Uh Oh: Today we popped out locally for half an hour with my cousin Mayank... he sneakily took the car as he doesnt have a license, and we went to maccies, and when we got out we discovered the car had been towed away - So we decided to go to the Police Station to see if i could play it thick & get the car out of them (without my international license) to save his skin.. but the car wasnt there its aparantly half an hr away in some parking lot. So right now, while we are surfing the web (quite happily) he has got a lift with his mate and currently trying to get the car back by showing his mates licence.. We'll let you know - whether we got the car back safely without anyone knowing at home that it ever went missing.
As tonight they are supposed to take us out to the Mall & the beach.. to be continued......
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
EVERYWHERE IS A TOILET
Don't be to taken aback if you see people weeing against the wall in India. Everywhere is a toilet for the locals. It is something you get used to seeing by the end of your visit. Of course we did get used to the not walking too close to the walls in most streets as this stunk of wee a bit.
HAND HOLDING SCANDAL
Yes it's true, there are a huge amount of guys in India who hold hands as they walk through the streets. One of our relatives Jason was told on his first visit to India that all of these people were indeed gay(Jason walking around suprised by how out of the closet India was). After some time he was told that it's just the way things are here, it is acceptable for guy friends to hold hands. Crazy!!
BUYING AIN'T EASY
Buying things in India seems to be a major problem. First we go to a train station to buy a ticket. Aside from the usual problem that people in India don't know how to stand in line, when you find yourself at the front you are given this essay to fill out just to go from one place to another(god help you if you have to cancel). This seemed strange but we thought, "Hey they just haven't got a system sorted yet, it's a station, it needs some security".
But then we went into a regular shop. I picked up some hair gel, went to the counter and asked to pay. The woman at the counter took the gel from me and printed out a receipt which she gave to me (eh what's going on here then). I was then ushered to another counter where I gave the receipt in and was allowed to pay.
He then gave me another receipt which I took to a third counter where they gave me the hair gel which I had originally picked up. And this was not just one shop, they all had equally crazy systems such as swipe card systems, muliple counters, bag checks at supermarkets and storage for your handbags as you enter shops. Way up tight.
But then we went into a regular shop. I picked up some hair gel, went to the counter and asked to pay. The woman at the counter took the gel from me and printed out a receipt which she gave to me (eh what's going on here then). I was then ushered to another counter where I gave the receipt in and was allowed to pay.
He then gave me another receipt which I took to a third counter where they gave me the hair gel which I had originally picked up. And this was not just one shop, they all had equally crazy systems such as swipe card systems, muliple counters, bag checks at supermarkets and storage for your handbags as you enter shops. Way up tight.
Journal - 20th March 2006
We're sitting in Delhi's domestic airport lounge. And there are continuous anoucements for passengers to identify their luggage.
We've been through a fair few of India domestic airports now, but i cannot get my head around this process of identifying your luggage manually - after your bags have been through the baggage screening and through check-in.
We're expected to go out on the runway, and tell an official which ones are our bags, so he can load them onboard. As unless baggage is identified it is not loaded on the aeroplane. Just another something that you have to do that slows you down.
Dont know if anyone heard me complaining today but we didnt have to do for our flight to Mumbai i dont know if it had anything to do with flying Jet Airways, but we most certainly had to go through the process with Spicejet & Air Deccan .
We're in Mumbai now, and really can feel the heat out here..! Its been hot of course, ever since we left icecold England, but guess we havent felt it being unbearable hot yet.. until now.. !!
Oohh! now Pauly will catch a tan i hope..
Well Mumbai definately seems alot less dusty - we spotted quite a few official street cleaners out here on the drive home to from the airport, and they are actually doing something about keeping the city clean by the looks of it, well they are so here in Andheri West the rest of the city we are yet to see. But we are looking fwd to it.
Its quite alot more built up out here now too, than what i remember from 5 years ago. Quite a few more shopping malls have gone up. And i spotted a Reliance Webworld place, right opposite the place we are staying at the mo, so thats pretty handy in itself..!
We've been through a fair few of India domestic airports now, but i cannot get my head around this process of identifying your luggage manually - after your bags have been through the baggage screening and through check-in.
We're expected to go out on the runway, and tell an official which ones are our bags, so he can load them onboard. As unless baggage is identified it is not loaded on the aeroplane. Just another something that you have to do that slows you down.
Dont know if anyone heard me complaining today but we didnt have to do for our flight to Mumbai i dont know if it had anything to do with flying Jet Airways, but we most certainly had to go through the process with Spicejet & Air Deccan .
We're in Mumbai now, and really can feel the heat out here..! Its been hot of course, ever since we left icecold England, but guess we havent felt it being unbearable hot yet.. until now.. !!
Oohh! now Pauly will catch a tan i hope..
Well Mumbai definately seems alot less dusty - we spotted quite a few official street cleaners out here on the drive home to from the airport, and they are actually doing something about keeping the city clean by the looks of it, well they are so here in Andheri West the rest of the city we are yet to see. But we are looking fwd to it.
Its quite alot more built up out here now too, than what i remember from 5 years ago. Quite a few more shopping malls have gone up. And i spotted a Reliance Webworld place, right opposite the place we are staying at the mo, so thats pretty handy in itself..!
Memorable Moment: Delhi, India
Oooh that hurt: The little terror that is Tanmay, one of our relatives. One day as Paul was minding his own business walking through the house. As Paul passed, Tanmay cheekily slapped him. He caught him square in the balls. Nice one little guy. Some day this will happen to you and you will think twice of inflicting such misery on others.
Memorable Moments: 1st taxi cab experience in India
Paul's indian road experience: After bartering a good rate we jump into a taxi home. At this point I learn how different the roads are in India.
People ignore the lane markings & pretty much all the road rules for that matter. They do know how to horn though. They horn when they are near another car, when they pass & sometimes just cause they feel like it.
On the way home our taxi driver was like a maniac, pulling stunts that i wouldnt have the bottle to do when playing a computer game. Eventually he pulled over & decided he was too tired to drive any further & pulled over a rickshaw to take us the rest of our journey.
Right so that should be safer, maybe for a little while. Then we eventually get lost so Mr rickshaw driver decides to stop for directions. Hey no problem but then as we are passing some guy walking in the street smacking a big stick off the ground he decides to stop and ask him. Me wetting my pants thinking for christ's sake is there nobody else to ask, for god's sake he's smacking a big stick off the ground walking through the street in the early hours of the morning!!!
This is where Bobbi informs me this is India nightwatchman. Later Ashish corrects us that there are these guys who walk through the street smacking a stick off the ground so that people don't sleep so soundly as they ignore burglars.
This sounds like a stupid idea at first but later becomes far beyond insane when you get woken up by it night after night. Things couldn't get worse as far as sleep goes I hear you say. But no, at 6am some guy wakes you up again shouting for you to buy fruit, then his friend selling balloons, then milk, then every god damn other thing under the sun. This continues until regular people would get out of bed. Arseholes!
People ignore the lane markings & pretty much all the road rules for that matter. They do know how to horn though. They horn when they are near another car, when they pass & sometimes just cause they feel like it.
On the way home our taxi driver was like a maniac, pulling stunts that i wouldnt have the bottle to do when playing a computer game. Eventually he pulled over & decided he was too tired to drive any further & pulled over a rickshaw to take us the rest of our journey.
Right so that should be safer, maybe for a little while. Then we eventually get lost so Mr rickshaw driver decides to stop for directions. Hey no problem but then as we are passing some guy walking in the street smacking a big stick off the ground he decides to stop and ask him. Me wetting my pants thinking for christ's sake is there nobody else to ask, for god's sake he's smacking a big stick off the ground walking through the street in the early hours of the morning!!!
This is where Bobbi informs me this is India nightwatchman. Later Ashish corrects us that there are these guys who walk through the street smacking a stick off the ground so that people don't sleep so soundly as they ignore burglars.
This sounds like a stupid idea at first but later becomes far beyond insane when you get woken up by it night after night. Things couldn't get worse as far as sleep goes I hear you say. But no, at 6am some guy wakes you up again shouting for you to buy fruit, then his friend selling balloons, then milk, then every god damn other thing under the sun. This continues until regular people would get out of bed. Arseholes!
Amusing Moments: Delhi, India
Rush hour entertainment: After a day of sightseeing around Delhi we were heading back home & sitting in traffic while other drivers did the usual gawping. While one particular (quite an elderly man) took quite a fancy to Paul. As both cars while driving parallel to another he simply couldnt take his eyes off Paul, we kept losing him in traffic & then he would catch up again, then he decided to feed his eyes further and decided to wind his window down to continue on with his fixiation.
This all went un-noticed by Paul so i brought his attention to him. And then wicked mind, thougtht "Lets make this more interesting" so I dared Paul to blow him a kiss.... to my surprise he did too, while I was in hysterics at the fact, the old guy gestered thankyou to Paul & pulled off at the next slip road - Hillarious, but mildly strange!!!
This all went un-noticed by Paul so i brought his attention to him. And then wicked mind, thougtht "Lets make this more interesting" so I dared Paul to blow him a kiss.... to my surprise he did too, while I was in hysterics at the fact, the old guy gestered thankyou to Paul & pulled off at the next slip road - Hillarious, but mildly strange!!!
Amusing Moments:Delhi, India
Lotus Temple: At the entrance we both were standing reading a plaque bout the Bahai Faith when this girl approached us, asking if i was indian, to which i replied "Yes?" she then looked at Paul, then at me, back at Paul then turn towards me & said "Ah! so this must be your Chura" pointing at my bangles.
Dont know whether she went away thinking whether Paul was indian/english but we certainly confused the hell out of her.
Dont know whether she went away thinking whether Paul was indian/english but we certainly confused the hell out of her.
Amusing Moments:- Chandigarh, India
Chemist: We were enquiring about malaria tablets & the pharmacist gave us a guide book to read through, so while we were reading he shouted back to his colleagues in indian "These people know what chura is" assuming we couldnt understand. So in response to his comment i said "There are such things as weddings out in England too" .
He became very embarrased, when he looked at me quite confused, which deserved him right for thinking out loud like that.
He became very embarrased, when he looked at me quite confused, which deserved him right for thinking out loud like that.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Journal - 17th March 2006
Been to Jaipur & Agra & it was great, however we managed to escape the Holi celebrations. Taj Mahal was as fabulous as we had thought, so far the Lotus Temple in Delhi and the Taj Mahal have been our favourite. We have seen heaps of other old palaces and forts, but they were derelict places with history attahced to them.
We also have seen quite alot of wildlife considering we havent been on a Safari yet. We saw Elephants in Jaipur, Monkeys, Peacocks, Green Parrots, and and a Cheetah too.
Weather has been great, we're not finding it unbearably hot - just appreciate being in the sun i guess.
Now we have the sights in Delhi and surrounding areas out the way - we fly to Mumbai on the 20th so we sat down last night and planned our next part of the trip - We are going to use till the end of this month by staying with Family in mumbai then we are hoping to move out to Goa, Kerela & Bangalore
We also have seen quite alot of wildlife considering we havent been on a Safari yet. We saw Elephants in Jaipur, Monkeys, Peacocks, Green Parrots, and and a Cheetah too.
Weather has been great, we're not finding it unbearably hot - just appreciate being in the sun i guess.
Now we have the sights in Delhi and surrounding areas out the way - we fly to Mumbai on the 20th so we sat down last night and planned our next part of the trip - We are going to use till the end of this month by staying with Family in mumbai then we are hoping to move out to Goa, Kerela & Bangalore
Journal - 18th March 2006
We went to the Akshardam Mandir recently opened here in Delhi today and it was truly the most beautiful & fabulous place that we have been to so far. There is another mandir in Neasden, London, and i realised today that has been created by the BAPS society also. The mandir beats the Taj Mahal by far, with the detail that has gone into the architecture of the building.
We said G'bye to the relies we had been staying with in Vivek Vihar today & they were quite upset at us leaving, they said they had really become used to having us around.
I had another compliment on my chura today, but to my surprise, this girl actually politley approached me, asking me where i had brought it from, opposed to the usual grab of the arm by strangers passing by.
We said G'bye to the relies we had been staying with in Vivek Vihar today & they were quite upset at us leaving, they said they had really become used to having us around.
I had another compliment on my chura today, but to my surprise, this girl actually politley approached me, asking me where i had brought it from, opposed to the usual grab of the arm by strangers passing by.
Journal - 18th March 2006
Just catching up with our stay so far in India - We've enjoyed the sight seeing wish we could take away the dirty crowds & the rudeness of the stares from passers by. Part of us finds it amusing, that the fact people want to take photies of us with them & the other half finds it totally weird.
We are really beginning to miss the home food now (god knows when the next bag of real fish & chips is going to be) So looking forward to moving on from Delhi to Mumbai, Goa, Banglaore & Kerala to see what they have to offer on the food side.
We are really beginning to miss the home food now (god knows when the next bag of real fish & chips is going to be) So looking forward to moving on from Delhi to Mumbai, Goa, Banglaore & Kerala to see what they have to offer on the food side.
We went to a TGI Fridays to find there was no steak on the menu.. not even a lamb steak. We went for a couple of combo starters, errr.. not trying the TGI's for a meal for a while, best for cocktails only!
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