Walking out of the office was exceptionally joyful today. My vacation started, I have found a really nice apartment and everything is in place for taking off tomorrow. If I believed in some cosmic balance, I would already be waiting for setbacks and guessing what they could be.

Instead I enjoyed a nice, spicy Murgh Tikka and Stuffed Kulcha dinner in the hotel restaurant for 330 rupees (around 5 euros). I have a conservative hunch that 90 per cent of Finnish people would have left it uneaten due to excessive amounts of chili it contained, and even I broke a nice sweat during the dinner. After all the chicken was not that hot, but the problem was that I didn’t have anything for breaking the burn for a while (rice, milk, or white bread – the kulcha was stuffed with spices). I anyway ate the whole thing, but I might encounter a ring of fire the next morning. What better way there is to start a holiday?

By the way, I found the post office and got my package on its way. The central post office of Bangalore is a large, old building that would easily qualify as a mosque from the outside. Inside I was a little lost and it took me a while to figure out how the system works. I had to visit two different counters, one for the packaging of the parcel and one for the actual mailing process. Getting instructions was somewhat difficult, so here’s how it goes:

You first have to make sure there are no liquids in the package (presumably they are prohibited for some reason) and preferably pack the stuff in a cardboard box. Then you find the packaging counter, where the cardboard box is taped firmly shut and wrapped in fabric. The packager actually sews a pouch around the package while you fill in the customs declaration. You should be able to identify each item or item category (“foodstuff” is too general, “idols” should be fine) along with the weight and value of each item/group. On top of all this, two identical copies must be written, of course by hand. Finally you will be given a worn-out marker for writing in the address to the surface of the fabric. It is a good idea to bring your own marker just in case.

After all this you get to take your package to another counter for weighing and payment. The customs declarations should be attached by now and the address should be clearly visible. The fee will be determined by weight, destination country and type of transport (sea or air). My 3.4 kilograms of sea freight to Finland cost 820 rupees or about 13 euros, but may take up to three months to arrive. For some reason I didn’t ask the air fare, but I presume it would have been significantly more expensive. Maybe next time.

In fourteen hours I will be on my way to the airport, so it’s about time I get some sleep now.  I don’t feel like Xmas at all, but on the other hand I think it was exactly what I was looking for: something completely different, as inspired by a brilliant group of British comedians.

Brace yourselfs, I’m about to fly again.

Tags: accommodation, food, holiday, hotels, planning, post, practical stuff, prices, service, travel, ways of working, work

I am finally starting to get around Bangalore easily and by myself. I was warned about the rikshaw drivers being unreliable, but there is a simple way of not getting cheated. All you have to know is the distance to be travelled and that one kilometer costs 7 rupees (10 cents) in the daytime. Then you simply pick up a rikshaw, tell the driver where you’re going and agree on the price before jumping in. This way you don’t have to worry about driving around the city since both of you have the motivation to get there fast. You may pay a couple of rupees extra, but at least for me it’s worth the peace of mind I get.

I went shopping this morning to find something to bring back to Finland and to fulfill a couple of requests from friends. I also had to by a pair of Speedos for the diving course. My old ones are probably too loose to wear under a wet suit, but I found a nice pair for only 460 rupees (some 7 euros). In addition to my own stuff I found some idols and cosmetics, some of which I have to mail back home in order to keep within the weight limits of my flight luggage. I hope the Indian post does it job well.

The more time I spend in India, the less I find myself puzzled about the way things work around here. It could be that I’m only used to all the chaos around me, allowing me to ignore most of the stuff I was first so amazed of. They say that it is possible to get used to anything, so maybe that’s exactly what’s happening to me. I am even considering renting a motorbike in Goa for moving around and seeing places that are usually not shown to tourists. And it was less than two weeks ago when I said I won’t be going to the traffic with anything short of a Panzerwagen!

I also got the wireless working from the hotel, so I hope to post more pictures and videos soon. Now I’m off to search the post office and see if they even deliver to Finland. The rates look promising in general, but the problem is that they don’t mention Finland at all…

Tags: motorbikes, planning, post, prices, shopping, swimming, ways of working