India
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Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Friday, 16 September 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
When Mummy & Daddy lived in India (extract from journal)
9th april 2005
"We were up very early in order to catch our Bangalore-Delhi flight, and we were so used to nipping to Goa that this flight seemed really long, although it was actually only 3 hours. On arrival in Delhi, we noticed immediately, how un-polluted the air was in comparison to Bangalore. Sean discovered that this was down to all the buses and rickshaws running on gas rather than petrol. The difference was obvious and very unexpected, Delhi being a more populated city than Bangalore.
We were to see many strangely Indian sights on our weekend break, the first being a completely naked man walking towards oncoming traffic in the middle of a dual carriageway.Thankfully, i didn't see him from the front, and Sean couldn't get to his camera quick enough, otherwise I'm sure we would have photographic evidence of such."
10th april 2005
Our drive from Delhi to Agra was thoroughly entertaining, and the 4 hours passed relatively quickly with all the sights. Many of the roadside shops, even buildings had trees growing through the middle of them or protruding through the tiles on the roof. Some even looked as if they had been built around the trees, as if cutting them down was too much work. In Bangalorian villages it is quite normal to see little roadside shacks, where men have shaves, but on our journey they didn't even have shacks. Men were set up with a stool, a razor and a bowl of foamy water, right there at the side of the main road. Many men with foamy faces perched under trees lined our road to Agra.
We noticed that unlike Bangalore where all the rickshaws are autos, many original rickshaws (ie bikes) were still in operation in Delhi. Its normal for vehicles to be carrying many more people than you'd expect but as we got further and further out of the city, the numbers just grew and grew, and we were shocked to see some, that were designed for a driver and 3 or 4 passengers, carrying what must have been 15 or 16 people???!!! We drove passed one jeep that was so crammed full of people, that they were hanging out of the back door trying to hold it shut - at 100km an hour!!
At one very populated road junction, where all the articulated lorries seemed to be resting, many young boys scurried through the traffic. We soon realised they were trying to sell water to drink, but not in the usual bottles, this was in fact in plastic bags, about the size of a bag of crisps. Not quite sure how easy it would be to drink, and needless to say we didn't purchase one to find out, in fear of certain death.
We stopped about halfway through the journey at a little tourist restaurant, and got some drinks and a packet of sweets. Two young girls were chatting happily on their hands and knees in the corner whilst scrubbing the marble floor. A completely thankless and tedious task, but they seemed happy enough, which made me warm to them. I gave them my unfinished sweet packet to share, which thrilled them, and they sat close by sucking and chewing whole heartedly. I wondered when might have been the last time they had enjoyed a childhood treat??"
"We were up very early in order to catch our Bangalore-Delhi flight, and we were so used to nipping to Goa that this flight seemed really long, although it was actually only 3 hours. On arrival in Delhi, we noticed immediately, how un-polluted the air was in comparison to Bangalore. Sean discovered that this was down to all the buses and rickshaws running on gas rather than petrol. The difference was obvious and very unexpected, Delhi being a more populated city than Bangalore.
We were to see many strangely Indian sights on our weekend break, the first being a completely naked man walking towards oncoming traffic in the middle of a dual carriageway.Thankfully, i didn't see him from the front, and Sean couldn't get to his camera quick enough, otherwise I'm sure we would have photographic evidence of such."
10th april 2005
Our drive from Delhi to Agra was thoroughly entertaining, and the 4 hours passed relatively quickly with all the sights. Many of the roadside shops, even buildings had trees growing through the middle of them or protruding through the tiles on the roof. Some even looked as if they had been built around the trees, as if cutting them down was too much work. In Bangalorian villages it is quite normal to see little roadside shacks, where men have shaves, but on our journey they didn't even have shacks. Men were set up with a stool, a razor and a bowl of foamy water, right there at the side of the main road. Many men with foamy faces perched under trees lined our road to Agra.
We noticed that unlike Bangalore where all the rickshaws are autos, many original rickshaws (ie bikes) were still in operation in Delhi. Its normal for vehicles to be carrying many more people than you'd expect but as we got further and further out of the city, the numbers just grew and grew, and we were shocked to see some, that were designed for a driver and 3 or 4 passengers, carrying what must have been 15 or 16 people???!!! We drove passed one jeep that was so crammed full of people, that they were hanging out of the back door trying to hold it shut - at 100km an hour!!
At one very populated road junction, where all the articulated lorries seemed to be resting, many young boys scurried through the traffic. We soon realised they were trying to sell water to drink, but not in the usual bottles, this was in fact in plastic bags, about the size of a bag of crisps. Not quite sure how easy it would be to drink, and needless to say we didn't purchase one to find out, in fear of certain death.
We stopped about halfway through the journey at a little tourist restaurant, and got some drinks and a packet of sweets. Two young girls were chatting happily on their hands and knees in the corner whilst scrubbing the marble floor. A completely thankless and tedious task, but they seemed happy enough, which made me warm to them. I gave them my unfinished sweet packet to share, which thrilled them, and they sat close by sucking and chewing whole heartedly. I wondered when might have been the last time they had enjoyed a childhood treat??"
Friday, 29 July 2011
When Mummy & Daddy lived in India (extract from journal)
21st March 2005
“Today i was on MG Rd collecting one of Sean’s birthday presents, when i was approached by a little beggar boy, waving a piece of paper in my face. Now this could have been a very elaborate begging technique, or a very sad truth. Either way it worked and i handed over Rs100.
The paper, he was so enthusiastically waving in my face, was allegedly from a school. It was headed paper with stamp and signature, so looked authentic enough. It read in bold type and proper English, that the boy was deaf and dumb, and very poor, but that he was trying to raise the below funds, in order to attend the school. It requested that you donate money, and give your signature. The school fees were Rs 5000 per year (£60).
As i said, a very elaborate con if not the truth. I hope he raises the funds.”
“Today i was on MG Rd collecting one of Sean’s birthday presents, when i was approached by a little beggar boy, waving a piece of paper in my face. Now this could have been a very elaborate begging technique, or a very sad truth. Either way it worked and i handed over Rs100.
The paper, he was so enthusiastically waving in my face, was allegedly from a school. It was headed paper with stamp and signature, so looked authentic enough. It read in bold type and proper English, that the boy was deaf and dumb, and very poor, but that he was trying to raise the below funds, in order to attend the school. It requested that you donate money, and give your signature. The school fees were Rs 5000 per year (£60).
As i said, a very elaborate con if not the truth. I hope he raises the funds.”
Thursday, 28 July 2011
When Mummy & Daddy lived India (extract from journal)
9th november 2004 - (whilst on business in Mumbai)
“Today Sean was at work so i spent the day on my own at the hotel lazing by the pool and then going to the spa for a facial, which wasnt quite as relaxing an experience as i had hoped as the therapist managed to get some of the products in my eye and it stung like hell, but heyho!
Packing for our return trip home was a nightmare, as it wouldnt all fit in (due to my purchases), and by the time we got in the taxi, i was frazzled! The traffic was terrible due to Diwali, and as usual we were running late, which didnt help my mood any, so the driver decided to take us on a short cut throught the “slums”, as he put it. And oh my, they were slums, much worse than those we’d experienced in Bangalore.
Hundreds of shacks and tents, built the rat run of rubbish we were driving through. No electricity, meant the small barber shops gas lamps were the only illumination for our path. Literally thousands of people spilled into the road, and naked toddlers and children played in the darkened alleys. Despite this, there was a sense of life, a buzz through the place, hard to put your finger on. Maybe it was simply the overpopulated manner of the community, but i could almost feel the streets throbbing.”
“Today Sean was at work so i spent the day on my own at the hotel lazing by the pool and then going to the spa for a facial, which wasnt quite as relaxing an experience as i had hoped as the therapist managed to get some of the products in my eye and it stung like hell, but heyho!
Packing for our return trip home was a nightmare, as it wouldnt all fit in (due to my purchases), and by the time we got in the taxi, i was frazzled! The traffic was terrible due to Diwali, and as usual we were running late, which didnt help my mood any, so the driver decided to take us on a short cut throught the “slums”, as he put it. And oh my, they were slums, much worse than those we’d experienced in Bangalore.
Hundreds of shacks and tents, built the rat run of rubbish we were driving through. No electricity, meant the small barber shops gas lamps were the only illumination for our path. Literally thousands of people spilled into the road, and naked toddlers and children played in the darkened alleys. Despite this, there was a sense of life, a buzz through the place, hard to put your finger on. Maybe it was simply the overpopulated manner of the community, but i could almost feel the streets throbbing.”
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