A Long Strange Trip

Its been almost a year since my last post. Thanks to the Great Firewall, I was unable to access the 'regular' internet and make the  usual digital deposits on Blogger, twitter and largely been away from Facebook. During this time, I have - been to Shanghai, visited Beijing in the 'fog', frozen my behind off in Harbin, explored Dalian and ofcourse, have moved back to India.

Coming up on this blog sometime soon -

• Surprising things about China 
• Ice, Ice Baby
• Toddler Travel Travails

Racism is a pretty ugly word and a harder pill to swallow when you first encounter it. Having lived and traveled in different countries, having worked and being friends with many many kinds of people from many countries it was always something that happened to someone else. I just pretended that it can't happen to me and ignored it as one of those things that you read. While its true that most aspects of racism are more subtle than overt, when it finally gob-smacks you in the face, you are left reeling and wondering "Did that just happen or am I just imagining it".

As usual, I've taken another long break in my writing and since the last post, have moved to Dalian in China. Da-whaat ? This is the same Dalian brought to the rest of the world in 'The World is Flat' and was supposed to be the next Bangalore. In many ways, this port city has surpassed, and at the same time, not lived up to the expectations of what many in the IT industry thought would be the next outsourcing hub in Asia. However, Dalian has been rated in the past as one of the best cities to live in China with its clean air, proximity to the ocean and to mountains. The city that I'll call home for the next year or so seems to have  a bit to offer with its parks, wide open squares and mountain scenery.

When you think of visiting London, the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace come to mind. Paris, brings images of the Eiffel tower and cafes along the Seine. Rome comes with gladiators and the Coliseum. However,  Madrid was one of those places where nothing really stands out. And that is quite a shame. There is lot to do in Madrid and it seems to me that Spain has not done a terribly good job of promoting itself in India. Apart from being the party/clubbing capital of Europe, it is also a major centre for art, culture and of course, sport.