Where Eagles Dare

Its been two days so I apoligize for the delay in posting this. Where do I start? The educational part of the trip has been fun and insightful. We visited Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Avanthra Group, Tata Consultancy Group and Coca Cola. 

J&J targets the consumer goods and medical products in India. They've spent many years building a reputation in this country and the distribution and regulation are absolutely horrendous. Im amazed at the revenue that they've managed to achieve given the number of obstacles they've encountered over the years. 

Tata was the greatest of these companies. They've acheived over 1000% growth in the past 10 years through acquisitions, new segment entries, and diversification. I also learned they are the owners of Eight'Oclock Coffee and Tetley Tea. Their operations span over 90 countries but their largest is in India. It was an absolutely stunning headquarter building here in Delhi. Given their high security I wasnt able to take any pictures. Just imagine an unimpressive urban landscape with mediocre office buildings and broken concrete streets. Suddenly out of nowhere an immense marble 32 story building appears surrounded by marble compound walls  complete with guard huts. It was a sight to see.

As far the sight seeing goes, we went to visit the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort.

It's been long days and nights out here but Im having a great time. Theres so much to this country that lies under the surface. I wish I had more time to write tonight but we're leaving for Bangalore tomorrow at 4:45am. 

Until next time...

Ian 

Lotus Temple, Swastikas, and Sleep

What a day....my morning started off at 7:30am with a cup of Earl Grey and some bread thing that was delicious from the hotel. I cant believe how cheap everything is! $6 USD can get you a long way in India.  I bought some pretty cool souvenirs for my boys. 

Honestly my body is so confused at what time it really is. I just woke up from going to bed at 9:30pm (its now 3:30am). Itll prob take two or three days to get better but in then theres flight home. Thankfully (sort of) my roomate, who was supposed to join us yesterday, was unable to secure a Visa. Ive been enjoying this two room suite all to myself. 

Today's agenda was full of sight seeing. We visited the Lotus Temple which is located in the Old district of Deli. Being Sunday and somewhat of a public attraction, there was a 30 minute line which we stood in and waited patiently. I got my first up close encounter with poverty in this line. There was this little girl who was wearing the most ragged clothing I've ever seen. She had to be around six years as she was weaving through the line asking people for their water bottles. When she got one, i saw her run to this little spot and give the water to what Im assuming was her little brother. He was dressed in similar fashion but had to be around three. They dumped the water and I guess collected them to recycle for money. I saw the slums, I saw more kids like that and all of it was within less than a mile of the most beautiful places here in the capital. 

The Lotus Temple and below is an overpass that hides a slum tent camp. 

Its heart breaking but its a fact of life here.

I also got to enter a Hindu temple. Unfortunately we're not allowed to use cameras inside but I did get this shot.

And this...

Hitler tied the Aryan race story to Hinduism because of the Aryans (from the Caucuses, through Iran) who came to India a long time ago. The swastika actually symbolizes good luck and the soul of the body (see the 4 dots). I also learned a bit about Hinduism but thats probably a separately blog post.

I'm going to try to get some more shut eye. 

Cheers, 

Ian

Arrival

I landed at 1:00am here in New Delhi. I have to say Austria Airlines is by far the best airline Ive ever flown on. Despite being in an economy class seat, they managed to include a great list of amenities. Pillows, blankets, free meals, and drinks (which helps with sleeping hehe) were all included. The best part was the tablet that was built into the seat that gave everyone free access to TV shows, movies, games and even the current location of the plane. For such such a long flight, they made it bearable. 

As soon as I got off the plane I noticed the airport in Delhi is pretty modern. All the signage was in Hindi and English so I didnt have any trouble finding where to go. I will say though the customs agent I dealt with was an ass. This guy looked like the grim reaper behind a desk. No response to civilities such as "Thank you" not even a nod. Maybe he was tired...

After I exited the airport I had to find my rep whose name I had trouble pronouncing (Jitender). He's a nice guy but we had a serious communication problem. The only reason I knew it was him was because he was a holding a sign with UNCC's 49er logo on it. We chatted for a sec (sort of) and then walked out to meet the driver.

The air here is something Ive never experienced before. As soon as we walked into the open morning air, it felt like I just walked into a smoking parlor. It literally will stop you in your tracks. From previous research, I remember reading that New Delhi has one of the lowest air quality grades in the world. On a bad day it beats most Chinese industrial cities and now I can see why. 

Ive ridden around with some crazy drivers but at least they were skilled drivers. A couple of years ago I got the impression that Colombia had the worst drivers in the world. That notion changed this morning. All the drivers seem to be scared of the curb, so a three lane road becomes a one lane cascade of beeping, yelling, speeding insanity. My driver squeezed by a semi going 60km per hour. Thats only 45 back home but what scared me was how close I could reach out my window and touch the car we were passing.

The funny thing about when the plane touched down, all the Indian nationals began applauding. Ive seen this on a plane to Colombia before. I know that when I get home Ill probably be doing the same thing on the inside. I miss my boys, my parents, and my friends already. 

Hopefully I'll have some photos tomorrow. In the meantime, here's one of NYC last night.

Cheers,

Ian

Departure

Holy crap, departure day. This trip wasnt easy to plan. 4 months of preparation...shots, visas, printouts, arguing with the airlines: its been expensive, time consuming, and nuts. My advice to anybody who is planning on traveling abroad, start EARLY. UNCC's study abroad office did a pretty good job of preparing us but I tip my hat to anyone who has done this on their own.

Today, I'll be flying out of Charlotte to Dulles. From Dulles to Vienna, Austria and then to New Delhi, India. Total time in the air: 18 hours not including layovers. I'm not a big fan of long flights but Im looking forward to catching up on sleep. When I get to Delhi it'll be 12:45AM. I think my East Coast friends will be starting Lunch.  

There are a couple of things you want to consider before leaving. Call your bank, let them know you'll be out of the country so they dont freeze your account when you try to buy a drink say in Vienna. Make sure you have everything you need for example, Iphone chargers need an adaptor because the plugs are completely different. Traveler's wallet, toothbrush, antibiotics (dont ask), emergency contacts, and a whole list of things not to do while abroad. 

I'll try to write on here as much as possible. Cheers!