April 30 - May 6, 2001 |
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Another week over - time is flying by! Indeed, too fast…
What happened last week? On Monday I was very tired, both at work and at home. The Rafting-trip was actually more exhausting than I believed. That's why I went to bed quite early to catch up some sleep. On the next evening I went with some other trainees to the cinema and watched "Almost Famous".
Wednesday morning I felt already kind of sick but I nevertheless went to work. However, this was rather stupid of me as I returned home after 3 hours - my stomach was causing too many troubles. When I came home I experienced that Gosia and Franziska are facing the same problems. And in the evening I found out that also Jason and Thomas weren't feeling that good… so I concluded (how smart of me *g*) that the problems might descend from the dinner we had on our way back from Rishikesh (it was a quite lousy restaurant next to the highway). Consequently I stayed home on Thursday, too - as well as Gosia and Franziska. In the evening I was already feeling much better… what a good feeling!
On Friday I joined office again - sitting at home is actually really awful, especially in our flat where we have at least 35 degrees room temperature. So, staying in the air-conditioned office was/is a very big relief for me… However, when I came home from work the horror started again - power cut! We already had a lot of power cuts here but normally for an hour max. This time, the power cut lasted till 1:30 a.m. (!) - that means, no fan, no fridge, no light, no nothing. To escape the heat, we went to "Nirula's" in the evening, to have some sinfully delicious ice cream. Yum!
Saturday was dominated by shopping. I went straight after work to Sarojini Market - despite the big noon heat I made a good bargain there - 6 pieces (2 t-shirts, skirt, shorts, 2 bags) for 300 Rs. That's the way how shopping should be, right? *g* In the evening, I went to Prachi's place and from there some colleagues from office and me drove to a dinner, arranged by the Snow Farms team (Remember? Hint: trip to Himachal Pradesh). We chatted and had some good Indian food. Afterwards I met a friend of mine, we wanted to go to a rave party, a bit outside of Delhi (Ghaziabad, for those who are interested). The problems actually started as soon as we left my flat: we got stuck in a huge traffic jam (in the middle of the night!) for one hour. After meeting with his friends (that means 5 more cars), we got lost as the driver in the leading car wasn't able to read the map properly. And later, on top of that, one car broke down - what a great Saturday night! I was so upset, as well as my Indian friend, so we decided to forget the rave and return back to Delhi. Truly my best Saturday night I had since I'm here ;-) Actually it was really kind of funny even though also a bit sad… whatever, it was just a wasted Saturday night - not more.
On Sunday I was very lazy - reading, sleeping, eating, and chatting the whole day long - so, nothing special to report. Or maybe yes? This time we had electricity the whole day but no water. I don't know what's worse - no water or no electricity? I think no water… you can't take a shower, you can't wash your hands (that's very, very important here in India), you can't flush the toilet,… No water and no electricity - that's the worst! I'm really looking forward to experiencing this situation! For sure….
Bye, till next week!
May 7 - 13, 2001 |
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Another ordinary week is over - I spent my time mainly in office. In the evening nothing much went on as most of the trainees of my flat were out of town (Franziska was in Dubai, Jason in Dharamsala, Rick in Bombay and Goa, Sari in Bombay and Goa) - so K-97 (that's more or less the synonym for the trainee house according to the address where it is located) was quite empty last week. I've never experienced this before, but actually, I have to admit, it was a quite nice change for this short period as it was quiet and not crowded at all.
This week I experienced a new form of begging - a real heart rending one. I was sitting in the bus on my way back home from work when these two children came into the bus. It seemed that they were brother (approx. 14 years old) and sister (around 7 years old). The boy started playing on an accordion-like instrument while the girl sang a song - and what a song! Although I couldn't understand a single word it sounded like a very sad song. While singing this girl was walking through the bus, kissing your feet, twitching your clothes and staring at you with these big sad eyes. It was horrible, I mean I felt so sorry for them but I knew that they will never be able to escape this poverty. Doesn't matter how hard they try… somehow the world is really iniquitous.
On Friday evening I had a small dinner at Marc's place, there I also got to know the new trainee - Diana from Colombia. Afterwards we went to this great Spanish party in Vasant Vihar - we, again, had some delicious Spanish food there, we danced to good music and we had a lot of fun till 5:30 a.m. These Spanish guys they really know how to party ;-)
Work on Saturday was exceptionally nice as most of the people were on a business trip somewhere up north - the atmosphere in office was totally relaxed and while working we listened to some good music. I wish all days in office could be like that! Actually I wanted to go to Bikaner, Rajasthan this weekend but unfortunately the train was fully booked, so I stayed in Delhi. Anyway, next weekend I'll go instead to Jodhpur, Rajasthan. I need to get out of Delhi and see something different…
Saturday evening, we spent on the lawn at India Gate - having ice cream, water and a nice chat - till the police came at around 2:15 a.m. and said in a very rude way "Go away!" Ok, that's the way how police treats harmless people sitting around and doing nothing bad. Different countries, different customs…
On Sunday I slept till 9:30 and did basically nothing till 1 p.m. Then 10 of us went to Vikram Hotel to have a nice swim in their pool. It was sooo relaxing, it was awesome, and it was wonderful! Back in water, swimming, and enjoying the cold water - especially during these extreme hot days (once we had 47 degrees this week!) this is the most welcomed change one can long for…
In the evening we went to a movie - "What women want" - although not a must-see, it was very funny.
That's it ;-)
Best regards to all of you!
May 14 - 18, 2001 |
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What shall I say? Another week over and I can't believe it… it seems that time in India has another pace. What hours are in Austria seem to be minutes in India. That's not fair… and I always thought time in India goes on in a slower pace… what a great misbelief!
On Monday, work was still quite pleasant as nearly nobody was there (you know, most of the people were still on their trip up in the north). So I was able to work undisturbed on my hotel-database update which has to be finished by next week, as on June 1st we are launching our new magazine "Outlook Traveller" (by then, our website has to be totally up-to-date). It's a monthly magazine that will cover all topics about and around traveling; it will exist beside our website outlooktraveller.com.
On Monday evening, approx. 16 of us went to Flavour Restaurant in Defence Colony - an Italian restaurant that serves excellent pizzas, pastas, and lasagnes. Yum!
Tuesday was a quite busy day in office. Accordingly, I was glad to leave work - I went straight to Sarojini Nagar Railway Station to buy train tickets for my upcoming weekend trip to Bikaner. After standing in line for one incredible long hour, I reached the ticket counter. Unfortunately, I got to know from this guy there that the trains back from Bikaner to Delhi on Sunday evening were all fully booked… therefore my plan B came into force. Plan B was going to Jodhpur - which is also in Rajasthan. I guess in India you always have to have an alternative ;-) So, I bought train tickets to Jodhpur - leaving Delhi on Friday evening and returning back on Monday morning. Buying tickets in India is always such a hassle!
Wednesday evening was great - we celebrated Martin's 24th birthday (he is from Sweden). We had dinner cooked by Martin (congratulations Martin, to your fabulous cookeries!) and afterwards some sinfully delicious chocolate cakes. After unwrapping his gifts, we went to Djinns and danced (that means got rid of all the calories from our dinner *g*) till 2:15 a.m. to some great music.
Thursday again, I had to work longer - till 7:00 p.m., because I wanted to take Saturday off (my Jodhpur-trip, remember?). Actually, Manju (she's my boss) wasn't really pleased about me taking Saturday off but when I promised her that I'm going to work longer during the week she agreed on my travel plans.
Thursday evening I packed my things for my trip as I left Delhi on Friday straight after work. My train was departing at 9:00 p.m. from Old Delhi Railway Station… anyway, more about my trip in my next diary entry ;-)
Till then,
Weekend May 19 - 20, 2001 |
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This weekend I went to Jodhpur, Rajasthan - I went there on my own, no other trainees this time, as I felt like being alone and doing something on my own. When you live with 6 other trainees in one flat and constantly do something with all the other people here, you long - at a certain point - for some privacy. And I felt like this last week that's why I decided to go to Jodhpur.
My trip started at Friday night at 9 p.m. when the train to Jodhpur departed punctually from Old Delhi Railway Station. The train was supposed to arrive in Jodhpur at 8 a.m. but we were delayed by 3 hours. However, I have to admit I didn't care too much about this delay as I slept basically from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. - I caught up with my whole sleep ;-) I think trains in India are very comfortable - especially the sleeper section. If you're having an upper berth nobody disturbs you and you can enjoy the clattering and shaking of the train.
Ok, I - as mentioned - arrived in Jodhpur at 11 a.m., there I went straight to Govind Hotel, recommended by my travel guide. After booking a bed for one night in the dorm (50 Rs), I went to the rooftop restaurant to have my breakfast/lunch. At around 1 p.m. I started my sightseeing-tour at Mehrangarh Fort. First I enjoyed the fascinating view from the Southern end of the fort down to Jodhpur - especially the old town, the blue city, caught my attention. The views from the ramparts are nothing less than magical! After strolling around for some time, I paid the courtyards and palaces inside the fort a visit. The palaces house a splendid collection of the trappings of Indian royalty, including an amazing collection of elephant howdahs (used when the Maharajas rode their elephants in glittering procession through their capitals), miniature paintings from a variety of schools and inevitable Rajput armoury, palanquins, furniture and costumes.
Afterwards I walked down to Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. There Raghu (a medicine student who is improving his pocket money by explaining the place to tourists) explained everything to me; he told me stories about the origins of the cenotaphs and gave me a brief insight into Jodhpur's history.
Filled with a lot of knowledge, I went down to Jodhpur's clock tower - while doing that I passed through the old town, discovered some beautiful houses and places and finally reached clock tower and Sadar market. The clock tower is a popular landmark in the old city; the vibrant Sadar market where you can buy vegetables, spices, Indian sweets, textiles, silver and handicrafts, surrounds the tower. I had a very good time rambling around and absorbing the atmosphere there. Although I have to admit that my joy was disturbed by curious people asking me various questions, greeting me and by those who wanted to shake my hand or just touch me. It was really weird… what's so interesting about me? I mean I also have two legs, two arms, a nose, two eyes, etc…. Is it really just the colour of my skin? Sometimes I really don't get it why people here are so crazy about foreigners. I mean I'm not freaking out when I see an Afro-American or Indian wandering down the streets of Vienna. Or is it because we are representing the west, the affluence, and the dream of most Indians? Sometimes I'm feeling really stupid when I'm arresting so much attention…
Anyway, at around 5 p.m. I returned to my hotel to rest for a while - the heat and the dust were really exhausting. Roughly 2 hours later, I finally went out again. First, I bought myself a yummy milkshake and then I again headed to the clock tower. After around 10 minutes - what a big surprise - this guy started talking to me. At first, I was very suspicious, as you never know what they are up to but after a while I started chatting with him. His name was Bunty and he is studying arts - that's why we went to some temples in the old town, where he explained all the paintings to me and told me some background stories about Hinduism. We spent a lot of time strolling around and talking. Later I went to the spice market, where I purchased a collection of Indian spices. I finally reached home at around 10 p.m.
My night wasn't very good as I couldn't sleep very well - the problem was that I wasn't tired at all (no surprise I slept so much in the train *g*). Anyway, I got up at around 8:30 a.m. First I had my breakfast and somewhere at 10 a.m., I left the hotel for my second day in Jodhpur. I took a rikshaw to Umaid Bhawan Palace, recommended as the jewel of Jodhpur. However, I cannot confirm this statement - the building itself was undoubtedly best art deco but the museum was quite lousy, although again it was highly recommended by various travel guides. What have I learned? Never trust travel guides… Ok, it's not that bad ;-)
Following I drove to Umaid Gardens, hoping to find a shady place under a tree to relax. And I did find a place but I couldn't relax - too many people disturbing me… When the crowd became too big (that means 10 crazy children surrounding me, touching me, shouting at me, asking me stupid questions, making ridiculous offers ("I give you a lift on my bicycle for 50 Rs" - yeah, for sure, kid.)), I fled into the Sadar Government Museum. The museum is quite dusty and neglected, also the museum's exhibits like moth-eaten stuffed animals, old weapons and sculptures aren't very well labelled. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time there - I sat down on a bench and relaxed. Nobody disturbed me.
Later I again went to my most favorite spot in Jodhpur - the clock tower with its Sadar market. I rambled around and enjoyed for the last time the colorful atmosphere there. Somewhere at 4 p.m., I returned to the hotel, where I had lunch/dinner at the rooftop restaurant. Later I met Cloe from Great Britain there - we chatted till 6:15 p.m. At 7 p.m. her train to Ahmedabad left and at 7:30 p.m. I left for Delhi. This time I couldn't sleep very well as this guy (approximately mid-40 and ugly) was constantly staring me, and when he finally felt asleep he started snoring - what a nightmare! Anyway, I was able to find some sleep later in the night. Short before my arrival in Delhi at 6:40 a.m. I woke up again. I was back… back home. And it somehow felt good, although I really enjoyed my trip.
May 21 - 27, 2001 |
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The last week was one big party - there was something going on every day… that's great ;-)
On Monday I was quite tired because of my trip to Jodhpur, but somehow I managed not to sleep in the office. Anyway, in the evening I was fit to party again *g*. It's really weird, normally I'm the kind of person who prefers to go to bed early and get up early but here everything's different. I usually don't go to bed before 1 a.m. and I get up at 8:30 a.m. - and I'm perfectly fine with that, although I normally need the sleep before midnight. Actually, I somehow don't feel sleepy in the evenings anymore - weird, eh? Anyway, on Monday evening there was Sascha's 25th birthday. We had food (with mushrooms - I hate mushrooms!!! So, Marc cooked some Spanish dish for me and himself - delicious!), the obligatory birthday cakes and drinks. At around midnight, Pranay, Marc, Diana, Stuti and me left the party as we picked up the new Italian trainee Nicoletta from the airport. I got back at 2:30 a.m.
On Tuesday, Manju (my boss) treated us out for lunch - very tasty! I guess I have to go on a diet when I get back to Austria, as I will gain a lot of weight here - the food here is irresistible… Just kidding, I mean the food is really delicious but I don't think that I have gained weight so far - at least, I hope so ;-)
In the evening, there was a farewell party for Eylem (a Turkish girl) at Timmy's house - again, lots of food and drinks. Timmy's house is amazing - he is architect, it was accordingly big and luxurious. Also for European standards… I got back from the party at 2:00 a.m.
On Wednesday, I finally finished the database-update - yeah! We also said goodbye to Manju who left for her one-week-trip to Malaysia.
In the evening, I took a small nap from 7 to 8 p.m.; afterwards we went to Nirula's to have some yummy hot chocolate. At around midnight, we returned back to the flat to watch the Championsleague final - Valencia vs. Bayern Muenchen. It's always such fun to watch soccer with a whole bunch of people - especially with Rick. He is very much into the whole thing - jumping around, shouting, and commenting every shot - very funny and entertaining! The game lasted till 4 a.m. … I straight went to bed after the match.
On the next day, I was really tired therefore I left office at 4 p.m. as I wasn't able to keep my eyes open anymore. Back home I slept for 2 hours - fantastic ;-) At 8 p.m. we headed to Siri Fort to watch a movie at the Australian Film Festival "Flicks Down Under". The movie was called "Kiss or Kill" (plot: Al and Nikki are lovers on the run from the police, heading across the Nullarbor. When a series of murders are committed along the way, each begins to suspect the other as the killer) and caused a lot of discussion afterwards as we weren't so sure who was the murderer… Although a lot of people (we were 35 people - trainees and DI-Aiesecers) didn't like the movie at all, I somehow liked it.
Afterwards we all went to Sanjha Chulka - a food shop on the street that serves delicious Barbeque-chicken and lots more. If you're not a vegetarian and happen to be in Delhi, you definitely have to go to this place (Shop-No 15-16-17, Opp A-32, (Sabzi Market) Kailash Colony Market, New Delhi - 110048). And don't be afraid because it's a shop on the street - the food is really delicious and clean - at least, I didn't have any problems afterwards. Later we went to India Gate - a perfect ending for such a nice evening!
On the next evening, we went to the coffee night of Sahara - Sahara is a NGO that works together with ex-drug-addicts, ex-alcoholics and HIV-positive people. It's called coffee night as they serve just coffee there. Moreover, there was a camera team who shot some scenes at the party for a documentation - it's about that those people still can have fun in their life and that they are having a perspective… We danced a lot and had a good time there. Afterwards, we again went to Timmy's house - this guy is really nice and he always tries to regale us. We stayed there till 2 a.m.
Saturday was a very short working day - I was in office from 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. as I (and of course, a lot more people) was invited for lunch at Pooja's house. Pooja is an Aiesecer from the DI-local committee. There are actually 2 local committees here in Delhi - one is DU (Delhi University) while the other is DI (Delhi IIT - Indian Institute of Technology). Actually, the DU LC is responsible for me, but somehow I have only contact with the DI-Aiesecers - they are very nice people, I like them. While enjoying the lunch, we chatted and had fun. At around 4 p.m., Nikhil dropped me home. I went straight to the hair dresser to get my hair cut - it's again so long - I have the impression that my hair grows faster than ever before. So, I was sitting at the hair dresser and giving him instructions to cut away 1.5 centimetres - he nearly fainted "so much?!?!" It's not very common here that a girl wears her hair that short. I guess 99% of Indian women are wearing their hair long… I really had big difficulties convincing him to cut my hair short… and actually, it's still too long, as at a certain point, this guy refused to cut it shorter - I don't understand his problem - I mean, my hair isn't that short at all. Guess what he said after he finished…? He said "no partying for you for the next week" - because my hair is so short I can't go out anymore ;-) Funny guy… *g*
In the evening, I went out with Hiten as all the others didn't want to go out. First, we went to this club to meet some of his friends… however, the party there was not really satisfying so we went to this pub, where they played really good music, served cocktails and food. While I had a cocktail, Hiten ordered prawns for him. His food actually looked very nice but I didn't try it, as I hate seafood, so he finished the whole thing on his own. Approximately one minute later, he started feeling very sick and he turned pale. So we paid the bill and left. As soon as we got out of this pub, he started throwing up like crazy… After a never-ending ride home (at least, I had the impression), we reached my flat. He dropped me and drove home. On the next day, I was talking to him on the phone and learned that he went to hospital afterwards to get some injections - he had a very bad food poisoning. If he hadn't thrown up, things wouldn't have looked too good… I'm glad that everything turned out to be fine in the end - he is already recovering from this incident.
On Sunday, I did basically shopping (at Sarojini Market, Dilli Haat, Janpath) and sightseeing (Birla Mandir and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib). Birla Mandir was built in 1938 and is among the most popular Hindu shrines in Delhi. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is built at the site of the house in which Sri Guru Harkrishan Dev, the 8th Guru of the Sikhs, stayed when visiting Delhi in 1664. It is said that the water from the tank, blessed by the Guru, cured people suffering from small pox and cholera. The tank exists to this day, and continues to be revered by Sikhs.
I got back at around 7:15 p.m. After chatting with Gosia till 10:30 p.m., I went to bed. No party on Sunday ;-)
So, that's it for now - the next entry will be online next week.
All the best,
May 28 to June 3, 2001 |
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This week I had an AIESEC-overload (*g* - just kidding… it was nice to see you guys after such a long time) as I saw them nearly every day. Since I'm here I've hardly seen them but this week? The complete opposite…
On Monday, Apurva, Taneia and Neha visited me in office and introduced me to Lindsay from Colorado. She'll be working with me at outlooktraveller for the next 4 months. On Friday, she shifted to my place, actually taking over Jason's bed, as he is currently somewhere up north… he'll return on the 11th and then fly back to the U.S. on the 13th. Like so many other trainees – Jason, Sami, Chrissy, Jules,… that's why we're going to have a big farewell party on the 12th. However, I'm not sure if I either shall look forward to this party or not as a lot of trainees will leave the country afterwards and that's like losing a family member… so to say, a very sad occasion.
On Tuesday, we met some Aiesecers again – this time we went out with the DI-Aiesecers who have become already good friends of mine as we meet quite often. Anyway, Tuesday night we went together to "Ruby Tuesday", a Karaoke pub in Connaught Place. It was very funny and I definitely loved Rick's interpretation of "Lola", originally sang by The Kinks. Ruby Tuesday closed already at midnight, therefore we shifted to our flat where we danced and continued our party. I finally got to bed at 2:30 a.m.
Wednesday evening, the DU-Aiesecers visited us again in our flat… originally we wanted to play soccer – Aiesecers vs. trainees. But somehow it didn't work out. So, we were just hanging out in our flat. Later some of us (those who planned to go on the upcoming Nepal trip – excluding me) went to Marc's place to discuss the last details for the journey. I, instead, went to bed.
On Thursday, Apurva, Taneia and Neha visited me again in office. This time they took me to Green Park, where a picture from us was taken – a picture that is going to be in the AIESEC-booklet for incoming and outgoing trainees. I asked them why they selected me for this picture (I mean, there are a lot of other trainees in town) and I got as an answer "we liked your purple hair"… unfortunately it’s not purple anymore ;-) Anyway, now I'm on this picture for this booklet…
In the evening, there was a get-together at Marc's place – a so-called "pre-trekking party". We had some food, music and drinks there – as usual :-) It was very nice there, nevertheless I went home at around 1 a.m.
Friday was a quite hectic day, especially in office as it was the launching day of our new magazine "Outlook Traveller", and at the same time, we introduced our new design of our website. Friday was also the first day of office for Lindsay…
In the evening, there was this huge launch party at Taj Mahal Hotel – WOW! It was a great party! Although I expected it to be stiff and boring, it was the complete opposite. Excellent food, unlimited drinks, great music to dance to, etc. All in all, a fantastic party ;-)
Moreover, 12 trainees left for their 10-days trip to Nepal… now our flat will be very empty ;-)
When I came home from work on Saturday, I more or less went straight to bed and slept from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – I caught up with all my sleep I "lost" during week ;-) In the evening, there was again a – hard – farewell: Sari left Delhi and returned back to Helsinki, Finland… hope we stay in touch, Sari!
At around 10 p.m., we left for this DU-Aiesec-Party at Krishna's house – we got there at around 11 p.m. as we had great difficulties finding her place. Finding a certain address in Delhi is, in any case, always a struggle. Finding the right neighborhood isn't normally a big problem but the specific address within this area is most of the time a lottery game – as blocks or house numbers aren't normally arranged in a logical order in these areas. So, if you don't know where the place is you're looking for, you often end up going in circles, asking a thousand people and everybody is sending you in another direction… but somehow, you'll always manage to find the right place as there's always somebody who is able to help you… you just have to be patient ;-) Patience, that's a key word for India anyway…
We didn't stay very long at the DU party as we were also invited to another party at Yoko's house… but this party there was nearly over when we reached the place. So, Hiten, Jenny and me decided to go to this rave at "Some Place Else"… however, this rave was really big crap; we left after one minute, instead we had ice-cream at India Gate. What a great Saturday evening *haha*. Somehow, Saturday evenings are never that exciting… as long as it's just the Saturday evening and not the whole week, it's ok.
The Sunday morning was quite hectic, a lot of things had to be done – the water cooler had to be fixed, the toilet had to be repaired, the kitchen light had to be fixed… I have to admit, I was really surprised that all these things caused no problems – I mean, I called the water cooler guy and he showed up after 30 minutes, I called the toilet guy and he showed up 30 minutes later and he even took a look at our kitchen light. I was positively surprised about this perfect customer service, as it is not a matter of course here in India.
In the afternoon, Thomas, Henning, Lindsay, Vickie and me went on a sightseeing tour through Old Delhi… afterwards we went to "our" Punjabi Restaurant in Central Market. When we returned to our flat, the Nepal-travellers were already back from their trip… they were supposed to stay 10 days and not just 2!?!? Later, we learned that they were rejected at the Nepalese border because of the shootings (it's said that the prince shot his parents – the current king of Nepal and his wife – and other family members because of some differences in his planned wedding… however, the Nepalese police and the press didn't confirm all these rumors) that took place on Friday evening. Actually they closed the boarder completely – no chance to get into the country. So, they had to return to Delhi and – believe me – they were quite pissed off; however, I guess everybody can understand that.
Later in the evening, I went with 3 Indian friends to DV8 – a pub in Connaught Place. I finally fell into bed at 11:30 p.m.
That's it for this week…
A big hug,
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