80 km cycle trip to Keukenhof (Holland)

Well for a long time I wanted to go on a long bike ride, travelling through the fields and meadows of Holland and yesterday (17 April 2011) provided me an opportunity to do so. My class mate Anand Teke is a couch surfer and he got to know via the couch surfing website that a group will be going on a bike tour to keukenhof starting from Leiden Central station. So I was very much game for it and excited, quickly agreeing to cycle all the way to Keukenhof from Delft (the place where I currently live).

So I woke up at 6:00 in the morning, had my headbath, finished my breakfast and packed my lunch and other drinks in my backpack and reached Anand's place at 7:45. From there Anand, Pavan, Kaushal and myself started at 8:15. Vignesh and Vishwesh, the twins in my university were also supposed to accompany us but they said they would be joining us at Leiden (they would bring their bikes on train). We followed the road besides the canal for 16Kms. By the way Leiden is about 25 kms from Delft. We did biking for about an hour and then took a short break to stretch our legs. We reached Leiden bang at 9:45.

At Leiden central Vishu and Viku joined us and we also met with the tour guide Roman, who was going to take us through the Tulip fields on our bikes. I had never done a bike tour before and this was all making me more and more excited.

Just a small note for the readers who do not know about Keukenhof. This is place where the tulips in Holland are grown in large numbers and exported worldwide. Its world famous and people from all over the world make a visit to Keukenhof if they tour Holland during spring time. This place is akin to the rose garden in Ooty, India or the Lalbagh at Bangalore.

We started our tour at 10:15, at snails pace and few kilometers down the trail we had three people who reported flat tyres. Hence we took an emergency stop for some time and our guide made arrangements to fix the flat tyres of the people's bikes. There were about 25 to 30 people in the whole group, from various nationalities- Iranians, Indians, German, Canadian, Dutch, Singaporeans, Chinese. So diverse was the group that it was amazing that so many people were there together. Roman, our tour guide took us through the Tulip fields and all of us were enthralled by the Tulips and the Daffodils growing in those fields. To put in simple words it was mind blowing and sooperb.

After few hours of bike riding, when we were in field we realised that one of the girls in our group was missing. I don't know who or how people contacted her. We just moved on to go to the Keukenhof park.

But to my amazement I saw that girl at the park. God only knows how she managed to get there or may be someone went in search of her.I am sure without any guiding or GPS device with you one will surely get lost in the biking lanes of Netherlands.

The entrance to the park cost us 12.5 euros each but it was worth the buck. We had our lunch inside the park and then decided to go around the park in small groups. We were asked to report by the fiets stand (fiets=bike, the Dutch word for bike) by 18:00 hrs. So our Indian group separated and we went around the whole park, enjoying the Tulips, appreciating its beauty and clicking lots of pictures. each tulip was unique and  exquisite. They were available in all colours and shades possible.

My favourite ones were the bright red Tulips growing, they were looking absolutely stunning. Pavan, Viku, Vishu and Kaushal were very busy clicking pictures and I believe their camera's memory must have been almost full.

We saw the tulip fields and the windmill, the place where 'Kumari' song of the tamil film ANNIYAN was shot. I was told that during the shoot the filmmakers got special permission to get into the fields.

After about 2 hours of roaming round the park and shooting pictures we all were tired, partly because we hadn't packed sufficient food but our moods were quite high. After quite an intense search we managed to find 'Tulip Aishwarya' and Vishu was the one who got close enough to her. There were other tulips named aftre prominent people, grown along the patch of grass termed 'Hall of Fame'

We gathered at the fiets stand at the said time but the Iranian group was missing. We departed the park at about 18:15 hrs and slowly cycled down another path. Many of them were not used to such strenuous activity and were quite exhausted. Finally we reached Leiden at 20:00 hrs.

I was always in for the whole cycle trip and so was Pavan. But Anand was a little frustrated and wanted to get back to Delft via train, partly because he was not on his bike (a really good road bike) but was on a bike that he borrowed from his friend. But finally we decided to get back to Delft by cycle. We followed the GPS all way through till Rijswik.

At 21:30 hrs we reached Delft safe and sound. Oh my God, biking for 80 kms that was too good. The only thing is that my A** hurts a little and I am getting crazy to get a new bike for myself just for going for these kind of cycle tours.

Hollland- too good a place to bike and Keukenhof hats off to that place

Cycling trip to den Hague

Myself and five of my friends decided to do some biking yesterday ( 28 Aug 2010 ). I woke up at 6:30 had my bath and also had my breakfast and was ready to hit the roads of Delft & den Hague. I was clad in the proper cycling attire. The others were dressed up in jeans,sweaters and jackets. The initial plan was to start at 7:30 but usual delays pulled us back and we started from our place (Poptahof Noord) at 8:30.

We took the longer biking route adjacent to the highways. It was really amazing to ride down such a beautiful path. We crisscrossed many lakes and canals and then went staright ahead down the road. It is in fact just a straight road from Delft to den Hague. We cycled for about 90 minutes and we reached den hague. We could have reached there faster but we stopped now and then for taking photographs. The route was so scenic that we just couldn't stop admiring the beauty.

Once we reached den hague we decided to cycle another 5 miles to scheveningen beach. The day was quite sunny and little cold, perfect conditions for biking. We reached the beach at around 10:45 and parked our bikes on the hilltop. All of us were quite tired and decided to munch on some food before getting down into the sand. Vishwa and Praveen had packed some sandwiches, Bhramesh had got some fruit cake and I carried some bottles of water. We had nice little snack and then went down to the beach. It was the North Sea that we were looking at. The waters and the waves were quite serene compared to the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

All of a sudden the climate changed suddenly and we hit by some heavy showers. We could in fact see the clouds coming in from the see and envelope us. Thank God I had packed a raincoat inside my backpack. All of us had our raincoats and we were all well protected. The Dutch weather is very unpredictable so never mistake a sunny day thinking the weather will be fine all day.

After having a good time at the beach we decided to pay a visit to the Haagse Markt. This market is very famous in den Hague because we get good for comparatively cheaper prices than in the supermarkets. But one needs to make a cautious choice when selecting items because the items bought do not come with a receipt and its very alluring to buy more as the prices are very less. We also visited a small Indian grocery shop called "India Gate" from where I bought Moong Dal and Rice Flakes (for making poha or avul upma). It costed me 8.95 euros for these two items.

All of us were quite tired after this long cycle ride,visit to the beach and walking down the Haagse Markt. We decided to get back home and followed the tram route, we reached Delft in a shorter time. This was the first time I had biked for so long and it was truly an amazing experience. The separate bike roads, cold climate and natural greenery by the roads make biking a truly enjoyable experience in The Netherlands.

Trip to SRIRANGAM

I along with Karthik aka KP, Amol and Balu decided to visit Srirangam to attend our batchmate, Anantharaman’s engagement ceremony. KP, Amol and I boarded the Rockfort express from Chennai Egmore and Balu joined us at Tambaram. We got the tickets from Sundari (Anantharaman’s fiancé) and comfortably seated ourselves in coach S6. There were many others from the girl’s party on the same train. The train left the station at the correct time and whistled along the path occasionally, stoping at Mambalam and Tambaram before picking up full speed. All of us gossiped for quite some time before dozing off in our respective berths. I occupied the middle berth and could feel the cold air caress my hair all along.

The train reached Srirangam at about 5:30 in the morning. I had slept well but was still a bit groggy. We were transported from the station to the mandapam (function hall) on a mini bus, which was completely occupied by the girl’s party. The four of us were standing, no issues coz we are YOUNG BOYS and we are supposed to have the never say die attitude and must never get tired.

Anantha gave us a warm welcome and showed us our room. We kept the luggage in the shelves and were going to lie down. Balu picked up a couple of pillows and I picked u a jamakalam (traditional South Indian rug). We spread it across the floor and were dozing happily within minutes. KP woke us at 8:00 am and all of us freshened up; brushing, bathing and doing our daily business. Next we went downstairs and had a sumptuous breakfast with pooris, idlis and halwa. The halwa was in particular exquisite. After finishing our breakfast we decided on going around the town to do some sight seeing. A cab was arranged and all of us hopped in happily. We went to Rockfort temple first. As soon as I got down from the cab a person approached me asking if I was from Malaysia and if I wanted to exchange some Malaysian dollars. Weird isn’t it? I have always received comments from people, linking me to different places. Few thought I was from Bengal, few asked me if was a North Indian and few asked me if I was from Maharashtra. I am quite happy that my identity is always a mystery and it does help when I travel to different places.

We purchased tickets to visit the deity at the top of the hill. Balu and I had a camera but I bought a single ticket for the camera. We climbed about 170 steps and then veered to the left to worship the God who according to locals blesses worshippers (couples in general) with kids. This is because this particular God incarnated himself as a midwife to deliver a child of a mother in that town centuries ago. After worshipping him we set out to climb the final set of stairs to reach the hill top. There was a guy who checked our tickets once again. Balu was hiding his camera in his jeans pocket but allowed the tag to hang outside his pocket. We were caught and that guy asked us to pay for the second camera too. I was thinking Balu aaargh !!!

We worshipped Lord Vinayagar at the hill top also known as Uchchi Pillayaar.We got an amazing view of the whole temple town from there. The view was breath taking. We messaged Ramki and Jana to wait for us outside the temple and then began our descent. We picked them up outside St Joseph’s church and all of us drove to Kallanai Dam. We had to while away our time and thats why we decided to visit the dam. This dam is supposed to be a very ancient one, dating back to centuries. We spent some time here clicking photos now and then and I troubling others to get into weird poses for the photo shoot. Balu was showing off his skills with his Cannon camera and clicking off leaves and trishools with the macro mode. But I must confess Balu was good with the camera.

After visiting Kallanai dam I asked the cab driver to drop me at the nearest bus stop from where I could board the bus to Trichy main bus stand. I had messaged Chandralekha (my future classmate at TU Delft) that I will be coming to Trichy and that I would pay her a visit. The rest of them went back to the mandapam to have their lunch. The Trichy main bus stand would be about 10-12 Kms from the place where I boarded the bus. I was surprised that the bus fare was only a mere three and half rupees. The battery in my phone was low in charge and I feared that I may not be able to contact her after reaching there. So I noted down her number and Amol’s number in a separate piece of paper in case my phone runs out of charge and if I need to make a call from a public phone booth.

I called her up and said that I have reached the bus stand and within ten minutes she was there in her scooter to pick me up. She took me to her house, which was about 3-4 Kms from the central bus stand. I had lunch with her at her house, met her dad and mom and spent some time chatting with her. I then got dropped at the Central bus stand from where I boarded the bus to Srirangam.

After reaching the mandapam I bathed and changed into a fresh set of clothes and was ready for Anantha’s engagement ceremony. The ceremony went on well, Anantha was looking stunning in his new suit and his fiancé was looking beautiful in her silk saree. Balu was the official photographer, clicking pictures from all angles possible. KP, Ramki,myself, Balu and Amol were ogling at a couple of pretty girls at the function. Suddenly it started pouring heavily and the whole place was cooled down. I must say the mandapam was getting really hot with so many people inside.

We finished our dinner and went to the station at 21:45 hrs. The train was scheduled to arrive at the Srirangam station at 22:30 hrs but was delayed by half hour. All of us were dead tired by then and immediately fell asleep once inside the bogie.

I really enjoyed the trip !!

The 44 hour Train journey by RAJDHANI EXPRESS

Myself and my colleague took the 'Rajdhani Express' bound for Delhi from Chennai on the 11th of Jan 2009. I reached the station ( Chennai Central ) half an hour before the scheduled departure of the train which was at 6:10 am. I was in coach A2 and my colleague in A3. The train journey started off smoothly, with the train moving from Chennai Central at the right time,picking up speed and reaching the next stations on time. At Rajdhani we get free food & snacks ( actually the cost of it is included in the 2700 buck ticket itself). I refrained from having lunch or dinner at Rajdhani because the subzi they provide is watery and rice hard to chew. The other reason is; I fell sick the first time I travelled by Rajdhani, was diagnosed with typhoid and was laid down for 2 whole weeks.

The train was right on time at Vijayawada, Warangal,Balharshah. Things went on smoothly until the inevitable happened. A Goods train had derailed after Bhopal station, blocking the train traffic going North completely. Our train also reached Nagpur at the intended time, 20:30 hrs,after that I had my dinner ( Roti & Kesari) which I got packed from home prepared by my sweet Mom. I dozed off after my dinner, thinking about the work to be done the next day regarding my project and calclulating the amount the taxi wala would charge for the trip from Delhi to Alwar. My eyes took a sneak outside the window at 5:45 the next morning and I could sense that the train was not moving, waiting at a station which I didn't bother to note. Thirty five minutes passed,I took a peek outside the window to see the train still stranded at the same place. I started getting worried and got up, brushed my teeth and got off the train to relax my cramped leg muscles, giving myself some exercise. I learnt from my co-passengers that a Goods train had derailed outsdie Bhopal and the train was running 9 hrs late. My reaction was Holy Moly! how am I going to get to Alwar on time? I walked up to the Engine, peeked inside it,taking in the details of the controls,gears etc. I asked the engine driver as to how much time would it take from here to Delhi? He replied that we were at Itarsi ( a station where Rajdhani doesn't stop) and it would take atleast 10 more hrs to reach Delhi. Disapointed I walked back to my coach. To my surprise the train started to pull of from Itarsi at 7:00, I was happy that were back on track but the train was put on hold for more than 8 hrs on some small station before Bhopal.

My patience was running out, I got off the train,pacing up and down, going to the engine, standing in front of it,pushing it to go and praying to GOD please why is this happening? I learnt later that the electric engine which was driving the train had failed and a coal powered engine was despatched from Bhopal to replace it. The coal powered engine came, I saw how an engine attaches with the bogies and went back thrilled to my coach thinking our problems are resolved only to find later that the train was still not moving. I was confused and puzzled at the same time. I came to know from my fellow travellers that the coal powered engine didn't have enough power to pull the entire train. So another diesel powered engine was despatched from Bhopal. Finally we started moving and reached Bhopal at 1700 hrs ( 15hrs behind scheduled arrival) on 12 Jan . I must really appreciate the Rajdhani coach attendants for they took good care of us, providing us timely meals and snacks even though they couldn't relenish their stock.

The train finally reached Nizammudin at 2:00 on 13th. It was chilling outside. We got off the train and walked out of the rear side of the station only to find the hotel I was looking for was nowhere in sight. We had the option of travelling to Alwar in the wee hours of the cold morning or staying the night at Delhi and leaving for Alwar at 7:00 in the morning. We chose the later over a cup of tea at a local tea stand outside Nizammudin at 2:15 in the morning. We checked into a guest house called Rajdhani ( coincidence and identical with the train name), rattling the guest house door and such an odd time. Finally we dozed off on the bed and left for Alwar at 7:30 on 13th morning which was cold and foggy, hampering the taxi's normal highway speed.