Three States

Reminds me of touch-and-go tourists. They visit every place for a few minutes, take a picture and then move on. Thant's kinda how my official tour is going right now. Monday - Bharuch, Tuesday - Indore, Wednesday - Bhopal, Thursday - Agra, Friday - Aligarh. I'm now in Delhi, and have some awesome memories of these places, even though I've spent so little time!

BHARUCH (Gujarat)

I was halfway through to Bharuch from Bombay, stuck at some small time station between Vapi and Surat. For two hours, the train remained there because of a rail roko aandolan happening ahead on the tracks. The reason? More benefits being demanded for daily long distance travelers. The target? Should be the railway authorities, but as expected, they just targeted the common man taking the train. Must be a political party, I'm sure. What do they care?

But I finally reached Bharuch and saw first hand what everybody says about the infrastructure of Gujarat. The roads are undeniably brilliant. Even for a town like Bharuch, the internal roads and connecting highways are nice and smooth. One thing I didn't like about the city on first glance though, was the dust blowing around in the air. And the whole city looks kinda yellow. Even the trees are not green enough - it's like they have a coat of yellow on them.

I also noticed how religion-based bias is so deeply entrenched into the minds of the people (small sample size, so  I may be wrong). Narendra Modi's doing, perhaps? I had some time to kill coz my work was finished and my train to Indore only left at 00:00 hrs. So my client said that I could watch a movie. I said I hadn't watched My Name is Khan and I could probably watch it. He said that he'd seen the movie a day back and it was an "M community movie". I, of course, understood what he meant, but chose not to smile at his grin. He quickly lost the stupid smile and continued, "You know...it's a feel good movie for them. They'll really like it". To which I asked if he thought the movie was good. And he said yes, the movie is good. Unfortunately, he had to preface it with all that Muslim feel good shit.

So I watched the movie for 80 bucks! As the most expensive ticket at Fame Adlabs. Not the prettiest Fame in the country, I must say! All the toilets I went to in Bharuch are awful! Even the toilet I went to at Fame had no working jet, no toilet paper and a flush that didn't work in full force. And yeah, it smelled bad too!

At Bharuch, my 00:00 hrs train eventually arrived at 04:00 hrs. The railways has this brilliant plan of never telling you how late the train will be in totality. First they say 35 mins, then another 45 mins, then 1 hour, then another hour, and so on. And when after the first hour, your hopes are up for the train to finally arrive! Ting tong! May I have your attention please. Train number xxxx from Mumbai to Indore, leaving Bharuch at 00:00 hrs is 55 mins late. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers. No! I don't want you to apologize! If after an hour, the train is still an hour late, it either means that the train hasn't moved from where it was an hour back...or you were lying! And knowing the public sector, it's most probably the latter. And if you'd have just told me it was 4 hours late, I would have taken a nap at the waiting room on the platform at the far end of the station. I didn't even do that because it'd have been a pain carrying around my luggage from platform 3 to platform 1 to get to the waiting room and then do it all over again to come back. And yeah, how can I forget the beautiful station designs in India. Make people use the stairs when they have heavy luggage with them! Why don't they make those slopes for people to wheel their luggage around?!?!?

Ok enough ranting. I finally did catch my train at 4 and went to sleep immediately. Got up only at 11, and saw many missed calls I couldn't even hear coz I was so sleepy!

INDORE (MP)

Indore looks like old Delhi. It seems very city-like, but still has some nuances of a small town. It was one of the few places where I could speak to the client in English. I'm honestly having such a problem talking Information Security in Hindi! I have to rack my brains for every sentence that I have to say!

Anyway, I didn't see much of Indore because I had to leave by 16:30 hrs and I reached only by 12, thanks to the train delay. However, I did learn some things about the city:

1. It is famous for poha and jalebi
2. It has a lot of great farsan, and some fully automated farsan manufacturing plants.

Also, when I was leaving, I saw a lot of police convoys and saffron and green flags with the lotus symbol on them. I was leaving one day before the huge BJP meeting in Indore with the new party president, Nitin Gadkari. Saw him on the news the next day singing "Zindagi...kaisi hai paheli hai...kabhi yeh hasaye...kabhi yeh rulaye..." on the stage during this meet. Guy's not bad at singing. Just couldn't get the tempo right! He doesn't deserve much to be said about politically, so I won't. Except that maybe if he lost some weight, he'd seem little less paisa khau.

BHOPAL (MP)

A 4 hour drive from Indore is Bhopal. The cabbie took me around the town for a while, before I checked into the hotel. I saw the beautiful lake (simple called bada talao) and the awesome houses around it. Also went in the old Bhopal area which looks exactly like Hyderabad. And my love for Hyderabad is well known among my friends and family! Bhopal has one of the biggest mosques in Asia - called the Taj-ul-Masajid - which looks brilliant and is truly huge! There is even a small pond in the mosque. If the mosque has some illumination around it, it would look spectacular! I checked into a hotel, which didn't have a room for me coz the guy who took my reservation on the phone forgot to tell anybody else to keep a room reservation. I did get a room, but not the room type that I wanted. It was 20:30 hrs and I was in no mood to try another hotel.

The next day after work, I took a tour of the Bhopal zoo. It's a really nice place, with animals kept in natural enclosures. No cages. It was a little scary, with the tigers and bears especially, because there's just a moat kinda thing that separates the animal from you. And all you can do is just hope that the zoo was correct in measuring the width of the moat to ensure that the animal can't really jump across it. Even the crocodile enclosure seemed pretty easy for the crocodile to get out of and into the road. Made me feel like they probably don't think it's worth it!

AGRA (UP)

I hate Agra. The Taj Mahal is beautiful, yes, but the rest of Agra sucks. Everybody there is trying to take every last penny that you have. They overcharge in hotels, at restaurants, in autorickshaws, in shopping for little things, everywhere! Nobody seems honest and it gets on my nerves. I decided to do as little in Agra as possible thanks to my hatred. But I have blogged about it before here, if you'd like to know more.

ALIGARH (UP)

Aligarh is about 85 kms from Agra, but that is if you take the bad highway. The road that goes through Mathura is the recommended one and is about 130 kms or 2.5 hrs. My work at Aligarh finished at 15:30 hrs and my train was at 20:00 hrs. I had a lot of time and decided to check out Aligarh Muslim University and Aligarh fort. I really thought there'd be a whole lot to see here because there's such an old university located here. Well there isn't, but you can easily spend a good 3 hours in the university. It is really beautiful. Though I think I was there on the right day. Friday is a half day at the university, which means it's less crowded and you can walk around at your pace.

I was being shown around by this girl, Aaliya, from the client's office. After checking out the mosque and some small garden, we went into the library. I haven't seen manual cataloging for a long time (last time was in my college library way back in 2004). Every section of the library was clearly demarcated. And it was one big library! But my favourite part was the Braille section. We kinda stumbled upon it while walking around, and I'd never seen a Braille library before so we entered. There was one old Muslim uncle with a blind boy sitting there. I asked if it was okay if I looked around...that I was from Bombay and was just looking around the university (that line worked all the time - I was allowed everywhere!) So I touched my first book in Braille. It was a weird feeling really. You open a book and it's just white with little perforations. You almost feel blind for a moment. You want to read what's in the book, but you can't. There's nothing you can see in it, but the blind boy sitting across would be able to read and tell you what's written. It's a rush of a different kind.

As we later crossed the Department of General Education, we heard music. Turned out that both me and Aaliya loved music and so we went towards the sound. It was coming from a music classrom which was closed. We asked the office nearby if we could go in and he said it was alright. I opened the door and saw one professor with 5 students. I asked if we could just sit and listen for a while. I sat my first music class in over 15 years (the last one being a mandatory class in school)! It was mindblowing! Everybody sang with their heart - and sang well! Few guys also had the harmonium and were giving a chord, while the professor gave a beat on the music system. I sat a music class in AMU! Outside the music section, also called the Department of Museology (which is a part of the Department of General Studies), there were nice hot guys stumming away on their guitars. AMU has totaly hot guys! Well, not all of them, of course, but a huge percentage! And totally my kinda looking men - a little rough, no chocolate boy looks. Drool drool!

Aaliya had a friend studying in the university, who she called to ask if there was anything else she should show me. He then suggested we see some Gulzar or Gulmarg or something-like-that garden. It really was beautiful. Very well maintained and pruned. The tickets to get in are Rs. 2 per head. When I gave a fiver at the counter for me and Aaliya, the fellow gave me a toffee in return instead of 1 buck, which I passed on to her. As she unwrapped the toffee, a guard at the gate said to her, "The garbage bin is there" and pointed to it. Impressive!

After a while in the garden, I suddenly remembered I also wanted to see the fort. It was 18:00 hrs by now and Aaliya didn't know where the fort was. So she called her friend again and he, along with a friend of his, showed us the way as our car followed his bike. The fort is now maintained as a botanical garden. So it's good from a garden perspective, but horrible as a fort.

On finishing the fort, the boys asked if we were interested in tea and I, for one, was. A cup of tea later, I dropped Aaliya home and went to the station. My train was 15 minutes late and I bumped into Aaliya's friend again. He, the friend who joined us to the fort and another two friends were at the station. Apparantly, they were there to pick up somebody. The good thing was that they helped me with my luggage (which was really heavy) and put it on the overhead luggage compartment which I would never have been able to do by myself!

And with that, I was on my way to Delhi. One night in EY guesthouse and then at my cousin's place at Gurgaon, where I am right now...writing this.

Single in Singapore

What do you do when you're really pissed with life and all you wanna do is get away from it all? Well....you get away from it all! I was working on the same project for ages which was getting really boring and my personal life was...well...frustrating. So on an impulse, I searched for the cheapest tickets to anywhere outside India. Bangkok or Singapore - I had to make a choice. After a deliberation of a few minutes, return tickets to Singapore were purchased, I had a look of glee on my face, and finally I had something to look forward to!

While I waited for the flight on 27 April 08, I met a really annoying chick who just wanted to yap with me about things I didnt wanna know. Where she was from, what she did in Singapore, how much time it took her to get from her native place to Mumbai to catch the flight, yap, yap, yap. She even gave me her phone number to call and come visit her sometime during my trip. I thankfully wiggled my way out of giving her mine...saying it was a Mumbai number and would be an ISD call for her so I'd rather call her. Phew!

I'd done enough research on Singapore by now to figure my way around places. The moment I got off at Changi airport, I walked to the MRT (metro) terminal and bought myself a EZLink pass. These are access cards that you can use to pay for the MRT and public buses, at a discounted fare. More information at www.ezlink.com.sg

I had booked rooms at a hostel called City Backpackers at Kallang for a week. I chose this place because of the rates and its proximity to the Kallang MRT. It's a 2 minute walk and in fact, you can actually see the MRT station from the hostel. Was a small place, I mean what do u expect for SGD$18 a night, with enough common bathrooms and toilets, AC rooms with 6 people sharing one room, a reception with lots of brochures to read from, internet, TV and DVDs, books and a couple of bean bags.

On the first day, I had decided to go for a Chinese Orchestra that was taking place at the Botanical Gardens. Now I must suggest that before you go to Singapore, you check out the Singapore Calendar of Events to see if there is anything special to do so that you waste no time on Day 1. The Air India flight from Mumbai reaches Singapore at about 1000 hrs so I had the entire day with me.

Oh by the way, Singapore in summer is as hot as Bombay so beware! It’s a humid place and you should carry a handkerchief / tissues at ALL times, coz you are bound to be sweating.

So my first day was not too hectic and the next day I planned to go to a beautiful island called Pulau Ubin to the north of the main island of Singapore. If you are into nature, this place is a must-see. But if u must see it, it must be at the right time. Chek Jawa in Ubin shows its underwater fauna and flora only during the lowest of tides. And on days when the tides are really low, you will be provided with free guided tours. To get to Ubin, you have to take a Bumboat from the Changi Jetty to the Ubin Jetty. A bumboat is a small boat that will ferry you across with a maximum of 12 passengers. Here's the bumboat I travelled in.

This place has three ecosystems – mangroves, forest land and the ocean. Each has its own unique flora and fauna. Once you reach Ubin Jetty, you can hire a bicycle for SGD$4 for about 4-5 hours and cycle your way along the island. Make sure you also ask the cycle owner for a lock and key for when u need to park your cycle and walk ahead. Eat up before you reach Pulau Ubin coz there are no real eateries here. And carry a lot of water with you coz your last chance to stack up on water is where they give the cycles on rent.

Tip: There are many restaurants close to the Changi jetty that serve really really good food, right near the bus stop. Have a late lunch there after you're through with Ubin.

The next day I went to Singapore Zoo in the afternoon. If you want to visit the zoo + night safari, then it’s best to go in the afternoon at 1500 hrs and you can finish the entire tour by about 2200 hrs. Great place for animal lovers. Visit their site for facts and pictures. My favourite part of the zoo was when I saw the orangutans being fed by the zookeepers. The animals in this zoo are so close to you, you feel like playing with them. Of course, common sense prevails and you don't! I wonder when Indian zoos will be as good.

Now this is something that the official Singapore tourism site boasts of – the Kaya Toast at the Chin Mee Chin Confectionery. It is the best Kaya toast I ate anywhere in Singapore (oh and the toast at the airport sucked the most). Kaya, also called srikaya (from the word meaning "rich" in Malay based on its golden color) or coconut egg jam, is a coconut jam made from coconut milk, duck or chicken eggs which are flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar (courtesy: Wikipedia). Even the tea has Kaya in it. This place is in Joo Chiat which is the traditional Katong area in Singapore and has some very beautiful old buildings that you can walk around and enjoy.

Joo Chiat is a wonderful place to walk around, with its old architecture. At night, however, this place is popular for its prostitution and you'll see many hookers on the street. So depending on your comfort, choose the time of the day you wanna visit here.

Joo Chiat has many Gujarati people living there, almost like an ethnic quarter. I saw a Gujarati school, a place called Shah Backpackers, and quite a few Gujarati shops. So Gujjus, you should make a trip to this part of Singapore.

Also, the laksa is Singapore's famed traditional dish, so if you're here, you should try it. While I feasted on some Katong laksa, I asked a few locals what was different from this kind of laksa and a regular laksa. I was told that the main ingredients remaining the same, the Katong laksa is a more localized version, which is less oily and has a few different spices. It sure was tasty.

My tip: Eat breakfast at Chin Mee, walk around Joo Chiat, take lots of pictures, tire yourself and then have the "Famous Katong Laksa" a few shops away from Chin Mee.

The rest of the day, I spent lazing around. I walked to the beach (which is quite far, about a 30-40 minute walk) and slumped at a beach side bar with a beer in one hand and a book in another. Trust you me, it was really hard putting that book down when I had to leave.

After the beach, while walking back to the MRT, I passed through the Malay Village. A big shopping area with delicious looking food and traditional clothing was across the Malay Village. If I wasn't full, I'd have grabbed something to eat there.

For dinner, I was to go to a nearby food court where you get amazing food for just SGD$2-3. Two Thai guys had just moved in to my dorm and I took them along. They were very sweet guys and soooo shy!

The next morning, I had to meet dad's friend who lives at Jurong and I had lunch with them. When I came back to my hostel, a new girl from Holland was in my dorm and we hit it off instantly. We decided to go to Clarke Quay for the evening to have a few drinks. A lot of people had told me about the Swissotel and so we decided to check it out. At 741 feet, you must go to the New Asia bar at the top floor. The view is spectacular, but the bar is expensive. So we just took some pictures from the top.

Back down below, we saw the Merlion, took some pictures and then headed towards a bar to have the famous Singapore Sling. It's a really sweet cocktail that none of us liked. But well, somethings you just gotta do!

The next day, I decided to see Chinatown and Little India. Chinatown is, btw, the best place to shop if you're looking for little mementos to give to people...at great bargains. I had a good authentic Chinese lunch of pork and rice.

But the best thing I saw here, while walking the by-lanes of Chinatown, was a place called "The Time of Tea". This place not only sells various Chinese teas, but also has classes on the art of making tea. I got a crash course by a sweet lady on how to make tea. Here it is, picture by picture.

This is the place - "The Time of Tea"

Step 1: Pour warm water in the tea-making bowl to heat the ceramic bowl.

Step 2: Pour the hot water on the drinking ceramic bowls as well. The idea is that not only the tea, but the bowls should also be hot.

Step 3: Drain the water from the bowls, put in the tea leaves and pour hot water into the bowl. Make sure that the hot water does not fall directly on the tea leaves, but on the side of the bowl. This saves the leaves from getting burnt.

Step 4: Keep for 2 minutes and serve! Your tea is ready.

The teas that were available there. Ranging from SGD$25 to 100.

It was lunch time and I went to a small Chinese restaurant. Since I couldn't make much sense of the menu, I asked for a recommendation. The waitress suggested a rice and pork dish and asked me if I wanted it in soft rice or hard rice. Well, I figured...who wants to eat hard rice? So I ordered for soft rice. And turned out, soft rice is what we call kanji!!!! Add to that some chopsticks and I was lost. How the hell do I have kanji with chopsticks???? This is what my plight looked like, until I asked for a spoon!

After Chinatown, I went to Little India with my Dutch friend. Looks pretty much like India. So I'm not posting any pics!

That night, we went out for some drinks at Boat Quay and had some good Satay dishes on Satay street. This is an entire street that becomes a food joint from evening to 2 am. There are many stalls that sell assorted Satay dishes - chicken, shrimp, beef and pork in one big platter. We filled ourselves with Satay and beer and then went to Clarke Quay again, coz that seemed like the more happening place. Once there, I had to do the reverse bungy. It was scary at first, but then it was 2 minutes of good fun. Then we were off to drinking. Met some guys who gave us company as we went clubbing. There's a bar called the "Clinic" which is a wierd but funny place to be in. You can sit in wheelchairs and drink off a plastic bag that's kept on a pole next to you, with a tube hanging out of it. Except, the place is expensive and a drink can set you back by SGD$50. If you're a girl, trust me, stop being proud, accept the free drink offers.

The next morning, my friend and I went to Sentosa where we saw the aquarium and the dolphin show. The rest of the day, we lazed on the beach and didn'd do much. Sentosa pics are aplenty online. Check them out.

Finally, it was time for me to leave and I took a few pictures with my dorm roomies. The cute Thai guys and a good friend I'd made on the trip. One of the boys even gave me a 2 Bath coin for me to keep. Here is the last picture taken.

And that was the end of the trip. At the Singapore Changi airport, I think I was the only Indian that was not carrying a plasma TV back home and even the airport staff was surprised! All in all, it was a great trip and an amazing mind freshner.