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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)