Tirupati Temple

As we planned from London that when in south India it was a must to go and visit the Tirupati Temple which is the temple of Lord Venkateshwara based in the Andra Pradesh state.

Getting to know what was the most convenient way of getting to temple was a bit of a headache as everyone has there personal opinions and us guys who are not familiar to everything had decisions to make. A guy who we met at the England vs West Indies match gave a number to call, they are like a local directory and you tell them that you want to visit Tirupati on the 1100rs package which covers the journey there and back, lunch, 300rs VIP darshan and dinner. The number for anyone planning to go in th future is 00914426444444.

We got up at 4am as our minibus was going to leave at 5am, being a long journey and a long darshan wait we we're mentally prepared for everything. We met some really nice people from Kanpur, Hyderabad, Dehli and Chennai who joined us on this spiritual trip. On the way there the driver did get carried away with the a/c and it was damn cold! We visited a temple on the way to Tirumala which was very nice. Approximately 75kms from Tirumala our driver skip the signal of the crossing due to brakes not working and what better then police waiting on the side of the road. Brake failure and here was the last thing we expected to happen. Getting on a alternative vehicle we arrived at the temple with thousands of people queuing up for darshan.

There were 50rs tickets for normal queue, 300rs which was fast tracked and VIP which was for the people who come walking to the temple. We had the 300rs ticket. With thousands of devotees eagerly waiting, all coming from different states in India it was certainly an experience.

As we finally arrived for darshan, we were stunned to how amazing it was, all covered in gold and just a beautiful sight. With our tall figures we were able to get good darshan from Lord Venkateshwara. We were given 2 small ladoos for prashad but as we wanted to take some to London we had to buy a special ticket for another few not knowing what was going to happen next. We bought tickets for 6 each, as we went to the counter they gave us 6 hugeeee ladoos weighing 160g exact per ladoo,lolz!

We took some amazing pictures of the temple from outside, it was truly a amazing experience...






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Surprise fixture

With supposedly cool Kerala making me sweat away a few pounds, I was quite frightened coming to Chennai. But our surprise Chennai seemed cooler than Kerala. Maybe it was expectations of it being like a boiling pot or something, but it wasn't an distressing in terms of heat.
We settled into our hotel and headed to the stadium in hope of picking up our tickets for the Sunday match on that day, saving us a trip the following day and allowing us to do something else. We made way to the stadium, stopping for some fresh juice along the way. As we arrived at the stadium, the ticket office was closed. Not having planned anything for the day and as it was already past 5pm and not much of an idea of what the city has to offer at night we decided to stay and watch the India-West Indies match.
Security procedures for this game were nothing like we had seen at the India games. We were asked if we had any of the prohibited items, to which we obviously responded with a 'No' and were allowed to make way inside.
We settled in and watched a good game between England and West Indies and saw a brilliant Chennai crowd in action. It was amazing to see such passion for a match not including India. The fans seem more interested in dancing than the game and they seemed to be supporting both sides as everything was cheered and danced to.
Anticipation for the India game now was peaking, we could not wait for it.
We had to leave the match early as we'd heard, like all other cities in India, most places close by 11 and we wanted to get some food. Having heard about the legendary Hotel Sarvana Bhavan, we decided to make the first of many trips during our time in Chennai there.
We opted for the standard Masala Dosa, not wanting to risk eating something else in case we didn't enjoy it, and ended up ordering 2 each.

Kerala

With so much happening, blog posts are getting left behind.
Landing in Kochi we finally felt some serious heat. Everyone had been telling us Kerela would be much cooler, so we quite looking forward to it before heading to the Sauna that is Chennai.
The humidity was through the roof, to borrow a phrase from the legendary Ravi Shastri. Another thing which caught our eye and tickled us was how practically everybody was walking around in a lungi.
We had booked our hotel the night before and opted for a cheaper option as the following two days were to be spent on a houseboat. We booked a pre-paid taxi from the airport and took a 45 min drive our hotel. When we arrived our cab driver tried pulling a fast one on us and telling us it would be Rs. 30 extra; who we told to take a hike.
At first the hotel exceeded our expectations. Looked very clean and the staff were pretty helpful. We settled in, freshened up and went down to the hotel restaurant to grab some food. They seemed to be having a candle-lit dinner night; it was so dark we were unable to even read our menu and a the place was filled with dudes, it didn't exactly provide the atmosphere we were looking for while eating.
We headed off to a nearby hotel which looked to have a much better restaurant only to find the service was abysmal. We ordered our food, when it arrived one dish was missing; which they then decided to tell us was unavailable. Things got worse from there. We ordered another dish with naan. The naan arrived within 5 minutes but the dish was not to be seen for another 30 mins.
After a 2 hour meal, we decided to go for a walk in search of a juice bar. Walking down the dark streets, we encountered a fright - Giant cockroaches walking around all over the place. I've seen cockroaches before, but these were 4-5 times the size of any I'd ever seen before. Having had our fresh pineapple juice, we hurried back to our hotel in fear of getting attacked from one of these cockroaches. Settling in our room, we put our feet up where we were given another fright, there were 3 of these cockroaches in our room. Being the men we are, we jumped onto the bed and called room service, who were kind enough to change our room.
The following day we went in search of a houseboat. We arrived at the boat jetty and started bargaining the price of our stay. The original quoted price was Rs. 7000 per night, we were quite pleased with ourselves to get the price down to below Rs. 5000 per night and yet felt we were probably still getting ripped off.
Our mood quickly changed as the boat set off and made its way into the backwaters.
The sight is something so beautiful, something difficult to put into words. So instead of writing a 1000 words on it, just have a look at this pic.












The whole journey provide us with exquisite sites and having heard Kerala is known as God's own country, its not difficult to see why.
One of the things we wanted to get done while in Kerala was an ayurvedic massage. But being on a houseboat for 2 nights and flying out to Chennai when we got back, we thought it wouldn't be possible, but to our surprise the boat stopped at a place along the way which offered them.
We opted for the full body massage, not fully knowing what would be in store for us.
As I went into the massage room, the masseuse asked me to remove my clothes. I stripped down to my underwear, when he tied a string around my waist and tucked in a slim cloth to the front and then proceeded to tell me to remove my boxers; which made me slightly uncomfortable, but had to go along with it *eek*
The massage was an amazing experience; the holiday til then had been quite tiring and Kerala was to be a break from it all. Muscles were relaxed, mind was fresh and we were ready to enjoy more of the back waters and the cool breeze as we went along it.
The boat ported near some village for the night and then it got boring, with no entertainment on board apart from our phones which wouldn't receive a signal from inside our room and all other parts of the boat swarming with mosquitoes we weren't left with much else to do but fall asleep. At least that's what we thought. We had managed to get an hours kip before the power from the boats generator failed us and the A/C went; The next thing we knew, we were up, covered in sweat. This happened about 6 times through the night and the relaxation we had hoped for in Kerala was not to be.
The following morning we told the captain, this is unacceptable and we want to go back. As we arrived back on port, our agent (who we booked the boat through) arrived and was telling us we won't be getting a full refund for the one night we wouldn't be staying, but through some stubborn arguing we managed to get our refund and a small discount for the unpleasant night we had spent there.
We checked into a hotel for our final night in Alleppey and to our surprise it had a rooftop pool. As it was mid-afternoon we decided to head to the beach and we could take a dip in a pool later.
The heat in Kerala wasn't something we had experienced so far in India, so our stay at the beach was drastically reduced. As we returned to the hotel, we decided to cool off in the pool and luckily there was nobody else around, so it turned into a 2 hour session of bombing in the pool












Having spent the morning and early afternoon arguing for a refund and checking into a hotel, we didn't manage to have a meal, so when we went to get some food that evening we ended up ordering for 4 people. But the food at the hotel was divine and we actually managed to finish it all.
Kerala had its ups and downs. Even though we had some disappointing moments, I'd still recommend it to anyone visiting India. Some of the sights are out of this world, beauty you only see on postcards.

On our final night we had asked the hotel concierge to find out what times the trains would be going back to Ernakulam from where we could grab a taxi to the airport. As we arrived for breakfast in the morning we found the trains would be leaving too late for us to make it to Ernakulam on time. So we had to rush to the bus stand with our luggage trailing behind us. After a strenuous search for a bus heading to Ernakulam; as every bus that came was packed out and with us carrying plenty of luggage it was impossible to get on. Luckily we found a coach with a manic driver who, I think had a death wish as he raced to the the location driving on both sides of the road even with oncoming traffic.
As we made it to Ernakulam, we found our bus would be going towards the airport, but it would be waiting for at least 30 mins at Ernakulam before leaving and us racing against the clock to make our flight. We decided we'd have to catch an autorickshaw to the airport.
Having paid an extra Rs. 300 to get the autorickshaw we were left quite disappointed as we reached the airport, the bus we were originally on drove past us

Am I dreaming?

Since planning this trip, as much as we were looking forward to experiencing watching the world cup in India, there was one other thing we couldn't wait to see. Even though we were going to miss Nagpur, knowing we were going onto Kerala - 'Gods own country' next made it a lot easier.
We got dropped off to the airport and as we were having our luggage screened we noticed a unique blue, plastic case with something printed on it. On closer inspection, we realised the printed text read 'Board of Control for Cricket in India - Mahendra Singh Dhoni'
'OMG That's Dhoni's luggage' I said to Chigs before a failed attempt at sneaking a pic of it. 'Are the Indian players flying out today?'. 'Is Dhoni flying somewhere on his own?' - 'No he can't be going elsewhere in the middle of the tournament'. 'Is his luggage flying separately?' Were some of the thoughts going through our head.
We quickly scanned the flights flying out from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Airport and there was no flight out to Chennai (location of India's next game). Not knowing whether he'd be there or not, we crossed our fingers and completed all necessary security checks.
As we were waiting to board the plane, two young kids along with a familiar face appear. The face belonged to Gary Kirsten, we quickly shot up out of our seats, pulled out the camera and asked him if we could have a quick snap, he happily obliged. As we were taking pics with him, others saw and within seconds there was a crowd around him. Gary was patient and happily took pictures with everyone who approached him. This made our hopes of being on the same flight as the Indian team increase, but the pessimist in me didn't allow the hopes to get too high. We decided to wait around till the last moment, just in case they do turn up after everyone else has boarded. We waited and waited til there was nobody else left and then had to go. As we were boarding the plane I asked the air hostess if MS Dhoni was on the flight and she answered in the affirmative. For some reason my doubts were not fully removed, maybe from my experience in India I've found Indians rarely say no to anything.
So we took our seats and noticed the front of the plane was empty. And then it happened, one by one they entered the plane. There was Munaf Patel, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth. We later found out the other players were leaving on the following day. People started to get up to collect autographs and pictures, but were told to remain seated as we were about to lift off. We decided as soon as it was safe to walk down after lift off we'd head to the front; when that moment came, we went only to find out all bar Virat Kohli had gone to sleep, who was playing darts on his iPad. What a disappointment. They remained asleep through the whole flight which was just over an hour long. As were seated at the back of the plane, we got off from the back exit, while the players exited from the front exit. We got out just in time to see them all and take pictures, though security didn't allow us to get too close to them, but I was happy with the pics we got.
We had a 6 hour wait for our connecting flight to Kerala, enough time to tell everyone about what had just happened

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Yes time can really fly

Starting this journey our aim was to blog on a daily basis, but traveling and enjoying ourselves has usually left us sapped of energy to write about the day especially when it takes a good hour to type up on a mobile.
Now traveling from Cochin to Alapuzzha seems a good time to try and catch up on missed days.
Arriving to Nagpur from a arduous train journey, where keeping an eye out for luggage thieves doesn't allow for a peaceful sleep meant that day was going to be easy going.
We got to the apartment if our friend, freshened up and put our feet up. Being in Nagpur you see the vast difference between Nagpur and anywhere in Gujarat. It's a lot cleaner, you don't find dust flying everywhere. Being tired and with India-South Africa playing the next day we called it a night a bit early.
Kyazoonga have been quite pathetic through out the tournament and that wasn't to be the end of it. En route to the stadium I was checking my email and found an email from kyazoonga which I received the night before telling us the tickets were to be collected from the old VCA Stadium, something which had not been made clear to us earlier. Had I not checked my email we would never have been able to make it to the new stadium, back to the old and finally back to the new stadium in time for the match.
Arriving at the stadium we were expecting a long wait like Bangalore, but common sense prevailed somewhere along the way and all gates were open unlike the 1 at Chinnaswamy.
It was early afternoon and getting pretty hot, so we bought some drinks and went to park our behinds only to find out we had to finish our drinks before we entered!!
Booking our seats for this match, we went for some in the higher range expecting better views, but we ended up in the hospitality section and what a downer that was. The stand was full of rich tossers who couldn't give a shit about the cricket and were only there coz someone got them tickets to suck up to them or just to show their faces as it was the place to be. Continuous efforts to get the crowd chanting to boost our players failed. Never again. With tickets for the Semi-Finals in the hospitality section, I'm hoping someone will wanna switch with us.
A disappointing game which too many failures on India's part led me to believe choking is contagious.
Though another Sachin Tendulkar 100 provided some joy on an overall disappointmenting day.
In search of food after the match we headed to Hotel Centre Point and it seemed many others had done the same, as the restaurant was packed out.
Dinner was brilliant and mocktails were refreshing, even though the service was a bit slow.
Food in Nagpur was divine, the following night we ate at Raj Darbar which was just as scrumptious. So from my limited stay in Nagpur I conclude Nagpur has the best food

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Spin Dilemma

So Dhoni shocked everyone on Wednesday by persisting with Chawla against Netherlands after hits dismal performances through out the tournament. After his lackluster outing vs Ireland, nobody could justify Chawla's selection again in the tournament. Everyone was sure Chawla had bowled himself out of the tournament, but during the toss against Ireland, Dhoni stunned the world with Chawla's inclusion. What was even more baffling was the reason given for Chawla's inclusion.
Dhoni feels Chawla needed this game more than Ashwin as he is not as mentally strong. It will provide him an opportunity to rebuild his confidence. Now let's see how many things are wrong with this line of thinking.
Firstly the match is being played vs Netherlands, hardly a champion team vs spin, so even if Chawla had a half decent game, it wouldn't really mean much and how would he feel about bashing a minnow side?
Chawla has been playing cricket for many years now, he has also played for India many years back. If a player with this much experience is still mentally weak, he isn't cut out for international cricket. And since when do teams use world cup games allbeit against a minnow side as a confidence-gaining exercise.
Now Ashwin, who is the other spinner in the squad and the one most likely to take Chawla's spot, how is this fair on him, he's not being provided with a chance to get some match practice, so when he'll be quite under-prepared when he does play. Chances are he'll play against West Indies at his home ground in Chennai, but I feel he also needs to play against South Africa too. One game in his home conditions won't do him much good.
Another concern is our supposed wicket-taking, strike bowler Harbhajan Singh. It seems he can't buy a wicket these days and we're having to rely on part timers to take wickets for us. Dhoni believes its because teams look to play him out which makes it difficult to get wickets, which you would've thought if you hadn't watched him bowl, where we see how defensive he has become as a bowler. For me he's in the team to take wickets, not contain the batsmen and then hope he can build enough pressure for others to take wickets.
Someone needs to inform him taking wickets will automatically control the scoring rate.
Team India needs to re-assess their strategies because a decent side could play Bhaji out and smash the part timers instead of getting out to them


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Location:SH255,Nagpur,India

Rajkot to Nagpur

Having booked planes for most of our journey (9 internal flights) we felt we could save some money somewhere and travel via train from Rajkot to Nagpur; a 21 hour journey.
The tickets were booked in 2 Tier AC, supposedly the best you can get on the trains.
Departure time of the train was 10:45am, but we had found out earlier it had been delayed and would be arriving at 6:30pm, so we arrived at the station a tad earlier and sat about waiting.
When the train finally arrived at 7:20pm there was a mad rush to get on, like the train was about to leave in 10 seconds, but we were soon to find out, it was due to everyone getting their luggage on and under their seats.
As we got on with our luggage, finding a place to put it all became quite a challenge. We ended up stuffing it where we could, forced to keep a small suitcase near our feet. With parts of our luggage all over the place, keeping an eye on it becomes increasingly difficult. And with bags near our feet, getting any sleep on a bed designed for the average Indian (a lot shorter than the either of us) is another thing to worry about.
Everyone we spoke to advised us against taking the food provided on the train because its rubbish, so we were resorted to bringing along dry snacks such as crisps, biscuits, nuts, etc. As the last thing we wanna do is travel in India with hot food. But their were others who didn't mind that and I guess experience of traveling on this route before has taught them what they can bring and can't bring. From the moment we got on there were these ladies who pulled out their munch. Thepla's, yogurt, chevdo, sambharo, pickles, kajupak. Also along the journey at about 2 the train stops in a small town where the daughter of one of the lady lives, so she was on the phone ordering her lunch to be dropped off on the train for them.
Coming onto the staff on train, the attitude of the guy, even while talking to elderly people, no respect or manners, seeing that kind of behavior you'd be thinking if this guy spoke to me like that, a smack across the mouth would be in order.
The train reached Surat at 4am where a bunch of people got on, so if you managed to get an iota of sleep, you'd be woken up again by the ruckus caused
Looking back on thus trip, it may be half the price, but in my opinion definitely not worth the hassle.

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92.7 FM

So yesterday while being dropped off to Dr. Yagnik Road, Rajkot we were listening to a Gujarati radio station, which we found was the favorite radio station of Michael Hussey. Yeh he actually said my favourite radio station.
Now I see Indian players pretty much endorse everything, especially M.S. Dhoni who's face you can't travel a kilometre without seeing, but this one has to take the cake. You could believe Dhoni or any of the others actually use the products they're endorsing, but how is anyone going to believe M. Hussey actually ever has tuned onto that station

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Been too long

Cricket season doesn't last too long and it comes at a time when everything else is going on from marriages, engagements, etc. So the time spent playing is further reduced.
So not touched bat and ball since September last year. We wanted to make sure we get to play some cricket on the chaupati maidan come Sunday morning. This is where Jaidev Unadkat would come to play his cricket as a youngster, not that he is much older now.
Prior to arriving on Porbandar, I had called up my uncle and told him to make sure a fixture has been arranged for the week we'll be there. He told me not to worry as he doesnt miss a single week.
6:45 and my uncle comes to wake us up. We get ready and head out to the ground. I'm sure you have a picture in your mind of what our cricket match looked like, but this was totally different.
The stumps are set up on an extremely dusty and gravel-filled surface. And we set about getting some practice to get used to the conditions and quickly realise this isn't like the cricket we play back home. The ball is a hard ball made of rubber with a lot of bounce and the surface doesn't help much; a surface which could be mistaken for a sheet of corrugated metal.
We set up our strip and on either side there are other teams setting up their strips. As the teams put their fielders out, you quickly see this is going to lead to a lot of confusion and possibly injures. With matches going on all around you balls would come flying in from all angles. But we took our chances.
We got off to a great start having the opposition 4-5 in 3 overs.
Just then what we feared happened; the batting teams players all sit at the backward point position while waiting to bat. A ball come flying in from a nearby game and struck him on the eye causing a great deal of pain, as you can imagine after being struck by something that weighs about 150g. Luckily for him, there are people selling pouches of cold water which he was able to keep on his eye, to prevent it swelling up.
We went out there with no rules explained to us, so we were stunned and confused as we went along the game and found there are no LBWs, byes and leg byes don't count, the opposition will call you for wides on anything that isn't in line with the stumps.
Having bowled out the opposition for 58, we set out to bat and that's where you see how difficult it is to bat, the ball doesn't travel anywhere unless its smashed from the middle of the bat and you can't tell who the fielders are amongst the 100s of people playing.
Overall a great experience. Looking at what part this type of cricket plays in the development of Indian cricket; firstly the fielding, along the ground, as the surface it jagged, you can't easily attack the ball, you can't dive as you'd just cut yourself up. Catching can be just as difficult as a rubber missile travelling at speed slaps into your hands hard.
Batting allows for 2 kinds of big shots pulling anything short as it sits up and drilling straight anything pitched right up, everything else is very hard to get away.
While bowling its about bowling good lengths, could be a reason why India doesn't produce out and out pacers.

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Stresses of Darshan

One would associate feelings such as peace and tranquility when doing for darshan. The time when you can make that one-to-one connection. But going mandir in India is quite a different story.
Firstly there's the intense security. Which is understandable, after the attack on Akshardham in 2002 security at all holy sites were beefed up (not the best choice of words, but you get the point); obviously to protect the worshipers, but also to ensure retaliation isn't necessary as it would be disastrous for a country which seems to have reached a stage where people are more understanding of others beliefs.
Today we made a trip to Somnath, as you pass the gates, you arrive at a police check point, your bags are passed through an xray machine and yourself through a metal detector; something which could be easily mistaken for boarding a plane if not for the extreme heat and the flock of people selling flowers for offerings
Having passed that; you're informed to leave your bags, mobiles and shoes at the designated locker rooms.
That all is understandable, but things were taken further as we're asked to remove our belts; not being one to boast, but having lost a bit of weight recently the belt has become a necessity rather than a fashion statement. So it become quite a struggle to take more than 3 steps without having to pull my jeans up.
As you get closer and step into the mandir you are required to pass through another metal detector, finally followed by a frisking and you're finally allowed to enter. But just when you feel you're done with all the the hassles and its time to finally get your worshipping done, you're pushed along and hurried out.
So going back to the start, for something which people do for clearer thought and a happier life, it can be quite a stressful experience.
Ranting over, I must comment on how beautiful a temple and its surroundings are. It's a must see - after making your way out after all that you find yourself over looking the sea, hearing the waves coming in and feeling a pleasant breeze on a hot day quickly relaxes you

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A visit to Diu

After a good night sleep, today was something we were much looking forward to. A nice hot cup of tea to kickstart the day and we were off to destination DIU! For information on Diu please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diu
it is also known as mini Goa by locals. A beautiful hot day and clear blue skys..We took a rickshaw which is only 6km from Delvada, but travelling though roads damaged through excessive use and rain it does seem like a 20km journey as you bounce along in the back of a rickshaw but it's always a good experience.

We entered the big gates of Diu early afternoon and at this point the sun was really beating down and we were beginning to feel it. First we went to some of the local attractions; the fort which is many years old with it's own mini Alcatraz, the church, church museum, Sunset Point and the lighthouse, all of which provdied good opportunity for some holiday snaps. Gangeshwar Mahadev was the place I was eagerly waiting to go to, with 5 natural shiv lings which have existed there since forever. We seeked blessings after a good few hours enjoying the attractions nothing better then going off to Nagoa Beach, the main beach in Diu! As we got to Nagoa beach a corn on the cob with some chilli and lemon was ideal, the sun beating down and everyone having a pleasant time. A quick few snaps in the sea with crashing waves and then off to play high throw catching which was briiliant. Not to forget writing messages in the sand for close loved ones, friends and family.





After all that what more the going to a boat restaurant on the edge of the sea, a beautiful view of the bridge and a lovely meal. After a tiring day, on the way home we sat in a rickshaw with 15 people, some of them hanging out, squashed, you can call it what you want but you just have to adapt here.


Got home, a quick shower and then realise the amount of mosquito bites on my leg..won't believe it but 34!:-( I think the love the foreign blood, as the journey continues I'm sure wel have alot more fun and they'll have alot more of me!

Goodnight...


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Diu

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Journey to Delvada

As we landed in Ahmedabad from
Bengaluru, our dear friend recieved us from the airport. Immense heat of 37deg in the afternoon, all the locals covering for shade and myself standing out in the sun enjoying the heat! We went to book our Diu (Saurastra) sleeping coach tickets and have no luck in one place as seats would not have been ideal; from local advice do not sit/sleep at the back of the coach and or over the tyres as you will have the bumpiest ride of your life!

We booked single sleepers for myself and Kishan, a long 8-9 journey awaits us tonight at 10pm! Our friend then took us to meet his friend circle, about 5 of them sitting, having tea, smoking and makes you think don't these guys have anything to do in life, but what you see is not the case..these guys are living it large, they are all involved in properties and land making big bucks just over the phone. They were all very shocked to see that 2 Londoners have travelled to India specially for the cricket world cup and why living in UK
and supporting India???
Before leaving Ahmedabad, our friend took us to a very well known Paun Bhaji (vegeterian speciality) joint to fill our stomachs. Watching the food being made is not a good idea. They use butter like It comes from a tap; seeing that makes you think twice but once you take that bite you all worries quickly vanish !lol.

Evening hits and time to say goodbyes to friend and his family; we were very well looked after by this lovely family. We get to the coach stand, 10pm expected coach time but arrives at 11pm..nothing unusual about that!

It's called a sleeping coach - either we have a different understanding of the word sleeping or it would help us sleep, but the driver decided to blast some bollywood tunes through the stereo.
Finally when you manage to block out all background noise and doze off you hit some very bumpy roads. The coach bounces along the road and you bounce around in your bed. It felt like my insides were turning to mush.

We arrived at Delvada earlier than scheduled; got dropped off outside my house. It was a delight to see and meet family after 2 years. Both of us were shattered so nothing better than a good nap under the fan..
Woke up early afternoon, a nice hot masala chai and bhakri was an ideal way to properly start the day. The heat was extreme, everyone here says the weather has just changed today..I guess we brought the Ahmedabad heat with us :-) Kishan had a quick haircut and then a stroll through the village, cows guarding the roads, locals sitting by cold drink shops so laid back, paan shops busy as always and vehicles beeping away on the main road.

Even if it's a hot day, there was always time to play some cricket. A bumpy, dusty surface, handmade cricket bat, rubber ball. Very quickly a bunch of local kids arrived and we had fielders, though after a while it got a bit chaotic with everyone running after the ball wherever it went. It wasnt the ideal way to get ready for the cricket season with 3CAPS when we get back but maybe it helped in some way :p,lol.






After a long day sisters ensured that they will keep us awake till late night, so a quick trip to the shops to buy some ice creams and paan and we headed up to the terrace. They decided to play Antakshri, not a good idea as neither of us know how to sing but still had a good laugh attempting to. Talking about life in London, girlfriend and reminiscing about the past. The mosquitos must have come to know we're outsiders as it seems we were the only ones who felt thier wrath. Our feet were covered with bites, not a good sight!

Time to call it a night now!
Goodnight..


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Location:SH 98,Delvada,India

A thrilling debut in India

Finally after a long few days we managed to get in more than 5 hours sleep, only to be woken up by the arrival of breakfast.
Being in South India, I opted for the local choice of masala dosa as well as coffee with crossaints and a danish pastry, which turned out to be a banana flavoured muffin. Bar the downfall, breakfast was enjoyable; maybe that was due to the 1st proper breakfast we had.
After finding out the day before we're hot targets for the hustling rickshaw drivers, we had the hotel staff hail our rickshaw. Every vehicle was packed with cricket fans heading to the stadium, which added to the excitement.
Half a mile from the stadium we saw a massive queue, and just hoped that wasn't the queue to get inside; but to our disappointment it was.
As our rickshaw driver dropped us to the entrance dropped us at the entrance and the back of queue half a mile back, we didn't quite know what to do. Rather than stress on that, we got into the spirit of watching cricket in India and had the tricolor painted on our faces.
Then come out the Indian-ness in us, as Chirag decided we're not waiting in queue and someone needs to be bribed to cut in. And it worked. A bit hypocritical on our part, but hey we were just trying to get in the local spirit!
After a shortened wait in the queue (if you can call 45 mins that) we finally make it to the gate to be frisked 2 times and go through another 2 check points.
We settled into our seats, in Stand H, which was for all those who had their tickets from Kollotta transferred over, though the view didn't allow us a sight of the replay screen. An unattended, open gate provided an opportunity to sneak into the adjacent stand to which we had no hesitation in grabbing.
We watched England train, waiting in anticipation for the boys in blue to turn up - well they're actually the boys in red during training sessions.
Contrary to popular belief that Munaf is a lazy cricketer, he actually turned up for training half an hour before the rest of the team. We got our first taste of the noise an Indian crowd can make when the little master himself stepped out to the middle.
Ground was pretty much packed out by the time the match started. After the nervous start it was a treat to watch the master at work. The way he took to Englands 2 key bowlers was a reminder of the 90's. Each stroke was greeted with a roar that sent a tingle down the spine.
India looked in total control, through out their innings. I felt we could have attacked a bit earlier with the batsmen in the hut and if we did lose wickets, the batsmen coming in would have had more time to get their eye in. At the end it seemed like India got complacent thinking they had done enough to put the score out of England's reach -possibly over-rated our bowling attack.
The break provided an opportunity to get something to eat and drink - its hard enough trying to get something at a sporting event, but when there is no order and a communication problem, it becomes a nightmare.
England came out to bat with the right intent and straight away put India on the backfoot, unimaginative field placings and unwillingness to attack didn't help the cause. England kept up with the run rate the whole way, never allowed India to build any pressure, continuously picking up boundaries every over.
If England didn't take the batting powerplay they would have cruised to victory. The bowling was non-threatening, especially Chawla who dropped the ball short on a regular basis. Zak bowled quite beautifully in his come back spell, knocking out the 2 set batsmen in successive deliveries, sending the crowd ecstatic.
It was quite disappointing to see the crowd drop their shoulders and any attempt to get them going didn't help. Only the wickets changed their mood.
As good as Sachin's innings was, Strauss was on another level, the ease with which he played the Indian bowling was spectacular viewing even though we were at the receiving end. Though I must say the ball seemed to be coming on a bit better in the 2nd innings.
The Bell LBW review left the crowd quite confused - from screaming and dancing to being brought back down to earth in a matter if seconds and it just felt like nothing was going our way; my phone was switched off but I had to switch it on and whatsapp Paras to find out what had happened.
Don't know if I was happy it sad with the result, there were times when England had it in the bag and times we had it secured. India need to look at their bowlers and make sure we go in with the right combination in future games.
With heavy crowds leaving the stadium and heavy traffic, another 2km walk was in order and a wrong turn turned that into 3km.
Everything supposedly closes at 11 in Bangalore, so chances of getting any food looked slim, until we passed a KFC, the less said about the service, the better it is. But they had some awesome drinks on the menu.
Preparing to go next morning, we packed our bags and caught up with everyone and before we knew it, it was 3am

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Namma Namma Bengaluru

As the excitement was building up with our first visit to Bengaluru, we needed some rest after an exhausting day but that wasn't to be the case as our dear friend who was bragging that he can stay awake for 24hrs etc. and goes for his DAILY 5.30am walks couldn't stop talking, not to forget we had to wakeup 6.30am for our flight.
As we wakeup and got ourselves ready..we were under the impression that our friend was out for his morning walk, only to find out he was still SLEEPING!!!

As we made way to the Airport, we were a little tense about whether we'd make it there on but we managed to arrive at the airport and check-in for our flight in time. When in actuality we got there in good time, really good time. After checking in we spotted something familiar; A Subway concession and a Paneer Tikka Sub had to be had; which wasn't as great as expected, but did the job, what i'll remember is the best tea I've ever had, remember the name "WAGH BAKRI CHAI" I smacked 3 cups,lolz! Boarded the plane, cramped seats with our long legs, every local person having a nap and a smooth journey to Bengaluru!

BENGALURU!!! We come out of the airport and could just feel the India vs England hype building up, plenty of Londoners, Barmy army and British born Indian fans strolling around, with posters and official world cup merchandise being sold outside the airport. Time to get a cab to our Shilton Suite hotel, all the local taxi drivers hounding us in an attempt to hustle us. we don't look that foreign,COMONNN! They were giving us double the price but with my bargaining skills managed to push it right down (probably still got ripped off,lolz) We get to the hotel after an hours drive, check in at reception and with a suprise in store we get our room upgraded for free to luxury suite, oi oi! Lovely room and all is well...

A look at the room, drop off our bags and straight back out, time to get the big match tickets! We get to the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a queue waiting to pickup tickets, sun beating down and prepared for a long wait! We met people from London, Essex, Leeds, Blackpool and Southampton..everyone had there own stories and plenty of complaints about KyaZoonga who are the official ticketing company, very unorganised i must say! There was a guy from Leeds who was telling everyone that he got robbed while collecting tickets for an earlier game. He got caught out with the old nudge and grab. There was various journalists and interviewers around, they all wanted us guys to give an interview on what would be the outcome of the match..IBN Live asked me and why not huh?lolz, I gave a brief interview and all did go well :-) Also spotted outside the ground were Ian Ward and Tim Abraham. As we got closer to the ticket office, mixed emotions..excitement and nerves, hoping everything would go smoothly. Finally get there, provide them with confirmation emails and ID's. After a few anxious minutes finally got the golden tickets, it's all about Stand H :-)






Tickets all locked up safe in my bag, before see some attractions in Bengaluru time to try some local food, very few choices for vegeterians but nothing better then a masala dosa as it's south Indias speciality and Kishans favourite :p..lolz. A nice munch, few phone calls to London, email checks, whatsapp messages and ready to roll!

First place to visit was Lal Bagh, a massive and beautiful park better then Kew Gardens and Holland Park. It has amazing plants, flowers, sculptures, fountains, ponds and a glass house inspired by Crystal Palace. A quick stroll around in the beautiful place left in need of some relaxation. A perfect time to head to Kenco Relaxation and Fish Spa. We booked ourselves in for a 10 min fish spa. Our feet were washed by a member of staff; ready for the fish to attack. And oh boy do they attack your feet as soon as they're dropped in the water. The 1st few moments can be quite terrifying for someone who is ticklish, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite a pleasurable experience. After pulling your feet out, the change is noticeable straight away; with most of the dead skin having been eaten off by the fish, your feet feel fresh and a lot smoother, I might need to buy some of those fishes for home and beware if your feet stink please don't do this as you may kill these lovely fishes..lolll!



We then visited the UB City shopping centre, big brand names such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and others. It showed us how middle class India has advanced so fast, amazing to see. On the terrace of the shopping centre there was a huge crowd, we got to know that it was a Pink Floyd tribute attended by Sid Mallya and other celebs. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and then in search for a place to eat. A well known place called Sunnys was recommended by a family friend so we decided to go there, beating the night traffic we arrived at the lovely posh restaurant, fully packed out but the menu wasn't too appealing. Kishan having a Grape Cooler and for my soar throat a nice hot Apple Tody which is warm apple juice with apple bits, cinnamon and cloves ;-) We had magarita pizza, handmade vegi burger and tofu sizzler. A nice meal felt good but as shops shut 11pm all around we went in search for some mineral water, trust me it wasn't going to be that easy! We went strolling down the street but not a shop in sight but after a mile walk got some luck, happy day after all.. :-)



Back to the hotel and preperations started for the big match tomorrow! India shirts ironed, flags ready, tickets securely in the bag, India caps, Sunglasses and 100% charged phones although it was a risk taking them. It is going to be a dream coming true tomorrow, INDIA VS ENGLAND HERE WE COME BABY!!!

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Ahmedabad Day 2

After a long long journey from London, here we are in Ahmedabad the hub of Gujarat. A goodnights sleep was much needed and with the loose fans making noise that was difficult..lol.

Waking up in the morning seemed a bit of a dream but with the sunlight coming through knew we were not in London. A much needed cup of masala chai (yes Miten I was thinking about you) was the best thing in the morning.

Off we head straight into town to do some much needed shopping, the cricket craze all around Ahmedabad was a fantastic sight and Mr MS Dhoni now I know why you earn so much, literally every corner you look there is a advertisement of him. We go in search for some world cup shirts and Big Bazaar had some brilliant unique designs!

All people who have been to Ahmedabad must have visited Kakariya Chowk, if not do google it. Amazing place to chill out after a long day, plenty of activities going on, food, refreshments and entertainment..Narendra Modi take a bow!

After a long day time to get a few hours sleep before make way to Bengaluru!!!!

Goodnight...








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Location:Bapunagar Tolnaka,Ahmedabad,India

Ahmedabad

One thing I remember from my last visit to India was a wave of heat the moment I stepped out of the airport, but that wasn't the case this time. It was actually quite pleasant.

Our friend arrived with his friend to pick the two of us and 6 bags of luggage in a Suzuki Swift! For those who don't know what a swift is, imagine a Renault Megane, but smaller. But one thing you learn in India is 'impossible is nothing' - Lo and behold we managed it and that too after only one bag went in the boot.
I had to share the front passenger seat with our contact, while his friend, who barely looked past his teens drove.
We reached his home and made preparations for bed, one enquiry on the score for the days match led to a treasure chest.
While flicking through the channels we came across the days highlights + 4th ODI from Indias tour of SA, 3rd ODI vs New Zealand from 2 months ago, a match from Indias tour of Pakistan in 2006.
Even at 4am after a long flight I couldn't turn of the telly and hit the sack

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The big, late bird

It's usually fantastic when things go as expected. But when you expect your flight to be delayed you then hope for the unexpected. But Air India don't provide nice little surprises like that for you. The guy at check-in decided to tell us we should have expected it - WTF.
Well then came some more disappointing news. Chances of getting tickets for semi's and finals became even more bleak when our contact who assured us he'd get us into Mohali through his 'friends' said even his friend couldn't get tickets.
Well that wasn't gonna put us down, this trip was gonna be a success whether or we see the knock-out games at the ground or not.
Sitting on the plane felt strange, there were many, many empty seats and a feeling set in where I felt 'are we in the right place' but it seems like others have learnt not to travel on Air India. But as they say every cloud has a silver lining and well I was made to feel like an American when they offered me 3 seats for myself. Legs stretched, I checked out their 'entertainment system'.
The movies on offer were things I'd seen months ago, so a nap was the best thing to do.
Then I did the unimaginable - put on a bollywood movie, a gangster themed movie - ooh I might like that, but the actors lacked any screen presence for me to enjoy it

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And so it begins

Well after a year of planning, if it can be called that, more a disorganised pair of crazy, cricket fans on a hero-woshipping journey.
Everything has happened last minute (thank you very much kyazoonga), but some how managed to fall into place. Blood pressure has fluctuated stressing about getting match tickets and while one still can't be sure our tickets will be waiting for us at the ground, having done everything possible from our side, we can put our minds slightly at ease. As our bags are finally zipped up and locked up there's still time for one more 'sesh' with the lads. That's a huge gap left in our evenings, what will evenings in India offer is to be seen.

Upset stomachs, being ripped off for being foreign and black magic are some things I've been told to be on my guard about.
One of the issues has been resolved by my mothers wonderful new invention of adding a pocket to my boxers. But now being robbed becomes a lot worse (unless they have female pickpockets there in which case being robbed would result in a bittersweet feeling)

So onto the cricket, with India's batting overpowering Bangladesh in the 1st game we look forward to a bigger challenge vs England at Bangalore. With conditions expected to suit seam bowlers, we'd expect England to have the upper hand with their attack. But with with 50,000 Indians it will be interesting to see if England can hold their nerves, Swann is looking forward to silence the Indian crowd but he could be in for a shock. Maybe England are finally giving importance to something other than The Ashes after the Aussies have become as challenging as putting on a pair of socks.
With the Indian batting line up looking extremely formidable, a 1-7 as strong as there has ever been in the history of ODI cricket, India would be feeling pretty confident. The bowling still looks vulnerable, with Zaheer Khan being the only reliable seamer, India will be looking for Munaf to be deliver like he's been doing for the last few months and again rely on the part time spinners to do a 'good enough' job.
I'd back India to do one over on England. England come into this game just scraping a win against Netherlands after being pulverised by the world champions down under and will be down on confidence. Strauss went as far as hoping India will be complacent after seeing England play like a bunch of amatuers in the ODI game since winning the ashes

Follow myself (@sachinism_ICF) and Chirag (@cmakwana) on twitter for more updates

7 Days to go!

7 DAYS TO GO FOR THE WORLD CUP, COMONNNN!!!!



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