Madrid Diary - Commute

Madrid offers very comfortable commute system by Metro and Metro Ligero and buses (I never traveled in bus here, but I am sure it will be same worth as travelling in Metro). Sign in into metro station and sign out from Metro Station, it is considered only one travel. It does not matter how far you travel, its only one travel. Two types of trains are running in Madrid, Metro (blue color) and Metro Ligero (Red and small train).

Tickets can be bought from vending machines available at Metro Stations. Blue machine provide tickets of Metro and Combinado and Red Machine provide tickets of Ligero and Combinado.

Pricing of normal ticket called MetroBus is like this
   1 Travel : 1.5 Euros
   10 Travel : 9.3 Euros

If your destination need travel into Metro and Metro Ligero as well, there are two ways you can use ticket.
Use Metro and Metro Ligero ticket separately, that is costly because it will be considered two travels, or
Use Combinado Tickets, that cost little more, its one one travel will be equal to, one travel in Metro and one travel in Metro Ligero, originating from the station where you leave Metro. Its pricing is like below
  1 Travel : 2 Euros
  10 Travel : 15 Euros

Metro of Madrid is 7 stars certified and offers world class facilities, like information, good network and accessibility across the city, good value of money and good temperature condition inside train. My stay in Madrid is from Start of Jan, its coldest month of whole year, but Traveling in Metro was never uncomfortable.
Metro connect to Barajas Airport terminals (1,2,3,4) also and you don't need to hire costly taxi for going to airport.

Metro stations are very informative. You don't need to know Spanish to understand the announcements as Symbols, boards, signs, maps you will find every where. They will guide you to get the preferred train and preferred station.

People are very cheerful and friendly and its always safe to travel in Madrid, even in late night. Its not like London, where you fear of your life if you travel late evening. Here its enjoyable.

Madrid Diary - Places to see

Madrid, its place deserved as must visit place. Here I m listing my experience of 8 weeks of business stay in Madrid.
Airport - Barjas Airport -This is the only one airport in Madrid. Its small one but having all the modern facilities.
Immigration took only 2 minutes but baggage collection took 1 hour. Got the taxi in a while and reached my hotel in 30 minutes. I m staying in Plaza De Espana, its one of the most happening place, its center of Madrid.

Plaza De Espana - Read its as "Plaazaa Di Ispaanyaa". Metro is 2 minutes walk from my plance, Plaza De Espana 6. Its near by Puerte Del Sol.

Puerte Del Sol - Puerte Del Sol is the place where all roads come and meet and where Madrid is zero Kms. Sol is most happening place for Shopping, Clubbing and for just roaming around. In center of Sol there is big open place, where a lot of people come and just do time pass. You can see lots of people performing some music, or some visuals and crowd enjoying it. Good quality of Performances at almost free of code (provided if you don't want to pay any money to them, LOL).

Plaza de Oriente - From center of Sol, you can take right turn and reach this place. First Opera (Metro) will come. There is one big Opera Theater their also. You can take right turn and will reach Plaza De Oriente. Its Royal Palace of Madrid. Good architecture and good place to hang out if you are crazy about photographing old buildings and monuments. 

Credit Cards - Ways to use it

Well I am using credit cards since 7 years and have experienced a lot of things regarding them. Here are few things I practice while using credit cards, hope this will help you:

1. Do minimum use of credit cards and rely more on the cash you have now. Credit cards should be used as a last option, because when you use credit card, it makes you to block the income on next month. When you use credit cards for paying everything, you end-up paying huge amount at the 1st day of the month after getting salary, then you don't have enough cash for spending for the rest of the month. And in case there is some emergency and you need a lot of cash then you won't have. So, always do minimum use of credit cards.
2. Use only one credit card, even if you have 10s of credit cards. Advantages is you don't have to remember last due date of bill payment of all credit cards you are using and you wont end up paying fine if you miss the due date.
3. Never miss the last due date of credit card payment. Banks charge a lot of money as late payment charges.
4. Don't carry all credit cards in your wallet. Carry only one card which you use frequently. In case of pick pocket you will use only one credit card and hence you escape from the procedure of closing all credit cards and getting new ones.
5. Use local bank's credit cards rather than using cards of multinational banks who are new in your country. Local banks will have less restrictions and will give better service than multinational banks.
6. Use credit cards of the bank, in which you have your savings or salary account. You will get better privileges and better credit limit. 
7. Don't switch credit cards, use only one for long term to enjoy increase in better credit limit and reward point schemes.
8. Add your credit card as a beneficiary in your savings bank netbanking  account to pay credit cards bill easily and on time.

Paying Credit Card Bills

Using credit cards is one of the most tempting thing, no need to bother how much cash you have or not, just swipe it and pay for the bills. But when the last due date of bill payment of credit card comes, that day becomes more painful. First big thing is that you have to pay a huge amount and second thing, you have to find the options of payments. Most of the banks don't provide drop boxes in your location, and even if there is any drop box, you have watch that due date for payment and you have to drop a checq atlest before three days of last due date, otherwise you have to pay huge amount as late payment fees. Even, I have paid 250 bucks as late payment fees for the bill of 150 bucks. That was disgusting, but to pay, because I wanted to keep the credit card.

Rather than using cheque I use net banking and NEFT transfer for Credit Card Bill Payment. I find it the most convenient. Its convenient if you have enabled net banking of your bank account and you like doing transactions using internet. Just you need two things, first credit card number, its the account number of the credit card you are using and second the IFSC code of your credit card. IFSC code is the NEFT Branch code where the account of your credit card exist. IFSC code can be found by asking customer support. Just you login to your bank account, go to third party transfer, add a third party account. While adding third party account you will be asked for Account Number, in which you put credit card number and second thing they will ask IFSC code.

Fast and Furious 5 - its rating is 5/5

Fast and Furious 5 is equal to 5 times excitement. Right from the first minutes of movie, I dint felt like moving my eyes from the screen, it was same as my bums were fixed in seat and eyes were locked on the screen and mouth was open while watching thrilling and unpredictable frames.
The scenes of stealing cars from train to uncertainly falling into pool of water, every frame is made so unpredictable and thrilling. Every stunt is killer and daring and I appreciate it. The movie is yes for every body who like speed.
One thing I liked in movie, the number of ideas being applied by 'fast fives' to steal the money locked in safe and pulling the giant safe from police station was unbelievable but its programmed so well, looks very real and thrilling.
Vin Diesel is awesome, whether its acting or stunt, he is un-comparable. His fighting and car driving skill is example of hard work and concentration.

Source Code - Review - 4/5 stars

I loved this dialog by Jeffrey Wright - Source code is not about time travelling, its all about time re-assignment.
Source Code is a movie with very simple story of time re-assignment (not time travelling) to a soldier, who is sent in same span of time (of 8 minutes) to avoid a nuclear bomb attack. He is sent in same span of time again and again to find the guy who has planted a nuclear bomb in a train, so, that the next attack can be avoided.
The movie is interesting enough to keep you tied to seat, in-spite of showing same sequence of scenes (time re-assignment) again and again. But every new re-assignment scenes come with some variations and some predictability but still keeps the level interest and thrill higher.
Overall I loved this movie and its complete yes for every movie goer. Its not that much technical movie, which could only be understood by geeks only, every lay man can understand and enjoy it.

Mumbai Local Trains - Deserve to be world class

Mumbai Local Train service, I found one of the best local train service among all the Indian cities.

1. Trains are always on time, within span of every 2 minutes next train is on platform.
2. Performance unmatchable, on an average more than 60 of speed.
3. Love to carry 4times than their capacity anytime, only not in peak hours.
4. Ticket counters are open from 4 AM to2 AM daily.

And many more bullet points can be added to appreciate about the locals running in Mumbai. But I dint understood in 7 yrs (I am in Mumbai since 7 years), why the local trains/platforms don't get beautified and offered world class infrastructure, in-spite of earning a lot of money in ticket sale, I guess more than 4 times of the capacity. I dint understood why the people travelling in Local Trains don't deserve escalators connecting the platforms and ticket counters and bus/ricksaw stands and many more facilities.

When I go to stations like Dadar, Andheri, Borivali or Thane or Dombivali they are same as they were 7 yrs back when I came to Mumbai. If I compare, far better kind of infrastructure are present or evolved in other small cities train stations. These main stations can have better flooring and roofing, toilets, ticket counters and escalators. Thousands of daily passengers visit these stations daily and I understand their journey should be made comfortable and interesting. I never felt like going to local train. When there is no option of road transport then only I prefer local train because of all above reasons.

Trust me, no offence please, but Mumbai is being developed only by the private bodies only  e.g. shopping malls, housing, or corporates etc. I rarely find any development done from the Government front, and even if some development is done by Government body, those things are extremely slow. Mumbai collects a lot of money  from income tax and other public contribution, but still why Mumbai is treated like any other low earning cities? Is it because of our low political will or weak public awareness. Where does all money go, why our local MLAs/MPs don't ask for development of important places to the center and state government? If MLAs/MPs are not asking why we are not raising our voice against all this? Why we are forced to travel uncomfortably?

I could see a lot of scope of retail market within the local train stations. The stations can be modernized and converted in malls cum local train stations. This will have two benefits, wealth for maintenance of the infrastructure can be arranged from the retailers as rent and people will also enjoy and feel like coming to local trains.

Mumbai local trains deserve to be world class like London or Singapore and it can be done very easily if we wish to do this.