Incredible India! ~Part 1

Two weeks into my new job, I was assigned to a project in India. I didn't know if I should be excited over it but this is the first time I've been that far out of Malaysia. Boh lui ma... that's why I aim for a job that will give me the chance to work and travel. This will be my last chance of travelling "for free" before I succumb to normal life.

I've survived India and back! Everything that I've seen on TV or photos about India could never beat the experience of seeing, feeling and tasting India hands-on. I am grateful that I had this chance to travel and stay in hotel and tour new towns :)

The MAS flight to India was all cramped up. It was a small Airbus 330 and for a 5-hour flight without any personal entertainment, the trip was really dull. Luckily I met a familiar face on board and we chatted for a few hours about my ex-company and colleagues. I wish MAS could provide better flights to India, just like SQ's. Even flight from KL to Singapore on SQ is much much more comfortable. Not complaining much though, after all it's fully paid by my company!

I was a little worried when told by my ex-colleague during the flight that the weather in Gurgoan would be around 7 degrees. I've never experienced such cold weather before. Luckily the office jacket that I brought along was good enough. We arrived at Indhira Gandhi Airport and it was indeed really cold.

This is the hotel where I stayed. Not bad though, the room was really comfortable but it costs RM1000 per night! If we would go for a RM1K/night hotel here in Malaysia I think we could stay in a super executive suite or something already but that's the cost of a 5-star hotel in India.

The next morning, the view outside the hotel looked like this. The weather was supposed to have very high humidity but it felt dry to me. My cheeks were cracking and peeling and I started to look like a Mongolian as they turn reddish.

Gurgoan looked bare compared to Delhi.

Notice that there are just yellow sands everywhere. There are lots of constructions everywhere and the streets were full of dusts and sands; it felt like dessert in Gurgoan. And the traffic ahhh, I don't know how to describe it but now I know KL traffic is really 10x better. In Gurgoan, all cars try to inch every single possible way through. Vehicles from left will go to right and vice versa. There's simply no queues or lines, motorcycles, bicycles, 3-wheel motorcycles, bull-carts, buses, people all will make their way as closer to you as possible. There were more small cars (Suzuki, Hyundai and local Tata brands are popular ones) than big cars. I really feel like drivers there are really champion drivers, they drive so near to each other but so far I haven't seen any misfortunate event, except for one case where I witnessed live accident in front of the hotel, 3-car pile up - a wagon banged into an ambulance and another smaller car banged into the wagon. PHAM PHAM! Most cars on the road have scratches and dents though...

The car that took us to office and back to hotel everyday. Maruti Suzuki WagonR.

A view along the way to work. Does it look like on the way to the desert to you?

This is how my daily lunch looked like. Either rice or chapati with mutton or chicken curry with lots of beans (green beans, long beans, dhal) at the office canteen. 40rupees free-flow of food.

We tried Chinese food here during one lunch day. This Chinese restaurant is called Mainland China and it is behind the office building. Nokia Siemens Networks is also here in this building ;) The food...can't compare to what we have here back in Malaysia. The decoration inside the restaurant looked impressive though.

I prayed all the way to and from office, when we go toured New Delhi and the trip to Taj Mahal. I am thankful I am still alive and survived the driving in India. The drivers just honked and honked to give warning when overtaking and they just overtake whenever possible, around the corners even when we couldn't gauge oncoming vehicles and it was especially scary when there were oncoming big vehicles!! Sometimes I just closed my eyes with my hands - really "mou ngan tai" haha..

Friday was a Public Holiday in India and off we went touring Delhi. We went to several historical places like Kutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb.

Views along the way to Delhi

Kutub Minar at 72.5m high. It's tallest brick minaret in the world. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutub_minar

Surrounding ruins around Kutub Minar

Alai Minar, the incomplete minar. It was planned to be 2 times higher than Kutub Minar but was abandoned after the death of the king, Ala-ud-din. Only the first storey was completed and still can be seen here today.

The streets of Delhi, much better compared to Gurgoan's.

Police on horses

I thought Bangkok one was already worst...

Common sight everywhere, mothers and children begging in the street. This mother and child were just happily giggling in front of me.

This is the first time I've seen this fruit called Pomegranate . It has small edible parts full of seeds. Not easy to eat though but it tastes quite sweet. I was told that we could get this fruit in Malaysia too but it is native to the region from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region and the Caucasus since ancient times. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate

Lahore Gate - main entrance to the Red Fort. Rows of shops followed next.

Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started construction of the massive Red Fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648. Still in good shape today after many invasions. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort

Diwan-i-Khas, or Hall of Private Audience where the emperor listened to the complaints of the common folks.

Busy bazaar in front of Red Fort

A child lying behind the horse-cart, dying. Not the one sitting on the cart, the one on the street. Nobody cared and I also didn't know what to do.

Goats for sale! I managed to snap this when this man just carried 2 goats on his shoulder. After snapping, I showed thumbs up to him and quickly ran away to join my colleagues. He looked quite fierce.

This camel is for sale too I guess. Besides cows and horses, camels are also used to carry carts.

Need to make a call? "Mobile" phones are here.

This is the car that brought us around Delhi. The journey took 45min from Gurgoan. It's a 9-seater Toyota Quallis. That's our driver, Suvash.

I have to end this first part of the blog here. It's getting too long making it difficult for me to post pictures. Incredible India Part 2 is up next - Humayun's Tomb and Taj Mahal!

All photos were taken from my N70. Not bad huh. I must get a real camera soon. I am aiming for a small one that's convenient to carry and snap at an instance. My next trip would be to Philippines in January, stay tuned.