This month was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime.

DONT book Lionscape to shoot tigers in India without asking me why.

In fact it was great fun sporadically interrupted by the idiocy of big companies.

We travelled via Heathrow to Delhi and on to Raipur after an overnight stay.

I had planned to donate a genset to my favourite charity and this had been ordered through Honda in Bhopal. The plan was to meet it at Raipur Airport and drive it up country in our 4WD.
I paid by draft weeks before and right up to the last minute the Raipur based dealer was being instructed via emails to the sales manager in Bhopal.
Right at the last minute Honda said, we won't deliver come and collect it !
I sent what might be termed a curt note and got no reply...
On arrival at Raipur I was looking out for my 4WD driver and the man from Honda's agent.
Both were waiting - hooray ! BUT the Honda man wasn't allowed inside the airport with my 1m cube cardboard box on the back of a tuk-tuk.
We moved the 2 vehicles together just outside the airport gate and were descended upon by a platoon of soldiers in a large truck and accompanied by a Ferret style vehicle.

There was lots of yelling in various languages and then all became clear.

A VIP was flying out and we were being suspicious on the convoy route. Eventually we moved the genset, signed for it, and started to go on our way - only to be stopped until the whole 24 vehicles went by.
When we got to the charity base in Kanha I bought a changeover switch and various bits and pieces and wired it to the house.
The very first evening, the lights came on at 6pm and promptly went out - we wound up the genset and all was well. My good friend Maggie will now be able to use her phone and email when she needs it to order medical supplies etc..

Our stay at the charity base was a couple of days and we drove to Bandhavgarh to shoot tigers - if we could find them.

The first 2 days we rolled around in a jeep and saw a few bits of wildlife. Then we had 4 days on elephant following the tigers around.

On the next elephant was a lady sporting 3 huge lenses on cameras. When we were close we could hear the camera shutter going like a mchine gun. She was shooting continuously. When I questioned about how quickly she might fill the camera memory, she stated that she was using 32Gb cards. She then added she was carrying 40 of them - this represents some 80,000 pictures in a session - we wondered if anyone ever looked at them. I think she was a rich amateur - no professional photographer works that way.

Then there is O2

I have a pay-as-you-go mobile - a Samsung Jet.
I arranged use in India before I left.
On arrival they sent me a text saying dial *111* 4444 for customer service.
What they did NOT say was dial *111*# and wait for a call back - then answer the phone and dial 4444#
So I had to text a friend in the UK to ask how to connect to customer service.
Then I needed to top up my credit - of course calls to customer service are £2 so if you run out you can't top up.
I managed to add £18 with my credit card - in theory anything from £10-30 but Mastercharge only allow £20 and each top up call costs £2.
THEN I can only do it once month !! I was using £30 / session on my laptop.
Back to the friend by email to get more money added. A helpful O2 shop added £500 to keep me going.

Now the real hassle.

All non India calls had to be made with the *111*# pre-dial - I eventually worked it out but the lack of necessary help was daunting. Just changing the origial text message would have been very useful.

--------------------------
We are in good company at our hotel in Bandhavgarh.
the speaker of the Indian parliament is staying in our hotel.
We are surrounded with troops and flunkeys and hangers-on.
All the soldiers salute and ask our names but sometimes 2 minutes after they last asked !
One benefit is that a troop of Baiga tribals came to dance.
I cried my eyes out as the drums beat their captivating rhythm

11 April
We had quite a good tiger day - shot some 700 images and at least 10
are OK.
Overall at Bandhavgarh we had a very good time.
food and room were just fine although a bit countryfied.
The tiger shooting was wonderful and images may be viewed here.
After 8 days chasing tigers we went to Kaziranga to find the Indian one horn plated rhino

Wed 21st
I am lying here on my bed at Dipuhl River Lodge after a nice supper and 3 large Kingfishers (local beer) on the first night

There is no phone, internet or anything useful !!

Thu 22nd
It is our first day at Kaziranga after a hairy drive yesterday.

The lodge is on stilts because the whole area floods.
After this first evening we are the only guests.
The bar area and restaurant are pleasant - this looks to be OK too.
The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms properly equipped

We have air conditioning in the room, but so far a fan has sufficed.
We went on our first game drive this am started at 7.30 and drove about 10 miles to the main gate.
We were joined by a soldier with a service rifle, to protect us from marauding rhino, Indian vistors don't warrant a guard !

Within the first hour we had seen the one horned rhino - just eating near the road but half submerged in elephant grass.
Then another rhino walked across the road right in front of us.
We saw pelican, hornbill, drongo, vulture and long beak eagle.
As we got to the far end of the park a female rhino roared out of the bush across the road in front of us.
A few moments later it's mate appeared and took the same route.
So I have pictures of 3 rhino on the first day.

It rained on us and we got soaked but who cares

Thu 22nd
We just finished our first day afternoon drive.
It was very quiet - saw several rhino in the distance including a baby.
There were lots of birds including the open billed stork.
We had a lot of dragging along seeing nothing and suddenly a tiger lying in the grass.
It got up and ran off fairly quickly and it was impossible to shoot apart from a fleeting glance of it's departing bum.
As we left the park we saw huge herd of water buffalo

Thu 22nd
After sups at Kaziranga and several gins on the first game day.
I am a bit bored with Indian food and need a plate of shepherds pie.
There were bangers and chips for breakfast - maybe tomorrow I will succomb beyond my cereal and banana

I am sitting here naked and the only sound is a ceiling cooling fan.
A big thunderstorm is raging outside - the electricty is on and off

The local mobile phone system does not accept incoming calls from the UK.
My phone doesn't even connect to the tower a few yards from my room.
This is a 'security' issue

Fri 23rd
Last day here tomorrow

We were on elephant again at 5am this morning.
Lots of people and lots of elephants, most of which had following babes

We saw more rhino but I still haven't got the shot I am looking for - there is always a piece of grass in the wrong place - often across his eye !

This afternoon we went looking for gibbons but didn't find them. The drive was very pleasant in a leafy forest in the next reserve along.

We also found an acre of marijuana.

I normally do email about ten times a day. 4-5 days without and I am worrying about what I will find. It has probably been good to be off the net but it doesn't really feel like it

One of my camera bodies has failed - it won't focus, however it was one of two the same so no real problem. Nikon will probably want £250 to fix it - I wonder if I will bother

Tomorrow morning another elephant ride with the rhinos, an afternoon bump around the reserve and it will a few beers before the madness of the drive back to Guwhati Airport

5 hours on a 2 way road like our 'B' roads, being overtaken by someone who is being overtaken - so we are 3 abreast.
In the opposite direction 2 approaching trucks travelling side by side compete for their nearside lane.
In the middle of all this probably 20 cows on the road and numerous motorcycles.
At the very last minute someone gives way and it sorts out, only to be repeated a minute or 2 later.
As soon as we hit a clear bit our driver may resort to the RH lane if it looks smoother.
Coming up here from Guwhati we overtook some 50-60 trucks running nose to tail in convoy.
Our little 4WD had to push in each time something came the other way.
If we came across a really bad piece of road - maybe washed away - all vehicles head for what looks like the best route through, noone waits, we get passed on both sides in both directions and all the time everyone is hooting.
Occasionally you see wrecks at the side of the road, they are always complete write offs.
Trucks in 2 pieces, unrecognisable lumps of squashed car and sundry things like an engine or axle lying in the road.

We are on our way back to Delhi - I am dying to see if our return flight is delayed by Iceland's vocanic dust

At least I get WiFi at my Delhi hotel

Thinking about the last 3 weeks in India, it is fair to say we had our share of problems that might sway an unseasoned traveller.

But I have been India several times and both my wife and the UK based tour guide are also seasoned travellers

Expensive, but I have a ruck of pictures to choose from for a show in July

Seeing wild tigers at play as well as hunting is great stuff.

The one horned rhino is also an interesting beast

AND 3 weeks in India without Delhi belly !!!

--------------------------------------------------------------

We got home to a mad situation with Orange Mobile - they are run by idiots.

My photo studio spare part (4m of aluminium bar) was delivered before we got home even though the actual delivery note said drop on a specific day.

I think I am the epitome of a grumpy old man. This last month seems to be a continuous war against large organisations who have lost the ability to treat me like a customer.

HSBC
sent my bank statement to a third party. It has taken 3 months to get a reaction and then no apology just 'it probably won't happen again'.

They lost a huge some of money from my account. So large that it unbalanced the branch audit. It took them from Sep 2009 when they made the error until Mar 2010 to sort it out. I am awaiting a catch up interest payment.

And now new ignominy, they want me to download anti phishing software for windows. I use UNIX - it is no good to me. Yet they remind me every time I log in. They claim the reminder goes away after 4 attempts - rubbish. I have threatened to close my accounts to get their attention.

I feel that WE own the banks now and should be getting a positive approach at last.

DX Secure couriers
Then there is out-sourced government. We went to request Visas to visit India again. Personal application was essential because of the multiple errors on the India High Commission website
1) wrong address
2) wrong price
3) wrong download form

Having arrived at the out-sourcer, we had no problem except they needed a week to put the Visas in our passports. They said they would be sent by courier. The receipt said they would be sent by Royal Mail. A tracking number was given on the receipt.

Then I got a text on 20th Mar about 1530hrs saying they would be delivered between 8am and 6pm that day. Of course they didn't turn up.

On the Monday I finally found a £1.95 / minute help line. I explained the tracking number when inserted in their website said the parcel had gone to Royal Mail. The tracking no did not work on the Royal Mail site. I then said I had a text from DX secure couriers.

I was given another £1.00 / min phone line.

They knew they had tried to deliver, and when challenged admitted that the postcode was not the one given to the out-sourcer. They had elected to give the driver a different postcode.

They would not discuss if they could locate the parcel or give any useful info whatsoever. They agreed that if they found it, it would be delivered the next day. If they didn't find it we would hear no more.

When the parcel finally arrived it had our correct postcode AND another label added by the courier who had 'checked' it - just indescribably amazing.

SONY
On a brighter note I bought a new laptop from Sony.

Phone ordered and next day delivery promised. Of course it didn't arrive.

Sony do not have a way of reaching their company by email.

They have no complaint line.

The Sony store in Shrewsbury has a manager who was sympathetic and said he would get a Sony manager to call me, but even he failed.

The laptop turned 6 days later, no manual, a locked phone and loads of useless pre-installed software. It took me 3 days to clean the machine and then my son a further few hours to tidy it up.

Why oh why is it all so sodding difficult ??

The publicity leaflet for the Annual Open Studios Exhibition put on by the BVA is finally at the printers.

Please look at the final version.

My little toy car, the Merc SLQ 600, is now 6 years old and had to pass the dreaded MOT - flying colours of course.

I spent 4 weeks with some new hearing aids on trial. These ones shift frequency down and were slightly better than my current aids. But at £6000 each not good enough to invest all that dosh.

Just doing the final planning for my April in India - visiting the Baiga and shooting tigers. It will be hot - about 40deg C plus

Having just had weeks of snow on and off it will be quite a change.

My local hospital asked for 3 more photos to hang.

I am still looking to buy an Ariel Atom

Spent a lot of time this month on preparing the publicity leaflet for the Annual Open Studios Exhibition put on by the BVA.

It is our 10th year and we will distribute 10,000 leaflets so they have to be right !

I will foregoing my usual practice of showing some photos framed up for sale and presenting an installation. I plan to fit a 1200mm lens to one of my digital cameras and train it on a special 'wildlife attracting' set-up in the School Grounds, more nearer the time.

I had a load of problems with web hoster Name.com. They failed to remind me a domain was overdue and then shut the website down.

It cost me $139 USD to have it restored, which is daylight robbery. Their position is that if they neglect to remind you about a $13 renewal, then they can charge a $120 re-connect fee - thieving bastards.

I also had some problems with non techie user trying to upload vast pictures on to a website - to the point that it was off air periodically. So I have re-jigged my uploader so that it can't be teased so easily by learning a bit more about trapping user errors.

I donated 3 exhibition images to be hung in my local hospital.

I am still looking to buy an Ariel Atom

So that is Xmas over with.

Or Winterval if you are living in Birmingham.

How is it that if I am an immigrant my religious beliefs are supported by the law as well as custom and politically bloody correct custom.

Died in the wool Brit and I have to call MY religious festival by a different name to avoid upsetting a visitor.

When I lived in the USA or France or Italy I had to live by their rules.

No wonder they queue up at Calais to come to our sinking island.

On a lighter note one grandchild has a toothbrush that plays music.

The Xmas pressies included a plastic Meccano a bit like lasagne, a robot piggy bank that counted the money saved, StarWarsLego, a handheld terminal with plug in programmes (that one is for a 4 yr old), an MP player and even a complete plastic super market checkout with scanner and credit card reader.

Fortunately for me there was also a trike, a hula hoop, a skipping rope and a few other 'proper' toys. At least I knew what they were for.

And on a personal note my audiologist has retired and the new bloke listens to me.

He has lent me some aids costing mega bucks which frequency shift the incoming sound. Last week I heard the indicator on my 5 year old Merc for the 1st time. I can listen to the car radio but sadly I still need sub titles for the TV. Back next week for an MOT but I don't think they will rescue my hearing well enough to drop £6000 on them.

Finally, I built another art related website for a local group.

an old friend who is disabled via polio once told me that life is 2 concentric circles

the inner is what you have

the outer is what you want

the area between the circles is a constant, so as you get richer or whatever you get closer but never arrive at the outer circle

he combated his disability by making his inner circle touch the outer one at one point, not necessarily always the same for all of life

this means you actually get what you want by ignoring other options

AND

If it seems too good to be true - IT IS !!!

one of my customers got scammed by a company pretending to be Google and offering to get her to the top of Google's search results

she spent £500 on some keyword stuffing, an XML sitemap and geo-tags

in addition the scammer wanted her FTP details so she could have their website linked from her home page !

HK was bloody hot but it is still a fascinating city.

I recommend the budget hotel guide best option as the YMCA Salisbury Road - less per night than 4 double gins at the Peninsula.

Food very good value for money, rooms clean and functional - spend your money on chinese food and avoid all the designer restaurants.

The truth is the chinese are not good at other peoples food, the designer restaurant pizza was like a Prezzo and dins for two was £150.

In contrast a lovely multi dish meal at a local hostelry was £60 for two and we had everything you could want. a cafe full of chinese and super food.

We took a £2, half hour ferry to Lamma Island, which has 2 villages, no roads. One fishing village has a dozen eating places.
Large fresh lobsters chosen from a big tank, lots of chinese beer and cheaper than dinner at 35 Willow St.

Absolutely amazing value and the very best fare.

art
We found that the Hong Kong Museum of Art had a calligraphy exhibition of work going back to 400BC - just stunning and fascinating.

In addition they have a pottery collection of Chinese work going back through Ming and Tang to pre Christian times.

The works include classical porcelain and lots of VERY beautiful stuff from the best workers. The art is well presented with dialogues in English in a modern built for purpose building . If you are a potter it is an absolute must. If you an artist you will not be disappointed with a day spent here.

I think she is getting better, she has been out of hospital several days and starting to argue again - so that is a good sign - I guess.

I have to record my dis-satisfaction as a tax paying shareholder in all the big banks. Almost without exception and contrary to political will, they are re-claiming debt from soft targets where the collateral is way in excess of the loans in question.

The silent majority HAVE to get stood up and counted so that this is made to stop, otherwise we will be so deep in recession they will have to introduce rationing.

Grand daughter Rowan was christened this month