Steri-Pen Journey LCD water purifier

Water purification is something of an obsession with me. I must have at least 6 mechanisms for providing clean drinking water and I still don't think that too many! I've used pretty much every method, from iodine tablets (which leave a pretty nasty taste that is hard to disguise) to chlorine and other chemical solutions (usually chlorine dioxide, which also leaves a pretty nasty taste!), filters (ceramic element, carbon element, activated charcoal and so on), reverse osmosis and even distillation. All of these methods provide clean and mostly sterile water. I say mostly sterile, as only a few of these methods are truly capable of getting rid of any organic matter and there are some rather small life forms on this planet, which tend to be far worst than the largest lifeforms!

But a new mechanism has been added to this collection of methods: UV sterilization! SteriPen, a company based out of the US, now offers several models of portable UV sterilizers for travel and outdoor use. The concept is simple; a handle to hold batteries and a glass shrouded UV lamp on a rubber stopper that is inserted directly into the hole in a standard water bottle. A press of the button initiates a timed session and the UV lamp is turned on, while swirling the water around, insuring sufficient dwell time for the entire volume of water. And presto, the water is ready to drink, with no waiting!

The model we picked up is the Journey LCD, which offers the simplicity of an icon driven operation through an LCD display on the handle of the device.

Simply pick your mode, insert into water supply, agitate and follow the timer on the screen. Couldn't be any easier and with two special detection pins, if for some reason the water is not in contact with the sterilizer, the process is interrupted and the result is displayed on the LCD.

A great addition to my little collection! If you are heading on a trip to a location with doubtful water, this might be a great tool for you.

Lumix TS3 waterproof digital camera

At the end of July 2011, my wife, our boy and I decided to have our first family vacation. We decided on the Mont Tremblant resort, in Quebec, as it was close to home and the prices off-season were too good to pass up! As we both love photography, we figured that it would also be a great place to take some pictures. But when I started thinking about our luggage, the boy's luggage and all the other stuff we would lug around, I figured that a smaller, point and shoot type camera might actually be a good idea.

One of the subtypes of this camera made a strong impression with me: the waterproof, shockproof camera. There are only a few models currently available and after looking over the various specifications for these models, we settled on the Panasonic Lumix TS3.

The Lumix TS3 is a 12 megapixel camera, with several features including:

- Waterproof to 12m
- Shockproof to drops up to 2m
- Freezeproof to temperatures down to -10C
- Built-in GPS
- Built-in altimeter
- Built-in compass
- Built-in barometer

It also features a 28mm-128mm lens, as well as the capacity to capture movies in 1080p, at 30fps (it is also capable of capturing up to 60fps in lower resolutions. The camera is simple to use, but a little heavier than most point and shoots, due to the more rugged nature of the camera's body.

We put the camera through its paces on our vacation, taking it pretty much everywhere, and shooting in almost every condition we could think of. From underwater to the top of Mont Tremblant (~800m) in a single day, with temperatures ranging from 15C to a record 42C on one day of our vacation and the camera kept going with no difficulties at all! The only time unexpected issue we noticed was the condensation that formed on the inner glass of the objective, when we left our severely air conditioned room, to an outside temperature of 38C and a ride up to the top of the mountain, within about 15 minutes. As I was shooting, I realised that the scene appeared foggy on the 2.7 inch LCD display and noticed that the bottom portion of the glass cover was fogged up. Leaving the camera's waterproof battery/SD card door open, allowed the humidity to equalize and cleared up the fog.

Reading through the instruction manual, this is something that is discussed and is to be expected in the conditions we experienced.

Here are some samples taken with the TS3:

My beautiful wife!

The great pedestrian village of Mont Tremblant resort

And yours truly, being an idiot underwater!

If you are in the market for a camera you can take with you pretty much everywhere, the Panasonic Lumix TS3 is a model you should consider a serious contender!

Book review: Posters of the Canadian Pacific

Not too long ago, I got a fantastic deal on a book whose topic is one that has long been a favourite of mine: Art Deco travel posters. And one of the great leaders in this field was the Canadian Pacific. Hence the book, Posters of the Canadian Pacific, a treasure trove of some of the most beautiful posters developed during this fascinating period.

I happened upon a french copy of the book, but that is of little consequence (as I speak and read french) as the art works are essentially the same in both languages. I have always really enjoyed the Art Deco movement and these images always invoke that feeling for me.

If you enjoy vintage travel images, this is the book to look at. I am sure you will find it enjoyable and its a great reference book for graphic designers trying to inject a little retro into their projects. A lot of inspiration in this volume, both for traveling and for art.

Pick of the week: Unicat

I've always enjoyed travel and outdoor adventures, but with a young family, it's a little more complicated. I had always envisioned being able to travel in comfort and security, but without being tied down to North America's road system. Then I discovered Unicat and some of the wonderful expedition worthy machines they custom build and I found my dream:

This model, the EX70 on a 6x6 MAN chassis is not the only model made by any means. If you can dream it up, the people at Unicat can build it for you! Head on over to their site and take a look at some of the fantastic vehicles they have built to date!

Online Tools review: XE Universal Currency Converter

If you've ever found yourself having to convert currencies, you are probably aware that there are numerous tools available to help you in the process. But one of these, an online tool called XE Universal Currency Converter is billed as the most popular currency exchange site in the world. With a number of tools for currency transactions of all types, as well as charts and more, XE is truly an amazing resource for anyone that requires currency conversion tools and help.

(Foreign currency & coins image©bradipo)
I've recommended this tool to many of my friends when they were travelling internationally, and they have all praised its ease of use and access. Take a look for yourself, and I believe you will quickly want to add this bookmark to your travel links.

My last day in India

Now that I look back, one of the things I should have done more frequently while in India is swim in the ocean. A group of us decided that we would head to a beach resort about 1.5 hours drive from the hotel. We were told that this was a fantastic place, with a great beach, exclusivity and more. We jumped into a hotel provided SUV and a second group jumped into another, and we headed off. Since Louis and I were leaving at 1h00 the following day, we had packed our bags the night before in anticipation of our last day.

The drive to the resort was quite long, and at some points, almost harrowing, but we eventually arrived at a small gate, crossed and arrived at the resort. Without any neighbours, the resort is a collection of several small units, with multiple floors, balconies and more. I should have rented one of these for a weekend while I was here, but there is use crying over spilled milk. After paying our beach access fee (a cash grab if I've ever seen one!), we headed over to find ourselves a spot.

The resort had several palm-roofed shelters on the beach to provide some much needed shade in the hot India sun. About ten seconds later, several of us were already running across the burning hot sand to get to the water! The Bay of Bengal has fairly rough water, so we had a fantastic time playing in the surf, dodging the waves and more. After playing for a few hours, it was time for some refreshments, and the resort had an excellent beach bar and grill, which we all ordered from gladly. During that time, a goat herder walked her goats across the beach, much to our enjoyment. After lunch, we decided to hit the water again, as we all knew that we would have to leave quite in the late afternoon.

As with every time you have fun, the end of the afternoon arrived much too quickly, and it was time for us to head back to the hotel. Of course, later afternoon traffic made our return trip about 45 minutes longer than the original drive. Once back at the hotel, Louis and I headed to our rooms to make sure that all of our packing was done, and that we had distributed the things we would not be bringing back with us, including toiletries and more. Then we headed down to the hotel restaurant for a last supper with the various people that had stayed at the hotel with us.

After dinner, Louis and I said our goodbyes to the different people we wanted to see, settled our final bill at the hotel and loaded up one of the hotel's taxis with our luggage. Since it was about midnight at this point, the city was quiet and our drive to the airport was quick and uneventful. We checked our luggage, and headed to the business lounge to wait for our flight. At this point, I think that both Louis and I were looking forward to returning home, and we were both in very jovial spirits.

We finally boarded our flight (with only 30 minutes delay) and took off to Frankfurt, Germany. We had a two hour stopover there, but a much longer four hour stopover in Toronto. Personally, I thought that it was the hardest part of the return trip, as we were practically home, but not quite. On top of that, my checked luggage never made it to Toronto, so I had to fill out some paperwork with Air Canada in order to claim my luggage when it would arrive. The trip to Ottawa was also uneventful, and since we were sitting near the front of the airplane, we disembarked first. Since I had no luggage to pick up, I went with Louis to luggage claim to help him find his suitcases. As soon as we walked into the passenger pickup area, Nathalie was there waiting for me, and within seconds, Louis's parents arrived to greet him.

After a 24 hour return trip, I was finally home.

Our first visit to Velachery...

We had the incredible opportunity to visit the main office in Velachery, and let me tell you, I was really impressed... I think that the picture below says it all:



It was really a most impressive experience, and really demonstrated the commitment from our new friends... I had the very pleasurable experience of eating some Indian sweets when we were there, and I got this picture, thinking that it might bring a smile to a few people:


For your information, chats are Indian sweets!!!

Of course, we spend the majority of our time in Perungudi, so I thought that I would include a picture of Renaud, Martin and Alex, hard at work, of course:


We have made several friends, and they were really happy to pose in a few pictures with us:


I will add a little more when I get a chance later on!

Shopping at Spencer's

As we have discovered, Chennai is one of the textile hotbeds of India, and as such, clothing is available in every shape, style and price you can imagine. On our first guided visit, we were brought to a custom tailor, and both Louis and Renaud had some suits made. On the other hand, I only selected a handful of shirts and a pair of pants, as I actually enjoy the shopping process and wanted to see what was available before I made a decision on having a suit made. For some odd reason, I got the definite impression that our guide was getting a kickback from the store we were brought to, and the obvious nature of it made me feel like a bit of a sucker.

Right next to our hotel is a local shopping mall known as Spencer's. It is spread out over 4 floors of shops, with the larger, more known brands located in all of the choice areas on the first and second floor, while every other conceivable space is taken over by small stores all the way down to portable stalls. Brands such as Nike, Reebok, Gap, Guess and more are sold everywhere, and although it is possible to get the real deal, it is also possible to purchase counterfeits of almost any item you might think of. Pirated music and movies is available in several very open stores, and home made food and remedies are available in several others. And did I mention that the mall is just a little bit crowded; there is no way to walk down the halls without literally rubbing shoulders with a thousand strangers.

Fantastic shopping experience to say the least. The prices are beyond believable for practically every item on sale. Only some specific name brands are still unattainably priced, but otherwise, it's a shopping bonanza. Dress shirts for five dollars, pants for ten, belts for three, watches for twenty and the list goes on. There are also several jewellers who sell merchandise of every conceivable type. Over the course of several shopping trips, I purchased several stones to have made into jewellery once I am back home. Although it took quite a sharp eye, and some decent negotiation skills, I have been satisfied with my experience so far.

Some updates on our friends, Wave 1C...

The temperature has been getting a little cooler in Chennai in the last few days, and I think that everyone has really appreciated it. Instead of the usual 40C and 80% humidity, we have been experiencing some high 20s in the morning. It's a nice change...

Our friends in Wave 1C have been doing well, and I thought I would post of a few more pictures of them, hard at work:




They really are a great group of people and I'm really happy to have had the experience to work with them... I will post more a little later!

A typical training day

Well, we've been here for a few weeks, and Initial Training has started in earnest. Since we are a small team of three, and are still waiting for our floor walkers, we decided to split up our classes according to our specialities, as it reduces the amount of preparation we have to do on a daily basis. A typical training day in Chennai goes a little bit like this:

- Wake up around 8h00-8h30
- Head for a morning swim in the hotel pool for about 30 minutes
- Get some breakfast at the hotel restaurant
- Review course material for the day
- Change for work
- Meet in the lobby of the hotel around 14h45
- Meet our driver, load up our bags and head to the Training Centre at 15h00
- Drive to the Training Centre for about 45 minutes
- Preparation time 15 minutes
- Beginning of class at 16h00
- Break at 17h30
- Lunch at 19h00
- Break at 22h30
- End of training day at 00h00
- Meet our driver, load up our bags and head to the hotel
- Drive to the hote for about 45 minutes
- Arrive at the hotel at about 0h50
- Drop off our bags, change and meet at the hotel restaurant 1h15
- Sleep 2h00-2h30

Although we are working what is essentially a night shift, I have had some difficulties adjusting to it, and still wake up in the morning, rather than sleeping in, which would be the smart thing to do. Anyhow, this is the routine for the week, and while we are free on weekends, there is enough preparation to keep us working both of those days in anticipation of the next training week.

A little more on the Taj Connemara...

And of course, I got the chance to take a few more pictures of the hotel this morning (there seems to be a lot of interest in this really great place); the Taj Connemara is a very old hotel, and has been around for over 100 years. Here is a picture of the very beautiful lobby:


Due to the excellent daily maintenance of the hotel, I am certain that it will continue for another century. Here is a picture of the small sitting area, near the interior garden:


And finally, another beautiful floating flower arrangement:


These floating flower "pizzas", as we have come to refer to them, are arranged in several places throughout the hotel. Finally, as we leave every day, we are greeted by this beautiful representation of Shiva:


After doing a little research (Indian mythology is somewhat more complicated than the more familiar Greek mythology), I learned that Shiva (sometimes knows as Shiva the Destroyer) is considered the oldest and the youngest; the eternal youth as well as the infant. He is the source of fertility in all living beings. He has gentle as well as fierce forms. Shiva destroys evil and protects good. He bestows prosperity on worshipers although he is austere. He is omnipresent and resides in everyone as pure consciousness.

I am continuing my study of this truly fascinating mythology, and I will add more information as I learn it...

Our friends from Chennai...

A lot of people have indicated their desire to see some of our friends from Chennai, and I thought that I should most definitely share some pictures. This is my group of friends, also affectionately known as Wave 1C:


The following picture is of Louis's group of friends, known as Wave 1B:


Sadly, I have not yet taken a picture of Renaud's group of friends (yes, you've guessed right, Wave 1A...). I will some more pictures tomorrow evening and post them when I get back to the hotel.

Until tomorrow...

Some new friends have arrived in Chennai

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our two friends, Alex and Martin, that have arrived in Chennai very early this morning. After a long trip, they have arrived with no terrible incidents (except the loss of some luggage). We are of course hopeful that this luggage will eventually be found, but as many already know, lost luggage in airports is very similar to lost socks in a dryer!!!

Once again, a warm welcome to some good friends!

A cooler day in Chennai...

After an evening of temperatures hovering around 38C, it was nice to wake up and note that today's high should be only 33C, a nice change. I took a few moments to take a some pictures for your enjoyment:
The picture above is of the hotel's main entrance:


And the following are of the pretty light traffic just outside of the hotel:


Here is one of the really nice atrium in the hotel, right next to the interior garden:


And as we leave the hotel every day, we are greeted by the statue of Ganesha:


In Hinduism, Ga' symbolizes Buddhi (intellect) and 'Na' symbolizes Vijnana (wisdom). So Ganesha is considered the master of intellect and wisdom. Ganesha is also known as the Lord of Good Fortune, so every morning, flowers are arranged on the statue in thanks.

I have to go, but I will add more a little later!

Apologies for the lack of recent updates...

I just wanted to take a few moments to apologize for my lack of updates in the last few days, as I have been fighting off a small bout of bronchitis. With the considerable air pollution in Chennai, and my penchant for American cigarettes, I have really not helped myself. As I am currently feeling much better, I will be in a position to continue to provide some daily updates to this travel blog.

Until later today!

A special evening in Chennai...

Good evening all; I apologize for not posting anything sooner today, as it was a fairly busy day! Today was Manon's last day with us in Chennai, and because she greeted us at the airport, I thought it was only fair that I could be there to see her off. Preiya was taking her to the airport, but I thought that it might be nice to get a picture on her last moment at this great hotel. Unfortunately, although the hotel staff is in my opinion some of the best I have ever had the opportunity to meet, they are not excellent photographers. Combined with the 30C temperature and the 75 percent humidity, it was not the greatest picture:


As I was not working with our Indian friends again today, I spent the day speaking with the many people I have met in the hotel. I had the pleasure of having an early dinner with some Japanese business men I met today; although there was a serious language barrier, we managed to have quite an enjoyable time. At the same time, there was an important Egyptian delegation at the hotel for a very fancy wedding. As I walked through the hotel, I was invited to partake in some absolutely excellent food with these very nice people.

A quick stroll through Spencer's (the shopping mall next to the hotel) allowed me to find a couple shirts. For those who have never had the pleasure of shopping in India, let me tell you that the level of tailoring here is far, far above what can be found at home, for a fraction of the price.

Anyway, I expect Renaud and Louis back any moment, so good night to all and until tomorrow.

And it begins...

Today was the first day that my friends and I began to officially work... Well, let me rephrase that. My friends are beginning to work today, and I only begin on Wednesday. Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our three schedules begins a week later, and the guys thought that I could begin later. We have reworked our schedules so as to take advantage of everyone's expertise, and I will be delivering some material for my friends while they do the same for me. I am really looking forward to hearing about their day!

On another note, I took my first swim in the hotel's pool:


Although somewhat refreshing, I can tell you that it almost feels like the pool is heated. The sun is so strong here that it is impossible to walk with bare feet on the patio surrounding the pool without burning your feet severely. I also took some time to get a little sun on my pasty, white body (obviously, in small doses only, as the UV index here is off the scale!!!). And let me tell you, my bright orange swim trunks have been a real hit with the staff here!!! Everyone who has seen them has commented positively on them!

I think it's also worth mentionning that the flowers here are absolutely gorgeous:



There are so many varieties, of all shapes, colours and sizes. The staff of the hotel creates daily arrangements in the small interior garden and throughout the hotel, as you can see below:


I've just come back from lunch and a great discussion with Gopinath, my favourite waiter, so I think I will go back outside, grab a little cappucino (which gives Starbucks a run for it's money) and get a little more sun! I've planned to spend the evening reading over my material in preparation for my turn with our Indian friends!

World Cup Fever and another day in India...

Although I had been invited to the German soirée, I decided to head to Distil, the hotels' very trendy bar. As the World Cup is presently on, the bar was packed with patrons, to watch the main game of the evening, England vs. Paraguay. Pretty good match, which ended 1-0 for England. I stayed to watch the second match, which was Sweden vs. Trinidad and Tobaggo, and it turned out to be a great match indeed, although the final score was 0-0.

On Sunday, on the advice of our friend Preiya, we visited a South Indian cultural center, called Dakshina Chitra. A 30 minute drive from the hotel, and we arrived. Let me tell you, it was a very warm day indeed, although a very enjoyable one. We learned a tremendous amount of information regarding South Indian culture, architecture, clothing and more. The entire complex is built of several old South Indian buildings, which I learned were moved from several parts of South India and brought to this center, piece be piece. I took several photos, and I thought that I might share a few with you:





And on a sad note, I am beginning to feel the effects of our wonderful friend, the common cold. I think a small epidemic has started, as Louis is also feeling the effects. I guess that a little too much recycled from the airplanes must have contributed. I just hope that Renaud doesn't go through the same thing! We will just have to see...

Our second day in India...

India is really an interesting country; there is so much to see, to hear, to smell and taste... And it truly is a diverse culture. For those who are not aware, there are 22 official languages spoken in India. The primary language in Chennai is Tamil Nadu, although as our friend and contact Lorraine indicated, the primary language of India is Hindi. Lorraine indicated that she only spoke 11 of the 22 languages!!! I guess being bilingual just doesn't cut it here. Interestingly enough, Sanskrit, which is probably one of the oldest recorder languages (3500 years), is the basis for every Indian language, which probably explains how one could possibly speak 11 languages.

We took some time to visit our partners today, and view their training facilities; let me tell you that the drive was a real blast, and really is not for the faint of heart. I counted no less than 20 really close calls, and maybe 30 times where we came within an inch of trucks, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and of course, the ever present autorickshaw:


The visit to the Training center, which is located in Velachery, was really a great experience. After a couple of hours, it was time to return to the hotel, and we experienced what is bound to be a fairly common occurence. An unfortunate motorcycle rider was hit by a bus that simply did not stop on an obviously red light. Since almost no riders wear helmets, and the impact was almost 30km/h, I can tell you that it was a pretty tough to watch. The funny part to this story is the traffic officer (which are stationned at every important intersection), running not to the injured motorcyclist, but rather to the bus driver, who he then suddenly clubbed into submission for his error. Lorraine indicated that there are deaths on a daily basis on the streets of Chennai, and I believe her.

Since I've only had about 4.5 hours of sleep today, I am going to hit the sack in a few minutes, but I wanted to get something up on the blog for today. I will take some time tomorrow to add more, as our hosts are planning a trip for us, to view the region known as Madurantakam.

We have finally arrived in India...

Just thought that I would let everyone know that we had arrived in Chennai, India. The trip, although long, was not that bad! Getting through customs and picking up our baggage was a breeze. Our contacts were waiting for us (although our flight was almost 45 minutes late); as we stepped out of the rather humid airport, we hit the much more humid weather outside (at 1h30am). Our contacts were not kidding when they told us that driving here was interesting! There is no real concept of traffic laws here; most drivers simply honk the horn and flash their headlights to indicate that they are about to overtake. Turn signals are simply not used, and everyone drives at whatever speed seems appropriate to them! It was a blast getting to the hotel!

The hotel is very old, and has some very interesting history. It was previously the residence of the Raj (in the pre-independance days of India), and then became a very luxurious hotel in the days of the English colonisation. With constant improvements, the Taj Connemara has become one of the most luxurious hotels in all of Chennai. The level of service here is beyond description; I have never in my entire life, had so many people waiting on beck and call for any possible request I might have.

Here are a couple pictures of the hotel:




These are only a few of the pictures I have taken so far; I will update the blog with more details of the hotel in the coming days.