Stories from Kettik

why it still stinks...

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 06:19:21 +0000

Its Saturday morning.. almost midday and im still in bed. Got up a couple of hours back, didn't feel like getting out of bed, watched a movie and now that its over i still don't feel like going anywhere. So i figured i'd write about it. Something i haven't done in a very long time..

Breaking free..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:50:01 +0000

This is THE dream... To travel, to be free, to be Rich on Time and not on Money !!

Dont you agree ??

Memories of Bhutan.. Highlights from the Happy Nation.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:49:15 +0000

Back in 2007 I traveled across Bhutan on my motorbike. I had kept those memories locked away for almost 4 years but here they are now. My most memorable moments in Bhutan.

Chilly overload : On Bhutan's love affair with Chillies..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:48:11 +0000

Eating Chillies is a major part of the Bhutanese lifestyle. Some experts would argue that this habit wasÂ necessitatedÂ by cold weather of the place (to keep warm). While, others may argue that it is due to the limited variety ofÂ vegetables that could be grown in the country. But ask any average Bhutanese out in the street and their answer would be as simple as it is true. They just love the taste.

Amid the Huangshan mist..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:57:49 +0000

For the Chinese New year holidays i decided to go to HuangShan. I was looking forward for a change of scenery from the usual tibetian mountains that im drawn to. And what better place than HuangShan to get a perfect taste of the Chinese mountain scenery. The Chinese people, and poets alike, never seem to tire of coming up with new ways to praise the HuangShan scenery. And all the photo's i've seen of the place seem to backup their claim. I was a bit circumspect about going there during winter but after a bit of research i found that the winter scenery is supposed to be the best with clear blue skies and the trees and mountains covered by snow. One day before i was due to leave it was snowing in Huangshan...

night out on the old street...

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:57:15 +0000

Two days of being shrouded by the Huangshan mist was enough to dampen my sprits. The lure of hot running water and central heating was too tempting to pass. On reaching Huangshan city, i went straight to the railway station to book my return tickets to Beijing for the next day.
"No" she said.. There were no sleeper tickets to Beijing for tomorrow's train.Â "Min Tien Min Tien ??" I asked..Â ('min tien' being the chinese word for tomorrow.. my question loosely (i use that term liberally) translates to "how about the day after tomorrow??" :) Nope.. the tickets weren't available on that train either.Â

Its just me..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:57:01 +0000

It usually happens with me.. especially with my car. When i drive it after someone else has driven it, i can always feel the difference. The engine would feel a bit weaker, a little strained and the accleration sluggish. The feeling usually wears off in a day or two and the car starts feeling normal again. I was never able to figure out if it is psychological (maybe i dont like loaning our my cars to others).. or if its really different. With the car, maybe the different driving styles of people (especially the ones who like to rev the engine a bit too much) may affect the feel of the car.. but with my cycle there was no such explanation.

mass nationalistics : the daily morning tiananmen flag ceremony

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:56:19 +0000

So, it was my last weekend in Beijing before my short trip to India. I was having drinks with a friend and i remarked to her about how i had always wanted to go see the flag hoisting ceremony at Tian'anmen square but never did. She hadn't see it herself but then she proceeded to tell me about all these people who make it their pilgrimage to come to the capital, witness the flag hoisting ceremony and then go pay respects to chairman Mao's memorial. Thousands, she told... thousands of them can be found waiting out the night, out on the streets around Tian'anmen square.

I was amazed, not surprised, but just amazed and impressed with the nationalistic zeal the government here has imbibed into its people. Piety has been substituted by nationalism and i'am not sure if that is such a bad thing. Mass nationalistics, i like to call them.