Amritsar

Amritsar is a beautiful city. It is special to me because this is where my dad's two brothers live and I have countless memories of our family spending weeks in Amritsar flying kites, chasing lizards and mice and eating some high quality food.

To start, my trip to Amritsar was very eventful. My flight was leaving at 5pm sharp so I assumed getting to the airport for 4pm was a safe bet. When my taxi didn't show up I didn't panic because I knew I would grab a scotter (3 wheeler) to the airport. Leaving home around 3:15pm I arrived at the airport promptly at 4pm. After getting my bags checked by security I approached the desk for Indian Airlines.......and that is where things fell apart. To my surprise, I was told that the flight to Amritsar was not leaving from the domestic airport but rather the interational airport. I said fine, looked at my watch and realized it was 4:15pm.......no need to panic.......so in my broken hindi/punjabi I asked the man at the counter which direction I needed to go in order to get there. I told him I would walk quickly. He laughed at told me that I couldn't walk 10-12 kms with my 2 bags and make my flight...i was forced to take a taxi or scooter and I better move fast or I am going to miss my flight. Now I was pissed.......running outside I don't know what came over me but I started negotiating with taxi drivers and scooters to get a fair fare to the airport. I settled on 60 rupees to drive 10km which was a huge ripoff but what could I do. Anyhow, arriving at the International Airport with 20 mins to go meant I was running through the terminal and begging people to let me jump ahead in line (not something common in India). To my luck, I was fortuante enought to meet some good people who ensured that I was able to board the flight. At 5pm sharp I was sitting in the airplane, catching my breath and recollecting the last hour of panic I had endured. 45 minutes later I was standing in Amritsar happy to have arrived in one piece and realizing that Amritsar International Airport resembled Buttonville airport!!

My first night in Amritsar was spent catching up with family and telling stories from back home and hearing about the antics of my cousins. We lost power a couple of times within a 6 hr span but that seems to be the norm of India. Hot weather means electircity is being used to the max. Alright, time to get some sleep as I have some shopping to do and I'll have to plan my stay here. Gots lots of family to see so the next week should be hectic but bountiful with respect to food:) My stomach is ready!!!

The Bombings in Delhi

Back in Delhi on a layaway. I fly out to Amritsar tomorrow. The journey back from Bombay to Delhi was uneventful other than the fact that 2 cinemas in Delhi were bombed. Incredibly only one person was hurt but cinemas are an integral part of Indian life so this is acheiving a lot of media attention. Alright, I'll report on this later.

Bombay

Well, 3 days later I am tired and exhausted. Bombay is huge. My first day in Bombay I melted. It was so hot and humid. I don’t know how I survived. The first day of Bombay included a ton of shopping. I went nuts. My second day included a family trip to Elephanta caves with my cousin, his wife and 2 kids. It was during this time I realized how lucky I am. These guys were experiencing their first boat ride and here I am thinking that on this trip alone I have sat on 4 boats. Elephanta caves was pretty cool but it took way to long to get there. We took a local train into central Bombay and I was crushed by the waves of people. Moreover, because I am a bit claustrophobic I found the ride very uncomfortable b/c everybody is sitting or standing so close to you.

The highlight of this trip was seeing my aunt. She is basically bed ridden now but I will not forget the look on her face when she saw me for the first time in 11 years. She was happy, proud and filled with joy. Not sure that I deserve any of it but I am glad I was able to spend some time with her and give her an update on my life and the things I had done in the last 11 years.

I really wanted to hit some Mumbai nightclubs but family commitments became very important so I decided to skip that experience. In India family is central to everything and I didn’t want to take time away from my relatives (especially their kids) – I made the right decision in hindsight!!

Alright, I am off to Delhi tomorrow afternoon for a day of rest before I make the trip to Amritsar (a favourite city of mine). Amritsar should be a lot of fun but it will be a very short trip.

Done with Goa

Alright, I am done GOA. Very beautiful but I came during the offseason so many of the stores are boarded up. Not many foreigners but tons of locals. It is always funny to see Indian women in saries and salwar kameezes going into the water. I know this is an extremely conservative country but I think conservatism leads to a potential lack of confidence. Anyway, I am getting sidetracked. A trip to GOA is a must and if you aren’t Indian it will be even better. Everyone thought I was a local so I didn’t get the type of tourist service I expectedJ I am off to Bombay now…sitting in the café before my flight.

Goa – The nightmare

Alright, I finally experienced the travelers nightmare – I was locked out of my room. So let me set the story. My mom had a family friend of ours arrange my stay in Goa. I was given an awesome flat for 400 RS which included a kitchen, a bed, a western shower and toilet and the much needed AC. The only thing missing was a TV!!! I was living in a colony so their were no backpackers rather all permanent Indians. After doing a quick tour of Goa I decided it was time to get out and eat some dinner. After dinner I decided I would head back to my flat (its around 9:30pm now) and call it an early night. To my surprise, when trying to open my door I was unable to get in. It seems that the key and the lock were giving me a lot of problems…….as a result, I called the lady who had rented me the flat and explained the problem. Within 20 mins I had a neighbour helping me and he had called the maintenance guy. Another 20 mins later 2 servants of this lady arrived and concluded that the lock was damaged and that we would have to break the door down. Luckily, my MBA payed dividends right away as I suggested we could save money if we went through the balcony and broke a window. At least if we broke something I could still live in the flat (if we broke the door, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in the flat). Now after some careful planning and thinking we created a homemade ladder made up of tables and chairs and one of the men climbed into the balcony. He then pried open the window and got into the room. There he promptly jimmed the lock and voila, I was back in the room. 3 hrs later I was exhausted. Let’s hope tomorrow is very relaxing.

Thekkady and Munnar

Alright, just completed my tour of Thekkady and Munnar. Thekkady proved to be nothing special but just a glorified zoo. I was on the hunt for the elusive Indian tigers but found none. The memory of Thekkady has to be the the line up for the boat ride. In India there is no such thing as a line rather a blob forms in the front and somehow you get carried to the front. In fact, if you are aren’t willing to push and be close to people then don’t waste your time standing in line because you will be there forever.

Munnar was a beautiful Hill Station. Although many couples honeymoon, Ramith and I were here to see the many tea plantations and experience the hill stations of India. I truly
Think Munnar was a great place; it was peaceful with beautiful scenery and the vibe of a small little town. During the drive back to Cochine we passed through some waterfalls and I had my first experience drinking Toddy (the local alcohol) – it didn’t go down well as the taste was too strong for my refined palette.

Tomorrow I am off to Goa. Hope to have a couple of relaxing days there.

The backwater tour

Today I finished the mini version of the backwater tour. I have to say that the backwater tour proved to me how valuable the coconut is for the local Keralites. We say the making of rope and carpet from dried coconut shells to finally the making of alcohol from the coconut trees; its called toddy here and I am going to have to try it.

The one thing I truly enjoyed was the peacefulness of the backwater tour. For a moment (well for the couple of hours) it felt like I was outside of India as there was no hustle and bustle. The boat we were on was actually a hollowed out bark and was being pushed heaving a huge bamboo stick into the water and then pushing off the ground. One really cool thing we saw were eagles hunting for fish as we were rowing by. Magestic is the word that came to mind!!

The rest of the evening was quiet as tomorrow we depart at 6am for Thekkady and Munnar!!

Kerala's - God's Own Country

I am in Cochine now. Cochine is in the state of Kerala which is well known in India for its 100% literarcy rate, low infant mortality and suberb health care system; a side to India I have only heard about.

After the long bus ride back to Cochine I am impressed I am still in one piece. Although I slept for almost all of it there was an interesting traffic jam that delayed us more than 2 hrs. It was interesting because the roads here are so bad and narrow that 2 cars going in opposite directions can pass each other. One has to stop to let the other pass....and in INdia its all about seizing the opportunity and size that the man with guts and the truck always win. Our bus driver lacked guts in my opinion, hence our delay.

Today Ramith and I did a boat tour of Cochine. This is the 1st of our 3 boats tours we expect to do over the 4 days. On the tour we met a guy Ramith called Chili Chicken. The man was from Korea and wwas doing everything a foreigner would do - walk all over the place, have no respect for people, places or things!! Ramith coined the named from an Indian movie called Munna Bhai MBBS where a Bombary loan shark fooled his dad into beleiving he was doctor. Upon his dad realizing that his son was a crook, the son decided to enter medical college to prove his worth to his father. In the movie, Sanjay Dutt (the actor) acts his henchmen to fetch him a body so he can learn to do an autopsy. The kidnapped a chinese fella and called him Chili Chicken (hence the nickname). Funny guy but try to avoid these ppl when travelling, never helps when you need the locals to help you out.

Our boat tour of Cochine started us off with a viewing of Jew Town where we saw a Dutch palace and an old synagouge. We then moved to St. Francis church and witnessed the Chinese fishing nets in action. And to top it off we went to a beautiful palace (this is where Ramith's sister was married). The highlight was the guard who was fishing while guarding the palace.....real secure palace eh!!!

At this point I want to mention 2 things. I just finished reading the Kite Runner - an excellent book and one that I would recommend. Also, an Indian movie called Dilwale Dulyane Lay Jaige (sp>) has been showwing for a record 500 weeks in India. Great movie and I have seen it 6-7 times now. I still remember being dragged to see this movie by my mac friends. how I hated them and then loved them after seeing that movie. Alright, the POA (plan of action) - this is something I have recently learned from Ramith over the next 3 days is as follows - backwater tour, followed by a 2 day trip to Thekkady (a tiger reserve) and Munnar (a hill station filled with tea plantations).

Mobiles

Every bloody person in India has a mobile.....the chai walla, the rickshaw walla, etc. You name a walla and they have a mobile. A mobile here is equivalent to a cell phone in case you needed some clarfication.

It is amazing the number of mobile companies that span across india and the amount of people who are text messaging or talking while doing something else. Unbeleivable shit. On that note, I too have a mobile while I am in India and the number is 9891144472 (I realize the irony in this). Now when you say these numbers its not one, one, it's double one and triple four. I'll be text msging on my way home. TTYL

The Reception

Today was the big recepetion. It wasn't that big. However before I start I wanted to do a little spiel on Indian signs - they are hilarious. As of today I have seen the following signs in no particular order
1) The Consulte for Secret Diseases of Men and Women
2) Don't let strangers into your house - a big billboard dedicated to this
3) Impatient on road, Patient in Hospital
4) Hump Ahead
5) A quote from a newscaster "Today xxx was pronouced drop dead upon arriving at the hospital"
6)

Also, I learned the answer to a question that has alluded me for years - what's up with the indian mutch (mustache). Well, I recently found out that the reason the men wear the mutch is a sign of manhood. In this case, you are a man if you can carry a mutch. Inidan machismo at its finest!!!

What else, Size matters!!! The bigger your car the more respect you get on the road. Makes sense, eh!!

Lastly, before i get into the reception is a case in India that troubles me. Recently, a man was arrested in delhi for raping a girl. Before the man was judged he asked the court to allow him to marry the girl he raped so it would not be considered rape. The court granted his request and asked the girl to either accept or deny the marriage proposal. How presporous is that. This is what troubles me about India - it's not the fact that he now asks for her hand but the court is willing to hear this shit and actually think this is legitamate. Anyhow, the guy was found guilty and will be in jail for a number of years now......this is normal news in india.

Alright, the reception.......very tame. We had some food at the temple and we officially gave pradeep and pooja (his finace) their wedding gift. I secured a pair of linen brown pants earlier that day from Benneton (who remembers that store!!)

Their was no dancing no singing and no boozing. The reception ended around 9pm where we all decided to check out a bar/spa called Taika. This was one of the coolest places in Banglore and a definite must if you are here-this should be exported to Canada!! We had some drinks and milled around a bit but being a tuesday the night was dead once again. Banglore the party city turned out to be Banglore the city of rest.

Tomorrow is the wedding and then I and Ramith are returning back to Cochine where I will spend 4 days turning from a brown man to an even browner man. We'll be starting the baking process (Ramith calls it Roasting) right away as we are taking a non-ac bus for 12 hrs back to Cochine.

Some Ramblings from Banglore

Alright, today's rants starts with being Sikh. Does everybody who sees a Sikh man, full beard expect a party animal to show up. So while we are at Pradeep's fiance's house for the Mendhi some aunty (everyone is an uncle and aunty in India) says "Sardarji boy, nach na nahi" - loosly translated, Sikh boy, dance for us!!! Hey, i ain't a stripper nor do I like to entertain people for their whimiscal pleasure.

Alright, Banglore is a sweet place. Reveling on the 13th floor was very cool and hip; somewhat similar to 737 in Montreal. Everyone here is young and has money to spend. Today morning we went to a nice golf course and did the bachelor thing, took PRadeep golfing. The cool thing about this course is when you pay your green fee you are automatically given a caddy. The sad thing was the fact that the caddy was better than me. The frustrating thing is hearing your caddy point out all your mistakes (since I make so many). Anyhow, after 9 holes, I was tired. The heat had finally taken me in and I couldn't go on. Secretly, I bet teh other 3 were happy about it b/c their game starting going downhill after the 7th hole.

After the golf (the course was immaculate by indian standards) we decided to go home and sleep. After some much needed rest, we got ready to head to Pradeep's house for a small party for family and friends. Now unlike Sikh weddings, this was very tame. IN fact, so tame that I was the one shouting out songs titles I wanted the singer to sing. After some dinner and some socializing, Ramith and I decided to split from the group and went to a club called Spinn. Very nice place, drinks are expensive but the crowd was shit - i guess Monday's in Banglore aren't that special. Anyhow, we have to get up early tomorrow to do some shopping as I need some dress pants for the wedding.

Banglore - the night bus

Well, I am in Banglore finally. Ramith and I took a 12 hr night bus that covered approx 600 km from Cochine to Banglore (aka the Garden State). Pradeep is due to arrive today and we are expecting a good number of events to go to. This is my first of 4 weddings I will attend this summer. One wonders when it will be my turn (this is a joke).

The temperature in Banglore is quite nice - much better than Cochin (i was sweating as soon as I came out of the airport in cochin). We are staying in a very nice mid-range hotel called Ballal Residency. We hooked up with Pradeep, Kedar and Mahdu (kedar's wife) for lunch and we ate in some really nice facny chinease resto called Mainland china. I have no clue what the fascination is with respect to chinese food and indians. They can't get enough chinese here it seems. ANyhow, the best part about banglore is they have phone charging centres so while eating you can drop your phone off with teh waiter and he will charge your phone while you eat your email. After a nice meal and some cold beers we were ready to hit the sack. Before our nap we ate some crazy good ice cream that you could die for. I ate a hot fudge sundae and was in heaven. After some rest, we got ready for the Mendhi. The Mendhi is the party the girl throws before her wedding. It is wear they do all the henna desgins on one's hands and feet. We partied there for a bit and then left to do some shopping. It seemed that Pradeep still needed his wedding suit so Ramith and I took off with him to do some shopping. Typical indian style, everything is last minute here!! And more importantly, everyone is late!!! Take note, it is in our gene pool - its not only me!!

After the shopping spree we made our move to a club called the 13th floor. It's not really a club but a lounge that overlooks banglore. Very chic place and happening for a sunday night. We chilled, listened to some good tunes and just releaxed....we have 2 busy days in front of us so it was nice to have an evening with friends.

A night on the town + some thoughts

I finally made it. I hit 2 Delhi nightclubs in a row on Friday. Quite the party and some very interesting dance moves. The girls were decked out in clothing that wouldn't even be seen in Toronto........india the progressive. The first club we hit was called Decibel that was located in some hotel. My cousin knew the doorman so we got in for free and our drinks were free too (at least the first 2 rounds:) The scene was alright except we were treated to 2 very openly gay indian guys grinding against each other.......not a sight for me!! The music was great and the crowd was a mix of young and old. At times, I wondered even if they checked ID. The thing in India is, is that all girls look younger than they are. It screws with your mind. After some quick drinks we made our way to Dublin. This was a party. Loads of people, lots of fun and great music. The party finally ended at 2am and we ended up eating in the hotel restaurant to nurse our hangovers. By the end of it all I finally reached home at 4am and went prompty to bed.

Before, leaving for the clubs I had packed all my shit and thrown it into a car because stupid me had booked an 8am flight to Cochine. I had to be up at 5:30am to ensure I was at the airport by 7am. Bloody ridiculous because I boarded the plane nursing a hangover and feeling like shit. Nonetheless, I got on the flight and tried to get some much needed sleep; this wasn't possible becasue the kind stewardesses of Indian Airlines had to wake me up each time they offered some snack, drink or meal. Why couldn't they just let me sleep!!!

Here is a piece of advice. In india, they jack tourists - everywhere!!! This is not the land of opportunity but rather the land where you must seize opportunity. For example, India has 2 types of airfares, local and tourist and the price difference between the 2 is quite significant. I of course, am buying local tickets and pretending to be some indian that was born here and raised here and then moved to canada. This charade has been pretty difficult so far considering I can barely communicate in the native tongue. Oh well, so far I have gotten away but there have been some interesting experiences. THe reason why this is the land of "seize the opportunity" is that b/c as soon as you are identified as a tourist everyone wants to take you for a ride. This fact is further empahasized when driving in india. People here will take advantage of any open space no matter how small it is; no one waits for anybody and basically the nice guy will always lose. So no more Mr. Nice guy for me while I am in India.

Alright, I am done ranting........I am now staying with Ramith (an mba friend) and am a little sick - suffering from a little Dehli-belly!! Lis, thanks for recommending some medication before leaving - it has come in quite handy!! I am boarding an overnight bus tonight to head to Banglore where I will be attending Pradeep's (a friend from the MBA) wedding. Should be a good time but I now realize we will be in a party town on the worst days - Sun through to Wed. Oh well, let's hope the wedding is the party to remember.

The meeting of all the cousins and the glimpse into being a father

I have done some major shopping the last couple of days. Not that I have a lot to show but I am ready to make some acquistions. I went by the Lacoste store yesterday where I found some good deals. I also got a suit made along with some dress pants. I have eaten all my favourite indian snacks now (bhel, chaat,gol guppes) and am ready to explode. So far, my stomach remains intact.

Let me begin by saying that I am staying with my aunt. In india, it is commom to live in joint households so in the house I am staying is my aunt, my cousin, his wife and their 5 year old kid. Alongside them is my 18 year old cousin who is staying with them as she prepares to write her entry exams for university. So my 5 year old cousin has made a mockery of my horrible language skills....in fact he is teaching me hindi and I am doing my best to learn. More importantly, he is teaching me about innocence. We spent the other day making a mother's day card for his mom and playing karate. I was pretty tired after 2 hrs and this kid just wanted to keep going!!

My other aunt lives on the other side of delhi. She has a 5 year old daughter who gets jealous when other people talk to me; specifically girls. Strange but a nice feeling:) She is extremely intelligent and is always busy explaining to me indian cartoons dancing to bollywood tunes.

My 18 year old cousin is the funnest. She is busy studying but we have had some great talks about culture, religion and of course dating. As for myself, I have had each cousin ask me within 30 mins of meeting with them if I am getting married or if they should start looking for some local girls for me. At this point, I shake my head and politely say no and that with time now I will be on the lookout. I know it is a bullshit answer but I want this to be a fun vacation; one without family drama.

Everything else is well. Food has been great, the weather has remained outstanding (it has rained the last couple of days). I am going to be hitting the Delhi nightclub scene tomorrow night and then flying out the next day to visit Ramith and his family in the South. From there we will be taking a bus to Banglore for our friend, Pradeep's wedding.

Write emails to me....let me know about what I am missing while I am away.

They let me in!!

I have arrived. Safely as well!!!

I finally made it to the capital of India on April 30th at 11:30pm. The flight was delayed leaving Toronto. The good thing was I knew this before I left for the airport so instead of wasting time sitting in a lounge I had the opportunity to sit at home quite comfortably; initially I was planning on meeting my friend Eli at the lounge (he was flying to Switzerland) but thanks to his call informing me of the delay I was able to sit around and relax.

Now, if you are ever coming to India and want a straight flight make sure you are a good flier. I slept for 10 of the 14 hrs. The other 4 hrs was spent talking to a girl I met on the flight named Luann. She was off to India to work in the northern part on setting up a canadian campus for Georgian College (or something like that). Very good company and it made for some good travel talks.

Delhi isn't as hot as I feared. I thought I would melt and I haven't yet. I might be lucky so far because I am told this is abnormal for this time of year.

So far, India hasn't changed much. I still laugh at the number of indians sitting on scooters or 3 wheel auto rickshaws; can you imagine 4 ppl sitting on a 2 wheel motorbike or stuffing 7 people in a car that fits 4, while in inida this is a norm:)

The pollution has improved but I still feel my lungs are getting black. I also am eating way too much since everytime I am up there is a meal to be eaten. Suprisingly, I am up most days by 8:30am as things start very early here. On the flip side, I am in bed no later than midnight as there is really nothing to do at that time of night.

Alright, that's where I am so far. I am venturing to the market now to do some shopping and good ol' bargaining. Wish me luck.