AppSender BETA Version 1.10 Released

I got request to add a confirmation dialog before generating the email. Its a great idea and implemented it. I just released it to Android Market and should be available to everyone shortly (it seems to take a few hours before its available).

Version 1.10 will now prompt you a dialog before launching email app.



As always, if you have experienced any bugs, it would be greatly appreciated if you can contact me at moto.android.software@gmail.com. Please include as much information as possible to reproduce the problem (including your version of Android OS). I will try my best to fix it soon as possible.

Also feel free to send me feedback. I would love to hear your wish list and improve this app.

BTW, I just got done developing an antivirus app (day time job). This is no ordinary antivirus app. It utilizes the cloud to the max to save battery and ScanNow button is lighting fast. Its a BETA release, but its FREE. You can install it even if you already have an antivirus app. Its called SecureBrain Antivirus and can be downloaded from Android Market.



Have a great day!

- Moto

AppSender BETA Version 1.9 Released...(0 byte attachment fixed)

AppSender BETA Version 1.9 is now available from Android Market

The main reason for the update was to fix the 0 byte attachment reported by several users.

I also enhanced the GUI a bit. When switching from portrait mode to landscape mode, it no longer needs to re-generate the application list. This was very annoying, so now its fixed.

As always, if you have experienced any bugs, it would be greatly appreciated if you can contact me at moto.android.software@gmail.com. Please include as much information as possible to reproduce the problem (including your version of Android OS). I will try my best to fix it soon as possible.

Also feel free to send me feedback. I would love to hear your wish list and improve this app.

Have a great day!

- Moto

Mauritius - Paradise Island



‎"You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius." - Mark Twain

Mauritius was on my bucket list of “Must See” places since a long time and I finally got an opportunity to plan a vacation to this wonderful Island country, with my family in end October 2011. This was my first visit to an African country and to the Southern hemisphere, where you encounter opposite weather patterns. It was summer time at Mauritius while we were welcoming winter in India. The first experience of a country starts either with the Airline or the Airport. I was not disappointed by both although I had read horror stories of their National flag carrier – Air Mauritius.  I was pleasantly surprised by their service, on time arrival/departure and importantly the food. The flight from Bangalore to Mauritius is via Chennai and the 1 hour stopover was the only hitch. The journey time is approximately 8 hours while it is 6 hours on return since Bangalore is the first destination point. Mauritius is GMT + 4 hours and hence 1.5 hours behind India time. The weather was around 20-26 degrees Celsius in Mauritius, which is very pleasant except for high humidity. I took some snaps of the lovely Mauritius beaches, while the plane was descending (check the snap of the left). I was eagerly looking forward to a memorable 7 days holiday to the Paradise Island called Mauritius!!  


The Sir Sewasagoor Ramagoolam International Airport is not something I can write in detail since a bigger and better terminal is expected to come up soon. The current Airport is cramped for space and reminded me of Indian airports in non Metro cities. However the Immigration folks were extremely friendly and the Officer dealing with me immediately started conversing in chaste Hindi. I was wondering whether I landed in North India J I could see fellow Indians everywhere and why not since the ethnic Indian population is close to 70% including 60% Hindus. In India we take pride in blindly following the West but in Mauritius I noticed that they respect the culture of their mother country whose great grandfathers immigrated into Mauritius as indentured labourers in mid 19th Century. How many young ladies wear a bindi in modern India? But in Mauritius the ladies proudly wear bindis on their forehead and whenever they get a chance to speak in Hindi, they do not lose the opportunity. However the language that is spoken widely is Mauritian Creole, which is French based. French is widely spoken than English at Mauritius. The number of tourists that arrive at Mauritius are mostly Europeans and Indians. Within Europeans, the French, German, Italians and English form the majority. The Mauritians worship their ex Premier, who got them freedom from the British in 1968, Sir Sewasagoor Ramagoolam or SSR as he is fondly called. He is their Father of the Nation and his statues can be seen at prominent locations. After his death in early Nineties, his son Naveen Ramagoolam took over the Premiership.

The taxi ride from the Airport (located at the extreme South) to our Resort (located at extreme North) was almost 60 kms and the route was through the capital city, Port Louis. On the way we also came across several sugar cane fields, which is Mauritius primary agricultural produce. It is also one of the highest sugar producing countries in the world. We were little tired after a long journey from home that started at 2am.  We received a warm welcome at the Casuarina Resort and again I was pleasantly surprised to see a majority of the staff being ethnic Indians. I liked the check in process which was very systematic and smooth. The guests who arrived in a batch, were given a detailed explanation of the Resort and its facilities. We were given a cottage that almost had a sea view. After some rest we enjoyed a swim and headed for Dinner. Since most of the Resorts offer half board packages at Mauritius, breakfast and dinner are both included in the package. This works since we always had lunch outside, when on Tours exploring the country. The Dinner had an Indian menu as expected. Dhall Poori is the local delicacy of Mauritius. We also had a choice of European or Creole cuisine. The hotel staff, was very friendly and warm. I never had a chance to complain or grudge during our entire stay of 7 days at this Resort, which is named after the Casuarina trees found in abundance here.


Next day we were planned for a trip to Ile aux Cerfs, a true paradise island to the extreme East of Mauritius. Ile aux Cerfs tour offers a day of pure relaxation as you soak up the sun on the dazzling white sand and swim in the warm turquoise waters that fringe the beaches. The Ile aux Cerfs day tour starts with a boat transfer to Ile aux Cerfs Island, which is done in the comfortable motor boat and the boat trip takes about 15 minutes. I never sat in a motorboat that was driven at almost 100kmph. Wow that was an out of the world experience !! Once we reach the Island, we are given free time to spend on the beach, going for a stroll, swimming in the lagoon, snorkelling or just relaxation at the beach. There is an excellent Indian Restaurant named Masala that serves tasty and delectable Indian cuisine.  We tried the Under water sea walk and Parasailing at Ile aux Cerfs.

The Underwater Sea Walk is one of the most unique attractions that one must experience when visiting Mauritius. It is a true once in a life time experience for all the non divers, where we can enjoy a safe and fascinating underwater walk on the ocean bed (about 3-4 metres deep), and witness first hand the magnificent marine life of Mauritius, the beautiful fauna, corals, and a wide variety of fish, all in their natural habitat. Qualified experienced guides accompanied us while guaranteeing maximum safety. We could offer food to the fish while the guide clicked our photos. This was a wonderful experience. We are provided with a helmet with a transparent visor and a special apparatus allows normal breathing under the water through continuous supply of Oxygen. It was almost like walking on the moon.

Next we encountered Parasailing, which offers a breathtaking bird's eye view of Ile aux Cerfs Island, its beautiful beaches and the beautiful east coast lagoon, making it a truly memorable and a worthwhile experience. Parasailing begins with a short safety briefing after which we are taken by boat to the launch pad. At the launch pad, we are connected to a secured certified harness to the parasail. Only after the ground assistants check the rig and the flight harness, they will signal the boat driver to start the engine and gradually accelerate the boat. The para sailor then takes off from the launch pad for a flight above the beautiful lagoon. No steering is actually necessary as the sail follows the course of the boat. We also experienced the "touch and go", which means that on the way down, instead of just reeling back onto the boat, you will fly for a while above the ocean and then be lowered down for a dip in the sea before going up again while enjoying a very refreshing plunge. Parasailing allows two people at a time. My wife was the Pilot while I did the guard duty at the back. This was an exhilarating experience not to be missed. The total duration of this excursion is of about 10-15 minutes only and I wished it lasted more.

After enjoying these activities we headed back to the Resort listening to Bollywood songs played on almost all Radio FM channels in Mauritius. At the Resort, more than one Television channel had Indian program and the time slot is shared across various Indian languages. Most of the Bollywood films shot at Mauritius are shown on their local channels. You will never miss home. My only regret is missing the local Sega dance at the Resort, since it was not advertised enough to the guests. That day the Resort management invited all the guests for a Cocktail party wherein some of the staff members were felicitated for good service.

Next day we were planned for the North Tour. The highlight of this Tour was our trip to the Mauritius National Botanical Garden. The SSR Botanical garden is home to an incredible variety of tropical plants, many of them indigenous. The Botanical Garden is one of the most visited sights in Mauritius and it was first opened as a private garden by the French governor of Mauritius nearly 300 years ago. The botanical garden stretches over endless acres of land and it can take you more than a week to cover the whole garden. The Botanical Garden is populated with more than 650 varieties of plants among which are giant water lilies, dozens of medicinal plants,  different varieties of palms, a big spice garden and many more. We opted for the battery operated car to see the entire Garden. The guide was an ethnic Indian and he became emotional while telling us about his search for his ancestor’s village near Calcutta.

Next we visited Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, the largest city and the economic and administrative centre of the island. Right off the main square one can stroll besides the palm-lined Place d'Armes and see wonderful French colonial buildings, especially the Government House and the Municipal Theatre. We got free time to visit Port Louis Waterfront and the Le Caudan Waterfront shopping complex, where several Bollywood films have been shot. It also has a Casino and a Theatre that was showing the latest Hindi film RA1, which was sadly running to an empty house on day 2. The bustling Port Louis Waterfront offers exciting shopping and entertainment venues intermingle with world-class hotels and restaurants overlooking the Port Louis Harbour. From here we were shown the place where the first Indian immigrant landed at Mauritius in the 1830s known as Apravasi Ghat. The 16 steps where he first landed is a World Heritage site today.

Just a few distance away is Fort Adelaide (also known as La Citadelle), built in a very strategic location on higher lands of Port Louis at 240 feet above sea level. The construction of Fort Adelaide started on 1830s and completed after almost ten years. Fort Adelaide offers a vast panorama on Port Louis and its harbour. The British built this fortress in fear of a civil war from the remaining French settlers on the island and also for the purpose of guarding the harbour against enemy attacks. A ride uphill to Fort Adelaide, guarantee breathtaking view of Port Louis and of the mountain range surrounding Port Louis. While moving around Port Louis especially near the Statue of Mother Mary, I could recollect scenes and songs from several Bollywood movies shot at this great location.

I was very impressed by the traffic discipline on the roads and despite so many Indians, there is no honking at all J Wish we inculcated this habit from them. The people are very cleanliness conscious and strive to keep their city clean. I could hardly see any garbage dump anywhere. Even the drivers who came to pick us up ensured nobody ate inside the car or van or entered their vehicle with dirty shoes on. Most of the Mauritians use public transportation like Bus and hence the vehicular density is less. There were few two wheelers and thankfully no three wheelers. The Buses are imported from India and resembled those in Tier 2 cities in India albeit much cleaner and well maintained. It seems the Government discourages people from buying cars and private vehicles by levying high custom duties. Most of the cars seen on Mauritius roads are imported from India. Being a Commonwealth county people drive on the left, like in India.  The roads are very narrow and mostly single lane except the Highways which have 3 lanes each. Despite narrow roads, I did not see any chaotic traffic scenario. The roads are beautiful with a good view of the countryside on either side.

Next day we had no Tour planned and hence we preferred to enjoy the local place around the Resort called Trou aux Biches. The Resort also offered many free activities within the private beach just across the road. Trou aux Biches and the surrounding area of Mont Choisy is a rapidly growing tourist destination in Northwest Mauritius. We took a ride on the glass bottom boat to see the corals and different varieties of fishes. This also offered Snorkelling facility once we were some 100-200 yards away from the beach. The Resort also provided other facilities like the Pedal boat, Kayaking and Water Skiing activity. As the lagoon is sheltered by Casuarina trees, the prevailing winds makes this beache perfect for swimming and abundance of marine life makes this beach an excellent place for Snorkelling and diving. However I saw that most of the corals were dead and hardly saw live ones.


On Day 5 we were planned for the South Tour. This took us more commuting time as we were located at the extreme North. The tour operator stopped at couple of places where we could buy local souvenirs like T Shirts etc ; “miniature” Ship making factory and the Diamond store. After shopping we were taken to the Rochester Waterfalls on the Savanne River. This area is full of natural beauty and interesting formations. We also saw the village of Gris-Gris at the Southern tip of Mauritius. Gris-Gris is well known for its sea cliff and this is definitely a sight worth seeing. An important destination is the Grand Basin (also known as Ganga Talao). Grand Basin is a lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 1800 feet above sea level. Grand Basin with its Hindu temple is a holy lake for Mauritians of Hindu faith. The lake rests in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is said that the water inside the lake communicates with the waters of the holy Ganges in India. The Hindus of Mauritius declared the Grand Basin as a Holy lake. The Hindu community performs a pilgrimage every year on the Maha Shivaratri day to honour Lord Shiva. Beside the lake there is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Hanuman, Lakshmi, and others. Close to the temple is the Shiva statue, which is 108 feet tall and is the highest known statue in Mauritius (and one of the 50 highest statues in the world). In fact Maha Shivratri is a major festival at Mauritius and a National Holiday. It was Diwali time now and the local Indians celebrate this festival with pomp and splendour. Some of the Hotel staff members were given leave to enjoy the festival. This is the time when people light up their house, burn crackers, wear new clothes and wish each other with sweets.

The other main highlight is the Chamarel Falls and the seven coloured earths of Chamarel. The earths are particularly unusual created by volcanic rocks that cooled at different temperatures. Sometimes the colours play tricks on you and appear to be shadows. Since the earth was first exposed, rains had carved beautiful patterns into the hillside, creating an effect of earthen meringue. At first I thought I noticed shadows on the hills, creating the illusion of different colours, but soon I realized that the colours were real and the shadows were the illusion. This is worth seeing. The tourists can also enjoy watching the turtles, which are close to 300 years old lying close to this location.

The last day was the 6th day effectively and I was eagerly looking forward to this day since it was the “icing on the cake” visit to Casella Park. It is primarily a bird park which is home to Zebras, Ostriches, Lions and Tigers. This magnificent bird park has hundreds of species for us to interact and admire. Special enclosures which hold Lions and Tigers are available for viewing pleasure. Casella Park is a true animal’s sanctuary. This Park is home to 150 species of birds and about 1500 birds from 5 different continents, including the lovely long necked Pink Pigeons which until recently were threatened with extinction. The pink birds can be seen alongside hundreds of other exotic species from Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas. Our first encounter was with the lovely peacocks out to woo the peahens around them. We were lucky to spot and take snaps of the peacocks with their opened feathers. If you are feeling adventurous, you could also walk and pet the Lions. What fun is a vacation without a hint of competition? Also available here are quad bikes for racing pleasure and zip lining adventure sports.



We started our adventurous journey with the Zipline hiking trip located deep in a sugar cane plantation within the Casella Park. Supported by strong cables and safety harnesses we can zip high and fast over the rushing river below us, giving us glimpses of rapids and waterfalls through the lush foliage. Every zip-line allows us to discover a unique landscape. The smallest zip-line measures 60 metres while the longest takes us to 250 metres across from the departure point. Altitudes vary from 20 metres to 40 metres but all zip-lines offers different sensations depending on their positioning. This was a truly memorable event for me since I never had such a rush of adrenalin before. Perhaps only the bungee jumping or para trooping could come closer to this.


Later we went for Quad biking adventure through the Yemen natural reserve park. The park is located on the West Coast of Mauritius near the Casella Park and it hosts two of the longest rivers of Mauritius РRivi̬re Rempart and Tamarin River and is a haven for all sorts of native wildlife. The actual size of the natural reserve is of around 4500 hectares.

Today, it is a private nature reserve where luxurious fauna and flora can be admired. A visit to the Yemen Reserve is like stepping into the middle of the African Savannah. More than a quad bike outing, it is a trip through a real safari. During the quad biking trip it is possible to see deer, zebras, ostriches, African antelopes, wild boars and many more; this a very big added bonus to this activity.  We can enjoy this amazing experience in Mauritius as an individual or together with a partner since we have a choice between single-seat quad for 1 person and double-seat quad. The quad biking trip allows one to discover the safari park in Mauritius whilst observing the wild animals in their habitat. The group is led by experienced guides. After a last checking of this four-wheel drive, it takes a few minutes to initiate the quad drive. The course takes us up the park heels, down some valley, across rivers and all while enjoying the great surrounding. We can touch the Zebras and the Ostriches on the way and even a ride on the back of a turtle!! The 45 minutes drive was really exhilarating although it took us through the dusty dirt tracks. My white T Shirt and shoes were unrecognizable after this experience.  Since it was a Sunday we could not enjoy another popular activity here called “Walking with lions” which is an adventurous activity suggested to those who wish to experience the wild side. People can walk alongside the Lions, pet them and take them for a walk as you would do with pet dogs!! This activity takes place on the banks of a River in a separate area of the Safari park. Somehow I did not find it too exciting walking with domesticated Lions perhaps drugged or too old for comfort to look ferocious.

On the day of departure, we had ample time till 5pm since the flight was only at 9:30pm. Since we had to check out from the Resort at 11am, we had 6 hours to spend. Hence we decided to visit Grand Baie which is just 6 kms from the Resort. Grand Baie is a seaside village and a large tourist beach and also offers a large choice of fashion and craft shops, hotels and restaurants. Grand Baie is also known for its night-life as it hosts most of the island’s best bars and night-clubs. However our hunt for Indian cuisine went in vain as most Indian Restaurants opened after 6pm. Somehow I am not too adventurous in trying out local cuisine but I still made an attempt to taste local Creole cuisine called Poulet and Poisson items (chicken and fish respectively) as Starters offered at our Resort. Shopping at Mauritius is not advisable unless you are looking for souvenirs or mementos to take back home. Most of the items are exorbitantly priced when compared to India. We returned back to the Resort to do a quick and final check on the baggage and then bid a teary farewell to the wonderful Resort and the friendly staff. Who would not like to come back again and be their Guest…

Useful Tips:

  • Change the currency at the Airport itself since you have better chance of getting better rates  here than in the City. One Mauritian Rupee is equivalent to Indian Rupees 2.50. Naturally the Mauritian rupee is very strong against the Indian currency. The cost of living is also very high at Mauritius. Carry Euros which are more widely accepted than US$ or 1000 rupee Indian notes to change them to Mauritian Rupee or MUR.
  • Air Mauritius operates once in a week from Chennai/Bangalore on Tuesday and hence you need to plan a trip for one week only unless you want to return via Mumbai or Delhi
  • It is advisable to book through a reputed travel agent since you get better deals through them. I booked through Hammock Holidays, Bangalore, which offered me a package at a cost I could not resist
  • As mentioned, the cost of living is very high at Mauritius. Please pack some Indian food items or Ready to eat food items in your check-in baggage. Water is very expensive at Mauritius. Please stock up at a Supermarket and try not to buy at the Resort you are staying. Luckily there was Popo’s Supermarket some 1 mile away from the Resort.
  • In the Resort, everything is expensive. For example a half litre bottle of water costs MUR 70 or INR 170. The same goes with beverages like beer, wine etc.. If you want to cut down these expenses, just walk down to any supermarket nearby and buy bottled water, Beer cans or junk food.
  • Most of the Resorts offer Half Board packages that include Breakfast and Dinner. However for lunch you need to pay. Even if you try small Restaurants the cost of food is very expensive.
  • Carry sun protect lotion to avoid burning of skin. Also carry Sun glasses, a hat and beach slippers. During quad biking ensure you do not wear white or your best dress.
  • For all kind of water sports activities, gents can wear shorts and T-shirts. Swim Suit is not a must for water sports activities.
  • Most of the Resorts do not allow Gents to wear shorts or sleeveless T Shirts for dinner buffet or at the Lobby.
  • Wifi and Internet access is also expensive at the Resort (MUR 100 for 30 mins) and it is not free anywhere
  • Some people buy local SIM for making calls back to India. I felt using the International roaming facility is as much expensive as this SIM option
  • Direct tipping is not encouraged and the staff too do not expect any tips for the service rendered. However every Resort has a Tip Box at the Reception. You can drop your tips here.
  • People are very warm and friendly and try to speak with them in Hindi to elicit better response. Most of the people are ethnic Indians and have maintained their cultural identity. They love everything Bollywood.


Photographs:


Acknowledgements:


  • Hammock Holidays (www.hammockholidays.com) based out of Bangalore,for organizing my Tour and ensuring a great package at reasonable cost
  • Seaside Holidays (http://www.seasideholidaysltd.com/) for making sure all our tours were perfectly arranged and providing us with Guides and Drivers with a great sense of humour
  • Casuarina Resorts (www.hotel-casuarina.com) for making my stay at Mauritius so pleasant with your friendly staff and great Indian cuisine. Will visit you again soon....

About the Author:

The author, Arvind Kamath is an avid traveller and a foodie. He writes his travel blogs on http://arvind-kamath.blogspot.com. Arvind is employed with a leading US based I.T. organization and has more than 20+ years of experience behind him. He has travelled a lot partly due to his work assignment and the rest with his family on holidays. He hopes to come out of his corporate lifestyle very soon and start a venture in travel and living. His wife Anita and son Anish also love travelling with him. He can be reached on arvindakamath@gmail.com




Date Visited: 25th October 2011 to 1st November 2011

Hurricane Ridge visit October 2011

Whenever we Sequim residents have visitors, we share with them the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula like Crescent Lake and Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge is attracting more visitors on their Sequim vacation after funds were raised last year to keep Hurricane Ridge open all year round 24/7. This is a big commitment for the Olympic National Park and the responsible authorities. Port Angeles and Sequim businesses expect more visitors this winter from skiers, snow-shoers and hikers to visit winter wonderland at the Ridge.

Sightseeing platform at Lodge
On our first Sequim vacation in September 2005, we encountered the first snow of the season on Hurricane Ridge. It was funny to see people in flipflops and shorts walking around in the snow. No snow this week though, and it's already end of October. We had paid attention to the general weather forecast for the Peninsula for this week and figured Tuesday would be a nice day to have some sun on our visit to Hurricane Ridge.

Keoki viewing Olympic Mountains from Lodge
Before driving up, we checked with the daily Hurricane Ridge weather and street update 360-565-3131, which we definitely recommend to everybody to call who plans a visit to the Ridge. At 9am the fog was still hanging over Hurricane Ridge and the streets still had a bit of ice. We postponed to 2pm.

Our walk past skilift area
When arriving at the Visitors' Center, we double checked the Hurricane Ridge webcams whose images are now available there on good size monitors. Great for visitors who are still uncertain whether it's worthwhile driving up to the Ridge. The webcam images looked promising and we made our way up to Hurricane Ridge through some low hanging clouds into beautiful sunshine. No winds blowing which is very rare on Hurricane Ridge. We walked around to enjoy the views, sat a bit in the sun and took some photos. Please, enjoy our latest Hurricane Ridge photos.

Hurricane Ridge Lodge
Enjoying sun + views on Hurricane Ridge

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Nordics Diary

Swedish experience


When I was asked to travel to Malmo on business, I did not even know such a place existed on the globe. Is it in Denmark or Sweden ….. that was the question before me. I had never travelled to the Nordics before and hence my ignorance could be excused. I later found out that Malmo is a seaside town located at South West Sweden, just 20 miles from Copenhagen as the crow flies, but about 400 miles from Stockholm. Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and Gothenburg with a population of just under 0.3million.

I entered Sweden through Copenhagen airport since it was the nearest International airport to Malmo. The train ride from Copenhagen airport to Malmo was really breathtaking. The 20 minutes ride consists of 15 minutes on the Öresund Bridge which links the 2 Nordic Nations. The Öresund Bridge was opened in the year 2000 and offers a new road and rail connection between Denmark and Sweden. It is considered to be one of the greatest structural achievements in Europe, across the Baltic Sea.


After checking in at the Hotel, I ventured out for a long bicycle ride which was offered free of charge by the Hotel. I was glad to see people use bicycles extensively on the roads. This way I could cover all the major landmarks at Malmo, pedalling across the city. The Turning Torso building caught my attention immediately. It is the tallest skyscraper in Sweden and the Nordic countries. Upon completion in 2005, it was the tallest residential building in the European Union. Its unique structure cannot be missed since it resembles twisted cubes. The strong chilly windy conditions aborted my journey after seeing this structure.

Next day I was told that I need to move out of Malmo and set up base at Helsingborg since the client I was visiting scheduled meetings there. Helsingborg is considered to be the fastest growing town in Sweden with a population of just under 0.2 million. This beautiful seaside town has a history dating more than 1,00 years and is today the eighth largest city in Sweden. I loved the open boulevards and vast greenery of this small town. The Hotel where I stayed offered spacious rooms with kitchen facility overlooking the Gardens. Since the timing of the visit was just right (mid August), I could keep the windows open for fresh and unpolluted oxygen. I the mornings, I often ventured out for brisk walk in the gardens and once I bumped into an old structure, which looked like an historic monument The building was a medieval fortress named Kärnan located right in the city centre. It seems this tower like building stood guard for over 600 years and witnessed the change from being a Danish controlled city to a modern city in Sweden. This beautiful town has history written all over the place what with majestic statues and castle like structures dotting the landscape.

One can easily sight the nearest sea side town located at Denmark from Helsingborg on a clear and sunny day. On a lazy Saturday afternoon I decided to make a day trip to Copenhagen, which is the nearest capital city from Helsingborg. One has to take a ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingor which is just 20 minutes ride and then a train journey to Copenhagen for another 45 minutes. The ferry ride by large passenger cum cargo ships is not ordinary. It has duty free shopping facility, casino, entertainment zones and large open decks to enjoy the ride. Copenhagen is a big change for those who come from the smaller Swedish towns due to more traffic, a crowded environment and more buzz. I had no time to visit the Palace and Tivoli, a world famous family amusement park in the heart of the city. I rather chose to take a canal boat ride to enjoy the great city. Copenhagen is in fact a city of canals, which links every nook and corner of the city. I was overawed to see old and modern buildings rubbing shoulders with each other and must say, this city is an Architect’s delight. The Black Diamond building, which houses the Royal Library is a beautiful structure that should not be missed. The older buildings dating back to 17th or 18th century still look grand and majestic. Copenhagen is the birthplace of Calsberg and one can visit the museum dedicated to this product. The City Hall square attracts lot of people, young and old, which plays host to freelancing musicians, dancers an. After a quick tour of Copenhagen I headed back to Helsingborg. The warm sunny weather which welcomed me to this city suddenly turned cold and gray. It was time for me to return to Helsingborg. Weather is very unpredictable in this part of the world. So make hay while the sun shines.
As an Indian used to living in cities that are overcrowded and overpopulated, the cities of Sweden are a stark contrast. You can see fewer people, very less traffic and hence less pollution. People are very warm and friendly and speak good English. There are few Indian restaurants run by Sri Lankans or Bangladeshis, but worth giving them a miss since you can hardly connect them to the cuisine we are used to back home. However the locals seem crazy about Indian food especially the Spices. Herring (fish) preparation is their National Food but Sweden by itself does not have a cuisine of its own. The public transport system is just extraordinary, be it the buses or trains. They are almost always on time and ofcourse less crowded. Since the traffic is less, I hardly encountered any jams or honking on the streets. Cycles are used extensively for commuting which is also encouraged. Sweden perhaps has the highest Income tax rate structure in the world but the Government makes generous allocation of the funds towards social welfare especially on housing and medical care. Fortunately I was visiting this country in August-September timeframe which is the best period to visit Nordic countries. At the same time, people in India were rallying behind anti corruption crusader, Anna Hazare…while I was visiting a country that is at the bottom of the corruption index. In fact I was surprised that people never bribed to get things done in this country and “corruption” is a word that must not be existing in their lexicon.

Sweden, a unique country with warm and friendly people may not offer much to foreign tourists but certainly a great place to visit if you are looking at “off the beaten track” locations.


Photographs:


The photos can be viewed by copying and pasting the following into your browser:

About the Author


The author, Arvind Kamath is an avid traveller and a foodie. He writes his travel blogs on http://arvind-kamath.blogspot.com. Arvind is employed with a leading US based I.T. organization and has more than 20+ years of experience behind him. He has travelled a lot partly due to his work assignment and the rest with his family on holidays. He hopes to come out of his corporate lifestyle very soon and start a venture in travel and living. His wife Anita and son Anish also love travelling with him. He can be reached on arvindakamath@gmail.com


Date Visited: 29th August 2011 to 10th September 2011

Plan your 2012 Sequim Vacation

What about a 2012 Sequim Vacation?

If you are living in any of those hot summer states like Florida, Arizona, Texas or Pennsylvania and suffered through the 2011 double digit summer temperatures for months, why don't you plan your 2012 vacation in Sequim. Our Sequim vacation rental with a fully equipped kitchen, living room, bedroom and outdoor sitting area, where you can really sit during moderate Sequim summer temperatures.

Sequim Vacation Rental Apartment in Spring
Bell Hill View from 'Bell Hill View' Sequim Vacation Rental
You may enjoy our peaceful, upscale neighborhood next to Carrie Blake Park, Discovery Trail and a short drive to John Wayne Marina offers everything one needs for a monthly getaway in the refreshing and invigorating air from the mountains and the ocean in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. Sequim Vacation Rental amenities:

- high speed Wifi connection for your laptop
- FREE long distance phone within US and Canada
- 'Select Comfort Bed' for your best sleep at night
- comfortable lazy boy love seat in living room
- more TV and music channels than you have at home

and so many more top vacation rental amenities all for the same low monthly rate starting from $850/mo., a rate where you can stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Sequim for 4- 5 nights. OK our Sequim vacation rental doesn't have a swimming pool but SARC with pool, jacuzzi, steam + hot saunas + top scale exercise equipment is a short walk or drive away and available for affordable $49/mo. per person for your Sequim vacation.

Enjoy also all the Sequim wild life & magnificent nature during your monthly stay at 'Bell Hill View' Sequim Vacation Rental

Enjoy the views of Bald Eagles nesting on trees in and around Sequim

Bald Eagles seen at Olympic Discovery Train near Railroad Bridge
Gorgeous mountain views of Olympic Mountains when biking or walking Olympic Discovery Trail

Olympic Mountain Views from Olympic Discovery Trail

Deer roaming the hills behind our house and nibbling on our raspberry bushes

Deer behind our Sequim house
Canadian geese raising their goslings in Carrie Blake Park

Canadian Geese with their off-springs at Park pond
Hummingbirds love Sequim and our hummingbird feeder

Sequim hummingbirds

Ducks entertaining themselves and park visitors

Ducks at the pond at Carrie Blake Park

2011 Summer is over. Now it is the perfect time to plan your 2012 Sequim vacation. Our Sequim Vacation Rental is as good as it gets.

Blank Screen finally fixed in AppSender v1.8 ?!?!

I have been receiving feedback from several users that AppSender still displays a blank screen with v1.7. I been trying to fix this for some time now, but was having problems reproducing this bug. Recently, I picked up a new Android device and I was able to reproduce this bug immediately. Hopefully, this is the same bug some of my users are seeing in the field....(I hope).

After a bit of debugging, I found that following code was giving an error.

List pkginfo_list = pm.getInstalledPackages(PackageManager.GET_ACTIVITIES);

I use the PackageManager to grab a list of package installed on the device. Apparently, when there are lots of apps installed (i.e. over 200 apps), it will give the following error (in logcat).

E/JavaBinder( 2225): !!! FAILED BINDER TRANSACTION !!!

Since I don't really need to use the flag "GET_ACTIVITIES". So I simply changed it to the following (which should consume less memory):

List pkginfo_list = pm.getInstalledPackages(0);

Tada!! The bug is now fixed.

I have just released AppSender Version 1.8 on Android Market with this fix.

If anyone find any bugs, please feel free to report them to moto.android.software@gmail.com and I will try my best to fix it.

Enjoy!

Sequim reunion of Hawaii expats

Dear Sequim Town visitors, real ones or cyberspace ones,
When we moved to Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula from Hawaii in January 2006, we didn't know a soul here in Sequim but that should change soon. We found lots of kindred spirits at SARC (Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center) where Keoki started teaching his Easy Stretch class - still going strong now: Mondays + Wednesdays 10:45am at Sarc for those who live in Sequim and surrounding areas - and among the big group of Hawaiian expats, people like us who had moved to Sequim from Hawaii.



Sequim home for Hawaii reunion

The Hawaiian expat group puts a reunion together twice a year, once in summer and another one in winter during the Christmas holidays. Last Saturday we all came together for our summer luau to celebrate our lives and blessings with a great Hawaiian style pot luck luau and lots of Hawaiian music by volunteers who love to play the ukulele and other instruments.



Keoki enjoys his pot luck

Hawaiian food on Keoki's plate

Hawaiian musicians at Sequim party

What would be a Hawaiian luau without the traditional Hawaii hula?! Hula teacher Mahina and her hula halau from the Sequim Senior Center danced to their own and to all the Hawaiian expats' entertainment. Just look at their smiling faces in the photos! They tell you how we all felt: loving our lives in Sequim yet enjoying great memories of our lives in Hawaii!



Sequim Senior Center hula group

Mahina with small group of hula dancers

Mahina with her hula ladies from Sequim Senior Center



Next generation hula dancers, visiting keikis from CA

Our friend Maria grandmom of hula girls from CA

We would like to thank John and Margret Mitchel who opened their beautiful Sequim home and property for all of us and made this summer Hawaii luau party a full success with their TLC. Mahalo, Margret and John!



Margret & John our most generous hosts

John the host of our Sequim reunionYou want to move to Sequim, a Sequim vacation home is the first step to learn about life in Sequim.

AppSender BETA Version 1.7 Released...

AppSender BETA Version 1.7 is now available from Android Market

The main reason for the update was to fix the "blank screen" problem reported by new users when launching AppSender.

I have found that AppSender was functioning, but was simply taking a bit of time generating initial application list for various reason (low memory, too many apps installed...etc).

To help resolve this problem, AppSender 1.7 will now display a dialog box. Probably much nicer than looking at a blank screen. Hopefully, this will help the user see progress while waiting patiently for the app to start.



The App will now display the following next to the App name. Please note Copy Protected Apps cannot be shared.
-User Installed Application: AppSender can share these apps
-Preinstalled Application: AppSender can share these apps
-Copy Protected Application: AppSender cannot share these apps


As always, if you have experienced any bugs, it would be greatly appreciated if you can contact me at moto.android.software@gmail.com. Please include as much information as possible to reproduce the problem. I will try my best to fix it soon as possible.

Also feel free to send me feedback. I would love to hear your wish list and improve this app.

Have a great day!

Sequim Library hosts a 'Whodunit'

Dear Sequim visitors,
First things first, we really love our Sequim library. One can find almost any book there and if they don't have the book you want at our Sequim location, it's easy to order it. The Sequim library also offers book sales at least once a month where you can buy paper backs as cheap as 25cents. Perfect for getting books for going on vacation. Those who come on vacation to Sequim will like the Sequim library a lot because it also offers free Internet service.

The Sequim Library 'Whodunit' seems to be a great fun addition to the library. This past Friday night a hoard of amateur CSI'ers descended on the Sequim library to solve the mystery of who killed the book author. The library hosted this event, inviting all, young and old, to come and solve the mystery. The Sequim library was packed and we were divided into groups of 4 to 6 persons, given a clue sheet and a crossword puzzle to complete in case of ties. There was a cast of 8 characters who read from scripts detailing the storyline and slipping in clues along the way. The story mixed in locales in and around Sequim, mostly in a funny way. We were given 3 breaks to discuss our clues and to roam the library to find more clues stuck here and there.

The Friends of Sequim Library provided a table of snacks to satisfy any hunger pangs brought on by all that thinking. The evening ended as we turned in our choices of who killed the author, the motive and the weapon used. The first place team received $25 gift certificates for a local restaurant, 2nd and 3rd place received a Lotto ticket each. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Friday evening. I for one am looking forward to the next mystery to solve at the Sequim Library.

Sequim July Summer Round-up

Dear Sequim visitors,
Well, to tell you the truth, so far Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula did not really enjoy a summer, yet. The annual precipitation is already over 10" very close to our annual average of 12". Too many gray and rainy days and only sporadic days of sunshine but our Sequim vacation rental guests are so happy to escape the long lasting heat waves in AZ, TX, NM or PA. What can we say? We still feel blessed and comfortable to be able to enjoy the cooler weather in Sequim this summer when 22 states of the rest of the nation are exposed to sweltering temperatures. So what's happening this summer in Sequim?

Sequim Lavender Festival

Despite the rain during this year's Lavender Festival - long time Sequim residents told us that this is a first - I think it was a success. When I visited the new Lavender Festival in the Park on Saturday I missed a bit the vibe of the Street Fair in Fir (we had some drizzle rain then), which we enjoyed on Sunday noon. Great audience, beautiful arts and crafts. Everybody had a great time! I did not go to a farm with the tour bus but saw that the buses were crowded as usual. Yesterday I shopped at Jardin du Soleil and they told me that they had a great crowd enjoying the lavender fields and their lavender products!

Lavender Festival Street Fair vendor
You pick Berries in Sequim

The Camron Strawberry and Graysmarsh Berry Farm opened late this year in June for picking strawberries. However, since the rainy weather fruits were not really big and sweet, so u-pick strawberry season was not a big success this year. Yesterday I picked for the first time raspberries at Graysmarsh after I had picked the first sweet berries at my bushes. Raspberries obviously loved the rain. The fruits are big, juicy and sweet. Graysmarsh sells them for $2/lb I also checked their early blueberries which should be ripe for picking by the end of the week.

Graysmarsh u-pick raspberry fields
2011 Tribal Canoe Journey

When walking to SARC yesterday, where Keoki is teaching his Easy Stretch class, I noticed in Fir St next to the Sequim High School tennis courts tons of tents on the grassy area which had a sign for the'2011 Tribal Canoe Journey', which is organized by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Their colorful canoes are coming from the west while others are crossing from the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Today the canoes will paddle to Port Townsend and then head further to their gathering place at La Conner.

New Sequim Soccer Fields in Carrie Blake Park

Yes, that's what the current dirt piles on a huge 13 acre area will be in Carrie Blake Park. Before all that digging, there was 'just' grass and Canadian geese and ducks roaming around on it, bikers biking the Olympic Discovery Trail and the senior people of Sequim walking through the peaceful scenery with beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains. Looks like some people came up with the idea this area should be made into 5 large and 3 small new soccer fields. We heard of a petition so we could vote for or against this project, but we and most of our friends never saw it.

Carrie Blake Park grassy area next to Discovery Trail before soccer field project

Sign at entrance to Park that Discovery Trail is closed

Soccer field project on its way
Now we are wondering whether this new Sequim project, which is actually paid for by donations to Sequim Family Advocates, will not only be in the best interest of the 'alleged 1000 children waiting to play there' but also of the senior community of a retirement town like Sequim! How that can be accomplished will still to be seen. Another interesting question will be who will be paying for the maintenance costs for 13 acres of playground since the city of Sequim is already under financial pressure as is.

Let's hope the new Sequim soccer fields in Carrie Blake Park will be an improvement for Sequim, for the children AND the seniors and last but not least fro the wild life in Carrie Blake Park!

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