Beginning of the trip! I was looking forward to the ride, but wasn’t sure if San Jose or Palo
Alto had the Waymo service or not.
Within seconds, I checked and we could ride in the Waymo!
Once the car arrived! The questions were how do I signal the driver, it’s me, Akhil! This is me! Who has requested the ride?
After a few seconds, the car parked itself!
How do I open the door?
The message popped up! Unlock the vehicle.
The doors opened and we approached to be seated.
We did not close our doors, until we were seated, what if the car leaves one of us behind? Once seated, another message popped up! Unlock to Start your Ride.
And then the car sped through the lanes, slowing down when vehicles crossed the other lanes, and turns came by.
Once we arrived at our destination, the car stopped, Another message popped up unlock
To open the doors. And this was our Waymo experience.
The driverless experience was a thrill.
Is this the future we are looking at around the world ( US, UK, EU, Australia)
Could it work in countries like Africa, India and other asian countries like Thailand and Hong Kong?
What happens to drivers who ride on the other apps? Should they be worried about losing their jobs with this one Skill that has AI taken over?
The visit to Egypt this year has an interesting story. Initially, I was supposed to have worked on the wedding taking place in January this year! But, a few weeks later after I blocked the dates on the project, I received a saved date along with my sister to attend the wedding.
And so, we would rather attend the wedding.
A couple of weeks ago, before we could travel to Egypt. We received another invite for a family wedding in Africa, Kenya.
Both of these countries were new to us and both of the weddings we wanted to experience.
So, we travelled to Kenya first and then just before the reception function, flew to Egypt for the English wedding.
Egypt as a country needs you to be attentive and wary of scams! The history of the country is too much to absorb right from the numerous pyramids and temples around the country to learning about The Mummy and the process of mummification.
The detailing and sculpting in the temples were worth travelling to Egypt for.
The weather was beautiful and pleasant.
The cruise Amwaj from Luxor to Aswan was another cruise experience with meals and views from the cabins making our 2nd cruise experience another beautiful one.
The 4-night 5 Day cruise was travelling across cities and temples, and staying overnight in cities to enjoy coffee and local experiences.
Egypt was affordable too, being a hub and manufacturer for Giza and Egyptian cotton. The Coats and Clothes were well priced.
The Egypt trip was smooth and well planned with inputs from a local travel agent Egypt Pro, recommended by a friend who has already been to Egypt a couple of times.
Egypt should be visited at least once.
The only ancient wonder still standing strong and still the highlight for an Egyptian visit to the Pyramids.
The Grand Egyptian Museum( GEM) was so well-made and executed with all
Miniatures and actual replicas of ornaments& Statues.
The technology too was utilised well
With the projection of the complete history of the different periods of Egyptian rule & development.
Stay:
Steignberger Tahir
Le Meridien Airport
Cafes: Cairo
Brown Nose*
Groppi Garden- Chocolate*
Eish & Malh**
Walum *
Granita*
Almeria cafe*
Cafe Riche*- oldest Cafe
Naguib Mahfouz cafe*
30 North:*
Zooba: recently made its debut on the Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Social Speciality Cafe:( Zamalek)
Vasko:
Sufi Cafe & Bookstore *
Lokali
Koffee Culture :
Mandarine koueider sweets
Sightseeing in Cairo:
Islamic Cairo Museum
Gayer-Anderson Museum
Pyramid of Giza
The sphinx
Cairo Tower
Manial Palace Museum
Abdeen Palace
The Coptic/ Mogamaa Al-Adyan Museum
The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
Luxor:
Stay: Steinberger Nile
Eat: Luxor
El Tarboush – Steinberger Nile Palace hotel
Sofra Restaurant & Cafe
Coffee: Luxor
911 Cafe
Rmallah Cafe
Sightseeing in Luxor:
Hatsenshut temple
Valley of the Kings
Karnak Temple
Luxor Temple
Sightseeing in Edfu:
The Temple of Horus in Edfu
Komombo Temple
Sightseeing in Aswan:
Abu Simbel Temple
Phele Temple
Cafe: Aswan
Rustika
Makhani
Travel: Egyptair direct flights from BOM-Cairo and return.
Africa and Kenya have always been a fascinating region for me, It has been on the Bucket list for a while! And the reason we have always avoided it is that we were afraid of the “Yellow Fever injection” But since we already got our shots during the Brazil Visa! It was a matter of time, till we would be planning for Kenya! But… A wedding in Kenya! Excited us! And one of the reasons we changed our tickets and plan for Egypt was because of the destination first and second this would be a fun family wedding to attend. In the next 24 hours, we have reworked are plans and are all set for the Indian wedding in Kenya. Kenya is popular for the Masai Mara for its lion & leopard spotting. But, Amboseli National Park, was making news recently for its celebrity Elephant “Craig Super Tusker” who had passed away!
And Amboseli was also our wedding destination. Arriving in Nairobi after a 3 hr flight delay from the airlines, We Were tired but fresh to explore the city, with just about one day in hand here! The city’s roads were beautifully wide and smooth, the Traffic too was one of the worst we had experienced during the peak hours of locals heading home!! The Food we ate was satisfying and yum! Greek food at a Greek restaurant for lunch and Kenyan food ( Beans, Vegetables and Rice) we tasted during dinner. Kenyan! Has like a lot of other countries in the world, an Indian population who has settled there in the early 1900s and an Indian community that meets often!
A couple of things I learnt on my trip besides the fact already known that Kenyan Coffee is one of the best! Kenyan Exports a huge amount of Roses, to Europe & Tea to the United States. This is a little insight into the Kenyan economy. Let’s get back to the Kenyan experience- The Safari I am talking about! The safari set for 5 am, with a hazy sunrise that had shades of purple was an experience of quietness and An Army of elephants walking together, zebras on either side and hyenas chasing, deer flocking together. We enjoyed the safari so much, we headed again for an afternoon one, trying to spot Giraffes and lions/leopards. The afternoon safari… we were lucky to have spotted a couple of giraffes but none of the lions or leopard. The different sounds, the calmness of animals and the early morning of Kilimanjaro mountain before it would play its hide & seek game was one of the highlights of the Kenyan wedding experience. The wedding decor with backdrops of the mountains and simplicity of colours and florals made the whole decoration look beautiful without any OTT emphasis on filling up the space. The grazing table during the cocktail dinner had space utilised well! The Dholki’s during the afternoon mehendi was a vibe that stepped up the whole wedding mood for the coming functions. While we were still soaking in Kenya, we had to leave for another destination…
A few facts on the coffee from Kenya:
Kenyan coffee undergoes a unique doublefermentation process, which sets it apart. After the beans are fermented and washed, they are soaked in fresh water for up to 24 hours and then fermented again to enhance the development of intricate flavours. This process amplifies the coffee’s acidity and brings out bright, fruity notes characteristic of Kenyan coffee
The eight coffee grades are:
AA: Large beans (20 mm) with the highest quality. AB: A mix of A and B grades (6.80 mm). PB (Peaberry): Rare round beans, highly prized. E (Elephant): The largest beans. C: Smaller beans. T: Smallest, thinnest, often faulty. TT: Light beans, typically from “elephants.” MH/ML: Unwashed beans (Mbuni) with lower prices and a sour taste.
Japan once again! The first time it was through the books Murakami, Kiga Higashino, Ryu Murakami to name a few… These books showcased the simplicity of the locals and the dark side of the city and that’s one of the reasons Japan fascinated me as a place to travel and explore so in June 2018 was the first time, A time where everyone questioned us Why Japan? To answer it’s a place so little we know about.. The first time was a touristy visit going to the temples, streets and viewing the towers of each city we visited. Japan was coming alive through the pages I had read, the streets sounded familiar and some streets I specifically visited since they were mentioned and described in the books. The recent Trip to Japan was being an exploration of what all does the city has to offer besides the tourist sights and the humanity the people showcase in the country. The food was and still is the best in Osaka. The city was buzzing and full of tourists even closer to midnight, unlike Tokyo which seemed busy with people chasing their dreams.. Kyoto is still a small town where you can walk around and still discover the city. The vintage shops and the second-hand Market seem to be thriving in the country with more than 80% population that has aged over the age of 70 and living a minimalistic life. Retail was thriving with American, British and Asian tourists shopping at malls and brands that are relatively cheaper in Japan from countries like the US & India. The Osaka Expo was an experience like no other, an endless Snake line on a hot afternoon, which tested not just ours but quite a few people’s patience too. Since we had to register and get specific slots for pavilions we managed to only get one the Blue Dome, the others were long queues to enter and waitlists, The magnitude of the whole expo was huge 130+ countries participated and the tourism it brought to the city and country has been huge. The designs and the sustainable options used to create them were interesting. This was the first time we visited an expo abroad that had so many cultural influences on just design but food too the expo offered.
A K H I L N A N D A 