I will be sending a few posts on the LAKE PALACE CITY- also famous for the setting ofthe Bond Film-Octopussy
Sunday, March 25, 2012
UDAIPUR
Udaipur is in my estimation India's most pleasant and scenic city with the most exemplary civic management...
Friday, February 3, 2012
THE CHAPTERS IN THE BOOK..No Boda Boda...see www.nobodaboda.com give an indication of what portends...
Hobin Hunting in Arunachal and Other Journeys on theNortheast Frontier .
Conducting American VIPs to India’s EasternExtremities, Manipur and Nagaland .
Travels and Travails in Kashmir, Zanskar, and Ladakh;
Encounters with Nature, Eccentric Travelers, and Others . . . . . . . .
Each Man to His Own: A Question of Survival—and Odd Women
Trapped with Three American Ladies from Texas
Escaping the Talons of a Lammergeier, the Bearded Vulture; No Escape from Chang , Mountain Barley Brew
Two Narrow Escapes for a Young Lady, in Kashmir’s Wilds
7c (vi) Th e Alpine Lakes Trek in Kashmir–and One Big
Mountain Th understorm Th at Became Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
A Cat’s Nine Lives on Himalayan Roads and Other Incidents. 79
a Encounters Over the Zoji La . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7c (vii) b No Brakes and Blind Man’s Bluff , on the Banihal Pass. . . 83
7c (vii) c Blue Tents and Tin Tanks in the High Himalaya . . . . . . . 85
7c (vii) d Stok—Th e Royal Palace, and the Village of Ladakh . . . . . 86
7c (vii) e 1,800 Kilometers on an Italian Vespa From New
Delhi to Kashmir and Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
7d Adventures in the Garhwal Himalaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
7d (i) Lost in the Garhwal While Heading to the Source of the
Ganges in Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
7d (ii) Quirky Englishmen and Again, the Source of the Ganges . . . . 94
7d (iii) More on Language: A Foreign Journey; I Make a
Language Gaff e with a Young British Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7e Rats! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Saturday, October 29, 2011
SEEN BY TRAVELLERS..WILD SIGNS
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen :
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
In a Bangkok temple :
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.
Cocktail lounge , Norway :
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
Doctors office, Rome :
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Dry cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.
In a Nairobi restaurant :
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom :
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.
In a City restaurant :
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.
In a cemetery :
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations :
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant :
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
In a Tokyo bar :
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
Hotel , Yugoslavia :
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
Hotel , Japan :
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery :
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
A sign posted in Germany 's Black Forest :
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.
Hotel, Zurich :
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand :
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
A laundry in Rome :
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.
Cocktail lounge , Norway :
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
Doctors office, Rome :
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Dry cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.
In a Nairobi restaurant :
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom :
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.
In a City restaurant :
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.
In a cemetery :
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations :
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant :
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
In a Tokyo bar :
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
Hotel , Yugoslavia :
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
Hotel , Japan :
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery :
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
A sign posted in Germany 's Black Forest :
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.
Hotel, Zurich :
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand :
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
A laundry in Rome :
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.
Friday, October 21, 2011
More on Pushkar
Thank you for your comments..you may like to visit www.horsebackholidays.com and see the Pushkar Link there.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Pushkar
The full moon in November will indicate the date for the holy dip at the revered Pushkar Fair.. The Horse Safari to Pushkar is a classic travel experience.Write to find out more...
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Hurricane Irene misses her date with West Palm Beach..and homeward bound
Well inspite of occasional smatterings of rain and dark cumulus nimbus clouds..Irene dropped her date with us on West Palm and moved up the east coast...I wont dwell on her antics there..
For myself I boarded the long long long flight home..Over the previous days I fiddled with a variety of combinations with my luggage which had followed the biblical missive " thou shalt go forth and multiply"!
I had bought an amazing computer bag from Mountain Coop in Vancouver..besides the quality..its unique feature was that it doubled up as a mountain back pack! I was therefore able to put my old and new computers into one computer bag and put this in the new pack...and therefore I could carry the air bag as carry on..in addition to the personal item (the laptops). But my dark secret unbenkown to the airlines was that there were 2 laptops..and the airbag was a couple of inches too high or long or wide (I forget which dimension) and was way way way too heavy..felt like 20 kilos to my straining arms)
Before this I was prepared to pay the extra 200 dollars and check the bag in as a third item of checked in baggage.
At the last minute I said to myself "let me try my luck".
The lady at the airline was swift and fast..and I showed her my two carry ons..to which she did not object in anyway.and mercifully there was no strict weigh in of my suitcases. My wife had done the smart thing by buying very light suitcases which unlike others, hardly weighed anuthing.and so I went to the departure lounge. There I struggled because there were no trolleys at the West Palm inside lounges, and I came up to my gate after being weighed down on the long walk, to see the forbidding gadget -the frame for measuring and holding all carry on bags..and I knew they would not pass muster.
Not being one who likes being ticked off, I again asked the desk lady about my bag..she gave them the once over and said "you should'nt have a problem sir".
But I knew I would be able to lift the wretched bag up onto the overhead rack!
Then came the call..."since the flight is full and the aircraft small , all passengers who would like to check in any of their carry on bags to their final destination may do so now at no extra cost"!. I jumped at the offer.
I then saw the departure attendant, a tall six foot bloke struggle with the weight and thought, now Im going to be slapped $200 bucks.. but..the bag was tagged straight to New Delhi and waited for me with my two suitcases..which had also been a few pounds overweight.
In Vancouver I had had a problem with Delta while trying to upgrade my seat. I was willing to pay the extra $ 120 for the economy comfort seat. However the long waits on the phone and other confusion meant that I lost the conversations mid way. I had to make two more calls . In the process my card got debited 3 times by Delta!..and I did not get the seat! because the conversation was not conclusive on account of que delays!
When I tried to call the final time, my card had not enough balance and the seat did not show as available!
When I called my card company they said the card has been debited 3 times and you will have to wait for them to refund the money.
Delta then said it would take 3-5 days to refund the money..but no seat could be allocated until I gave a fresh card. With the month end being on, and my newly transferred credits to my card requiring another couple of days to be reflected, I was neither here nor there!
I finally told the very professional reservation agent that I was not happy and wished to speak to someone else. She said I will transfer you but they will tell you the same thing (you have to wait or submit a fresh card)
But my peristence paid off. The customer agent in Cincinnati to whom I explained that Delta not being able to provide me the desired seat was no fault of mine, said I will hold the seat for you, said" Sir, I will hold the seat for you and you can pay before boarding on the 29th".
Well on the 29th when I was on the Atlanta to Amsterdam section, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had already been issued a boarding pass from West Palm for guess what? Seat 11 C! without being asked to pay for it!
After the five hour wait at Schipol in Amsterdam..I again boarded and was again pleasantly surprised when the flight supervisor came up quietly to me and said "Mr Singh, as a member of Flying Blue, we would like to allocate a seat upfront", and so seat 9 F became mine for the long flight to New Delhi.
The KLM flight which partners with Delta was very good indeed and the staff most pleasant.
But the flight from West Palm Beach to Atlanta, to Amsterdam, to New Delhi was long and I was happy to be back on terra firma with no bags lost or misplaced.
For myself I boarded the long long long flight home..Over the previous days I fiddled with a variety of combinations with my luggage which had followed the biblical missive " thou shalt go forth and multiply"!
I had bought an amazing computer bag from Mountain Coop in Vancouver..besides the quality..its unique feature was that it doubled up as a mountain back pack! I was therefore able to put my old and new computers into one computer bag and put this in the new pack...and therefore I could carry the air bag as carry on..in addition to the personal item (the laptops). But my dark secret unbenkown to the airlines was that there were 2 laptops..and the airbag was a couple of inches too high or long or wide (I forget which dimension) and was way way way too heavy..felt like 20 kilos to my straining arms)
Before this I was prepared to pay the extra 200 dollars and check the bag in as a third item of checked in baggage.
At the last minute I said to myself "let me try my luck".
The lady at the airline was swift and fast..and I showed her my two carry ons..to which she did not object in anyway.and mercifully there was no strict weigh in of my suitcases. My wife had done the smart thing by buying very light suitcases which unlike others, hardly weighed anuthing.and so I went to the departure lounge. There I struggled because there were no trolleys at the West Palm inside lounges, and I came up to my gate after being weighed down on the long walk, to see the forbidding gadget -the frame for measuring and holding all carry on bags..and I knew they would not pass muster.
Not being one who likes being ticked off, I again asked the desk lady about my bag..she gave them the once over and said "you should'nt have a problem sir".
But I knew I would be able to lift the wretched bag up onto the overhead rack!
Then came the call..."since the flight is full and the aircraft small , all passengers who would like to check in any of their carry on bags to their final destination may do so now at no extra cost"!. I jumped at the offer.
I then saw the departure attendant, a tall six foot bloke struggle with the weight and thought, now Im going to be slapped $200 bucks.. but..the bag was tagged straight to New Delhi and waited for me with my two suitcases..which had also been a few pounds overweight.
In Vancouver I had had a problem with Delta while trying to upgrade my seat. I was willing to pay the extra $ 120 for the economy comfort seat. However the long waits on the phone and other confusion meant that I lost the conversations mid way. I had to make two more calls . In the process my card got debited 3 times by Delta!..and I did not get the seat! because the conversation was not conclusive on account of que delays!
When I tried to call the final time, my card had not enough balance and the seat did not show as available!
When I called my card company they said the card has been debited 3 times and you will have to wait for them to refund the money.
Delta then said it would take 3-5 days to refund the money..but no seat could be allocated until I gave a fresh card. With the month end being on, and my newly transferred credits to my card requiring another couple of days to be reflected, I was neither here nor there!
I finally told the very professional reservation agent that I was not happy and wished to speak to someone else. She said I will transfer you but they will tell you the same thing (you have to wait or submit a fresh card)
But my peristence paid off. The customer agent in Cincinnati to whom I explained that Delta not being able to provide me the desired seat was no fault of mine, said I will hold the seat for you, said" Sir, I will hold the seat for you and you can pay before boarding on the 29th".
Well on the 29th when I was on the Atlanta to Amsterdam section, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had already been issued a boarding pass from West Palm for guess what? Seat 11 C! without being asked to pay for it!
After the five hour wait at Schipol in Amsterdam..I again boarded and was again pleasantly surprised when the flight supervisor came up quietly to me and said "Mr Singh, as a member of Flying Blue, we would like to allocate a seat upfront", and so seat 9 F became mine for the long flight to New Delhi.
The KLM flight which partners with Delta was very good indeed and the staff most pleasant.
But the flight from West Palm Beach to Atlanta, to Amsterdam, to New Delhi was long and I was happy to be back on terra firma with no bags lost or misplaced.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Border Crossings-Canada to the USA
After having arrived 3 hrs ahead for my 'international flight' to the US departing at 6 am..they decided to announce a five hour delay..a sense of chaos pervaded as I had two onward connections before arriving at my destination-West Palm Beach in Florida..scheduled for 1030 pm.
Adam from Fresno met the signboard with a loud wail. He was booked via Continental and me via United at they were both in a merger.operating the same fight.
We banded together to fight the airlines.With no staff at the counters yet we decided to share resources and feedback.He called Continental and me United...I called the toll free numbers and the half hour wait at 3 am was worthwhile for the United operative offered me a 730 flt straight to Houston were after a 3 hours wait I could connect the same original flt to West Palm.
I had been asked to check in at the Continental desk. A young girl who announced she was new to the job sweetly took my booking in hand. She was rudely interrupted by her manager, a young hot headed man who said "take him off" we are oversold . I realised that this was a dire situation! I brusquely told him that I had been give a computer number by his partner airline and he could not toss me out; and I was not budging.I loudly said I didnt see his name plate on and I wanted to speak to his supervisor. He shouted back" I am the supervisor". I said " I want to see "your supervisor". He snatched up my passport and stomped to the United Airlines desk where I followed angrily. The United manager told him she could not cancel my reservation, as it was the central desk which had reissued me a ticket.By this time the sweet young girl apologised to me for the inconvenience, and having already ticketed me couldn't cancel the booking. And so the angry young man issued me my baggage tags at all. I later went and shook hands with him and he looked very sheepish and sorry. I said "you must be in a very difficult situation'.The trouble, as the young lass explained was because the merger had taken place in the US,but not yet in Canada, and that United kept overbooking!
Then customs and Immigration. Not having been to the US for 10 years I supposed my profile looked odd. Asked to go for a "secondary examination", I stood before a young agent who was firm and professional but polite. The wait was long and his scrutiny on screen painstaking. He asked me what took me to Florida..I said "to spend time with a polo buddy". "You play polo?". Yes.and is there any other business in the US? Well Im writing a book to be put out in the US. What kind of book? I pulled out the rough sample..showed him the polo and other pics...
Much checking and typing ad retyping and other id etc etc.he looked up as he was typing and reaffired.." so it is a book on polo?" I said " on travel and polo". He typed something in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He said "thank you Mr Singh", you are good to go. I walked out. Two officers stood. "What are you doing here did someome kick you out? Get the officer to walk you out". I walked back in..another officer said, "please come this way Mr Singh, here is the sacred door'.
I saw the two faces of US Immigration..and went on my way.
Here in Palm Beach my friends are observing Ramadan so the only meal and drink of the day is after sundown. Being good friends and knowing how difficult I find it to fast I dont like making too much of a fuss..a few provisions from the store and dinner with the family..makes it workable.
The polo farms, horses , estates et al are top knotch and world class..big and grand American style..
On the farm the family mucks in t keep the farm and horses in tip top shape.
I asked my hosts..should not the sky darken with clouds if the hurricane is immient?
No no..there won't be a cloud in the sky as all the moisture gets sucked up by the hurricane.
It will hit suddenly. Everyone is having a discussion as to " horses in or horses out"..etc etc.
I have packed my bags to batten down the hatches..
Well the sky has just darkened and there is rain..
Now we shall see...
until the next transmission from hurricane coasts in West Palm Beach..near the Everglades..
Adam from Fresno met the signboard with a loud wail. He was booked via Continental and me via United at they were both in a merger.operating the same fight.
We banded together to fight the airlines.With no staff at the counters yet we decided to share resources and feedback.He called Continental and me United...I called the toll free numbers and the half hour wait at 3 am was worthwhile for the United operative offered me a 730 flt straight to Houston were after a 3 hours wait I could connect the same original flt to West Palm.
I had been asked to check in at the Continental desk. A young girl who announced she was new to the job sweetly took my booking in hand. She was rudely interrupted by her manager, a young hot headed man who said "take him off" we are oversold . I realised that this was a dire situation! I brusquely told him that I had been give a computer number by his partner airline and he could not toss me out; and I was not budging.I loudly said I didnt see his name plate on and I wanted to speak to his supervisor. He shouted back" I am the supervisor". I said " I want to see "your supervisor". He snatched up my passport and stomped to the United Airlines desk where I followed angrily. The United manager told him she could not cancel my reservation, as it was the central desk which had reissued me a ticket.By this time the sweet young girl apologised to me for the inconvenience, and having already ticketed me couldn't cancel the booking. And so the angry young man issued me my baggage tags at all. I later went and shook hands with him and he looked very sheepish and sorry. I said "you must be in a very difficult situation'.The trouble, as the young lass explained was because the merger had taken place in the US,but not yet in Canada, and that United kept overbooking!
Then customs and Immigration. Not having been to the US for 10 years I supposed my profile looked odd. Asked to go for a "secondary examination", I stood before a young agent who was firm and professional but polite. The wait was long and his scrutiny on screen painstaking. He asked me what took me to Florida..I said "to spend time with a polo buddy". "You play polo?". Yes.and is there any other business in the US? Well Im writing a book to be put out in the US. What kind of book? I pulled out the rough sample..showed him the polo and other pics...
Much checking and typing ad retyping and other id etc etc.he looked up as he was typing and reaffired.." so it is a book on polo?" I said " on travel and polo". He typed something in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He said "thank you Mr Singh", you are good to go. I walked out. Two officers stood. "What are you doing here did someome kick you out? Get the officer to walk you out". I walked back in..another officer said, "please come this way Mr Singh, here is the sacred door'.
I saw the two faces of US Immigration..and went on my way.
Here in Palm Beach my friends are observing Ramadan so the only meal and drink of the day is after sundown. Being good friends and knowing how difficult I find it to fast I dont like making too much of a fuss..a few provisions from the store and dinner with the family..makes it workable.
The polo farms, horses , estates et al are top knotch and world class..big and grand American style..
On the farm the family mucks in t keep the farm and horses in tip top shape.
I asked my hosts..should not the sky darken with clouds if the hurricane is immient?
No no..there won't be a cloud in the sky as all the moisture gets sucked up by the hurricane.
It will hit suddenly. Everyone is having a discussion as to " horses in or horses out"..etc etc.
I have packed my bags to batten down the hatches..
Well the sky has just darkened and there is rain..
Now we shall see...
until the next transmission from hurricane coasts in West Palm Beach..near the Everglades..
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