Travel Tales from India

Noticing Trucks

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Blurred Picture

It was around 6.45 in the evening yesterday and I was almost at the end of my evening commute. There is a roundabout where I invariably get a traffic jam and this Friday was no different. I was really sitting in my car quite bored till I saw the truck ahead of me.

I immediately took out my camera and clicked but my windshield had a lot of dust on it and the result was the picture above and quite disappointing.

Truck Art

Then I opened the window, took my hand out and clicked. The result is so much more better. I have clicked a very similar picture of another truck before and yet there are a few differences. In this one there is a girl sitting quite pensively and the quote in Hindi that says Roya Karege Shanu Yaa Karke (Shanu would cry when she remembers me).

In my previous job my total commute was 16km and now it is 62. You can see how it has impacted my blogging and the pictures. And I am not cribbing about my commute, just mentioning that it has increased and I see a lot of trucks or maybe I notice them now much more.

Majestic Mountains

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:34:00 +0000

The Dhauladhar Range as seen from Triund, Himachal Pradesh

Looking at this scene you can never imagine that there were hundreds of school students also camping at the same site. Thankfully the site was so big that we were in a different corner and not much affected.

But when we were walking back a lot of children were coming down too. The path is narrow and we walked in close company for quite some distance. There was no way I could not here what they were chatting about. The boys invariably discussed cricket and the girls makeup and hairstyles. I somehow was disappointed.

Friday Flowers- Flowers like Astrix's Ears!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Yellow Flowers

I do not know the name of these flowers but the white petals remind me of Astrix's ears!

Sky Watch Friday- Another Sunset at Ilaka, Near Triund

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Sunset at Ilaka, above Triund, Himachal Pradesh, India

See more fabulous skies at Skywatch Friday

Friday Flowers- Bell Flowers

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Bell Flowers

Clicked at the Botanical Garden, Leeds UK in 2008

Global Product, Local Delive

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Supply of Coke, Maggi and the like to the tea Shop at Ilaka near Triund, Himachal Pradesh

PS. Those of you who wonder why so little content on this blog these days, the reason is very cute.

Moral of the Story?

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Looking at the picture it feels like a story and the kind that has a moral too!

Carved in Stone!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Elephants were a common theme at Bundi Palace, Rajasthan

More of Brat 4

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

She had some Chocolate

She likes sweets a lot and insists on eating it with her own hands. This was the result of it yesterday evening. She is sitting in Sesha's lap.

Steve, you asked for this one!

The Morning Commute

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:39:00 +0000

The Morning Commute for Some at Gurgaon

Not a Good Fit!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Moon on the 14th Day (chaudhavi ka chaand sounds so much more better!)

I took this picture when Brat 3 and Brat 4 had gone out for a while. I had no time to try out various things and it was a struggle to find a good foreground for taking the picture. I tried taking the construction work into the frame but by the time I could have figured out more ways the brats were back.

PS. We took Chaavi out to Noida to my sister's place so this was her first trip out with us. I think for a while it has to be day trips or a visit to a family home only.

I am so glad I didn't explore Delhi before. Now it is the turn to do so with her.

Take Me for a Ride!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:15:00 +0000

The Park Elephants at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Feather Weight

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

A Myna taking a ride on the back of Barasingha at Kahna National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Lazy Sunday Photo- Sorry We are Closed

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:06:00 +0000

Coffee Shop Yet to Open, Gurgaon

Clicked it in the morning when I was walking out after parking my car.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Talk to my Handst

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Roadside Henna Stall in Noida

Prayers, Hopes and Wishes!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:42:00 +0000

Prayers, Hopes and Wishes! St. Mary's Church, Oxford

Old and New

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:31:00 +0000

Old and New- High Street, Oxford, UK

Friday Flowers- Pink Flowers

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Pink Blossoms

Clicked at Oxford in May 2009 but no idea what they are.

Skywatch Friday- Ye Asma Jhuk Raha Hai Jamin Pe

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Ye Asma Jhuk Raha Hai Jamin Pe (The Sky is Coming Down to Meet the Earth) Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

More pictures of Sky at Sky Watch Friday

Friday Flowers- Iris from the Himalayas

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Iris Flowers, clicked while trekking around Triund, Himachal Pradesh

Striking a Deal!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Deal Making over Clay Pots at Bundi, Rajasthan

Beautiful Birds

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Brahminy Myna at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

I have to admit that my love affair with birds started after I acquired a macro lens (Bart 1 bought it for me) and was able to see them up close.

I have also been aided in this by my Which Bird is This thread at Indiamike.

Crossing the Line!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Literally Crossing the Line- Kalka Railway Station, Kalka

Jumping on a Bandwagon?

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Or Going by the Picture, Jumping on an Auto-rickshaw more Likely

Social Networking or internet communities or even humble blogs seem to be the buzz word these days going by the atmosphere and news reports we get to see.

I got ranting today because of some of the comments I got recently and one in particular that I got today (all of that I delete promptly).

I like to keep my comment section open because there has been no major reason to close or moderate comments till now. I do get some amount of spam comments but then I delete it after getting the email notification.

There have been one or two days when I got around 16 spam comments from the same person (for hotels in a particular region) and when that happened for the second time my heart sank. I mean that time could have been devoted to a better use but then that was a one off incident. I forgave them because they are small operators and may lack the expertise to handle social media.

Then today I got a junk comment on an old post that was a rant against branding of a particular type. The comment was for a known company (that advertises on big TV channels too) and gave a link to its Facebook fan page (that was not even hyperlinked within the comment box).

I mean why poor me? OK I can see some fit, it is about travel bags, it went like this-

I would like to share an incident,

On my Holiday to Singpore from Mumbai we were Asked to open our Bags at the airport by the Authorities. I was thankfully carrying [------] Bags which has sorted Compartments which made the checking easier and faster.
Got out withing 15 minutes,

That’s the reason i would suggest a [-----] to any traveler.

Its user friendly, easy to handle, light in weight and pretty affordable.

The Link would be of a lot of help [-----]

I am wondering how can a company be so dumb when it comes to social media? Do they pay people to write such dumb comments on wrong kind of posts? Why that particular post? And what happens to this person's (assuming there is such a person) performance appraisal when they find that the inane comments they left were promptly deleted by the blog owners?

I mean that comment screams of being an ad for the company as it had no relevance to the post and they removed all doubt by giving a link to the Facebook fan page. Why can't they hire a good consultant? Better still why can't they think of investing long term into social media and make their own presence.

Some companies may take a long time to figure out the social media and in trying to join the bandwagon, they may not even land on an auto-rickshaw in the process.

Dog Tired?

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Surrounded by Traffic and Yet Asleep

I am wondering if he was dog tired? The mat gives an impression that this was a planned nap?

I empathize with him today cause I feel dog tired myself.