Friday and Saturday in Mussoorie

[Internet not working well here, so can't use my virginia.edu mail, which might be blocked anyway as I went over quota just as I left, and don't know if I deleted enough to be back on quota]

Friday (22nd Oct) first went to breakfast at the school, after I barely arrived in my 6-7:15 drive up from Dehra Dun to the Hanifl House as Jim and Loise, his two grand kids, Helen, and Allan and Yvonne walked off to breakfast; I went in and brushed teeth, took pills, went to the bathroom, and then walked to breakfast.  They sat us in front at the 8:30 monthly Parker Hall session, but did not introduced us.  Did some Internet stuff.

See a photo album India 2010 #1

Went in a car with Helen and others to see where her brother, George, fell (and then died some weeks later of his injuries).  Somewhat emotional for Helen, but she kept asking questions of the driver who had helped, along with the driver's brother, to go down and carry injured George back up the road, so that George could be taken to the hospital, etc.  It is locate in the very, very steep ravine which goes from the School, to the west side of Eastwood and down to Hanson Field. The car went back up to the School where we had morning tea.

Around 11:45 am we got in cars and went to a 'development' lunch at Rookbey, a nicely redone house, up and down as a plosh restaurant.  I had tandoori cheese salad, mustard chicken, and chocolate mousee (or mouse, as we joked, all non-veg dishes).  Several staff were there including the Principal, Anne L, Chris S, Aba (development officer), and others.  Leon Dillingham is spending 3 months doing video of the school and area, and since he's also Class of 1960, he joined us for lunch - quite an interesting, knowageable, and funny guy. Rookbey is up near Kellog, near the top of the hill.

I went to Landour bazaar as others went back to Woodstock or Hanifl. Got my hair cut, bought 2 coke bottles and asked how much a car would cost back to Hanifl (Rs 100), bought 2 bottles of beer, checked out a Rs 1300 ($32) cell phone to possibly purchase.  Walked on past the now destroyed, gone clock tower and on to Picture Palace.  They said Rs 200, I offered Rs 100, but one guy said, okay Rs 150, so came back with him, giving him Rs 170. Tried using the Internet here and got some connection on my laptop, but then they locked both doors to the Center where the computer room is - so I had to open up a window and yell at the chowkidar to unlock one of the doors.

It started raining and then raining hard.  Jim let me an umbrella and the four (Jim, Loise, and grandson Steve) of us walked back to school for supper, which was pretty good - varied Indian dishes with rice.
The school kids were in the other room having a special dinner, all dressed up for a Sadie Hawkins dance to follow - but we came back around 7, with it still sprinkling.  I left by myself, without flashlight, in the dark walking Tehri road in the dark (no street lights working). I just kept to the hillside and hoped for the best.
Only a few cars blinded me at the beginning and luckily no one came walking for me to bump into.  Next day  discovered an electric line and fallen down on Tehri, but on the down khud side, so I mixed being entangled and electricuted by it.  5 minutes after I got back, they arrived.

I worked some on my photos uploading them - drank a Haywood, but I was exhausted and soon fell to sleep, under a nice quite in a refreshingly coolish room.

Woke up a few times during the night, but fell back to sleep right away, until around 5 when I couldn't get back to sleep so worked on photos some more, took my first India shower (nice warm water), and did not go with Jim and Alan on their nice walk up to the top of the hill, where they saw a huge oak tree had fallen down just missing a roof and a car, but toppled the electric lines in the area.

See photo album India 2010 #2

Saturday (23nd Oct) We took off for breakfast around 7:30, ate and got ready to get cars to take us to Wyneberg Allen's sport field where there was an Inter-school sports day (5 different schools like Woodstock joined together for the meet.  It was quite somthing watching the high schoolers - hurdling, jumping, pole vaulting, running, etc.  Tom Alter opened the whole event up and even went down and gave some of the medals to the winners on the victor stand. Alan was quite surprised Tom had such as strong Indian accent. We sat with the Woodstock students at first, and then went to a guest area under a canopy, luckily before it started to rain.  But it didn't  rain long or hard anyway.  We found rest rooms, a different kinds of hot food at stalls.

Had lunch and then went to the bazaar at Picture Palace - I went off with Jim and his two grandkids, leaving staff member Emo to show slow Helen around, but lost them shortly after getting Bengali sweets (two warm gulab jamins). Jim was bent on finding his grandaughter a woman to put hena on her hand.  I chased after them, stopping briefly at Bond's book shop, and going almost all the way to the Library, without finding them.  Took a Rs 30 rickshaw back, and bought a Rs 80 torch (flashlight). Found Jim getting his shoes shined.  His granddaughter had her hena.  Then off to Picture Palace to catch a car back to the Hanifl house, and tried this Internet now.

It's almost 6 pm so need to go off and join others for the walk to the Principals house and our WWD celebration.

Nice Wold-Wide Woodstock Day - met some new folks, joined with others for the evening celebration. Good food, good conversations, jovial. Singing some Woostock songs. Sparkling lights of Dehra Dun. Light conversation among us on our way home after a very interesting, full day.

Ch'ville to Mussoorie

Took a car Wed (20th Oct 2010) to Richmond, a flight to Newark, a 2.5 delayed 14 (minus) hour flight to Delhi (arriving around 9:30 pm Thursday the 21st Oct, waited long for luggage, then went through visa and customs), was picked up by my travel agent (about 10:30 pm), went with him to go over my itinerary and bill, found an ATM after two tries to pay the bill, made the 11:55 overnight train to Dehra Dun, arriving at 5:45 am Friday the 22nd Oct, with taxi waiting and winded our way to Mussoorie around 7 am, and the Hanifl Center around 7:30 am as my Woodstock companions were headed out to breakfast.

See Photos India 2010 #1 - the first 20 photos or so.

Madison again in October

Headed to Madison again, after several days with Julie and family in Iowa, where I again attended librarian meetings and the annual South Asia Conference.

Madison's a great place - on the lakes, where I went to graduate school for 4 years in the mid 1960s, lived and learned - and where I've come back to often for this fall annual South Asia Conferences.

Wed the flight from Des Moines was delayed about 1/2 hour since they encountered thundershowers leaving Chicago, but our flight was fine.  Then sitting around Chicago, this time with my gate nearby - so I got lunch at Chillies, then on to Madison, reading some more on the Little book on Language, in an aisle seat. The surprise was to get a Green Cab after I got my luggage off the carousel - and I needed to tell the Asian looking cab driver how to get to University Inn, since he kept going around the Capital square.  And  a cheap fare - $11 plus tip - quite Green.

Settled into a nice room #311 on the side away from the noisy State street, and went up and down State street popping in to the nick-knack shops after going to the University book store for some good cards and pens.  Supper again at Kabul, lamb kabob - but those are 8 big pieces of lamb with the onion, tomato, and green pepper.  Their soup and bread is always great.  Not much in the evening but my webcam was not interactive in the living room - don't know why.

Thursday, lazy getting up and preparing for the meetings.  Ate at the PotBelly across the street since the other Afghan restaurant, Shabaz, has disappeared - had chili again.  Off to get my pass and greeting people for the two hour presentation by Carol and Fehl of the Islamabad and Delhi offices.  Then the 4 hour meeting from 2-6 of the CONSALD meeting - the Round Robins taking lots of time, though also usually good and interesting information of other libraries.  I got my ephemera or pamphlet pitch in, show the GoSher blog also.  Walked with others to Carol's (20 blocks?), and had a fantastic India supper there catered by Taste of India.  And then walked by myself the 22-24 blocks back to the hotel in the dark.

Friday got up, eating breakfast of cereal, milk, and juice I had bought the day before, packed, and carried or rolled my luggage as I moved from the University Inn to the Madison Concourse Hotel, where the Conference also is.  Got here about 10, and got to a great 3rd floor room - one floor above the main Conference panel floor and the same floor as the swimming pool. Registered for the Conference and luckily got a meal ticket. Full day of panels, from about 10:30 on, with lunch of Momos at Himal Chula, and the a great Indian supper at the end of the afternoon panels.  A keynote talk about Mystic India, and then some flute music before I got too tired and came upstairs.

Saturday, same or more panels, lunch again at Himal Chula, this time their veg special of cauliflower, peas, etc. Afternoon panels and then a symposium praising Narayan Rao - interesting and he was there giving a humble reply.  Back down to Kabul restaurant for  supper of lamb kababs again - and then back to the Madison Concourse Hotel to watch in amazement as Wisconsin beat the #1 college team, Ohio State.  I went for a leisurely swim and sat in the hot jacuzzi at half time. Talked (via Gmail chat and video) some with Deej.  Earlier I'd written to Beth, Deej, Mary, and Lois about taking charge for next Saturday's Curry Club.  Looks like Beth with do it right, as Deej has her visiting Aunt Jerry and daughter Christine coming next Sat to see her sister (Deej's mom Mimi) in Harrisonburg and Sharon's going to help with a lunch.

Packing some so I can get up at 3:30 to catch the 4:15 taxi to get to the airport by 4:30, an hour before my 5:30 am flight. Crazy.

Iowa again in October

Flew off to Iowa last Friday and saw my daughter and her family, and friends, the next few days - again a nice time, and different than all the previous (almost) annual visits to Iowa.

Got on the plane in Charlottesville Friday morning as Deej took me to the airport around 10 am - a three leg trip.  Into Charlotte, lunch at a BBQ counter, on to Chicago and walk walk walk from E concourse, through F concourse, to the hub, then down and a long underground walk to the B / C concourse, starting at B's high numbers going though to C's high numbers to get to the end of the concorse at C4, my gate.

Had to wait a little while for Julie to pick me up, but she did - good to see her, and we decided we'd try an Indian restaurant.  Called a couple places and headed for the nearest one, Namaste, but there was construction which made us go and go way around it.  But finally found it, restaurant with bare stalls on the left and Indian grocery store on the right.  Didn't know if we should stay - only two other groups in the place.  But decided to try it out, and the Bombay trained Indin chef came out and talked with us, helped us decide; talked also to the Goa waiter.  The food was superb.  In spite of the sparse sourroundings - and the dirty, bare restroom (Julie didn't like at all). 

Then the drive back to Jefferson with lots of talking about our lives and others, etc.

I'll try to fill in more later - Saturday was going out to Deal's apple orchard and Halloween stuff, going to the grocery store (buying stuff for Monday evening's India meal), and off to an evening of pot luck and costumed kids running around outside at a Halloween party. 

Sunday - going to church for a couple hours, bicycle ride to the football field and watching 7-8 grades play, back home, and Julie cooking big beef roasts for a supper celebrating Lauren's birthday.

Monday - teaching 3 of Julie's French classes about India, then going to Andrew and Sarah's to cook up the India meal from 3-6, with Jan and Donna and others arriving to for us to eat it all together.  With a ride back to Ames with Jan and Donna, and talking for a couple hours before bed. 

Tuesday up late (9) with breakfast by Jan, walking out back and talking, and more talking as he drove me back to Jefferson around noon - Going to get Eliza at 345, and take her to dance, as Lauren had already gone there on her bike.  Pick up Eliza at 7, eat delicious left overs.  Julie getting back around 8:30 from parent-teacher confrencing.  Worked on setting up her scanner on her computer. 

Wed - packing at 645, breakfast, byes, and Andrew picking me up around 815 to get me to the airport around 925 - nice ride and talk with him.  Then a two-leg trip to Madison.

Nice time in Iowa -- being with the growing granddaughters, changes with Julie, being some with Matt, greeting new people, seeing old family and other friends - sharing with them.

Traveling Oct and Nov

Here it comes - for much of the next two months I will be traveling - first to Iowa to see my daughter and her family and then to Madison Wisconsin to meet with fellow South Asian librarians and attend the South Asia Conference -- and then on to India, leaving the 20th October to go up to my Woodstock School again, and join Robert Bonham's Exotic Tour group staying at an ashram, seeing many of the north India famous monuments, and going to a tiger reserve, arriving back home in Charlottesville the evening of the 21st November, so I can get back to work on Monday the 22nd Nov.

I hope I can keep a fairly up-to-date blog with photos along the way. We'll see.

Already its been an unusual adventure.  I went ahead in July to buy my airplane round-trip ticket to Delhi and back, and bought into Robert's tour group - thinking, since I had just been to India last Oct/Nov my visa and passport would be fine.  Nope.  The 6-month visa expired in March.  And though the passport is valid until 2016, I needed to get a new visa.  Big problem, with new visa rules in August, in making a visa application one had to have a birth certificate now as part of the application.  Searching around for my birth certificate, I could find it anywhere.  So, I needed to get a duplicate from the US embassy or state department.  They suggested I log into the Nagpur (where I was born), search their database, and request a birth certificate.  Well, I was born way back in 1941, before Independence (1947) - the database turned up nothing.

Oh, no!  Now there was the possibility I could not get a visa, and I'd loose out all the money I'd spent for the airplane ticket and joining the tour.  Finally found some place within the State Department (Vital Statistics section in room 510) where I needed to apply - so, I bought two priority mail envelopes, fill out all the application information, plus sent photocopies of all required documents, so it would get there fast and be returned fast.  But sent it off on Thursday, a few days before Memorial Day Monday, so knew they wouldn't get it until probably Wed.  Then I waited and waited - some people said it took 4 to 6 months to get this duplicate birth certificate.  I finally found a phone number and email address for the Vital Statistics room - and called them at the end of Sept. on a Tuesday - and found out they had just then sent it back to me. It was a beautiful Birth Certificate with Hillary's signature on it.

It arrived Thursday (it was a beautiful Birth Certificate with Hillary's signature on it), and I filled in the India visa application, but it kept rejecting my request for a tourist visa.  I finally sent it in with my passport and copy of my new birth certificate, on Monday - it required, since I was born in India, I guess, that I apply for an entry visa. And lo and behold, here it came back to me with the visa in it the following Monday.

An unusual adventure, before the up-coming traveling adventure.

Great Beach week - Over? Over!

That was a great week at the beach (Sat 5 to Sat 12 June 2010).  Pretty good weather, warmish water, Shirley visiting, seafood, thrift shops, great rental house with good wi-fi, beaches at Nags Head, Coquina, Mile Post 28, Pea Island, and Ocracoke - sun, salty water, beaches, gulls and pelicans.

Beach 2010 Day 3

Monday, 7 June 2010, South Nags Head, NC. Third day at the beach.  Wild life around the Sea Hawk rental - big bunny out back, tiny humming bird on its nest in the front yard's pine tree, and little green frog hiding on the front porch.  Today the weather is perfect - blue skies after very early morning showers, temperature in the 70s, compared to to 90s yesterday with its high winds blowing stinging sand onto our legs at the beach; today has calm winds, with cold but not freezing water at this morning's beach when we dipped into the waves for 5 minutes.

Saturday. So we planned to leave by 10 Saturday morning, but then I saw an email from Marilyn that the Class of 1975 group was indeed in town for the reunion weekend, staying over at Jefferson Park Circle.  I was mostly packed by 9:45 am, so went over to see them.  Susan's Richard met me at the door and we cleared up the confusion of who he was and who I was and then joined Susan and Lisa on the back porch, with Lisa going off to get Marilyn, after we talked briefly of where she is and what not.  Nice talk with Susan, with her restoration project almost done - kids, etc. Marilyn came down and we had a nice catching up conversation for about 20 minutes - her involvement with her dad's large number of books, etc.  Got a couple photos, before Marilyn walked me out - good to see her and others even briefly, after these 15-20 years.

Back home and packing up the car and getting on the road by 11 - stopped beyond Richmond for Subway lunch, with slowed, stand-still traffic beyond Williamsburg because of an accident, and then again, another 20 minute delay trying to go over the bridge to the Outer Banks, also because of an accident.  We also stopped to get cheap gas just inside NC, but it was even cheaper ($2.43) beyond Grandy; also stopped at Powells for blackberry juice, peaches, strawberries, etc. Remarkably made it about 4:25 pm to pick up our key at 4.75 mile post from Wrights.  Then got groceries at Harris Teeters (beers and shrimp, etc), after ABC Store in Kitty Hawk, and on to Food Lion in Nags Head - cereal and mango juice, before getting to South Nags Head Sea Hawk rental (#426) around 5:40.  Almost immediately we had a small shower - and a beautiful rainbow. Unloading, settling in, firing up dsl, and cooking a great supper of shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob, and strawberries with whipped cream.  Oh, yes, drove to the public beach and walked around for about 30 minutes after we unpacked.  Somewhat windy - lots of seaweed on the beaches, some jelly fish.  Calm water.

Sunday - mainly relaxed and did not go to the beach until around 4 pm, since it was very windy, very hot - blowing sand stung our legs - hardly any one else on the beach either.  Drove to Grits for a fine breakfast around 9:30 and got a couple more grocery items (sandwich bags, paper towels), and some stuff at the Dollar Store.  Then back 'home'  Went north to 'town' again around 1 for lunch at Sooey's BBQ, splitting a normal, but very, very good bbq poke sandwich; went to Radio Shack and bought a wireless router on sale for $39.99.  Stopped at a SeaSurf shop finding nothing, and a the fish shop and got 1 lb. mahi mahi. The hook up at home was easy and nice - works well with two computers (the Compaq HP and the mini or Chota Dell) - even the streaming live webcams work fine on both of them.  Put up the self-portrait photo of us at the beach and the rainbow photo on Facebook - which brought several comments. Watched the bunny outside in the late afternoon with Deej's prepared gin and vodka tonics, when we got back from the beach.  Again a good evening meal - broiled mahi mahi (seemed nicely fresh), vegs, and strawberry desert.  We were both strangely very tired, dissatisfied with the rotten TV programs. And went to be around 11 or so (very early for me).

So, this is the 3rd day at the beach - Deej is off getting fish sandwiches for lunch, while I enjoy a blackberry coke.