After one week of getting up really really late, eating piles of paranthas and having enormous amount of dairy products, it was time to leave home and get back to Delhi for the next semester. The feeling was akin to that in some stories that i had read as a child about the boy going to his boarding school and the relatives seeing him off at the station. This was the first time that,due to my father's transfer, my home is so far from my hostel...in Ahmedabad. Nevertheless , the three heavy suitcases were enough to occupy my mind and i said goodbye to my parents.
Gone baby gone...
As much as i like babies..one 'side-effect' of the AC compartment is that whenever you have a child traveling and sitting somewhere close to you, along with his mother..the results are irritating.
In a normal sleeper coach the noises and commotion from all different sources, chai wala, frooti wala..or the train itself,drown the noises that i pretty much dont like to hear too clearly.
So unfortunately, for a large part of journey i got to hear.."No ! Rahul, No..!!", "Do not disturb uncle ", "No..beta upar mat jao..!" , " Chot lag jayegi " , " Kapde gande mat karo !! " etc. etc. He didn't let his mother(or me) sleep continuosly for more than 20 min with once waking her up to ask "time kya hua hai ?" and the poor lady concentrated in the dark to tell him the time and when asked why was he asking he just said "aise hi". All this seemed to me , nothing less than a conspiracy against the mother, as no one deserves to be treated this bad !
But luckily they got off at Jaipur and it was nothing less than heaven from there on.
InDecent-ry
I've always thought that people are more interested in having conversations with fellow passengers in trains than in any other mode of transportation and to an extent i am also open to it. But this time, a bihari couple was sitting across me , who had been in Gujarat for the first time and had their "voily gujarati food". And in conversation with another passenger , the uncle said , "..pet gadbada gaya humara. Ab thoda theek hai warna aaj subah tak to bahut badhiya 'dysentery' ho gaya tha ". The Outlook magazine that i had bought turned out to be even more useful as i dug deeper into it , to pretend that i was not present there.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Alibaug-Day 3
30.6,Sunday
We checked out of our hotel at 9 am and started back for Mumbai. The real highlight for this day was the water fall some 6 km from Mahabaleshwar en route to Mumbai via Pratapgarh. Due to the rainfall this fall was greater than the previous day and we were the only one bathing in it. The flow was so large that , even if we stood for a few seconds underneath it, it seemed like something is throwing piles of stones from way above with some extra force. The water was always trying to push your head down forcefully. Really 'mind blowing'.
(I am omitting the more relavent photos :P )
The route that we were taking this time was different from the Expressway. This was NH-17 but it was more scenic than the expressway. Other than the various picturesque places in the journey there was one water fall near Pauladpur which looked too good to be true.It was bigger and better in many ways.
We decided to appreciate the scenery and move on while resisting our desire to again bathe in the water fall.
So after that we stopped at Alibaug and though the beaches were good, it wasn't anything out of ordinary. But still the breeze is always nice so we decided to sit there for an hour.
After that our final stop IITB. And , quite obviously we were stuck in a huge traffic jam just kms from it. We got back to Surat the next day.
To describe what the places in the trip were like, i'd just say that the type of place that heaven is made to believe, would have probably been thought of after seeing them.
We checked out of our hotel at 9 am and started back for Mumbai. The real highlight for this day was the water fall some 6 km from Mahabaleshwar en route to Mumbai via Pratapgarh. Due to the rainfall this fall was greater than the previous day and we were the only one bathing in it. The flow was so large that , even if we stood for a few seconds underneath it, it seemed like something is throwing piles of stones from way above with some extra force. The water was always trying to push your head down forcefully. Really 'mind blowing'.(I am omitting the more relavent photos :P )
The route that we were taking this time was different from the Expressway. This was NH-17 but it was more scenic than the expressway. Other than the various picturesque places in the journey there was one water fall near Pauladpur which looked too good to be true.It was bigger and better in many ways.
We decided to appreciate the scenery and move on while resisting our desire to again bathe in the water fall.
So after that we stopped at Alibaug and though the beaches were good, it wasn't anything out of ordinary. But still the breeze is always nice so we decided to sit there for an hour.
After that our final stop IITB. And , quite obviously we were stuck in a huge traffic jam just kms from it. We got back to Surat the next day.To describe what the places in the trip were like, i'd just say that the type of place that heaven is made to believe, would have probably been thought of after seeing them.
Pratapgarh- Day 2
29.6,Saturday
Quite unexpectedly Pratapgarh was the best place in the trip. It is 20km from Mahabaleshwar and it seemed like just a fort when we heard about it. But you realize its uniqueness when you see the altitude at which it is built. It is hard to imagine how it can be constructed in earlier times.
Also once you get on top you have a feeling hard to describe. Because of the clouds all around the fort ,we literally felt like we were in heaven. I will not say much about it, as it is a place which my words wouldn't do any justice.
Next we saw the Lingmala water fall from far away. It was splendid. Once we got closer we realized that the little bridge that passed over the clear stream of water was in fact the same water that some 50 m away turns into a fall 'the lingmala water fall'. Since on that day it was raining heavily the water flow was 10 times the previous day and you could feel the furious water gushing down the fall and making a thunderous sound for quite a distance. The thought that we were planning to take a dip in that water really made us look stupid and lucky(that we didnt go ahead).
Next we saw what was left of Panchgani(also had strawberry lassi). Sydney Point is not even worth mentioning. Though table land was far better. It was almost a cricket ground at the top of a mountain. And there were many such plains on the nearby hills. It was really spectacular.
(This day was full of adventures which i am not describing here)
Quite unexpectedly Pratapgarh was the best place in the trip. It is 20km from Mahabaleshwar and it seemed like just a fort when we heard about it. But you realize its uniqueness when you see the altitude at which it is built. It is hard to imagine how it can be constructed in earlier times.
Also once you get on top you have a feeling hard to describe. Because of the clouds all around the fort ,we literally felt like we were in heaven. I will not say much about it, as it is a place which my words wouldn't do any justice.
Next we saw the Lingmala water fall from far away. It was splendid. Once we got closer we realized that the little bridge that passed over the clear stream of water was in fact the same water that some 50 m away turns into a fall 'the lingmala water fall'. Since on that day it was raining heavily the water flow was 10 times the previous day and you could feel the furious water gushing down the fall and making a thunderous sound for quite a distance. The thought that we were planning to take a dip in that water really made us look stupid and lucky(that we didnt go ahead).
Next we saw what was left of Panchgani(also had strawberry lassi). Sydney Point is not even worth mentioning. Though table land was far better. It was almost a cricket ground at the top of a mountain. And there were many such plains on the nearby hills. It was really spectacular.
(This day was full of adventures which i am not describing here)
Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani
After deliberate consideration because of the number of people involved and the miles that separated us , the Mahabaleshwar trip was finalized. It involved getting over many hurdles like the different intern schedules (some had a 5 day week some had 6 ) , some of the people being incommunicado for some reasons and the natural desires of people to not agree with others. The three of us(me , niraj and gaurav) came back early on friday(27th) from 'the plant' and got on the Surat BDTS express on which we had booked our tickets in the 2S class for a mere Rs.100. The train ride was not that smooth as we had earlier thought , and decided that it was better to travel while standing as the seats which we got were those which faced one more 3 seater and there was no comfortable way to sit. So we stood near the door for most of our 4.5 hour journey which was interspersed with many 'new' items which were being sold by the vendors. Like one month 'old' magazines at half the price, mint leaves being sold in a bundle etc. The scenes of boys playing games like cricket or riding a bicycle after a day's work in the little 'green' villages made the trip ever so wonderful.
We reached 'Mumbai' at 8.30pm and boy was it terrible. We had to get to our friends from our hostel who were staying at IITBombay , and the autowallas and taxis were there to thug us. Somehow we managed to get an auto from Bandra to Powai for Rs.120 (i am sure it should be even lower). After somehow managing to get past the awful traffic especially near IITB and the infamous potholes we reached there. This was my first time there and the city didn't leave a good impression on me. We met our friends after a long time and usual bakaiti started. We also got the information that instead of going through a packaged tour which would have cost us Rs.1300(including stay,food and everything), we were hiring a taxi costing Rs.2000 per day. Though I always prefer traveling without any plans, when with friends, it sounded dearer but till that time there was no other way and the taxi was hired to take us the next day from IITB.
We spent the night in IITB campus and the only thing worth mentioning there is the zillions of mosquitoes and Hostel 12-13.
The hostel 12-13 are something you really have to see it to believe. Everything from the skywalk which includes common room and indoor games, to the hostel mess which is in basement but is in fact on ground floor(!) ..the architecture is amazing. There should be riots to get into that hostel with its superb night canteen.
28.6,Friday
DAY-1
We started at 7 in the morning and took the Pune Expressway. The fear of the Qualis being uncomfortable for 8 passengers was gone as we sat quite peacefully(at least i did). The journey was remarkable largely due of the wide roads and the amazing scenery it forms because of various tunnels and places like Lonavla too in between. Though the toll taxes really take a toll on you , on these wonderful roads, which are to an extent devoid of large traffic.
At the insistance of our taxi driver who was a Ganpati devout, we stopped at Vai , which we were being told is one the Ashtavinayak mandir. The mandir looked a little bit like Charanpur of Swades to me, or may all old mandirs are like this , as i have not seen many.
From there we were on a route where Panchgani is before Mahabaleshwar(i was thinking the other way round). So, the sceneries were just getting better and better. We were 'taxed' at Rs. 10 per person and Rs.30 for taxi for entering Panchgani, which was ridiculous in every way. Nevertheless the first thing we saw was Harrison Folly, named after certain Mr. Harrison who built a house there which flew due to winds. But i cant say the Englishman was at fault for building a house there , as the view was breathtaking to say the least. (There was also horse riding for 'kids' where a guy charged Rs.60 for letting you ride it for like 45sec).
From there we stopped at a place to get tea but instead went down a path where we were hearing sounds of water in hope a water fall, but we didnt find it , though there was a picturesque scene of a small bridge passing over a clear stream of water. We dipped our feet in it, but left as we had to get to our hotel and also have our lunch.
We reached Mahabaleshwar and it was raining there. And instead of being foggy it was cloudy, which means what could be mistaken as fog were in fact clouds and they were enveloping all the city. The cover was as thick as a Delhi fog in winters. After some difficulties we checked in our hotel (Hotel Varsha). The rooms were great at Rs. 700 and we had lunch there. Without wasting any time we set out to see all there was to see in Mahabaleshwar that day.
The first place was Lake Venna. It was cloudy, windy and rainy ..so the scene was wonderful.
The next place that we went to were involved a large number of 'points' and it was terrific. There was Kates Point, Needle Hole Point ,Echo Point and Elephant Point, all located very close to each other , the last one being the best of them all.( if you need some info about these find it on http://www.travelpaisa.c
om/mumbai-hillstations/mahabaleshwar.html )
The other 'points' were completely covered in clouds and our efforts to see them ended in vain. But nevertheless we were quite happy with all that we did in the day and in some ways at our limit in the number of beautiful places that we could see in a day.
We reached 'Mumbai' at 8.30pm and boy was it terrible. We had to get to our friends from our hostel who were staying at IITBombay , and the autowallas and taxis were there to thug us. Somehow we managed to get an auto from Bandra to Powai for Rs.120 (i am sure it should be even lower). After somehow managing to get past the awful traffic especially near IITB and the infamous potholes we reached there. This was my first time there and the city didn't leave a good impression on me. We met our friends after a long time and usual bakaiti started. We also got the information that instead of going through a packaged tour which would have cost us Rs.1300(including stay,food and everything), we were hiring a taxi costing Rs.2000 per day. Though I always prefer traveling without any plans, when with friends, it sounded dearer but till that time there was no other way and the taxi was hired to take us the next day from IITB.
We spent the night in IITB campus and the only thing worth mentioning there is the zillions of mosquitoes and Hostel 12-13.
The hostel 12-13 are something you really have to see it to believe. Everything from the skywalk which includes common room and indoor games, to the hostel mess which is in basement but is in fact on ground floor(!) ..the architecture is amazing. There should be riots to get into that hostel with its superb night canteen.
28.6,Friday
DAY-1
We started at 7 in the morning and took the Pune Expressway. The fear of the Qualis being uncomfortable for 8 passengers was gone as we sat quite peacefully(at least i did). The journey was remarkable largely due of the wide roads and the amazing scenery it forms because of various tunnels and places like Lonavla too in between. Though the toll taxes really take a toll on you , on these wonderful roads, which are to an extent devoid of large traffic.
At the insistance of our taxi driver who was a Ganpati devout, we stopped at Vai , which we were being told is one the Ashtavinayak mandir. The mandir looked a little bit like Charanpur of Swades to me, or may all old mandirs are like this , as i have not seen many.
From there we were on a route where Panchgani is before Mahabaleshwar(i was thinking the other way round). So, the sceneries were just getting better and better. We were 'taxed' at Rs. 10 per person and Rs.30 for taxi for entering Panchgani, which was ridiculous in every way. Nevertheless the first thing we saw was Harrison Folly, named after certain Mr. Harrison who built a house there which flew due to winds. But i cant say the Englishman was at fault for building a house there , as the view was breathtaking to say the least. (There was also horse riding for 'kids' where a guy charged Rs.60 for letting you ride it for like 45sec).
From there we stopped at a place to get tea but instead went down a path where we were hearing sounds of water in hope a water fall, but we didnt find it , though there was a picturesque scene of a small bridge passing over a clear stream of water. We dipped our feet in it, but left as we had to get to our hotel and also have our lunch.
We reached Mahabaleshwar and it was raining there. And instead of being foggy it was cloudy, which means what could be mistaken as fog were in fact clouds and they were enveloping all the city. The cover was as thick as a Delhi fog in winters. After some difficulties we checked in our hotel (Hotel Varsha). The rooms were great at Rs. 700 and we had lunch there. Without wasting any time we set out to see all there was to see in Mahabaleshwar that day.
The first place was Lake Venna. It was cloudy, windy and rainy ..so the scene was wonderful.
The next place that we went to were involved a large number of 'points' and it was terrific. There was Kates Point, Needle Hole Point ,Echo Point and Elephant Point, all located very close to each other , the last one being the best of them all.( if you need some info about these find it on http://www.travelpaisa.c
om/mumbai-hillstations/mahabaleshwar.html )
The other 'points' were completely covered in clouds and our efforts to see them ended in vain. But nevertheless we were quite happy with all that we did in the day and in some ways at our limit in the number of beautiful places that we could see in a day.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Daman
8.5 ,SundayThe few markets (the names i ll mention after i see all that i can) had been keeping us busy for quite a number of days. The autos are so cheap when there is a group of 3-5 people that even the most distant markets are approachable on a daily basis. But once in a while you need to get away from the city and we were told that Daman is one such place. It is 80-90 km away from Surat, and i thought of it to be unexplored by the tourists as i had not heard of it as a tourist destination. So, we planned a weekend getaway. But we could not make it on Saturday as everybody slept through it. So we decided to go on Sunday and bunk Monday.
We could not get any prior info on how to reach there or what places to see as none of the localites
had been there and the info on websites was all i could gather. So the three of us started on Sunday morning with 3 other people who were doing intern with us but were from different colleges. There was Rajat from IITK,Manish from NIT,jalandhar and Mohit from University of Petroleum,Dehradun. We knew Rajat , but the other guys were new and they were on the trip through him.Since Daman was not very far we thought of taking a taxi but the price quoted by the tour operator was Rs. 6000 !!! So obviously we took a train to Vapi (which is on the same route as Surat-Bombay) for Rs.33 :) We stood in the 2nd Seating compartment(i had seen it for the
first time) and the journey was over in just 2hrs without any discomfort. From Vapi, we took a taxi at Rs. 15 per head to cross the Gujarat border and enter in Daman.To my surprise, Daman was not meant to be a tourist destination. As Gujarat is a dry state and Daman shares a border with it , the U.T. makes full use of it. As soon as you cross the border the first shop is a booze shop and there are hundreds of them on both sides as you go along. Till we reached the taxi stand i had seen as many booze shops as i have cumulatively seen in my life and number of new brands. We reached there at 2.30 pm and booked a cheap hotel(hotel paradise) and looked around for some food. But all we got were shops serving booze. We were told that 3-7pm is off for the restaurant and bars and only booze is served during that time. Also there are no restaurants there, only 'restaurant and bar'. But we managed to finally fin
d a shop which served food.We asked around and it looked that the only place to see was Devka Beach. So we took an auto for Rs.6 per head and got there. And what we saw was good enough beach , though the water could have been a little less muddier. There was the usual camel/horse rides, vendors serving bhel puri etc. but the difference was that as soon as we entered the beach there were people asking us 'saab beer chahiye ?' ..!! even old ammas whom i thought would ask for money instead asked the same question.
The waves were ideal for a what a beach should have and we jumped into it in no time. After
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some 2 hours of fun with the waves throwing us in and out of water we decided that we should explore other things. There was another great moment when a table and chairs were laid out for us right there on the beach and the sun was setting, as we sat there. The waves randomly turned violent and reached our feet when we thought we were at a safe distance from them.The night turned out to be great as we ate in Hotel Miramar which had a seating capacity in hundreds and a live 'orchestra' which played your requests. And as mentioned in my one earlier post the same stuff that happens when you drink and dance was happening here , and we too joined the large dancing group that was busy enjoying. We also saw families enjoying large amounts of beer with one having a 12-14 year daughter having a glass of her own which was being refilled quite regularly.
The only mistake that we did was to book a hotel before coming to Devka beach . It was 5-6 km from there and autos stop operating after 7pm ! so at around 2am , we thought that if we had booked a hotel we might as well check in , as we had not put any of our stuff in it. If we had not booked it , we could have had a night out , while dancing or on the beach. But as 'unluck' would have it it started raining as we were waiting for something to take us to taxi stand. We waited for a little while under a tin shelter and the weather then seemed absolutely delightful with the sound of sea waves at a distance, and the raindrops falling on the shelter providing a perfect backdrop for any silly talk/gupshup with friends. Though in a few minutes we saw an auto and quickly got to the hotel and slept.
As we planned to return the next day , we got up early and due to my persistence , we planne
d to see the Twin forts instead 
of going to the beach again. The forts ,though not greatest that i have seen , turned out to be quite fun as we were the only ones visiting them and the rainy weather made Daman look different from the previous day.We also went to Jampore beach which was cleaner , but it was silent compared to Devka beach. So after an hour there, we went to Devka beach again and planned to end the trip there.
Though i do not recommend Daman as a tourist spot or a holiday option for a family , we all had immense amount of fun there and the day and a half seemed too little a time to take in the shock that such a place could exist in India or for that matter anywhere in the world.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Day 4. Dumas Chopati
17.5 , Saturday
Dumas chopati is the nearest beach here. It roughly takes 15 min in an auto and costs Rs.10 at max. We had heard that it is again only a place for the couples and not that good. And it was correct.
The beach was again full of couples and large families. Here also I saw the habit of eating and picnicking on the ground, and believe me the conditions here are not even close to how great they are on the bridge. The beach was full of rides on camels, horses or simply some rides for everyone. So,if the ONGC bridge can be a picnic spot , this is a famous tourist destination. But I advise you to go there on days of Full moon as the waves and the tide will be more on that day and you would not have to travel large distance for actually going to the sea.
Day 3. The Gas Terminal + ONGC Bridge
16.5 , Friday
Today was our first visit in the field in the plant and the place to start that is the Gas Terminal(GT). It is the place where the two 36" & 42" pipelines from Bombay High travel 200km in sea and 40 km in Tapti river and reach the plant. I had no idea that the amount of gas it processes (roughly45MMSCMD) is distributed to so many industries. Companies like IOCL, Reliance, KRIBHCO, BPCL, Essar, Gail ,GGCL, GSPC which are in the vicinity are all dependent on it.(This is a dream place if you are looking for a chemical or even some other industries). Rest of the gas is sent to the famous HBJ pipeline. Mr. Verma in the Control Room in the GT was the most helpful person you can come across. He did not leave even a single doubt in our minds while providing the overview of the plant, with the field trip of the GT where we actually saw how the gas comes in and how it is distributed. Though we had to travel at least 4-4.5 km to see all of that !
We realized only in the evening that the Tapti River is only 100-150m from the place where we are staying. So, we decided to go to the ONGC bridge. It is just a usual bridge built on the river long time ago. But in the evening, it is the most happening place around. The weather in the evening is always great here and even more so at the bridge, with wind blowing at speed which is many times that of our famous wind-t. The bridge is always shaking with hundreds of trucks crossing the bridge during the whole day.
It is almost a couples only zone,
except for the families which treat the bridge as picnic spot...!!! People park their cars or bikes right on the bridge and enjoy the view for hours without even bothering to turn on the parking lights of their cars. I am amazed that no accidents happen even after this carelessness. Another thing that people told me before coming here , but I had to see it for myself was ,that people in large groups bring their own food in the cars, spread a sheet on the footpath on the bridge and start enjoying their picnic..!! I do not think that happens anywhere else... But I could see why so many people came there. Even I liked the place too much. Nothing beats the refreshing air and the moonlit river....
Today was our first visit in the field in the plant and the place to start that is the Gas Terminal(GT). It is the place where the two 36" & 42" pipelines from Bombay High travel 200km in sea and 40 km in Tapti river and reach the plant. I had no idea that the amount of gas it processes (roughly45MMSCMD) is distributed to so many industries. Companies like IOCL, Reliance, KRIBHCO, BPCL, Essar, Gail ,GGCL, GSPC which are in the vicinity are all dependent on it.(This is a dream place if you are looking for a chemical or even some other industries). Rest of the gas is sent to the famous HBJ pipeline. Mr. Verma in the Control Room in the GT was the most helpful person you can come across. He did not leave even a single doubt in our minds while providing the overview of the plant, with the field trip of the GT where we actually saw how the gas comes in and how it is distributed. Though we had to travel at least 4-4.5 km to see all of that !
We realized only in the evening that the Tapti River is only 100-150m from the place where we are staying. So, we decided to go to the ONGC bridge. It is just a usual bridge built on the river long time ago. But in the evening, it is the most happening place around. The weather in the evening is always great here and even more so at the bridge, with wind blowing at speed which is many times that of our famous wind-t. The bridge is always shaking with hundreds of trucks crossing the bridge during the whole day.
It is almost a couples only zone,
except for the families which treat the bridge as picnic spot...!!! People park their cars or bikes right on the bridge and enjoy the view for hours without even bothering to turn on the parking lights of their cars. I am amazed that no accidents happen even after this carelessness. Another thing that people told me before coming here , but I had to see it for myself was ,that people in large groups bring their own food in the cars, spread a sheet on the footpath on the bridge and start enjoying their picnic..!! I do not think that happens anywhere else... But I could see why so many people came there. Even I liked the place too much. Nothing beats the refreshing air and the moonlit river....
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Day 2. Training Starts+River View
15.5 , Thursday
The training started officially for us and for many people doing engg. or MBA(wtf..!) from other colleges. What the MBA people would gain out of a gas processing plant is a mystery to me. But I concluded that no matter what a person is pursuing as his career(BCom,BBA,MBA etc.), if he's a ONGC ward he would have done a training in the plant.
The first day was just some paper work and introduction to some safety measures.
We learned to operate the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus,which for layman are the cylinders with masks used to provide oxygen in case of a fire etc. The sound that the mask makes was so Darth Vader like that I did not want to go back to breathing normally.( It was also similar to the one made by the astronauts' suits).
We were put up in the River View, the ONGC Guest House in the evening. It was surprisingly good,with ACs in the common room and dining room. The food was good at Rs.15 for breakfast and Rs.30 for lunch and dinner. At that price, it is the best and the most balanced food in terms of nutrition we have had other than my home. We have sabzi,dal,rajma or chole or soya, dahi, rice, roti, papad, salad, kheer and most importantly ice-cream for our lunch and dinner. So , we are not complaining on that part. And one interesting fact is that on the dining tables here, you would find sugar instead of salt. Just emphasizes how gujaratis love to have sugar more than others. And this is to compensate the strong spices in the dishes that they dont put in the sugar.
The training started officially for us and for many people doing engg. or MBA(wtf..!) from other colleges. What the MBA people would gain out of a gas processing plant is a mystery to me. But I concluded that no matter what a person is pursuing as his career(BCom,BBA,MBA etc.), if he's a ONGC ward he would have done a training in the plant.
The first day was just some paper work and introduction to some safety measures.
We learned to operate the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus,which for layman are the cylinders with masks used to provide oxygen in case of a fire etc. The sound that the mask makes was so Darth Vader like that I did not want to go back to breathing normally.( It was also similar to the one made by the astronauts' suits).
We were put up in the River View, the ONGC Guest House in the evening. It was surprisingly good,with ACs in the common room and dining room. The food was good at Rs.15 for breakfast and Rs.30 for lunch and dinner. At that price, it is the best and the most balanced food in terms of nutrition we have had other than my home. We have sabzi,dal,rajma or chole or soya, dahi, rice, roti, papad, salad, kheer and most importantly ice-cream for our lunch and dinner. So , we are not complaining on that part. And one interesting fact is that on the dining tables here, you would find sugar instead of salt. Just emphasizes how gujaratis love to have sugar more than others. And this is to compensate the strong spices in the dishes that they dont put in the sugar.
Day 1
14.5 , Wednesday
We entered Surat with kilos of stuff and the plan to do the training which would keep us busy for at least the next two months, but we did not have any idea where we would be living during all these weeks. More than that , we did not know anybody here, so getting a house seemed almost impossible. In retrospect (and also as many people said) it was foolish of us. Our only hope was getting accommodation in the ONGC township. So we took an auto,went to the nearest hotel with reasonable rates and put our stuff there, so that we can arrange for our accommodation.
The hotels here deserve a special mention. I dont know much how much of tourist spot Surat is , but the number of hotel,guest houses ,lodges that you will see near the station is just crazy. I bet the whole of surat can fit into these hotels.
We stayed in Hotel Citizen. The rent was Rs.600 with many facilities including 'Free Masaj Service' which we came to know after we booked our room. If you are looking for still cheaper rooms then look for guest houses like Uday guest house or many more like it,which will provide you a bed in an AC dorm at Rs.110 per night !!
We waited till the offices would open i.e.9.30 and then went straight to the ONGC ,Hazira plant which is quite far from the station.
Till now..
What I liked-The roads are wide and with flyovers built in excess, the traffic was smooth. After having to deal with autos in Delhi for a number of years, the prices here seemed very cheap. The autos run on CNG ,but the prices are exactly half of what anybody would charge for the same distance in Delhi. Also you have to see it to believe how clean the city is. The roads are almost shiny and dust-free.
What I disliked-nothing till now.
The desperate visit to the plant proved fruitful for us, as Mr. Arora,who was our in-charge at the training center, turned out to be a really nice person. He arranged for us to live in the guest house in the ONGC township near the plant for a few days or in some quarters from the next day onwards.
In the evening Niraj,another of our friend, joined us and we just roamed about looking for something good.
For dinner we went to Lagan Gujarati Thali which was around the station area. Obviously , we had gujarati thalis. It was very different from anything that I have ever had. There were way too many sabzis. The food was very spicy but for the first time I had dal and chhole which had sugar put in it. The puris were smaller than my thumb in diameter. The best part was the mango pulp which was so sweet that you can have only a few tea spoons. The food you can eat was unlimited. And all this for just Rs.60 !!!!
The first day ended for us while watching the Jayasurya innings vs Chennai Superkings with 11 sixes. So all in all the first day was way better than I(or the mumbai indians) had hoped.
We entered Surat with kilos of stuff and the plan to do the training which would keep us busy for at least the next two months, but we did not have any idea where we would be living during all these weeks. More than that , we did not know anybody here, so getting a house seemed almost impossible. In retrospect (and also as many people said) it was foolish of us. Our only hope was getting accommodation in the ONGC township. So we took an auto,went to the nearest hotel with reasonable rates and put our stuff there, so that we can arrange for our accommodation.
The hotels here deserve a special mention. I dont know much how much of tourist spot Surat is , but the number of hotel,guest houses ,lodges that you will see near the station is just crazy. I bet the whole of surat can fit into these hotels.
We stayed in Hotel Citizen. The rent was Rs.600 with many facilities including 'Free Masaj Service' which we came to know after we booked our room. If you are looking for still cheaper rooms then look for guest houses like Uday guest house or many more like it,which will provide you a bed in an AC dorm at Rs.110 per night !!
We waited till the offices would open i.e.9.30 and then went straight to the ONGC ,Hazira plant which is quite far from the station.
Till now..
What I liked-The roads are wide and with flyovers built in excess, the traffic was smooth. After having to deal with autos in Delhi for a number of years, the prices here seemed very cheap. The autos run on CNG ,but the prices are exactly half of what anybody would charge for the same distance in Delhi. Also you have to see it to believe how clean the city is. The roads are almost shiny and dust-free.
What I disliked-nothing till now.
The desperate visit to the plant proved fruitful for us, as Mr. Arora,who was our in-charge at the training center, turned out to be a really nice person. He arranged for us to live in the guest house in the ONGC township near the plant for a few days or in some quarters from the next day onwards.
In the evening Niraj,another of our friend, joined us and we just roamed about looking for something good.
For dinner we went to Lagan Gujarati Thali which was around the station area. Obviously , we had gujarati thalis. It was very different from anything that I have ever had. There were way too many sabzis. The food was very spicy but for the first time I had dal and chhole which had sugar put in it. The puris were smaller than my thumb in diameter. The best part was the mango pulp which was so sweet that you can have only a few tea spoons. The food you can eat was unlimited. And all this for just Rs.60 !!!!
The first day ended for us while watching the Jayasurya innings vs Chennai Superkings with 11 sixes. So all in all the first day was way better than I(or the mumbai indians) had hoped.
Surat
I am finally in Surat,entirely due to the requirements of my college,which is an industrial training after completion of 3rd year for a minimum of 50 'working' days. Now I can elaborate and waste my time about the ridiculous rule which will make me repeat this training or do another training for 20 days even if I am one day short of 50days, but i will refrain from it due to the obvious fact that the concept of logic is alien to a better part of administration in IIT Delhi.
The way everyone is desperate for intern of his/her choice before the end of semester is good enough to keep you amused for a good number of days. Every few days you get to hear cases,where a person who did his last year's intern in Australia is doing his intern this year in Ankleshwar or any such place. Thus,I did not keep my hopes high and for me ONGC, Hazira was almost the best I had hoped for in India.
Despite the fact that I have 'lived' in many places in India , I have not actually traveled to as many places as others. So,coming to Surat was new in many ways. I had not been to any place in West India before. Also the fact that my mode of transport was train made it exciting. Trains are quite normal to many people but I try not to waste any momnet when I m traveling in trains (I was traveling in train after 7 years ..!!)
The journey
Me and my friend Gaurav were to board the August Kranti Rajdhani from Nizamuddin Railway Station at 16.55. The beginning was good as the train started at the exact time. Nothing much happened on the train ,except that despite our tickets being for 3rd AC, 2 persons did not board the train,so we enjoyed the luxury of 2nd AC in terms of space.(though due to tatkaal booking and the rule that the ticket can be booked only till the destination i.e. Mumbai,our tickets cost as much as a 2nd AC would). The food was not that great in the Rajdhani. Though I had the Kulhar wali dahi and badaam soup for the 1st time. We woke up at 5.15 am and reached Surat at 6.30am. (A suggestion- dont look out of the window when you are about to reach Surat near Tapi river. You will not like it.)
The way everyone is desperate for intern of his/her choice before the end of semester is good enough to keep you amused for a good number of days. Every few days you get to hear cases,where a person who did his last year's intern in Australia is doing his intern this year in Ankleshwar or any such place. Thus,I did not keep my hopes high and for me ONGC, Hazira was almost the best I had hoped for in India.
Despite the fact that I have 'lived' in many places in India , I have not actually traveled to as many places as others. So,coming to Surat was new in many ways. I had not been to any place in West India before. Also the fact that my mode of transport was train made it exciting. Trains are quite normal to many people but I try not to waste any momnet when I m traveling in trains (I was traveling in train after 7 years ..!!)
The journey
Me and my friend Gaurav were to board the August Kranti Rajdhani from Nizamuddin Railway Station at 16.55. The beginning was good as the train started at the exact time. Nothing much happened on the train ,except that despite our tickets being for 3rd AC, 2 persons did not board the train,so we enjoyed the luxury of 2nd AC in terms of space.(though due to tatkaal booking and the rule that the ticket can be booked only till the destination i.e. Mumbai,our tickets cost as much as a 2nd AC would). The food was not that great in the Rajdhani. Though I had the Kulhar wali dahi and badaam soup for the 1st time. We woke up at 5.15 am and reached Surat at 6.30am. (A suggestion- dont look out of the window when you are about to reach Surat near Tapi river. You will not like it.)
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