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Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~

a travel blog by OneBoatAtMoor

3 Months in India

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Day 1, 2, and 3 – traveling- April 15th, 16th, and 17th

Bangalore, India

My adventure began when I boarded my British Air flight to London. I was pleasantly surprised to be seated next to a chatty Fabio looking young man who informed me that he was on his way to London to compete, for the summer, in the European motorcycle racing circuit. He later told me that during the winter he professionally races motorcycles and 4-wheelers, with spiked tires, on ice skating rinks. I had no idea that this sport even existed, more less at such a professional level that one could make a full-time career out of it.
I arrived in London early in the morning and skipped the huge immigration line, thanks to my new British passport (thanks dad). I spent the day with my cousin Hillary, her fiancé Jeff, and her mom Sandra. At 9pm I boarded a Jet Airways (an Indian airline) flight to Mumbai, India. I finally arrived in India on Friday morning.
The section of the Mumbai airport that I arrived in was under construction. My immediate observation was that all the contractors were dressed in very nice dress pants but had no shoes on. Later when I mentioned this to Riz he explained that dress pants material is very cheap and so the poor and contractors ware seemingly nice slacks instead of the American contractor jumpsuit or jeans. After a few hours layover in the Mumbai airport, I boarded my last flight and arrived in Bangalore at around 3pm.
The Bangalore airport is brand new and gorgeous. It is probably the nicest airport I have ever been in. Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India. It is a city that is rapidly growing in wealth, due in large part to information technology, and it is very evident in the airport. Riz picked me up at the airport and after a bus ride to his neighborhood and an auto rickshaw ride we arrived at his apartment. We spent the rest of the nigh hanging out in his apartment.


permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on April 17, 2009 from Bangalore, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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Day 4 Saturday April 18th

Bangalore, India

Riz had a dentist appointment in the morning so I spent a few hours walking up and down Mahatma Gandhi Road (the main street in ever India City). We drove over to the shopping district on his scooter. The streets of India are seemingly a free-for-all of impatient drivers, people, and wild animals. Riz explained that the rules of the road are few, but they are there. In India they drive with their ears and not their eyes, the horn is the most vital part of the vehicle, and there are no rules with regards to overtaking vehicles, if you see a spot that you can squeeze into, it is yours for the taking. The streets of Bangalore are crammed with motorcycles, motto scooters, bicycles, auto rickshaws, busses, cars, people, cows, stray dogs, and more people but after a few days of driving around, one starts to see the underlying order of the ciaos.
After a late lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore we went back to the apartment for an afternoon nap. In the evening we went out to an old pub with a bunch of his Indian friends. It was an old colonial British pub. The group of friends that we went out with are all un-married 20 somethings, middle class, western educated, computer savvy Indians. It was very interesting to hang out with them and hear their rants about their IT jobs at big companies, pressures about getting married, and complaints about Normal everyday living situations. They were very funny and entertaining and I had a really good time.


permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on April 18, 2009 from Bangalore, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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Day 6 Monday, April 20th

Pune, India

Riz and I arrived in Puna in the evening and took a taxi to his Uncle’s shop. His Uncle owns and operates a hardware store. By American standards the store is teeny tiny but by India standards it is rather spacious. The shop is approximately 9ftx20ft and it is amazing how much merchandise can be stocked in such a tiny shop. Above the shop there are 3 floors of living space. The building is about 9ftx60ft. Riz’s great grandfather, his father’s mother’s father, opened the store in 1909 and it has remained in the family ever since. Through the generations floors have been added above the shop to accommodate the growing family. At one point there were 3 families, numbering 20+ living in the apartments above the shop. Today, there are 4 people living in the house and it hardly seem big enough for that many. The rooms are multi-purpose rooms. During the day the rooms function as living rooms and at night, beds are brought out of closets, rolled out on the floor and the rooms become transformed into bedrooms. During the day the rooms are also used for living and praying. His family is Muslim. Meals are served on one family size plate and you eat with your hands. The showers are cold, no toilet paper, and only a ceiling fan and open window for a/c. It is a stark contrast to how we live in the US.

permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on April 20, 2009 from Pune, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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Day 7 Tuesday April 21st

Pune, India

Riz had a business meeting in the morning so after breakfast he took an auto rickshaw to work and I took my feet out for a walk. I walked down M.G. Road, Puna. The hardware store just so happens to be on this road, so it was very convenient to get to. It was still rather early, 9am, so the shops were not open yet. Most shops in Puna open at around 10am, close for lunch and a nap from 2pm to 4pm (and because the power goes out every day from 3pm to 4pm) and then close for the night at around 8 or 9pm. The reason I started my day so early was because Riz’s uncle told me I had to be back in the house before noon because it would be too hot then. I wandered down the road and happened upon an Old Catholic church, then continued on until I found the fruit market. The venders were still setting up, raising tarps on polls, in an attempt to block out the sunlight and allow them to sit with their produce all day without being too exposed to the blazing sun. After the market, I went back home and took a nap. The heat is so incredible draining, it is a wonder that anyone can get anything done in India.
After Riz got home we went to see his grandmother at his aunt and uncle’s house. His aunt showed me photo’s of her daughter’s traditional Bori Muslim wedding. Later in the night we went for Chinese food with Riz’s cousin.

permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on April 21, 2009 from Pune, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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Day 8 Wednesday April 22nd

Pune, India

Riz had another business meeting today so I wandered down the roads of Puna in search of other sights. I took along with me flat Francis and flat (I can’t remember the other girl’s name). Riz has a friend that teaches grade school in CA and is doing the flat Stanley project with his kids. Two of the kids sent flattened versions of themselves to Riz, in hopes to learn more about India. For those of you that do not know what the flat Stanley project is, it a very popular American grade school project where kids send “flat Stanley” (a paper cut out of a little man) to friends and relatives all over the world. The friends and relatives are supposed to take pictures of the flattened character in places of importance within their cities and then send the pictures back to the kids with a little explanation of where the little man has been. The children then present the pictures to the class and everyone learns about the world. Since I had time and was already being a tourist, I took the little flat children with me on my adventure. I was quite the sight. First of all everyone stares at me because I am white and with these two little people in my hand I got even more comical looks of confusion by the locals. Everyone kept trying to see what I was holding and when they realized what it was they all smiled and laughed and pointed to my little paper doll kids. I took the kids to the fruit and veggie market and all the vendors were more than happy to pose with the paper dolls. It was a very funny ice breaker.

permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on April 22, 2009 from Pune, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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Day 5 Sunday April 19th

Bangalore, India

Riz and I spent the morning/afternoon lounging at the Bangalore Park Hotel. For about $20 you can swim in the pool, order drinks from the bar, get a massage, use the sauna and steam room, and eat at the all you can eat lunch buffet. It was a special treat for Riz, he had never been before. It was a lovely day of rest and relaxation. Riz has been stressed wrapping up odds and ends at work and trying to find a new job, so he thoroughly enjoyed the day. After we got back from the Park, we packed up lots of his stuff because he is going to store it with his aunt and uncle in Puna. We had 7 pieces of luggage on our flight. It was a lot cheaper than shipping.

permalink written by  OneBoatAtMoor on May 6, 2009 from Bangalore, India
from the travel blog: Culture Shock! ~~INDIA~~
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