Pawan Blog

Before you start let me tell you that you may find it funny, as I have written this small guide for my dad, who is coming to Singapore from New Delhi, it’s his first journey overseas and first journey by any airliner. After sending this to him I realized that it can be helpful for many others who are traveling overseas for the first time and by airliners; so sharing with you all. Please read following points before your start preparing to pack your baggage -

1.    Before leaving home make sure you have following documents with you -

• a.    Passport
• b.    Tickets
• c.    Visa
• d.    Keep a pen with you

2.    For each person you can carry 2 bags, one hand bag and another to check-in. You can keep hand baggage with you during flight, while other one you have to check-in while getting boarding pass.

3.    Weight of hand-baggage can not be more than predefined limit mentioned in your ticket or terms and conditions of that Airliner and you can not have sharp objects (Blade, knife, nail cutter etc) or any liquid more than 25ml (this may  vary).

4.    Weight of baggage to check-in can not be more than predefined limit set by Airliner.

5.    It’s good to have a weighing spring at home; you can use it to fine-tune baggage weight.

6.    Make sure you have documents in your hand-baggage, DO NOT keep documents in baggage to check-in; you will need those documents during flight and after landing to the destination. You will not have any access of you check-in baggage during flight.

7.    Reach 3 hours before flight to the airport.

8.    Keep you phone ON until you board the plane; you may need to call your relative overseas for any help. After seating on plan you will be told to switch off the phone.

9.    Airport can be crowded, so don’t panic or lose your confidence. You will have plenty of time to do things.

10.    After reaching airport, look for a trolley, there are plenty of trolleys scattered on airport just grab one.

11.    Place your baggage on the trolley and handbag on the top, take out your passport and tickets and keep it in your hand.

12.    Press the bar of trolley down-wards and push it to stroll.

13.    While entering security officers may ask for your passport and ticket. Show it to them; they will let you go after checking documents. (This is may not be happen at various airports)

14.    There will be help available inside airport; you can ask about location of your airliner counters. Join the queue of your booked class, there will be other queues also. You can find correct queue by reading TV displays behind the counters.

15.    Takeout you passport, tickets and visa and pass it to boarding pass issuing officer. They will take some time and may ask some questions; answer them confidently and comfortably.

16.    Place the baggage to check-in at rolling platform and keep the handbag with you, they will check-in the baggage, which you can collect it back at your destination.

17.    Boarding pass issuing officer will issue you a boarding pass, an immigration form and a tag for handbag, with your other documents which are passport, ticket and your visa. They will also inform you about your GATE NUMBER to board and the SEAT NUMBER. This information will also be printed on your boarding pass.

18.    Take all documents from them and look for a seat. Attach the tag with your handbag and fill the immigration form.

19.    After getting boarding pass you have to go for immigration check.

20.    Join any queue and keep your passport, visa, filled immigration form and boarding pass in hand. Immigration officer will need this for verification.

21.    After reaching to immigration officers pass all of these documents to them. They will ask some questions, answer them.

22.    Immigration officer will stamp your passport and return back you passport, visa and boarding pass. Clear the immigration area, DO NOT STAND in the immigration area. You can not return back to entrance once you cleared the immigration.

23.    Now you only need your boarding pass, so keep other documents in you handbag.

24.    There will be a security check before you reach to the gate from where you have board plane. They will ask you to place your baggage in the machine to scan it and will scan you also using a metal detector. They will stamp the bag tag and let you go.

25.    You will have plenty of time to find the gate; you can easily locate the gate by reading the number at the top of gates.

26.    Go near the gate and sit down on any chair, keep looking on the display on the top of gate, they will display and make calls when boarding for your flight will start.

27.    Join the queue when boarding starts. Keep you boarding pass in hand.

28.    Either airliner will provide a bus to plane or plane will be connected to a gate using movable tunnel through a corridor.

29.    Show your boarding pass to flight attendant and they will help to get seated and place your baggage in baggage box on the top. You can keep your baggage under the seat in front of you also.

30.    After getting seated they will display various safety measures in a screen.

31.    You can try fastening seat belts or ask for flight attendant for help. Keep it fasten all the time while seating, if you are going to toilet make sure you have fasten it after returning back.

32.    Airplane will take some time to reach take-off strip and then will take-off, it will just be fast nothing else. Once it reaches in air, you will feel like seating in bus.

33.    There is “Fasten Seat Belt” light, which will be switched on in case of Air turbulence. It’s a very common during flight, listen pilot announcement and remain seated.

34.    Your meal will be served as per your request; flight attendants will come and ask for you once it’s ready. If you need any thing other than food, you can call flight attendants by pressing a switch on the top of you.

35.    During the flight the flight attended may give you another immigration form to fill just fill it and keep it with you.

36.    After landing at destination, just follow everyone else, they all will go to immigration check first. You have to go for it also; it may be a long walk from airplane to the immigration check point. Few airports (like Changi) are very big.

37.    Join the queue for immigration check. Show your passport and visa to immigration officer.

38.    You need to collect you checked-in baggage, which you have checked in at origin. You can find the correct rolling plate-form by reading display.

39.    You may need to undergo another round of security check before you leave airport, security officer may approach you or ask for it while you are crossing the gate.

40.    Take a cab to your destination or look for your relatives, after clearing the security check

This post based on traveling from Delhi from Singapore, there may be processes different in different countries and airports.

Apologies for not logging over last weekend, there was nothing special to log, but past was an eventful week.

To start with, went to watch movie Avatar second time, it was in 3-D this time. This was second time in my life when I watched a movie two times in cinema hall, first was Independence Day. It was little better experience than 2-D, unfortunately I have selected back row and screen was far away, anyways enjoyed second time also. Did some experiments with the 3-D glass and realized that both of glasses of pair are different in color and when I removed the glass every thing went blurred. I never noticed this in my childhood when I was reading 3-D comic books .

Aashis’ birthday was the main event, it was on 2nd of Feb and which was Tuesday. Thankfully everyone invited was present. I was on leave and taking care of arranging things, while Anshu was holding another important end cooking. Menu was “Mater-Paneer”, “Dam-Aaluoo”, “Chooley”, “Pualo”, “Pudina-Raita” and “Kachorian”… and what a excellent food it was… superb… I loved all of them especially “Pudina-Raita”. There were 6 families in total and 7 kids… Its up to you to imagine a house with 7 kids… and all very naughty

Could not take photographs, was busy arranging things

Here I am testing a Hindi line

फिर मिलेंगे…

(See you later)

Bottle Tree is a good place for live sea food lovers, unfortunately for us (especially me) this was not the place, I am here in Yishun (near Khatib MRT) from more than 2 years and almost daily watching the place, but never thought to visit it, may be because it is too near to my place.

It turns out a nice place to chill-out in evening. In our case the purpose was to discuss about our imminent trips in Asia Pacific region. There are many places still to visit, so far we only have confirmation of Bali trip.

• The agenda of the meeting was to explore possibility of Kota Kinabalu or KL and Genting as well as to finalize our trip to Desaru.
• Parties took part in the meeting were Rishi, Sunil and me with families.
• Outcome of “The Meeting” was that Rishi will proceed ahead with finalizing plan to Desaru, Sunil will study and sketch the plan of KL and Genting, while I have explore possible options for Kota Kinabalu trip. Sequences of these trips are as following -

1. Desaru coming weekend or next depends on comfort of a couple of other families (Rajeev and Dileep). Sunil is not coming in this trip .
2. Kota Kinabalu during 3 day off of Good Friday.
3. KL and Genting will be a weekend trip, any weekend but at least in a gap of 2 weeks other 3 trips (3 rd one is our Bali trip, unfortunately only me and Sunil are going to this).

Here are few photographs of Bottle Tree Park-

Had two excellent dinners last week, one of traditional Chinese cuisine and one of Thai. Guys add my name in list of new Chinese cuisine fan .

Night life at Clarke Quay is fascinating. Posting few photographs of the place… more lately, I have to go Mustafa now…

This is addition of one more name in my list of outings… view from the marina barrage was breathtaking, so as the wind…  it was blowing too hard for my “Cheap” tripod , it was shivering like I use to shiver after taking bath in winters. I am definitely not going to buy a good and heavy tripod; it was just a rarest occasion and will not be often.

We must need to have a zero vibration of tripod while shooting for long exposure, what I consider as long is anything greater than 1/125 sec, most of us can take a hand held clean shot with 1/125 sec, though in my case the exposure was for 10-30 seconds… at one point of time my camera demanded more than 30 seconds and this was the time when packed it to my way back home.

I love this place, its very photogenic… though composition is little challenging

14 January, its a day of various festivals throughout India and various part of world. Known as Lohri in Punjab, Makar Sankranti in UP and nearby states and Pongal in almost entire South-India. It is celebrated for new crop. This is the only day of year as per Hindu calender which falls on 14 January of Gregorian calendar, due to the fact that Sun enters into “Makar Rashi”.

This is a day of start of great gathering of pilgrims across India and world to my home town Allahabad, to get rid of all sins by taking holy bath in Sangam in month of Magh. Yes! this is known as “Magh Mela”. This mela (fair), offers some great photographic opportunity, unfortunately I am not there .

I didn’t like the day since my childhood, as we were supposed to take bath without fail, further we had to eat Khichdi, I really didn’t liked to take bath in chilling winters, neither the Khichdi. For those who don’t know what the Khichdi is let me briefly explain that is a dish of Rice and Urad daal or any other available daal (Pulse). Flying kites was another activity of this day, unfortunately I was youngest, so never got a chance to touch the thread.

And after all these stuff, this is my Dad’s birthday, a very special gentleman born on a very special day.

Happy Birthday Dude … sorry sorry, (slip of tongue ) … Happy birthday dad !!!

It was all ok when I tested after my last post, but yesterday morning when I tried to open the web site it was showing only a blank page. I tried to debug it, disabled all link exchanges, tried few other tricks also but no luck, and finally decided to take this as an opportunity to change the tool to wordpress. I know there are few things screwed up like feeds and link exchanges also all your bookmarks and google search results will show up a page not found (404) Error. I am sorry for all this mess . Please pull a new feed to your feed reader.