Want to become backpacker again soon!!

Cafe at Hostel

Apart from the beautiful Scottish landscapes my recent holiday introduced me to budget travel and backpacking. The four days of travel were very different from the family holidays and tours we are used to in India. Must say I am looking forward to become a backpacker again!

Unlike in India, booking a tour did not mean I was offered a ‘posh’ hotel and three meals of the day with services to carry my luggage and local transport. It was fun to learn to travel light, which is so impossible for us Indians. I was amazed to see how western travellers manage to travel for weeks and months with a small suitcase or a travel sack. Here I was with a similar bag travelling for four days.

Travel wagon shaped bar

It was a pleasant surprise to enjoy the ambience that backpacking provides with the company of fellow travellers from different countries. So we had Team Australia, Team China, Team Turkey, Team Korea, etc on our bus. Having read about budget hotels as a professional, I had some idea what backpacking hostels would offer. The most happening part of the hostel was the pub or the cafe where travellers would relax after an early dinner. The self catering kitchen was ready with cutlery, utensils and chopping boards for those who fancy cooking. The lounge was a perfect setting to play cards or for net surfing.

The hostel I stayed in Edinburgh offered complimentary walking tours, pub crawl and pool competitions. It was this walking tour that I realised such hostels also employ backpackers who earn while travelling. Our walking tour guide was a Canadian student on a break, travelling around Europe with Edinburgh as his base.  He is in the city for 10 months, has travelled around Europe, UK and works at the hostel.  “What a wonderful life. I would love to become backpacker like him”, I thought.

The Weatherman

This morning I stepped out to go to the university and realised it was a little dark and the sky was grey. Is it the white cloud or will it rain? Oh shit I forgot to check the weather forecast... The first lesson I learnt when I came to London was – Always check the weather before leaving.

Perhaps the only unpredictable thing in London is the weather.  I was least bothered about the weather in Mumbai as practically we have only two seasons – summer and rainy.  Winter season is a distant cousin who very rarely visits Mumbai. My most concern to know the weather was during monsoon just to know if there is any water logging or heavy rains are expected. Our metropolitan department was infamously famous for inaccurate predictions so these updates were also taken with a pinch of salt. Later the weather reporters clad in corporate suits explaining wind directions on private news channels also failed to get my attention.

In London BBC is my weatherman. I can check weather for London, Kingston and even according to the postcode. I am leaving at 9 am but it’s going to rain at 16.00 and temperature drops at 22.00.  Along with my travel the five day weather forecast helps me to manage my laundry routine.  My friend casually asks – is it a good day to wash clothes? Me – Yes it’s going to be sunny for the next two days.  Or weather forecast could help to decide what to wear. If it was not for London, I would not have paid attention to the wind speed. Once my friend said its sunny today with temperature about 10 degrees. I asked her to check the wind speed. Reason? To know if I need to carry a jacket. She was surprised is when I told her if the wind speed is above 7 mph means it could be breezy. That was my observation. I love to drench in the Mumbai rain, watch splashing waves along the sea shore. But in London, rains, cold weather and wind is a lethal combination.  The wind cheater I brought from Mumbai is going back home as I need a rain coat suitable for the London rain.

This new knowledge has taught me a different lingo – white cloud, sunny intervals, light rain, heavy rain, snow, drizzle. It was a sunny day; I was trying my best to cope with the market research class when suddenly it started thundering followed by heavy rains. Our Greek professor in his own style said "You know guyssss there is a famous saying in London You don’t like the weather? Wait a minute".  

Enduring faith in Indian values and parenting

The following article Raised to rampage, made me write this blog and further endorsed my faith in the Indian values and parenting. Pointing towards timid adults and fearless children, the article blames the parents for the UK having ‘most indisciplined and frighteningly moronic youngsters in Europe’.

It is the same fear that instilled disciplined and taught us values. As kids everyone of us was scared of mother, father, or some elder. It was a daunting task to hide those low grades, complaints or mischief from parents or elders for the fear of been punished or scolded. In return were encouraged to obey and respect elders, not to misbehave and still enjoy the joy of childhood. Once my friend mentioned about her professor stamping on the stack of lecture notes while teaching when an Indian student interrupted and asked him not to do that as Indians consider books as god. Another friend working in a fast food chain regularly narrates incidences of how children throw away money while paying for their favourite fries and Diet Coke.

Early days in London we use to adore chubby kids moving around in buggies on the streets and buses. My friend said ‘don’t adore them so much, the same kid will become a spoilt brat when he grows up’. His comment in a sense summed up the youngsters in general we observe here. As many now opine, the youngsters here can use their freedom and independence constructively to show dissent for the right cause instead of looting shops for frivolous reasons. One needs to reflect why opinion leaders have to emphasise parents to ask tough questions to their children.

We in India have always been given examples of how youth in the western countries start living independently and work from young age. But I believe what we forget is –With freedom comes responsibility. My stay in London tells me, sure youth here are independent and free but lack responsibilities: Responsibility towards their parents, elders, friends and society at large. I admit this freedom allows you to become independent and manage yourself better. I would not have learned many things had I not lived away from home. But the biggest test is to enjoy this freedom with a sense of responsibility and gratitude towards others.

It makes me wonder what must be the relationship between parents/ mother and children when mother of a 14 yr old kid scolds her friend for disturbing her sleep when her son was seen in the riot prone area past mid-night. This is when the memory of my mother waiting late night till I return from work becomes special.

Sometimes is it good not to be ‘socially connected’?

I was enjoying an ice-cream at Leicester Square when a friend from India called and scolded me for not answering her mail. Reason – she was worried after reading reports of riots in London. I was totally clueless about the latest incidences till I reached home to find my room-mates following the London mayhem on-line.

I knew about riots in North London but for some reason was not ‘glued to my lappy’ to know the details. I was at central London when I noticed some missed calls from friends and relatives in London and Mumbai. A friend informed me about some disturbance at Oxford Circus, the same area I had passed barely half an hour ago. The Oxford Street was as usual buzzing with shoppers and tourists. I noticed a police car screeching away while leaving the area but thoughts of riots in that area never crossed my mind. Harrods, London's famous luxury department stores, was also crowded with shoppers and tourists alike.

I figured my lack of knowledge about the fresh violence was that I was not ‘socially connected’. I don’t use a smart phone and hence was not twitting, updating FB messages or checking in places through Four Square application while enjoying a day out with a friend. This disconnection had kept me away from the panic, confusion, concern, discussion on the internet from policing in London to the fate of India-England test match. Later I came across reports and comments on how BBM was seen as one of the reason for spreading the violence. I stumbled upon this skype interview http://www.firstpost.com/world/how-blackberry-messenger-was-used-to-organize-londons-riots-57418.html , which discussed about BBM’s role in the London riots.

No doubt social networking, internet and technology are playing a greater role in every aspect of life. It’s not even a month since Mumbai was yet again rocked by bomb blasts, one of which was very near to my home (http://tejaldeshpande.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-terror-memories-hound-you.html). I was first informed about the incidence and my family’s well-being only through the net. Today also I am seeing how people are comments and organising messages online, which is a positive sign. I have seen riots and bomb blasts in Mumbai and am now in London for almost a year. This kind of riots and looting needs to be condemned and is not justified. But still I thought to myself – Sometimes is it good not to be ‘socially connected’?

Work in progress, Apologise for the delay

Today I got a mail from Transport for London (TFL) informing about bus route diversion on 14^th August due to a cycling test event for London Olympics. Such communication is highly unimaginable for a Mumbai citizen used to unexplained road digging and facing daily traffic snarls. And I realised I am getting used to London’s way of communication and liking it.

One chilly November morning I was late for a morning lecture because of some traffic near the campus. I was fortunate enough to have been allowed to enter the classroom, but the lecturer reminded the late comers about the ongoing gas pipeline work near the campus. This meant we were supposed to factor in that delay and plan our journey accordingly. This was one of the first lessons of travel planning in London as opposed to the assumptions and presumptions of Mumbai travel.

Later I started noticing digital sign boards along the roads at least a week in advance informing about planned engineering works. Importantly the boards apologised to commuters for delay and causing inconvenience. London tube stations have a ‘good service’ sign flashing against a tube line. Once my friend wondered what is ‘good service’. In Mumbai terminology it meant Western / Central / Harbour trains are running on time. Here the tube driver apologises for delay if the tube stops between stations, which was amusing for us in the beginning. Today’s TFL mail mentioned specific bus routes in my area that will be affected and provided a link for further information on those routes. Couple of days back my friend noticed our internet connection was down and we remembered receiving the pamphlet from our internet service provider about possible connection failure from 9am – 1 pm. Aptly our net connection was back at 1.30 pm.

This is in stark contrast to seeing Work in Progress signs on Mumbai roads for infinity. Worse the same road is again dug for some other reason disregarding logic and commuter’s convenience. If engineering works were actually planned a Mumbai commuter will not suffer the annual saga of pot-holed roads during the monsoons. Many will save money spent on doctor’s consultancy for backaches, sprains, maintenance costs for private vehicles and most importantly time and energy to face the same ordeal again and again.

A tribute to a friend whom I shall meet only in spirit

As I signed in, my FB page listed today’s birthday but the birthday girl left us for her heavenly abode, leaving fond memories behind. No wall updates, no HB messages. My mind raced to so many birthday wishes and calls as we cherished the decade long friendship.

A casual meeting in the corridor on the first day of senior college had transformed into a formidable bond irrespective of the distance and time. She truly epitomised the phrase ‘friend in need is a friend indeed’ when I banked on her for notes during exams. Asking for her History notes was my birth right! The nervousness of appearing for exam disappeared with her assurance that I will do well. Remember the late evening when we both decided to visit the Kalina campus on knowing our graduation results were out. This was when results were not announced online, but pasted on a notice board in building somewhere in the corner of that deadly campus. We checked our results under a dim tube light accompanied by couple of other friends.

I enjoyed her company on the same campus when we both enrolled for post graduation. She failed to quell my restlessness to sit quietly and study in the library, surrounded by thick books on political science and economics. Hard to believe it’s the same me who prefers quite study zone to work on assignments at my university in London. That friendly pestering for missing lectures was not new. I was used to it since college as I visited cyber cafe in the days when personal computers were not so commonly owned. She introduced me to the world of making friends online when Orkut, Facebook were unheard of. Thanks to that I made some amazing friends through the Internet. I always admired her courage and positive attitude to face adversities with a smiling face.

Out of sight is not out of mind is so true for some relationships. Our friendship was one of them. Those long on-line chats were our focal connecting point when both of us were in different cities. The short mail with birthday wishes when we were across time zones meant a lot in the age of on-line wishes. It was yet another chat that turned to be our last meeting until the angels decided to choose my friend whom I shall only meet in spirit.

Have you wondered about your favourite bus route?

It was hot afternoon when we boarded our usual bus no 71 from busy Eden Street that my friend remarked, ‘I hate 111, 131 their routes are so long, 71 is the best, it goes straight’. This made me think, I am not the only person having peculiar thoughts about bus routes. Living at Dadar, I have mostly travelled by bus to school, college, classes, work, anywhere in Mumbai. These bus travels have developed certain notions and memories about particular bus routes in my mind.

When I think of Mumbai buses I remember bus nos 165, 164, 385, 81, 85, 324, 79, 33, 87, 91, 28 and the list can be expanded. I can associate some memories, incidents, people I travelled with or something or the other with each of these bus routes. Bus no 165 has been a permanent companion from childhood till date. The landmark for my house is ‘ building behind 165 bus stop towards Worli’. This will be amusing for Londoners who depend on tube and location maps to travel. I use to take the same bus in the opposite direction to catch those early morning lectures at college. The 7 am 165 use to be full with school kids, most of them disembarking at my stop, making way for us other regular travellers. The daily routine to see the bus conductor managing the school kids and his witty conversations were fun to watch. The same conductor knew his other passengers and we never had to mention the stop we wanted to get off at, the ticket would be ready in our hands.

There was something I liked about route no 81, but still can’t figure out what was it. So many time when we were engrossed in chatting on the bus stop, my friend would say ‘your favourite bust has come, will see you tomorrow’. Was it the particular seat I use to scramble for while travelling to French classes? But I know why bus no 324 was my favourite while returning home from a tiring day when I was working at Business Standard. Doordarshan was the starting point, I got the window seat and the bus stopped right opposite my house! Bus travels on routes 87 and 91 remind me of several visits to my aunts' house, 79 and 33 will always be associated with my first job at Andheri.

This saga has continued in London too. My first Red Bus ride was no route 131, travelling from New Malden to Fairfield Bus Station. One of the early experiences of travelling in London was the recorded tapes inside the bus – 131 to Tooting Broadway. The journey in 111 to Heathrow Central will always be remembered for my early days in London, horrendous travel time to reach my university campus and for many more reasons. And I cannot forget 85 to Putney Bridge, my all time companion while studying at Kingston University. Another day when I was boarding the same bus home, I heard a guy telling his friend ‘this is my favourite bus’. Have you ever wondered about your favourite or not so favourite bus route?

The humble scrambled egg

When I was preparing to come to London one of my friend insisted, go and enjoy the English breakfast there. I always had fetish for hash browns, had tasted baked beans and of course the scrambled eggs. My first English breakfast was as expected, enjoyable and filling. Eating that lovely breakfast on the street side cafe under the bright sun was relaxing.

As always I did not to finish the scrambled eggs soon. Eggs have always been a part of my diet. Mother makes them in different ways, dry egg bhaji, egg omelette, half fry, egg curry and egg bhurji. Egg bhurji is a spiced version of the known scrambled eggs. My all time favourite is the simple scrambled egg. Don't know if I make it as per the prescribed recipe, but I love scrambled egg sprinkled with black pepper powder. Its my first choice whenever I go for buffet breakfast. On the other hand egg bhurji has its own place. I like to eat the hot bhurji made in iron wok or tava, as we call it, with hot chapati. The smell of tava bhurji been prepared on the roadside stalls in Mumbai mesmerizes you. The site of people crowding these stalls and hearing of clanging sound of the wok is common to us Mumbaikars.

Its the same with egg omelettes. I prefer plain omelettes instead of the spicy ones prepared with onion, tomatoes, chillies and coriander. Not to forget the yummy Tibbs egg frankie that becomes your saviour at the Churchgate station. Wrap, eggs, little of chat masala, soya sauce makes one of the yummiest frankies that I have ever eaten. I remembered all this I was relishing another filling omelette breakfast at one of the cafes in Kingston.

When I became a kid again - Cadbury World

For most of us the first memory of eating a chocolate will be relish Cadbury Dairy Milk. I remember those days when a guest at home use to bring a Cadbury Dairy Milk or Five Star as a token of love. My father's love for chocolates - specifically Dairy Milk, makes me a child, which in a way I experienced this week.

The not on agenda trip to CadburyWorld at Birmingham, UK was an amazing experience to know how my favourite chocolate is produced and learn about its origin. What drew my attention was how an interactive experience is created, instead of making tourists go through standard bill boards and posters at an exhibition or a museum. The 4D screen shows of origins of Cadbury and other stories involves you as a visitor. The shadow games, chocolate mould imaging and Cadbara Car are all introduced considering the huge children following. And not to forget the free cadbury chocolates and some hot melted chocolate that you get to taste here. I would love going back to this world of chocolates !

Portobello Market - London's Colaba Causeway

Yesterday was my first experience to venture on the streets of London, and I discovered Portobello Market. Situated in West London, Portobello market was once a farm and is now a famous market to shop for antique items and vintage goods. Recently it has become popular as the shooting destination of Julia Roberts starer film Notting Hill.

The Portobello Street, which turns into a market, is dotted with small stalls and shops selling a variety of antiques from old parking boards, posters, cameras, old CDs,old momentos and many other things. The common site was see stalls of oxidised imitation jewellery. Beautiful hand crafted rings, earrings, necklaces studded in silver. What struck me was its uncanny resemblance to the Colaba Causeway in Mumbai.

Like Portobello market, Colaba Causeway in South Mumbai, attracts tourists and city shoppers alike with stalls selling imitation jewellery, clothes, accessories and electronic items. Both these streets are vibrant with shopping buzz, hotels, restaurants and pubs. I live you today with a glimpse of Portobello Market - London's Colaba Causeway.