6 Dec 2009

I had the most wonderful weekend. Early Saturday morning, Ashutosh and his family took me to a small city called Shimla. We were up before the sun was and heading towards the foothills of the Himalayas. If you can imagine the journey to, say, Akaroa Well the trip was very similar to that except there were more little villages along the way (and no sea at the end of the trip). The forests we travelled were mostly pine and fir with scatterings of cactus.

We stopped on a rise not far out of Shimla for a spot of tea. The view was simply awesome. It was a pleasantly warm morning and I could see for as far as the dust layer would allow, which wasn’t too bad up there.

When we finally reached Shimla we were met by a flow of humanity. It would have been about 10am there abouts. The roads in Shimla are not exactly highways. More like side streets. So the traffic was quite intense. The view I had when we first arrived was not what I expected at all. (I thought I’d been diddled. Sue, the travelling brochure had set me wrong.) The houses and buildings were perched on the side of a cliff in a style similar to that of a middle eastern town, or maybe somewhere in Turkey perhaps. This was supposed to be a little English village complete with church. I couldn’t see any of that.

We found a public car park that had probably been designed for 10 to 15 cars. By the time we arrived there would have been fifty cars parked there and they still took us in. We waited there for a while whilst Ashutosh found us a hotel to stay at. Once he had arranged the hotel, we backed out of the car park and carried on around to the hotel car park.

We settled into our rooms and headed out for a walk. It’s not exactly safe walking along the roads heading back into the main area. The traffic was still quite intense. We arrived back at the same car park that we were at earlier but then headed over to a building that seemed at to have no purpose. It was a lift. It saved on walking up some 200 steps to the top of the hill. I have to say here that this is the first time I’ve ever seen a lift where you had to pay to use it. Not sure how much it was Ashutosh payed. So the lift took us up one floor, we climbed out and then headed for another lift, which took us the rest of the way. I am glad that the Indians are a friendly bunch. The lifts were quite small and there were a lot of people wanting to use the service. You didn’t dare breath out on the way up. Someone might pop out through the cracks or explode through the door when it opened.

When we arrived we walked the rest of the way to the top of the hill. Ahhhh, There was Little Britain. (I hadn’t been diddled after all. Phew) The top of the hill had been set up as a walk area with wide avenues similar to Cashel Street. We walked past the Church which was a beautiful as the day it was built. A cream coloured stone with a single spire. We walked past a number of shops. Had a traditional Indian meal in a restaurant called Goofer. It means ‘cave’ in Hindi. I took some photographs of the scenery out and towards the bigger ranges of the Himalayas. I should point out that this may have been the foothills of the Himalayas but we were still quite high. Not exactly at the snow line. All the hills around us had trees to the top or housing.

Some of the buildings were still the original building that the British put up when they were there. Some looked like they may have been put up in the late 1700 early 1800s. Even the shop fronts had that typical old English look. Like they have never been upgraded from the day they were built. We walked for a while. I was quite worn out by time we got back to the hotel.

We rested for an hour or two and then headed back out to the top of the hill. By this time it was dark and the lights were on around the city. Up by the Church was a strobe light that was being picked up by the damp air. It was quite a sight. If I thought the lifts were a bit full the first time I went up, they were even fuller this time. Nose to nose Indians.

We did a little shopping and had a meal. I was ready for bed by time we got back to the hotel. I didn’t even notice that it was not my bed. (Normally have trouble sleeping for the first time in hotel bed.

On Sunday we headed home via the National Institute of Advanced Studies. When I first heard we were going there I couldn’t help but wonder why we would bother going there. I thought Ashutosh or Maya had business there. But, yet another surprise. This ‘Institute’ was in fact the most important place in India during the British occupation. It’s a magnificent castle that was the home of the Viceroy of India and the centre of Government. After the British left the President of India used it for a while. The second president gave it to India as a place of higher learning in the social sciences. It has been so ever since. If I thought the outside was impressive, the inside was amazing. The central area was tall. Right to the roof. Three floors high. The roof was made of opaque glass panels. All the walls in the main area were made of wood panelling. The other floors looked onto the ground floor with solid wood balustrades and railings for protection. We were allowed to go up to the next levels. They were reserved for the residents.

We walked around the gardens for a while taking in the magnificence of the place. Then we quietly drove home. It seemed that nearly all the way home we were travelling down hill. Somewhat different to when we went. It seemed to take longer coming home. Not sure why. Maybe more people on the roads. Not sure. There were plenty of monkey to avoid. They just sit on the road and expect the cars to drive around them. And, amazingly, I didn’t see one flat monkey on the whole trip.

I think this has been the best experience whilst I’ve been here in Chandigarh. The best part of the trip was the fact that Ashutosh and Maya were so relaxed and seemd to enjoy the holiday as much as I did. During the first day Aramon was given a toy lightsaber and promptly chopped us all up. Thank goodness it wasn’t real.

2 Dec 2009

Tonight we went to a circus. The real thing. Not just something showing on the Television. With real performers too. Yep, I know, amazing isn’t it.

I was a little surprised when we went into the tent. You may remember when at a fair or Timezone, you have those slots that you have to get the ball through and it might be that some slots are worth more points than others. Well, the entrances to the circus tent were like that. Depending on how much you paid, depended on which slot you went through. But, just like the game, once through, you could sit wherever you liked.

There were some seats close to the action that looked promising, so we parked and started enjoying the show. I was a little worried. The first part of the show was for the live stock to parade around the ring. Problem was they were parading on the outside of the ring. So, there was this rather large elephant about 2 metres away from where I sat. And then, another one. I got my first closeup of what an elephant looks like. Well, a circus one anyway.

A short time after we settled into our seats, a friend of Ashutosh’s family came over and directed us to some VIP seats. I was rather grateful that we moved. It was a better view of the show.

As the show went on there were the usual performers. Acrobats, clowns, jugglers, fire eaters and the likes. One person stood out because of the rather bizarre act. He was drinking large quantities of water, then putting it all back in the container he got it from. At one point he drank two glasses of this raspberry coloured water and then two big jugs of water. When he spat it back out, the water was a mixture of both. Yep, you’re right. Kinda weird. (The sort of thing I could see Paul do at the end of the Natcoll Christmas do).

I absolutely love to hear children laugh. Tonight was special for me because the children around me were almost beside themselves when the clowns performed. I really didn’t understand much of the performance but I knew that it was funny.

I think, on reflection there are two things that stood out for me tonight. Well, three if you count the laughing children. The first is that there are some really cleaver people out there. Talented people who can tie themselves in knots and know how to untie themselves afterwards. The second is that for many of the performers, it seemed that they had been at it either to long or would rather have been somewhere else. There were two or three performers who gave the impression that they ‘lived’ for what they were doing. For many of them, it was an ‘existence’. A living or imprisonment. I’m sure you would have seen that look of ‘Oh my God, not another performance I have to do.’ Well, I was a little surprised as to how many of the performers wore that mask.

28 Nov 2009

Well, it’s the season for marriages. Not sure why. Maybe it’s cooler, maybe it’s the festive season. (The festival of Lights). So, tonight was another wedding that I was invited to. Although this time it was the groom’s party. Not exactly a batchelor’s party. The groom’s brother arranges a party for family and friends. Somewhere else the Bride’s family are also having a party. This evening wasn’t as lavish as the previous wedding I attended. It was smaller and the food wasn’t as nice. We chatted to a few people, had a nibble and said our farewells. This time I got home before midnight. I was going to stay up and watch the All Blacks play France but I don’t remember actually going to bed. I must have been asleep before I hit the pillow.

29 Nov 2009

Ah. Sunday, sacred Sunday. I lazed in bed until around 10am, chatting to the family on Skype. Towards 2.30pm, Ashutosh rang to say we were heading of to the wedding. This was the one we had attended the Groom’s party the night before. When we arrived the main event was already over. The bride and groom were having photographs taken with their extended family, friends and nobodys. (That was me). Yer kinda stand out in the crowd when there’s only one of you and you don’t know anyone. I did get to talk to a couple about my age. The husband is in the Merchant Navy and has travelled to NZ. He couldn’t speak more highly of our country. Seems the way with the people here who have been to NZ. Sometimes we don’t know what we’ve got until someone tells us.

So, we stayed for a bite to eat and then said our goodbyes to the host. I got home around 4pm. I was hoping that was it for the day, but around 9pm Ashutosh rang to say he was picking me up to go to the movies. He arrived some time after 10pm. We were about 30 minutes late for the start of the movie. Not that it seemed to matter much. I still figured out the story. This one was a family movie. It was a Bollywood movie. It was actually quite good. They had a couple of dance sequences that didn’t seem relevant to the plot but got the audience tapping away and jiggling in their seats. It was quite funny in places. Well, at least the audience thought so. I couldn’t understand a word of what was being said. It is amazing what you can pick up from actions though.

22 Nov 2009

Ah. Another Sunday. Oh the bliss. We went to the movies last night. I saw 2012 again. (Not a lot of choices in English movies) At least I can say that the crowd in this showing were just as animated as the previous showing. The movie started at 10.45pm. I was a little surprised that there were young children there. And the cellphones!!!! At times I was trying to distinguish what were the sound effects and what were the ringtones. Indians have one ear glued to their cellphones permanently. At the party the other night, there was a young man with with a cellphone earpiece attached to his ear throughout. He was also sitting close to the earthshattering speakers for most of the night. Now, that’s what I would describe as being dedicated to the yupee scene. And we had ‘intermission’. Haaaaa. It was great.

So, Sunday. I tried sleeping in but alas, the local population chose to ignore the fact that I had a late night and get up with the birds as usual. Just as well I got up though. Shortly after 9am the cable men turned up to work on the problem with my TV reception. Over the last couple of days, I have had no TV at all. The first I heard, the men arrived and started propping up a ladder to climb up onto the roof. Fortunately I was mostly dressed.

It turned out to be a broken cable in three places. I’m surprised I had any reception at all. I have a lovely clear picture now.

Later in the evening, Ashutosh, Maya and Aramon picked me up to take me to the Lake. It’s a pity it was as late as it was. (It was already dark) I’m sure it would have been interesting to see during daylight. It was nice to go for a walk along the water front. It was cool but very calm. We were there for about an hour and then headed to Pizza Hut. We had fun there playing ‘hide the coin’ with Aramon. (He’s a fun wee boy. Nearly five. Thinks he’s ten. Very smart.)

17 Nov 2009
Well, tonight was quite an experience. I was invited to a Hindu wedding. A friend of Ashutosh’s. Now, let’s see if I get this right. The ‘wedding’ actually starts about two weeks before the main event. There’s various celebrations and parties. The bride and her family and friends have an all girls night. The groom has an all boys night. Then they have the wedding. Then they have the welcome home celebration after the reception.
On the way to the wedding, Ashutosh drove me past the bride’s parent’s house and then the groom’s parent’s house. They both lived in the same street about three houses away from each other. You can easily tell when a house is involved with a wedding. It’s normally lite up like a Christmas tree.
We arrived at the wedding around 10pm. We were just in time to tag along behind the wedding procession. Normally the groom and his family will walk a short distance to the venue. The groom is on horseback and dressed in traditional clothing. Wearing a crown. The horse was dressed up to. There was lots of music. (Eh, well, noise anyway. There was a band at the front of the procession but I think someone forgot the sheet music. )
Once we got to the reception area there were major fireworks. One set was coming out of a box that boasted 10,000 crackers. Apparently they all had to go of before the groom and his party could go to the next stage. And I can assure you, they did. I was right there.
As we were waiting, a member of the family (He seemed to be the person driving this part of the celebration) was throwing money into the crowd. I saw a couple of boys darting in to grab as much as they could. Turns out they were not involved with the wedding. They were just lads hoping to score on some cash. They were quickly chased away by some serious looking dudes with batons.
At the entrance to the venue, a ribbon had been stretched across the gate. The idea is that the brides sisters and girlfriends were at the barrier to negotiate the price of the groom’s admission. It was kinda funny really. They haggled there for a while. Some cheers went up, they haggled some more, then they finally came to an agreement and the ribbon was cut. The groom’s party were allowed into the venue.
Well, the one thing I wasn’t expecting was the number of people there. It seemed like the whole of Chandigarh was there. Well, maybe half of Chandigarh. They had all sorts of food to eat. Drinks of all types. The food was very nice. Probably the nicest I’ve had in India so far. In one corner of the venue was a stage where dancers were performing. That was quite spectacular. I even got to see Punjab rappers. Yep, rappers. Quite funny really. There was an area in front of the stage for people to dance. At the early stages of the night, there were plenty of little children dancing. Later, the floor was full. The loud speakers beside the stage were set to ‘earthquake’ volume. In fact, at one point, when I went over to take some pictures of the dancers, I noticed that my feet seemed to be sticking to the grass. I wondered if I had something on my shoes I might regret. On closer inspection there was nothing here. I could only conclude that the volume of the speakers was such that it was somehow affecting the grass. I would have said static, but I’m not sure that’s possible. (Might have to ask Lucaspedia)
The highlight of the evening for the guests was the bride entering. This was a little different. She was in a cabin and lowered into the waiting area by crane. (That sounds terrible. Makes her sound enormous.) No, she was some twenty feet up in the air and they lowered her slowly down to the waiting groom. Once she came out they both stepped up onto a rotating dais. There they exchanged garlands of flowers. Waited for the photographers to do their thing and proceeded to a throne like area where they were hand fed small snacks. Lots more photos.
The guests were then treated to a meal in the reception hall. Again all kinds of meals buffet style. And, yippee, icecream. I had two helpings. (You realise of course that it was forced upon me. I had to refuse twice before I gave in.)
By time we had finished nibbling it was close to midnight. Most of the guests were filtering away. Ashutosh told me it is not uncommon for these wedding to go to 4am in the morning. No sooner had we climbed into the car to go home and Aramon was asleep. It was quite amazing. He was so energetic up to that point.
18 Nov 2009
Ashutosh had told me to ring him when I wanted the driver to pick me up in the morning. I did but found that my phone wasn’t working. Some problem with the telephone company not authenticating my number. I pondered for a moment as to what to do. Then I remembered that there were some rickshaws in the market close to me. I haven’t tried one of those. So I wandered over and purchased a ride to work on one of the motorised three wheeled rickshaws. It was fun. The driver was older than my grandmother’s granddad but he still seemed sprightly enough. It was really cold. The mornings here are getting quite chilly. I don’t normally notice it as I’m out of the flat and straight into a car. The driver dropped me of on the other side of the square to where Touchstone was but didn’t mind the little walk. Fortunatley I had gone for a walk around the shopping area a few days before and it wasn’t hard to navigate my way there. The whole trip cost me 40 rupees. ($1.10)
I got home late tonight. Ashutosh only had one of his cars so I needed to wait until the driver was available. At least I got to do some drawing whilst I was waiting. I had been working on the computer all day and was getting sore arms. I was so tired when I got home, I just went straight to bed.

15 Nov 2009

Sunday. Ah, a chance to stay in bed. Not really a chance to sleep. To many people moving around going about their day. Still, at least I don’t have to go into work. Watched a spot of tele. ‘Dudley Do-right’ Its an oldy but it was fun. I would have done some modelling on the computer but laptop keyboards are not the best when you are using modelling software and they get to your hands and arms. I was doing quite a bit on Saturday and didn’t realise until today that my arms were really sore. (Bit silly really. Should have paid more attention.) So I watched another movie on tele. ‘Kangaroo Jack’. It was OK. Nothing to write home about. :))

13 Nov 2009

Today I experienced Friday night at the movies, Indian style. At around 10pm Ashutosh picked me up and we headed to a mall that I haven’t been to. It was amazing. It had five floors and was very big. The cinema was on the top floor. We were scanned and searched three times before we actually got into the cinema. Ashutosh’s cousin was manager of the cinema and gave us tickets. The movie was 2012. The movie had just started when we arrived but we hadn’t missed much. Maybe one minute, possibly less. Its quite a different experience going to a movie in India. The crowd are very interactive. They like to clap when the good bits come on laugh where it gets cringe worthy. One area where they laughed was when an Indian spoke in Indian. I asked Ashutosh why. He said the Indian was speaking with an English accent. The audience were quite vocal when the boy and girl nearly kissed, but even more so when they did. It was hilarious just listening to the crowd reaction. Oh, and they had intermission. Yep, intermission. I really needed to go to the bathroom, but when I saw hundreds of strapping lads heading out, I thought, hmmm, standing room only, I’ll wait.

So going to the movies for the first time in India was an extremely funny experience. Movie wasn’t to bad either. (Would be kinda good if the American gave up on script writing though. I’m sure they only have one script. They have plenty of actors, so they swap them around and they swap the FX team around from time to time.)