Travelouge - Trip to Bali in Indonesia

Bali is an interesting place. Its a Hindu dominated island in the heart of Muslim dominated country where alcohol, pork and beef all are in abundance. There is an interesting nightlife which fuels local economy and a temple in almost every other household. Its like a place where religion has found peace and coexists with demands of modern day tourism. Visitors to Bali are mainly Australians, Chinese, Europeans followed by a small percentage of  Indians. Komodo dragon is still there most unique identity but they have kind of diversified into everything that's "Touristy". 

I was there for 7 days but that was a kind of overkill. 4 - 5 days will do enough justice to the place until and unless you don't want to do a PhD on local culture.

What Bali offers:

•  Water Sports: If you love water sports its like a mecca. Right form Scuba diving to Para sailing you name a sport and its there. Scuba, Under Sea walk, Jet Ski, Para sailing, Banana boat, Kayaking, Water walking ( Jet propulsion) you name it and its there
• Scenic Beauty: Interestingly its a nice cocktail. It has beaches, mountain and even a dormant volcano
• Temples: Its a deeply religious island but interestingly the temples there are famous for the scenic beauty. Majority of the temples are located on the cliff and offer an amazing view of the ocean. You should visit them irrespective of your religious beliefs

Cost of Travel:

•  This is definitely not an expensive option to travel. You can have a 5 day trip with stay at top star hotels at a cost of around 50- 60k INR/ 1000USD
• Main cost that you will incur is the airfare and the water sports cost. Food etc. doesn't cost much
• The currency is highly over valued at 1 INR = 222 Local rupees. So if your dinner bill is 5 lakh for two people relax its not much

Travel tips:

• Keep an eye on the sky. you will see highly ornamental Kites dotting the sky. People in Bali have an interesting obsession with highly ornate kites
• It's like saying sun rises in the east but if you are a vegetarian .... good luck :-) 
• Visit the temples when the  tide is high, you will see huge waves crashing in the rocks and its a site to behold
• Rice is the staple diet and majority of dishes will be some or the other form of rice preparation only
• Its better to carry US dollars instead of your local currency
• Their dances are overhyped, if you missed seeing them... relax you haven't missed anything. ( Watch there you tube videos before buying the tickets)
• They have a water park which is ranked second best in Asia, Its worth a visit. 
• Divide your stay between a Private villa and a sea facing resort. Don't over stay at same place.

The trip to God's Own Contry - Kerala

 

I recently travelled to Kerala. And must admit I came back pretty impressed. Its a nice place by all means. The God's Own Country.

Interesting things:

• Amazingly green. It’s like a carpet of Green color, with few concrete dots here and there to enable human livings and no its not only coconut trees it's, Paddy , Tea and lot more
• Honest: Seriously being born and bought up in northern part of India , this is un-digestible. Even auto wallahs don’t cheat
• Lotteries: Ohh yes this came as shock, its legal there
• Language barrier: You don’t know Malayalam, that's OK. Try English and it will work. ( Talk about 90%+ literacy)
• Food: The chicken biryani was "richer" then the one I ever ate in Lucknow or Hyderabad. Even a 70/- Rs kerala thali is mouth watering

Few Dampeners

• The tourist information bureaus are just for formality. I did not saw any of them open/Functional.
• The one at the Cochin airport was operational but was not able to provide any required info or brochure
• Be ready for black money. None of the places/hotels I visited were willing to take money via card or gave me  a proper receipt with taxes paid

I Tried these following places:

 Cochin:

• Not a tourist destination per se, but since it has airport you can’t avoid it.
• There is a Dutch palace, avoid if you can
• There is a beach, which looks like a cemetery for sea weeds. ( But you can see Chinese fishing nets in operation)
• There’s a Mall named "Lulu'. Try that. They have built a whole amusement park on 3rd floor.

 

Munnar:

• Wowwww. Dark green, Light green, Tall green, short green. All shades of greenery are there.
• You will take at least 1.5 - 2 days to cover up everything.
• Nothing out of ordinary but don’t miss the Elephant Rides, Tea Museum.
• Tip: Take the hotel in the main munnar town itself. ( Though there are few in the core town but it will make your travel and evenings easier)

 

Allepy:

• No its not Allepy. It's actually Alappuzha
• This is the home to famed back waters of Kerala and houseboats
• Its like roads replaced with water, 4 wheelers with house boats and 2 wheelers with shikaras. ( And yeah No red lights)
• Make sure you take a shikara, because being small it can actually cover the real back waters. ( If you are observant enough, you can see what’s cooking in other people kitchens)
• TiP: there is a small chance of being cheated here. They will insist on 100% advance payment and by the time you will actually "see" the houseboat it will be too late to change. They won’t be half as good as shown in pics.  We had a major disappointment there
• A 2 room houseboat will cost you anywhere between 10 - 15K for 24 hours

Warkala:

• If I can re-do the planning, ( which actually we never did) I would love to stuck it off from plan
• It has a major religious significance but not an "actual" tourist destination
• It mainly has just one beach which is too dangerous for 6 - 8 months of the year
• But yeah all the main hotels etc are on a  cliff which gives you a different view all together.

All in all for sure it's a one time visit. Definitely one of the best tourist destination you will come across.
 

Travelouge - Hyderabad to nagarjunasagar




Left the Catchment Area & Right the Dam Gates in the background

Nagarjunasagar:
  Wow, one of those spots that under promises but over delivers. I went there more as a checkbox thing. Honestly wasn't expecting much, but I WAS SURPRISED. It's worth a visit the view is majestic to say the least.  Even when it has nothing, you will be in awe of the sheer enormity of the same. They have a 45 minute Ferry ride to an island that boasts of Buddhist relics and I must say it did not dis appointed.
The only remorse was I could not see the "Majestic Site" with Gates opened.

Travel from Hyderabad:

• App. 185 Kms , 220 if you include Ferry launch pad and Ettipotala waterfall
• Head directly on the ORR, travel app 65 Km ( From Gachibowli). Follow signage.
• Last 120 Kms are 2 lane, No divider but decent road.
• Traffic average mainly trucks.

Pros:

• World's biggest masonry dam and it wont diss-appoint.
• You can cover everything in one day. ( I left Hyd @ 6 AM and was back by 7 PM)
• The catchment area is huge, amazingly huge
• They have a 45 minute (One way) ferry ride to an island which is pretty scenic
• None of the entry tickets are costly.
• If the gates are opened, you will be awe stuck for sure
• Its a 590 ft deep catchment area
• You will not be stuck for lack of directions. There is just one main road.

Cons:

• The Ettipotala waterfall is a big dis-appointment. The recently created signage's talks of a Crocodile sanctuary which had seen crocodile last in 1993
• You cant go down and have a closer look at the waterfall
• The Ferries are not well maintained, it becomes too slippery there
• Don't expect too many food outlets, Adventure sports or Shopping malls.
• The Gates are opened for may be a month or two in the whole year.
• If you plan to do a night halt, there is actually nothing worth the additional stay

The cocktail of Honesty, Corruption, Media & Politics

Wow one Suspension catches the Fancy of Entire Country. God I am impressed but confused. What's so unique about this.

• Honesty getting punished is not a new thing
• SP leaders speaking a language of " Who cares" is not new
• An officer getting suspended is not new.
• Sand Mafia is almost as old as The Noida real estate boom.

Then what ??
 Long ago I learned that It's not the 100th blow that makes a boxer fell, but the 99 blows that went before that. I had a feeling that Durga became the rallying point for the IAS officers who were somehow feeling too constrained in the current UP regime. She is too young an officer to be corrupted, her childlike innocence and honesty made her the rallying point

Interesting part:

1. I am surprised at the low Political acumen of SP Guys. They allowed it to go out of hands just because they kept on speaking a language of someone intoxicated by Power. They spoke venom when it was sure to backfire.
2. Durga played cool and watched it all happening from a distance. She allowed a very fair and unbiased play.
3. Akhilesh as always turned out to be a good guy caught in wrong party.
4. Media played an amazingly proactive role, finding al skeletons
5. SC said "Brave Girl" but refused to interfere.
6. A suspension became a bargaining chip for Food security bill.

Well UP has a strange Irony, You don't get hung or coalition govts there, you get absolute majority but the end result is anarchy.

But I am sure UP govt. will learn a lesson in the repercussions of punishing Honesty. Way to Go Durga.


 

Hyderabad to SuryaLanka Trip

Recently drove down to SuryaLanka beach with couple of friends. Although it was a miscalculated journey where right from the travel time to "what's there" was incorrectly assumed/judged by me, but on the whole it was worth it. The calm beach, scenic road, negligible traffic, great company covered up for all the miscalculations.

About Suryalanka:

• A remote beach in a remote location ,which even google maps will show remotely
• One of those rare beaches of AP where the govt has stake in it. ( They own the only resort available)
• Around 425 Kms from Hyderabad. ( Hyd - Vijaywada - Guntur - Bapatla - Suryalanka)
• It's more of a Romantic destination and less of an Adventure destination. ( Although it doesn't score highly in either case)

What's Exciting:

• The resort of APTDC is pretty scenic. ( Haritha Resort)
• You practically wake up to the sounds of Sea waves crashing
• Given the monopoly , APTDC could had made this worst and got away with it , but they exceeded expectations.
• If you are travelling from Hyderabad , app 80% of road is 4/6 lane
• Defining the Bay of Bengal Logic , the beach slope isn't steep,
• Almost the whole journey is scenic and you don't feel anything urban
• Although more from a formality perspective, but water sports are there.
• The Sunrise is "Not To Miss" , given the BoB location constraints , sunset isn't at all photogenic
• In spite of my "Apprehensions" , it's safe , pretty safe.
• The speed of your travel majorly will be governed by your car and risk appetite and not by traffic. 

What's Killing:

• Just two hours there and you are like , "Oh Shit That;s All"
• Your Mobile will work, so you aren't away from work :-(. 
• Crabs, Crabs, Crabs, Mother crab, Father Crab, Baby Crab. All sizes and nationalities will greet you.
• 7:00 clock and it's all closed , back to rooms.
• Don't have that romantic notion of walking in a private beach in the moonlight. It's not happening.
• Language barrier, if you don't understand the language then both waiter and sign boards are from Mars for you.

Some Do's and Dont's

• If you do not get the Haritha Beach resort booked , DO NOT GO.
• Take Hyd - Vijaywada highway only.
• It's the company that will matter and not the beach. It's Ok at best.
• Carry your own GPS equipment , dont rely on signboards.

Pics by Rahul Sinha.

Trip to Mrigavani National Park

Mrigavani :

Was looking for a nearby wild life destination in Hyderabad. Came across Mrigavani , the park seems pretty exciting on paper. So thought of giving it a visit. However looks like wildlife guys messed up a bit in terms of keeping something pure by keeping it away from human civilization and at the same time Shouting "Look I am here".  So you end up going there with Great Expectations and come back looking for a next Venue.

•  It’s a 900 Acres National park , opened in 1988 near Hyderabad
• App < 25 kms from here , pretty good approach road. ( Near chilkur Balaji)
•  It is a restricted area so you actually feel like  being in a Jungle.

Pros:

•  Flora:  Pretty Impressive.
•  Pretty cheap. ( Safari 50/- rs only)
•  A decent safari ride. ( bus)
•  Lush green.
•  Limited crowd.
• It is one of the “to visit places” near Hyderabad ( courtesy APTDC)

Cons:

• Fauna: Deers , Hare , Woodpeckers , Pea cock . Pea Hens ,Butterflies. ( The one I saw)
•  One hour inside and you are like , anything left L
•  Majority of the part is restricted and you cant go inside.
•   Just one food shop that too bare min.
•  They have guest house but it can’t be booked on the spot.
•   They claim to have snake shows , Educational tours , Jungle walks , But nobody knew how to get     . them done. Even APTDC guys were not sure about them.

In short much ado about nothing.

wolframalpha the new way of searching.

I understand we are a generation who is confused if google is a verb or a company. Where searching is synonym with Google. Challenging Googles supremacy is foolish.
But I personally think it has been beautifully challenged by http://www.wolframalpha.com/

I think the site attacks the mind set. Its a total new way of searching. Ofcourse koshnix tried the same thing but I personally believe what koshnix tried is what wolframalpha perfected. Basically if I am searching for a thing. I would appreciate if I get the complete info at one click. This precisely is what it does. The down side is either you hit the jackpot or return empty handed.

Background:

• Its basically a search engine.
• It can very well be a Google killer.
• Designed by a prodigy who earned his Phd at I think 21 from caltech.
  
  Imp
• I think it either gives you complete accurate info or gives useless data.
• It actually tries giving a complete holistic view
  
  Good Example:
• Try searching India or Adobe and you will see the diff.

Bad Example:

• Try typing Tanay Anand in Google and wolfromalpha. ( Google gives me what I need and wolfromalpha gives me what I don’t)

I know its a fancy word but I think it has the potential of being an answer to google.

Till then

Happy Googling

Reasons why one should visit Calcutta

No let me clarify at the outset only that I dont have any roots there nor am I a Bengali.But I went there sometime back on a trip which covered IIT KGP , Shankerpur beach , Fort wiliam an IAF Air base and ofcourse sweet Calcutta.
Infact the most surprising part was Calcutta , I had certain pre concieved notions about the city which turned out to be both true and false
To experience them you should visit Calcutta atleast once:

Probably the only city in India where all means of transportation exist Buses , Trams , TAxis , Boats , Rik shaws etc

• You will see the kids playing football and not cricket
• Those nostalgic yellow taxis.
• A marvel in sorts by the name Victoria Memorial
• Park street a pretty upscale market and in a way only one of its kind
• Chelo kabab of peter cat
• People who are Honest.
• Taxi wallahas who unlike Delhi doesnt cheats you.

I am tempted to write Fort William but for an Army enthusiast like me I will take that as two different entities all together.
But there are few things thats pretty interesting and that's the concept of Service Industry or the concept like "Customer is the king" thats pretty non existent there. These things caught more of your fancy when you are a Newbie MBA and are travelling with a group which share the same educational traits.

• Well as I have been told and experienced almost all shops ( In many parts of calcutta and west bengal) are closed between 2 - 5 PM just because they think its hot.


• I saw N number of processions there ( Being an illiterate when it comes to bengali) I cant figure out the intention.It could be because my trip co incided with May day.


• This ones take the cake : We a group of 12 people made an advance booking for a hotel and informed the manager that we would be late reaching at about 12 midnight. As Mr Murphy would have it we left IIT KGP at 12 midnight and then it was app a 3 hour drive. Well on reaching the hotel the manager said he wont give us the rooms now because " We are late by 3 hours". It took 12 MBA guys 35 minutes to convince one Manager and during discussion his only grudge being " Why are you coming late".

All marketing concepts gone for a toss

Not the end of story yet he then declined to open the main gates so thet we can reach the beach again citing rules, that to at a beach with no known history of shark attacks and the prevailing human race that cant predict Tsunami. Ofcourse we walked those few kms by jumping the gates.

But all in all West bengal is different and I will pray to God left ends up loosing all the seats in the current lok sabha elections, becaue I think they are behaving like ostrichs not allowing the winds of change and time to sweep through W Bengal , eventually they will sweep through but by that time they will be two steps behind the world.