December 16 2007 William writes:
Tips for traveling sleeper class on indian trains:
- get a ticket.
- online at http://www.indianrail.gov.in/
- at a train station (reservation desk) - look for the tourist window
- even if the train you like has a waitlist there is usually a quota of seats saved for tourists. Look or ask for the tourist quota and show your tourist visa.
- Berths (berth = bunk bed)
- Upper berth - always can sleep but and effort to get in and out of bed.
- Middel berth - can not go to sleep unitil everyone is ready
- Lower birth - can not go to sleep until everyone is ready, close to the luggage under the seat.
- Food
- tea & coffee is always availiby from the servers roaming the aisles. 5Rs.
- water and soda is availible at every stop and occasionaly from sellers
- meals of rice and curry can be bought for 20Rs.
Categories: India | No Comments »
December 03 2007 William writes:
It is great to be back in Bangalore.
Traffic in my front driveway.
I was loosing my bargaining skills in Tiruchuli where people tell you the true price the first time you ask. Here it is a struggle to get a rickshaw without feeling cheated. Its much more satisfying to argue the price down and tip than pay a high initial rate. I’ve learned it is much easier to get a fair price before sitting in the rickshaw, and much easier than when you’re driving to the destination.
Before I forget to document the traffic in Bangalore, these pictures are at the end of my driveway (4km from the city center) and were taken at 11:30 am. As a friend summed it up, Bangalore is known for two things: first traffic and second IT. The photo at right is the road heading away from Bangalore toward the ring road.
Traffic on the bridge.
Had some drinks with my neighbor and then went to his friends house for some home cooking and a small party. There were 10 people there and all were software engineers. Welcome to Bangalore.
Poornima dancing for joy at my return.
In the past two days I used Joomla to make a simple website for EnergyRef.com which will be the home of an energy modeling program.
Before the it is complete I hope to add interesting energy models as content. Joomla is amazing at times but occasionally difficult to customize.
Categories: Bangalore | No Comments »
December 02 2007 William writes:
I caught the bus from Tiruchuli to Kanyakumari 5 hours later than planned due to an excessive farewell the night before. The bus ride was four hours of Julifora scenery down to the southern tip of India and the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.
There is a large statue of Tiruvalluvar who is a famous poet and part founder of the Tamil language. The statue was built recently as a tourist attraction. Tiruvalluvar’s poems are two liners that attempt to explain the morality of man. My favorite is, “Impartiality is the best rule of conduct provided that friends, foes, and neighbors are all regarded alike.” Couldn’t have said nothing better myself.
He was given a woman to be his wife and to test her qualities before marriage he gave her some sand and told her to cook him some food. She turned the sand into rice when she cooked it This pleased Tiruvalluvar and he took her as his wife. Impressive no?
From KanyaKumari I took the train up to Truvanthrum on the west coast to take the GRE and enjoy the beaches. It was beautiful country but I was ready to get back to Bangalore.
And some more construction photos…
Categories: Construction and India | No Comments »
