Category: Travel

Notes from Riyadh

So, a few days ago, I was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And this was my first trip there. And these are some notes observations from the trip, in case anyone is curious.

First things first.
It is safe. Probably safer than in India. I walked alone for miles and did not get uncomfortable at all. People are VERY friendly, simple and helpful.

Most speak some degree of Engish. It is not tough to get around with local taxis, Ubers, and Careems. No, there is no public transport. They are making a metro but it will only connect a limited part of the city. And it will take a while before it is up and running.

Even though I found it cold, dusty, gloomy at first, it grew upon me as I spent time there.

Yes, it is an Islamic Country
What this means is that the lives run around their practice of religion. Stores (even at malls) shut at the time of prayer. Restaurants don’t take orders. Offices have an area demarcated for prayers. It is absolutely normal to find a clean, respectful place wherever you are and offer your prayers.

No, it is culturally not very open
Continuing with Saudi Arabia being an Islamic county, they practice their traditions with all the seriousness. This means it is rare to see women without their Abayas. The only time I saw a woman without one was when I landed. And the flight I was in had one Brit lady that wore denim and a flannel shirt.

But if my conversations are to be believed, it is changing. I spoke to a lady there and she said that her niece (who’s 12 right now) may not grow up to like wearing an Abaya. But then this would remain an urban phenomenon. The smaller cities and interiors would retain their culture for a few more years at least, if not decades

No, you can’t take photos without permission, if there are people in the frame. 
Yes, the internet is controlled and censored. But for someone like me, who had to use a lot of Google and GSuite, things were just fine. No, I did not try to search online for casinos, gambling, alcohol, pornography to see what results are thrown at me. 

And yet, the country is thriving! 
There is a lot of economic activity. There are malls, stores, coffee shops and everything else that you expect from a modern city in a thriving economy. Businesses operate from 8 AM and while office time ends by 5 PM, malls are open till 1030/11, local businesses are open till as late as 2 AM.

They have traffic jams, especially at office hours.

They have skyscrapers. I mean, of course, they’d have. Why would they not have? They are among the richest countries in the world. Just that sitting here in India, reading reports from western media, you tend to create a mental image. I mean look at this building…

I was later told that this twisted tower design is a common one in the entire GCC region.

And yes, it’s safe. Very. In the time I was there, I don’t think I saw one cop. Of course, there are cameras and sensoring and each activity is tracked and all that but in general, as I said, it’s safe to walk around.

There is Starbucks! Must give credit to the way they’ve got the service levels right. Even though I went there all of two times, the Baristas remembered my order!

There is even Benihana of Tokyo (junta from MDI would relate to this). There is all the big brands – Virgin, Nike, La Senza, Victoria’s Secret and some homegrown ones as well.

Coming back to activity. If you stood by a highway there and took a shot of the cars passing by, the number of cars, the make and the speed with which they are driving past, you’d never guess you were in Riyadh!

This is from a highway on a random day at a late hour (post the office rush). Ignore the bottom half of the photo. Look at the top half. 

In terms of food, even though I am a vegetarian, I was ok. Riyadh has enough options that it is NOT tough to find vegetarian food. If you eat eggs, you’d not have any discomfort at all.

And things are opening up. 
I have one word for this. Qiddiyah.
If you want more words, there is Riyadh Seasons.

And further, every person I spoke to – cab drivers, clients, prospective clients, businessmen, businesswomen, employees, restaurants, waiters, professionals and everyone in between wanted to work.

They even made this mosque that does not look anything like one. I can’t imagine any other religion giving one of its religious icons such bold shape! Hats off to the person that thought about it and then the person that gave approval. I can’t imagine that happening here. Especially in the environment that we live in!

KAFD Mosque. One of the most stunning buildings ever. 
But, life for a regular Saudi is not as rosy as you would imagine.
Some cabbies told me that they work two jobs to make ends meet. 
In fact, while I was there, talking to people, it dawned on me that it sucks that people have to go far from their homes and people and lives and stories and cultures to make ends meet. Like the cabbie I spoke to, he traveled from Karachi (in Pakistan) to become an Uber driver. There was this Saudi that came from a village in the interiors of the city. And then, there was me, from Delhi, living in Mumbai, in Riyadh to look for opportunities that help me make money. Like Amrish Puri said, “roti ke liye mitti sey door jaana padta hai“…  
I wish I could fix it. For myself. And for the world. 
Anyhow.

The other thing that I learned while I was there is the urgency of time. I had about a week there. And that meant I had to squeeze in all my meetings in that many days. And some of them were going to be with people that may not want to meet me. And that made me rush with things like no one’s business. 

The things that I did not understand are.
They use and of course, waste a LOT of plastic. It is so rampant that I got sick after a while. They use it in EVERYthing. At restaurants, shopping malls, kiosks, laundry, packing, tablemats at restaurants to shopping bags to wrapping paper to everything else. It seems to be like a way of life in Riyadh! 
The city is full of cats. I mean I felt as if I was in a Murakami Hemingway world. There are cats all over the place. In the alleys, on the roads, under the cars, in the dustbins, heck ever insider the Starbucks! If I were to live there any longer, I would do a Cats of Riyadh Facebook page, if it doesn’t exist already! 
The other thing that the city has in abundance apart from cats is abandoned cars. You feel as if you are in a film set where there are gunners hiding behind these abandoned cars.

I mean look at this car…

Shot by Saurabh Garg, edited by greypixel.in. Also here.
In the end, 
I’d suspect the people would have a high degree of satisfaction 
In one word, I’d say the trip was more eye-opening than anything else. And yes I would love to come back! May be soon. Want postcards? Lemme know! 
Thanks for reading!

Saurabh Garg,
Mumbai, 2020


PS: Apologies for the quality of the photos. For some reason this trip, all the photos are super bad. To a point that I hate them. But can’t go back now. Or may be, the next trip?

Disclaimers. Very very important. Please read.

  • I went there for a few business meetings. And this means that a lot of things were taken care for me – hotel, commute, etc.
  • I was there for about a week. This means that I did not see the entire city and did not experience it in its entirety.
  • I was confined to the Riyadh area. I did not step out of the city.
  • These are things that I observed. These are not scientific or something

The Rite of Passage, Dubai 2018, Day 01

In most cultures, traditions, societies, civilizations, communities, when a man has learnt enough and is ready to be the “person in charge”, he is often sent on a trip, a rite of passage of sorts where he comes of age. He comes back better and stronger and is ready to discharge the higher duty – the purpose for which he’s been sent, or created, if you will. In fact in his seminal work, Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell talks about the journey that any Hero has to undertake to find resolution to the conflict that requires his heroism. And while the Hero is on the journey, he often discovers who he really is.

As an individual and a storyteller, I’ve always been fantasised about such a journey.

As an individual, I’ve longed for that unknown adventure that makes me better, stronger and richer. That helps me discover my true purpose. That tells me what I ought to do. That guides me. And makes me richer – richer as in emotionally and mentally. And of course financially ;). Make me stronger – as in a stronger personality that can impact lives and things around me. And make me better – as in a better human being. So that I am not swayed by this newfound strength or wealth.

As a storyteller I want to observe, capture and narrate the story of someone who’s taking the journey. I want to tail the someone and experience with him the highs & lows, the trials & tribulations, the wins & the losses and everything else in between.

Blame it on my innate curiosity, by being the traveller and the writer, I’ve wanted to evaluate and understand if the trip, the journey is worth taking. I mean, what the heck! Every Hero seems to have taken the journey. For example, The Pandavas took to Vanvas and Agyatvas before they could battle it out and claim what was apparently rightfully theirs (Pandavas come to mind because I am consuming Geeta on this break).

There must be something that happens on those trips! There are umpteen examples. These stories and the journeys are scattered all over the place – in popular culture, in mythology, in even those little tales that we create for ourselves.

I tried to find people who’ve taken these and come out better. But I couldn’t locate anyone. So I thought, may be it’s about time I took one myself?

Thing is, for someone like me who loves to shoot from the hip (and do things before I think them through), if I were really fascinated by the journey, I would’ve probably taken it by now.

But of course I haven’t.
May be because I am not sure if I am ready to go on the journey.
May be I don’t feel the need to go and discover myself and come back stronger or more mature or whatever.
May be I am scared, like it happens with all such things.

But then the call of the adventure, the beckoning got the better of me and I planned the trip. Tentatively at first. And with more gusto and conviction eventually. Probably because the longing got to me. Reminds me of what Anais Nin said, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

If you replace risk with pain (or charm), you’d know where I am coming from.

So, fast-forward three months. Here I am! At a Starbucks (where else) somewhere in Dubai. Trying to discover things. Today is first day!

Even though I am here and it’s the first day, there is that fear, that tentativeness in my thoughts and actions. Truth be told, as I approached the date of travel, I tried to cancel this trip on multiple pretexts. I even postponed the trip by a few days. I was that scared!

Fear. I always thought I wasn’t the kinds to be scared of the unknown. It’s an emotion that I thought did not exist in my head. After all I have always been the one to walk up in a dark alley behind a tall building and gawk at whatever lies up ahead. I have always embraced uncertainty and my pitch to most of my clients and friends is, lets do this and then we’d see what happens. I believe in doing first and apologising later (if apologising is still required). And I’ve found that in most cases, apologies are not required. So, yeah. Fear hasn’t stopped me ever. And thus the surprise on this perpetual delay.

Coming back.

Even though I was scared, I had to take the journey. I heard someone say that “the teacher comes when the student is ready”. Now that I am here, to be honest, I am not sure if I am ready but I can not wait for the teacher to arrive. I want to go seek. Shoot from the hip. Act. Find the teacher. I want Saurabh Garg to evolve into ‘The Saurabh Garg’. The damn the makes all the difference.

I don’t even know if the break would do me any good. It’s just a vague notion. Maybe I’ll come back the same. May be I would merely blow up a lot of money while I am here (on expensive coffeeshops and even more expensive commute). May be I will lose opportunities back home.

What I do know is that I had to do this. Take the break.


Thing is, I have been planning dreaming of a break for years. A break where I go off the radar and don’t have access to anything that defines me (people, things, ideas etc.). In an ideal world, I would go to the mountains where there are hardly any people around and the loudest sound is of your intimidated heart, fluttering at the thought of the height of the peaks and the depth of the gorges. Or I’d probably goto to some beach where I will have the endless spread ahead of me and there’s nothing else that surrounds you but the sun, the sand and the loneliness. Either would’ve required a lot of work in terms of planning and logistics.

So I decided to hole up with a friend in a different country. This will allow me to be separated physically and stay detached. And the only person I knew outside of India that I could trust is the guy I am living with. He and I know each other for more than 25 years (if not 30 years). We don’t talk on a regular basis but I trust him as much as I can trust anyone ever.

Oh, this is not the first time I am taking a break like this. In 2009, I had just quit from CLA and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I went for a 10-day Vipassana course. I am not sure it changed me but it did teach me that I could do tough things (back then, if someone said I could not speak for 10 days on the trot, I would have laughed at them. But I did it!). The benefits were not really tangible (I should’ve ideally practised after I finished the course but I did not). Oh, it did make me fitter. Also, it was my first stint with intermittent fasting though I did not know about it back then.

So, this time I am on a 15-dayish break. Not really meditating. But I plan to cut off from my regular life (I plan to NOT use any social media tools, NOT check my email, NOT use whatsapp etc). I will continue to stay in touch with close friends (VG), family and work (limited to one phone call a day). This will allow me to get away from non-essential timesinks.

Of course I plan to explore Dubai – I don’t really want to see the touristy places (been here enough times in the past and done all that needs to be done) . I will meet some old acquaintances, probably make new friends, expose myself to new ideas and try to soak in the life here.

In the next few days, I hope to eat right (do a 16-8 IF and if not Keto than low-carb for sure), sleep right (I had thought of experimenting with Polyphasic sleep but I am sure if I can do this in an alien environment), write a lot (blogposts, ideas, book2 etc) and get fit (go for long walks, meditate etc.).

There are other agendas – work (need to figure out what to do in with life – continue the hustle and try to make it big, or get back to the safe havens of a full-time naukri where I get peanuts to make someone else rich), relationships (with parents, friends, colleagues, co-workers, strangers and the all important “better half”. I am sure that I don’t want to “settle down” but as I grow old, I am told by every sage (aka learned person) around me that I will need a companion at some point in time. I am not sure. I need to think on it), review my annual goals, and finish my todo list (that has more than 400 items as we speak; and I use Asana for managing my tasks and projects).

Most important of them all is that I need to learn how to do things solo. I’ve always done things in groups or with close friends. I haven’t done a lot of solo travels. This trip, I hope I learn what it takes to do a solo thing in an alien location.

I also want to go through the motions of trying to move to a different country, inspired by Jan Chipchase (who I think is one of the most interesting people ever). Of course I am not moving per se and I don’t have what it takes to just leave my family and life behind. But I want to understand what goes in the head when you do that. I’ve moved cities but it’s always been easy (the language, food, people, experience and other things are very similar even within a country that’s as diverse as India in). Moving to a new country is a different ballgame altogether! One of my long term goals is to be a true global nomad (with luxurious homes in multiple countries and no permanent base – and I can do it – I hardly have any material possessions that I want to move around; more on this later).

So yeah! There is so much that I wish to pack in the next 15 days!

Wish me luck.

And while we are at wishing and all that, how about you think of taking a similar break and come back better, stronger etc?

–
Saurabh Garg
April 13, 2018
Dubai

R. Roads.

Post 4 in series of 30 posts in April. Each about a thing that I am grateful / happy about. Others in the series are W, M, G. I haven’t been able to write on the 4th or the 5th. So glad that I could write today.

Today I’ll talk about Roads. 

R. Roads. Or may be H. Highway. Depending on other days as this becomes increasingly harder. You understand that right? 

So, structurally a road is a stretch of paved surface that connects two places. And maybe takes you beyond. In an ideal world, this stretch is smooth to drive on, is lit well and has loos and pitstops at regular intervals. It should go on forever, if you ask me. And if forever is tough, which I think it is, may be it could just go around the world a few times, taking you through hills and valleys and cities and villages and people and stories and memories and dreams and all such places that typically seem accessible; but are not. You know what am saying? Its mithya. Its an illusion. You think its there but it aint not there. You think you’ve seen it all, hell, you know that you’ve captured the scene in your cameras and have uploaded to Instagram and have like a 238 likes on it already. But did you really get it? Did you see it? Did you capture it? Or all of its just a myth?

The thing is, I love the roads like I love life and money. I can spend all my life on the road. I could live on road. If I am home for a few days on the trot, I get itchy. So itchy that I have to just leave. The sad bit is that I don’t have a car yet. I am buying one this year. I had thought that my first car would be a premium car but in case I cant get one, I will get whatever I can afford but will buy a car this year for sure.

With roads, thing is that you have this illusion of freedom. Freedom because you are moving all the time. Illusion because you are still confined to the road. You are on the road. You are tethered to it with the wheels and the seat and all that. But then like they say, you see the glass half-empty or you see the glass half-full. I see the road as a liberating agent. You are on the move. You can see the world go past by. You can see yourself move on. Move ahead. And move towards a destination in most cases. What destination you may ask? Well, often, there is that loved one at the other end. Wait. You know what’s better than having someone at the end of the long road? That loved one next to you, as you try to break free from the road. And no, not break-free like in full-of-rage break-free. Just plain old pleasure of being in control and that great feeling of getting away from the trappings of the drab life.

Oh, I just noticed that drab life features in way too many posts that I make. I need to do something about it. Break the monotony. How? May be by hitting the road?

Well, maybe! 

Notes from trip to Bangalore

I am starting a new thing today. Dont know if this is new, I may have done this in the past as well. But what the heck. Here it is.

So I went to Bangalore last weekend. I had one piece of agenda. Meet a couple of people who I wanted to invest with (and before you ask me, it is not a big investment. Less than 5 lakhs).

Apart from one meeting scheduled with them, I had left my plan open. I had 48 hours in Bangalore and here is what I did there.

In no order.

1. Met a fan-turned-friend-turned-crush-turned-friend. Have met her on few more occasions before this and unlike others who you meet once in a while and lose touch, have stayed in contact with this one. More than anything else, she is one of those few people who believe in me. I know come hell or high water, she will stand by me. Thank you, D.

2. Met the guys I was supposed to invest with. Two dudes, both older than I, run the startup. A great mix of technical competence and business acumen. And since both are older that me, they are wiser and more experienced than me.

So I spent large part of a day with them. And while I was with them, I realised a few amazing things. Here is a list of top three takeaways.

  • While they have the vision, they suck at explaining that vision. Someone has to work with them to craft the vision. And why is important? Because most early hires and investors and customers will buy into that vision. So, they need someone to handhold them with that. 
  • Founders are a different breed. They are clear about the mission they are on. And even if they are wrong, they dont accept inputs and advice on the face value. Either you have to have reputation to change their opinion or you bring in some anecdotes that make sense to them. Or you present some data. In my case I figured something else – I threw them a chain of logic (like A follows B, B follows C and so on and so forth and they seemed to understand). 
  • Its a long long term game that most founders are in. Some get lucky to reach their destination fast. But most sort of fall along the way. The idea is to create enduring value and make wealth along the way. 
#note2self: I need to meet more founders and get into more intimate discussions and write more. Why? Helps me get clarity. And allows me to create content that helps others. 
3. Met a friend / classmate / distant cousin for breakfast. We went to this place that’s been themed as a bicycle cafe. Ok place. Slow service. And while they took forever to get our breakfast, I did some digging and found that its co-owned by TI Cycles. It reeked of an idea that someone like me could’ve cooked up and served to a rich person on a platter.

#note2self. I was thinking, if I decide that I dont want to work on events, there’s nothing else that I can do. Scary. No? More on this in some other blogpost someday. 
4. Met another fan turned friend. This one is like the first one. Will stand by me through thick and thin. I wish I could spend more time with her. Thank you, A/T. If you are reading this, so sorry for making you wait. I will come back to Bangalore soon and spend more time with you. Promise. 
5. Met a friend who runs a fairly well-funded and a “visible” startup. At the same meeting, met another acquaintance that runs a startup in the events space. Talked to them about variety of things, including gossip on other startups, how to leave your mark (after you are gone), the future (retirement plans), aspirations and what not. Super engaging conversations. The kinds that make you high even without any whiskey or something. Plus talking to the events dude made me realise that its still Day 1 for events as a business. And if that is indeed the case, its such an amazing time to be around! 
6. Met friends from MDI for dinner / drinks. As always, super conversations. Played pool with a stranger and he beat me like I were a kid. And he played with just one hand most of the time.

#note2self. Become at least a pro-am level player so that I get to win most games that I get to play when I am chilling out. I mean what are the odds that I will bump into Bata at a club in Mumbai?

7. Met Shom. I can write an entire book on the two odd hours I spent with Shom. He is as cool, as extreme, as great, as super as they come. He can write, sing, play guitar, paint, code, think of business ideas, do startups, roll a perfect one, compose and what not. He is literally the Mike Ross that I want!

He is amazing and little quirky and little all over the place — he is exactly like me when I was his age. I HAVE to get him to work with me. Dont know how. If you are reading this, Shom, please, lets do this!

Apart from that I did things like sleeping at the airports, spending a fortune on numerous cab drives within Bangalore and splurging money on things as frivolous as donuts, lounges and airport showers.

But then it was a great break from the daily rigmarole. I need to take these breaks more often. And for that I need more opportunities to engage with smart brains. #note2self. Create more opportunities. 


Over and out.

P.S.: Thanks to VG for instigating me to write. I dont know what I’d do without him. 
P.P.S: While I was editing this, I realised that random people (that are not related to you by blood or proximity) have had such a huge role to play in my life that its not funny. Thank you, Universe. 
P.P.P.S.: Not happy with how this post has come out. May be I will improve as I go along. Feedback? 

A day in Udvada

At a backlane in Udvada

Ever wanted to travel back in time?

You no longer have to wait for a mad scientist to work on a time machine. All you need to do is pack you bags, dump them in a car and drive about 200 odd KMs to this place called Udvada.

Once you reach there, you are sort of teleported to a different era where the buildings look as old as time itself. In fact the very concept of time seems to be a mirage as it moves so slow that you cant seem to notice the change.

Empty houses line up winding lanes that have more curves than they have on the mountains (except the lane in the pic on the left). Though the houses are replete with signs of life – the odd light bulb is hanging in the porch, the rooms beyond the porch are lit up, allowing light to escape through the tinted glass windows, the reclining chairs are placed strategically at an angle that allows you to gaze at the lane and yet keep you in shade and other such numerous things and yet, and yet you cant see a single person!

Except those two old Parsi uncles – an old man of about 70 and his father, who’s may be 90 – that just gaze at other people pass by. Their gaze is as indifferent as if they were looking at a herd of goats clawing at patches of grass on the neighbors’ land. May be we are all indeed goats in the larger scheme of things?

Anyhow, so, there is nothing much to do at Udvada except walk the lanes, click pictures, marvel at lavish houses, get astonished at the fact that such a peaceful, rustic, quaint place could house the holiest site for an influential religion. Because all other religious places tend to be a loud celebration of the religion, melee of confusion, dotted by scroungers hoping to find patrons and fat priests, hungrier than the beggars.

Oh I had to talk about this sooner. So, Udvada houses the Atash Behram (the holy fire temple for the Parsis) and is one of just eight such places in the whole of world. Apparently the fire’s been burning since 1742 and is the oldest continuously burning fire in the world. The lore goes that the fire is a gathering of 16 types of fires and the Parsis go great lengths to preserve the sanctity of the fire. If you are not a Parsi, you can NOT go in. Tip: No, you cant bribe the guard. And no no no. You can NOT pose as a Parsi and go in to satiate your curiosity.

I am no expert on organized religion but its fascinating to see the extent people push themselves to be able to attach meaning to things that even the modern science has been unable to explain (for example, life and meaning of things).

At Udvada, apart from the holy fire, there is a rocky beach lined with dark soil that is not really inviting. Could be skipped, unless you love sunsets. Or sunrises. Or the number of likes that the photos you click get on Facebook and Twitter. Then there is this huge cricket ground and a football ground that could very well be among the most postcard-picture perfect grounds in the country. Tip: Click a nice one of the ground and you will get more than average likes!

There are a few restaurants that serve authentic Parsi food, which is a delight even to a vegetarian egg-etarian like me (in fact, I am told a Parsi takes his eggs very seriously and an egg is an important part of his cuisine). So do try to have at least one meal at either the Globe or the Ashishwang – we did not go to either – they did not really invite us in.

Not just the restaurants, I got stared down by a lot of other people while I was there. It could be my fault to have intruded in their private place or it could have been my looks. I am not sure but they definitely were not welcoming – which is not a great thing. I was initially confused about uncalled for, unprovoked unfriendly stares but once I got over the confusion and realized that most non-Parsis are greeted similarly, I was ok with it. I have been in more hostile situations and I’ve been trained to get over the nagging feeling. Tip: Do not enter a who-blinks-first. If however you do, please tell me of the outcome.
 
To defend the trip as a food-laden experience, we did stop at Atithi and at Ahura en route to Udvada and Mumbai respectively. Both the places have been recommend by Rocky and Mayur of HOMP fame. The
egg-cutlet with Salli (potato sticks, grated fine and deep fried) was amazing and I’d never had anything like that ever. VG ate some dishes made with chicken and other animals and the dishes were apparently so delicious that we got them packed for our onward journey. I
would’ve gone back to Atithi and Ahura if I were a foodie. Since these restaurants are commercial establishments, the waiters were nice to us and made the dining experience great, reinforcing my belief that economics is what moves the world! Tip, Google search for Atithi and Ahura before you set off. They are not too tough to miss while you are driving down the well-maintained highway.

To summarise, before I went to Udvada I had my doubts but thanks to VG, I went and I loved it. While I loved to walk through the town and soak in the scenes and smells and sounds and all that, I am not sure if I would want to live there. But I do wish I could go back there with a genuine, authentic Parsi some day and enjoy it like the insiders!

In terms of Experience, the trip was a 4 on 5.

In terms of Accessibility, I’d say 4 on 5. Once you cross the Thane Toll Naka, you are on a national highway (NH 8) and thus is a pretty smooth ride. You have to take a left from a certain point and then the road becomes a State Highway and starts reminding you of Goa. Trees line up the road and sunlight plays hide and seek with you as you drive down the narrow and yet well-laden road.

The Cost has to be a 3 on 5. Affordable. In all, we would’ve spent about 2000 bucks on fuel, 2000 bucks on eating and a 3000 rupee-a-night resort. Expensive but then, what else do you expect from two old men trying to escape discover life?

Signing off!
Saurabh Garg
31 Jan 2016

P.S.: I went to Udvada on the 23rd of this month with VG. Took me a few days to find time to be able to write this but I am glad I did. Also, I am trying my hands at serious travel writing. Do tell me how
to improve. I know I need to add more photos – which I will, next trip
on. What else can I improve?

2 days in Rajkot and around

I know listicles are a passe but there is something about em that makes em attractive. Attractive as in easy to write, east to comprehend, easy to share, easy to consume. Etc.


So as I write this, I am on a work trip to Rajkot. While I have seen fair bit of country in my job as an event manager, this is the first time I am here. Here are ten things I observed in/about Rajkot, in no particular order… 

1. The most famous thing to have happened to Rajkot is Cheteshwar Poojara – the cricket player. Apart from that there is hardly anything that Rajkot could plaster banners of. I mean there is some house where Gandhi grew up, there is some doll museum and so on and so froth. There is a whole list on Trip Advisor but none of the places listed there made me want to visit.

Even the statues in the city are of Jhansi ki Rani and Shivaji. I mean Shivaji and Jhansi ki Rani? There’s no Veer Rajkot in their history?

2. The place is poor. While there was signs of prosperity like a branch of Standard Chartered Bank and a very own Rajkot Half Marathon, the city is poor. The super premium brands are missing. I saw just one BMW (that too X1) in my 100 odd KMs of travel of in / around Rajkot. One of the three malls dotting the city that I visited was in desperate need of maintenance. And there are just too many beggars. Even the rickshaw-wallahs fleece like nobody’s business.

Compare it to places like Pune, Ludhiana, even Indore. I dont know if these are of the same size but those small towns, cities are far far ahead compared to Rajkot.

3. They dont know what is Red Bull. In my former avatar, I would have asked for Diet Coke but now that I am off cola, I tried my luck with Red Bull. I was amazed to see that they dont know of Red Bull. I thought their distribution was as good as Coke’s.

4. Google rocks. At Rajkot while I vaguely understand the language and while most people can converse fairly well in Hindi, without Google, it would have been a pain in ass to get around. In fact, Google does not rock per se. Because without Google, I would have asked more people for direction. I would have been taken for more rides. I would have been subjected to more pressure. And as a result, I would have become more robust (remember AntiFragile)?

5. Everyone in Rajkot chews onto some local tobacco kind of thing. Its in the same territory as Gutka and Khaini. I tried it, tasted funny and I couldnt comprehend what pleasure do people get from it. May be the same pleasure that I got from binging on Diet Coke?

6. People drive like cunts in Rajkot. If someone is coming towards you on the wrong side of the road, rather than scampering away or giving them enough room to pass by, you will go head on into them. And then stare at them. Till they give up, back their vehicle through the mad jam that has been ensued by now. And when you do pass by them, you give them a glare.

Its this kind of useless aggression and ego-maniacal display that gets wars and battles started.

7. Continuing on traffic, people do not wear helmets. People do not wear seat belts. People drive the way they want to. Guess its a small-city thing. Most other small cities are similar.

8. Tea Post is, I think, Rajkot’s answer to Starbucks and Cafe Coffee Day. In the limited time, I could see some 5 outlets of Tea Spot. And going by the number of people at each cafe, each time I passed it, I want to invest into it. Connect me to the founder please?

9. Loved the food options in Rajkot. I am not a foodie per se but I relish when / what I eat. While I was there I tried eating what locals would. And I was pleasantly surprised at the taste. I had this poha next to the hotel I was staying at. And then I asked a local for their favorite restaurant. They pointed me to Pankaj Restaurant and oh my god!

On this note, I think I need to make a pact with with Vivek that once in while we’d goto some obscure place and eat our hearts out. Much like Rocky and Mayur’s highway on my plate.

10. Rajkot’s economy works on core industry (not on farty things like software, ITES, retail etc). It is manufacturing. And it is huge. There is ceramics, auto ancillaries, automobile spares, cotton, stone and so on and so forth. Rajkot is the kind of place where I would love to put up a factory that makes something (and money) and keeps me busy throughout the day. And the same factory has a high roof that affords me a view of neverending landscape spread under a starry night, while I lie down, fold my hands under my head, prop my feet up on some lo stool, look up to the million patterns that the stars and cloud make and marvel at this wonder called life.

Inshallah some day!

Thats about it from Rajkot. Over and out.

Dear sgMS

Dear sgMS,

I dint mean to write to you this soon. I am supposed to show little restraint, little caution, little more control over what I do and how much I miss you. You know I am supposed to move on and all that. And anyway, I just wrote a letter to you last week!

The thing is, I am at a place that has something that reminds me of you. Actually not just one thing. But a lot of things. Its like the universe is conspiring against me or something. To get me close to you.  Lemme talk about those things.

Starting with the fragrance that the hotel uses. This hotel has Lotus Flower as their signature smell. Now I dont know much about fragrances and perfumes and all that but I know that the perfume is uncannily similar to the one that you use all the time. So much that everytime I use one of those free things that come in the room, I go rushing back in your arms. Living with you. Breathing in that smell off you. Holding your hand, traveling with you to a new place. Remember that ten-page long letter that I wrote you before we went on that trip?

Then there is this entire thing about me being at a very chilled out place and not having you for company. Every time I do some mischief, pull a prank on people I am with, I am left searching for you and hoping that you would be around to see me smirk like a mad man. I would crave for that dismissive nod of yours that says so much without saying anything at all. Something that only you can do. Something that I think is one of your superpowers. Something that I miss sorely. 

Then ofcourse there are millions of tiny nicknacks that I think you would’ve loved to buy. Of course, to this date I cant guess what your taste is like but I have a vague idea of things that would pass your scrutiny. You remember how towards the end of that trip, I actually got good at guessing the trinket that you liked? I wanted to point at things that I think you would like. But I couldnt. You werent around you know.

And last, the fact that the room has pristine clean bedding, just the kind that you prefer. It is so  perfect that you probably wouldnt have stepped out of the hotel! Neither do I want to for that matter. And when I miss you, and when I dig my face into those soft pillows, every time I curl up in the bed craving for your company, that whiff of that Lotus Flower takes me back. To you. It reminds me of you. Of your company. Of your greatness.

God, I miss you. I really do.

Please come back.

Love always,
SG

U. Up in the Air.

This is a part of the April A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read about it here. Other posts in the A to Z Challenge: Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship, (Be a) Finisher, Give Away my Wealth, Handle a Baby, Inspire, Jack of all trades, Keep my shirt on, Make a lot of money, No, Off the Grid, Poker, Question Everything, Run a Marathon, Settle in the mountains and Teach. 

Next is U. U for Up in the air.

The movie. The one that had George Clooney in it. The one that was based on the book. The movie is about a dude who travels to places in America to layoff people. The important bit, the one that I want to achieve in this life, is that he has 1 million frequent flier miles and has a personal goal of collecting 10 million miles.

If you think its undoable, check out Chris and Ansoo. If not a million, they would be pretty close. In fact, at one point, I had 300,000 miles myself.

So the movie is about this guy who’s job is to meet people who have been laid off and counsel them on the post-layoff distress. As a part of his discourses (read speech, monologue etc), he asks them a simple question. What’s in your backpack. He further sort of glorifies the joblessness and extols the virtues of a frugal, free life. Lee Child and Jack Reacher would be proud of him. Not a pleasant job but a job nonetheless. That takes him to multiple cities and allows him to meet people and allows him to earn miles!

Like I said, at one point, I had more than 300K miles on me. I am not sure how many am I left with now. The trouble is that they are/were staggered across multiple airlines and multiple alliances. Plus a lot of them have expired because of inactivity. And I have used a lot of those for some travel in the last one year of joblessness. When I start work again, I want to stack up on the miles again. Took me 3 years to get 300K. There is no reason why I cant do it again. The million miles figure shouldn’t be tough to achieve. Lets see…

Further, if I compare myself to Ryan or Jack right now, I have a houseful of things that I want to cling on to. These are books, pictures, photos, toys, puzzles, posters and I dont know what all. I want to be able to reach a point where I can pack whatever I own in a carry-on case. Thankfully, I am not that attached to clothes, so my bag is anyway half empty. But the other things, I need to start simplifying. I need to start giving away things. May be I’d start with my books. I dont know. I’d think on it. Soon.

So, the U for me is Up in the air. And the other smaller question. What’s in my backpack?

Before I close this post, here is a question for you. Two. How many miles do you have? And what’s in your backpack?

P. Poker Professional.

This is a part of the April A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship, (Be a) Finisher, Give Away my Wealth, Handle a Baby, Inspire, Jack of all trades, Keep my shirt on, Make a lot of money, No and Off the Grid. 

Next is P. P for Play at a professional level. Poker. 

P is pretty simple. So simple that if I had to list just three things for my bucket list, I would have chosen B, M and P. Book, Money and Poker. In that order.

Poker for me is No limit Texas Hold Em.

Professional for me is make enough money with it that I don’t need a day job. Professional also means that it becomes my day job. Like Sachin Tendulkar is a professional cricket player, Roger Federer is a professional tennis player, Amitabh Bachchan is a professional actor, Jeffery Archer is a professional writer, I want to be a professional poker player.

Like I said, Its pretty high on my bucket list. Right after book and money.

Stu Ungar – The greatest poker player IMHO

So, my first encounter with Poker happened almost ten years ago when I went on a trek and someone taught me the game there. I dismissed it as too mathematical and complex at that point and moved on. And then I played it off and on when I went to Goa (the only state in India where gambling is legal).

However in last three or four years I started to think more about it. I started to go to home games and played with a lot of friends and strangers. I made some money. I lost more than I made. I read whatever material I could find and I could comprehend very little. But I realized that I loved the feeling of sitting on a table and making decisions that can change fortunes at the drop of a card. True with all forms of gambling. But with poker, it has been proved beyond doubt that its a game of skill (whereas all other forms of gambling are more dependent on chance). And unlike other sports or games, poker requires you to have like a million weapons in your arsenal. You need to know maths, psychology, probability, opponents and so on and so forth. Challenging. Aint it?

When I took the break to work on the book, I had some free time on my hands. I used that time to get regular with poker. I now play once every week. If not that, twice every month for sure. I know its tiny if I am to get serious about poker but its a start. Its my honeymoon period. Life looks rosy on the other side. I just need to do the grind and get there. But, I have started keeping scores and I have started to treat it like a serious sport than a mere form of recreation. Hopefully one of these days, things fall in place and I get the practice going. And then who knows what.

Thing with poker is, if you are good with it, it opens so many doors that are otherwise closed to you. You get to travel. Get to make money. Get to make or lose a fortune in a hand. There is this element of luck. There is risk and there are rewards. There is rush. There is the element of capability. There is psychology. There is science and there is art. There is people-watching. There is trash-talk. There is competition. There is individual confrontations and there are skirmishes. Its something that I can work on and improve. This is a skill that I can develop. Its independent of age (unlike tennis, swimming, cricket). Its an individual sport. There is that element of unknown. The thing that makes it exciting and addictive. Its everything that an adrenaline addict may want in life.

Oh… I can talk about it forever. Its beautiful. Its frustrating. Its liberating. Its exhilarating. It takes time to master. And even when you’ve mastered it, you can never tame it. Its like that illicit affair that adds spice to your life. Its like that out of control mistress, the temptress that you cant live with or without.

I sincerely wish I knew about the game when I was younger. I knew about it 10 years ago and I should’ve spotted it back then. I don’t know why I did not. Its ok. You get better with it as you age. I may be ready for it. Just need to decide and take a plunge. One of the easier things on the bucket list. Assuming you are good with it. I know I am an average player. And I know that I can get better as I play. The question is, do I have the balls and galls to take it up?

I dont know. Time shall tell. In the meanwhile, lemme go find a game. Do wish me luck with the hole cards. And more importantly with the river. And do try the game. Trust me, nothing like it.

P.S.: If poker excites you even an iota, do read about the glorious life of Stu Ungar. And see this.

Worst Travel Experience. Ever.

Wrote this as a part of Medium’s Worst Travel Experiences collection. Originally posted here.

Everyone has had their share of red-eyes, lost (or delayed) baggages, missed flights (or connections), hotels with wafer-thin walls (or lousy room service), watery soup (or unbreakable steak), an occasional bug floating in curry at the airport, a tryst with a conman in a foreign country, long waits in never-ending queues that move painfully slow and so on and so forth while traveling.

If you ask me, these sound painful but to be honest, none of these count as bad experiences. These are rather good. So good that you remember each of them. So good that you talk about these. So good that these make for stories that everyone wants to hear and sympathize with. One of the stories even got me a date once upon a time. The one where I was at the receiving end of Thai barkeep who refused to serve me, because I refused to tip the gatekeeper to get in.

On the other side, the bad travel experiences are the ones where everything goes picture perfect. The worst are the ones where the flight is on time, the cabin has no children, you get your beloved aisle seat, the co-passenger on the window seat does not get up to use the loo, the food is warm and tasty, the immigration queue is surprisingly small, the bag is first off the belt, the taxi is waiting right outside the exit and the weather at the destination, picture perfect. To me, these are bad. There are boring. You cant remember a single thing.

You dont get to talk to anyone. You dont get to experience anxiety. Your Dopamine, Endorphins, and all such -in’s stay in control. The damn travel is of no use. After you’e back from the trip, you can hardly remember things you did and places you saw. Because everything went as expected, even picture perfect. Not fun if you ask me.

So, my worst travel experience was this road trip with friends.

Four of us packed ourselves in a car and we drove from Mumbai to Goa. Its about 600 KMs and in India, takes about 9ish hours to drive that much. For Indians, Goa is like the party capital. Its the Vegas of India. There is no sin you cant buy if you have enough money. There is no luxury that you can indulge in if you are willing to shell some money. There is no experience you cant live if you are daring enough to try.

We had, I think, a four day window in which we had to go and come back. I remember that we were to take turns driving and we hoped to cover the distance overnight. Apart from this, I am being honest here, I dont remember a single thing from that trip. It was supposed to be a friend’s bachelor and we were supposed to spend the next four days partying, gambling and generally chilling out. And I am sure we would have done exactly that.

Everything on that trip went so well that I have no recollection of it. I dont know what hotel we stayed at, what all places did we go to, how much did I win at the poker table and how much sleep I managed while I was there. I just remember that I went to Goa on a car and we came back on a car. No one had lost anything, no one was hurt, we did not spent a lot of money and we were totally in control when we came back. How boring could the trip go? I dont even know why I signed up in the first place!

There. The worst travel experience of my life.

I was happier one time when I went to Thailand and a friend broke her knee and other got so drunk that she got into a fist fight with the local Taxi Drivers. Oh, did I mention that she is all of 44 KGs and 24 inches at her waist? The tiniest woman that I’ve ever seen!

So since that Goa trip, sometime last year, I go out of my way to ensure that every trip I goto, I do something to make it better. I do something that makes the trips memorable. I use this 4 point checklist that helps me avoid bad travel experiences.

A. Never plan an end to end itinerary. That means you leave some gaps in between. May be don’t book the hotels. Or take your onward connection from a different city and use roads to reach that city. Like for an upcoming trip, I havent booked my hotels as yet. I have blocked rooms because I need those for visa and immigration but I plan to figure out accommodation once I reach there. I know I would end up shelling more money but thats ok. Its one life and I can always make more money.

B. Insist on talking to at least five strangers everyday. I start with the co-passenger. Even if he wants to stay shut. Even if they dont speak my language. Start with a friendly hello and the most obvious question of them all. “Are you from abcd?” Replace abcd with your destination.

C. Do not pack as if you are moving houses. Travel light. As light as you can. Travel with just your passport, your identity and probably one toothbrush a la Jack Reacher style. Ok, thats too extreme. But may be carry a small bag, one change of underwear and few teeshirts. Big enough to fir the overhead bin in an airplane. If you are going for more than seven days and you have a bag bigger than overhead cabin, you are carrying more than required.

D. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Try to eat local food, travel the way locals travels, experience the things the way locals do. Its that simple and that easy. And its doable. And its cheap. And it will be eyeopening. And you will remember it.

Thats about it.

I have two upcoming trips. Both of them are to places that I have been to and I would ensure that they are not boring. I will try to post the bits that made the trip interesting. Till then, do share your worst travel experiences. There are teeshirts to be won. No wait. Not just teeshirts but there are bragging rights as well! Details here!

A. Ancient Ruins.

Hello dear readers of the blog. I am taking up A to Z Challenge. Its a simple plot. You write 26 posts in April, each post starting with a different character. Preferably all these posts, all these words should have a common theme. 


The theme for me is my Bucket List.


For the uninitiated,  a bucket list is a list of things that people want to do before they die. Since, I love making lists and its been some time since I’ve made a list, its time that I make one now. One item at a time. One day at a time. One character at a time. Starting with A. On the 1st of April. I am going to archive the entire list here, if you are interested.

A is for Ancient ruins. Of Machu Picchu. And Angkor Wat and others.

I have no clue why I love history so much.

And come to think of it, I hated it in school.

Now that I am a grown up, I realize that the curriculum was inherently boring and thus the hatred for history was not me. Plus, I have been lucky to have travelled to so many places. And all that travel has made me realize that I love history. I love historical places. Love em so much that I that there are times when I have thought of joining the ASI or UNESCO. I dont know what I would do there but I know that I’d get to travel to all these places that have been long lost.

I really wish I could travel back in time. The pragmatist in me tells me that I may not be able to, in this life time. Thus, the closest thing that I can do about it, is goto all the historical ruins that I can goto. Specifically to the ruins at Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and at other older civilizations (China, India etc).

Ruins at Machu Picchu

The thing is I have realized that there is a specific reason for me to travel back in time. The curious in me want to know that how in the world did they erect such majestic structures without the luxury of modern technology or tools. I mean look at the Taj. Or at Pyramids. Or the Great Wall. Or the temples are Angkor. How did they haul all that stone to such large distances in such short amount of time?

Who came up with designs? Who helped them with precision when they were creating things? Who was doing the QC? And most of them all, why would someone even want to create these things in the first place? Back then, lives would’ve been really simple and the kings would have had enough to eat and fuck and yet they chose to get these things made. Why guys? Why?

Not that I am complaining. I just want to understand these people. They must’ve been tripping on something really wild.

As an added incentive they may have hidden some treasure that may has escaped the eyes of all those treasure hunters that keep searching for. Wait, did I say treasure hunters? Lol! Wait till I reach T ;P

So yeah, one of the things on my bucket list is to travel to as many historical ruins as I could. If not all, I have to have to see Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat before I die. There is something mystic about these places that sorts of calls me there.

Anyone wants to sponsor my trip?