Weekend in Delhi

The hotel and office are in what would be a satellite city of Delhi, about 45 minutes from the CBD. I’d really only seen the road between the office and the hotel and a few malls that were a few kms from the hotel, so on my final weekend I’d thought I’d better see some of the rest of the capital.

After a lazy start to Saturday morning, I was suddenly in a bit of a rush to get the laundry picked up in time for the same day service and get breakfast before the restaurant closed. Once that was done it was only 15 or so minutes before I’d organised a car for the day and was heading off.

The first stop was Qutub Minar, a 5 story, 72.5m sandstone tower built in the 1200’s. (Minar is the large thing that minarets are the small version of) This complex also has some huge gates, partly in ruins and a couple of tombs. Again we see intricate carving in the sandstone on the tower, gates and buildings. It was again hot – 36 deg- and muggy and I was drenched by the time I got back to the car. Fortunately the driver had a couple of water bottles on ice.

Next we headed to the Lotus temple of the Bahai. This white granite or marble building is shaped like the lotus flower, although from some angles bits of it are reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House.

The next stop was Humayun’s Tomb, built by the same person as the Taj Mahal. Only the dome is marble with the rest of the building being in red sandstone (again!). This complex also contains the octagonal tombs of Isa Khan (left) and Afsawala (right).

Humayun’s tomb is another beautiful building, set in large gardens with the 4 gates that seem to be the tradition of the Mughal period. The other picture is of the ceiling.

One unpleasant experience was that many of the places in this complex seem to have doubled as toilets and the smell was somewhat pungent.

I then had lunch at a restaurant near the India gate in the centre of the city. This was the first meal I’d had other than at a hotel or the office – Chicken Korma. The India Gate is a modern moument, a tribute to the armed forces and sort of an Indian Arc de Triomphe. Then we drove past the Prime Minister’s residence. You are not allow to park there but they expect you to drive by at 5 kph and take photos on the way.

From there we headed past the parliament building towards Connaught place, the business centre. After being taken to a handicrafts emporium I had no interest in, I asked to be taken to the malls, where I needed to change some money before heading to the next monument. A mix up in communication had us heading back to the Gurgoan malls near my hotel, without seeing some of the other sights I had on my list. When the driver took me to another handicraft place I got really annoyed.

His hide was saved by taking me to Chattapur on the way back. This is an incredible complex of Hindu temples, in 3 areas and separated by the main road. The buildings and surrounds are really beautiful and there is a red statue of the monkey god Hanuman that must be about 30m high. There is also a hugh bronze statue of a toroise and others of a winged woman, elephants snakes and other animals. Unfortunately you are not permitted to take photos inside the temples themselves so only external shots are available.

In one temple I think I was blessed by a monk in saffron robes and had red string tied about my wrist and a red dot put on my forehead.

After this we headed back to the shops where I changed some money, probably unnecessarily, since I had no more monuments to visit. I was tempted to buy some more jewellery but resisted. Back to the hotel after 8 hours of sightseeing and had a swim before dinner.

All the monuments seem to have a dual pricing structure. Eg yesterday they were 250 rupees for tourists (A$7.50) and 10 (30 cents) for locals, although places of worship are free. The Taj was 750r in Agra and some of the others were only 100r. My tour yesterday, with the car and driver was about $100 and the weekend in Agra including hotel, driver, guides and jewellery was about $600.

Sunday

Checking out at 12 today but not leaving for the airport till 7-30, so may spend some by the pool. Cases are partly packed.

I had a shower and got packed and ready to check out by 12 and then had lunch. I have just finished fixing some minor but essential bugs in the program so that I can email an update tomorrow knowing that the calculations are working for their testing to begin. I set myself up in the hotel’s business centre and will now pack up the laptop and put it back in my case. I carried it over as hand luggage but its quite heavy. With it in the case the weight is over 30kg. I hope that’s not too heavy. There is a limit but not sure whether it’s 30 or 35kg per piece.

I spent most of the afternoon by the pool, chatting with some Canadians who are here training locals, this time for a travel agency. I told them about my sightseeing and they will probably go to Agra next weekend as well. This certainly helped pass the time so “Hi Olaf and Heather, thanks for the company”.

Well, I made it to the airport, leaving the hotel about 7 and still have 2.5 hours to go. I’m in one of the business class lounges. I must say they aren’t quite up to the standards of Perth or Singapore but at least there’s an internet connection I can use in this one.

I couldn't get to my blog site in Delhi but this is being uploaded from the Qantas lounge in Singapore, a much more luxurious establishment. The flight was good, slept for 4 hours or so. In an hour I will be on the flight home.

Some more thoughts and observations

Food: I had a lot of different Indian food while I was here, most of it quite tasty and mostly vegetarian, but I have no idea of what any of it was called so won’t know what to order if I go to a restaurant back home.

Traffic : That first day was the worst for trips to the office but it still got bad at other times of the day. There is a callous disregard for the rules of the road, with the worst example in Agra. My driver and several others cars were pulled up at a red light. A car came up, veered right as if to do a right turn through a red light then turned left to the diagonally opposite corner of the intersection, drove along the wrong side of the road for a distance and then crossed back. Nobody gives way through politeness so cars just force their way through traffic, horns blaring. Eg my drivers cross 3 lanes of traffic in about 50m to do a U turn after coming out of the mall. On a road marked with 3 lanes there may be as many as 5 actual streams of traffic.

Many trucks, auto rickshaws and trailers towed behind tractors have signs on them such as:
Horn Please
Use dipper at night
Keep distance – Airbrakes (these last on cars that remind me of the 1955 Morris Oxford I had at Uni)

Business names, etc:
Fortune Global Select – My hotel. Staff answer phone with “Fortunate to serve you”
Drives you High – slogan for the driver’s firm used by the office
Jingle Bells Birthday shop – only one customer?
Reliable Tourism, Lovely Tours – avoid those unreliable or ugly tour companies.
Competent Automobiles – not getting caught exaggerating here.
Fun and Joy Icecream – why else?
It’s exotic, It’s priceless, It’s only worth you – banner advertising apartments.
Grand Towers Pty Ltd – sign on a small shed.

It’s also common to see cars and even scooters with advertising in the back window or on the spare tyre cover. Not the seller as for our 4WD owners at home, but some other business, such as Haier who make fridges and oterh whitegoods. (Mine broke down and the problems I had getting it fixed is another saga).

Businesses and people: Despite the huge population there are a lot of shops with few or no customers, particularly the small ones outside of the malls. With lots of guards, drivers and other people in the service industry, it seems many people spend most of their day just waiting. No wonder they are impatient on the road, they’ve had enough.

Travelling in general : While new places are often interesting, exotic and surprising, I soon become accustomed to them and then tend to take a lot of things for granted. Even though I know it intellectually, I haven’t come to accept emotionally that the familiar drive from the hotel to the office is already in the past and the familiar faces I have seen in the restaurant and bar this last fortnight may never be seen again.

The second week

I have include some photos taken from the car

In Agra after visiting the tomb of Itmad we had to cross a narrow bridge. The traffic was banked up and we eventually saw why. There wasn't enough room for even our little car to get past and even the bikes and motor bikes took a while to get pastl, since there was oncoming traffic as well. We passed him once we cleared the bridge and then saw another bullock wagon about to go onto the bridge in the opposite direction. What happens if two meet in the middle is anybody's guess because they could not pass by each other, and I'm not sure how good they are at reversing.

On the side of the road to work is a little building with big ambitions and on the way home we have a slum.

Monday

After the weekend, today was rather pedestrian – Work, eat and sleep. I did try some of the a la carte fare at the restaurant and had a nice Western meal – Chicken Waldorf salad, roast lamb and apple strudel.

Tuesday

I put in some of their real data into the system today. Of course, since they haven’t actually developed any clusters, which are the basic entities where wells, tanks and turbines are located, the data didn’t fit into the data structure we are using and I had to fudge things up.

I did another presentation today to one of the higher ups. It seemed to go well, the program is getting closer to completion.

I went to the mall after work and have organised to have a suit made – an Indian style suite that is. This comprises of a shift type top, pants and a scarf. After looking at everything that was basically black, I decided on a georgette fabric with a sort of geometric red pattern. I found most of the other choices to be a bit flowery or otherwise ornate.

The maitre d was quite chatty tonight and insisted on giving me some free dessert and also sending a hot chocolate to my room afterwards.

Wednesday

After being awake before 6 I dropped off to sleep again and it was 8-20 before I woke up. After showering and breakfast, I went to check if my driver had arrived to find that he’d come at 8 and after and hour had left. I called the car desk and it was another hour before a driver arrived so it was a late start.

You may have noticed no mention of the gym these last few days. It seems to have gone by the by since the weekend. The last few days have also been quite wet and somewhat cooler although still around 30 degrees. Much easier to take anyway.

A plate of small shortbread was waiting in the room after work, some fruit and (I noticed later) some hot chocolate.

Thursday

I find out today that they can not measure the water % in the tanks, which they do in the UK field and which leads to the determination of separate net oil and water stock calculations. We can get around this by looking at gross volumes but it requires a slightly different algorithm and a few changes to most of the databases.

I pick up my suit on the way home – it seems to be rather nice.

Friday

Last day at the office so won’t have internet contact after this till I get home. The program modifications won’t be finished but hopefully the changes will be done and I’ll just have the reports to tidy up later.

I have most of the weekend to explore Delhi, before flying out Sunday night.

I expect I have put on some weight with all this dining at the hotel and the office. I'll have to run it off in Darwin. The rains have abated for a while, it seems, with maximum predicted for today of 34. It's starting to get humid again as well.

Agra weekend

After a restless night I got up a bit earlier than planned and was on the road by 5am, arriving at Delhi Station 45 minutes later. While I was trying to check the seating allocation a man said I needed to reconfirm and took me across the road to a ticket agent. In the end I realised it was a con and refused to pay, but it wasted 5 minutes.

I had an executive class seat in the middle of the carriage with a fixed table rather than the fold downs. We had water, tea and breakfast served and arrived about 8. The driver was waiting and we were soon at the hotel. The Mughal Sheraton is a resort style hotel with lovely grounds, lots of marble and a lookout to see the Taj.

I arrange a car and driver for the whole day and a guide for the morning and left about 10-30. First stop was naturally the Taj Mahal. No cars are allowed close to the complex so you make you way from the car park on electric buses and you can’t take food or electronics (other than a camera) inside. When I went to Stonehenge I was disappointed to find it was smaller than expected. The opposite was true here, it is much bigger, nearly 250ft high. The whole complex is impressive with sandstone entrance courtyard and large gardens as well as the tomb itself. The building is symmetric on is 4 faces and there is a Mosque to the left, facing West and an identical building on the right, which is not a mosque since it does not face West. The inlay work in the marble is exquisite as are the carvings.

We then went to a craft centre and shop. The descendants of the 300 families that built the Taj (in the 1600s) still practice their family business today, handing down the techniques and patterns and keeping their family secrets, especially the glue they use. The flower patterns are made up of such tiny pieces that must fit together and into the recess dug into the marble. A lot of work for sure, but their prices were a bit much for me.

Next stop was the Agra Fort, which was the palace of the 3^rd Mughal emperor, Akbar and predates the Taj. It is a vast complex of buildings with halls, rooms, theatres and so forth. It is made of red sandstone and sits along side the river.

After this we went back to the hotel for lunch, a swim and even a brief nap by the pool. It was very hot and humid. About 3-30 we headed off to Sikandra, which is the tomb of Akbar and his wives – he had 3, a Muslim, a Hindu and a Christian. Again we have a large sandstone building in extensive grounds with 4 elaborate gates. A little man attached himself to me as a guide and I paid him a trifling amount at the end.

The final monument for the day was Itmad-ud-Dalahs tomb. This one was again in marble with 4 sandstone gates. Not as big as the others but still very ornate and impressive.

By this time I was "tombed out" and the driver took me to the shops. I bough some Star of India earrings and a coaster of inlaid marble at the first one. No doubt he got a commission for bringing me there. We then went to the Sadar bazaar, where I tried again unsuccessfully to find something for the hockey team. I did buy a Star of India pendant to match the earrings.

By the time I got back to the hotel is was getting on to 8pm. After a long soak in a bubble bath I had the buffet dinner, which I found a bit disappointing, and had a relatively early night.

On Sunday I awoke to find it was raining. The overdue monsoons had finally arrived. I had a big breakfast from the buffet and was thinking about my ticket. Much panic when I couldn’t find it, even after emptying the packback, handbag and wallet, and checking all the drawers etc. I repacked and went to the travel desk to try and get another one. Back to the room, one last check of the back pack reveals yet another pocket and there they were. Much relief.

I checked out of the room at noon and after a toasted sandwich in the bar headed off to Fatehpur Sikri, about 40km away. The first challenge was actually getting there. The first road we tried was so flooded the driver turned around to try a different way. The police had blocked off the other way so we tried again. The small car in front, about the same size as ours, had its exhaust pipe under water some of the time so I guess we did too. Eventually, we got past the flooded area and I notice we had driven several km the wrong way down a 1 way street (along with a host of other cars, trucks and bikes). Once out of the city there were no problems.

We picked up a guide near the site, who spoke reasonable English and knew his stuff, even if it may have been by rote. F.S. was built by the same Akbar as his second palace after a holy man had blessed him and he had a son. The royal family only live there 4 years before the water supply problem sent them back to Agra, which stands on a river. Again we have a vast complex in Red sandstone with public and private meeting areas, rooms for the wives and concubines and entertainment areas, including a giant Ludo board, which used young maidens as playing pieces. At this stage my camera battery ran out. I later saw I’d taken about 230 shots including several movies.

Attached to the place is a mosque complex, which houses the tomb of the holy man. This is a marble building and the tomb itself is decorated in inlaid mother of pearl.

I was then hassled by people selling crafts, postcards, etc. There weren’t many tourists that day so they all seemed to descend on me. In the end I bough a small marble and inlay jewel box, some silver bracelets – 6 for $3 and 4 necklaces for $12.

On the way back I returned to the jewellers in Sadar Bazar and bough a star of India bracelet and a star sapphire pendant. I returned briefly to the hotel to clean up and then headed to the railway station. The 45 minute wait was extended since the train was 30 minutes late and after being directed to the opposite end of the station by some railway police I found a seat. About 2 minutes before the train arrive a pigeon did its droppings on my trousers. I was still washing it off when the train arrived.

The seats weren’t quite as comfortable on the return journey in Chair class and no food was served although you could buy stuff, but it was still airconditioned and only half the price. The journey was also longer but we arrived on time at Delhi. I then faced the daunting task of finding my driver. In the end it turned out to be relatively easy since he was wearing a uniform. We had a slight wait till a Cairn trainee found us as well, since he’d gone to the wrong side of the station. We’d seen each other on the train, but didn’t know each other. He’d done the weekend via a backpacker’s hotel and the mini taxis.

A couple of shots taken driving to work yesterday so there's a bit of reflection from the window. The trishaw is typical and I have seen people with pipes, wrought iron and even a matress on them.

Thursday morning I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep so I started doing some work around 5-30. When I took a break it was too late to get a gym session in and still get to work about 9. I left about 8-45 and the traffic was better. This morning I left at 8 and it only took about 7 or 8 minutes. The comments about the traffic still apply but apparently not all day. Yesterday I went to a different mall after work and had to cross the main road to get money changed. That was quite an experience as the traffic was busy. I live to tell the tale.

I also managed to find a supermarket type shop in the mall and bought some soft drinks and a back pack there and I bought a new leather purse in another shop after the zip on my wallet finally broke.

After discussions with a number of people about visiting the Taj Mahal, I got the HR departmment to organise it. A common option is to hire a car and driver and do it in one day. Since it's about 5 hours drive you tend to get 2 hours of site seeing for 10 hours driving. A Swedish family in the hotel planned this and had a head on crash just before they got to Agra. Apparently the ambulance got them back in 3 hours with one of the little girls having a broken arm. An Australian I met here recommended the train, which is what the HR girl said as well.

I'm to be picked up about 5 am to catch a 6am express train. I have an Airconditioned sleeper for the 2 hour trip. I'm staying overnight and getting back after 10pm on Sunday. I've been advised that I can get around Agra on my own on Saturday and to hire a car and visit a nearby fort on Sunday. Should be lots of photos next week.

Peter, the Aussie I met at the hotel, runs a drilling company and the next day his office sent me the name of the people who did up their t-shirts with the company logo. I phoned up but we just couldn't understand each other. It is also a long way to his business I'm told. HR here said they would chase someone up, who might actually come here to discuss my requirements. We may still get there.

My Swedish friends leave tonight. They have been good company over dinner and breakfast this week.

Work has been progressing well with most of the uncertainties sorted out. I did get to the gym after work last night. There were 4 power failures in the 30 minutes on the cross trainer. When that happens the resistance disappears and suddenly you are "pedalling" flat out. You also lose your time etc. which is mildly annoying. I got through the 10 minutes running without another one but it happened soon after. Also got caught in the lift once. It opened to let me out but took a few minutes before it was working again.

Another difference I noticed but forgot to mention - Drugs: When I went to get my cold medicine the chemist asked if I wanted antibiotics as well. Apparently you can get anything you like here without needing a doctor's prescription.

Two days have passed and I'm settling into the job. They finally got me sorted out so I could read my email but only via the web page. There were nearly 400 discussion group messages to wade through to find the dozen other messages.

I've continued going to the gym at 7am, doing 30 minutes on the crosstrainer and now 10 on the treadmill. Don't seem to be losing weight, must be all that eating. Still my fitness should be maintained.

Yesterday I left work a bit earlier and was back at the hotel before 6. Unfortunately, Lotte didn't get back from her job till late so in the end I went to the mall on my own. The hotel provides a driver, who takes you there, waits and then brings you back. Not cheap for the 1 hour I had left before closing. Again the traffic was terrible so it took 15 or so minutes to go the 5 kms from the hotel. I did get another pair of light cotton pants but I am having no luck with shorts, shirts or even caps for the hockey team. The malls seem to be stocked with "brand name" items - Addidas, Reebok, Nike etc whereas I'm really looking for unbranded stuff. Maybe I need to venture into the back alleys.

I saw my first elephant today, travelling along the main road while I was working out. Also an overflowing bus, the cliche of public transport here. Last night I also saw my first beggars, not nearly such a good thing.

Some general observations: People - there are just so many of them. Every door or gate has at least 1 guard, drivers sit around all day waiting to drive somebody somewhere, an over supply of waiters, bar staff etc in the hotel compared to back in Australia. You tend to feel, on the one hand, that you are exploiting them by having so many "servants", even if only on a temporary basis but on the other hand, you know your exorbitant room rates and their low wages come together to provide all those jobs.

Traffic: this is horrific but suprisingly, there are few accidents, or at least none that I've seen. Cars, bikes, trishaws, buses, trucks and pedestrians all push themselves forward into any available space. I'm not sure who actually has right of way but it seems the one who dares wins. Lane markings are completely ignore and no-one seems to worry about driving the wrong way on the side of the road. Bikes especially, but I saw a couple of 4WDs doing it this morning. People turn left from the middle of roundabouts, do U turns into on coming traffic to force people to let them through and intersections seem to be Russian roulette. Most of the main roads have very definite median strips, with fences or concrete walls to prevent U turns except at specific places.

Roads: These seem to be laid out on a tree pattern rather than a grid. Reminds me of Surrey where we lived in England, in as much as there was usually only one way to get from place A to place B. In Perth and other Australian cities, you can usually choose several alternative paths. The main roads have side roads leading into Estates but these are not connected to each other and seem to have only 1 entrance. Of course I've only seen a small part of the city so it may be atypical. This just means if the road you are on is busy, you're stuck there because there's no other way to go. It's about 8km from hotel to office but usually takes 15 minutes or more.

Food: The hotel has a buffet every meal and the work canteen also has a buffet. There are 8 or so choices for lunch and more at the hotel. They also seem to change everyday. From what I know of Indian cooking, more from the hearing than doing, to do it properly takes a lot of ingredients and time. I guess this is another reflection of the cheap labour costs. I'm trying most things and rather like Indian food. I expect the cravings for meat and 2 veg might kick in before the fortnight's up.

Weather: It has been hot and muggy ever since I've been here. Nearly 40 deg yesterday with 67% humudity. The monsoons are predicted to arrive in a couple of days and we had some rain for a short spell this afternoon. Not quite the torrential downpour that we are seeing on the TV in Mumbai. Supposedly this will cause a big temperature drop.

Power: There are dozens of blackouts every day. Mostly they last less than 5 seconds and then everything comes back on again. So far I haven't been in the lift during one but was in the gym and all the workout machines went off. In the office they must have UPS's since the computers stay on, even though the lights go off.

There was a birthday celebration a short time ago - pastries and softdrink for the office. Time to head home.

Work begins

I was woken at 5-30 this morning (Monday) courtesy of some text messages from my son. Couldn’t get back to sleep so, after reading for an hour, I decided to have a morning gym sessions. I actually was there before it opened, so returned later after reading the paper. Another 30 minutes on the cross trainer and 8 on the treadmill.

I was ready for work by about 9, without any idea of when the driver may come so decided that I would call the Car desk. They arranged to send a driver straight away but the traffic Was so bad that it was after 10 before I got there, and it wasn’t a very great distance.

The office is in a new section of Delhi and there are lots of huge apartment buildings with more being built.

I met with 3 of their engineers and after 2 hours, they have a better idea of what the software can do at the moment and I had a better idea of what modifications need to be made.

They have their own canteen, another serve yourself buffet with mostly Indian dishes. After lunch things got quiet. It took a long time before someone from IT arrived to connect me to the net and a second monitor. Even though the browser was working I couldn’t check my email. Hopefully the server was down and I’ll be OK tomorrow. Most people who see my office at home are impressed by the twin 19" LCD monitors on my main system. Here nearly everybody seems to have them. I borrowed one to use as the scond monitor for my laptop.

I also wanted to change some money since I had no local currency. I asked about it, expecting to be told where the nearest bank was located. Instead they arrange for a currency dealer to come to the office and do the conversion there. All for $100.

In the end I started on some modifications and left the office after 6-30, so I felt I had achieved at least something today. The driver first took me to a chemist since my headache yesterday was the precursor to a cold. Then he stopped at a mall where I bough some linen pants. It’s been over 35 most days and my jeans are too hot.

I called in at the bar to use up my complimentary drink vouchers and finished up having a meal with a couple of guys from Airbus who are training the maintence crews for a new airline. They were on handover, with one leaving tonight. The other may share a driver with me to visit the Taj Mahal. Also arranged to go shopping the next day a with a Swedish lady who is here giving training to the same airline, this time on software to manage scheduling and crew.

Exploring the hotel

According to my phone it was 9-30 in Perth when I woke up but still only 7am here. After a shower I explored the hotel finding the pool and the gym before heading to breakfast. There are so many staff waiting around to serve you - at the pool, the gym, gate guards, door men and heaps in the restaurant. I have never been saluted so much in my life – it’s a bit weird. The breakfast restaurant has so many choices; I can see it will be a real challenge not to eat too much on this trip. (Yesterday was hopeless with the lounges and food on the plane). I settled on a freshly cooked omelette and some fruit (and a bun).

I then went for a walk in the adjoining plaza. It looks like an office precinct so nothing was open. It’s quite attractive and was the side the hotel promotional photo was taken from. My room looks out the other side, which is not so attractive being mainly construction sites. It took only a few minutes before the heat and humidity took their toll and I was soon back in the air conditioning.

Later I had a brief spell in the pool, followed by a session in the gym – 30 minutes on the cross trainer and 10 on the treadmill. May not get any hockey in during the 2 weeks but hopefully this will keep me fit for the Vets Championships when I get home.

Not feeling well tonight. Had a nap after lunch but woke up with a headache and wasn’t able to eat much dinner. The hotel sent a driver to the chemist for me. Can’t complain about the service.