tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60574477319388469792011-09-20T10:57:40.124+05:30There is nothing quite like it. Be it a mango-soaked tropical breeze or the rarefied bite of a mountaintop, the unique texture of it immediately exposes that you're far from home. It transmits to you the intimate sounds and smells of a place. It reminds of places been & it connects to places still to come. And by foot or by ski, by ship or by rickshaw, there is no better way to travel than with the wind on your face.McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.comBlogger801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-59474126625563086432009-10-06T23:56:00.002+05:302009-10-07T00:01:01.305+05:30

One of Chennai's lovely quirks of public space are these series of inspirational and motivational wall slogans in several areas of the city. This sequence is from along GN Chetty Road in Chennai as you approach Gemini Flyover and is one of the longest stretches. I find the concept of putting such words so dramatically in the public space fascinating. Because clearly some of the phrases are more

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com3Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India13.060416 80.24963413.05519 80.2423385 13.065642 80.2569295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-53239577740662164882009-05-14T02:11:00.005+05:302009-05-14T02:37:05.985+05:30

We are rapidly having to adjust to the new reality of our lives being in the public sphere and just how easy it is becoming to find information, and how integrated into our normal days it becomes. Where once, only the determined, the stalking (for good or bad) could find information, even online, it evolves into an everyday and we race to catch up. Even now, we joke (but only half) about Facebook

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-63293242514219095592008-12-01T01:38:00.004+05:302008-12-01T03:21:18.879+05:30

It is grey and dripping outside, like I feel. Or I don't know what I feel. The world is crazy this week and we struggle for normalcy and meaning.Bombay is under fire, on fire. We refresh our browsers compulsively, glued to the up-to-the-minute reports on the attacks of Shining India's most shining city. 195 dead when the shooting stopped and no more sense for 3 days of watching, reading and

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-75988132255910455652008-07-16T15:00:00.003+05:302008-07-16T15:49:42.992+05:30

Please hold and an operator will be with you shortly... You have been placed in priority sequence and this blog will be updated sooner if you stay on the line rather than hanging up and dialing again... So yeah, blogging kind of fell off just a wee bit. Can't believe it has been 10 months since I posted. Can’t believe my last post was on Pirates! My God! What have I been doing?My apologies for

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-60865894907866708382007-09-19T17:35:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:13.943+05:30

Avast me hearties! Haul out th’ 10 pounders! Hoist the jolly roger! Shore the rigging and drop anchor! There be riches in this here exotic port, landlubbers ripe for the pillage. Smartly ya scalleywags and show em yer mettle!Arrr! T’is be Cap’n Morgan “Savage” Roberts to tell ye it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day.My pirate name is:Captain Morgan "Savage" Roberts Even though there's no

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-84670402971734734632007-09-19T14:09:00.000+05:302007-09-19T14:31:25.322+05:30

I am not sleeping well. My room is stuffy and thick, the heat of the afternoon still trapped in its walls, the fan just swirling warmth onto my face. I get up and do a pooja of sorts on my bed, vigorously shaking droplets of poured water out of my cupped hand onto my sheets, floor and pillow and lie back down. Momentarily cooled, I drift back to troubled dreams and sweat once more.But I have so

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-36600388108911042752007-09-13T15:51:00.000+05:302007-09-13T16:58:57.945+05:30

Justifying my laziness, my descriptions of life here in India would not be complete without a post on what I watch and catch on TV. Like anywhere, there are good programs and bad and plenty of commercials. Personally, I mostly watch movies and the Dicovery Channel.Here are some random things that have occured to me in those deadened hours.Movies:The old grunt-and-shoot action movie Predator

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-11302664462533007192007-09-12T14:09:00.000+05:302007-09-12T14:27:32.533+05:30

See my earlier post on learning the value of things at the wine shop the hard way. Here is an update on a recent purchase.I am buying 2 Kingfisher beer. I give him Rs 500.He gives me Rs 270 back. I look at it briefly, call him back over and point out it isn’t enough change.He tells me the price is Rs 220.Of course 500 minus 220 is not actually 270, but I let that one go and focus on the bigger

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-64093529915404231652007-09-06T14:45:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:14.566+05:30

A big shout-out to Rob Burke who made this all happen! I am deliriously giddy as I relive all the fun and memories of my university experience.So back in University, one of my good friends Rob decided it would be a great idea to make a video game based on one our orientation rituals, the Climbing of the Greasepole. I think we were drinking. But good idea or bad idea, the idea eventually came to

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-9897340393200939812007-08-28T18:10:00.000+05:302007-08-28T18:14:10.906+05:30

The vast industry of hair salons, products and marketing is the reverse here in Chennai than in North America in that it is all geared predominantly for men rather than women. Supply and demand of course. Here boys and men coif their hair, spent hours in the salon, strut about town with dramatic moustaches and, ala 1950’s Hollywood, carry combs in their back pocket. Women on the other hand wear

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-49465970217029785632007-08-27T15:49:00.000+05:302007-08-27T18:03:38.296+05:30

Telling stories of my adventures to a friend the other day I suddenly really missed my crew in Vancouver and just how much and how well we took advantage of Vancouver’s incredible recreation potential. So I thought I’d do a quick photo blog of some of my favourite memories and what fun looks like back home.But rather than the best shots, I thought I’d pull up some of my best and humorous memories

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-92124532030327272362007-08-07T12:41:00.000+05:302007-08-16T12:13:41.608+05:30

You just have to laugh. Good thing I can generally sleep through anything.I happen to live a couple buildings down from a temple. OK, rewind that. In Chennai, that is like saying you live a couple buildings down from a Starbucks on the West Coast (if you can throw a rock in Vancouver and not hit a coffee shop, a sushi joint and a yoga studio, then you’re inside). Here, as a function of the

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-26252265572735465922007-07-06T17:34:00.000+05:302007-07-06T18:42:13.194+05:30

I'm exited! I'm heading up to Rajasthan for 5 days to see my family who has just arrived in India (this time my father and step-mother), and I am joining them up North tonight. Way too short, but I couldn’t get any more time off work and they couldn’t make it down to Chennai, so it is a lot of flying in a short period, 4 hops, but worth it to see them. They’re in Delhi now. Hope they’re liking it

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-76005890306240687022007-06-22T14:27:00.000+05:302007-06-22T14:48:39.817+05:30

The strangest, oddest fucking thing happened to me last night. It was surreal. I’m still shaking my head about it, trying to resolve the details.So it’s 3am and I’m sleeping. I’m not sleeping that soundly actually. I was up late reading, my brain is still spinning and I can’t seem to get comfortable. So I’m rolling a lot. But I’m mostly asleep listening to the washing patter of rain through the

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-9872123552003922712007-06-21T15:15:00.000+05:302007-06-21T15:22:07.180+05:30

We’ve been having rain. Actual water falling from the sky (that isn’t coming from a bucket off someone’s balcony). I’m excited.Now my friends in Vancouver, who are en masse reporting giddiness on their Facebook profiles for their current sunny spell, are surely dumbstruck and sputtering about such a comment. It is raining. And you’re happy about it? Yup.It isn’t so weird really. We haven’t had

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-67017454772087393532007-06-20T18:09:00.000+05:302007-06-21T12:50:42.238+05:30

Prayer flags are one of my favourite religious observances and a sight I’ve come to cherish and love in the Tibetan and Nepali world. Strung from every place, structure or object of height or significance, their 5-coloured squares of fabric are always fluttering in the wind. Big, small, vertical poles (Darchor) or long, sweeping strands (Lung Ta), alone or by the hundred, no scene in the

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-46730190299636278892007-06-15T12:17:00.000+05:302007-06-15T12:28:36.222+05:30

So Chennai finally decided to make wearing a helmet mandatory for all 2-wheelers (motorcycles and scooters). No, they weren’t before. Sorry mom and dad. On the plus side, traffic rarely goes more than 30 km an hour during the day. But despite a public disinterest, a court order prompted the government to finally decide to make it mandatory in the name of public safety. June 1, last Friday, was

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-27069097266064351332007-05-30T12:57:00.000+05:302007-05-30T13:24:35.011+05:30

Friends and family have all been asking me how I am doing with the heat, with the summer and the answer, very truthfully and surprisingly, is, “I’m doing fine with it”. I’m glad it’s summer, happy it is here and enjoying the days, not pining for cooler climes or a change of season. And that surprises me as much as anyone.I’ve got a few close friends here and talking this past weekend, we all

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-7075398840049591252007-05-30T12:43:00.000+05:302007-05-30T12:51:53.772+05:30

When I discovered that it was now impossible to get cold or even room-temperature water out of the taps (even the “cold” tap only gives very warm water) I realised that India’s summer, is an entirely unique animal. With temperatures rising weekly well into the 40’s, the summer heat, like everything in India, is not something to be fought and overcome; instead you adapt yourself to it, surrender

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-21540577088904967762007-05-25T11:38:00.000+05:302007-05-25T12:47:15.497+05:30

I am in Heaven. The fruit season has changed once again and it is now mango season. Mmmnn, mangos.Part of the streetscape here is fruit carts lining the roads with whatever is in season. First it was sweet, mini bananas on every corner. You can still get them, but their best days are past. In March it was watermelons, plump green piles and red wedges suddenly everywhere. Sadly, those have passed

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-51247729476614171412007-05-24T16:13:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:15.564+05:30

“You know what, we haven’t seen a single wheel since we arrived,” comments my trekking partner Harsh one day.And as soon as he pointed that out, I knew he was totally right. In 10 days in the region, the last wheel we saw was on the airplane that dropped us of in Lukla – no wagons, bicycles, cars, trucks, carts or even a hula hoop. In a region dominated by sinuous, deep valleys and sharp peaks,

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-70923607182834440302007-05-17T18:16:00.000+05:302007-05-17T18:34:36.101+05:30

Harsh and I are sitting in the common room of our guesthouse poring over the trekking map in front of us. On it are strange and exotic names that are gaining comfort on our tongues and are becoming attached to real places and things on our journey. We revel in our new knowledge; discussing with fellow travellers of going to Loboche versus Dzongla or whether we can see Makalu from Kala Pattar

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-43530665495987976842007-05-15T17:17:00.000+05:302007-05-15T17:52:13.277+05:30

OK, so I've gotten my Nepal pics sorted, culled down and posted up on Flickr, so check them out. Links:Kathmandu pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/sets/72157600195488974/Trek pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/sets/72157600191376713/Island Peak mountaineering pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/sets/72157600213587148/For those who have trouble with Flickr due

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-70922381883824050612007-05-11T12:55:00.000+05:302007-05-11T14:19:51.806+05:30

As I was asked by someone the other day a recommendation of a place to go in Kathmandu, I thought I might as well post a list of my favourite spots and endorsements…My Favourite Spots in the Thamel district, Kathmandu(in no particular order…)- Helena's restaurant for it's 5th floor rooftop patio where you can order chai and look out over the city...- The New Orleans Cafe for its pretty courtyard

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-25589366990209145382007-05-09T11:33:00.000+05:302007-05-09T11:37:51.738+05:30

I’m home. And sweating.It is 38 degrees and 95% humidity. I think with the population of 7 million sweating, we must be pushing it up to 100. I shouldn’t whine though. Actually, outside, with a breeze, it isn’t too bad in the shade if you’re stationary. But I’m at work and the power is out, so no a/c, no fans and no breeze, where I’m sweating just thinking (with an obvious solution therefore

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-72229281102839544092007-05-09T11:30:00.000+05:302007-05-09T11:33:42.696+05:30

The waiter has just convinced me to have a second beer. Apparently they just got in a new batch of “chilled” bottles. That is enough to sway me from my requested coffee under the logic that the coffee can still be had after. Although I don’t really intend on to drink it fast enough to take advantage of its refrigerated state, a cold beer sounds nice. “Cold” is a relative term because in India,

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-57060800755207560612007-05-08T17:35:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:15.694+05:30

We had to start the trek with a little excitement. Up at 4am for a 6:30am flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. No problem. But then the guy who was supposed to pick us for the airport up doesn’t show. So we’re a little behind, but OK – taxis are outside and at this time in the morning, it is a fast route to the airport. Then disaster strikes: I’ve left my cowboy hat, my prided Lhasa hat, is the hotel

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-37994221437882429622007-05-04T14:59:00.000+05:302007-05-04T16:21:24.597+05:30

Although I mentioned my time spent at the Indian Consulate in a previous post, I wanted to more fully recount the process and experience for your enjoyment and for anyone's future use.Ultimate Lesson: Applying for an Indian visa takes plenty of patience. This is good practice and warning of course for anyone planning to travel to India as doing much of anything official in India in general takes

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-37892343943756775522007-05-04T13:20:00.000+05:302007-05-11T15:48:32.435+05:30

[Note: I didn't like the flow (or the grammer mistakes) of this one that well so I've edited it. Sorry to the purists.]"I'll meet you at the Full-Moon Cafe later""Full Moon""Blue Moon""Half Moon""New Moon...? ""Geez...It it's one of those anyway... you'll find it. It is next door and upstairs to the big Internet cafe just up from the Kathmandu Guesthouse (a major landmark)" "Ask around if you

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-4838271981040601342007-05-03T17:31:00.000+05:302007-05-03T18:02:20.729+05:30

Happy New Year!We’re living it up like it was 2064......actually, here in Nepal, it is 2064! Welcome to the future. It's nice. You'll see.Yup, here they use a different calendar and count today (Sat, Apr 14) as New Year’s Day 2064. Cool, eh?The calendar being used is the Bikram Sambat shared with Northern India. It is a solar one, so is 56.7 years ahead of the Western Gregorian one.So the streets

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-66075015070123926102007-05-03T17:24:00.000+05:302007-05-03T17:30:51.436+05:30

Hello everyone. I'm back from trekking in the Sagarmatha (Everest) region and back in Kathmandu for a few days before heading back to Chennai, India and work. I'm excited to get back working on my project, but must admit being off travelling is very nice...I'm going to try posting up a storm in the next couple weeks to catch up on the stories, adventures and random thoughts I've missed this past

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-36677833968112974202007-04-12T18:37:00.001+05:302007-05-02T15:09:38.507+05:30

I've got my backpack on full of hiking gear, a long sleeve layer on against the chill of the airplane aircon and my Tibetan cowboy hat, all foreign items to my daily life: my gear has sat unpacked under my bed, I haven't worn long-sleeves against the cold since I arrive in India. So I feel a bit odd with it all. But good weird, because it means I'm moving.Goodbye sticky Chennai. Nepal here I come

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-39257220198886990262007-04-12T18:26:00.000+05:302007-04-12T18:34:42.858+05:30

Alright folks, sorry for the delay in postings, but I've put my project into holding mode and have packed off for a week visit from my family, showing them around the Chennai area, and then for a month vacation in Nepal to renew my visa.So greetings from Kathmandu!I've escaped the building sticky Chennaiyan heat and have leaped to cooler climes and higher altitude. I suspect though that stilling

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-26200877959097576522007-03-28T16:27:00.000+05:302007-03-28T16:30:12.318+05:30

I’m playing the tourist today in Chennai. I’ve even got my camera slung across my shoulder, an obvious give-away. I’m down at Spencer’s Plaza, one of the man Chennai malls, picking up a couple things. I don’t really like Spencer’s; beyond its derision for being a mall, it gets enough foreigners & tourists to have a thriving gauntlet of hawkers each one proclaiming, “Hello Sir! Look in my Shop!

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-76854860616400563002007-03-28T15:12:00.000+05:302007-03-28T15:37:27.557+05:30

1) How to send letters by air mail at the post officeThe elaborate, exotic process: it is exactly the same as sending regular mail, just with more stamps. So it wasn’t really that exhilarating. To be honest, I’m a little suspicious that it is that easy as handwriting “airmail” on the top of the letter and adding some more stamps, but that is what they assured me at the post office. The mail wasn’

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-56544791051797097142007-03-21T17:20:00.000+05:302007-03-21T17:27:55.357+05:30

The power has gone out again, throwing us into darkness in the office. The UPS backup, a necessity and normal appliance for businesses and any homes that can afford one, has just run out so computers are out.When the UPS is drained it makes a terribly annoying high-pitch whine, obstinately to warn you to shut down your computers properly before it dies, but it seems more a headache-causing

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-91630747238536221372007-03-21T13:43:00.000+05:302007-03-21T14:22:34.168+05:30

Merry Christmas everyone!OK, I know, this is kind of out of season, but I can’t help sharing my giddiness. I’m excited because I apparently have an actual, real Christmas present to open when I get home tonight! It is like Christmas all over again...Actually, it is more like Christmas proper since I kinda skipped it the first time.Yes, my Mom’s Christmas care package finally arrived today.

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-27500309214630213332007-03-17T17:13:00.000+05:302007-03-21T14:39:43.245+05:30

It is part of the charm of the place that prices and sales are interactions and conversations between people, not just transactions. I talk all about it of course in the Personal Touch.But talking about buying stuff in India could not be complete without a story of getting ripped off. Getting beaten in bargaining, over-charged or generally ripped off is a rite of passage for India (and most

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-75248727431652287972007-03-17T16:47:00.000+05:302007-03-17T17:42:49.082+05:30

Although there isn’t the flood of bicycles dominating the streets here as was a customary sight in China, they are still very much a major part of street life here. Rickety, single-geared and heavy, they perilously weave through the petrol-choked streets. The bikes are in no way fast or agile – there is no similarity to the quick popping in and out by the nimble, aggressive bike commuters in

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-87417103953402337672007-03-06T15:02:00.000+05:302007-03-06T15:22:30.374+05:30

I've got a few good and more meaty entries in progress, but in the mean time here is another smattering of odds and ends to keep ya' entertained; things that cross my busy mind, things I see in the autos, and the little things that just make me shake my head in wonder.~~~~~~~~~~Since the autos appear to be running on sewing machine engines, why don’t they install actual sewing machines? Doing

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-16268243200981868002007-03-02T17:21:00.000+05:302007-03-02T18:42:10.634+05:30

Come on Argentina! Come on Brazil...Many of you may have noticed I've added a fun little locator to the sidebar of my blog that tracks where readers are from. It is fun. And it is addictive.It is exciting to come in and see that someone has discovered and read your blog from Paris, France or Shenzhen, China. I have no idea how my banter translates into French or Mandarin or Cantonese, but, "

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-16426601963074466372007-02-26T17:12:00.000+05:302007-02-26T17:17:00.982+05:30

It has just been proven! We are all connected in harmony and common bond because I have discovered at least one truly universal trait common to every human and culture on the planet: we all whine and complain about the weather. That’s right, we all think we are tough, we like to pretend, but deep down, most of us are soft, softer than we like to believe. Canadians are known (or self-imaged) to be

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-39598023048315611572007-02-26T16:55:00.000+05:302007-02-26T17:11:39.583+05:30

While business and particularly government here is excessively bureaucratic, the flipside of it is the personal touch. I’ve come to really value the relationship that having a real person to deal with brings and notice how much it is often missing back home, traded for efficiency and consistency.Each morning my commute starts by heading around the corner to the nearest auto stand, a spot,

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-57804183712406198142007-02-24T15:32:00.000+05:302007-02-24T16:11:12.246+05:30

"The Usual" for lunch: masala dosa. Mmnnn...I've put a whole bunch of new stuff up today. What can I say, it's a slow day at work so I'm getting articles cleaned up and posted...

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-84768039845502938382007-02-24T12:13:00.000+05:302007-02-24T16:09:25.739+05:30

The wine shop has a painted portrait of Pierce Brosnan on its sign. Or at least, it looks like it is of him. I can’t be sure as it is not a particularly good painting. It could be of some Indian man who looks like Pierce Brosnan. Either one is possible here. Signs can have all sorts of seemingly random references, heroes and favourite movie stars featured on them. No way of really knowing. Gives

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-55231664655688722312007-02-24T11:02:00.000+05:302007-02-24T11:11:22.845+05:30

Blogger wouldn't let me put the whole title in to its format, so here it is in full:Life in Chennai #6: The Tragic Yet Uplifting Tale of the Gerbera Daisies and The Fabulous Plan That Did Not Have Its Intended Results But Was Better Than The Previous Two And At Its Conclusion Proved That Good Stories Are Made of Life’s ExperiencesSince I usually write so prolifically, I thought I’d try something

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-92167792857950716052007-02-23T19:02:00.000+05:302007-02-24T16:16:39.161+05:30

We pass another flyway under construction. There is a big set going up by the airport, towers of scaffolding rising a couple storeys around the street like looming skeletons, half-completed trenches and the ever-present piles of debris and detritus placed in random and inconvenient locations in the road.Flyways, raised sections of road that arch over intersections, are Chennai’s solution (and

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-1221295237727616412007-02-17T12:10:00.000+05:302007-02-17T12:23:32.004+05:30

So much of what I think and experience is mundane and most certainly uninteresting to anyone, however since it is so much of a part of life and since I’m filling pages of it in my journal, I thought I might as well share a little segment of memorable experiences and thoughts over a weekend. It is Saturday and I’m at work as usual, so the thought appeals to me. This is a test of sorts: can I spin

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-3653989532050224192007-02-14T14:35:00.000+05:302007-02-17T12:09:57.306+05:30

There is much, much to say about the complexities of how many developing nations are interacting with the still-dominating cultural export of Western nations, the US more than any other, about people “aping” the West, rejecting it, merging and blurring it into something new. It is all very rich and takes a great deal of finesse to wade into. I do not have that finesse so I’ll comment only on a

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-11149078139789245902007-02-12T13:46:00.000+05:302007-02-12T13:46:04.035+05:30

There is good music playing, a hard, fluid beat. I have a rare moment when I’ve got enough space to move, to really move. Down at the floor, the lights play a seductive, repetitive pattern. I can feel the music starting to gel to something tactile and the people to fade to mist. I breathe the music in, draw it down, I smile a small private smile and allow myself to let go, to lose myself in it. I

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-70946345916222801432007-02-10T14:52:00.000+05:302007-02-10T14:59:34.477+05:30

So I caught the latter half of this old Chinese-made documentary (http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Jet-Li/dp/B00004W5W0)on the real Shaolin Monks and their Kung Fu school and it impressed me enough I wanted to share it. It was fascinating, not the least because they have been built into such a cultural icon and basis for about a bazillion movies, I didn’t really think the truth would be

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-10821310999920338002007-02-08T16:47:00.000+05:302007-02-08T13:24:24.281+05:30

Life takes interesting directions when it is crammed together close. This, I observe, results in three connected cultural traits that dominate interpersonal interactions, traffic patterns, business service and life in general here: obliviousness to those around you, a prioritization on self-preservation and a lack of personal space.ObliviousnessA man is backing his motorcycle up. And that is what

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-81556897764075683252007-02-06T19:23:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:16.311+05:30

I have had a serious lack of activity since being here, a combination of being busy and adapting to a new environment. I don’t really have a good excuse as I could run, join a gym or yoga – before work – but I simply hate mornings with a passion usually reserved only for people who kick puppies and steal candy from kids (those guilty only one of the two getting a stern disapproving glare). So I’

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-7273467192741559452007-01-18T18:35:00.000+05:302007-01-18T18:53:35.748+05:30

“Are you married?” I’m waiting for my colleague in the morning, catching a ride to work today as we are going direct to a meeting, and have struck up a conversation with a stranger, an older man buying breakfast in the stall beside me.“No,” I reply, knowing where this is going...“Why not?”What do mean why not, I think, what kind of question is that? Do you want the answer involving not being

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-50448882460276201682007-01-18T16:23:00.000+05:302007-01-18T16:37:06.295+05:30

Happy Pongal everyone!Pongal is a local Tamil holiday that celebrates the start of the sun moving northward, in essence, the return towards summer. The holiday is 4 days long with much of the city shut down since Sunday (I wrote this Wednesday). One the first day, the house is cleaned and old clothes and materials are thrown out and burned. On other days, cows are given thanks to, crops and sugar

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-24180559834349503502007-01-16T17:30:00.000+05:302007-01-16T17:45:58.631+05:30

So I’m watching some TV. Actually I’ve been watching a fair bit of TV in the evenings lately, a symptom of being a bit tired this week. I’ve been watching movies, which is fine enough, but I know I’m really lethargic when I’ll watch whatever is on regardless of whether it is any good. For example, I watched "Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse" the other day, which beyond an attractive Mila, is a really,

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-66613067617484367202007-01-12T17:36:00.000+05:302007-01-12T17:39:00.240+05:30

As those who’ve been reading my descriptions of traffic can probably imagine, crossing the street in Chennai can be a bit harrowing. To cross takes nerves and a good sense of timing. You have to know when to wait and when to go, have a firm, almost laidback confidence and faith that the drivers don’t actually want to hit you (they may actually, but believing that won’t help you), but understand

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-4423289994072437422007-01-12T15:26:00.000+05:302007-01-12T17:40:17.719+05:30

Sorry it has been a while since I updated this site, but I’ve been a bit tired this week.Here are some of my photos that I really like or think give you a real window into life here:I really liked this shot for the vibrant colours. Stores are open decorated with flowers, stars, lights (and kitsch) to draw attention, to obtain good luck and therefore I assume, customers.Bangalore, being a centre

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-41322898941049103852007-01-02T19:08:00.000+05:302007-01-02T19:22:47.173+05:30

Alright, It’s taken some time to get all the stuff from Christmas up, but we’ve got stories, we’ve got photos, we’ve even got video. If you wanted it, you’ve got it.For those who have been wanting visuals to go with my writing:http://www.flickr.com/photos/56796376@N00/sets/72157594414855016/It has more pics than the few that I will pepper my blog with and will be similarly updated as I get them.

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-89189764784482324862007-01-02T19:07:00.000+05:302007-01-02T19:08:27.022+05:30

So after a busy & party-filled Christmas weekend, I decided to have a quiet New Years. Midnight found me standing atop the central elevator block on my roof watching the fireworks around the city. It was remarkable. I’ve never seen so many displays going on at once. There are a dozen major displays and dozens more small ones going on in every direction. There are 3 big fancy ones within a few

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-67551048158146202062007-01-02T18:58:00.000+05:302007-01-02T19:02:34.400+05:30

Meeting other travellers is one of my favourite experiences travelling. It is hard to describe, but I find the bonds and time you share is very pure and honest. There are no pre-conceptions or demands. You are all just going the same way for a while, sharing the same space and in that, sharing freely. I find people generous, friendly, quick to assist total strangers and happy sharing what food

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-43181022422854234952007-01-02T11:23:00.000+05:302008-12-10T15:14:16.721+05:30

Merry Christmas from Goa! Without a doubt, this was the most odd and out of place Christmas I have ever experienced. Here I am Christmas morning, sitting in a cool breezy gazebo, minutes from the beach, talking via cell phone to my family half-way around the world where it isn’t even Christmas yet. It is already 25 degrees and climbing, I’ve spent Christmas Eve dancing at a club. I’ve no presents

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-40670333338119373882007-01-02T10:55:00.000+05:302007-01-02T11:01:42.950+05:30

Being alone on the bus for 14 hours has given me the time to reflect and to write (although half of what I wrote on that bumpy journey is illegible even to me).It is interesting that my views and impressions of India to date have been heavily coloured by my narrowed perspective of living stationed in one place rather than travelling about. Although I write about all the interesting things I see

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-83585373952870330312006-12-28T14:11:00.000+05:302006-12-28T14:15:13.540+05:30

I’ve wrecked the LCD on my ipod. It actually had already been partially damaged from some unknown event in Vancouver, but now it is totally toast. I’ve woken up to find that I’ve rolled onto it while tossing about in my tiny bunk on the overnight sleeper bus from Bangalore to Goa.Highlighting my playlist these days is some good mainstream 2006 releases: The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ excellent latest

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-1251896037535434992006-12-28T12:38:00.000+05:302006-12-28T12:42:39.091+05:30

“Ow!” I curse as I burn my fingers and spill some of my coffee. This is harder than it looks. As it is in many places here, my coffee has been served in 2 little stainless steel cups, a small thinner one and a wide, low one. The method is to pour one into the other in quick succession to cool it. I have two problems with this: 1) it is something of an art doing this without spilling, especially

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-52505514986196971172006-12-28T12:29:00.000+05:302006-12-28T14:05:26.073+05:30

Now as most of you understand only too well, you can take the person out of Engineering, but you can’t take the Engineering out of the person. No matter how much I try to disguise it with a grounding in development theory or attempts at literary prose, there is a certain critical and technical mindset that underlies everything I observe and report. Trust be told, it long proceeded my University

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-72391265881773404722006-12-28T12:23:00.000+05:302006-12-28T12:28:50.952+05:30

Drivers in Chennai can best be characterised as both very brave and very optimistic.We’re sitting in traffic in a deep underpass, stuck between a bus and the concrete wall. The bus is angled in so that it forms a narrowing corridor against the wall in front of us. Buses it should be understood are the rulers of the urban roads here. Wide, green hulking behemoths, like Sherman tanks they slowly

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-5476554150379857142006-12-19T18:11:00.000+05:302006-12-28T14:08:15.352+05:30

So as I write this, I am eating dinner. Yeah, I know you’re not supposed to work at the table, but I’m not at the table. Of course you’re not supposed to eat in your room either. But my hosts have retired to watch TV in their room with their meals, so house rules and I can do what I want. :-)I thought you might be interested in what a typical day of meals is here:In the morning, after showering

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-15163163215371462712006-12-13T18:27:00.000+05:302006-12-13T18:29:06.000+05:30

We are sitting around the table enjoying a leisurely Sunday evening (yes, I know the posting date is not Sunday, but this is a narrative so don’t bother with such minor details). Three of the boys next door are over. We’re drinking a bit of Grey Goose vodka, watching football on mute and shooting the shit. We’re talking about girls, of course. Us boys are comparing notes and Sonya is providing

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-11364851171303873472006-12-12T15:59:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:01:34.940+05:30

Today we’ve gone for a “meals” lunch and this seems like a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the joys of food here. As many of you know, much of my travel stories from China read like a food guide and I expect that India will no different, especially once I get on the road. Just as customs and dress and language varies considerably across the continent, so apparently does the food. Yum. A “

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-63379811775872974852006-12-11T13:45:00.001+05:302006-12-11T14:00:57.765+05:30

India 001 - View from my rooftop in Chennai 1Originally uploaded by mckaysavage. I sit here writing on the roof of my building, a rare luxury back home. I really think all building should have access to the roof. It is a place to relax, a place to suntan perhaps and a place to barbeque. It is a place to grow vegetables. Here though, there is no BBQ, no garden, no deck chairs, not even any drying

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-57946588389194362792006-12-09T17:26:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:06:06.298+05:30

Sorry for all the posts crammed in today. I've been writing them all week, but haven't had the chance to post them until today...Being a little cooler means we can leave the air conditioner off longer each day. Mornings we usually have the doors & window wide to catch the breeze. I like that. Our office is small, one main room, an adjoining office, a bathroom and a lunch room/balcony. Quite

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-7697827855432809622006-12-09T16:38:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:05:05.675+05:30

Winter has arrived here in Chennai. Temperatures have dropped and as in Canada, it is time to don your toque against the chill of 28 degrees. I’m actually being serious. The night watchmen at my building, and he is not alone, now comes to work wearing a thin fleece balaclava. And let me be clear this is 28 degrees C above zero, not below zero like Calgary & Vancouver were getting last week. Some

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-82864008204638986962006-12-09T15:53:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:09:57.177+05:30

This is my first post with my shiny, new laptop. I’m very excited. Now I’ve got full access to the network at work, direct access to the printer and my favourite, access to the Internet on a consistent basis. This is something of a minor miracle actually as I’ve been having technology issues. My cell phone provider had some administrative glitch in setting up my account (address verification) and

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-51544676387621442432006-12-09T15:46:00.000+05:302006-12-09T15:52:17.247+05:30

I am jotting this (shakily) in the back of an auto on my morning commute, Jack Johnson’s “Holes to Heaven” playing on my ipod. It keeps me occupied for the 45 minutes of bumping and weaving. I look up from my notebook to a truck 2 inches in front of the auto’s front wheel. As this driving tactic is more or less normal, I go back to what I was doing. I skip back and play the song again. I really

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-92177392597397006202006-12-05T12:06:00.000+05:302006-12-05T12:16:32.140+05:30

So my colleague and I are getting to know each other over lunch one day and the topic of sports comes up. Here is what ensues…Him: What is the national sport of Canada?Me: Hockey.Him: Really? So is India’s!Me: That seems odd given the weather here. Oh wait, you mean field hockey. Not the same sport. In Canada it is ice hockey that is played.Him: Oh. [Strike one for common ground. He's never seen

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-80139591779182018302006-12-05T11:59:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:08:05.510+05:30

My hat is currently hanging at N 013º 05.798' E 080º 12.033' - that’s the new centre of my Universe, the new chimney for Santa, the new base for my operations or, more specifically, the roof of my apartment. According to my GPS (I brought it along hoping to get some trekking in after my contract), my new apartment is 12,728 km from my last. The number itself isn’t important – I already know I'm

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-18717618100031869322006-12-05T11:47:00.000+05:302006-12-12T16:06:56.335+05:30

The Indian head waggle is probably the most immediate, distinctive and confusing aspect of Indian culture encountered by a new arrival. You’ll encounter it in the shops; you’ll encounter it in the auto-rickshaws; you’ll probably encounter it getting off the plane in the airport. The motion itself is hard to describe. It is not a back and forth shake as in the Western “no” motion, but a fluid

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-20400228246412254322006-12-02T15:37:00.000+05:302006-12-02T15:56:39.169+05:30

What strikes you as soon as you get off the plane is that India is a very big and very diverse country, a continent of innumerable cultures, skin tones, languages and dress, and who all appear to have arrived to greet the same flight. And that is India. It is the sea of Humanity, the humbling, inspiring, crushing, chaotic mass of it. I’m used to living in diverse cities, but Toronto or Vancouver,

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057447731938846979.post-4800627290686946412006-12-02T13:32:00.000+05:302006-12-02T15:28:00.407+05:30

Welcome to my shiny new blog! I hope to bring you along for my adventures, share the stories that enliven my travels and show the world through my eyes. I hope to amuse and to enlighten, but mostly I hope simply to entertain. Hopefully, if nothing else, it will whet your appetite for adventures of your own.So a little background… I’ve uprooted from Vancouver to work in Chennai, India for 6 months

McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230019293929675659noreply@blogger.com0