TuTubain from Lisboa

Small cup of extremely good coffee, bbq chicken better than nandos, cobble stone streets, nice plazas, lots of water views, beautiful is Lisbon. After leaving Morocco i wanted to go back to civilization. After three days in Lisbon i would say it is the closest to Vancouver by far. No mountains but lots of water, friendly people and lots of character. Lisbon in 1998 was awarded the expo and since then it has turned everything into gold. My cousin was there from Canada visiting his gf so all of us went and did the tourist thing. We went up a elevator to see teh view of the water. The weather was nice in the daytime although it was chilly at night. Just like Vancouver. I was staying in Estoril which was right near the water. On Sunday there were all the families and jogger on the seawall. Also Estoril has the biggest casino in europe. No money for me to spend there but still nice. Spent most of my time in lisbon, eating food at the cafes or else checking out the water where the expo used to be. Amazing building, great views and great food. Three days went fast. Also the Ismaili centre there was incredible. If you have a chance to see it go. Its gorgeous. I would say the best khane i have ever seen. As for now i have made my way to Madrid. The weather is now cold so back to Vancouver weather. I will probably head back to London for some time before heading to the US. Until then arigaro and ciao.

marrakech, morroco, back to the 1800s

Arrive at the airport via british airways. outside there is a line up of cabs. book says 60 or 100 at a nite to the city. I dont speak french uh oh. FInally decided to take any cab 150 they carged which is like 20 cnd. of course they overcharged me but i am at their mercy. looks a bit smoky a bit cloudy outside. we enter the gated city. pink everywhere. not the bright pink of jaipur (which was for the welcoming of the british royal visit) this pink is the color of the sand. the sand creates the bricks the cities are made of. get off now what. i understand that i have to walk across the souks. but where do i go. hmm. finally an unfocial guide who i happen to ask directions takes me to where i need to be. 10 minute walk through narrow narrow streats, a bit dodgey but surprisingly marrakech is very safe as the police have implented tough rules, very narrow alleys and finally i meet the guy from the hostel. he says these guides are shady although if he wasnt there i would be looking for hours so i gave him 10 morrocon dirhams. of course its never enuf here in morroco. I am hungry so i decide to go exploring. bad idea. after walkin around and getting a bite to eat i had back home. i am now really tired. here is where the problem starts i do not have the address on me so i after failing to find the street that i thought i knew, i decided to go into a internet cafe which is all in french. find the address now i go around asking people everyone giving me random hints. one hour has passed i cant find the place. i dont know french and everyone is giving me the wrong direction. then finally my angel comes. mohammad the 8 year old boy asked the guy there if i wanted him to take me to my hotel (of course for a little bit of euros). i agree as i have no clue and i am tired now. finally i find my place thanks to mohammad. so know to give him some money. oops i only got big bills. 10 minutes convincing him that a british pound is more then a euro and finally he agrees to go a very happy boy more money then he will see this month (assuming he figures out that a pound is 16 dirhams). i have found my morrocon home at least for the next 3 nights. in morroco i am staying in a city called marrakech. many celebrities organize big parties in this city. i was stayin in the old city which is more then 200 years old. there is also the new part of the city called mohammad v street in gueulliz. there was lots of history to morroco with the fighting of the berber tribe, the movement of the muslims, the tryant king, the french colonization or i guess french ruling and finally to what it is today with a king again and finally indipendent country located in northern africa.

place de fna

the old city as it is called is full of morrocon singers, snake charmers, henna artists , fortune tellers, monkeys on a chain . if you take a picture of anything you are approached right away and you have to pay. and not just a little probably a euro or two to satisfy them. you can take a picture with a snake on you or a monkey or whatever. the old city is souks by day selling everything. carpets, leather, watches , purses, dvds, fruits and nuts and at night there is also hot food sold. the local dish is tangire which like a slow cooked plate of food. i tried the goat one on the last day of course at a restaurant. not bad but not really good either. as the days went on the shock was reduced. there were some old tombs, reuins of palaces and just walking around from teh old city to new. the new city is just like europe with shopping stores and all the restaurants. the old city is like 200 years back. 20 minutes and you can travel in time. the three days were interesting. definately if you know french it would be much better but oh well another city to see.

i was not there on the weekend so i didnt get to seet the party scene although i think its more of a place where private celebrity parties are held (like p diddy )

I finally board my plane to lisbon. medeval city. morrocon archetechture with lots of domes and the hotel room had very interesting honey comb lanterns and the entrance with domes, nice terrace living in the old city and walking around seeing mules used to transport things, bicycles mopeds, carts, hoarses. very old city feeling. finaly time to get back to civilization au revoir....

Vegas of the Middle East

Of course how can you go to india without going to an indian movie. Leaving the dusty and sometimes chilly Amritsar led me to the most cosmopolitan city of India. If there was a city in India that I can live in, it would be Mumbai. Before i continue i would like to give a big shout out to Fazillah - my yar who is a fan of these blogs. .. After arriving at the airport in mumbai of course you got to get a cab. My friend Capri (whose house i stayed at, thanks for all the hospitality you and Rashmi gave me) told me that a cab to his house should cost 100 rupees. I arrive and the price is 385. I tried to negotiate to no avail. I managed to get a rickshaw for 150 and started towards his house. Problem is the Rrickshaw doesn't go all the way to his house. Lucky for my mobile (celly for you canadianas). Anyways so the moral of this story is that crossing the highway in mumbai is not fun and lucky i made it ok. All the practice and training paid off. In mumbai i stayed near sion east near bandra. Bandra is where sharuk khan lives (check out the archives). Three days in mumbai allowed me to check out some indian art exhibits (my friends wife is an artist). Also of course my favourite the indian movie. we went to two movies. One was a multiplex where they happened to do a big movie premier of the movie traffic signal. We watched that the day after. Salam eh isk is a typical indian movie great story. Traffic signal is a more artsy movie and although a bit slow i liked it. It showed the life of people on the streats. Go watch it. As i drove by any traffic signal in mumbai i think of the movie of the people who's whole life is dependent on weather they can sell a newspaper or shine a shoe or sell some clothes or beg. Weather they starve or stay alive is dependent on chance, peoples attitude, rain and of course attitudes. In the end this time in india i tried to have more loose change to give away. Its just so sad to see. Anyways three days in bombay and i am done with india. Off to the next city....Vegas.... Vegas of the East.. Ok not really vegas. Dubai is like vegas but without the gambling. Having many cuzins my days were action packed. Although i did catch a bit of the cold which let me bed rest for a couple days. The malls have ski lifts. The water is imported in from the sea. No island is natural. First of all Dubai is a desert. The whole city has emerged from the desert sand. Remind of a city... oh ya vegas. And the crazy thing is that the construction is just getting started. In 5years this city will be a masterpiece. An engineers dream. It will house the largest building in the world. Its recreating the taj mahal. Cornishes everywhere (like an inlet). As a place to live it has it all. It has cheap labour so you can live as a king for cheap. A cook a maid a driver. Also the malls are enormous the beach is there the weather is nice. The only problem is the traffic. Oh ya don't forget the gold souks where all the gold traders sell their jewelry at good prices. Forget india come to dubai if you are getting married. Get the gold the clothes all here. As for culture its not here. You do get some arab culture but its very material. But its close to lots of places so nice location. The rest of the week ...shopping at Meena bazzar.. gold sukh... and of course the desert safari Desert Safari emptying the air out of the land cruiser. Less air allows the car to slide better across the dunes. Its a roller coaster ride. After a half hour we get to the tent. Ride a camal. Hold a bald eagle. Have some sheeha. Mixed grill buffet excellent food. And of course dressing in Arab gear. My cuzin had on the burkha. Thats a black and white culture men in white, women in black. Dune buggy which bailed on me. For some reason i stalled up a hill and i tried to go backwards only to have it come crashing on me. Lucky it wasn't heavy. Anyways the rest of the night was spent watching belly dancing. Overnight a great day. Friday was spent with my cuzins and uncle touring the city. Good to have family in Dubai I will definitely be back. Oh ya also went to a club out there , incredible. Dubai should only be experienced so I will leave it at that. What happens in Dubai ..... well happens again.... hehe. So i write this to you from Morocco. After Dubai I have been to London and then Morocco. I will head to Portugal, Spain, London again, Boston and New York. I am on my 44th of 60 days. Will keep you posted. Salam malekum......

Return to the Motherland

Indian Airlines - The chaos begins

I thought the sweat stained flight attendent in her sari was bad. On this airline (indian Airlines from Bangkok to Dehli) which is very cheap. You have an assigned seat but people just sit down where they want to. And the flight attendent instead of creating order by insisting everyone take the seat assigned. They try to move up their friends to the front or just have people randomly sitting down. As acoustic soothing indian music is in the air, chaos is below. Finally seats are setttled , time to fly, chicken curri for dinner, pan candy for desert. I have begun my journey, lets see how my 8 days in India will be.

Arrival

As I approach the terminal gate, the sooth(smoky) smell in the air, the haze, the smell of spice.. India. The trip so far has been amazing. Lots of fun, great people, good partying. But in terms of experience, India is where to go. As a friend told me experience comes in good and bad. You have to feel both. India is an experience. This is my second time but still the shock, the excitement, the frustration, is all there. Ok I will let you know what I have done so far but most importantly share some other stories of people i met. I am writing from a very dusty terminal from an internet cafe in Amritsar. I need to write this now while i am here. I will be leaving for Mumbai tomorrow to meet my friend. Ok here goes...

Dehli

Arriving in the terminal in Dehli, the customs not saying one word. Having a Canadian Passport
really means hassle free travelling. No questions, no hastles. I have been to the States, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and now India and no questions, no issues. Some "random check" in hawaii but no issues (as is said in India). As i convert my Thai Bhat to Ruppees, i stroll out and see all the signs. One person i met last time in Dehli "Sarabh", meets me at the airport (even though i told him i can meet him by taxi). He took me to his dads work to meet his parents. After that off to some North Indian food. Thats the best part of india. The pyaas. (red onions), the mutton kababs, chicken tikka that melts in your mouth. Wow. Great food. Stayed at a decent hotel (had a shower, a bed and limited ants). Having western toilets is a must too, cant squat that low. I still dont know why no shower curtains are there. Water is everywhere after a shower and that is normal. No bucket bath for me on this trip. This hotel was decent. That is luxury here. I am in Dehli only one night as i have seen dehli many times on my last trip. I really wanted to experience India , so i decided not to book anything except my train ticket to Amristar.

Amritsar

Booking an express train that was only delayed 4 hours. Arrived closer to 10 then 6. Not good as i was very tired and did not have a hotel booked. This will be fun. When the locals in India say i am crazy travelling alone , i know i am in for a challenge.

The Train

There is a new train just released, it is like a plane (they serve snacks and have hosts). Vip's travel. As i am waiting on the platform. I here to Dhols. VIP is here. Must be a government official or someone who is marrying a dehli girl. The dhols are loud and attract lots of attention. Just what they planned. My train, which is not the vip train (Sataby express). Mine is called the Panchwani Express. And like i said only was late 4 hours. In india that is tolerable. I got upgraded from second class to first. I am in a cabin with one other guy. (Now remember first class isnt really first class, the bench is dusty but you get a cabin and some peace) At first he didnt really talk to me but finally he opened up once i started fumbling with my hindi when the food guy came. I gaze out the dusty window. People taking a crap on the railway tracks, families laying on the platform stations, small slums, apartment buildings, farmland. On a train you really see India. Every trip to india should be made with a train ride. I did mine early. Ok back to the guy in the cabin.

Anurav - the 18 year old army Cadet.

My name is Anurav, i am a Brahmin. Every sentance ended in yes sir. Lots of respect for me. I guess he can tell i am 11 years older then him. At first I though someone introducing himself as part of the Brahmin caste is a bit concieded, but this boy turned out the be a great fellow. His father was in the army. His father had received honors for holding off a platoon even though he was only one of 8 left from a bomb blast. His father even got stationed in the US. Anurav was looked up to in school The boys wanted to be like him, he got in fights, and the girls always liked him. One day his mom got mad at him and cut his long kool hair. NExt day other boys followed. He started riding a bike for punishment, and other boys followed. he had gone to school in Jallandar which is in Punjab. Being a son of a man in the army who came home only 2 months of the year. He was a proud son though. He had cracked the exam for becoming a cadet. He was the only one sent for paratrooping and he was on his way to Jalandar to report to camp. He had been already riding for 16 hours and in total his journey was more than a day. As i got to know him many things were talked about. His view on poverty was because of the corruption in goverment that nothing gets better. If you are doing some construction and the goverment is not paid promptly, there are two choices, the property is sealed or is destroyed. There was a big mall that was demolished because of this. No foreclosure sales. crazy. Another story he told me was how proud he was in the army. The does not drink or smoke. His is a cadet and he has made is father happy. I said proud? He said no he is Happy now. He will be a cadet for 3 years before joinin the army. His father started off a poor man and built his life and life for his family with the work in the army. He wants to emulate that. He had one sibling and three dogs. He had been fasting cuz as soon as he arrived he would have to do a fitness test and medical check up. 26 hour travel and you going to do a fitness test?? His eyes lit up as he spoke of machines and guns. Then the topic of Wrestling came up. He had two idols in life. His father and John Cena. John Cena is a famous wrestler who was in the army. He lit up as he spoke of John's style , carisma and the way he is. I decided to give him a present. In KL i had picked up some random DVD's and one of the movies i picked up was the Marine. I gave him the dvd which only cost me a buck. He said that was the best present he ever got. Talking to this guy, it felt like i was talking to a younger brother. He had the innocents and perserverence to make it in a country designed for failure. Western influece always comes into play. I guess the reason i am sharing this small story is to give you a feel for what type of people live in India. All have struggles, all have dreams and all will fullfull their own dream. Never judge a person. keep an open mind. I thought he was just some thug wearing some old fashioned clothes. He was a young man who was full of life. He got up went away to shave and put on his military uniform. He was ready to go. Until our train got delayed. He will do the test tomorow now. I offered hime some of my snacks I got on my plane ride here. And he was off. Good luck paratrooping. Good luck John Cena... Good luck Anurav.. Great to meet you... (He said he was off home excited to watch the movie, big smile on his face)

Arrival to Amristar.
Time is around 10, it is very dark outside. I arrive at the station with my backpack. I am tired need a bed. I wrote a couple names down and decided to test it out. Blue Moon hotel. I got a place for one night. Cost me 20 bucks. It was only worth 20 bucks. At this time I was really tired. No rats, dirty but not many bugs. Slept there for the first night. Wow it gets cold in Amritsar. The hotel had no insulation no heater and now i am in the north. Lucky i only paid for one night. Need to find a decent hotel, dont want to be sick.

The rickshaw driver
As i decided to move into a new hotel and booked my flight to mumbai, i decided to get a rickshaw driver. I found one guy got on. His name was Agarwal (i think) Of course he was a bit shady but thats the fun. I wanted to get to know who this guy was. He found me a better hotel, i paid for my plane ticket all the way at the airport (aparantly foreign credit cards are no longer accepted in India due to some frauds). After dropping me to the hotel, he said "Khale goom ne phiringe" IE can i show you the city tomorrow. I decided despite how much he will over charge me I will stick with this guy. He actually turned out to be ok. The next day we went to the "Mother Temple" The "Golden Temple". The following day we went to the "Border Ceromony". Finally, tommorow he will drop me to the airport.
He has three kids, one who is married and a couple who are 11 and 12. He was very persistant and I decided to give him the business of taking me around. I figured the extra 10 bucks in total was well worth it.

Mother Temple
First stop was a hindu temple. I had to buy some flowers and I think a small pinaple or something. I felt like i was at PNE maze. Went up some stairs. Glass everywhere and lots of statues. Idols. There was one that looked like a monkey, a black one, and shiva and vishnu. I dont know too much of all the gods but this temple was enormous. I had to crawl into a small tunnel to get to the other side. Lots of gods, keep going. Finally i asked where to put the flowers and a man directed me into an other tunnel. This one had some water and some snake statues. Going on my knees the pandit gave me a coin a flower and another fruit. HE said put the money where you keep your money. Put a yellow dot on my forehead and stringy red scarf around my head. Ceromony complete. Now what i came for. The golden Temple.

Golden Temple.
Putting my shoes in the stand, walking in and wow. Have to walk through water to clean your feet. Then as you enter you see a pond and in the middle a GOlden temple. I cannot describe to you how it is. It is not breathtaking in phisical beauty like the Taj Mahal. BUt it has an x factor. Something spiritual about it. It is a founding sikh temple and as we walk in we go along a long runway around the temple. I would say the total area is half a football field long. The driver Agarwal came with me to show me the ropes. First he said lets go eat. We ate some dhal and chapati. Very sketchy with the water but i was like i am here i got to do it. Put two hands together and a man drops some roti into your hand. The food was actually not bad. Some green dhal. I ate little to avoid problems. (long nite that night) Food is made for hundreds every day. There is a place to stay for anyone who wants to stay. After food we continued on, taking pictures of the temple and finally we get to the middle the entrance. Barefoot, with a cover on my head (like a bandana, great souvineer). I enter in, take my final pictures as cameras are not allowed. He said get 101 rupees ready. I obliged (another way to get money out of me i thought). Actually it was for donation to the temple. In return i got an orange package of some kind of dry food. Not really sure what it was. As the dagger flipped my 100 ruppes to the middle the package was given to me as i was on my knees. He said to give it to someone who is sikh and has a mandhir. The guide only spoke hindi so communicating back to him was a bit hard. We get back to our rickshaw and some bad news. His purse was stolen (i doubted him first), but later on i started to beleive him. Going to the hotel he asked if i wanted to come for a drink of whiskey. In punjab it is very common to grab a whiskey and go sit down in a little open restaurant (ok very small area). He bought some McDowells and i had a couple drinks. I figure it was medicine for any ill water i took in. He asked for extra ruppes as an advance for tommorow (as he lost his wallet , i felt horrible for him, althouh doubted him a bit). Of course in India an advance is never an advance. Whatever this was the 12 bucks i was willing to give up to someone in need. Or 2 drinks at 6 bucks a pop. We sat with some randoms on a bench of four. It was fun. Living the life of a cab driver. Living the daily life of a punjabi man. Sat and met some others who had a few too manies as well. Very civilized no one really drunk.. Although i can see that many are alcohalics.

Border Ceromony..
Next day (which is today) i went half an hour away to the border of Pakistan and India. There i experience a pro indian parade. On the other side there is a pro Pakistan Parade. In the middle every night at 5 pm the flags are dropped (the border is closed). Its a ceromonial thing. Everyone needs to chant.

Barat male ke - Jai
Hindustan - Jindabaad
Wandmantry Ajit - Makarde

Just a way to show some nationalism. Got a picture with the Indian Border Patrol, overpaid some kid for a vcd for the ceromony. Amritsar is almost complete

Albert road, Mell Road, Lawrence road, some Pizza hut, not real Burger King, lots of Sardars with Guns defending each bank, women hear are actually more fair and more beautiful (But its india remember no make up or glamour) crooked but kind hearted, and a bit alcohalic autorickshaw driver.. GOLDEN TEMPLE. As i leave i will share a joke Anurav shared with me on the train

What do you call heaven
American Salary, German Food, Chinese Car and Indian Wife
What do you call hell
Indian Salary, Chinese Food, German Car and American Wife

I am now off to Mumbai tomorrow to meet my Friend Capri who we met last time we were here for school. He went to IIM and works for Tata Consulting. I will stay there till Saturday when I am off to Dubai (cant wait). Take care and sorry this blog entry was long. I guess in india you learn to be patient, thanks for being pateint with this one. Nameste and Sasrikal!

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The following is from my trip in 2004 to India... Long but if you have time , well worth the read i think. Remember this was over 4 months....

The Other World

I have now entered the world of no turning back. For the next three and a half months I will be over 4000 km away from my home in Canada. I will be in a small city called Ahmedabad, Vastpoor to be exact. It is located in the state of Gujarat. Today is Dec 21, 2004 and I have been India for about 3 days. Seems like 3 weeks.

The Shock
Getting of the plain, and bam, it hits you. The smell of pollution and slight warmth. Look outside and I see chaos. That is the one word to some up India. Now chaos is a relative word but really it is crazy over here. As I leave the airport we have 10 porters getting a hand on the luggage. All of them scrambling to help you with your luggage in order to get ends meat for their family. Lucky for us we had a car hired which took care of most of the details. We had a driver who knew where he was going and how to handle the situation. Word of warning, if you plan on making a trip to this side of the world, get organized or else you will be attacked. I don’t mean this in a bad way. You will be shocked is more a word I would like to say. For me I thought reading A FINE BALANCE, would give me the insight into the life of India and as I have Indian decent that I would be fine. I know the language Gujrati and I understand Hindi. So I am fine. Wrong. Although it will make life easier, I still was shocked. First reaction is to go home. I wanted to go back to BC where I can put my feet up on a leather couch and watch the Big Screen TV eating nice food and in peace. Instead I wake up on a mattress which is like a rock. Dust in the air even though I tried to get rid of it, constant honking from the traffic. But you know what I would rather be here. I would rather be in this dorm the size of my room at home which is really small. I would rather be here cuz this is life. We in North America have lived in a reality forever. This is life the worlds two biggest populations China and India live in worse conditions than my dusty dorm. We have been fortunate at home. Anyways I guess what I really wanted to say was that yes it is a shock, but once you understand that India is not a fancy country name where there is good food and Bollywood movies, but a real place with so many people, real people. Yes I am culture shocked, but really I am shocked into reality. I know have the opportunity to see what real life is and how I have been living in a very fortunate offshoot.

The School

IIMA is the most prestigious school in India. We were talking to this nephew of one of the persons organizing our car and he was an engineer now helping his father in business. He told us that he had to confirm 4 times to make sure that is was true that we were going to IIMA. The reputation here is immaculate. His quote was” Since we are born our dream would be to attend IIM. And IIMA on top its unbelievable” Every Indian works hard and if they are fortunately to be one of the 500 students out of 500,000 applicants to be accepted to this school they are set. They will be the wealthiest Indian as they are hot commodities here. They are well sought after and wanted. The 50 or so will hit the jackpot and be able to work in UK, US, Singapore Hong Kong making 80 to 100K US to start and basically any savings sent back would be a life set for their family and future generations. What this school is, is an opportunity to succeed. The fact that an exchange student given the opportunity to be even on campus at this school Living in a dorm with first years who are awake till 4 am every night working their but off so that they are in the most opportunistic position to get that job abroad that can change their life forever, its amazing.

The people here are amazing. Maybe unpolished for North American standards but you have to look beyond. Within five minutes of arriving 2 first year students approached us and made sure that we got our keys and our dorms. Every student here is friendly and they are genuine. Yes they are a bit rude sometimes at each other but I think the better way to say it is that they are open , honest and do things as they see is right. There is holding back in terms of acting a certain way or politicking. They are real they are who they are and I like them for that.

The school sets it up so that you can maximize your learning. You basically pick all the courses you want and they try to allow that you get as many classes as you can. There is no schedule conflicts cuz the prof wants to sleep in on the mornings. Here classes 6 days a week and here students education comes first. That is the priority. Your parents put pressure on you to do well. And the school facilitates this.

As for the entertainment at the school a funny tradition is of your birthday. If it is your birthday there are various dorm traditions that will bring a cake for you and you get to choose a guest to feed you. There is a canteen where you can get a chai for 2.5 rupees and sit and talk for hours with your class mates. And there are movies where you can go and see 3 hours of the latest bollywood flick. You come back to dorm and pump your English and Indian music while you work till 4 am. This life at IIMA. Mornings, lunches and dinners at the Mess. Which is a place where you can food everyday. Non veg means you might scores some chicken or mutton, No beef of course as cows are sacred. And non veg is only 3 or 4 times a week, rest it’s always veg. Anyways at least there is a canteen outside which is good food, Chicken soup, hot and sour soup, noodles, everything basically, good times and all cheap,

1 pop – 6 rupees
1 meal – 20 – 25 rupees
1 water - 12 rupees

35 rupees = 1 cnd dollar, you do the math, things are real cheap
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Ahmedabad the City

We have been exploring a little bit to the city. Taking a rickshaw out of the campus, three of us can barely fit (we are 3 big guys for Indian standards). A rickshaw costs 10 – 35 rupees depending on distance, which is fairly inexpensive. We can go to the city but the rickshaw does have disadvantages, lots of pollution and dust and it goes super slow. The traffic is crazy here, all these roundabouts and honking everywhere. If you not fast enough you are overtaken right away. Pretty crazy actually. There has been so many times where we have cut off or been cut off. No regards to order and to turn you just go and hope the other stops for you. Crossing the street is tough you basically just walk and hope they will stop for you. Not like North American for sure.

The actually city has 2 main parts which we have not seen much of. Once we travel there, hopefully tomorrow I will fill you in on the differences. The two parts of the city are Old Ahmedabad and CG road.
From the observations I have made so far the city is a bit of a paradox. There are banks, and nice buildings with nice lights looking like you are at robson in Vancouver, however just beside it is an alley with slums set up. People live on the streets with little coverings. Kids are walking everywhere without shoes pushing trolley, trying to sell to anyone and make a living. These kids have no chance to prosper in life. I looked yesterday at a construction site and I saw three kids playing in the dirt. These kids if taken from this environment and placed in North America with good education could have been a CEO or at least someone with a steady job and kids. In stead they will be stuck on the streets and probably succumb to illness and disease. Very sad, makes you think about life sometimes and what they did to deserve this.

As for animals over here animals do what they please... There are monkeys on campus flying form one tree to another. There are squirrels, peacocks, stray dogs, cows and other animals. All just traveling the streets having their place in the world. They get to move freely like humans. In North America there would be outrage, but here it’s normal. This is life. Animals have an equal right and people respect that here.

The cutest thing I saw today. Usually dogs here look very weak, starving from lack of food, mulling around looking for any scraps. Yesterday in the school field I saw 3 pups. With full of life running on the grass. Looked adorable. When you are born there is no regard to the environment you have been placed. But soon these pups will grow and be 1 of many stray dogs.


Communication

In India there is no real infrastructure for telephone wires. Instead they have implemented cell phones as a mode of communication. People have cell phones to get around and drivers have cell phones to talk to their bosses. At school a network is set up where we have a phone in our room which is linked to a central system. We can call between rooms. Also we have internet capability although with restrictions as we cannon stream music or voice or anything. Very limited actually in that regards, but I can get on msn which is essential to keep in contact with friends and families and also the internet to check email and sports scores. There is one TV in the “common room”. This is basically a run down old TV, placed and 5 old chairs around it. I don’t know how they got cable but it has lots of Indian channels and a couple sports ones. The sports ones is ESPN live and some other one. None showing NFL so kind of choked. But what can you do. They had a basketball game the other day. OH ya the common room is out side a room, so not really a room.

The power here is suppose to be stable, but I have had my power adapted fry. I guess there are surges and luckily the town has a guy who can hook us up with converters and power adapters. The power here used is direct current where we are used to alternate current. Anyways now I am set. Got my spike buster (their name for surge protector). I am set as I can be.

Abundance of Labour

The Indian solution to all problems is labour. The way they get things to work efficiently is that they throw man power to it. There is 10 times the amount of people for 1 job. In the canteen itself, where it should be a 3 person operation, there is like 12 – 15 people there helping out. It is pretty crazy. But I guess when labour is that cheap I think 10 rupees an hour, that’s what happens.

Our Journey

With me there are 2 other guys form Ivey. Also some other exchange students. Makes it much easier. We are here all together in the same environment with the same problems and we are here for each other. I think the 3 of us (with Indian background) together make 1 full Indian. Kind of funny. Anyways the big 2 at nights keep the entertainment value up; we will see how long we can keep this up.

Travels

I hope that I will be able to describe my journeys so you get an appreciation of what India is about from my perspective at least.

Raj Varda (Rajistani Restaurant)

Class is over and a couple of the local students have invited us for dinner. We are thinking oh we will grab a bite to eat but it turns out to be an adventure. The first step was to find 6 rickshaw drivers. 2 internationals and 1 Indian per rickshaw to help ease the chance of getting lost. The person we are in the rickshaw with is an IIT grad. That is the most sought after school here. If you get into IIT you are a made man. And on top he is at IIM. He called himself a fresher (with no work experience). He just came back from Paris from exchange. But he is the definition of the highest form of education you can have in India. IIT IIM combination is like saying Oxford lawyer, Harvard MBA. It’s big here.

So we arrive at the restaurant. We walk through this path and as we enter into an outdoor courtyard we have someone greet us. He puts this red coloring on our foreheads and gives a flower. In Rajasthan the guest is treated with high honor and that is what he was doing.

We walk into the courtyard which has nice décor. There is a temple when you enter and as you walk in you are asked to sit in. There is a guy playing the table singing and I believe singing in Gujrati. Could only catch a few words. WE sit down and there is a puppet show. This show is of these characters in their Indian outfits and a magician and snake and a snake calmer. The puppet show is interesting and last for about 10 minutes. We then get ushered to an area where we sit to enjoy some dance. 2 women are dancing. 1 of the women puts all these pots on hear head. She is dancing to the music and balancing at the same time. Crazy. As we sit, we get soup served to us which is very spicy. After about half an hour and hunger setting in we go to our spot for food. We all sit around a table, cross legged. We have a Tali set up in front of us. I guess the idea is that you get salad and a bit of each kind of curry and item on your plate. As you eat it there is someone coming around with different types of food. If you finish it they put it on your plate. Kind of hard to say no. Nodding your head here is almost like a yes. After about an hour of feasting on the finest Rajasthan food which is all vegetarian, we are now complete. We head back to find some rickshaws and get on campus.

Before sleeping we need to do a Tempo call. This tempo call is a call done after any good meal or a stress buster. Basically one guy screams “ IIM ke tempo he …… HI HE HI HE…….. ……..zig zag zig zag” I guess what it means is How is IIMS temperature. Real high real high. Then something else is said and the response is that it makes the other schools zig zag zig zag or get out of the way. They said apparently you can just go up to a dorm and yell it out. It’s a way to get spirit on campus. Very interesting night out. Back home. All this food makes you very sleepy. By around 1130 you are ready to pass out. Well another day has come. Day 2 of school to start and got to get to the shower. Hope this time the water is a bit hotter. The first years are all gone to class so I get the washroom to myself, all rite another day in India.


Chai Valla

One of the biggest attractions on campus is to go to Ram’s Chai Valla. The Chai here is supposed to be much better than what they serve on campus. Located just outside the gates of IIMA, you can order even if you are inside IIMA, as he stands near the fence so he can pass off to students and others. We went to the other side and you get a pail to sit on. Everyone is huddled around a pail talking about whatever enjoying some nice Chai. Chai here is different than you expect. Tea is normally just orange pekoe tea. However here there are different types of masala ( spices) that are added and lots of milk and suger. They like it to be very sweet. My first experience their was at a group meeting with some fellow classmates ( all exchange students). Yesterday again I went down there at around 10:30. 3 of the students on my floor all first years prepping for their finals, asked me to join along. I went down there with them and they treated me to some nice chai. Tastes much better at night. For them it was a fix to stay out a bit longer. It was a good time to socialize with the other students. Met an exchange student there who came down to Ivey last semester and was a good chance to catch up. So different the setting. At home I would be at a restaurant or Starbucks or Tim Hortons , doing the same thing , sitting and talking. Here you are outside at Ram Chai Valla’s. Different setting but same old socializing. One thing is that I heard you can get hooked on the chai so I have to try to avoid it as much as possible.


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Sari Shopping

Wow what an experience this is. Ahmdebad and I guess Gujrat itself is known for its textile production. One of my fellow classmates form Ivey had his family visiting India and the agenda of the day was Saree Shopping. I have gone to Main Street in Vancouver or Gerrard in Toronto and saw how people shop but it is much different here. Sari range in price from 50 dollars to 500 dollars. Quite a range. I am sure there are even cheaper ones availabele. YKOu enter the store. Some suggest you take your shoes off but this is not enforced as they know the tourist are the ones with the big money and they would never enforce this rule. You go upstairs or downstairs and there are tables everywhere. You take a seat and then ask the person working to show you colors you are interested in. He pulls out lots of variations of saris. You disgard many and start to get a pile of potential purchases. The next step is fitting. They have some kind of belts there that help him fit a sari right away to see how you look. All the workers are male. All the purchasers are women. Go figure. So what to men do. Well they luckily provide us with couches to rest on. Once they figure out that we might be serious purchasers drinks are offered around (it’s a dry state so only chai, water and pop). You get your pepsi enjoying the seat while saris are tried on and discussed. Finally a choice is made and they experience is over. Although the experience did include about 6 stores and a break outside for some fresh orange juice. A guy outside makes fresh orange, pinapple juice just off the street. Tastes awesome. Anyways no more sari shopping for me.

Rickshaw Experience

Another experience is the Rickshaw experience. Off campus there are about 6 rickshaws parked. They wait for us to approach them. You give them a name and eventually there is a rickshaw waiting to take you away. Its like a moped with a caged seat at the back. You can fit 3, however from our experience 3 is pretty heavy for them especially when we are each over 180 pounds. I think we must of broke a chair. Lets just say we are the slowest rickshaw there. No once you are in the adventure begins. Because of the pollution and the smoke in the air along with the dust it is optional to take a hankercheif with you. This helps keep the pollution out of your lungs. The actuall driving involves a lot of close calls, honking and cutting each other off. Luckily the speads are slow otherwise it would be very scary. A small road turns into a 15 way highway as ll cars , bicycles, trolleys, motor bikes, line up to fill every single space. It’s a go and others will yield attitude. Very heart wrenching experience the first time. Now we are used to it. We now even know how to cross the streets. You basically start walking and hope the cars don’t hit you. They will stop, well at least in Ahmedebad. I am not sure about the rest of India.






Life of a 26 Year old driver

One of the interesting facts about India is that they have hardworking people. Children start as soon as they can taking on labour jobs. They clean , serve, sell, whatever they can to make a living. You would never see the amount of labour they put in , in kids back home. These kids are working hard instead of being educated in schools and creating an opportunity. Very sad. Last night we went to a restaurant thali. The thali was similar to Raj vardi , but a bit different in spices. Anyways we asked the driver to join us at the meal. It is incredible that he is pulling 14 to 16 hour days, has a 4 year old and looks as if he is at least 30. India make people work hard and also ages some fast. I think it might be the pollution in the air. If you go around the city you will see a lot of young girls all covered up and with scarfs over their heads as they are driving. I think they keep the pollution and dust away to ensure they keep light and don’t age as fast.

Ghandi Ashram

Class has started and we have already had a field trip. This field trip was to the Ghandi Asram. Mahatma Gandhi was actually Mohindas Gandhi and he became a Mahatma throughout his life. He started off in Gujrat and later went to South Africa on an assignment. He was a lawyer at Oxford and he helped secure Indian rights through passive resistance. Passive resistance was in the form of strikes and going to jail and basically causing strain on businesses until they gave Indian citizen rights in the British Empire in South Africa. So far in all our classess Gandhi has come up many times and part of one of the classess was watchin a moving on the Making of Mahatma. Also we have vistited the Asram. This was a place about 15 km from our campus where he built an area for people to work and stay. He had rules that all people were treated equal and he embraced all classess of castes. The ashram is a place where he used to live. His actual house is still there and historical pieces of documents and information are presented in the asram ( a form of museum). I am sure I will get to learn more about Gandhi and his influence in india and the people of India.

Fun Republic
Entertainment in Gujrat is very scarce. People love movies here and the idea of the multiplex is prominent. You can go there and watch a movie , go bowling and play arcades. There is also food and deserts and a shopping area with westernized clothes. This basically the end of entertainment in Gujrat. Well I guess it will allow us to focus on our school and relax in the sun. Although and interesting gem we have found is a wireless internet café where we can relax on a couch. One thing about India is that you can see entrepreneurial spirt all around. Just today we have the President of India at IIM ( heavy security here). He is promoting advancements and innovation. A lot of the farming and rural area innovations are displayed. They have bikes that can work as boats in water, lots of motorized machines for pestisides and plowing and even machines to peel coconuts and onions. All of these innovation seem small in scale however they are huge when implemented in poor areas. I was especially impressed with the water systems.

Christmas at IIM
It is funny to see the commercialization of Christmas here. There are many influences of westernized culture here and Christmas is a big one. There are Indian men dressed in Santa Claus Outfits and its quite entertaining. The Big Bazaar the other day was bumping with tons of people in Christmas spirit.
Tsunami
As a fnal thought I wan tto personally ask all of you to contribute to the Tsnunami intitiative. Although I am removed from the situation many areas that we were and are planning to travel were affected by this area. Many student have families in these cities. I think it is our responsibility to come together as a world community to assist in this crisis. I know North America has came together and are having many fundraising campaigns. Please donate and give the much needed help. There is over billions of dollars in damage and generations disappear. It is sad and we should do what we can. I know in one day they had come up with 50,000 ruppees and are doing a relief concert here. Even Ivey has set up a fund to give. Give a tyour work or school but please do give.

Update III: Big City Life!

I thought that I would give you a taste of what the big city life feels like. So far living in Ahmedabad we didn’t get to experience what a metropolitan city in India feels like. But now after returning from Mumbai and then Bangalore we have got a taste of the Big City Life! First stop on this big city tour was Mumbai…

Our first travel: Mumbai

We have just returned form our first adventure. Bombay which is now named Mumbai to get away from British connotation is the western capital of India. Many multinational corporations have set up there. The scenery is amazing. Reminds me of a cross between English bay and Miami Beach. Although a very dirty Miami Beach! There is pollution everywhere and the smell isn’t the most pleasant. Although in the area of Bandstand where we stayed it was amazing. Clean streets and movie actor houses all around. Sharuk Khan a big Indian movie star has a house that was just down the street form the hotel we stayed at. On Sunday night we had seen a commotion. There were a couple hundred onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the famous actor. The cops came and with a stick they immediately attacked a random person (I think we were spared because we were tourist or because we were 1.5 times any other person there haha). This was there way to clear the crowd. Quite amazing. Very effective means I say as people really cleared quickly. We arrived to Mumbai on an overnight train. It was quite comfortable (remember this is a relative term now) as there was a seat that turned into a bed. However knowing our luck, we didn’t have three sleeping berths (the train agent lied to us) and so it was a bit of a tight space to spend 6 hours. Lots of people travel a lot like this from city to city for work or travel. Although we stayed in 2nd Class AC. I heard the 3rd class is pretty jammed pack with people. Once we arrived to Mumbai one of the biggest differences you can see is the wealth. Mumbai has the most millionaires in the world and houses the most expensive real estate. Quite amazing considering the numerous people living in slums. We went to a club (hotel party) and the entrance was 1300 rupees, which is like paying 40 dollars for cover. A drink was sold at 400 rupees. For new years they had a party at the Marriot which was charging 11000 rupees which is over 300 dollars. It is crazy that a country where you can buy tea for 10 cents would charge over 300 dollars for a party. I have never seen so much contrast. Rich and poor and there seems to be not much middle class. The five days of comfort in a good bed and hot shower and own washroom was what we needed. Overall Mumbai was a great experience. Once you protect yourself from the people trying to rip you off you are fine. Remember fix price all cabs and bargain everywhere. New Years Eve was fun although tame considering the circumstances in Asia. A good experience overall. We got taste of western life here. MTV India is popular here and to see the impact is incredible.

We got to explore the city, saw a mosque on the water, and saw a khane (house of prayer for Ismailis) in an Ismaili colony. Here they house a tomb of the 47th Imam (descendent of Prophet Mohammad). The colony was an amazing sight. This made us feel what our parents and their parents must have lived like. Overall good city!


Begging
One of the biggest things that foreigners struggle with is the begging. Wherever you go you see people hungry and asking for food. It’s heartbreaking to see kids wandering the streets trying to sell anything (pens, cotton, and magazines). I was at the beach in Bombay and a little girl asked for money while I was eating Kulfi Ice Cream. I was on the train when a couple kids came up to us wanting to shine our shoes. Kids do not have the opportunities we have. It is sad. But it’s tough as well. If you give one person, you will be mobbed by a group of kids. I guess I am still trying to come to grips with dealing with this topic. Just be thankful that in North America we have a system in place to give kids the opportunities to succeed. I am confident India is heading that way although I think it is still a long process. I believe if you are going to support any cause, try to support grassroots education programs in third world countries. That is my opinion on the best way to tackle the problem. Another interesting thing I saw was on the way to the train station we had an opportunity to see many houses along the street. My current dorm size would house 5 or 6 people, What was amazing is that there were so little space but people were going about their business working and making a life for themselves. Many houses had TV’s in them. Amazing sight for sure.

DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT TRAVELLING AIR CANADA!

That sums up our airline experiences. Well that sums up all our travel experiences so far. Lets see pick a mode of transportation. How about the airline to start. We traveled Air Sahara on two trips. The first one was from Delhi to Ahmedabad. How about a 7 hour delay because of fog. Who knew there was fog in India? Next plane trip to Bangalore, so they send us off for lunch and when we come back our plane is delayed for various reasons (1 said fog, other airport check, technical glitch) whatever the reason; it’s just a bit frustrating. Now we understand why a man was yelling so much at the airline. That’s the only way to get thing done regarding travel. Well we yelled and as we missed our connection to Mumbai we ended up getting some vouchers and a night at a 5 star hotel (Orchid- Mumbai). Each got our own king size bed (great bonus for students). That’s the silver lining and the proof that yelling works sometimes. Although our yelling was very limited, more like educated complaining.

How about a bus ride? Well we were traveling to Cochin just a couple days ago and we booked a bus. First of all their was no bus from Ooty so we had the car we hired from Bangalore drop us to another bus station. There we got on a bus at 11:00 pm. Got on about 1130 which is decent delay here. About 1 hour in the bus breaks down. We have another bus pick us up. Right when we get on this bus we realize that there are no more seats and for a sleeper bus. This is not good. Everyone snoring away while we are standing. This was definitely the low point. But we survived. Only stood for an hour max and luckily people got off the bus and we got to take a seat.

Close your eyes! If you are on a rickshaw or a cab or a car. Close your eyes. Over here the driving is like you are in a video game. Pass everyone and hope the oncoming car or bus moves out of the way. Honking is the biggest safety item here. On a good note if you are an adrenalin junkie, well open your eyes! No need to go on a roller coaster when you have 50 hairpins in a row. Oh ya sometimes these hairpins are used as passing lanes. Wow I am alive. Best way to deal with this is take Sim’s approach, Just sleep through it!

Favorite city: Bangalore

Often called the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore was a great destination. Lots of fun in a city that is bustling with shopping and night life. Many tourists come here and lots of expats settle here because of software. Although only two days were spent there we had lots of fun. The club we went to was a lot of fun and the people were friendly. Although there are many people here who aren’t fond of Canadians. No idea why. But we chalk that up to the minority. Bangalore had nice parks, better air and nice buildings. It was very modernized relatively speaking. We went to a park called Lalbaad, which was built in the 17th century. The funniest thing was the aquarium. It had little tanks in there with goldfish and other very small fishes. Funny to see how small it was!

Our trip did contain more travels and I will write you next week regarding Mysore, Cochin and the backwaters, Palaces of great Indian warriors. Also over here we have 3 days of “CHOAS”. It’s like Woodstock for India. Many people come here to take in some Kavali and I heard there is a Pakistani rock band coming. So our 7 days are done for traveling but now we get 3 days to enjoy some school spirit. Good life. Want to just give you an update on the weather average between 27 and 31. And no minus in front of that one. Glad we chose India. Take care!

Update IV: CHAOS AT IIM!
Well four updates. Never thought I would send out so many emails but it seems at least some of you are finding them at the least entertaining. Well what will I write about now? Let’s see how about the rest of the trip to Bangalore over the week long break we just had. Then of course on CHAOS at IIM!

Day trip in Bangalore:

So this is how a trip works. Well let’s rewind and go to the airport. We have just arrived to Bangalore. We quickly get our baggage and go find a means to a hotel. As our flight was delayed we really missed our hotel reservation and we decide to go cheek out the original hotel. Now for us living on dorm really has toughed us out but if we are going to stay in a hotel 3 of us have decided to pay the extra 5 or 10 dollars each and get a decent hotel. The definition of decent is a hot shower, a 3rd bed that is not just a mattress on the ground (remember bugs are plenty in India) and western toilets. Oh ya AC is a bonus, well lets be honest is a necessity, especially in humid environments. So we go hotel to hotel and look at each room. You can never trust any rating systems and hotels change dramatically so a look is highly recommended. Once in the hotel here comes the bargaining part. So they take out a nice card with the rack rates for the hotel. Usually they have found out that we are tourist and of course we get the foreign rates. This is when the charm, IIM student and, of course cracking a couple jokes to soften them up. Usually they knock it down by 500 rupees or waive the luxury tax of 15% or so. Once we get a discount you feel much better. Its helps that we speak a bit of the language and that they love IIM students. Really helps us out. Another way to save some Rups (our nickname for rupees). The other trick we try to use is pay for local rates at tourist attractions. They always jack up the fees for tourists and we just use the Gujarat card to get our discounts. Although the big test will be the Taj Mahal. All my practiced Hindi and Gujarati and bargaining skills will come into test then.

Ok back on track, in Bangalore we decided to see the city and the best way was to hire a car. 3 ways makes it affordable and with ac is bonus. The driver takes us to see Lalbaad which houses a park with lots of flowers. Lots of couples around! Maybe some nice bollywood stars will be here. No luck. The only bites we got were the mosquitoes. Damn they hurt. Next stop is a Bull temple. This is a Hindu temple with bull horns at the gate. We give some change and the minister puts some color on our forehead. We wave our hands over the flame to take blessing. The other minister at the back gives us oil I guess to put in our hair. Not sure. We skipped that part. Our next stop was to go see some parliament buildings. Those were the last pics I sent. The red building was a guest house. After 5 hours we call it a day and head back. Lots of traffic of course! We go get some pizza at the pizzeria (continental food is a luxury now).

At night we go to a bar called Taika. 400 rups to get in but well worth it. As the bar is full of tourist and locals it is a good crowd and the music is very similar to a London bar. Brought back some good memories. The funniest story was meeting girls who speak the British Accent. Now the reason they speak the accent is that they work in call centres from British Companies. It’s just interesting to see how perfect their accent is. Quite amusing I must say.

Next stop Mysore:

To travel 160 km it takes 4 hours. Yup no highways to get you going. Lots of small roads and on the way we see cows, donkeys and people walking. Men where dhotis which is like a skirt. I guess this is a south Indian dress. On the way to Mysore we stop at Tipu sultans palace grounds. I attached a pic that gives the history of the place for those interested. India is a very old country and there are lots of occurrences of Indian warriors with big palaces and these warriors being confronted by the British. I need to start reading about the history but seeing these palaces are truly amazing. In Mysore we saw a palace that no cameras were allowed in. It was enormous. I have a picture of the exterior which was lit up as it was Sunday night. Every Sunday they light up the palace for tourist and locals to see. Very beautiful. In the day we went in the palace and did a tour bare foot of course to keep the place clean. Lots of very detailed work inside. For a palace build so long ago the carvings are amazing. These palaces must have taken many years to build. Lots of gold and velvet and pane glass. Hard to describe but overall breath taking.

Drive through Ooty:

The next day we get in a car and head to Ooty. This is a hill station. Back in the day the British built many cities on the hill to get away from the blistering heat. These hill stations as they are called are very cool and the altitude is about 2 or 3 km I believe. The roads are extremely windy and I didn’t lie about the hairpins. You have to almost stop and do a 180 turn about 50 times in total. On the way we stopped at a boating place. We got to get onto a motor boat and see the scenery and animals of course with a cool breeze. It reminded me of Cultas Lake in BC as the fresh air (relative of course) was well welcomed. From the boat back on to the windy road and off to Ooty. Unfortunately the bus we were planning to take the next day was cancelled for good. That meant we had to drive on another 3 hours and reach a city called Coimbatore. After that we had two hours to eat and head off on an overnight bus to Cochin. You know how the bus experience went!!

Arrive in Karela, City Cochin!

Kerala is beautiful as it is on the coast between the Arabian and Indian Ocean. The south has different food, different language and different environment. The south is cooler than the rest of India and the weather does not fluctuate much. Just like Vancouver I guess. Although it’s much hotter of course. The water and sights are amazing. We took a backwater tour. The back waters are the residual water from the ocean. The ocean flows into the river and then off to the canals. The water level rises and falls with the tide and villages are all around the water line. We got to tour a village and see how women make ends meet (70 rupees a day max), selling pottery, yarn and straw mats. This region also houses many medicinal plants used for many symptoms from tooth ache to message oil. We got to go on a house boat to the villages. Then we went through the canals. In between we got to enjoy a south Indian lunch served on a leaf plate. Quite an experience! Although we did not see any more of Karela (as the Tsunamis prevented us from traveling much in that region) we did get to explore Bangalore. All in all the week trip was lots of fun and got some well needed rest on comfortable beds. Now back to school!!

In Ahmedabad: Home again

It actually felt good as we made comfort in our dorms. A dorm we first cursed now feels like home. We shouldn’t complain as we get phone and internet access and a place to sleep. Although the hot showers will be missed. Now let’s just hope the hot water doesn’t run out for the bucket bath.

3 Days of Chaos!

Woah what an experience. Every year about this time there is a break from the schedule and student take part in Chaos! This is a 3 day festival where at nights there is entertainment and in the day time competitions such as quizzes and debates. We got to listen to some rock songs from a Hindi band called Euphoria. Summer of 69 is a classic played everywhere we go.

Chaos was lots of fun. The first night produced a rock concert where all the old rock classics were blared. Seeing Indian head bangers was an experience in its self. The second night was a fashion show. For India, girls rarely where mini skirts or tight shirts which are normal to North American décor. Here the fashion show is the only chance the guys will be able to see the mini skirts live. Of course MTV India is full of the young bollywood stars or the famous item girls. Mumait Khan is our favourite.

So the last night features a band called Euphoria. They are pretty good and play many of their own songs which are apparently part of some movies. Again they play the rock classics like Queen and ACDC. Pretty good I must say. Too bad that the Pakistani band that was suppose to come did not make it. Apparently, their visas were not approved. As my mom is from Pakistan even I had questioning regarding my nationality. Apparently if you are from Pakistan it becomes difficult to get visas. Lucky I am Canadian so no issues here.

Anyways chaos was awesome and a great time. One other event was the ramp parties. Their people grooved to Punjabi, rock and Hindi songs. R& B is very rare here. The ramp parties start around 11 and go till 4 am or so. Sort of an outdoor after-hours party. No liquor of course.

Trip to the liquor store

As Alim and I wanted to get some liquor for our dorm we traveled to the liquor store. Yes Gujarat has a liquor store for foreigners. Of course we did not know all the rules. We filled out the paperwork and brought our passports. He then told us that is was not possible as we are in Gujarat too long. Apparently there is a special permit. Of course we can see right through this. What this was all boiling down to was a bribe. We wanted the beers today and did not want the special permit which would have cost us each 1100 rupees. So what happens we leave and a guy chases us. Basically he is initiating the bribe process. We negotiated to 400 rupees for 2 permits and this allowed us to by 30 beers and 1 twixer of booze. Boy the dorm was happy and the evening festivities were awesome. They really like the illegal liquor here.

All rite now we got to get through some presentations at school before we head to Goa for three nights. That should be fun. A couple of the guys from school are coming with us so that will make the trip really fun.
As well we have an Indian wedding to attend as a friend of ours from Ivey is coming down to attend his brothers wedding. We were invited and looking forward to go to an Indian wedding. So that’s all for now.

Indian Wedding

280 rupees and 2 hours later we finally arrive at the wedding. This was the first time I was frustrated with the way certain people take advantage of tourists or people who they see as not local. We clearly gave the name for our destination and instead of telling us that he did not know where exactly it was, the rickshaw driver took us for a ride. By the time we realized and stopped to ask we found out that the wedding should have been 15 minutes at the most. He took us to a nearby city and as it gets cold at night here, it was not a fun adventure. Now remember there are always bad apples however in India you have to take extra steps to ensure that you are not taken for granted and sometimes booking a car is better. Anyways when we got to the wedding we had missed the big parade that they have for the Groom who enters in on a hoarse. People are celebrating and dancing. Then they come to the reception and all the guest go up and give greeting to the bride and groom and take pictures. When we got there it was the tail end and soon after they couple sat down for food. Oh boy the food was amazing. There were over 100 workers there with a clay oven in the centre. You had the choice of many appetizers like Pani Puri and chat. Then you can grab some vegetarian food of course and some great Nan. The food was incredible and really the quality was amazing. For the first time I realized that being a vegetarian wouldn’t be that bad.

As for the ceremony this was scheduled at 2 am. The tradition here is that first you meet via your parents through a screening process. Biodatas or I guess resumes are exchanged with all the particulars and only if it is a match in terms of family background and astrological signs will the next step take place. You then are introduced through your parents to the potential bride as you make a visit to their house. Within two dates you should know whether things will go further or not. Once a match is made the preparation for the wedding is started. And of course a specific time is given for when the wedding must take place which in this case was the 2 am. Now I know I am simplifying the traditions and there is much more that goes on. Also India now also has more “love marriages” which are more what we find in Canada. However this is the tradition here and as soon as you are 27 to 30 as a male it is time to get married. For women it’s a bit younger. As we were leaving for Goa we couldn’t observe the full rituals however it was fun none the less. We want to thank Saurav for inviting us to his brothers wedding.

Paradise in India – GOA

Goa was a great way to spend a 4 day weekend. Of course our first flight Air Deccan, a brand new discount airline canceled its first flight but after paying a bit more for another flight we made our connection in Mumbai and arrived in Goa. Wow it was beautiful. We stayed the first two nights in a resort which was attached to the beach. In Goa there are over 20 beaches and the water and sand are very clean. You do get the occasional beach vendor but other than that it is pure relaxation and enjoying under the sun or by the hotel pool. Lots of tourist go there and it is even ok to drive. If you master the right hand side driver’s side you can experiment in a car but most stick to the scooters to get around. The city has embraced tourism greatly with its lavish taxi prices comparable to other cities. However there was one good thing that some of discovered and that was the extremely cheap liquor and beer. Comes to about 1 dollar CND a beer or drink. Also the restaurants were great with good food, beef for a change and good ambiance. We had a couple Indian singers sing to us Mexican Labamba and any other requests we had at the time. The clubs were near or at the beach and on the beach there were many beach huts where you can unwind and enjoy the sunset. One day was spent exploring the old churches and ruins of churches in Old Goa. Also there is Bom Jesus which houses Saint François Xavier’s body which is revealed every 10 years (it’s in a glass case). Apparently the body back in the day survived from perishing and was classified as a miracle. You have to look up the story for the specifics (I think one picture explains it). It was just amazing to see the influence of the Portuguese and the Christian Influence in India. The art museums housed many Christian arts and sculptures. Of course the rest of our trip was spent enjoying with a couple of our friends from school who came and joined us in Goa. A good way to spend a mid semester break.

Small city life

Coming to India you have to live the life in a small city or village. I had that opportunity when I went with a friend of mine to visit some of his relatives in a town called Jetpur. It is about 4 hours away from Ghandi’s birthplace. This little city was a sleeper bus away, about 6 hours to get there and we only stayed there for a day. However it was very pleasant. We got to spend time with locals who ran about their business. We sat in on a business meeting between a teacher and the administration as a new course was developed in textile of course. Bandani is the biggest export for the city. Textile is big all across Gujarat. The big theme was generous hospitality. We were amazed at how genuine and hospitable people were regardless of the size of their house. People who are trying to make ends meat would quickly run out and get us cold drinks or Tums Up ( taste like Pepsi with some pan flavoring) a luxury in their eyes. You enter a house and the first thing that happens is they come with water. Its tough as the water they are serving will probably make us sick as we are not immune to the bacteria in India. We have to pretend to take a sip and then return the water. Some notice this and quickly give us ice cream or soft drinks. Whatever the case we are their guest and it is an honor that we have come to visit. So different then many homes in North America where guests are considered a nuisance at times. We spent time in a western house which had all the amenities to also spending time in a very small house with 3 beds in one room. We had dinner in one house on the table with the entire cutlery to another dinner on the ground. The food was still very good. Gujrati food is good and we can definitely see where a lot of the foods we have originate from. We got to spend time with the city lawyer. This was the first time I got to see how similar the system is to a developed world. Although everything is on small scale and much more use of paper then online means. We saw a construction project where a Jamat Khane (Ismaili House of Prayer) was being built to withstand an earthquake up to 9 point scale. We visited an Ismaili colony built with good ventilation and very big compared to what we saw in Mumbai. At night we had food on the floor over a blanket of course one cutlery. Gujrati culture often dictates the sitting on the floor. This is the time when the family will all come together to eat together. It’s more than the food or the fancy table you sit on. It is about the family you have and the time you spend together regardless of where. In the end it was a great experience and eye opening. Seeing pigs and stray animals everywhere and the pollution and smell were unbearable at times, however once we visited the warm houses, it was well worth the journey.

Embarrassing moment

I thought I would share an embarrassing moment. We were on our way back from Jetpur and it was about 6 am. I was half asleep and extremely tired. Thinking that the bus had stopped I took a step out. Not realizing that the bus was still moving lets say I had a couple scrapes and bruises. Lesson learned always wait till the bus is at a complete stop. Do not step out. And at 6 am, wake up or you will be left with a couple bruises. Although in the city at rush hour you will see many people jumping on and off the bus, this is a very skillful trade and should be left for professionals.



End of Experience

As I near to the end of my journey at IIM and in Ahmedabad it has been truly rewarding. Although school wise I did not think I picked up anything new, but as a person I think I have new perspective on life. Some things I do appreciate are hot showers and good food. Although traveling in India does test your patience. And really for a country that is only 50 years out of independence it has grown a lot. Outsourcing is flourishing and providing many people with jobs and opportunities to move within the service sector. The infrastructure is here and the people have lots of hard workers. As a whole I think the social problems are very small and if only the poverty can be curbed. All in due time and support from all of us. It is good to have lived in a country that my grandparents were born. To actually find out where my mother tongue come from and to see why Indian Food tastes so good.

This will be the last email as I know head to Delhi and then off to see the Taj Mahal in Agra and then Rajasthan as we visit Jaipur. I will be in Thailand from March 13th till the end of March when I will connect from Delhi and then back home to Vancouver. It’s been an adventure and hope you have enjoyed all the stories. If you get a chance you should definitely check out India.