Vacationing in a Coastal Wonderland…..

I feel like I need a long vacation because I came back from my vacation just last week. This is such a cliché. Isn’t it? The vacation was great!! Very gratifying!!
Wonderland? Yes. A small coastal village located at the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula that has history of over 450 years. Christianity blossomed in the village as early as 1534. The village is called as Virpandianpatnam. In short, Patnam. Patnam has mostly Catholic population with over 6000 people and is sandwiched between a Hindu town in the south and a Muslim town in the North. The beauty of it is that all have lived together harmoniously for centuries.
Patnam is an intriguing place from all perspectives. The entire population is Catholic except for the floating population. There are over 10 churches. One of the churches is 125 years old. Almost all are related to one another, as most of the marriages are arranged among the villagers. For any wedding, almost half of the village is invited. For any funeral, the entire village is there to support. Every morning the villagers attend the mass at 5.15 am. For every Christmas, all the villagers living in different cities and countries make it a point to spend their Christmas vacation in Patnam. So it is not uncommon to see Patnam born Americans, Canadians, Australians, Singaporeans, Malaysians etc. roaming around Patnam during Christmas.
Yes, I grew up in this beautiful Patnam for over 18 years. When I visited Disney Land, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, The Alps, it was a great feeling. But, honestly, to be in Patnam, the feeling is priceless. I intend to retire in Patnam someday. I hope my dream comes true.

Credit Card Scams at Hotels

Human weakness is a hacker's paradise. Human weakness?! Pride, Overconfidence, Ignorance etc. And, I am not even talking about high-tech hacking. Common sense is good enough to qualify as a hacker. Here is a real-time example of how anyone with a fairly decent common sense can avail human weakness.

You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk. When checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for all the charges for your room). You get to your room and settle in. Someone calls the front desk and asked for (example) Room 620 (which happens to be your room).

Your phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following, 'This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card number and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.

Without much thought, you might give this person your information, since the call seems to come from the front desk. But actually, it is a scam of someone calling from outside the hotel/front desk. They ask for a random room number. Then, ask you for credit card information and address information. Sounding so professional that you do think you are talking to the front desk.

If you ever encounter this problem on your vacation, tell the caller that you will be down at the front desk to clear up any problems. Then, go to the front desk and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone called to scam you of your credit card information acting like a front desk employee.

Never underestimate such fraudsters. They specialize in Human Weakness and they will get to you before you know it.

Wadis in Oman

A wadi is a dried up riverbed found in the mountain valleys. Wadis come into their own after heavy rains, when the rivers start running again and the vegetation is restored. However, some wadis have year-round running water, with deep, cool pools in which it is quite safe to swim if the currents are slow. On the whole, wadis are only accessible with a four-wheel drive vehicle, as the terrain can be extremely bumpy.

Wadis are green, lush oases of palm trees, grasses, and flowering shrubs. It is always safest to visit wadis in a group or with a tour guide. Although they are beautiful places, they are often remote and car breakdowns can happen to anyone. Visitors must also be on the alert for rain clouds, as sudden downpours can lead to flash floods, which are highly dangerous when in the gorges.

A wadi is very dangerous if it is taken lightly, especially during rain. Imagine an empty pathway that gets filled with water in no time, during rainy days. In a region of deserts, one ought to wonder about the might of Mother Nature that pumps millions of gallons of water from nowhere.


People who do not realize the dangers of wadi, especially foreigners, are the most vulnerable victims. One does not have to dumb enough to go for the swim on a rainy day. One could get washed away along with their vehicles (no matter how huge and powerful the four-wheel drive is) if they are not patient enough to wait for the wadi to slow down.

Wadis are not necessary in the forest. Out of nowhere, you might come across a wadi on a drive in a highway. Even some of the local people, sometimes, have been consumed by these wadi just because they ignored the warning and crossed the wadis in their four-wheel drives. The crazy part is that the victim's bodies and their vehicles might be found, if lucky, perhaps, several miles away, after a few days.



But, if you plan your trip carefully, it could be one of the most memorable experiences of your lifetime. I have seen such locations only in movies. I was lucky to go for a picnic to a wadi which is in the picture on the right. Imagine swimming all morning....chicken curry and rice by the banks of the wadi.....a nap......then swimming.....It was wonderful and memorable......