Author Archives: Amit

An airport for the NRIs, buses with beds

I have a few minutes to kill at the Madurai airport, and looking around me, its like a mini replica of San Jose Airport, as it seems that this place caters only to the NRI community, with the occasional business … Continue reading

Posted in Destinations, South India, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 572 Comments

An interpreter does not need to know two languages

As most of you know, I am in Madurai in South India, looking into some microfinance activities. When I go into the villages to meet with the local women and interview them, I am normally accompanied by one of the … Continue reading

Posted in South India, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 327 Comments

Cheapest and Fastest Internet yet

A dingy, non-air-conditioned cubbyhole in the small South Indian town of Madurai may notbe the first place that comes to mind for cheap broadband, but at Rs. 20/hr, or less than fifty cents an hour, you can sit on an … Continue reading

Posted in South India, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1,043 Comments

Nearing the end of travel…??

I have just three days to go before I end this phase of travel. On Wednesday I leave Bangkok for Chennai, and will spend the next five or six weeks working for a microcredit organization, following some of the work … Continue reading

Posted in Thailand | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 730 Comments

Learning Chinese

In the past ten days or so, from walking around the monuments in Beijing, to buying train tickets, to roaming around Shanghai and bicycling through Sozhou, I’ve begun to develop an understanding and appreciation for this part of China, the … Continue reading

Posted in China | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12,154 Comments