Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
It has been 7 weeks now since I first touched down on the airplane. Time is flying by. I have felt pretty healthy the last two weeks which is a big turnaround from the start of the trip. Hopefully it continues.
This week has been uneventful up to this point. Maybe I am starting to get use to the surroundings and the little things do not seem as impressive as they first did.
I haven’t had any caffeine since I have been here. I do not drink coffee or tea and pop seems like it is more of a luxury item around here. My Diet Coke addiction has ended. I have primarily just had bottled water.
Finally I found a meal that I like at the apartment restaurant. It is chili free. It almost has a tangy flavor. It is called Mahi Malai (mahee malay). Sole fish marinated in yoghurt and spiced mildly enriched with cream and cheese.
I started working with one of my co-workers on learning a few Hindi words. I have a few of the basic words down, but it is very different from English or Spanish. I still have no idea what anyone is saying around me, but at least I can make out a word every once in a while.
The humidity is finally attacking my old injuries. My right shoulder and neck are tightening up from where I had my last shoulder surgery. My right wrist is also tightening up from the multiple surgeries on it. Those old injuries are taking a toll on me.
This week has been uneventful up to this point. Maybe I am starting to get use to the surroundings and the little things do not seem as impressive as they first did.
I haven’t had any caffeine since I have been here. I do not drink coffee or tea and pop seems like it is more of a luxury item around here. My Diet Coke addiction has ended. I have primarily just had bottled water.
Finally I found a meal that I like at the apartment restaurant. It is chili free. It almost has a tangy flavor. It is called Mahi Malai (mahee malay). Sole fish marinated in yoghurt and spiced mildly enriched with cream and cheese.
I started working with one of my co-workers on learning a few Hindi words. I have a few of the basic words down, but it is very different from English or Spanish. I still have no idea what anyone is saying around me, but at least I can make out a word every once in a while.
The humidity is finally attacking my old injuries. My right shoulder and neck are tightening up from where I had my last shoulder surgery. My right wrist is also tightening up from the multiple surgeries on it. Those old injuries are taking a toll on me.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Warden Message
Here is a message that I received from the US Embassy a couple days ago. It makes me feel even more comfortable.
United States Embassy
New Delhi, India
Worldwide Caution
July 30, 2009
Dear American citizens:
We bring this message to your attention so you can carefully consider the information it contains. Please pass along the information below to the American citizens in your area or put this information on your notice boards for dissemination. Thank you for your cooperation.
Worldwide Caution
July 30, 2009
The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world. In some countries, the worldwide recession has contributed to political and economic instability and social unrest. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This replaces the Worldwide Caution dated February 2, 2009 to provide updated information on security threats and terrorist activities worldwide.
The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings. The July 17 bombing of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, where at least nine people were killed and six Americans were among the 50 or more injured; the February 2009 kidnapping of an American UNHCR official in Pakistan; the kidnapping of four European tourists in January on the Mali-Niger border; the kidnapping of two Canadian diplomats in Niger in December 2008; and the kidnapping of NGO workers along the Kenya-Somali border in July 2009 all illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike Western targets and perceived interests.
Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. Examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Terrorists attacked two hotels, a railway station, restaurant, hospital, and other locations frequented by Westerners in Mumbai, India, on November 26, 2008. Over 170 persons are believed to have been killed, including six Americans, and hundreds were injured. On September 20, 2008, terrorists bombed the Islamabad Marriott Hotel killing two U.S. Department of Defense employees and one Department of State contractor. One private American sustained minor injuries. A July 9, 2008, terrorist attack on Turkish police guarding the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, killed three police officers and wounded other police personnel. The March 15, 2008, bombing of an Italian restaurant in Islamabad, Pakistan, injured several Americans.
Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. Bombs exploded near city buses in Tripoli, Lebanon, on August 13 and September 29, 2008, killing twenty-one people. Other incidents include multiple anti-personnel mine detonations on passenger buses in June 2008 in Sri Lanka, multiple terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid. Extremists also may select aviation and maritime services as possible targets, such as the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, or the December 2006 bomb at Madrid's Barajas International Airport. In June 2007, a vehicle was driven into the main terminal at Glasgow International Airport and burst into flames, but the bomb failed to detonate.
United States Embassy
New Delhi, India
Worldwide Caution
July 30, 2009
Dear American citizens:
We bring this message to your attention so you can carefully consider the information it contains. Please pass along the information below to the American citizens in your area or put this information on your notice boards for dissemination. Thank you for your cooperation.
Worldwide Caution
July 30, 2009
The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world. In some countries, the worldwide recession has contributed to political and economic instability and social unrest. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This replaces the Worldwide Caution dated February 2, 2009 to provide updated information on security threats and terrorist activities worldwide.
The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings. The July 17 bombing of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, where at least nine people were killed and six Americans were among the 50 or more injured; the February 2009 kidnapping of an American UNHCR official in Pakistan; the kidnapping of four European tourists in January on the Mali-Niger border; the kidnapping of two Canadian diplomats in Niger in December 2008; and the kidnapping of NGO workers along the Kenya-Somali border in July 2009 all illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike Western targets and perceived interests.
Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. Examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Terrorists attacked two hotels, a railway station, restaurant, hospital, and other locations frequented by Westerners in Mumbai, India, on November 26, 2008. Over 170 persons are believed to have been killed, including six Americans, and hundreds were injured. On September 20, 2008, terrorists bombed the Islamabad Marriott Hotel killing two U.S. Department of Defense employees and one Department of State contractor. One private American sustained minor injuries. A July 9, 2008, terrorist attack on Turkish police guarding the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, killed three police officers and wounded other police personnel. The March 15, 2008, bombing of an Italian restaurant in Islamabad, Pakistan, injured several Americans.
Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. Bombs exploded near city buses in Tripoli, Lebanon, on August 13 and September 29, 2008, killing twenty-one people. Other incidents include multiple anti-personnel mine detonations on passenger buses in June 2008 in Sri Lanka, multiple terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid. Extremists also may select aviation and maritime services as possible targets, such as the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, or the December 2006 bomb at Madrid's Barajas International Airport. In June 2007, a vehicle was driven into the main terminal at Glasgow International Airport and burst into flames, but the bomb failed to detonate.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The sky is so hazy today that the sun looked white during the sunset. It was the first time I have seen a white sun.
I found out the Red Fort is the largest standing monument site in India. It is 2 km long. I think I caught most of the inside of the fort, at least the part that wasn’t guarded off by armed soldiers.
The story of how I had my picture taken at Qtab Minar. I was walking around and this little old lady walks over to me and says “Come, come stand here”. It was the view of the site between two of the ruins. I said thank you and walked away quickly. Then I returned to the building later and she pointed out a few more spots for good pictures. Then she said “give me camera, I take good photo of you”. I figured she could not out run me, so why not. She took the couple of pics. Then her hand comes out and she asks for a donation. I gave her 20 rupees, 40 cents she smiled and said thank you, and I was on my way.
Outside of the Red Fort the peddlers had great prices but all junk. The most expensive thing they had was 20 rupees and most were 5 or 15 rupees. I could have stockpiled a bunch of knick knacks, but it was more interesting to see how long they would bother me before they would give up. They out lasted me, I finally said “No chance”, pointed to a different international person and they ran towards him. Thankfully my taxi came at the same time.
As we were driving, I saw the scariest beggar to date. He was like a skinny hunchback of Notre Dame. Plus he did not wear a shirt. His neck was bent to the right and his head was on top of his right shoulder with his left shoulder sticking out like a hump. The worst part was his right arm and elbow. He had a deformed little skinny arm that did not appear to have a regular elbow joint. His forearm was swinging around and doing 360’s like a windmill. He stood next to the car window and flipped his arm around for me. I watched in amazement and was too slow to get the camera.
I found out the Red Fort is the largest standing monument site in India. It is 2 km long. I think I caught most of the inside of the fort, at least the part that wasn’t guarded off by armed soldiers.
The story of how I had my picture taken at Qtab Minar. I was walking around and this little old lady walks over to me and says “Come, come stand here”. It was the view of the site between two of the ruins. I said thank you and walked away quickly. Then I returned to the building later and she pointed out a few more spots for good pictures. Then she said “give me camera, I take good photo of you”. I figured she could not out run me, so why not. She took the couple of pics. Then her hand comes out and she asks for a donation. I gave her 20 rupees, 40 cents she smiled and said thank you, and I was on my way.
Outside of the Red Fort the peddlers had great prices but all junk. The most expensive thing they had was 20 rupees and most were 5 or 15 rupees. I could have stockpiled a bunch of knick knacks, but it was more interesting to see how long they would bother me before they would give up. They out lasted me, I finally said “No chance”, pointed to a different international person and they ran towards him. Thankfully my taxi came at the same time.
As we were driving, I saw the scariest beggar to date. He was like a skinny hunchback of Notre Dame. Plus he did not wear a shirt. His neck was bent to the right and his head was on top of his right shoulder with his left shoulder sticking out like a hump. The worst part was his right arm and elbow. He had a deformed little skinny arm that did not appear to have a regular elbow joint. His forearm was swinging around and doing 360’s like a windmill. He stood next to the car window and flipped his arm around for me. I watched in amazement and was too slow to get the camera.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Delhi in a day
On Saturday I decided to be a tourist and ventured out on my own into Delhi. Actually I signed up for a day long tour which consisted of being driven to each spot. After that I was on my own.
I made it to 8 destinations. Here is what I found out about myself today. In 115 degree heat, I can completely soak a shirt in sweat in about 50 minutes. The air-conditioning in the vehicle can halfway dry out the shirt in 20 minutes. I repeated that all day long. I drank 6 liters of water and still was not able to urinate until long after I returned home and drank another 2 liters with a Gatorade powder mixed in. I also ended up with 5 blisters, 3 on my right foot and 2 on my left.. I was wearing sandals. The bottom of my feet were black by the time I got home. My face has a little sunburn.
I started off at 9am and got back at 7:15. It was a beautiful with a nice bright sun and about 60% humidity. It was hot.
I started off at the Lotus Temple. To enter I had to take my sandals off and walk barefoot about 500 feet into the building. They had burlap covering the red stone to walk in. The building is spectacular on the outside, but in the inside it is just a church with pews. All the other people entering sat down and said a little prayer. I had about 10 people ask me where I am from. I was the only white person there.
As I was trying to find my taxi after exiting I noticed 4 men carrying a body for a funeral. At first I wasn’t sure but then I could make out the shape of the feet and head of the body wrapped in linen. I did not take a pic of this.
Qutb Minar Complex was next. This was by far my favorite site. I will head back there again. Work started on this site around 1202. Basically it is a tower celebrating Muslim dominance in Delhi. The surrounding area has multiple other ruins and unfinished towers in various stages. A few of the other ruins had articulate carvings. A room that had a tomb was the most complete and complex carvings. I am in the picture in that room.
After that I went to a place called Safdarjang Tomb. It was built around 1750. It was not in the best shape. I was the only person viewing the destination. The most interesting part of it were a couple of honey bee nests. One looked like it was about 4 feet long and 3 feet tall.
Nehru Memorial was next. It was the residence of the British commander in chief built around 1930. It was a big mansion with pictures for the museum piece of it. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. A planetarium was right next to it. It cost 2 rupees or 4 cents to get in. For that price I had to check it out. They had a Russian descent module in there. I snuck in one picture showing the CCCP on it. Also right next to that was an old hunting lodge from the 1400s. It wasn’t much of a building but had a few steps to go up to see it. I took more pictures for the flower fans that were around the building than anything else.
The Indira Gahdhi Memorial Museum was next. This was packed. I was the only white person once again. It had many pictures, papers, and newspaper articles in it. There was also a memorial for the spot that she was shot in 1984. For Dave and Soni this was the first time I saw water lilies, but they were not blooming. I took a few pics of the pond.
India Gate was next. It is a massive monument commemorating 90,000 Indian soldiers killed in WW1. I was attacked by peddlers at this site and had to dodge traffic trying to cross the street from where we parked.
The next destination was the zoo. The highlights were I was I less the 3 feet away from most of the animals including a lion, jaguar and puma. I did a lot of walking here. This was the start of the blisters.
I did not have much enery left after the zoo, but the Red Fort was next. First I had to get past the peddlers. Next was trying to find the ticket booth. I had to walk around for about 10 minutes before I came across it. To get inside I was padded down twice and went through a metal detector. There were a couple interesting buildings inside with arched doorways and arched pillars.
I took a lot of pictures once again – about 400. Thank goodness for 8gb memory sticks. I posted them out to Picasa at http://picasaweb.google.com/JasonsBigAdventure
I made it to 8 destinations. Here is what I found out about myself today. In 115 degree heat, I can completely soak a shirt in sweat in about 50 minutes. The air-conditioning in the vehicle can halfway dry out the shirt in 20 minutes. I repeated that all day long. I drank 6 liters of water and still was not able to urinate until long after I returned home and drank another 2 liters with a Gatorade powder mixed in. I also ended up with 5 blisters, 3 on my right foot and 2 on my left.. I was wearing sandals. The bottom of my feet were black by the time I got home. My face has a little sunburn.
I started off at 9am and got back at 7:15. It was a beautiful with a nice bright sun and about 60% humidity. It was hot.
I started off at the Lotus Temple. To enter I had to take my sandals off and walk barefoot about 500 feet into the building. They had burlap covering the red stone to walk in. The building is spectacular on the outside, but in the inside it is just a church with pews. All the other people entering sat down and said a little prayer. I had about 10 people ask me where I am from. I was the only white person there.
As I was trying to find my taxi after exiting I noticed 4 men carrying a body for a funeral. At first I wasn’t sure but then I could make out the shape of the feet and head of the body wrapped in linen. I did not take a pic of this.
Qutb Minar Complex was next. This was by far my favorite site. I will head back there again. Work started on this site around 1202. Basically it is a tower celebrating Muslim dominance in Delhi. The surrounding area has multiple other ruins and unfinished towers in various stages. A few of the other ruins had articulate carvings. A room that had a tomb was the most complete and complex carvings. I am in the picture in that room.
After that I went to a place called Safdarjang Tomb. It was built around 1750. It was not in the best shape. I was the only person viewing the destination. The most interesting part of it were a couple of honey bee nests. One looked like it was about 4 feet long and 3 feet tall.
Nehru Memorial was next. It was the residence of the British commander in chief built around 1930. It was a big mansion with pictures for the museum piece of it. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. A planetarium was right next to it. It cost 2 rupees or 4 cents to get in. For that price I had to check it out. They had a Russian descent module in there. I snuck in one picture showing the CCCP on it. Also right next to that was an old hunting lodge from the 1400s. It wasn’t much of a building but had a few steps to go up to see it. I took more pictures for the flower fans that were around the building than anything else.
The Indira Gahdhi Memorial Museum was next. This was packed. I was the only white person once again. It had many pictures, papers, and newspaper articles in it. There was also a memorial for the spot that she was shot in 1984. For Dave and Soni this was the first time I saw water lilies, but they were not blooming. I took a few pics of the pond.
India Gate was next. It is a massive monument commemorating 90,000 Indian soldiers killed in WW1. I was attacked by peddlers at this site and had to dodge traffic trying to cross the street from where we parked.
The next destination was the zoo. The highlights were I was I less the 3 feet away from most of the animals including a lion, jaguar and puma. I did a lot of walking here. This was the start of the blisters.
I did not have much enery left after the zoo, but the Red Fort was next. First I had to get past the peddlers. Next was trying to find the ticket booth. I had to walk around for about 10 minutes before I came across it. To get inside I was padded down twice and went through a metal detector. There were a couple interesting buildings inside with arched doorways and arched pillars.
I took a lot of pictures once again – about 400. Thank goodness for 8gb memory sticks. I posted them out to Picasa at http://picasaweb.google.com/JasonsBigAdventure
Friday, July 31, 2009
Lunch the last two days was just plain awful. Yesterday had two soupy curries. One was spicy and had tomato chunks in it. The other was even spicier and had some kind of beans in it. Today had the same tomato soupy curry and a spicy potato and vegetable curry. I could at least get the potatoes down if I mixed it with the rice. Basically it was potatoes and rice for the last two days. You know it is spicy when your nose starts running and you have a bead of sweat on your forehead after one spoonful. The other people at the table were saying it was flavorful.
I have liked the thicker curries with some kind of vegetable meatball type thing in it. At least it feels like I am eating something with some substance to it compared to just mixing in the curry and the rice.
My savior when I get home is becoming Dominos. I have turned to the veg personal pizza which is 35 rupees or about 70 cents. I have had the shallots and the onion so far. I would go with the non-veg but they only put a couple pieces of chicken on it and double the price. When I walk over there I feel like I am the main attraction. I get a few stares and hear the word American and pointing in my direction.
I must be feeling more comfortable because I walked the 6 blocks to Dominos at 9 pm last night in the dark. There are a few street lights next to Dominos. It was the first time I have seen the bugs swarming. As I sat down outside waiting for the pizza I had about 10 different kinds of bugs land or crawl on me. They were just about every size to. From a 1 inch beetle crawling on the ground and over my shoe to some little tiny flying bugs. At least nothing was biting.
For breakfast I am going with the cheese omlette. Instead of toast I am going with what ever India bread they have. Sometimes they even have chilies on the bread or cooked in the bread. I also get a couple of chicken sausage links, occasionally they will mix in the spicy version but I can see the red and green flakes on it. They also have some kind of potato. Usually potato and cheese which is just a sliced potato with cheese melted on it. Then a couple pieces of fruit, usually watermelon and some kind of other mellon. Breakfast has become the biggest meal of the day for me.
In the breakfast restaurant there are usually 7 guys waiting on me offering me anything from juice to coffee to tea and looking to refill it after every sip. The good thing is I walk in and they start cooking the omlette right away for me. I am still usually the only person in the place around 8 am.
The temp has cooled down to about 100 the last few days. According to weather.com it is about 92 but with humidity it is 104. It does feel cooler out. If I was in MN I would be complaining about the heat and would be hanging around a lake. Here I have a muddy puddle to stomp in from Monday’s rain.
I have liked the thicker curries with some kind of vegetable meatball type thing in it. At least it feels like I am eating something with some substance to it compared to just mixing in the curry and the rice.
My savior when I get home is becoming Dominos. I have turned to the veg personal pizza which is 35 rupees or about 70 cents. I have had the shallots and the onion so far. I would go with the non-veg but they only put a couple pieces of chicken on it and double the price. When I walk over there I feel like I am the main attraction. I get a few stares and hear the word American and pointing in my direction.
I must be feeling more comfortable because I walked the 6 blocks to Dominos at 9 pm last night in the dark. There are a few street lights next to Dominos. It was the first time I have seen the bugs swarming. As I sat down outside waiting for the pizza I had about 10 different kinds of bugs land or crawl on me. They were just about every size to. From a 1 inch beetle crawling on the ground and over my shoe to some little tiny flying bugs. At least nothing was biting.
For breakfast I am going with the cheese omlette. Instead of toast I am going with what ever India bread they have. Sometimes they even have chilies on the bread or cooked in the bread. I also get a couple of chicken sausage links, occasionally they will mix in the spicy version but I can see the red and green flakes on it. They also have some kind of potato. Usually potato and cheese which is just a sliced potato with cheese melted on it. Then a couple pieces of fruit, usually watermelon and some kind of other mellon. Breakfast has become the biggest meal of the day for me.
In the breakfast restaurant there are usually 7 guys waiting on me offering me anything from juice to coffee to tea and looking to refill it after every sip. The good thing is I walk in and they start cooking the omlette right away for me. I am still usually the only person in the place around 8 am.
The temp has cooled down to about 100 the last few days. According to weather.com it is about 92 but with humidity it is 104. It does feel cooler out. If I was in MN I would be complaining about the heat and would be hanging around a lake. Here I have a muddy puddle to stomp in from Monday’s rain.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
It is a sad day. On my morning drive to work I noticed that one of the two donkeys were in the middle of the road lying down again. Unfortunately this time two dogs were making a meal out of him. I could not tell if the donkey was hit by a car or what. I did not see his partner, but it looked like it was the smaller of the two.
Yesterday was the first true rain of the season. 69 mm in total. There was mass flooding in Delhi. The news was showing roads that were covered about 3 feet high with cars and motorcycles trying to plow through it.
This morning I had a friendly visitor outside my door in the hallway when I came back from breakfast. It was a little lizard. First I tapped my foot by it and it ran straight up my door. I had to chase it back down again as I did not want to open the door and have it run in my room. It was an entertaining 5 minutes. I snapped a picture of it.
Then the lady that sits next to me at work was complaining she had a lizard in her car in the passenger seat this morning. She was freaking out. The rains must have them wondering around.
I have had to call a cab the last two days because most of the group is at an offsite sales meeting. My cab has been a tiny little hatchback with no seat belts in the back. At least it has air-conditioning. I can only understand a few words the driver says, but he has been able to get me to and from work with no problems.
On my ride home on Saturday the driver cranked up some music and it was American music. He asks “You like?” I recognized the song as it was Lady Gaga with Pokerface. I said “Lady Gaga”. He started to laugh and said “ya lady gaga” and laughed some more.
Another difference over hear is how they talk numbers. For instance if two numbers repeat like 44, they will say double 4. If 3 numbers repeat like 444 , they will say triple 4. It threw me off the first couple of times when trying to write down phone numbers.
Yesterday was the first true rain of the season. 69 mm in total. There was mass flooding in Delhi. The news was showing roads that were covered about 3 feet high with cars and motorcycles trying to plow through it.
This morning I had a friendly visitor outside my door in the hallway when I came back from breakfast. It was a little lizard. First I tapped my foot by it and it ran straight up my door. I had to chase it back down again as I did not want to open the door and have it run in my room. It was an entertaining 5 minutes. I snapped a picture of it.
Then the lady that sits next to me at work was complaining she had a lizard in her car in the passenger seat this morning. She was freaking out. The rains must have them wondering around.
I have had to call a cab the last two days because most of the group is at an offsite sales meeting. My cab has been a tiny little hatchback with no seat belts in the back. At least it has air-conditioning. I can only understand a few words the driver says, but he has been able to get me to and from work with no problems.
On my ride home on Saturday the driver cranked up some music and it was American music. He asks “You like?” I recognized the song as it was Lady Gaga with Pokerface. I said “Lady Gaga”. He started to laugh and said “ya lady gaga” and laughed some more.
Another difference over hear is how they talk numbers. For instance if two numbers repeat like 44, they will say double 4. If 3 numbers repeat like 444 , they will say triple 4. It threw me off the first couple of times when trying to write down phone numbers.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Delhi Haat
On Saturday I visited the warehouse for the first time. My hopes were to see the monkeys running around, but it was too hot for them to even come out. To me it felt like the coolest day so far, but it was still about 110. I will just say I am glad I am not working in the warehouse.
At the warehouse I met up with Gary and Jay from the US operations that are in town for another 2 week stint. Jay is originally from India and has lived in the US for 17 years.
After the tour of the warehouse I went to the Delhi Haat (Hut), in south Delhi with Gary and Jay US. It is a market place where people come to sell their various crafts. It is kind of like a big outdoor craftshow that is open everyday. It was mostly fabrics, art work, jewelry, and wood and stone work pieces. The government owns the lands and gives the spots out for free to the vendors for two weeks at a time. The prices are less expensive and there is bargaining to be had. Plus most of the clothing, artwork and other crafts were all made by hand and hand stitched.
An interesting site there was a roundabout area where all the women were getting the hena type artwork done on their hands and arms.
I was thinking of starting a side business by importing some of the purses from there. The most interesting were lizard skin purses. I did a group project for my MBA Marketing class a couple years ago. In the US, there is a big markup on some of the purses.
Being the cheapskate I am, I did not buy anything this time around, but I am sure I will be back again. There were a couple interesting pieces, but I do not know if I could get them back to the US in one piece.
After walking around for a couple hours, my clothes were completely drenched from sweat. It is bad enough that it is so hot out, but I was also wearing pants. Going outside in shorts is kind of a taboo.
After the trip we went to an area mall. Last year it was the largest mall in India. We went up to the fourth floor and ate at TGI Fridays. I had the Jack Daniels burger. Instead of beef it was lamb. It tasted very good and was a little leaner meat. The interior of the plcace was exactly like the US.
We walked from the mall to their hotel. A little kid followed us for about 3 blocks of the walking holding a red rose. He was poking and holding the arms of Gary and I looking for a handout. Finally Jay said something to him in Hindu and he left. The kinds are persistant.
About another block down the road Jay stopped at a little vendor. For 5 rupees (10 cents), he had a snack made which consisted of a banana leaf and 12 ingredients spread on it. He said the flavor would be too strong for me to take.
Earlier in the day Jay showed me the area around his hotel. It was the narrow little roads that you see on tv with shops on both sides. He took me into a back alley and showed me where he gets his 35 rupee (70 cent) hair cuts. I haven't had a hair cut since being here, so I was debating whethere or not to get out, but the barber was sleeping in his shop. Walking around there were many tailor spots. Basically 8 person sweatshops with sewing machines. Jay asked how much to tailor a combination of shirt and pants. It was 200 rupees, but you would have to buy the fabric from a different store. $4 to completely tailor however meters of fabric into an outfit.
At the warehouse I met up with Gary and Jay from the US operations that are in town for another 2 week stint. Jay is originally from India and has lived in the US for 17 years.
After the tour of the warehouse I went to the Delhi Haat (Hut), in south Delhi with Gary and Jay US. It is a market place where people come to sell their various crafts. It is kind of like a big outdoor craftshow that is open everyday. It was mostly fabrics, art work, jewelry, and wood and stone work pieces. The government owns the lands and gives the spots out for free to the vendors for two weeks at a time. The prices are less expensive and there is bargaining to be had. Plus most of the clothing, artwork and other crafts were all made by hand and hand stitched.
An interesting site there was a roundabout area where all the women were getting the hena type artwork done on their hands and arms.
I was thinking of starting a side business by importing some of the purses from there. The most interesting were lizard skin purses. I did a group project for my MBA Marketing class a couple years ago. In the US, there is a big markup on some of the purses.
Being the cheapskate I am, I did not buy anything this time around, but I am sure I will be back again. There were a couple interesting pieces, but I do not know if I could get them back to the US in one piece.
After walking around for a couple hours, my clothes were completely drenched from sweat. It is bad enough that it is so hot out, but I was also wearing pants. Going outside in shorts is kind of a taboo.
After the trip we went to an area mall. Last year it was the largest mall in India. We went up to the fourth floor and ate at TGI Fridays. I had the Jack Daniels burger. Instead of beef it was lamb. It tasted very good and was a little leaner meat. The interior of the plcace was exactly like the US.
We walked from the mall to their hotel. A little kid followed us for about 3 blocks of the walking holding a red rose. He was poking and holding the arms of Gary and I looking for a handout. Finally Jay said something to him in Hindu and he left. The kinds are persistant.
About another block down the road Jay stopped at a little vendor. For 5 rupees (10 cents), he had a snack made which consisted of a banana leaf and 12 ingredients spread on it. He said the flavor would be too strong for me to take.
Earlier in the day Jay showed me the area around his hotel. It was the narrow little roads that you see on tv with shops on both sides. He took me into a back alley and showed me where he gets his 35 rupee (70 cent) hair cuts. I haven't had a hair cut since being here, so I was debating whethere or not to get out, but the barber was sleeping in his shop. Walking around there were many tailor spots. Basically 8 person sweatshops with sewing machines. Jay asked how much to tailor a combination of shirt and pants. It was 200 rupees, but you would have to buy the fabric from a different store. $4 to completely tailor however meters of fabric into an outfit.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Fish Market and Lotus Temple
Today I ventured out to a different Pearson office in South Delhi. It is about an hour drive from Noida. This was more of what I was expecting to see. It looked like the office and furnishings were from the 70’s and 80’s. It was not nearly as nice as the Noida building.
On the way back we stopped at a fish market, the last thing I ever thought I would see in Delhi. It was a small area packed in with about 10 different fish vendors. The flies were buzzing. As you can see on the pic, those black spots are flies. You could tell the fresher fish from the non fresh as the flies were on the non fresh fish and buzzing the fresher fish. The neat part was the way they chopped up the fish. It looked like a curved sword and they would scale it and cut it on the knife. The guy I went with bought carp. I walked around but did not see anything that looked too unusual. There were a couple slimy looking bulldog type fish that were still alive in buckets. One got out and was wiggling accross the floor. I was told it has a poisonous spike on it somewhere.
A little past the fish market was the Baha’I Temple, otherwise know as the Lotus Temple. It was built about 15 years ago and resembles the Sydney Opera House. It is number 11 on the things not to miss from my Rough Guide book. I did not go inside but snapped a few pictures from the sidewalk.
On TV last night there was a news article on the eclipse superstitions. To me the worst superstition was burying handicapped children up to their necks in sand during the eclipse. This would heal their issues. In one of the towns that had the full eclipse, there were hundreds of children buried up to their neck or up to where their handicap was. Also, one of the rivers had 150,000 people taking a bath in it during the eclipse for its healing powers. Those were the only two with positive energy. All the rest were for protecting themselves from the negative energy of the eclipse.
The BBC contacted me back and they were looking for an executive from a big American based company with both China and India experience to describe the differences in doing business between the two countries. The interview would be televised. I did not make the cut.
It was a clear day yesterday and I took a few pictures from the 6th floor balcony at work of the area and the sunset around 7:00pm. To the naked eye, the sun looks pink when it gets to the layer of the clouds. It must be the way it reflects off the clouds or sand. However in the pictures only the surrounding sky around the sun looks pink.
Today is a different story. First there was a dust storm around 1:30. From the window I could not see more than 100ft as there was so much dust in the air. Then the rains started around 2. Everyone went outside on the balcony to see the rain come down. The temp instantly cooled down. It was even tolerable for me. Then by 2:30 it was sunny again. Everyone’s hopes were up for the start of the monsoons, but it looks like it was a fast moving storm.
The BBC contacted me back and they were looking for an executive from a big American based company with both China and India experience to describe the differences in doing business between the two countries. The interview would be televised. I did not make the cut.
It was a clear day yesterday and I took a few pictures from the 6th floor balcony at work of the area and the sunset around 7:00pm. To the naked eye, the sun looks pink when it gets to the layer of the clouds. It must be the way it reflects off the clouds or sand. However in the pictures only the surrounding sky around the sun looks pink.
Today is a different story. First there was a dust storm around 1:30. From the window I could not see more than 100ft as there was so much dust in the air. Then the rains started around 2. Everyone went outside on the balcony to see the rain come down. The temp instantly cooled down. It was even tolerable for me. Then by 2:30 it was sunny again. Everyone’s hopes were up for the start of the monsoons, but it looks like it was a fast moving storm.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Solar Eclipse from Noida
I was outside at 6:20 am to see the solar eclipse that according to the paper was suppose to start at 6:30. I think it started earlier as I caught the last part of it. I take my camera out and the lens fogged up. I waited for that to defog and then the cloud rolled in. I took a few pics that turned out OK. I loaded all the pics on the picassa website that the Taj pics were on. I also took a few pics of flowers growing around the apartment grounds for those MN flower lovers. The flowers were on some kind of large green leafed tree.
THe sun was so intense that by looking at the sun with my eye I could not tell there was an eclipse until the clouds rolled in. My camera picked it up, but I still had issues seeing it with my eyes.
I also read that the Hindus believe an eclipse steals the power away from their temples. Most of the temples are closed today as a result.
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