I hit the 100 day mark over the weekend. I am now at 102 days here. I now have a start date back to work in MN of 11/30. I can now officially start the countdown. T minus 59 days before I hit the airport.
Last night I watched the Dushera events at the apartment. However my camera battery ran out of juice. It looked like a combination of 4th of July, Halloween and Christmas. Some of the children were wearing costumes. Either a red outfit with a tail, looked like a little satan, or dressed up like the king and queen. The little red kids shot a bow and arrow at the idols before they lit them on fire and the fireworks went off. It sounded and felt like they were shooting off dynamite. It was loud and the ground vibrated a little bit. All the little kids were crying away. It was different and somewhat entertaining. There was also a booth set up for snacks and treats. I stayed away from that area. I pretty much stayed on the edges of the event but still had a good view.
The weekend ahead is another 3 day weekend. I am making plans to go to the Golden Temple of Amritsar. It is right on the Pakistan border. That has me a little worried, but the locals at work said it is no big deal. Plus the guy that I will be going with said his brother in law is on the police force in that town.
The hotel sanded off the mold and mudded the sheet rock again. The sheetrock under the paint was becoming moldy.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Happy Dashera
Today is one of the most important days in India. From Wikepedia - The Festival of Dashera concludes the festival of Navaratri, and the holy day also commemorates the triumph of good over evil.. Dasha-hara in sanskrit means the "remover of bad fate". Forms of celebrations can take on a wide variety of manifestations, ranging from worshipping the goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) to exhibiting colorful toys on the day of bombe habba in Karnataka.
THere are fireworks and festivals going on around the city. Even my little neighborhood of 6 apartment buildings build 3 idols and blew them up with firecrackers and fireworks.
THere are fireworks and festivals going on around the city. Even my little neighborhood of 6 apartment buildings build 3 idols and blew them up with firecrackers and fireworks.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Delhi 9-26
Bara Gumbad Mosque in the Lodi Garden
Lotus in Lodi Garden
Chatarpur Mandir Temple - Saw a golden Durga Puja in a temple just to the right of this temple. I walked 2 blocks barefoot in order to get in. The only open the room with the Durga Pooja for 9 days a year. 
On Saturday a Nandan, a coworker, to me to a few of the less travelled places. First was the Lodi Gardens. It had a few temples and a fort from the 1500's. It also had a large pond with lotus water lillies and a large number of birds and ducks.
Next we went to the Deer Park. We ate at a restaurant in the middle of the park which had one a few awards. I had a fish, pomfret. When they brought it out it still had the head on it and looked like a parana which was laying on a banana leaf. It was pretty good but still had some heat on it. Nandan is a vegetarian and a look on his face when he saw the entire fish laying on the plate was funny. MOst of the time he was looking to the side so he would not have to look at the fish. He said before I ordered it would be ok.
The deer park had no deer, just a few birds in cages. We walked a few more blocks to the Hauz Khas fort which was built in the 1300's. There was a small, heavily poluted lake in from of the fort. Nandan mentioned that many Bollywood films are set at this place.
Then we went to a small modern market. Walked around for about 5 minutes. There were a few Durga Puja idols being set up. One was about a 8 foot tall ice sculptue. In the heat I don't that would last too much longer.
Finally we went to the Chatarpur Mandir temple, which was spread over two blocks. There were large ques, lines, wrapped around a couple blocks to see the Durga Puja. ALso no electonics were allowed in the temple so I did not bring my camera. To avoid more lines we walked barefoot to the temple about 2 blocks away, this included walking through Delhi sidewalks and crossing streets barefoot. Suprisingly we were able to walk right into the temple without any lines. We went straight to the all gold Durga Puja. It was an impressive idol. We then walked around the temple which was very large. A band was playing their religious music and it loudly played throughout the temple. Ther were probably 1,000 inside praying and sitting inside the temple. We walked around a little bit more and saw a few more idols before walking back.
It was an interesting day to see a few new sites and learning a little more about the Durga Puja, the Bengali Puja. There are 9 days of partying for the festival. On the last day the followers take all the hand made Pujas to the river to send them down the river. One tv station shows Durga Puja idol after idol on tv from around the country. Monday is the last day and is a holiday from work.
I posted all the pics again out to http://picasaweb.google.com/JasonsBigAdventure/
Friday, September 25, 2009
It is holiday season here. Last Monday was a holiday. This coming Monday is a holiday and Friday is a holiday. 3 back to back 3 day weekends. Durja Puja is this Monday and Ghandi’s birthday is Friday. There are supposed to be many festivals this weekend with various Idols to see. If I would have known about these holidays earlier I would have taken a longer vacation to a further away destination.
Otherwise I think I have recovered from the sites from yesterday. I did see a couple open flame cremations on the way out. I am trying to get that out of my head. I am still glad I could not smell the cremations.
Yesterday I heard some rock n roll music for the first time. A station that a guy who drove us to the cremation had a couple Nickleback songs on it. Then they were talking that Guns N Roses is planning on coming to Delhi in December. I don’t think I will be here long enough to see that though.
Otherwise I think I have recovered from the sites from yesterday. I did see a couple open flame cremations on the way out. I am trying to get that out of my head. I am still glad I could not smell the cremations.
Yesterday I heard some rock n roll music for the first time. A station that a guy who drove us to the cremation had a couple Nickleback songs on it. Then they were talking that Guns N Roses is planning on coming to Delhi in December. I don’t think I will be here long enough to see that though.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Rack up another new experience in India. My manager’s mother in law past away at 11 this morning. At 3 pm I was at the cremation ceremony for a Bengali style cremation. We walked into the cremation grounds and there were the open flame cremation section and there were a few fires going. To me it smelled like a barbecue, but remember I do not have a sense of smell. I could tell the air was heavier. We walked past that section into a big room that had 6 enclosed cremation stations with the mother in law in the middle of the building and the daughter fanning off the flies. The deceased was covered by a linen sheet laying on a splint like bed on the floor. We stand around for a few minutes and the ceremony began. The was a small platform step to get to wear the body was. Everyone took their shoes off before stepping up. First a man starting mixing up what looked like flour and flowers with water. The daughters were then handed a lump of this mixture and they dumped it into a bowl. Then they put water on the forehead and face of the deceased. Then each touched the feet of the deceased and said “Thank you Shiva” and a few other things in Hindi. Then the deceased was carried over to the cremation station. Then they starting putting what looked like oil on the face, arms and feet of the deceased rubbing it in well. The daughters continued to touch the feet and say “Thank you Shiva”. Then they covered the body in what looked like several other oils and herbs. Then placed the linen over the body showing only the face. Then it looked like they put puffed rice on the body. Then the incense were started and put under the chin. This started the flame and the body was pushed into the station. I saw the flames start in the station and then the door shut. It took about 15 minutes and without any emotions. When we walked out there was a place to wash your hands. I was told to wash my hands as a kind of a cleansing after the ceremony. Some people also washed their face and covered their hair with the water.
We walked over to the side and my manager came up to me and started talking work about a meeting I went to yesterday. He also took a phone call during the ceremony. It is definitely a different experience than the Christian Funerals I have attended.
There will be another ceremony in 3 days for the immediate family and another one in 13 days as the final ceremony.
We walked over to the side and my manager came up to me and started talking work about a meeting I went to yesterday. He also took a phone call during the ceremony. It is definitely a different experience than the Christian Funerals I have attended.
There will be another ceremony in 3 days for the immediate family and another one in 13 days as the final ceremony.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Jaipur - Sunday
On SundayI hired a guide from the hotel to show us around. It was 850 rupees for the guide for a full day or around $17. I told Amarjit the price and his reaction was I overpaid. He said should be no more than 500. I was very happy with the guide. If nothing else for the purpose of someone taking a photo with me in it.
First we stopped at the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Breeze. I stepped out of the car quickly and snapped a few photos. I had a lady beggar on me in 2 seconds. Then there was a guy crawling on his hands and knees looking for a handout. I notice a rickshaw pull up with some other tourists - I pointed to them and made a dash for the car.
Next we drove around the city and he explained the old part of the city and the new part. The old part is all a pink color except for the 2 blocks set aside for the king. The kings color building is yellow. The entire old city is surrounded by a 20 foot wall and has 7 gates to get in.
Next we drove to the Amber Fort. It was at this point I was told I could not ride an elephant up to the fort. One of the things I was looking forward to. Instead of walking up the mountain to the fort we drove and paid a little extra for parking – 30 ruppees or 60 cents. The back roads were original to the 1700s. They were just wide enough for an elephant and very bumpy and steep. The ride help loosen up my back if nothing else.
We get to the Amber Fort and start to walk around. He explained one section was for the kings 12 wives. They lived side by side in a large square area. Only one deluxe room was for the first wife which included a jacuzzi tub and a kitchen. We also went into the underground tunnels which were large enough for a horse to run through. There were thousands of bats down there. The best part of the fort was the mirrored rooms section. The pictures do not do this area justice. The mirrors glisten in the sunlight.
After that we went to the Jaigarh Fort which has the largest cannon in the world. It was only shot once and went a distance of 22 miles. The views were amazing from this fort as it overlooked the Jal Mahal – the next site we visited. This is the palace on the lake. Here again I had the local beggars all around me. They wanted to get into the photos.
We then stopped at a store. They gave me a demo of wood block art and wanted me to buy something. I was in a hurry to get out of there.
Next we went to a restaurant. I said someplace inexpensive and good quality. He takes us to a place about a block from the block shop. The prices were double of the hotel. I knew this was a racket then. What made it worse was I had to buy mine plus the cab driver. This was my most expensive meal of the trip. 1,100 rupees or about $22 for sweet and sour chicken and chicken curry.
Next we went to the City Palace where the current king of Rajasthan lives. It was a combination of pink and yellow buildings. There were several museums inside but cameras were not allowed. The most amazing part was the clothing of the son of the king in the 1700’s. His second son was unusual. He was 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. They had a pair of his pants and it covered the entire wall. He would drink 5 liters of milk for breakfast every morning. Only an elephant could carry him. He died at the age of 28.
The other unusual pieces were two large silver bottles. The king went to London in the 1700’s and would only drink and bath in water from the Ganges River. So they filled these two large silver containers for the trip.
It was another hot day. Even the guide was sweating. It is also very dusty there. It was the first time I had any issues with my eyes. I think it is from all the fine sand in the air.
Next we went to Jantar Mantar – the observatory. This is the best observatory that was built in the 1700’s and a few of the pieces still work. There is one sun dial that is accurate to 20 seconds and another sun dial, the largest in the world, is accurate to 2 seconds. I just think it is impressive that this type of technology was developed back then.
After that we went to the final spot, Isar Lat, or a 7 story high tower. It was quite a walk in the heat. The tower is mostly occupied by pigeons now and is rarely visited. The guide said it was only the second time he has ever been asked to go there. The views of the city were spectacular.
Then we head back to the hotel around 4. I was on my own after that and hung out at the pool. There were mostly Russians and French there. The tv even had a Russian channel. I was watching the hockey highlights of a Russian game.
Otherwise I was trying to figure out where the cab driver slept. He wore the same clothes all weekend. I am sure he slept in the car. Good thing I don’t have a sense of smell!
On Monday we drove back at 6:30 am. I could have left after the site seeing on Sunday, but I now understand why we waited. The road was horrible. It had a pot hole every 6 inches. Plus it was truck after truck weaving in and out of them. It was definitely a more dangerous drive then going there.
I saw in the paper the next day that the Muslims were celebrating there holiday on the road we were on. There were about 100,000 people on it in the afternoon walking and parading. Good thing we left so early and missed it.
First we stopped at the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Breeze. I stepped out of the car quickly and snapped a few photos. I had a lady beggar on me in 2 seconds. Then there was a guy crawling on his hands and knees looking for a handout. I notice a rickshaw pull up with some other tourists - I pointed to them and made a dash for the car.
Next we drove around the city and he explained the old part of the city and the new part. The old part is all a pink color except for the 2 blocks set aside for the king. The kings color building is yellow. The entire old city is surrounded by a 20 foot wall and has 7 gates to get in.
Next we drove to the Amber Fort. It was at this point I was told I could not ride an elephant up to the fort. One of the things I was looking forward to. Instead of walking up the mountain to the fort we drove and paid a little extra for parking – 30 ruppees or 60 cents. The back roads were original to the 1700s. They were just wide enough for an elephant and very bumpy and steep. The ride help loosen up my back if nothing else.
We get to the Amber Fort and start to walk around. He explained one section was for the kings 12 wives. They lived side by side in a large square area. Only one deluxe room was for the first wife which included a jacuzzi tub and a kitchen. We also went into the underground tunnels which were large enough for a horse to run through. There were thousands of bats down there. The best part of the fort was the mirrored rooms section. The pictures do not do this area justice. The mirrors glisten in the sunlight.
After that we went to the Jaigarh Fort which has the largest cannon in the world. It was only shot once and went a distance of 22 miles. The views were amazing from this fort as it overlooked the Jal Mahal – the next site we visited. This is the palace on the lake. Here again I had the local beggars all around me. They wanted to get into the photos.
We then stopped at a store. They gave me a demo of wood block art and wanted me to buy something. I was in a hurry to get out of there.
Next we went to a restaurant. I said someplace inexpensive and good quality. He takes us to a place about a block from the block shop. The prices were double of the hotel. I knew this was a racket then. What made it worse was I had to buy mine plus the cab driver. This was my most expensive meal of the trip. 1,100 rupees or about $22 for sweet and sour chicken and chicken curry.
Next we went to the City Palace where the current king of Rajasthan lives. It was a combination of pink and yellow buildings. There were several museums inside but cameras were not allowed. The most amazing part was the clothing of the son of the king in the 1700’s. His second son was unusual. He was 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. They had a pair of his pants and it covered the entire wall. He would drink 5 liters of milk for breakfast every morning. Only an elephant could carry him. He died at the age of 28.
The other unusual pieces were two large silver bottles. The king went to London in the 1700’s and would only drink and bath in water from the Ganges River. So they filled these two large silver containers for the trip.
It was another hot day. Even the guide was sweating. It is also very dusty there. It was the first time I had any issues with my eyes. I think it is from all the fine sand in the air.
Next we went to Jantar Mantar – the observatory. This is the best observatory that was built in the 1700’s and a few of the pieces still work. There is one sun dial that is accurate to 20 seconds and another sun dial, the largest in the world, is accurate to 2 seconds. I just think it is impressive that this type of technology was developed back then.
After that we went to the final spot, Isar Lat, or a 7 story high tower. It was quite a walk in the heat. The tower is mostly occupied by pigeons now and is rarely visited. The guide said it was only the second time he has ever been asked to go there. The views of the city were spectacular.
Then we head back to the hotel around 4. I was on my own after that and hung out at the pool. There were mostly Russians and French there. The tv even had a Russian channel. I was watching the hockey highlights of a Russian game.
Otherwise I was trying to figure out where the cab driver slept. He wore the same clothes all weekend. I am sure he slept in the car. Good thing I don’t have a sense of smell!
On Monday we drove back at 6:30 am. I could have left after the site seeing on Sunday, but I now understand why we waited. The road was horrible. It had a pot hole every 6 inches. Plus it was truck after truck weaving in and out of them. It was definitely a more dangerous drive then going there.
I saw in the paper the next day that the Muslims were celebrating there holiday on the road we were on. There were about 100,000 people on it in the afternoon walking and parading. Good thing we left so early and missed it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Jaipur Pics
Amber Fort walled off walkways.
Jal Mahal
View from Isar Lat. Had to climb up a seven story tower. Had great views of the city.
Central Museum. Jaipur Pics
Jaigarh Fort - the world's largest cannon. Only shot once and shot a canonball 22 miles.
Jal Mahal - it is in the cener of a lake. It will be turned into a hotel within 3 years. Only way to the building is by boat.
Inside City Palace. Pink walls. My guide in the yellow shirt and sunglasses. He is the one that took my pics.
Jantar Mantar - Horoscope section. Jaipur Pics
Hawa Mahal - built in 1799 in order for royal ladies to view everyday life and not be seen by public. Over 950 windows.
Amber Fort used from 1600 - 1727 before moved to City Palace
Entrance within Amber Fort. All painted. Ganesh above doorway. WIndow on top layer is where wives of king would throw down flowers. One king had 12 wives.
Mirrored room. Second largest mirror room in the world. Chokhi Dhani - Jaipur
Sheraton Entrance dots.
Getting on camel. Camel walker gave me his turbin. It matched my shirt and dot.
Performance dancer.
Chokhi Dhani meal with Amerjit. Rajasthan - Saturday
Journey into Rajasthan
My trip began sharply at 6:30 am. Amerjit had a little larger car this time, about the size of a Dodge Neon. The radio and a/c worked a little better than the haltchback. The journey was 275 km or about 170 miles in total.
It took a little over 2 hours to get to the state of Rajasthan. The landscape changed immediately with a small mountain range and much more vegetation. There was a stretch of about a mile of a herd of cattle walking in a lane of traffic. Then came camel after camel pulling carts. It is a dangerous drive weaving in and out of trucks, cattle and motorcycles going in and out of small towns. There is no chance of using the cruise control. If you take your eyes off the road for a second it could be an accident. The total drive including a stop for breakfast was 6.5 hours. It was the longest I have sat in a car in a long time. At breakfast Amajit joined me and I ended up paying for both of us. Later in the day I called Vihbuti and she said it was customary to pay for the drivers food on the road for a long trip or just give them some money. Later in the trip I would have been better giving him some money as the meals were more and more expensive.
We also stopped at a yellow box on the side of the road. Then Amarjit said 5 minutes and he brought a pouch with him. I saw some money exchanged and he came back out. I don’t know what was going on, but we did a pass a couple more of these yellow box stations on the trip.
Once we got with 5 km from Jaipur the elephants starting appearing. I found out later that there are 160 elephants in the city of Jaipur. Most are used for tourism carrying people around. I was hoping to take an elephant ride up to the Amber fort, but it is currently 9 days of festivals going on and the elephants are being used for other purposes.
The drive in we saw most of the sites. We were a little lost trying to find the hotel, but it was an enjoyable scenenic tour of the city for me. We stopped to ask for directions about 7 times before we found it.
The Amber Fort looked like it was surrounded by a mini Great Wall of China. It covered both sides of the mountain range stretching for quite a distance.
We kept driving and saw a building in the middle of a lake, the Jal Mahal. It looked like it was floating. He pulled over for me to take a few pics. Right then I was attached by a lady wanting me to take a pic of her. Then wanting change. Then 3 more guys game to sell something. I made a mad dash back for the car.
Jaipur is also known as the pink city. The old part of Jaipur, 9 square blocks, was painted pink to welcome a London King back in the 1700’s. Now it is mostly a salmon color. Also Jaipur is the first city to be engineered to have straight streets and blocks.
At the hotel my luggage was scanned like at the airport and I had to go through a metal detector. At the receptionist I was asked to fill out some paperwork and a lady to the left of me said “Mr. Jason” and I saw a thumb coming towards. I ducked and she nailed me on the side of the forehead. I then saw she had some orange ink and then she got me a second time right in the middle of my forehead.
The hotel was a Sheraton and was very nice. I had a poolside room and was able to use my points to pay for the room. There were no other plans until 5:30 so I decided to take a dip in the pool. I took my sandals off and started walking towards the pool. I instantly burned my feet again. I tip toed quickly to the pool and jumped in. I could tell the different in the sun in the small difference. It is probably the combination of being south and less air pollution. After 20 minutes in the sun I was starting to turn pink.
At 5:30 we left to eat at Chokhi Dhani for supper. It is Rajasthani food served in traditional style. This was the highlight of the trip for me. The place is like a mini Renaissance Fair for Indians. It was 350 or $7 for each of use to get in. As soon as you enter they hit you in the forehead with a red dot and then put rice on it. That lasted for about a half an hour before I sweat it off. We got there around 6:15 but our meal was scheduled for 8. This is a busy spot and meals are time out. There were 5 areas were girls were doing traditional dances everything from spinning in circles, to dancing with large knifes in their mouths, to balancing 7 bowls on their heads. I also took a camel ride. They are a much bigger animal than I thought. I had Amerjit take a picture and the guide through his turbin on my head. When the camel goes to lay down so you can get off it lays it front side to the ground first. I thought I was going to tumble over as it is about a 60 degrees angle when the camel’s front end is down and its back end is still standing. There were no handles to hang onto. After waiting around a little longer watching a puppet show, magic show, and some more dancing it was finally time to eat.
First we had to take our shoes off to go inside. Then we washed our hands from a guy pouring water out of a genie looking bottle. We go inside and it is many long tables aoub 12 inches off the floor. We sat Indian style at the table. First there was a big round plate with come side dishes on it and 7 empty bowls. After a couple of minutes they came around and starting filling out the bowls. Then 5 different kinds of bread and 3 deserts. It was all you can eat. You could not refuse to take anything. The dishes were quite mild on the spicy side. After about a half an hour we were done. Then walked around some more. Somehow I lost my camera lens cap during all the picture taking and walking around.
My trip began sharply at 6:30 am. Amerjit had a little larger car this time, about the size of a Dodge Neon. The radio and a/c worked a little better than the haltchback. The journey was 275 km or about 170 miles in total.
It took a little over 2 hours to get to the state of Rajasthan. The landscape changed immediately with a small mountain range and much more vegetation. There was a stretch of about a mile of a herd of cattle walking in a lane of traffic. Then came camel after camel pulling carts. It is a dangerous drive weaving in and out of trucks, cattle and motorcycles going in and out of small towns. There is no chance of using the cruise control. If you take your eyes off the road for a second it could be an accident. The total drive including a stop for breakfast was 6.5 hours. It was the longest I have sat in a car in a long time. At breakfast Amajit joined me and I ended up paying for both of us. Later in the day I called Vihbuti and she said it was customary to pay for the drivers food on the road for a long trip or just give them some money. Later in the trip I would have been better giving him some money as the meals were more and more expensive.
We also stopped at a yellow box on the side of the road. Then Amarjit said 5 minutes and he brought a pouch with him. I saw some money exchanged and he came back out. I don’t know what was going on, but we did a pass a couple more of these yellow box stations on the trip.
Once we got with 5 km from Jaipur the elephants starting appearing. I found out later that there are 160 elephants in the city of Jaipur. Most are used for tourism carrying people around. I was hoping to take an elephant ride up to the Amber fort, but it is currently 9 days of festivals going on and the elephants are being used for other purposes.
The drive in we saw most of the sites. We were a little lost trying to find the hotel, but it was an enjoyable scenenic tour of the city for me. We stopped to ask for directions about 7 times before we found it.
The Amber Fort looked like it was surrounded by a mini Great Wall of China. It covered both sides of the mountain range stretching for quite a distance.
We kept driving and saw a building in the middle of a lake, the Jal Mahal. It looked like it was floating. He pulled over for me to take a few pics. Right then I was attached by a lady wanting me to take a pic of her. Then wanting change. Then 3 more guys game to sell something. I made a mad dash back for the car.
Jaipur is also known as the pink city. The old part of Jaipur, 9 square blocks, was painted pink to welcome a London King back in the 1700’s. Now it is mostly a salmon color. Also Jaipur is the first city to be engineered to have straight streets and blocks.
At the hotel my luggage was scanned like at the airport and I had to go through a metal detector. At the receptionist I was asked to fill out some paperwork and a lady to the left of me said “Mr. Jason” and I saw a thumb coming towards. I ducked and she nailed me on the side of the forehead. I then saw she had some orange ink and then she got me a second time right in the middle of my forehead.
The hotel was a Sheraton and was very nice. I had a poolside room and was able to use my points to pay for the room. There were no other plans until 5:30 so I decided to take a dip in the pool. I took my sandals off and started walking towards the pool. I instantly burned my feet again. I tip toed quickly to the pool and jumped in. I could tell the different in the sun in the small difference. It is probably the combination of being south and less air pollution. After 20 minutes in the sun I was starting to turn pink.
At 5:30 we left to eat at Chokhi Dhani for supper. It is Rajasthani food served in traditional style. This was the highlight of the trip for me. The place is like a mini Renaissance Fair for Indians. It was 350 or $7 for each of use to get in. As soon as you enter they hit you in the forehead with a red dot and then put rice on it. That lasted for about a half an hour before I sweat it off. We got there around 6:15 but our meal was scheduled for 8. This is a busy spot and meals are time out. There were 5 areas were girls were doing traditional dances everything from spinning in circles, to dancing with large knifes in their mouths, to balancing 7 bowls on their heads. I also took a camel ride. They are a much bigger animal than I thought. I had Amerjit take a picture and the guide through his turbin on my head. When the camel goes to lay down so you can get off it lays it front side to the ground first. I thought I was going to tumble over as it is about a 60 degrees angle when the camel’s front end is down and its back end is still standing. There were no handles to hang onto. After waiting around a little longer watching a puppet show, magic show, and some more dancing it was finally time to eat.
First we had to take our shoes off to go inside. Then we washed our hands from a guy pouring water out of a genie looking bottle. We go inside and it is many long tables aoub 12 inches off the floor. We sat Indian style at the table. First there was a big round plate with come side dishes on it and 7 empty bowls. After a couple of minutes they came around and starting filling out the bowls. Then 5 different kinds of bread and 3 deserts. It was all you can eat. You could not refuse to take anything. The dishes were quite mild on the spicy side. After about a half an hour we were done. Then walked around some more. Somehow I lost my camera lens cap during all the picture taking and walking around.
Friday, September 18, 2009
How quickly things change. At 5:15 today I received a text message that the rafting trip had cancelled due to the rafting company not having a license to tent on the beach on the river. It is a 3 day weekend here, I finally get a holiday, and I did not want to spend it in Delhi. I made some quick arrangements to go to Jaipur which is about 250 km south of Delhi. It will be about a 5 hour car ride leaving at 6:30am. I will stay two nights at a Sheraton and come back on Monday. This is the first time I am truely going site seeing on my own for a 3 day period. Let's see what happens. I did find a Pearson sales person that lives there and will get in contact with him to hopefully find me a guide. Plus I will have my same non English speaking taxi driver, for better or worse.
This morning I was picked up by Mukesh as usual but this time his mother was in the car. She quickly moved to the back seat and I sat in the front seat. In India it is customary for the owner of the car to sit in the back seat if there is a driver. We get about half way to the office when the traffic jam starts. Mukesh is going to drop me off at work and then take his mother somewhere. Another co-worker pulls up next to Mukesh’s car. They both roll down their windows and start chatting in Hindi. Next thing I know I am getting out of Mukuesh’s car, almost being hit by a motorcycle and getting in the car of the other guy. At least I was not hit and made it to work safely.
I am also prepped for my trip. I have bug spray and all my batteries charged up. The only hard part now is getting up so early and trying to find the train. At least there will be 2 others on the same train. From the names I am guessing a Japanese guy and an Italian lady.
I showed my itinerary to the people at work and they have me worried. When one of the coworkers red the name of the train out loud, Hardiwar, just about everyone in the area perked up and a couple came running over. Then they started warning me. They said they would not even travel on this train. It is not in very good condition and it has too many stops. I will be on the train for about 8 hours for 255 km or about 153 miles. The train has 11 stops between Delhi and then end spot, Hardiwar. The train leaves an hour before the other train and gets to the end destination an hour after the other train. An extra two hours. They told me not to eat or drink anything on the drain. The end destination is a dangerous area and try to find the cab as quickly as possible. They put the scare into me. I called the travel agent and she said it is no different than any other train. I should have asked her to switch seats with me then. Let the weekend adventure begin. I just hope I am not sitting between the goat and the chickens and seeing the real life versions of the kids from Slumdog Millionaire running on top of the train trying to steal my bag.
I will be back on Tuesday, hopefully.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
As the weather is cooling down I am noticing more International people about. Especially over the weekend at Qtab Minar there were about 10 times as many people as when I went during the heat. At my apartment there are now a couple more longer term people staying also. I think they all had the right idea to come this time of year.
I think I hit the wall today. It was a long day. I think I hit my intake limit of rice and curry for the trip. I was kind of playing with my food on the lunch tray today trying to force myself to eat it. The lunch buddies were asking “You no like?”. I said I don’t think they would even serve this at the prisons in the US. They all laughed, but I was serious. I have eaten the cafeteria food everyday except for one on this trip for lunch. Then to top it off I walk by the meetings for the internationals and they are eating Pizza Hut and Subway. I should have crashed the meeting and chowed down. I hope I get over this or I will really be suffering for the rest of the trip.
It is like the center of the universe here. This week I have spoken with someone from every continent except for Antarctica. Maybe I will find that person over the weekend tubing down the Ganges.
I caught a ride from someone else today and got out of work the earliest time yet. 5:45. I did not know what to do with all the time. Since it gets dark around 6:30 there wasn’t too much time. I decided to hit the pool. For the first time since the incident, I ran into the old man. First I tried to ignore him when he yelled Mr Lonne when I swam by him. On my return lap he stood right in the middle of my lane and dropped his shorts (j/k) actually he splashed me to get my attention. He shook my hand and said hi. He has grown a beard since. He said he is starting a new business but I could not understand what he was saying. I said I don’t understand and he swam off. No issues anyways.
I think I hit the wall today. It was a long day. I think I hit my intake limit of rice and curry for the trip. I was kind of playing with my food on the lunch tray today trying to force myself to eat it. The lunch buddies were asking “You no like?”. I said I don’t think they would even serve this at the prisons in the US. They all laughed, but I was serious. I have eaten the cafeteria food everyday except for one on this trip for lunch. Then to top it off I walk by the meetings for the internationals and they are eating Pizza Hut and Subway. I should have crashed the meeting and chowed down. I hope I get over this or I will really be suffering for the rest of the trip.
It is like the center of the universe here. This week I have spoken with someone from every continent except for Antarctica. Maybe I will find that person over the weekend tubing down the Ganges.
I caught a ride from someone else today and got out of work the earliest time yet. 5:45. I did not know what to do with all the time. Since it gets dark around 6:30 there wasn’t too much time. I decided to hit the pool. For the first time since the incident, I ran into the old man. First I tried to ignore him when he yelled Mr Lonne when I swam by him. On my return lap he stood right in the middle of my lane and dropped his shorts (j/k) actually he splashed me to get my attention. He shook my hand and said hi. He has grown a beard since. He said he is starting a new business but I could not understand what he was saying. I said I don’t understand and he swam off. No issues anyways.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
This week there are a few Americans and British at the office for various meetings. I saw more white skin in one day than I had in the last 3 months at the office. Most of the people come out here a couple times a year for 3-4 days at a time. In and out. They still all have their own personal adventure stories for that short time frame. My old man story still sits alone at the top though.
Last night I decided to finally try an Indian Fast food restaurant. The prices were inexpensive and the food tasted good. I had a Big Daddy Mutton Burger, a large fry and a large coke for $3.50. That was by far the most expensive combo on the menu. Most of the combos included a vegetarian sandwich and a coke for less than $1. They also served ice cream and I test my luck with a Sunday. It was great and no side effects yet.
I also complained to a couple people at the office about the cab driver taking me to the rug store without my knowledge. They all said it was no big deal and he must have misunderstood me. That did not sit well with me either.
I have my train tickets for the weekend adventure. Unfortunately I am on a different train than the majority of the tour group. The first train sold out. I have to find my way in a different train station. It leaves at 6 am on Saturday. I will be leaving my apartment at 4:30am to get there in time. The trip consists of 3 rafting trips on the Ganges and sleeping in tents on the beach. I hope my bug spray will protect me. I am also keeping up with my malaria prescription just in case. What scares me the most is the water comes from a spring then they add iodine to it. I will be bringing a few liters of bottled water just in case.
I received some info on the trip. The toilet description is the most interesting. “There is a hole in the ground with a western style wooden “thunder box” placed over the hole. No squatting required. The back of this “thunder box” is open so that it is easy to scoop in sand from the back for covering up. A scoop is provided for this purpose.” As a bonus toilet paper is also provided.
On the way home it took 30 minutes to go 3 car lengths. Traffic is ridiculous. We were trying to make a right hand turn and the incoming traffic was intermingled with the traffic turning. It could not get unlocked.
Last night I decided to finally try an Indian Fast food restaurant. The prices were inexpensive and the food tasted good. I had a Big Daddy Mutton Burger, a large fry and a large coke for $3.50. That was by far the most expensive combo on the menu. Most of the combos included a vegetarian sandwich and a coke for less than $1. They also served ice cream and I test my luck with a Sunday. It was great and no side effects yet.
I also complained to a couple people at the office about the cab driver taking me to the rug store without my knowledge. They all said it was no big deal and he must have misunderstood me. That did not sit well with me either.
I have my train tickets for the weekend adventure. Unfortunately I am on a different train than the majority of the tour group. The first train sold out. I have to find my way in a different train station. It leaves at 6 am on Saturday. I will be leaving my apartment at 4:30am to get there in time. The trip consists of 3 rafting trips on the Ganges and sleeping in tents on the beach. I hope my bug spray will protect me. I am also keeping up with my malaria prescription just in case. What scares me the most is the water comes from a spring then they add iodine to it. I will be bringing a few liters of bottled water just in case.
I received some info on the trip. The toilet description is the most interesting. “There is a hole in the ground with a western style wooden “thunder box” placed over the hole. No squatting required. The back of this “thunder box” is open so that it is easy to scoop in sand from the back for covering up. A scoop is provided for this purpose.” As a bonus toilet paper is also provided.
On the way home it took 30 minutes to go 3 car lengths. Traffic is ridiculous. We were trying to make a right hand turn and the incoming traffic was intermingled with the traffic turning. It could not get unlocked.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Qtab Minar 9-13-09
Close up of one of the gate walls
Sweaty Jason aster 1.5 hours walking around at 100 degrees
Today I decided to revisit the Qutb Minar. On my drive to there I decided to take some official counts. There were 11 men peeing on the side of the road, 4 children lined up on the sidewalk squatting, 15 cows, about 100 water buffalo hanging out under a bridge in the river for shade, I am guessing 1,000 hawks flying between the river and the dump – the sky almost looked black in some areas – I am guessing a wingspan of about 3 feet. I don’t know if it is for food or mating season.
The funniest thing I saw at the Qtab Minar was there were about 50 guys lined up to take a picture with a blonde lady wearing bight purple Converse shoes. I have never seen anything like it.
I walked around for about 1.5 hours in the 100 degree heat. It is cooling down but I was still in a full sweat.
I find my cab driver, Amarjit Sing, and he says “go mall one hour”. I told him I wanted to go to Connaught Place after Qtab Minar so I thought he was saying I only one hour for you at Connought. I was wrong. He pulls up to the Kashmir Palace. I thought “Oh sh@t” I am for in now. I have heard stories about the cab driver taking you someone and forcing you to buy something. I get in and they immediately take me downstairs to a room full of rugs. The guy explains his family is from Kashmir and it is too dangerous for you westerners to go there, thus they set up shop in Delhi for their fine rugs. He takes me to a loom and shows me how they make a rug and explains the average rug takes 1.5 years to make. I am still sweating away and praying I get out of this ok. He takes me to another room and whips out three sizes of rugs. They were beautiful with satin interwoven into them. They had a shine. I told him not interested, my cab driver walked down, I said "lets go" and mumbled to myself "no tip for you".
He takes me to Cannaught Place. I walk out and it was like a pack of wolves on me. Within 5 minutes I had 20 people on me. I walked through a little area like a flea market but it was packed that you could not even see what was on the tables. I was getting bumped into, people asking where I am from as there come on line. I just put my hands in my pocket and walked in a zig zag fashion. When I walked into one of the same guys again I would zag the other way. There was no personal space and I was a big dollar sign. To escape I took some stairs upwards and there was a walking area. All of a sudden I have another 3 college age guys on me. I told them I was from Canada. They warned me not to walk in the flea market I was just at because of pick pocketers. I am thinking the 3 of them are. I make a zag and 1 of the three continues to follow me and tells me to go to a certain building to shop. I start ignoring him and he ask “You angry with me?” I said no and zagged again. Now I was just across the street from the cab and made a run for it.
The lack of personal space and feeling like prey did not sit well with me. If I go back there again it will be with a local who can show me where to go.
I get to the cab and Amarjit says no money – you pay for parking. I said how much? First he says 30, I give him 30 and he says no 20. I give him 20 and notice he only gives 10 to the parking attendant. That was his tip for the day. Then he asks to go to another mall and I said no, go to hotel. I signed my slip at the hotel and he looked back for his tip, but I was already out the door.
It all got to me today. I went to the pool to cooled off by swimming a few laps. At the pool I met the English ladies who are here for 6 months. They were friendly and said we will have to get together. Hopefully I will have a crew to hang out with.
The funniest thing I saw at the Qtab Minar was there were about 50 guys lined up to take a picture with a blonde lady wearing bight purple Converse shoes. I have never seen anything like it.
I walked around for about 1.5 hours in the 100 degree heat. It is cooling down but I was still in a full sweat.
I find my cab driver, Amarjit Sing, and he says “go mall one hour”. I told him I wanted to go to Connaught Place after Qtab Minar so I thought he was saying I only one hour for you at Connought. I was wrong. He pulls up to the Kashmir Palace. I thought “Oh sh@t” I am for in now. I have heard stories about the cab driver taking you someone and forcing you to buy something. I get in and they immediately take me downstairs to a room full of rugs. The guy explains his family is from Kashmir and it is too dangerous for you westerners to go there, thus they set up shop in Delhi for their fine rugs. He takes me to a loom and shows me how they make a rug and explains the average rug takes 1.5 years to make. I am still sweating away and praying I get out of this ok. He takes me to another room and whips out three sizes of rugs. They were beautiful with satin interwoven into them. They had a shine. I told him not interested, my cab driver walked down, I said "lets go" and mumbled to myself "no tip for you".
He takes me to Cannaught Place. I walk out and it was like a pack of wolves on me. Within 5 minutes I had 20 people on me. I walked through a little area like a flea market but it was packed that you could not even see what was on the tables. I was getting bumped into, people asking where I am from as there come on line. I just put my hands in my pocket and walked in a zig zag fashion. When I walked into one of the same guys again I would zag the other way. There was no personal space and I was a big dollar sign. To escape I took some stairs upwards and there was a walking area. All of a sudden I have another 3 college age guys on me. I told them I was from Canada. They warned me not to walk in the flea market I was just at because of pick pocketers. I am thinking the 3 of them are. I make a zag and 1 of the three continues to follow me and tells me to go to a certain building to shop. I start ignoring him and he ask “You angry with me?” I said no and zagged again. Now I was just across the street from the cab and made a run for it.
The lack of personal space and feeling like prey did not sit well with me. If I go back there again it will be with a local who can show me where to go.
I get to the cab and Amarjit says no money – you pay for parking. I said how much? First he says 30, I give him 30 and he says no 20. I give him 20 and notice he only gives 10 to the parking attendant. That was his tip for the day. Then he asks to go to another mall and I said no, go to hotel. I signed my slip at the hotel and he looked back for his tip, but I was already out the door.
It all got to me today. I went to the pool to cooled off by swimming a few laps. At the pool I met the English ladies who are here for 6 months. They were friendly and said we will have to get together. Hopefully I will have a crew to hang out with.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Where has the time gone? I hit the 3 month mark – the official halfway point if I stick it out to the last day of my visa. My biggest surprise in these 3 months is not taking a sick day or having the need to go to the hospital. I probably should have my first 2 weeks here, but I toughed it out. My other big surprise is how many hours I have been putting in at work. This has led to my only regret so far of not getting out more. I feel like I have done quite a bit of site seeing, but there is always more to do. Hopefully with my remaining months that will turn around.
Just when I started to get my confidence up about walking around, Mukesh, the coworker, put a scare into me about the fact that he does not even walk around at night because it is dangerous. I don’t want to be a prisoner in my own room night after night though.
The weather continues to feel cooler. I walked around the block for the first time without sweating. That is a good sign.
Of all the things I did not think I would have to worry about over here, someone has my credit card info and rang up $15,000 of airfare purchases yesterday. I received a phone call from the fraud department and they closed the account. At least the CC company has a 24 hour number. I hadn’t used the card since I have been here.
I also found out that I have a secret admirer here - one of the apartment receptionists. I was paying my monthly bill this morning and the other receptionist called her out on it. I think it was my $2 haircut that won her over.
Just when I started to get my confidence up about walking around, Mukesh, the coworker, put a scare into me about the fact that he does not even walk around at night because it is dangerous. I don’t want to be a prisoner in my own room night after night though.
The weather continues to feel cooler. I walked around the block for the first time without sweating. That is a good sign.
Of all the things I did not think I would have to worry about over here, someone has my credit card info and rang up $15,000 of airfare purchases yesterday. I received a phone call from the fraud department and they closed the account. At least the CC company has a 24 hour number. I hadn’t used the card since I have been here.
I also found out that I have a secret admirer here - one of the apartment receptionists. I was paying my monthly bill this morning and the other receptionist called her out on it. I think it was my $2 haircut that won her over.
I think my cab driver is getting comfortable with me. Now he is singing some of the songs he is playing on his cassette. It sounds like the same music that I heard playing at the Akshardham Temple. I also found out that the temple is the largest temple in the world.
The new joke in my little lunch crew is taking me out for street food. My coworkers will not even eat is as they will get sick from it. If that is the case I am sure it would tear my system up. They say something to me in English, then they say the joke in Hindi and the entire table bursts out laughing while I am in the dark. Then I told them about the male to female ratio at the Expat meeting and they went off on that for awhile.
I tried a few new samples from the coworkers at lunch. One was scrambled eggs with spices. It was made this morning and was sitting at room temperature until 1:30. The other was an Agra Sweet. It was like a big white juicy juju berry candy. It seemed like it was pure sugar.
At the expat meeting I was talking to a lady from Holland who’s husband is the manager of the Hard Rock Café in Delhi. They do not serve beef there, but they do serve buffalo burgers. I also was speaking to a couple of ladies who’s husbands work at the US embassy. As soon as I said MN, I heard the Fargo movie jokes.
The new joke in my little lunch crew is taking me out for street food. My coworkers will not even eat is as they will get sick from it. If that is the case I am sure it would tear my system up. They say something to me in English, then they say the joke in Hindi and the entire table bursts out laughing while I am in the dark. Then I told them about the male to female ratio at the Expat meeting and they went off on that for awhile.
I tried a few new samples from the coworkers at lunch. One was scrambled eggs with spices. It was made this morning and was sitting at room temperature until 1:30. The other was an Agra Sweet. It was like a big white juicy juju berry candy. It seemed like it was pure sugar.
At the expat meeting I was talking to a lady from Holland who’s husband is the manager of the Hard Rock Café in Delhi. They do not serve beef there, but they do serve buffalo burgers. I also was speaking to a couple of ladies who’s husbands work at the US embassy. As soon as I said MN, I heard the Fargo movie jokes.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Drive to Delhi Pics
Front view from the cab
Sites at a stop light.
Modern art at an intersection
Akshardham Temple Drive to Delhi
I counted 5 in the front seat made for 1. There were another 6 in the back seat.
typical stop light traffic of motorcycles.
Side Saddle.
No ac on the bus. Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I went to Delhi this morning to meet with the Expat coffee club. My 12 mile drive took 1 hour and 45 minutes. I took my camera this time to snap a few pics as we are driving. It is difficult to take a picture in a moving vehicle with this amount of traffic. I’ll post a few of them so you know what some of the scenery is on my way in. Only a couple of them came out ok. Once again the men were out numbered at the event. I would say 75 women to 3 guys. It is definitely the social club for the house wives of Expats. I met a guy who just moved here from Ireland. I might get together with him some weekend. I also met a couple of the ladies who will be going on the white water rafting trip. One lady is from the Philippines and here husband is from NJ. The lady enjoyed my “old man” story. The other few ladies going on the trip were a little older. It should be an interesting group.
It was the first time I have spoken for two hours straight since I have been here. My voice was starting to get raspy. It was just nice to actually not struggle with communicating in English and see that everyone is struggling with he same issues of India.
Something different here also is if a Pearson coworker or family member is in need of blood, HR will send an email around the office for people to donate.
I am wondering to think it is socially acceptable to pick your nose here. I have noticed many people on the street picking their nose. One of the new hires does it quite regularly. He sits straight down from me a couple of seats and one time he was going at it for a good 5 minutes. I decided to walk around and say hi to him to see what would happen. I took the long way to walk which he can see me the entire way. His finger was still up his nose. I give him the heads up kind of hi and he returns it with his finger still digging around inside his nostril.
It was the first time I have spoken for two hours straight since I have been here. My voice was starting to get raspy. It was just nice to actually not struggle with communicating in English and see that everyone is struggling with he same issues of India.
Something different here also is if a Pearson coworker or family member is in need of blood, HR will send an email around the office for people to donate.
I am wondering to think it is socially acceptable to pick your nose here. I have noticed many people on the street picking their nose. One of the new hires does it quite regularly. He sits straight down from me a couple of seats and one time he was going at it for a good 5 minutes. I decided to walk around and say hi to him to see what would happen. I took the long way to walk which he can see me the entire way. His finger was still up his nose. I give him the heads up kind of hi and he returns it with his finger still digging around inside his nostril.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day, another US holiday that I have missed. However there are a couple of official Indian holidays coming up at the end of the month.
Last night I ran into a couple from Tokyo at the pool. He works as a construction consultant and is out here for about 9 months. I got the inside scoop that if there is an earthquake here, half the building will be tumbling down since they are all about 10 floors and it is all brick without any additional support. He also commented on the working conditions, weather, and the fact there is nothing fun/relaxing to do in this part of Noida. You have to drive at least an hour to find a place to have a drink.
His wife was wearing a bikini at the pool. I was wondering if any of the locals would give her a hard time. However no one else showed up while we were there.
A few new additions to what is on a resume here and it is all from the same guy. For the first time I have seen “Blood Group”, height and weight. He was O+, 6’1 and 68kg. Plus he put his picture on the resume. Then there is his summary statement “I am young and confident boy with good physical bearing, who would surely prove to be an asset to your company.“ Plus he speaks Assamese. I wonder what that language sounds like.
I took a few pictures of the water buffalo grazing in a field just past the parking lot at work. They come there everyday around noon. These pics are from the 7th story balcony. I think they are the same buffalo that I saw crossing under the bridge a couple weeks ago. There are still a couple puddles from a hard rain we had on Thursday. A couple of the buffalo were lying in the puddles.
I think the storm from Thursday blew away a couple of the construction houses that are outside the apartment. On Saturday I noticed a couple of them were still on the ground and a couple others had shifted around. There were some heavy downpours and strong winds. My windows were whistling with the storm.
There were also big riots on Saturday about 5 miles from me. The city gave eviction notices to the people who put up housing on government property that they are going to begin building on. Most of these houses are one layer of brick or a tarp. The people rioted on the busiest street in the town and shut down traffic for 9 hours. The riot was more of a sit down strike in the middle of the road. Their “houses” will still be bulldozed over in the next week.
Another difference here is how you write a date. In the US 9/7/09 is September 9. In India that is July 9th. Some of the coworkers were talking about a guy from the US who’s visa ended 12/9 and he thought December but it was actually September. He had to run to the Embassy to get it clarified.
It is finally beginning to cool down at night. It was only 75 this morning. Although with the sun and humidity it is still another 15+ degrees warmer in the feels like category. The water in the pool felt cold along with my shower this morning. I am beginning to think that the water heater is the sun.
Last night I ran into a couple from Tokyo at the pool. He works as a construction consultant and is out here for about 9 months. I got the inside scoop that if there is an earthquake here, half the building will be tumbling down since they are all about 10 floors and it is all brick without any additional support. He also commented on the working conditions, weather, and the fact there is nothing fun/relaxing to do in this part of Noida. You have to drive at least an hour to find a place to have a drink.
His wife was wearing a bikini at the pool. I was wondering if any of the locals would give her a hard time. However no one else showed up while we were there.
A few new additions to what is on a resume here and it is all from the same guy. For the first time I have seen “Blood Group”, height and weight. He was O+, 6’1 and 68kg. Plus he put his picture on the resume. Then there is his summary statement “I am young and confident boy with good physical bearing, who would surely prove to be an asset to your company.“ Plus he speaks Assamese. I wonder what that language sounds like.
I took a few pictures of the water buffalo grazing in a field just past the parking lot at work. They come there everyday around noon. These pics are from the 7th story balcony. I think they are the same buffalo that I saw crossing under the bridge a couple weeks ago. There are still a couple puddles from a hard rain we had on Thursday. A couple of the buffalo were lying in the puddles.
I think the storm from Thursday blew away a couple of the construction houses that are outside the apartment. On Saturday I noticed a couple of them were still on the ground and a couple others had shifted around. There were some heavy downpours and strong winds. My windows were whistling with the storm.
There were also big riots on Saturday about 5 miles from me. The city gave eviction notices to the people who put up housing on government property that they are going to begin building on. Most of these houses are one layer of brick or a tarp. The people rioted on the busiest street in the town and shut down traffic for 9 hours. The riot was more of a sit down strike in the middle of the road. Their “houses” will still be bulldozed over in the next week.
Another difference here is how you write a date. In the US 9/7/09 is September 9. In India that is July 9th. Some of the coworkers were talking about a guy from the US who’s visa ended 12/9 and he thought December but it was actually September. He had to run to the Embassy to get it clarified.
It is finally beginning to cool down at night. It was only 75 this morning. Although with the sun and humidity it is still another 15+ degrees warmer in the feels like category. The water in the pool felt cold along with my shower this morning. I am beginning to think that the water heater is the sun.
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