Memories of India - The Journey

I could smell Mumbai before I saw it, the sensual blend of heat, humidity and the passions of twenty-two million souls. Although I was got terribly ill on the flight the first few hours were still memorable. My colleague and I got a room at the Shebhash hotel for a few hours between flights, and although my adventures in the bathroom set off a pack of dogs in the street it was a perfect introduction to India. The room was small but comfortable with an in-room air conditioner lodged in the window. In the morning we proceeded to Hyderabad on an early flight and drove past Mumbai as it woke to the morning sun. Men lounged in front of their shops drinking tea and talking as business opened for the day.

India is incredibly multilayered and complex. We drove past temples, modern buildings and an enormous amount of construction on our way here from the airport. Our hotel in Hi Tech City is every bit as nice as any hotel in the West, but across the street there are people living in corrugated metal buildings. In the Mumbai airport a woman in a beautiful sari was sweeping the floor. The main streets have shops of every description, some advertising beauty products and others serving food. The country is every bit as fascinating as what I've read about it.

And then there's the traffic.... Wow. There must be rules of some kind but I fail to grasp what they are. Somewhere there must be a law that specifies the minimum amount of time between horn blasts because it seems a fairly constant drone. If there are two lanes there are at least three or four streams of traffic, motorcycles and three person cabs jockey for position with classic cabs from the 40's and 50's. At various points our driver dodged a small herd of six cattle in the road, a woman carrying a water jug on her shoulders, and others carrying bundles of various kinds through the streets. Bicycles compete with cars and motorcycles for whatever space is left. There is a huge fleet of three wheeled cabs that each take up half a lane or so. That's how they manage to deal with traffic congestion, simply ignoring the lines and cramming more vehicles into the same amount of space. We cut through traffic, merged between busses and cars, dodged careening motorcycles, and all while I was sick as a dog bouncing over holes in the road. It was amazing how few of the vehicles displayed the kind of damage I would have expected, clearly these people have developed a level of driving skill that doesn't exist in my country.

The compassion of my colleagues here is hard to describe. When the local director found out I was ill he brought the doctor from the company health center and they both visited me in the hotel. I was given a thorough exam, prescriptions and dietary instructions for recovery. Within a half hour I had all the prescribed medications and the director had personally worked with the chef to prepare the required "recovery diet" which was a concoction of boiled rice that looked like cream of wheat. It had a much better flavor when coated with sugar and a little salt just as the doctor prescribed. This stuff, in tandem with some medications labeled in both Hindi and English, worked better than anything I've had in the west. I was feeling better within a few hours and this morning I'm pretty much back to normal and was able to eat a decent breakfast of fruit, corn flakes and tea. Having had lots of experience with health care in the USA, and its absurdly high cost and inconvenience, I found the contrast interesting. I'd rather be sick in India.

So here I am in Hyderabad for my first expatriate work engagement. Although it will only last a few weeks I'm sure the memories will last a lifetime.

Thanks for listening