Down Time in Bombay

The Western Ghatts. The blue dot is Kodaikanal.

The drive from Kodaikanal back to Coimbatore was spectacular. I'm glad that I decided against staying up late in order to sleep in the car. The first hour and a half was through the mountains, the Western Ghatts. In size and shape, they reminded me of the Appalachians, though the vegetation was different, and you don't find any monkeys in western North Carolina. We navigated switchback after switchback, many of the hairpin variety, and came very close on more than one occasion to being clipped by the lumering busses headed in the opposite direction. One major difference that the Ghatts have from the Appalachians is that there are no foothills. When the mountains end, they end, like a volcanic island plunging into the ocean, the Ghatts plunged into the surrounding plains, which you can see across for miles.

It was close to 10pm when I checked into the Taj Lands End. I was upgraded to the club floor. Fatalistically speaking, I'm sure I'm going to pay for these upgrades somewhere down the road. Right now, I'm not complaining. A nice complementary bottle of red wine was waiting for me in my room. I can't pass up free stuff, so I broke my alcohol-free streak and uncorked it. With nothing scheduled in the morning, I decided to venture out to Olive Bar & Kitchen, a place I'd heard of on previous visits and in Mumbai's Time Out magazine. Olive is about ten minutes by taxi north of the hotel, in a high-end neighborhood called Khar.

I immediately saw that Olive is where the pretty people of Mumbai hang out. Will Smith stopped in here on his visit (when I was sick). The Indians here all seemed to have money, style, and an education abroad. There was also a scattering of foreigners. It was very crowded, and very clique-ish. There seemed little hope of me breaking into any of the groups. I saw one solo fellow at the other end of the bar, a European. He was large and looked slightly dangerous. In other words, my kind of drinking buddy. I went over and started up a conversation. Turns out Neno (his full name is unpronounceable) is Croatian from Zagreb and an instructor for a recently started budget airline, Go Air. Usually he is accompanied out by some of the younger American pilots, and of course the stewardesses, but on this occasion they all have to fly tomorrow. Just my luck. Neno is also quite the Olive regular, so all drinks are taken care of. Of course, I stay 'til close.

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I slept in the next day - until 8:30. After breakfast I hit the hotel gym for about two hours. After that is was an hour in the sun by the pool. Cleaned up, I hit the lobby lounge with my laptop to work on email and talk to any students that our local agents might send by. However, checking my email, I see that no students will be coming - there is a transportation strike. They will try to make it to the fair this weekend. I spent the rest of the evening catching up on email, reading, and posting all those pictures to the previous entries (re-check them if you have not already). No going out, though I did finish the bottle of wine before bed.

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The Times Education Boutique was very busy, but not the unrestrained bedlam that I expected after my experience last year. This year a cover charge was instituted and that kept a lot of people away, even though it only equalled $1.20 US. Still, a draining event. Two days, ten hours each. Whew!! The highlite was finally meeting a Bollywood actress in person. As soon as she approached our booths, I knew she must be famous, by both her looks, and the whispering she caused among the agent's Indian employees. Her little brother was here to look at universities. I'd mention her name, but her little bother applied. Yeah, I dished out a lot of service. Maybe she'll come and help him move in this fall.

When day two was over I barely had time to eat and pack up before having to cab it to the international airport. I was taking the overnight to Zurich and launching straight into the next leg of my trip.

Kodai, Tamil Nadu State

(Note: plenty of pics with this entry, but I just can’t post them yet. Arrgh! Also, there is another new entry below this one.)

Woke at 6:30

Had time to watch an entire movie before breakfast – Barfly. That’ll start your day off right. Man, Mickey Rourke used to be an incredible actor.

Had a short meeting in the hotel lobby with some people from a competing advising agency. They basically badgered me into it. Somehow they got wind I was coming to town.

At 11, Prishit drove me to the airport .


Prishit and I. Next I threw him over that wall back there.

AMD-BOM, BOM-CJB

Coimbatore – a totally new stop for me. A large rainstorm can be seen as we land. Johnny the driver is waiting for me at the gate with a sign and a white Ambassador. I have a five-hour drive over the plains and up the mountains to look forward to, and it looks to be a wet one. There was a really weird light as we headed into the storm. I took a picture just because I had never seen a sky that color before. I only have about 20 minutes of reading light, and once it is gone I lay down on the backseat. One of my superpowers is that I can fall asleep in any vehicle, no matter how bumpy the ride, as long as I can get prone, or at least lean my head against something. In fact, I enjoy sleeping on bumpy rides (yes I am a freak). I sleep pretty much the entire way to Kodaikanal, waking only occasionally when we stop at checkpoints or for Johnny to grab some tea.


The funky sky color...

We arrive in Kodaikanal around 11pm. Seems Johnny is a speed-demon. We made it a full hour ahead of schedule. Probably good I was not conscious to observe his driving on steep, narrow, wet mountain roads. The temperature is quite cool now, and it is moist but not raining. Johnny and the night watchman show me into a little bungalow where the school puts up alumni and visitors. It has electricity, but candles as well (that I write by now). Also, there is a wood burning stove and a pile of split wood. How quaint, I think, immediately followed by, I wonder how many spiders are in there? Pippa (school counselor) has left me a note, a thermos of soup, another of coffee and some biscuits. Seems she is sick with the flu, so will meet me in the morning. She says the water is perfectly safe, as it comes straight from a deep well. Still, I feel very illicit running my toothbrush through it, then putting it in my mouth. Getting into bed I discover a bladder full of hot water has warmed it for me. Wow!

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School building

Woke at 7am. The bathroom has a water-heating element, thank God. However, it has been attached to both handles of the shower, so one gets scalding hot water no matter what. I tried to take small handfuls of it and splash myself, with moderate success. Relatively clean, I walked down the hill to Pippa’s cottage for breakfast. Done, she drove us the short distance to the school. First off I was introduced to a Korean student who has applied to my university. He showed me down to the IB art building. After that I was taken on a full tour of the campus by the admission officer. At 11 was an all-school assembly where Pippa introduced me to the entire student body and I spoke about my university. At lunch I had the opportunity to speak to interested students one-on-one.


This is the student who showed me the IB shed and some of his artwork.


Pippa in her counseling office. Nice decor.


All that finished with, Pippa took me to her cottage outside of town (the one I mentioned before is just what she uses when working for the school during the week). It lies about 9km north of town, over some truly horrible roads, in a lush little valley of terraced fields. Her cottage is quite small - just right, if you ask me. I think one day I will steal the design and build one like it. Her gardens are amazing. She took me on a tour of them, and some neighboring properties where her friends live. Next-door lives her friend Bob, who is American and used to teach English at the school. He informed us that a recent Pulitzer Winner is a former student of his. I can’t remember his name, but he wrote the biography of Oppenheimer. As an English teacher, that is something to be quite proud of. We sat on his porch, had afternoon tea, and discussed books and interesting people who write them. Delightful. That is the only time I will ever use that word without sarcasm. Savor it.


Pippa's cottage (please say with English accent)


Sitting room of cottage, with view to kitchen. Also a bathroom on the right.


Reverse view of sitting room, with stairs leading to loft


Bedroom loft


Pippa's cats, Sammy and Friend. Don't worry, they are the only two - she isn't a "Cat Lady"


Tree and pots in backyard


Garden path


Pippa is a great proponent of native Indian flora. Ironically, after visiting Southville she smuggled back some Spanish Moss. Kimmy, can you find it? I warned Pippa that 50 years from now, when it has taken over the country, people will spit at her name.





Kids we ran across on the path above Pippa's cottage


Neighbor Bob. No, he's not deranged.


This only blooms every 12 years. And I got to see it!

On the ride back into town I got to see a bit of Pippa’s mean streak. A bus tried to cross a narrow bridge while Pippa was doing the same. She decided she was just not going to move. So, we sat there for several minutes discussing some nearby construction projects while the bus driver gestured at us in various ways. Finally he was forced to back up a bit and we went around him. Tough bird.


Pippa, when she gets angry. Just kidding. It's a Hindu gargoyle.

Now I sit on Pippa’s computer while she practices for the school play. Afterwards we will have dinner. Tomorrow I will be off at around 11 for another lengthy drive. Maybe I’ll stay up reading tonight so I can sleep through it again.

AMD, part II

One of the few shaded sidewalks in Ahmedabad - outside the mayor's residence, of course.

After my internet session I continued my walkabout, getting a feel for the city, occasionally referring to my map Xeroxed from my Lonely Planet guide (the whole India guide is way too big to bring along for a short trip). I walked south as far as Pariwal Garden, which unfortunately was closed and locked up, as are most of the stores today (I found out later that the city was on partial lock-down due to recent bombings in Kashmir. Events such as this can cause strife between Hindus and Muslims. Shutting the city down is an effort to curb this). I then skipped a block east and headed north again, reaching Law Garden. All along the walls of this garden (also locked) are stalls for the night market. I might try to make it back here, at night.




Continuing north, I came along the arcade where the Subway is located that we ate lunch at yesterday. Here I now noticed an entrance to a subterranean bookstore called Crossword. Suddenly, some pieces fell into place. The concierge had told me there was a Coffee Day at the crossroad (to my ears) where I could read books. I had thought the Coffee Day where I earlier slurped my thick shake was the one he was talking about, though books were absent. I descended into the store. It was huge, by Indian standards, and there was the Coffee Day, in the corner. I am actually glad that it took me awhile to find, otherwise I’m sure my walkabout would have been much abbreviated. I found some short books to buy (the one I brought are just too damn big), a CD of sitar music, and had some lunch. Looking around, I felt I was seeing a whole different side of Ahmedabad. Though busy, here was some space, and the space was filled with the type of Indian that is driving the new economy here – educated and hip, traditional and Westward-looking at the same time. Maybe this is where the young people dress up to go in Ahmedabad.

Still I continued north, wanting to get a look at the Sabarmati River before going back to the hotel. First I had to pause at a shoestore. I bought a pair of sandals for about 5 US dollars – and this is a more upscale store! Finally I made it to the broad river sitting very low in its banks and took a couple of pictures. Now I could go back to my room.

Got back at about 3:30pm. That means I was out and about for at least 5 or 6 hours. Looking at the map, I estimate I walked 6 or 7 kilometers total. About 4 miles. Worked up a good sweat and a thirst. Got some water from the concierge, took a shower, now I sit here typing, buck naked save for the new sandals I’m breaking in, listing to sitar music with the AC blasting. Oh yeah.
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Abhijit and I, very happy to hold hands.

Fell asleep early again. Hotel phone woke me up at 8:40. I had a dinner appointment tonight with Abhijit, co-founder of Career Mosaic and Manisha’s husband. He returned to Ahmedabad this evening, but Manisha is still in Vadodara. He asked what I wanted to eat, and I said, “Get me some Gujarati food!” So we went to a place across the river in Old Ahmedabad, called the Green Room. On the way there we passed throngs of people congregating in the streets. Scooters and motocycles were parked so thick that it was hard to get through some areas. Abhijit told me that Sunday is the night that everyone goes out on the town. Luckily he knows the manager at our restaurant, otherwise it would have taken some time to get a seat. We ordered tapas-style, getting several plates and sharing them. We talked business, politics, and India. A said that people actually do drink here, quite a bit, but it is at home before and after going out. The whole dry thing has to do with Ghandi’s influence on the state.

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Items from this morning’s Times of India:

1) See you at night… near Nehru bridge?
With no dance bars, nightclubs, or watering holes in the cities of Gujarat, night-life is all about innocent pleasures – just walking around leisurely. [Amdavadis] love to spend their late evenings by the city bridges, traffic circles or the humble pavements. “The glimpse of an illuminated Ellisbridge reflected in the stagnant waters of the Sabarmati River recharges me.”
2) Fat lot of good things on offer as America grows big
At Freedom Paradise in Mexico, the chairs are wider and without arms, to prevent getting stuck; the beds are king-sized and reinforced, to prevent collapsing; and the beach is private and secluded, to prevent gawking and staring. William Fabrey’s online business “Amplestuff”… sells lotion and applicators and sponges attached to handles – enabling the user to reach all parts of the body; handbooks on hygiene with tips on dealing with odour problems, chafing and irritations caused by skin folds. Even toddlers have joined the overweight ranks, with car seat manufacturers offering the “Husky.” Obesity [in America] is fast approaching tobacco as the No 1 cause of preventable death.
3) Swiss lawyer plans chain of suicide clinics
Ludwig Minelli, founder of Dignitas clinic in Zurich, says he wants to open a chain of high street-style centres to end the lives of people with illnesses or mental conditions such as chronic depression.
4) 40,000 Iranian suicide bombers are ready to hit the West
Iran has formed battalions of suicide bombers to strike British and American targets if its nuclear facilities are attacked, according to a media report. Claiming that 40,000 trained suicide bombers are ready for action, The Sunday Times reported that the main force – the ‘Special Unit of Martyr Seekers in the Revolutionary Guards’ – was first seen last when members marched in a military parade, dressed in olive-green uniforms with explosive packs around their waists and detonators held high.

Commentary: Gee, I don't know where to start. I have a couple of suggestions: Let's make our obese vacation in India, and encourage them to drink the water. We'll call it the dysentary diet. They will lose weight quickly. If the Swiss are so eager to die, and the Iranians so eager to die and kill others, let's dress the Swiss like Brits and Yanks and send them to Iraqi cities near the Iran border to do street patrols. Everybody gets what they want.

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At 11 am I had an appointment at a major local university that has much in common with my own. I spoke with their counselor for some time and was then given a tour of the campus. In all I spent about three hours there. Afterwards I returned to the offices with Kavil and Prishit. Several students that attended the info session were waiting to speak with me further. After finishing with them I spoke to the counselors at the center about my university’s application process.

I returned to the hotel around 7, watched a Seinfeld re-run, then took another nap. Sheesh. Is this still jet-lag, or am I turning into an old man? A call from the lobby woke me up. Abhijit’s driver was downstairs to take me to dinner. This time around we ate at the house he shares with his parents. I noticed three, maybe four servants (driver, one watchman, two inside helpers). What I would not want, after a long day of dealing with the teeming masses of Ahmedabad, is to come home to more people. Servants? No thanks. I’m often anti-social, I don’t have the requisite disdain to ignore servants, nor the patience to deal with them as fellow humans. Just let me cook my own food and clean up after myself.

AMD

Wake-up Call: 6:00 AM
Treadmill: 30 minutes, 5 kilometers (3 miles)
Sit-ups: 300
Dips: 70

Next I gorged on the breakfast buffet. After the bout I had on my last trip I considered sticking to Western food, but instead decided to get back on the horse that threw me. Subsequent, I checked out and ordered a cab. This being an enclosed compound-style hotel, you can bring a cheap taxi in, but you can’t take one out. The hierarchy of hired transport in India: rickshaw, regular cab (bumblebee), cool cab (with AC), and hotel cab. Mine was a Toyota Acura with leather interior. Pleasant, but not what I would usually choose. It cost about 4 times the regular rate. Still full of mosquitoes.

Story from the Indian press: Rioting and Looting in Bangalore. This is due to the death of Raj Kumar, their beloved movie star. He isn’t even Bollywood. He’s local cinema. When I was last in Bangalore, the mere rumor of his demise almost shut down the city. Now he went and really did it. A holiday was immediately declared. However, the mob was not to be consoled. They were so upset, a bus got torched and they lynched a police officer. Makes me wonder anew why we are okay with India having nukes.


State of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is just right and above the III

My flight (BOM-AMD) was about an hour late in leaving, so it was noon before I arrived in Ahmedabad. I was picked up at the airport by Prishit (male) and Kavil (female), two employees of Career Mosaic, the local educational consulting agency I am working with. They informed me that my main contact and director of the agency, Manisha, will not be available during my stay. Manisha’s father suddenly became ill and was put in ICU, so she went home, though I’m not sure where that is. No problem – the schedule is still on. Speaking of which…




My first appointment was scheduled for 1:30. I checked into my hotel at 1:00. I told my chaperones that I would put my stuff in my room, change clothes, and be right back down. I came right back down and they were gone. They came back for me a bit after 1:30, not concerned, and took me to my appointment. No one there said anything about us being late. After this they took me to the offices of the agency so I could use the internet (although I was unable to get into my work email). This was about 3pm. With my next appointment at 4pm, I was told it would take 15 minutes to get there. About 20 ‘til 4, Prishit came in to check on me. I ask if he was ready to go. No, he says, we’ll wait until about 5 of. 4pm comes and goes, and we still have not left, not that there is anything keeping us from doing so. We get to the appointment at about 4:30, again, no word being said by any party. Welcome to IST – Indian Standard Time. The group trips I usually participate in being organized by Americans, I usually don’t get this big a dose of it. Tardiness is expected. In fact, being on time might be considered rude. However, when you get where you are going, do not park in someone else’s spot. They will let the air out of your tires. This happened to us while we were in our first appointment.

Now I am back in the agency’s offices, trying to finish this entry. Jet-lag is trying to shut me down. I need to stay up at least a couple more hours to get on track.

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Jet-lag did shut me down for a bit. I went back to the hotel and fell asleep at 7:30, meaning to get up at 8:30 and get some dinner. Instead, I turned my cellphone’s alarm off as soon as it sounded and slept ‘til close to 11pm. I made myself get up, knowing I would not sleep through the night. The concierge downstairs told me that nothing outside would be open, and that I would have to order room service if I wanted food. I walked outside anyways and saw that a place across the street was open. Shyster. I ordered a grilled paneer sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. I was a little worried about the shake, but they did it just right. So, now have I not only jumped back on the horse that threw me, but I’ve given it the metaphorical spurs. C'mon, I dare you take make me sick.

After eating I walked down the street a bit – CG Road, one of the main drags around here. Plenty of people were still hanging about in small groups and it had cooled off nicely and lit by the full moon. Flyers were plastered everywhere offering “Spoken English & Personality Development.” I also saw an office offering “Aura Counselling.” I might have to try that one out later just for fun. I only walked a couple hundred yards and then returned. Not once was I harassed, though I did draw some looks. I’ve seen no actual street dwellers in this part of town.

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After staying up late watching some movies, I got some more sleep and woke up around 7:30. I ate breakfast and lazed around all morning, working on my presentation for the evening. I ventured out on the street briefly. It was hot. I found an internet café, but still was unable to access my work email. I’m not sure to be happy about this, or very afraid. It will be piling up.

At 12:30 I was picked up by Kavil and Prishit for an early afternoon appointment. I spoke to about 20 students, in a room that could not have been more than 12’x15’ and ringed with computers. It was good practice for this evening. Prishit told me that they were expecting about 20 students for the info session at their offices. I was a bit disappointed by this. I took a short nap and then headed over. Turns out we had a few more students than Prishit was expecting. About 55 showed up. Technically, the “lecture hall” we were using could hold 42. Fire code for this room in the states would have been around 20. Stuffed in as we were, the session went well. I spoke for about an hour, then took questions.

Back at the hotel I couldn’t help falling asleep again, then waking around 11:30. Now I sit up again, watching movies and writing entries that I am as of yet unable to post. I’ve watched more TV in the past couple of days than in the previous month.

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Sunday - day off.

Woke up about 7:30, showered and went for breakfast. I've decided to go on a bit of a walkabout today. Might as well see if I can get to know the city a bit, and find some good internet (obviously, I did). I won't bore you with street names (rarely posted anyway) or directions, but I have zig-zagged around a bit. Found a Coffee Day stall and grabbed another chocolate shake. They call them "thick shakes."


The huge arcade

Low-rise concrete buildings abound. Those on side streets are typically full of flats. Those on main drags tend to be shops on the first floor or two, or throughout. Rather than having "big box" stores like we have in the states, they have a dizzying plethora of small storefronts sometimes not more than 10' or 15' wide. One arcade I saw had over one hundred stores on 4 floors. This is a nation of small entrepenuers. The middle class is growing and gaining in wealth.

Ponder this: India's middle class is growing. Signs show that ours is shrinking. Shall we meet somewhere in the middle? Will India's economy end up looking more like the USA, or visa versa. Discuss. Read Thomas Friedman.

Another ponderance: Who are the young people in Ahmedabad getting all dressed up for? They have clothing stores full of the latest Western and Indian trends everywhere. Yet, there is no alcohol in the state of Gujarat and hence no bars, clubs, or discos (or they are very well hidden). Also, the great majority of marriages are arranged. If I were in this situation, I think I would dress in sweats all the time.

So now I'm sitting at Reliance WebWorld. If pics are not posted, I'll try to get them on soon.