A Year to Remember.. 2008

Another year gone by, surpassing yet another big milestone in my 28 years on this planet. Its hard to describe the year as I feel I experienced every kind of emotion and feeling possible and that there are way too many people and experiences that are worth mentioning in my year end memoirs. 

This year was my MBA year or specifically, my year at INSEAD. I initially thought that I was going there for a diploma but I returned with a lot more. 

I started the year in India, packing fervently for the student life and on the 3rd, I landed at the Changi International Airport in Singapore with a large suitcase, a duffel bag and a laptop.

INSEAD Singapore seemed smaller than I had imagined and nested well inside the city, unlike other schools I had attended in the past and after a few minor hiccups, I settled in my room with a wonderful view on the 20th floor at Normanton Park with my nice apartment-mates.

At this point, I'll let you in on a secret, the Singaporeans believe they speak English but don't believe them.. they actually speak English-la.. a distinctive dialect comprising of a mixture of English and long sighs that end in la or ooh or luu.. hence to communicate effectively remember that every word needs to end with this format of 'open mouthed' expression.

Honestly, the first period at INSEAD or Jan-Feb was stressful and not as I expected. I cannot claim that I managed to balance the workload, projects, group work and the social life but I did survive and make lots of friends, those who stopped me from committing hara-kiri before the accounting exam or drowning myself in the four feet swimming pool before the corporate finance paper.

In any case, P1 was my introspective period and I spend more time knowing myself and the people around me than anything about the degree. But thanks to my wonderful study group mates, I emerged unscathed and actually did better than I expected.

And the best part of P1 was the beautiful gift my family received - my niece.. Zoya arrived in our world in February and even today, all it takes is a smile from her to make my day.

P2 (March-April) on the other hand was the travel period or my exploratory phase of the year. Indonesia was amazing and sightseeing with a local friend was even better. For five days a pack of nine 'future business leaders of the world' were let loose on the temples of Yogyakarta and Pranmanan and managed to discover their singing and dancing talents at the karaoke bars of Jakarta. Myanmar was an experience to remember, a chinese new year trip with a couple of beautiful close friends to a country full of contradictions - on one hand the beautiful pagodas of Yangoon and Bagan were reminders of the rich past while on the other hand the dilapidated, crowded, dirty and poverty stricken villages and streets forced us to see the reality of the present situation. 

P3 (May-June) saw a complete change in scenario once again.. off to fabulous France for the rest of the diploma, I found myself living in a rustic but incredibly beautiful village in the middle of a forest. I fell in love immediately, with the school, the surroundings, the amazing forest, the sparkling river, the wine and cheese and of-course the cute French dames. I realized that true to the stereotype, the French really knew how to dress in style and what to drink (and with what) or smoke and discuss random subjects all day but most were also completely clueless about giving directions (try driving around in Paris), loved to pretend that they don't see you and were way more conservative than the Americans imagine.

An interesting period, I realized that I actually speak English quite well (as compared to the French) and knowing a little local language (French) can make you really popular (especially with the dames).."vous etes the mignonne"... 

In any case, P3 was a healthy mix of macroeconomics and partying, and to all those who doubt if those two go along well together.. I have unquestionable evidence of individual cases where some illustrious ones among us managed to write exams even after partying till the wee hours of the morning (names not disclosed to avoid public embarrassment).

The Summer Ball was the event of the period, held at the famous Fontainebleau chateaux, it was a night long extravaganza where I was not only awestruck by the brilliant ambience and fireworks but also by how graceful my friends looked in their elegant long dresses. 

I spent the first week of the summer in a small village close to Udaipur in Rajasthan as a part of a course on building social ventures and other than a eye opening experience it also forced me to witness the fallout of rapid globalization and those left behind in the emerging economies. I tried to capture some of the experience and my perspective on my other blog as the four days left me both surprised and angry.

The majority of my summer (the next seven weeks) was spent working for a large agribusiness company in Basel, Switzerland. I was working for their Bio-fuels strategy group but more than the work (I did do some!!!), I loved sitting next to the Rhine every evening or driving up to the Alps over the weekends. I took a few hang gliding lessons in Interlaken and truly, its the closest one can come to free flying. I also made trip to Strasbourg in France, Munich in Germany and Slovenia.

Slovenia turned out to be a very pleasant surprise - Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Postjana Caves were all wonderful sights and driving alone through the forests without a GPS or proper map meant that I saw much more of the country than the usual tourists.

P4 (Sept-Oct) turned out to be the period of recession, dying banks, billion dollar bailouts and the worst.. a job market crash. Most of my time was spent in writing cover letters or interviewing with interviewers who were writing cover letters for themselves. A funny exercise these interviews are.. like one act theater but without an audience and actors desperate to please each other (You know the job market is down when even companies who you didn't apply for, start sending you rejection letters..)

P5 (Nov-Dec) was my best period and like the end of a marathon, I tried to give it all I had. The realization that the year was nearly over occurred first while singing in the Cabaret. Singing the farewell song with some of my best friends or preparing slides for the 'Don't Worry- Be Happy' number hammered in the fact that this short INSEAD experience would soon be over and 2009 will be again a return to the real world. 

I put my heart into organizing the 'Desi Week' (a week long crazy cultural festival of the South Asian region) and some of the most memorable experiences and friendships developed through this exercise. I realized that even though our region may be unstable and volatile, we all shared the same history, culture, dreams and aspirations.

The end came too soon and after a short trip (Burrito Grad trip) to Barcelona, it was time to graduate and bid farewell to INSEAD, all the wonderful people and the great year. I had the honor of being elected the grad speaker and as I stood by the podium to speak, I realized that this year in my life would be unique and every moment would be indelibly etched in my memory. 

As I sit back today and complete my logs for the year while celebrating my new year eve with my family, I realize that this year would not have been close to what it was, had it not been for each of you, always there to support and encourage me when I needed it most. 

And as I look to an uncertain future in 2009, my confidence and optimism is untarnished, and my spirits are as high as they can be.

Basel, Bern, Zurich, Geneva & Interlarken, Switzerland

Being is Switzerland for a summer is a special experience, especially for someone from a developing country. The rich country which has never once seen a major war is an example of development and discipline that most others can learn from. Of course it’s also been blessed with some of the most beautiful sights and most of the places that I visited took my breath away.

Basel, my home for the summer is a small industrial city in the north of the country. Shadowed by the Alps in the north, it is situated on the river Rhine and is host to a number of pharma, chemical and agricultural companies (one of which was my employer). The predominant language is German, though many people speak English as well. In the beginning the signs on the streets and the shops were completely incomprehensible to me, or even worse I could not even pronounce most of them, but I guess I am getting a little better now (it’s amazing how fast the human ear adapts to foreign sounds). I actually drove from Paris, and the six hour, 550km drive was probably one of the best drives that I taken in my life (in the same league with my San Diego to Vancouver ride or my ride from Puno to Cusco). Driving through the snow capped Alps, its hard not to feel really small and insignificant and I had to stop often as the beauty around me was very distracting. But all this stopping and enjoying the ride ensured that I reached Switzerland really late at night and after paying the driving tax (no wonder they are so rich!), I was completely lost without being able to remotely identify any of the signs. After about an hour of aimless driving and asking about five people at different corners of the city, I finally made it to the hostel.

Hang Gliding over Switzerland

The video says it all..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXIJNqmlxPc

Strasbourg, France

Coming Soon !!

Fontainebleau & Paris, France

Work in Progress...

Jogyakartya, Java & Bali - Indonesia

Myanmar - Time stands still..

An old and historic country that has now been forgotten by the world, Myanmar had always been a mystery to me when I was growing up. Completely closed by the military junta hardly anything is known about this once rich and progressive kingdom. Formerly called Burma under the British, Myanmar lies next to the emerging nations of India and China but has hardly been touched by the growth or the economic boom that has blessed the other two.

A rich and dynamic kingdom in the nineteenth century, it fared really badly under the British raj and was often treated as a second rated cousin the the India. Once also the center or the timber trade and hub of natural resources, the Burmese empire completely collapsed, so much so that even the King was exiled to Ratnagiri and was not even fortunate to die in his homeland.

A very excellent descriptive account of this period can be got from the books 'Burmese Days' and 'Glass Palace (Amitav Ghosh)'. These novels chronicle the oppression and slow degradation of the great Myanmar kingdom.

I had the opportunity to visit Rangoon and Bagan in Myanmar during my stint at the Singapore campus of INSEAD.

Yangoon (formerly Rangoon) is now a really poor city with poverty clearly visible on the streets and buildings. Nearly all the cars on the road are pre 1970s, old and rickety. The public transportation is unreliable and unsafe and other than the well armed military guarding the government establishment, everything seems to have been stopped in time.

Yangoon

Coming from India, I have witnessed poverty and under development but what I saw in Myanmar made all of it seem really small. Worse, is the apparent feeling of gloom and despair in the air and their scramble to make a little money, especially from foreigners.

But even in all this sad and backward scenario, it was easy to see the past glory of the former land of gold. The Swedagon Pagoda with its golden dome is an awesome spectacle and it towers over its surroundings is a evidence of the kingdom. With innumerable reclining and meditating Buddha's the Swedagon and its ambience motivated me to sit and meditate, transcending into a strange sense of peace and calm. 

We enjoyed the different pagodas, the Sule paya and strolled along the busy markets in the city where if possible to get anything from snake skin and rare gems to smuggled rolex watches and swiss army knives.

Bagan

Also called Pagan, this is the largest temple complex in the world and the mostly un-restored. The view from the aircraft before landing is breathtaking, over 2000 temples and pagodas of different sizes are sewn across the valley making it a amazingly memorable sight.

We stayed at one of the nicer hotels and were extremely surprised to see that we were the only guests among the 40 other rooms. This got us undivided attention of the whole staff but also made me wonder about the lost tourism opportunity that this beautiful country is facing under an oppressive and degenerate regime.

In Bagan, we were treated as royalty being one among the few foreign tourist in the whole town. Our guide (also the hotel manager) created a fine menu of temples for us to visit and also complimented it with handwritten catalogues (created specifically for us by him overnight). One of the best services that we have ever experienced it just highlighted the true potential of the place and the desperation of the citizen. 

I am recounting our guides account of the different temples below:

1. The Shwezigone stupa, built by king Anawhta and completed by his son Kyansitha between 1084AD and 1113AD.

2. Anada temple of south indian style built by Kyansith in 1091AD.

3. The Dhamayangyi (also the largest) built by King Naratha in 1163 who was assisinated in a war with a south Indian king.

4. The highest temple Thatbynyun,  built by north indian king Alongsithu in middle 12th century.

5. Manush temple, one of the oldest built by captive king Mon of Thaton in 1059, which houses the largest reclining buddha.

6. Nanpaya, built by Nagasaman in 11th century and having one of the finest stone scultures.

He further entertained us with some amazing tales of the old lands and for a while we were transported to the old times.

After returning I can only hope that the world wakes up to the plight of the Burmese people and also pray for the release of Aung San Suki, the only hope that the people have for better times for the next generation.

My Singapore Diaries

1. Thaipusam Festival

2. Night Safari

3. Chinese New Year

The Year Gone By...

The Year Gone By... 

Initially it seemed that the year went by really fast but when I sat down and starting thinking about the events that my year had, I realized that this has probably been one of the most interesting and stimulating years of my life. 

2007 started on a very different note because when the clock struck 12, I was in a desolate beach in Osa Peninsula (Costa Rica) with just three biologist having just a small fire and the stars for company. Feeling one with nature and listening to the waves crashing on the beach, I could never imagine the roller coaster ride the year 2007 would turn out for me. 

It started with a bang.. parading on the streets of New Orleans for the newly promoted consultants party in January, an experience for which I will always be thankful to Deloitte Consulting. Throwing beads and streamers at the crowds staring at the parade, the 'feel like celebrity' celebration was way more than any of us could ever imagine. February and March saw some difficult but satisfying days at work when we got the monstrous court application off the ground. Being one of those people who get really attached to their work and also having been on the project for the longest time, this will be one memory that I will cherish all my life. During the long days and nights, I made great friendships, both with the clients and with consulting people around me and also discovered some great mentors to guide me during my career.

I learned the value of hard work and determination and realized that the satisfaction that one gets from a job well done is much more than any monetary reward.

But like after every marathon, the runner though tired and happy seeks a greater challenge, I knew at this point that in order to keep working with the same zeal and to be content with life, I needed to chase my next dream. I had been toying with the idea of an MBA for a while but a two year hiatus from work and the financial burden accompanying it seemed overwhelming but the incentives for more friendships and skills and the curiosity of the unknown finally tipped the balance in the favor of education. With renewed excitement, I plunged myself in preparation and the months of April and May seemed to pass without a second to spare. Sleep became a luxury as I aimed for the Jan'08 admissions to INSEAD and had to double up to complete everything in time. During this time, I also moved to a new city, living with family after a long time and to a new project following my favorite boss in Deloitte and was now at a entirely different role and position. Another long learning period with crazy hours but an experience that further strengthened my resolve to get into Business school as I realized that even though I did not know how but was sure that there had to be a better way to conduct myself. I felt I had a lot that I could still learn in terms of leading and managing people, building relationships and work ethics that would help me reach my dream destination in life.

Following the GMAT in June, I decided to take a break by indulging in my favorite hobby.. archeology and nature photography.. I traveled to the Mayan ruins in Guatemala, a long cherished desire since I visited Peru last year. Tikal and Antigua held me in their power and I effortlessly travelled to the 9th century in the royal times of the Mayan kings. In July, I backpacked across Alaska, following the trail of Chris McCandless (Into the Wild:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild) and traveling all the way up to the eskimo village in Pt. Barrow, ice climbing, camping and fishing on the way. An opportunity for observing mother nature in its full glory and for deep self introspection without any disturbance.

August and September were times for heavy work and interviews for INSEAD admission. I had two interviews and met some amazing alumni who made me confident that my MBA gamble would pay off. 

I heard of my admission acceptance in October, and even though an occasion for great joy and happiness, I now had to leave some of my best friends and colleagues to march into the unknown. Finances was a problem too, as most loans were not working out well, but as always being the 'fortunate one', I somehow scraped through after pooling in all my resources and with a few loans.

Delhi, India in December is cold and harsh but I had not been home for more than two years so this was a welcome break and even though not as productive professionally as the other months, I got spend some time with my parents and got to meet some old friends and could hopefully start some new relationships that I hope would grow in future.

But as I sit back today and quickly scribe my year logs on the slow internet connection and beautiful computer gifted by a best friend, I realize that this year would not have been close to what it became, had it not been for each of you being there to support me when I needed. From 1st Jan to 31 Dec, every person in this list has played an important role in my life and I feel truly blessed to have known and interacted with you all.

I know there are going to be lots of hardships and challenges for me ahead but I feel unafraid and confident as I can feel the warmth of the memories and the strength of the wishes guiding me along and showing me the way.

Thanks you all and have an excellent new year.

Russ

www.crazyrustam.blogspot.com

www.thefortunateone.blogspot.com

(Rustam Sengupta)

Alaska - The North-most Frontier

From the time I read Jack London describing Alaska in his books the 'Call of the Wild' and 'White Fang', I nourished desire to see the wild bush country myself. This summer I got the chance of the lifetime when I joined a camping trip up in the north-most state of US.

My Alaskan adventure started from Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. As it was summer the sky was lit for near 20 hours a day and my first observation was the reddish golden glow in the starless sky. We had decided to camp in the different National Parks for the next two weeks and I felt as spirited as 'Alexander Supertramp'. 

Wrangell St. Elias National Park (Macarthy): After a long bumpy van journey, venturing eastwards to the Wrangell St. Elias National Park, we camped on the base of a glacier. A huge magnificent structure, truly a wonder of nature that took our breath away. The small town of Macarthy is at the bottom of the glacier, once famous for its copper mines, it now lies empty, visited only by tourist who want to climb the glacier and enjoy quiet solitude on a solid block of slowly moving ice. My first night at the camp was a strange experience, the glacier seemed to be enveloped by a reddish glow and the whole area had an eerie feeling to it. The only sounds were of the flowing water and it took me a while to adjust to this silent dreamy atmosphere.

The next day we went ice climbing on the glacier, an experience which was worth the physical exertion and tiredness that followed. After hiking about seven miles on the glacier on my cramp ons, it was quite a herculean task to climb the steep ice slopes precariously balancing myself with ropes, nails and pick axes. A high adrenalin exercise which took a while to master will go down in my books as one of the most extreme sports that I have ever done.

McLaren - Denali Highway: The next day we continued our adventure, driving on the famous Denali National Highway, one of the northernmost highways of US towards the Denali National Park. We stopped at a small village called McLaren along the way and camped outside the river lodge for the night. An extremely cold place where I must have put on a record number of layers, McLaren river turned out to be an excellent spot for grayling fishing. Learning some fundamental tricks from my Australian tent mate, I managed to catch a couple graylings myself. Since the days are 20 hours long, we decided that a boat trip to the bottom of the glacier at 11PM at night was worthwhile, so braving the super cold and the mosquitoes we paddled for about an hour to see the glacier from close. A spectacular sight and even in the harsh weather, I felt in complete peace with my surroundings. The sunset was fascinating, more colorful than any other place I have ever been too. Though I did not sleep much that night, I did not feel tired the next day and was awake early to board the van for Denali.

Denali National Park: Denali National Park is known for its beautiful flora and fauna and for the wild animals that inhabit the national park which is the size of the state of Massachusetts. It is also an unique national park is it has no marked trails and people are allowed and encouraged to independently venture out to the wild in any direction they want. The only thing to watch out for are big grizzly bears and its always advisable to have a portable GPS if one wants to venture our far from the main road. Generally most tourist board the national park bus which takes them about four hours into the forest. We took the bus to Fish Creek, a three hour long journey and then hiked for about five hours in between the mountains, the grasslands and the fast streams. We were lucky also to see a beautiful blond grizzly bear from close quarters, sleeping blissfully in the sun. Also, we saw a number of moose, raindeer and amazingly a lone grey wolf (quite a surprising sight since wolf are generally always in groups). On the way back to camp, we also had a chance to see a dog sled demonstration and the handsome proud huskies took our breath away.

Our campsite was next to a stream and I spent a long time, sitting on its edge relaxing. The next day we made an early hike to Mt. Healey and then chartered a plane to see Mt McKinley (Denali) from up close. The small turbo prop four seater was supposed to land on the glacier at the base of Mt McKinley but bad weather foiled our repeated attempts. But even though we were not able to land, we did get a excellent view of the mountain.

Pt. Barrow: On returning from Denali, I decided to go to the northernmost inhabited settlement in North America - Point Barrow.

A eskimo town, very underdeveloped and covered with ice nice months a year, its amazing to see how these people survive off the land. After long delays and detouring off Purdoe Bay, America's oil platform on the North Arctic shore, Barrows turned out to be a lot different than what I had visualized. Rows and rows of poor broken down houses, and really old cabs greeted me. The shore of the Arctic was covered with large whale bones and the ocean seemed unusually calm. At 78 degree's north, this is nearly the top of the world. I ate some fish at a Japanese hotel, one of the two food places that I saw in the whole town and then played some soccer with the eskimo kids on the shore before heading out in a broken down cab to the north-most extreme of the land, hoping to see one of the most elusive bears - the polar bear. Standing on the edge or the Arctic ocean with my toes dipped in the water, I was as close to the north pole as one can be. An exhilarating feeling of achievement and satisfaction that even the absence of polar bears could not quell. 

Sewart: With half of my vacation nearly over, I headed for Southern coastal Alaska on the Alaskan Railways for the city of Sewart. Named after the one who brokered the deal for Alaska's purchase for $ 7 million from Russia, Sewart is Alaska's main port and also the entry to the Kenai Fjords National Park. The Alaskan rail coaches are also an interesting way to travel with each coach having a student guide volunteer and the train itself passing through beautiful forests and snaking along the fjord coast. The large windows allow all tourist to enjoy the beauty of Alaska from the comfort of the coach while sipping wine or drinking hot chocolate. On reaching Stewart, I took a cruise to the fjords watching whales frolicking close by and huge seals resting on floating ice. I also managed to see the famous colorful bird - the puffin which is said to be able to dive up to depths of 20 meters into the cold waters to catch fish. 

Homer: Our next stop was the small artistic town of Homer. Perhaps the most interesting town in Alaska, it boasts of a large number of artists who settled here during the vietnam war and gave this town a distinct culture. This is the place where I had the strangest meeting in my whole life. Late in the evening, we met a talk and handsome bearded stranger who suddenly appeared at our campsite and started helping us with unloading our gear. The man never said a word and for a while we did not know what to ask him. Finally we shared some camp dinner with him and later while cleaning the dishes found out that he was a traveller from Israel who was traveling Alaska and Canada on foot. The strange fellow had a super calm and confident look on himself and walked around with a huge back back and a single tent on his back. He had deep eyes and after a while seemed to look like Jesus Christ (not kidding!!) and to add to our surprise, he vanished the next morning. Very very strange experience.

 

Across the Bay: Across the bay is a small island which is on the other side of Homer. Owned and maintained by a elderly couple, it is a beautiful little semi resort from where one can go sea kayaking with the hope to watching sea otters, birds or if lucky the resident orcas. Our sea kayaking excursion was more relaxed and we had salmon sandwiches on another island before heading back to Homer.

Hope: Hope was the last village on my trip, a small settlement of about 300 people, which was founded during the gold rush, it is still home to the old gold panner families. I had an opportunity to try my hand at some gold panning with Peck and managed to get a few specks of gold after an hour of shaking and draining. The old museum is interesting too and the town folks were really nice and hospitable, offering us pancakes and coffee where ever we went.

My Alaskan experience will always be memorable and I hope that the north-most bush country stays that way without people exploiting it. I know I will go back one day maybe in winter when the sky is dark and there is snow everywhere.

The Mayan Adventure

Few people know of the historic Mayan civilization which often gets eclipsed by its relatively modern Inca brethren in the south both due to its geographical remoteness and economic backwardness.

Some ruins are still to be discovered and not a lot is known about this fascinating 7-9th century civilization.

I had often read stories of the strange customs and traditions, the prevalence of human sacrifice, copper coins and magnificent pyramidal architecture and hence was overjoyed when I finally had a chance to witness the glory of this long forgotten kingdom for myself.

Armed with Lonely Planet and the movie 'Apocalypto', I boarded the plane for Guatemala city. 

Guatemala City: Like any other big central american city, full of bustling traffic and tourist guides, was our first stop where from the airport itself, we took a taxi to Antigua and met the most friendly tourist cab driver Jose. An amazing guy speaking very little English, Jose still managed to charm us with his funny antics and within minutes we had warmed up to him.

On the way to Guatemala City, we stopped on the top of the hill overlooking the valley to see an ariel view of the old city of Antigua.

Antigua: Known as the old capital of the province, Antigua is now on the map for its immersive Spanish language programs. A small but busy city, its stone narrow streets and colorful markets give it a distinctive cultural identity. We stayed at a really small hotel with mud walls and painted floors, very basic accommodation but close to the city center. Antigua has lots of old churches built on Spanish colonial architecture and museums worth seeing. It is also a great base for traveling across the country, which is what we had planned too.

Lake Atitlan: Our trip to lake Atitlan was nearly washed away by the rains but here too, Jose managed to save us by taking us around the lake as far as we could go by car. The water is very blue and very deep and its neighborhood boasts of may Mayan villages that still try to preserve the old cultural heritage and are great places to buy Mayan handicrafts like shawls, scarfs and other clothes that showcase some fine embroidery and lace work. Panajachel the town by the side of the lake is actually famous for water sports but being rainy and cold, we decided to skip the boat ride to Santiago de Atitlan and went instead to the Cakchiquel and Tzutuhil Indian villages for lunch and souvenirs.

Chichicastenango: The famous Mayan market still boast of some of the old flavor but though has now become unsafe and dirty. We found some very exotic fruits and handicrafts and the Spanish church behind the market is one of the most rustic looking churches that I have ever come across. We spend a few minutes here but quickly returned to Antigua to get some rest before our 4AM flight to Tikal.

Tikal: Though more Mayan pyramids and temples are found in Mexico (Yucatan peninsula), the Tikal archeological complex is one of the most impressive in architecture and has some of the largest Mayan ruins ever found. Said to have been built when the Mayans were at their prime, this huge area is covered with dense forest and unwelcome foliage. Our adventure started with a small 16 seater aircraft trip to Flores from where we first took a jeep to the edge of the forest and then hiked for about 4 hours to reach the complex. One of the more strenuous hikes because of the heat and the humidity, we were completely exhausted and understood why this place had not yet been completely excavated. The old ruins, especially the Jaguar temple and the moon temples were awe inspiring, especially when considering the effort it must have taken to build it. It is said that Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period, ca. 200 AD to 850 AD, during which time the site dominated the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily while interacting with areas throughout Mesoamerica, such as central Mexican center of Teotihuacan. Old artform and scriptures can also be seen at Temple V or the Lost World Pyramid, and one cannot help but wonder how developed this civilization was. The best sight is from the top of the pyramids were one can see the top of the temples towering over the dense forest. 

There is a lot to learn from these majestic civilizations and their rise and fall only re-emphasize the transient nature of human life. Powerful and developed that they once were, the ruins are a reminder that nothing last forever. 

London & Paris in a weekend !!

What would you do if you have four free days, a grand city, $600 to spare and a great friend for company..

A potent combination for one of my crazy travel cocktail..
This time it was London and Paris.. a whirlward junket for a 60 hours trip of a lifetime.

After a major struggle for obtaining a visa the last minute (lacing my travel reason with romantic overtones and a heartfelt love story, which I managed to sell to the beautiful French counsulate official), we were on our way, courtesy the travel allowance saved from our consulting careers.

The flight alone costs about 16 hours round trip and has a high potential for Jeg-lag. But high adrenalin levels can fight anything I have realized.

A night sleep over at London (hardly a sleep-over since the majority of the time was spent sightseeing the beautiful cosmopolitan city ablaze by neon lights) and a quick trip with the 'beef eaters' at London tower and ogling at the Thames from the 'London eye', we were on our way under the English channel to Paris.

'The most romantic city in the world never disappoints those who seek it', Paris was once again a dream place. Going over the Seine river, standing on the Eiffel tower, being struck by awe at the Pantheon or ogling at the rustic art and history of the Louvre museum are always delights for the soul. Within a span of 30 hours, with just about 3-4 hours of sleep, we covered our whirl-ward tour of the city, ending with some excellent Viennese Coffee at a typical Parisian cafe.

This is the place where I decided that I would return to school and maybe in the beautiful French country.. so different from the places I have lived before.

New Orleans - City of Resilient Happiness

My trip to New Orleans etched unforgettable memories.. the city devasted by Katrina, now back on its feet and back in the business of making people smile..

The special moment to remember was the Parade. Organized by Deloitte, all the newly promoted consultants walked down the length of Burborn street amid major fanfare. Throwing 'beads' around we were the celebrities of the town, escorted on either side by police patrols and city officials, it is probably an experience that none of us will ever forget.

The next day, I took a tour of the city and its a town very different from the rest of US. Historically French by origin, it retains some of the classy art, culture and French legacy.

The southern cuisine is  amazing too, especially the 'gumbo' soups enriched with cajon spices and spicy sausage. I also bought a 'alligator' skull as a souvenir as according the the vendor we were thick in alligator country. 

My Central American Adventures

My Central American Adventure - Costa Rica and Panama...

San Jose, C.R: Costa Rica is a place of one of the greatest natural biodiversity, having both Coastal forest as well as equatorial rainforest and active volcanoes.
San Jose the capital is a small city, heavily infested with American travellers and adventure tourist. I was here to see some of the endangered animals and insects that I had only seen in books and magazines and to hike through the forest (to survive in the wild). Close to Volcan Poas, Jaco Beach Lankaster Gardens, the La Paz Waterfal, San Jose is a good place to start the adventure from.
Volcan Poas, Volcan Arenal and Volcan Irazu: Active volcanoes that I hiked during my trip. Its a strange feeling climbing a volcano. The pungent smell of sulphur, the occational smoke coming out of the cracks and the black lifeless soil often give the feeling that one is walking on the surface of a completely different planet. My guide said that Armstrong during his trip here had remarked that the surface reminded him of the Moon. Hard to do but an experience in itself a active volcano is a remarkable wonder of nature signifing the power and strength latent in mother earth.
Caribbean Side, Puerto Viejo and Cahuita: Very interesting about Costa Rica is clear distinction between the two coasts just about 200 miles apart, the west side is mostly forest and indegenous people while the east side has significant Caribbean touch with mostly dark skinned people. Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, popular tourist destination for their beautiful beaches and chilled out rasta lifestyle is a wonderful destination for relaxation and the starting point for the hike to the Manzanillo National Forest.
Manzanillo National Forest: A day long 8 mile hike into the Coastal Forest, a perfect way to spend a hot and humid day. But the number of animals and trees that I saw made up for the salt and water that I lost. Navigated by my long haired rasta guide I saw two toed sloths, the slowest creature I have ever seen; the russell viper (fur de lance), a deadly snake that can kill a person in 3 minutes; a number of colourful endangered but poisonous frogs and an unbelieveable number of birds and plants. I also ate termites, which are high in protein content and tasted raw forest crabs, very crunchy but a little slimy.
Monteverde Cloud Forest: Zipping over the dense forest cover on ropes and in the rain is an adventure experience of a lifetime. It seemed like flying, tied only by a rope and about 400 feet above the ground, I felt free and completely at peace with nature.
The cloud forest has innumerable flora and fauna, colorful insects, butterflies and hummingbirds can often take ones breath away. This is also the forest where I first touched and played with a baby anaconda, cold and rubbery to touch this creature can choke me to death when an adult.
Nicoya Peninsula, Montezuma: After rafting and floating on the Tican rivers, I made my way to Montezuma. My ATV (picture above) adventures started from here when I drove around the Nicoya peninsula for two days (along the beaches of Santa Teresa and forest of Nicoya) witnessing animals, villagers, tribals and waterfalls.
Tortugero: Known for the beaches where the sea turtles nest, I was fortunate enough to witness a nesting mother turtle. A turtle lays about 60-80, some large and fertilized while some small an unfertilized on which the babies feed on. An awesome spectacle, eight foot long and four feet wide reptile totally in a trance by the moonlight.
Osa Peninsula & Panama: The best part of my trip, three days into the deep and dense Corcovado forest of Osa Peninsula and crossing the border to Bocas del toro. A high adrenalin trip from the start, I have never had a more exciting solitary adventure.
I boarded a plane with a bunch of naturalist to the grass airstrip in the middle of the forest. Having no reservation and no place to stay, I asked around the people at the airstrip (there were a total of three people at the airstrip, a driver for the naturalist, a person with cola for the pilot and a airstip agent for maintainence. They informed me that Mirador was a house where I could get a place to stay and eat. I hitched a ride with the naturalist only to be dropped off at the shore opposite Mirador. Thigh deep in water with my heavy hiking bag walking up to the shore without a person in sight, I was sure that it was the craziest thing that I had ever done in my life. For once in my life, I experienced a rush like no other. Solitary and completely at natures mercy, I felt more connected and at peace with  the surroundings than I had ever felt before. Perhaps a spiritual experience like no other. Luckily of getting to the rocky shore, I managed to find a trail which lead me up to the hill to Mirador's cabina. I spent the nights at the wooden shack with reptiles of different forms and shapes for company and starlight streaming through the window of the otherwise dense darkness.

I took two hikes into the Corcovado forest, one in the daytime and one at night. The day hike was long and tiring but my wonderful guide explained every element of the dense forest. Four species of monkeys.. Squirrel, Spider, Howler and the white face cappuchin, iguanas and toucans were spread all over in this one of the most dense coastal forests in the world.
But the most amazing experience was the night hike into the jungle (I was accompanied with 'the bug lady', an amazing entymologist dedicated to studying medical value of insects).
Crossing the bay at night on a small canoe, I had the most scary moment of my whole trip when looking around while shinning my light I saw about six alligators stare back at me. Their golden eyes are enough to give a chill up anyone's spine. I bug lady showed me a new world, sleeping sloths, feeding iguanas, frogs of every size and shape even colorful coral snakes. But best of all, amazing bugs and spiders .. of all kinds, some poisonous while some harmless enough for us to play with.

I celebrated the New Year (2007) on the beach with three other people, lighting a fire and eating fish, a contrast from the usual new year parties but a wonderful way to welcome the new year staring at the beauty that nature has gifted us.

My Crazy Inca Trail

Hiking 5 days on the Inca Trail with a broken arm...!!!

Peru, June 2006
I boarded the plane for Peru with a trepid heart, my first foray to a under-developed country with a different language and planning an incredible adventure. I was sure really nervous..
Of course I had backpacked across Europe before, but South America with its reputation was different.
My travel through the country would take me to Lima (the capital) , Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world), Cusco (the Inca capital), Sulistani, Pisaq (the burial sites) and on the Inca trail to Machu Pishu.
Lima: The beautiful but contrasting capital city, is one of the busiest and most touristy destinations of South America. Bustling with trade and business, it still retains it Spanish touch with it opulent gardens and majestic churches with Gothic architecture. Host to some of the best universities of the region and well stocked museums, it seems to give an impression of a developed city. But ironically a ten minute drive out of Miraflores (the expiate district) reveals the poverty and underdevelopment of the third world nation. Rows and rows of poorly build and disorganized and dirty slums as far as the eyes can see hardly reminds one of the rich and developed Inca empire that once existed in history or the developed self sufficient nation that the Peruvian government (under Alan Garcia) wants the world to believe.
This is the saddest part about uncontrolled and deregulated global development, the rich gets richer, the cities turn modern but the hiatus between those to make it to those who are left behind widens every second.
My friends had warned me before leaving of the fragile government and the possibility of military coups (and the suffering the tourists had to go through during one of those) so imagine my plight when I exited the airport and was greeted by a army tank with about a dozen soldiers.. I was lucky, it wasn't a coup but just a usual patrolling since the elections were in progress (I don't think it would be usual in most other parts of the world).
The museums of Lima were very interesting with the treasures that the Spanish had not managed to lay their hands on and the curator was a learned guy (attempting to hold on to very sketchy and unsure historical records). Personally I believe that the worst fall out of colonization was the destruction of indigenous history and native culture but apparently this was one of the major weapons of the Spanish (other than the guns and the germs) to rule over these once rich and diverse people.
[Excellent chronicle by Jared Diamond on this subject in the chapter 'Collision at Cajamarca' in his book 'Guns, Germs and Steel' (1999)]
After spending time in Lima eating original Peruvian ceveche and Calamar en su Tinta (squid blood with rice), I proceed to fly to Puno, the town on the banks of Lake Titicaca.
Puno, Lake Titicaca: Not only the highest navigable lake but also one of the most beautiful, Lake Titicaca is also unique because of its inhabitants.
The island people of Amantani and Taquile greeted us with open arms offering us a place to stay and food to eat. Especially impressive was their creative developmental projects (some with solar energy while others in fishing on the lake) and their political setup. Each island was governed by a council both nominated and elected was very autonomous and independent in its self. Utilizing the money generated from tourism, these island were prospering at a very good rate and some even had schools and colleges on them. An interesting fact was the color and shape of the hat determined the social status and marital inclination of a man, a tradition that outlasted the Spanish era.
One of the examples of successful utilization of indigenous techniques in association with modern scientific methods.
One of the most unique set of inhabitants are the people of the reed islands, completely build on dry reed pulled from the lake, these people float on the lake and build houses on them, sometimes even complete villages. It is said that these people, originally descendents of the Aymara Indian tribes (some even pre-Inca) would stay one step ahead of the Spanish by floating away (often to the Bolivian side) when they heard of the advancing Spanish.
Their success evident from their way of life and Aymara language still uptarnished by Spanish influence.
Cusco: Following the nine hour bus ride from Puno to Cusco, an ascend to about 12000 ft above sea level, one can often enough feel the lack of oxygen. But that did not stop the Incas from building this city into their beautiful capital. The museums tell the story of the pre Spanish era and the narrow sidewalks with Inca stones (buried under Spanish architecture) often reminding one of the inevitable transience of civilizations, even ones as mighty as the Incas and the inequalities of development in the world.
The hike to Machu Pishu follows the historic retreat of the Incas into the forest from Cusco preceeding the Spanish advance. A five day hike covering two mountains, a cloud forest and numerous ruins on the way starts from Ollayatambo, a bus ride away from Cusco.

The next day following my scrumptious dinner of cuy (guinea pig) and Llama meat, we proceeded for the Inca Trail.

Inca Trail: Seldom is one so at awe with nature and history that it inspires courage and perseverance unknown even to ones' self. The five day strenous hike surmounting challenging peaks (of over 14000 ft), walking 10 hours and trying to sleep in sub zero cold temperatures to retrace the path of the fleeing Incas and to see the sun rising over Machu Pichu is a life changing experience and I personally felt a spiritual touch.

The broken arm was forgotten when I sprinted to the top of the Sun Gate often climbing steep stairs on all four limbs, but the sight that I got will be etched in my memory forever.

A worthwhile mention here is of the porters who carry the tents for the hikers. Barefeet these Inca descendents never cease to provoke admiration by their unnerving stamina and strenght. Often rising before the tourist and running up and down the mountains on an empty stomach, these porters are an inspiration and the real olympic medal winners.

Descending from Machu Pishu to Agus Caliente, and waiting for the plane back to Los Angeles, I look back at Peru, as the land of rich culture and history, a land of great suffering and injustice but also a land of friendly and resilient people who have a ability to bounce back from oppression and still smile and be optimistic.

Bombay Dreams'

I watched the musical this friday. The music is from A.R. Rehman, mostly direct rips from songs in his films.
It was generally fun, only that it felt really funny to listen to english lyrics on bollywood songs.
I mean come on... bollywood dialogues are way beyond what westerners can call 'sappy' or 'mushy'...

The dances were fun, considering that one of the main dancers, Rani was well rounded, mostly shaped like a 'pear'. But she was super flexible and every twist and turn of her well augumented assests was well crafted and silk smooth.

Most of the movements and steps were very bollywood-ish with shaky gyrating hips complementing the colorful shinny costumes.
I had a good time but I guess my dancer friend accompaning me did not have a lot of steps to take home..

Paper published..

yupeee...

my master's thesis paper has been SELECTED and PUBLISHED in a journal..
so I am officially a techo geek..

been there.. done that...
http://www.actapress.com/PaperInfo.aspx?PaperID=16953
http://www.actapress.com/Content_Of_Proceeding.aspx?ProceedingID=259

I ran a Marathon..

Ok, not a marathon.. but more than I have ever run at the same time.. 5K

And I completed it in 27:41 avg about 8:40 a mile.. not too bad for a person who never even ran after his school bus :-)

Also, I ended up some 865 among more than 6000 ppl...

watch out.. here I come

Stomp out loud.. you lucky freak

Flaming Red.. that the color of my super convertible, and thats were I start my story..

My friends wonder whether because of my super optimist attitude I don't realize how messed up I am. For them, here's the embarassing but exciting tale of last evening...

My Friend from work (name not disclosed) and I decided after work that we would get some dinner at Spectrum and then maybe go to a club and hang out. Seems like a harmless plan, right ??
Thats what we thought till things started going randomly crazy..

1. Wrong Freeway: We end up going North 405 instead of 55 North.. not because we were lost but because my friend could not change lanes fast enough.. well!! we guys are consultant .. we generally go slow on change..
Anyway, after driving a couple of miles, we got to turn back and made our way back to office. Anyone looking out from their office window would have thought we are workoholic freaks returning to office to work at 8PM.

2. Anyway, Finally we were on the way to dinner and with the top down, crusing at 70 mph, we were living life to the hilt. I blame the wind hitting my face, the hip hop on the radio, and my inspiring company for taking the wrong freeway again and this time getting lost royally. Red as my car I tried to explain that everything was under control, yup it was.. I was looking to the pole star for direction, for heaven sake.

3. Getting lost is not bad enough, but losing your red convertible.. thats like getting an open heart surgery from Homer Simpson, painful for you, funny for others..
Anyway, we parked or so we claim next to the tallest building in Spectrum.

After some amazing Thai food.. getting the wrong bill for double the amount and discovering that my friend did not have her id and so we couldn't enter the club (I still think she's underage), we decided to head back home.

The parking lot seemed unusually empty, I mean all the other cars were there.. all except my flaming red convertible..
For the next 30 seconds, everything changed color to red for me.. even the green in my pocket.
Hunting for the car like a madman, while trying to look cool and composed to my friend was quite an oscar act, but I did manage to pull it off I think..
NO mama, I did not cry when I was calling the police.

(my cell was giving up on me too.. its like when shit happens, everybody smells it from miles away and runs..)

The police control room after a long hold, asked me to go the police station..
I remember once remarking to my friends earlier.. 'which dork would need to go to a police station in a party place like Irvine Spectrum?'.. well !! that dork is me..
Ofcourse it was closed, am I not the lucky one.. another call.. my car has not been towed, they told me.
Thats great, I won't have to pay three hundred bucks now.. but guess what, its probably stolen..
(OCTA timetables anybody ??).. I really didn't know how to react, so I did it the way I generally do, I felt like laughing out loud..

Anyway, this mobiles police unit arrives and they tell us that we have to look for my car..
How exciting, I finally get to play cops. Any other situation I would have got a great kick to sit in a police car, but today my butt felt red and hot on its own.
Guess what, we drove to the same parking or so we think..
AND MY CONVERTIBLE wasTHERE..
all red and inviting.
My friend and I, still haven't got it.. we had spent twenty good minutes looking for it. I still have a really creepy feeling about the whole thing.. The cop dropped us off with a goodbye looking something like.. 'dude take it easy on the bottle'.

But I and my red convertible are reunited and we race down the road, and a few read light and stop sign jumps later.. we are home. Or nearly.. the last red light just outside my apartment refuses to turn green, so after waiting for about ten minutes I have to go up ahead for another mile and then take a U-turn.. so much for the red color.
Finally at my parking lot, My completely freaked out friend cannot wait to rush to her car and get away, thats the power of RED...

Chronicles of Lucky Man

Chronicles of a Lucky Man
Some people are born lucky while some get luckier by the day. I think I can say the both for myself.As most of you were aware, I just returned from the East Coast of US, namely New York and Philadelphia, and my travel back home has compelled me to believe that I have to be one of those 'fortunes favorites'. Let me recount my amazing journey (optimistically) or my ordeal (pessimistically) for you all to decide.

7:48 AM
I left from my brother's place in Philadelphia walking to the 30th Street Philadelphia Station, hoping to catch the 8:18 train to Trenton and from there, the direct connection to Newark in New Jersey. As I walked over the bridge across the river smiling at passing joggers, little did I know what I had in store for the next 12 hours. The first hiccup occurred around one block from the train station when one of the wheels of the suitcase I was carrying broke down, probably because of my adamant insistence of carrying it over rocky and jagged surfaces. Well ! A bad starting omen, but when one is 24, one does not believe in omens.Cheerfully I lifted the suitcase to my shoulder I continued. That one block for me was about the same as Rodger Bannister running the mile in under four minutes. But I reached the station...

8:12 AM
After buying the ticket to Trenton, I was rather surprised when the train arrived on the platform about 6 minutes early. The board boldly showed 'West Trenton', as I boarded the train, and an intelligent man would ask before he settles down. But after staying in Wharton Business School for a couple of weeks, and taking valuable advises from some of the prospective CEOs of the world, one generally starts trusting his own decisions and asking question to lesser mortals seems so inane.The view was so mesmerising as the train chugged along, that it wasn't till the ticket conductor's loud chuckle did I realize that I was in the wrong train. Trenton it turns out is completely different from West Trenton !! Hello.. panic.. "So whats my option officer ?"After much debate and pondering I decided on the conductors assurance that it was a much better idea to carry on till West Trenton rather than get off at the smaller stations and hopefully catch a train to Trenton, which is about 15 miles away. So much so for confidence in me.. But I reached West Trenton ...



9:10 AM
Here I was standing alone on a platform resembling more Platform number 9 and half from Harry Potter rather than a real station in the most developed nation of the world. Train to Trenton from West Trenton... bad idea.. none till the afternoon... screwed !!Looking around I see breathtakingly beautiful cherry blossom trees on full bloom, some pink some white, a green hilly landscape and a few pointed houses, and finally one gas station.Hardly a time to be poetic I decided to ask the gas station owner for help. The owner turned out to be a nice old man willing to talk at lengths about my degree, my interests, my parents and my birth country, Holding on to my thinning patience, I kept reminding him that all I needed was some taxi/bus/ anything to get to Trenton.Finally he gets to the point, he calls his friend who operates a private taxi to take me to bus stop. I thank him profusely as he mentions his intension's on visiting India on the other side of the globe and offers me coffee. His friend arrives and seems happy to drive me to the bus stop for a bus to Trenton. Over the way, he mentions how even after his job got shifted out to some third world country, he still managed to put his kids through college by doing the taxi business and what he think about economic reforms. Interesting views, especially to a third world ears and though being completely lost, my mind still ponders over global economic disparities and we strike up a lively discussion in the car. Impressed he refuses to accept money and finally on my insistence takes only a fiver for a ride easily worth twenty. Anyway, the bus is there and I am on my way along the bumpy country road..But I reached Trenton...

10:35 AM
The deserted Trenton Station can mean only one thing.. I missed the New Jersey Transit. shoot.. back in the soup.. I finally start asking people. A person nearly pushes me on the the R7 train promising me that I can catch the New Jersey Transit from Princeton if lucky.Know what,.. I do..God bless that man. Though spending a couple of dollars extra..I reached Newark Airport.


11:55 AM
The worst was yet to happen. Murphy's law, "When something has a chance of going wrong, it will..". I believe it.I can't get to the flight (reasons not willing to disclose in fear of public embarrassment).So here's the status report, I am in New Jersey airport not being allowed on the plane after travelling all the while from Philadelphia, tired and sleepy trying to contact my brother who is presently ignoring calls. Not very enthusiastic, I presume. But as I meet the airline staff I be myself, the poor graduate student with nowhere to go in the cruel city and holding a ticket at least (even though presently status of the ticket can be medically classified as in 'coma'.) Persistence, Patience and finally by flattery.. or luck, I get to be standby on the 6PM flight. Six hours to kill as I walk towards the security check.. Maybe late,But at least I made it to the flight..

1:20 PM
Congratulation.. I have been selected for complete screening at the security check. The joy of being the 'chosen' one is soon overshadowed by the prospect of a body strip search.Everything.. well nearly, comes off.. lots of public embarrassment as intimate private stuff from my bag is minutely checked. Well, if I was a terrorist, I personally wouldn't think too highly about stuffing explosives in my underwear but if the guards believe that there is a risk, then there is, so my exposure is complete. With an unhappy smile, which I reply with a flashy one the guard lets me go, and as I make my way to the gate I think, at leastI made it to the Gate...

5:45 PM
After some agonizing five hours on the airport gate being mocked by the airline staff.. "You've seen the Terminal (Tom Hank's last movie), you know what to do if you have to stay here", complimented by the magazine selling clerk.. "Thank you sir, for buying your fifth magazine, you must be quite a reader" and being yelled at by the janitor, "Can't you raise your legs when I am cleaning the floor".. the boarding is announced.But I am standby and I have to wait..Repeatedly I go to the airline staff.. repeatedly she shoves me away.. pleas, threats, coffee nothing work as I finally come to the terms that I might get stranded.Last call, doors closing..suddenly I get a call.. seems like some snotty idiot did not want to sit on the middle seat next to the bathroom and I am asked if I would accept.. "Hon.. right now I am ready to go on the toilet seat". Might be uncomfortable and the flight to Los Angeles might now have been routed through first to Chicago and then Phoenix, but guess what, at least I am flying..

10:15 PM
Finally..We encounter bad weather. Is this the climax of my journey or is this the last chapter ??The plane stall.. fall.. and rolls. At this point, I wanted to stand and clap, "boy!! I am so lucky", but the air hostess restrains me. "We might have to go over to Denver folks, seems like a storm down there".. as if I did not realize that sitting next to an old lady throwing up in a leaky paper bag.The pilot decides to make an attempt at the Phoenix airport, and after a really bumpy ride, I am in Arizona. It might have been a close call (says the Christ-greatness lecturing lady next to me) but at least I make it to Phoenix..

11:55 PM
The last leg of the journey is unusually uneventful, other than the minor instance of me nearly falling on to the lap of my much irritated neighbor while sleeping, but guess what I am in Los Angeles.

So friends,
What do you think.. real lucky... damn right..