"(India) isn't a place you merely 'see'; it's an invigorating asssault on all senses, an experience that's impossible to define... Love it or hate it - and most visitors seesaw between the two - India will jostle your entire being..." - lonely planet India
I can't say it any better so I won't try - whoever wrote that introduction for the lonely planet guidebook really managed to explain the experience in a way that you only understand once you've been here. I consider myself to be rather well traveled; India is the 30-something country that I've been to. I can't imagine being here without all of those experiences under my belt because I think it would really be beyond overwhelming. There is so much to enjoy - certainly so much to take in - but it is so hard to get away from that steady assault on your senses that at times it feels simply exhausting.
I've been in India for 9 days now. To be honest last week was a very long week. I had been on vacation the week before - enjoying Egypt - and by the time I got back it felt like all hell had broken loose at work. Monday through Wednesday I was working India and St Louis hours - which pretty much equated to working 2pm to 4 or 5 am. By Thursday I had everyone settled down and convinced that my team was in fact under control and moving forward, and so Thursday night I was convinced to go out for some drinks with some of the managers here in India. I'm not much of a club person, being one who prefers to actually be able to talk to the people that I go out with and not have to yell at them, but it was such a relief to relax and have a drink that I really had a good time. I stuck to beer although most of my colleagues thought that odd - the drink of choice seemed to be long island iced teas. Eek. The only time I thought those were a good idea were at 2am at the Linebacker Lounge at ND - and all of you who are laughing know why I stuck to beer ;)
Okay, so I made it through the week. Saturday morning I got up early and flew up to Delhi. Spent Saturday tourning Delhi and doing some shopping. It was so nice to be out and about on my own...ah yes, which brings me to the one thing I do not like about India (or at least working in India). This personal driver thing is so not working for me. I think I'm pretty spoiled - let's face it, everyone thinks I'm pretty spoiled - so one may think the driver thing wouldn't be all that bad. Wrong. First of all, I have serious issue with the fact that this man just sits around waiting for me all day. He gets to the hotel by noon - no matter what time I tell him to be here, he is here by noon. I don't leave before 1:30 most days...but just in case. He drives me to work and drops me off around 2pm. Then he just sits there all day waiting for me to call - which I never do before midnight. But apparently he can't leave. I don't know - it is like how I won't ever let anyone pick me up at the airport because I don't like knowing that people are waiting for me and I get stressed then if I'm delayed...I don't like knowing this driver is just sitting there waiting for me all day. The bigger part, to be honest, is I feel a little bit like a prisoner. I have managed to get around on my own all these years and suddenly I can't go anywhere without this person taking me. And I have to 'ask' - I know it is 'tell him', but it feels like 'ask' if I want to stop somewhere...and then again, I know he's sitting there waiting for me. I get that it is safer and all of that...but it was really getting to me by the end of last week.
Which takes me back to Delhi. It was so nice to spend the day on my own and just explore and shop and tour. Yes, of course I got harrassed on the streets, but it was no worse than a lot of other places I've been. I long ago mastered the art of a) sunglasses (you can keep your face straight ahead and look around without anyone being able to tell that you are actually glancing at what they are selling and b) feigning deafness. Let's face it - they don't know if I speak English or not. So I pretend I don't and just walk through the crowds as though completely oblivious. It works quite well. And if I decide to look at something...well, I've shopped with the beach vendors of Rio, the bizarre in Istanbul, and the markets in Bali - to name a few - all with Rachel, the queen of haggling herself. I've learned how to get a bargain along the way :)
Sunday was reserved for the long trip to and from Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I joined a small tour that I had had recommended to me and actually was glad I did. Out of the group there were 3 of us that were all solo travelers doing a day trip: Diane, a 40-something Brit who was there for something in the education department and Mike, a 30-something from LA also on business. It was nice to make friends along the way to hang out with and - to the Munich crew - Mike was like a Dave and Jamie without the second day crazy. We started out talking the boring basics (190k eqms last year, etc) and ended up on the topic of absinthe in Prague... I was actually surprised he didn't know about FT, but when I jokingly said that my friends refer to our group as a 'drinking club with a travel problem' he pulled out a pen to write down the details. Lol.
Okay, some of you probably want to know about the Taj Mahal. It is magnificent and peaceful and actually doesn't let you down - surprising considering how famous it is.
I can't say it any better so I won't try - whoever wrote that introduction for the lonely planet guidebook really managed to explain the experience in a way that you only understand once you've been here. I consider myself to be rather well traveled; India is the 30-something country that I've been to. I can't imagine being here without all of those experiences under my belt because I think it would really be beyond overwhelming. There is so much to enjoy - certainly so much to take in - but it is so hard to get away from that steady assault on your senses that at times it feels simply exhausting.
I've been in India for 9 days now. To be honest last week was a very long week. I had been on vacation the week before - enjoying Egypt - and by the time I got back it felt like all hell had broken loose at work. Monday through Wednesday I was working India and St Louis hours - which pretty much equated to working 2pm to 4 or 5 am. By Thursday I had everyone settled down and convinced that my team was in fact under control and moving forward, and so Thursday night I was convinced to go out for some drinks with some of the managers here in India. I'm not much of a club person, being one who prefers to actually be able to talk to the people that I go out with and not have to yell at them, but it was such a relief to relax and have a drink that I really had a good time. I stuck to beer although most of my colleagues thought that odd - the drink of choice seemed to be long island iced teas. Eek. The only time I thought those were a good idea were at 2am at the Linebacker Lounge at ND - and all of you who are laughing know why I stuck to beer ;)
Okay, so I made it through the week. Saturday morning I got up early and flew up to Delhi. Spent Saturday tourning Delhi and doing some shopping. It was so nice to be out and about on my own...ah yes, which brings me to the one thing I do not like about India (or at least working in India). This personal driver thing is so not working for me. I think I'm pretty spoiled - let's face it, everyone thinks I'm pretty spoiled - so one may think the driver thing wouldn't be all that bad. Wrong. First of all, I have serious issue with the fact that this man just sits around waiting for me all day. He gets to the hotel by noon - no matter what time I tell him to be here, he is here by noon. I don't leave before 1:30 most days...but just in case. He drives me to work and drops me off around 2pm. Then he just sits there all day waiting for me to call - which I never do before midnight. But apparently he can't leave. I don't know - it is like how I won't ever let anyone pick me up at the airport because I don't like knowing that people are waiting for me and I get stressed then if I'm delayed...I don't like knowing this driver is just sitting there waiting for me all day. The bigger part, to be honest, is I feel a little bit like a prisoner. I have managed to get around on my own all these years and suddenly I can't go anywhere without this person taking me. And I have to 'ask' - I know it is 'tell him', but it feels like 'ask' if I want to stop somewhere...and then again, I know he's sitting there waiting for me. I get that it is safer and all of that...but it was really getting to me by the end of last week.
Which takes me back to Delhi. It was so nice to spend the day on my own and just explore and shop and tour. Yes, of course I got harrassed on the streets, but it was no worse than a lot of other places I've been. I long ago mastered the art of a) sunglasses (you can keep your face straight ahead and look around without anyone being able to tell that you are actually glancing at what they are selling and b) feigning deafness. Let's face it - they don't know if I speak English or not. So I pretend I don't and just walk through the crowds as though completely oblivious. It works quite well. And if I decide to look at something...well, I've shopped with the beach vendors of Rio, the bizarre in Istanbul, and the markets in Bali - to name a few - all with Rachel, the queen of haggling herself. I've learned how to get a bargain along the way :)
Sunday was reserved for the long trip to and from Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I joined a small tour that I had had recommended to me and actually was glad I did. Out of the group there were 3 of us that were all solo travelers doing a day trip: Diane, a 40-something Brit who was there for something in the education department and Mike, a 30-something from LA also on business. It was nice to make friends along the way to hang out with and - to the Munich crew - Mike was like a Dave and Jamie without the second day crazy. We started out talking the boring basics (190k eqms last year, etc) and ended up on the topic of absinthe in Prague... I was actually surprised he didn't know about FT, but when I jokingly said that my friends refer to our group as a 'drinking club with a travel problem' he pulled out a pen to write down the details. Lol.
Okay, some of you probably want to know about the Taj Mahal. It is magnificent and peaceful and actually doesn't let you down - surprising considering how famous it is.
The Taj was build as a monument to love. Emporer Shah Jahan built it as a memorial to his second wife who died giving birth to their 14th child at age 39. (Dear lord). Anyway, it took 22 years and 20,000 people to construct it at a price tag equivalent to about $70 million today. It is spectacular not only in its overall effect but especially in the details, which are unimaginable until you've looked at the designs in the building up close.
View of the Taj Mahal in the distance from Agra Fort.
Today is Monday. I got up this morning and flew back down to Hyderabad. After a nap and a shower I went in to work until about 8:30 and then went to a dinner/reception for all R10 (India designation at work - as in Region 10) visitors this evening. I am hopeful that I will actually be able to work a more normal schedule this week and spend some of my mornings exploring Hyderabad. I am leaving on Friday for Mumbai for the weekend - which reminds me, I should probably look into booking tickets for that soon...
2 comments:
Glad to know you were paying attention to my bargaining prowess! ;-)
sounds like a blast!
1) you need to turn the spam protection on (the random letter thing)
2) I am sooooooo jealous. How come I never knew the Taj is a homage to...love. OMG, I am SO going.
3) Re: the driver thing. This was something I always had a problem with in Jamaica. At our villa we always had two 'helpers' who were at our beck and call. It bothered me A LOT. Eventually I figured out, though, that given the limited opportunities otherwise available to them, being at my beck and call was actually an amazingly unparalleled opportunity for them. They made more money from our tip at the end of our stay than most Jamaicans made in a year. So stop feeling bad and trapped and appreciate that you are actually doing a Very Good Thing for your driver!!! Putting his kids in braces. Allowing his wife to get prenatal care. It's a win-win thing!
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