My Personal Blog - Sarada Ramani

Planning to visit Iceland to see the Northern lights - the season is between september to March.  We travelled to Iceland during March 2nd week and here is the list of things that became an essential part of our travel  insulated waterproof and windproof winter jacket  Thermal underwear Woolen or fleece sweaters woollen socks  Also carry normal socks for any city side visits  waterproof winter boots - very very essential to walk on ice when it snows If you are planning on going to the glaciers then get ice cleats too ice stick for walking on the glaciers if possible take an extra pair of shoes in case your boots gets muddy and wet. winter hat with ear flops, waterproof gloves - one thin inner one and then a thick outer one scarf jeans thermos flask reusable water bottle flashlight  moisturizer and lip balm camera and other accessories power bank as the phone batteries go down quick in cold weather travel adapter sun glasses swimsuit raincoat or poncho  req

Finally landed in Reykjavik capital of island at 800pm. Our Delhi Helsinki flight became a 9.5 hours flight due to detour avoiding Pakistan airspace. The connecting flight was kept waiting as 55 from this flight had to take the connection. A hearty Indian meal welcomed us the tired and hungry travelers here is info about rey-ka-vik Reykjavik Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland and is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxa Bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 123,300 (and over 216,940 in the Capital Region), it is the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination. Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to Ingólfr Arnarson, was established in AD 874. Until the 19th century, there was no

From chennai we landed at Delhi for a overnight stay before we could catch a flight to Iceland.   Having arrived in the afternoon and checked into the hotel we started out to have lunch in Delhi and do a whirlwind tour of Delhi. Delhi the magnificence of India filled with monuments and the seat of power that runs India.  - A truly amazing sites to spend days and days together.   Could catch few great photos of India Gate, South Block, North Block and Rashtrapathi Bhavan and the Bahai - Lotus Temple before returning back to the hotel

Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall) is an iconic waterfall of Iceland offering a spectacular view of the forces and beauty of untouched nature. Gullfoss is part of the Golden Circle tour, located in South Iceland on the Hvítá (White) river which is fed by Iceland´s second biggest glacier, the Langjökull. The water plummets down 32 meters in two stages into a rugged canyon which walls reach up to 70 meters in height. On a sunny day shimmering rainbow can be seen over the falls. The wide  Hvítá  river flows southward, and about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 metres or 36 feet, and 21 metres or 69 feet) into a crevice 32 metres (105 ft) deep. The crevice, about 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running down the waterfall is 140 cubic metres (4,900 cu ft)

We are here on 9th March.  While we were worried about what would be the weather conditions  we were blessed with a sunny day.  While all of us were thermals,sweaters then outer layer fleece jackets initially it was very cold that we had to wear gloves and everytime we had to remove the gloves to take a photo but later on got used to it.  When I read it as park I was imagining a forest area but it was only volcanic rock outcrops. Here is a write up from wikipedia Þingvellir anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake

Recently I had been to Ottawa - Oh Just less than 24 hours.  I flew  into the city in the night and left the next day evening, but still whateve I saw of it and heard about it, I wanted to pen it donw.  These few lines I had taken from internet to get the correct facts. Some facts about Ottawa: Ottawa    is the capital of Canada , and is the fourth largest city in the country. Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River, and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The oldest part of the city  is known as Lower Town, and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lies Centretown  or the downtown, which is the city's financial and commercial hub. Situated between Centretown and the Ottawa River, the slight elevation of Parliament Hill is home to many of the capital's landmark government buildings, including the Peace Tower, and the legislative seat of Canada. As of June 29, 2007, the Rideau Canal , which stretc

This is all about how each individual has to  contribute to the Customer Experience for any company.   I travelled back to India from US starting on Wednesday by Lufthansa which has 2 flights to be taken to reach Chennai via Frankfurt The first half  There was a delay in departure of the aircraft  - guess what was the reason - the delay in arrival of the crew - Not it wasn't their fault - they were caught up in a traffic jam in NJ turnpike due to an accident.  So to make it quicker to reach the airport, the shuttle driver took another route and believe me -there was another accident in that route too - So for a ride which just takes half an hour - it took them two and half hours to reach the airport.  Despite all the delays the crew was so cheerful and was serving all the passengers with SMILE creating a feeling of being taken care of.  The German gentleman who was attending to me, was so apologetic about me not able to get a vegetarian breakfast as I had slept through and just w

Quite recently I was on travel along with my husband. Since I travel more than my husband, I have a Gold membership card with few airlines and hotel chains, while in most cases, my husband either had a silver card or no membership at all, as we travel to different destinations most of the time. Everywhere I went,  whether it was US or India or any country for that matter, the person in the front office will always assume that he is the person who is the Gold card status holder and I am his companion.  I had an hearty laugh in Vancouver, on the day we were flying to Washington through Seattle from that airport.  From Vancouver to Seattle it is a small aircraft and so both our class of travel was same.  But from Seattle to Washington, mine was first class and his was economy class.  The airline representative was telling me that I don't know how a silver card holder has got an first class upgrade while a gold card holder is travelling in economy at the same time.  I had to tell her

What a wonderful trip it was. Dont ask me how much business I have brought back or what are the connections I have had. That is a different story altogether. But what I brought back home was 19 good friends - a close knit group, sailing in thick and thin together, enjoying life, enjoying what work we do and having fun all along the way. The first day in London, the entire delegation was hosted a evening party at none other place than London Stock Exchange . We had a great presentation done to us which was telling us how LSE listing for the Indian companies will be good and what is the benefit for the Indian companies. I was telling few of my friends, "What a distance India has come" Within about 61 years, from the time, when we had to fight our battles to have freedom in our own soil, we are now wooed to be part of the economic heart beat of London, the London Stock Exchange. My sincere appreciations to every Indian who has made this day possible by their sheer

I am right now in Dublin as part of Nasscom delegation to Ireland and UK. Got in yesterday and now ready for beginning the first day of the delegation. We will be leaving by 7.30 from this hotel and after a full day's engagement, will be leaving for Scotland tonight. The best thing about these countries is the comfort feeling you get even though it is your first time in that country. People are friendly and invariably all the airports have tourist information counter which is manned by very good and friendly people. So when I went in to ask the way to get to the hotel from the airport, they told me to take a public bus, as the bus stop was just outside the hotel. It was a great experience to travel and it was very comfortable and driver was helpful in telling me when I need to alight. In the evening 8 of us got out and went to the city center and finished our dinner over a good and entertaining dinner at the Irish pub. Altogether a good first day. But before closing I ha

Being in a service business, this dictum is something we cannot forget at all. Never for one moment can we take anybody for granted. I am writing this not with my office in mind, but as as customer what I expect from my service providers. This is about m airlines. I am a Gold card status member with Lufthansa and it is one of the airlines which has the excellent connections to all parts of US. It has been a decade of travelling for me and I have gone with various airlines. While the South Eastern airlines offer the Best in flight services, I have always gone with Lufthansa for the best connections. Their service is not a bad one, but not something that I can rave about. Some of the individuals give excellent service, while there are some people who just do their job. This time I flew Jet airways and Oh my god - what excellent service. First and foremost, the flat bed in the business class was so wonderful that I could relax throughout the journey. The individuals went out of t

For us Indian, anything Foreign should be excellent, while our Indian products and services will not be anything to compare against at all. What a wrong notion. Take for instance the air travel. yes because of late, I have been so much flying (one of my family members commented that I would be logging more air miles than even a senior pilot in our domestic airlines!!!!)I am taking this for comparison Some of the key things that are good with our domestic airlines - Hot Food for even a short haul flight - Good flight service (almost) - A little more leg room - Free trolleys - When flights are cancelled some arrangements including hotel accommodation for stranded passengers, food coupons, assistance (of course the degree varies), but almost all the out of town passengers are taken care. The last point becomes very very important as in a visiting city, when you take the flight home you would have wound up your stay arrangements and if the flight gets postponed then it becomes imperative

Depending on what is your seat location and the company with whom you are in - it is WOW what a travel or Oh My God when is it going to end. For travellers like us - flying from India to United States - By the end of yesterday's flight I have crossed my 30th flight this year - the travel becomes a necessary chore to be done to meet up with our clients. Of course, this time this is different, as we are travelling as a family combining both business and pleasure. We had a long travel - Madras to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Chicago and Chicago to LA. Even before starting, being a seasoned traveller, I had advised my daughters to pack one set of clothes and 2 sets of underwear. The bath at Frankfurt Businss lounge was refreshing and made us fresh after a overnighter. My advice to the family helped them a lot here. In India, as soon as we land, while waiting for customs clearance, we complain about the long queue, the long time taken for immigration and the time to be spent waiting for