March 25th - 26th - Mumbai


If you look at my posting from last October you will see a lot of similar places. I did about the same exact things this time as last. Above is Gateway of India.


We stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel - not in the part above again but in the Towers. Not nearly as nice but still a great view of the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India.


We didn't spend very much time at the Gateway of India because there are so many people bugging you. There were these religious type guys that wanted to give you some white sugar type thing and wrap string around your arm - and then charge you rupees 100 - 200 for it and then there was the girl above. She would give you this bracelet of Jasmine and say no charge and then look at you all sad, cute, and pathetic until you gave her money. The bracelet's looked really nice on Pete - but she was having trouble getting it around his arm.


The balloon guys again! They weren't as annoying this time around but still got in your way all over the place!


Shopping on Colaba Causeway. This one shop on the right was interesting - it sold old musical instruments, ship wheels, watches, and clocks.


My favorite place - Leopold's Cafe and Bar! Like last time - we went three times - and this time we were only in Mumbai for ~36 hrs!


Before we had gone into Leopold's for the second time this guy was bugging us to buy a drum. Dan really wanted one but we told him to wait until we came out - 'the guy will find us' we said to him. After a little over an hour inside we forgot about the drums and excited the side of the restaurant - the guy came running down the side street after us! After much bargaining Dan was happy to have a drum!


Guy walking down the street with boxes on his head! Not something you see every day!


View from Chowpatty Beach - last time we didn't go onto the beach - this time we did!


We were taking pictures and these kids started posing for us so we'd take their picture. That is one thing I found to happen a lot in India - we'll be taking pictures of ourselves or other things and there are kids trying to get in our pictures.


Cute little boy on the beach.


The group on Chowpatty Beach. Vicki, Cheddi, me, Jason, Dave, and Dan


Group at Indigo - this was a great restaurant that I had tried to go to last time but it wasn't open. The food was amazing and we had nice seats out on a terrace. Pete, Dave, Vicki, Dan, Jason, me, and Cheddi.


We even had our own custom menus - note the 'Ms. Angela & Friends' - I felt so special.


Nightclub in the Taj Mahal Hotel - Insomnia - it was packed!!


Sunset at the Bandstand in Bandra.


Me and the sunset at Bandra!


Other people watching the sunset - this park called the Bandstand was packed with people walking up and down the walkway and people just sitting around and visiting.


Final view of sunset.

My Room!


After my third room in a week I finally got a good one!! I staked it out! One of the SMEs was leaving about a week after I got here and I had heard she had a bigger room - so I talked to the Taj before she left to make sure I could move into it when she was gone! I wasn't sure if it was actually going to happen... but it did! I feel a little bad because there are a lot of bigger guys here and they are stuck in the smaller rooms like I had last time - but obviously I don't feel that bad!! :o) Like the Pink carpet!


Sorry it is a little messy - the housekeeping hadn't come in yet! I love the huge King bed!


Can't really see it but I have several shelves where I can store thing and about 5 more drawers than I had last time - it is so nice and I feel much more at home this time around!

More updates...


I forgot to include this picture in the last posting. This is from when we were at Bukara on my first night in Delhi. Not only was it considered the Best Indian Restaurant in the world for 2004 but it also has the largest Nann in Delhi!


For St Patty's Day we had to go somewhere Irish so we could get green beer!! Dublin's is in the same hotel as Bukara and has very similar prices!!


Hassan getting his facial!! The salons are pretty cheap over here. I got a manicure and a pedicure for about $12 including tip and everything. I don't think they do as good of job as in the US but pretty close.



Above is a Subway menu! They just opened one up by the Taj so it is nice to be able to stop by and grab on the way home - it is even close enough to walk to if we needed to!


Caught this pretty sunset one night as we were leaving work!


Top notch security at Hewitt!


Some of the 3.x associates I trained at the end of my last stay. Hassan was leaving at the end of the week so he arranged a party for all of them and the SMEs.


3.x SCAs in a more relaxed environment!


Dancing at Crave!

All the SMEs this time around are great - I've become good friends with them all ready and it has only been 2 weeks!

Courtney and Dan


Farzeen and Eric


Me and Mirjana


Pete, Riz, and Mirjana


Jason, Kaumudi, and Kartik


The bartender at Crave!


Group photo at the end of the night!!

First week back in India

I quickly got adjusted to being back in India! The first day back I went shopping for several hours, got a massage at the Grand Hotel, and went out to a late dinner at Buckara. Sunday I went site seeing with this girl Faith and Jason. First stop on our tour was Qutab Minar. The word 'Qutab Minar' means 'axis minaret'. The tower which dominates the countryside for miles around has five stories, each marked by a projecting balcony. The staircase inside the tower to the balconies has been closed following an accident in early 1980's when a party of school girls panicked when the lights failed and a stampede led to a number of deaths. I had read something
different somewhere else where they said it was closed because to many suicides had occurred from the top of the minaret. I believe the second one almost more because it seems like Indians commit suicide at a much higher rate than in the US - there is always one or two articles a week in the paper about it. I was just looking on-line to see if there was anything to back my comment and found this: "Suicide rates are higher in countries where the act is culturally accepted - such as in Japan and India. " and this as well "Out of every three cases of suicide reported every 15 minutes in India, one is committed by a youth in the age group of 15 to 29." and this one "The rate of suicides in India, about 5 per 100,000 persons in the late 1960s, has more than doubled since then. The gravity of the problem is highlighted by the fact that nearly three-fourths of all suicides in India are by people in the socially and economically productive age group of 15 to 49. The increase is particularly striking since the mid-1980s - the number of suicides per 1,000 deaths has doubled from 6 in 1985 to 12 in 1998. "

Qutab Minar


Jason (another SME from Atlanta) in front of Qutab Minar.


Another view of Qutab Minar

The people of India are a lot of the times very different from the people you would see in the US so the next few pictures are of just of people at the Qutab Minar.



















































Below is the Lotus Temple - also known as Bahá'í Mashriqu'l-Adhkar. It is a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith, located in Kalkaji, south of Delhi. Shaped like a half opened Lotus flower, this temple is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. It is open to all faiths and is an ideal place for meditation and obtaining peace and tranquility. Bahai's Temple is a marvel of modern architecture, which is visible from several spots in south Delhi. The lotus flower signifies purity and peace, a representation of the Manifestation of God, to the people of India. This ancient symbol has been given a modern and contemporary form in the structure of the Bahai House of Worship drawing into its sanctum sanctorum people from all races, religious backgrounds and culture from around the globe. It represents the Bahai faith, - an independent world religion; divine in origin, all embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles, and dynamic in the influence.


After the Lotus temple we went to the Lodi Gardens. In India most signs are in English but they aren't always correct - note the 'Tinings of opening'.

The beautiful and serene Lodi Garden was designed over two dynasties by the Sayyids and Lodis in the 15-16th century. The park works as a breather from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially in the early mornings and early evenings, when fitness enthusiasts come for brisk walks or to jog through the manicured gardens against a backdrop of much-graffitied medieval monuments.

As you can see above the Lodi Gardens is really pretty and different from most of Delhi! Below is me just taking more pictures of people. There were 4 guys on a bench all huddled together looking at something.



Above is a picture of most of the SMEs that our here now. We find this sign very funny so we had to take a picture with it! Left to Right is Dave, Nilton, Hassan, Cheddi, Mirjana, Soraya, Pete, Ben, Eric, Jason, myself, Farzeen, Kinal, Faith, and Riyaz.


Sunday we were up at the Taj Club having a few drinks when the guy above came in. Hassan and Riyaz started going crazy. Crickett is a huge sport over in India and this guy (Sourav Ganguly) use to be the captain of the Indian team. He has been in the news a lot lately due to the fact that he just got kicked off/quite the team because him and the new coach did
not get along. They talked me into going over and getting an autograph for them so this is me doing that.

Wednesday we had off for Holi! The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. Originally a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic commemmoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. Today Holi is an excuse for Indians to shed inhibitions and caste differences for a day of spring fever and Big Fun. Teenagers spend the day flirting and misbehaving in the streets, adults extend the hand of peace, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly colored powder (gulal) and water over each other.

Above are Farzeen, Hassan, Riz, and Mirjana. I missed the Holi playing part as they call it because I slept in and didn't realize the color throwing onloccurreded in the morning. It would have been fun tparticipatete in that part but as you can see you get quite colored! They are still cleaning the color out of their ears - not sad I missed that part!


Lunch in the cafeteria the day before Soraya left. They changed food vendors in Gurgaon so the food is even worse!

Left to right is Ashish, Abhinav, Anshul, Abdul, and Raj.