Weekend Escape: Valle De Bravo

One of Mexico’s many charms is its endless capacity to surprise me. As soon as I started thinking that I’m not left with any more places left in Mexico to visit to (of course there is still many things to visit but I have my budget), I found Valle De Bravo.

Thanks to American Congress and even more thanks to my bosses, who still recognize Labour Day, all my friends were bestowed with a full weekend. This Labour day was indeed for labours J.

 Since the party was bigger, the things were quite well planned before hand and all I need to do was to get up by 5:30 AM. After a 2 hours’ drive amidst the foggy countryside of Mexico, filled with corn fields and early morning smoke coming from villages, we entered hills.  I was not sure exactly what I was expecting when I decided to visit Valle de Bravo but it has not been quite as I had imagined. Certainly many Mexican friends had told me it was a lovely destination, and I could see from the map and from reading guides that it was located by a large lake, but I had not expected the landscape to have such a European feeling.

With its high, green, wooded hills surrounding a beautifully sculpted lake and large fancy houses on the waterfront, I kept having thoughts of the French Riviera or Swiss/Italian/French lakes. Perhaps because it is an artificial landscape, it does not feel entirely naturally Mexican in some way. But however much the landscape may have resonances with old Europe, the culture is distinctly Mexican. I was expecting the town to be more touristy, but the town still has a sense of having its own distinctive life and identity.

We took a boat ride. I don’t know why, but yes we did took a “slow” boat and we six amigos sailed for an hour. If not those lavish mansions along the lakeside and a view of town put up in European style, there was hardly anything to offer to someone who comes from Shaydri Ranges. It would be an insults to all those waterfall I have ever visited if I say I visited one here too.

It ended and we headed for next “the” thing, Paragliding. Some bargaining, a sign and we were up the hill. It was the best weather up there, one can ask for to glide. Cloudy sky, cool breeze all were making up the things. Except for that girl, beautiful though, but too scared. Her screams were making us shaky. Thankfully she flew before us.

As my instructor, Auzo, coached me into takeoff procedures, I was more than willing to throw myself in to the valley form some 600m height and then assuming the air will lift me up. He harnessed me and said we will wait for a strong breeze. When it came, he said run and we ran. Just at the point of the edge, I felt this huge force catching me and pulling us back. The wind had fully caught the sails. “Run!” shouted Auzo again. For a moment, it was like one of those dreams where you try to run but you feel like you are stuck in thick treacle. Then miraculously we moved forward, gathered pace and took off.

As we started gliding over the city, it was a view I shall not be able to pen down here. It was all those we had had to be here, worth of. I asked Auzo, if I can take controls of glider rope, and to my best he gave that to me. We then took glider even to further heights. The landing was even more precipitous than takeoff. When the glider suddenly starts loosing altitudes, and winds gushes from your ears, you are bound to scream. And finally a butter smooth landing reconfirmed all those stats Auzo told me of his experience uphill.  Of course, being in the air is a wonderful sensation, and this time I was able to enjoy it more.

Back here in hotel, I’m still reeling under it. Those air are still gushing in me. It’s like a drug. I have tasted it once, I want it more. 

What A Peace

So I'm sitting here at my workstation. It's 11:30 AM CST (which you could probably guess from looking at the date and time that this post was created) on  this bright Saturday morning. Not only am I sitting here, but I'm the ONLY one sitting here. Not only am I the ONLY one sitting here, I don’t have anything to do too. And If I'm not a very bad peeper there’s no one in that next office too, which makes me all alone on the this floor. What a peace it is. No evidence of any living soul here, not till as far as I can see.

I don't really mind, to tell the truth. I've been kind of attached to these kind of silent places all my life.  Not sure how many of you know of farms and poultry in back side of Yerwada Jail, but that’s the best place I could find for me within Pune. If found nowhere, I shall be surely sitting under some tree there. I do that when I find myself single ... no matter how well I take it. I tend to close myself off to everybody.

Not that it is any new to me. But all alone in office certainly is a first of a kind for me. You can’t be alone at any given point of time in 7000 +mustered employee company back in India.

I've been running around the office for the past twenty minutes screaming bloody murder. I mean that, too. "BLOODY MURDER!!!" Of course, I've been thinking about the things that I'm supposed to accomplish the entire time. Doesn't change the fact that there isn't nearly enough bloody murder screaming going on nowadays. I today realized that the scroll button of my mouse makes such a creepy noise and also that a ping on my messenger could be heard well from up till 3 bays far.

So, it's about 12:00 now, and I'm still sitting here. Not only am I sitting here, I still don’t have anything to do too. What a peace it is.

Weekend Escape: Teotihuacan

“Teotihuacan– Where man becomes God”

It’s been almost 4 week here Mexico City and I’m more than familiar to the streets, parks, walkways and malls here now. My Spanish vocabulary have remarkably doubled from 10 words to 20 words. J

Thus it’s time to move out the my limits and explore “real Mexico”, the one which all say is notorious, is dangerous and is colourful. So I chose a trip to Pyramids of Teotihuacan, which are some 60 odd Km from here.

My initial plan to be on this trip with Vipin was very tactfully ruined by my Bosses (I liked there managerial skill and learnt a lesson from it). Maybe I’m destined to walk alone. But then I was not all alone. There was a proper research and planning for it over a period of 2-3 days, numerous travel tips  and a special detailed insight from Elliot, thank you very much, Amigos. 

An early morning start and I was at “Terminal Autobuses del Norte” by 8 AM. It is a major Bus depot here in Mexico City to all north bound, especially for US. As I walked in, it was just like any other Indian Bus Depot. There were people from all straits of human breed here and that too in large head count. I stopped missing “my India” for a moment here. “Knowledge is Power”, whoever say so are so very true. If I was able to manage in a public bus depot with almost all written in Spanish and all looks curiously at you, as if I come here regularly, was only because of some very detailed blogs I read. It was a cakewalk there.

The bus made me feel from homely, they were no better our “Shivneri Buses”. J

To make you more comfortable there are hawkers, broken seats, conductors shouting for the places. I was more than comfortable now. As we left the city area and moved into outskirts, started the real Mexico. There are houses all on the ridges of hills, all painted in different colours. It looked like as if someone has put cubes of different sizes and colours on the hill. What was interesting to me was that there were many localities that had erected 8 odd feet high compound around them. It’s like a mini caged city. You can sense the security concerns here. As we moved further out, there were farmlands of cactus and maze. Countryside as always beautiful to pass by, irrespective of which part of globe you are in.

Almost exactly in an hour I was at the gates of Teotihuacan. As you move in, you can see two huge pyramids on your far left and huge central area, in front of you. As soon as you move into the central place you can’t avoid appreciating the architecture of the place. The symmetry and hugeness of the structure are worth commendable considering it was build some 1800 ago from today. The tour guide was continuously talking about the history of the place, it’s people and how they self destruct these technologically strong civilization. Men was and is his own biggest enemy. J

Next we forward towards to the Pyramid of Sun, crossing by Avenue of Death(Miccoatli). You would be surprised to know that they knew to deviate the water channel at that time too. In case you find it normal, mind you that this is hurricane zone and rains heavily when it rains. As we walked along “Avenue of Death”, I was told that I'm moving over the burial of some 15,000 odd people. J

Next is Pyramid of Sun, the third largest in the world. There are some 250+ step to summit and most of them are steep. When you reach the summit you can view as far up till Mexico City and it’s industrial belt. You can have a full panoramic view of the Teotihuacan valley. Interesting the tourist guide didn’t went up with us but have a 10 min speech for it below itself. There is cool breeze up there and you can relax applauding the hard-work and dedication to natural powers, people from those times have.  Next was Pyramid of Moon, it was smaller to the former but steeper than it. Only 50 steps made me lungs work in NFT mode. J

The view from here is worth all the effort. You can see the whole of Teotihuacan city in lined for you and the exact symmetry of all the structures there. I almost spend 30 Min up there just sitting and getting mesmerised by the imaginations of beauty of this place when it was on it’s fullest. Down back to gates you can buy some memorabilia and honk you bargaining skills too. J

I was back in the city by 3, so I thought to explore the city on foot. Now that I have broken all the travel advisory my company gave me, why not to do it fully. I started walking the opposite side of from where I moved into Bus depot. It a colourful city, there is no wall left without a graffiti. People stare at you as foreigner, but that logical. Some 1 hour of walking across lanes and by lanes of the city, I realised why it is a caged city. All house have huge metal gates and high-tech security systems. Even the road side grocery shop was caged. You had a hole to give the slip and money and the bag will be given out from a small gate on right down corner. That was something new to me. Parents lines up in front of the school and the teacher recognize them and call out the kids name on mike. The kid then runs out and the gate. You can easily spot people drugged and laying dead on the pathways.

By now I was tired, it must be some 12-14 Km on foot in a day. By till now I have seen all of Mexico City. It’s history, it present and it’s future, it’s best and it’s worst, from what they are proud of to what they want to hide. This trip is over now, I'm all set to be back home now, “travelogoically”.

Weekend Escape: Museo Nacional de Antropología

After a hard gone week here, I had a breather Saturday…..

… only to be ready for more harder days to come. Unfortunately, my other two partners in the pain, Vipin and Saurabh, didn’t have that too. They will get there share of breathe tomorrow and the day after. J

So now that I had my breakfast done and a whole day to spend, I decided to move out.  It has been just four nights here in Mexico City, and let me be upfront about something, I was scared.

The internet hype around “the dangers of Mexico” are intense. There were a handful of online comments about armed robberies on buses. A few people knew a friend-of-a-friend who had been mugged in broad daylight. Office guys too had there part of stories.

But then Columbus in me, didn’t allowed me staying back. Hardly after being out for one hour in the sun, it was clear that Mexico City was full of totally normal people living totally normal lives. Before moving out from the hotel I had took a map of the area (so that I can show someone the map and ask for location). If you don’t know Spanish, it’s a must. J

After some ~2 km of walk eastwards, I found the place with buzz. It was “Museo Nacional de Antropología”. As I went closer I found some Mexican tribal people dancing over the beats of drum. I was sure this is the place I want to be.

As I moved in, I was informed that it is one of the most reputed museums in the world for Anthropology. Also I came to know that Mexico City boost to have maximum numbers of museums than any city in the world.  

As soon as you enter you are welcomed by a giant pillar which holds a vast square concrete umbrella. Here starts your wow moment (if you find architecture interesting). There museum holds some 23 room of exhibits and each of them depicts a time in the history of Mexico. It starts from the time pre-humans came to Mexico to Tenochtitlán civilization to the Mayan civilization till Spanish invasion. The major attraction is the  

If I can roughly count them, there would be atleast 300-500 specimens in each room. Not all are originals but still all of them a very well preserved. All the specimens are placed in most natural way it could be so that you can feel the amount of hard work it must have gone to make it and now preserving it. I was almost shocked to see a hand written script, from the Mayan Dynasty, still readable.

What took the most of my attention and a half completed marble pot. It actually gave an idea for craftsmanship needed to make a small pot leave about those huge pyramids over the top of a hill. I won’t hesitate twice saying that I was mesmerized. If it is all you think, wait, move upstair and you have the all the tribes of Mexico on display. Their music, attire, food, games, believes, ritual, who can find everything here.

I took me 4 hours to complete the museum, and I’m sure it would had taken me a whole day, if I had read about few more things there. To my good luck, there was a photo exhibition too going on which had all the shades of Mexico, from hard yet fulfilled life of uphill tribe to beach life down south, from modern urban world to refreshing villages.

 It was a fulfilling day. By far, There is no other museum that depicts the vast history in such a majestic way that I have visited. The journey is still on, will keep you posted….

General Election 2014-Candidate Review : Pune City Constituency

It’s election time here in India….

In a fort-night time from now, we punekars will be choosing someone to be our representative at the national level. In my prepration to choose a suitable choice I could gather some information and wanted to share the same with you. Hope it could come to some help for you too.

There are in total 51 candidates trying their luck in this general elections. I could not get information for all the candidates. But I gathered some about the candidates or three major national parties, and here are these:

   

VISHWAJEET PATANGRAO KADAM (Indian National Congress)

• Aged: 33 years
• His last years IT returns reads his income as INR 7,13,530 (7 Lakhs) while his wife filed for INR 21,36,090(21 Crore) for the same year.
• He owns no cars but his wife owns four.
• He has jewelry of worth 87 lakh while his wife owns near about of 5 Crore.
• A total of some 36 Crore amounts as his assets in cash and shares. His wife, Swapnali Kadam, own of some worth of 50 Crores. He also owns land worth 28 Crore and his wife has some of 13 Crore of worth.
• He had a Bachelor Degree in Computer Engineering in year 2004 and then a MBA in year 2006 and lately an Ph.D in Management in 2011 , all from  Bharti Vidyapeeth University
• There are no criminal cases against him
• He is son-in-law to real estate baron, Avinash Bhosale (owner ABIL)
• He is  in the boards of Bharti Vidyapeeth University and President, Pune Football Association.
• There are no dependents on the couple and have a 1 year daughter.

ANIL SHIROLE (Bhartiya Janata Party)

• Aged: 63 years
• His last years IT returns reads his income as INR 80,14,979 (80 Lakhs) while his wife filed for INR 22,04,82,762 (22 Crore) for the same year.
• The couple have some four and a quarter lakhs in cash while both owns jewelry worth 4.5 Lakh and 10 Lakh respectively.
• Anil owns a Mercedes Benz, a Honda City and a Skoda Superb while his wife owns two Mercedes Benz
• His total worth in shares is of some 2.64 Crore while his wife owns some 1.55 Crore as shares.
• He have near around of 8 Crore in lands and his wife owns the same of some ten and a half Crore.
• There are two criminal cases against him under various courts in India.
• He has a degree in Arts (B.A.)from Pune University in year
• He and his wife are in hotel business and own hotel across Pune and Maharashtra
• Anil have being closely associated by  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since 1972 and has been President to its student cell.

SUBHASH SHANKARRAO WARE (Aam Adami Party )

• Aged:  50 years
• If the above two can be taken as some standards then he is a real aam adami. His IT Returns says that he earned just 1.4 Lakhs last year while his wife, a school teacher, earned 1.8 Lakh.
• There are 8 Lakh and 10 lakh respectively as total of bank deposits and other savings.
• The couple owns a flat jointly and have an agricultural land worth 1.2 Lakh, again in joint name.
• Subhash possess a Bachelor degree in Pharmacy from Government College of Pharmacy, Karad.
• He has 3 cases registered against him under Pune Police.
• He own a scooter, that it.
• He is a full time Social Activist and is Honoury Secratory for S. M. Joshi Socialist Foundation, Pune.

Source: Election Commission, Maharashtra. 

Counting and Counting

It’s not a OCD in the truest sense, but then I have a mild of it’s one…

I don’t wash my hands a thousand times a day. I don’t constantly check for locked doors or light switches. I do not obsessively clean my room. Unfortunately, I have a kind of compulsion which really isn't good for much of anything. I am a counter. Yes, that’s right, a counter. I count my steps from point A to point B wherever that may be. I count objects in my house if I feel there is a need. I count endless times the leaves in my cheque-book. At times I have no idea what in fact, I'm counting but nevertheless, I do. I know there are exactly 506 ceramic flooring tiles in my house. I know there are exactly 56 books placed not so neatly, on my bookshelves. I know there are exactly 52 staircase steps from road to my desk at work. There are 57 electricity pole in the distance I go to jog on. It is these random acts of counting that are simply part of my world, everyday.

I did not know until today, when I looked it up in Wikipedia, that this actually bears an official name. Arithmomania. It sounds like a fancy term that would make me excel in the study of mathematics. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It is this very act of counting that hinders sometime my sleep. It is not the only culprit of my insomnia because as I have previously expressed, my brain just never shuts down. It is simply another puzzle piece to my sleep deprivation. This is truly where my pleasant experience ends. When a “normal” and I use the term loosely, person cannot sleep, they clear their minds or go to their happy place and inevitably, sleep will come. Well, not for me. I have even resorted to counting sheep. One would think that my lunacy would actually benefit me in this instance. Wrong again. This is where my over-active, never shutting down, never shutting up brain comes in. I cannot not count the sheep because to me, that would be crazy. However my brain takes it one step further and wanders to other sheep associated thoughts. Such as….why does one even count sheep? It’s not the counting part that stumps me but the sheep part. I mean why not dogs, or cats or my favourite, the penguins.

I am unsure of when this compulsion began. I cannot recall it from my childhood so I am left to assume I developed it as an adult. It wasn't as if I woke up one day and decided it was time to count everything around me. It’s just been there. It has never really bothered me before and I am not totally convinced that it bothers me now. However, there are many questions that subdue their answers from me every now and then. Does it mean I have finally gone crazy? Do I just have an affinity for numbers? Will it stunt my personal growth? Will it hold me back in any way? I truly do not know. I suppose my real question of the day is this: am I doomed to live a life of seemingly random, useless counting practices or is there a cure for me? Maybe, as I say all the time: it is what it is. Maybe there is no rhyme or reason to it all. Maybe there doesn’t have to be. Maybe there is no harm in it at all. Or maybe, just maybe I am perfectly sane, simply counting my way through this insane world.

Now that I have accepted this as part to me, here is who I idealized now J

One, Two, Three, Four, Five…..