Elephants, Memories, and Getting Lost in Navi Mumbai...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
So, as posh as our hotel in Mumbai was, there was no freaking internet connectivity. So I've been off the grid for two days. I'm in Chennai now and finally have a connection, so here's catching up:
On Thursday we flew from Delhi to Mumbai. If you're curious, let me assure you that domestic air travel in India far surpasses that of the US. For starters, domestic termials in India are way more laid back. Nobody seems stressed and uptight, and the security process doesn't make you feel like a criminal. The shortest flights guarantee a full gourmet meal, and the service is impeccable. And when you get to your destination, your luggage has already started coming out by the time you get to the baggage claim. Gotta love it.
Anyway, so we landed in Delhi around 8 after a two hour flight. We figured we'd be at the hotel within an hour, since the hotel was some distance away and traffic can be unpredictable. Three hours later, after getting totally lost, unlost, and lost again a few times, we finally got into Navi (New) Mumbai and the Park Hotel. The hotel is ultra-mod and would fit in well in Southern California or Miami. Here's a picture from the corridor that leads to the rooms:
The next day we went to the office. On the way, I saw my first random elephant! Well not random, per se: I think a guy was riding his elephant to work. I almost missed it altogether, but managed to get a quick video as we passed by (although you'll probably have trouble seeing the elephant, and you'll see me jerk my arm/camera back in the car very quickly to avoid losing them both to a motorcyclist!).
Last night, Vik and I had the pleasure of hanging out with Sanjeet, a former colleague of ours that has recently relocated to Mumbai. Since Navi Mumbai is a good two hour trip from where Sanjeet stays, he crashed on the couch in Vik's room and rode back in with us this morning. Just before leaving, Vik suggested we get a picture that actually has us in it:
When we got to the airport in Mumbai, we were initially told our flight was delayed by another hour, but then we're able to squeeze onto an earlier flight that had been delayed. In the end, we got on the plane about twenty minutes after arriving at the airport and were off to Chennai.
More to come shortly...
posted by Dustin @ 3:43 AM,
And There You Have It...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Long story short, my "new" room wasn't ready till 4:30am....I spent a few hours from 9:30 on in the lounge eating a slow dinner and having two or three beers. Sadly, last call in India is usually around 11:30, which is far too early by North American standards like mine :-). On the brightside, there was the live entertainment. Meaning, a chick with a cheap keyboard and some bad midi recordings singing various 80's and 90's American pop tunes. I actually love cheese, so it was great. Here's a quick clip of her rendition of Sixpence None The Richer's "Kiss Me":
As you can imagine, I was beginning to get irritable by 4:00 or so, but fortunately for all involved, I was comforted by the fact that I didn't have any training sessions today, so I'd be able to sleep in well into the late morning. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Anywho, spending another hour or so in my room before heading down to checkout and grab a late lunch. Then its off to Mumbai!
Labels: All Posts, Culture, General Bullshit, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 2:44 AM,
"Drama of the Self-Imposed Kind" OR "Riding to School on the Short Bus*"
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
So, I'm retarded. And if not retarded, then at least horrible with details and scheduling. Or if not consistently horrible with such things, then at least bad in this situation. Here's what I've done:
1. Upon reviewing my India itinerary and identifying when I'd be in which cities, I somehow managed to mistake my last day in Delhi (the first go around anyway) for Wednesday, 24th of October.
2. Upon checking into my hotel two weeks ago, I confirmed my checkout date with the front desk as Wednesday, 24th of October.
3. Upon reviewing my ticket to Mumbai and discussing with Vikrant, I noticed that I'll actually be in the Delhi area till Thursday evening, 25th of October.
NET RESULT
A. I'll be checking out of my hotel by 10:30pm India time on 24th of October.
B. I'll be checking into the new room they finagled for me at 2:30am India time on 25th of October.
C. These two times are not the same.
Yes, the staff at the hotel pulled a miracle out and made a room appear out of thin air. But because of my attention to detail, or lack thereof, my huge bags and I will be spending four hours of the night in the pub. Waiting for my new room.
Yes, I'm a dumbass. C'est la vie.
*Regarding the references to the short bus and mental disabilities in general, I speak not to disparage my retarded brethren, but rather to raise awareness that we're out there, everywhere. We may or may not look the part, but we have infiltrated your world. Don't make fun, or be prepared to face the consequences. Pleh.
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 8:11 AM,
Excuse me, Miss, there seems to have been a mistake. I believe I asked for the LARGE cappuccino...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Yes, that would be "Obscure Mike Meyers Quote #295". And yes, that would be a cup of coffee the size of my damned head. Good times.
Vik and I went for a quick "cup" of coffee after lunch today, and little did I know that ordering a large cappuccino would result in the bucket of java you see there. Oy veh. Not like I had to lead a training session for three hours right after or anything. At least the washroom was only around the corner!
Anywho today was good enough. Not a great turnout in our training sessions, but we're getting there. The first run through is always the roughest, even when its good. And today was no different. Nine hiring managers down, only 161 to go!!!
Labels: All Posts, Culture, General Bullshit, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 10:41 AM,
Updates
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Well, I know I said I'd be blogging faithfully here. But to be honest, with a few exceptions I've been pretty boring. Not bored, mind you, but boring. Fortunately, the "few exceptions" are extremely interesting, at least to me. So, here's a quick recap along with some photos and video.
On Saturday, the hotel celebrated Oktoberfest. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but the party was on the rooftop around the pool and the weather was fantastic. And there's something about being in New Delhi, listening to polka, and seeing Indians working the rooftop in lederhosen. To top it off, partway through the night they switched from recorded polka to a live group with cheesy synthesizer and the biggest catalog of cheesy 80's songs ever: Lady in Red and Wind Beneath My Wings among the best.
Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of spending a good part of the afternoon and evening with my friend Sunil (SD) and his family. Some of the best hosts in the world, SD's wife also happens to be an incredible cook, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a lazy Sunday in a real Indian home, eating real Indian cuisine (and so much they were trying to get me fat!), and relaxing with good friends. My time at Hewitt resulted in, among other things, a few great friendships that will last forever. I definitely consider SD and now his family a part of that. I took the short video below from SD's rooftop to show just how populated Delhi is for those of you back in the States.
Its the festival season in India, and yesterday much of India celebrated Dussehra. I don't have the details down 100%, but the gist is that Lord Rama, one of the primary gods in Hindu culture, killed the demon king Ravana and took over his kingdom. There's alot more to it, but the evening culminates in people building these HUGE effigies to Ravana, his son, and some other fat demon. We're talking REALLY BIG. Anyway, to symbolize Lord Rama's victory over evil, they do something that every boy can't help but love: they blow up the effigies. And they're all over the place, so for a good 45 minutes to an hour, these effigies light up the night sky as they burn, and since they're full of firecrackers, its pretty darned cool.
The picture above is a set of effigies we saw prior to the burning. The video below is a burning Ravana we watched from SD's terrace. Pretty neato.
Anywho, more details to come but for now I have to head off to the office. L8tr Sk8tr.
Labels: All Posts, Culture, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 9:35 PM,
Adjusting
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The first full day is always strange. In spite of the eight hours of proper sleep I got last night, I crashed midday for a three hour nap. I hope it doesn't effect my sleep tonight, but I have faith in my inherited ability to fall asleep in almost any situation or position at just about any time regardless of the circumstances (thanks mom).
I did manage to take a car to a local mall, which in spite of being about 40% closed (Sunday) did manage to kill an hour or so. The picture above wasn't taken by me, but gives you the idea. Can you believe I found a store that has Armani, Prada, Diesel, and Fcuk for $20?! I love India.
Anywho, I think I'll hit the lounge here for a bit and then sit down to some ridiculously good eats at The Great Kebab Factory. For my American friends who haven't had the pleasure of an Indian Kebab, let me assure you there's more to it than a piece of meat and a sliced vegetable skewered and grilled. A good kebab comes out looking not unlike a hamburger patty, and will essentially melt in your mouth on contact. I know, its hard to imagine. But its one of the best things around.
Labels: All Posts, Relaxation, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 7:04 AM,
Touchdown...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
I just got into my hotel in Gurgaon. Its nice and I'll post some pics later, but I'm jonesing for a drink and a real bed, so I'll be short.
So the above picture is a little blurry, but its the GPS tracking screen from my flight. That shows the basic path. Up from Newark through Canada, just scratching the southern coast of Greenland, over the Scandanavian countries, and ultimately through Eastern Europe into Asia. The picture below shows a closer image of the path upon descent into Delhi.
Anywho, my late dinner and drink are here. More tomorrow.
posted by Dustin @ 12:51 PM,
Day One : Getting There
Friday, October 12, 2007
I'm convinced I have at least a mild case of A.D.D. Its true. Most sane individuals would see a six hour layover in Newark as a good time to catch up on some work, read a book, and maybe have a drink or two. But yeah, that wasn't gonna work for me. I sat down at the Continental President's Club to have a beer. And I finished writing a paper for my ten thousandth History class....and then I still had five hours left. Hm....what to do.
Then the little devil on my shoulder reminded me that I was only a short 25 minute train ride from Manhattan.
(Queue dramatic music)
Nevermind that I've never ridden on the NJ rail system. If I can navigate my way from New Delhi to Agra and the Taj, I can handle this.
Nevermind that I'm not exactly sure where Penn Station is in relation to the landmarks I know. That's what "kind" locals are for.
Nevermind that public transit is filthy and I'm a moderate germaphobe. I have Purell by the gallon in my bag.
Nevermind that its freakin' cold and freakin' windy outside and my thin little Armani Exchange t-shirt is hardly appropriate mid-Autumn gear for NYC. At least its cute, dammit.
So, without further adieu, I give you poor-quality images (some from my digital camera and some from my phone) from my $37 Starbucks run to The City:
That's Penn Station. Rather, the sign it shares with Madison Square Garden if you're standing on 7th. And below you'll see the other side....where it says Madison Square Garden. So exciting.
Next we have pictures of random buildings, including Fuse studios. I confess I'm no photographer, but these'll work for me:
Finally, and as far as I'm concerned most fantastically, I give you the Black Superman Cowboy. Sorry I couldn't get the front of him, I got honked and yelled at by a cabbie who looked like he might jump out and knife me if I didn't comply. Black Superman Cowboy would be the one in the full Superman costume. And the ten gallon hat. And the snakeskin boots. God, I heart this city.
More from New Delhi tomorrow....
posted by Dustin @ 4:33 PM,
Here We Go Again...
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Early tomorrow I'm back off to India. Well, to Newark, NJ - the most ridiculous airport in the country, followed by an eight hour layover, THEN off to India. The second flight of the day will be a 14 hour direct hop to the other side of the world. Its a long flight, but better than three stops in Europe on the way there. And its business class, so I can hang.
Last April, I spent about ten days total going to and from Gurgaon, which is a business hub just outside of New Delhi. For anyone who's up for it, you can read all about that trip starting here. Aside from a "quick" journey south to Agra and the grand Taj Mahal, we stayed in the Delhi area. This time around, things are going to be a little crazier. Over a three and a half week period, I'm doing a pretty full tour of the country with the exception of Kolkata in the east and the northernmost Kashmir region. And I'll get to see friends in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai that I haven't seen in quite a few months. I don't plan on sleeping alot, and I'm very excited to see the rest of the country.
Anyway, I bought a new camera that actually stays on when I want it to. I'll be taking plenty of pictures and posting my musings here, so check back frequently if you're at all curious.
Holla!
Currently listening to Paulina Rubio - Baila Que Baila
posted by Dustin @ 4:04 PM,
One week down...
Monday, October 1, 2007
Well, last week was good. I started my new job on Monday and a week in am beginning to get acclimated. Its definitely a different firm. Its interesting the difference profitability makes in a company's ability to let consultants make their own decisions about what they need to get the job done. Anyway, all's well on the work front.
Also, I'm going back to India in less than two weeks. From October 12 through November 3, I'll be making my rounds on the subcontinent. Last time I stayed within the Delhi region, venturing a couple hundred kilometers to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This time it'll be Delhi/Gurgaon to Mumbai to Chennai to Bangalore to Gurgaon to Noida to Delhi before coming home. Pretty much a full tour of the diamond, with the exceptions of Calcutta and Kashmere. I'm psyched and will certainly be a blogging fool while I'm over there. I bought a nifty new camera a couple of weeks ago and will be keeping it with me at all times, so hopefully more pictures than just the hotel this time :-).
Anywho, that's what's up here for the moment.
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 8:58 AM,
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