India

After I returned from Miami I left for India for two weeks. I was originally a little hesitant about this trip. I wasn't sure if I would like the food (I had never had Indian food. As Scott frequently tells me, I have the culinary tastes of a 5 year-old), I was worried I would get sick, whether from food or some jungle disease, get lost, you know...but I had a great time and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. 

I flew via Delhi into Hyderabad. I am lucky to be able to sleep wherever, whenever; I'm pretty sure I slept 10 of the 15 hours it took to get there. The day I arrived was a public holiday so I didn't have to worry about going to the office and was able to sleep some more. I met up with my coworkers for dinner, most of whom I hadn't met. Luckily we all got a long and had a fun time together.

The hotel we stayed at was really nice and was within a gated business complex. Before a car could enter the hotel grounds it was searched by a few security guards Then before you could go into the hotel all bags went through x-ray screening and you had to go through a metal detector so I felt very safe. The craziness of all this was that while I was staying in a 5-star hotel within a gated complex, there were homes made of tarps and tin in an open field behind the hotel and all around the hotel were dirt roads. 

Our company employs a few cars & vehicles to drive the expats around, so they arranged for a driver to transport all of us to and from the hotel each day. At first I thought it was a little weird but on the first trip to the office I was so glad that none of us were driving. It was madness! No one follows rules/lanes/traffic cops/lights. The road may be three lanes but there will be 5 cars packed in with motorbikes weaving in and out. I also loved seeing all of the auto rickshaws. They were like clown cars. I think they would comfortably fit 4 people but I literally saw 12 people get out of one. I also saw a family of 5 on a motorcycle. No joke.

It was also a different experience working at the office. There was one bathroom on the floor we were on that was in someone's office. That's right, you had to walk thorough his office no matter who was in there. Luckily I found a more accessible bathroom on the 2nd floor. Another crazy thing about the bathrooms is that there usually wasn't toilet paper. There was a hose-type thing on the wall next to the toilet...maybe they use that instead? Don't worry, we asked the hotel for some toilet paper and took it to the office. The building was under construction to add another floor so there was constant hammering and the construction crew was using bamboo and twine for scaffolding! The power would also shut off randomly and it would take a few minutes for the generator to kick on. Then in the afternoon the power would shut off for at least 30 minutes because the state I was in is fighting with its neighboring state who controls the power. They also have "office boys" who come around every hour or so to see if you want anything to drink, need copies made, etc. 

the office and man on bamboo scaffolding with no shoes!

One day on our way to lunch we spotted a beautiful Hindu temple so we stopped by on our way back to the office. 

The finance manager also took us to a road-side stand to get some Chai so we could really experience India. This was the only thing I drank/ate from a street vendor and I figured that since the water was boiling hot I should be safe.

the stand. the chai. the peeps.

Since we were there for two weeks we decided to go to Delhi and Agra over the weekend to see the Taj. Sir Andrew did an excellent job of keeping us flighty, giddy females in check and getting us the best prices on taxis. We ended up taking a train from Delhi to Agra. The train stations were unbelievable. Hundreds of people live there so the lobby was crammed with people, including families, trying to sleep. Kids kept coming up to us wanting money, food, anything. It was so hard not to give them anything they wanted, though I did finally consent to parting with a coke for a little boy who wouldn't stop following us. We bought tickets in the first class cabin, which would just be a normal cabin anywhere else. When I saw what first class looked like I couldn't even imagine what the regular cars looked like and unfortunately I didn't have to wait long to see. While we were waiting at a stop a train pullede into the station that was jammed pack with people. People were literally hanging on to the train at each door. Guys would walk by the train to sell people food through the openly barred windows. Again...crazy.

When we got to Agra our tour guide quickly found us and then we were off to the Taj. We also went to a fort and some shops to get souvenirs. Since our skin made us stand out, I had no shame in acting like a complete tourist. Another weird thing is that people kept wanting to take pictures with me. I was in very touristy areas and not the only person with light skin so I have no idea why. I finally had to tell people no, and they would quickly say they weren't trying to sell me anything, not understanding I wasn't going to stand around for hours to take pictures with people. It was very odd.

sunrise on the train

first purchase: floppy hats

while waiting to go through security a herd of cows wandered down the road

first view 

beautiful

Agra Fort

view of Taj from other side of Yamuna River

andrew trying to find something to give to the kids

waiting at the train station to go back to Delhi after a LONG day

Since we were in Delhi on Sunday and our return flight wasn't until the evening we grabbed a rickshaw and saw the sights.

India Gate

government building

monkeys roaming the streets

Gandhi statue

boy dancing and puppet show before we had dinner

the local office folks

before we left India

Other than being attacked by bed bugs and finding out my return flight had been cancelled when I tried to check in for my flight (but promptly rescheduled), I really had a great trip and enjoyed experiencing a completely new and different culture.