Friday night in hip and happening Vellore!

First of all thank-you to all the people who responded to my blog.  You are the reason there is another post.  So thanks Lorraine, Debbie, Jennifer, Ruairí, Brendan, Anne, Sunil, Souri, Lorraine, Brian and Dan

Nice things people said to me –

• “forgot how entertaining you accounts of India could be”
• “best of luck....I'm sure you'll like it better this time.  Although that's a low bar.”
• "You're a brave lady"
• “your blog makes it all sound unbearably exotic and glamorous” - not sure it was my blog that was being read in that case!

So thank-you all, here goes the next post.

Its Friday night and I’m writing this in my room under the pleasant breeze from the fan and air conditioner.  Every so often I think about the massive amount of electricity the air conditioner must be using but then I think how horribly hot and sticky it is without it.  I have first-hand experience because every night the electricity has gone off for 5-7 hours.  The back-up power keeps a few lights on and a few fans but no air conditioning.  This morning I woke up in a lather of sweat since the air con had been off since midnight and the 30C plus heat had steadily weaved its way into my room.

The last 2 days I’ve worn no make-up.  The only mirror is quite far removed from the only functional light (on back-up power) so I decided that the results might be scary and the audience unappreciative!  But thank God for blemish Balm.  Not make-up but it does wonders to my skin.  Its still far from flawless but it makes an OK skin day look like a good skin day.

I suppose often a business traveller has a very different experience from a regular traveller.  Since I’ve arrived in India I’ve had to do no organising as to how I get places.  I just need to be ready when I’m told.  A car picked me up from the airport and brought me to the office.  Every morning and evening the finance manager’s driver takes us to/from the compound.  At work we go to lunch in the canteen.  As there’s not much to do in Vellore we just stay in the compound and work (mainly my colleague) and play on the internet (mainly me*).  There are also few restaurants deemed suitable for visitors (the good people of Vellore may argue against this).  We were advised to bring all the food we needed so I’ve been dining on fruit (last Apple has just been gobbled) packet soup, cereal bars and Ryvita.   This has all resulted that in 4 days I haven’t spent any money.  Extraordinary!  I suppose this diet should also result in weight loss - fingers crossed!

Suddenly feel guilt-ridden colleague has just come in to tell me there was an issue in the reporting data (a mistake in a BW report criteria – feel some of my readers will understand that – possibly better than I do)

But on the other hand it is 10.15pm on a Friday night. 

Tomorrow we go to Pondicherry.  It’s a former French colony which is supposed to have beautiful towns.  I fear the once beautiful towns will, like most of the rest of India, show all too clearly the country’s poverty.  But I reserve my judgement until I’ve visited.  Maybe just maybe there’ll be another blog entry next week.

I’ve taken 10,000 rupees (about €140) out of the ATM tonight so the shops in Pondicherry had better watch out.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope you are having a more fun Friday night than I am!

* typically I have loads of work to do but right now most of my seems to depend on other people who are not here so I’m somewhat limited.  Those who have worked with me will know most of the time I’m not a slacker at all