Two weeks on...

The tiger population in the world is dwindling. An ad campaign on TV says there are only 1,411 tigers left in India. I believe even globally the tiger population is dwindling. Take the case of Tiger Woods. Last night many of us were watching his apology live. He had always maintained that golf was an integral part of his life. I used wonder what he really meant until I read somewhere that he had 18 mistresses! Wow….he really took his game and his putting seriously. He is now into sex rehab and I’m sure they will only have male doctors and nurses around him.

Back home a political outfit having a leader who calls himself a tiger is also on the verge of extinction. His fear tactics have failed miserably and soon in addition to life saving drugs they will have to stock some face saving drugs as well.

Business News channels are screaming that Spain is one of the countries in Europe which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Having just come back from Latin America I am really surprised. In colonial times Spain has plundered the Latin Americans for a long time and stole hundreds of tons of gold and silver and other precious things. If they are bankrupt despite all this stealing then they must be really bad managers of wealth. Britons on the other hand have proved that they are not only smart plunderers but also pretty good at managing all the wealth they stole from their colonies!

Last evening a part of me was lost forever. I had gone to my dentist and he declared that the wisdom tooth was the root cause of all my toothaches during the past couple of months and I had no choice but to get it extracted. Two injections and two minutes later the tooth was out. The doctor offered me the tooth as a souvenir and I politely declined. It’s a pity the tooth fairy only visits children!

It’s been two lazy weeks of settling down after getting back. The feeling that I don’t belong here seems to be getting stronger. Does this mean anything at all? I have no clue!

P.S. My second post on my LatAm trip is now available at the following url

http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/68343/Disastrous-Start-2

The Best 65 Days of my Life yet!

When you have just come back after enjoying the best 65 days of your life yet….and have had some life changing experiences the problem is more about where to start than about what to write.

There is so much to write that I wonder if I should start with the most amazing things that happened or write about the holiday chronologically like our mind is trained to do from the time we started going to school.

Either way the truth must be told…so I suppose its best to jot down thoughts as they come to mind. In a way I am glad I did not maintain a diary during my holidays as that would have invariably forced me to do a chronological blog. I seem to dislike anything chronological or even logical :) My memories will be kindled by the scores of pictures I took everyday

My first reaction upon arriving back at Mumbai International Airport was “Need to find a way to get out of this city”. In a weird sense even before boarding my flight back from my holiday I got the feeling of being an alien in my own city….my own concrete jungle. My arrival only reinforced this feeling. Having relocated back to Mumbai after living abroad for over two decades I thought the last few years I had spent here had me firmly back to where I was supposed to belong. Was I wrong? Is this just a feeling that will last a few weeks at most? Was this holiday experience a ‘sign’? A ‘sign’ indicating the way my life would be shaped in future? I just don’t seem to have the patience to wait for the answers (patience, in any case, has never been my virtue.). The cliché - " Only time will tell… comes to mind!

An ex-boss recently offered to bid for a 1930 Mahatma Gandhi book for me and since it came at a time when I was in the process of indulging in all kinds of activities for the first time in my life I accepted the offer. He just wrote to me this morning asking for my address in order to mail the book for me. He also asked me to list the highlights of my trip and that’s where I propose to start this blog, listing the highlights of my trip.

The Top 3 being:

1) I have learnt that travelers (as opposed to tourists) rise beyond race, religion, color and nationality. They all belong to the nation I would call Travelopia and its citizens-Travelopians. They are always there to help each other out with tips and tricks and are always glad to see each other. They share happy times and experiences with amazing ease and zest despite knowing that they may never see each other again.

2) I have experienced enough to claim that if you take the best things from each continent and put them all into one continent it would be called Latin America. I was a LatAm fan before this trip and now I am its pilgrim:)

3) I never imagined I would get so close to nature and appreciate all its glory and power. The rain forests, the ocean and the wind were just elements of nature, now I want these to be reflected in my nature (don’t ask me what this means…I guess I’m just blabbering!!).

There were many more memorable moments and since I am an emotional/sentimental guy I would categorize some of them under emotions they evoked.

Happy moments

1) The joy of ending a holiday with the happiest moment cannot be described in words. Luciana, Silvia’s 4 year old daughter is very demanding and not easy to make friends with. I was already aware that it’s easier to open a Halliburton case without keys than break ice with Luciana. Having prided myself at being good with kids this seemed like an extreme sport…a real challenge. I met her for about a week and I thought I did pretty well although in my heart I knew I had not connected with her fully.

The last day when we were saying good bye’s Luciana sprang a surprise as she jumped out of her child seat at the back of the car and was all over me wanting to kiss and hug me. This without doubt was the happiest moment of my holiday. When a child accepts you into its world and connects with you…. its pure bliss!

2) Meeting friends who I had known only through the net was exciting and each one of them I met made the moment so very special. In my coming blogs I will write more about the magical moments I shared with all my new friends.

3) A complete stranger, an old man, on the streets of Lima calling out to me and saying “Indiano”! That’s a happy moment…

Above all, every time you see me smile in my pix you can safely assume that to be a happy moment!

Amusing moments

1) The most amusing moment has to be the one when I saw myself without a moustache. Yes, ladies and gentlemen after all these years I’ve finally bid goodbye to it!!

2) Most verbal communications with Suzana in Brazil who only speaks Portuguese and whose English is as bad as my Spanish.

Sad moments

1) The hurt and pain in the eyes of my Inca descendant guide in Cusco, Peru when she spoke of the death and destruction suffered by the Incas at the hands of Spanish plunderers. It may have happened 100s of years ago but I could still sense the pain of betrayal.

2) When I learnt that a dear friend back home had broken up with her boyfriend.

3) When I heard about the excessive rains and consequent damage to life and property caused by flooding in Cusco and Machu Picchu. Two beautiful cities with such warm and hospitable people did not deserve this.

4) The saddest moment though will surely be the one when I realized that religion is more powerful than love.

“First-time” moment

Seeing for the first-time a lesbian couple sitting in front of me in Ibirapuera park, Sao Paulo engaging in full blown groping and passionate kissing on a Sunday morning!

Embarrassing moments

1) Walking eagerly towards a big board in Sao Paulo, which said VEGETARIAN and on closer scrutiny realizing that it said VETERNARIAN. I must have been really hungry that day!

2) ***************
[This blog is also open to under 18s so I shall skip this one!]

Frustrating moment

When my credit card and debit card both refused to work and I had no cash to check into the hotel in Lima. Thankfully after half an hour and many unsuccessful attempts by the counter girl Vania the credit card finally worked!

Well, that’s it for this post….I am sure there many more special moments will come to mind as I continue this holiday blog.

In my future posts I will be uploading some random pics which might tell you why I call this the best 65 days of my life yet.

Thinking Aloud!

Just about a week left for the big day and I think I can squeeze in one small post and some internal travel too.

In a country where millions find it difficult to even manage two square meals a days I feel blessed to have the privilege of going on such a wonderful holiday. I thank god for showering me with such good fortune!

My solo travel to Singapore in August has made me more organized and equipped to avoid last minute rush. As I come to the end of my packing spree I must give a big thumbs up to the sachet culture in India. Every traveler will be proud of our consumer product companies. I was pleasantly surprised to find almost everything under the sun available in small sachets costing just about Rs 2 (5 cents!!)..tea, coffee, soap, shampoo, snacks etc you name it and they have it in sachets.

I read somewhere that the most important thing to pack while traveling is an open mind! Despite all the amazing people I have networked with in countries I will be visiting I will remember the fact that there are also not so nice people in every country of the world and tourists are soft targets. Ergo, better safe than sorry would be the mantra where ever I go.

To all my friends who are looking forward to my visit as much as I am excited about seeing them here’s a special message. “Whilst i'm sure I’ll be a good boy…if on the odd occasion I get difficult, impatient, blunt or show a bit of temper….please bear with me! I’m sure though that there is nothing I cannot make up with a bit of humour plus I’ve never known anyone who doesn't like Santa. :))

Travel they say not only broadens the mind but broadens the body as well. So to hell with cholesterol and sugar for the next two months coz I always say…you haven’t lived if haven’t lived it up!

To all my friends who helped me put together this trip...muchas gracias...what would I do without you??

As much as I look forward to exploring an amazing continent and my first couch surfing experience I am sure to miss home and people the moment my flight takes off! That’s human nature I suppose…

It's almost now!

http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/63721/Counting-Down-tick-tok-tick-tok-1

Ready Steady Go!

Trying to avoid repitition I've given the link to my latest post which is on TravBuddy. See link below:

http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/63080/Ready-Steady-Go-1

Add Friend Request!!

I’ve always loved writing letters. While at school I would look forward to running back home to check if the postman had any international mail for me from my pen friends. I remember the time when Radio RSA (South Africa) had announced my name as a pen friend from India and I was overwhelmed when I received over 150 letters from all over South Africa! It used to be fun going to the GPO and buying newly released stamps and first day covers (I wonder if they still have them!). Over the years some lost touch some just disappeared and by the time I finished college there was hardly any time for such indulgences.

Once you are bitten by the writers bug the effects are irreversible and you get hooked to writing in one form or the other. Soon personal communication skills got moulded into effective business communication until the internet revolution took place.

Although I was always excited about meeting people and making new friends I was quite a skeptic as far as online socializing was concerned. My nephew then introduced me to ICQ which was big those days. It was nice as a novelty but something seemed to be missing. MSN messenger was the next big thing, introducing all of us to the wonderful world of instant messaging and “Add friend request”. This was more acceptable as most contacts would be people who I used to correspond with via hotmail.

Very soon there was an explosion of social networking sites none of which really excited me. ICQ went into oblivion and Orkut was the flavor of the month. It seemed too frivolous to me and Facebook in part plugged the loopholes Orkut had. I don’t have an account on either of them and I surprised myself when I registered on Livemocha.com . Being an extremely private person this was a leap of faith for me but my desire to learn Spanish and travel to LatAm was so strong that I just could not stop myself from being there.

Today, I am absolutely thrilled about being on livemocha and meeting some incredibly amazing friends. I’m looking forward to meeting Silvia and her cute little daughter Luciana in Costa Rica and celebrating my birthday with Suzana and her friends in Brazil. I am sure I will be meeting more virtual friends during my travel and get to know them better. During the last few weeks I have been surfing almost 8-10 hrs a day planning my trip and discovered two more amazing sites for those who love travel. TravBuddy.com and CouchSurfing.com. If you are someone who travels a lot or just loves traveling do give these sites a dekkho. I bet you will be awed by the endless opportunities they offer. You can check me out on these sites, under the user name - Vyne.

Last but not least a special thanks to Silvia and Suzana for being such wonderful buddies. The warmth and affection displayed by you to a total stranger makes you true ambassadors for your country. Because of you I have started enjoying my vacation even before it has begun.

Noise..Noise..Noise..

You must have thought that baby blog turned one and then went to sleep :) Well, not exactly, the blog has had no post for a long time owing to a little bit of lethargy on my part and a lot of excitement involved in planning my dream holiday to Latin America, which kept me busy. I’m back now and with all the festivities around the only thought that comes to mind is NOISE!

Why are you shouting? I can never forget this “welcome back question” from a friend the moment I landed back in Dubai (on a holiday) after relocating to India for good! That’s the first time I realized the kind of ‘background noise’ we are used to back home. Then on, I had to be conscious of my decibel levels throughout my visit!

The more I see the world the more I am convinced that we must be one of the noisiest countries in the world, especially our cities. It all starts at home when you need the ceiling fan to be at full speed to brave the hot humid climate. The noise made by the fan forces us to increase the television volume in order to make sense of what is being said. The sound from the streets (courtesy, open windows-for the elusive breeze) gives you copyright free access to high decibel surround sound generated by auto rickshaws, cars, buses, motor bikes, repair work etc. This again leads you to keep your door bells and telephone ringers on high volume.

The vicious circle of noise creating more noise is only exasperated during the second half of the year when festivities for Ganesh Chaturti, Dussera and Diwali begin! We are unable to enjoy ourselves unless we are also ‘heard to be having fun’. Music blasting from pooja mandals and every nook and corner makes you wish you were deaf for most part of the time these festivals are celebrated. No one seems to have a clue to celebrating events without being loud. Thankfully government restrictions are trying to make sure these pathetically noisy celebrations don’t go beyond a certain time at night.

Oh! How can I forget the big fat noisy Indian weddings, 'thread ceremonies' etc where you cannot communicate with each other unless you speak into the other persons ear….literally! God has been very kind to us...it’s a miracle that so many of us are not already deaf!

Ok, now that I have let the steam out, I can move to other things. Of all the things that have happened in the past few weeks the ones I recollect immediately are:

Nearly one year after giving investors a heart attack Ramalinga Raju got one for himself. I am still not sure if it was real or exaggerated in order to get VIP treatment at the hospital.

After Advani its Jaswant Singh who was at the receiving end for his Jinnah glorifying comments. BJP is soon becoming a Bharatiya Jinnah Party, much to the amusement of other political outfits.

Economy class now has a new name, ‘cattle class’. Outbursts against Tharoor proved once again that we have absolutely no sense of humour. If you are unable to laugh at yourself be sure others will gladly do it for you!

The moon mission has had its own sense of humour. Apparently they seem to have found a thin invisible layer of water on the moon. Hmmn wonder how they found it if it was invisible :) Poetically too I am not convinced that it is true…such mein agar chand par pani hota toh chand ab tak apna daag na dholeti? :)

Finally, it’s the joy of giving week in India…so all pretty and intelligent women can have their share of joy by giving me their contact details!! I know one person reading this blog who will chide me and say – “always fishing”. Well, young lady I would like to borrow and adapt a line from the movie “Scent of a Woman” and say. ‘The day we stop fishing, Nihi, is the day we die”!!!

Talk about movies and I finally managed to see the movie I've been wanting to see for a long time - The Bucket List. An amazing movie which is funny and yet so touching. A million percent my kinda movie. It also catalysed my sky diving dreams in Brazil!

Wishing you all a Happy (noise free) Dussera.