Travel Videos and Updates

Considering that I just spent a month on the other side of the world, and that there is plenty to report, my blog has not seen much activity. Somehow I am not really into maintaining it any more, especially after I joined my new job. I am enjoying that quite a bit, and I perhaps don't have the same sense of freetime that I did in at least the several initial years of graduate school.

Anyway, first things first: the travel updates. I was in Thailand for about 16 days with a team, collecting mosquitoes from areas where dengue had been reported. Along the way, over the weekends we managed to do some site seeing. A number of the photos taken during this period can be seen on my flickr page. Here is a video compilation of the more touristy moments.



Following that I was in Taipei for a week, to attend a conference on Dengue and to give a talk at (and initiate some collaborations with) the National Taiwan University. Anyesha joined me in Taipei, and here is a video compilation of our sight seeing trips there. She does an excellent job of writing up how our trip went.

Thailand field studies

Pagoda
Originally uploaded by subhamoy_pal

I have spent over a week now in Bangkok, Thailand and it has been a lot of fun. We already had a number of very productive days in the field, chasing down dengue causing mosquitoes and trying to pick them up using our PCR assays. Despite our equipment arriving here late, due to delays with customs. One more week here, and then I am headed to Taipei for a conference.

Quick Calcutta trip

I am going into international traveller mode. Earlier this month, I made a quick visit to Calcutta. I haven't visitted Calcutta in summer in a really long time. . .so there was an overeating of mangoes and jackfruits. The rainy season started soon after I reached, making the temperatures fairly manageable. And my parents were there, en route to Moscow. So I got to meet with them.

PSA: Be careful with your luggage if you are flying British Airways through London. In fact, avoid it altogether if you can.

On the way over there, my luggage did not arrive with me. Apparently with new construction, new security regulations and all that stuff, Heathrow is a mess. So, I spent the entire trip expecting that my luggage will be delivered by the next flight, as I was told. And it never arrived. Now I am back in Maryland, and it still hasn't arrived. It's been over a month now. Calling customer service means a minimum of a half an hour hold before you speak to someone who doesn't know anything. All you can do is wait for your luggage to miraculously get to you. And file for compensation (which they still haven't acknowledged, and it's been over two weeks, so I need to follow up with them again.) But at least, I am in good company: apparently A.R. Rahman and Shilpa Shetty lost their luggage too.

Anyway. This August, I am likely to go to Thailand for a field study and Taiwan for a conference. So stay tuned for more travel stories.

Off to India.

I am off. See ya later. And all my readers are invited to the wedding. The main wedding is in Jamshedpur on the 2nd of March, and there is a reception on the 5th at Calcutta. Drop me an e-mail if you can make it.

So long.