As this is my last trip of the year, I thought I would gather up some stats.
I’m not sure why I felt the need to count these things up. I thought that it might be either higher than I thought so that I could say, “Wow, it didn’t feel that bad”, or lower so that I could say, “Golly, I wasn’t away that much”. It turns out it was pretty much spot on what I thought.
Some of my flight numbers were a little lower than I expected since I spent a lot of time in Toronto (I drive there), and a few weeks working in Ottawa (I live there – well, sort of). I also had a bit of slow start and didn’t travel much for the first couple of months.
The number of lost bags is a little shocking to me; I think the percentage is pretty high. I might have actually had bags lost one or two more times, but I can’t remember for certain, so I’m giving the airlines the benefit of the doubt. It’s interesting to note that for the first six months of the year, every time I flew into a state capital, my bags were lost without exception (and only state capitals).
I’m also posting this before my last flight of the year. I’m an optimist; my bag will not get lost, and I will make my connection.
Number of weeks at a client site: 32
Nights away from home: 168
Cities worked in: 18
San Francisco, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Lincoln, NE; Toronto, ON; New York, NY; Raleigh, NC; Sacramento, CA; Burlingame, CA; Ottawa, ON; Bloomington, IL; Springfield, VA; Lexington, MA; Westford, MA; Sudbury, MA; Pittsburgh, PA; Kolkata, India; Bangalore, India; Middletown, RI
Countries visited: 3
Countries visited including stopovers: 5
Airports visited: 22
Ottawa YOW, Toronto YYZ, Chicago ORD, Atlanta ATL, Tallahassee TLH, Ne w York LaGuardia LGA, Newark EWR, Raleigh RDU, Sacramento SMF, San Francisco SFO, Washington Dulles IAD, Boston BOS, Philadelphia PHI, Pittsburgh PIT, London Heathrow LHR, Mumbai BOM, Kolkata CCU, Hyderabad HDD, Bangalore BLR, Paris Charles de Gaulle CDG, Montreal YUL, Providence PVD
Number of flight legs: 73
Missed connections: 6
Lost bags: 5 (13.2%)
Nights stranded on the way home: 2
Number of times I swore to sweet Jesus that I wasn’t going to do this anymore (estimate): 5,000,000
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Too Lazy to Write
Being too lazy to write anything original today, I'm going to leech from the creativity of others to amuse you. Here's a few links that will probably eat up at least half of your Monday morning.
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/
http://www.andreaplanet.com/mosaic/starrynight/
This last link is one of the wierdest things I have ever seen on the net. Bizarrely mesmerising.
http://www.boohbah.com/zone.html
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/
http://www.andreaplanet.com/mosaic/starrynight/
This last link is one of the wierdest things I have ever seen on the net. Bizarrely mesmerising.
http://www.boohbah.com/zone.html
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Everything's Coming Up Greg
It seems like everything’s coming up Greg the last couple of days.
Lara and the kids arrived last night which in itself was pretty cool. Worlds are colliding a little bit, but it’s great to have them around. We didn’t really do anything last night because they didn’t get in until late. Tonight we’ll all go out for dinner and then maybe go for a swim in the pool at the hotel.
Lara brought ice cream from the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Burlington. That was awesome.
Lara’s friend Patty sent me a belated birthday present. I can’t believe she did that. Thank you, Patty! I love it! I’ll have to make you something out of it next time you’re in town.
I also got a letter from Visa that just arrived before Lara left. Apparently I won the Visa “Win what you buy” contest for the month of October. All my purchases (of which there are an aweful lot) for the entire month are being credited back to me. I can’t believe this. I’m glad I racked up my Visa so much that month!
As a firm believer in Karma, I think that some of this is happening to make up for some of the crappy things that have happened over the last week. I left my cell phone in a rental car in Pittsburgh. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I still can’t believe that someone (who is quite likely a business traveller) would find a cell phone in a car and not return it. I can’t imagine keeping it. Also, missing all those flights on the way to and from India really sucked.
Despite all that, I’m still expecting to be struck by a meteor sometime within the next few days.
We’ve been going to the same Thai restaurant every day for lunch this week. The menu allows you to choose your heat level ranging from one star (“Coward”) to four stars (“Native Thai”). I started on three stars on Tuesday, and went to four stars yesterday. Deciding it still wasn’t enough heat, I asked if they could do a five star (I think this would be called “Native Idiot” if it were on the menu). Five stars was enough heat. My stomach still feels warm and it’s been almost three hours.
I kind of caused an accident just outside the restaurant. Well, it wasn’t really my fault. Not really. I was kind of going an “alternate way” through the parking lot. Some people would call this the “wrong way”, but I don’t believe in absolute right and wrong. A girl was turning in to the lot going another alternate way (which some people would call the “right way”) and stopped when she saw me. I don’t know why she stopped because she wasn’t in danger of hitting me. She tromped on the gas in reverse and smashed into the car which was turning in behind her. Reversing there without looking was stupid not only because of the car behind her, but also because if the car wasn’t there, she was reversing into two lanes of traffic. I think she learned a valuable lesson about using her mirrors today. I’m glad I was able to help her learn that lesson.
Lara and the kids arrived last night which in itself was pretty cool. Worlds are colliding a little bit, but it’s great to have them around. We didn’t really do anything last night because they didn’t get in until late. Tonight we’ll all go out for dinner and then maybe go for a swim in the pool at the hotel.
Lara brought ice cream from the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Burlington. That was awesome.
Lara’s friend Patty sent me a belated birthday present. I can’t believe she did that. Thank you, Patty! I love it! I’ll have to make you something out of it next time you’re in town.
I also got a letter from Visa that just arrived before Lara left. Apparently I won the Visa “Win what you buy” contest for the month of October. All my purchases (of which there are an aweful lot) for the entire month are being credited back to me. I can’t believe this. I’m glad I racked up my Visa so much that month!
As a firm believer in Karma, I think that some of this is happening to make up for some of the crappy things that have happened over the last week. I left my cell phone in a rental car in Pittsburgh. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I still can’t believe that someone (who is quite likely a business traveller) would find a cell phone in a car and not return it. I can’t imagine keeping it. Also, missing all those flights on the way to and from India really sucked.
Despite all that, I’m still expecting to be struck by a meteor sometime within the next few days.
We’ve been going to the same Thai restaurant every day for lunch this week. The menu allows you to choose your heat level ranging from one star (“Coward”) to four stars (“Native Thai”). I started on three stars on Tuesday, and went to four stars yesterday. Deciding it still wasn’t enough heat, I asked if they could do a five star (I think this would be called “Native Idiot” if it were on the menu). Five stars was enough heat. My stomach still feels warm and it’s been almost three hours.
I kind of caused an accident just outside the restaurant. Well, it wasn’t really my fault. Not really. I was kind of going an “alternate way” through the parking lot. Some people would call this the “wrong way”, but I don’t believe in absolute right and wrong. A girl was turning in to the lot going another alternate way (which some people would call the “right way”) and stopped when she saw me. I don’t know why she stopped because she wasn’t in danger of hitting me. She tromped on the gas in reverse and smashed into the car which was turning in behind her. Reversing there without looking was stupid not only because of the car behind her, but also because if the car wasn’t there, she was reversing into two lanes of traffic. I think she learned a valuable lesson about using her mirrors today. I’m glad I was able to help her learn that lesson.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Ice Cream, Coconut Curries, and Clam Cakes
Not really too much new happening here. I’m still in Rhode Island. The big exciting news is that Lara and the kids are coming to join me today! Since I had been away for three straight weeks, and then didn’t have much home time before leaving again, the fam’s coming to me. Should be very cool.
They left yesterday and spent the night in Burlington, VT. I’m actually not sure that they’re going to make since Lara discovered the Ben & Jerry’s factory. I’m pretty sure they’ll arrive around dinner time, but I’m not really holding my breath.
I think that I'm going to take them out for a seafood beast feast when they get here. There's a lot of good places around, what with this being right on the ocean. It's all about clams; quahogs, littlenecks, cherrystones, ... The clam cakes are pretty tasty (that's right; clam cakes - not crab cakes).
I’ve been pretty lax with my travelog blog. I’m really going to have to update it with all the places if been eating at in both India and RI. It’s been all about the Thai food for lunch this week. There’s a good spot nearby where you can grab a curry for under six bucks (seems to be the going lunch rate around here). Yumalicious! I find it odd that MS Word does not see “yumalicious” as a spelling mistake.
This is my fourth week teaching the exact same course, which is kind of driving me nuts. On one hand, it’s a bit boring, but at least it’s an easy week. Anything I’d had to bone up on has already been boned up.
I’ve also been playing around with a new programming language called Ruby. The guy I met at the Chinese restaurant in Bangalore was talking about it, so I decided to give it a look. I’d heard of it before, and it seems like it’s beginning to gain momentum. I realise that I don’t talk much shop in this blog, but I just thought I would add this last bit in so that people wouldn’t forget that I’m a computer geek.
They left yesterday and spent the night in Burlington, VT. I’m actually not sure that they’re going to make since Lara discovered the Ben & Jerry’s factory. I’m pretty sure they’ll arrive around dinner time, but I’m not really holding my breath.
I think that I'm going to take them out for a seafood beast feast when they get here. There's a lot of good places around, what with this being right on the ocean. It's all about clams; quahogs, littlenecks, cherrystones, ... The clam cakes are pretty tasty (that's right; clam cakes - not crab cakes).
I’ve been pretty lax with my travelog blog. I’m really going to have to update it with all the places if been eating at in both India and RI. It’s been all about the Thai food for lunch this week. There’s a good spot nearby where you can grab a curry for under six bucks (seems to be the going lunch rate around here). Yumalicious! I find it odd that MS Word does not see “yumalicious” as a spelling mistake.
This is my fourth week teaching the exact same course, which is kind of driving me nuts. On one hand, it’s a bit boring, but at least it’s an easy week. Anything I’d had to bone up on has already been boned up.
I’ve also been playing around with a new programming language called Ruby. The guy I met at the Chinese restaurant in Bangalore was talking about it, so I decided to give it a look. I’d heard of it before, and it seems like it’s beginning to gain momentum. I realise that I don’t talk much shop in this blog, but I just thought I would add this last bit in so that people wouldn’t forget that I’m a computer geek.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Things I Learned in India
Here’s a few tips I’d like to pass on to anyone planning on travelling in India.
Don’t drink the water. Ever. Don’t use it to brush your teeth, and don’t let it get in your mouth when you shower or wash your face. You’re going to get sick anyway, so there’s no reason to help it along.
Some places might look like the bad side of town in a North American city, but they’re not necessarily. You can walk around, but the same rules apply as anywhere. If it’s well lit with lots of people around it’s probably fine.
Carry Immodium or some other pipe-blocker with you. Sooner or later you will want it. The quick dissolve is good when you don’t have water nearby.
Always carry at least a litre of bottled water with you. Don’t drink out of a bottle of water if you haven’t seen it sealed.
Most people are friendly. If someone sees you having a problem, they will probably help you out. This isn’t because they want something, they’re just being nice.
People who aren’t friendly don’t want to hurt you; they just want to rip you off.
Eating non-Indian food every now and then gives your stomach a break if you’re not used to spicy food all the time. Don’t worry about “diminishing the experience”. Spending your trip on the can will diminish it even more.
That queasy, slightly-nauseous feeling you have in your stomach all the time will go away after about a week. Don’t get cocky when it does.
Try different types of food. Typically, we only see North Indian food in restaurants at home, but the food in each region is extremely different, and quite possibly unlike anything you’ve ever had in a restaurant at home.
Don’t worry about your driver’s blatant disregard for traffic guidelines (known as rules in the rest of the world). It’s the oncoming traffic and lack of seat belts you should be worrying about. That’s what’s going to kill you.
Meet locals. Find out where the good places are to go. Look for restaurants where a lot of locals are eating. If they think it’s good, it probably is. Also look for restaurants where locals are taking foreigners to eat. This is also a good sign, because they may be trying to “show the place off”.
Negotiate a flat rate with the taxi drivers. You’ll still get ripped off, but they won’t have to take you on a long drive to run up the meter and waste your time in doing it. You can haggle with them, but don’t expect to get too far. You also can’t play them against each other.
If you’re sensitive to bad smells, bring a handkerchief around with you. I’ve seen lots of locals cover their mouth and nose when the air gets a little ripe.
If you’re staying in a big luxury hotel, don’t let them make you feel like you can’t go out on your own. You can, you’ll save a lot of money doing it, and you’ll have a great time.
If you’re not used to eating spicy food, get used to it before you go. Everything is spicy, including breakfast. Build up you’re tolerance so that you don’t spend the whole time eating plain white rice.
Carry small bills. I found that most people will not be able to break a 500-rupee bill (including cabbies). Some will laugh when you ask them. Some small shops won’t even be able to break a 100-rupee bill. Be prepared so that you don’t get stuck.
I found that bringing $200 Canadian worth of rupees was more than enough for a two-week trip (although I paid for most of my meals with my credit card).
Make sure you have lots of extra time. There is a lot to see, and you don’t want to rush it. If you can, try to take it really easy for the first week while you and your stomach adjust.
Bring a neck pillow for the plane. It will be your best friend.
If you need things that are in your checked luggage for a business trip you’re going on in 24 hours, don’t put them in your checked luggage.
Serviced apartments are a great deal. For less than $200 Canadian, I got a clean room with a bed, washroom, desk and TV for six nights. This included breakfasts, wireless broadband (which was actually a little spotty), and quite a few long distance calls to Canada. They’re not as fancy as the five stars, but they are a great value.
Jamming a plug into socket it’s not made to fit into isn’t as a big a deal as you might think. Just make sure the device you’re plugging in can handle the voltage. Sparking is normal.
Don’t drink the water. Ever. Don’t use it to brush your teeth, and don’t let it get in your mouth when you shower or wash your face. You’re going to get sick anyway, so there’s no reason to help it along.
Some places might look like the bad side of town in a North American city, but they’re not necessarily. You can walk around, but the same rules apply as anywhere. If it’s well lit with lots of people around it’s probably fine.
Carry Immodium or some other pipe-blocker with you. Sooner or later you will want it. The quick dissolve is good when you don’t have water nearby.
Always carry at least a litre of bottled water with you. Don’t drink out of a bottle of water if you haven’t seen it sealed.
Most people are friendly. If someone sees you having a problem, they will probably help you out. This isn’t because they want something, they’re just being nice.
People who aren’t friendly don’t want to hurt you; they just want to rip you off.
Eating non-Indian food every now and then gives your stomach a break if you’re not used to spicy food all the time. Don’t worry about “diminishing the experience”. Spending your trip on the can will diminish it even more.
That queasy, slightly-nauseous feeling you have in your stomach all the time will go away after about a week. Don’t get cocky when it does.
Try different types of food. Typically, we only see North Indian food in restaurants at home, but the food in each region is extremely different, and quite possibly unlike anything you’ve ever had in a restaurant at home.
Don’t worry about your driver’s blatant disregard for traffic guidelines (known as rules in the rest of the world). It’s the oncoming traffic and lack of seat belts you should be worrying about. That’s what’s going to kill you.
Meet locals. Find out where the good places are to go. Look for restaurants where a lot of locals are eating. If they think it’s good, it probably is. Also look for restaurants where locals are taking foreigners to eat. This is also a good sign, because they may be trying to “show the place off”.
Negotiate a flat rate with the taxi drivers. You’ll still get ripped off, but they won’t have to take you on a long drive to run up the meter and waste your time in doing it. You can haggle with them, but don’t expect to get too far. You also can’t play them against each other.
If you’re sensitive to bad smells, bring a handkerchief around with you. I’ve seen lots of locals cover their mouth and nose when the air gets a little ripe.
If you’re staying in a big luxury hotel, don’t let them make you feel like you can’t go out on your own. You can, you’ll save a lot of money doing it, and you’ll have a great time.
If you’re not used to eating spicy food, get used to it before you go. Everything is spicy, including breakfast. Build up you’re tolerance so that you don’t spend the whole time eating plain white rice.
Carry small bills. I found that most people will not be able to break a 500-rupee bill (including cabbies). Some will laugh when you ask them. Some small shops won’t even be able to break a 100-rupee bill. Be prepared so that you don’t get stuck.
I found that bringing $200 Canadian worth of rupees was more than enough for a two-week trip (although I paid for most of my meals with my credit card).
Make sure you have lots of extra time. There is a lot to see, and you don’t want to rush it. If you can, try to take it really easy for the first week while you and your stomach adjust.
Bring a neck pillow for the plane. It will be your best friend.
If you need things that are in your checked luggage for a business trip you’re going on in 24 hours, don’t put them in your checked luggage.
Serviced apartments are a great deal. For less than $200 Canadian, I got a clean room with a bed, washroom, desk and TV for six nights. This included breakfasts, wireless broadband (which was actually a little spotty), and quite a few long distance calls to Canada. They’re not as fancy as the five stars, but they are a great value.
Jamming a plug into socket it’s not made to fit into isn’t as a big a deal as you might think. Just make sure the device you’re plugging in can handle the voltage. Sparking is normal.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Middletown, RI
Now that I’m back on the continent, things have more or less returned to normal. One thing that I noticed in driving from Montreal to Ottawa was how sparse everything is here. Even looking at Montreal from the plane, it amazed me how small it looked. I remember seeing Hyderabad from the plane and the city is buildings packed together as far as the eye can see. You can’t see the edge of the city. I’ve also noticed that my driving habits have suffered from spending so much time watching Indian drivers in action. I was driving way too agressively, although part of it was that I just wanted to be home.
I had to do some shopping over the weekend since my bag was lost. It didn’t get back to me before I had to leave again, so I had to buy a few days worth of clothes and some new shoes. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered me since I could use some new clothes anyway, but it was kind of a drag having to do it during the Christmas season with less than 24 hours at home after a three-week trip.
I came to Rhode Island last night to teach a couple of courses in Middletown. Flights were delayed and everything was running late, but at least I made my connection (I feel for you Joe…).
I haven’t been hit by extreme tiredness yet, so it looks like I’ve beaten the jet lag. Not too bad – 10 ½ hours time difference and I’m right on schedule without missing a beat. I think I’ve come up with a system to beat jet lag; maybe I’ll write a post about it later on. It’s mostly about understanding your sleep cycles and extreme sleep deprivation. It pretty much worked for me on the way there as well, although I had a couple of days where I would turn into a zombie at around 3:00 in the afternoon.
I thought that I would be really sick of Indian food by the time I got back, but my god I’m craving it. I’ll have to find a good place in the area.
I’m teaching in Middletown for two weeks. Lara and the kids are coming down on Wednesday and we’re all going to stay over the weekend. I think that maybe we’ll head to Boston at least one day (it’s only about a two hour drive or so). Who knows what we’ll do the other day. Maybe we’ll just toot around Providence, or go to Cape Cod or something. It’s unfortunate that the weather is chilly.
I had to do some shopping over the weekend since my bag was lost. It didn’t get back to me before I had to leave again, so I had to buy a few days worth of clothes and some new shoes. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered me since I could use some new clothes anyway, but it was kind of a drag having to do it during the Christmas season with less than 24 hours at home after a three-week trip.
I came to Rhode Island last night to teach a couple of courses in Middletown. Flights were delayed and everything was running late, but at least I made my connection (I feel for you Joe…).
I haven’t been hit by extreme tiredness yet, so it looks like I’ve beaten the jet lag. Not too bad – 10 ½ hours time difference and I’m right on schedule without missing a beat. I think I’ve come up with a system to beat jet lag; maybe I’ll write a post about it later on. It’s mostly about understanding your sleep cycles and extreme sleep deprivation. It pretty much worked for me on the way there as well, although I had a couple of days where I would turn into a zombie at around 3:00 in the afternoon.
I thought that I would be really sick of Indian food by the time I got back, but my god I’m craving it. I’ll have to find a good place in the area.
I’m teaching in Middletown for two weeks. Lara and the kids are coming down on Wednesday and we’re all going to stay over the weekend. I think that maybe we’ll head to Boston at least one day (it’s only about a two hour drive or so). Who knows what we’ll do the other day. Maybe we’ll just toot around Providence, or go to Cape Cod or something. It’s unfortunate that the weather is chilly.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
The Longest Day Ever
I got back yesterday afternoon from India, despite some bad experiences (again) at Montreal airport. My bag didn't make my connection in Paris despite a 2 1/2 hour layover. This means that I won't get my bag, my clothes, or my shoes before I have to leave again tonight. On top of this, I missed my connection. After not getting my bag, I was absolutely livid. It seems that my bag is lost about one trip in four or five lately. I was in no mood to hang around for a few hours waiting for the next flight so I rented a car and drove to Ottawa.
Here's a summary of the longest day I've ever experienced.
Thursday 8:30pm EST - Wake up in India
Thursday 10:30pm EST - Start teaching last day
Friday 6:30am EST - Finish class and complete packing
Friday 7:00am EST - Take rickshaw to Park hotel to meet colleague for dinner. Driver gets completely lost and has to ask three other drivers for directions.
Friday 8:30am EST - Another awesome dinner at Tandoor
Friday 11:30am EST - Arrive back at apartment
Friday 12:00pm EST - Prepare to take one last shower before the trip back
Friday 12:01pm EST - Driver to airport arrives one hour earlier than scheduled
Friday 12:15pm EST - Unable to find tickets. Wonder if I'm going home after all
Friday 12:30pm EST - Arrive at airport with tickets in hand. Way too early
Friday 4:00pm EST - Board flight half hour late
Friday 5:00pm EST - In the air to Paris. Sleep for 1 1/2 hours, watch two movies, and sleep another 3 hours before arriving
Saturday 3:00am EST - Arrive in Paris
Saturday 5:00am EST - Leave Paris (without my bags) one hour late. Watch two movies and listen to music.
Saturday 12:30pm EST - Arrive in Montreal and clear customs with no issue
Saturday 1:00pm EST - Flight leaves from Montreal without me while I sort out my missing bag
Saturday 2:30pm EST - After queueing and arguing with Air Canada employees, weigh options and decide to rent a car to drive home
Saturday 2:40pm EST - Leave Montreal in a rental car
Saturday 4:30pm EST - Arrive at home
Saturday 5:30pm EST - Go shopping to buy clothes for first few days of next trip
Saturday 10:00pm EST - Go to sleep
Total sleep: approximately 5 hours
Total time: 49.5 hours
I never want to do that again.
Here's a summary of the longest day I've ever experienced.
Thursday 8:30pm EST - Wake up in India
Thursday 10:30pm EST - Start teaching last day
Friday 6:30am EST - Finish class and complete packing
Friday 7:00am EST - Take rickshaw to Park hotel to meet colleague for dinner. Driver gets completely lost and has to ask three other drivers for directions.
Friday 8:30am EST - Another awesome dinner at Tandoor
Friday 11:30am EST - Arrive back at apartment
Friday 12:00pm EST - Prepare to take one last shower before the trip back
Friday 12:01pm EST - Driver to airport arrives one hour earlier than scheduled
Friday 12:15pm EST - Unable to find tickets. Wonder if I'm going home after all
Friday 12:30pm EST - Arrive at airport with tickets in hand. Way too early
Friday 4:00pm EST - Board flight half hour late
Friday 5:00pm EST - In the air to Paris. Sleep for 1 1/2 hours, watch two movies, and sleep another 3 hours before arriving
Saturday 3:00am EST - Arrive in Paris
Saturday 5:00am EST - Leave Paris (without my bags) one hour late. Watch two movies and listen to music.
Saturday 12:30pm EST - Arrive in Montreal and clear customs with no issue
Saturday 1:00pm EST - Flight leaves from Montreal without me while I sort out my missing bag
Saturday 2:30pm EST - After queueing and arguing with Air Canada employees, weigh options and decide to rent a car to drive home
Saturday 2:40pm EST - Leave Montreal in a rental car
Saturday 4:30pm EST - Arrive at home
Saturday 5:30pm EST - Go shopping to buy clothes for first few days of next trip
Saturday 10:00pm EST - Go to sleep
Total sleep: approximately 5 hours
Total time: 49.5 hours
I never want to do that again.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Goodbye to India
This will be my last post from India since I’m heading out later tonight to go home. I was going to do a whole, “it’s been a great trip and I learned a lot” post, but I’m not going to since I think it would give my blog an air of finality. Life continues and so does the blog!
My flight is not until 2:25am tonight, so I’m going to clean up a bit and head out for one last meal in India with some colleagues from IBM who happen to be in town this week as well. I’ll have to keep it a little early since my driver is coming at 11:30 to pick me up. That is to say, I hope he’s coming to pick me up. One of my students called someone who said the driver is coming, but we’ll see what happens with that. I’m fairly confident that I’ll have a ride. If not, I’ll have reception at the hotel help me get a taxi. 11:30 is quite early to be going to the airport anyway, so I have some leeway.
I’m not particularly excited about this flight. I’m flying on Air France to Paris and I’m not sure that the seats recline fully, so it may be a sleepless night. I guess that’s good because it will help me adjust to the time zone a bit quicker since I’ll sleep better to Montreal. In Montreal, I have a pretty short connection where I will have to get my bag and clear customs. I hope I make it.
I am a little sad to be leaving, but at the same time, it will be great to be home and see the family again; even if it is only for about twenty hours. I can easily see why people spend two months or more to see India. The students have been telling me about all the amazing places I should go to see. Each region of India is very different from the others and has something else to offer.
I’ll be disconnected for the next while, but I’ll probably post again before the weekend’s out.
My flight is not until 2:25am tonight, so I’m going to clean up a bit and head out for one last meal in India with some colleagues from IBM who happen to be in town this week as well. I’ll have to keep it a little early since my driver is coming at 11:30 to pick me up. That is to say, I hope he’s coming to pick me up. One of my students called someone who said the driver is coming, but we’ll see what happens with that. I’m fairly confident that I’ll have a ride. If not, I’ll have reception at the hotel help me get a taxi. 11:30 is quite early to be going to the airport anyway, so I have some leeway.
I’m not particularly excited about this flight. I’m flying on Air France to Paris and I’m not sure that the seats recline fully, so it may be a sleepless night. I guess that’s good because it will help me adjust to the time zone a bit quicker since I’ll sleep better to Montreal. In Montreal, I have a pretty short connection where I will have to get my bag and clear customs. I hope I make it.
I am a little sad to be leaving, but at the same time, it will be great to be home and see the family again; even if it is only for about twenty hours. I can easily see why people spend two months or more to see India. The students have been telling me about all the amazing places I should go to see. Each region of India is very different from the others and has something else to offer.
I’ll be disconnected for the next while, but I’ll probably post again before the weekend’s out.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Bangalore kids
These kids saw me taking a picture and wanted theirs taken too. It was kind of funny how excited they were, so I thought I'd just share the pic. The one in the middle looks a little dazed.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Brigade Rd, Bangalore
I wanted to do a little more shopping last night, so I went to the Cauvery at MG Rd. and Brigade Rd. The Cauvery is a state-run emporium with local goods and handicrafts. Unlike a lot of shops that cater to tourists, there were no people following you around trying to sell you every single thing in the store which was kind of nice. I guess that’s because it’s government owned, so there’s no pressure to make money. There are a lot of really nice things there, but unfortunately, I arrived just before they were closing and was promptly kicked out. This was another difference from most tourist shops; they don’t care if you’re going to buy more stuff when it’s time to close.
I walked down Brigade Rd. which is absolutely crammed from top to bottom with shops and lights. I went into a music store, but didn’t really see anything that grabbed me. I headed to Rice Bowl nearby for a fix of Chinese food.
The food was OK, but I wound up sitting with a fellow from Dublin who decided that he was going to see India for a couple of months. He’s also in the computer biz, and timed his visit with a conference in Bangalore. We had a good chat for about an hour or so before I had to head out (when it gets later, it gets harder and harder to find a ride).
On the way home, the auto-rickshaw almost ran out of gas. Right after that, we almost hit a donkey.
I walked down Brigade Rd. which is absolutely crammed from top to bottom with shops and lights. I went into a music store, but didn’t really see anything that grabbed me. I headed to Rice Bowl nearby for a fix of Chinese food.
The food was OK, but I wound up sitting with a fellow from Dublin who decided that he was going to see India for a couple of months. He’s also in the computer biz, and timed his visit with a conference in Bangalore. We had a good chat for about an hour or so before I had to head out (when it gets later, it gets harder and harder to find a ride).
On the way home, the auto-rickshaw almost ran out of gas. Right after that, we almost hit a donkey.
My Incredible Restraint
I would just like to point how much restraint I’ve been showing in not talking about my gastro-intestinal system. I say restraint because it’s something that you think about all the time. You have to think about everything that you eat or drink. Everytime you walk out the door you have to wonder if there’s going to be “a situation”. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to not run your toothbrush under the tap. I actually have to hold my left hand behind my back while brushing my teeth so that I can’t turn on the tap. Even so, I’ve almost done it twice.
Tuesday was the first day that my stomach didn’t feel queasy. Although I was quite sick one day, my stomach just didn’t feel right the whole time. Part of it is probably the fact that I’ve been eating three spicy meals a day. Maybe I’ll celebrate my new-found immunity with a big glass of murky tap water.
Although I’ve only been here less than two weeks, it’s amazing how the noise and chaos has become the norm. I realised this morning that I’m going to miss the haggling over cab fares and almost getting hit by quick-moving vehicles (even while walking on the sidewalk).
I had a panic attack yesterday when I realised I was leaving in a couple of days and still hadn’t bought any gifts. I decided to make last night a shopping night. At lunch, some of the students had taken me to a clothing/home goods store called Fabindia. Apparently it’s a chain all across the country. It wasn’t a really manly trip, but I got some good ideas for things to buy. Last night, I went to the Forum which is a mall just a couple of kilometres from my apartment. The traffic in Bangalore is horrible, even compared to Kolkata. You just sit and you don’t move at all.
The mall was mostly like a western mall, except that some of the stores are different, and the food court is completely different (except for the Subway). I got some good stuff there and topped it off with a trip to the Pizza Hut. I’m not proud of this fact, but they had many things on the menu which you would never see in a North American PH, such as chicken tikka pizza, which I ordered and devoured with great relish. It was not near as greasy as it is at home, and was actually damn good.
Tuesday was the first day that my stomach didn’t feel queasy. Although I was quite sick one day, my stomach just didn’t feel right the whole time. Part of it is probably the fact that I’ve been eating three spicy meals a day. Maybe I’ll celebrate my new-found immunity with a big glass of murky tap water.
Although I’ve only been here less than two weeks, it’s amazing how the noise and chaos has become the norm. I realised this morning that I’m going to miss the haggling over cab fares and almost getting hit by quick-moving vehicles (even while walking on the sidewalk).
I had a panic attack yesterday when I realised I was leaving in a couple of days and still hadn’t bought any gifts. I decided to make last night a shopping night. At lunch, some of the students had taken me to a clothing/home goods store called Fabindia. Apparently it’s a chain all across the country. It wasn’t a really manly trip, but I got some good ideas for things to buy. Last night, I went to the Forum which is a mall just a couple of kilometres from my apartment. The traffic in Bangalore is horrible, even compared to Kolkata. You just sit and you don’t move at all.
The mall was mostly like a western mall, except that some of the stores are different, and the food court is completely different (except for the Subway). I got some good stuff there and topped it off with a trip to the Pizza Hut. I’m not proud of this fact, but they had many things on the menu which you would never see in a North American PH, such as chicken tikka pizza, which I ordered and devoured with great relish. It was not near as greasy as it is at home, and was actually damn good.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Posted more pics
I just posted some more pics on Flickr.
I did a really stupid thing. I accidentally overwrote all my latest pictures from Kolkata with low-res, low-quality versions. Fortunately, I had formatted my memory card in the camera right before I realised it. Bummer.
I did a really stupid thing. I accidentally overwrote all my latest pictures from Kolkata with low-res, low-quality versions. Fortunately, I had formatted my memory card in the camera right before I realised it. Bummer.
Monday, November 28, 2005
India Mega-Post
I haven't posted in a few days since my internet connectivity has been a little spotty. OK, that's partly an excuse. Since I didn't really get a previous weekend, I decided to mostly take it easy, rest, and recover a bit. Here's a mega-post to make up for it.
I tried to add some pictures, but I can't get the stupid things uploaded. Maybe I'll try again later and just edit them into the post.
Friday
Class finished a little earlier, as it often does on a Friday, and I sat around and chatted for a while. I went to the IBM office there and sat around and chatted some more. The IBM office is not that different from any other office I've been to. Space is at a bit of a premium, so the cubes are small, but big enough to drop your backpack and laptop. Like the client site, there are people who work in the breakroom who make your tea for you. I still can't quite get used to this. I feel so lazy.
That night, I went out with one of the students for some Bengali food. The place wasn't too far from the hotel, so I just walked there (about twenty minutes). He had spent some time in Mumbai and while there, went out to a restaurant called Oh Calcutta to get his fix on Bengali food (apparently Bengalis are very attached to their food). The place we went to was called O Calcutta (see the intentional naming difference?) and was not the same restaurant at all. We ended up going to another place upstairs. Bengali food is a little different than any other Indian food that I've had. First of all, there's a lot of fish, and secondly, there's a lot of mustard. Some of the sauces have an almost wasabi-like burn to them.
Saturday
This was my big day to go out and do some siteseeing, but frankly I was just a little bagged. I took it real easy in the morning. I woke up at around 5:30 (as I have been lately), chatted with the fam a little, and then went back to sleep until about 10:00. Delicious.
I grabbed a couple of things to munch on and walked around the gardens of the hotel. After eating and snapping a few photos, I hopped in a cab, and headed down to the Victoria Memorial. The cabby took the back ways to get in to town (we had settled on a fixed fare already, so he wasn’t trying to run up the meter); it must have been busy taking the main highways on a Saturday morning. We drove through a few markets on the way there. Very interesting.
The memorial has beautiful gardens and a museum containing paintings, exhibits, and artifacts all relating to the British Raj. The building itself is impressive as well. I spent some time wandering through the gardens and the museum.
Me grinning like an idiot.
From the Memorial, I walked to St. Paul’s cathedral. The church was closed at the time, so I just walked around a bit and took some pictures.
From the cathedral, I wandered up Jawaharlal Rd. back to Park St. Indians have a love affair with Chinese food, so I thought I’d try the Indianised version. I stopped at the Oxford book shop to cool off and pick up a Bengali cookbook and then went on looking for the Chinese place I had seen a couple of days before. While here, I saw an Indian version of Erica.
The street kid who had told me his life story the last time I was there spotted me again. He tried to get me to buy him a shoe-shine kit for 2000 rupees (around $60). Nice try, but I’m not that stupid. I gave him some money and got him to take me to the Chinese restaurant. Indian Chinese food is really good. The vegetables were fresh and the flavours were excellent. Actually, I find that in general, the restaurants seem to be really good here. The service is very good, and the food is always very hot and fresh. It’s reasonably priced too (at least by Western standards).
After loading up on vegetable spring rolls, crispy chicken in a chili-honey sauce (beats the hell out of crispy beef any day; I know this is a bold statement), and mixed vegetables, I was in no real mood to walk much longer. It was already getting to be late in the afternoon, so back to the hotel it was, where I settled into a comfortable food coma for the rest of the evening.
On the way back to the hotel, I saw a truck full o’ nuns. Isn’t that a product? No, I’m thinking of Chock Full O’ Nuts. Ha ha.
Sunday
I woke up early and packed to leave for my morning flight to Bangalore. The cab ride to the airport was very quiet and peaceful compared to the rest of my stay there (it was 8:00 on a Sunday morning). I just sat and watched the billboards go by. Just like here, there are billboards everywhere. The only difference is that the people on them are Bollystars, and most of the products are localised (Pogo Potato Chips! Masti Bhi! Crunchy Bhi!).
The flight was pretty uneventful. When I got into town, I went to my apartment to settle in. Compared to the Hyatt, it’s pretty simple accomodations. I have a room with a little bed, a TV and desk, and a washroom. The people running the place are very friendly.
At the time, I wasn’t able to figure out how to call Canada Direct, so I wasn’t able to call home. It also didn’t appear that I had internet access in my apartment, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to communicate with the outside world; especially since I wasn’t expecting to have internet access in the classroom. This was a bit of a low point, since I’d already been away from home for two weeks. I sat around and watched Arnold Schwartzenegger movies.
Later in the evening, I took a walk out to a main road just a couple of blocks away looking for something to eat. There’s not much in the way of restaurants, so I settled on a couple buns from a bakery. I also found a small internet joint and sent an email home.
I think that I was getting ripped off a lot in Kolkata. Most of the shops here weren’t even able to break a 100 rupee note which is what I was paying for cab fares to the office. The two buns cost a total of 6 Rs, and the internet access was 15 Rs per hour.
Monday
I’m only a 5 minute walk from the class, so I had a nice stroll over to the work location. Class went fine. There is a nice open air terrace on the roof of the building where we go for tea and for lunch. Lunch is provided, and although some of the students were complaining that the chatpatis were cold, I thought the meal was generally quite good. I think that most of the people in Bangalore are veg, so the meal was a couple of vegetable dishes. I’m no longer worried about getting food that’s too spicy for me. One of the students commented that he found it a bit spicy, but it was alright to me. I should be fine from here on in.
I went for a walk at lunch with a couple of students. There were about five cows sitting in a no parking zone. I don’t know if they were flaunting their status as cows, or if it was a no parking zone because that’s just where the cows like to sit. I almost tripped over a goat.
After work I took an auto-rickshaw for the first time down to MG road (round of applause if you can guess what MG stands for). The auto-rickshaw is an economical way of getting around mixed in with a heapin’ helpin’ of adrenaline and black lung. Imagine barreling down the highway in a golf cart. Now remove seat belts, the concept of lanes, spacing between vehicles of more than two feet, any modicum of driver courtesy, and brakes. To that, add in random oncoming traffic and farm animals. You now have a pretty good idea of what an auto-rickshaw ride is like. Welcome to India.
I went to a place called Tandoor on MG Rd. which was recommended by one of the students. This was maybe one of the best Indian meals that I’ve ever had; tandoori chicken, mixed vegetable makhani, and garlic naan. Mega-yum!
I tried to add some pictures, but I can't get the stupid things uploaded. Maybe I'll try again later and just edit them into the post.
Friday
Class finished a little earlier, as it often does on a Friday, and I sat around and chatted for a while. I went to the IBM office there and sat around and chatted some more. The IBM office is not that different from any other office I've been to. Space is at a bit of a premium, so the cubes are small, but big enough to drop your backpack and laptop. Like the client site, there are people who work in the breakroom who make your tea for you. I still can't quite get used to this. I feel so lazy.
That night, I went out with one of the students for some Bengali food. The place wasn't too far from the hotel, so I just walked there (about twenty minutes). He had spent some time in Mumbai and while there, went out to a restaurant called Oh Calcutta to get his fix on Bengali food (apparently Bengalis are very attached to their food). The place we went to was called O Calcutta (see the intentional naming difference?) and was not the same restaurant at all. We ended up going to another place upstairs. Bengali food is a little different than any other Indian food that I've had. First of all, there's a lot of fish, and secondly, there's a lot of mustard. Some of the sauces have an almost wasabi-like burn to them.
Saturday
This was my big day to go out and do some siteseeing, but frankly I was just a little bagged. I took it real easy in the morning. I woke up at around 5:30 (as I have been lately), chatted with the fam a little, and then went back to sleep until about 10:00. Delicious.
I grabbed a couple of things to munch on and walked around the gardens of the hotel. After eating and snapping a few photos, I hopped in a cab, and headed down to the Victoria Memorial. The cabby took the back ways to get in to town (we had settled on a fixed fare already, so he wasn’t trying to run up the meter); it must have been busy taking the main highways on a Saturday morning. We drove through a few markets on the way there. Very interesting.
The memorial has beautiful gardens and a museum containing paintings, exhibits, and artifacts all relating to the British Raj. The building itself is impressive as well. I spent some time wandering through the gardens and the museum.
The Victoria Memorial
From the Memorial, I walked to St. Paul’s cathedral. The church was closed at the time, so I just walked around a bit and took some pictures.
From the cathedral, I wandered up Jawaharlal Rd. back to Park St. Indians have a love affair with Chinese food, so I thought I’d try the Indianised version. I stopped at the Oxford book shop to cool off and pick up a Bengali cookbook and then went on looking for the Chinese place I had seen a couple of days before. While here, I saw an Indian version of Erica.
The street kid who had told me his life story the last time I was there spotted me again. He tried to get me to buy him a shoe-shine kit for 2000 rupees (around $60). Nice try, but I’m not that stupid. I gave him some money and got him to take me to the Chinese restaurant. Indian Chinese food is really good. The vegetables were fresh and the flavours were excellent. Actually, I find that in general, the restaurants seem to be really good here. The service is very good, and the food is always very hot and fresh. It’s reasonably priced too (at least by Western standards).
After loading up on vegetable spring rolls, crispy chicken in a chili-honey sauce (beats the hell out of crispy beef any day; I know this is a bold statement), and mixed vegetables, I was in no real mood to walk much longer. It was already getting to be late in the afternoon, so back to the hotel it was, where I settled into a comfortable food coma for the rest of the evening.
On the way back to the hotel, I saw a truck full o’ nuns. Isn’t that a product? No, I’m thinking of Chock Full O’ Nuts. Ha ha.
Sunday
I woke up early and packed to leave for my morning flight to Bangalore. The cab ride to the airport was very quiet and peaceful compared to the rest of my stay there (it was 8:00 on a Sunday morning). I just sat and watched the billboards go by. Just like here, there are billboards everywhere. The only difference is that the people on them are Bollystars, and most of the products are localised (Pogo Potato Chips! Masti Bhi! Crunchy Bhi!).
The flight was pretty uneventful. When I got into town, I went to my apartment to settle in. Compared to the Hyatt, it’s pretty simple accomodations. I have a room with a little bed, a TV and desk, and a washroom. The people running the place are very friendly.
At the time, I wasn’t able to figure out how to call Canada Direct, so I wasn’t able to call home. It also didn’t appear that I had internet access in my apartment, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to communicate with the outside world; especially since I wasn’t expecting to have internet access in the classroom. This was a bit of a low point, since I’d already been away from home for two weeks. I sat around and watched Arnold Schwartzenegger movies.
Later in the evening, I took a walk out to a main road just a couple of blocks away looking for something to eat. There’s not much in the way of restaurants, so I settled on a couple buns from a bakery. I also found a small internet joint and sent an email home.
I think that I was getting ripped off a lot in Kolkata. Most of the shops here weren’t even able to break a 100 rupee note which is what I was paying for cab fares to the office. The two buns cost a total of 6 Rs, and the internet access was 15 Rs per hour.
Monday
I’m only a 5 minute walk from the class, so I had a nice stroll over to the work location. Class went fine. There is a nice open air terrace on the roof of the building where we go for tea and for lunch. Lunch is provided, and although some of the students were complaining that the chatpatis were cold, I thought the meal was generally quite good. I think that most of the people in Bangalore are veg, so the meal was a couple of vegetable dishes. I’m no longer worried about getting food that’s too spicy for me. One of the students commented that he found it a bit spicy, but it was alright to me. I should be fine from here on in.
I went for a walk at lunch with a couple of students. There were about five cows sitting in a no parking zone. I don’t know if they were flaunting their status as cows, or if it was a no parking zone because that’s just where the cows like to sit. I almost tripped over a goat.
After work I took an auto-rickshaw for the first time down to MG road (round of applause if you can guess what MG stands for). The auto-rickshaw is an economical way of getting around mixed in with a heapin’ helpin’ of adrenaline and black lung. Imagine barreling down the highway in a golf cart. Now remove seat belts, the concept of lanes, spacing between vehicles of more than two feet, any modicum of driver courtesy, and brakes. To that, add in random oncoming traffic and farm animals. You now have a pretty good idea of what an auto-rickshaw ride is like. Welcome to India.
I went to a place called Tandoor on MG Rd. which was recommended by one of the students. This was maybe one of the best Indian meals that I’ve ever had; tandoori chicken, mixed vegetable makhani, and garlic naan. Mega-yum!
Friday, November 25, 2005
Dinner in Downtown Kolkata
I left the hotel last night and headed into downtown Kolkata for some dinner. I had originally planned to go to the Victoria Memorial and see St. Paul’s cathedral at night, but it turned out that I didn’t have time. I’ll be there tomorrow anyway, so no big deal.
I took a taxi downtown. I’ve learned not to let them use the meter and insist on them telling me the amount in advance. I’m sure the amount is much higher than it really should be, but for the trip downtown, which is quite a ways, it was still only around five dollars. I had the cab drop me at Park St. and Jawaharlal (Chowringhee) Rd. which is the location of many good restaurants. I walked up the street until I found a place recommended by one of the students, Trincas. I'm told that many of the restaurants on this street, including Trincas, were British restaurants from before Separation.
The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant was that I was the only westerner there. This is usually a good sign, because it means that the locals think the food is good and it’s not just some slop pushed off on tourists. I had fish tikki, daal makhani, and naan, all awesome.
The restaurant had a live band as well which did a pretty good job of things. There were six members of the band crammed onto a stage so small that the lead guitarist actually had the head of his guitar jammed into the bass player’s nose. It was also the first time I had ever seen a blonde Indian woman. I wonder if it was bleached. I was hoping to hear a bit more Bengali music while I was there, but they mostly kicked out def jams like Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head, and The Police’s Every Breath You Take. Why the hell is there no London Beat in my music collection?!?
I took a walk up and down the street to walk off dinner. There are a few other nice-looking places along there as well as a big book shop (Oxford Books), where I hope to find a good Bengali cookbook tomorrow. I got hit up by a lot of beggars, some of them small children selling gum. Once kid, around fourteen years of age told me his life story about how he’s trying to go to school to learn English to make something of himself. He had a pretty good sell.
Here's a few pictures of Park St. at night. The third picture is the restaurant where I ate.
I took a taxi downtown. I’ve learned not to let them use the meter and insist on them telling me the amount in advance. I’m sure the amount is much higher than it really should be, but for the trip downtown, which is quite a ways, it was still only around five dollars. I had the cab drop me at Park St. and Jawaharlal (Chowringhee) Rd. which is the location of many good restaurants. I walked up the street until I found a place recommended by one of the students, Trincas. I'm told that many of the restaurants on this street, including Trincas, were British restaurants from before Separation.
The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant was that I was the only westerner there. This is usually a good sign, because it means that the locals think the food is good and it’s not just some slop pushed off on tourists. I had fish tikki, daal makhani, and naan, all awesome.
The restaurant had a live band as well which did a pretty good job of things. There were six members of the band crammed onto a stage so small that the lead guitarist actually had the head of his guitar jammed into the bass player’s nose. It was also the first time I had ever seen a blonde Indian woman. I wonder if it was bleached. I was hoping to hear a bit more Bengali music while I was there, but they mostly kicked out def jams like Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head, and The Police’s Every Breath You Take. Why the hell is there no London Beat in my music collection?!?
I took a walk up and down the street to walk off dinner. There are a few other nice-looking places along there as well as a big book shop (Oxford Books), where I hope to find a good Bengali cookbook tomorrow. I got hit up by a lot of beggars, some of them small children selling gum. Once kid, around fourteen years of age told me his life story about how he’s trying to go to school to learn English to make something of himself. He had a pretty good sell.
Here's a few pictures of Park St. at night. The third picture is the restaurant where I ate.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
The East Kolkata Diet
I have a new idea for a diet book. It's called the East Kolkata diet. All you have to do is eat a little bit of whatever it was that I had the other day. You won't even feel like eating! If you do manage to eat, it won't be in your system for more than fifteen minutes anyway. I think that I'll package the book with a free sample of Immodium (it really works!).
Suffice it to say that yesterday was not a good teaching day. I started waking up yesterday morning at about 3am and wasn't able to eat anything substantial until dinner (I got a loaf of fresh bread and water from the bakery in the hotel). It's probably my own fault for telling Joe that I hoped to get "a cracking-good case of explosive diarrhea" while I was here. Be careful what you wish for!
Anyway, things have settled down on that front (knock on wood) as my breakfast isn't making me feel nauseous yet (and it's been a solid ten minutes).
I think that I'm going to try to make it into the city tonight for dinner. It will have to be quick since I have a conference call at 10:30pm tonight. I'm much more comfortable about going out now. I take regular taxis now instead of paying exhorbitant amounts for the private cars. Even when the cabbie rips you off, which happened to me the other night, it's still ridiculously cheap. The fare came to 102 rupies (which I'm told is a ridiculous amount for a cab ride, but fares for foreigners are different), so I gave the driver two 100-rupie notes. He stashed one of them away while I wasn't paying attention and handed me back a ten-rupie note saying, "I'll give you the two rupies". As if I had given him 110! I had never had a 10-rupie note before, so I know I didn't give it to him. I argued for a bit, but it wasn't worth the bother (100 rupies is about three dollars Canadian, which probably means more to him than it does to me). However, I'm a lot more vigilant now.
I usually have the taxi drop me off at the IBM building (which is the "wrong" building I was taken to the first day) and just walk. The weather is warm, but not sweltering hot. From a Canadian's point of view it's wonderful, but the locals find it a bit chilly.
I was really looking forward to the tea here. Darjeeling, which produces some of the most fabulous tea in the world IMHO, is only about five hours north of here on the edge of the Himalayas. The tea at work took my by a bit of a surprise. It's essentially hot Nestea which is better than you'd think, but is definitely not a fine cup of clear Darjeeling. I still haven't had the chai here, which is excellent in Canada and is probably sublime here. Maybe I'll find a street vendor that sells it tonight while I'm out (the water and milk are both boiled). Kolkata and West Bengal are also known for their sweets.
If I make it out tonight, I'll try to take some more pictures since I've taken precious few so far, and post them here and on Flickr.
Suffice it to say that yesterday was not a good teaching day. I started waking up yesterday morning at about 3am and wasn't able to eat anything substantial until dinner (I got a loaf of fresh bread and water from the bakery in the hotel). It's probably my own fault for telling Joe that I hoped to get "a cracking-good case of explosive diarrhea" while I was here. Be careful what you wish for!
Anyway, things have settled down on that front (knock on wood) as my breakfast isn't making me feel nauseous yet (and it's been a solid ten minutes).
I think that I'm going to try to make it into the city tonight for dinner. It will have to be quick since I have a conference call at 10:30pm tonight. I'm much more comfortable about going out now. I take regular taxis now instead of paying exhorbitant amounts for the private cars. Even when the cabbie rips you off, which happened to me the other night, it's still ridiculously cheap. The fare came to 102 rupies (which I'm told is a ridiculous amount for a cab ride, but fares for foreigners are different), so I gave the driver two 100-rupie notes. He stashed one of them away while I wasn't paying attention and handed me back a ten-rupie note saying, "I'll give you the two rupies". As if I had given him 110! I had never had a 10-rupie note before, so I know I didn't give it to him. I argued for a bit, but it wasn't worth the bother (100 rupies is about three dollars Canadian, which probably means more to him than it does to me). However, I'm a lot more vigilant now.
I usually have the taxi drop me off at the IBM building (which is the "wrong" building I was taken to the first day) and just walk. The weather is warm, but not sweltering hot. From a Canadian's point of view it's wonderful, but the locals find it a bit chilly.
I was really looking forward to the tea here. Darjeeling, which produces some of the most fabulous tea in the world IMHO, is only about five hours north of here on the edge of the Himalayas. The tea at work took my by a bit of a surprise. It's essentially hot Nestea which is better than you'd think, but is definitely not a fine cup of clear Darjeeling. I still haven't had the chai here, which is excellent in Canada and is probably sublime here. Maybe I'll find a street vendor that sells it tonight while I'm out (the water and milk are both boiled). Kolkata and West Bengal are also known for their sweets.
If I make it out tonight, I'll try to take some more pictures since I've taken precious few so far, and post them here and on Flickr.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Me on Flickr
I bought an account on Flickr a couple of months ago with the intent of uploading all my pictures to it so they'd have a permanent place on the web. That hasn't happened, but it's starting to. I've uploaded a couple of pictures from here in India today (nothing real exciting yet). You can get to my picture page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregdinning (I've also added a link in the sidebar of this page).
First Day of Work
I had my first day of work yesterday. The night before, I was too tired to be bothered to arrange a ride into work, so I left it to the morning. It was a bit of an ordeal getting to the IBM location. First of all, it was a little farther than I thought. I had looked at a map online and didn’t really pay any attention to the scale of it. Second, there are two IBM building and I was brought to the main one, which wasn’t actually where I needed to be (this wasn’t the driver’s fault; it was the address I was given). There was no phone and the only way that they could direct me there was by pointing. An IBMer who worked there flagged down a bicycle rickshaw, gave the driver ten rupees and told him where I needed to go. That was an experience and a half. The drivers here are absolutely mad. There is no concept of lanes. Cars squeeze in wherever there is a spot and constantly honk. It’s a little unnerving in a car, but a lot unnerving in a rickshaw.
Everybody honks. They should invent a car here that just honks at random intervals. Cars could then be sold with standard and automatic horns as an extra option. A guy could make a lot of money with an idea like that.
I saw my first cow yesterday. I was looking out the window while teaching and three of them just walked down the street. There was also a goat sitting under a tree.
The hotel that I’m staying at, the Hyatt Regency is probably one of the swishest places that I’ve ever stayed (all for the bargain price of $53 US per night). The area of Kolkata that I’m in is Salt Lake which is where a lot of the high tech businesses are. On the way in, it didn’t seem like any business park I had ever seen, though. In the taxi from the airport, it seemed like the entire area was the “bad end of town”. After a few minutes, though, I noticed that everyone was fairly well dressed in button-up shirts and slacks. It’s not the bad end at all; it just is what it is. Pulling into the hotel was a shock after seeing the surrounding area. The brightly illuminted building towers above the rest of the area and is surrounding with beautiful gardens and an iron fence. The guards at the front gate check under the car with a mirror (terrorism is a big problem in India).
Initially, I was a little concerned about leaving the hotel in anything but a hired car. This was partly reinforced in talking other westerners around the hotel. However, after being out walking around a bit yesterday, I’ve realised that it’s not that much of a concern. This morning, I deliberately had the driver take my to the IBM location which is a couple blocks from the actual classroom and just walked it. Tonight, I’ll just take a regular cab home and will probably do so in the morning as well to come back to work. It sounds kind of silly, but it’s pretty intimidating at first; especially when you are here by yourself.
I went out for a walk today at lunch time. Here's a couple of pictures of the area by the office. The first is a side street just behind the class, and the second is one of the IBM buildings (the lean-tos in front are street food vendors).
Everybody honks. They should invent a car here that just honks at random intervals. Cars could then be sold with standard and automatic horns as an extra option. A guy could make a lot of money with an idea like that.
I saw my first cow yesterday. I was looking out the window while teaching and three of them just walked down the street. There was also a goat sitting under a tree.
The hotel that I’m staying at, the Hyatt Regency is probably one of the swishest places that I’ve ever stayed (all for the bargain price of $53 US per night). The area of Kolkata that I’m in is Salt Lake which is where a lot of the high tech businesses are. On the way in, it didn’t seem like any business park I had ever seen, though. In the taxi from the airport, it seemed like the entire area was the “bad end of town”. After a few minutes, though, I noticed that everyone was fairly well dressed in button-up shirts and slacks. It’s not the bad end at all; it just is what it is. Pulling into the hotel was a shock after seeing the surrounding area. The brightly illuminted building towers above the rest of the area and is surrounding with beautiful gardens and an iron fence. The guards at the front gate check under the car with a mirror (terrorism is a big problem in India).
Initially, I was a little concerned about leaving the hotel in anything but a hired car. This was partly reinforced in talking other westerners around the hotel. However, after being out walking around a bit yesterday, I’ve realised that it’s not that much of a concern. This morning, I deliberately had the driver take my to the IBM location which is a couple blocks from the actual classroom and just walked it. Tonight, I’ll just take a regular cab home and will probably do so in the morning as well to come back to work. It sounds kind of silly, but it’s pretty intimidating at first; especially when you are here by yourself.
I went out for a walk today at lunch time. Here's a couple of pictures of the area by the office. The first is a side street just behind the class, and the second is one of the IBM buildings (the lean-tos in front are street food vendors).
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Welcome to Kolkata, India
Finally made it! After missing my flight, I spent hours on the phone trying to work out a way to get to Kolkata by Sunday night. Unfortunately, at this late time, many of the options involved flying into India and then buying a paper ticket to get here (most airlines within India don’t do e-tickets, so paper tickets are required). I really wanted to avoid that since I was uncomfortable about flying into Mumbai and facing the possibility of not being able to get a ticket out. Although assured by the travel agent that this would not happen, it did. Fortunately is didn’t turn out to be a problem. And I made it here with only a slight (further) delay.
I had a long layover in Mumbai, but unfortunately didn’t see anything but the airport, and the shanty towns that have grown up around it. I spent half the time waiting for a shuttle to the other airport (oh yeah; something else the travel agent didn’t tell me about), but it was a short ride once the shuttle came. It was my first glimpse into the service industry here. People who work in services seem to get abused verbally quite a bit. For example, there was a man who had been waiting some time for the shuttle. He had missed his breakfast because of the timing of his flights so he was getting pretty hungry. It turned into a big hullabaloo involving a poor baggage attendant, his superior, his superior, and numerous phone calls. Fortunately, the shuttle arrived before it got violent.
It seems like everywhere you go, there are people there to do everything for you. Maybe it’s just because I’m a westerner. People will carry your tray for you, bring you your bag, and pour tea for you in the corporate breakroom. I’m a little afraid to go to the washroom (I think I’ll sneak in).
I had a long layover in Mumbai, but unfortunately didn’t see anything but the airport, and the shanty towns that have grown up around it. I spent half the time waiting for a shuttle to the other airport (oh yeah; something else the travel agent didn’t tell me about), but it was a short ride once the shuttle came. It was my first glimpse into the service industry here. People who work in services seem to get abused verbally quite a bit. For example, there was a man who had been waiting some time for the shuttle. He had missed his breakfast because of the timing of his flights so he was getting pretty hungry. It turned into a big hullabaloo involving a poor baggage attendant, his superior, his superior, and numerous phone calls. Fortunately, the shuttle arrived before it got violent.
It seems like everywhere you go, there are people there to do everything for you. Maybe it’s just because I’m a westerner. People will carry your tray for you, bring you your bag, and pour tea for you in the corporate breakroom. I’m a little afraid to go to the washroom (I think I’ll sneak in).
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Welcome to Kolkata, NJ
India is nothing like I imagined. Everyone speaks perfect North American English and they all look just like North Americans. They are a little rude. It’s strange, but it reminds a lot of New Jersey.
Wait a minute; I am in New Jersey! US Air decided to delay our flight from Pittsburgh by about one and a half hours, so I missed my flight to London by about two minutes. I’m not sure why there was such a delay since the weather was beautiful today. They said that it was due to air traffic control. I guess the high volume of planes flying into one of America’s busiest airports kind of caught them off guard. Who would have thought that would happen two days in a row! I also heard an unsubstantiated rumour that someone spotted a cloud in the nearby vicinity. This may have contributed to the mayhem.
Since rebooking my original flights would now get me into Calcutta on Wednesday (WTF!?!), I have to take a different route. I am now flying Newark to London to Bombay to Calcutta. I am arriving about sixteen hours later than expected and will have no time to acclimatise to the time zone. I guess that’s what makes it an adventure.
I will never fly US Airways again.
Wait a minute; I am in New Jersey! US Air decided to delay our flight from Pittsburgh by about one and a half hours, so I missed my flight to London by about two minutes. I’m not sure why there was such a delay since the weather was beautiful today. They said that it was due to air traffic control. I guess the high volume of planes flying into one of America’s busiest airports kind of caught them off guard. Who would have thought that would happen two days in a row! I also heard an unsubstantiated rumour that someone spotted a cloud in the nearby vicinity. This may have contributed to the mayhem.
Since rebooking my original flights would now get me into Calcutta on Wednesday (WTF!?!), I have to take a different route. I am now flying Newark to London to Bombay to Calcutta. I am arriving about sixteen hours later than expected and will have no time to acclimatise to the time zone. I guess that’s what makes it an adventure.
I will never fly US Airways again.
Friday, November 18, 2005
India Bound
I’m heading out shortly to the airport to make sure that I’m good and early for my flight to Kolkata tonight. I say tonight, but it’s really going to be closer to a day and a half. If I seem a little unresponsive to emails (even more so than usual), you’ll know why. I’ll be sure to add lots of updates when I get there. Maybe not right away, but shortly after. I’ll most likely be a vegetable for a couple of days.
I took my first malaria pill before going to bed last night (at about 1:30am). I was reading the instructions for them and was blown away by some of the possible side effects. Some of the side effects include dizziness, nausea, insomnia, low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count, diarrhea, open lesions in the mouth, and hair loss. I could just imagine waking up with a wig on my pillow. Although waking up maybe wouldn’t be a problem if the insomnia hit me as well. It also said that if I threw up within the next hour I should take another pill immediately. What the hell would I throw up for? If the pill made me throw up, why would I want to take another one? Hesitantly, I took the pill. It was fine and I had a great sleep. Stupid warnings.
Have a good weekend, everybody!
I took my first malaria pill before going to bed last night (at about 1:30am). I was reading the instructions for them and was blown away by some of the possible side effects. Some of the side effects include dizziness, nausea, insomnia, low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count, diarrhea, open lesions in the mouth, and hair loss. I could just imagine waking up with a wig on my pillow. Although waking up maybe wouldn’t be a problem if the insomnia hit me as well. It also said that if I threw up within the next hour I should take another pill immediately. What the hell would I throw up for? If the pill made me throw up, why would I want to take another one? Hesitantly, I took the pill. It was fine and I had a great sleep. Stupid warnings.
Have a good weekend, everybody!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Night out in Pittsburgh
I had a good night out in Pittsburgh with Matt H last night, to celebrate my birthday. We started with a bit of sushi and kept on going with beers until the wee hours. Well not that wee; when you get to be my age you'll understand. Matt graciously picked my up and drove all week - thanks for that!
The weather here is weird. It was so warm last night that it could have been an evening in early June. Today, it was just above freezing, rainy, and windy as hell. It was so windy that I actually saw an old man blowing down the street like a tumbleweed. Not one of those skinny old men either; a fat one. No guff.
I added some places in the Pittsburgh entry in my Travelog to include some of the place that I've been this week.
A few people have asked me about commenting on the blogs. Feel free to do so! I've set them up so that you comment without having to log in.
The weather here is weird. It was so warm last night that it could have been an evening in early June. Today, it was just above freezing, rainy, and windy as hell. It was so windy that I actually saw an old man blowing down the street like a tumbleweed. Not one of those skinny old men either; a fat one. No guff.
I added some places in the Pittsburgh entry in my Travelog to include some of the place that I've been this week.
A few people have asked me about commenting on the blogs. Feel free to do so! I've set them up so that you comment without having to log in.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Def Leppard Pyromania Update
The verdict is in: it rocks. Thanks to all those who posted comments on the original post so that I wouldn't feel like such a loser for saying so.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Gin and Tonic and Smug Bastards Who Already Have Their Luggage
I just got back from dinner where I enjoyed some good seafood at a restaurant just downstairs from the hotel. As I sipped my pre-dinner gin and tonic (Bombay Sapphire, of course), I mused about the origins of this noble drink.
The gin and tonic was invented by the British in India as a means of combatting malaria. Quinine, which is still found in tonic water today, is a mild anti-malarial which was used during the time of the British Raj. Some enterprising young gent decided that he had to drink the tonic water, and he was planning on drinking a lot of gin anyway, so he may as well drink them together. It's thinking like this that helped the British assemble an empire on which the sun never set.
The squeeze of lime? Perhaps it was introduced as a means of sterilizing the glass (as it was originally in a bottle of Corona). Then again, maybe it was because it just tastes good.
As I finished the last of my drink, I realised the importance of building up the quinine level in my system before I head to Kolkata. I think I should drink a lot of g&t's this week.
I still don't have my luggage. Coming up in the elevator, I had to deal with some smug bastard who already had his luggage. Although we didn't say anything to each other or even make eye contact, his demeanor said it all. "Look at me! I have my luggage!" He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 23rd floor. However, I'm staying on the 24th. Ha! Take that! His "have a good evening" as he left the the elevator was so fake. What a jerk. I hate that guy.
The gin and tonic was invented by the British in India as a means of combatting malaria. Quinine, which is still found in tonic water today, is a mild anti-malarial which was used during the time of the British Raj. Some enterprising young gent decided that he had to drink the tonic water, and he was planning on drinking a lot of gin anyway, so he may as well drink them together. It's thinking like this that helped the British assemble an empire on which the sun never set.
The squeeze of lime? Perhaps it was introduced as a means of sterilizing the glass (as it was originally in a bottle of Corona). Then again, maybe it was because it just tastes good.
As I finished the last of my drink, I realised the importance of building up the quinine level in my system before I head to Kolkata. I think I should drink a lot of g&t's this week.
I still don't have my luggage. Coming up in the elevator, I had to deal with some smug bastard who already had his luggage. Although we didn't say anything to each other or even make eye contact, his demeanor said it all. "Look at me! I have my luggage!" He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 23rd floor. However, I'm staying on the 24th. Ha! Take that! His "have a good evening" as he left the the elevator was so fake. What a jerk. I hate that guy.
Pittsburgh
I just got into Pittsburgh and it's about 1:30 in the morning, so this is going to be quick. As usual, my flight from Ottawa arrived late and then left late, I had 15 minutes in Philadelphia to switch planes, had to run from one terminal to the other and barely made it. If only I could say the same about my bag which is probably (should I say hopefully?) somewhere in Philadelphia.
Moral of the story: Never fly through Philadelphia if you can help it.
Moral of the story: Never fly through Philadelphia if you can help it.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Word of the Day
antepenultimate - Third from last.
A dactylic rhyme is one in which the stress on the two words is on the antepenultimate syllable.
See also penultimate (second from last).
A dactylic rhyme is one in which the stress on the two words is on the antepenultimate syllable.
See also penultimate (second from last).
Def Leppard's Pyromania: Rocks or Sucks?
Long before Def Leppard was the answer to "What has nine arms and sucks?", there was Pyromania. This was the first album that I ever bought and it rocked hard. Really hard. In our elementary school, we were allowed to bring in any music we wanted for art class. Pyromania was a perennial favourite along with other big-haired rock titans like Quiet Riot, and Twisted Sister.
I spotted Pyromania in the bargain rack at Future Shop the other day for the low, low price of $7.99. With "Rock of Ages" shamelessly blaring through the store's audio system, how could I resist?
I haven't listened to it yet, since I can't get it onto my iPod while I'm on the road, but once I do, I'll be sure to update. In the meantime, what's your opinion? Sucks or rocks?
I spotted Pyromania in the bargain rack at Future Shop the other day for the low, low price of $7.99. With "Rock of Ages" shamelessly blaring through the store's audio system, how could I resist?
I haven't listened to it yet, since I can't get it onto my iPod while I'm on the road, but once I do, I'll be sure to update. In the meantime, what's your opinion? Sucks or rocks?
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Toronto Update
Snow. That's what I saw when I first looked out the hotel window this morning. Not a lot of it and no accumulation, but it was snow all the same. It looks like it's stopped now, so that might be the last snow I see until almost Christmas.
I've had a pretty busy week so far. The course has definitely kept my busy as has preparing for my upcoming trips. I went out with some of the university gang the other night; Colin, Mario, the Daves, and Dean. I don't remember the last time that I saw Mario. It might have been going for sushi while Rich still lived in Toronto (probably a couple of years at least). Once Mario's Beemer comes in, he can drive out and see us in Ottawa.
I also had dinner with my parents last night in Hamilton. I don't see them much since it's almost impossible to get out there with my travel schedule, so it's good that I take the opportunity when I'm in Toronto. Had a bit of an adventure getting there, though. Who would have thought that Main St. W and Main St. E were two completely separate roads? After a not-so-short detour through Ancaster, I finally made it (about an hour late). I think next time it will be easier to just go to Waterford.
I've had a pretty busy week so far. The course has definitely kept my busy as has preparing for my upcoming trips. I went out with some of the university gang the other night; Colin, Mario, the Daves, and Dean. I don't remember the last time that I saw Mario. It might have been going for sushi while Rich still lived in Toronto (probably a couple of years at least). Once Mario's Beemer comes in, he can drive out and see us in Ottawa.
I also had dinner with my parents last night in Hamilton. I don't see them much since it's almost impossible to get out there with my travel schedule, so it's good that I take the opportunity when I'm in Toronto. Had a bit of an adventure getting there, though. Who would have thought that Main St. W and Main St. E were two completely separate roads? After a not-so-short detour through Ancaster, I finally made it (about an hour late). I think next time it will be easier to just go to Waterford.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Hi all. I'm sitting in a class at the IBM Toronto lab (naturally, paying attention). As I'm probably going to have to teach this stuff (I found out yesterday that I'm one of three people in the world who actually taught the previous version), this is going to have to be short.
Why am I writing this? Since I travel quite a bit, and some of the place that I go are actually interesting, I should probably starting keeping a record of where I go, and what I do. From a more practical side, I'm going to keep track of restaurants and hotels so that when Joe or I (or you, dear reader) go back to one of these places, there will be a mini travel guide there written by someone you know.
Although this is the actual first post, I'll probably back-date a couple since I had a pretty good time in the Boston area last week and went out to tons of places (thanks, Kanti!) that I want to keep track of.
Anyway, that's all for now. Later, all.
Why am I writing this? Since I travel quite a bit, and some of the place that I go are actually interesting, I should probably starting keeping a record of where I go, and what I do. From a more practical side, I'm going to keep track of restaurants and hotels so that when Joe or I (or you, dear reader) go back to one of these places, there will be a mini travel guide there written by someone you know.
Although this is the actual first post, I'll probably back-date a couple since I had a pretty good time in the Boston area last week and went out to tons of places (thanks, Kanti!) that I want to keep track of.
Anyway, that's all for now. Later, all.
All About Cambridge
OK - maybe not all about Cambridge, but over the last couple of weeks I did spend a lot of time there. Here's my mini travelogue.
I spent a week in Westford, MA and a week in Sudbury, MA. Both of these are to the northwest of the Boston and Cambridge area.
Westford, MA: The best thing to do while in Westford is to go to Cambridge or Boston. You can also go to Burlington Mall (see below for details and directions).
Sudbury, MA: The best thing to do while in Sudbury is to go to Cambridge or Boston. Even Westford is a better place to go. Just get out! Actually, I didn't really give Sudbury much of a chance other than lunch spots.
Burlington Mall: This large shopping center is located at highway 3 and I-95. It has all the things you'd expect from a large mall. I think that it's also the only place in the area that has a Legal Seafood. In the area, there is also a large Barnes and Noble, and a Circuit City. It's tough to get there off of I-95. You may need to do like I did - get off on highway 3, realise you screwed up, turn around and take another run at it. The exit off of hwy 3 is the Middlesex turnpike.
Cambridge
I don't think that it would be possible to include everything that there is to know about Cambridge in one blog entry. Here's some of the details.
Cambridge has a lot of "Square" neighbourhoods. The squares all have a large number of bars, coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores and so on. I love that the squares provide a focal point for the different communities where people to go to eat, drink, and just hang out.
Davis Square
This is a lively square near Tufts University. I'm not sure how to get here other than walking the bike path from Mass Ave (around Cameron Ave. It's visible from the Satellite view in Google Maps). It's about a 10 minute walk. I think that Davis Sq is technically in Somerville, MA (not sure if this will affect GoogleMapping).
Johnny D's - 17 Holland St.
Bar and grill with live music every night. There's no cover if you're not sticking around for the show. Good food and friendly staff.
The Burren - 247 Elm St.
Irish bar. Good music and atmosphere and a younger crowd.
The Joshua Tree - 256 Elm St.
Quite a mixed crowd here - everything from business types to college students. Supposedly, it's a bit of a pick-up joint, but we didn't really see much of that. Trivia nights on Tuesdays.
Central Square
There are many good spots here, although there's a bit of a seedy element here.
Rangzen Tibetan Restaurant - 24 Pearl St.
Nice little spot on Pearl St. just off of Mass Ave. Light curries and simple food. Good stuff if you don't feel like something really heavy (I've only had vegetarian dishes here - maybe the meatful dishes are heavier).
Wish and Tavern - 730 Mass Ave.
I'm not sure what the name of this place is supposed to be (I think Wish is the restaurant side). Watch for the sign which says "Tavern in the Square". The pub's cozy and slightly upscale. Supposedly, the food's good at the Wish, but I haven't eaten there. The front windows open to the street when the weather's good.
Harvard Sq
If you're looking to see Harvard university, this is it. Lots of students and Harvard business types hanging around here.
Grendel's Den - 89 Winthrop St.
Well-known Harvard Sq hangout. Great atmosphere and a super place to relax over a drink or five. The food is cheap and good with lots of Mediterranean-style options. Portions are not huge, so if you're really hungry you should order an appetizer. At these prices you can afford it anyway. There's a one-dollar menu on Sunday nights. Give yourself time to hang around and enjoy a couple of drinks.
Boston
Like Cambridge, there is so much to do here that you couldn't possibly do it all in a short trip. There are tons of "Freedom" things if you're into American Revolutionary history. There are tons of great bars and restaurants if you're not.
MJ O'Connor's - 27 Columbus Ave. at Arlington St.
Great Irish pub, with a warm, comfortable atmosphere, and great food, although a little thin on the vegetarian and non-fried stuff options. They have good bartenders that know how to do things right - for example, the hot toddies have a slice of lemon with cloves floating on top just like they should. The bar is in the front, but there's a whole restaurant area in the back. Also in the area: Boston Park Plaza hotel, Legal Seafood, Maggiano's, and McCormick and Schmick's (seafood a la Legal). To get here on the T, take the red line to Lake St, transfer to the green line, and get off at Arlington. Walk a block South (away from the park) and make a left onto Providence St.
From O'Connor's, you can walk a block to Boylston where you got off the T (don't be afraid to ask your server which way that is), make a left and keep going. There are numerous bars along the way.
Getting Around
I'm not going to lie to you. Driving in the Boston area is absolute hell. From a seasoned professional who is used to getting dumped in cities where he's never been, Boston is hands-down the worst city in the US for driving. After years of going there, I finally made my first trip last week where I didn't get lost. Get a good map and make sure you have good directions before you set out. Do not try to improvise your route - you will get lost. Trust me on this.
Parking is hard to come by as well. Expect to pay at least $20 if you're parking just for dinner. Don't even try to find something on the street. Side streets are permit-only, and anything that's not permit-only will be taken. Bite the bullet and park in the first garage you see.
Better yet, don't drive. Boston has a great subway system. In Cambridge, the red line stops at the major squares - Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central, Kendall, ... It then goes into downtown Boston where you can change lines in a number of places. The red line continues as far south as Quincy and Braintree.
Directions
Into Cambridge from the airport:
From the airport, follow the signs for the Sumner tunnel. Do not take any tunnel other than the Sumner tunnel. Note that all tunnels leading from Boston have a $3 toll (exact change is not necessary). From there, follow the signs to Storrow Drive (this is not as easy as it sounds). Storrow Dr. is a nice road that runs along the Charles River. Follow it past the Copley Sq exit to the Mass Ave. exit on the left side. Watch carefully for this! It's a ramp on the left that goes upwards and is quite easy to miss. At the top of the ramp make a right and cross the river into Cambridge. You are now on Mass Ave. (aka Highway 2A) in Cambridge in the middle of the MIT campus. Pat yourself on the back if you made it here without getting lost.
Into Cambridge from the I-95.
Take highway 2 (not 2A - 2!) East into Cambridge. Follow it to the end of the highway and you have three options: Exit to the right to Alewife station. This is the last stop on the red line. There is a large parking lot where you can park all day for $5 (you will never see a deal like this anywhere else in the area). From here, take the T inbound to any square in Cambridge or downtown Boston and beyond. The second option is to take Highway 16 East. To do this, make a left at the lights and follow the narrow lanes. The first set of lights is Mass Ave. Make a right and you're heading in towards Porter Sq (where the road forks) and beyond into Cambridge and Boston. The third option is Highway 16 west. I've never taken that. Follow it and you're on your own.
Keywords: Boston, Cambridge, Sudbury, Burlington Mall, Westford, Massachusets, Harvard, Central Square, Davis Square
I spent a week in Westford, MA and a week in Sudbury, MA. Both of these are to the northwest of the Boston and Cambridge area.
Westford, MA: The best thing to do while in Westford is to go to Cambridge or Boston. You can also go to Burlington Mall (see below for details and directions).
Sudbury, MA: The best thing to do while in Sudbury is to go to Cambridge or Boston. Even Westford is a better place to go. Just get out! Actually, I didn't really give Sudbury much of a chance other than lunch spots.
Burlington Mall: This large shopping center is located at highway 3 and I-95. It has all the things you'd expect from a large mall. I think that it's also the only place in the area that has a Legal Seafood. In the area, there is also a large Barnes and Noble, and a Circuit City. It's tough to get there off of I-95. You may need to do like I did - get off on highway 3, realise you screwed up, turn around and take another run at it. The exit off of hwy 3 is the Middlesex turnpike.
Cambridge
I don't think that it would be possible to include everything that there is to know about Cambridge in one blog entry. Here's some of the details.
Cambridge has a lot of "Square" neighbourhoods. The squares all have a large number of bars, coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores and so on. I love that the squares provide a focal point for the different communities where people to go to eat, drink, and just hang out.
Davis Square
This is a lively square near Tufts University. I'm not sure how to get here other than walking the bike path from Mass Ave (around Cameron Ave. It's visible from the Satellite view in Google Maps). It's about a 10 minute walk. I think that Davis Sq is technically in Somerville, MA (not sure if this will affect GoogleMapping).
Johnny D's - 17 Holland St.
Bar and grill with live music every night. There's no cover if you're not sticking around for the show. Good food and friendly staff.
The Burren - 247 Elm St.
Irish bar. Good music and atmosphere and a younger crowd.
The Joshua Tree - 256 Elm St.
Quite a mixed crowd here - everything from business types to college students. Supposedly, it's a bit of a pick-up joint, but we didn't really see much of that. Trivia nights on Tuesdays.
Central Square
There are many good spots here, although there's a bit of a seedy element here.
Rangzen Tibetan Restaurant - 24 Pearl St.
Nice little spot on Pearl St. just off of Mass Ave. Light curries and simple food. Good stuff if you don't feel like something really heavy (I've only had vegetarian dishes here - maybe the meatful dishes are heavier).
Wish and Tavern - 730 Mass Ave.
I'm not sure what the name of this place is supposed to be (I think Wish is the restaurant side). Watch for the sign which says "Tavern in the Square". The pub's cozy and slightly upscale. Supposedly, the food's good at the Wish, but I haven't eaten there. The front windows open to the street when the weather's good.
Harvard Sq
If you're looking to see Harvard university, this is it. Lots of students and Harvard business types hanging around here.
Grendel's Den - 89 Winthrop St.
Well-known Harvard Sq hangout. Great atmosphere and a super place to relax over a drink or five. The food is cheap and good with lots of Mediterranean-style options. Portions are not huge, so if you're really hungry you should order an appetizer. At these prices you can afford it anyway. There's a one-dollar menu on Sunday nights. Give yourself time to hang around and enjoy a couple of drinks.
Boston
Like Cambridge, there is so much to do here that you couldn't possibly do it all in a short trip. There are tons of "Freedom" things if you're into American Revolutionary history. There are tons of great bars and restaurants if you're not.
MJ O'Connor's - 27 Columbus Ave. at Arlington St.
Great Irish pub, with a warm, comfortable atmosphere, and great food, although a little thin on the vegetarian and non-fried stuff options. They have good bartenders that know how to do things right - for example, the hot toddies have a slice of lemon with cloves floating on top just like they should. The bar is in the front, but there's a whole restaurant area in the back. Also in the area: Boston Park Plaza hotel, Legal Seafood, Maggiano's, and McCormick and Schmick's (seafood a la Legal). To get here on the T, take the red line to Lake St, transfer to the green line, and get off at Arlington. Walk a block South (away from the park) and make a left onto Providence St.
From O'Connor's, you can walk a block to Boylston where you got off the T (don't be afraid to ask your server which way that is), make a left and keep going. There are numerous bars along the way.
Getting Around
I'm not going to lie to you. Driving in the Boston area is absolute hell. From a seasoned professional who is used to getting dumped in cities where he's never been, Boston is hands-down the worst city in the US for driving. After years of going there, I finally made my first trip last week where I didn't get lost. Get a good map and make sure you have good directions before you set out. Do not try to improvise your route - you will get lost. Trust me on this.
Parking is hard to come by as well. Expect to pay at least $20 if you're parking just for dinner. Don't even try to find something on the street. Side streets are permit-only, and anything that's not permit-only will be taken. Bite the bullet and park in the first garage you see.
Better yet, don't drive. Boston has a great subway system. In Cambridge, the red line stops at the major squares - Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central, Kendall, ... It then goes into downtown Boston where you can change lines in a number of places. The red line continues as far south as Quincy and Braintree.
Directions
Into Cambridge from the airport:
From the airport, follow the signs for the Sumner tunnel. Do not take any tunnel other than the Sumner tunnel. Note that all tunnels leading from Boston have a $3 toll (exact change is not necessary). From there, follow the signs to Storrow Drive (this is not as easy as it sounds). Storrow Dr. is a nice road that runs along the Charles River. Follow it past the Copley Sq exit to the Mass Ave. exit on the left side. Watch carefully for this! It's a ramp on the left that goes upwards and is quite easy to miss. At the top of the ramp make a right and cross the river into Cambridge. You are now on Mass Ave. (aka Highway 2A) in Cambridge in the middle of the MIT campus. Pat yourself on the back if you made it here without getting lost.
Into Cambridge from the I-95.
Take highway 2 (not 2A - 2!) East into Cambridge. Follow it to the end of the highway and you have three options: Exit to the right to Alewife station. This is the last stop on the red line. There is a large parking lot where you can park all day for $5 (you will never see a deal like this anywhere else in the area). From here, take the T inbound to any square in Cambridge or downtown Boston and beyond. The second option is to take Highway 16 East. To do this, make a left at the lights and follow the narrow lanes. The first set of lights is Mass Ave. Make a right and you're heading in towards Porter Sq (where the road forks) and beyond into Cambridge and Boston. The third option is Highway 16 west. I've never taken that. Follow it and you're on your own.
Keywords: Boston, Cambridge, Sudbury, Burlington Mall, Westford, Massachusets, Harvard, Central Square, Davis Square
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