Getting started

It’s Saturday, March 18th 2006 and I have been in India for 9 days. I had great plans to get fit again, call friends more often, send postcards, start a blog about India. So I went to look at the gym but haven’t worked out yet, I’ve not been too bad at calling people (but then again not great), bought postcards (no stamps, not all written), the first Saturday I went and started a blog but didn’t post anything. My great plan was to update it each Saturday with news and interesting photographs from the prior week. I’ve started a week late but hey, you lucky people you get photographs from the entire stay in India.

I’m staying at a hotel near the office. In Delhi traffic, it’s great to be near the office so as to minimize the time traveling. Unfortunately the office is in an industrial estate so there’s not much around. There isn’t much to see around the hotel. Added to this are some serious deterrents (in no particular order) beggars, many of whom are children, people desperately trying to sell books and magazines, heavy traffic, and finally all cars entering the hotel are checked for car bombs – it doesn’t make one feel like it’s a good idea to venture out. Last Wednesday, March 15th was the festival of Holi, which is a kind of Hindu celebration of spring. Despite reading quite a bit about it I don’t know why, but the Indians throw water and paint/dye at each other. By all accounts it is a quite boisterous event. The prior evening, there was a letter from the hotel manager waiting for me in my room. It basically said everything would be closed and do not plan to go out unless you are prepared to fully participate in the energetic celebrations. Then I read a few of my many guide books (I am well-stocked possessing the lonely planet, the rough guide and the eyewitness guide) – the general advice is that non-Indians, especially unaccompanied women should not go out during Holi. Also I wasn’t feeling great that day so all things combined I stayed at the hotel the entire day. My colleagues assured me subsequently that I would have been fine and also told me it was a great festival. I’m sure they’re right but cannot corroborate!

On Sunday I visited Humanyan’s tomb. This is a Muslim tomb, on which the Taj Mahal was partly based. It was quite impressive, more than before I look forward to seeing the Taj Mahal. Photograph above

I also went to an Indian market which was perhaps a more authentic experience than I wanted – I was the only non-Indian I saw and there were cows in the middle of the market.


I know nearly everybody has seen photographs of cows wandering the streets in India but I was still not prepared to see them everywhere! They certainly contribute to the traffic problems but I suspect even if all the cows were gone, traffic in Delhi would still be terrible. One comforting aspect is that nothing goes very fast so even if you had an accident it probably wouldn’t as serious as in other cities. Despite this, not for all the tea in China (or India, I suppose) would I ride sidesaddle on a motorcycle as many women here do (occasionally with a child between the parents – very scary).


I have signed a lease on my apartment which is good. I have no air-conditioning (which is bad). Today I bought a bed, which will be delivered Tuesday. I hope I will move in soon, but I am learning that, in India, patience is not only a virtue but an essential characteristic. Case in point, yesterday I wanted to get something scanned, so at 9.00, I went down to the business center, asked the hotel staff to scan the document which she gladly did, or at least started to. She chatted to her colleague while I stood and waited, and waited. After about 5 minutes I started browsing through the Time and other assorted magazines on offer, still standing. More time passed, I decided to sit down and actually read one of the articles. More time, the hotel employee calls somebody on the phone. I wait. At about 9.20 I stand up in the hope, this action may produce some results. I suppose it did – I was told there was some problem (like I hadn’t guessed!!!) and they needed to rescan it. Eventually there are 4 people hunched around the computer trying to scan the document. Finally it works (this is 9.40) and they email it to me. I return to my room and call my friend (who is expecting my call at 09.00 – I figured how long can it take to scan something). Later I check my email. The document has not arrived. I go into my other email account and check that the email server is working. It is, still no sign of the document. I call the business center, they resend it. I know such inefficiency can happen anyway (possibly even in Japan) but this is certainly not an isolated incident (don’t get me started on Delhi airport, it is unbelievable how many things you have to queue for: entering the airport; x-raying and sealing bags; check-in; passport control (combined with customs – some efficiency), security. All told I spend 6 hours at Delhi airport, at least 2 ½ waiting in lines to get to the boarding gate)

On the positive side, it seems in India I will be considered pretty punctual :-)