Barb's Trip to India Day 5

Friday February 14, 2014 New Delhi, India
Amardeep and I found breakfast which was very good.  We sat with Mathai Joseph and talked with John White, Pat Ryan and others.  Lots of vans took us to the meeting at IIT Delhi.  I put the ACM-W skirt on the stage.  Because of rain, the meeting had a late start but it was excellent.  Lunch was outside in a covered area next to the stadium.  I got to cut the long line as a VIP!  I think my talk went over well.  Lots of questions, good ones.  I enjoyed the talk by PK about his students’ app for safe journeys.  Radia Perlman talked about internet protocols and Laura Haas from IBM about cloud big data.  After the meeting we had a SIGCSE India meeting with John White and Mathai and other interested folks.  It looks like the SIG would be organized under ACM India.  Many of the speakers and committee went to the conference leadership dinner at the Ashok Hotel southern India restaurant.  I had a pancake called an uttapam. We went back to the hotel and immediately went to bed.

ACM-W India Meeting

Barb's Trip to India Day 4

Thursday February 13 Gurgaon, India and Delhi Tours
Amardeep and Sant Lal dropped me off at Connaught Place for the city tour (at the grand price of $5).  The tour was in on an old bus with a local guide.  We had to give him money for three of the  places we went to (250 INR each or about $4).  The first stop was a Hindu Temple where we had to leave out cameras and cell phone behind.  They took my external battery away from me because they thought it was a cell phone!  No shoes, either.  The temple, Laxminarayan, was gorgeous and very interesting.  Hindus use a variant of the star of David and also a swastika!   The bus then drove down to the Qutub Minar, a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a 12th century muslim tower and ruins.  We then headed to a scruffy parking lot across the street from Lado Sarai, the first park Sant Lal took me to.  There was a Delhi tourism store, selling rugs and other goods high pressure Turkey style.  The group had tea from a guy with a cart outside.  I passed on it.

Lotus Temple, Gandhi's Last Residence, Laxminarayn Temple, Qutub Minar

Fig Tree, Red Fort, a cremation Ghat, Humayan's Tomb

We then went to the Bahia Lotus Temple where we had to shed out shoes and hand them into this underground window where we got a wooden coin for their retrieval.  The temple itself looked like the Sydney Opera house and we went inside during the daily service.

Our final morning visit was to the Gandhi Memorial museum where Gandhi spent his last days on earth and was assassinated.

We returned to the Connaught Place tourist office where there was a café.  I ate the lunch I had brought along in the courtyard where monkeys scampered along the courtyard roof.

The afternoon tour included a ride through the embassy row and then out to the Red Fort, a huge complex with tons of walking.  It was also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Red Fort was the residence of the Mughal emperors of India for nearly 200 years, until 1857.  Nearby were a lot of Ghats, or cremation sites for famous people like Indira Gandhi and her son Rajeev.  We stopped at the site for Mahatma Gandhi, Raj Ghat.  I was surprised at the memorials and the huge plot of land surrounding each cremation slab site.

The final stop was at Humayan’s Tomb, commission by his wife for him.  It was very impressive.

The tour bus let us off two blocks from the starting place with little information on how to walk back.  I was very nervous but finally got there and was relieved to see Amardeep and Sant Lal.  Amardeep directed Sant Lal to a grocery store so she could get gluten free food including cereal for herself.  We went from there to the Grand Hotel where Amardeep and I spent two nights.  We had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  We ordered too much food but the fried paneer was very good.  A large party of very noisy people (Amardeep said they were rich and uneducated) drove us nuts.  We were happy to go back to our room!

Barb's Trip to India Day 3

Wednesday February 12, Gurgaon and New Delhi
We took Amardeep into work and then Sant Lal took me shopping at Dilli Haat, where Sant Lal bargained for he things I was interested in.  Dilli Haat is a market where the vendors rotate and has fairly low prices.  After we finished shopping, we headed to Amardeep’s office at BML Munjal University in Saket where I made a presentation to the founder, Ashkay Munjal , Babi Mitra from MIT, Davinder Singh who used to be with Coca Cola, Vinayak Kalluri.  I used my slides and handouts that Amardeep had prepared on ABET and her department’s curriculum to compare and contrast with Curriculum 2013 and previous IEE/ACM versions.  Afterwards we went to Hauz Khas for dinner at a south Indian restaurant NAIVEDYAM.  I had a tea called rasam and dosa, large rice paper roll with sauces.  I also had coconut water in the coconut!  There was a family eating near us and Amardeep pointed out that the maid didn’t have food – she just was there to supervise the kids.

Barb's Trip to India Day 2

Tuesday February 11 Gurgaon -
Amardeep went to work and the driver came back to take me to the Sultanpur  National Park to look for birds but first we looked for two geocaches.  We finally found one near the Crowne Plaza Hotel!  Whew!  The one near a coffee shop must have been behind a bunch of boxes and cartons.

The drive out to Sultanpur was wild.  The roads were rough, Gurgaon even had a guy herding sheep across traffic and then the villages we passed through were very poor. I saw some people carrying wet cement on their heads to a construction site.

When we got to the Park, it was closed on Tuesdays.  Sant Lal asked me if I wanted to go to a different park and took off on a dirt side road to a Hindu Temple that was in the middle of nowhere.  We walked into the courtyard of the temple that had a big white horse statue and I was surprised when Sant Lal didn’t lead me to the temple but to a gate in the back where he talked to some men and then led me out into a field.  I was stunned to see tons of birds – mostly water birds like herons and stilts and ibises.  I had Sant Lal go back to the car and get my .binocs and water.  We traipsed through mud along dikes and saw cranes, painted stork, lots of geese including bar headed, cows with cattle egrets.  It was fantastic! I think the place was called Dhankot.

Sant Lal returned me to Amardeep’s where I cleaned up a bit and then we headed into town to pick up Amardeep and we went to her favorite restaurant, Café Diva in a small, upscale shopping center.  She had risotto and I had Roadside food of Goa.  We got back to Amardeep’s at 10:30.

Barb's Trip to India Day 1

Monday February 10 Delhi (Gurgaon) India
The plane was on time but it took a long time to get through immigration (although it was shortened by an official that moved a few of us to the Indian passport line.)  Then I had to wait a long time for my suitcase.  Amardeep and her driver, Sankt Lall were there to meet me—Amardeep at the exit and Sankt Lall brought up the car.  We drove to her apartment in Gurgaon, arriving at about 3:30 am.  Amardeep went to work and I rode along with her driver, who took me sightseeing and geocaching,  Our first stop was a small park, Lado Sarai.  Our next stop was Hauz Khas Village where we looked for a geocache.  It was a beautiful park and we actually walked over a mile to go .1 mile before we found the entrance to an archeological park with Sultan tomb ruins.  We looked for a cache in one of the rooms of the ruins  but couldn’t find it.  After we explored the ruins, we headed to Deer Park which did have a ton  of deer.  We walked around the lake below the ruins and looked for another cache unsuccessfully but saw monkeys and birds.

The next stop was the lovely Lodhi gardens where I ate my lunch near some ruins (Bada Gumbad Mosque and Tomb). The we walked around the whole Park  Lodhi Gardens where I tried to solve a puzzle cache.  I found all the caches but I think I made a math error and was too tired to finish.   The driver left me off at the Sheraton where the guard opened the car trunk and I had to go through a metal detector.  I walked into the hotel like I knew what I was doing (actually I wanted he bathroom) and went to the bar for coffee which I nursed until Amardeep joined me from her work across the street.  We were back in Gurgaon by 9 and ate the lovely meal that Amardeep’s cook had made, but not to bed to midnight.

Barb's Trip to India Part 1 Getting There

Saturday February 8 G’town - London
I continued to pack.  It was a beautiful day, so Phil and I walked the neighborhood. We mailed the Valentine’s cards to the girls and Suze. Phil drove me to the airport. I bought a Schlotsky’s sandwich and had a coke at the Admiral’s Club  and hung out until time for the plane.  Then I discovered I hadn’t transferred my iPhone cord to my backpack.  Right across from ny gate was a BestBuy vending machine that had exactly what I needed and only $14.99.   On to DFW and its Admiral’s club. My plane was a bit late but OK.  I had a seatmate when we loaded but the plane wasn’t full, so he moved and I had a two-seater to myself.  I slept well.   

Sunday February 9 London – Delhi (Gurgaon) India
Arrived in Heathrow and went through one security so I could hang out at the Admiral’s Club before changing terminals for the British Airways flight.  The second security was awful. They didn’t like my set of charger and I had to unpack my whole backpack. I decided to brave security twice
Curled up and slept after lasagna and free wine (a South African pinotage.

San Francisco Family Reunion

Tuesday April 9 Georgetown – San Francisco

I slept terribly –so worried about waking up on time.  We left really early (before 6) in case the sequester made the TSA lines long.  Instead what happened was we sat in traffic for 45 minutes on 71 because of an accident.  Only a few lucky breaks got us to the plane on time. The lady driver at Fast Park ask the dispatcher to let us go because we were late due to the wreck, and there was absolutely no line at TSA.  Our group was being called as we got to the gate.  Whew!  I worked on Henry’s interview on the flight until my battery got too low.

Walking the Coastal Trail in Outer Richmond

We got into SFO early and had little trouble finding the shuttle.  Boy was that easy!  Our plane landed about 9:40 an we were at Suze’s by 10:45.  Gwyneth and the kids were off on a walk to met their friend. She had left us keys and texted me with pictures of the hiding place.  Phil and I had breakfast and then set off walking.  It was absolutely gorgeous out – and the coastal trail was packed.  We ran into the family near the Legion of Honor.  Back home Gwyneth and I went to Fresh and Easy with Chloe to get stuff for lunch.  I called the dentist for mouth wash and they arranged to get my prescription to CVS. After lunch of risotto and mac and cheese, I took Chloe to the playground and then to CVS.  Then we walked to Ocean Beach and hung out.  Afterwards it was back to the playground with both girls and to the store for more food – tortellini, salad and watermelon..  Gwyneth had the kids and me go up on the roof to take late afternoon shots of the city.  I made supper and Luis and Suze came home.  Lots of video games and I was exhausted.  Suze had bought a new blowup bed at Target so there were plenty of places to sleep.  I was very cranky at bedtime but slept incredibly well.

Wednesday April 10 SF
I got up early as did Gwyneth.  I made coffee and then she convinced me to go on the roof with her to see the effect of sunrise on the view – it was spectacular!

Views from Suze and Luis' Rooftop

After Suze and Luis went to work and we took off for Lincoln Park to find a geocache.  We found it after a lot of looking.  Then we walked up to the Legion of Honor Museum  and walked down to the Lincoln Park Playground so the kids could show Gwyneth.

Legion of Honor Museum

We had a bit of lunch – hotdogs and leftovers and took the bus to Fisherman’s Wharf.  The girls got ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s.  We walked to Pier 39 to see the sea lions and a gull swooped down and stole Chloe’s ice cream!

Chloe's Heath Bar Ice Cream Stolen by Gull at Pier 39

We walked further to the Alcatraz Cruise place and after getting our tickets, had yet another snack.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a boat ride.  There was a lot of walking and it was all interesting.  We took the audio tour inside the prison and watched some videos about the Native American occupation in 1969.  We had an awful time getting a trolley to a bus – when we did get onto the tram it was more squished than I had ever been.

Views at Alcatraz

We caught a bus back to Outer Richmond, and ordered food from Pagan, a Thai-Burmese Restaurant around the corner. 

Thursday April 11 SF

A day without a real plan.  We went to the neighborhood playground and watched what was surely  nursery school field tip of three and four year olds holding hands and singing kids’ songs like  Twinkle, Twinkle – they were mostly Asian and adorable!  After Chloe was nearly played out there  we walked up hill forever to an overlook of the Sutro Baths and then we walked down to the visitors center.  It was sunny, windy and cold,  We went to the gift shop at Cliff House and then walked along Ocean Beach watching dog walkers handle up to 9 dogs each off leash!  We stopped for lunch at the Beach Chalet.  Gwyneth treated us for my birthday.  It was really good.  I had a meatloaf sandwich but didn’t like it, so Phil ate it and I ate his veggie burger.  He had a Riptide Ale – appropriate for the locale.  We had yummy sweet potato fries.  We walked back through Golden Gate Park, finding a geocache and watching the bison that were funded by Marissa Mayer.

View of Sutro Baths and Pics of Lunch at Beach Chalet

Back home we rested until it was time for me to take Chloe to see Suze play her first kickball game in Golden Gate Park with the Arup Ninjas.  It was a very lopsided game – Arup lost.  I had driven Suze’s car over and she drove back. We tried to find the extra special kids playground but never really saw how to get there and park.  Phil had spent a lot of time trying to fix the cats’ auto food dispenser.

 

Kickball Game at Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park

Gwyneth had bought a bunch of hors d'oeuvres for supper and we snacked before bed.  I never saw Luis because he had gone to Oakland to an ASHRAE meeting  and got back late.

Friday September 12 SF

Suze and Luis took off early to walk the 5+ miles to work on Walk to Work Day.

We took our time getting ready to go – took the bus to the Haight  Street corner of Golden Gate Park.  We walked to the Koret Children’s Quarter – the oldest playground in the US.  Chloe loved the climbing structure. 

Chloe in Crow'sNest at Koret Children's Quarter

Even Camille gave it a try.  The concrete slide wasn’t so big a hit, though. We were disappointed that the operator chose just the moment we approached to close the carousel for his lunch break.

We walked on through the lovely AIDS Memorial Grove to  the Academy of Sciences where Gwyneth and Chloe went in and to the deYoung Museum where Phil, Camille and Barb had lunch, toured the Girl with the Pearl Earring exhibit and then briefly looked at wonderful things in the permanent exhibit.  Because of the special exhibit which included a lot of Rembrandt era etchings (some tronies), the entire featured menu food items were Dutch.  Phil loved the pot pie!

A docent insisted that we go to the  Hamon Tower for a view before we left and it was special.

Golden Gate Park Ferns and view of and from DeYoung

We rested at Suze’s until she got home and she took the Buteras to their hotel.  We picked up Luis near Arup and headed back to Outer Richmond.  She left me off at the grocery and I got food for dinner.  I made Ritz Chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.  Although it was a VERY late dinner it was really good if I do say so myself!

Saturday April 13 SF

Phil and I went to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building.  We watched a cooking demonstration on veggie paella and wandered around the stalls.  We shared an open faced veggie sandwich and an odd Aztec tea. 

Veggie Paella Demo at Ferry Building

Gwyneth had taken Camille to Japantown to meet up with a friend and then G and Chloe joined us at the Farmer’s Market,  We walked back to G's hotel, stopping at a toy store.  Luis and Suze joined us there. We hung out at the hotel for a while and then off to Moscone Center (Luis and I found a geocache inside the California Historical Center) and then grabbed snacks.  Chloe, Suze and I rode the carousel and Chloe played in the playground.

      

Hanging out in Yerba Buena Park

We took two buses to Coit Tower – cool ride through Chinatown and then North Beach (Little Italy).  The bus took us right to the top and we walked down, seeing the Parrots of Telegraph Hill flitting about and squawking.

Back at the hotel we watched TV and Camille wanted to go to a shop which turned out to have closed early.

We left the Buteras and took a cab back to Outer Richmond where I got stuff for a pizza supper before Suze and Luis lef for a late party.

Sunday April 14 SF

We accidentally got into the finish line of an MS walk!

The four of us took the bus in to the Ferry Building to meet up with G and the girls.  We all ate a bit from different venues and walked the Buteras back to their hotel, stopping to look at a funky dress shop, Harajuku Hearts,  with Camille.

After our goodbyes, we headed to the Mission District to a Street Sunday event – walking up and down Valencia St.  Phil and I peeled off and geocached.

Street Sunday in the Mission District

Luis headed home and Suze, Phil and I walked to Mission Dolores Park and further up to Mission San Francisco de Asis.  We were convinced to wait outside for a woman, Edie Littlefield-Sundby, walking the missions in honor of her surviving cancer.  The mission and its associated basilica were fascinating.  We headed back to Outer Richmond.

Mission San Francisco de Asis -- Ohlne Indian hut and Statue

We ordered Mediterranean food and  had it delivered.  We ate while watching an old movie – The House on Telegraph Hill.

Monday April 15 SF

Not where the geocache is

Phil and I hung out and caught up with diary, newspaper, etc.  The weather was cold and forecast to be really windy and sunny.  Phil wanted to walk anyway so we headed for the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park.  We found a geocache near the Prayer-book Cross.

We then went to Stow Lake and decided to walk to the top of Strawberry Hill.  The park is so beautiful.

View from Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park

We ate lunch at the boathouse and made our way to the Gardens. The woman at the kiosk told us to concentrate o\n the California section because it was most in bloom.

When we got back we heard about the terrible bombing at the end of the Boston Marathon.

We took the bus back and we got steak and potatoes for supper.  Afterwards we watched a movie with Suze and Luis – Smoke Signals.

Tuesday April 15  SF-Georgetown

Suze began the wash before going to work.  Luis had left very early to go to physical therapy.  Phil and I packed and waited for Barbara S. to come visit.  She got stuck on the Oakland Bay Bridge but made it only 45 minutes late. 

Barbara S and Phil hold up the Golden Gate Bridge

We walked to Eagles Nest overview and then along Camino Del Mar in Sea Cliff to China Beach.  We stopped at Fresh and Easy for some supplies for lunch and back at the apartment had steak sandwiches.

View of Suze's Building from Lincoln Park

 The Super Shuttle came for  us at the same time Barbara was leaving.  We had a very interesting ride to the airport – to University of San Francisco and Bernal Heights.

The flight was uneventful but when we got to the parking lot, my front tire was flat.  It took over an hour for AAA to get there to change it.  Alas, we were really tired when we got home!