Chaborkia.com

TL;DR post in a nutshell:

• If you’re traveling to India and need some information, you ought to read this.
• If you’re in for some LOL, you ought to read this.
• If you’re in love with the Chaborkia, you seriously must read this.

I need to document this trip before it’s all lost in memory!

I left India on the 22nd of August. Since I was in Ahmedabad, a relatively small city like Penang, I needed to catch a 1 hour flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai for my international flight home.

As my dad left a 3 hour gap between the 1 hour domestic flight and my international flight, I thought I had ample time to frolick around the airport to enjoy the sights and sounds.

But it all went wrong. Just as the taxi reached my home, my dad made a last minute check on our flight and to our horror, our domestic flight was delayed for 2 hours! I cannot afford waiting for 2 hours, I might miss my international flight!

Screw SpiceJet. Seriously screw you.

——————————————————————

When I first landed in India three months ago, my dad also left a 3 hour gap for us to touch down Mumbai and head to Ahmedabad. But again, there were last minute changes and we were left breathless after chasing the flight down. CHASE. Really need to chase the plane okay? Then with the non-existent system ruling India’s airport, we lost a lot of time fighting our way through their customs, which were utterly ridiculous.

First the customs are separated to male and females. Then India is packed. If you think Hong Kong’s airport is packed, India is 101x worse! So their system is something liddis:

1. You put your hand carry luggage through the x-ray machine.
2. Since there are a gazillion others lining up, you might be ushered away to other lines that are less crowded, leaving you worried about your belongings on the other end of the hall.
3. Males and females are separately scanned and worse thing is, scanning is done MANUALLY meaning they run their hands through your body. So by the freaking time we’re done with the scanning our belongings are left abandoned in one of the lines!
4. There is no fixed check-in destinations for each airlines, they shift as they please.
5. Since everything isn’t fixed, you really need to depend on LUCK and ASK the clueless airport staff, who will then join you in banging around and asking about where to check in, any delays etc.

What sort of system is this lah you tell me.

——————————————————————-

I’ve already experienced the Amazing Race when I first came to India, I told myself I didn’t want it to happen another time. But it did.

Out of haste, my dad demanded a refund from SpiceJet and bought a costly GoAir flight that was taking off just 10 minutes away. 10 freaking minutes!

And we chased the airplane down with just 5 minutes to spare. Phew. Exactly 1 hour later, we reached Mumbai.

Okay listen up travelers. There are two airports in Mumbai. One domestic - Santa Cruz Domestic Airport, the other international - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. To travel back and forth is easy, just take the free inter-terminal shuttle bus service that comes every 30 mins. You only need 15 minutes to get in between domestic and international. However you can only use the free shuttle PROVIDED you have your connecting flight ticket at hand to show the conductor.

If you don’t have one, you cannot take the free bus and will have to face the horrible Mumbai traffic jam. Approximately 45 minutes to go to the next terminal lah.

My dad thought the security would be lax and he could see me off till the International airport by sneaking on the shuttle, but alas, we were told to hand out our connecting flight tickets and I was forced to bid dad goodbye right there.

And I was alone.

It’s exhilirating to be traveling alone in a foreign land even though it’s just a short distance. Just me, my big red luggage, my laptop and my handbag full of the essentials.

You won’t get lost in Mumbai’s internatiol airport. Upon entrance, everything is clearly marked. There are plenty of check-in counters on the right side of the airport and Immigration is on the left so you might do a bit of walking. Remember to keep watch the overhead screens to make sure you’re on the right counters and flights aren’t delayed.

Toilets are well maintained by the cleaner ladies so you dun need to fret about it either. For good food and familiar names like McDonald’s and all that, check in first. Dun go for the lauya Coffee Day and other local restaurants near the entrance, later you laosai.

As I was walking to Gate 15, a guai lou approached me and asked one too many questions. I feigned deafness and smiled at him vaguely. It was right to do so - When I nestled myself in front of my Departure Gate, I saw him holding the waist of the poor ladies manning the souvenir counter. They didn’t look too comfortable with him. Hamsap lou lol.

Don’t buy the souvenirs in the airport okay? They’re grossly overpriced.

For those with connecting flights the next day, you can find a Slumber Zone near Departure Gate 15 and 16. There are some makeshift beds for you to sleep on. I was tempted to lie down but am not too pleased with the cleanliness.

And I waited patiently for my flight. When I was in Immigration, my dad called me but reception was bad. Minutes later, I received a call from Maxis.

I was utterly perplexed to receive a call from Maxis, asking me for my location and how was I. Apparently my dad was so worried about dropping me alone in Mumbai, he tried calling me but failed to reach me. Then, he called my bro, and amidst the STD/IDD mumbo jumbo, both dad and bro couldn’t reach me so my bro *somehow* demanded Maxis to call me and get back to him.

LOL should I be amused or embarassed about this parental rage episode, I really dunno. And Maxis, with all the RUBBISH they have been sending to me and bad services, yes I thank them but yet again no thank you. Who was at fault for bad reception / failed IDD services when I direly needed them? AND I FUCKING PAY YOU A LOT OF MONEY OKAY?! And I have to put up to a lot of your crap advertisements!

My Departure Gate grew steadily more crowded as time passed. I was lucky I was wearing a mask as a stupid fella had a hacking cough and he coughed like wanna die all through my wait. Somemore he was wearing white hats and white robes, those religious sort of fella. Hello you wanna go heaven earlier is your business okay dun drag me along. What sort of times are we at now lah? H1N1 okay, have some respect!

I approached the airport staff to voice my concern but sadly, they don’t give a fuck about it.

K fine I’ll just sit there and be a little ignorant traveler.

And I boarded at 11.50 pm. I got an aisle seat which was just 1 row behind the acclaimed emergency exit seat. I set my eyes on the spacious seat, ready to pounce should the seat be left vacant. I was about to pounce on that seat when a couple came in, sat down and gloated loudly at their fortune of getting that comfortable seat. FML

I told myself not to have a midnight supper but the MAS fella was so professional he actually made me nod even though I was dead set against eating anything.

And I om nom nom on some Indian curry. Last meal was somewhere in the sky having Indian curry… Which caused me indigestion and made the rest of my flight a living hell. FML

I reached KLIA safely at about 07.30 am. Technically it has been 7 hours or so if you see the time but the flight was only 4 hours long.

My dear Akonana came to pick me up. The look of him, standing there, looking into my eyes, made me feel as though nothing has ever changed and I was coming home to a warm blanket that I know will always be there for me…

Or maybe it’s just jet lag, too tired to have a faster heartbeat when seeing your loved one after 3 freaking months. LOL. And he failed to hug nor kiss me upon seeing me. WEI WHAT LAH YOU. Haiyah I dunno wanna feel exasperated or angry lah, too used to his coolness. But you cannot say he dun love me wor. He does. He just threw away half my room and cleaned it for me. And amidst other things. :D

So that’s it. I’m back! The longest vacation I ever had…

Goodbye India.

It has been a pleasant shopping experience. All the above are less than RM10 omg wtf.

I can rant endlessly about the atrocities of this country; how the most favourable delicacy in the whole of Gujarat state made me shit bricks; how the persistent honking culture of the Indian traffic left me with mild ringing ears; how my heart’s capacity is pushed to it’s limits when I’m riding an auto-rickshaw; how my nasal glands withstand the stench true to India…

And I’ll never forget the peculiar hospitality of the people here. Some are so friendly they just drench your heart with honey; while some leave you baffled at their behaviour, standing in front of you to gawk on and on and on. In the literal sense! And rudely, mind you.

… But I really need to admit, India has a beautiful charm that can be found nowhere else in the planet. Read: where lah in the world to find old crumbling buildings with spectacular architecture, only to have it left to rot by lazy (corrupt!!!) modern civilization who refuses to lift a finger to restore it’s magnificence? And where lah you can find so many cows and goats that smile benignly at you?

Do consider coming here for a great eye-opening experience…

Just be sure to buy travel insurance.

Wish me safe flight! =)

Teen Darwaza, so full of colour.

Because I was there. HAHAHAHA so vain.

Here is a compilation of the natives of an old city in India.

Typical day of traffic congestion in India. Bad attitudes don’t help yo. Note the fella hanging out from the truck, impatience. Note the dulan look on the cyclist, impatience. Look at the funny guy in the kid’s helmet, impatience! Look at how everyone is determined to stuff themselves into whatever space available.

Typical scene for traffic users - slumdogs groping passengers and motorists for money. We were inside the auto rickshaw and she kept on touching us. Eurgh. And the funny thing is, locals here scold slumdogs and chase them away. I don’t know if it’s for the sake of our comfort, or there is something going on between the two classes.

Okay on to the merchants of Teen Darwaza!

CLICK READ MORE FOR TEH PICTURES!

Read more

Yesterday, I went to Teen Darwaza (translate: Three Gate), an ancient monumental area at the old city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I took a LOT of picture. Now THIS place really reflects India’s true culture. India is big, tourist attractions aren’t limited to just the Taj Mahal at Mumbai, hence you’ll need to make do with the ones closest to where you’re visiting. But honestly, I don’t expect tourists to come to this part of India for an excursion anyways. I ain’t in no Goa, the land of beautiful sunrise and beaches. *Sigh*

So gimme time to process my pictures of this place okay? I hope the batch turns out good.

Meanwhile entertain you with… The goat that smiled at me. They’re such benign and innocent beings, why are they so tasty? I feel guilty lah. T_T

And I think that fella tried to eat my 100 dollar blouse (no lah not so expensive, 40% off). He was sniffing my shirt when I leaned over to pet him. No way dood.

Have a happy weekend peeps!

UPDATE: A Reader LOLGoat Joke

Reader Zikri wrote:
goats are cute!

during my neko-chan documentary we visited this family who kept goats as pets. During our break, one of their goats came up to me and started rubbing it’s head on my shoulder
that was the weirdest show of affection I’ve received from an animal thus far

I replied:
i think your goat was trying to mate with you

Zikri:
you’re nuts lol. eh goats eat everything. my goat ate Apollo wafers. -.-

I said:
and yeah mine tried to sniff and nibble off my shirt wtf.

Zikri:
he wanted to rip your shirt of before mating

Okay I admit I kena pwn there. -_-

So I was at the famous Kankaria lake in Gujarat for the second time last weekend. The first time I went there, I came back a roasted chaborkia. The 44 degrees summer heat does not complement a walk at the lake side at all!

This round, though, the long-anticipated monsoon season sorta failed. No rain, just blue skies and a light breeze. Hence, we went for some bird-sighting. There are no more places for us to go, we’re tired of the malls, and places of worship aren’t our thing (I want to but no cameras allowed).

T_T

Kankaria is the biggest lake of the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. With an approximate circumference of 1.4 miles (2.3 km), it represents the regale history of Ahmedabad. It is located in the southern part of the city in Maninagar area, which is the most densely populated suburb of the city, mostly consisting of middle class people. Kankaria was built by Sultan Kutubuddin in 15th century A.D. The work was completed in 1451. Its ancient name is Hauj-E-Kutub. It also consists of a water purification system but it is lost with the time. At one point of the circular lake, there opens a walkway which later merges into a garden called Nagina Wadi (means beautiful garden in Urdu) that is located in the center of the lake. There is also a gym in the Kankaria lake campus which is called Ambubhai Vyayamshala.

Lighting and special effects on the walkway and sumptuous food of the restaurants in the central garden make the lake a worthwhile place to visit or spend an evening. Kankaria is well-known for its junk food in the entire province of Gujarat. At night, the junk food business soars up. Especially in the summer between months of March and June.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

There is nothing special about this lake at all. Screw ‘fancy lighting and sumptuous food’. Toilets are atrociously dirty (so dirty I daren’t even watch), restaurants are unhygienic to the max (it’s common standard for locals (no offence); but foreigners, please steer clear), and the cleanliness is just okay compared to the streets outside.

Oh, did Wikipedia mention the beautiful garden Nagina Wadi? Scrap that too dude. There is nothing beautiful at all! It’s yet another stretch of walking path with trees, and they charge us 10 rupees each to enter that place! And the security guards are so determined to earn another 30 rupees from camera owners, they keep hogging you as you stroll through the garden.

——————————————————————

Okay on to the pics.

You’ll see all sorts of different exposure for my pics coz I was picking up various Photoshop lessons along the way so it’s not consistent. When can I edit pics with consistent color like a pro lah? Lol…

The entrance of Kankaria Lake. There are several entrances around the round spherical lake, you can’t miss it.

The gold-miner. Pun intended. Ticket window or the guy, you decide.

Just click ‘Read More’ lah! Got leng lui to see, no lie wan!

Read more