Thursday, October 28, 2010
!
Apparently I'm going to Agra this weekend. It sort of crept up on me: When I met the general manager last week, I mentioned that I wanted to go, and he promised to look into it for me. I didn't think much more about it until Tuesday, when he presented me with my intiniary! Okay, not exactly, but he said he'd done some research, and this was by far the cheapest option. So I booked it (well, technically the other manager booked it, since it kept rejecting my card - I paid him back with cash drawn on the very same card, so go figure), and now I'm going to Agra. The big thing is obviously the Taj Mahal, and if I can squeeze in the Agra Fort too, I'll be very happy. Now to book the hotel!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
An Evening Walk
Today I went for my first walk outside the hotel. I don’t think I will be making a habit of it, at least not until the weather cools down a bit.
I went because, on my way to work this morning, I noticed a stall that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there last week, selling stuffed animals and other toys. Let me explain: In Belgium (and other countries), there is a particular model of stuffed big cat which is popularly offered as prizes in fairgrounds and similar venues. They come in a range of sizes and colours (tigers, leopards, snow tigers and leopards), but the basic design is always the same. Now, the quality of the materials is pretty cheap, but somehow, these things still manage to be some of the nicest and most realistic stuffed tigers on the market, often much more so than those available in toyshops. I’ve always wanted to get one, but I never end up doing it, because really, I have so much stuff already.
When we passed the stall, though, I noticed that they had, among other things, the smallest version of that very same model! I decided it was fate and resolved to walk to the stall after work to buy one.
It turned out to be a half an hour walk along the road directly in front of the hotel. I tried to stay on the pavements, where there were any, but I was the only one: Pretty much everyone else ignored them entirely, unless they were using them to lay out stalls, or even occassionally as extensions of their homes. After a little while, I noticed a funny thing: Far from being simple rocks and dirt left where the road surface stopped, the pavements had once consisted of what looked like rather nice tiles. Abuse and neglect, though, had left them in such a dreadful condition that you couldn’t tell the tiles had ever been laid unless you looked very closely.
I saw much the same things as I do every day on my way to work, only on foot: Basically, people going about their daily business in the same way they would anywhere else, except here they live in shacks by the roadside, often so poorly constructed that they wouldn’t even qualify as a garden shed in Europe. I mostly kept my eyes on the road, as I didn’t feel very comfortable staring into these people’s bedrooms and going ‘oh, how quaint’.
The weather was heavy and muggy, promising yet another storm later on, and by the time I finally got to the stall, I was hot, damp and extremely dusty. The stall itself turned out to be a disappointment: Remember above when I said the European versions of these things are pretty low quality? Well, it turns out it can get quite a bit lower. I took one look, realised that there was no way I could talk myself into buying one of those, and headed back.
On the way back, I had wanted to take a rickshaw – I’d seen plenty whizzing by me on the way, so I thought I’d have my pick. Perhaps if I had been paying a little more attention, I would have noticed that all the ones going by were full. I did eventually manage to flag one down on the other side of the road, and then amuse him by trying to cross rush hour traffic with no crossing in sight. I did make it eventually, and he took me back to the hotel (it was easy to describe this time, just a straight line).
The first thing I did on getting back was shower. It’s amazing how dusty you can get here just by walking along the road! If I find something else worth walking to I will, but at the moment all I’ve seen are shacks and roadside stalls, so I don’t see myself venturing out for another walk just yet.
I went because, on my way to work this morning, I noticed a stall that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there last week, selling stuffed animals and other toys. Let me explain: In Belgium (and other countries), there is a particular model of stuffed big cat which is popularly offered as prizes in fairgrounds and similar venues. They come in a range of sizes and colours (tigers, leopards, snow tigers and leopards), but the basic design is always the same. Now, the quality of the materials is pretty cheap, but somehow, these things still manage to be some of the nicest and most realistic stuffed tigers on the market, often much more so than those available in toyshops. I’ve always wanted to get one, but I never end up doing it, because really, I have so much stuff already.
When we passed the stall, though, I noticed that they had, among other things, the smallest version of that very same model! I decided it was fate and resolved to walk to the stall after work to buy one.
It turned out to be a half an hour walk along the road directly in front of the hotel. I tried to stay on the pavements, where there were any, but I was the only one: Pretty much everyone else ignored them entirely, unless they were using them to lay out stalls, or even occassionally as extensions of their homes. After a little while, I noticed a funny thing: Far from being simple rocks and dirt left where the road surface stopped, the pavements had once consisted of what looked like rather nice tiles. Abuse and neglect, though, had left them in such a dreadful condition that you couldn’t tell the tiles had ever been laid unless you looked very closely.
I saw much the same things as I do every day on my way to work, only on foot: Basically, people going about their daily business in the same way they would anywhere else, except here they live in shacks by the roadside, often so poorly constructed that they wouldn’t even qualify as a garden shed in Europe. I mostly kept my eyes on the road, as I didn’t feel very comfortable staring into these people’s bedrooms and going ‘oh, how quaint’.
The weather was heavy and muggy, promising yet another storm later on, and by the time I finally got to the stall, I was hot, damp and extremely dusty. The stall itself turned out to be a disappointment: Remember above when I said the European versions of these things are pretty low quality? Well, it turns out it can get quite a bit lower. I took one look, realised that there was no way I could talk myself into buying one of those, and headed back.
On the way back, I had wanted to take a rickshaw – I’d seen plenty whizzing by me on the way, so I thought I’d have my pick. Perhaps if I had been paying a little more attention, I would have noticed that all the ones going by were full. I did eventually manage to flag one down on the other side of the road, and then amuse him by trying to cross rush hour traffic with no crossing in sight. I did make it eventually, and he took me back to the hotel (it was easy to describe this time, just a straight line).
The first thing I did on getting back was shower. It’s amazing how dusty you can get here just by walking along the road! If I find something else worth walking to I will, but at the moment all I’ve seen are shacks and roadside stalls, so I don’t see myself venturing out for another walk just yet.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yesterday (I am so good at titles...)
So, remember how last week I said I wanted to go to the Osho Ashram or the race track on Sunday? Well, when I stepped outside at 10.30am yesterday morning, after a copious brunch, I was met with a wall of heat. So, instead of going to either one of those places, or even dragging my PC outside to amuse myself, I retreated to my beautifully air-conditioned room and surfed and wrote fanfic until 3pm. At that point I figured I really ought to do something, so I decided to go shopping around the SGS Mall, and, to make it cheaper, take a rickshaw to get there.
This, by the way, is what an Indian rickshaw looks like these days:
(Image copyright Muhammad Mahdi Karim)
I was told by the hotel that I could expect to pay 40-50 rupees for the trip, but when I asked my chosen driver before leaving how much, he told me 150. I didn't argue. I guess I could have, but honestly I would feel bad about it. 150 rupees works out to about €2.50 for a 15-20 minute trip, which, let's face it, is nothing. The fact is, 150 rupees won't even buy me a bottle of coke, whereas it can feed his kid for at least a day. So yeah, I didn't argue.
Anyway, the ride was remarkably unintimidating. I've been told that rickshaws are not for the faint of heart, but honestly, I didn't feel the least bit unsafe. The noise is incredible, though. Not from the rickshaw itself, but since it's open on all sides, you're treated to the full symphony of the Pune roads. And what a symphony it is! I'm starting to get the impression that people here use the horn like any other means of communication, to express anger, happiness, amusement, disgust, etc. It's really something! Anyway, we got to the mall without difficulty, and I spent a couple of hours wandering around, first on the surrounding streets and then, when that got too hot, inside the mall. One thing I've noticed, which is nice, is that, while some people may look at you, it's purely out of curiosity. They look at you the same way they might look at an unusual dog or bird, curious because it's out of the ordinary, but not hugely interested beyond that. I can see why, too - you virtually never see any non-Indian people on the streets, ever. No white people, black people, Chinese, no one but Indians. No one, including the stall holders, bothered me, but they were happy to talk to me if I talked to them.
I've learned that apparently, growing up in Brussels is excellent training for navigating the streets of India: Road users there have about the same amount of respect for the traffic code as they do here. So, in spite of the warnings I received, I find I'm actually about to navigate the roads fairly competently. As in Brussels, there seem to be two basic rules that should always be observed by the pedestrian: 1) Show no fear (even with the five scooters bearing down on you), and 2) always stand your ground - don't stop once you've started. Everything else is optional.
When I wanted to go home, I learned something else: Apparently, rickshaw drivers don't make a point of learning the names of the big hotels in the city. I asked several drivers and none of them had any idea what I was talking about, in spite of it being the biggest, newest hotel in Pune. I finally found one guy willing to take me on, and we stopped for directions along the way. I was a tad worried when we almost ended up on the Pune-Mumbai motorway, but we managed in the end. Though now I have a little supply of hotel business cards with the address on in my various bags, just in case...
This, by the way, is what an Indian rickshaw looks like these days:
(Image copyright Muhammad Mahdi Karim)
I was told by the hotel that I could expect to pay 40-50 rupees for the trip, but when I asked my chosen driver before leaving how much, he told me 150. I didn't argue. I guess I could have, but honestly I would feel bad about it. 150 rupees works out to about €2.50 for a 15-20 minute trip, which, let's face it, is nothing. The fact is, 150 rupees won't even buy me a bottle of coke, whereas it can feed his kid for at least a day. So yeah, I didn't argue.
Anyway, the ride was remarkably unintimidating. I've been told that rickshaws are not for the faint of heart, but honestly, I didn't feel the least bit unsafe. The noise is incredible, though. Not from the rickshaw itself, but since it's open on all sides, you're treated to the full symphony of the Pune roads. And what a symphony it is! I'm starting to get the impression that people here use the horn like any other means of communication, to express anger, happiness, amusement, disgust, etc. It's really something! Anyway, we got to the mall without difficulty, and I spent a couple of hours wandering around, first on the surrounding streets and then, when that got too hot, inside the mall. One thing I've noticed, which is nice, is that, while some people may look at you, it's purely out of curiosity. They look at you the same way they might look at an unusual dog or bird, curious because it's out of the ordinary, but not hugely interested beyond that. I can see why, too - you virtually never see any non-Indian people on the streets, ever. No white people, black people, Chinese, no one but Indians. No one, including the stall holders, bothered me, but they were happy to talk to me if I talked to them.
I've learned that apparently, growing up in Brussels is excellent training for navigating the streets of India: Road users there have about the same amount of respect for the traffic code as they do here. So, in spite of the warnings I received, I find I'm actually about to navigate the roads fairly competently. As in Brussels, there seem to be two basic rules that should always be observed by the pedestrian: 1) Show no fear (even with the five scooters bearing down on you), and 2) always stand your ground - don't stop once you've started. Everything else is optional.
When I wanted to go home, I learned something else: Apparently, rickshaw drivers don't make a point of learning the names of the big hotels in the city. I asked several drivers and none of them had any idea what I was talking about, in spite of it being the biggest, newest hotel in Pune. I finally found one guy willing to take me on, and we stopped for directions along the way. I was a tad worried when we almost ended up on the Pune-Mumbai motorway, but we managed in the end. Though now I have a little supply of hotel business cards with the address on in my various bags, just in case...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sightseeing and a lesson
So, today was my first day of sightseeing! It didn't start out too well - I had booked the car for 11.30, was down in the main hall at 11.29, only to find that the driver had been and gone! I was kind of annoyed, but apparently that kind of thing is par for the course around here, so I wasn't too bothered. He did come back around half an hour later, which gave me time go back to my room and fetch sunglasses (which I turned out to not need) and bottled water (which I did).
After a few initial communication problems, we set off for the Aga Khan Palace! It turned out to be only about 15 minutes away from the hotel, which was a nice surprise. The driver waited for me in the parking lot while I went around. It's a lovely building in some beautiful grounds, smaller than I expected but very charming (and yes, I did take pictures, but I'm lazy and can't be bothered to upload...). To go around the little Gandhi exhibition was 20 rupees for Indian citizens and 100 rupees for everyone else, which I thought was fair enough. The museum is small, but nicely done and quite informative. It keeps things simple, talking about the time Gandhi and his people spent there and the Quit India movement in general, with some nice paintings and photographs to illustrate. Going round, though, you realise just how poor this country still is, even with all the development going on at the moment. This is a national monument to a national hero, and they apparently can't even afford to renew the plaques explaining the exhibits, which are stained, torn, and in some places literally falling off the walls.
It's funny really, because there are shanty towns all over the place, even on the way to work, but the Aga Khan palace is the first time any sign of poverty has really struck me. Somehow, the people who live in the little tin shacks on the sides of the road just don't strike me as poor. Or, well, they're obviously poor, but they don't seem miserable about it, if that makes sense. Which is not to say that they're not, but when you just drive through, they seem like people getting on with their daily lives and really quite enjoying themselves, at any rate much more so than the people in the poorer areas you find in Belgium. Maybe it's just that the culture is different, or that even the shanty-town women have beautiful, colourful saris and such, but so far I haven't really had the culture shock that I was warned about. Maybe it will come.
After the Aga Khan palace, I asked to see a shrine to Ganesh, since apparently there's a really famous one in Pune. On the way, we drove past a huge fortress-type building, with what looked like a statue of Genghis Khan or someone on horseback. We stopped there, and it turned out to be the Shaniwar Wada. I still don't know who the statue is really supposed to be, because all the plaques were in Hindi only, and neither wiki nor the leaflet I got mention it. Anyway, it was extremely impressive. Aside from the walls and gatehouse, it's all just ruins now, and the grounds are really not very big. Even so, the whole thing feels massive - the thickness of the walls and the solid iron pieces that remain are in a way quite overwhelming. I wandered around quite quickly, partly because I had told the driver half and hour, and partly because by that point it was 1pm and sweltering, but I think I might go back.
After that, we did the Ganesh shrine. Or rather, we did a Ganesh shrine. By this stage, the driver and I were managing to communicate pretty well, but I think I failed to differentiate the big, famous Ganesh shrine from every other Ganesh shrine in Pune. We ended up first going past a very small one set into a wall behind glass, sort of like a shop window. After that, he took us past a much grander one, a very elegant cream lattice structure, but the traffic was too heavy for me to get out and have a look. Instead we drove by veeeeery slowly.
And by that point, I was hot and tired, so when he said 'hotel?' I was quite happy to agree. On the way back, we went through some very interesting shopping areas, which I think I will try to find my way back to at some point.
When we got back to the hotel, I learned a valuable lesson: Be very careful what you ask for! See, I was hot and sticky by this time, and I thought a perfect way to cool off would be with fruit salad, right? (And yes, I know fruit is one of the dangerous things, but apparently you can usually trust the peeled fruit in the hotel.) I didn't want to pay for a whole buffet, though, so I asked the lovely hostess whether I could simply have a fruit salad. Her reaction was a little laugh, a nod, and a 'why not?' as she led me to my table. I thought that last part was a bit odd, but took it to mean 'fruit salad for lunch - hey, why not?'. As it turned out, what it actually meant was 'fruit salad, what a novel idea - it doesn't exist on our menu, but we shall get someone to make you some specially!' Because apparently, if you ask for something here without looking at the menu, and they don't have it, they won't simply tell you that. Instead, they will take your request as a personal challenge and do everything they can to make it for you. So, after a couple of conversations with the hostess detailing what kind of fruit I wanted, and how I wanted it cut, I was presented with a lovely platter and profuse apologies because it had taken a whole 15 minutes to arrive on my table. Also, my pineapple had little heart-shaped holes. Yeah. I felt guilty after that, especially since I wasn't really full afterwards, and ended up ordering a grilled cheese sandwich through room service half an hour later.
So that's been my day so far. I think now I may try the fabulous bath tub - it's a beautiful tub, first of all, and secondly, it stands next to the glass wall of the bathroom, so you can see out of the gigantic window when you're in it.
After a few initial communication problems, we set off for the Aga Khan Palace! It turned out to be only about 15 minutes away from the hotel, which was a nice surprise. The driver waited for me in the parking lot while I went around. It's a lovely building in some beautiful grounds, smaller than I expected but very charming (and yes, I did take pictures, but I'm lazy and can't be bothered to upload...). To go around the little Gandhi exhibition was 20 rupees for Indian citizens and 100 rupees for everyone else, which I thought was fair enough. The museum is small, but nicely done and quite informative. It keeps things simple, talking about the time Gandhi and his people spent there and the Quit India movement in general, with some nice paintings and photographs to illustrate. Going round, though, you realise just how poor this country still is, even with all the development going on at the moment. This is a national monument to a national hero, and they apparently can't even afford to renew the plaques explaining the exhibits, which are stained, torn, and in some places literally falling off the walls.
It's funny really, because there are shanty towns all over the place, even on the way to work, but the Aga Khan palace is the first time any sign of poverty has really struck me. Somehow, the people who live in the little tin shacks on the sides of the road just don't strike me as poor. Or, well, they're obviously poor, but they don't seem miserable about it, if that makes sense. Which is not to say that they're not, but when you just drive through, they seem like people getting on with their daily lives and really quite enjoying themselves, at any rate much more so than the people in the poorer areas you find in Belgium. Maybe it's just that the culture is different, or that even the shanty-town women have beautiful, colourful saris and such, but so far I haven't really had the culture shock that I was warned about. Maybe it will come.
After the Aga Khan palace, I asked to see a shrine to Ganesh, since apparently there's a really famous one in Pune. On the way, we drove past a huge fortress-type building, with what looked like a statue of Genghis Khan or someone on horseback. We stopped there, and it turned out to be the Shaniwar Wada. I still don't know who the statue is really supposed to be, because all the plaques were in Hindi only, and neither wiki nor the leaflet I got mention it. Anyway, it was extremely impressive. Aside from the walls and gatehouse, it's all just ruins now, and the grounds are really not very big. Even so, the whole thing feels massive - the thickness of the walls and the solid iron pieces that remain are in a way quite overwhelming. I wandered around quite quickly, partly because I had told the driver half and hour, and partly because by that point it was 1pm and sweltering, but I think I might go back.
After that, we did the Ganesh shrine. Or rather, we did a Ganesh shrine. By this stage, the driver and I were managing to communicate pretty well, but I think I failed to differentiate the big, famous Ganesh shrine from every other Ganesh shrine in Pune. We ended up first going past a very small one set into a wall behind glass, sort of like a shop window. After that, he took us past a much grander one, a very elegant cream lattice structure, but the traffic was too heavy for me to get out and have a look. Instead we drove by veeeeery slowly.
And by that point, I was hot and tired, so when he said 'hotel?' I was quite happy to agree. On the way back, we went through some very interesting shopping areas, which I think I will try to find my way back to at some point.
When we got back to the hotel, I learned a valuable lesson: Be very careful what you ask for! See, I was hot and sticky by this time, and I thought a perfect way to cool off would be with fruit salad, right? (And yes, I know fruit is one of the dangerous things, but apparently you can usually trust the peeled fruit in the hotel.) I didn't want to pay for a whole buffet, though, so I asked the lovely hostess whether I could simply have a fruit salad. Her reaction was a little laugh, a nod, and a 'why not?' as she led me to my table. I thought that last part was a bit odd, but took it to mean 'fruit salad for lunch - hey, why not?'. As it turned out, what it actually meant was 'fruit salad, what a novel idea - it doesn't exist on our menu, but we shall get someone to make you some specially!' Because apparently, if you ask for something here without looking at the menu, and they don't have it, they won't simply tell you that. Instead, they will take your request as a personal challenge and do everything they can to make it for you. So, after a couple of conversations with the hostess detailing what kind of fruit I wanted, and how I wanted it cut, I was presented with a lovely platter and profuse apologies because it had taken a whole 15 minutes to arrive on my table. Also, my pineapple had little heart-shaped holes. Yeah. I felt guilty after that, especially since I wasn't really full afterwards, and ended up ordering a grilled cheese sandwich through room service half an hour later.
So that's been my day so far. I think now I may try the fabulous bath tub - it's a beautiful tub, first of all, and secondly, it stands next to the glass wall of the bathroom, so you can see out of the gigantic window when you're in it.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Week One
So ends my first week in Pune. I haven't been writing much, because to be honest there hasn't been a whole lot to write about. I get up, I go to work, I come home, it rains, I eat, surf and go to bed.
Did you get that? It rains. It rains. Not all day, not even most of it, just the hours in between when I get home and when I go to bed. Apparently it'll get better as of beginning of November, when the monsoon season is really over, but still, it's kind of depressing.
Not that it makes much difference in practice, though. I get back to the hotel between 5.30 and 6, and to be honest so far I've been exhausted every single day. I'm ashamed to say that so far I haven't even left the hotel, except to go to work! Well, except for Monday, when I went to the SGS mall to do some shopping. There are supposed to be some nice restaurants around here, but I've been too tired to go and look for them, especially as I have no one to look with (I'm working Pune hours while everyone else is on UK time). I've been enjoying the quiet, though, to be honest - after a full day of smiling and explaining and making small talk, I'm really not in the mood to socialise by the time I get back.
This weekend I'm going sightseeing, though! For tomorrow, I've booked the company cab to take me around the main sights (I still have to decide what I want to see, but a temple would be nice), and on Sunday I'll be either going to the Osho Ashram or the racing track (horses), depending on how I feel.
That is if I don't get sick first. One of the team was out today, and another left at lunch time, so we shall see...
Food-wise, I'm getting on okay. There's a complimentary breakfast buffet which looks amazing, but so far I've only had the yogurt with honey, partly because I never feel like eating before 8am, and partly because it's one of the few things I can scarf down in five minutes flat without choking... XD For the first three days, lunch was whatever Indian food was being served in the cafeteria at work. It was too spicy for me, so on Thursday I tried their 'diet' option, which basically consists of soup, sandwiches and fruit. That was okay, but yesterday one of the other SME's mentioned that the hotel snack bar would do you a packed lunch, so today I tried that. It turned out to consist of a very depressed little baguette with some rather tasty smoked turkey, and a packet of salted crisps. In conclusion: None of the lunch options are perfect, but none are terrible either, so I think I will just alternate between them from now on.
Dinner has so far been European/American/Vietnamese food from the buffet. I also ordered a lasagne a la carte once, and had a pizza delivered by room service. It's generally very nice, often not quite what you're expecting, but good nonetheless. It's currently being served in the hotel's Italian restaurant, since their usual buffet room is being renovated, and I'll be sad when they move it back next week. I'll miss the darker, cosier atmosphere of the Prego - Seasonal Tastes is very bright and sterile, very in your face and not charming at all.
The one thing I've discovered they can't do over here is chocolate. Not sure why, they seem to manage everything else just fine, but their chocolate deserts invariably come out bland and boring. Ah well, so much the better for me, I suppose!
Did you get that? It rains. It rains. Not all day, not even most of it, just the hours in between when I get home and when I go to bed. Apparently it'll get better as of beginning of November, when the monsoon season is really over, but still, it's kind of depressing.
Not that it makes much difference in practice, though. I get back to the hotel between 5.30 and 6, and to be honest so far I've been exhausted every single day. I'm ashamed to say that so far I haven't even left the hotel, except to go to work! Well, except for Monday, when I went to the SGS mall to do some shopping. There are supposed to be some nice restaurants around here, but I've been too tired to go and look for them, especially as I have no one to look with (I'm working Pune hours while everyone else is on UK time). I've been enjoying the quiet, though, to be honest - after a full day of smiling and explaining and making small talk, I'm really not in the mood to socialise by the time I get back.
This weekend I'm going sightseeing, though! For tomorrow, I've booked the company cab to take me around the main sights (I still have to decide what I want to see, but a temple would be nice), and on Sunday I'll be either going to the Osho Ashram or the racing track (horses), depending on how I feel.
That is if I don't get sick first. One of the team was out today, and another left at lunch time, so we shall see...
Food-wise, I'm getting on okay. There's a complimentary breakfast buffet which looks amazing, but so far I've only had the yogurt with honey, partly because I never feel like eating before 8am, and partly because it's one of the few things I can scarf down in five minutes flat without choking... XD For the first three days, lunch was whatever Indian food was being served in the cafeteria at work. It was too spicy for me, so on Thursday I tried their 'diet' option, which basically consists of soup, sandwiches and fruit. That was okay, but yesterday one of the other SME's mentioned that the hotel snack bar would do you a packed lunch, so today I tried that. It turned out to consist of a very depressed little baguette with some rather tasty smoked turkey, and a packet of salted crisps. In conclusion: None of the lunch options are perfect, but none are terrible either, so I think I will just alternate between them from now on.
Dinner has so far been European/American/Vietnamese food from the buffet. I also ordered a lasagne a la carte once, and had a pizza delivered by room service. It's generally very nice, often not quite what you're expecting, but good nonetheless. It's currently being served in the hotel's Italian restaurant, since their usual buffet room is being renovated, and I'll be sad when they move it back next week. I'll miss the darker, cosier atmosphere of the Prego - Seasonal Tastes is very bright and sterile, very in your face and not charming at all.
The one thing I've discovered they can't do over here is chocolate. Not sure why, they seem to manage everything else just fine, but their chocolate deserts invariably come out bland and boring. Ah well, so much the better for me, I suppose!
Monday, October 18, 2010
First day at the office
Can I just say that I'm exhausted? I spent all day talking, trying to go into as much detail in what is a vast and fairly complicated work load. I don't think I'm allowed to go into anymore detail, so I won't, but I can see it's going to be a looooooong nine weeks.
After work I was picked up by the cab service, along with four other Company employees staying at my hotel. There was an Irish dude, a guy from Singapore, one from Australia and an American girl. They seemed nice and invited me to go to dinner with them, but I really wanted to get that DVD player over and done with, so I opted to go to the SGS Mall instead. The mall turned out to be about a 15 minute drive away, not very big, but very light and airy, with some nice shops. I spent a long time at one in particular, which sold all kinds of stuff in the vein of toys, books, movies, music and electronics. To the untrained eye (i.e. mine), the set-up looked pretty chaotic, almost like a 99 cents store, but the sales people seemed to know exactly where everything was. There was very little choice in DVD players: A state of the art Sony DVD/Blu-Ray/engraver/magic genie, which was way too rich for my blood, a pink Disney Pricess DVD player, which I might have bought had the box not been extremely old/battered/torn, and a PS2 package. I ended up with a PS2 for more than I would have liked, but eh. As long as it works (which remains to be seen), I'm happy. I also got Prince of Persia on DVD - not sure why, I suddenly feel attached to that movie. I may watch it tonight.
The streets around here are pretty much what I'd been told to expect (people milling everywhere, shacks made of all kinds of stuff selling pretty much everything to anyone, etc), but not as bad as I had thought they might be. The people I've spoken to back home who have stayed in this hotel all say they felt perfectly safe wandering around, so tomorrow I may venture out for a walk. For tonight, I am exhausted, and debating between ordering room service or going downstairs to the Italian restaurant for a pizza. I hate to admit it, but I'm sick of Indian food already…
After work I was picked up by the cab service, along with four other Company employees staying at my hotel. There was an Irish dude, a guy from Singapore, one from Australia and an American girl. They seemed nice and invited me to go to dinner with them, but I really wanted to get that DVD player over and done with, so I opted to go to the SGS Mall instead. The mall turned out to be about a 15 minute drive away, not very big, but very light and airy, with some nice shops. I spent a long time at one in particular, which sold all kinds of stuff in the vein of toys, books, movies, music and electronics. To the untrained eye (i.e. mine), the set-up looked pretty chaotic, almost like a 99 cents store, but the sales people seemed to know exactly where everything was. There was very little choice in DVD players: A state of the art Sony DVD/Blu-Ray/engraver/magic genie, which was way too rich for my blood, a pink Disney Pricess DVD player, which I might have bought had the box not been extremely old/battered/torn, and a PS2 package. I ended up with a PS2 for more than I would have liked, but eh. As long as it works (which remains to be seen), I'm happy. I also got Prince of Persia on DVD - not sure why, I suddenly feel attached to that movie. I may watch it tonight.
The streets around here are pretty much what I'd been told to expect (people milling everywhere, shacks made of all kinds of stuff selling pretty much everything to anyone, etc), but not as bad as I had thought they might be. The people I've spoken to back home who have stayed in this hotel all say they felt perfectly safe wandering around, so tomorrow I may venture out for a walk. For tonight, I am exhausted, and debating between ordering room service or going downstairs to the Italian restaurant for a pizza. I hate to admit it, but I'm sick of Indian food already…
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Closing thoughts on Day One
I think that, as I was warned, this is indeed going to be a major shock to my system. The attitude of the locals is incredibly different from anything I know, extremely servile. I keep having to remind myself that no, they're really not being sarcastic.
I really need to make some acquaintances within the hotel. There's a bar/lounge downstairs which I am going to visit, either tonight or tomorrow. I'm tempted to go tonight, but the restaurant was dead when I went at 8, so I'm wondering if the bar will be much better. The lady at the desk promised me the turnout was unusually low tonight, so hopefully it'll pick up.
I'm still envisioning spending large amounts of time by myself, though, so tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get someone to take me to Dass Electricals, which seems to be the main electrical shop in Pune. Hopefully I can pick a DVD player up cheap there - if nothing else, maybe this will finally give me time to do that Kenshin marathon I've always meant to have!
I'm also going to see about picking up a salwar kameez, which seems to be the best way for Western women to dress so as to attract as little notice as possible. And they're comfy and pretty too, which is good.
I really need to make some acquaintances within the hotel. There's a bar/lounge downstairs which I am going to visit, either tonight or tomorrow. I'm tempted to go tonight, but the restaurant was dead when I went at 8, so I'm wondering if the bar will be much better. The lady at the desk promised me the turnout was unusually low tonight, so hopefully it'll pick up.
I'm still envisioning spending large amounts of time by myself, though, so tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get someone to take me to Dass Electricals, which seems to be the main electrical shop in Pune. Hopefully I can pick a DVD player up cheap there - if nothing else, maybe this will finally give me time to do that Kenshin marathon I've always meant to have!
I'm also going to see about picking up a salwar kameez, which seems to be the best way for Western women to dress so as to attract as little notice as possible. And they're comfy and pretty too, which is good.
Live from Pune!
I am typing this from the exotic subcontinent of India! That’s right, I have finally arrived, and with surprisingly few issues along the way.
We got out of Frankfurt with some 20 minutes delay, which, all things considered, wasn’t so bad. Frankfurt, incidentally, has got to be one of the most depressing airports I have ever been in. It’s purely function, no form at all – the London Underground is more attractive. It also has a better choice of food. Remember that lunch I was going to look for after my last post? It wound up consisting of a teeny little hotdog, a chocolate muffin, and a pretzel. In that order. Yeah. The business lounge was okay, but the food they were offering was very unappetising. I’m pretty sure meatballs aren’t meant to be beige…
Anyway, we got out of Frankfurt without too much delay, and the Lufthansa business class seats were nice. Not as nice as the ones on BA, though – for one thing, they were set up all facing the same way, whereas on BA, they face in alternating directions. The big advantage of this is that everyone has their own little pod-like space, and can do whatever they want without disturbing anyone else. Here, if you were on the window seat and, for instance, you wanted to get up, or talk to the steward, you had to do it over your neighbour, possibly needing to leap over their legs if the seat was outstretched. So yeah, BA wins on that count.
Another thing BA wins on is service. I’m sure Lufthansa in general are fine, but here they were incredibly slow. We had one of those 3 course meals, but we’d been in the air for two hours by the time they started clearing away the starters! I gave up after that and went to sleep instead of bothering with the rest. The salad I had – garden greens with chanterelle mushrooms and little pieces of cold stewed pumpkin and carrot thing (surprisingly good) – was incredibly dry, and none of the crew realised that the dressing had been forgotten until they had almost finished serving. The dryness I could understand, the forgetfulness not. It’s not like there were a lot of dishes, and the little pots were right there in the serving cart! Anyway, when I finally got mine, the little plastic pot had that distinctly swollen, puffy look that warns ‘don’t eat me or you will regret it’, so I didn’t eat it, and politely declined further food (until the next meal, just before landing).
My neighbour was a friendly Canadian also destined for the Westin hotel, and we chatted a bit, but he hadn’t slept in 24 hours, so that didn’t last. I slept some, enjoyed the view when there was no cloud cover (we flew right over some beautiful cities in Turkey), and watched Prince of Persia. Not sure why, but I enjoyed the characters more this time around than when I saw it in the cinema.
Anyway, we landed, Immigration and Baggage Control were fairly painless, and the drive to the hotel was only five minutes, which was nice. All in all, I was in my room by 5am, and in bed by 5.30. The room is beautiful, but smaller than I would have liked. I asked about upgrading in the morning when I arrived, but the girl on the desk just smiled at me and said ‘your room is a very nice one’. I was too tired to argue then, but when I got up again a couple of hours ago, I went and spoke to the manager, who promised me a bigger room in a day or two, when they become available. Which means I’m not sure how much I can be bothered to unpack until then, but we’ll see.
The place seems nice, in any case, very new and shiny, with lots of wood panelling and such. I had lunch in the main buffet restaurant, mushroom and vegetable stir-fry with spiced rice, followed by one of those little bananas, which was quite good. Tomorrow I’m going to see about going to a supermarket near the office complex, though, to get some snacks and things. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of convenience store nearby, and I don’t fancy paying minibar prices for two months!
My main project for the moment is to get hold of a DVD player. They aren’t expensive in Europe, so I doubt they would be more here, and I would really like to be able to play my own stuff on the TV (the laptop is too old to really be useful). They don’t recommend you leave the hotel alone, at least for a few days, so that’ll have to wait until next week.
So that was my first day in India, yay!
Update: Since writing the above, the manager has called and offered me a bigger room, so I am now nicely set up in a room with two queens, rather than a single king. In some ways, the other room was actually nicer – it had a fainting couch, for one thing, whereas this one has two little chairs, and a desk set-up which was separate from the TV. The view was more lively, too – there were a lot of trees with hawk-type birds circling above, and there was a busy road to watch. None of those are things I’ll particularly miss, though, and this room has one major thing going for it: Space. There’s a lot of open floor space and a much wider space for the window, which means more airiness and natural light. I can actually see myself living in this one for two months without going crazy, whereas the other one was kind of cramped and boxed in. So yeah, worth the trade-off, I think. Now to unpack!
We got out of Frankfurt with some 20 minutes delay, which, all things considered, wasn’t so bad. Frankfurt, incidentally, has got to be one of the most depressing airports I have ever been in. It’s purely function, no form at all – the London Underground is more attractive. It also has a better choice of food. Remember that lunch I was going to look for after my last post? It wound up consisting of a teeny little hotdog, a chocolate muffin, and a pretzel. In that order. Yeah. The business lounge was okay, but the food they were offering was very unappetising. I’m pretty sure meatballs aren’t meant to be beige…
Anyway, we got out of Frankfurt without too much delay, and the Lufthansa business class seats were nice. Not as nice as the ones on BA, though – for one thing, they were set up all facing the same way, whereas on BA, they face in alternating directions. The big advantage of this is that everyone has their own little pod-like space, and can do whatever they want without disturbing anyone else. Here, if you were on the window seat and, for instance, you wanted to get up, or talk to the steward, you had to do it over your neighbour, possibly needing to leap over their legs if the seat was outstretched. So yeah, BA wins on that count.
Another thing BA wins on is service. I’m sure Lufthansa in general are fine, but here they were incredibly slow. We had one of those 3 course meals, but we’d been in the air for two hours by the time they started clearing away the starters! I gave up after that and went to sleep instead of bothering with the rest. The salad I had – garden greens with chanterelle mushrooms and little pieces of cold stewed pumpkin and carrot thing (surprisingly good) – was incredibly dry, and none of the crew realised that the dressing had been forgotten until they had almost finished serving. The dryness I could understand, the forgetfulness not. It’s not like there were a lot of dishes, and the little pots were right there in the serving cart! Anyway, when I finally got mine, the little plastic pot had that distinctly swollen, puffy look that warns ‘don’t eat me or you will regret it’, so I didn’t eat it, and politely declined further food (until the next meal, just before landing).
My neighbour was a friendly Canadian also destined for the Westin hotel, and we chatted a bit, but he hadn’t slept in 24 hours, so that didn’t last. I slept some, enjoyed the view when there was no cloud cover (we flew right over some beautiful cities in Turkey), and watched Prince of Persia. Not sure why, but I enjoyed the characters more this time around than when I saw it in the cinema.
Anyway, we landed, Immigration and Baggage Control were fairly painless, and the drive to the hotel was only five minutes, which was nice. All in all, I was in my room by 5am, and in bed by 5.30. The room is beautiful, but smaller than I would have liked. I asked about upgrading in the morning when I arrived, but the girl on the desk just smiled at me and said ‘your room is a very nice one’. I was too tired to argue then, but when I got up again a couple of hours ago, I went and spoke to the manager, who promised me a bigger room in a day or two, when they become available. Which means I’m not sure how much I can be bothered to unpack until then, but we’ll see.
The place seems nice, in any case, very new and shiny, with lots of wood panelling and such. I had lunch in the main buffet restaurant, mushroom and vegetable stir-fry with spiced rice, followed by one of those little bananas, which was quite good. Tomorrow I’m going to see about going to a supermarket near the office complex, though, to get some snacks and things. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of convenience store nearby, and I don’t fancy paying minibar prices for two months!
My main project for the moment is to get hold of a DVD player. They aren’t expensive in Europe, so I doubt they would be more here, and I would really like to be able to play my own stuff on the TV (the laptop is too old to really be useful). They don’t recommend you leave the hotel alone, at least for a few days, so that’ll have to wait until next week.
So that was my first day in India, yay!
Update: Since writing the above, the manager has called and offered me a bigger room, so I am now nicely set up in a room with two queens, rather than a single king. In some ways, the other room was actually nicer – it had a fainting couch, for one thing, whereas this one has two little chairs, and a desk set-up which was separate from the TV. The view was more lively, too – there were a lot of trees with hawk-type birds circling above, and there was a busy road to watch. None of those are things I’ll particularly miss, though, and this room has one major thing going for it: Space. There’s a lot of open floor space and a much wider space for the window, which means more airiness and natural light. I can actually see myself living in this one for two months without going crazy, whereas the other one was kind of cramped and boxed in. So yeah, worth the trade-off, I think. Now to unpack!
I feel at home already...
My first monsoon storm, yay! Hopefully the season is coming to an end and all afternoons won't end like this...
Cross your fingers...
So, you know how you're supposed to test malaria drugs a week in advance? Well, I forgot. I've just had a cup of very milky tea and a couple of brownie biscuits (you're supposed to drink a milky drink with it), so now we shall see if I can manage to avoid the numerous and yucky side effects. Fortunately, if it's bad I can always stop taking them and rely on bug spray instead (malaria is not prevalent in Pune), but since I made the Company spend almost four hundred euros on the stuff, I should at least try. The next few hours should be interesting.
Now off to unpack, to take my mind off it...
Now off to unpack, to take my mind off it...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Live from Frankfurt...
The flight from Brussels was delayed by 30 minutes, but we only landed 5 minutes later than the scheduled time, which was nice. Passport Control in Frankfurt is a nightmare. I'd been warned it was bad, but sheesh! I couldn't even get to the EU queue, because there was literally no more room to move. I ended up in the outer-most line, where no less than 3 people tried to cut in front of me. I say tried, because of course they did not succeed. Sometimes I think I must have 'shmuck' tattooed across my forehead. Oh well, maybe the guy I called out and embarrassed will think twice about treating the poor little blonde like she doesn't exist next time.
Anyway, that was all the point there was to this post. I just wanted to do one of those 'typing from the airport' posts I always see. The flight to Pune is not for another hour and a half, so I'm off to find lunch!
Anyway, that was all the point there was to this post. I just wanted to do one of those 'typing from the airport' posts I always see. The flight to Pune is not for another hour and a half, so I'm off to find lunch!
Friday, October 15, 2010
First Post
If anyone is reading this, hello! First impressions are always important, so I feel like I should introduce myself before we start.
My name is Annika (which not even Word believes, but it still is), and I’m 24 years old. I live and work in Belgium but hold a British passport, and, at the behest of my employers, I am about to embark on a 4351 mile journey to Pune, India, where I will remain for the next nine weeks. A visual aid for your reference (thank you NASA):
Things you need to know about me: I’ll have no travelling companion, and I’m a total homebody. I like my creature comforts and I usually prefer in to out. I’ve never been further east than Bodrum, Turkey, or further west than Boston, America. I also have the mind of an eight year old; I am far too easily amused, and will always choose a toyshop over a fashionable boutique (seriously).
I am also lazy, so proofread posts will be few and far between. You have been warned.
And now, on with the show!
My name is Annika (which not even Word believes, but it still is), and I’m 24 years old. I live and work in Belgium but hold a British passport, and, at the behest of my employers, I am about to embark on a 4351 mile journey to Pune, India, where I will remain for the next nine weeks. A visual aid for your reference (thank you NASA):
Things you need to know about me: I’ll have no travelling companion, and I’m a total homebody. I like my creature comforts and I usually prefer in to out. I’ve never been further east than Bodrum, Turkey, or further west than Boston, America. I also have the mind of an eight year old; I am far too easily amused, and will always choose a toyshop over a fashionable boutique (seriously).
I am also lazy, so proofread posts will be few and far between. You have been warned.
And now, on with the show!
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