APR 30, 13 .. MY KODAIKANAL INTERNET CAFE ..

Now that I am back from my trip to Ooty .. and 'home' here in Kodaikanal ..

I thought it might be a bit-of-fun to show you where I spend up-to seven (7) hours a day (this has been my maximum) at a cost of somewhere around Nine ($9.00) US Dollars a day.  The 'nominal' hourly rate here in Kodaikanal is 80 Rs ($1.60 US Dollars) per hour. I use the word 'nominal' because I get a slight discount because of the many hours that I spend here.

In Ooty I paid 30 Rs per hour! This was a surprise to me since Ooty is generally considered to be a 'high cost city'. 

Let's start out with the exterior.

A shot of the Internet Cafe on MARKET SUNDAY.

A closer look.

When it comes to my actual work on-line .. I live and I die with the expertise provided to me by the staff at the various Internet Cafes that I use.

Here in Kodaikanal .. THE MAN .. is Mahesh and Mahesh has been immensely helpful! You will see Mahesh in the below three photos.

And a very nice close-up of Mahesh!

Inside we go and up-the-stairs we go to the second floor.

At the head-of-the-stairs we turn right into the 'Cabin Room' and then left to shoot the below photo of the 'Cabins'. The green chair ahead of you locates MY Cabin  2 on the left.

As you can see below .. I use the green chair to put 'my stuff' on while I used the internet.

There are several other 'regulars' here and one of them shot the below photos of me 'at work' on-line.

There 'you-have-it' .. my Kodaikanal Internet Cafe!  And it feels 'very VERY nice' to be 'back home' here in Kodaikanal!  

Smiles .. Cap

MAR 21, 13 .. THIS ONE TIME I REALLY GOT-IT-RIGHT !

Since I spend so much time here at my internet cafe .. I updated this Post that I published on 1 March 2013  because below I have inserted four new photos of the interior of my internet cafe.

IF for no one else .. I want Patti to get a better idea of MY place here!

Once in awhile .. and it happens .. I get something that is very important to me 'JUST RIGHT' !

In addition to showing you where I do all of my Posting .. This post tells you a story that happened last January of  2012.  Its message is still important!  One I can not and do not want to forget! 

As you know .. I spend hours and hours on-line updating my two web sites.  In the first photo below is a photo of the internet cafe here in Pondicherry where I practically ' live'.  This one particular internet cafe is the absolute best that I have found here in 'Pondi'.  The 'Citinet Internet Services' cafe.

At this internet cafe, the main man .. the actual on-location manager .. is named Thangavelu.  He goes by 'Velu' and his name means 'fish' according to him.   After coming to this internet cafe awhile in January of 2012 .. Velu .. for no reason that I can pin-down .. began to let me use his personal computer .. the best-computer-in-the-place!  Velu's computer has a super large screen and the absolute most up-to-date software!

To put it mildly .. Velu treats me extremely well!

So in a very real sense I owe Velu.   As you can see in the below photo .. Velu is a VERY PLEASANT YOUNG MAN .. his photo just exudes this!

Late in January of 2012 .. as I was entering the cafe .. out-of-the-blue ..  Velu hit me with the following!  "Sir you owe me 100 Rupees.  You left last night without paying for your two and one half hours of computer use!" 

Most of you know the workings of our minds .. in nano-seconds we seem capable of running tens of thousands of thoughts .. or so it seems!

Here were some of my nano-second thoughts!  

I always pay at the end of my computer sessions without fail!  Velu .. as the responsible manager that he is .. makes sure everyone pays when they leave!  This is his job and he does a good job.  The entrance and the exit are set up to prevent people from skipping out!  Velu is always very precise with our times!  Everyone is promptly logged in on Velu's time sheets.  

Then without blinking I came up with the following ..

I represent something here!   I represent all senior citizens!   I represent all Americans!   I represent myself!   Maybe some clever young backpacker skipped out without paying and Velu has to make up for the lost time and money and figures I can afford to help him!  He may feel his job in on-the-line with the owner!  It is possible Velu is correct!

"Captain" .. I thought to myself .. "What are we talking about here?"  .. "We are talking about TWO American Dollars!" 

  

"For TWO Dollars why on earth risk Velu's friendship and in  the slightest way annoy Velu!?"

"Pay Velu the one hundred Rupees!  DO IT NOW!  DO IT WITH A SMILE!  DO IT WITH NO DRAMA AND NO FANFARE!" 

I DID JUST THAT .. with a smile I said .. "Sure Velu!" .. and with absolutely no further discussion I said as I handed the money to him .. "Here is one hundred Rupees" ..

I am absolutely positive that Velu had NO idea of my thoughts!

Below are six photos (the first two are of me) shot inside of Velu's Citinet Internet Services cafe.  In the first one .. you can see the very large screen on Velu's 'HP' computer.

And another from the side.   Not the best photo as  it is dark in the cafe.  Velu shot these two photos for me.

A year has passed with little or no significant difference.

Below is a photo of Velu's desk and on the left the door leading to the steps down to the street below.  On the right side of the below photo is Velu's personal computer.  THIS is the computer that I use when I am here.  

The below photo looks straight at 'my' computer (the use thereof being 100% the courtesy of  Velu!)

In the below photo .. IF you turn 90-degrees to your left .. you will see the scene in the last photo below.

The final photo below shows the main area of computer use.  My area is to the right diagonally behind us in the below photo.  After Velu's personal computer .. although I seldom use it .. the one on the immediate below left is the next best computer.

I have said this often .. and I repeat it here .. in a phrase .. 

To Feel Good .. Do Good!

As a result of my behavior .. there is absolutely no tension between me and Velu ! 

Over a full year has passed.  When I came here on February 21st Velu lit-up-like-a-Christmas-tree when he saw and recognized me!

And for two dollars I would have risked our entire relationship?

This one time .. I got it right!  

Smiles .. Cap ..  

NOV 6, 11 .. A LITTLE MUSING .. A LOT OF GRATITUDE ..

 for those of you who have never .. struggled .. with a web site .. you don't know what you have been missing.. they (web sites) take on lives of their own.. as in.. "oh its you again captain.. well here is what we are going to do with your efforts.." .. this writing is numbered as 52.. it is dated november 6, 2011.. it was written AFTER number 51.. and do you think that i am able to get it to post in its proper order.. ahead of.. before.. number 51.. oh no.. so we go 51.. 52.. 50.. sigh.. your captain..

 I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT STOP HERE.. AND SAY A MOST GRATEFUL AND A MOST HUMBLE THANK YOU TO SIX SPECIFIC PEOPLE.. WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PHOTOS AND FOR ME GETTING THEM ON A WEB SITE HERE..

ANDREW AND CHERI AND BILL .. ANDRE.. PATTI.. and .. 'GULLIBLE 99631' .. and a lot of never-to-be-named computer geeks in calcutta and here in agra cantt .. 

FIRST.. I MUST THANK 'MY FAMILY' BACK IN 48073..  WITHOUT ANDREW.. WITHOUT CHERI.. AND WITHOUT BILL.. ON A ZERO TO TEN.. I WAS AT ABOUT 9.9 AS TO NOT EVEN TAKING A CAMERA WITH ME ON THIS TRIP..

YOU SEE.. IN MY NINTH VISIT TO THE NATION OF INDIA.. SPANNING OVER TWENTY ONE (21) YEARS.. I HAVE TAKEN ALBUMS AND ALBUMS OF PHOTOGRAPHS.. I HAVE BEEN HERE.. AND I HAVE DONE THIS.. ALL OF IT.. 

BUT AT THE LAST MINUTE.. I MEAN A FEW DAYS BEFORE I WAS TO FLY OUT.. CHERI ASKED ME ABOUT PHOTOS.. AND CHERI SHOWED ME HER NIKON S4100 COOLPIX CAMERA AND SAID.. " CAP.. YOU CAN DO THIS.. "

" I KNOW I CAN BECAUSE I HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA IN ALASKA THAT I LEFT IN ALASKA BECAUSE I DON'T PLAN TO TAKE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS"

AND I 'GOT TO THINKING' AND I DIALED ON OVER TO MY LOCAL COSTCO.. WHERE CHERI HAD GOTTEN HER DIGITAL CAMERA.. AND COSTCO HAD THE EXACT SAME CAMERA SO I BOUGHT THE CAMERA I HAVE WITH ME.. 

"CHERI.. WHAT NOW ?"

"I WILL SEND ANDREW RIGHT OVER !"

AND ANDREW LITERALLY UNWRAPPED MY LITTLE NIKON S4100 FROM ITS BOX.. AND ANDREW DID 100% OF EVERYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.. "CAP THIS IS.." .. "CAP YOU DO THIS WITH THIS" .. "CAP HERE IS YOUR POWER CORD TO RECHARGE THE CAMERA AND TO LOAD PHOTOS ONTO A COMPUTER" .. "CAP HERE IS THE CASE" .. "CAP HERE IS HOW YOU SHOOT A PHOTO" .. "CAP HERE IS HOW YOU LOOK AT YOUR PHOTOS" .. "CAP HERE IS HOW YOU DELETE THEM.. SAVE THEM.." ..

OVER TWO HOURS.. ON A BUSY SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR ANDREW WHO HAD THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO GO AND PEOPLE TO SEE..

BILL.. 'THE MAN'.. JUST WATCHED IN THE BACKGROUND.. SUPPORTING THIS ENTIRE SCENE.. AND BILL ALWAYS DOES.. SUPPORT ME..

SECOND.. WE HAVE OUR WEB MASTER.. ANDRE.. OF MY PRIMARY WRITING SITE .. http://babakaps.net ..  ROOTING LIKE CRAZY FOR ME TO GET A CAMERA TO DO PHOTOS.. THANKS ANDRE FOR YOUR SUPPORT..

THIRD.. PATTI IS THE ONLY HUMAN BEING ON THIS EARTH WHO KNOWS THE ANGST THESE PHOTOS HAVE BEEN CAUSING ME..  

AH YES.. AND LAST.. BUT FAR FROM LEAST.. WE HAVE..  'GULLIBLE 99631' .. a gift to me from.. PATTI .. 'GULLIBLE 99631' and PATTI have been friends for.. how many years.. OVER forty (40) years someplace..

'GULLIBLE 99631' HAS A GOOGLE.. BLOGSPOT.COM .. WEB SITE.. http://gullible-gulliblestravels.blogspot.com ..

IT WAS GULLIBLE WHO GAVE ME THE IDEA OF GETTING A GOOGLE SITE.. WHICH I DID.. THEN I COULD NOT DO A THING WITH IT ONCE I ESTABLISHED IT AS REGARDS TO PHOTOS.. oh yes i could write but i can write on my word press web site and have been writing there..


SO 'GULLIBLE 99631' SET ME UP WITH A WEB SITE.. DID THE WORK.. GOT PHOTOS FROM MY WRITING WEB SITE.. I MEAN DID THE JOB..


WHICH I PROMPTLY BLEW UP SAYING THAT "I CAN NOT DEAL WITH ANOTHER WEB SITE THANK YOU KINDLY" .. 

SO INSTEAD OF GIVING UP ON ME.. HERE CAME TWO OR A THREE PAGES OF INSTRUCTIONS..

YOU KNOW.. GET OUT OF BED.. GET DRESSED.. EAT AND DRINK FLUIDS.. GO TO THE COMPUTER INTERNET CAFE.. GET ON A COMPUTER.. etc etc etc.. very detailed instructions..  SEE WHERE IT SAYS LINK ON THE MENU BAR.. IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT OF LINK IS AN ICON.. CLICK ON THAT ICON.. etc etc etc.. very detailed instructions..

I MADE TO 'GULLIBLE 99631' A MOST SINCERE AMEND FOR MY IRRATIONAL BEHAVIOR BLOWING UP HER BLOGSPOT.COM SITE SHE SLAVED TO SET UP FOR ME.. 

AND LASTLY.. I HAVE GOT TO THANK A LITERAL LEGION OF COMPUTER GEEKS IN CALCUTTA AND HERE IN AGRA CANTT WHO BACKED UP THE INSTRUCTIONS I WAS GIVEN BY ANDRE AND 'GULLIBLE' ..

BUT.. NO CAMERA.. NO PHOTOS.. PURE AND SIMPLE.. SO '1616'.. AGAIN.. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH..

WITH LOVE TO YOU ALL.. CAP .. 
 

OCT 29, 11 .. AGRA CANTT .. LOVE OF INDIA ..

This.. this.. NOW THIS IS TOO MUCH.. at this time.. the week of October 24th through October 29th I guess.. I use the words ' I guess ' BECAUSE these things go on and they go on and they GO ON.. there is a PUJA (the word PUJA means Festival here in India.. so to say a PUJA is going on.. is to say they are having a FESTIVAL) in progress and when this happens.. often.. things get really crazy..

OK.. I went to my local Internet Cafe to do some posts to For What It's Worth.. got it.. I walked into the Internet Cafe.. you know.. lots and lots of High Tech Computer Equipment is there.. and what do I see.. WHAT DO I SEE.. to celebrate the local PUJA.. on the floor .. in the back of the Internet Cafe.. the local dudes and girls have BUILT A FIRE and are roasting things in the fire on the floor inside of the Internet Cafe..

And it was smokey.. like SMOKEY inside.. not too good for the computer stuff I don't think.. 

 

GOTCHA.. here we go.. AND YOU ASK ME.. CAP.. WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE ABOUT INDIA..

Lookie See.. the fire and the flames roasting something inside the Internet Cafe..

HERE IS YOUR QUESTION .. ready.. do you think THEY were SMOKING something themselves.. heey pass me that roach so I can take a hit on that puppy ..

MUCH JOY.. BOBBA CAPS..