The Lunch 060406

On the topmost floor of the mall, I walk along an interesting corridor, virtually on the roof. I am heading for a Gujarati vegetarian restaurant.



Looks comfy and indeed, it is a very comfy set-up. Just that the Sun is a wee hot today.



They are starting to serve ... I would not want to be the dish-washer at all.



Fully served, very colourful and artistically done. Sure looks pretty but I just can't appreciate vegetarian meals. The oooomph! seems to be missing. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a vegetarian after all.



And the dessert? A sweet thing with rose petals. Never knew rose tastes so good.

The Mall 060406

Lunchtime and I find myself in this mall, prolly the fanciest in town. Quite cool, considering it's in the high 30s outside.



Again, huge displays are the in-thing.

 

Morning Takes 060406

A colourful self-contained breakfast stall. Looks vegetarian to me.



I can imagine Wallace and Gromit in this.

FIRST ~ Pretty Ahmedabad 060406

I am spending the whole day in Ahmedabad today, before flying home later in the evening. The capital of Gujarat state in India, Ahmedabad has more than 5mil people, a majority of whom are vegetarians.

It looks like a prosperous city, and definitely the best-looking that I've ever seen in India, but still no lines on the roads!

PUNE, INDIA 05Apr2006

FIRST ~ KL International Airport 040406

Early April, and as India is getting hot and dry before the onset of the monsoon, I have to make a quick trip to Pune and Ahmedabad. Traveling with Singapore Airlines, I have to go via Singapore Changi, naturally, and this is our shuttle to SIN, a Boeing 777-200.



A just-arrived KLM Boeing 747-400 called 'City of Paramaribo', non-stop from Amsterdam.

En Route 040406

Flight progress, on another Singapore Boeing 777-200 flight to Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat state in India.



Right above Nicobar Islands, an Indian territory.




And then on to Ahmedabad, on the far side of India.

Breakfast in the Sky 050406

Overnighting in Ahmedabad, I find myself on an early morning flight to Mumbai, where I catch another plane for the short hop to Pune. All on late-model Boeing 737s belonging to Jet Airways, a decent Indian private airline, despite the plain vanilla name.

Only vegetarian brekky on-board the Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight, catering done by a Singapore Airlines joint-venture. A bit bland for me, but hey, a hungry man should not fuss, especially early in the morning.

Mumbai Transit 050406

Mumbai domestic terminal is being refurbished and hence the apron is a tad chaotic, reminding me of a bus station. Passengers and workers and vehicles move haphazardly between planes.



Alliance Air, another local private airline, with ancient 737-200 planes.



Kingfisher Airlines, owned by the people brewing the famous Kingfisher Beer, largest beer-maker in India, 2nd largest in the world. Deep pocket, so they can afford brand new planes. Hope no free grog for the pilots!



SpiceJet, yet another new private airline. Thanks to liberalisation, the Indian skies are full of colourful planes.

Pune Airport 050406

A very hot day greets me as I step out of the airport terminal. Yup, that's only 42C, very manageable.



Even my shadow hurts in the unforgiving heat of the Sun.



But where in India is Pune? It's the black dot just southeast of Mumbai on this MAP.

Downtown Pune 050406

Pune at last. Just 170km southeast of Mumbai, it aspires to be the 'next Bangalore' as an IT hub.

Very hot, dry and dusty, but traffic looks more orderly than in most Indian towns and cities.



Chaos still reigns, sort of ordered chaos ...



... while Mr Shah Rukh Khan and a rival look on.

The Lunch 050406

Lunch is another vegetarian affair. Second meal for the day and I still have to do veg. Sure it looks nice and pretty, but me carnivore! But hey, a starving guest should not fuss, especially in a hot 40C+ afternoon.

Ninjas on the Road 050406

Hot and dusty and smokey, so what better than to cover your whole head except for the eyes. I think these are Muslims girls who have improvised their head coverings. Then there sure are a lot of Muslim lady-bikers around.




Bike-less ones are also everywhere.

The Billboards 050406

Indians seem to be obsessed with huge billboards, not puny ones like we see elsewhere. I see these gigantic billboards virtually everywhere in India.

This huge display asserts Pune as an IT force to be reckoned with. That Cybage is a CMMI Level 5 company (whatever that is, but it sure sounds impressive), no kiddin'.



And of course, the imposing omnipresent Mr Shah Rukh Khan, hawking everything from banks to cellphones to cars.

Back to Ahmedabad 050406

Dusk, and I'm back on Jet Airways 737-700 to Ahmedabad, again via Mumbai. This time I'm having a chicken dinner. Hooray! What a tiring day it has been, the vegies did not help.

FINAL ~ The Juice 050406

Fly Jet Airways, and you are fed with this drink non-stop. When you board the plane, they give you one, or two. During meals, they give you another one. Before landing, they offer you one, or two.

The weather being hot and dry, I guess lime juice is the best. It re-vitalises your body and gives you the right stuff to stay fresh.



Ingredients all there. It tastes pretty good. Ahhhh ... the Elixir of Life for hot Indian summers, literally.

BALIK PULAU, PENANG 29Jul2006

FIRST ~ Kuala Lumpur - Penang Expressway 280706

We are traveling along the North-South Expressway, on our way to Penang from Kuala Lumpur, a 5-hour leisure drive. As we enter the state of Penang, we are greeted by this glorious sunset.