tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211788502024-03-23T13:45:45.255-04:00Andy Goes India ... Only Real at >> AndyGoesIndia.Blogspot.COM << !!<img src="http://www.andreasbender.de/flags/3GER.GIF">
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Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-46823687410446520282013-09-10T03:51:00.000-04:002013-09-10T03:51:10.007-04:00Oh, what a trip!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today I am about to return to the UK, and hence it appears to be time to conclude my last month traveling in Asia (which, for good measure, also included a bit of Arabia). Muscat, Bombay, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mysore, Bangkok, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, and Dubai were on the list of destinations over summer - and I have to say, it was a truly excellent experience. It was good to see places, get to know people I have never met before and to meet again old friends as well, and to eat and drink all the good things every place had on offer. It was a very intense trip though, and while I will miss traveling, I think it is also time to go back to 'normal life' and to digest what I have seen, heard, tasted, smelled and touched while being away.<br />
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Probably the last month was one of the best trips I have had in my life, and I think this is due to a number of different reasons. When traveling I was very relaxed this time - as usual, I have missed trains, couldn't get into my hotel at 2am when I just wanted to go to bed and the like (so it was a proper trip in some sense); but I still felt very calm throughout, whatever happened. During previous travels I have often had the feeling that 'the life is elsewhere'. This time however my life was precisely where I was, and that felt good. I think if you want to connect to the people around you in a given moment, if you want to see (and truly feel) what a place is like, you 'simply' need to be present, and this time very often my mind was where my body was. (There are all sorts of associations with that state of mind of course; meditation and the feeling of 'being in control' come to mind. Not in the sense of controlling anything external, but being in control of your own situation, to feel entirely safe in the moment.)<br />
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What I also value immensely highly were the people I have met, and met again, along the way, in every single city I have been to. It was simply good to be back and to catch up again - to recognize what is known, but at the same time to discover new facets I haven't seen before. There are multiple layers to every truth, so it feels good to discovery the next one (of, in many situations, quite a number of them.) The number of cities I have been to was challenging - but not so much due to the travel, but since in different cultures your learned patterns do not work. If you then move countries multiple times within a matter of days, you constantly need to challenge your assumptions of 'how life is' - and, well, it is of course different everywhere. So then the question comes up: Where do you stand? Who are you, and what do you think, feel, and do, in a situation where you have to reinvent yourself? This changes your view on the world, but of course also on yourself. I guess from a good trip you don't return as the person you where when you left. I think this is also the reason why I think it is time to go back to the UK now - challenge is all good and well, but afterwards you just need a bit of time to digest what you have seen and to redefine a few (or a few more) of your worldviews.<br />
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Finally, I realized how important it is, for me, to travel alone - not necessarily every time, but at least a few weeks every year. Only when you are by yourself you are away from the constant (in both meanings) mirrors of your behaviour, which too often turn out to be obstacles to your personal development. When traveling alone I realized that I am much better able to focus on my own perceptions of the situations that 'happen to me' (or which I chose to be in) - this situation challenges me, so why is that actually the case? I react strongly here - why does this strike a chord precisely? Traveling alone forces you (if you allow it to happen) in a surprising number of situations, and while this is probably only a small step of many, I think the last month has advanced me a lot as a person.<br />
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I am looking forward to being back in Europe again in a few hours, surely. It will be good to be back in town, to see my College again and many people I am very happy to have around me. But yes, I will also miss traveling, and I am sure I will miss Asia. I will be back soon - I promise.</div>
Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-85601233245836216862013-08-25T02:48:00.001-04:002013-08-25T02:48:35.052-04:00What India taught me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been traveling regularly to India, for the last 7 or 8 years, so I have by now certainly spent more than half a year in the country. Recently it occurred to me that I am actually very grateful that I had the possibility to come here so often - and that I have learned quite a lot from 'Mother India', probably much more than I expected beforehand.<br />
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So what has India taught me?<br />
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<b>1. Go with the flow... </b><br />
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Obviously, India is a country where, to phrase it mildly, not everything happens 'on time', and where situations are often not quite comprehensible. This is not only true for the 'stupid tourist from the west', also for Indians themselves what happens around them is not a consequence of some planning from above, but things happen simply due to one reason: because they happen. There is nothing to understand, nothing to plan - you can only accept the situation as it is, deal with it, and make the best of it. I think, being the German I am (or at least once was), learning to deal with this type of situation was rather challenging for me - but it was very much worth it. I still remember the situation where things changed for me, about 3 years ago (who cares about the precise year anyway!).<br />
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I was taking a tour around Delhi-Agra-Jaipur around 2010 - organized by the IRCTC (the Indian Railway Operator), but, of course, the whole trip was taking place by car (a much recommended tour by the way). Rajasthan was certainly worth a visit - one memomorable moment in Jaipur was when my cab couldn't drive because an elephant was on the right lane, and a camel on the left one, so the street was blocked. But the moment which really made me 'understand India' actually happened in Agra (home to the Taj Mahal).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk81OWUhMRdMTaNhMmARVn7V7Yq7_yXPx5YJvXkXh0W5ophWUH1ymTPUA6pIXMxARwO1eXamaMOKXTNrTqeACI0fBA9ogtb7YIhdOC5Z5XsH-11cfs18WMcBShfFGnYrnqxJLcA/s1600/2c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk81OWUhMRdMTaNhMmARVn7V7Yq7_yXPx5YJvXkXh0W5ophWUH1ymTPUA6pIXMxARwO1eXamaMOKXTNrTqeACI0fBA9ogtb7YIhdOC5Z5XsH-11cfs18WMcBShfFGnYrnqxJLcA/s640/2c.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not this handle..</td></tr>
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I was taking a three-wheeler, and asked the driver to bring me back to my hotel. If you have been to India you will have realized that auto-rickshaws are overall amazingly reliable, although they don't look like it - this one, however, wasn't. So it was a hot day (probably 35 degrees or so), I was in a place unknown to me, maybe an hour's walk from my hotel, but who knows into which direction, and my mode of transport broke down. The driver fiddled with various parts of his three-wheeler, but nothing happened. I still remember that I was first getting rather nervous - an unknown city! The car doesn't work! I will die of thirst, hunger, and my parents will never find out! Well, this is what I thought first... but after a few minutes I suddenly felt such inner calm which I haven't felt often before, and also rarely since. I have felt that 'I am safe', that one way or another, I will get back to my hotel just fine. And I also clearly remember gaving the thought in this situation that, finally, 'I have understood India'. In order to be able to deal with India I cannot have my German planning mentality - this breaks down rather sooner than later in this country. If you come to India you have to be able to let go, to accept the way things happen around you - India is stronger than your plans. But once you give in you will have an amazing time - not only because of the country around you, but also because you are able to let go inside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hm, not this one either...</td></tr>
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I am very glad that, by now, I am able to pick how to approach situations much more freely - many situations, in particular in work life, still require planning, so this is probably still my regular mode. However, if things don't quite work out - the plane is delayed or cancelled, something else is delayed: No problem, sit down, watch the sunset, and get a cup of tea. Things will work out eventually, one way or the other, but it will be fine..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPcd_Yimw_gl6_ZnSuup8eLYQJBj83kO32rPFKdP_KT0alEjdivseb11IgIWcnqrWGzO3lqYQmRNgMqgEwTsyG4W3BhuiVtg_ZzNabl-L5V7CakTyQ8kMdLpRAeu8iqJxkG2sAg/s1600/2e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPcd_Yimw_gl6_ZnSuup8eLYQJBj83kO32rPFKdP_KT0alEjdivseb11IgIWcnqrWGzO3lqYQmRNgMqgEwTsyG4W3BhuiVtg_ZzNabl-L5V7CakTyQ8kMdLpRAeu8iqJxkG2sAg/s640/2e.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It might be this screw...?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXjhhvYZW0-1stIb95bvIvGJB0OrXqcxtTiH77rZYmMjZJxQx48E-XnAt54PK9vgBeqfnDCFXkpwkR4d1XzUbw2WV7Gwdwo-D6Y99CbdqZhNHgGgXhFQ3HKOCyFkR9RbeV7McyA/s1600/2f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXjhhvYZW0-1stIb95bvIvGJB0OrXqcxtTiH77rZYmMjZJxQx48E-XnAt54PK9vgBeqfnDCFXkpwkR4d1XzUbw2WV7Gwdwo-D6Y99CbdqZhNHgGgXhFQ3HKOCyFkR9RbeV7McyA/s640/2f.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But it might also be just time to leave...</td></tr>
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<b>2. Speak up for yourself</b><br />
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India is without doubt an intense country to visit - it's very much about 'people'. It's crowded everywhere, there is constant interaction with everyone around you, whether you smell your sweaty neighbour on the bus, you touch other people because the train is crammed (as I experienced first hand on the commuter railway in Mumbai this time!), or whether a 3 year old kid is pulling your elbow and is asking for money.<br />
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What I had to learn from all this is to mentally protect yourself - by accepting the situations as they were (see above), but also by acting in ways more appropriate to the situation than what I have learned 'at home' (in western countries). I think the problem is that in western countries you are often taught to 'act nice' - if there is someone who would like to talk to you then listen, if there is someone who needs your help then lend him or her a hand, if someone needs consolation then try to give it to him. However, this does not work in India, at least not 'in public' - you would spread yourself too thinly, and be worn out rather soon. However, I would assume that many visitors who come from 'the west' to India are in some sense too open and receptive for the many impulses one receives over here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dmBpe1aC-vf_Z0ZOnP0-rktbsTV1y_d61jctHvNJRibUEm0MWEqcCEFOpa8sWXs8IzmpdcrthNcHhw-zGVItA6YgpBfcGBVzp4AfIP7JME8xQoNRMuuT6dr9JVTE3bktHSS-IQ/s1600/1d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dmBpe1aC-vf_Z0ZOnP0-rktbsTV1y_d61jctHvNJRibUEm0MWEqcCEFOpa8sWXs8IzmpdcrthNcHhw-zGVItA6YgpBfcGBVzp4AfIP7JME8xQoNRMuuT6dr9JVTE3bktHSS-IQ/s640/1d.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cook of the roadside dhaba where I had lunch that day - probably also overall one of my favourite pictures from my trips to India</td></tr>
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So what specifically happened to me? I think the worst situation that happened to me was in 2008, when traveling back from India via Mumbai airport. Some 'nice colleagues' asked me at the bus, when arriving at the airport, whether they could carry my luggage. I declined, but after 5 steps they still demanded money for 'helping me'. They asked for 500 Rupees (a ridiculous amount, about the weekly wage of a farmer) but they could offer a rather generous 'rebate' as well. Given the dark corner we stood in, and the fact that guy in front of me was about 2 meters tall, I was then more or less pressured to give him 200 Rupees in the end for his amazingly helpful 'service'.<br />
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Not that the money hurt - well, it didn't. The problem was rather to be forced into doing something you actually don't want to do, and you don't really have a choice how to react. (Not that this is the worst thing people can push you to do - but I can now only imagine what it must be to be forced in other, much worse situations. It's about feeling helpless - this is much worse than what actually happened to me here.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLq8qiLB_XFq8DEVh-0vKOBVd8RuuR8UTz9XVp_iXuGlMYr9iakFnPmVTq1D2w5oZpPPCKwerwjSlUBVhCOeObJaSXaV33LPflSKAw9AMmLXMUNDRiDo5tbMKm2n4vEGV9yHTvg/s1600/1e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLq8qiLB_XFq8DEVh-0vKOBVd8RuuR8UTz9XVp_iXuGlMYr9iakFnPmVTq1D2w5oZpPPCKwerwjSlUBVhCOeObJaSXaV33LPflSKAw9AMmLXMUNDRiDo5tbMKm2n4vEGV9yHTvg/s640/1e.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roadside dhaba upon my arrival...</td></tr>
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However, on a subsequent trip - accidentally or maybe not so accidentally the same tour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur described above - there was a situation where I finally managed to act quite differently. Driving down the highway between Agra and Jaipur, the driver showed me an 'original Indian restaurant' at lunchtime, charging hundres of Rupees for Paneer Palak and selling wooden elephants in the entrance hall. I decided... that this is not quite the place where I wanted to have lunch that day, so I just started walking down the highway (at about 35 degrees, in the sun around noon), for some reason quite optimistic that there will surely be further dining options located along the way. And indeed, after a few hundred meters one of the 'roadside dhabas' appeared - another restaurant, without electricity or any of that modern rubbish, but one that served food in a way I much preferred to the first one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QmEATSjzrPBLRWs0R2o4l2llX-bhGISLF4k2ecuHaf5FlEAqlfjA2inmaMtKBAaY8GoC9t0bmeJ7o6u7BXiQSCSxNbkSwf8M9zNK5TrbxGRtbcCeI75JYDb8txpTSuq11aWI7w/s1600/1b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QmEATSjzrPBLRWs0R2o4l2llX-bhGISLF4k2ecuHaf5FlEAqlfjA2inmaMtKBAaY8GoC9t0bmeJ7o6u7BXiQSCSxNbkSwf8M9zNK5TrbxGRtbcCeI75JYDb8txpTSuq11aWI7w/s640/1b.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to take pictures with the kids</td></tr>
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Of course, the place was rather basic, but I basically didn't care - I was happy I found this place and enjoyed my meal, which was the meal I have really chosen to eat myself. The funny event happened when I was asked to pay and when I was given the bill - the owners tried to charge me twice the original price! So I asked for the menu - however, they were now able to produce a second menu with much higher prices, and by that stage they had probably thought they had defeated me... but not quite, you are not going to mess with Anoop anymore! I had (more or less accidentally, this is one of my habits) taken a picture of the first menu which I was now able to show the waiter, so I asked for a pen and started to slowly and happily correct the prices on the bill to the original ones. The owner was slightly embarrassed, his kids were rather amused, and in the end I left a large tip anyway. It wasn't about the money - it was about being able to play this game, and I was very happy to be able to do so, finally! It took me about 6 visits to India and maybe half a year in the country in total, but now I am able to get you good prices in Chandni Chowk as well (so if anyone needs a wedding dress, please just let me know!). Forget your western attitudes when coming to India - here things work differently, so learn to play the game - and be friendly and fair, but also firm in what you want (and what you don't want), otherwise this country will not work for you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VohnniMnrMiS3nx6Yark1x4Md0SmHvZSSiflt3AvY5r9KffkAxsNn2E7kzI2FDHmKzGahL7Wa6hgRQUhLCqkbobnDjdXNPrfJecx1Tg1pAQLksGlDMMOt2ParPw7N6l5w4G_6g/s1600/1a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VohnniMnrMiS3nx6Yark1x4Md0SmHvZSSiflt3AvY5r9KffkAxsNn2E7kzI2FDHmKzGahL7Wa6hgRQUhLCqkbobnDjdXNPrfJecx1Tg1pAQLksGlDMMOt2ParPw7N6l5w4G_6g/s640/1a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original price list, used for correcting the bill I have received</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6Y0mPEv-snY5TX8DMaWQLK6QnvVgMEgK-RuARyu7wXk0QAO_ycXC3MXtbsr_3vJTOs75FuiZRs4EBKgqBd9U4ZT4iFNJ26vG35v3Sss8tT0jpLivJgoWmutFgumW4fcjnJ2POQ/s1600/1c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6Y0mPEv-snY5TX8DMaWQLK6QnvVgMEgK-RuARyu7wXk0QAO_ycXC3MXtbsr_3vJTOs75FuiZRs4EBKgqBd9U4ZT4iFNJ26vG35v3Sss8tT0jpLivJgoWmutFgumW4fcjnJ2POQ/s640/1c.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the paneer dish I had this day - quite a rich dish, with cashew nuts on top, though I have to admit I do not recall the name of the dish<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<b>3. It's all about the individuum - and as humans, deep down, we are all very much connected</b><br />
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It is rather easy to believe prejudices and blanket statements ('Iran is evil!', 'America is evil!', 'Germans are like that!', 'Indians are like that!'), especially if you don't have any evidence to the contrary (such as from first-hand experience). Given my extensive travels I however came to realize that general statements are best ignored - they are more often plain wrong than not. I think the main problem I have with many prejudices and 'simply truths' that they tend to be divisive - and that I feel that, quite to the contrary, being _inclusive_ is key to interacting with people, so this is where prejudices are seriously getting into the way. <br />
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Before I repeatedly visited India, I have to my great shame to admit that I also believed a rather long list of blanket statements about it - 'be careful with the food!' (I ate at McDonalds the first few days when I went there for the first time... I could have had nice Dosas instead!), Indians do this, Indians do that. However, since I have started teaching here I came to realize that there are multiple (many!) layers to every truth, and it's important not get stuck in the first layers already. One of the biggest contrasts I have found in India is that between the 'ruling class', and those who 'actually do the work' (even more so than in other countries, I would say). Quite often you hear about the former, but when you go to India you meet the latter. If you read about India in the news, it is about corruption, it is about people going to bed hungry, it is about population growth and about the occasional terror attack by the Naxalites or trouble in Kashmir.<br />
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If you visit India, what you see is people who are amazingly driven to change their lives, and that of the country, for the better - they are in many cases bright (such as the students I have the pleasure to teach over here), hard-working, and have a good heart. There are the layers you 'see' (or believe to see) from the outside - but when you come to the country you have such a different impression that I have nearly given up on making 'rules on how the world should be, according to my understanding', the reality will always teach you otherwise anyway. I had similar experiences also in the US (where many people judge the country by its leadership), and I am sure if I have the honour to visit Iran in the future then I will have a similar impression there. (A visit is actually not that unlikely, given I currently have 2 PhD students from Iran in my group and I am always happy to visit their home institutions as well.)<br />
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So the bottom line of this story is: The leadership in India may be what it is, and you may read in the newspaper about the country what you want to read (you probably find evidence for anything you like): The students and people I have met first-hand when coming to this country for several years are simply amazing. They want to progress themselves, and their country - and I hope 'the leadership' will follow them as well sooner rather than later. It is important to look behind the superficial associations and prejudices everyone of us has - and the most honest way to do that is, in my opinion, to travel a lot. And, to not just be a tourist, but to really interact with inhabitants of different countries in a day-to-day environment. It is sometimes not easy to identify your own prejudices - putting yourself repeatedly into a challenging environment (such as India) certainly helps you to 'wake up', and it forces you to reorganize your thinking, and your attitudes.<br />
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I realized that once I have let go of many of my prejudices I have started to feel 'at home anywhere on this planet'. This feeling is difficult to describe, but I think deep inside humans are similar (culture forms them differently), and whether you are sitting in a hut in Andhra Pradesh or in a skyscraper in New York City, deep down you are still part of the same planet. This feeling is a very soothing, a very calming experience.<br />
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I think I should dedicate the last picture to the many students I have had the pleasure of teaching at IBAB in Bangalore - it was a very good time with every single one of you, and I wish you all the best for your future!<br />
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Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-52189389992228597932013-08-12T14:58:00.000-04:002013-08-12T15:03:19.270-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
8-12 August 2013: Oman and Mumbai<br />
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It was good to visit Muscat/Oman - certainly one of the friendly places on this planet - and I had an excellent return to Mumbai aftwards as well.<br />
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While I had only one night in Oman the guest house right at the beach - the <a href="http://www.lespaceoman.com/" target="_blank">L'Espace</a> - was amazing, and there is shortage of nice grilled meat in that country either!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gi6ZkUXDFXtqb2_MCb1HEif2SWikxHa2qpIjTHUag1UL9TtKd2vqhBnuZV7tk4OTlVMLxR_u4uB6_4R6AliUNk5hXVM2I0ln7fXClI-dFmSmVQfMGt187uRtumoFy_t2BDCiYA/s1600/P1070369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gi6ZkUXDFXtqb2_MCb1HEif2SWikxHa2qpIjTHUag1UL9TtKd2vqhBnuZV7tk4OTlVMLxR_u4uB6_4R6AliUNk5hXVM2I0ln7fXClI-dFmSmVQfMGt187uRtumoFy_t2BDCiYA/s640/P1070369.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'Espace in Muscat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJSpVX2j1Ve647KWmEr5zO6DFlpzBMRQNwadW-8G-GP1zC7ula9T5kuqsEZGTrQwdk2SpYtIXLlDID3BT20Al1ogOSQVMX8H5p8uHqzcVQPclxevB4QwVmjyb62QAaTUYG0j2MQ/s1600/P1070370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJSpVX2j1Ve647KWmEr5zO6DFlpzBMRQNwadW-8G-GP1zC7ula9T5kuqsEZGTrQwdk2SpYtIXLlDID3BT20Al1ogOSQVMX8H5p8uHqzcVQPclxevB4QwVmjyb62QAaTUYG0j2MQ/s640/P1070370.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'Espace in Muscat, II.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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To come back to Mumbai was quite enjoyable this time since I felt so much more relaxed than during my previous visits - I had a nice walk along the Marina, a glass of Indian (and pretty decent) Cabernet at the Taj, went for the (more or less mandatory) Kingfisher at Leopold's. But what I liked most was actually the new things I did this time - an extensive walk in Old Mumbai between Victoria Terminus and Churchgate...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCIVWI3Cip9K6wp1nLECcHAiw0K5KTsvYwgUpPUeuYk1wtpDOSkfTYV1qqEyXL5ELGwiZFYSdCI31JTTr1DhB0GIMvIVjyLTL_z6L1xpk_gIJyA_3jnhQHc1t1E4ZFlgEpJZbPA/s1600/P1070408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCIVWI3Cip9K6wp1nLECcHAiw0K5KTsvYwgUpPUeuYk1wtpDOSkfTYV1qqEyXL5ELGwiZFYSdCI31JTTr1DhB0GIMvIVjyLTL_z6L1xpk_gIJyA_3jnhQHc1t1E4ZFlgEpJZbPA/s640/P1070408.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Mumbai, I.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0peHngrpBML3bybJRnlWgY9p5_jkQPMDPmDEaFbO9yWiVrXQGMM15YjC3icj8RFL7AQyX3CfI_5Zl2cY7oHDrWGlltsHyjP-XWC_G4afh7poUuSwIp0fCIcb21xyeBUXkCMDXw/s1600/P1070412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0peHngrpBML3bybJRnlWgY9p5_jkQPMDPmDEaFbO9yWiVrXQGMM15YjC3icj8RFL7AQyX3CfI_5Zl2cY7oHDrWGlltsHyjP-XWC_G4afh7poUuSwIp0fCIcb21xyeBUXkCMDXw/s640/P1070412.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Mumbai, II.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53NTBWTzy197i5KbBcwb0w6kpPLMLb5XTsbb8opUqkH3IA1rE06n8VAgdkAfi1Az0D-y7jwH3-61oe4HtRPoCaUuIpdFsZRpIQluy-g0NPvnViT2L1T-TQ1JtU-EhY5qegvVGDw/s1600/P1070410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53NTBWTzy197i5KbBcwb0w6kpPLMLb5XTsbb8opUqkH3IA1rE06n8VAgdkAfi1Az0D-y7jwH3-61oe4HtRPoCaUuIpdFsZRpIQluy-g0NPvnViT2L1T-TQ1JtU-EhY5qegvVGDw/s640/P1070410.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Mumbai, III.</td></tr>
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had a ride with the local commuter railway... (Western Line; in peak traffic, though on a Saturday)....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0I5BtBbdwdkTioMtcnsYvg2ATj_XiWjuGeirq7xzstnzJX5oq7AE1FFfj6EcicO31TpBJ1kM2Pbql20iadxySZExx-lj-tX8YHu7VhOgvJYNtBex1jhrRjWkBV4f3pl01VsKXw/s1600/P1070425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0I5BtBbdwdkTioMtcnsYvg2ATj_XiWjuGeirq7xzstnzJX5oq7AE1FFfj6EcicO31TpBJ1kM2Pbql20iadxySZExx-lj-tX8YHu7VhOgvJYNtBex1jhrRjWkBV4f3pl01VsKXw/s640/P1070425.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Line when leaving from Churchgate...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMniGv8imsgxS0U0fftKG44cxx1kYN8lJoJiOvIWde19cA9NmOehcxdXzT9MjiYylowso4wDbF5_ZFE8k5OBggrjoybxIhv0IMwo_47wH74FQGh8wtxPvWtsZgau43rpNXoi6QbA/s1600/P1070435_new.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMniGv8imsgxS0U0fftKG44cxx1kYN8lJoJiOvIWde19cA9NmOehcxdXzT9MjiYylowso4wDbF5_ZFE8k5OBggrjoybxIhv0IMwo_47wH74FQGh8wtxPvWtsZgau43rpNXoi6QbA/s640/P1070435_new.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and a bit more packed a little while later</td></tr>
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... and I noticed the nice buildings much more than before, such as<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gzoBbmoHvdSoissQuCUOFKzhkDVF3zFac3UwlWUjX7RMf3snMFPjUl4Afubd0oA4Driv4GVYiywD3aHW1bcTRGtTB3IkFhZ8EvcpFdpxM3ecT841jVjbYsgqB9kkpDEiT-s7wg/s1600/P1070446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gzoBbmoHvdSoissQuCUOFKzhkDVF3zFac3UwlWUjX7RMf3snMFPjUl4Afubd0oA4Driv4GVYiywD3aHW1bcTRGtTB3IkFhZ8EvcpFdpxM3ecT841jVjbYsgqB9kkpDEiT-s7wg/s640/P1070446.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria Terminus and...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZzBVvZZ4GRCRKDzRlEIPNVmSpGwS2i73LQGTxKakx1WluTQCvytqvSBiRaQnvv0jGekYbj3uHkneGoCUuGedGYzQmUQwDzp0QRWkKgsbRkxV2odN_-IlP1m7-r4E-3wHhUUHAg/s1600/P1070419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZzBVvZZ4GRCRKDzRlEIPNVmSpGwS2i73LQGTxKakx1WluTQCvytqvSBiRaQnvv0jGekYbj3uHkneGoCUuGedGYzQmUQwDzp0QRWkKgsbRkxV2odN_-IlP1m7-r4E-3wHhUUHAg/s640/P1070419.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Churchgate.</td></tr>
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It's good to come back to places you have been to quite a while ago - the places might not have changed so much, but you see them with entirely new eyes once you are open to them yourself...<br />
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I think the reason is that I am by now feeling entirely relaxed when I am in India, and interestingly this feels like being 'connected to the world, as one'. There is little 'things are different here - so I feel uneasy' anymore, it is now more like 'things are different here - but everything is fine, the way it is'. Feels good I have to say.<br />
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I just arrived in Pune this evening, had a nice dinner with Karthikeyan - more to come here shortly!</div>
Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-18652074491565244152013-08-11T09:11:00.001-04:002013-08-11T09:15:07.790-04:00Best of India - In Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just went through many of the 5,000 or so pictures I took during my trips to India between 2006 and today - and here comes a small handpicked selection of (some of) the best moments in the country:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_cWlHEs6-plJsPDptY3PG3TgdQsNmCZDXKZZQ2MA0AgH6Y2dzciNoVzmB3-1L7kSbjR26lDMROi2HlpkvA3crOQdJFIiShnxYNg1N32I3B3JbMVqztrjp4xryGiD7HcPwVGYSw/s640/CHETAN_IMG_0393.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chetan's wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTe5KwFlKmDFa-sZA7Wysoq1DfW8qiv2LGo1ZjSuexXI4ZWDsDOR-z5-2UJGiZW387lQ9b9OtwiZC3XGRdNyNEaGf_5dXK9pZCwNw1speRcvUilhUEGMU46Pl4iHlWXbMKcdkBQ/s640/DSC_4367.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Brit at a restaurant close to the train station (city unknown)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5qOWK4E7EXC9M7d_BpqDnwoB4K6Wat7wMGDPJUgoDKfnGEpfnm-jG4P8FjUqY_Yo7ZAu7DD3tZDjSagtVJcOVp9f_JB0Wqna-EJPACuRXBGXqxw-BIdYOBX8dFOsB92qVNsP9g/s640/DSC_4395.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat trip on the Godavri River (of course the white man was asked to sing) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkUM7PbsIqR54K8IkDHSFkdMbGYqeGOHhdND5fKb2wYwqBKxM7eEbl7xGGr0Cp_cHt294XvtxPj3fQ2lL4HesUZJ57UZDSMUaj7ETBp5SYSZeUzyXr-FToh75vTxJQaW_CffHRw/s640/DSC_4396.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving everything </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-_JE28WyYrDLlqL4O9S4mJywL3edJbRub37vmB-pzjlcD142vRDY5Imyu4P4y4_NuJkkdFe9Sd-pbh1TtI8l6eev4tB8op5yG_m9Iu7AYrz35ow9aYjaIfGEam4fu37FRnnnDg/s640/IMG_0020.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first and still one of my favourite restaurants I have been to in Mumbai - the Gaylord, close to Churchgate </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFjS5Y6JBEO8jVsZzOOOZu4DUutEuW2Tsgf8tg_ge9hgnwE6YlJmDGhEz1Pd56ZqvkkBb3SKfriO_-K7g4u9SGQd_PRNCu7XciAcUB-ySnfZJura7Z1yzsWacHaStygvGBaN-Lw/s640/IMGP6145.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a pretty bad day today... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A proper back scratcher (in the museum somewhere between Agra, Jaipur and Delhi) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ds2E0ob2ajg-21E6rDJVXtFyMY_JZnU1bhnEPwUg8dzZGsH665lgzhbFM_H6L5_BXKxeAobzuZ3uxW9Dp94-HQ-Qw-5Lqk1nykzWIfuls4AVYhMpY6pMV6r1LWdFh5EtrFc3tQ/s640/IMGP6732.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="428" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Jantar Mantar (also somewhere in the Golden Triangle) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe's hitting the road (in Jaipur) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZOAdhabO03ljYPT80poz8k-mAZ44LaCYjPR8c7JUjrU2GApExXVRj6esj1H1FlGN29JlpPzI1LI-GjJkCjx-akFlZTQG1SKK7elG2IC3sIia-3ge-Ysqb3rIgM6ru_OntXl5BA/s640/IMGP6803.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="428" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Rajasthani comes home (probably one of my favourite areas in India, apart from Kerala, Ooty, and many others..) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96A0xr0o5_YhRS6pUKpg-cDHi4jrutcyAWc-ms_9ToezFEb8btnt-aeqNbEabYmQVlWMufD7HvlROw64HkvCbH6sJH9hRuoj53GKc4pCbUY_xYzO6gg8jR52que8M0O6wQAOS1Q/s640/IMGP6830.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Bollywood himself (just having a Biryani with my humble self in Tirupathi) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding, II. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana time </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1wYZCjIEuPxtUdkqnx5iFpZIryZIV1bJ61_jjWXYiuCq81x7Jz7Zep4JNNfJQxt3dVzvOg3g0xUXLexb4KO0xA3YQ86LSVEa4rIVa3-jl-uXS9cMTdn6UvwqzM3Y8MhSlcS_kg/s640/IMGP7072.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="428" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That doesn't fit too well, does it?! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UIT_bS_SdKPkWFMyGwotBMY6NZNWCAdNTC9j6u7YhEFUlOvdQWldK4cPl8HjQQP9T6J4f59gyIG4mIqxEwvTP4OvLOAWCtE6_iu5ROeVy1frpGu1M9w5IORxjRwCQFWJd-GMrQ/s1600/IMGP7112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UIT_bS_SdKPkWFMyGwotBMY6NZNWCAdNTC9j6u7YhEFUlOvdQWldK4cPl8HjQQP9T6J4f59gyIG4mIqxEwvTP4OvLOAWCtE6_iu5ROeVy1frpGu1M9w5IORxjRwCQFWJd-GMrQ/s640/IMGP7112.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacrificed </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOWidSx9r7zlfUwlGia0nntAuELNPm03pJvRQgKzkr9XHrWLMhn6W-aqY3Ce3_dOJL6-AOkVt20wMbBXni8TbTFVu68Xe8J7LfxxSfFoSBw81vos4-YaD2deIQ7WSekIbPO9EbQ/s1600/IMGP7200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOWidSx9r7zlfUwlGia0nntAuELNPm03pJvRQgKzkr9XHrWLMhn6W-aqY3Ce3_dOJL6-AOkVt20wMbBXni8TbTFVu68Xe8J7LfxxSfFoSBw81vos4-YaD2deIQ7WSekIbPO9EbQ/s640/IMGP7200.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Sacrificed, II.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fdX4QAOnER1araMyr2P0MAGcQQJKLCINsQ3_hY6Z5HipDgP0Hrwx9cy45AHH6GiTpeTwzMQ3cfRHMPTh9GV_hAxDBmo8Zf40_hWSGYnzal0uGB3oxn-IibwPyRyfcj3J7kMrPw/s1600/IMGP7329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fdX4QAOnER1araMyr2P0MAGcQQJKLCINsQ3_hY6Z5HipDgP0Hrwx9cy45AHH6GiTpeTwzMQ3cfRHMPTh9GV_hAxDBmo8Zf40_hWSGYnzal0uGB3oxn-IibwPyRyfcj3J7kMrPw/s640/IMGP7329.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the train from A to B</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oiNymnr_xCI9JlmyOAPK2miemSwOVTaWer6SwRq1BPeudCEjgv0QhlW045XQUKehqoJ2dWVYNtQ0nHK9CUifftVGeXYwGSRCJO8DX70JZc9vOn3W_0OcucqJM44jz-8YpDoG6g/s1600/IMGP7775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oiNymnr_xCI9JlmyOAPK2miemSwOVTaWer6SwRq1BPeudCEjgv0QhlW045XQUKehqoJ2dWVYNtQ0nHK9CUifftVGeXYwGSRCJO8DX70JZc9vOn3W_0OcucqJM44jz-8YpDoG6g/s640/IMGP7775.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Tirupathi </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhutKVotsVvEpVuEKX5PC5tkMGkMyaiKn4iklkABibl2EnPmAOCBJQ8mtWXivDi8oaWXbx9l3VrMA9270TNCKjVw7z8WJ5gNjY2WysH6-OZ4drkgCxq-FWGWAE1Yj-IgU2OyDJQ/s1600/IMGP7788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhutKVotsVvEpVuEKX5PC5tkMGkMyaiKn4iklkABibl2EnPmAOCBJQ8mtWXivDi8oaWXbx9l3VrMA9270TNCKjVw7z8WJ5gNjY2WysH6-OZ4drkgCxq-FWGWAE1Yj-IgU2OyDJQ/s640/IMGP7788.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the street</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT6qRB9f6uPktjBo_owTTJYc1SOYXYFjeS-IV0npbOiXL9ur9hNWo_hUQAQ9rR1QrsMljV0aVEI7KkqLcvPKULl1BP6YX81xqMxhaQ3JR5-BEN32ksaqgit4gBNvr_WzV_g-uPA/s1600/IMGP8312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT6qRB9f6uPktjBo_owTTJYc1SOYXYFjeS-IV0npbOiXL9ur9hNWo_hUQAQ9rR1QrsMljV0aVEI7KkqLcvPKULl1BP6YX81xqMxhaQ3JR5-BEN32ksaqgit4gBNvr_WzV_g-uPA/s640/IMGP8312.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> In Ooty (one of the hill stations), at the Sherlock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1kQAXfGlSf3HRDYub2clHU28U5REttD-y9tKp294bwmc2sl1-4DVX63tkg673du1Kq-zEF4EXKLYQ0CrAGc0wiyMkBbVmk7PW62XE15UNLQPQXuCrOR13_4PNWf5iedRPlfdhQ/s1600/IMGP8485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1kQAXfGlSf3HRDYub2clHU28U5REttD-y9tKp294bwmc2sl1-4DVX63tkg673du1Kq-zEF4EXKLYQ0CrAGc0wiyMkBbVmk7PW62XE15UNLQPQXuCrOR13_4PNWf5iedRPlfdhQ/s640/IMGP8485.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Proper steam engine for the way up to Ooty</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM3V_b_whaBXl-Vth7XuJo5CiBErWfNjc1yRyoPtcH9Z1uBwtlPWS_ElnPkESbFUv7KW7QUcpP7PP5MqqCnvZdWdczdAZGornRdbqAUMWGUeaA8T7dnrSRSo0eYM-qG6n8v2ioQ/s1600/IMGP8708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM3V_b_whaBXl-Vth7XuJo5CiBErWfNjc1yRyoPtcH9Z1uBwtlPWS_ElnPkESbFUv7KW7QUcpP7PP5MqqCnvZdWdczdAZGornRdbqAUMWGUeaA8T7dnrSRSo0eYM-qG6n8v2ioQ/s640/IMGP8708.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Cochi (Kerala) - one of the most beautiful ones I have seen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFLQbBEntTHOP46yOYBp3Y2mCZJlviNGzYiFPE8caxevdncUG0QlyrbAfRwmfo_GlflTv3Q3GHT9N5E054N_5JkVXFq1ujx04RRqnX4eJUeDl2X9WsdNdR_2Te5Ev8tY-7kY96A/s1600/IMGP8752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFLQbBEntTHOP46yOYBp3Y2mCZJlviNGzYiFPE8caxevdncUG0QlyrbAfRwmfo_GlflTv3Q3GHT9N5E054N_5JkVXFq1ujx04RRqnX4eJUeDl2X9WsdNdR_2Te5Ev8tY-7kY96A/s640/IMGP8752.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Cochi, II.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpl6ZpScnDjW83DlnsptYSCA5iGNoSMBqX69DkC_zeFelEDpiGq5glHNSlujx9o59ZvsxOWF7MruhMwJrq8iFYEM2EviV7mmTdIkEoT8jPj4fB3ZpV0KXaIpHGj6ystv7DTi70wg/s1600/IMGP8756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpl6ZpScnDjW83DlnsptYSCA5iGNoSMBqX69DkC_zeFelEDpiGq5glHNSlujx9o59ZvsxOWF7MruhMwJrq8iFYEM2EviV7mmTdIkEoT8jPj4fB3ZpV0KXaIpHGj6ystv7DTi70wg/s640/IMGP8756.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Cochi, III.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFSWOIC1MQNsmpmfsoV0eOVR4JCTlqRB1Trar4xQT_TGGSFqPZ5j3vsCH4lz18BJhrJuH0MWo08QElVwgc8TP6vy5AKT8OaXbCzysIu7C3JE2G9od14JV5TfsJznY8qPNCLPRpQ/s1600/IMGP8786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFSWOIC1MQNsmpmfsoV0eOVR4JCTlqRB1Trar4xQT_TGGSFqPZ5j3vsCH4lz18BJhrJuH0MWo08QElVwgc8TP6vy5AKT8OaXbCzysIu7C3JE2G9od14JV5TfsJznY8qPNCLPRpQ/s640/IMGP8786.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Cochi, IV.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbGValo6mPwnV6Hql1hvRkQAD1WHSoilJBpUjAc2ExXwPElCUe29N04U05d7LStiK7weuY21LE9R5id03IUQjQ9va0A_-yjBCCSXxi0F0ahSQMkZhyphenhyphenYZGv0R6V25In9l01evFbw/s1600/IMGP9796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbGValo6mPwnV6Hql1hvRkQAD1WHSoilJBpUjAc2ExXwPElCUe29N04U05d7LStiK7weuY21LE9R5id03IUQjQ9va0A_-yjBCCSXxi0F0ahSQMkZhyphenhyphenYZGv0R6V25In9l01evFbw/s640/IMGP9796.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating my 34st birthday according to local customs</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fKwlFSa3pnrAziqpsdyTnQb_bSy8BLGDWLoiCkNLYhyphenhyphenovVXEPjGK6DDhzO75VAnIeUfwA1BXwhN0BfuJO_fGIaJMslbsTf1ZDhBgvi4IVKNFOHlrAZCzK8g9UTRqVszflNM1yQ/s1600/IMGP9802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fKwlFSa3pnrAziqpsdyTnQb_bSy8BLGDWLoiCkNLYhyphenhyphenovVXEPjGK6DDhzO75VAnIeUfwA1BXwhN0BfuJO_fGIaJMslbsTf1ZDhBgvi4IVKNFOHlrAZCzK8g9UTRqVszflNM1yQ/s640/IMGP9802.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday, II.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDRmhqtYftpqTaEyY-fJrpU9JfpcaFC4WBP0YIDbpboGxjdq6T3OmG66GnhuZu6VDQ8e3gFLaPLyu95MnfQ3bJQpHqn0Voe9HEazJnLJL5hkFGf_hoWqHWD0veuB682Ux64ohtA/s1600/IMGP9813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDRmhqtYftpqTaEyY-fJrpU9JfpcaFC4WBP0YIDbpboGxjdq6T3OmG66GnhuZu6VDQ8e3gFLaPLyu95MnfQ3bJQpHqn0Voe9HEazJnLJL5hkFGf_hoWqHWD0veuB682Ux64ohtA/s640/IMGP9813.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday, III. (with my sister)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLev-DxA2vYSe3GgzuMqjAP6ZSDu3eVIAs9sOwX3_4n618wTXTBiojU7xM-1_NdFqEgZ6Q8G2HWyGCy-AiIekKH3dLL_mpa9wikuYkffvZp-j5ld4wmVtDzLzpS5GBCVlCYde5YQ/s1600/news_Deepika_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLev-DxA2vYSe3GgzuMqjAP6ZSDu3eVIAs9sOwX3_4n618wTXTBiojU7xM-1_NdFqEgZ6Q8G2HWyGCy-AiIekKH3dLL_mpa9wikuYkffvZp-j5ld4wmVtDzLzpS5GBCVlCYde5YQ/s640/news_Deepika_web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conference in Cochi, with quite an extensive (Christian) ceremony in the beginning (followed by a spontaneous address I had to deliver)</td></tr>
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Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-4807648332758820242013-06-20T14:34:00.003-04:002013-06-20T16:20:16.144-04:00And finally ... time to travel again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=202505715183639456709.0004df992ab25b8a299d5&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=31.952162,43.945313&spn=95.273845,149.414063&z=2&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=202505715183639456709.0004df992ab25b8a299d5&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=31.952162,43.945313&spn=95.273845,149.414063&z=2&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Oman/India/Thailand/Malaysia 2013</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It has been a while, but this summer I will finally be out and about for a good trip again and I am really looking forward to it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a day in Oman (where I needed to change anyway) I am flying to Mumbai - the first destination I ever visited in India and, shame on me, I haven't been back since. I was able to locate the hotel where I stayed on my first visit (the <a href="http://residencyhotel.com/" target="_blank">Residency Hotel</a> in Fort, in the south of Mumbai) and the restaurant where I had many delicious dishes before (the <a href="http://www.kwalitygroup.com/Restaurants/Gaylord-Restaurant/Mumbai/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Gaylord</a>, close to Churchgate Station) so I am looking forward to being a loyal customer and staying and eating at both places again. A few days of holidays will follow, plus a talk at the <span style="line-height: 115%;">NMiMS
SPP School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, meeting Prashant Kharkar at the institute. L</span>ate August should also be still proper monsoon season in Mumbai which I for some reason enjoy a lot - it's sometimes good to really <i>feel</i> nature. (Yes, I know about the problematic aspects of monsoon season as well of course - I hope that too much infrastructure will be destroyed and that there will be as little human suffering as possible. In my opinion this statement and the above are not contradictory, though - maybe the conclusion is that extremes are often not good, who knows.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Afterwards it's time for an over</span>night train trip to Hyderabad - the Husainsagar Express, about 14 hours, and <a href="http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#classes" target="_blank">proper sleeper class</a> as it should be. It's one of the cheapest classes on Indian trains, but my favourite one - you can open the windows (and doors) of the train and every half hour someone comes to sell you food and drink. There I will have two days in Hyderabad to spend with my friend Muni, and to meet his wife and newborn son.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Another overnight trip, and I will be in Bangalore for about 10 days - teaching at <a href="http://www.ibab.ac.in/" target="_blank">IBAB</a>, and hopefully also visiting Nagasuma Chandra at IISc, Basappa at Mysore University, Balganesh from OSDD and others. IBAB was expanding, and is now able (together with Manipal University and IGNOU) to offer Master's level courses and have PhD students - I am looking forward to the changes, and meeting the students of new batch! I have no doubt that they will be of excellent caliber, as before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Time to leave India... and to travel to Penang and Kuala Lumpur. However, I needed to change planes anyway also on this route, so I also put in a day in Bangkok - my first time in Thailand, but due to time constraints only for a day and to get a first impression of the place. At Penang I am visiting the <a href="http://www.ipharm.gov.my/v4.1/" target="_blank">Malysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Neutraceuticals</a> (IPharm), where one of my PhD students, Siti, comes from, to give a presentation and see whether we can collaborate more closely in the future. I am actually quite looking forward to visiting Penang and Georgtown where this institute is located - it seems to be quite a beautiful part of the world, and even for Malaysian standard the food seems to be outstanding (which indeed means quite a lot!). No visit to a country is complete withou<span style="font-family: inherit;">t a train ride, so I will go back by train to Kuala Lumpur itself for two days, before finally spending a week in Shah Alam. Here I was invited to speak at the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ipops2013.com/" target="_blank">The International Postgraduate Conference on Pharmaceutical Sciences</a> (<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct">iPoPS</span>) and to visit the <a href="http://pharmacy.uitm.edu.my/" target="_blank">Faculty of Pharmacy</a> o<span style="font-family: inherit;">f </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.uitm.edu.my/index.php/en" target="_blank">Universiti Teknologi MARA</a> where another PhD student in my group, Fazlin, comes from and where I will also become a Visiting Professor in the near future to form more long-standing research collaborations.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I must say I am very much looking forward to the trip - and let's see which parts of this grandiose masterpiece of planning will work out in the end! I have been to India rather often by now so I should be able to deal with the vagaries along the way - that's at least what I would like to believe, but quite possibly this will be another lesson for the naive traveller (which I wouldn't mind to be taught either, after all)!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More to see here when (and if) I make it back - and I hope you will enjoy your travels this summer as well, it's good to travel after all!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take care,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Andreas</span></span></div>
Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-64616537390664065612009-07-26T06:37:00.005-04:002009-07-26T06:45:54.107-04:00Route for August 2009 - 2101.58 Miles Through IndiaOk, the distance is an estimate, but that's at least the destinations planned so far. Let's see where I will end up in reality then :-).<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109463726911463465016.00046f994b07ab200f7bc&ll=19.973349,80.15625&spn=28.647814,37.353516&t=h&z=4&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109463726911463465016.00046f994b07ab200f7bc&ll=19.973349,80.15625&spn=28.647814,37.353516&t=h&z=4&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">India2009</a> in a larger map</small>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-31131044756857502009-07-16T10:03:00.004-04:002009-07-16T10:30:27.656-04:00An Ethiopian Baptism and Wedding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8a089mSHb_7efiJutGRvFstBDJfGJNW4tnd5UM47TJlPhKitgAZHu_5DkES2WoTc1q25q1Q3HQlGnNVZdDSyy_rxg2wab1jqGX2KtScwk_5V2avRX_xOB5ZurJuiVRyXDEkH8A/s1600-h/IMG_3294.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8a089mSHb_7efiJutGRvFstBDJfGJNW4tnd5UM47TJlPhKitgAZHu_5DkES2WoTc1q25q1Q3HQlGnNVZdDSyy_rxg2wab1jqGX2KtScwk_5V2avRX_xOB5ZurJuiVRyXDEkH8A/s400/IMG_3294.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200277677203474" border="0" /></a><br />So how happened to this fellow ....? Just read on and you will find out :-)<br /><br /><br />Finally the day came - after a few days of looking around 'Addis' the big day was coming, the baptism of Mathilde, Marco's and Hermela's daughter, Mathilde, was about to take place! It was a Christian Orthodox-style ceremony in church, followed by a proper celebration in a golf club in the countryside.<br /><br />As always, one needs to dress appropriately for the occasion - so if you ever go to a baptism in Ethiopia this would be considered just fine:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c84Wa6_Gk8xkofbnG8Km4Eqqr0g6nfCtZmn9PhcwaOT3gi_L3qUteJm0aEkRJ3gZMt9bAT8ADVi2ef6rg9jL81JVi3MBL76oi3e8UqKLzM-bSgycAvBDO_kUzkG4ybhW0xdvoA/s1600-h/IMG_3121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c84Wa6_Gk8xkofbnG8Km4Eqqr0g6nfCtZmn9PhcwaOT3gi_L3qUteJm0aEkRJ3gZMt9bAT8ADVi2ef6rg9jL81JVi3MBL76oi3e8UqKLzM-bSgycAvBDO_kUzkG4ybhW0xdvoA/s400/IMG_3121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200033759955506" border="0" /></a><br />And where it happened:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVz3TQwnf63unMCo4YRVQFd2q5Dbh0pgJaBSvu7SxBm-3k0R3Zeu_NmoAkxS0SzCbNVWTuP5Y2nKz4fhjUv6YmBjZyebNowb8ofhEBleXtb9BWqENgG8RHLOnQdyh-20YxI1-Xw/s1600-h/church.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVz3TQwnf63unMCo4YRVQFd2q5Dbh0pgJaBSvu7SxBm-3k0R3Zeu_NmoAkxS0SzCbNVWTuP5Y2nKz4fhjUv6YmBjZyebNowb8ofhEBleXtb9BWqENgG8RHLOnQdyh-20YxI1-Xw/s400/church.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359060367745320034" border="0" /></a><br />Actually, not just our baptism was taking place on this day (in a small room next to the main chapel), there was also a huge three-hour or so wedding going on in the main hall which looked pretty impressive. But what was actually going on on our end?<br /><br />The officials prepared the bath and checked the temperature to make sure it's freezing cold... yes, just fine!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXCUIkOgfBTunlPT4Sc7SrRaB_y78TppfzIqA5VSWYSGZvHS1iqIPS9e6dr9G7gVhRLamny39VkRzrlqr1o4RH0ztyOxRHx5h6o6Hm98sjP0K5umPNTwY9T6TwNjnBZZrz9SThg/s1600-h/IMG_3173.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXCUIkOgfBTunlPT4Sc7SrRaB_y78TppfzIqA5VSWYSGZvHS1iqIPS9e6dr9G7gVhRLamny39VkRzrlqr1o4RH0ztyOxRHx5h6o6Hm98sjP0K5umPNTwY9T6TwNjnBZZrz9SThg/s400/IMG_3173.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200038642158146" border="0" /></a><br />... a final kiss on the cross...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWZOPby-iTBf0eKkCInC18c9zw8jLgcp251ZJSXVNBOB3nOOF6MeGP-FayizdNag6mnm4Qr5e8pm5sKNXyOR5NU816sXKn9WfUuceH7wxXnE1sgLVfUuDJF4X0y1GAoVHEK36kQ/s1600-h/IMG_3151.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWZOPby-iTBf0eKkCInC18c9zw8jLgcp251ZJSXVNBOB3nOOF6MeGP-FayizdNag6mnm4Qr5e8pm5sKNXyOR5NU816sXKn9WfUuceH7wxXnE1sgLVfUuDJF4X0y1GAoVHEK36kQ/s400/IMG_3151.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200033500944498" border="0" /></a><br />... and what will happen to you, my dear fellow ....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwWc1qfHbq7cbPJ5iy1rOwKu3LqY-u3x2I5iTA17RqrHzF78BZCilcsZlK57OFM2tS5m2OMqFKR6bxhpFVYJ3qUrVWSOkAty39WBmBNadDyegR0j7O5KJLobIYNC0uZ3FL40U9A/s1600-h/IMG_3176.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwWc1qfHbq7cbPJ5iy1rOwKu3LqY-u3x2I5iTA17RqrHzF78BZCilcsZlK57OFM2tS5m2OMqFKR6bxhpFVYJ3qUrVWSOkAty39WBmBNadDyegR0j7O5KJLobIYNC0uZ3FL40U9A/s400/IMG_3176.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200043075847922" border="0" /></a><br />... by the hands of this man ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7brw8C56Fsee-06K88C4mNvSps-rXVxoeVjFK4llOhYNW04WBTVzXULmin49TekbtE9pUPsvBnN2O2_ONiAHgjJmGeRDv34F2GaDb2ZrY04kqE6SiG341a626fdfD5aPftTQiJA/s1600-h/IMG_3143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7brw8C56Fsee-06K88C4mNvSps-rXVxoeVjFK4llOhYNW04WBTVzXULmin49TekbtE9pUPsvBnN2O2_ONiAHgjJmGeRDv34F2GaDb2ZrY04kqE6SiG341a626fdfD5aPftTQiJA/s400/IMG_3143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200031144908530" border="0" /></a><br />... will make you scream, so happy are you, little Mathilde :-)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHF0tbKUYgr-wEgqp24b5Rkf2VsH7TvqcsYGaYptBI_efGavwLjW0Zhbe4SA3RPniWRi76lXU8OKlCbboBfLR1eNRm-r9RUgoERu9kLOt3S1bJf8lP6ZPJ2JnwjSqLhGgSpVNbg/s1600-h/baptism.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHF0tbKUYgr-wEgqp24b5Rkf2VsH7TvqcsYGaYptBI_efGavwLjW0Zhbe4SA3RPniWRi76lXU8OKlCbboBfLR1eNRm-r9RUgoERu9kLOt3S1bJf8lP6ZPJ2JnwjSqLhGgSpVNbg/s400/baptism.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359062664414374898" border="0" /></a><br />So much for church, next day we went to the golf club to celebrate appropriately. Not just the baptism, also that Marco and Hermela got married just a short time before, but back in Berlin.<br /><br />Everyone's joining the party...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipet5vGO4IduHcvUDoB1Yoz4u0SMDSeG-BWKQXhJZpE1tuDsxeZUd32g9pQUiqyMAJXU6SNoGDOcPyStkqzIXpcYebOPbaXB6CThmJWzhWWEC_B79NY7Eu9Cp9kKWCLOrD-3mxDg/s1600-h/IMG_2892.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipet5vGO4IduHcvUDoB1Yoz4u0SMDSeG-BWKQXhJZpE1tuDsxeZUd32g9pQUiqyMAJXU6SNoGDOcPyStkqzIXpcYebOPbaXB6CThmJWzhWWEC_B79NY7Eu9Cp9kKWCLOrD-3mxDg/s400/IMG_2892.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199532112073762" border="0" /></a><br />... maybe 200 people or so attended in total, in a beautiful location as you can see.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w6s6ws96iPYCLmU1R4PafH0bPdRegB50rxGoAdMhOf2Z8NiT8O8FpURCRDFF-TjfJxgQk64UOTPKcrrBARgNHBPXvRcli5TvlyDm73hLvwLOqyqPeeNu8On3_btqKJHG9ak4ww/s1600-h/IMG_3251.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w6s6ws96iPYCLmU1R4PafH0bPdRegB50rxGoAdMhOf2Z8NiT8O8FpURCRDFF-TjfJxgQk64UOTPKcrrBARgNHBPXvRcli5TvlyDm73hLvwLOqyqPeeNu8On3_btqKJHG9ak4ww/s400/IMG_3251.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200267628224354" border="0" /></a><br />Of course, the newlyweds have their special table (and are allowed to eat first)...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYlYCi_Uh2_flhg-w7aTEE3i7rt59qJ9tvka0bQXiSKfOBG4L-MtcbZjSBFaIeepaxeLZpGsO5xp4aEYjfDOWwU8AqSAUahigqceoBg_VRncODiK-VPuYiZ76vnbvGMI4UymCEQ/s1600-h/IMG_3330.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYlYCi_Uh2_flhg-w7aTEE3i7rt59qJ9tvka0bQXiSKfOBG4L-MtcbZjSBFaIeepaxeLZpGsO5xp4aEYjfDOWwU8AqSAUahigqceoBg_VRncODiK-VPuYiZ76vnbvGMI4UymCEQ/s400/IMG_3330.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200290616412402" border="0" /></a><br />... while other couples with their children had to wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fF6Jl6Jb21o2CzkKlHmhbl2OfDcL62IaQU1jqyNFPUkWpYJj1x_cRyFz_2zenPlzc7HalLD3O6qemXTZpSjW7Nr1mjhjmYhQEKyFfijwdXSbmfftIEFvt8PTpJn0pYl0S2v5Qw/s1600-h/IMG_2919.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fF6Jl6Jb21o2CzkKlHmhbl2OfDcL62IaQU1jqyNFPUkWpYJj1x_cRyFz_2zenPlzc7HalLD3O6qemXTZpSjW7Nr1mjhjmYhQEKyFfijwdXSbmfftIEFvt8PTpJn0pYl0S2v5Qw/s400/IMG_2919.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199548724336274" border="0" /></a><br />(Alternatively, beer was always available.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6bKp6RohDSsKfQvgi3ZR4B46fdD4igDhurED1TrpGxjbGtbnOQdWm6jdFvnqj4i-xKyBmtfqo8TzDGJhAYklUWxTYut5cW_4tOfHO-dhCoY2vc08Q_moXeUTREYTRw_eJW6E6A/s1600-h/IMG_2920.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6bKp6RohDSsKfQvgi3ZR4B46fdD4igDhurED1TrpGxjbGtbnOQdWm6jdFvnqj4i-xKyBmtfqo8TzDGJhAYklUWxTYut5cW_4tOfHO-dhCoY2vc08Q_moXeUTREYTRw_eJW6E6A/s400/IMG_2920.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199548591613970" border="0" /></a><br />These gentleman have been looking forward to the party, I can tell! The first bottle of Johnny Walker was done in 30 minutes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzWMUkPHV_ZGvr15LxFMakEPyu62o1_Bn6c6u9O-XTwFQ6mskDJOSA6SUMHSQjputGp5gRPr8nHhds56nPNucEawgt-9elBIb6iczNVRceyLuwZpWjhtfcHEcEr2DC7kxyyClMw/s1600-h/IMG_2903.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzWMUkPHV_ZGvr15LxFMakEPyu62o1_Bn6c6u9O-XTwFQ6mskDJOSA6SUMHSQjputGp5gRPr8nHhds56nPNucEawgt-9elBIb6iczNVRceyLuwZpWjhtfcHEcEr2DC7kxyyClMw/s400/IMG_2903.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199537357553282" border="0" /></a><br />Well, but the second one was open quite soon afterwards anyway, so noone got thirsty here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLgNN8BqkWhDD_tv6Xwiz4VZXPdtlkZyomuplpsr9jH_GntY0j42IjaAOo2relyP9cRFJcPClmvpoBX0W6jZf62V6e4KenZMxVB6KQG9313kI_gqxLFz8fhKjtU3NVc8AfEuezQ/s1600-h/IMG_3341.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLgNN8BqkWhDD_tv6Xwiz4VZXPdtlkZyomuplpsr9jH_GntY0j42IjaAOo2relyP9cRFJcPClmvpoBX0W6jZf62V6e4KenZMxVB6KQG9313kI_gqxLFz8fhKjtU3NVc8AfEuezQ/s400/IMG_3341.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200996477135282" border="0" /></a><br />This looks like raw meat. But it's actually kind of a vegetarian dish (I think).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyozhEhCDKOkQNpgSUBKNQhvCcpYhCmmdkjd80QMZBWGUSDf8XLHqv1UMqcO1fkb2PRZT7Yls_kYoWw6VTkVentZMTJcPM2Y0u7SfKdP8gFQpQo2Y2oodWFe19Fxr5j1aQBE5HQ/s1600-h/IMG_3288.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyozhEhCDKOkQNpgSUBKNQhvCcpYhCmmdkjd80QMZBWGUSDf8XLHqv1UMqcO1fkb2PRZT7Yls_kYoWw6VTkVentZMTJcPM2Y0u7SfKdP8gFQpQo2Y2oodWFe19Fxr5j1aQBE5HQ/s400/IMG_3288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200270871416434" border="0" /></a><br />The musicians on their way to the food...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdIQQKz-6385Sdw5WqAsn4ioumfeg5ySJNE9RgypWKJtFaW6lPl5bhAki0Js4V6d3f3qOPf74GuiKNBcXGhHHL5ZMzHdKYZB2zJGJZl0Sd6pDMtT80D_OtQGQeug-nRT-rrJw_w/s1600-h/IMG_3327.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdIQQKz-6385Sdw5WqAsn4ioumfeg5ySJNE9RgypWKJtFaW6lPl5bhAki0Js4V6d3f3qOPf74GuiKNBcXGhHHL5ZMzHdKYZB2zJGJZl0Sd6pDMtT80D_OtQGQeug-nRT-rrJw_w/s400/IMG_3327.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307200283974613170" border="0" /></a><br />... ah, and there our friend from above is again! But he's eating salad, probably hoping that vegetarians have a long, healthy life. So much for the plans you make!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknicEfGqDlRLVtbJUNfPrNGe3gK3f0QjyzMPWQ-aDU2w69Ckj_B_6RkirF5gESa-R47jVEdnUfPM2P8A2x9no0ThKojq19_p3hLv8DGXJDYr50AfFedb4gntj2o1tJovep9gmyg/s1600-h/IMG_2898.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknicEfGqDlRLVtbJUNfPrNGe3gK3f0QjyzMPWQ-aDU2w69Ckj_B_6RkirF5gESa-R47jVEdnUfPM2P8A2x9no0ThKojq19_p3hLv8DGXJDYr50AfFedb4gntj2o1tJovep9gmyg/s400/IMG_2898.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199535289486850" border="0" /></a><br />A first dance...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi340qwf1NYV3ajkhgnyTkhdyWdq-aAOEUQyo1ZfXl-KhIOl7lbRF1IqHEtMZ3plZNDxADnmXk2DWrTM0lCob9vqPEcxOrpZCz6w0zovHAnSumzGoAX6LCyN1j-C6eJTQhJe-Mg/s1600-h/IMG_3404.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi340qwf1NYV3ajkhgnyTkhdyWdq-aAOEUQyo1ZfXl-KhIOl7lbRF1IqHEtMZ3plZNDxADnmXk2DWrTM0lCob9vqPEcxOrpZCz6w0zovHAnSumzGoAX6LCyN1j-C6eJTQhJe-Mg/s400/IMG_3404.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307201017762554258" border="0" /></a><br />... and the party continued in the house of Hermela's relatives. Quite an upscale place as you can see:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhk_evOQJgww2C7FKvmWQxBGOKd_MgKtg0GQH8zfxo5DoiaOwmKdbfR1BhPrhP1kpWXt1_jmYQj8fRitosj8u0QKVmQY_WvyvL115tBrp1UYOQYm0VSLfUTvzXVujff99IcYL2w/s1600-h/IMG_2946.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhk_evOQJgww2C7FKvmWQxBGOKd_MgKtg0GQH8zfxo5DoiaOwmKdbfR1BhPrhP1kpWXt1_jmYQj8fRitosj8u0QKVmQY_WvyvL115tBrp1UYOQYm0VSLfUTvzXVujff99IcYL2w/s400/IMG_2946.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199800048308306" border="0" /></a><br />And after cutting the cake...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4bGHfyPSJLfymXJCRG7FEbU8quPwjJqqm7TH7BhONNvY4dBVEhkTtsx9PqBroR0Jo5S8B4t6E0MiJjuP5vvF4L2L_dkWWvN4wIYxU8yfT-dsezusyRObe_tbNGCcgikrSSoG1Q/s1600-h/IMG_2955.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4bGHfyPSJLfymXJCRG7FEbU8quPwjJqqm7TH7BhONNvY4dBVEhkTtsx9PqBroR0Jo5S8B4t6E0MiJjuP5vvF4L2L_dkWWvN4wIYxU8yfT-dsezusyRObe_tbNGCcgikrSSoG1Q/s400/IMG_2955.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199802040016546" border="0" /></a><br />... and having a drink ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9rh822vxoQOtW3iNDOn2sqMWqe5Fc-qep6Q0sEg-ZaUNRNdrdFraCItl7WP-u_P2PuMNxzsTU7SFOVk6X0AKUDsAzvp3DH5pDPAQlgrR3B0uBp_0dVj9X6lxP1t3EzvnGh8lzA/s1600-h/IMG_2965.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9rh822vxoQOtW3iNDOn2sqMWqe5Fc-qep6Q0sEg-ZaUNRNdrdFraCItl7WP-u_P2PuMNxzsTU7SFOVk6X0AKUDsAzvp3DH5pDPAQlgrR3B0uBp_0dVj9X6lxP1t3EzvnGh8lzA/s400/IMG_2965.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199798821011330" border="0" /></a><br />it was time for a kiss :-)! (The careful observer can of course see the three layers of the pictures, as intended by this expert photographer - a friend of the bride in the foreground, the couple in the middle, and the father of the groom in the background. Happy? Embarassed? Impossible to say...)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02bsTaVc0ATUJiYy9ieyoth4AmI1u6wLbFaGq9dv16n7MmPUEflTcobMch7o3KPKADbG_mc6cbGEhGi8gMyVXdBp-JZpWST7DqaLY4QwJ-BxkKdP8atCVPV_zsdRvMfxLJTXLyQ/s1600-h/IMG_2970.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02bsTaVc0ATUJiYy9ieyoth4AmI1u6wLbFaGq9dv16n7MmPUEflTcobMch7o3KPKADbG_mc6cbGEhGi8gMyVXdBp-JZpWST7DqaLY4QwJ-BxkKdP8atCVPV_zsdRvMfxLJTXLyQ/s400/IMG_2970.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307199803594093106" border="0" /></a><br />That was it for today - looking forward to August 2009 in India, with two weddings coming up and about 10 cities in the whole country on the schedule it should be quite an adventerous trip indeed!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-58908163599722676902009-07-16T09:51:00.003-04:002009-07-16T10:01:36.720-04:00Trip to Addis Ababa - Merkato, the Largest Market of AfricaHere in The Hague (where I am living now) we have what is supposed to be the biggest open air market of Europe. In Addis Ababa there is the biggest market of Africa. Obviously they are ... not quite identical.<br /><br />So, on the first complete day of my stay in Ethiopia we made a trip to this market, called 'Merkato'. It was a pretty intense experience - I guess the average guy from the west, like me, is simply more accustomed to taking some cheese out of the fridge in a supermarket than to inspecting the eyes of a live quicken when he needs some food. Still, that's precisely the point of traveling, so it was a very enjoyable stay at this market. Some impressions:<br /><br />One man's trash is another man's resource - recycling is one of the major businesses at the 'Merkato', not unlike similar places in for example India; also involving quite a lot of manual labor. I guess that's a pretty obvious consequence of the prevalent consumerism of 'the west', plus of course middle/upper class people in all countries - lots of everything gets bought, lots of everything gets thrown away, resources (metal, paper, etc.) become available cheaply from scrap, so it's worth doing recyling. Personally I even think that those recyling shops keep cities alive and (relatively) healthy - otherwise they would probably get smothered under all the rubbish they produce every day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A_umwr0w_bUtKJ1zovMlXT-hhMYUS-tLv7FuqYOBaZMnpfdMPmTvL4rhiXaciWuj9NfsWLe5x2beOf-Vyq5LCId9jCuWLcQY_QmZXv5Xq7kYtpySBOAvxpMCjajPE3ac5UO7Jg/s1600-h/IMG_2774.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A_umwr0w_bUtKJ1zovMlXT-hhMYUS-tLv7FuqYOBaZMnpfdMPmTvL4rhiXaciWuj9NfsWLe5x2beOf-Vyq5LCId9jCuWLcQY_QmZXv5Xq7kYtpySBOAvxpMCjajPE3ac5UO7Jg/s400/IMG_2774.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307197145652275762" border="0" /></a><br />In the next picture: Marco negotiating the price for 100 tons of iron. He wants to build a ship by himself. I told him it's not <span style="font-style: italic;">such</span> a good idea. He finally agreed (and bought aluminium instead).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJH0HjpLwpWth9IJjvTiKXQ7aNEznclMLwX0zNET3tZ_JN5PWSBzsRYcCum679-QPG3MRbFLq2dTJQkRb_WbyEEt207P-7xATOROjNUnSHpz2GDewJz7te882rK1mrf7nbMdpcw/s1600-h/IMG_2768.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJH0HjpLwpWth9IJjvTiKXQ7aNEznclMLwX0zNET3tZ_JN5PWSBzsRYcCum679-QPG3MRbFLq2dTJQkRb_WbyEEt207P-7xATOROjNUnSHpz2GDewJz7te882rK1mrf7nbMdpcw/s400/IMG_2768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307197143486610402" border="0" /></a><br />Show us your knife ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NNvQaNOjbKJiRowQ4whswtH69KpfMuKj4rw636uW4X02W9pnL1x3hRl7E64sARI5LIzoLBGc3NcFM5RWmXvPoxcKfXSMpbu8sVbrSjYGW2bN1GYn-7qJanq-S9Yom55v8dW3lw/s1600-h/IMG_2770.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NNvQaNOjbKJiRowQ4whswtH69KpfMuKj4rw636uW4X02W9pnL1x3hRl7E64sARI5LIzoLBGc3NcFM5RWmXvPoxcKfXSMpbu8sVbrSjYGW2bN1GYn-7qJanq-S9Yom55v8dW3lw/s400/IMG_2770.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307197139588596226" border="0" /></a><br />Women selling vegetables.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0ffL-NorevhfXNjCkvFKwpAXq200TxZ03kpKRyLbBZEnXVJM7BOk_5nnIHZieVc0OEblS0xWr7Z_5sboFUcA43y9lt1ipLDiieUOFU9Aza2D5hf1pxJrGmSW5qFQGolkZov1qQ/s1600-h/IMG_2762.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0ffL-NorevhfXNjCkvFKwpAXq200TxZ03kpKRyLbBZEnXVJM7BOk_5nnIHZieVc0OEblS0xWr7Z_5sboFUcA43y9lt1ipLDiieUOFU9Aza2D5hf1pxJrGmSW5qFQGolkZov1qQ/s400/IMG_2762.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307197143317458050" border="0" /></a><br />That's quite an amusing picture - delieveries from USAID (I guess it was canola oil) recycled into sieves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4xOUnXzjUl951jYmpIwLCoLbMoHjuRZpGFTjvMUQ_ghhCyd5PJ7wPo9AEbfgYT8zxEyM7xgRJqvhRAlz1_cGBqiA78SfRhq7SzTSdFysp6qZIU12HyVtdsrETGkDcSuJciCUAA/s1600-h/IMG_2760.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4xOUnXzjUl951jYmpIwLCoLbMoHjuRZpGFTjvMUQ_ghhCyd5PJ7wPo9AEbfgYT8zxEyM7xgRJqvhRAlz1_cGBqiA78SfRhq7SzTSdFysp6qZIU12HyVtdsrETGkDcSuJciCUAA/s400/IMG_2760.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196912282264578" border="0" /></a><br />The US, recycled.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4WhJ-iTB2FsV83PqyJ8nZeBlMENgCddSdchyphenhyphenLEs71Me7MpXmt4sLouqk5gJDSZQMdryhQnrXgs_jCd54sa6sMpXtN5B4GWRvPb8xIe91WV1wYplxakM_jgrLwDbegRu6FqkBpA/s1600-h/IMG_2761.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4WhJ-iTB2FsV83PqyJ8nZeBlMENgCddSdchyphenhyphenLEs71Me7MpXmt4sLouqk5gJDSZQMdryhQnrXgs_jCd54sa6sMpXtN5B4GWRvPb8xIe91WV1wYplxakM_jgrLwDbegRu6FqkBpA/s400/IMG_2761.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196915758364930" border="0" /></a><br />She found a chicken that pleased her...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_5rutmmRieSVroHJIcZi4U5K0cCVCRPjjaV2XknkHmAxPAYoK3FV3hPGFa4qqRm5KcmF3eLpXr-gj8NWhRehYrTkWGqF4IGMRm_0RBZlo4pBoBwPZKwpOQRaqU147G2BnzuMEw/s1600-h/IMG_2757.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_5rutmmRieSVroHJIcZi4U5K0cCVCRPjjaV2XknkHmAxPAYoK3FV3hPGFa4qqRm5KcmF3eLpXr-gj8NWhRehYrTkWGqF4IGMRm_0RBZlo4pBoBwPZKwpOQRaqU147G2BnzuMEw/s400/IMG_2757.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196907989798546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />... but no worries, there are still some left for you and me:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukl_Qd2ekp1Ke3MoQcjmoAodvG4ZQhMEl9hqdCjHiGPxgFYOPcaSVivcf1IiepAfWnC0clAWLG690k-SelqbO-YIKj42_ImbGAUORxK4UfFEzG9BADfibjB36UznypUHq2l-3rw/s1600-h/IMG_2753.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukl_Qd2ekp1Ke3MoQcjmoAodvG4ZQhMEl9hqdCjHiGPxgFYOPcaSVivcf1IiepAfWnC0clAWLG690k-SelqbO-YIKj42_ImbGAUORxK4UfFEzG9BADfibjB36UznypUHq2l-3rw/s400/IMG_2753.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196906368414034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_5rutmmRieSVroHJIcZi4U5K0cCVCRPjjaV2XknkHmAxPAYoK3FV3hPGFa4qqRm5KcmF3eLpXr-gj8NWhRehYrTkWGqF4IGMRm_0RBZlo4pBoBwPZKwpOQRaqU147G2BnzuMEw/s1600-h/IMG_2757.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_5rutmmRieSVroHJIcZi4U5K0cCVCRPjjaV2XknkHmAxPAYoK3FV3hPGFa4qqRm5KcmF3eLpXr-gj8NWhRehYrTkWGqF4IGMRm_0RBZlo4pBoBwPZKwpOQRaqU147G2BnzuMEw/s400/IMG_2757.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196907989798546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYpoJL3tSaNQReCGR7qTiDwdSC7j3w5Lkf9OntPtJhgm_TcAibdIbeUpajPZs-8xoaMlt3ahzDK3lAlujtM6E_pU8lZiSJMqx4wYeuAvfXbDYqRUO0vjaNB4DDoipWOVegZZn1g/s1600-h/IMG_2754.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYpoJL3tSaNQReCGR7qTiDwdSC7j3w5Lkf9OntPtJhgm_TcAibdIbeUpajPZs-8xoaMlt3ahzDK3lAlujtM6E_pU8lZiSJMqx4wYeuAvfXbDYqRUO0vjaNB4DDoipWOVegZZn1g/s400/IMG_2754.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307196905144580594" border="0" /></a><br />Lots of impressions, I had a sound sleep that night!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-87827534510039729162009-02-26T13:42:00.013-05:002009-07-16T09:44:24.526-04:00Trip to Addis Ababa - the Trip, Impressions of the CityAlright then, time for a new post I guess :-)! My next trip to India is coming up next month, so I though it might be a good idea to post some earlier travel pictures here before they gather too much dust laying around completely lazy on my hard disk...<br /><br />So, what happened recently? Shortly after New Year my close friend Marco was celebrating his daughter's baptism in Addis Abeba since this is where his wife's family is from. So obviously a perfect reason to visit not only a new city, but also a continent entirely unknown to me until that stage. (Well - no comments here please, I was well aware of the existence of this continent of course; but having been only to Tunisia before which might be geographically part of Africa, but by no means culturally, I really was quite the dumbass European at least when you look at first-hand experience of the continent.) A trip of 7 days, taking Turkish Airlines via Istanbul to Addis Abeba. To set the stage a very formal picture: The Semien Hotel where I stayed for a week. Nothing spectecular you might say; but after getting familiar with the hotel staff after a few days ('a cold St. George's beer like every night?') a place that actually felt very warm and welcoming.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB1pXYFmecCZCXsLBbt7dkBDU8QjGCFPAZxBg5zMrafd8lDWCI-JQaXT_xQ24H55pEdWVwB4J2Bfr1Ake9rRfBRNUDG0-emM9kSe8tqTPnKLXiilG8xa0WbXvaF6tHsuEigExxg/s1600-h/IMG_2883.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB1pXYFmecCZCXsLBbt7dkBDU8QjGCFPAZxBg5zMrafd8lDWCI-JQaXT_xQ24H55pEdWVwB4J2Bfr1Ake9rRfBRNUDG0-emM9kSe8tqTPnKLXiilG8xa0WbXvaF6tHsuEigExxg/s400/IMG_2883.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307187570277603346" border="0" /></a><br />It's a very friendly atmosphere for a foreigner to come to Ethiopia - the country was never occupied by foreigners, so no grudges whatsoever against white people. (Okay, the Italians tried to colonize it but it failed quite quickly, so the funny thing left over is that you can still get terribly bad spaghetti and other pasta at lots of places in Addis Abeba even today.) One thing to learn though: The clock has a 6 hour offset - so what we call lunchtime, 12pm, is called 6 o'clock according to local time and the short hand of the clock really points downwards at that time. Takes a while to get used to - at the picture below it's actually 6am (European time) and we are having a good-night beer. We were simply convinced that it's just midnight so please don't blame us for it :-)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYspAJcZPWuOM3d55IhWIaUbuCxwBLgSDBz6tEuk6gqkv5oaElyeGc_QyA4a4To-fxqVK0isJDK9ZC6XSlDR9vA4B5Le_gm9OFW6ZBC97UPwXVipARMfHXEct_OBKvBh1kSCAofQ/s1600-h/IMG_2730.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYspAJcZPWuOM3d55IhWIaUbuCxwBLgSDBz6tEuk6gqkv5oaElyeGc_QyA4a4To-fxqVK0isJDK9ZC6XSlDR9vA4B5Le_gm9OFW6ZBC97UPwXVipARMfHXEct_OBKvBh1kSCAofQ/s400/IMG_2730.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307187568129426130" border="0" /></a><br />After not-sleeping a single minute breakfast at the house of Marco's wife followed - we actually wanted to have some nice sheep's head, but it seems Berta (or whatever his/her name was) had different plans:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC8NR9AXIGBNOUiNn_3OEguBvaBErMyCMucGI4UaRXk7LKlFWQZwPAAFkSWuzpuuBgdhyphenhyphenTvCxftolP7Cxw6Gt3uYb3tXqAb8KOH-2JhPUwi_3dxTvA6hx_B2AAmAV8Jkvg_RNEw/s1600-h/IMG_2734.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC8NR9AXIGBNOUiNn_3OEguBvaBErMyCMucGI4UaRXk7LKlFWQZwPAAFkSWuzpuuBgdhyphenhyphenTvCxftolP7Cxw6Gt3uYb3tXqAb8KOH-2JhPUwi_3dxTvA6hx_B2AAmAV8Jkvg_RNEw/s400/IMG_2734.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307187573620290322" border="0" /></a><br />Everyone who knows me is aware that no trip for me is complete without meeting local academics, so in this case I visited Addis Abeba university, the oldest and most reputed university in Ethiopia. A welcome lunch by Professor Ariaya Hymete (to the left) was provided for me:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayiZwnxhYuFJDcqteivaLN1OK0oHUbW38KIgWYaLou5FgCdjmVwCNb_Ac3k_QX-Sy4RKEGyTqG2SSoVflarnw9q8mK8CFZoktftWiop3THof1DRVLM9M-R2kvhTQddwPmTH2uoQ/s1600-h/IMG_2736.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayiZwnxhYuFJDcqteivaLN1OK0oHUbW38KIgWYaLou5FgCdjmVwCNb_Ac3k_QX-Sy4RKEGyTqG2SSoVflarnw9q8mK8CFZoktftWiop3THof1DRVLM9M-R2kvhTQddwPmTH2uoQ/s400/IMG_2736.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307188513803325042" border="0" /></a><br />Well .. of course one has to sample local culture to the utmost extend - in particular in cases as appealing to a chemist as this one! In the test tube you see fermented honey, meant to be low in alcohol ... which quite obviously was not the case (in the background, St. George's Beer, quite a good brew and easy to drink also for the European/western palate). The typical bread ('injera') is shown on the table - to be eaten together with meat boiling in a small frying pan (looks like a stove) on your table. I have to say: The meat in Ethiopia was simply *fantastic*!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovne4PrJeh2mePE681CwCJjD9tiDMxFjQNWjudzAaK0vABlCiNbMNhwtFBWV8mk_o6q9VEggC6qoThJxFqh8sytCyXG1MBXmaHcITllI3RJQZif41OwtBOtbxfZe7DvCOCLFYIw/s1600-h/IMG_2738.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovne4PrJeh2mePE681CwCJjD9tiDMxFjQNWjudzAaK0vABlCiNbMNhwtFBWV8mk_o6q9VEggC6qoThJxFqh8sytCyXG1MBXmaHcITllI3RJQZif41OwtBOtbxfZe7DvCOCLFYIw/s400/IMG_2738.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307187571871306194" border="0" /></a><br />In the days during my stay I really enjoyed just walking the street next to our hotel up and down - while I have been traveling a decent number of times in my life, I am actually still most curious about 'street life', the average person walking down the road during daytime, and maybe even more so at 3am when decent people should be in bed to sleep.<br /><br />The road next to our hotel:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWZfbXHth9vdc0XtHUpkOEMdCkgLwYo24-wH8TxfynvoRVsdcWAv7gWpT9zFodx-gPoUM20jLeKd9o0ZldpBYugjC509bs37_x86Zo6s5PenWNa2V2W0EPzhDhPm9EGOMpTcnrg/s1600-h/IMG_2867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWZfbXHth9vdc0XtHUpkOEMdCkgLwYo24-wH8TxfynvoRVsdcWAv7gWpT9zFodx-gPoUM20jLeKd9o0ZldpBYugjC509bs37_x86Zo6s5PenWNa2V2W0EPzhDhPm9EGOMpTcnrg/s400/IMG_2867.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307192029935785954" border="0" /></a><br />So let's see who's around then...<br /><br />Little Santa, sleeping on his mother's chest. (It was also Orthodox Christmas at the time which might be related to the dress of the little chap.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CVibxujWJCZIiiAqfxEVkbMx5BA7KuXZZmRZ-s4i50QpOLE0Q1gEiXheWhFKwdPG7zvUf2uMMX6jE5wJ0qUz-kX-Nzn4iMg6Azn_UfQYEGB-L-qlpoUfyj5UJFBUQNTGoDL8dA/s1600-h/IMG_2873.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CVibxujWJCZIiiAqfxEVkbMx5BA7KuXZZmRZ-s4i50QpOLE0Q1gEiXheWhFKwdPG7zvUf2uMMX6jE5wJ0qUz-kX-Nzn4iMg6Azn_UfQYEGB-L-qlpoUfyj5UJFBUQNTGoDL8dA/s400/IMG_2873.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307192030534159522" border="0" /></a><br />Couple of locals (1)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7pqZy3X9iIxCMNshFH7GUxnSlEP-pGYmag1BCopmczoi5C-3PdXss9pLi4Zn0OH0Gj3qiAPXr-sWctGVMGZjkaSwNdyrIS37Pm8-owuXdGx3uE3vmgYSYm-z-imOgmu7IoXnKQ/s1600-h/IMG_2886.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7pqZy3X9iIxCMNshFH7GUxnSlEP-pGYmag1BCopmczoi5C-3PdXss9pLi4Zn0OH0Gj3qiAPXr-sWctGVMGZjkaSwNdyrIS37Pm8-owuXdGx3uE3vmgYSYm-z-imOgmu7IoXnKQ/s400/IMG_2886.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307192039969930882" border="0" /></a><br />Couple of locals (2)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5zKRmWWXdEOmsrhCFGwy8ZGv9F4lFyPDKiMme8XhfK9nVoTmJW8Xdybo0j5Mc4DNC_C-OJWPoQs2KravaIozakrnz5a8AJq449jyFkRM7UN1FJDnq5w3AJG8Adbk43yuZI8YUQ/s1600-h/IMG_2885.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5zKRmWWXdEOmsrhCFGwy8ZGv9F4lFyPDKiMme8XhfK9nVoTmJW8Xdybo0j5Mc4DNC_C-OJWPoQs2KravaIozakrnz5a8AJq449jyFkRM7UN1FJDnq5w3AJG8Adbk43yuZI8YUQ/s400/IMG_2885.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307192036580436610" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Couple of locals (3)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNalbQV9ccY4bfqqzGd15x8iL2aDx-9Wm06ThKjVPCGtIEaw5LkScCQC4fk8kNcjppvTD5NNXG0tIFEmu2qEjUX7JfC9gipKs12vRT8CPFinmhx_3is-7rWGNHJzXBTIE2Ao6_w/s1600-h/IMG_2777.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNalbQV9ccY4bfqqzGd15x8iL2aDx-9Wm06ThKjVPCGtIEaw5LkScCQC4fk8kNcjppvTD5NNXG0tIFEmu2qEjUX7JfC9gipKs12vRT8CPFinmhx_3is-7rWGNHJzXBTIE2Ao6_w/s400/IMG_2777.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307192029805425826" border="0" /></a><br />I noticed that, overall, Ethiopians don't like getting photographed as much as for example Indians. (However, that didn't prevent me from trying of course.) Indians even beg you to take pictures of them and are fascinated by the result (of course, also due to my incredible abilities as a photographer). In Ethiopia it's different, kids liked being photographed - but adults not so much. No, but to be honest: I sincerely apologize for the kind of intrusion of course, but I simply cannot leave a place without taking some impressions home with me as a memory. Pictures like the above may seem trivial to most, but they mean a lot to me since they are part of my memory, and even a quite one intense in places so different from my own.<br /><br />As I said I was walking around town a lot, and even the streets adjacent to the hotel were so lively that I spend several hours a day there, day and night. (Difficult to capture in the photos though... I apologize!) In particular one street fascinated me - since the street at day, and the street at night, looked like completely different parts of the 'street universe'. It's the same street as above (different part though):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwh946Z4l9W1wh41XHh-FcwnlqUIL8eVGHeK9WiHiM_rOsAvk9f6BlUW6QMZpjyAgKVb2KPPp6uFAPWEepToRuJMHB7BTjspne_F_lwJTH_MlVNCBBXsOrDW_b5cra6RP-SyWnSQ/s1600-h/IMG_2822.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwh946Z4l9W1wh41XHh-FcwnlqUIL8eVGHeK9WiHiM_rOsAvk9f6BlUW6QMZpjyAgKVb2KPPp6uFAPWEepToRuJMHB7BTjspne_F_lwJTH_MlVNCBBXsOrDW_b5cra6RP-SyWnSQ/s400/IMG_2822.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307193982493872274" border="0" /></a><br />During daytime it looked like a regular shopping street - people selling chicken, food, clothes. At nighttime though a few dozen 'bars' switched on their neonlight - places that during daytime are virtually invisible since the food/shopping stalls catch all of your attention. At nighttime, the stalls are gone, the lights are coming up ... and this shop...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7cFs1ssj-4tvWNccC7yfOvias5wAPqXvZmuaoZ8adYuPd4mf64FGXhJZzfdlnssQpPxOPmViCp7m6A-9zk6E-XXFMy9Cg18UxHYFAQ28PQCpdWs6HgQto9-gBfVB0IMpn1i_4Q/s1600-h/IMG_2819.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7cFs1ssj-4tvWNccC7yfOvias5wAPqXvZmuaoZ8adYuPd4mf64FGXhJZzfdlnssQpPxOPmViCp7m6A-9zk6E-XXFMy9Cg18UxHYFAQ28PQCpdWs6HgQto9-gBfVB0IMpn1i_4Q/s400/IMG_2819.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307193985996370786" border="0" /></a><br />... and this shop... (and a few dozen others)...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpC7QdAUOEtN9tpBLr08j0KI3Kc_Str78kFLy76LmJl7SKoj_Fxd2DkJhbVwfqyYcGrgHKpt6kSdu7XuKbemurkqhsxwz1A-ZeKOFW9pLgWRgSG4B4rY6TlYLyUAwfHQKhgqG1g/s1600-h/IMG_2820.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpC7QdAUOEtN9tpBLr08j0KI3Kc_Str78kFLy76LmJl7SKoj_Fxd2DkJhbVwfqyYcGrgHKpt6kSdu7XuKbemurkqhsxwz1A-ZeKOFW9pLgWRgSG4B4rY6TlYLyUAwfHQKhgqG1g/s400/IMG_2820.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307193982060586834" border="0" /></a><br />which are invisible at daytime are the source of reggae music and all the vices one can imagine. Fascinating street, really! At maybe 1am I went to a bar (not pictured, but looking virtually identical to the ones above) where only three locals were having beers - with live music though, one drummer and one person playing a string instrument. Two little girls, maybe 12 or 13, were dancing to the music in what must have been some traditional way. I ordered the ubiquitous St. George's for everyone in the room, listened to the music for an hour - I will certainly never forget that night.<br /><br />Two more random pictures from this street:<br /><br />Prefer meat?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2i4NIVZLMkuz0s-iteOsRAE9KllY2Gt92-MwXjacRwlsw89MYjP4CXa86sk8MEvBGXnLtUj4-JO4QsXbr4Z0FiiS3MQzQKaUPqOSBVxEmlWgPJJ3Hak27yXEyErQ3actZTHqlw/s1600-h/IMG_2783.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2i4NIVZLMkuz0s-iteOsRAE9KllY2Gt92-MwXjacRwlsw89MYjP4CXa86sk8MEvBGXnLtUj4-JO4QsXbr4Z0FiiS3MQzQKaUPqOSBVxEmlWgPJJ3Hak27yXEyErQ3actZTHqlw/s400/IMG_2783.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307193982924583826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Or vegetarian?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri0135vuoJkGQoLiqRePRLecEGZRGTRgEinXMoVU_F1Dil-eVmMMPN0z0LC_sqeuQkEckVCxMME3RnJQHiKgQZXhYGE4soXJmvJX_JtLebESnQLiGDBRe7WRkWo0Dtsx_VoPa2g/s1600-h/IMG_2989.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri0135vuoJkGQoLiqRePRLecEGZRGTRgEinXMoVU_F1Dil-eVmMMPN0z0LC_sqeuQkEckVCxMME3RnJQHiKgQZXhYGE4soXJmvJX_JtLebESnQLiGDBRe7WRkWo0Dtsx_VoPa2g/s400/IMG_2989.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307193991239057154" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-60878537815170663952008-08-31T02:10:00.006-04:002008-08-31T03:06:33.442-04:00Chennai and back to BangaloreFinally some summer! After Singapore the IIT Madras and Madras University were on my schedule, where I enjoyed interaction with the faculty and talks in front of very engaged students - as I am in fact used to here in India. Just yesterday, after the presentations were over, I managed to take a day off to visit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Beach">Marina Beach</a> - the second longest beach in the world. It was good to have some proper sunshine and heat for a day - I like it if you really feel which time of the year it is; summer needs sunshine, winter needs snow. (The only problem with my theory is that in late August it's not exactly summer in Chennai, but for a guy like me from western Europe it certainly feels like a pretty decent summer also during that time of the year.)<br /><br />Setting up shop on Marina Beach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfou58W-QpJUZ-_V750x87NoFrL22D-KaNYkxLHGy0pXvQERl71dpEjcXQrFrA4tv1igjVo6KSAxLjmHhYMtnOp7tSLUWRk7e8PipRqiut1RLpqRLKN0Wjan-5xLJQjkyc4HQ7Q/s1600-h/IMG_2159.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfou58W-QpJUZ-_V750x87NoFrL22D-KaNYkxLHGy0pXvQERl71dpEjcXQrFrA4tv1igjVo6KSAxLjmHhYMtnOp7tSLUWRk7e8PipRqiut1RLpqRLKN0Wjan-5xLJQjkyc4HQ7Q/s400/IMG_2159.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569150250708962" border="0" /></a><br />Having fun in front of the 'cameraman'.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYYkq5mXan_LTCSqlvlkYJCWeGhRaF1AvB1VTUSG1aTwZs6wv8j20zUjrZ-GYwQCnMG1IZaZp-zvqLItk2vaR3zyhym_81qVVC-tsMYVwipsjqj_d1DNXaFwMazxlub1ZVZaAOg/s1600-h/IMG_2161.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYYkq5mXan_LTCSqlvlkYJCWeGhRaF1AvB1VTUSG1aTwZs6wv8j20zUjrZ-GYwQCnMG1IZaZp-zvqLItk2vaR3zyhym_81qVVC-tsMYVwipsjqj_d1DNXaFwMazxlub1ZVZaAOg/s400/IMG_2161.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569160069774898" border="0" /></a><br />Waiting for the big wave of visitors during the night - only tourists (like me) go to the beach during the day. Next time I am here I will visit in the evening as well to have a look around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliKEhLqVDFpZKPZqBBhCFmBJrKxY7ZkPnjhlF2MEoJ1y4M_DlHOIF_sVBkiag5aqacJtl-IOdsvkCVPIzXioLDvqoUdB4GoXbV9IUYDBkqU_Few4vPBIadgEamMc6VgpTPOw8aw/s1600-h/IMG_2176.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliKEhLqVDFpZKPZqBBhCFmBJrKxY7ZkPnjhlF2MEoJ1y4M_DlHOIF_sVBkiag5aqacJtl-IOdsvkCVPIzXioLDvqoUdB4GoXbV9IUYDBkqU_Few4vPBIadgEamMc6VgpTPOw8aw/s400/IMG_2176.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240559123376405554" border="0" /></a><br />Bathing the cow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxOGwM5MI-yFgE6_qm6hx_UzsPopKet1fTEt6bR-DjJCTfwop9_PmheWL2zkA8m9syby7x1_VbD3GvEAfA2JVArygnwTHi4fMof_gN0qAQOc2FI7FEUrXN_52MUohsEmvIVSqIg/s1600-h/IMG_2184.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxOGwM5MI-yFgE6_qm6hx_UzsPopKet1fTEt6bR-DjJCTfwop9_PmheWL2zkA8m9syby7x1_VbD3GvEAfA2JVArygnwTHi4fMof_gN0qAQOc2FI7FEUrXN_52MUohsEmvIVSqIg/s400/IMG_2184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569815645394578" border="0" /></a><br />Washing fish.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEksAeNgYMauzazEFiAN1I_mu6CIMuEutm2lxnR_MgjuY_plONlF5MYnZJBTowwL8bVFRqLImtZ835bEmw27-0XnqE3EWmhZFLYm78nIJTzxwz6sErWsj-FNc2Z2u_hTD3MKnCw/s1600-h/IMG_2150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEksAeNgYMauzazEFiAN1I_mu6CIMuEutm2lxnR_MgjuY_plONlF5MYnZJBTowwL8bVFRqLImtZ835bEmw27-0XnqE3EWmhZFLYm78nIJTzxwz6sErWsj-FNc2Z2u_hTD3MKnCw/s400/IMG_2150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569146494386850" border="0" /></a><br />Playing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbzDtS9D6uGqXCiUA2azenhC-k_JgGheDGdXHJ7b2-f8k0AnbDbBqNzFSpOtTTN1SkSlDBZOe0OiNq9FRUTfc77RNA0r-CNIUh_mzRxccEtdUjA7QwDR24kMf0AN0qiGwH2ACcQ/s1600-h/IMG_2177.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbzDtS9D6uGqXCiUA2azenhC-k_JgGheDGdXHJ7b2-f8k0AnbDbBqNzFSpOtTTN1SkSlDBZOe0OiNq9FRUTfc77RNA0r-CNIUh_mzRxccEtdUjA7QwDR24kMf0AN0qiGwH2ACcQ/s400/IMG_2177.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240559120797643090" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance close to Chennai Central train station.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg947YLJLDqRfGdxOBlfxItw1wG_aoMvuIXq93qNy-2n0TUkQ2Bu5Vb6l1WuPN3Io0hGDyAkVIuvj8O552R4uj_skCMavEywHN0wBH_Zox6RUdKDbW1oLuoQrFr9_DKMk9jLdwfJA/s1600-h/IMG_2216.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg947YLJLDqRfGdxOBlfxItw1wG_aoMvuIXq93qNy-2n0TUkQ2Bu5Vb6l1WuPN3Io0hGDyAkVIuvj8O552R4uj_skCMavEywHN0wBH_Zox6RUdKDbW1oLuoQrFr9_DKMk9jLdwfJA/s400/IMG_2216.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569162815638898" border="0" /></a><br />Time to go back to Bangalore - taking the 'Bangalore Mail' overnight train.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVpT2y6kMBwz1FGzHiLWwIxrgRAzmq3_h8DRADeBCR6bm3biEE4e7I_s6ku2DqQj69ljd9kEWy_jABTTW4hZk413XW-xYrJ-vXU1Zz955WviwXj0PyzBBNGIewoa8obf9nd_vFw/s1600-h/IMG_2227.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVpT2y6kMBwz1FGzHiLWwIxrgRAzmq3_h8DRADeBCR6bm3biEE4e7I_s6ku2DqQj69ljd9kEWy_jABTTW4hZk413XW-xYrJ-vXU1Zz955WviwXj0PyzBBNGIewoa8obf9nd_vFw/s400/IMG_2227.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569166168727010" border="0" /></a><br />A package for Babu in Calicut. Babu must be a very well-known person as it seems.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ttZdPNIzCUTbnzIuq4cLki2Yl5RgLIApz-2_gJEeiYC1YqWLcx_R60MaGGDsC4iHBg3HGk9gG83zsrZI2vfCvqLXrCez6phu1vCbBONYPv2qMzoifkDT1_75tabMXWh_EVDsTA/s1600-h/IMG_2234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ttZdPNIzCUTbnzIuq4cLki2Yl5RgLIApz-2_gJEeiYC1YqWLcx_R60MaGGDsC4iHBg3HGk9gG83zsrZI2vfCvqLXrCez6phu1vCbBONYPv2qMzoifkDT1_75tabMXWh_EVDsTA/s400/IMG_2234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240569251257680210" border="0" /></a><br />You have only been to India if ... well, there are many 'if's', but one of them is 'if your name has been on a train reservation chart'. See below - third in the list, now I have been to India.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFCeBeF79hyJtjSqPDCyDehiCPb2ltPOn3t9Jva7hyphenhyphenQg1EAwWJSVU4ZwHkL999iL3L4UkAb088LtYJAaUr78XMAY05emDqccST7GKv-4EJnDUBTh20-sJCnA7vzWfvfEBMlY0Xg/s1600-h/IMG_2235.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFCeBeF79hyJtjSqPDCyDehiCPb2ltPOn3t9Jva7hyphenhyphenQg1EAwWJSVU4ZwHkL999iL3L4UkAb088LtYJAaUr78XMAY05emDqccST7GKv-4EJnDUBTh20-sJCnA7vzWfvfEBMlY0Xg/s400/IMG_2235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240559243342077570" border="0" /></a><br />Good night Chennai, good morning Bangalore ... and peaceful views of the Indian countryside at all times.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4igcMtJrmdvmtB9hsRYjpOJzm0KL5hnVuyoZnw9x347mimhMBRYmXPUP3S9-TVg2Bat3bz54Wf18qyD2IMNLdX9mREeykJCUvAy90Y34XJhyphenhyphenfe1cRRz4eADqoB_Vkw19kg-NPlA/s1600-h/IMG_2237.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4igcMtJrmdvmtB9hsRYjpOJzm0KL5hnVuyoZnw9x347mimhMBRYmXPUP3S9-TVg2Bat3bz54Wf18qyD2IMNLdX9mREeykJCUvAy90Y34XJhyphenhyphenfe1cRRz4eADqoB_Vkw19kg-NPlA/s400/IMG_2237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240559241493600514" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-27818604983361662092008-08-31T02:09:00.004-04:002008-08-31T02:41:21.053-04:00Singapore3 days in Singapore - mostly for work (visiting Novartis / NITD) but also to have a look around town. This city/state is quite different from what I have seen before. The number of people - fine, India is not sparsely populated either. Initially I was amazed by the diversity of Western and Asian influences which seem to merge - at first sight - into a colorful blend in this city. The problem: It's not really true. Well, to be precise: It's true on some levels, but it's far from true on others. While I was amazed at the flawlessness of construction and organization in every regard, I did not find the heart of the city during my stay. Certainly a challenging city to live in - so maybe I should take on that challenge in the future, let's see.<br /><br />Ngee Ann City - prototypic shopping center close to my hotel (in the background).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ9ALqbLbjbfwv43Z9L0ae4ciy0rGbqVg7rXAu3T06jYHMtuTcUG14Qix6yhstDrkQotwt-CHSgRYihnwoIARnC66Ixwq3U0ZQI3NQoDVHsdghz_KqeIZqQOUEzYNYZGVnrrZDw/s1600-h/IMG_2107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ9ALqbLbjbfwv43Z9L0ae4ciy0rGbqVg7rXAu3T06jYHMtuTcUG14Qix6yhstDrkQotwt-CHSgRYihnwoIARnC66Ixwq3U0ZQI3NQoDVHsdghz_KqeIZqQOUEzYNYZGVnrrZDw/s400/IMG_2107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240563959554379394" border="0" /></a><br />On my way to Biopolis (or actually on the way back from there). Scientific / life science research in Singapore definitely has an interesting type of backing in industry and politics behind it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR1b1TuO5FoxAMvVHjdIQa_Vci3Swxp6hLwX9G8e_1RXbL-jFd_b4rypdD0fjX9SXjPmemQxtdcb7wsZ9hdKWGwppRdb57nUQhrfjOMJYpwTWYb-cVywnabKbs6DI5GtKn0aSUg/s1600-h/IMG_2045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR1b1TuO5FoxAMvVHjdIQa_Vci3Swxp6hLwX9G8e_1RXbL-jFd_b4rypdD0fjX9SXjPmemQxtdcb7wsZ9hdKWGwppRdb57nUQhrfjOMJYpwTWYb-cVywnabKbs6DI5GtKn0aSUg/s400/IMG_2045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558751701363282" border="0" /></a><br />Inside Biopolis - the Matrix.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGyxfbu3RNueiZsLRC8GAxmDBrvpfsXIbuaI9IN-fbyu4u66avDBgow22O5vW5hPXfCEnGC8nlDPqtqyfMUhnEj-qJSe_9XzujsB-zSPvrScK7HrRh4Vl34WhLRS1JaayI4Eo4g/s1600-h/IMG_2039.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGyxfbu3RNueiZsLRC8GAxmDBrvpfsXIbuaI9IN-fbyu4u66avDBgow22O5vW5hPXfCEnGC8nlDPqtqyfMUhnEj-qJSe_9XzujsB-zSPvrScK7HrRh4Vl34WhLRS1JaayI4Eo4g/s400/IMG_2039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558749022549826" border="0" /></a><br />Inside Biopolis - Helios and Nanos buildings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoJ0aIfEC8sZJLbhcYA8-eRRDUhrEZ2I_biiS6s7i_Uc392ypjiuRGdp4GvjeZ9dXYmzUB8fNnvHNmWqLVwH4hYZc6LQ152PYCBxHpfuvpBouYfaoIej4vBe2VxBCjyZLjoVGew/s1600-h/IMG_2043.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoJ0aIfEC8sZJLbhcYA8-eRRDUhrEZ2I_biiS6s7i_Uc392ypjiuRGdp4GvjeZ9dXYmzUB8fNnvHNmWqLVwH4hYZc6LQ152PYCBxHpfuvpBouYfaoIej4vBe2VxBCjyZLjoVGew/s400/IMG_2043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558748166785522" border="0" /></a><br />After my business meetings a day remained to have a look around town a bit more. The <a href="http://www.singaporeflyer.com.sg">Singapore Flyer</a> is certainly one of the bigger wheels I have been on (150 meters in diameters) and it gave a nice view over the city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWS2GRI3YxmOiIvWzvTmQgWspK_cqqWAk1CpRLrGdXYLDb0V8lTBpf2_w34cF4BWUJ967_bV-I-V26fr9yWS1mVQ-0TK9_cBzm7W7X237roeZDxL7GjLZgxT2IuY5b3yjXhVDpQ/s1600-h/IMG_2063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWS2GRI3YxmOiIvWzvTmQgWspK_cqqWAk1CpRLrGdXYLDb0V8lTBpf2_w34cF4BWUJ967_bV-I-V26fr9yWS1mVQ-0TK9_cBzm7W7X237roeZDxL7GjLZgxT2IuY5b3yjXhVDpQ/s400/IMG_2063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240563952611400066" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, dinner with friends - Shaillay and Philip - after a good stay in town. The view from the restaurant into the city ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixoB5D0C-XC-wrsesIowy00Fpn6NRerA-c6u4gExCRcdFa4qkSDV-RwxgynDAF8CSFBxrsRahZZeUTbcNg5PMLs9U-k0wbsc8o8SJ-51tFVT6ojDQfkZW59bcllO_08NogDSj3A/s1600-h/IMG_2123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixoB5D0C-XC-wrsesIowy00Fpn6NRerA-c6u4gExCRcdFa4qkSDV-RwxgynDAF8CSFBxrsRahZZeUTbcNg5PMLs9U-k0wbsc8o8SJ-51tFVT6ojDQfkZW59bcllO_08NogDSj3A/s400/IMG_2123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240563958769020546" border="0" /></a><br />... and the view from the city into the restaurant. Exciting three days - I am very glad I went to Singapore, for the science, to meet friends, and to simply get a first-hand impression of this place. It's very different from what I have seen before, at some stage I still have to go to Hong Kong; visiting - in some regard - similar cities will likely sharpen my eye for their differences.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3r3AlUjt75Kcm9avP-y5SbWvI6BjUlGwuR_Umu43WDqrfCpO4wMLTia5opnbfgN3c2LKSVkzEzyp2mfFhmRRY329F9CoV9wNruGe-cBnO4cflqPEYeAZbn1ZxtIZDw3GNuMprA/s1600-h/singapore3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3r3AlUjt75Kcm9avP-y5SbWvI6BjUlGwuR_Umu43WDqrfCpO4wMLTia5opnbfgN3c2LKSVkzEzyp2mfFhmRRY329F9CoV9wNruGe-cBnO4cflqPEYeAZbn1ZxtIZDw3GNuMprA/s400/singapore3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240563962914485042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4igcMtJrmdvmtB9hsRYjpOJzm0KL5hnVuyoZnw9x347mimhMBRYmXPUP3S9-TVg2Bat3bz54Wf18qyD2IMNLdX9mREeykJCUvAy90Y34XJhyphenhyphenfe1cRRz4eADqoB_Vkw19kg-NPlA/s1600-h/IMG_2237.jpg"><br /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-27035986587283050302008-08-31T02:01:00.010-04:002008-08-31T02:19:26.890-04:00NCL PuneOf course a visit to India wouldn't be complete without seeing one man - Karthikeyan from NCL Pune. A short e-mail he wrote to get in touch, and a collaboration was established that lasted for years in the past, and certainly for many more years in the future. From what I recall he is my first cheminformatics colleague in India I was ever working with, so of course I was honored to spent a few days in Pune during my stay as well.<br /><br />My welcome at the airport was particularly nice this time, including a flower bouqet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLnbxD7SpC2Rb970k7K_Sh4TzgIlSfUqH8yNFotZxek5jvIkEbM0uXx-Dysc_9rvOxYPhZr9UDQaQCpu6gaztweiTgTxUSYT4EnjNFRD6U3odPN5-wBR64LXGY_ahgHlkfnmiuA/s1600-h/IMG_1685.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLnbxD7SpC2Rb970k7K_Sh4TzgIlSfUqH8yNFotZxek5jvIkEbM0uXx-Dysc_9rvOxYPhZr9UDQaQCpu6gaztweiTgTxUSYT4EnjNFRD6U3odPN5-wBR64LXGY_ahgHlkfnmiuA/s400/IMG_1685.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558575945481266" border="0" /></a><br />While in Pune, Karthikeyan organized a <a href="http://moltable.ncl.res.in/workshop.htm">cheminformatics workshop</a> for about 30-40 participants which was held at NCL, where also the first Indian cheminformatics conference was taking place in 2007. This time the atmosphere was more informal and led to several interesting scientific contacts I will surely follow up in th<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqB1ORQXwHUPiMLIaFqPZ7ttChoSohhukENI8IC-Tprv73-6if89Q8NAOpjvjR9yxqp_zXbTzFaeDwnVGV3qBcV0IJV8CZntwybwYtm4gVZ33yNk0cFu7Y_vykftEEyojy_Z6-Tw/s1600-h/IMG_1714.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqB1ORQXwHUPiMLIaFqPZ7ttChoSohhukENI8IC-Tprv73-6if89Q8NAOpjvjR9yxqp_zXbTzFaeDwnVGV3qBcV0IJV8CZntwybwYtm4gVZ33yNk0cFu7Y_vykftEEyojy_Z6-Tw/s400/IMG_1714.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558743180626210" border="0" /></a><br />Some work...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx6P8apGnJb814buRU2pqB9ADK3XcE20-8McMXgJOZdxmfqixbqLpJQjAyygCFYxbbgAxYWzK3GbnbLqs-hkfxIFmWyL-7pALsGMj4chzgjvVdpldnDC6PUHGBnaErsqv_L-djA/s1600-h/IMG_1691.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx6P8apGnJb814buRU2pqB9ADK3XcE20-8McMXgJOZdxmfqixbqLpJQjAyygCFYxbbgAxYWzK3GbnbLqs-hkfxIFmWyL-7pALsGMj4chzgjvVdpldnDC6PUHGBnaErsqv_L-djA/s400/IMG_1691.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558582613770306" border="0" /></a>... and a visit at a local store ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPd9SlCkkAsSVlihlVky1L9UsiWgDZsa0VawA387mepDjGtmJCmGH1XcXxwS2Jz8jMf5mGvkEdTgk4rgSUB3dabxzGrR3jOBHp1cA-L72EvPpPMzG6eBsl-JGOK2uANvArs757g/s1600-h/IMG_1687.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPd9SlCkkAsSVlihlVky1L9UsiWgDZsa0VawA387mepDjGtmJCmGH1XcXxwS2Jz8jMf5mGvkEdTgk4rgSUB3dabxzGrR3jOBHp1cA-L72EvPpPMzG6eBsl-JGOK2uANvArs757g/s400/IMG_1687.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558575717868722" border="0" /></a><br />... was followed by a Good-Night Dosa for dinner. Not the first time I came to Pune, and certainly not the last!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNKIzNPHnTrNa_1_gW-b65G9ZIxpriXbxAtaa4l3BHEXMKsiN5Z4kwsXVbBKxQhjgN1FQ3kApTGTEY3IHbic4XhwmZMZyaD54IztpeuCPLlli6y-980xZMJQEoRgNB6BLgmcMKQ/s1600-h/IMG_1694.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNKIzNPHnTrNa_1_gW-b65G9ZIxpriXbxAtaa4l3BHEXMKsiN5Z4kwsXVbBKxQhjgN1FQ3kApTGTEY3IHbic4XhwmZMZyaD54IztpeuCPLlli6y-980xZMJQEoRgNB6BLgmcMKQ/s400/IMG_1694.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240558579653463842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4igcMtJrmdvmtB9hsRYjpOJzm0KL5hnVuyoZnw9x347mimhMBRYmXPUP3S9-TVg2Bat3bz54Wf18qyD2IMNLdX9mREeykJCUvAy90Y34XJhyphenhyphenfe1cRRz4eADqoB_Vkw19kg-NPlA/s1600-h/IMG_2237.jpg"><br /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-92155391076220394252008-08-22T01:28:00.008-04:002008-08-22T02:38:05.401-04:00Mysore and Kabini LakeNow it's been a few days already - I was turning 32, and since Uli from Frankfurt is currently visiting me I exchanged my office for traveling for a couple of days. We had a very good stay in Mysore and at a small resort at Kabini Lake where we went on a safari - the first time for both of us.<br /><br />While Mysore is well-known for its Palace and also a few sacred sites such as Chamundi Hills, personally my favorite was the market place: You hardly ever see such intense colors in other places of the world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfOIVTU28lQdx_4GPx0PCbzVWXOSrlj7swG6WtCBIW3kPxNlSXrdEsy5zxf3OPinZZVqH8RG_00i5Rc-b1rqzvC5EWwxaxPCNWxFTHS4bj2xnWIRg60USuaZl4EdpB5p-rzHCWA/s1600-h/market.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfOIVTU28lQdx_4GPx0PCbzVWXOSrlj7swG6WtCBIW3kPxNlSXrdEsy5zxf3OPinZZVqH8RG_00i5Rc-b1rqzvC5EWwxaxPCNWxFTHS4bj2xnWIRg60USuaZl4EdpB5p-rzHCWA/s400/market.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213237557930962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRBM-YJK_zAh1UkUv-SZBako3jQmdvpEkBon0Oyuc6yh5RLfNDDHys3B9407m4nMRezN_FpOy7q_SkaN5ZmMP5KO5SGGSC36KJ9UGgLv50R8vvpY7zxO7JKxEV5QiSi5newG-xQ/s1600-h/market2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRBM-YJK_zAh1UkUv-SZBako3jQmdvpEkBon0Oyuc6yh5RLfNDDHys3B9407m4nMRezN_FpOy7q_SkaN5ZmMP5KO5SGGSC36KJ9UGgLv50R8vvpY7zxO7JKxEV5QiSi5newG-xQ/s400/market2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237215788596322370" border="0" /></a><br />Reading the newspaper on Chamundi Hill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDqYFjYHOh7b67rojKk72ICDj1QTgm3155naqRPSojXcIAZMOnaolOmNsZUtv_L0XnCbQDBIz6Uvg3NZuRVjriekfA6naS7LMyFch5AdIimEszvrQv0bOM-Ncc_HfeZMYG6XXqQ/s1600-h/monkey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDqYFjYHOh7b67rojKk72ICDj1QTgm3155naqRPSojXcIAZMOnaolOmNsZUtv_L0XnCbQDBIz6Uvg3NZuRVjriekfA6naS7LMyFch5AdIimEszvrQv0bOM-Ncc_HfeZMYG6XXqQ/s400/monkey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213238711529682" border="0" /></a><br />We stayed in Mysore for one night and went on to take a cab to the Kabini Lake where we stayed at the <a href="http://kabinilakeviewresort.com/">Kabini Lake View</a> - about 60km/90 mins drive from Mysore, situated directly at the lake itself. The 24 hours we stayed there we went on a safari as well as a nice boat trip - with delicious food throughout:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5kafQ13-60DD_C_Ga1M39yvQzSz21io9UO3QAPBYES1SghGsWNSB2WyGXk6gXry39Nj_TJ9wUMkdwMHG5RTweES1Yl2p9YJp2Yy2GNp4gV-AfeIUyn2q_TqGGaWg3YMqLMGrsg/s1600-h/park.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5kafQ13-60DD_C_Ga1M39yvQzSz21io9UO3QAPBYES1SghGsWNSB2WyGXk6gXry39Nj_TJ9wUMkdwMHG5RTweES1Yl2p9YJp2Yy2GNp4gV-AfeIUyn2q_TqGGaWg3YMqLMGrsg/s400/park.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213007620825618" border="0" /></a><br />During the safari the first 30 minutes or so not much happened, so all animals we have seen were flies and butterflies at best. But then we came to a small village within the forest where indigenous people are living, and now it was elephants instead of flies:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17AWufwQlYivz_biMVsPcg93YaX-tzpYVx_CJ9u7-B4g47T6krCGp4O_09rCx9EQdYYQV_rjC_GE3pdyTjeQSslMuwbSfQm7h0BiWgBel1thUfA1ia6xHI8Avj6nyoN9AjDqnEg/s1600-h/elephants2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17AWufwQlYivz_biMVsPcg93YaX-tzpYVx_CJ9u7-B4g47T6krCGp4O_09rCx9EQdYYQV_rjC_GE3pdyTjeQSslMuwbSfQm7h0BiWgBel1thUfA1ia6xHI8Avj6nyoN9AjDqnEg/s400/elephants2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237212999607714082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QwpdFCJjohdK454wG3Y-3RzWghPA1mSWtQDEX-H2zP2Svl7X0nL6aoH_ziDQQJ79ZEL2QRnkAT9qu0AoF_KGhgxnBBojvJL1G_WdLSftx98IafV226xsHNrJgbsuIwc3vV3FYw/s1600-h/elephants3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QwpdFCJjohdK454wG3Y-3RzWghPA1mSWtQDEX-H2zP2Svl7X0nL6aoH_ziDQQJ79ZEL2QRnkAT9qu0AoF_KGhgxnBBojvJL1G_WdLSftx98IafV226xsHNrJgbsuIwc3vV3FYw/s400/elephants3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237212997933632706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FLZ9iwrNLKjrO38I7O8DYtrBAh1TbF3IC8eznSw2qYHvwL5ZGF_5aXC1K96SKyPrPmFOcjjcs3pcovtKjL0GPOJRGUD3n2YQ4cxMwWSvExO0jO-zpZNZAxQjVB3SHfhUuAiwdA/s1600-h/elephants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FLZ9iwrNLKjrO38I7O8DYtrBAh1TbF3IC8eznSw2qYHvwL5ZGF_5aXC1K96SKyPrPmFOcjjcs3pcovtKjL0GPOJRGUD3n2YQ4cxMwWSvExO0jO-zpZNZAxQjVB3SHfhUuAiwdA/s400/elephants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213002827732194" border="0" /></a><br />We have also seen a couple of monkeys jumping from tree to tree:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL298iT0rZGckg7CiKJROW9_uH1At1cAQr9V0RtpcSZKjPTYOTp7qS8Fpl7biq7bC9LJ4dGIUAfTlpwD25eGBLlQM5Pnj4C8drl8Lu4bjU361_yjbyksrOMIsSAhhoPVm0evjbw/s1600-h/monkey2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL298iT0rZGckg7CiKJROW9_uH1At1cAQr9V0RtpcSZKjPTYOTp7qS8Fpl7biq7bC9LJ4dGIUAfTlpwD25eGBLlQM5Pnj4C8drl8Lu4bjU361_yjbyksrOMIsSAhhoPVm0evjbw/s400/monkey2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213004908751026" border="0" /></a><br />So that was a very nice start of the day - and I have to admit that being confronted with people living so differently made me wonder about the kind of trivial worries I tend to have sometimes. Quite a good experience to have from time to time. A long journey was concluded with a campfire together with some local people...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTj8W_GfGcyQzLoUc2eG2bwFlZiogWfT31Qq7IaxXXvBfxHkRuFl3xiMYQDJegHnyZTbMdcP1S0i-d0UA3nKqhBUM7gRZyE8thaC_kdsxZL08_sou2lBR6rYmYwgBqiNbGnI-0w/s1600-h/fire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTj8W_GfGcyQzLoUc2eG2bwFlZiogWfT31Qq7IaxXXvBfxHkRuFl3xiMYQDJegHnyZTbMdcP1S0i-d0UA3nKqhBUM7gRZyE8thaC_kdsxZL08_sou2lBR6rYmYwgBqiNbGnI-0w/s400/fire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213231655574610" border="0" /></a><br />The next morning it was time to get up early to go on a birdwatching trip on Kabini Lake. I noticed this boat and <span style="font-style: italic;">implicitly </span>assumed that we would make use of it to travel across the lake. This illustrates the danger of implicit assumptions since when we came to the water...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX174-hzTMJg6LX2L1H1vJUMkww003wij6nvV_2OrTyQy9SVElcMG15yMt4MyA7CyBC1eBewdGhD1YZ2BdKXQXGbDedUvau6HXhnYdc6ZUna0uRTj8pTUbCstLy1t0QQjkvwrqA/s1600-h/boat3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX174-hzTMJg6LX2L1H1vJUMkww003wij6nvV_2OrTyQy9SVElcMG15yMt4MyA7CyBC1eBewdGhD1YZ2BdKXQXGbDedUvau6HXhnYdc6ZUna0uRTj8pTUbCstLy1t0QQjkvwrqA/s400/boat3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237217662624781330" border="0" /></a><br />this fine young lad was waiting for us to cruise the sea. While I was a tiny bit unease when entering the boat, after a while I was actually pretty impressed by both the speed as well as the complete flexibility in navigation the construction allowed for. I guess sometimes it's good to simply believe people that they know what they are doing, even if it's a bit different from what you are used to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoXWB5PR_em4JqlCC5mUbect8Uqo44T3A0dtb6E3S0my5b2UjrC_6x8rBAERmFoCLXtknj9-E3QfpBQtRRV790Gx74TYk2ZoDrjbFf6qDrF7EIdLfigcvpm1qC8GH-oVKrvzRyA/s1600-h/boat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoXWB5PR_em4JqlCC5mUbect8Uqo44T3A0dtb6E3S0my5b2UjrC_6x8rBAERmFoCLXtknj9-E3QfpBQtRRV790Gx74TYk2ZoDrjbFf6qDrF7EIdLfigcvpm1qC8GH-oVKrvzRyA/s400/boat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213230583332690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V0fS3jPC5gdrFCzb51iIewD4UCxsPFylvmaNsZ0Kw8N30soqcIUjyohVeIgflRLYkB-gFNNtk0-f7gryO8hCyYXE3RxOW7OqHYroLeHjjXaB6NRvTFFrzRJiTBh2R2pM8tY3Ow/s1600-h/boat2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V0fS3jPC5gdrFCzb51iIewD4UCxsPFylvmaNsZ0Kw8N30soqcIUjyohVeIgflRLYkB-gFNNtk0-f7gryO8hCyYXE3RxOW7OqHYroLeHjjXaB6NRvTFFrzRJiTBh2R2pM8tY3Ow/s400/boat2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213224631100146" border="0" /></a><br />Cruising the lake was impressive - in particular after spending the last weeks (or nearly months) in Bangalore most of the time. You could 'hear nature' on the water and you could also hear it at night which felt really good. While on the water we encountered some local fishermen with quite decent catch that day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPgQqPo7niuYnC91ZgVb1E34FaqFxTPrhTOb6K3vNZUwI2h25I7BEr_0Hmt7PWfkn-n4KFqCf7tY7fIFJvO2W-FIF5BQ_zhetjtXCsV3PyTTsLrQvrPxirh5oEvmRGigxkIyY8A/s1600-h/fishermen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPgQqPo7niuYnC91ZgVb1E34FaqFxTPrhTOb6K3vNZUwI2h25I7BEr_0Hmt7PWfkn-n4KFqCf7tY7fIFJvO2W-FIF5BQ_zhetjtXCsV3PyTTsLrQvrPxirh5oEvmRGigxkIyY8A/s400/fishermen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237213844224724466" border="0" /></a><br />Two more weeks left in this country, staying in Bangalore and going to Singapore and Madras for a few days. I think although I was traveling quite a lot in recent years I never had as many impressions as during the two months I spent in India.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-64742402717064045832008-08-14T12:34:00.006-04:002008-08-14T12:41:12.863-04:00Impressions from India: VehiclesThere is a surprising variety of different two-, three- and four-wheelers on the road in India, with combinations of 'packaging' (type of car/vehicle) and 'contents' (what's inside) handled much more flexibly than in Europe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHFMCM4Jc6_Aty_LIues1usPFPt-Ntw6iOpCTMBeS7gy_dOZqsnL2k7fBoBBro7yedKd7I17o2zns_jdmGo2u353hxx7KA8Y90LlW1oHC6E2TEM8l2jiKT2gVbgGU6rHvn207Eg/s1600-h/IMG_1676.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHFMCM4Jc6_Aty_LIues1usPFPt-Ntw6iOpCTMBeS7gy_dOZqsnL2k7fBoBBro7yedKd7I17o2zns_jdmGo2u353hxx7KA8Y90LlW1oHC6E2TEM8l2jiKT2gVbgGU6rHvn207Eg/s400/IMG_1676.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412982763605666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKAAcJ1vRnYdkLGkKj8LAfmk0fakptf-j25aZKgT-H2-DvDHKeJqSEOi2xLUy5vPLc_MiVIJ40A4lnK8o9lh-MDqioImAMzTPQrn_QBB-28kJt3SQcMdGhDZUww5Bdd19sGaSYA/s1600-h/IMG_1661.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKAAcJ1vRnYdkLGkKj8LAfmk0fakptf-j25aZKgT-H2-DvDHKeJqSEOi2xLUy5vPLc_MiVIJ40A4lnK8o9lh-MDqioImAMzTPQrn_QBB-28kJt3SQcMdGhDZUww5Bdd19sGaSYA/s400/IMG_1661.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412972865812466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuu3z4ZHHWJ2_6ugjxeNs3YkEMzPJyJOvtw_UCjxVQxwBf2g7Qkw401zt5h-xHfTbEENuVLXK3_L_jH2UxAYy5AubMoInG2FNlmAiMXeYCuaRAn32h6IPNKdkFDz3-SGhpujGNw/s1600-h/IMG_1671.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuu3z4ZHHWJ2_6ugjxeNs3YkEMzPJyJOvtw_UCjxVQxwBf2g7Qkw401zt5h-xHfTbEENuVLXK3_L_jH2UxAYy5AubMoInG2FNlmAiMXeYCuaRAn32h6IPNKdkFDz3-SGhpujGNw/s400/IMG_1671.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412976641335554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dCm3gooHaFqEoEfu8OqG2qb6ZXTulVUy-kfUF8pPMH0v1x5cV0E3sJ6TpDQuODSBKmqWQgikylNbWrztQEbby3ZcNDENL3V5x4PqIU8GN-fXWJ4z2tStvn9tkV9hxbo8wdr7NQ/s1600-h/IMG_1673.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dCm3gooHaFqEoEfu8OqG2qb6ZXTulVUy-kfUF8pPMH0v1x5cV0E3sJ6TpDQuODSBKmqWQgikylNbWrztQEbby3ZcNDENL3V5x4PqIU8GN-fXWJ4z2tStvn9tkV9hxbo8wdr7NQ/s400/IMG_1673.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412975587492514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-9VgXiYUsPuXw5P41GzYg-iP0OH4RVoKNIiSKUBtg7ihXzte_I2QkX1MR4Ty95uWgJXRKNOTK6x_Dz4WYiCLQD8CgHGoUXfm8idErfw5Mx42bKSTO2kOgHECrnfADlmJqrqgLw/s1600-h/IMG_1576.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-9VgXiYUsPuXw5P41GzYg-iP0OH4RVoKNIiSKUBtg7ihXzte_I2QkX1MR4Ty95uWgJXRKNOTK6x_Dz4WYiCLQD8CgHGoUXfm8idErfw5Mx42bKSTO2kOgHECrnfADlmJqrqgLw/s400/IMG_1576.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412846325152898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kVjYZd-CeKVCAstXf4qK7x2FFpS4vBegF0XDNmPsRqu79AjOmBJyjo9JUxOjacT6j1CXphAluP0uF33zmkhGaDWm1_GgLd29Vz0KbRd-YEhAyVeoy0ZpDgWKU-KmPzyL4Uh92A/s1600-h/IMG_1580.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kVjYZd-CeKVCAstXf4qK7x2FFpS4vBegF0XDNmPsRqu79AjOmBJyjo9JUxOjacT6j1CXphAluP0uF33zmkhGaDWm1_GgLd29Vz0KbRd-YEhAyVeoy0ZpDgWKU-KmPzyL4Uh92A/s400/IMG_1580.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412850742752274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AhaGJ8ewnES6Gp_MAfQhwNmgQrUfzFgax1z5MMec-oO-iMdqdONKI4-QGp2MvjhsnueFej8zj-Jbo0Z8FvkbtX4OdEiB2uYVeiUJbNET0msfk5ymUJjElUpkF6WqFV8hKFcuDw/s1600-h/IMG_1578.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AhaGJ8ewnES6Gp_MAfQhwNmgQrUfzFgax1z5MMec-oO-iMdqdONKI4-QGp2MvjhsnueFej8zj-Jbo0Z8FvkbtX4OdEiB2uYVeiUJbNET0msfk5ymUJjElUpkF6WqFV8hKFcuDw/s400/IMG_1578.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412850819054354" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-50227195094071137402008-08-14T12:33:00.002-04:002008-08-14T12:43:52.579-04:00Impressions from India: SynchronicityIt is surprising how many more events happen synchronous in India on the street. Partly this may be explained by a larger number of people present (and pure chance event), but maybe a larger emphasis on the family/social group as opposed to the individuum contributes as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16NtjAL-um-TJgjnlZD5RKFF45ROSp-toJKVHtniCZDQHjUw-gLcFoY2SzsKbxkKfTDo3S5B__FWIPEUH_6-PKkKP_uZtVq_YxRXgX6NVGWqRrWpMvkDbKwNYhPJmtZ3plofXWg/s1600-h/IMG_1554.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16NtjAL-um-TJgjnlZD5RKFF45ROSp-toJKVHtniCZDQHjUw-gLcFoY2SzsKbxkKfTDo3S5B__FWIPEUH_6-PKkKP_uZtVq_YxRXgX6NVGWqRrWpMvkDbKwNYhPJmtZ3plofXWg/s400/IMG_1554.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412653417586978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHDTpo-m-Kso__QoZpkKpJiRB8ZkgJzCSAL7AdjimuscvDY8g0tPs6Y2CsFF1UNekUKX0TqXp4AgJ4l-zKu-W5W5yAdjryW-OUDmTBgqR2kASPs6H7tZHuBJLihQmUvXwgI6ZXA/s1600-h/IMG_1555.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHDTpo-m-Kso__QoZpkKpJiRB8ZkgJzCSAL7AdjimuscvDY8g0tPs6Y2CsFF1UNekUKX0TqXp4AgJ4l-zKu-W5W5yAdjryW-OUDmTBgqR2kASPs6H7tZHuBJLihQmUvXwgI6ZXA/s400/IMG_1555.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412654030082882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uUks0laWqWtyCs8WYoSRdbZE-FgtkPWhFE4Vysi_m-5PJxdV-8xmR1Ts51a1OA2t05G33sgVt09Pdylprb_NeAB-__q7RMhtLwZl3mZok4M69OECIsV50VzLh-_CvpSjZmglxQ/s1600-h/IMG_1563.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uUks0laWqWtyCs8WYoSRdbZE-FgtkPWhFE4Vysi_m-5PJxdV-8xmR1Ts51a1OA2t05G33sgVt09Pdylprb_NeAB-__q7RMhtLwZl3mZok4M69OECIsV50VzLh-_CvpSjZmglxQ/s400/IMG_1563.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412659907764594" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-74926200520082969532008-08-14T12:32:00.003-04:002008-08-14T12:57:12.683-04:00Impressions from India: Street Scenes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABbW8Ye-vj7MWZ43dg5hNty2QyIvB8mR6aeemz5j1PvAZsvZXT0g6lQnNpSwEc0bVFbdPwaAzOas4LsxGH4DTzHREEWVU6Mf_AeY6rLgt3mjS0kydyLo2PYvx3PIOQe2t6N6-EA/s1600-h/IMG_1558.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABbW8Ye-vj7MWZ43dg5hNty2QyIvB8mR6aeemz5j1PvAZsvZXT0g6lQnNpSwEc0bVFbdPwaAzOas4LsxGH4DTzHREEWVU6Mf_AeY6rLgt3mjS0kydyLo2PYvx3PIOQe2t6N6-EA/s400/IMG_1558.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412389469163682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZqEbsLO8RROWGg85DN6pfZFFzit4zNPk1EDnoPrzwwwWWo9tRQu74lp1fTBemgf4MZUeW5Oa4wzKC1TShxIgPhEjWvuFoD-kJryvm2MjsEFfyOyQKar9-GRgcn_Tv787xOp8KQ/s1600-h/IMG_1581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZqEbsLO8RROWGg85DN6pfZFFzit4zNPk1EDnoPrzwwwWWo9tRQu74lp1fTBemgf4MZUeW5Oa4wzKC1TShxIgPhEjWvuFoD-kJryvm2MjsEFfyOyQKar9-GRgcn_Tv787xOp8KQ/s400/IMG_1581.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412389096137378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvKjtv7bTtTwc6tHdcvaZOFtssvR9vXdgNjw4389V0VxmWmOVEXU86d-ES2KNattokSLMQEpDQTeoM-n9dmxcST40rzdmNEYiicUBs_XKpDcLZslGU8vwtaH1Ix1VEKFqg08EjQ/s1600-h/IMG_1654.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvKjtv7bTtTwc6tHdcvaZOFtssvR9vXdgNjw4389V0VxmWmOVEXU86d-ES2KNattokSLMQEpDQTeoM-n9dmxcST40rzdmNEYiicUBs_XKpDcLZslGU8vwtaH1Ix1VEKFqg08EjQ/s400/IMG_1654.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412392153407218" border="0" /></a>This latter street corner is a whole microcosmos of life. I was waiting at this street corner (Hope Farm) for 30 minutes each time I took the bus and every second of it it was an exciting place. The main functions are (from the left) a prayer room, a small corner shop (tea seems to be the best-selling item when I was there) and a bus stop. But apart from those obvious functions it was also a place of 'social life' - I had the impression that some people simply came there to read the newspaper and to 'be there', among people.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-68268305968090519612008-08-14T12:30:00.004-04:002008-08-14T12:48:37.830-04:00Impressions from India: People<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WsldO4K1zoSq9DBjrw14JMSZWUPRUk3Zfpy6C-Q1YDptmEEMjKuppQghsDegYCUbo84Oj4zjn6n1FWfX3w6BcqgRRIyBLDX_o767ALXCNq3_NbrPCVXBzKFfRQDdub3JXCDJKw/s1600-h/IMG_1668.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WsldO4K1zoSq9DBjrw14JMSZWUPRUk3Zfpy6C-Q1YDptmEEMjKuppQghsDegYCUbo84Oj4zjn6n1FWfX3w6BcqgRRIyBLDX_o767ALXCNq3_NbrPCVXBzKFfRQDdub3JXCDJKw/s400/IMG_1668.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412103758027730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuxpE0sqFoKaLRlFeHmRJIHHl4OUXLwv9GxUTfKoljTYLe_w_DP6tmMe-JR_rHHkpxWRWxy_ca0-_KQxXIXy77o2TPlX6M5kuq0D3fnFOqyImyp9uuGhPk7O4ZiP36wsNEnPIWQ/s1600-h/IMG_1687.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuxpE0sqFoKaLRlFeHmRJIHHl4OUXLwv9GxUTfKoljTYLe_w_DP6tmMe-JR_rHHkpxWRWxy_ca0-_KQxXIXy77o2TPlX6M5kuq0D3fnFOqyImyp9uuGhPk7O4ZiP36wsNEnPIWQ/s400/IMG_1687.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412193100015202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB-euONvMf8pbCrt33Cl9TsvaJMirD_vQ2MqzxZqT8OBmy1k04mxarbHiECIeYOtd5r-xrqV6ULjXTzAwh1RdYpvF99ITNj0fGGXG7qQ9vzwBxXADUuueoFlSq7CZxBlA3TetLg/s1600-h/IMG_1655.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB-euONvMf8pbCrt33Cl9TsvaJMirD_vQ2MqzxZqT8OBmy1k04mxarbHiECIeYOtd5r-xrqV6ULjXTzAwh1RdYpvF99ITNj0fGGXG7qQ9vzwBxXADUuueoFlSq7CZxBlA3TetLg/s400/IMG_1655.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234412094482640338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2NtQohl53spEzm9KJwLGN_jfE_Exmy9dV8SGHJ2hKJ3t7vieP4X1evfTbqfOCniTgtf-ks9GWwX6Szh2o5758JyqsYwpPNOVKnnB2mAy0gYifJCQOzvhfcJZcrN2nesCbx9vbg/s1600-h/IMG_1657.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEvdFD92WSZLYGlDC1bmDcUtYWR_XpVIpwqCt33vKFuILhjlbWBAuZRhJycrWfltK0PryO2Bv3FR_jaHeNfdixZvpMX_ps0hmX0qpbC6knQpBJLR9fM3oCZAd1GoMnZca2DCh_w/s400/IMG_1577.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234411904573511138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1Gbc6f6M3OY_PA-hmQYIcYiaS9YywREOm-6XQJ-z2iH_icyiZJUTM-8PVyO6UClAK4TCn5zp6kKionovaj02ukMP4MvJK7Zx7qyaZq8uVvKjLgaYxv7iPKI2MtPOcAWL3k7rnQ/s1600-h/IMG_1652.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1Gbc6f6M3OY_PA-hmQYIcYiaS9YywREOm-6XQJ-z2iH_icyiZJUTM-8PVyO6UClAK4TCn5zp6kKionovaj02ukMP4MvJK7Zx7qyaZq8uVvKjLgaYxv7iPKI2MtPOcAWL3k7rnQ/s400/IMG_1652.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234411908389496914" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-32601886211969334472008-08-14T12:15:00.005-04:002008-08-14T13:01:40.889-04:00Impressions from India: Newspaper Reading (around 8am in the morning)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZKT5CsvIk2iNMt4xUF9vcT8WZq26LgfcH0gXfO38NB0674fNBrLeAGnkzcApIrkQ2LAJamnTiXKPQJptGi3JxuBE-SqYOrqHv3iOwFZIGRJEtLWS4pkyw9hW1F0JlaIhxLx5eg/s1600-h/IMG_1651.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFzStsVcUEyqngKbkgLm_RjL_smrxIZEf1kGb7gzCb4KpblL8hJBkJfe4KXMn1Jv7Rr51vqfZY3ENZKfIwKPh-EeMJyIuz35gVsnbHfhJ-HJme1R-UYq0oBS9yYeWmczBre2WgA/s400/IMG_1553.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234411462194583330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrNDKCbiG-wDOq5Y6Kp3-uJiluqttlXSrv6YtrpB_ocJsarPDpcX8o_utb9tvnXD4pG8tdVZoKjxeIpzy9WbTY7NsXE-ZtpkMrOIUAQT6VEsfPYxFtsZx22qWLUb16SPKC5Tsng/s1600-h/IMG_1563.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrNDKCbiG-wDOq5Y6Kp3-uJiluqttlXSrv6YtrpB_ocJsarPDpcX8o_utb9tvnXD4pG8tdVZoKjxeIpzy9WbTY7NsXE-ZtpkMrOIUAQT6VEsfPYxFtsZx22qWLUb16SPKC5Tsng/s400/IMG_1563.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234411466230861618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21Oh9K3gbmv3hVbLgRejMYIo5L_XMvBo-lIRSFXdlke5NUfz9T4RRrsxeWHN8CVDlzM9zrwHG9nvc35yL-3RFYnuEMeojOeW_P_AYxhZ8mjg1Keyyx5bwrlN_h0L5UNQ2YIltyA/s1600-h/IMG_1564.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21Oh9K3gbmv3hVbLgRejMYIo5L_XMvBo-lIRSFXdlke5NUfz9T4RRrsxeWHN8CVDlzM9zrwHG9nvc35yL-3RFYnuEMeojOeW_P_AYxhZ8mjg1Keyyx5bwrlN_h0L5UNQ2YIltyA/s400/IMG_1564.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234411470759420354" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-68873817170206137582008-08-14T12:13:00.006-04:002008-08-15T03:11:58.225-04:00Sufficient and necessary criteria, explained in everyday language<span style="font-style: italic;">If </span>something is happening in India ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRR6V3KMz_5u3j8GnDAVIZP0GLu-7qFL4jvLHnpz6DvPp5vnT67nO3pi_Y2b7ZbVmvqQVWBSib7xNP3XjKYMtDuh-Cl-VBkWsuzwerWsYmnPXypyGsZ9KSPOMo3AeZggp27e2lA/s1600-h/IMG_1548.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRR6V3KMz_5u3j8GnDAVIZP0GLu-7qFL4jvLHnpz6DvPp5vnT67nO3pi_Y2b7ZbVmvqQVWBSib7xNP3XjKYMtDuh-Cl-VBkWsuzwerWsYmnPXypyGsZ9KSPOMo3AeZggp27e2lA/s400/IMG_1548.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234407702929658322" border="0" /></a><br />... <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> people will be there to watch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGMXnXEhoZkVi33TWWwyIG6LbuRtRGoR1LM3XmW6TUDBnctpBcavcGfUo4o-iKLJj1Qp18kj3EO73CXm4WuVo32N9uuB1nyVV69DsIUM9kNzO44lbgZrr9JKvfK3gLfo9fgwXsA/s1600-h/IMG_1544.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGMXnXEhoZkVi33TWWwyIG6LbuRtRGoR1LM3XmW6TUDBnctpBcavcGfUo4o-iKLJj1Qp18kj3EO73CXm4WuVo32N9uuB1nyVV69DsIUM9kNzO44lbgZrr9JKvfK3gLfo9fgwXsA/s400/IMG_1544.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234407699826091042" border="0" /></a><br />However, the reverse is not true - if people stand there and watch it does not imply that anything has happened.<br /><br />The former is a sufficient criterion for the latter, however, the latter only is a necessary criterion for the former.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-66530770841418958882008-08-14T11:19:00.015-04:002008-08-14T13:21:01.527-04:00Chandigarh, certainly a place like no other in IndiaIt has been a while since the last post - the reason being that even I spend only 90% of my life in front of the computer, and, believe it or not, the last two weeks it was time for the remaining 10% : I was on the road again, traveling to Chandigarh and Pune.<br /><br />Being quite naive when booking the trip to this city (I didn't actually look on the map at that stage and hoped that the airline would figure out the way to Chandigarh without my help) I was rather surprised when I realized the day before my flight that I would go pretty much across the whole country - about 6 hours flight each way, changing in Bombay or Delhi. To give you an impression of the area, that's it, close to <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">the</span> mountains:<br /><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9y7kretNNSfOEgGbsBMxQShpB0Lvwzz8QTEiFihazHOyf7s3Rr7wKIzOd8UIS0zRbap7W-6bncMsa4CWKrVzHuvzMVudGlzHtIHYEG4EWGrY_uPZxyNmVfSB__9SAeVjWCxPiQ/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234398518588535378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9y7kretNNSfOEgGbsBMxQShpB0Lvwzz8QTEiFihazHOyf7s3Rr7wKIzOd8UIS0zRbap7W-6bncMsa4CWKrVzHuvzMVudGlzHtIHYEG4EWGrY_uPZxyNmVfSB__9SAeVjWCxPiQ/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What I did know before coming to Chandigarh though was it's well-planned street layout (in fact, the whole city has been well-planned) - after Lahore, the previous capital of Punjab, was given to Pakistan, this city was founded in 1953 to become the new state capital. (Things became more complicated thereafter, but at least this was the plan.) The city is really remarkable in its design - all sectors have a pre-defined purpose, so you will find vendors of a certain item only in one sector and so on. What I found very remarkable was how quiet the city was and how smoothly the traffic was flowing - certainly a difference from the other major cities in India.<br /><br /><iframe marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Chandigarh,+Chandigarh,+Chandigarh,+India&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,30.737780,76.784439&s=AARTsJpilh9VGJXo1OMLYNHHCvmk-hsZkg&ll=30.71616,76.755295&spn=0.103305,0.145912&z=12&output=embed" frameborder="0" width="425" scrolling="no" height="350"></iframe><br /><small><a style="COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-ALIGN: left" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Chandigarh,+Chandigarh,+Chandigarh,+India&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,30.737780,76.784439&ll=30.71616,76.755295&spn=0.103305,0.145912&z=12&source=embed"><span style="font-size:100%;">View Larger Map</span></a></small><br /></p><p>Despite the long trip I actually enjoyed it very much - the flight was with Kingfisher which I have never flown before. I remembered my flight with Jet through the country last year which was quite enjoyable, but to be honest - Kingfisher actually topped that experience by far and the prizes this airline has won so far are definitely well-deserved! Compared to European Easyjet/Ryanair standard I would even say that the Kingfisher economy (or 'Kingfisher') class would be somewhere in between business and first class compared to European and US airlines - even on national, economy class flightsmenues were handed out, food was tasty and cutlery was made of metal which I really value (those plastic forks don't really do it for me). The best part of it however was that customers were addressed by their names when food was handed out - next time I have a good reason to register as 'Dr Bender' then I guess.<br /><br /></small><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE2JSQJVIB1LGhyjIB7Z8zFCOgA_hjFjulTlDKro4Hrt_Lyo7HWyQQTss45ltbxtuOhg9Pzb_8K3qNowkJo5nP_XfRcTKaSbUXtqroFQlmje5J4-u2VUrUWcg0XwuzMTME1t2CA/s1600-h/IMG_1583.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234406534063352370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE2JSQJVIB1LGhyjIB7Z8zFCOgA_hjFjulTlDKro4Hrt_Lyo7HWyQQTss45ltbxtuOhg9Pzb_8K3qNowkJo5nP_XfRcTKaSbUXtqroFQlmje5J4-u2VUrUWcg0XwuzMTME1t2CA/s400/IMG_1583.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><small><span style="font-size:100%;">My main reason to come to Chandigarh was to visit NIPER - one of the main and best institutions for pharmaceutical research. I had a very pleasant time there on a personal level as well as lots of stimulating discussions with the faculty as well as the students at the institute and while showing me around town.</span><br /></small><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234406541618324226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGm-7UNqKFreM5tERYCPpIjKMSWNyeJ44p7WLO2cSqLvl-KQQRuaXf4yyow12yyQqsq6VDnT4Llh9ax-l6yKawqTf24LW9c6Srr7eA_bmwLTrjGCXGUABBTiuZMBnuT_fEY7oZQ/s400/IMG_1593.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234406545859534306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzLXfoN7M57KszexJi1ObSrIBtt6-HhaE74nT22H3fqeLdSOEi-K7Jbx7_BC1LFnL_3YtpnF0a2q0EAbOOIM-V9BG9SQo4YaHU-sXjfEuwB6O5hEIw3emZ98BUF-rmHo9OAqspA/s400/IMG_1596.jpg" border="0" /></span><small><span style="font-size:100%;">I was staying on the NIPER campus which, as all the other guest houses of educational institutions of India where I stayed so far, is a really beautiful park to stay in. Also, nature is quite different in India - you even have peacocks running around:</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></small><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234406548095891378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIABapn604q5vIBhZu3GSsh3qSIMHA1T8zGIpytWJKvsreKSTAJO_cu1A5hBNLs0bATmDWYpf9NYU2D4VsX7X-e132wy3D1FID6y1MntshaK6GTv3DddDSG6OeIeoFVUrwfID3w/s400/IMG_1598.jpg" border="0" /></span><small><span style="font-size:100%;">After my visit to NIPER, we had a visit to the 'Stone Garden' - a huge garden set up in different sectors, where each part of the park is designed after a different theme. Sometimes this is closer to stone and water..<br /></span></small><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuONPkNjtwPrh8IfJHS51iM5sCLXysAJMfGmjOiOa_5uwcwKK0BJAJ67zi87nVHgxQmu8VoVCqNPw9uyRqnpd_GK6duVybxfFcH8aI1j5_Z1a3rr15Fy72iXFtOBG2hdtYtMhkQ/s1600-h/IMG_1622.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234406550593123922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuONPkNjtwPrh8IfJHS51iM5sCLXysAJMfGmjOiOa_5uwcwKK0BJAJ67zi87nVHgxQmu8VoVCqNPw9uyRqnpd_GK6duVybxfFcH8aI1j5_Z1a3rr15Fy72iXFtOBG2hdtYtMhkQ/s400/IMG_1622.jpg" border="0" /></a><small><span style="font-size:100%;">... and sometimes closer to scary figures.<br /></span></small><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcT-930HSLFMY8LkUzuCnUeD-WcJkPcDTde8_e3f1eHYYk6FhBVeRf2RllIOPu0K1-6VhPImwrgUqlwr6zYPPtig_MkkebK7htKtP_h2mLKQnANrhixDCSJItQzXB-9IoqFJSZw/s1600-h/IMG_1633.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234407023048667218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcT-930HSLFMY8LkUzuCnUeD-WcJkPcDTde8_e3f1eHYYk6FhBVeRf2RllIOPu0K1-6VhPImwrgUqlwr6zYPPtig_MkkebK7htKtP_h2mLKQnANrhixDCSJItQzXB-9IoqFJSZw/s400/IMG_1633.jpg" border="0" /></a><small><span style="font-size:100%;">A trip to a nearby lake...<br /></span></small><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r8pq6meCb_dMN1cTdrD1fz2GfuDRSFYqSybNEcO96ko_Z-drpchDKbF-0s_Ot7xEiVcNVDn8cUn1Pa7EOo29nEZ25iFSoNgWVJMPO88EHaUukxRCpghwmEODqNZeLXb8pP6PHg/s1600-h/IMG_1635.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234407028004296498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r8pq6meCb_dMN1cTdrD1fz2GfuDRSFYqSybNEcO96ko_Z-drpchDKbF-0s_Ot7xEiVcNVDn8cUn1Pa7EOo29nEZ25iFSoNgWVJMPO88EHaUukxRCpghwmEODqNZeLXb8pP6PHg/s400/IMG_1635.jpg" border="0" /></a><small><span style="font-size:100%;">with all the necessary tools on offer ...<br /></span></small><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaNc1_JrIlaAbqGTcZgn5Q6j5yxYXNAy-1CrO2r84n6stiTsEgs-jA8bEbW9U92Y4nTnKQ_bLEL0VwJToUx7aMWs00bLXXIb7NCa0cSjJR-2ZZ3lBdnI26WR37nuKe-1hGlk8Lw/s1600-h/IMG_1638.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234407032207535122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaNc1_JrIlaAbqGTcZgn5Q6j5yxYXNAy-1CrO2r84n6stiTsEgs-jA8bEbW9U92Y4nTnKQ_bLEL0VwJToUx7aMWs00bLXXIb7NCa0cSjJR-2ZZ3lBdnI26WR37nuKe-1hGlk8Lw/s400/IMG_1638.jpg" border="0" /></a> <small><span style="font-size:100%;">concluded the trip. </span></small></p><br /><p>I am really glad I went to Chandigarh - both to visit people at NIPER, as well as to visit this city that is much different from Bombay, Bangalore and Pune which I have seen so far. Thank you for welcoming me in this city!</p>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-21945318866867001602008-07-29T09:58:00.002-04:002008-07-29T10:01:49.239-04:00Trips in AugustI just finalized my travel plans for August - and I must say that I am really looking forward to seeing a few new regions in Asia in the coming weeks. More pictures to come in the near future! Cheers - Andreas<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&s=AARTsJq-xjjRPdoa0upp9UXcyRqdlTr9Og&msa=0&msid=109463726911463465016.000452ff862c4ebd2f829&ll=16.000167,88.791504&spn=56.858137,74.707031&t=p&z=3&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109463726911463465016.000452ff862c4ebd2f829&ll=16.000167,88.791504&spn=56.858137,74.707031&t=p&z=3&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-54475631339824417272008-07-27T05:50:00.005-04:002008-07-27T06:28:57.535-04:00Tough timesTwo days ago Bangalore...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlNo_FfGi-ClwbFpkC9_w0gTP2gABuLVZHNmXRloGI-oicpbPwUCPJCRcNh7LUsATd7o6wxP8n66Oc-nXcRe9_IX-UYc_90cMNEPt1LRtgnQyGUdmUNRtETm9QsTRHdhPUPiy9Q/s1600-h/blr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlNo_FfGi-ClwbFpkC9_w0gTP2gABuLVZHNmXRloGI-oicpbPwUCPJCRcNh7LUsATd7o6wxP8n66Oc-nXcRe9_IX-UYc_90cMNEPt1LRtgnQyGUdmUNRtETm9QsTRHdhPUPiy9Q/s400/blr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227629259561031378" border="0" /></a><br />... and <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/27/india.blasts/index.html">yesterday Ahmedabad</a>. Locals told me that this was the first time Bangalore was under attack - usually religiously motivated attacks plague Mumbai or cities in the north of the country.<br /><br />I was visiting a Bangalorian drug discovery company during the time of the bombs. My trip back home reminded me of a situation a few years back. I have just had an interview with an agrochemical company near London, at that time for a postdoctoral position. While having interviews and presentations all day the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings">London bombings</a> took place. When going to the train station by cab, which took several hours since the streets were jammed, a strange atmosphere lay upon the city. The drive back through Bangalore on Friday reminded me of that situation. Time stands still during those hours.<br /><br />In particular after meeting so many welcoming locals during my time here I wish that this will not be a bad sign for the future. I absolutely love this country and want it to be as peaceful and prosperous as possible. (I am not expert enough regarding the internal political and religious structure of India so I will not voice any opinion other than this personal impression here.)Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-8584170398519901912008-07-20T03:20:00.005-04:002008-07-20T04:20:23.271-04:00Gobi ManchuriAfter three weeks I am still actively exploring the Indian cuisine - and after going through nearly 10 Paneer variations (all beaten by the good old Paneer Hyderabadi by the way) I decided to branch out into new areas - meaning, the potato and cauliflower variations. And what a terrific idea it was! Below my new lunch favorite - Gobi Manchuri; cauliflower, fried, covered with a red chili/garlic paste. Now if that doesn't sound delicious! Very likely that this is not the traditional way to eat it, but I prefer it with a Roti and a good amount of pickle by the side instead of the red (Ketchup-like) and green sauce it is served with. On Sundays the restaurant is closed, but I already know what I will have for lunch tomorrow on Monday. Let's see what the chef is able to amaze me with next...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpAwCjkfy8AOy3P3Z1nF7QC4PyZu9bL3E00p7nK1e27MWh9fHaYdmsytUG16Vfrm3dp111zo228xPxQzdnvCdQqt7IM3aoINS0tsy25zGPlmvEPEGhlNzwhyphenhyphenpFCIKtkaEYKzyGQ/s1600-h/gobi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpAwCjkfy8AOy3P3Z1nF7QC4PyZu9bL3E00p7nK1e27MWh9fHaYdmsytUG16Vfrm3dp111zo228xPxQzdnvCdQqt7IM3aoINS0tsy25zGPlmvEPEGhlNzwhyphenhyphenpFCIKtkaEYKzyGQ/s400/gobi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224262481841909618" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-64937728454837346612008-07-18T04:06:00.004-04:002008-07-20T04:13:23.579-04:00TravelingI wanted to keep this story separate from my trip to 'real' (downtown) Bangalore although it happened right in the middle of it. After crossing through Cubbon Park I was walking to MG Road, which I visited the past two times I was in Bangalore as well. I had a brief conversation with a then-unknown person and I think only fully realized what he was telling me when I got home again.<br /><br />About 1,50m tall, very dark skin, grey hair, skinny, and clad in what must be farmer's clothes from the average village in the countryside; no shoes but a walking stick; he walked towards me while I was looking for the way to MG Road (I just figured out that it was about 20 minutes walk, just around the corner, after asking some locals for the way.)<br /><br />Planning a trip works differently in different countries, so not everyone is so afraid of getting lost as I am (I am printing the bus schedule, a local map or two, but still get lost regularly). This person obviously wouldn't be afraid to get lost on a trip to any location on this planet. He was standing there on the street, told me that he was coming from Tamil Nadu (the neighbouring state of Bangalore's Karnataka towards the Southeast) and showed me a sheet of paper with an address in Pune (about 700km north of Bangalore). He told me that he was a farmer, 'a typical farmer' as he emphasized, but I guess he wasn't so typical as he spoke surprisingly good English (which, he said, he learned from his daughter when she went to school - I think in India more parents learn English from their children than the other way round, as in most other parts of the world).<br /><br />He waived the sheet of paper with the address on it and, as he explained, he was on the way to Pune to look for work; a relative wrote down the address of a person he should see. He moved his right hand down to a level about 10 inches above the ground to illustrate the lack of ground water for irrigating his crops, he said those problems became serious over the last years while trying to keep his farming business going. And so he went and gave it a try.<br /><br />Some people in Europe complain if they have to walk 20 minutes from the bus station to get somewhere. It obviously sometimes works different here: The 20 hours before our random encounter my farmer spent on the street, walking from Mysore to Bangalore (which is around 100km). He obviously didn't really know the medium of transport he would use to get to Pune, but that didn't prevent him from leaving home in the first place. I pointed him to the bus station (right Kempe Gowda, one of the handful of places I whose location I knew in Bangalore by then), gave him some money since he said he was hungry and thirsty after his walk (which seemed quite obvious to me) and wished him a good trip.<br /><br />I didn't think too much about this situation until I came home later in the evening, exhausted from the noise and the dust of the city. I was quite amazed what some people complain about in life - for others walking for 20 hours, traveling without a penny on the pocket, but still being confident that 'things will work out' is a normal thing to do if looking for a job in a different place. Of course, it's not by choice and most people - including me - would prefer a bus to walking. But it's a preference - not the feeling of being entitled to it. I guess this makes a difference.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21178850.post-47568219179609016952008-07-14T09:20:00.008-04:002008-07-20T03:51:11.764-04:00Bangalore and Traveling in IndiaLast Sunday - yesterday - I decided that after two weeks in Bangalore it would be time to leave my much loved <a href="http://www.intltechpark.com">technology park</a>, at least for a couple of hours, to venture into downtown Bangalore. Yes, of course, I have been there before, but all I knew was basically the area around MG Road - and that was it. I decided to give it a start with some of the best-known sights in Bangalore, namely the Vidhana Soudha and its neighbouring building, the Vikasa Soudha which house the state parliament. I took the bus to Kempe Gowda bus station (for those of you ignorant of the history of Bangalore: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempe_Gowda_I">Kempe Gowda</a> is widely claimed to be the guy who 'officially' founded the city) and had a good walk to finally reach my destination. (In India it always looks so easy on the map, 'ok, the big road to the left and after half a mile at the next corner to the right and I am there', but in practice it is quite a task to navigate between new buildings and temporary road layouts, to cross six lanes without a traffic light in sight. All this combined with my marginal sense of orientation, I am now planning my travel at the speed of 1 kilometer per hour if I am trying to get somewhere. Seriously. But since I enjoy the process of traveling itself this is actually something I am quite happy with.)<br /><br />But now let's see where I actually went:<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TK5-ewz2C690NkQJei2X6n-288GtDK-KHlMTAc8rQZsq5_CIAzDF4ZzVsoRvDYB2WQ61H_mj2JjY7Zia_AtEPCIVda2JZlFZX-x5HHKsPc1FroQwCV4DpfVFiP_JU-KFLCteGQ/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TK5-ewz2C690NkQJei2X6n-288GtDK-KHlMTAc8rQZsq5_CIAzDF4ZzVsoRvDYB2WQ61H_mj2JjY7Zia_AtEPCIVda2JZlFZX-x5HHKsPc1FroQwCV4DpfVFiP_JU-KFLCteGQ/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222860761765817026" border="0" /></a>The Vikasa Soudha - as I understand a kind of auxiliary building in support of the legislative body, the Vidhana Soudha. Located <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Vidhana+Soudha,+Vasanth+Nagar,+Bengaluru,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka,+India&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.188298,91.054688&ie=UTF8&ll=12.978422,77.599525&spn=0.024213,0.04446&z=15&iwloc=addr">close to MG road and generally the center of Bengaluru</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGBhP62Rm-JzjmnhvXI2wCw39G-pm2U-CEiY5ATbaKQUCjIgr0Kwp9vVQLlXN1n1RVJXMkflJIAdCKCTWIZkj_vA6FtjNXiTDiEQrqjZ8oqJGFypujsxr3O5_d81vbaQqA6ianA/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGBhP62Rm-JzjmnhvXI2wCw39G-pm2U-CEiY5ATbaKQUCjIgr0Kwp9vVQLlXN1n1RVJXMkflJIAdCKCTWIZkj_vA6FtjNXiTDiEQrqjZ8oqJGFypujsxr3O5_d81vbaQqA6ianA/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222860755106615522" border="0" /></a>The Vidhana Soudha (i.e., the actual parliament building) - from far away ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhls0qLreMdXOKpo8I4LEHVfKvmXRLXTa0S8GhDF4ixWQA9W9dyqlZmkWrPbT2bYzN9vXU7MIwDNAFmSBXML7nvk5sMI3pLvg6NfKf8v96MVwH1Re70gni9HOYNLHN9iAQzzE2GHQ/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhls0qLreMdXOKpo8I4LEHVfKvmXRLXTa0S8GhDF4ixWQA9W9dyqlZmkWrPbT2bYzN9vXU7MIwDNAFmSBXML7nvk5sMI3pLvg6NfKf8v96MVwH1Re70gni9HOYNLHN9iAQzzE2GHQ/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222860759448518258" border="0" /></a>... and from a bit closer. My definite favorite is the 'Government work is God's work' inscription at the top - you gotta trust your government, so please read this again and again until you believe it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcmG1NKcafNEV0Lg_Knjxxkdn3t6d-bOj6cz7QdrswcW0Q0APMY-OFjNZHXk1JQsq6NaXPKzzbY_n4ITGtPe-5kbNbOQkw-dPBfuungtyQ-l2_4qixQfgXM5EHkBPGnepstIREg/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcmG1NKcafNEV0Lg_Knjxxkdn3t6d-bOj6cz7QdrswcW0Q0APMY-OFjNZHXk1JQsq6NaXPKzzbY_n4ITGtPe-5kbNbOQkw-dPBfuungtyQ-l2_4qixQfgXM5EHkBPGnepstIREg/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222860823105298418" border="0" /></a>Selling sweetcorn in front of Cubbon Park, right next to the government building. Quite a nice park indeed - and popular with the people of Bangalore, too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptKB0qiSPvCMZvxtw2aEH6IxHqKr8oXW77fE2p5IGUbEMcjCURw-eiaqcULn7N44KSpPhsKTEBjrlEmYw0DFe-fzq1_yF0KJtdfN4kifUC13hUBaBUpgXoD8dl34pYG91QXGOHQ/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptKB0qiSPvCMZvxtw2aEH6IxHqKr8oXW77fE2p5IGUbEMcjCURw-eiaqcULn7N44KSpPhsKTEBjrlEmYw0DFe-fzq1_yF0KJtdfN4kifUC13hUBaBUpgXoD8dl34pYG91QXGOHQ/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222860834534123538" border="0" /></a>Having a smoke while selling ice-cream. (Or to be precise: Currently not selling ice-cream, therefore having a smoke.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkioYfuNaLAouiRCZuOYJPFNnsGq1w28c9HuTbLE4_zjNG3Z-5lpBN8dooUJR1mhqRRqCTehSroYVdPSXCS6ltQmPvGCA1tzLJ-tqmdn7paaei1Q9FXvvXQKnJYoWW2AFwBGIf5Q/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkioYfuNaLAouiRCZuOYJPFNnsGq1w28c9HuTbLE4_zjNG3Z-5lpBN8dooUJR1mhqRRqCTehSroYVdPSXCS6ltQmPvGCA1tzLJ-tqmdn7paaei1Q9FXvvXQKnJYoWW2AFwBGIf5Q/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861276891872146" border="0" /></a>Having no smoke while selling no ice-cream.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RkFmf2L99F6nCRO06sDzXXHvrElznAc4brx_lwMorkXf2vaXhyyhvsLPHZwEwFGzAZe2r0Y4pJkDJOBL5K0ldvpeo5x1IyvntJO1xa0Vd0Je88ZNubQZy3MPJGvw5gB1cEEvKQ/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RkFmf2L99F6nCRO06sDzXXHvrElznAc4brx_lwMorkXf2vaXhyyhvsLPHZwEwFGzAZe2r0Y4pJkDJOBL5K0ldvpeo5x1IyvntJO1xa0Vd0Je88ZNubQZy3MPJGvw5gB1cEEvKQ/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861284098361618" border="0" /></a>Crossing the street.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysGLyKdi0yn_3TcQX71UTjgkz6k91nRE_TNXeSHibK0YC_1YG6gbpBJ8QEN86NwpG4lEcYvSIUhFlF15HSgg0vJLlMJKLABBOzjXchsNrpq1IgbqWQ8Im_PqnylFNlA14uRXG2A/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysGLyKdi0yn_3TcQX71UTjgkz6k91nRE_TNXeSHibK0YC_1YG6gbpBJ8QEN86NwpG4lEcYvSIUhFlF15HSgg0vJLlMJKLABBOzjXchsNrpq1IgbqWQ8Im_PqnylFNlA14uRXG2A/s400/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861294061129042" border="0" /></a>Religion and business.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBD7uF7Hgj6HX9Bg2VMNWbwlHvHCPycVpRd7iwt381znhvLZAmOVRHZ6O_iOwYM7kpLkIs7ZFEZgm6r-Ycoo6VB5RSuPCWpo8pL8uW51zML6UPx1vvfOh1qZUwLWKlj-uqa3EOw/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBD7uF7Hgj6HX9Bg2VMNWbwlHvHCPycVpRd7iwt381znhvLZAmOVRHZ6O_iOwYM7kpLkIs7ZFEZgm6r-Ycoo6VB5RSuPCWpo8pL8uW51zML6UPx1vvfOh1qZUwLWKlj-uqa3EOw/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861294095373282" border="0" /></a>An art gallery, next to Cubbon Park. It is difficult to see from the picture, but in real life the colors in this situation were just incredibly powerful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvgadvRDfIhi-Q6U0Wy6i1rdK7ir9okrOzQwcZsmOy7F9EMq9O2N_eJ8FO603Ywqy_xHrMMvqUBtFNtn2kf7cyeFYXSMgqMS72Uks_2f5WQexfWHung4F_ebm85iQ6IutHJFyWQ/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvgadvRDfIhi-Q6U0Wy6i1rdK7ir9okrOzQwcZsmOy7F9EMq9O2N_eJ8FO603Ywqy_xHrMMvqUBtFNtn2kf7cyeFYXSMgqMS72Uks_2f5WQexfWHung4F_ebm85iQ6IutHJFyWQ/s400/11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861735808995330" border="0" /></a>Not running out of fruit anytime soon...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu8l4ecfpUdHmr-EZzkpGSm8CWiGTO0oy8cXVXAO6wqyG8v1BUS5BvE99aOIB8mNGBmfd-NJq-ZlJ7LXSx1HWhH4lG6137gnZEj_Q2cuRK-OrnnXrSElmiIhr-pFZaTTlC9O_EA/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu8l4ecfpUdHmr-EZzkpGSm8CWiGTO0oy8cXVXAO6wqyG8v1BUS5BvE99aOIB8mNGBmfd-NJq-ZlJ7LXSx1HWhH4lG6137gnZEj_Q2cuRK-OrnnXrSElmiIhr-pFZaTTlC9O_EA/s400/13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861744284565298" border="0" /></a>If your head hangs low sometime - you can get cured.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1Ma9FzXYaU8bkNBJnRagZNDS1IASWHBVN1HBbvbMa3DMovsk4JLkxvWqbmpw50D6EfBl8jedHOIlWoeX9m1gdRoETWJA4DkHnVvCAQok8xGEfxTKg_GRS4PwLNHhum751Al_WQ/s1600-h/14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1Ma9FzXYaU8bkNBJnRagZNDS1IASWHBVN1HBbvbMa3DMovsk4JLkxvWqbmpw50D6EfBl8jedHOIlWoeX9m1gdRoETWJA4DkHnVvCAQok8xGEfxTKg_GRS4PwLNHhum751Al_WQ/s400/14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861750012394322" border="0" /></a>After walking through Cubbon Park I attempted to get back to the place I knew in Bangalore: MG Road (yes, again at my conventional speed of about 1 kilometer per hour, after taking the wrong turn a couple of times, crossing some military planes as statues on the street etc.) And finally I was there and back at MG Road again (here at the western end of it)! It was, surprisingly, emotionally touching to be back again. I think not in particular because I connect any memories with this place, but I have the feeling that I understand India now better than I did before - say, it used to be 1%, and now it is 2%. But still. It gets boring if there is nothing left to discover.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa2GEtkzsR_kqgi_SA5QficZCcG-TyYqNHcCJ6Q0bSiTxffim97xCY67l3M_rylauCBINfaP-LNjlIEnmuRLeIMI9VIPY243-WISReWF-JhUzWCqxdc3iyauMUK2V5Bgk41SJNA/s1600-h/15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa2GEtkzsR_kqgi_SA5QficZCcG-TyYqNHcCJ6Q0bSiTxffim97xCY67l3M_rylauCBINfaP-LNjlIEnmuRLeIMI9VIPY243-WISReWF-JhUzWCqxdc3iyauMUK2V5Bgk41SJNA/s400/15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861748930821362" border="0" /></a>On my way back to Kempe Gowda bus station I passed the Bangalore Horse Racing Club - I should come back next time to watch a race and do some betting. It was amazing to see people who didn't get admitted to the race sitting everywhere on the street, following the outcome of every race on the radio or on TV screens.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEick8E8ADq2EgzYUNhHT_4HCIoVrI38AUWKHuNV5L10En7_vLzrGDFJg2TAg-hlTLqfcH7CHG-Z86ZKHDTMUw_I8ovl-CZ1pTTpdgF1ysNDjw3k0GiEz-A0Bd0T2-6bvj9rhFZGeg/s1600-h/16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEick8E8ADq2EgzYUNhHT_4HCIoVrI38AUWKHuNV5L10En7_vLzrGDFJg2TAg-hlTLqfcH7CHG-Z86ZKHDTMUw_I8ovl-CZ1pTTpdgF1ysNDjw3k0GiEz-A0Bd0T2-6bvj9rhFZGeg/s400/16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861753265551858" border="0" /></a>Evening is coming, time to pack your things and go home. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcctkUX6-nJcZYvZUvIeQr12K0D0VwldyxbN4qHirHyEk11_i6kIOtzHDvbVk7RnbNLbNLgAHn5pwBddinAiTCnChCa5pVSqp59QVXDrLJNzgcH5SwLPjpzP6QLyNYHEziDR6urA/s1600-h/17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcctkUX6-nJcZYvZUvIeQr12K0D0VwldyxbN4qHirHyEk11_i6kIOtzHDvbVk7RnbNLbNLgAHn5pwBddinAiTCnChCa5pVSqp59QVXDrLJNzgcH5SwLPjpzP6QLyNYHEziDR6urA/s400/17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861963904457266" border="0" /></a>Which one is my bus? Thank God it's Sunday, that's why it was so empty at the bus stand.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPqB3A5E7SMCZCbORDsQ4x-cVLom1-y5tNXg48mEFPp86sZ6NQgpi5cNnLq9D4wYSwgoy5HR2aoB2VvXsNgRhKSbWAZAtV_MOoMcfMhVf0I1D95L9McFwMzO7WznZ2gt0MI4BDg/s1600-h/18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPqB3A5E7SMCZCbORDsQ4x-cVLom1-y5tNXg48mEFPp86sZ6NQgpi5cNnLq9D4wYSwgoy5HR2aoB2VvXsNgRhKSbWAZAtV_MOoMcfMhVf0I1D95L9McFwMzO7WznZ2gt0MI4BDg/s400/18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222861968212505762" border="0" /></a>Back at the ITPB. It really felt like coming home this day and it was good to venture into downtown Bangalore.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706342237737502396noreply@blogger.com11