First Week

I got here friday around midnight (by the way that's also a great jazz standard). First challenge was customs. They had opened my luggage and discovered my camera gear and my other laptop. I brought my company laptop and my personal laptop. Seems only one laptop per person. They asked me what my camera was worth and how old it was. With some exaggeration on my part a value was established and I ended up paying $300 in duty.


The next morning I went to my flat and visited with the manager. It will be ready to move in Tuesday. If that happens it will be good. My apartment details are being manager by a second tier contractor (Textron contracts with Cartus to manage off-shore assignments and Cartus contracts with this firm for housing), Writer Corp. The rep is a nice guy. A local named Satish Kumar. Satish tells me he wants to get an early start on Saturday, 10:00 AM. He shows up at 10:30 AM. That's my kind of early start. You won't catch many fish but you will get more sleep. Welcome to India.

My hotel is comfortable. Great breakfast buffet and pleasant surroundings. Here are some pix taken around the hotel. The staff is nice and since I have been here before, they know me. It is conviently located near shopping and restaurants and it is reasonably quiet. This morning I was sitting in my room reading emails when I heard the strangest noise. It sounded for all the world like a squeaky fan belt or galded bearing. It was coming from out in the hall. I went out and there at the end of the corrider through a window I could see a very colorful bird making this weird noise.

The last two nights I have eaten down on church street. It is within walking distance from the hotel. On my previous trip I had no idea where Church street was. I just knew it was a good place to find restaurants. I would walk out of my hotel and find a gaggle of auto ricks (tuk-tuks). I would announce that I wanted to go to Church street and then begin to haggle over price. I usually ended up around 70 rupees (about $1.25). I would get in the rick and away we would go. I seemed like a long way and finally we would arrive at Church street. Then one Sunday I took a walk. Church street was right around the corner. Now I walk.

Last night I ate at a place called "Three Quarters Chinese". It is a fusion place run by a chinese guy who has surrounded himself with Indians. Good food. It's a family place. Last night there was a family with three kids. The kids literally ran round and round the restaurant playing tag. Not something I have seen before. Interesting concept. The restaurant staff as well as the customers and their parents ignored them. I had paneer (tofu made from cow's milk) with green chilis and an eggplant dish. Tonight I ate at "Mainland China". A little more up scale. Restaurants here don't generally open in the evening until about 7:00. The other thing that goes on, especially in Mainland China, is the service. There are about 3 wait staff who attend your table. They serve you, meaning they put the food on your plate as you need it. They watch and come over especially if you pick up a dish. I had sizzling Schewazan shrimp and an interesting vegetable dish. Chinese restaurants tend to taylor their receipes to local tastes. Chinese food in France is quite different from Chinese food in the US for example. This dish is a sweet and sour dish taylored to the Indian preferance for vegitarian dishes. It is a veg medley lightly dusted with corn starch or flour, fried and then tossed in a sweet and sour sauce. It's a good dish.



Tomorrow I check in at work and start the process of registering with the Indian government. I will discuss that process in a future post. I have done it once and trust me on this: It is the Indian bureauracy in one of its finest hours.