Thursday, October 05, 2006
Holidays-behind the Iron Curtain!
While on the topic of "Holidays", I must tell you about some of the lovely times I had thanx to daddy & of course AI.
The most memorable one was to Moscow. I always had this absession to look behind the 'Iron Curtain' & had psyched daddy so much to take me there that when he was posted there for a few months, he did everything he could, to make it happen.
It wasnt easy, he had to literally bribe the floor-girls at the hotel(Russia did not allow spouses/family gratis and the 5 star tarrifs were crazy, not to mention the exchange rates of the rouble which was officially = US$4 but was available in Singapore @ 4 Rou to a US$). To my joy the posting came in Winter(just what I wanted) & I spent 2 glorious weeks there during XMas.
Everytime he came to Mumbai, he would take gifts for the hotel staff (tea, hand bags, sandals & such nick nacks). So much so that when I landed there, I was literally welcomed by all of them- they had so many tickets for me- for the circus, the ballets etc that we had to distribute them to all the crew!
My experience on landing was something! there were hardly any tourists and the temperature was -15 or something- as I breathed, my breath came out as a white cloud in front of me! The immigration area appeared sinister, bleak & unfriendly just like the officials whose gaze could bore a hole thru you. Fortunately being wife of the crew helped & I was out soon enough.
Then came the tricky part; I had to pose as AI hostess at the hotel! Fortunately, I had carried Ravis parka and somebody's uniform coat & boots so I passed off as a hostess.
Guess who came to visit me the next day! Air Commodore Rakesh Sharma who was training for the space flight! He came with son and wife brought me a cake she had baked. This was in return for all the methi, adrak, hari mirch that dad took for them from india! Since we could not visit them (security reasons), they had come over to the hotel. So sweet of them. And he also organised passes for us for the Bolshoi Ballet(box seats)!
When he asked about you, I told him that I had two astranauts ; one named after Neil Armstrong and one before Rakesh Sharma! He had a hearty laugh!
I dont know if you remember Anil Havaldar & his russian wife! He too arranged trips for us to some of the spots on the outskirts of Moscow, we passed by some of the Dachhas(country houses) of the rulers! His wife inducted me to the sauna/steam/massages in the hotel.
Moscow was something else altogether! Everything being state owned, was gigantic! The buildings just ran from one end of the street to the other; the parks never ended!
The economy also being state driven, lakme and lancome products were available at the same price!
If you remember we bought our first AC from there, it was japanese made with a russian name stuck on it and came for the price of 2 fans!
Being christmas time, we had parties galore! Vodkas chased down with wine! And the cold helped! Also eating ice cream candies on the roadside in the freezing cold!
The Moscow experience at that time was unique! Much more exciting to the tourist at least, than Moscow post Glastnost and Peristroika.
The most memorable one was to Moscow. I always had this absession to look behind the 'Iron Curtain' & had psyched daddy so much to take me there that when he was posted there for a few months, he did everything he could, to make it happen.
It wasnt easy, he had to literally bribe the floor-girls at the hotel(Russia did not allow spouses/family gratis and the 5 star tarrifs were crazy, not to mention the exchange rates of the rouble which was officially = US$4 but was available in Singapore @ 4 Rou to a US$). To my joy the posting came in Winter(just what I wanted) & I spent 2 glorious weeks there during XMas.
Everytime he came to Mumbai, he would take gifts for the hotel staff (tea, hand bags, sandals & such nick nacks). So much so that when I landed there, I was literally welcomed by all of them- they had so many tickets for me- for the circus, the ballets etc that we had to distribute them to all the crew!
My experience on landing was something! there were hardly any tourists and the temperature was -15 or something- as I breathed, my breath came out as a white cloud in front of me! The immigration area appeared sinister, bleak & unfriendly just like the officials whose gaze could bore a hole thru you. Fortunately being wife of the crew helped & I was out soon enough.
Then came the tricky part; I had to pose as AI hostess at the hotel! Fortunately, I had carried Ravis parka and somebody's uniform coat & boots so I passed off as a hostess.
Guess who came to visit me the next day! Air Commodore Rakesh Sharma who was training for the space flight! He came with son and wife brought me a cake she had baked. This was in return for all the methi, adrak, hari mirch that dad took for them from india! Since we could not visit them (security reasons), they had come over to the hotel. So sweet of them. And he also organised passes for us for the Bolshoi Ballet(box seats)!
When he asked about you, I told him that I had two astranauts ; one named after Neil Armstrong and one before Rakesh Sharma! He had a hearty laugh!
I dont know if you remember Anil Havaldar & his russian wife! He too arranged trips for us to some of the spots on the outskirts of Moscow, we passed by some of the Dachhas(country houses) of the rulers! His wife inducted me to the sauna/steam/massages in the hotel.
Moscow was something else altogether! Everything being state owned, was gigantic! The buildings just ran from one end of the street to the other; the parks never ended!
The economy also being state driven, lakme and lancome products were available at the same price!
If you remember we bought our first AC from there, it was japanese made with a russian name stuck on it and came for the price of 2 fans!
Being christmas time, we had parties galore! Vodkas chased down with wine! And the cold helped! Also eating ice cream candies on the roadside in the freezing cold!
The Moscow experience at that time was unique! Much more exciting to the tourist at least, than Moscow post Glastnost and Peristroika.
# posted by rdbelite @ 7:03 AM 
