Near Abby Falls Coorg

Spotted this 'Danger Spot' board near Abby Falls in Coorg. I wonder what was the danger that this board was warning us about.

One completely unrelated danger that I can see is that if I am not careful, my travel plans for 2008 are in real danger. I mean it is May and I have gone out only once, to Lansdowne.

Oh My God!

I was browsing through my sitemeter and followed a link that led to a Hindi translation of my blog.
I mean the stuff is hilarious but only if you can read Hindi. Every other line is without context. Sample this-

In an ideal world this summer I would like to visit Ladakh again.
इस दुनिया में एक आदर्श मैं गर्मियों में लद्दाख फिर से यात्रा करना चाहते हैं .

Look at the picture at the left, can you blame me if I yearn to be there again?
चित्र में देख पर छोड़ दिया है , आप कर सकते हैं यदि मैं मेरे दोष इच्छा को वहाँ फिर से ?

Poor person, whoever s/he was and wanted to read the stuff in Hindi. I hardly ever try translating stuff on the web so this came as a surprise for me.

PS. Will follow up on the previous post soon. This post was done on the spur of the moment.

Monet Talk or Not!

Monet Picture at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

I am very poor at appreciating art. I know of only a few big names like Monet, Van Gogh and umm, OK, Michaelangelo.

So why am I talking (or not) about Monet now? Well, it all started with this post that I linked at Blogbharti-

Kusum visits the Poppy fields in Antelope Vally in the US and her pictures are a feast for the eyes.

No no, wait, I am coming to Monet. Then came Sunil who left this comment.

Thanks, great snaps.

I suppose the only excuse for not associating with Monet would have to be death.

Now I am curious and ask him (at Blogbharti), "So is Monet associated with death?" I am curious because his comment jogs my memory that I actually have seen a Monet painting at Oxford (the one posted above) and I thought maybe that at home turf (i.e. Blogbharti) I can take the risk of asking dumb questions. Hmm the answer I got convinced me that I should leave art well alone.

Er no. My fault, the way in which i said it. I just wanted to say it reminds me of Monet’s well known poppies. And almost instantaneously one would associate the snaps with the paintings. The only reason not to is if you have died. especially for me coz one monet hangs in my bed room. ;)
Cheers

OK, now that I read it again it makes some sense because Kusum uploaded pictures of poppies and Monet painted poppies ... But then I will not go anywhere near art for quite sometime now. Scares me stiff.

Suhana Safar Aur Ye Mausam Haseen!

View While Walking from Komik to Demul

I don't know how this Spiti picture escaped my notice for such a long time. Komik to Langza was the longest walk on this trek but the day was so beautiful, there were clouds and I think the song 'suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen' (it is a pleasent journey and the weather too is pleasent is the poor translation of the song in English) fits the mood perfectly.

I found the video of the song on Youtube.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

I started reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer late tonight (or should I say early morning, it is around 1.30 in the night). I am just through the back page, the snippets from the various reviews and the first chapter. I read a lot, or at least I try to. And never before I started blogging so early about any book. The first chapter starts backwards, Jon is hading back after standing on the top of Mount Everest and later discovers (while he is waiting for 'a traffic jam of climbers coming up to clear at Hillary Step') that he is left without oxygen. He also mentions at the very beginning what a disaster this 1996 expedition was going to be.

He wrote in the introduction that there are variations in his account that he did for the Outside Magazine and the book. Looks like that entire article is online at the Outside Magazine site.

Also, I have borrowed this book from my colleague (the same who took these pictures of Prashar Lake). Remember what I said there-

This is what Prashar Lake can look like in December! No, I didn't go there but Anil did ... Anil is my colleague from work, not at all active in the blog world and I guess least inclined too!

Well, he proved me wrong, he went ahead and acquired a travel blog! I hope he will update it too.

Protest by Tibetan Monks in Nepal

Sirensongs brings some disturbing pictures and news of monks being beaten up for protesting against China in Nepal.

The Nepali boys went straight for the one monk of the three protestors - -with large 2x2 wooden sticks raining blows.

"Don't take pictures! Don't take pictures!" they yelled at anyone with a visible camera. Then, "This is not a place for protest! This is our God-place! Do not protest here!" in English. Which to me, sounded very rehearsed and conspicuous. In English? The attackers were local Nepali boys (from the Tamang community, if it matters).

When I started Blogging ...

When I started Blogging ... I would blog just for the heck of it. Then I started thinking more and more about it and suddenly when I wanted to write something today, I was just giving it too much thought. Should I write it like this? Should I write it like that? Then with a start I realized I am treating it almost like work. And then it dawned that I enjoyed blogging so much because I did it for myself ... Time to go back to that mode again.

Oh Boy!

As Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) would say- Oh boy, Oh boy and Oh boy again. For a while (by optimistic estimates) all you would get to see on this blog are pictures. I mean any more work my way and I feel I will simply vanish into the think air!

Time to Head Out Again

Que (rhymes with Queue) A Dish from Spiti

No, of course I am not heading to Spiti but I am heading out soon and how I am yearning for it. We realized that in the entire 2007 we never took a train (apart from coming back from New Jalpaiguri, from Sikkim). So we are not going to make the same mistake again. We take a train and head out to Uttrakhand this time.

Last few months it seems have been work, work and more work. However much I try, something remains. I have been carrying work home almost daily. I can see things being extremely hectic till the semester ends. So while we are heading out I know as soon as I come back, I will be swamped with work, work and even more work. And even now I have so much unfinished work that it is going to give me nightmares even on vacation. But as Sesha is so fond of saying ... "This too shall pass." I mean I am really tired.

I have Been Wondering!

For quite sometime now, I have been wondering if I should mix some of my academic stuff on this blog. You see, I have started using data from travel Internet Message Boards for academic purposes. And it has been a fascinating exercise. I mean I get to spend time on the internet reading about travel and do some research too! I think I will write more on this.

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.

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.

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.

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!

My Travels in 2007- May We all Travel More in 2008

Kanchanjanga- Pelling, Sikkim

I guess I liked 2007 a lot and would not change too many things. 2007 started on the right note as we spent the new year eve in the train coming back from Sikkim.

Shringi, Himachal Pradesh

Then in February we went to Shringi Vatika in Himachal Pradesh. I went along with my younger nephew there in March again to retrieve my cell phone from Shringi.

Prashar Lake, Himachal Pradesh

Then in May we visited Prashar Lake again in Himachal Pradesh. Both Sesha and I consider it as one of our best trips in 2007.

Magnificent Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

June was time for heading to trek in the magnificent Spiti with Sesha and my elder nephew.

Naini Lake, Nainital, Uttrakhand

In September I headed to Nanital with my younger nephew and the trip was sponsored by the Shervani Hilltop Resorts. This was the first sponsored trip that happened to me because of my blog.

Tower Bridge, London

Then in October end November beginning I was in UK and though this was related to work I did manage to roam around a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

Dubare Elephant Camp, Coorg

And then came the Club Mahindra Travel Blogger's Coorg trip. This was another sponsored trip and I guess I got extremely lucky this year.

MAY WE ALL TRAVEL MORE IN 2008!

Zilch Chances?

Marble Arch, London

I did a post long back in 2006 for some London Hotel Portal and I wrote-

They promise me a good hotel deal if I ever head to London, well chances are absolutely slim, zilch I must say, but it is fun to get such requests.

Kent had left a comment on that post-

I bet you will get there! Lve the blog!

Now here I am, I actually went to UK and London in 2007!

Now if I say chances of going to Ireland are zilch, maybe I will get there eventually?

When You See a Picture Taken by You in an In Flight Magazine with a Credit to Someone Else!

Note: This Post is sticky for the time being. The regular posts continue below. I will be updating this post as and when I get some new information.

Update (27/12/2007): I have made this post unsticky in honor of these pictures from Prashar Lake in December (pictures courtesy Anil, my colleague).

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.

After consulting a lot of people through mail and putting the same question at Indiamike, I have written to the airline but this being end of the year I doubt I will hear back soon. I will wait for a decent period of time (say January 15 or should I wait longer?) before putting a post with the name of the airline.

Update 1 (24/12/2007): I heard from the airline and the editor who handles the work for the airline. I must say they are prompt. I wrote them over on the weekend and by Monday morning I got the reply. The editor says they got the picture from the person who they have attributed it to. According to the editor the person is one of the top travel writers in India. The editor has asked for one week's time to get back to me. So far so good.

Update 2 (25/12/2007): I had googled the author to whom the picture was attributed and I wrote a mail to him asking if he had any idea how he got the credit for the picture? I got a reply. He says he was away and an assistant sent the pictures. When one of his was not opening, the assistant simply downloaded a picture from the internet and sent it to the magazine editor that turned out to be mine. He admits there has been a mistake and says he is willing to write to the editor and also pay me out of his own pocket. I agreed to writing to the editor but of course not to paying out of pocket. Looks like the thing will settled quickly? I will now wait to hear from the editor and the airline again.

Update 3 (26/12/2007): Heard from the editor again. He says they will print a correction in the next issue and pay me for the picture. Also said they would try to put a system in place so that such incidents can be minimized. I asked if I could get a copy of the issue in which the clarification occurs. I hope I will! The editor didn't mention what they would pay I didn't ask. But I think this should be the end of the matter.

I will make this un-sticky only when I see the correction. The worst part in this whole episode is the role of chance. Had I not taken that flight with the particular airline , I would have never known about this whole stuff.

Oxford City Center- If I Had to Pick One Picture!

Oxford City Center, Oxford, UK

Uber Mensch asked me to do a Meme (don't ask me what they are, I only know tags). From the blog-

Here is the new meme. It is simple, easy and gives no room for whining one usually associates with a meme. All you have to do is select and upload one photo that you have clicked this year that is special to you. Could be anything...aesthetic, technical or personal. Also, put in a short note why it is special.

I picked up the above picture for many reasons. One, I went abroad after 4 long years and it felt nice (all my trips abroad have been for work, we do not holiday abroad). It felt nice to be in a 'foreign' country again. It was a nice feeling that I again have the opportunity to work on the things I like.

I visited Leeds, Oxford and London and I think I enjoyed my stay in Oxford the most. The reason is very simple. Oxford is a very walking friendly city and I love to walk. That is the reason why I picked up the picture above. Reminds me of all the long walks that I took.

Update- I wrote a mail to Uber Mensch saying I did the post and he said the meme is not compete as I have not passed it on. Well, here are five people I pass it on to.

Paul Shoul- Ace photographer from Gonomad, I simply love his pictures. If he does this meme, then it would be really interesting to see which one he picks up.

Arun- Another ace photographer, who doesn't blogs as much as I would like to read him. Let us see what he would come up with.

Dev- The 'pizza man' has worked in/with advertising, let us see if he has time to do this and what picture is dear to him this year.

Anil- Can I miss on one of my favorite travel blogger? He too blogs far less than what I would like to read.

Arun Nair- He was asking about SLRs, so let us see what he likes to capture.

Club Mahindra Trip- Some Unexpected Responses

I went to the Kodagu Community blog because of the link they gave to my video of the dance from the region. Never thought the trip would invoke such a response in one corner of the blog world. The blogowner says in a comment on the post-

Would you like Kodava culture to be shown to the drunk-tourists at late nights? (9-10 pm) I can understand if some curious people, who really want to know about the culture, are the audience.

Well, here is what I wrote in reply.

You go on a trip and you get labeled as half drunk or was it drunk tourist. I don't think we qualify as a bunch of drunk tourist!

But did you see any disrespect in any of our posts towards the local culture?

Thanks for giving an alternative perspective. Didn't know the trip would elicit such a response in a corner of the blogworld.

Meet the People- Anita: The Club Mahindra Coorg Trip

Anita with the Entire Gang- Third from the Right

Anita joined us on the way to Coorg and the first thing that hits you about her is vivaciousness. She is high on life! How I envy her for her travels to Europe and Bhutan.

Sudhir picked up a lot of pangs with her but she took it so well in her stride. It was unfortunate that she had to leave early. Oh! and I thought she must be about 24 but later when we chatted for a while it turned out to be wrong. And no, don't ask me what is her age :)

Meet the People- Srinidhi: The Club Mahindra Coorg Trip

Srinidhi- Second from the Left, Club Mahindra Coorg Trip

He was easily the quietest (and one of the youngest) of the bunch, hardly speaking a word to anyone, like a few of my students (yes, I still have a few like that and what a blessing they are). But then I gradually got to talk to him a bit. Came to know what is his claim to fame! And after reading it you will have to agree, it is some post. Not only he manages to write a post that comes right next to the official website of Club Mahindra, he is quite thorough with SEO and other net gyan. He gave me a lot of fundas about how to make my posts more search engine friendly.

While on our way back, from Coorg to Bangalore, we managed to chat for the while. Don't go by the quiet demeanor, in his spare time he likes to drive tractors! His one regret that I got to hear about was about not being able to drive even heavier vehicles in spite of having a license to drive one.

Meet the People- The Club Mahindra Coorg Trip

Sudhir Syal, One of the members of the Club Mahindra Coorg Trip

I was planning to write the long report about the Club Mahindra sponsored Coorg trip but it is just not happening. So, I thought I would talk about what I can.

So, meet Sudhir Syal. On his blog he writes-

So, there we were then, a motley crew, as you would expect, each figuring out 'who' or 'what' to expect as company for this momentous journey. Soon enough the group began to take shape, with there being a clear demarcation between the intellectual 'traveller' and the 'gawar tourist'. The 'intellectual traveller' easily identified with his manner of speaking. " Have you been to Leh, , 25 Kms south-east of 'Namcha Barwa Himalayas , 890 Kms north of the tropic of capricorn filled with Azure skies and that rarefied aroma !". The gawar traveller would look on ...

There are many things that I can write about him. His phone calls and his habit of being late were most commented upon but then two incidents stand out in my mind.

At the Dubare elephant camp, the two of us fancied nariyal paani (tender coconut water) and the guy running the stall would simply refuse to acknowledge us! I can't speak a word of Kannada or any other south Indian language but Sudhir can and yet the stall owner would ignore him even more. It was only when our man Friday, Joy (our Club Mahindra escort, a truly wonderful person) intervened that we got our nariyal paani!

Then I remember telling Sudhir in all enthu about Prashar Lake, and then he smiled and told me, "I like my travel to be comfortable!" Point well taken Sudhir. And that doesn't make anyone "gawar tourist."

And then he of course lost to me in TT :)

To Coorg with Club Mahindra!

Went on a trip to Coorg that was sponsored by Club Mahindra for travel bloggers (will update on the gang soon). As of now swamped with work.

And even though I am no foodie, the highlight of this trip was the wonderful food that was served. I actually polished off all the sweet dishes you can see in this picture. I am sure I will gain at least 3 kg because of this trip.

Off Tomorrow!

I am taking a mini break and actually traveling to the south. After all that grading (the necessary evil of an academic job) I am really looking forward to it. You see, because when I come back, I have still more copies to grade. Have you heard about death by grading?