Ravi's Blog

I am a man who has got his permanent residence at Pondicherry, and temporary residences all over the country. Thanks to the system of Serviced Apartments becoming popular across the country, with a day’s notice I can get a place to live for a few days or weeks anywhere in the country with just a few days notice. Since apperating in Harry Potter style and Teleportation for humans are things of the distant past and the distant future, we will have to use the transport systems that are open for general public today. Though in my fantasies I am a smarter wizard than Harry Potter and a better scientist than the head of Cern, Rolf-Dieter Heuer himself, in reality, I am just one among the public, and do not have options to fly in Mach 15 planes or be teleported.

A bus from Chennai to Goa would take 21 hours, and I hate buses. And there is only one train from Chennai to Goa, the MAS-Vasco express. I love planes, but I have a very strict policy on taking planes for non-profitable, expenses filled time out trips to places like Goa.

This January I did justify my flight to Goa as I had plans to make use of the Goan Govt. 50% subsidy to start a hotel. I had a budget of a crore, and with half of that as subsidy from the govt, I could raise 90% of the remaining half in bank loans, and get a personal loan for the remaining 10%. I somehow postponed that idea as Goa became less popular among the tourists after the serial rapes and bomb threats. I can’t pay off the debts if I don’t get business from the hotel.

Well, so now when I think its time for me to visit Goa again and take a chill in the sun, I don’t have a train from anywhere. There is one train from Chennai though, the Madras Vasco express, and it leaves Chennai every friday. Therefore it is fully booked ahead for atleast the next 6 months. Pondicherry is an odd place. It is like a server node standing out at the far end of the router, and Chennai being my router, and I need to go there for a train or a plane to anywhere in the country. Poor at money and poor at eye sight, I don’t have a car, and I hate buses. So I have to take a taxi to go to Chennai every time I want to travel somewhere. So when I go to Chennai, I find that it is not a well connected place either. It only has 1 direct flight to Goa 3 times a week, and that too is full most of the time and needs advanced booking. People say the best way to go to Goa is to go to Bangalore and take a bus from there. As Goa is only 6 hours from bangalore, a bus journey should not be that tiring. Then again, from Pondicherry to Bangalore will be a tough journey.

Given the rush in the Mas-Vasco, Hon’ble Minister of Railways Laalu ji should certainly consider putting a few more compartments on the tracks between Chennai and Goa, or atleast a few more 2 and 3 tier AC coaches above the 2 numbers each available now on the train. Otherwise how could people like me even imagine having a beer in peace at Goa on a weekend or possibly read netbooks in peace??

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I was flying back from Delhi on the evening of the 10th of Feb, and was supposed to land in Chennai at around 7 pm, but thanks to the congestion at the Delhi airport, we took off only at around 5.30, and were high up in the skies at 7 pm. And at this time, I got to see one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen in my life. The sun was setting in the west, and the moon was rising in the east. A beautiful red ball rising out of the horizon.

Most airlines in India do not let you to take photos, but IndiGo did, and I did manage to take a few photos inside the aircraft. Check out my photo stream for more.

About 5 years ago, flying for me was a luxury. But still I managed to get on board a few Air Deccan flights to Bombay from Chennai for a total fare of Rs 500 + 740, which was then the fuel surcharge for a ticket. You dont get tickets easily as the moment the low price ticket offer opens, they all get sold out.

Now with quite a lot of operators on the skies, a return ticket to Delhi costs only Rs 4450, when booked a little in advance, and they take you to Delhi in about 3 hours, while a 2 tier AC ticket on the Rajdhani express costs nearly Rs 5000 to and fro. I still save about Rs 550 bucks and about 33 hours of travel time.

Well, I am still a poor man, and I can still afford to fly only an economy air line, and I have never set foot aboard a King Fisher airline in the past 2 years since it was launched. I have just been once onboard a Jet Airways flight, thanks to my reward points in my Citibank-Jet Airways credit card. Paid only the airport taxes.

Whats the difference between the low cost airlines and the high class ones? Jet Airways is ranked next to Singapore Airlines in terms of In Flight hospitality. Beautiful girls with smiling faces and some good food is all that you get. Why pay 1000s extra for that? You can watch plenty of them anyways when you wait at the airport.

These airlines will have a video screen before you ofcourse, and that way you never get bored. Well, in the cheaper ones, just remember to buy a magazine or 2 for Rs 10 or 20, and you still wont get bored. The expensive ones dont ask you for money for food, and the cheap ones charge you Rs 50 for a sandwich. Well, you wont find a restaurant or an eatery up there at 41000 ft, so it is worth the money. Or just make your own sandwich from home and carry it along. Thye won’t mind.

Jet Airways is smooth while the cheaper ones sway left and right and make you get the feeling that you are on a bus. Well, you can just imagine that you are on a bus that takes you from Chennai to Delhi in 3 hours, and the fare is as good as bus fare isn’t it? Less than a rupee for a Kilo Meter. Suitable for people taking medical coding training courses.

For International flights, Jet Airways is the cheapest from India. Costs only Rs 45000 for a return trip to New York, Everyone else charge more, even the pathetic Air India.

Air India’s spoilers in the wing vibrates like hell when they are lifted, their thrust reversal sounds like engines stalling, and it makes you feel like riding on a bullock cart with an iron rimmed wheel. No Shock Absorption. Food is free, but you will spill it all over them. And the Air Hostesses are Antiques. Well seasoned to perfection and they pour the coffee or tea perfectly into the cup no matter how violently the plane shakes.

I have seen planes with broken arm rests and push back that doesnt work, or always stays pushed back. I don’t see how that company still stays in business and who are flying on it. Or maybe the route that I chose wasn’t that important and they put a battered plane on it. Just make sure that you carry enough insurance before you get on these planes.

S V Shekar used to be a Stand Up comedian, then they in partnership with Crazy Mohan started to do stage shows. All Stupid Comedy. He is now an MLA or something for the Mylapore region in Chennai. I am not really concerned about that, but a joke on one of his plays just came to my mind when I talked about Namitha. He and his friends would be discussing about Super Man, and when one asks whats the difference between an ordinary man and a Super Man? S V Shekar replies that a normal man wears his underwear first and then his pants while Super Man does it just the opposite.

When Namitha was wearing her Bra outside a piece of cloth that she has used in the picture in the below post to cover her boobies, this joke came to my mind, though I can see that Namitha has done it to project her Boobies to the camera for some extra cash.

I wonder what her Bathroom looks like? Should have good bathroom lighting in place. Why doesn’t anyone place a camera there?

Fuel Prices have gone up, and therefore poor men like me who cannot afford to spend more than Rs 2500 for a ticket to Bombay from Chennai, will now have to pay about Rs 4000 for a one way ticket. The good old days are now gone when you could land at Mumbai airport and ask your client to send a car. Now I cannot imagine long distance travel at all. I hate to waste 2 and 3 days together on trains, and the only good way to travel over 500 kms is on an airplane, and that option too is now gone. Very well, there still are websites that offer good flight deals, but the basic fuel price is high as always and would many be willing to pay that?