Things I will keep from India.
I am ready to go home. I think I was ready to go home as soon as I got off the plane in Bangalore. I don't know why but I have been very worried about this trip. Even though I have traveled to many places in the past without any worries, coming here has been different. I guess it is perhaps because you have to get 4 shots prior to coming. They also recommend that you take some prescriptions while you are here to avoid getting malaria from mosquitoes. I remember being at the doctor's office asking , "Is that really necessary? Are there really mosquitoes in the city?" The answer is yes. There are lots of mosquitoes in the city. They are even inside the buildings because there aren't any screens and doors are often left open. I was told that the locals don't typically worry about taking their malaria prescription unless they hear of an outbreak.
Unlike other cities I travel too I often rent a car and drive myself around. Here that simply isn't an option. It isn't safe to drive yourself. Like England they drive on the wrong side of the road. The wrong side if your an American. The safest option is to hire a driver. Those that have come here in the past get to know their drivers. Drivers serve to purposes to get you to your location but also they also help you stay safe and have a pleasant visit. The other option is these 3 wheel taxi scooters which are very easily tipped over. If you were to get in an accident you probably wouldn't survive. Their is no Metro. They appear to be trying to build a raised monorail system but it hasn't progressed very quickly.
Another transportation option is to use the driver / car from the hotel. I am staying at the Leela Palace. It is perhaps the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at.
I arrived here at 1 am in the morning. All the international flights come in at night. All the drivers are standing with a sign with their passenger's name. They wait to pickup people as soon as they exit customs. The driver takes my bag and we walk to the car. He immediately locks the door as we enter the car. We end up sitting in traffic in the parking lot for about 30 mins. The airport parking lot only has one exit gate to pay for parking but there was a problem with it. But just like many problems, tasks and jobs in India there are 5 hired airport people there ready to fix it. Compare that to the united states where they have taken the labor aspect completely out of the parking experience. You pay a machine and you are out of the parking area in less than a minute. Quite a contrast.
If you had to describe this country or at least Bangalore that would probably be a good word to describe it. A city of contrasts. On the day we arrived we walked out of the walled hotel compound area. As you walk out to the main street this luxurious hotel is on you are immediately bombarded with the smells of the petrol from the cars and the dust from the street shoot up everywhere. The traffic is bumper to bumper on 2 lane major city streets. We are immediately approached by several people asking us if we need a taxi or if we need anything at all. Everyone is ready to work to survive. The sidewalks are very narrow and crowded. The cars don't really bother paying attention to the traffic signals. Crossing the street becomes an adventure just to get to the ATM machine. We walk back to the hotel and decide to do some shopping. Instead of walking anywhere, we get the hotel driver to take us. The buses are crowded. The people on the bus stick their hands out the window and stare at you when they see a foreigner.
Driving through the streets you see wild dogs, goats and other animals just walking the the city streets. I didn't run into any cows.. although I have heard it is common. The thing that strikes you in the city is that it is either a business facing the street or a walled compound of some sort with glass or other sharp objects at the top of the wall to keep people out. These walls are everywhere. It doesn't really give you a sense of comfort almost everywhere you drive you see these walls. We stop at a traffic light and a 12 year old boy begins doing acrobatic tricks with a younger 5 year old boy. They have a metal ring as a prop. They finish their routine and then lean against the window of our car. They beg for some money. They have practiced their trade well. Picking the right location at the traffic light and targeting the cars from the hotels. Our car has the "Leela Palace" Logo on the side of the door. The driver says to not give them any money because it will just attract more people and we won't be able to move.
We finally get to the store to buy some gifts for the family. We walk in and there are about 15 store clerks working there. We are the only customer in the first floor of the shop. Again we are immediately swarmed asking how we can be helped. We finish are shopping.
While I waited for my friend I look at the store window and there on a main street in a major city is an ox transporting cargo in a cart... You simply can't imagine that that there would still see that after all the development and money that has poured into this country from out sourcing.
Speaking of out sourcing I saw the movie "Outsourced" the plane here. I thought it was kind of ironic me coming to India and watching that movie for the first time on the plane here. It was a great movie. It was very funny and did have a great message. The message being we are all people of this world each trying to make a living to feed our families. We are no different than other people in other countries.
The most valuable thing I will keep from India is the lesson of how lucky we are to be in the United States. Our ability to have a safe, healthy and comfortable life. I will also remember the sounds of chirping crickets in the morning and evening that are really the taxi scooters beeping at each other on the streets outside. Everyone beeps at each other. It reminds of the problematic beeping that was out of control in Portugal 30 years ago.
Unlike other cities I travel too I often rent a car and drive myself around. Here that simply isn't an option. It isn't safe to drive yourself. Like England they drive on the wrong side of the road. The wrong side if your an American. The safest option is to hire a driver. Those that have come here in the past get to know their drivers. Drivers serve to purposes to get you to your location but also they also help you stay safe and have a pleasant visit. The other option is these 3 wheel taxi scooters which are very easily tipped over. If you were to get in an accident you probably wouldn't survive. Their is no Metro. They appear to be trying to build a raised monorail system but it hasn't progressed very quickly.
Another transportation option is to use the driver / car from the hotel. I am staying at the Leela Palace. It is perhaps the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at.
I arrived here at 1 am in the morning. All the international flights come in at night. All the drivers are standing with a sign with their passenger's name. They wait to pickup people as soon as they exit customs. The driver takes my bag and we walk to the car. He immediately locks the door as we enter the car. We end up sitting in traffic in the parking lot for about 30 mins. The airport parking lot only has one exit gate to pay for parking but there was a problem with it. But just like many problems, tasks and jobs in India there are 5 hired airport people there ready to fix it. Compare that to the united states where they have taken the labor aspect completely out of the parking experience. You pay a machine and you are out of the parking area in less than a minute. Quite a contrast.
If you had to describe this country or at least Bangalore that would probably be a good word to describe it. A city of contrasts. On the day we arrived we walked out of the walled hotel compound area. As you walk out to the main street this luxurious hotel is on you are immediately bombarded with the smells of the petrol from the cars and the dust from the street shoot up everywhere. The traffic is bumper to bumper on 2 lane major city streets. We are immediately approached by several people asking us if we need a taxi or if we need anything at all. Everyone is ready to work to survive. The sidewalks are very narrow and crowded. The cars don't really bother paying attention to the traffic signals. Crossing the street becomes an adventure just to get to the ATM machine. We walk back to the hotel and decide to do some shopping. Instead of walking anywhere, we get the hotel driver to take us. The buses are crowded. The people on the bus stick their hands out the window and stare at you when they see a foreigner.
Driving through the streets you see wild dogs, goats and other animals just walking the the city streets. I didn't run into any cows.. although I have heard it is common. The thing that strikes you in the city is that it is either a business facing the street or a walled compound of some sort with glass or other sharp objects at the top of the wall to keep people out. These walls are everywhere. It doesn't really give you a sense of comfort almost everywhere you drive you see these walls. We stop at a traffic light and a 12 year old boy begins doing acrobatic tricks with a younger 5 year old boy. They have a metal ring as a prop. They finish their routine and then lean against the window of our car. They beg for some money. They have practiced their trade well. Picking the right location at the traffic light and targeting the cars from the hotels. Our car has the "Leela Palace" Logo on the side of the door. The driver says to not give them any money because it will just attract more people and we won't be able to move.
We finally get to the store to buy some gifts for the family. We walk in and there are about 15 store clerks working there. We are the only customer in the first floor of the shop. Again we are immediately swarmed asking how we can be helped. We finish are shopping.
While I waited for my friend I look at the store window and there on a main street in a major city is an ox transporting cargo in a cart... You simply can't imagine that that there would still see that after all the development and money that has poured into this country from out sourcing.
Speaking of out sourcing I saw the movie "Outsourced" the plane here. I thought it was kind of ironic me coming to India and watching that movie for the first time on the plane here. It was a great movie. It was very funny and did have a great message. The message being we are all people of this world each trying to make a living to feed our families. We are no different than other people in other countries.
The most valuable thing I will keep from India is the lesson of how lucky we are to be in the United States. Our ability to have a safe, healthy and comfortable life. I will also remember the sounds of chirping crickets in the morning and evening that are really the taxi scooters beeping at each other on the streets outside. Everyone beeps at each other. It reminds of the problematic beeping that was out of control in Portugal 30 years ago.
posted by Carlos at 10:54 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Carlos when I went to Delhi about 3 years ago I experienced much of the same and Delhi is even an older city. I remember the ride from the airport to our hotel, like your hotel ours was some 5 star masterpiece, but during the ride I remember thinking you could have told me I was in Iraq or Afghanistan based on some of the roads and burned out vehicles along the sides. I also remember going in a Govt. vehicle from the US Embassy down through some of old Delhi where some of the power lines would come out one window, go across the street, and into the next building. I also at one point remember being surrounded by people and it looked like no way out......my thoughts were of the Harrison Ford movie Clear and Present Danger when they got shot at from the roof tops.......needless to say my mind was going fast. It was an interesting experience. A country rich with resources, but scary how far behind the infrastructure still is there.
That anonymous comment was Hank!
HANKKKKK! thanks for visiting and commenting.
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