Crazy world this natural one!

Just when you think that the world can't get much crazier, it does!. Its currently less than two weeks since I was sat in Columbo airport enjoying the considerable hospitality of the Sri Lankan folks whilst on my way home from India. I can honestly say the last thing that crossed my mind was the possibility of such a devastating natural disaster.

Having traveled extensively in south east Asia, within Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka in particular my thoughts go out to all those that have been touched by this natural disaster. Lets hope that the new year brings some relief from the effects of the devastation, and that organisations like Oxfam can reach those in need as soon as possible.

Its Christmas

Its Christmas :).... Hope you all have a great christmas, and I hope that santa is very kind to you!......

spend time with the family, chill and drink loads :)

Today's a sad day

Today's a very sad day for the family, yet I can't help but also feel its one filled with great relief. For those that read my updates regularly, you'll know my older brother has been in Iraq for over a year now. Knowing full well the dangers he faces, you almost come to terms with the fact that he's in harms way. Today altered the reality of that. The base were he's been operating from for the last few months came under attack today and great deal of casualties resulted. (reported by the BBC)

This truly does bring home the reality that he really is in harms way. For our family its with relief that I write this, as my brother arrived back in the UK safe and sound yesterday. But from having just spoken to him, a large number of his friends and colleagues were not so fortunate. My thoughts go out to them, there family's and there friends.

A sad day.......

Duplication

Well just realised that my last post from India has finally shown up ... hey so you get the Mysore story twice.... Tales around markets, horse racing and ambassador cars to follow!

Ps to all those @ the works black tie event this weekend, you know who you are, hope you had a good time! I know I did, or @ least I think I did ... maybe even the hangover makes me just think I did :)

The Mysore tale

Well so there I was, 7.30 am on a Saturday morning straight from a night club, trying to negotiate buying a ticket to Mysore. This was an interesting experience when your pissed I can tell you, but for the princely sum of 24 rupee I was thinking how bad can the train be.... Well I'd not long to wait to find out!

The station was bad, and there were some unsavoury looking characters around too. But most interesting was that clearly the Indian railways don't give much credence to health and safety, however .... I have to say I was actually pleasantly surprised with the first train I got on. I really didn't see what all the fuss around Indian trains was all about. This train was a sleeper, overnight from somewhere I couldn't pronounce ... but quite a please 3 hour journey on the Mysore express, during which I passed the time with some local nuns ... on a school outing, as well as some chaps hell bent on falling off the train!.

So some 3 hours later I hit Mysore, still pissed I might add!. I negotiate the obligatory rickshaw and set out to explore. The Raj's palace was quiet regal!. However, if it did nothing else it served to reinforce the perception I've gained that you can do pretty much anything you want in India, provided of course that money changes hands. The is illustrated by the very fact that when it was suggested to me that I shouldn't have a camera in my bag on entry to the palace's inner area's, the exchange of a small amount of rupee quickly alleviated this situation, thus therefore meaning I obtained some picture inside!

Anyways enough to wheeling and dealing, a few hours later and and bit partied out it was time to head back to Bangalore. Having just missed a train I've some time to kill, however I am relieved to hear that the next train is the Bangalore express!. This is were the fun stops, I've know idea what language express was translated from but it wasn't English, this train was nor express, nor fun. The wait was approx. an hour and half, during which time what seemed to be 15,000 people congregated on the platform. Now its no exaggeration to ask exactly where all these people thought they were going as they weren't getting on this train .... or so I thought!. I was of course wrong they, along with there mothers, fathers, cousins and pets were going to Bangalore ... along with ever towns folk and villager along the way. I mean it got to the point were I though physically no more people could get on this train .... but they did and they just kept coming... for four and half hours to be precise!.

If the complete volume of people wasn't bad enough and the comedy fact that express meant the slow train... the monkey running a mock in the carriage just took the p**s .. Combine this with the fact that by this stage I had lost all personal space, and was in desperate need of the bathroom, hence the pleasure had gone all out of the trip!. Reaching Banglore was a relief for a number of reasons ... firstly the ability to regain some movement in my anatomy... but mostly the prospect of a bathroom. Now I haven't considered soiling my underwear since being around the age of 1, however on this day I did give it very careful thought. The state of the train station toilet did nothing really to dissuade this idea .... However I must give respect to man asleep in the loo ... fair play to you, I don't know how you did or were your senses are!. Needless to say no soiling on this occasion.

After a very brief brush with the loo it was of back to the hotel ... safe and sound to enjoy some hard earned cocktails. However, some very valuable lessons learned today, mainly to not follow up on idea's conceived under the influence of vast quantities of alcohol, no matter how much of a virtual cost saving they promise. Secondly, praise British Rail it's not really that bad!

All in a all a good day and good learning experience! More retrospect from my trip to follow!

The rest of the story

OK so here's the rest of the Mysore story ... brace yourself!. So there I am, 8am on a Saturday morning, on a train platform waiting on a train for Mysore. I'd parted with a princely sum of 24 rupees and was still pi**ed, having not been to bed. I braved the toilet and wished I hadn't ... the chances of getting something nasty were very high indeed. But hey it was fun.....

So onto the train I goes ... a sleeper train in fact. To be honest the train out to Mysore was quiet comfortable really, so I couldn't see what all the fuss was about Indian trains. I even met a couple of nuns taking a school field trip. They were intrigued with the camera, so I took a group photo and promised to pass it onto there convent school. Safety is clearly not a big issue on the train system here, never on a British Rail train have I seen two character hanging out of the door! But hey they seemed happy enough.

So hit Mysore 3 hours later, a little tired by this time as I'd been up all night. So it was off to the Raj's palace. Very impressive place it was to, kind of like an old stately home. I especially liked the penguin litter bins - now were in India is famous for penguins?. Anyways got stopped on the way into the palace for having a camera in my bag, the exchange of rupees with security reaffirmed my belief that money can buy you anything in India!. And this includes pictures of places you shouldn't take pictures of!

It was then back in the rickshaw and toby round the town, nice and quaint but also very hot. Time was not on my side by this point so back to Bangalore, via the train of course. Now if the journey out can be described as pleasant, the journey back can't!. 5 million people wanted to get onto that train, so the old rugby skills came in handy ... after a push, a pull and loss of temper I got on. Happy to be on, I wasn't to vexed about a seat ... big mistake, huge!. Considering this was meant to be an express train, I struggle to find out how they define express, since this train was nothing of the sort. It stopped everywhere on the way to Bangalore, and I mean everywhere. Each time it stopped, another thousand people crammed on - I mean this got beyond a joke. The real p**s take was when a monkey decided to join us for a short period in the carriage causing mayhem. Bring back British Rail, this is singularly the longest, most crowded, most unpleasant train trip of my life.... but I got home in the end...

End result of the day, notes to self don't go with bright idea's had when drunk, and second never listen to cost saving iniatives suggested by rickshaw drivers..... However, all in all a great experience! Bring on the bus.. :)

Got it ... call me Master!

Today I got it...... :) I got my MSc..... it cost me, in more ways then I can possibly tell, or you can imagine, but I got it!.....

Another long week in bunglers

Well as another long week in Bangalore draws to a close, its time for a bit of reflection. This week has had some mad moments, which surparse even my typically off the cuff approach. Last weekend started in the usual manner, dinner followed by a few beers in the bar. Then off to the obligatory nightclub (spin).... I new it was going wrong when the second nightclub (clubX) loomed large of the horizon of the rickshaw. That aside, a few drinks and a good time later, I was heading home @ 6am.... This is were the wheels fell off!

The chap driving the rickshaw was ranting on about how nice Mysore was, a common theme for taxi/rickshaw drivers in this area. Drunk and unimpressed I indicated that I was unwilling to part with the amount of money required to go there for the day. At this your man just laughed and said a train ticket was a mere 24 rupees each way. My ears purked up ... You know were this is going. Surfice to say 30mins later, still pissed I was negotiating my train fare to Mysore. A princely sum I can tell you. ....

For the moment we'll leave the story there, but what I will say is that public safety is not a big concern on India railways! ..... And that this little adventure is a classic in stupidity even by my standards!