Letchworth State Park

Niagara Falls, USA

I'm in Niagara Falls for the day showing the sites to some guests from India.

From the American side you get a great view of Canada.

It's a Friday in late September so it's not crowded here today.

We're going on the Maid of the Mist later.

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Back in Rochester

I'm back in Rochester.
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Resting in the airport lounge

Among the best perks of traveling business class is access to the lounge. Those mysterious chambers that shun the economy class passenger are a haven to first and business class ticket holders.

I've only experienced a few lounges. One being the world's largest at Dubai in Emirates' Terminal 3. It seems larger than some airports. Emirates also has a gorgeous lounge at JFK. But you have to have a ticket to Dubai to experience it.

Right now I'm at the Premier Lounge at Hyderabad. It's shared by several airlines. Only Air India appears to have their own lounge here. It's not too busy but busier than when I was here in May. I got myself a Pepsi at the self-serve soda fountain and put my feet up on an ottoman. Sure beats the plastic benches in the stock yards outside. There's a little buffet, but I had dinner at the hotel so I'll pass.

The downtime; the waiting is certainly one of the harder parts of travel for me. But sitting in the lounge certainly makes the time pass more comfortably.
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Checked out

I've checked out of the hotel, and I'm waiting for a hotel car to take me to the airport. At checkout the manager gave me a wrapped present. It was a small statue of the Hindu god Ganesh. It's festival season for Ganesh right now. Statues everywhere.
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Don Seenu movie review

This a travel blog, not film review blog, right?  Well, when you are a visitor to another country, going to the cinema can be a travel experience worthy of review.  This is especially true when the film is in a language you don't understand and there are no English subtitles.

As previously noted, I went to see the film Don Seenu on Sunday.  The theater was the INOX multiplex on the 4th floor of the GVK ONE mall here in Hyderabad.  The mall is a beautiful, modern facility in the Banjara Hills neighborhood.  The theater lobby was small, but its style and design was reminiscent of the great movie houses of the mid-20th century.  I was happy to see they sold popcorn and Coke.

Seats were assigned.  Our seats were in the center of the 2nd to last row.  Unlike many American theaters, the back rows may have had the best views of the screen.  Behind me were 10 leather recliners.  They weren't available when we booked online.

The film was in Telugu, the local language of Hyderabad, and the many scenes from the film were set and shot here in Hyderabad.  There were no English subtitles, so I was forced to follow the entire story by context.  Fortunately, I found the movie fairly easy to follow, but really had little clue what the songs were about.  The film was primarily set in Germany, Switzerland, and India.  One song sequence was shot in Barcelona, but I don't really understand why other than it being an imagined romantic dream sequence.

I enjoyed the movie, much to the shock of some of my Indian coworkers.  I thought it was a great combination of action and comedy with flights and slapping.  The songs were fine to watch because there were beautiful backup dancers. 

The only complaint would be the length.  The film is 3 hours long.  There was a 5 to 10 minute intermission about 90 minutes into the film.  You need it for a movie that long.

I'm hoping it might be found on Netflix someday or downloaded (with subtitles).  If you get the chance, give Don Seenu a try.

Need a new burqa?

Under the list of items I'll not be bringing home as a souvenir, I'd list a burqa.  I don't believe I know too many American women who would find them fashionable.  But should you ever need one, I know a place that will undertake orders.

Look mom, no hardhats

Between my office here in India and the huge InOrbit mall is a construction site.  I've heard a hotel is to be built.  Note that the workers aren't wearing hardhats while operating around heavy equipment.  When I was here in the spring, I saw the excavator's arm move rocks over the heads of workers.  I'm thinking an American safety inspector would have a heart attack within seconds on a construction site here.

A tribute to Michael Jackson on his birthday

Michael Jackson would have been 52 today.  He was popular around the world, even here in India.  Today there's a tribute to Michael on India's FOX History & Entertainment channel. 

To do my part, I bring you a video that's clearly a knockoff of Thriller.

A good day for a movie

I've been accustomed to spending Sunday afternoons at my hotel poolside, enjoying the sun and relaxing.  Since my previous visit, the hotel has added new poolside furniture and the chairs now have comfortable mattresses.  Last Sunday's few hours of pool and sun were great.  Sadly, this Sunday is not such a day.  What started out overcast has turned to rain. 

Fortunately, today I'm going with coworkers to see a movie.  It's not Bollywood (Hindi language), but rather in the local Telugu language (Tollywood).  The film is entitled Don Seenu.  I've read it's about a man who wants to become the greatest mafia don ever.  Sound like Scarface?  Well, not quite.  I don't recall much song and dance in Brian De Palma's film, but they seem to be mandatory in Indian cinema. 

Having seen the trailer on YouTube, I'm hopeful that the film will be humorous and enjoyable despite my lack of the local language. 

I've never seen a film in India.  I hope they serve popcorn.

Drainage FAIL

I don't have a good photo of this issue, but let me paint with words.

Drainage is something I take for granted as an American.  I expect that when it rains, the road gets wet, the water moves into the ditches and drains, and I can safely travel along my way.  Here in Hyderabad, I've seen little evidence of provisions being made for proper drainage.  There seems to be little excuse given that it rains heavily several months of the year.

There are places where water six inches or more deep stands blocking or slowing traffic for days at a time.  As modern as some off the buildings here may be, the streets and roads leave a lot to be desired.

For this I declare "Drainage FAIL."

Kent has arrived safely in India, again

I'm here. Flights went great. I'm in the hotel's van from the airport. It's a cool, humid night here. I arrived at 3 AM local time.

Now to check into the hotel, rest, and fight off jetlag.
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New plane

Great news. I'm on a brand new plane! It's so new the flight attendants aren't familiar with the layout yet. It's a Boeing 777. United just started upgrading them with better seating in first and business classes. My seat assignment had changed at the last minute. Now I know why.
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Self-portrait Before Takeoff

One last self-portrait before takeoff from Rochester and the adventure begins. The smile is because I'm in first class for this flight.
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The Clock of Nations at ROC

The Clock of Nations, formerly of Midtown Plaza in Rochester, is now located just past security at the Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC). I got here just in time for the 6:30 show. It appears to have been restored. I don't recall seeing it work at Midtown.
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Melt Bar & Grilled, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Having dinner at Melt Bar & Grilled in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. The 45 minute wait promises to be worth it.  The decor is an eclectic blend of signs and other objects.  Note the jack-o-lanterns and Easter Bunnies next to the Dairy Queen sign.  I'm told you have to have tattoos and piercings to be considered for a job here.  I believe it based upon what I saw of the staff.

I chose the Hot Italian sandwich (grilled salami, honey ham, pepperoni, sun-dried tomato pesto, roasted garlic, provolone).  The sandwich was great.  Full of flavor.  I was only able to eat half of it.  The sandwiches are large.  But I also fault the long wait and appetizers for diminishing my appetite and holding me back.

There's also an eating challenge here that was featured on Man vs Food.  If you can eat 5 lbs of food, go ahead and try.  (I actually have a friend from Buffalo planning to attempt it this fall.)

The Dairy Queen sign across the room temped me so much, that we had to find a store, and we did, for dessert.   If you have a Dairy Queen near you, go.  Just get in the car and go there.  You are so lucky to have one.  We have none in Rochester :-(

Lobster in Portland, Maine

I'm waiting for lobster dinner in Portland, Maine. At the Portland Lobster Company, you order at the counter then wait at your table with an electronic pager that will buzz when your meal is ready at the window. Best part: pager is shaped like a lobster. See pic.
Kent
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Fireworks over the St. Lawrence River on July 4

This blog is not just about my travels to India. So hers's a pic from July 4, 2010.
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Kent has landed in Rochester. It's good to be home.

I like the live TV on JetBlue. I don't like the 35 min ground delay at JFK.

I'm at JFK. Heading to Customs and baggage claim. Kent

Short layover in Dubai

Well, I'm at the end of a very short (less than 2-hour) layover in
Dubai. It's 7:50 AM, and my flight to JFK leaves at 8:30. That's
12:30 AM in New York. The flight is about 14 hours. I hope they have
some great movies on the flight. I already slept about 3 hours on the
flight here. I'll probably we awake for a while.

I'll write again from JFK.

Kent

Packing for home

I'm back at my hotel.  Everything but the laptop is packed.  My bags are very heavy.  I don't want to know how much they weigh.  I just hope they put them on the plane.  I may need help just getting them to the lobby.  Clearly, I packed too many clothes.  Add that to the fact that I purchased more clothes here in India, and you get stuffed bags.

It's too early to summarize my trip.  Too much swirling in my mind.

Time to get my last things together and checkout.

Kent

Cyclone Laila

I've experienced a lot of things on this trip.  Lots of hot sun.  Today, it's a cyclone.  Cyclone Laila is moving towards us from the Bay of Bengal.  We just had some intense rain and thunderstorms this afternoon.

It's nice when the police read the paper

I can tell things in Hyderabad are calmer now.  The police at the checkpoint have had fewer weapons in view; no automatic rifles in days.  Today, at the main checkpoint I pass, no firearms at all, and the boss was reading the paper.

It makes me feel calmer.

Kent

Clever names for companies

I went to Subway for lunch last week next door at the mall.  The name of the business as it appears in my web banking?  See below:

05/07/2010

HANGOVER BEVERAGES ANDHYDERABAD

-$8.14

That's a clever name for a beverage company.

Kent

Obligatory picture of a cow and calf

Those who know me well, know I grew up on a dairy farm.  Still interested in all things related to farming, I wanted to see cows here in India.  This is a country where domestic cattle are revered, and you can see them walking down the street in the city.  You'd never see that in America.  I think cows were banned in cities after that Irish woman's cow started the Great Chicago Fire.

Here a calf is milking the cow so that the cow will let down here milk.  Then the farmer can milk her by hand.

I did not take the photos, but rather they were taken for me by a coworker.

Kent

Cold stones in India

The technique of mixing customized ice cream on a super cold stone made famous in the U.S. by places like MaggieMoos and Cold Stone Creamery has come to India.  There's a cold stone counter at the Novotel that I've seen in use during Saturday night dinners and Sunday brunches.  They called it ice cream sushi.  It started with chocolate poured on the the stone, then ice cream spread on top, choice of toppings, finally rolled like a small sushi roll and cut in two.

Today at the mall, I noticed a new place in the food court that was clearly a take on the cold stone concept.

Add a Starbucks, and InOrbit Mall will really feel like America.

Let's go to the mall

Let's go to the mall.

There's a mall next to the office here in Hyderabad.  I'd say it's a rather American-like mall.  Multiple floors of shops, large and small, and a food court.  The theaters are still under construction.  It seems like a very pleasant place to shop.  Many shops are western brands including Puma and Barbie.  Soon it will have a Chili's restaurant and a Sunglass Hut.

My typical day in Hyderabad

My typical day is getting up at 9am at the hotel, packing up dirty laundry from the day before and dropping them at the front desk on my way to breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant.  For breakfast I always have coffee, bacon, and a croissant.  Sometimes I eat fresh pineapple, maybe scrambled eggs.  When I'm really daring I'll get a glass of juice, but only fresh pineapple because it's not from concentrate and has a thick skin that bad water can't penetrate.  Hard fruits safe, soft fruits not.

After breakfast I go to the hotel's Deli and get a sandwich and a can of Pepsi to go for lunch.  I pack lunch in a Wegmans thermal shopping bad to stay cool.

I go back to my room and pack my laptop into my backpack for the office.  Then I get ready, shower, shave, and dress from about 10:25 to 10:50.  I take my malaria pill about this time, and lock valuables in the my hotel room safe.

My driver usually arrives by 10:45.  I walk down to the lobby between 10:45 and 11:00 for the ride to work.  My driver, Hussain, is a quiet man in his 40s.  His hair is slightly redish, and he always wears a white dress shirt.  (Incidentally, most Indian men seem to dress in western dress shirts for the office.  It's the women who dress either native, western, or some combination.)  Hussain drives me in a white Toyota Innova.  It's a minivan smaller than the Toyota Sienna available in the U.S.  The Innova is air conditioned, thank God.  It's in the 90s by 11am.

Traffic is nothing like back home.  Intersections are "fluid." You just drive into them slowly and make your move when there's a space.  The car horns are used a lot to get smaller vehicles to move over and be aware that you are there.  The road is crawling with a combination of cars, vans, motorcycles, scooters, and auto rickshaws.  There are lines painted on the roadways, but lanes are relative.  Traffic laws seem to be more suggestions than rules here.  We seem to often drive down the middle of the road, scooters to the left of me, auto rickshaws to the right.  I'm one passenger is a nice, large vehicle with a great view.  Around me are auto rickshaws packed like clown cars and scooters with two, three, four(?), or five(?!?!) aboard.

Along the ride I pass roadside shack stores, tents, and general poverty that is way of life for many here.  Closer to work, I come upon large, glass-covered office buildings.  Oracle, Dell, Deloitte, to name a few, all have offices here.

I work at the office from about 11am to 9:30pm.  The sun goes down around 6:30pm, so the return to the hotel is in the dark.  Once again, cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, and auto rickshaws jockey for position.

There's a large KFC restaurant on my route home.  KFC appears popular in India.  I'll have my driver stop there some night on my way home.

I usually get back to my hotel by 10pm.  Then I relax for a while before dinner.  I usually go to bed between 2 and 3am.  Then I start again.

Kent

"Contains Peanuts"

Once again I'm shocked to see obvious package warnings, even in India.  A bag of spiced coated fried peanuts has the disclaimer "CONTAINS PEANUTS" on the bag.  No kidding. 

I can't escape disclaimers.

Kent

Birthday tradition in India: Frosting

A moment ago at the office, a young man entered the bathroom with what at first looked like shaving cream covering his face.  Another employee wished him a happy birthday.  It was white frosting all over his face.  I'd heard of this from an American at another firm here in Hyderabad.  Apparently, frosting is smeared all over the face of the birthday boy or girl.  I missed the actual smearing, and only caught the result.

Two thoughts:
1.  I don't want to bring this tradition back with me to the U.S.  I can see it going very badly in an American office setting.
2.  I wonder if this is at all related to what some Americans do with wedding cake frosting?

Kent

Ben and Jerry's in India

I wasn't looking for it; but I found Ben and Jerry's ice cream here in India.

"Three Up"

I recall the term for riding with a passenger in motorcycling is "two up."  So I shall call this photo of two women and a child on a scooter "Three Up."  I could only see the adults as I readied my camera.  I was riding in my car as we passed.  Only then did I see the kid.  Made the photo even more shocking.

Kent

La Cantina at night

Of all the places to find a Mexican restaurant, there's one at my Novotel here in Hyderabad.  They call it La Cantina.  I've only eaten there once so far.  I sat outside on the lower level.  Next time I will try to sit in the roof dining area.  Food was decent, but I miss Moe's and Chipotle back in Rochester.

Photo of Emirates Lounge JFK

This is the Emirates Lounge at JFK that I tried to post on April 22.  Beautiful facility.

Cipro makes you drink a lot of water

Friends, I confess.  My weak American intestinal track fell victim to my first attach of travelers diarrhea.  If you don't want the details, stop reading now.

Thursday (yesterday) I woke up gassy.  Then my stomach didn't feel right, and I had little appetite for breakfast.  I took two Pepto chewables after breakfast, and felt fine as I got ready for work.  I used the bathroom, but no diarrhea.  Then my stomach felt better as the gas seemed to clear with a burp. 

But then, just as I was dressing for work, the attack came.  I followed it with two Immodium Advanced, and packed my Cipro antibiotic pills in my backpack in case.  I sure did.  The second wave of the attack hit me shortly after arriving at the office.  I prayed that would be all, but then decided it was time for Cipro.  Around 11 AM I took Cipro number one of a three pill regimen.  I had been told that the discomfort would clear soon, but I had to take all three pills to be safe and cured. 

While taking the Cipro, I noted a warning on the bottle about drinking lots of water.  I didn't realize how understated that was.  Cipro made me very thirsty.  It also had me making frequent trips to empty my bladder.  It also seems to have caused some dizziness and drowsiness.  I worked as best as I could, but only made it at the office until 3:30 PM.  I called for my driver, and returned to the hotel.

I went to bed at 4 and slept 'til 8 PM.  After a light dinner of western food, I took the second Cipro.  Up until last night, I rarely got up during the night.  I think I was up every two hours at least to empty the bladder.

Taking stock today, I estimate I drank at least 6 liters of bottled water yesterday!  I expect more of the same today as Cipro #3 will make me drink a large volume of water.

Kent

My Verizon Phone Works?

My Verizon Wireless phone had been turned of since I left JFK on Thursday.  I decided I should take the battery out of it and store it while I'm here in India.  But first there were some phone numbers in there that I might not have stored elsewhere.  I turned the phone on, and to my shock, I had a signal.  The phone had four bars and said roaming.

Then it hit me.  If I have signal, a backlog of text message are about to flood into the phone.  Messages started to arrive.  First from the Indian carrier I was roaming with, and then from my Google calendar.  I got the phone into airplane (music only) mode quickly.  By then about 7 messages had arrived.  I'm not sure how many more are waiting.  I hope they don't all hit me when I return to the U.S.  They must expire at some point, right?

Verizon may charge me a hefty fee per message since I was international when I received them.  But the good side is that I now know my phone can get some signal here in India.

I will note for the technically curious that my phone is not a CDMA/GSM dual radio.  It's CDMA only.  I'd thought about the Blackberry Tour with it's dual capability, but decided it wasn't necessary.

Kent

It's raining in Hyderabad

It's raining here in Hyderabad.  So much for not expecting rain while I'm here.

Laundry folded better than I can

Laundry service is included in my hotel package.  It makes sense because I'm here in Hyderabad for four weeks and need to focus on the job at hand, not washing my clothes.  Last night I placed my dirty laundry from my journey into a laundry bag and filled out the hotel's form.  I dropped it off at the front desk around 10:30 on my way to breakfast.

This evening, I returned to my room and found a laundry bag with neatly folded shirts, undershirt, socks, and underwear.  The shirts were pressed, and each item was neatly and precisely folded.  I'm very impressed.  I may have to look into laundry services when I return to Rochester.

Kent

Skype

Skype is the software application I'm using to make calls from my laptop computer to family and friends back in the U.S. while I'm in India.  (I also have the iPhone version on my iPod Touch, and tested it successfully.  Just not sure where that iPod is at the moment.)

I can make voice and video calls from computer to computer for free.  I just had to download Skype, setup an account, and buy and install a webcam so I could add video.  My webcam also serves as my microphone.  You can also use a computer headset with mic that you plug into both the 3.5mm mic and headphone ports on your computer, but some also connect via USB.  Skype.com can probably explain it better. 

For iPod Touch and iPhone, only voice calls can be made.  For the iPod Touch, you'll need the iPhone headphones with mic because the Touch lacks a built in mic.

Skype also offer options if both parties don't have a computer.  They offer cheap rates on calls from computer to landline or mobile phone.  I purchased a monthly plan for $2.95 that gives me unlimited calls from Skype to phones in the U.S.

If you buy a webcam, I recommend installing the drivers from the CD-Rom provided in the package.  Otherwise your computer may not recognize the new hardware correctly, and that could cause problems when you go to make calls.  Skype has a test call feature that is very helpful, and better than frustrating an embarrassing yourself if you connect with someone but your mic is not working properly.  I did that once.  Video worked, but audio did not.  Very frustrating.

Skype is available for download at www.skype.com.

Battery water = Distilled water

In America, walk into any grocery or big box store like Walmart, and you should be able to find a jug, probably a gallon, of distilled water.  That's water without any minerals in it.  Just water.  It's not meant for drinking, but for applications where you need to use water but don't want any mineral residue left behind.  Steam irons and humidifiers are common uses for distilled water.

Speaking of humidifiers, I have one attached to the pump of my CPAP machine.  To keep the water reservoir clean, distilled water is used.  I couldn't easily bring a gallon of distilled water with me to India.  So I asked colleages here in Hyderabad to shop around for me so I could acquire it here.  They didn't have much luck.  It's not sold the same way in India.  Long story short, when I arrived last night, I went to dinner with some of the employees from the office.  While discussing places to shop for distilled water, one suggested battery water.  Battery water is distilled water that is added to lead acid batteries like the batteries used to cars and trucks.  So while "distilled water" is harder to find, "battery water" is sold at gas stations.  This afternoon, my colleague brought me a liter of battery water.  The price tag says Rs. 15/-, which converts to about $0.33.  Battery water is also sold in 5 liter containers for about a $1.00. 

So I finally found what I was looking for, just by another name.

Kent

Body heat in Hyderabad

According to Weather.com, the temperature here in Hyderabad has reached 37 degrees Celsius.  Some of you may recall from science class that 37 C is human body temperature and converts exactly to 98.6 Fahrenheit.  So we've reached body heat outside.

So remember, 37 C and above is very hot.

In contrast, my hotel room is currently set to 21 C or 69.8 F.  Let's call it 70 F.

So 21 Celsius = good temp indoors.  37 Celsius and above = really hot, and hotter than Rochester, NY ever gets.

I will venture out briefly today.  My Indian colleagues told me I should wait until after 4:00 PM to explore because the temperature will be declining as the sun moves toward setting.  By the way, sunset is 6:34 PM tonight.  With sunrise at 5:55 this morning, there will be less than 13 hours of daylight.  Being so close to the Equator, there isn't much variation is daylight hours here in the tropics.  So days will be shorter than long summer days in Rochester.

Kent

I've made it to India, and I'm setting up my hotel room

I made it to Hyderabad safely.  I actually slept a few hours on the flight from Dubai to here.

Now I'm on the laptop in my hotel room setting up my webcam and Skype while chatting with my sister in Gmail's Google Talk.

 

Two employees from the office here met me at the airport and helped me get my laptop and phone set up.  I have an Indian prepaid cell phone that I have already used to make a couple quick calls home.  My plan is still to use Skype for most voice calls to home.

 

Kent

Leaving Dubai

My flight leaves Dubai for Hyderabad in an hour.  Better go get aboard.  Next time I check in I should be at my hotel in Hyderabad.

 

Kent

A shower makes a difference and now I'm refreshed

The Emirates business class lounge here in Dubai has showers available.  They were busy when I first arrived, but I walked around the lounge for a while, had some orange juice and a glass of water 'til the rush was over.  I've been here for about three hours, and the airport seems less crowded now.

I took my carry-on luggage and locked myself into a shower stall for 30 to 40 minutes.  I took my time since I have 7 hours here in Dubai.  It felt good to be in a safe, private place.  I showered, changed clothes, and arranged my carry-on backpack.  The airline gave me a shaving kit, but I didn't feel like shaving yet, and I didn't have a private sink, just a shower stall with locking door.  One annoyance, there a speaker in each shower announcing final boarding calls for all departing flights.  After a while you don't even hear them.

I started this trip in a soft but heavy oxford shirt, but packed a linen shirt just in case.  Glad I did.  The terminal here is air conditioned, but still feels very warm.  Glass walls and roof probably don't help.  This linen shirt will serve me much better for the rest of my trip.

Four more hours 'til my flight to Hyderabad boards.  Maybe I'll read and people watch.  There's a mall downstairs.

Kent

I made it to Dubai (minus iPod Touch)

The good news is that I am here safe and sound and the Emirates
business class lounge in Dubai. This terminal feels more like a giant
shopping mall, and crowded at that.

It's about 8:45 AM local time here. That's 12:45 EDT for those of you
following along at home. I have about 6.5 hours 'til my final flight
takes me to Hyderabad.

When I got on the plane at JFK, I realized too late that I had somehow
lost my iPod Touch. Those who know me too well know I use it a lot
for email and Facebook. I had just started using it for Skype calls.

No worries, there is a laptop computer waiting for me in India. I'll
load Skype to it, and be making calls soon enough. I wasn't planning
on calling while here in Dubai due being 8 hours ahead of EDT. Most
of my readers are asleep right now.

A flight attendant put my information in the Emirates lost and found
system. Best case senario, my iPod was found and will be forwarded to
me in India in the next couple days. Worst case, I need a new iPod
Touch. I'm wondering if travel insurance would cover it?

I'm going to see about getting a shower here at the airport and then
resting. I didn't sleep for more than a few minutes at a time on the
13-hour flight from JFK.

Kent

Goodbye USA. Off for Dubai.

Emirates lounge at JFK

I'm having breakfast and relaxing at the Emirates lounge here in JFK's
Terminal 4. I need food in my stomach before I take my malaria pill.

It's just after 8. My flight boards at 10:30 AM.

Sent from Kent's iPod

I'm at JFK walking on a people mover. I feel so fast. Now to get to my Emirates departure gate.

Boarded Delta flight for JFK. Goodbye Rochester. Be back in May.

At the airport

I'm at the Rohester airport. Bags are checked through to Hyderabad.
I was overweight for coach on one bag. I pakced for business class and
its generous 70 lbs per bag. The over weight cost is nothing compared
to what it cost to rebook my flights around the volcano's ash plume.

I dealt with security screening of my CPAP for first time ever. They
hand inspect it. BTW I totally forgot to take of my shoes because I
was focused on the CPAP and liquids. Security was very nice and
patient.

Flight leaves at 6:00 AM. Time for breakfast.

Sent from Kent's iPod

Early flight in the morning

My flight out of Rochester is at 6:00 AM tomorrow.  That must be the earliest that flights depart ROC.  I'll have to be up early.  I'm not exactly a morning person.  Last week I was up 'til 2:30 AM packing.  Tomorrow that's when I'll have to wake up to get to the airport.  I'll be fine.  Tired, but fine.

Packing again

Tonight I'm packing again.  I took one suitcase, the larger 29" bag, to my local UPS Store to check its weight.  It came in at 58 lbs.  Since 70 lbs per bag is my limit for business class, it should be no problem.  The only complication being my connections to and from ROC and JFK.  I think they had to be booked as economy class.  So I may have to pay just to check bags, and then they might come in overweight.  I guess that will just be the cost of doing business.  I'm trying to keep costs down for my employer.  That volcano in Iceland has destroyed travel plans like that glacier.

I'm also looking to slim down my carry-on bag.  (BTW, I learned that carry-on is a hyphenated word when it is a noun or adjective.)  I finalized my one-quart bag of liquids for carry-on.  I consolidated some toiletries and first aid items.  Maybe I'll only take one book with me instead of two.  My travel vest can probably carry some small items too.  Not sure what snacks to carry with me.  There's plenty of snacks in my checked bags.  I wonder what they'll give me for meals and snacks.

Back to carry-on; I know I need to pack my electronics in my carry-on.  I'm just wondering what to do with the charging cables and stuff.  I don't think thieves would care for a battery charger without the digital camera or a network cable.

Side trip to the North Country

Since I couldn't fly out of Ottawa to get to India and thereby see my parents on my way, I decided to make the trip to Ogdensburg today. We had dinner tonight at the Gran View. I enjoyed watching ships pass along the St. Lawrence River.

Now I am scheduled to fly out on Thursday the 22nd with a totally different set of flights. ROC to JFK to DXB to HYD.

Flight cancelled due to volcano. Rebooked for Monday departure. Same flights.

On the road. Flight still on despite volcano. Goodbye Rochester.

Waking up to hear on morning news that volcano in Iceland is causing flight delays and cancellations. British airspace is shut down due to volcanic ash cloud.

Last minute printing

I'm at the office after 8:00 PM Wednesday night checking in online and printing my boarding pass for my flight tomorrow night.  You can check in 24 hours before a flight.  Unfortunately, I can only check in for my first of two flights.  It's too early for the London to Hyderabad flight.

Time to go home and finish packing.

Wipes are not liquids

Last night I was concerned about whether wipes, wet naps, etc. were counted as liquids by TSA for carry on.  The answer I got back throw a friend whose mother works for TSA was that wipes are OK in carry on, and are not liquids.

Why am I worried about this?  This is my first major trip in many years, and the new liquid restriction were added since my last flight.  Yeah, it's been a while since I've flown.

This may be a trip of many firsts.  Technically this won't be my first business trip for my job, but the first trip was a day trip to NYC.  So this will be my first overnight trip.  Eight hours hardly compares to 28 days.

Packing continues.  Wednesday is my last day in the office.  Better get to bed.

Let's talk about drugs

Today I picked up my 37-day prescription for Malarone.  What's that?  It's my medication to prevent malaria.  India is "malaria-endemic area" so I'll be taking one tablet each day "starting one or two days before traveling into a malaria-endemic area, and continuing throughout the stay and then for another 7 days after returning from the malarious area."  The prescription cost $277.44, but my insurance brought it down to $118.18.  Thankfully, my employer is covering the Malarone.

So how did I learn about endemic malaria in India and how to prevent contracting it?  My company sent me to Passport Health.   The office provides consultation, vaccinations, prescriptions, and travel supplies.  I enjoyed my visit.  I feel well prepared for a safe and healthy trip to India.  But I'll go into more detail about Passport Health another time.

Back to drugs.

Malarone wasn't the only prescription for my trip.  I also have Cipro.  You might recall Cipro in the news circa 2001 as a treatment for Anthrax.  But I wasn't prescribed the drug for Anthrax.  Rather, Cipro will be there in case I contract traveler's diarrhea.  There's not much to say about that.  I'm glad to know there's a treatment, and Cipro was free (prescription required) at Wegmans pharmacy.

Aside from prescription drugs, I'll also be carrying various over the counter medications including, ibuprofen,  acetaminophen, and plenty of Immodium.

Kent is going to India

In a few short days I'll be leaving on my first trip to India. I'll spend four weeks in Hyderabad, the "City of Pearls." This blog will share my experience with family, friends, and the world at large, particularly those who might be interested in travel to India. The focus of this blog shall be the travel experience itself rather than the work and workplace, out of respect for my employer. Further, I'd rather not bore readers with the mundane details of office work. I'd much rather share my observations on airlines, hotels, foods, shopping, and sightseeing.