This is the personal blog of Amit Karmakar about web, mac & life in Sydney, Australia
Rudra and I were talking a nostalgic walk through Hill Colony in Dhanbad, Jharkhand the other day when suddenly we decided it might be a good idea to go down to Locotank — a pond in Dhanbad. It was very close to sunset & we happened to spot a lady making ripples in the water. Could I’ve resisted the shot… the lady in red literally did the setting of the entire scene for me… all I had to do was frame and shoot. And I did!
We toddled off to Dhakhinapan late morning-ish the next day. It has a few shops and a some good local art emporiums. We browsed a bit and bought a few little handicrafts. Surprisingly the market place looked a wee bit quiet. We had to go through a security metal detector to get inside the market… And there was a guy standing right next to the door frame only to usher people to go through it. All visitors must step through the metal door frame but no signage to clearly indicate that. Of one of the highlights of the day was out of the blue dad wanted to weigh himself. Alright now if you know these public weighing machines in India they not only tell you your weight but also your fortune. Dad weighed himself and blamed the scaled for packing an extra 8 kilos but didn’t mind the fortune. Apparently it read that he was going to marry again… LOL. We had lots of laughter and were gushing with mirth.
There is always something charming about going home. About visiting loved ones and spending time walking down the memory lane. Revisiting those smells and tastes of yester-years that are so natural to ones childhood. Its a walk through a mesh of life that is most nostalgic and filled with a labyrinth of beautiful meaning, confronting, joyous and full of life. You’ll know what I mean if you have been in a situation like mine but I think we all have in our own little ways.
Boarding a flight with 100 other Indians is no small feat and funny only in hindsight! Truly. What makes them so insolent is something I have pondered many a times. As we waited at Sydney to board the aircraft and the very first announcement was made to board the First class and Business class passengers… the whole mass of the Economy class seemed to showed around the entrance to the gangway. A second announcement was made to allow for families or mothers traveling with infants or children under 7 years and also to request the masses to sit down and wait their turn. You think they’d heed? Later the rows 50 onwards unto 60 were called in. I was seated in 58 so I started to proceed. An Indian lady probably in her late fifties cut right in front of me. Pushed me out of the way, bumped over my cabin baggage and walked on by totally unapologetically. I was seething with fury and retorted her demeanor with a assertive look:
Continue reading ‘Sydney to Calcutta — Singapore Airlines’
We were lucky to be in Vanuatu last month which collided with their last day of their political campaigning when parties take to the street to ask people to vote for them. Its mostly peaceful and fun and also a great experience. We were right in the thick of it having come out of the supermarket on the street where the motorcade passed us by shouting slogans and asking us to vote too. We’d love to 
except we’re flying back to Sydney the following day!
We had covered a fair bit of ground the previous day and having tasted the lusciousness of Jackman and McRoss’ pies we shamelessly headed back the next day. Our intentions surely were to try other delis along Battery point but when you have tasted that yumminess its hard to go past a good food place. I’m sure you’d agree if you are a foodie
There is so much to write but there is always so little time. As we get older why do we keep getting this busy? Or probably tend to find more things to do. Twenty-four hours just don’t seem enough in a day. We have come back from a short but fascination trip away from Vanuatu, in the gorgeous balmy South Pacific.
This was taken around Iririki Island, close to Snorkelers Cove. Threatening rain clouds but it didn’t really rain and the sunset was much more dramatic in real life.
The next morning when we got up to a beautiful blue sky with hardly any signs of clouds or rain. The forecast was -1 to 8 degrees C in Hobart with rain clouds. The morning being this clear we dashed off for breakfast place by the atrium at Henry Jones, its called the IXL Jam Cafe. Yummy brekky but s-l-o-w as ever. We had time to kill so that wasn’t really a problem. Soon we dashed off yet again to Mt Wellington before the clouds could cover it. Clear as a day, we were meandering up the the mountain as we spotted a little cloud gathering by from the South west side. Snow, little ice on the road but almost no fog! Yay! Big difference to the previous drive. We parked and got out and the next two hours went by in a moments blink. The view from up the top of Mt Wellington on a clear day is staggeringly beautiful. We are so lucky to be a part of such a picturesque landscape. I took lots of photos as did D and the shot little walks up and down then different paths… it was freezing cold but so worth it.
Continue reading ‘Mt Wellington, Salamanca Markets and Richmond’
Mt Wellington conquest was a great adventure and a drive to remember. Kudos to D’s driving. I couldn’t have done it myself! We were now descending the mountain and heading down to The Henry Jones Art Hotel. Meant to be THE number one hotel to stay in Hobart. The staff were polite and very hospitable. We checked in to our Deluxe Spa Room with amazing view of Victoria Dock where you could watch the trawlers laden with the days catch slip into the harbour and with a view of the snow capped Mt Wellington in the backdrop. Amazing set up. Huge plush rooms with massive king size bed, surrounded with art in every room and corridors of the Henry Jones hotel with original walls of stone and timber trusses, columns and beams. It has a Kohler Elliptical double spa with ultra modern bathrooms like a glass prism with heated floors that feel so comfortable to step on. Above all a service of true distinction. You have to be there to experience it. I cannot recommended this place enough if you are in Hobart…
A few days have passed by… and silence means busy having good time… as my parents always say…. no news is always good news — thats an old Indian phrase but truly… its been so much fun going back to the stunningly beautiful dreamy Apple Isle…. Oh how I love Tasmania… The food, the people, the harmony of people living there with nature, the tidiness, the colours, the hearty food, did I mention food twice?… it has it all. Considering we were only there for three nights and four days even then we did a lot and had a blast. If you haven’t visited the gorgeous Apple Isle its about times to put this on your to do list. And it won’t disappoint you. I’ll get writing about our little sojourn soon, so do visit back.
Yes after a long five year break. Tasmania here we come. Its going to be around 8 degrees when we land and roughly 3 degrees C at night. Yes!! Bring it on. Paris was colder when we were there, 3 degrees should be alright!
Photo Credit: Alexwise
Kylie took us around Southport right up to the spit with little hidden coves off the main land. We even spotted the floating chapel and then walked around the marina till we came back to Palazzo Versace for our very sumptuously opulent dinner. Decadent it was. Do not miss Vanitas Restaurant if you are about Gold Coast. Sitting by the waterfront with a gentle cool breeze on our back under a jet black starry sky does sum up a fine dining experience. You have to be there to experience it. The main course is about $40 per person. The night rolled on by too quick.
Next morning even though we had plans for Mt Tambourine we gave it a miss hoping that will make us come back for a visit soon. We were a bit short of time and I was keen on Burleigh Heads and to check out both Oskars and Mermaids. Unfortunately there was time only for one. Mermaids it was. Great view of the Gold coast from this waterfront Restaurant. The food very average here though or maybe we were expecting better having had the nice Vanitas experience the previous night. The Jetstar on board magazine had pointed out as this being a must visit location as surfers go right past your table and the food being palatable, well the food for me was a bit of a let down but the view was gorgeous. And yes surfers do go right past your desk. Tick on that one
We caught up with Kylie for lunch and then headed down to Coolangatta and then to Danger Bay at Tweed Heads before we went back to the airport. It was all coming to an end but it was fun filled and quite a welcome change from the freezing Sydney weather. I’m not biased clearly. I have said it before and I will yet again. Queensland is beautiful. Fascinating! Stunning! No wonder they say “its beautiful one day and perfect the next“
The sunset views from the Q1 tower were really amazing. I was really annoyed that I didn’t bring my tripod along for some good photography. And having come in on a day with clear blue skies it certainly helped see the expanse of the coast much more clearly. They say on a very clear day one could see as far down as Byron Bay. After much deliberation we gave the Buffet at Palazzo Versace a miss for that night and headed to Conrad Jupiters for a scrumptious Buffet. It had been a long and exciting day.
Next day we caught up with our friend Kylie, it has been a while we saw her since she moved up to Gold Coast for good. Sea world was on the cards. That Entertainment book is amazing — a real money saver. In the two months of using the 2008/2009 book we have saved a good $200.00 or more. You guessed it, the book had discount tickets to Sea World. We watched the Water-ski show, followed by the visitation of the Polar bears, reef fish pool. I touched a few star fish… pretty solid but the Sea Urchins seemed slimy… and then onto the Dolphin show and of course the ride on the Bermuda Triangle. Oh it was hilarious — again a must do here… the effects inside the faux mountain are really good. The poor kid sitting in front of me yelled his heart out in scare that he’d be picked up by aliens garbling machine talk in the semi-opaque darkness of the Bermuda Triangle. 
And us three screaming banshees sitting right behind didn’t instil much confidence in him. In hind site we should have done another round of the Bermuda Triangle. The final jaunt is really good, the boat comes off a 60 degrees incline on tracks that are submerged in water and it makes a splashing final entry before letting the Berumda explorers off — oh the joy and screaming, we were lucky to escape unharmed from Bermuda. Whoever said horse play is bad for your spirit.
Little later we headed down the foyer and began to promenade the streets of Gold Coast and came up to Q1 in Surfers Pradise — the tallest residential structure in the world. Q1 stands for Queensland number 1. Across the road from this gigantic tower is The Watermark Hotel. The colours of the exterior walls are really nice and catches the designers eye! Very elegant use of colour palette. Pastel, soothing yet catchy with a great balance of the colour wheel. I’ve to say the person that choose these colours obviously understands the concept of the harmonious colours very well. Couldn’t help myself, took a few photos as one does
In a few seconds we were flying up the Q1 like a bullet off the musket of a long barrelled smoking gun. The staff at the reception explained a few things about the Q1 Tower unlike the generally less-friendly staff at Sydney’s AMP tower. The lower observation deck on the Q1 is on level 77. About 320 meters from the ground floor. The lift took less 50 seconds to get up there! Some crafty piece of engineering that is. And the Queenslanders are proud of it the staff did mention it would take about 48 seconds to reach up there and it certainly wasn’t a second longer. No ear popping, no floatiness or jerky ride. Once out of the lift you are greeted again by the staff at the lower observation deck and then the view engulfs you like wild bush-fire. We lost count of time looking at the views from every possible angle, photographing, and walking through the upper observation desk where the tower is open to the elements of nature. Scary, fun, enthralling!
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