[MX6]

Originally Posted by smartcat

What? We become slaves to our kids' whims & fancies? I was looking forward to bossing around (like my dad used to do), yelling at them and getting things done!

Times have changed since then SmartCat. Go ahead and try. And guess what? Your dad will gang up against you with your kid. He'll start using his new found status as a grand dad. These family dynamics change a lot. In a way you will be up against two kids. Your dad and your baby.

Experience speaks pal.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by smartcat

What? We become slaves to our kids' whims & fancies? I was looking forward to bossing around (like my dad used to do), yelling at them and getting things done!

hmm...I don't know what to say, but each of the approach has got its own pros & cons; if you boss them (seriously) then they may not come near you at all. Anyway from your looks, I don't think you can boss them, even if you do, I think they'll take it as a joke.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Believe it or not, I'm a bit like you - not very comfortable being in the limelight.

I believed this on you pal

Originally Posted by MX6

It's only during childhood. During adolesence I will take over control.

Well, each one has their own opinions on these; I like to control without letting them know that the big brother is watching; its more of reasoning to do things than bossing; trust me, it has been working positively since last year & half atleast.

Originally Posted by MX6

Post that, It will be friends mode. That's the way best you can groom them.

+1

[XLR8]

Hey Smartcat,

Your very addictive travelogue was the reason for me to visit Team Bhp as a guest almost every single day, ultimately getting me hooked onto everything else in this wonderful forum. Today, with great pride, I wish to tell you that I too am a proud Bhpian. You really have a way with words. Keep up the good work.

Cheers!!

[MX6]

Originally Posted by XLR8

Hey Smartcat,

Your very addictive travelogue was the reason for me to visit Team Bhp as a guest almost every single day, ultimately getting me hooked onto everything else in this wonderful forum. Today, with great pride, I wish to tell you that I too am a proud Bhpian. You really have a way with words. Keep up the good work.

Cheers!!

Your Avatar Rocks. Hope the Maharastra govt doesn't get any more ideas. As such they are mad behind bluetooth voice calls now.

[XLR8]

Originally Posted by MX6

Your Avatar Rocks. Hope the Maharastra govt doesn't get any more ideas. As such they are mad behind bluetooth voice calls now.

Thanks MX6. Heard about the bluetooth voice calls. In case they do want to adopt the revolutionary new seat belt, it would be a welcome change yeah?

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

What you said about the bed decoration is 100% true. I have been there done that.

Excellent. Looks like I'm not the only one who fell for that. I think my hotel guy got all those prickly flowers/petals from his garden. He must have had a good laugh!

Originally Posted by MX6

Your dad will gang up against you with your kid. He'll start using his new found status as a grand dad.

eh? This I did not expect. I need to come up with a new strategy then.

Originally Posted by aargee

Anyway from your looks, I don't think you can boss them, even if you do, I think they'll take it as a joke.

Haven't you heard - never judge a book by its cover.

Since ours is a joint family, there might be lots of little boys at home in the future - I intend to keep an eye on them. When we were young, my brothers & myself almost set fire to our bedroom with melted candle wax, water and a Complan tin can. The next generation could probably blow up our house if we are not careful. I'm wondering if I should get a nice stick right away.

The little girls will be probably be quite docile - no worries on that front.

Originally Posted by XLR8

Your very addictive travelogue was the reason for me to visit Team Bhp as a guest almost every single day, ultimately getting me hooked onto everything else in this wonderful forum. Today, with great pride, I wish to tell you that I too am a proud Bhpian.

Glad to know that my travelogue has been directly responsible for increasing the membership of the forum by a significant 0.0017 percent.

[arindamray]

Originally Posted by smartcat

The little girls will be probably be quite docile - no worries on that front.

High hopes!!! Ask me

[MX6]

Originally Posted by arindamray

High hopes!!! Ask me

Guess he's thinking that way reading my travelogue. He's not seen what it takes to keep her cool.

[SmartCat]

I would be worried only if they burn/break/blow up stuff

HAVELOCK ISLANDS TRIP

Like every newly married couple, I wanted our first holiday together to be a bit unique, a bit "different". Foreign locations were out of question - the following two points have been embedded deep inside my brain -

1) Foreign trips are not value for money. A big percentage of the budget goes into purchasing air tickets - so the Pilots of the aircraft will enjoy your honeymoon more than you will.

2) I believe spending money within India is the best way for people like us to help the poor, and spread wealth. When we spend Rs. 30,000 on a holiday within India, we support atleast 30 families indirectly.

We chose Andaman & Nicobar Islands. To make the trip unique, I came up with a plan to use all the modes of powered transport (except perhaps a Space Shuttle).

Car: Used inside Bangalore, Chennai, Port Blair cities
Aircraft: Bangalore - Chennai - Port Blair, and then Port Blair - Chennai
Ship: Port Blair to Havelock Islands and back.
Two-Wheeler: Honda Activa, for exploring Havelock Islands
Train: Chennai to Mangalore
Bus: Mangalore to Bangalore
Three-Wheeler: Bus stop to home in an autorickshaw.

The day after the Reception, we took an afternoon flight to Chennai. We checked into the Marriott (One night's stay at the Marriott was a wedding gift from Karthic & his wife - very thoughtful!) where security dogs jumped into our Innova to take a sniff at our rucksacks (Yes, we carried rucksacks on our honeymoon trip). The next day, early in the morning, we took an Indian Airlines flight from Chennai to Port Blair.

The best airline food we ever had - in a government owned enterprise. Now that was surprising. After 2 and a half hours, we start losing altitude, and are soon flying below the clouds. Soon, we see what looks like giant patches of algae in the water.

Somebody was quite thrilled allright. But I was having a searing headache. Flights always give me a headache -I wished we had a road bridge to Port Blair from Chennai.

The Indian Airlines Pilot makes a smooth landing at the Port Blair Airport (unlike the low cost airliner's Bangalore - Chennai flight, whose Pilot was probably an autorickshaw driver in his last job).

At the airport, we are received by our contact from BAREFOOT RESORTS (BarefootIndia.com) who came to pick us up in a Mahindra Classic! Barefoot Resorts is apparently owned by Capt. Gopinath (the Air Deccan guy). The resort is truly unique - all the cabins are made from locally made materials (except for the ceramic loo, I guess). For Rs. 1.25 Lacs per head, they will even take you on a helicopter to see the Barren Island active volcano! Whether it is scuba diving or Kayaking or island/cave exploring, any reasonable request is apparently fulfilled - for a fee.

After sitting around in their office for an hour and then lunch, they then took us to the jetty where a government owned ferry would take us to the Havelock Islands. The ship can seat 50 passengers, and can cruise at 20 knots (about 40 km/hr).

[maddjango]

I just spend the last one hour going through every single page of this thread! Truly addictive and your commentary had me in splits. I will be checking this thread daily now, to get my fix. :-) Rated 5 star!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Glad to know that my travelogue has been directly responsible for increasing the membership of the forum by a significant 0.0017 percent.

Never knew you were so good at numbers !

Originally Posted by smartcat

Somebody was quite thrilled allright. But I was having a searing headache. Flights always give me a headache -I wished we had a road bridge to Port Blair from Chennai.

Obviously for guy who likes roads you SHOULD get a headache in the air.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by maddjango

I just spend the last one hour going through every single page of this thread! Truly addictive and your commentary had me in splits. I will be checking this thread daily now, to get my fix. :-) Rated 5 star!

Thanks Jango! Now this means I have to update the thread every night even if I'm feeling sleepy.

Originally Posted by ampere

Obviously for guy who likes roads you SHOULD get a headache in the air.

And the legroom. I don't mind driving a M800 for 4 hours, but can't sit in an aircraft for one hour.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by smartcat

And the legroom. I don't mind driving a M800 for 4 hours, but can't sit in an aircraft for one hour.

I can visualise you in an M800. Something like Hightower in Police academy 1. Driving from the back seat.

[chase_02]

Originally Posted by MX6

I can visualise you in an M800. Something like Hightower in Police academy 1. Driving from the back seat.

Very very funny indeed.

Great travelogue smartcat.Your travelogue has inspired me to write one of mine but unfortunately I have exams coming up.Loved it.Keep going.

[SmartCat]

Good luck for the exams! Don't study too much though - have some fun too.

HAVELOCK ISLANDS TRIP CONTD:

The ship has movie theatre-style seats too, but sitting there was quite boring. So we spent most of our time outside taking in the fresh air.







Poor Pallavi got sea-sick and she promptly threw up after 20 minutes on the sea. Perhaps we shouldn't have had such a heavy lunch at Port Blair. But I loved the sea - evident from the picture below. If we ever go to Lakshadweep, I know how we are going to get there from Kochi.



By evening, we docked at Havelock Islands. A driver from Barefoot Resorts was waiting for us at the dock, and he too us to the resort. I had booked 3 nights at the "Nicobari Cottage" (non-AC) and 2 nights at the "Andamans Cottage" (AC) - both costing Rs. 5,000/night.

The non-AC Nicobari Cottage is a lot "cooler" than the Andamans Cottage (with AC). The Nicobari Cottage has a King sized bed on the ground floor, and Queen sized bed on the first floor. And the first floor is an open-air room!



Advice to bachelors reading this thread: On your honeymoon, make sure you go to a Jungle resort. The creepy crawlies, flies and weird sounds in the night will ensure that your wife will jump on you frequently with terror in her eyes. This will give you ample opportunities to show off your manly side. Don't worry about the bed - the four legs of the bed will be on a water/kerosene bowl, and you will have a mosquito net - so that the little critters don't get in.

As soon as we checked in, it started raining. And it didn't stop for 3 days. Whether it was day or night, it was either drizzling, extremely cloudy or pouring. Stuck in an isolated open air cottage with a girl for 3 days, with no TV or phone reception - ahem! that was quite unfortunate!

Anyway, Apple iPhone 3G was just launched at that time and I gifted one to Pallavi.



But soon, I started badgering her with my requests.

Can I borrow it for a minute?
Give it to me - let me take a photo.
Hey let's see if we can get the phone reception from here.
Look at this amazing App. Let me show you how to use it

Soon, she got bugged and asked me (with a smile) to keep the iPhone for myself



Note to bachelors reading this thread: After marriage, if you want to buy something expensive, but it for your wife. For example, let's say you want to buy a turbocharger or a Pete's tuning box for your car. If you spend Rs. 30,000 on your car, you will be forced to buy jewellery worth Rs. 60,000 for your wife. Instead, buy the turbocharger or touchscreen music player and gift it to your wife on her birthday. She will look at the big box, hand it back to you, smile and will probably say "Honey! How very thoughtful of you. Why don't you keep it?"

This way, you won't end up spending Rs. 90,000 on your purchase.