Saturday, 3/28/09 Jaipur, India

Arrived at old Jaipur and Amber Fort. Paren (taxi driver) drove all the way to the base of the fort via 1 lane alleys and brick roads. Many old brick buildings in ruins- road too!

The views from the upper walls were spectacular. The palace is massive and we don't even come close to visiting all the open parts of it, let alone the closed parts.

We tried "ice cream" on a stick but it was nasty so no more of that.

After Amber Fort, we left to drive way around to Jaigarh Fort, which is way up the hill from amber. It is just as big as Amber I think. Views here are more spectacular because of the altitude in relation.

There is a building down below where the king Jai used to hunt lions from the roof.

Right from there is another building that looks like it acts as a dam and so has water in a lake next to it.

The wall seems to go on for ever around the city and the forts.

We left Jaigarh and headed SW towards "new" Jaipur. We stopped at Jal Mahal which is a palace that seems to be in the middle of a lake (Man Sagar). We got out to take some pics. A guy followed us most of the time wanting us to buy his (crude) violin like instrument which he was pretty good at playing. Ranveer bought a helping of cut up really long skinny cucumber. They tasted like them too. Tracey was interested in the instrument and Manoj and her tried tit out but couldn't agree on price which started at 100 rupees. In the end, Manoj called him back and Tracey ended up with it for 80 rupees or approximately $1.50 US.

We left Jal Mahal and went to where the hotel where we had reservations, but Ranveer was not impressed. So we left and found the Golden Tulip, which was similar in quality to the hotel in Noida. Then we checked in and relaxed for a couple hours.

We left the hotel around 7 or 730 and drove through streets looking for Indiana Restaurant. When we found it, we sat at a table right next to group of 3 guys playing drum, singing, and playing harmonium (looks like the cross between a keyboard and an accordion). There was also a girl dancing (Rajistani folk dance). Ranveer and Tracey took pictures and we saw they did not serve "drinks", so we left to find a bar.

We went to a bar in the Maurya Hotel which was nice because, at first, we were all alone. Tracey and I had old monk with Pepsi. Ranveer and Manoj had blenders pride and Royal Staff whiskey respectively with Pepsi and water. Manoj and Tracey had 3 and Tracey was "on her way". Ranveer and I only had 2 and I was pretty tired at first but got a second wind somewhere. With drinks, we had french fries and masala peanuts (incentives :) and masala papad, which is like tortillas with spicy, non juicy, salsa. We left here and went to a restaurant (CM Regency) out in the shopping district. We were led upstairs to an air conditioned area. Ranveer argued with them because they were requiring us to purchase 4 meals and none of us was all that hungry. We left there and went next door to a similar room upstairs and ordered 2 combination plates with several different tins full of rice/liquids/sweets etc along with breads. Manoj and I talked about cars, trucks and tractors as they drove by on the street below. We left and went back to the hotel. Once there, I called home and talked to Cathi to let her know we had made it to Jaipur ok. I set alarm for 830am and went to sleep around 12 midnight.

Saturday, 3/28/09 Noida, India

We left work about 1am which still gave me 9 hours if you count the 2 I did at the hotel.
Manoj and Ranveer took us to old Delhi. This was advised against by Gogan, their director. We agreed and went anyways, but only because Manoj was raised in the area and was familiar. It was pretty neat. He said it was the best time to come because all other times, it was very crowded and would be a long wait at the restaurant.
It was very greasy food. Spicy. Bread was soft. We had some other bread that was like a really thin flour tortilla, but tough and chewy like nan bread. We closed the restaurant around 3am and went back to the hotel.
I called home before Ranveer, Manoj and taxi driver came to pick us up to go to Jaipur.

On the way to Jaipur, I slept for a little while in the car. The trip is much the same as the trip to the Taj, but predominantly, taxis here are long jeeps that look like military jeeps.

And, again, there are many trucks to dodge in traffic. We have also seen a few camel carts. The landscape here is a bit different because there are abrupt hills in the middle of nowhere.

Manoj and Ranveer said people here don't like to keep cars more than 90-100 kilometers because they lose value after that.

Note: truck names seen on the road: Swaraj Mazda; Eicher; Ashor Leyland; Tata; Mahindra Jeep.

Monday, 3/23/09 Noida, India

We worked out in the hotel gym for about an hour on Monday and Tuesday. I ate an apple from the gym both days. Wednesday I had the runs (guessing it was from the apple). This continued on Thursday so I took the antibiotic Friday at noon and it seemed to have worked.

Sunday, 3/22/09 Noida, India

We were going to go shopping but Ranveer didn't come until late and we went to Sector 18 Mall and ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday. I had veggie burger because I knew Ranveer would have it and I wanted to try it. It was ok.
Ranveer had to leave to go pick someone up and the whole area closed at 10pm anyways, so we left and went back to hotel.

3/21/09 Noida to Agara, India

Up at 5am and we left in taxi w/Ranveer, Shalini (also from office) and Naren, her husband, who also works at the same office in a different department. We are having drinks of vodka with Limca (kind of a cross between 7-up and Squirt) and snacks of potato chips, crunchy string potatoes, spicy peanuts and moong dal (dried lentil or split green gran in India). We stopped and ate breakfast of opma or suji which is from flour and is kind of like rice served on a plate after shaping in a cup, and vada w/chutney (vada is like a plain - non sweet donut). Chutney was coconut and mint. Soup was sambahr but was spicy so i didn't eat much.

When stopped in traffic at one point, some beggar kids knocked on window and pointed to their legless brother on the median. As taught, we ignored.

We made it to the closest parking lot which was not full. I could only guess it was because it cost more.

We entered from the west. It cost $15 US for us but 70Rupees for Indians. We had to go through metal detectors and were patted down by guard. There are 2 other entrance gates, east and south. To the north is a building before you get to Taj. The Taj has a building on both sides that are exact mirror images. North side of Taj is a very wide riverbed.

On the way out I bought 2 magic bracelets for the girls which were 10 rupees each. I also bought a book of post cards.

We stopped for beer and snacks at restaurant right outside of Taj. We drove a ways and then stopped for dinner. I slept the entire way back to hotel and then another 7 or so hours at hotel.

3/20/09 Noida, India

Before we came home today, we went for "breakfast."

Manoj showed us how they get alcohol after hours. The shop owner (or at least the person who works there) lives in the shop, so you go up to the roll up door and tap it. The person raises the door slightly and you put your money (including extra) under the door. Then the bottle is pushed out to you. After experiencing this, we experienced "breakfast." Their name for whoever's car contains the alcohol. It's "carobar", which in Hindi, also means business. Ranveer, Monoj, Tracey and I were in Ranveer's car, a dark blue Fiat Paliu. Gurpal and Akhil in Gurpal's white Suzuki Swift. After our purchase, we met at the roadside in an area much like where the office was. We had first rounds and needed more pop. I went w/ Gurpal back to the office to get pop from machine or snack bar. When he came back, I asked if his car was his baby and he dais yes. Then, I asked if I could drive and again, he said yes. It was a short distance back to where we were, so he told me to keep going. The key is the only thing in the same place as a LHD. I tried blinker, but turned wipers on. Hard to get used to driving w/right hand and shifting w/left. You have to think about left/right side of the road too. I think I did ok and Gurpal concurred.

After getting back we stood outside the rest of the time. We had "breakfast" of paratha (stuffed) and omelet. Both bread with cauliflower and egg.

After this, we went back to hotel. I called girls and Cathi and they enjoyed the call. I only slept for about 3 hours and it wasn't enough before we got up for lunch. Then I slept for another hour. Still not enough.

Early to work at 3 for finishing certification and left at midnight.

To bed after calling Cathi to let her know I would not be calling after her work because we would be leaving at 5am for Taj Mahal.

3/19/09 Noida, India

Nothing special today. Alot like yesterday. Class started their "certification" practical test.

Home around 5 and on phone with kids and cathi til 930 I believe.

3/18/09 Noida, India

We left office at 430am. Tonight dinner will be provided by class. Should be very authentic.

Was authentic, although not as spicy as hotel. We had the cottage cheese dish in the red sauce and butter chicken, 3 different types of bread (nan, paranta, and puree --small round), kheer (sweet white with rice and small grapes and cardomom seeds), lentle soup and pepsi. I tried diet coke here and it doesn't taste like diet coke in states- no bitter aftertaste.

Home from office around 5am and up til 8 on phone w/kids and Cathi.

3/17/09 Noida, India

I called home on the computer phone and talked to girls and Cathi while working on emails and issues. Went to bed at 730am and got up at 830 to eat breakfast. went back to bed around 930 and got up again around 330. Time flew while I ironed shirt and pants , showered and packed computer away. We didn't have time to eat and Ranveer was waiting for us in the lobby when we went down around 5.

Another day of training flew by and we quized class verbally and awarded with candy.

Our hosts ordered food and we all ate in the cafeteria. All mild food- some chicked w/gravy, more gravy - a bit sweet with crumbled potatoes in it, redish orange gravy with cottage cheese slices.

3/16/09 Noida, India

Ranveer was going to come and take us shopping today, but he was unable to because his car was not working. So we ventured out on foot from the hotel. The neighborhood looks pretty rough as do all neighborhoods here. We walked down to the end of the road where, if there is a light, it was not being obeyed. We had to walk carefully to cross as car, autorichshaw, truck, bus, bicycle tried to guess each others moves and ours while turning onto the cross street. No yielding to pedestrians, just dodging and honking. Some kids came begging and we told them no. They asked Tracey to take their pictures and she obliged. They were anxious to see themselves on the display afterwords. They wouldn't leave us so I waved and said bye bye. The kept saying something and holding out their hands and acting like they did not understand us. As we were crossing over to come back on the other side of the street, the kid waved and said "bye bye."

We walked over holes in the ground that looked like sink holes, but it turns out they were sewer man holes that disintegrated (we could tell by the smell and the flies).

We walked part way down an ally were the fronts of the buildings had no walls or doors on the front. Shops had bikes and bike parts, 50 foot pieces of rebar folded in half, paint, scooters, and other hardware, none of which looked new (except for maybe the rebar and some of the bikes). There was a couple of guys unloading a truck full of red bricks on the other side of the alley against a wall. They were next to some sand and gravel piles. Further down where we turned around, there were 3 cows on the other side (main street side) of the wall eating from what looked like piles of trash on the side of the road. I noticed there was a trough like gutter beneath the sidewalks with murky water in it and wondered if that was the sewer too (Ranveer later verified this is gray water sewer).

On the way back, I saw a Royal Enfield motorcycle parked on the side of the road.

Around 5, Ravinder, who is a native Indian, but a--n employee of the company we work for--and liaison for the reason we are here, Akhil, and Gogan came to pick us up. When we weren't quite done eating dinner. I ordered some shrimp in some kind of red curry sauce and asked for not too much spicy. When they brought it out they said "this is a spicy dish", and if I wanted they could add some cream. I declined and ate it. It might have been the hottest thing I have ever eaten. Tracey tried it (she likes spicy food) and said yes, it was very spicy. I ate a shrimp that was oven hot too and had to take a drink. When I did, it went the wrong way and I nearly choked to death while my sinuses burned from the spiciness.

We sat with the 4 of them for tea and coffee for a little bit before we left for the office. They drove us past about 5 other buildings occupied by other divisions of their company before arriving at our building. When we arrived, there was a crowd to greet us on the steps on the way in. We stopped in the building foyer to more greetings and applause. They had us light a group of 5 ceremonial candles and then put a red dot on our foreheads as a welcome gesture. (I later found that the dot is called a bindi or tilak).

We then were given a tour of the building and assigned to our "cabin" (office). We weren't in there very long as we started right away training.

At dinner time, we went out with Ravinder, Mohit, Gogan, and Petri to a Chinese restaurant. According to Gogan, they have the best "non-spicy" chinese food (it was very good).

We left the office around 5am and arrived at hotel around 550.

3/15/2009

We didn't sleep too much , partly because we slept some on the airplane and partly because we were up very late trying to get computer and phone to work to call home and let everybody know we made it. There's a couple second lag or delay in the computer phone but overall sounds good.
Today, Ranveer and the driver picked up up and we went to Dilli Haat and shopped for silk, jewelery, and other things. It's kind of like an India national bazaar with pashminas, scarves, some other clothes, jewelery and etc from several different Indian regions. I got this book (need green and red cloth journal with natural paper that has leaves and such embeded in it) to write in and a couple small gifts for the girls. Ranveer paid since we still don't have any Rupees. We stopped at the India gate which is a large monument to Indian and British soldiers. It has a very large park and parade route to the capital.

Delhi/Noida, India March 14, 2009

We arrived at the airport yesterday (Saturday 3/14/09) and did not see the expected sign w/our names on them. We couldn't get either of the international cell phones we were issued to work and ended up having a local man call Ranveer (our contact here). He directed us out the door to meet them. We waited about 15 minutes and the man who had called for us came to check on us. We told him we had not seen them yet. He called Ranveer again and soon after, we were greeted with rose bouquets (both of us). We then walked over to the lot where the car was parked and waited for it to emerge from the lot. I couldn't wait to start taking pics of the different cars and trucks. There was a neat tow truck right there but I missed it because the camera was in video mode.

Catching up

So I went to India and survived! I will be catching up now, so the dates I enter in The titles for the next few entries will not match the dates they are entered just for the fact that I am indeed catching up.