stands out in my mind is her kindness. I consulted Joy if I should pay her money. He told me, "She won't take money, so why don't you buy something from her shop?" I was quite OK with that and took a chocolate. To my horror she refused to take money, and however much I would plead, she refused to budge. At last I conceded defeat and with a lot of guilt took the chocolate too!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Flower from Sikkim

Flower (Taken in Sikkim)

Long time since I posted a picture of a flower. I just love flowers. I know I have a very dull approach to clicking a flower, but I still like these pictures!

Sweating in Leeds- I Can Get Lost in a Telephone Booth

City Center, Leeds, UK

If you look at the picture above I will try to tell a story. This is Leeds City Center. I have taken this from hotel room which was right across the road from the middle building. Am I making sense till now?

Now look at the picture towards the left. You can see two roads, and another building. Again right across my hotel. When I reached Leeds in the evening, after finding the Park Plaza hotel (which I managed to do without too much trouble) my next task was to find the conference venue. It is called Cloths Hall Court. I had a map in my hand and after looking at it, of course proceeded in completely opposite direction. Then I asked a police personnel about Cloths Hall. He asked which street and I told him Quebec Street. So, he sent me back towards my hotel.

After meandering on one or two streets, I managed to see a building named Cloths Hall Court and I was happy again for this too was just two minutes walk from the Park Plaza. However, the door was locked and a notice said if you need assistance, call this number and there was a phone next to it too. I thought the place was closed in the evening and I would come there in the morning again.

Later I walked around a bit, picked up a pizza and walked back to my hotel room. It was nine at night by now. I tried to work with my paper and after an hour I realize that I was fast asleep holding it. I don't blame myself for this as I had reached London in the morning after spending a good part of the night at the Indra Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and the rest of it on the plane. And then I had traveled from London to Leeds on a Megabus (super fares, 10.50 pounds as I had booked in advance via the internet and 5.50 for return on a Sunday morning when they changed the clock but very small seats. So I don't blame myself at all if I fell asleep while trying to read my own paper!

Then I woke up early the next morning (spent some time with the paper) and ran down to the restaurant to have a breakfast. Thinking that I know the venue, I gave myself just about 7-8 minutes to reach, after all it was just a two minuets walk.

So, I walk down the Quebec Street and find the building, only it is still locked. I was wondering what my institute would do to me if I failed to find the correct venue and missed my presentation after they had shelled out all that money! Whatever came to the mind, nothing was pleasant.

Then I decided to ask for help. I asked on young girl passing by if she knew where the entrance to the building was. To my horror she pushed back her hair and took out her earphones. I could not see she was listening to music and was quite embarrassed to disturb her. She had no clue about the entrance but gave me a million dollar suggestion. She said, "Why don't you walk to the other side of the building and see if the entrance is from that side?"

I did exactly as she suggested and of course there was a sign announcing the conference. I still had two minuets till my session started and I was anyway the last speaker. The good folks at the conference registered me quickly, gave my name tag and I found my room without too much trouble. And to my relief there was just a few people inside the room. All the vistas of not being able to present my paper disappeared and some of the participants were even more nervous than me!

And why did I showed you the picture? It was one of the two blocks, either the middle one or the one to the left that I had to circle to find my venue. I mean how difficult that looks to you? And I can't remember now which block hosted the venue. And I looked at a map to see if that would help ... Now after looking at the map I wonder if it was actually a little to another side ...

Saltaire- An Article for Gonomad

I was lucky to visit Saltaire, an UNESCO world heritage site on the trip to UK in October 2007. Actually, it was included in the conference program that I attended at Leeds.
I remember I was attending a session (thankfully my talk was over in the morning) when an announcement was made, "The next trip to Saltaire would leave in 10 minutes." My SLR was lying in the hotel room, I only had the smaller camera in my purse.

The Picturesque Street in Front of the Pub 'Don't Tell Titus' at Saltaire

I ran to my hotel (Park Plaza, Leeds, just 2 minuets away from the conference venue but the room was on the 15th floor) in my business suit and formal shoes and ran back to join the group with a few minutes to spare with the SLR.

Another View of Saltaire, UK

This was one of the few visits where I managed to see a place with our guides and I must say they did a wonderful job.

My detailed article about this visit to Saltaire is now up at Gonomad.

Park Plaza Hotel, Leeds- A Review

This time in Leeds, I stayed at the Park Plaza. I initially had no clue what kind of money was available for this trip (remember this was for work) and what kind of hotel could I afford. It was quite close to the trip that I realized that I could manage to stay in a place like Park Plaza. I needed a place for two days and my prime concern was to stay close to my conference venue. So, the Park Plaza served the purpose adequately or so I thought (Will write more about this in another post).

I booked the hotel and then went to Tripadvisor! Not a very intelligent thing to do. The average consumer rating was just three and I was a bit disappointed. But what could be done? The hotel was booked and it cost me on an average 75 pounds per day. The Friday rate was low around 59 pounds but the Saturday rate was quite high, more than 85 pounds.

This trip to UK was after gap of four years. I have often said on this blog that my sense of direction is absolutely pathetic and I find maps full of mystery. So, while the Megabus that I traveled from London Victoria was approaching Leeds, I was quite anxious. It did not help that due to the Friday traffic the journey took six hours instead of four and I was completely jet lagged as I had reached London the same day in the morning.

The Park Plaza, Leeds

It was a blessing that I could see the hotel from the bus itself. That gave me confidence that the place existed! That is how nervous I was, traveling alone after so many years. In fact I remember saying to my colleagues, "Kisne kaha tha mugjhse ye saab karne ko?" (Who had asked me to attend conferences and all, so far away? How will I find Leeds from Heathrow when I can't find Nehru Place from Dhaula Kuan). The good thing was that the hotel was still visible from where the bus dropped me. So, one worry was out of the way, I knew where the hotel was. It was right across the bus stop.

The Room at the Park Plaza, Leeds

Then it was time to get inside the hotel and check-in. The lady at the counter was quite pleasant (quite contrary to what I read on tripadvisor about the customer service at the Park Plaza, Leeds). First she could not understand my name, and I don't blame her. I gave her the print out of my reservation and sure enough she could find it. Then she started explaining that I need to pay some advance in cash or through my card as per hotel policies. I thought I would pay cash. But then I was so tired it was difficult for me to understand what exactly was going on. I told her so, and she said she was so sorry! I finally dished out my credit card and she did some transaction (which was not a transaction but only putting some money on hold). Then I got the room key and the room was on the 15th floor. I liked the room, nothing very fancy but a good clean comfy room, with lots of pillows, and hot water.

So, the first hurdle to the UK trip was over. I could find the Park Plaza under five minutes and could safely check-in. Later I realized that the hotel was 2 minutes from the train station, 2 minutes from the conference venue (but this is another story) and 2 minutes from the Megabus bus stop. The Park Plaza, Leeds is quite conveniently located in the city center. I took only a breakfast in the hotel and no other meal. And one of the staff in that shift was an Indian. Of course, we chatted in Hindi! I stayed only two days (mostly out of doors) and I must say I had a pleasant stay!

2008 Begins on a Silent Note!

Due to cold somehow I have chocked my voice! Nephew is too happy, he can keep teasing me and I can only glare and not reply. Even my students would be very happy if they come to know of it! But thankfully classes begin next week only.

Methinks this is a sign that I should talk less and read and write more in 2008!