Still deciding whether I will take an overnight train Mumbai-Udaipur or plane.
Plane is $70 more but arrives the same day. Train is a bit of local adventure but arrives the following morning at 8:25AM.
I guess I had my fair portion of indian transportation back in 2006-2007. I even tried Second Class Unreserved once for 10 hours. Funny enough it was also to Udaipur. I remember me and Glenn were resting for a few days after this famous ride. I also remember it made me write the story. A famous story about my Second Class Unreserved experience.
This time, it will be more or less civilized experience in the first class. Second class story still gives me shivers. I do not want want to go through this ever again. Glenn would probably say the same thing.
Train might be actually even a better option. I will be exhausted at this point after 2 days of flights from LAX to London, whole day in London, and then London to Mumbai. I might as well pass out immediately in the 1st class AC sleeper. I think nothing will bother me at that point. I will be dead.
Anyways, not sure...will decide later...
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
I am going to receive a large donation from wholesalechess.com!!
Wow, it came so unexpected. It looks like I will be receiving a pretty nice donation from http://www.wholesalechess.com. A friend had a contact there and decided to help.
I am getting the whole 15 basic plastic tournament sets and a demonstration board for kids.
I was thinking of how to even start with teaching chess to children. I had an idea of perhaps starting very small with few sets and then depending on their interest expand into bigger something. I never opened a chess school before. It's new.
Why did I decide to do such crazy thing? Maybe some kind of sign from the universe. Would chess be taken just as another extra curriculum thing or would it be as helpful as Kasparov's foundation describes? How would children who need very basic things like water and ability to read take this? How would it go?
Many questions in my head. One thing for sure I want to do this.
Does Rajasthan know chess? Of course, big time! Rajputana Chess Association, lists 101 rated players as part of the organization. Then, a simple question - huge antique state of Rajasthan with only 100 players?????? I picture Rajasthan, the country of Maharajas, moguls coming from Persia. Could Rajasthan be a motherland of chess?
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San Diego, CA
I am getting the whole 15 basic plastic tournament sets and a demonstration board for kids.
I was thinking of how to even start with teaching chess to children. I had an idea of perhaps starting very small with few sets and then depending on their interest expand into bigger something. I never opened a chess school before. It's new.
Why did I decide to do such crazy thing? Maybe some kind of sign from the universe. Would chess be taken just as another extra curriculum thing or would it be as helpful as Kasparov's foundation describes? How would children who need very basic things like water and ability to read take this? How would it go?
Many questions in my head. One thing for sure I want to do this.
Does Rajasthan know chess? Of course, big time! Rajputana Chess Association, lists 101 rated players as part of the organization. Then, a simple question - huge antique state of Rajasthan with only 100 players?????? I picture Rajasthan, the country of Maharajas, moguls coming from Persia. Could Rajasthan be a motherland of chess?
-------------
San Diego, CA
Monday, March 21, 2011
Money, money, money
Today is the day to spend some major cash.
I finally bought a ticket to Mumbay from LAX. This is probably the most expensive ticket I have ever purchased in my life, wow. But I had to do it. Waiting for the cheaper deal might not have worked. Plus, now I can totally plan all the other things without having to worry about flights. I still need to book one local flight from Mumbai to Udaipur, but I can do this later. I might or might not stay a day in Mumbai before heading up to Rajastan.
The idea of traveling in 38 degrees Celcius heat throws me off a bit. But then again, back in February 2007 I had a heat stroke in Hampi, state of Karnataka and I survived that. Can it be any worse? Also, can it be worse than heat of New Delhi in May-June? I managed to survive that too, with difficulties. Rajastan during summer ...hmmmm... oh well. The time will show.
Today my head is spinning. I remember since I was little I remembered places by smells rather than by colors :). I remember how my aunt's house smelled like, how the village smelled like, how the city smelled like. Today I vividly recall how Mumbai/India smells like. Strong strong smell, yet something I totally miss. I cannot describe it really. Heat smells, food smells, spices smells, urine smells, smoke smells, incense smells..all together..all merged in one. Hard to describe. Hard to forget either.
Alright, ticket is bought, it's time to reserve the room in the guesthouse for volunteers.
Irina
I finally bought a ticket to Mumbay from LAX. This is probably the most expensive ticket I have ever purchased in my life, wow. But I had to do it. Waiting for the cheaper deal might not have worked. Plus, now I can totally plan all the other things without having to worry about flights. I still need to book one local flight from Mumbai to Udaipur, but I can do this later. I might or might not stay a day in Mumbai before heading up to Rajastan.
The idea of traveling in 38 degrees Celcius heat throws me off a bit. But then again, back in February 2007 I had a heat stroke in Hampi, state of Karnataka and I survived that. Can it be any worse? Also, can it be worse than heat of New Delhi in May-June? I managed to survive that too, with difficulties. Rajastan during summer ...hmmmm... oh well. The time will show.
Today my head is spinning. I remember since I was little I remembered places by smells rather than by colors :). I remember how my aunt's house smelled like, how the village smelled like, how the city smelled like. Today I vividly recall how Mumbai/India smells like. Strong strong smell, yet something I totally miss. I cannot describe it really. Heat smells, food smells, spices smells, urine smells, smoke smells, incense smells..all together..all merged in one. Hard to describe. Hard to forget either.
Alright, ticket is bought, it's time to reserve the room in the guesthouse for volunteers.
Irina
Thursday, March 17, 2011
What to start with?
Ok, first thing first..I need to figure out the situation with visa/passport, ticket, my apartment. Also one of the first things is to do is complete application for DAAN by reserving a place to live while volunteering. It all seems a bit hectic to me right now, but perhaps one thing at time will resolve the mess in my head.
Funny that just a few days ago I had no idea that I would do this. I guess there is time for everything and this is my time to go. Reminds me of the first time I ended up in India back in 2006. I was staying in Budapest, Hungary when I stopped by local Indian consulate and one thing led to another and just a week later I was all set with visa. And all this given that I had a ticket back from Turkey to States. Of course the return ticket from Istanbul back to San Diego was never used as I found myself in the heat of Mumbai not understanding what just happened. Then, months later I was still there, still in India, changing city after city, town after town, village after village. I was unstoppable back then. I remember I had a tiny little backpack the entire time there. Not a professional one other backpackers would carry. Just a regular tiny backpack, month after month. Periodically I would clean it and fill it with new stuff as I went from place to place. Eventually I found myself with additional Indian rice bag with blankets and books. I called it my train bag, as I would use the blankets in the train along with reading the books. Ufhh, when I left India in February of 2007, I thought I would never come back. I thought it was not in the stars. But shockingly just a few months later I found myself back in Indian Himalayas then back in New Delhi. Leaving India second time I thought that's it, probably the destiny has fulfilled, I meant to come here twice. No. This week I realized that there will be a third time.
Alright, enough of nostalgic sentimental stuff. Will write later.
I.
Funny that just a few days ago I had no idea that I would do this. I guess there is time for everything and this is my time to go. Reminds me of the first time I ended up in India back in 2006. I was staying in Budapest, Hungary when I stopped by local Indian consulate and one thing led to another and just a week later I was all set with visa. And all this given that I had a ticket back from Turkey to States. Of course the return ticket from Istanbul back to San Diego was never used as I found myself in the heat of Mumbai not understanding what just happened. Then, months later I was still there, still in India, changing city after city, town after town, village after village. I was unstoppable back then. I remember I had a tiny little backpack the entire time there. Not a professional one other backpackers would carry. Just a regular tiny backpack, month after month. Periodically I would clean it and fill it with new stuff as I went from place to place. Eventually I found myself with additional Indian rice bag with blankets and books. I called it my train bag, as I would use the blankets in the train along with reading the books. Ufhh, when I left India in February of 2007, I thought I would never come back. I thought it was not in the stars. But shockingly just a few months later I found myself back in Indian Himalayas then back in New Delhi. Leaving India second time I thought that's it, probably the destiny has fulfilled, I meant to come here twice. No. This week I realized that there will be a third time.
Alright, enough of nostalgic sentimental stuff. Will write later.
I.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My favorite Osho's saying
"While meditating, the only problem is how to be silent, how not to be caught in thoughts" (Osho)
New idea - new blog
I am starting this blog today, a long before I actually start volunteering with D.A.A.N. I will keep this blog to record my experiences, my thoughts, my ideas.
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