Run in Rain

ECR Run # 6 was a rainy affair. Though it rained, it did not stop over 25 enthusiastic runners from participating in the run.. For the first time, we had runners as young as 9 participating in the run. It rained rather heavily during the start and at the end of our 30K run. As a kid, one always get admonished 'don't play in the rain'.. but yesterday, I got to run in the rain and must say enjoyed it thoroughly.

The challenge running in the rain is that your clothes become drenched and you tend carry additional pounds in your clothes, socks and shoes. Though, it felt rather uncomfortable initially, I got used to it and started enjoying the rhythm of splashing water and the mud. But the rain and shine did do a number on my running time which wasn't anything to write home about.. I took 3:24 hours for 30.54km.

Anyways, it was enjoyable experience with several firsts..

1. Thanks to KK, we gave away certificates for the first time.. our own chennai runners certificate!!!!..
2. Thanks to Tiger, we got our first sponsorship.. Pepsi gave us a liberal supply of Gatorade & Aquafina.
3. Thanks to Divya and Deepika Mahesh, youngest runners ever to partipate in a ECR Run...
   
4. Also, for the first time, we had families running together.. reminded me of the adage I heard in US.. familes that run (play) together, stay together.. good show Lakshmi, Sandhya & Nithya..
   

Sandy's pictures and his run report

Travelog # 48 - Great Wall of China

This was my second trip to Great Wall, but the first with a camera. On both occasions, I visited Great Wall during winter, which kind of restricted my movement, but nevertheless, I enjoyed this trip than the earlier one.. partly because I had company and partly because we walked a lot.. compensating for my lack of 'runs'.


I am not sure which portion of Great Wall I went this time.. but it is not the same as the previous one.. Our guide did tell us the name.. but not able to recollect now. This place is about an hour drive my Beijing 3rd ring road. We started relatively early to beat the traffic and the crowd at Great Wall. Like any other big city, Beijing is famous for its traffic snarls and pollution.. In fact, that is a big concern for the Olympic organizers.




Great Wall has many sections and the one we climbed was rather steep and had lot of steps. My colleague counted over 1700 steps which took us over an hour to climb with frequent stops in between.


It started getting crowded by the time we started descending from the wall. I met folks from Texas, Virginia and many other states US. I even met a small crowd from Bangalore on assignment in Beijing.


Lock to be wedded for life.. Saw a long chain across a section of the wall with hundreds of locks tied together in pairs.. with a red ribbon. Our guide explained that husband and wife come to Great Wall and put these locks up and tie them together with a red ribbon so that they be 'wedded' for life.


The section of the wall we climbed had 6 pit stops (rest areas) like this one. Once used as watch towers, these are now used to sell souvenirs.


Thanks to technology, neat looking certificates with your photos are available for a stiff price. For us, we decided to make do with just these pictures.


Climb at your own risk..




In all, the trip was a memorable one. It took us little over 4 hours to visit Great Wall and come back to the city.

This monumental edifice must have taken tremendous resources and energy to build and is no doubt impressive. But what is not clear is did these walls serve its purpose? I don't think so.. but mankind has not learnt its lesson from it as we continued to build more walls even in the twenty first century.. be it in Indian subcontinent or Middle East or North America or Nicosia or Korean peninsula, mankind is simply building more and more walls to keep his own kind at bay..

More photos in flickr

ECR Run # 6

Chennai Runners are hitting the ECR again and this time we are expecting over 50 to show up. Chennai got a breather from the early summer rains that has been lashing the past couple of days. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow but we are planning to run anyways.. rain or shine..

If you would like to join in the fun, there is still time.. just show up @ MGM resort by 4:30 AM sharp.. we start the run by5:00 AM...

More details on the run here..

Travelog # 47 - Beijing Lama Temple

I went to Lama Temple in Beijing last Sunday. We went to this place after visiting Great Wall and had to trek for couple of hours to get to there. The vastness of the temple is completely masked by the Beijing City that has grown around it.


Entrance to the temple.. Surprisingly, this huge temple had a narrow entrance causing heavy traffic snarls on a main road in which it is situated.

Brief history of the temple. Built in 1694, Lama temple was first used as the residence of court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty and was later partially converted to a lamasery in 1734. But the temple was closed during the cultural revolution for many years and reopened only in 1980. Now, Lama Temple is a major tourist attraction and is also place of worship for Buddhists.


Lama Temple consists of 5 huge halls (sanctums ?) housing various types of Buddhas connected by well decorated courtyards. This one is the last such sanctum housing the tallest wooden Buddha statue in the world.


Devotees lighting incense sticks as offering to Buddha. These sticks are large and comes in various shapes and sizes but were devoid of any fragrance.

More pictures in flickr

Next post - my visit to Great Wall

Travelog # 46 - Beijing and Changi Terminal 3

I came across 2 Terminal # 3 in my travel to Beijing last week. One in transit @ Changi and other one at Beijing. Both of them are spanking new and boasts of incorporating lot of green technologies. Both have lot of glass and steel.


This as close as I came to the Terminal 3 in Beijing. Though it officially opened on Feb 29, not all airlines have started operating from there. But, I hope to land there next time, which would be only after March 26, 2008.


Can you spot the T3 in the back ground. I heard that Beijing's new terminal is the largest in the world and can handle over 60 million passengers a year.


Travel in and out of Beijing has progressively become smoother and faster in the last few years. During my early visits, I remember having to fill 3 different forms and wade through long lines. But this time, the lines were short and filled just one simplified form.


Both during my onward and return journey, my transit was via the new Terminal 3 at Changi. It is already the best airport in my list and that just got reinforced with T3. Changi T3 is vast and has all kinds of facilities a transit passenger would want. From spacious resting areas to free internet to play areas to prayer rooms, these guys have thought of everything and done it right.


Shoppers paradise.. you can shop till you drop here.. Changi mall is targetted not only at travelers but also built to attract Singapore residents as well. Singapore being small and commuter friendly really helps here.. otherwise, who would think of going to an airport for shopping?


Non stop movies.. @ Changi T3


Kids play area @ Changi T3


Array of eateris in Changi T3.. From Indian to Italian, restaurants to suit many different taste buds.



If the Changi T3 is cool, the Singapore Airlines lounge @ T3 is cooler. From free wifi to plush sofas to spead of snacks,this lounge is the best lounge I have been to.

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