Cough Cough

How many people think that the recent spike in swine flu incidents is due to the tactical manipulation of the media by the producers of the recent GI Joe movie?

Come on. Its bloody obvious aint it. Wear a N95 mask and a helmet and you look like a sure fire Cobra shocktrooper.

Cobra commander just had the last laugh.

--------------------------------------

Got a cold and cough. I'm sure the vindictive Gods will make sure that i've got the swine flu after this.

* Observation based on comparison with the awesome tp that used to be GI Joe cartoons at 730AM on Star Plus way back when.

Transition

Monochrome to Colour. In one week.

Thats what its been like this past week here. The barren trees and bleak outlook from out of the office window has changed altogether into full greenery.

Surprising how just a few different shades of a colour can completely change the atmosphere. Things suddenly looking up around here. Am even willing to forgive the theft of my time.

Just hope the one foot long squirrel sitting on the window sill don't get any amorous ideas in this season.

Hellas

So how does it feel to walk around a city that is over 3000 years old? Better still how does it feel to see structures that are still standing which are that old.

Athens, with its seven hills and small alleys is just that. How does it feel? Quite brilliant.

Too see the care with which the old monuments are being restored, you can not help but feel frustrated at the way the ancient heritage back home is being neglected and destroyed. (I know big talk - what am I doing about it?)

Anyway. The city of THE acropolis. THE because every Greek city had one. But this is the one that matters. This is the one that the world recognises. This is the one that is probably in the best shape.

Went up the hill to the temples of the Parthenon, Erecthyion and to Nike on a day with spitting rain. Walking about the acropolis, you get a sense of the old grandeur of the place. You also have to marvel at how the place was built in the first place. Lucky for us we got a tour who let us know details about the place. Also told us of places to visit around the Acropolis. Like the new Acropolis museum, still not open but a preview display is up. Quite nice that.

The tickets to the acropolis also give you entry to the 6 other places around the city:

• The Ancient Aghora - Crumbling market place on the foothills of the Acropolis. Built and rebuilt over over the ages, still a lot of structures standing from way back when.
• The Roman Aghora - The forum as its called in Roman territories is the Marketplace put up by the Romans when they finally took the city. Most of the place is in ruins.
• Hadrian's library - Shell of the great library setup by Roman Emperor Hadrian.
• The Temple of Jupiter and Hadrian's gate - The incomplete Temple that was built in the centre of the city. The scale of the thing is enormous. Unsurprising that they ran out of men and material to complete the thing. Hadrians gate is another relic of the Roman time, built right next to the Temple of Jupiter.
• The Theatre of Dionysius - Huge theater built on the slopes of the Acropolis. Seeing it you remember that the ancient Greeks were the first to have public plays. Huge theater. Standing in the well you can almost see the hundreds of peole sitting in the seats rising around you.
• Keramaikos - Supposed to be an ancient cemetry. Didnt bother the spooks.

Also went to the Ancient Harbour of Piraeus. Not ancient anymore. Nothing old visible. All the tourist lines of the Meditaranean is all you get to see.

========================================================

In between, went for a day trip out to Delphi, The Navel of the Ancient world. The location where Casandra (cue Voices) and the other Oracles prophecised the glory and the destruction of the ancients.

The place was generally in ruins. Archaelogical restoration is in progress, and you can see some of the past glory of the monuments in place. Delphi was dedicated to Apollo and the columns of the temple are still visible. Every four years, Games were held at the Stadium built at the top of the stadium. Walking up to the top, realised how out of shape I was. The bloody Greeks must have been hulks to walk up that slope carrying their armour etc.

The highlight of the trip though was at the Delphi museum. There a almost complete lifesize statue of a Charioteer is installed. Its eerie jade eyes seems to follow you as you walk around the statue. Superb.

========================================================

This trip was done one week after the riots in the city in Dec 2008. While waling in Pireaus, a crowd was gathering for some more protests. Got out of there as fast as possible.

Also had dinner in the completely seedy Indian restaurant near Thission. Outside were completely dodgy looking immigrant janta. The police made a round of the place a few times while we were having dinner.

There was another Indian place just a few streets earlier to the seedy one. This one was great with decent Indian fare. Quite amazing how the atmosphere of the place just completely shifts in a few 100 metres.

Had good vegetarian food in the country. Probably helped to have along a person who new what to order.

Also, was amazing to see the Greek alphabet again. All those years of alpha, beta,gamma,delta etc in school paid off. Atleast you could guess what was written in case the english script was not available. Nice timepass as well. Especially when you could read some of the engravings on the monuments.

Photos @ picassa

========================================================

Thus ends the travels of the crazy Indian in Europe in winter 2008.

BTW , completely stunned at the number of Indian tourists in Greece for the time of the year.

Deustcheland

Probably ended up in the country at the wrong time. Gloomy skies, brisk wind, but thankfully no precipitation. But winter was beginning to show its true colours.

Five days in the country, six towns in and around Bayern. Gods gift to the traveller is truly De Bahn, One stop location to find public transport anywhere in Germany, and trains anywhere in Europe. The site is quite stunning in that it give details of connections between buses, trains, metro et all in one place. It even gives you expected time it takes to walk from one terminal to the other.

Some of the offers on the site are quite interesting too. I ended up taking a Bayern pass everyday and was able to travel on all public transport in the region except the high speed intercity trains for 20 odd EUR a day.

Travelling around the region you are reminded that each town was in itself part of the federation of city states. Each town, Nurnberg, Bamberg, Wurzberg, Augsburg, Munich all had there own city forts and royal palace for the local City ruler. All these palaces are very impressive. Highlights of each town

• Nurnberg : the old town with the Haptmarkt area
• Bamberg: the town hall - a UNESCO world heritage site. Can not be described. To be seen to understand. Would be superb in good light i think.
• Wurzberg: The river Main and the bridge accross it. The way the flow of water was regulated through the arches of the bridge reminded me of wiers etc that we had learnt in FM. Surpirising that I realised that, cause the statues on the bridge itself were superb. The walk along the river was sublime. Reminded me of walking along the seaside back in the colony.
• Augsburg: The main street in the town, the Fuggurei - a clean ancient ghetto type place
• Munich: The beast at the heart of the area. Capital of bavaria. Everything is larger than life, the squares, the palaces. And I don't think i've seen half of what is there to see in the city.

Was christmas time when i was around. The christmas markets were thrown open in all the town squares. The smell of gluhwine (mulled wine) and sausages was everywhere. General cheer and Christmassy feel in the air.

Managed to put in a day trip to Salzburg, Austria (after spending the night in the waiting room in Munich on Christmas eve). Beautiful town nestled in the Austrian Alps. Was where Mozart stayed and creatd his music. The city centre is another UNESCO heritage site.

Cheeky fact - The town houses here are all called Rathaus's. Haus being House - loosely translating to Rat House. Quite amusing that the hall of the town people is called the Rat house.

For picures go that direction. You'll need to signin to see the pictures believe.

Differences

One sometimes gets a rude awakening that you are from another culture and thought process entirely. Even something as simple as grocey shopping opens your eyes.

In Germany, I was quite surprised to find that everything - and I mean everything, is closed on holidays. Super markets/ stores everything. Coming from a place where you can always go to the kirana store incase you need something, was quite annoying. Landed on a Saturday and was provisionless for a full day before I could get anything. Thankfully there was just enough provisions lying about the house to last the weekend.

Monday morning first thing get to the nearby super market, get saamaan that would last for my stay there and get to the check out. Pay up and lookup for plastic bags to carry the bought stuff. Pick up one of the bags kept at the check out and start the stuff that I've bought, only to be admonished by the woman at the checkout in a thick teutonic voice "You must pay for the bag". Pay for plastic? What? That to a steep price for flimsy plastic. This is when you realise the EU is trying to force people to be environmently friendly. A good thing definitely, but completely alien to me.

Guess thats what all that cross cultural sensitivity crap is all about.

brrr

for the bare handful of men above, the officers and ratings on the bridge, it was pure undiluted hell. but a hell not of our latter-day imagining, a strictly eastern and biblical conception, but the hell of our ancient north-european ancestors, of the vikings, the danes, the jutes, of beowulf and the monster-haunted meres the hell of eternal cold.

true, the temperature registered a mere 10deg below zero, 42deg of frost. men have been known to live, even to work in the open, at far lower temperatures. what is not so well known, what is barely realised at all, is that when freezing point has been passed, every extra mile per hour of wind is equivalent, in terms of pure cold as it reacts on a human being, to a 1 deg drop in temperature.

HMS Ulysses
Alistair Maclean

Boy, did Alistair Maclean know what he was talking about. The temperature outside is around 5 deg C. But then there seems to be a gale force wind on. Atleast thats what is sounds like from all the howling of wind through unseeable gaps in the windows.

Add to that the idiot [looks at self] who doesn't believe in the cold and decides to go for a random walk in this weather woefully short of warm clothes. Two hours of it and ones extremities are nearly frostbitten. Then there is the return to warmth. The blood flows back to the external levels of the epidermis causing wierd tingling sensations. Come to think of it think there was something about that in HMS Ulysses as well.

Definitely need to search for some Maclean eBooks.

The walk was quite worth it too. Christmas finally adding some colour to this town.

Fire Fire Fire

Was walking to the station the other day on my way to work. There is this bank on the way. Just as I was passing by the money van had come in. And there was a security chap guarding the van. This guy was equipped with an SLR. All well and good.

Except the bloody thing didnt have a cartrige fitted on. Neither did he look like the  kung fu move making sort (tho one might have second thoughts after seeing Kung Fu Panda).

Are the banks so broke that they can't even provide adequate protection to money? I'm taking all my money out right this instant.

There. I have done my bit in closing down a few more banks and adding to the economic situation. Muhahahahahaha

Casper's Playground

Do not be the last person leaving your home for a long vacation. And definitely not in the monsoons.

I was left the enviable job of having to store things in such a manner that they would not rot under the onslaught of the moisture in the air. End result, the day before I was scheduled to leave everything in the house is under old sheets and drapes. Add to that, the crazy wind blowing through unseen gaps in the windows providing a chilling background score.

No. I am not to be blamed for the sidey spooky films that have been released recently. And yes, the place survived the monsoons

Going Under

I do not know how to swim.

However, the few times that I have ended with my head under water are brilliant enough to make me want to do it again. So for people like me there is either the kiddie pool or the bath tub. I choose the bath tub (preferring not to undergo more public humiliation than is necessary in life)

The moment you cross the boundary of one fluid to the other the world seems to completely change. All the sounds you hear when your head is above water are all suddenly drowned out. All you hear is your heart pumping blood to the brain. In case you leave only your nose above the water you can hear the rush of air to your lungs and back out. A complete sense of emptiness and peace. A few times in China I even thought I heard someone playing piano softly, quite likely a halucination brought on by the serenity.

This though, is completely contrary to when one was a kid. You used to splash about in your own private little pool, enacting some great sea battle using the soap/shampoo bottles and whatever else floats as submarines, frigates and battleships.

Two opposites. Both superb in their own way.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The less said about those crazy people competing in the swimming pool the better. Phelps is not human. That should be enough.

Terminal-ed

Welcome back to the Traveller's Tales. As it seems to happen towards the end of all my trips, my most recent transit experience goes wonky.

First week of June and me was all content and happy that I have a fixed return trip with no muck ups where I can screw up. Just to be doubly sure, me goes to the local HR chap on monday to see if my calculation of Saturday being the correct date for the expiry of my visa was correct or not. Me was quite confident that the date was correct seeing that I had arrived at the date using complex procedures involving the Oracle(TM) date function (No need to bore yourself wondering why I would do that)

Well, it seems I was wrong. Me complex procedures did not take into consideration the day I landed in the country. End result, all me superbly booked tickets are valid for a day on which I would in all likelyhood be arrested at immigration.

So begins the standard run around and get a ticket jamboree. Mail Monday to travel for a change in dates. Send out a reminder on Tuesday. Another in the evening. Call in on Wednesday morning. Am told to get in touch on Thursday. Like a dumbass that I still believe that I would get tickets for Friday. Thursday morning come in check my mail, no tickets. Call travel say all routes are overbooked. So thus begins the contemplation of alternatives, the brilliant idea that I would go and get immigration done on Friday night (as me flight was at 6AM in morning anyway) itself is shot down by the facilities I remember to have seen on arrival at the airport. No tickets till the evening. I resign myself to having give some gyaan about why i over stayed. Firday morning frantic call at 7:30 from the manager

Manager: "Are you out of the country?"
Me: "No."
Manager: "Get to office. Lets see what we can do."
Me: "OK"

So I reach work at 10AM. Get call from travel that they have ticket flying out to AMS for 1400 today but the connecting flight to BOM is only the next morning. I say can you get me an alternative route. Some more time wasting and travel comes back at 1045 saying this is the only ticket they can get. Without options me tells them to issue the tickets. Print it out, say bye to janta, run back home dunk all my luggage, have a bath and leave for the airport at 12.

Thus begins the 45 hours journey from Bucharest back to Bombay. Land in Amsterdam Friday evening. Just my luck, the hotel that is there within the airport terminal is undergoing renovation. So no rooms there. Also the dutch are not kind enough to issue on arrival visas. Would atleast have roamed about Amsterdam (Maybe would have ended up unknowingly getting hash into the country, but what the hell) So I end up with 16 hours of random roaming about the airport. Some 50 odd chinese janta also end up doing the same thing. End up dozing of on one of the reclining chairs hearing "Jig-a ,Mayo,Nihao-Ma" all around me.

Next morning get up and have breakfast and catch the bloody flight back. End up, sitting next to geriatric old woman who tells all her life's woes in a confessional and finally land in Bombay

Fun.

Can someone tell me the time?

So I experienced my first time shift. No, I wasnt moving at nearly the speed of light. Nor did I drop through a worm hole. Just the average twice in a year shift in time practised by most of the world for daylight savings.

It does screw about with your mind. I was actually up when the clocks shifted last saturday at 3AM. Was reading The Fountainhead. Just glanced at the clock on the toolbar. It was showing 4:05AM. I was sitting there scratching my head wondering how the hell it was past 4. Fountainhead is good. But not that good. Did I sleep while I was reading? Then the starter finally kicks in. Lets goo check the time on the mobiile. It also shows 4:05. Find an analog device. Ah! The watch. There its still 3:05. Amazed that MS had built this into Windows. And it actually worked. Woohoo.

I ain;t likly to be here when they shift the clocks back. I am getting cheated of my time. I want justice.....

Khutta Rakshash and other tales

Romania is famous for being the land of Vlad the Impaler, I say its the land off crazy dogs and dog lovers. There are all these wolf-like strays running around the streets of Bucharest (Yes, I am currently there). Every bloody house in the neighbourhood has a Canine

The other day, we were thrown out of our room for a couple of hours as there was supposed to be some meeting there. So me and and a few other people here went out for a little walk about. The random walking took us into this residential street. Quaint houses with small gardens and all that. Slowly the howling begins. However in the two weeks I have been here, I have got used to this. So we just continued walking up the street talking random crap. Towards the end of the street there is a fork off to the right, while there seems to be a left further up the road which should get us in the general direction we need to go. We stop for a moment at the fork pondering which way to go. After a few seconds we decide we'll go straight.

As soon as we step into the straight path, we here this HUGE roar two feet from us across the wall. All of us are jumping out of our skins and make for the fork as fast as we can. Turning around we see this massive outline of a dog on the other side of a two metre high wall.

Must have been a St Bernard... or as one of the other chaps put it ", Khutta kya? Woh to Khutta Rakshash ta."

The basic plotline for the next Stephen King novel? Maybe.

============================================

The other night after leaving work late we went to tram stop across the road hoping to catch the last tram home. Waiting there in the freezing cold, a puppy comes up and starts roaming about in the general vicinity of my legs. After waiting some 10 mins we decide to go cross the road to get a cab. The pup near my feet all this while. So we cross the road and wait. I look down and who is to be seen there but the same pup. Shoo it away and it goes scurrying off across the road in between all the cars. Two minutes later its back near me and just refuses to move till we get into the cab and are on our way.

What is it? Do I smell like bacon or something. Looks like I finally need to get some deo.

============================================

That Direction -->

A challenge

To all you macho footboard/window sill hanging peoples of Bombay, Eat your hearts out. The latest challenge in public transport - How to fit a body measuring 6' X 1'6" into a entrance 4' X 2' wide? While ten other people are attempting to do the same when the vehicle in motion.

I present the humble tum-tum. The tuk-tuk or seater as others know it. Lifeline for the late-getter uppers like me and the Indian countryside.

Thankfully no more of that for a few weeks atleast.

Frustrations of the software engineer

Transcript of convo on office messenger. Pardon the grammar. Also the masking of names. intellectual property and all that shite

SR [5:01 PM]:
i should have hidden in some corner of the banglore office
GS [5:01 PM]:
why?
SR [5:01 PM]:
then i would never have been roped into client A
GS [5:01 PM]:
hahhah
SR [5:01 PM]:
been two years now :’-(
SR [5:03 PM]:
but shouldnt say anything
SR [5:03 PM]:
you've been in client D for the same time
GS [5:03 PM]:
good relation na with client A :-)
GS [5:03 PM]:
Yes sir
SR [5:03 PM]:
dont need a wife
SR [5:03 PM]:
yet
GS [5:04 PM]:
need a wife
GS [5:04 PM]:
So i have to divorce client D
SR [5:04 PM]:
:-D

geeky IT dudes. We're so cool

This is an endorsement

There. i didn't lead you along.

Well lets see if unconventional advertising works. Shor Bazaar - Might be worth giving them a listen. You could then claim to be one of the original fans when they start raking in the moolah.

Enjoy

Townie

Running around Fort over the last two weekends and you realise how much you relate to that part of town. I moved out of South Bombay some five years ago. However every trip into 'town', as suburbia calls it, leaves you with a good feeling lasting a few days.

No, the town that I know is not the pseudo exotic bull image that people get while reading Shantaram. Yes, there are seedy places about on causeway, but there are seedy places everywhere.

It is the old world charm that you get in the area which is so appealing. The walk from Gateway to Radio Club, sunset at Marine Drive while seated near the Oberoi, roaming around Fort, going up rickety staircases to obscure offices that pay Rs 20 bucks as rent while raking in thousands, the unknown side roads on Mohammed Ali Rd, Kalbadevi Rd. all brilliant.

Then there are monstrosities that the Brits have left us. VT, the buildings along the Oval, Fort as a whole. To me, the ideal picture is one taken from the one end of the Oval, getting the Institute of Science, the University and the High Court in the night when it is all lit up.

Was inside GPO last week. The tall dome, the lazy uncles and aunties at the counters...there is a charm to it. Unlike all us morons in the IT industry staring away at PC screens pretending to work while orkutting. Bah... ended up spoiling a nostalgia post with that. (Follow link...mind blowing video)

Perspective

You'd never think that something as simple as changing glasses would make that much difference. Have changed four cheshmas in the last week. The original one broke, was using a my earlier ones, then got one to get around my blindness and finally got the new pair yesterday

Each change gives a surreal different view. People not wearing glasses will never understand the subtle differences brought about in vision while shifting from one pair to another. Learnt long time ago to not complain to the optician - else be prepared for lamba kahani (Probably came from getting glasses from bawa uncles.) Most of the change comes in the corner of the eye type vision, but even then it is very disconcerting. The best comparison that I can think of is looking through a glass tube. Straight vision fine, the corners all wonky.

Remember the last time I changed glasses. The first day after getting them i was running to catch a train at the station. Misjudged the height of a ledge i tried skipping over, caught my toe just at the corner and ended up sprawled on the platform in peak hour traffic.

No more locals currently, but wierd things could still occur. For now, I got sight! I got sight!

Walker, Pune Ranger

Been on two lightning trips to Pune over the past few weeks. Leave first thing in the morning to return in the night. Have used all modes of transport i could think of in these trips - trains, buses, cars, ricks, tum-tums - basically anything with more than two wheels on.

Add to that loads of good old walking. Must have walked some 15 odd km on these two days. And why did I end up walking so much? True, I do enjoy walking. But then there are limits. The first trip took the Indrayani and went looking for a bank in the wilderness. Only to roam all over Shivaji Nagar. You come across names like Junglee Maharaj (JM) Road which just about makes up for it. Without running into anymore wild roads, but walking along many more - success. Get to work. Waste time there. Walk the 4 odd km to Phase II (stupidly). Waste some more time there. Get an Indica in the evening and get back to Bom.

Next trip take the volvo out to Pune. Get my work done. Catch tum-tum at Hinjewadi. Idiotically don't tell the driver where I want to go. Ended up getting a tour of the fields around Hinjewadi and then somehow land at Gandhi Chowk. No, I have no idea where the hell that is. There however was a board pointing to Chinchwad station. This being the first time I saw clear directions in Pune, I get excited and decide to walk. I then proceed to get Chinchwad gaon ka darshan, all the manufacturing companies out there and the gutters, everything. Few km and a rick later reach the station. Brilliant decision is made to take local to Lonavla. And then catch the Indrayani to bom. While local is stationery at Talegaon, train which looks ominously like the Indrayani passes by. Have chai and vada pav at Lonavla thinking whether this is going to turn into a repeat of Nanjing. Thankfully hear announcement saying the Indrayani is coming in. Relief and the related feelings. Jump into the unreserved and reach home.

Yes. I still like the train ride better than the expressway. If nothing else, for the great views you get. There just is something about the train that just can not be found on the road.

------------------------------------------

Two days in Pune. There just isn't anyone there any longer. People you knew have either ditched or are ditching. Makes you wonder, Why the hell am i still in this organisation?

The lucky traveller

After staying with an expired visa in HK twice, was wondering whether I would have a repeat here.

Me visa was to expire on Saturday, I had no idea about my travel plans till Monday. Contact travel for a ticket back before Saturday telling them the reason clearly. First the chap completely ignores the request. Second, the guy comes back saying the tickets are all waitlisted. Finally, after two days, the chap does come back with a confirmed ticket. Only its on Sunday night, by which time I would have become an illegal migrant in a none too friendly (or so we hear) country.

So there me is sitting completely lost wondering what the hell to do. Get back to travel telling them clearly to get me a ticket leaving latest saturday night. Slowly the tubelight on the end switches on. Says that they will check and let me know. Thus begins two days of frantic calling every few hours to find out whether I have hope or not. Finally thursday night I get a ticket out. Only thing I have to travel via Beijing and I will be leaving Beijing at 0005 on Sunday. Something is better than nothing. Besides I thought I would be completing me emigration formalities in Shanghai in the afternoon and things would be fine.

Come saturday, after all my previous experiences with travel, I decide to leave bright and early for the flight. Booked a taxi to go to the airport. Go down at the appointed time. Wait five minutes. Wait ten. Wait fifteen. Then start getting jumpy. My phone had died out. No one was at home and I had left my key in the house as I was leaving. There I was stranded in the middle of the street with no sight of no taxi and no way to call and find out whether it is coming or not. Trudge off to the estate agents, who are two blocks away, dragging all my baggage. Somehow explain to the agent that I need to make a call, call a taxi and get the agent to tell the taxi waala were I want to go.

So successfully I end up at Shanghai Airport, only to find out that I cant pass emigration there. It will have to be done in Beijing.

With no option, get on the flight to Beijing. Get off at Beijing. No bridge here. Its two degrees C on the tarmac. All the passengers from the flight are hoarded into a bus. Thankful for the warmth from bodyheat stand as the bus then takes all around Beijing airport to arrive at the baggage claim terminal. Pick up bags to go for check in to me next flight. One weird thing, Customs check is done before check-in here. The guy at the check in counter was more worried about me expiring visa than the guy at emigration. Gives me a weird looks and finally gives me a boarding pass. Go and clear emigration at 2300. I am legal for one hour more. Thankfully flight leaves on time and after travelling twelve hours back and forth accross the Asia, I'm back home.

Broke on through

Yes..this one has been in hiding for quite some time. So what have i done since August end when i last reported in? Apart from being buried under at work very little. Though I did manage to get out once in awhile

• A small town called ZhouZhang (atleast thats the best way I can translate the spelling). The town is about one and half hours out from Shanghai. Touted as the Venice of the East, the waterways and small paths are all very viewable. Being a touristy destination though, crowded and noisy.
• The Shanghai Grand Prix. The place where Lewis Hamilton probably threw away the title that was his for the taking. The noise and the smell of gas ... great fun. Realised the quality of Chinese fake merchandise while walking back after the race.
• Nanjing. Probably the best trip I have taken till date. Not just for the place but the circumstances under which it happened and the wierd situtation we found ourselves.
  
  Some background, Nanjing was the capital of China in the early Ming dynasty, before the third Ming emperor decided to move the capital to Beijing. Me and one other guy had only heard about it. One Saturday night at 1230 we were talking about it. The other guy was leaving back to India the next weekend. After 6 months of getting mauled, We wanted to get out and see some China. Decided if we manage to get up early the next day we'll go out to Nanjing
  
  Did manage to get up early and went to Shanghai South Station looking for trains to Nanjing. We were told that there was no return available tickets are available for the onward journey. Asked him how long it would take us to reach there and we were told that it would take two hours. We thought 2 hours by train would be 3 hours by bus at the most. So decided to go anyway.
  
  Get to the correct station and board the train. Soon after the train is chugging along at 249 kmh. This is when the realisation struck that this plcae is pretty far off and we just might not be able to return by us... First thing we do getting out of the train is go look for a return ticket. No english spoken here. Luckily the guy behind us knew some english. Were told no train today, best tickets you can hope for second train out tomorrow morning. No option so we took the tickets. Slightly concerned about the nights stay but we decided to worry about that later. Buy a map and pick out the Zhongshan National Park area.
  
  Probably the best unguided decision we could have made. Autumn was in full bloom and the place was beautiful. The colours, the scenery all awesome. The best part... not so many people about. Peaceful, tranquil and very satisfying. Went walking around the park, visited the tombs and various places inside.
  
  Six hours later, exhausted ,hungry and cold (some 6 degrees C at that time) we come out as the sun sets. We call back to Shanghai to find the address of an Indian restaurant that i remember is there somewhere in Nanjing. Get the address and hurry over to there for dinner. While having dinner, we tell the waiter that we needed a place to stay. He said that the local Chinese waiter will help us find a place to stay nearby.
  
  Calmed and satisfied we have our dinner. After dinner the Chinese waiter takes us to a few hotels. Everywhere we are told " Mayo Passport, Mayo" (loose translation No Passport, Not possible). At 9pm we realise we are in deep in shit and were thinking the only option would be to stay in the station waiting room. Go back to the restaurant and tell the owner of our plight. The chap raises his hands and suggests we take the last train out to Shanghai. As we exit the place the waiter comes up and asks "Aap main se koi Tamil baat karta hai kya?". I said I do Why?. Then the chap says "Chalo, Phir main aapko ek aadmi se milata hun jo aapka shayad madad kare." Me was thinking wtf?
  
  The guy then takes us to a Chinese restaurant nearby where .... a Tamilian is making roti. Stunned I see this chap's lifesize cutout at the entrance and I am left speechless for a few seconds. Finally regaining my senses, me tries my dodgy Tamil and the guy agrees to take us to this contact of his who does not need a Passport for boarding. He says he'll meet us in a couple of hours.
  
  So there we were walking around the streets of Nanjing with our fate in the hand of a Tamilian Roti Maker. The guy comes and takes us to this hotel with an entrance in the rear of a seedy looking building. Inside, decent enough acco for staying a night. Thank our man profusely, sleep and get back to Shanghai the next day in time to see the work go to the dogs again.
• The week after this adventure wanted to go either Beijing or go see the Tennis Masters in Shanghai. Neither happened. Just too tired after the week. The weekend after that was to be my last in China. Me made up my mind to go to Beijing come what may. Others hooked up. However after the Nanjing Experience, no one was willing to take any chances. On short notice flight was out of the question. So took a overnight train. 1400 odd kilometers in about 11 hours on the Z class trains. Very comfartable.
  
  In Beijing, one of our friends in the bank had arranged for a tours for the weekend. Sherman from "Happy Beijing Tour Company Ltd" picked us up at the station and took us to the The Ming Tombs and The Wall. Ming tombs were bit more grander than at Nanjing. However the ones at Nanjing somehow seemed more satisfying. Maybe the less crowd, not being herded around in a tour helped. But somehow just felt better about that visit.
  
  From there to lunch. Thanks to the guide we had a good vegetarian meal. Then off to The Wall. The misty day might have spoiled photos. But standing there on top of the thing, even amongst the crowd, you could not escape the grandeur of the place. A ten metre high 7 metre wide fence built on the edge of hills. Amazing. Any chap who tried to attack this bit of the land must have been straight out of his mind (was told that there were a few of them though). Two hours later we are on our way down. To the hotel and some deserved rest.
  
  Get up early next day and get going to The Forbidden City/ Temple of heaven and The Summer Palace. The forbidden city is a sprawling Palace where the Emperors of China used to stay. Is grand as an ancient monument. The crowds however did not help the feeling there.
  
  After spending a few hours went to the Temple of Heaven, where the emporor's came to pray to the Gods. A single building set in the middle of a forested area, very beautiful.
  
  Finally, the Summer Palace. A palace on the shores of a man made lake. Amazing scenery. Should be visited in the Summer though. Almost froze in the winds coming in over the lake. Cetainly worth a visit.
  
  Went back to see Tiananmen Square in the night. Lit up it is a sight worth seeing. Got back into the train and reached Shanghai the next day.

Even after going to Nanjing and Beijing, you just get the feeling that you have not seen anything of the country. Places like the Huangshan Mountains, Xi'an, Tibet. Just feel like i should have got out more on the weekends. Anyway, Maybe we'll see them sometime in the future...