What is the biggest issue that stands between a policy and its successful delivery? Is it a lack of knowledge or ability in order to create one? Is it uncooperative or unable suppliers or intermediaries? Is it poor uptake or availability of appropriate technology systems? Or is it simply that end users either cannot or will not comply with edicts and have ways of getting around them?
Depending on your own experiences you could say one, some or all of the above but I think you might be missing something even more important. What is this something? It is what I call the three ‘P’s of internal Politics, Procedures and Processes and these have nothing to do with suppliers, intermediaries or individual travellers.
I have seen so many companies invest huge resources and money to create detailed and potentially rewarding travel programmes only to waste much benefit due to the three ‘P’s. Many of them choose not to identify this as the cause as it would not be considered ‘Politically’ correct to do so especially as the issues usually start at board level. A shame really as board level is where any rectifying needs to start.
So what am I actually saying? I believe that internal politics, inflexible procedures and lack of communication processes are the biggest road blocks when it comes to the delivery of a negotiated and delivered travel programme. I am also saying that non compliant travellers are not the biggest villains, it is more likely the messages they are receiving (or in some cases not) from much higher up the business chain of command.
Taking a closer look at any company’s board you can see why problems could occur. Rather like a herd of elephants you have the strong patriarch and around him a chain of command with different interests and abilities. Again, like any herd there is a fair amount of head butting and scheming going on. They all represent different interests from finance to sales, operations to procurement and some hold more sway than others.
Eventually these ‘band of brothers’ agree a policy. But do they really? You can be certain that there will be winners and losers but when it comes to something as emotive as travel they seem less inclined to feed their solidarity down the line. In some areas there can be a visible lack of zeal and that is all it takes to undermine a policy. Particularly when there are so many practical ways of getting around it.
Many companies end up with a policy that has been presented by procurement who are by no means top dog (or elephant!) at the board table, which is not satisfactory to all and then they have to communicate it to a sometimes incredulous work force. This is where we come to the second closely linked ‘P’ of procedures. Who is allowed to say what to whom and what are the ‘P’ for processes for doing it. How much can you or can’t you say about your decisions? How much should you justify them? How much should you mandate them?
Let us say those wise old elephants have at least given tacit support to the policy. Who is going to sponsor it and keep on the agenda as the process develops? Who is going to go to senior directors and ask them to pull their folk into line? How are those messages going to transmit through a company that, possibly, apart from payroll has no appropriate method for these types of communication?
My message to corporations is a simple one. Sort yourself out at the top. Put into place procedures and processes and only then consider the creation of a policy that is going to be committed to and enforced across the whole employee base. This will save you more than any supplier or intermediary will.
The Longest Flight Home
Sometimes all you want is your own bed in your own house, especially towards the end of a hurried and stressful business trip. I certainly felt like that as I sat in a dull lounge at Los Angeles airport waiting for them to announce the flight back to London and home.
This trip had come fast after a previous one to Sao Paulo and it had not been long ago that I had been insane enough to fly from London to Australia for a day meeting then back. My body did not know where it was and my stomach didn’t know what it wanted. Certainly not the pretzels I was absently chewing, hastened downwards by a vicious Bloody Mary.
Never mind, I thought as the call finally came, the flight would be long and I would soon be getting the sleep I craved for. To my joy they upgraded both me and a conference colleague at the gate into First Class with its flat bed seats and comfy pyjamas. This is going to be just great I thought as I walked into the dimly lit soothing cabin. I was given a glass of champagne and led to my wide and welcoming armchair.
Now I never have trouble sleeping on aircraft, never. As soon as the plane took off and reached altitude I flattened my seat, collected a few stray pillows and dived under the duvet I had found in the overhead locker. My seat was cosily positioned, on its own, at the front of the plane.
Having announced to the nearest cabin crew that I did not want drinks, dinner or any other kind of service until breakfast I donned my eye shades,slid down the seat and fell into an immediate and beautiful dreamless sleep. What seemed like only a few seconds later a great big soft something crashed on top of me. I thought I was being suffocated by a giant marshmallow until I lifted my shades enough to see that the crew had dropped the rest of the duvets on top of me.
After receiving profuse apologies I drifted off once more and this lasted about ten minutes before I woke feeling a tentative hand pressing gently but persistently on my arm. I must have jerked upright suddenly because reeling back in front of me was a scared looking steward. He was talking but I heard nothing as the engines were roaring and I had taken out my hearing aids to sleep. Just a moment I grumbled as I groped around the seat in a semi stupor searching for them. They had disapeared.
Eventually my errant aids were retrieved by using to biros from where they had lost themselves in the mechanical interior of the seat and I put them on. “Yes” I said? “Tell me sir, will you be dining with us this evening” he asked with a beguiling innocent grin. “No I bloody will not” I grunted as I tried to wrestle back my duvet that had dispersed itself while I had searched for my aids.
I was getting even more tired and emotional but thankfully I managed to drift off again. Then the screeching started. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Was I dreaming? No, too loud for that. What the hell was it? I had forgotten to take my damn hearing aids back out and every time I rolled over the compression had made them screech. Only if you wear such aids do you know how unpleasant and wakeful that sound is.
Over the next hour or so I cat napped. I thought I had been clever getting seat 1A but the reverse was true. On this 747 seat 1A is right next to a big cupboard/hanging wardrobe and this one had a sticky door. Every time anyone wanted something from there they had to yank the door which made a sharp snapping sound. Then they would rummage around like noisy mice!
By this time I was past sleeping. Desperately tired yes, able to sleep? Definitely not. I tried everything. Lying this way, lying that way, on my back, the good old foetal position, but no luck. What really annoyed me was by this time everyone else had eaten their meals and gone to sleep. I was probably the only person awake and the crew had done their amazing disapearing act they always do on night flights.
There was the sound of snoring coming from all over the cabin, especially from the small frail old lady in the seat behind. I became fascinated by her as she had a great snoring action. She was as white as a corpse and her head was thrown back. Rather like the sound of a wave rushing into shore her mouth would open and then, when it could go no further the snore would come belowing out like a great breaker. The vibrations caused her false teeth to rattle around in her mouth. Fascinating stuff if you are that desperate!
How I envied them all. I was more exhausted than the lot of them combined but my brain refused point blank to shut down. In the end I gave up trying and decided to pick a boring old film from the I.F.E. system and see if that would help me sleep. It usually works at home, I thought to myself. I selected ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ as that seemed to describe the scene pretty well.
It did not work. I got into it instead. There I was, a grown man blubbing like a child as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I think) came together. I must have looked a sad sight as an air hostess, who appeared from nowhere, must have seen me and brought over a cup of tea and a box of Kleenex tissues. Not my biggest alpha male moment and not conducive to sleep either.
By this time the flight was half over and any sleep I had snatched was not the restful type. However all that changed when the guy I was at the conference with woke up to use the wash room. “Can’t sleep”? he asked as he stretched luxuriantly. “No” I grunted. “Try these tablets, they are great” he said passing me a blister pack of pills. “Take a couple if you think you need them” he suggested. Now I do not usually take any kind of pills but I swallowed two of them out of desperation. They were high dosage Temazepam.
I fell into an immediate and spectacularly deep sleep for a very long time. In fact it was longer than the flight. Nobody could wake me. The crew tried, even the captain had a go. The old lady poked me with her knitting needle and someone tried cold water but nothing would revive me. They needed to land the aircraft but they had to do something with me first. In the end they put my seat upright and let me hang in it, bent double by the seat belt.
I was still in my drugged sleep after the plane landed and everyone else had disembarked. Eventually they got enough life out of me to manhandled me off the plane I still had my airline pyjamas on as nobody was prepared to change me! They left me in a plastic seat by the jetty along with my clothes on a hanger where I slept another two hours. At least one other plane load of passengers disembarked at that gate and walked past I heard one say “he must be drunk, disgraceful”!
I finally struggled awake, grabbed my things and ran to a toilet still dressed in my grey 'sleep suit'. Somehow I got myself to my car where I slept for another hour until I was awake enough to drive home. I got home and went to bed.
And then? I couldn’t sleep!
This trip had come fast after a previous one to Sao Paulo and it had not been long ago that I had been insane enough to fly from London to Australia for a day meeting then back. My body did not know where it was and my stomach didn’t know what it wanted. Certainly not the pretzels I was absently chewing, hastened downwards by a vicious Bloody Mary.
Never mind, I thought as the call finally came, the flight would be long and I would soon be getting the sleep I craved for. To my joy they upgraded both me and a conference colleague at the gate into First Class with its flat bed seats and comfy pyjamas. This is going to be just great I thought as I walked into the dimly lit soothing cabin. I was given a glass of champagne and led to my wide and welcoming armchair.
Now I never have trouble sleeping on aircraft, never. As soon as the plane took off and reached altitude I flattened my seat, collected a few stray pillows and dived under the duvet I had found in the overhead locker. My seat was cosily positioned, on its own, at the front of the plane.
Having announced to the nearest cabin crew that I did not want drinks, dinner or any other kind of service until breakfast I donned my eye shades,slid down the seat and fell into an immediate and beautiful dreamless sleep. What seemed like only a few seconds later a great big soft something crashed on top of me. I thought I was being suffocated by a giant marshmallow until I lifted my shades enough to see that the crew had dropped the rest of the duvets on top of me.
After receiving profuse apologies I drifted off once more and this lasted about ten minutes before I woke feeling a tentative hand pressing gently but persistently on my arm. I must have jerked upright suddenly because reeling back in front of me was a scared looking steward. He was talking but I heard nothing as the engines were roaring and I had taken out my hearing aids to sleep. Just a moment I grumbled as I groped around the seat in a semi stupor searching for them. They had disapeared.
Eventually my errant aids were retrieved by using to biros from where they had lost themselves in the mechanical interior of the seat and I put them on. “Yes” I said? “Tell me sir, will you be dining with us this evening” he asked with a beguiling innocent grin. “No I bloody will not” I grunted as I tried to wrestle back my duvet that had dispersed itself while I had searched for my aids.
I was getting even more tired and emotional but thankfully I managed to drift off again. Then the screeching started. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Was I dreaming? No, too loud for that. What the hell was it? I had forgotten to take my damn hearing aids back out and every time I rolled over the compression had made them screech. Only if you wear such aids do you know how unpleasant and wakeful that sound is.
Over the next hour or so I cat napped. I thought I had been clever getting seat 1A but the reverse was true. On this 747 seat 1A is right next to a big cupboard/hanging wardrobe and this one had a sticky door. Every time anyone wanted something from there they had to yank the door which made a sharp snapping sound. Then they would rummage around like noisy mice!
By this time I was past sleeping. Desperately tired yes, able to sleep? Definitely not. I tried everything. Lying this way, lying that way, on my back, the good old foetal position, but no luck. What really annoyed me was by this time everyone else had eaten their meals and gone to sleep. I was probably the only person awake and the crew had done their amazing disapearing act they always do on night flights.
There was the sound of snoring coming from all over the cabin, especially from the small frail old lady in the seat behind. I became fascinated by her as she had a great snoring action. She was as white as a corpse and her head was thrown back. Rather like the sound of a wave rushing into shore her mouth would open and then, when it could go no further the snore would come belowing out like a great breaker. The vibrations caused her false teeth to rattle around in her mouth. Fascinating stuff if you are that desperate!
How I envied them all. I was more exhausted than the lot of them combined but my brain refused point blank to shut down. In the end I gave up trying and decided to pick a boring old film from the I.F.E. system and see if that would help me sleep. It usually works at home, I thought to myself. I selected ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ as that seemed to describe the scene pretty well.
It did not work. I got into it instead. There I was, a grown man blubbing like a child as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I think) came together. I must have looked a sad sight as an air hostess, who appeared from nowhere, must have seen me and brought over a cup of tea and a box of Kleenex tissues. Not my biggest alpha male moment and not conducive to sleep either.
By this time the flight was half over and any sleep I had snatched was not the restful type. However all that changed when the guy I was at the conference with woke up to use the wash room. “Can’t sleep”? he asked as he stretched luxuriantly. “No” I grunted. “Try these tablets, they are great” he said passing me a blister pack of pills. “Take a couple if you think you need them” he suggested. Now I do not usually take any kind of pills but I swallowed two of them out of desperation. They were high dosage Temazepam.
I fell into an immediate and spectacularly deep sleep for a very long time. In fact it was longer than the flight. Nobody could wake me. The crew tried, even the captain had a go. The old lady poked me with her knitting needle and someone tried cold water but nothing would revive me. They needed to land the aircraft but they had to do something with me first. In the end they put my seat upright and let me hang in it, bent double by the seat belt.
I was still in my drugged sleep after the plane landed and everyone else had disembarked. Eventually they got enough life out of me to manhandled me off the plane I still had my airline pyjamas on as nobody was prepared to change me! They left me in a plastic seat by the jetty along with my clothes on a hanger where I slept another two hours. At least one other plane load of passengers disembarked at that gate and walked past I heard one say “he must be drunk, disgraceful”!
I finally struggled awake, grabbed my things and ran to a toilet still dressed in my grey 'sleep suit'. Somehow I got myself to my car where I slept for another hour until I was awake enough to drive home. I got home and went to bed.
And then? I couldn’t sleep!
Sequim Webcams
Dear Sequim lovers,
It's winter time in Sequim. And yes, we received our share of snow, 1ft. at times and were busy shoveling our garage drive ways free of the white till the warm Chinook winds took care of it and melted the snow away. For all these people who only visit Sequim in summer but still consider moving to Sequim for good sooner or later, it might be quite interesting to have a look NOW at Sequim and our webcams in Sequim. Sequim webcams show you what Sequim is like during the winter months.
Let's start with our annual Sequim Lavender Festival which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for Sequim visitors in July. With a short 1 mile drive, Purple Haze Lavender Farm is just around the corner from downtown Sequim. Visit 10 acres of organic lavender fields! The Farm Store is now closed for the season, but the Sequim downtown Purple Haze Lavender Store is open.
In 2007 the Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was a big Sequim town celebration with lots of food and entertainment and facts to hear about the history of the Dungeness Lighthouse. The Dungeness Lighthouse is at the end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural spit in the United States. When planning a beach walk (more a hike) to the lighthouse, be aware that it's 5.5 miles one way. So plan a day trip with food, water and lots of sunscreen & a hat.
More Webcams in Sequim and area around Sequim
Sequim Valley Airport Webcam
John Wayne Marina Sequim Web Cam
The Cutting Garden Sequim Web Cam
Do you know of any other Sequim web cams? Please, let us and our Sequim visitors know.
It's winter time in Sequim. And yes, we received our share of snow, 1ft. at times and were busy shoveling our garage drive ways free of the white till the warm Chinook winds took care of it and melted the snow away. For all these people who only visit Sequim in summer but still consider moving to Sequim for good sooner or later, it might be quite interesting to have a look NOW at Sequim and our webcams in Sequim. Sequim webcams show you what Sequim is like during the winter months.
Let's start with our annual Sequim Lavender Festival which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for Sequim visitors in July. With a short 1 mile drive, Purple Haze Lavender Farm is just around the corner from downtown Sequim. Visit 10 acres of organic lavender fields! The Farm Store is now closed for the season, but the Sequim downtown Purple Haze Lavender Store is open.
In 2007 the Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was a big Sequim town celebration with lots of food and entertainment and facts to hear about the history of the Dungeness Lighthouse. The Dungeness Lighthouse is at the end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural spit in the United States. When planning a beach walk (more a hike) to the lighthouse, be aware that it's 5.5 miles one way. So plan a day trip with food, water and lots of sunscreen & a hat.
More Webcams in Sequim and area around Sequim
Sequim Valley Airport Webcam
John Wayne Marina Sequim Web Cam
The Cutting Garden Sequim Web Cam
Do you know of any other Sequim web cams? Please, let us and our Sequim visitors know.
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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
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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 – Rivière 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:
The photos can be viewed by copying and pasting the following into your browser:
https://picasaweb.goo
https://picasaweb.goo
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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