encounter with a super star

Creativity and appreciation

2011-12-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Bazaar this year was not any different from the one held last year.

The items on display were almost the same with mostly eatables and most of them related to Christmas and the season.

There was a stall with a variety of wine (and all got sold by evening with only one solitary bottle of Jamun wine left by dusk)

But there was one item which caught everyone’s attention and that is the creativity that was on display.

These framed items were made from biodegradable items and mostly scrap. The material used were torn paper, dry leaves, wild seeds, and crushed eggshells. All stuck on hand made paper.

(the red marking on the above two were to indicate that they were sold)

And these two (below) were made from scrap material, like bottle covers, used felt pen, discarded stone pieces from construction sites, toothpaste covers, torn magazine papers, discarded tiles . . . .......

A few of the frames got sold, but more than the sale it was the appreciation that came in hordes.

Some took down the contact number of the artist so that they could discuss the possibility of getting something custom made later. Some said it was a good idea to give these as gifts for birthdays and special occasions.

The artist will be exhibiting more of her creativity in another exhibition in January.
(the candle stands below are hand made and from Botswana)

Trip to Marken Island (part-II)

2011-12-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

Once we landed in Marken, we found that the waterfront was lined with soveniour shops just like how it was in Volendam.

There was a particular shop or rather a house along with the shops which displayed how a traditional house was in the good old days. It was interesting to observe each and every item that was displayed there. A young lady dressed in the traditional costume was present, ready to show you around and answer any questions. Did click a picture with her, but I look kind of very stiff in the picture, so am not posting it.

Once you move a little away from these shops and the waterfront, you come to some lovely houses and streets. It’s so quiet and peaceful and what strikes you most is the way these houses are maintained.

Some pics around the island. . . . . . .

The island is surrounded by a dyke and a walk around the dyke is 10 kilometers. There is a lovely lighthouse and there are some stories about the room next to the lighthouse being put up for rent.

Some pics around the dyke. . . . . . . . .

A little towards the interior there is a place where you get to see how a clog is made. They actually demonstrate the making of the shoe, right from the selection of the wood, processing, and carving it. You can actually see it in the attached video below. The wood used was supposed to be light in weight, soft and something that absorbs water.

First the outside is machined using the cutter and follower method .... . . . . .

then transferring to another machine to carve out the inner profile.

The young lady who was demonstrating was very articulate and explained that in the olden days if a boy had to get married he had to first prove his skill and ability in carving out a good clog and that too in the days when machines were not there.

She did narrate interesting stories about the robbers who used to have special shoes with the soles carved the other way round so that when one tried to follow the footprints they would be mislead about the direction of the escape route.

On the whole it was a wonderful experience and I would recommend this place to all those who visit Amsterdam (and make sure you spend the whole day on the island)

Trip to Marken Island (part-I)

2011-12-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

Let us make that trip to Marken island (through Volendam) once again. (the last time we had a peek at it for that fun drive on the tandem cycle)

The bus ride from Amsterdam to Volendam is interesting and as you get closer to Volendam, its less crowded and the streets look peaceful.

You can see the local residents having their leisurely walk with their pet dogs.

The windmills and farms that you see along the way indicates that we are out of the city.

The bus drops you off at the last stop and you have to walk it up to the water front.

The youngsters are having a race on their roller blades.

Vehicles are not allowed beyond a point and this seems to be the car park, and you can see the trademark rooftops of the houses in Volendam.

I think we are close to the ferry. Tourists are having their fill, with their cameras working overtime.

As you walk down further you get a glimpse of the sea.

You take in that lovely view of the sea and the shops that are lined up on one side. It is crammed with cafes and souvenir shops.

While the family was busy feeding the sparrows, the young girl went on clicking. I found that the sparrows were choosy about what they ate.

You can buy snacks from a “Vishandel” (fish monger) near the harbour and enjoy it as you roam around the waterfront.

A typical fish and chips shop. I like the design of those hanging lamps. Wonder why those two lamps outside did not have the protective cage. Sorry but simple things like these always get my attention.

More eating places and notice those old photographs displayed above the shop? Maybe a small reminder of the fishing days and the shop.

Some more tourists. Some waiting for the ferry to take them across, while others wait for their spouse to finish their shopping. The one on the far left is not waiting for anyone.

In fact he has been sitting there for a long time. So I thought I would keep him company and get myself clicked with him.

Volendam is a fishing village and statues celebrating that industry and the people who worked there can be seen along the waterfront. Notice his boots which are clogs. (we will talk about clogs in the second part)

The bronze statue of children.

And the one of the lady with whom many have posed . . . . . . .

And at times stared at too . . . . .

Many notable personalities has visited and stayed in the Spaander Hotel in Volendam like Eleanor Roosevelt (1913) Walt Disney (1952) Kirk Douglas (1955) Elisabeth Taylor (1975)

The ferry takes you from Volendam to Marken Island. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get across.

Navigation is done skilfully and the captain is equipped with all the latest gadgets including a screen on the side showing what the camera captures from the sides and rear of his big boat.

Many preferred to sit on the upper deck braving the icy wind (you can see the overcast sky, but thankfully it did not rain)

I did notice that the lifejacket box was placed in a visible place and that it was not locked.

At the lower deck there was enough place to keep your cycles, in case you want to carry them along.

That’s the soda fountain at the lower deck and all your food came from here (in case you want to munch on something) Notice that bell on the port side? In case all electronic alarm system fails, just ring the bell.

Got friendly with the captain and managed to go right in his cabin to click this. That is one of the ferries returning from Marken I suppose.

So here we come Marken . . . . . . just keep the welcome party ready (to be continued in part-II)

Yummy and Heavenly

2011-11-30T07:14:00.000-08:00

These are some of the latest things that wifey baked.

She is always experimenting with her baking skills. Not that I am complaining, as I get to taste some real good stuff.

Last month I sauntered into the kitchen and found this big plate all piled up with mangoes which looked very pale.
I asked wifey “Hey why so many mangoes and why are they looking so pale ?”
She said “its all sort of blanched”

Me : “Blanched?”

Wifey “ Well I don’t know if the technical word is blanched, but what I did was, put them in boiling water till they turned slightly yellow and then immediately took them out and cooled them”

Me “ But who wants to eat boiled and cooled mangoes?”

Wifey: “I am not finished. Do you see that big jar down there? I have filled it with salt water. We have to slowly slide in those mangoes in the salt water one by one and make sure that all of them are submerged properly”

Me “then?”
Wifey: “then we wait”
Me “wait? for what ?”
Wifey: “for the right time to take them out and relish them one by one”

Me “ and when is that right time?”
Wifey “ well, it can be anytime from one month to one year. You see when we don’t have any suitable curry to go with our rice, we just fish out one and have them as an accompaniment. Its heavenly and yummy”

Wifey went about with her other chores and I kept staring at the “Blanched Mangoes” My photographic instincts told me that I should take some photos of them before they were turned into heavenly and yummy.
Suddenly I found that there were two voices talking to me. One from the left shoulder and one from my right shoulder.
The one from the left shoulder said “go ahead take out your camera and click some pictures. You can upload them on the site where you sell your pictures”
Right shoulder: Oh what is the use, any way its going to be rejected as usual
Left shoulder: No no . . . . . . just go by your gut feeling, put all your passion into it. If you click a good one it will get accepted
Right shoulder: Oh come on it’s a waste of time, remember how they reject with the answer “this is not what we are looking for”
Left shoulder: Come on Joe you are a good photographer and you have an eye for it. Just make it happen. This time select your best camera
Right shoulder : Good camera ? Ha, that is a joke. Remember the last time you clicked with your latest costly camera. After submission what did they say? “Chromatic aberrations and purple fringing” and what not. They threw so much jargon at you that you did not understand half of it.
Left shoulder : Go by your instinct. Open your cupboard and pick up that eight year old camera of yours.
Right shoulder : Oh that one with four Mega Pixel? And after post processing and trimming how many mega pixels will you get? Just forget it and go and lie down on that easy chair and relax.

Left shoulder : There are ways to overcome that. Why don’t you take a good close up so that there is no need for trimming. This time use your tripod. Make use of the reflectors that you have. Click many pictures, so that you can select the best.
So I did just that. Listened to the Left shoulder.
I carried the plate of mangoes out onto our patio and placed it on a stool (in the shade) Fixed up the tripod and mounted my old faithful eight year old 4 Mega Pixel camera. Tried to place the object in the one third (or was it two third) of the screen.

Wifey from the kitchen “ Hey where did all my mangoes go?”
Me “ Its here honey, can you just come out and hold this reflector for me while I adjust the camera and set it up”
I put the camera on automatic mode and pressed the shutter and ran up to wifey to help her deflect the light on to the mangoes from the proper angle.
While I was trying to take some more shots wifey said “common hurry up, I am standing in the sun. By the way, why are you using that old camera. Why don’t you use your brand new one”
Me “Well you will not understand, its what the Left shoulder said”
My wife gave me an open mouthed quizzical look.
Once I was done with the mangoes, I lugged the huge jar onto the patio and repeated the same procedure to click pictures of the jar.
Later I did some simple post processing of isolation on white and made the mangoes look a little more greener (after all who wants to look at pale looking mangoes)
It too me some time for the isolation (but I had full confidence with the voice from the left shoulder)
As soon as it was finished I uploaded the mangoes (I had yet to do the post processing of the jar)
Now comes the waiting part with fingers crossed.

The next morning when I logged onto the site, hey presto the Blanched Mangoes were accepted !!
I ran into the kitchen and hugged my wife lifting her off her feet “I love your blanched mangoes, they are heavenly and yummy. See I told you ……… we should always listen to the voices from our left shoulder. Now the photographs of the blanched mangoes will get sold and we can buy more raw mangoes and pickle them in salt water”

Tintin and Spielberg

2011-11-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

107 minutes of pure entertainment.

This is a must see movie for those who have read and enjoyed the comic books of Tintin.

As for me it was a triple treat for obvious reasons :

1) Tintin comics – my favourite

2) Haddock - my favourite character and suedoname in the blogs world.

3) Spielberg - my favourite movie maker and director. (and Herge’s favourite too)

(That is Herge above)
It was good that Herge met Spielberg before his demise in 1983 (and this happened because of their mutual admiration)

When you read a book, your imagination runs wild and there is no limit to your imagination as to how a scene could be. I must say that Spielberg has done full justice to this transportation of imagination.

It was a delight to see Captain Haddock swinging from mast to mast flicking his cutlass, knocking down the pirates, or the escapades in the seaplane, and the subsequent crash land in the desert.

The best scenes are the ones where the transition takes place between the desert and the duel on high seas.

While reading the comic book, I used to be in awe of the fine details depicted in the drawing. Now Speilberg has taken it one step ahead and put the same in a three dimensional view with animation.

The technique of “motion capture” has made this animated movie look so real.

One of the reasons of the success of the movie is Spielberg’s decision that "there will be no cell phones, no TV sets, no modern cars. Just timeless Europe” And he did just that, Europe in a time wrap.

British actor Jamie Bell poses with Tintin which was painted on a special High speed Thalys train.

The bumblings (and mumblings) of Thomson and Thomson were considerably reduced but nevertheless their presence was felt.

The only character that was missing here was Calculus, for obvious reasons as he was nowhere in the story.

There is a trailer that they have put up on YouTube and it gives you a glimpse of the whole movie.

It was sad to see people walking out of the theatre when the credits were rolled out at the end of the movie. They don’t realize that it is these very people in the credits, who made the movie happen.

Trust between human and animals

2011-10-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Was wondering what it could be, till I discovered that it was a dog and a very friendly one.

And so was this one.

Now don’t compare him with Sir Henry (below) who was majestically walking around the flea market with his master. (yes that is what the master told us “His name is Sir Henry”)

If you think only kids can have fun at the fountain . . . . . . .

then think again

And this little one at the fountain must be thinking “what a show off ”

But this post is not about dogs.
Its about nature and being one with it.

Saw these nature lovers sitting on the bench patiently waiting.

First he had to bend down and hold his hand on the ground for the squirrel to come and inspect what was in his hand. Slowly an understanding was developed between them and the squirrel became bolder (or should I say trusting)

The same goes for the bird who kept landing on the lady’s hand, but not as frequently as the squirrel. Our friend (the squirrel) had a pattern of getting on the bench. He would come close to the right side of the bench and then hop and scamper to the left side and climb up. I was observing from across the pathway and tried my best to capture it on video with a hand held camera. The results would have been much better if it was on a tripod. (you can see it in the video at the end of the post)

I wish I had taken their e mail address so that they could have a look at the video.

The Cathedral at Amiens is great (will write about it later) but moving a little further away from it, there are these canals and then there are the smaller ones.

A cruise down the canal is worth the visit. Without going into the history of the place, I should say that it’s a beautiful place well kept. The boats that take you around is very very silent. I could figure it out only later that it was running on batteries. What a way to avoid noise and air pollution. The boats have a special shape so that it will not damage the banks.

As you glide down the canal you get a feeling that you are going through some fairy land. The flowers and the vegetables that you see on the banks are a visual treat. They have been cultivated since the middle ages by the hortillons or market gardeners and covers about 300 acres.

While cruising a Heron flew past us and perched itself on a tree. (is it a Lava Heron? bird lovers please help)

Our Navigator was nice enough to stop the boat so that we could have a good look. It was good that he stopped as it looked like the Heron was waiting for us to send down a bucket load of bird poop on us. (we just missed it by a few seconds)

To enjoy that visual treat, have a look at the video. You can see the birds alighting on the sunflower, the butterflies flitting around, the complete works of the flora and fauna.
Can watch it at full screen as it is in HD. (as usual allow it to buffer first and then replay for uninterrupted viewing . . . . . . . and enjoy the music.)

The casting scout

2011-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

One photograph can speak a thousand words and that is so true in many ways.

One of the reasons why many photographers risk their lives to get some actual shots at the war front.

I came across a blog post in which the writer has raised questions about why a politician should be paid his full salary after retirement while a soldier should be paid only half his salary. The point that she was making was supported by a picture of a soldier who must have been badly hit in action. No its not a photograph that needs a foot note “viewers discretion is advised” but it’s of a man who is still proud to wear his uniform (and he looks smart in it)

Coming back to photographs in general, clicking candid photographs do give us a feeling of looking at life around us.

It could be of a child enjoying a joy ride,

or a small boy holding the camera the right way,

or a young girl writing a quick note

or maybe a youngster helping his friend zip up her jacket

or an elderly couple gingerly crossing the road..

A good way of projecting a picture as eye catching is to have good lighting. And when I say lighting, I am not talking about expensive reflectors or spot lights. It can be the simple sun light and the placement of it. I saw this solitary young man reading the newspaper. It was a perfect shot and I thought “aha, a man on a bench, lost in his paper”

After clicking this I found that the punch that I was looking for did not come through. So I repositioned myself and clicked one more picture of our friend and this time it was more effective.

I simply changed my position so that the sunlight was acting as a backlight. This may be against what you have read about the set standard rules “keep the source of light behind you etc etc”

Just experiment and you will get good results.

Backlighting and side lighting is very effective if done properly. These are some of the pictures that I clicked with the setting sun which acted as a side light.

It could be of people

Or of monuments and structures.

A simple thing like the smoke from the chimney can be captured well with back lighting

Or put the source of light between you and the object and you get a good silhouette

Sometimes you can place people by their head gear,

or by the way a person sits you can make a good guess as to which country he is from (even if he is sitting at an international airport in Europe)

Casting - Yes that is one other aspect that always goes through my mind. When I look at some people, it quickly crosses my mind, “oh this person can be cast as Mr Churchill when he was young”

Or “when I make a movie I will cast this person as an upright police officer”

Hey, I am not giving away all the casting photos that I have.

May be I would do well as a “casting scout” Do you think some one from Hollywood is reading my post ?

Fluffy Omelets

2011-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Omelets are not my favourite as I still prefer mine with the sunny side up (bull’s eye)
But the Omelets made at Mere Poulard (Mont St Michel) is something worth writing about.

They are fluffy, thick and unbelievably soft.

I had to see how they were made, so went to their kitchen which is accessible for the tourists.

The complete process of making the omelet is there for anyone to see, but obviously the “ingredients” and “combinations” are kept a secret. (some say the white and yellow are beaten separately, and some say they don’t add salt)

They say that the copper pans are hand hammered.

Better than describing it here, it is better that you see it in the video (link at bottom)

What I liked about it is the way they beat the eggs, it’s a synchronized motion which is almost rhythmic and musical. So while observing them I had a germ of an idea “it would be wonderful to add music to their rhythmic beating of the egg” In fact its great when all three of them beat together but unfortunately I could not capture it.

Also observed that the girl was very neat with not a drop being spilled, where as the boys were ……… well all are not perfect, or maybe they are new to the task.

As for the price, I must confess that the omelet was a bit over priced.

While you try out the special fluffy Omelet, here is an interesting bit (for those who love history)

During the French Revolution, Mont Saint Michel became a prison. In 1815, a man named Mathurin Bruneau came back from America claiming to be Louis XVI's son and demanded his right to the throne! His uncle Louis XVIII wasn’t about to give up his crown. Officially, Louis XVII had died in 1795 but nobody was quite sure about this. Mathurin tried to prove his real identity by writing to his sister, the Duchess of Angouleme. She replied with a list of private questions that only her brother would have been able to answer. Unfortunately for him, he never did receive this letter (it remains today in the French National Archives). He spent five years in the Mont Saint Michel prison and died in 1825. So no one will ever know the truth!

A view from the top where some tourists came on horseback as a group.

And a view of the tourist vehicles parked down

For those who are dying to know the recipe, here is a link where somebody has explained in detail.

I think the secret is “freshest eggs” and “the way you beat it”

Now enjoy the 4 minute video. (for those who face problem in opening it here, can either click on the bar at the bottom on You Tube, or just go to YouTube and search for Haddock54 and there you will find Fluffy Omelets)

Crepe and British

2011-09-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Definition of Crepe - a very thin pancake usually made out of wheat flour.

Not that pancakes are new to me but I was fascinated by the T shaped stick that they use to spread out the batter evenly on the hot frying pan.

You can have them with different fillings and I chose banana and chocolate. When this young boy was making this he made sure that his hands did not touch any part of the pancake or the fillings. (note how he is cutting the banana without peeling it fully)

Then comes the chocolate

And finally it was neatly transferred to the paper napkin and handed over to the customer.

Here is another guy near Notre Dame cathedral, serving us crepe (he told us he was from Pakistan)
While chatting with him he told us the proportion of the batter and how to make it.

While I was having the crepe, these two cops passed by. Noticed that the cops that are on the beat are mostly in pairs (or sometimes more that two) Makes sense in case of an emergency.

At Mount St Mitchel one of the tourists had some health problem (could be due to the climbing involved) and I found that the authorities were there in no time with medical assistance.

Some cops are friendly and chat along with the tourists

While some have a bored look on their face (could be due to the repetitive action of giving directions)

The only place I was stopped by a cop was at Paris central station. The minute I took out my camera, a plainclothesman planted himself in front of me and asked “Do you speak English?” When I answered in the affirmative, he pulled out his I Card and said, “I am from the Police dept, you are not allowed to take photographs here. You can click out side the station” I nodded and moved on. Security reasons I suppose (or did I have a suspicious look?)

At stations its best to ask a ticket checker for directions.

And talking of ticket checkers I noticed that they also had to do the multi task of giving the signal too.
Its like this, as soon as the train stops at a station, the ticket checker (from the train) comes out and stands on the platform. He makes sure that there is no one left to alight or board after which he blows the whistle and closes all the doors (by pressing a switch in his cabin)

Then he goes to the nearest pole having the signal button, inserts his special key, and turns the switch (to change the signal?)

and makes a dash back to his cabin and presses the button to close his cabin door (which is independent of other doors) and the train moves on.

Did travel on the High speed train (Thalys) twice and found their service quite good. Even though it moves at a high speed (max 300 kmph) it is pretty stable inside and you hardly feel any movement.

For a change we travelled in comfort 1. You get good bargain fares if you book well in advance. The food is complementary in comfort1.

I liked the design of the head rest of the seat. (prevents you from falling into the co passenger’s seat when you fall asleep)
Talking of trains we were staying at this place in Ponterson which was diagonally opposite the station. There were only a handful of trains that pass through this station and even the trains that come are of two or three bogies. After 4 pm there is no activity at the station.

The level crossing has only one bar and the drivers obey and stay behind the bar (something that cannot be thought of in India !!)
A special mention should be made about Mr Robert Holyoak who drives the bus between Ponterson and Mont St Michel. He helped us a lot in giving us information about the area and train/bus timings and how to get back to Amsterdam via Rouen.

Initially when we asked him “Speak English?” He gave us a worried look and said “I think so, if I am born and bred in Stratford I think I should speak fairly good English”

Our mistake. . . . . . . . we should have guessed that he was British.

(by the way eventhough I am not featured in any of these pictures, I am still visible in two of them - Hitchcock style)
In case you want to enlarge the pictures, just click on them.

If its Tuesday this must be Belgium

2011-09-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

I know there was a song by that name and a movie with a similar name but when we were there it was not Tuesday. While in Belgium we covered three places. Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp.

Staying at Antwerp we visited Bruges & Brussels.
But before I talk about these places let me tell you that we had an excellent host at Antwerp. We call him Phanee though that is not his official name. Not only did he see to it that we felt at home, he even cooked for us. The first day he made lovely chicken curry and the next day it was a special type of Andhra fish curry with the right amount of spices. I don’t think I ever had a fish curry like that even in India so I can safely make the statement that the “the best Indian fish curry that I had was in Belgium”
That’s Phanee in a relaxed mood with his lap top

A quick peep into the kitchen to give the final instructions

and with us before he was dashing off to office.

The place was walking distance from the Antwerp station, the same station where 200 danced to the tune of Do Re Mi about 2 years ago. I loved that video.(can’t believe that they did it with just 2 rehearsals)

The same station was used in Agatha Christie’s movie The Chocolate Box
Now coming to Bruges, I was not all that impressed with the chocolate factory (choco-story) , and the demonstration of chocolate making that was held there. I found it more interesting to observe the students (or was it a paid batch) trying out various items with chocolate.

There were many items made of chocolate

and the latest addition was this !

Yes thats a statue of President Obama in chocolate.
I wonder if Obama would head for the chocolate factory or Madam Tussand’s museum (if he was given a choice)

Some lighter moments at the factory.

The best part that we liked in Bruges was the Belgian Navy Band that performed there at the city square on that day. What a treat. I did get a lot of footage of it mainly on video. I have complied one and uploaded on YouTube.

A special mention should be made about Kapelmeester Bjorn Verschoore. (Kapelmeester = Conductor)

He did a wonderful job of not only producing good music with his band, but also made the audience participate and enjoy the whole show.

These pictures show how the audience loved it.

While shooting, wifey wanted to tell me something, not realizing that it was getting captured in the audio part of it. I had to slowly tell her to keep quiet and that too got captured !!

I could have erased it or superimposed the music over it, but then what is the fun if everything is perfect, so I let it remain for posterity. You can hear it at 4.00 mts

I captured this from various spots but the best vantage point was from the back of the stage where I could capture the guy on the drum set (and the Kapelmeester) in full action.

Those of you who want to enjoy it, here it is :

Tablets and Kindle

2011-09-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

In the good old days, friendship was just going out for a walk and talking to each other with only your dog eavesdropping.

Now friendship is talking to each other on Facebook with the whole world eavesdropping.

In the good old days, tablet was something that my dad used to give me to swallow with a glass of water when I was not feeling well.

Or the word kindle was something the Famous Five used to do in Enid Blyton’s book when they went camping and wanted to light a fire.

Today you ask any child the meaning of Kindle and they will rattle out “ let me see…….. do you have a Android phone ? Then maybe I can tell you the compatibility chances of…..”

“What do you mean Android? And its an Android phone not a Android phone. Have you not learnt about the vowels in school? A E I O U “

“That’s kewl, now as we were talking about this Kindle thingy, its really awesome especially if you are going for the Amazon Kindle. Its just mind boggling and ……”

“Wait a minute, what are the advantages of this Kindle thingy, I mean thing?”

“Well if you are not satisfied with Kindle, you can go in for the Nook”

“The what ?”

“Well, Nook by Barnes & Noble is something where you can download millions of book and read them, and it has this touchscreen thingy ……..”

“Aha touchscreen, yes I have seen that. Look here, why don’t we just simply buy a book from the bookstore and curl up in a corner on a rainy day and read and enjoy the book. Do you know the joy of the lovely smell of a new book? When one page is over you simply turn the page and continue reading. And when you want to keep it away you simply put in a bookmark……. yes that long thing is the bookmark…… which shows you from where you have to continue reading”

“No probs there, I will Google it up”

Google it? What about the good old dictionary?”

“Oh my Gawd, you are so boring, come on, you have to move with the times…… why don’t you just twitter it and you will get lots of …..”

“I don’t know how this twittering thing works and has never done it. I only know that someone twittered and then he had to resign and had to move down south and is now happily married and settled down in God’s own country watching cricket”

“Now I am off to the corner book store”

Flowers and artists

2011-09-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

At Avila in Spain we came across this painter who painted landscapes and sold them. He was happy with his sales, and asked me to click his picture with the sale that he just made. He even gave us his website and asked me to look it up and post this picture there. But I kept wondering how he stood there under that hot sun all day to complete his paintings.

I did come across some other good artists too in Paris and Belgium and really appreciate the work that they have done.

We too bought a couple of these paintings in the hope of putting them up at home. (20 Euros for two of these is a fair deal I suppose)
The most common sight that you see in almost all of Europe are the flowers. Practically everything is decorated with flowers. The lamp posts, the railings, the balconies,

the buildings, the street corners, you name it and it is there.

The same street corner in the night from another angle,

It gives a pleasant and happy atmosphere to the whole place.
Some may like the flowers in the picture below and some may exclaim "wow Harley Davidson"

This one below was clicked in Belgium ( Bruges ) where this lady was just opening her shop and arranging the flowers.

© Photographer: Joezachs | Agency: Dreamstime.com

While I was at it, I could hear the clipetty clop of the horses and swerved around to see a horse drawn cart passing by. I almost missed that shot. Sometimes its a dilemma as to what to click and how and when.

For example we were cruising down the Seine river listening to the recorded commentary which is attached to the individual chair. You have to take out the handset and hold it to the ear. (so one hand is engaged there) I had a tough time holding the hand set as well as taking in the sight (and correlating with what I saw) and clicking with the other hand.

And then came the announcement “Now we will be passing under the famous bridge where you can make a wish and kiss your partner”
That was one more task to juggle for me. So wifey held the hand set and I kissed her and Christine took this shot from behind. Just in time before the bridge passed over us !!

Now I am trying to figure out the wish that I made :-)

Street shows

2011-09-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is something that I really enjoyed throughout my travel in Europe.
Each place has its own style of entertaining people.

Its just a pleasure to simply wait on the side-lines and watch them perform. Some of them are so excellent that one can imagine the practice they must have gone through to perform so well. It’s a pity that I could not capture more of these performers.

When the hat is passed around your hand automatically goes to the wallet to contribute something. And talking of the hat, sometimes its not the hat, but then imagination runs wild in such cases. . . . . . . . . .

There is the Houdini act,

the silent statue act (and this comes in various forms and styles and attires)

The musicians (single or as a group)

In Amsterdam, after the Gay Pride Parade, there were impromptu dances held on the street. Passers-by just join in for a minute or two, dance to their heart’s content, and carry on walking. There was a young lady who was cycling down, she stopped and joined in (meanwhile a good Samaritan took her cycle from her and carefully parked it on the side) After a few minutes of hilarious fun and laughter and shaking the leg, she slowly melted away, took her cycle and pedaled off. (I could capture some of it on my video)

I realized that the music that they were dancing to, came from a house on the first floor. Probably there was a party there and they were kind enough to turn one speaker facing the street so that passers by could join. Also observed that as soon as it was 7pm the music was put off (maybe in line with the local law)

I noticed this young boy with the placard Free Hugs and was surprised that there were very few takers, considering the fact that there were so many tourists milling around.
I tried to make up for it by giving him some hugs before and after clicking his pictures.

There were other shows that we saw like the Moulin Rouge show and will write about it separately, but don’t expect any pictures of the show as photography is strictly forbidden .

I will be writing on the Gay Pride Parade too later as there is lots of footage that has to be processed.
Enjoy the video . . . .. . the tunes are catchy (the last pull out shot is from the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris)

Concert at Iglasia in Spain

2011-09-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Life in the villages are pretty simple, but at the same time they enjoy the simple things in life. (that’s a new tongue twister ?)

Attended a musical concert at a church in La Iglesuela a small village in Spain.

It was a simple affair but all the seats were taken and people just enjoyed and gave a standing ovation at the end.
What I liked was the dedication and devotion with which the choir members (young and old) came for the practice and finally performed with no flaw on the final day.

It was warm inside the church, but that did not dampen the spirit of the performers and the audience.

Usually for a stage performance, there are floodlights, but here candles were lit (inside and outside the church) making it something very unique (and difficult for me to do the filming)

The choir was conducted by Ms Vanessa Satur who put together the whole show.

After the performance, all got together at a pub in Piedralaves and had a round of drinks discussing the finer points about the show and how things went in general. Finally when all dispersed it was 2 am.

Two clippings of the show for those who want to hear it. (will add more clippings later when it is ready)

Bicycles

2011-09-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

In general Europeans are healthy and not obese. It could be because of their eating habits and clean air. Another factor could be the extensive use of cycles. The dedicated cycle path that is provided on every road is a way of encouragement for the young and the old to confidently pedal down the road.

Provisions are made in trains, ferries and four wheelers to carry the cycle across long distance.

I liked the way the cycles were modified to carry the groceries. In some cases I found that this carriage acted as a pram, a good way to carry kids around.

Or for that matter this easy chair cycle that we saw at Vienna. What a way to pedal. Looks like he is checking his messages while waiting for the light to turn green.

But one thing that really disappointed me was the theft of cycles. The crime rate in Amsterdam is very very low but I fail to understand how the theft of cycles can not be contained.
The end result was that all cycles were locked with heavy chains and padlocks. I am sure some of those chains must be weighing more than the cycle. (This goes for scooters too)

If the cycle is locked with the chain passing through the wheel, then the rest of the cycle is dismantled and taken away with the wheel left behind !!

And then there are cycles on hire with point to point cycle stations where you can hire a cycle at point A and leave it at point B (well locked and protected)

Head lamps are mandatory at night, which usually works on a small dynamo.

We were lucky enough to witness a cycle race that was held near Toledo in Spain. Managed to catch them in action (see movie clip)

Usually when you are back from a trip, you encounter a high pitched shrill.

It goes something like this "what you went to Paris and did not go up the Eifel Tower?"

So to avoid that shrill “what, you went to Amsterdam and did not go cycling?” we too hired a tandem cycle and enjoyed pedaling on the dyke at Marken island with the lighthouse as the sole witness. I hope Dev Anand won’t have any objection to this. (see the 2 minute movie clip below)

Marken is a fishing island about 30 min from Volendam by ferry. (and Volendam is an hour away from Amsterdam by road) The island is so small that a walk around the outer dyke of the island is only 10 kms.

There is a small shoe factory on the island where they actually demonstrate how the clogs are made.

I have some movie clippings on that but more on that later when the clip is uploaded .

Outside the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam there was this huge wheel. An impeller running for a very good cause.Wheel of energy, an unique way to draw attention to fight against cancer. Volunteers could keep it rotating by running inside the wheel (like a tread mill) and this would generate power.

Any one can sign in. How?

"Put your hand on the screen and press start. In five seconds your picture will be taken. This completes the signing process. Thats all"

This was erected last year (for 365 days) and today is the 328th day.

Why I mentioned this here is that I found many cycles too at the base. Those who can't run can pedal away and help.

What a unique way.

To enjoy the video clip allow it to buffer first and then replay (preferably at a higher volume)

Oops. . . . . .

2011-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to watch people from different countries, who speak different languages and have different culture converge in one place as tourists.

Some are excited and talk animatedly while some silently take in all the view that the country has to offer.

Some come with their expensive cameras to take the excellent shot that they are dreaming of.

Some set up their tripods and wait for the perfect sunset.

While others make do with their small point and shoot.

There were times when I missed my tripod (especially while shooting movies) but the thought of lugging them around everywhere made me leave it at home.
By the way this is the sunset at Normandy. I had to just keep clicking, and with the lapse of every 30 seconds, the hue of the red sky kept changing.

Marken, an island in Holland is a good place for photogrpahy.

You can capture some nice story book pictures like ". . . . . and she was grazing the sheep in the meadow when......."

Had been to this restaurant to get a bite and we parked ourselves outside so that we could enjoy the sun and have a good view of the people passing by

and also enjoy the music that these street singers were playing

(oh this picture reminded me, that ice cream Haagen Dazs is really great, we were on the lookout for outlets that sell this)

We were impressed by this waiter who balanced his tray well and served with efficiency.

I was clicking away while Christine (wifey’s cousin) was also clicking from another angle.

Suddenly there was a faux pas and the expression of the people and the bottle actually falling down was caught on Christine’s camera.

Nothing great but once in a lifetime shot from a point and shoot camera.

That’s the three of us.

And in case you are wondering what we were having . . . . .

You get some funny results when you request others to click you.

“Madam can you click us together?”

And this is what we got. Either she misjudged my height or she thought my face was not good enough to be clicked and was taken in by wifey’s dazzling smile. In all probability her finger went to the zoom button while clicking.

Anyway I like this picture and am keeping it.

And then there are these “wedding shots at special locations”

Like this one which was close to the Eiffel tower with the merry go round as the backdrop

Or this one at Amiens

Or this one at Versailles outside the palace.

You could see the boredom on the couple's face when they were off camera and were waiting for the ordeal to be over.

On the last day in Paris, we decided to have a proper meal in a proper restaurant. This was clicked by the boy who worked there. First he spoke to us in French, but switched over to fluent Hindi. Yes he was from India (Hoshiarpur) and could not bear to see us struggling with French.

Josy's Bed and Breakfast

2011-08-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

When we booked the place to stay at Flesselles, we did not anticipate the problem that we would face because of the distance of Flesselles from Amiens. We thought 12 kms is nothing and we can somehow commute to the town. But it’s a real small place and there is only one bus in the morning and one in the evening.

But we are glad that we booked this place as we had a great time staying with Daniel and Josy at Josy’s B&B. (Bed & Breakfast)

The couple are so warm hearted and open that we felt that we were staying at home.

Like mentioned on his website “Ducks are the boss’s favorite” You will find artifacts all over the house in the form of ducks.

I identified 5 ducks in the one above. Do you see more ?

Each one of his ducks in the pond are tagged and he takes special care of them, even to the extend that he would pump warm water into the pond so that they will not feel cold in winter. He takes care of all the birds and animals in the field and loves gardening.

As I clicked this picture, a swallow swooped down, skimmed the water and flew away. Daniel said, “you saw that? That bird is taking water in its beak to built its nest. Come I will show you”

He took us to the place where he used to park his car, and showed us the nests made by the swallow. There were many and it was high up on the roof. I managed to get a few shots using my zoom.

He loves nature so much that he never made any attempt to remove or deter the birds from making nests there. (Swallow’s nests are very messy with bird droppings all over the place)

In the orchard they have apples, figs, plums, kiwi fruit, berries, pears, and peaches of all varieties.

The best of the fruits were plucked from the orchard and used to make jam, fruit preserves and other delicacies by Josy.

David and his wife from Belgium were also guests during the time of our stay.

The next day in the morning, Josy was kind enough to drop us at Amiens for our sightseeing.

Liked the eco friendly living room with the lights coming on only when it is required. (some sort of proximity switch or sensor for each lamp I suppose)

The old hand pump was used as a decorative piece near the front door.

The view from our room

And the view of our room

I loved the skylight in the bathroom.

A view in the twilight :

Every morning we were woken up by the cock crowing at the crack of dawn.

He said that it was an English Rooster, so would only go “Cock a doodle doo… instead of Cocorico”

During the day time its absolute silence with only the birds chirping and the occassional neigh of the horse in the neighbour's farm.

One of the rabbits that he caught.

In case you are wondering, these birds and animals are not meant for the dinning table.
A Ducth couple who came all the way from Amsterdam cycling, to spend the night there. They looked weather beaten, but their spirits were high.

I liked the small instruction that was put up on the door in the room.

On the last night of our stay, Josy showed us their family photographs while Daniel (who was in the French army) showed us how he looked in his hey days among some penguins somewhere in Russia (you can see Daniel rumaging through his collection in the mirror)

While we talked, small glasses of a stiff shot were passed around which he said was “good for digestion” (this was brewed at home)

Josy wanted to click us but the flash of her camera refused to work.

The ever helping Daniel fixed it for her.

All eyes on wifey as she made the entry in the guest book. They said that they are proud of that entry as it was the first from India.

(we wish them more)

One picture for posterity with all of us.

We felt sad leaving the place, but we had to move on to our next destination.

The bus arrived exactly as per schedule at five minutes past seven in the morning.

(will write about Amiens and its boat cruise later as I have to prepare the video clipping for uploading on YouTube.)

The Three Movie Syndrome

2011-08-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Long ago (before television was an household name in India) I had been to the theatre to view three movies. (all on the same day)

They were Dhund, Anhonee and Anamika. When I returned home I was totally confused.

And to add to the confusion, the veteran actor Sanjeev Kumar was in two of these movies.

Did Sanjeev sing that lovely song with Jaya Bhaduri or with Leena Chandravarkar ?

Right now I am suffering from the 3 movie syndrome.

Had been to Amsterdam, Volendam, Marken, Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Paris, Versailles, Amiens, Flessels, Lower Normandy, Pontorson, Avilla, Toledo, Madrid, Vienna, all in 27 days.
So you can imagine the confusion that is going on in my mind now. “Oh what a lovely canal trip that was…. was it in Bruges or in Amiens sweetie?”

And wifey quips back “you mean the one where we saw the stick figures on the bank? Oh that was in Amiens”

But once I sort out the images in these memory cards I think I will be in a better position to narrate properly. 5 cards of 8 GB (and one 16 GB), all full with images and movie shots. As a back up I carried my small hard disc in case anything gets corrupt.

And then I also had my old faithful Nikon with its antique card (in case of emergency)

Each view is something to behold where ever you go, be it the panoramic view of Vienna,

Or children playing in the fountain.

Some just get exhausted with the touristy thing and fall asleep in the pram.

Each place is unique. No complaints whatsoever. No mugging, swindling, pick pocketing etc (as some had warned us) In fact I found people to be sincere and helpful.

Suggestions ? Yes at some places. For example it would be better if the bus service to Mont St Michelle from Pontorson was continued in the night.

It’s a wonderful place and worth visiting for people who go to France.

The Abbey at Mont St Michelle gets lit up after sunset and it is a wonderful sight with the lights on. And there was this high tide which we wanted to see that night. But sunset is around 10 pm and the last bus back to the town is at 8.40 pm.

As we had read and heard a lot about the view at night, we decided to miss the bus and try our luck at hitchhiking back to our hotel.

These are some of the pictures clicked during the day time, twilight and in the night.

We even saw a windmill on our way to the Mont.

But the same windmill was breath-taking at night.

We were fortunate to witness a prayer service that was conducted at the Abbey and it just transports you back to the medieval era. (see the movie clipping below on YouTube)

There are no microphones or amplifiers, but the acoustics is natural and simply great.

Oh yes we did get a lift back to Pontorson, (the place where we stayed) But it just depends on your luck, and if you are not lucky, be prepared to walk 10 kms or spend the night with the monks in the Abbey at St Michelle.

There is more about this place, for example the special fluffy omelettes that you get there and how it is made . . . . . . . . may be in the next post.

Sometimes things happen . . . . . . . . . .

2011-08-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

These are some of the vegetables that were just plucked from the garden this morning.

Sometimes things happen way far beyond than what you expect it to be.

I mean we came down to Spain to stay with Nalini, an old friend of ours who said that she will take us to this place on Monday and the next day we will go to that place..... in short she and her kids had planned a lot for the eight day stay that we were going to have in La Adrada which is a cute little small villlage about 90 kms from Madrid.

From the day we came I noticed that she was not in a good form physically to play the host that she intended to be. When I greeted her with a kiss she warned me "careful Joe, don´t hold me so tight I am in pain"

Cutting a long story short she just passed away on the third day of our arrival.

I remember many years ago, when she had been to our place in India and said that she missed having a piano to practice her lessons, I offered her the small casio player that I had with me. It was nothing compared to the grand piano she had at home, but she did use it. When she realised that I was musically inclined, she even taught me how to read the musical notes (something I did not pursue which I regret now)

In this age of e mails and computers she wrote a three page hand written letter to us when she got back to Spain.

Well, after I saw the vegetables that were plucked in the morning by her daughter, I took my camera and went out into the garden where Nalini did her gardening.

The figs, pomegranate and apples were not yet ready to be plucked.

Some of the vegetables that she grew:

She probably intended to pluck and cook these herself for us.

and the flowers:

Her daughter showing us around the garden:

The small car that she drove for about a decade.

The gentleman in the village from whose shop Nalini bought most of her provisions. He had a lot of stories to narrate about Nalini. In fact many whom we met in the village had something to say about her as she was a "mother and a good friend" to many.

She was so artistically inclined that most of the things in the house were created by her.

Her painting.

The stuffed toys that she made for her grand daughter.

The crib that she made by cutting perspex sheet (and that too by filing each image with a file and not by a cutting machine)

She used to jot down some of the sayings that she liked.

One entry:

"We meet to create memories and depart to preserve them"

Probably the last entry by Nalini :

One of the entries "There may be times we can´t find help when we need it, but there is never a time we can´t give it"

(note that number four was yet to be entered)

Her house was always open for those who seek warmth, love and happiness........

A beautiful service was held in the church before the funeral.

Preparing for the readings in the church (both in English and Spanish)

The children . . . . . . . . . a moment of grief:

After the funeral, the ashes were brought home last night. (while clicking this, my camera had a very bad fall, but miraculously it is still working)

I hope to write more posts about La Adrada and the other surrounding villages once I am back in India.

Am trying to string up the videos that I shot in the church and once that is done, I will attach it to this post later.

I am sure Nalini wanted us to have a good time in La Adrada and I intend to take back good memories from here.

I love looking at old photographs, especially when it is in black and white.

This one was clicked during Nalini´s engagement, way back in 1974.

And this was clicked about seven years ago when she visited us in Pune.

many firsts

2011-07-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

Many firsts in this post.
Like, this is the first time a blog post is written by me from a country outside India.
And this is the first time I am on a foreign tour and technically speaking I will be visiting 5 countries in one go.
Just a few photographs for the time being, as I intend to see places and click click click than spend time typing away on the keyboard.

On the flight there were some school kids who were going to Copenhagen Denmark, to take part in a football match (under 19)

They were very excited about the whole thing and was making the best of it in the flight as well as at the airport.
I had a chat with the coach and he said that there were 60 teams taking part and these kids are from different schools in Mumbai. This is organised by a club and I feel this must be really encouraging for these kids. Wish there were more such orpganisations to boost the school kids.
Some pics of the kids in the aircraft and at the Vienna airport.

Clicked some more pics at the Vienna airport as I had to kill two hrs.

And at the Amsterdam airport I saw two cars , and what a contrast between the two. But each has their own value I suppose, old or new.

So hope to get lots of photographs to write more posts as I intend to cover Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruggs, Paris, Amiens, Normandy, Madrid and Vienna in 27 days.

A quick trip to Kerala

2011-06-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Had been to Kerala (South India) to attend a funeral.

Getting tickets at short notice is a big hurdle (and it gets compounded if it is holiday season)

Finally managed to get a direct flight from Mumbai to Calicut. (Kozhikode) From there proceeded to Kanoor by road (a three hour journey)

This is my first trip to the northern part of Kerala and even though I was concentrating on the fact that I should reach my destination before the burial takes place, I couldn’t help notice that this part of Kerala is really beautiful. I wonder why there is no development as far as tourism is concerned.

The drive was almost along the sea coast and it was so beautiful with the high waves on the left side and lush green trees on the right side (especially from Thalaserry to Kanoor)

Due to some traffic jam in the city side (locally known as “block”) we had to finally drive straight to the cemetery.

Some times things don’t happen the way we plan it.

For a long time Tomy (my cousin who expired) had been calling me to visit him from the time he moved to Kanoor. I kept postponing the visit as it was almost eight hours from Cochin by train. Just last month I was planning to make a trip to Bangalore and drive down from there to Kanoor to meet Tomy and his family, but due to some reason I shelved that too.
The last time I met Tomy was when he called on me 9 years ago at Alleppey.

I don’t click pictures of the deceased as I like to remember them as they were when they were hale and hearty.

Tomy was buried in the same tomb where his mother was buried.

This is his mother’s cross which was removed temporarily to lower his casket.

Had to get back to Cochin as our return flight was from Cochin to Mumbai. Some of the family members were going back the same day to Alleppey (Alepuzha) by the overnight train. No reservations, no berths. So we too just purchased tickets and hopped into the unreserved compartment. Managed a few winks in the 8 hour journey (that is when we got place to sit after standing for an hour)

What a contrast between the night travel in the unreserved compartment

. . . ......... and the morning travel by flight.

The next day I freshened up at my uncle’s place at Alleppey and left for Thiruvella to meet one of my aunts who is in an old age home.

Was she happy to see me? She scolded me for not sending her the Birthday card which I used to send religiously for the last 20 years. I apologized and told her that I will be sending the Xmas card followed by the B’day card (her B’day is on Jan 1st) She told me that Onam is a big celebration in Kerala. I got the hint. So it will be Onam, Xmas and B’day card from now on. Maybe I can add one at Diwali time too.
(the problem is that I cannot write Malayalam and she cannot read English. So I make up by sending colourful and flowery cards with a few broken sentences in Malayalam)

From there proceeded to Cochin via Kottayam meeting more relatives on the way.

The view along the way was great with some places posing a challenge with water from the nearby paddy fields overflowing on to the road, but our driver was very cool and drove through.

And then there are these roadside shops selling fresh vegetables and fruits.

At Cochin we had a feast on the Chakka and Manga (Jackfruit and Mangoes) Unusually the Jackfruit were plenty this time on this tree and it was being liberally distributed to all those who came home.

Noticed that most of the coconut trees had coconuts which had surpassed their plucking time. What I gathered was that the specialists who climbed the tree are demanding high labour charges (something like Rs 25 + 2 free coconuts per tree) which makes it a costly affair. But on the flip side, leaving them on the tree is a potential safety hazard too.

Got to drink Chambanga wine , the best wine I have ever tasted. (Chambanga is Rose Apple)

Sebu uncle, who made the Chambanga wine was good enough to pluck some nice raw mangoes for us to take back home.

One of the delicacies that was served to us was the Karimeen. I was impressed by the way each fish was meticulously cleaned and cut and had to click it before it went into the curry pot.

Got to see more realtives along the way.

To end on a colourful note, there were these umbrellas displayed at the Cochin airport.

Excitement of the Vanilla order

2011-04-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be familiar with this picture (this greenery did appear in the post on the Red Vented Bulbul)

And this one was with the post of the Scaly Breasted Munia.

You can see the Munia making a dash for her nest at the bottom left of the above picture

But this time I am excited about that long leaf that you see in the above pictures.
Yes I am excited about the Vanilla that we grew along with the money plant.

This story starts about 3 years ago when we got two cuttings (about a meter long) one from Palai and the other from Cochin (Kerala)
I vaguely remember someone mentioning at that time that they will start flowering only after 3 years and about the fact that natural pollination will not take place.
So we just planted it along with our money plant and forgot about it.

Right enough, about three and half years later we found clusters of flower buds coming up at some specific locations.

Oh ….. . . lot of excitement. It is flowering, it is finally flowering, but what next?

So I logged on to the net and read about Vanilla pollination.
Came up with some interesting facts.
In 1518, while the Spanish Conquistador Cortez was seeking the treasures of the New World, he observed the Aztec emperor Montezuma enjoying a royal beverage of Vanilla scented chocolate. He was so impressed by this kingly drink that when he and his men returned to Europe, they took bags of cocoa and Vanilla along with the gold, silver and jewels of Montezuma's fallen empire.

For more than 300 years after its discovery by Cortez, Vanilla was produced only in its native Mexico.

Plantings were tried in many countries, but the delicate orchid never bore fruit. The mystery was not solved until 1836, when a Belgian named Charles Morren found that common insects cannot pollinate the Vanilla orchid. He observed that a tiny bee, the Melipone, which is found only in the Vanilla districts of Mexico, is uniquely equipped to bring the plant to fertilization. The bee did not survive outside Mexico.

At Madagascar's coast a former slave named Edmond Albius observed these bees very carefully and he perfected a quick and simple method of hand-pollinating which is still used to this day.
Individual flowers are to be pollinated early in the morning as soon as it opens up.

A small stick of bamboo or a toothpick is used to pollinate.

The rostellum is pushed aside and the pollen is spread from the stamen to the stigma causing contact between the two.

Once pollination takes place the flower dries but remains on the cluster. Then slowly the thin stalk behind the flower becomes thick and turns into the pod.

If the pollination is unsuccessful, the flower falls off the next day.

I read some more from different sites and watched some videos related to this and gingerly took my next step of pollination.

But the flowers were falling off……..

O ho, that is bad news. Tried for some more days but flowers kept falling off.

What is going wrong?

Went back to the net and read some more. Then I saw a video (a very badly made video by some amateur) but in that badly made video I got to see what I was doing wrong.

Both the stamen and the stigma has a small flap which has to be held open while pollinating. It was a difficult task as both the stamen and the stigma are on the same flower. Holding them and juggling the toothpick with care to be taken that the flower is not damaged in the process was a delicate task.

So I tried the new tactic and hey the flowers are not falling. In fact I some how got the vague feeling that the flowers were smiling at me.

Yahoo…… success…… the flowers are getting pollinated. (Cortez would have been proud of me)

I see now that the stalks behind the dried flowers are getting fleshy and long and developing into beans.

So we wait for the next step.

The bean stays on the vine for two months to reach its mature length before it produces any seeds, and will continue to grow on the vine for another six months until the base end of the pod begins to turn yellow. The bean is then harvested, blanched and sun dried over another two to three months, then the final conditioning stage will take up to three months before it is ready to be sold.

From start to finish, it can take 4 to 5 years to produce just one vanilla bean, thus making it one of the most labor-intensive and costliest spices in the world.

Vanilla is the second most costly natural flavoring (the first being saffron)

With whole beans costing up to $2 each, extract is much more economical and has a long life in the bottle.

Like Jim & Tracy Reddekopp from Hawai said:

Pollination is an art form and a skill though, and one that develops over time by trial and error.

Pollination can’t be replicated by a machine. In this high-speed age, it still takes human hands, human eyes, a human mind, and a human heart to turn the science of pollination into a labor of love.

The House Boat experience

2011-04-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

A few snaps and a little description about a part of the stay we had in Kerala.
This time it was at Kumarakoum, the place is close to Alleppey (Alepuzha) and is surrounded by the Vembanad Kayal (river) The overnight stay was a welcome change when compared to the earlier stay at Thekaddy and many of us were of the opinion “lets stay here only and not move from here” May be they were taken in by the view of the lake right from their door way and it was peaceful and calm.

As soon as we landed there in the morning, the pre arranged house boat picked us up for our day trip.

The house boat is a thriving business now in the Alleppey backwaters and you will come across many in the lake. A four to six hour ride (with lunch in the boat) is what I would recommend.

This particular House boat belonged to Shivaganga Holidays

The crew were friendly and they laid out some good dishes for our lunch. As you can see there was Fish fry, Sambhar, Sear Fish Curry, Cabbage Thoran, Brown rice, More Curry (made out of curd) papaddam and Salad. Of course if you are a group of pure vegetarians then they will take special care that only vegetarian food is cooked and served in the boat.

As if this was not enough, later they were good enough to anchor at a nearby local eating joint along the coast where we could get some Kappa (Tapioca) with mussels

Cruising down we did see some local life and their daily routine, Their movements depended on these small boats.

After lunch practically all dozed off and were woken up by some nice hot tea/coffee with something to munch. There was self-entertainment too and all took turns entertaining others.

We made a U turn at the finish point of the Nehru boat race which takes place every year on the second Saturday of August. Saw one of those boats there, but that was not one of those which were traditionally made.

They say that the traditional boats that are used in the race are hand made, by tying planks together by rope. No nails or rivets are used. They are seasoned using natural products. There are no drawings of the design of these boats, but the design is handed down verbally through generations. No grease is used but the white of the egg is smeared at the bottom so that it skids on the water during the race. Many years ago (I think it was in 1968) I had the opportunity to actually see a race live and it is a real experience. As for these houseboats, long back these same boats (known as kettuvallams) were used to ferry grain from the fields to the mills and market. Waterways was the major mode of the transport in those days.
As more and more roads started coming up, and the cultivation of rice dwindled, these boats were lying idle and the tourist industry found it lucrative to convert them into house boats.

We were back at our cottage before sunset and lolling out in the hammock was something all preferred.

The next day we checked out at 10 am and proceeded to Philipkutty’s Farm

The complete arrangement of our stay at different locations in Kerala was made by Mr John.
One can contact him at his site http://www.tikholidays.com/ or just dial +919387827235

To see more pictures of the stay at Kumarakom and the house boat, I have made a video of the same which is below. I have used about 100+ pictures to make this video.
To enjoy it, allow it to buffer completely first and then replay it (with the volume turned slightly high)

The years go by

2011-03-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

Valentine day falls in the month of February.

A day when a single rose costs anything between Rs 20 to Rs 50
A day when all the eating joints are overbooked.
A day when the card shops are having a field day and the anti-Valentine groups are out on the streets doing their bit.

I know of a couple who celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary last December. I wonder if they did ever celebrate Valentine’s day in these 56 years.

They go about their daily chores of life with the help of each other.

They feel pain when others are in pain. They are in awe of the bloodless coup in Egypt. They are in touch with the present day world, but more than that they are in touch with each other.

The simple act of helping each other in stitching up the pillow is something exhilarating for them.

They may not have bought diamond rings for each other, but you can see the sparkle in her eyes when he sings a special song for her on her birthday.

They attend wedding ceremonies together and find it amusing that it is not done like this back home at Cochin (their home town)

At times they go out and try out the various cuisines or may be just the appam and stew at the south Indian eating house. “But my stew is better no?” and he meekly agrees to that.

They read the daily newspaper together and some times one of them dozes off with the consolation that the better half is close by

Life goes on for them at their leisurely pace and they just give me a smile when I try to explain to them about Valentine’s day.

Update:
My cousin reminded me about the Vishwakarma episode about these two. You can read it here.

Safety is for you

2011-03-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

“Ha ha ha, me and poetry? Ha ha”
That was my first reaction when I was asked to write a poem for a competition that was held for the forthcoming National Safety day. Incidentally that is tomorrow (4th of March)
The fact is that I had never written a poetry in my life. Was only impressed by some like “Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Daffodils” which we had to learn at school.

But there is always a first time, and I thought why not give it a try.
So within 24 hours (which was the deadline given to me) I managed to pen down a few lines.

I was not very happy with the result but this is it:
(Have picked up the pictures from Dreamstime.com of which I am a member. If you want to see the pictures big, just click on it)
Am open for criticism and suggestions from our learned bards.

© Photographer: Johnkwan
Agency: Dreamstime.com

To make this Year
A year without fear

We just have to be wise
And follow the simple advise

By making safety our prime factor
And not repenting the day after

If you want your ten toes to be intact
Safety shoes will take all the impact

© Photographer: Maccj
Agency: Dreamstime.com

When it comes to your eyesight
Safety goggles will not put you in a plight

© Photographer: Andykeylock
Agency: Dreamstime.com

To avoid things that plummet
Safe guard your head with a helmet

© Photographer: Radelukovic
Agency: Dreamstime.com

When it comes to high levels of decibel
Ear plugs will not make your eardrums rebel

© Photographer: Epantha
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Your life line lies in your hands, they say
Protect them with safety gloves, I say

© Photographer: Tombaky
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Always drive with the seat belt
And the impact will never be felt

© Photographer: Diego.cervo
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Use the helmet at the right place
And your smile will be full of grace

© Photographer: Yuri_arcurs
Agency: Dreamstime.com

So let us all follow the rules of safety
And enjoy this world which is a real beauty.

Remember, there are no safety nets in our life.

© Photographer: Rangpl
Agency: Dreamstime.com