Around the World » Asia

Will be back soon!!

vidhya — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:30:00 +0000

The last one week has been sooooooooooooo hectic….I cant believe that I have been so busy. Was so busy at office that I dint have time to drink water when I was thirsty…but it was good. I dint get time to think how lonely I was…

I have just four more days to go before I board the flight….I had planned to do so many things that I have not done yet.

Got to finish 2 books, 3 movies and so many more things.

It has been snowing day in and day out…..too cold…It seems this was the worst winter in the past 50 years in China…and look who is here…he heee… atleast I got to see what heavy snowing and -3 degrees meant…

The white scenery outside is really beautiful…I have uploaded a few photos at picasaweb.google.com/VidhyaPrashanth

Got to attend one New Year party at office and got some gifts exchanged and all that. It was fun. But of course had run before dinner started…

Not going anywhere out this weekend…just chilling at room….

My trip is finally coming to an end.

Now in clearing phase…finishing off all food items that I had brought..

Excited to go back….cant wait for the days to pass by…

I have a learnt a lot of lessons…very important life’s lessons…I just hope that I don’t forget any of them!!!!

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Correction

vidhya — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

I have a correction to make in my previous blogs…

I paid only 35 Yuan for the history museum and not 60…Sorry for the wrong info

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Jade Buddha Temple : IT WAS SNOWING

vidhya — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

I had long before decided that the Jade Buddha temple was something that I must visit. Today was the day. I knew the weather forecast and carried an umbrella…it was good because it was raining since morning. Took a taxi to the nearest subway station. Then took a metro to the Jingan stop and taxi from there to the Jade Buddha temple.

Anyone who likes temples will love it. And anyone who does not like temples so much also I guess will like it. I remember hen Prashanth had been to coorg, he was impressed by the Buddha temple there…he not generally very impressed by temples

I am sure he would have liked this one.

They pray almost the same way as we Indians do. They light fire, incense sticks, they do namaskara.

The statues were huge ones. The entrance fee was nominal and it was worth it. I loved it.

Took a lot of pics. But since it was a temple, all people were praying…so could not ask anyone to click my snap. Just asked once. So only one snap of mine will be there.

The actual Jade Buddha, is a statue that is made from one single stone of real Jade. It was very pretty. But here photography was prohibited. The place was so peaceful.

Some shops inside. Bought something. But too expensive inside the temple….as usual…

Spent quite some time there an then came out. Visited the shops outside. Did hell lot of bargaining and got some stuff…

Got a taxi and he dropped me at the Jingan temple instead of the Jingan subway station…I knew that this would happen because I had a doubt when the lady at the reception wrote the address for me. Anyway, I got down there and visited that temple also.

It was also a Buddha temple. But it was located in the midst of a very commercial place. Took a few pics there also.

Then found out that the subway station was just round the corner of the street. So walked there, had a Nescafe hot coffee, and took a train to the LuJiaZui station. I was too early there. So started reading my novel. At about 1:45 I the afternoon I left to the road so that I could take the shuttle that would come from the hotel…

This was a great thing…but the main thing that happened during this complete rip was…..IT SNOWED LIKE CRAZY…..it was raining first…then I thought I saw some snow flakes….and then within no time….it was a heavy down pour of snow…I was so happy to see snow for the first time in my life….but the happiness did notlast long.

I had the flakes all over me…It was extremely difficult to go around. Holding the umbrella was a big problem…the ice was hitting the face going into my eyes and mouth…the worst was that it was so heavy along with wind that it broke my umbrella…the umbrella is hotel property…now I think I got to pay for it… …

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Great escape!!!

vidhya — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yesterday evening was a yearly kick off meeting arranged by the office in china. Here all the employees would participate. Here would be a speech by the top guys of the company and then some games, some cultural program and then dinner.

I was invited as a partner to this meeting by my colleagues here. I was in a dilemma. This meeting mainly had drinking and eating; both of which were not suitable for me. It would get over only at 10 in the night and it was extremely far away from my hotel.

I told my colleagues that I would leave early as I would not have dinner. I said would just stay for the meeting.

The office shuttle took us there. It was a long 1 hr 15 min drive to that place. Then they put some mark on our hand which can be seen only by some torch kind of thing that they had. It was like some barcode which they would count when we go in and come out….some hi-tech stuff…

We went in and my colleagues ordered coffee for me. It came in such a big mug…it was black coffee as usual…I dint feel like having it. But I dint want to make a fuss and so finished it. At first there were snakes hanging in rings in every table. I was terrified. Then I was told it was German bread made in that shape and look. They had sprinkled some til seeds on top to give it the snake look.

I ate that snake like bread….with some orange juice and coffee…I know …very odd combo…but that’s what was edible by me…rest was not for me to even touch…

I clicked a few snaps and then was just chatting with colleagues….when I realized that te whole thing was going to happen in Chinese language…..oh what a waste of coming. It was no point. But I was not disappointed…in fact I was happy. I immediately said that I’ll leave. But they said they had ordered veg noodles for me….oh god….I dint ask for it…dint know when they did that…

That was kept now on the table. I had very little and I told them to finish it off..

One of my colleagues came with me to get me a taxi to the nearest subway station. I then took two different metros from there and got into another taxi from the subway station close to my hotel and got back home.

I had lots of office work to finish and the network was too slow. I spent almost 1.5hrs doing office wok and I totally forgot it was Thursday and I was supposed to do bhajan.

Remembered it only when I spoke to dad at 11 in the nite. Anyway…could not help…so just did some little stuff like bhajan and went to sleep.

That was the great escape from the dinner party…god’s grace…:)

The best part is that…today these people have got me a gift. It seems every partner who went got a gift…some nice spongy huge towel…they also got me the cute mouse doll on the table that I had admired for a long time )….isn’t that great??

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The tower

vidhya — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yesterday evening I had been to the tower.

Left office on time and reached there by the subway…

Got the ticket to go up the tower…paid 135 yuan…

First thing…they gave e a free ticket to the museum below it…if u go on top I guess u get to se the museum for free…

This is the same history museum that I already visited on Saturday paying 60 yuan…irritation..

Then I went thru security check. Since I had gone straight from office I was carrying my laptop and they asked me to leave it in the locker room. I left my bag and just took my camera.

Went up…it was a round thing fully glassed….city looked nice with lights and all…but not very interesting..

Saw some shops and all…thought I’ll have coffee…went very close to the shop…then I remembered…my purse was in my bag which I left in the locker room. I dint have a single penny….increased irritation…

I understood that I was at some middle level and I had to go further up with my ticket…so went into the lift.

I had been to the Eiffel tower 2 years back. It was too cold at the top. So this time I was prepared….i had my thermals on…I had gloves …muffler…my ears were fully closed…jacket totally zipped up…I got out of the lift almost like a buffoon…and that’s really what I think I looked like because……….

This place was not like Eiffel tower top…it was an enclosed place. not open. I was not very happy. The glass was not too clear. Could not take fotos.

The city looked good…one can draw a map looking at it…but still…I was just not impressed.

Maybe I had expected too much after having been to the Eiffel tower…which was wrong…I should not be comparing…

However…I dint like it…decided to go down after 5 mins….that was a long wait…they made sure people saw some robot stuff that they had kept…we had walk thru some places to go down…this was constantly increasing my irritation…

Finally I got to the ground floor…picked up my bag and went for a taxi…

Dint get any taxi for quite sometime as it was the rush hour…started getting a little tensed. Finally managed to get a taxi and get into it. Reached home…finished pending office work…made calls to India and went to sleep a little disappointed….

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The bund

vidhya — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yesterday the weather seemed pretty fine. I checked the weather forecast which said that yesterday today and tomorrow will be the sunny days. Again it will start raining on Friday. So I decided that I must finish some of my touring on the weekdays.. I hate the rain…its very difficult to walk around with umbrella, bad, camera and the cold..

So yesterday after a lot of debating with myself and keeping in mind the project that is running in office I finally cancelled my cab at 4 and decided to go to the bund (riverside) for a river cruise. This river cruise is supposed to start only at 7 in the even (the main reason why I could not do it on Sunday when I had been there)

After 4:30, people in office seemed to start getting weird doubts. Everybody has something to ask me and it was getting late. I needed to take the shuttle to the subway station. The shuttle would leave at 5:30.peoplehere and from India had lots of questions till 5:35. I thought I missed the shuttle. But nevertheless, I thought I’ll take my chance. I rushed down. I realized that one shuttle had left. But there seemed to be one more waiting and I found that it would leave in 3 mins. I took it.

Took ticket at subway station and went straight to Nanjing road east. This was easy as I had already done it on Sunday and so no waiting anywhere and no asking. Just went the same way.

Got down at Nanjing road and walked to the bund. Got my boat ticket at 6:30. The lady asked me to come to the same place at 7. So I went to a coffee shop. Had a nice hot coffee and sat there for abt 20mins. Came out and walked back to the bund.

Hubby had asked me to take a nice professional pic …there were these people who were clicking snaps and making enlarged on the spot prints for money…I went to many of them….but they said no taking one pic…only minimum is 6 pics and that was lot of money. I was not interested in 6 pics. So just walked back to the ticket counter.

There I found a guy from California he said…and a Chinese girl with him. He was in china to teach English. The girl said she was 6 years old …older than me…and was surprised that I was married because I was younger than her. She thought I was much younger than I actually said. She told me a 10 times that I was beautiful and that my eyes were great. I have no idea with what eyes she was looking at me….I do look at the mirror everyday and I seriously don’t find what she said…anyway…

Then came the bus that would take us to the boat place…in the bus I sat next to a lady…she asked me do u know English. I was happy..i said yes…and then she said she was Korean…of course broken English..but it was ok.

She also wanted a pic with me as I was beautiful…I was amazed…. I decided that I had to go home an check once if I had changed after being in China

When we got off the bus, a girl came running to me. She was the Korean lady’s daughter who also thought I was too beautiful…my god!!…now I was kind of not sure if it was true or just simply people say this to anyone who is a foreigner..

The boat was great. It was a coffee shop set up. I took a place next to the window. It was a weekday. So no crowd. …I was alone on my table which I liked. We could order coffee and snacks if we wanted. But since I just had coffee I dint order again.

It was warm and great….again JUST NOT A PLACE TO BE ALONE…

There was also an open place where we could stand. I went out…go some snaps. Everyone wanted to help me take pics. So I gladly got a few pics of myself clicked on my cam. Got some pics with the Korean ladies and the Californian guy and his companion Chinese girl.

Then just sat at my table looking out at the lights. There was an English and Chinese explanation of what is it that we see on the banks…

It was a great ride for one hour. After which the bus took us back to our initial place. I got a taxi from there back to the apartment..

I had some office work to do which I did. A dinner which I had made in the morning itself (thank god). Spoke to hubby and went to sleep like a log at around 11.

Today it is sunnier than yesterday. So will go to the tower in the evening…hope I can. Lets see….

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This was my first weekend at Shanghai…

vidhya — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

A colleague had offered to take me and my German colleague out for sight seeing. So I got up….made breakfast an lunch (as I had to pack it…I could not eat out as usual)….made chappathis…smeared it with ghee sugar mixture….made rolls out of them and took it for lunch so that it is easy to eat without too much mess.

Was ready by 8:40…went rushing to the reception to get a few things done….My colleague called up to say that he would b half hour late and also that I had to take an umbrella as it was raining.

I made an arrangement for the umbrella from the hotel and went back to my room. From yesterday night the internet was not connecting…some problem…I came back and checked once…seemed to be ok. So I sent some mails. The packed everything and sat in front of TV watching discovery channel in English (Thank god)…some mummies and human sacrifice and stuff.…I was half asleep when my colleague called and said he was waiting at the gate. I picked up all my stuff and left.

He was taking us to the shopping street (that’s what I understood). I started thinking then what are the things I should buy….suddenly he broke my chain of thoughts saying….lets first have Dumplings….my heart skipped a beat. I tried explaining that I would just watch them eat. He said he will get me vegetarian dumpling. I protested badly. But there I was with my table filled with so many dumplings.

Sincere advice for vegetarian people who travel abroad often without family…..just learn to eat international food…. I don’t mean non-veg…but things like Russian salad, French toast etc etc…this will help stand the smell in the food…..

I have never been too fussy about food. I am one person who knows myself very well. When I Germany also……… I dint mind eating bread for Saturday and Sunday 3 times a day. I knew I could not touch anything outside. So I filled my bag with bread for the weekend outing. I had no problem. I never complained about eating the same stuff…or the tastelessness etc. the idea was just not to be hungry..

But this time it was different. I had nice food for myself in the bag…but I was being forced to eat something I cannot stand. I cannot stand the smell of the food….the lettuce and other greens here seem to have a typical smell. …I felt pukish…I feel miserable when asked to taste it. I don’t want to be all fussy…but I am not so used to international food tastes…I don’t like it too much. Even when in Bangalore I am not so impressed by Chinese hotels although I don’t mind. I know some people who are crazy abt Chinese restaurants …I am not on of them.

Anyway…coming back to the dumplings…I managed to have 3…but then there were 6 more…I just could not eat it. I told my colleague that I had a very heavy breakfast and so maybe I would pack the dumplings to take it home…he said ok…

The two of them were eating dumplings too….theirs was crab stuff.

By the way…what is a dumpling..its a kozhukattai or a steamed kadubu…really…it’s a flour made into the round cups stuffed with crab flesh and steamed. Its non veg kadubu…I have fotos of it.. u can check it in my picasa album

We also had green tea…

Then we came out….

We were actually next to Yu garden…this was supposed to be the house of a merchant. He was very rich and wanted to live in the midst of nature…so he built this thing…it was beautiful…but was too complicated t be a house.

Here there was a shop where we could wear a Chinese costume and take a pic. So we did thatJ

After this we came out into the old street of Shanghai. This street had the typical actual china look. Lots of street vendors. I was told by Vinuta (my friend at AMC) to bargain to 20% of the actual rate they told u. so I was trying to buy some Chinese dolls. But my colleague interfered and said this could be of cheap quality…I dint care…but I could not tell hi that. I was just looking for a doll for the showcase…so the quality dint matter so much. Then we went into a big shop…the same doll was double the rate…funny…

Anyway…I bargained like crazy on some pearls and the dolls…got them for the rate I wanted. But the problem was…I was weak at maths….I could not do the immediate conversion of money into rupees….my idea of buying some things wee that if it did not cost more than some Indian rupees…o this conversion worked out wrong and I paid slightly higher…

Came out of the shop and hubby called on mobile..talked for sometime and continued shopping. Went on with bargain as much as I could…

But the rain was extremely irritating…the place was getting very cold…my feet inside the shoe were freezing and holding the umbrella and all the other stuff was a little irritating…

We then decided to leave. Our colleague offered to drop us at our next destination. It was a long drive and I was almost asleep…trying to keep my eyes open.

My German colleague and myself got down at the oriental tower. We managed to buy a ticket for the museum and get in. e decided not to o up the tower as it was no point …it was too foggy and raining..same reason we decided against the cruise….we decided against the 2 things I wanted to do badly…

We went thru the security check at the museum and then I realized I had only one glove…I searched…but dint find my other glove…

The museum was a nice one…Shanghai history with life size models representing the olden days…

But it was freezing inside….donno why they had no heater…

After the museum tour my German colleague looked sick. I asked her if she had a problem and she said she was freezing. So we decided to have a coffee. We had not gone for lunch…mostly because I had bragged about my heavy breakfast so much and that I could not have any food for the whole day etc…

We had a cake and coffee each. Talked for sometime and decided to get back to my apartment. On the way…I search and search….my apartment keys…missing…whew…felt irritated with myself for my irresponsibility..

Then I called my Chinese colleague and asked hi if I had left it in his car….he said it was there…thank god…I dint drop it somewhere on he streets.

I convinced the hotel people that I had the key…but it was in my colleagues car and thet I would return the duplicate on Monday..

We went to my apartment and dropped off my things. My German colleague wanted to look around that area as she was being transferred to Shanghai and she would probably take a house in that area.

I too wanted to buy some grocery…so went with her again…we walked to my favorite Indian items shop…

I had to buy some extra moisturizer as it was getting too cold and dry… it was all 3 times the price in India. I picked up the one that was a little cheaper and came home.

After coming home I realized…I had not bought moisturizer…but it was body wash…I got so bugged because it was expensive and it as a huge bottle an it leaked…so I could not carry it back also..

Anyway…then I ate my afternoon’s chappathis for dinner while I was watching star wars 1…

Cleaned up…spoke to hubby and went to sleep…got up so late in the morning today. Now typing this blog. Will go to some nearby place. Found out that the rain and temperature dip will continue for the next 10 days…feeling irritated about it….cant help..lets see where I go today

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Weekend 1 sunday

vidhya — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Today was a bit of adventure. Being alone is killing. But I dint want to miss out any places. So decided to go out all by myself. I got ready by 11:30…had a havy brunch and left…

Got into that taxi and went some distance…then remembered that I had to exchange my euros for Yuan….i dint have money…I managed to make the taxi driver understand that he has to go back to the hotel. I came back and took s0me money and went.

My first destination was the Science and technology museum. Basically for children…not that it had nothing for us to learn…but just that we don’t want to learn so many things…

Animals, robots, insects, computers, geography, astronomy etc etc…u name it and it was there…so well done that any child would pick up very easily what things mean…

They had even designed a game for pattern recognition….it was amazing that they could make kids learn so well… no wonder they are progressing fast…

There was a school group on trip with kutty kids…so hell lot of noise…

It was so big…after sometime I started getting bugged because there was no one with me….finally I saw a toy joy ride into the human digestive system. The ride would take u thru a 3D explanation of how digestion happens. it was fun.

After this I came out and went into the fake market….dint buy anything special…mainly because I ahd heard abt the fake money that people are cheated with…I dint want any such thing to happen..

Got a subway ticket to lujiazhui….i got down at this station and thought better to go to the next station. So got into the next train….but at the next station I w could not go out of the station as my ticket wasvalid only till the previous station…the machine did not allow me thru…so I had to pay the difference amount at the counter and get thru….very simple..

It was raining and again the umbrella was irritating me…at the exit of ths attion I saw a tram.this said city tour. The ticket was 2 yuan one way…and was for 10 mins. So I took it…it basically took me to the end of the roan. Nanjing road is a big big version of our brigade road ….full of shopping malls…quite expensive but…

The malls dint interest me too much…so I again took a tram back to the place where I got in..

For other people’s benefit…there r 2 Mc Donanld’s and 2 KFCs on this road.

There is also a pizza hut.

From where I got down…I started walking towards the bund….it was difficult to find out as half of them dint know wat the bund was…

The bund is the harbour area where all trade via sea happens…supposed to be more colonial tan Chinese..

Finally got there. Took some snaps..the lady in the ounter said tat the boat ride was only after 7. so I walked back.i fond a tourist sightseeing tunnel that would take u from the bund to the tower…I thought that was good…I could take it…but then after walking ahlf distance I realized that it was too expensive for no reason…

So I walked back to the subway and took it to the tower..but again it was too cloudy so dint go to the tower top. Went into one tourist info center and asked howto go to the Jade Buddha temple and other things.

There was an aquarium nearby. But I was not interested…too bord roming alone in the rain..i was also freezing…so walked back to the subway station to check for exit number 4 where my hotel shuttle would come. Unfortunately…there dint seem to be an exit four. I called the hotel and they gave me a mall as a landmark. Went into that mal and sat for 1 hr. then came out onto the road and dint know which side of the road the shuttle would come…

Finally after waiting for half hour in the cold…the shuttle turned up on the other sideof the road…I ran to it and stopped it..finally was into a warm place.

Came home dead tired…totally bored and hungry…

Just now finished eating and cleaning…already getting bored of being alone…2 more weeks to go…hope it goes fast…

Few things I saw….

In the history museum that I went yesterday…the sign boards were funny…instead of saying way to go…or got this way or something like that…it said …to be continued…felt it funny…

These people have building of all shapes…u name a shape and there is a building…its amazing..that too so tall…

People here look very young….nice…

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Cool Thursday!!

vidhya — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Today has been a cool day….

Finished watching Johnny Gaddar movie (which I had left half way thru)..

Watched 3 episodes of friends…

Did my Thursday bhajan to heats content…best part was …I made pal payasam (a sweet) for neivedyam…it was good…but making so little was so difficult…I could not judge quantity…so it ended up a little too sweet…

Morning I had a strong coffee..evening it was a nice ginger tea…

Sorted out all my bills etc…go to know that a few yuans (Chinese money) are missing…donno if I did not take proper change from ome shop or I dropped money somewhere…got to be a little more careful…

Now listening to dekhlee….and typing this blog..but will upload this only tomorrow..

I have finished with all my work…just winding up..

Will finish calling hubby amma and everyone and go to sleep…

Sangu (my sis) said she will call me 5:30 tomorrow morning my time…so got to get into bed and get up before she calls so that I am not all sleepy when she calls..

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Kudos to mommy dearest

vidhya — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:30:00 +0000

First of all…my mom as been great enough to make all this ready to eat stuff…I got coconut powder, curry leaf powder, pepper jeerak powder,sambhar powder, Morekozhambu powder, kashayam powder …

All of them fully home made.

Few of them can directly be mixed with rice and eaten. Some can be used for preparing food stuff.

Kashayam podi is medicinal

Morekozhambu podi is to be mixed with curds and then either can be mixed with rice and eaten or can be used as a side dish…

Mom had so many more varieties in mind. But I said I dint want so many ready to eat stuff as I could cook…

Second reason ..

Yesterday dad was not at home…I could not use my calling card to call her. So called her on skype…which is too costly to India. She immediately said wait let me log on..

I could not believe that she actually booted the comp…opened skype to have a skype to skype chat…

Of course she had a small problem as the mute was on and se could not hear me so Prashanth helped her out over the phone..but nevertheless…I am proud of her.

We spent 45 mins talking without paying a single penny…

3 cheers to mommy dearestJ

Hip hipp hurray

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