Return to India - The Farewell

We had some concerns about our trip home. The beautiful new Shamshabad International Airport opened last weekend but created major challenges to air traffic. The papers were full of horror stories. It seems the pilot of the first KLM flight was unaware of the change and attempted to land at Begumpet which is now closed. There is some question whether the airline was told of the changes before the plane left Amsterdam so it’s quite possible that the onboard flight computers were programmed for the closed airport. The pilot was circling Begumpet and after being told to land at Shamshabad asked the flight controller “What’s Shamshabad?” Due to bad weather and understandable concerns over safety he attempted to redirect to a new destination. After flying to Delhi and being denied landing permission he was redirected again to Mumbai creating major headaches for all concerned and a near riot in the airport. By then he had exhausted his flight time and passengers were stuck overnight in Mumbai. To make matters worse the roads leading to the new airport are inadequate. Traffic was horrendous, a situation exacerbated by 24 hours of uninterrupted rain. People waited for many hours just to get their boarding passes and their luggage arrived soaked. In advance of opening there was a lot of protest over the closure of Begumpet and certain officials made public assurances to stop a bandh. While government was out of session other officials forced the new airport open and closed the old one to circumvent opposition. The protests were based on a combination of concerns (labor, transport, etc). From the events of the last few days it seems the protesters had a point. My colleague called the airline and was assured there would be a plane on the ground to meet us. We hoped it was actually true but you have to be flexible in India. As it worked out our outbound airport gauntlet was incredibly easy. We left the hotel around 11:00pm and got to the airport in an hour after driving over fairly typical Hyderabad roads. Check-in was a breeze, they didn't even charge me for my overweight bag which looked ready to give birth. Security was both efficient and professional. We sat in the airport for hours waiting and met Lavonya, an American medical student of India descent whose father emmigrated to the U.S. many years ago. We talked about recent cultural developments in India, my colleagues Jewish heritage, her views on health care reform, and whatever else filled the time until our departure.

We left Hyderabad on flight 875 at 3:35am. As I write this I am in the air somewhere between Kharkov and Kiev about 2 1/2 hours out of Amsterdam, a city I first saw through wide eyes in 1979 and have loved ever since. After a half day stopover we will board a Northwest Airlines flight to Seattle and be home in another 9 hours or so. For most of my life I've wanted to be an expatriate of some kind. I've steeped myself in Conrad, Kerouac and Michener. My readings in the past few years included biographies on Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and other early Americans who built lives and contributed to society from an international perch. Here I am at 50 finally living that dream, albeit only a few weeks at a time. I've made more friends in Hyderabad than I have in the U.S. Perhaps that's a byproduct of the type of life I live, you have more time to make friends when you are living at corporate expense with a full time driver. Just the same I find it incredibly rewarding to travel and work in India. During my side trip to Bangalore I had coffee with a former colleague who took a position in media production. His first few months have him flying all over the world. His first quarterly business review was in Singapore. He told me "you know dude, you have an international network now". He's right and I need to figure out what to do with that, not only professionally but personally. That little voice inside my head is asking me what I want out of life and working internationally may be part of it.

This trip was different than last years with less focus on history and more on the way people live today. There was a part of me that wanted a more "spiritual" experience and we planned to visit Birla Mandir on the way out of town. Unfortunately it was closed for some reason so we ate a final dinner on the hotel patio instead. The manager, chefs and waiters all came over to wish us well as we downed more prawn kebob and chicken tikka. Bats swooped overhead flitting in and out of the lights above us. A dog slept in the grass in the cool night air. A cat wandered around the tables, too skittish to come close but hopeful of sharing our leavings. Last night my colleague saw a large frog hopping across the patio. When we left work earlier in the day our colleagues came all the way down to the exit to say their goodbyes and wish us a good flight back. It occurred to me as I sat on the patio talking to my friends that this trip was spiritual in a very normal way. A life well lived is just being in the present moment and living it deeply. Breathe in, breathe out...nothing special.

Thanks for listening

Return to India - The Checklist

If you get a chance to travel to India take it, you will find yourself uniquely changed by the experience. After a few trips I've learned some things and thought it might be useful to share the practical details that will make your trip easier. My colleague and I collaborated on what should be in this list, its well worth your time. You won't read all of this in travel guides...

"The secret to success in life is to eat whatever foods you want and let them fight it out afterwards" (Mark Twain, quoted in the KLM flight menu)

Eating is a big part of Indian experience so you should enjoy it to the fullest. The food is wonderful. Its degree of spicyness will differ from state to state. In the northern part of the country you'll get much hotter food. This is thought of as Punjabi cuisine and the doormen in these restaurants will often be dressed in northern clothing. If you visit Hyderabad be sure to eat at Angeethi. Most Indian food is more flavorful than you may find comfortable at first. Even breakfasts will contain a lot of chili or curry leaves. My favorite breakfast dish is a Masala Dosa which contains onion and curry and is served with three types of chutney. All of this will affect you more than you think. Believe me you will have a better time if you come prepared. In my case I have a sensitive tummy so perhaps you'll do better but frankly I doubt it based on extensive testimony from my colleagues. Don't be optomistic, take as many medications with you as you can carry. I carried a one gram dose of Azithromycin and a three day 500mg follow up treatment. In my infinite wisdom I didn't take anything right away and suffered for it. The treatments got me back on track but I used it all. If I hadn't waited I would have run out, next time I'll take more. I also took a big bottle of Pepsid Complete antacid, rolls of Tums for my pocket, Poo chai herbs (thanks to my collegue for these, they worked well), Beano (take this right before eating), GasX with Maalox, Immodium and several anti-nauseants just in case (I have phenergan which can be dangerous if you haven't taken it before, I also carry zofran). On the plane I used dramamine and was glad I had it on the way over to avoid repeating the disaster from my last trip. Being on a plane over 20 hours is just difficult no matter how many times you've done it before. Here are a few of our favorite restaurants from the last two years:

• Chutney's (Indian family style dining, very reasonable and delicious)
• Angeethi (Punjabi and other cuisine, spicy delicious -- make sure to eat lots of the little samosas, they are my favorite)
• Ginger Court (Elegant and surprisingly cheap)
• Barbeque Nation (At-table kebab preparation on little grills that set into the table)
• Hyderabad House (Well known for outstanding Biryani)
• Name Any Hotel (Ellah Suites in Gachibowli has wonderful patio dining with grilled kebabs prepared in view of the tables, Taj Banjara has a great Thai restaurant (their patio is the photo for this post, albeit in the rain), Ohri's Banjara is also great, eating at your hotel saves a lot of travel time and the food is often as good or better as what you'll get in other venues)

"Don't drink the water" (tribal lore)

Actually I brushed my teeth in hotel tap water and never had a problem but don't do it yourself. Buy bottled water and make sure the cap is sealed. Depending on where you get it you may find them refilling bottles from the tap. Your hotel will probably provide reliable bottled water every day. Restaurants will always ask whether you want mineral water and whether you want it chilled or room temperature. It is hot in India and even if you are from a warm climate you will find yourself quickly dehydrated if you aren't careful. This is especially true while site seeing on weekends or spending time in outdoor pools, even more so if you drink a few Kingfishers.

"TATA Indicom empowers its customers with GoPower" (TATA offers a starter pack for 199RS and 39 paise per minute... that's about $5 to subscribe and .07/min on calls)

Cell phones are a necessity in India. The country has a better range of choices than in the U.S. and mobile-only communications are becoming the norm. Service is excellent and likely to be compatible with any reasonably current mobile phone. You should activate international roaming before you go or buy a prepaid plan. You can also rent a phone for your trip. This can get expensive if you aren't careful. Watch your synch settings and give up surfing the news from your phone. Because of the traffic and general difficulty of getting around having a mobile is a way to stay connected. It buys you safety and flexibility and is totally worth the money. To make calls outside India you will need to know the country code (U.S. is 01, to dial from my mobile is 001 plus the area code and phone number). Depending on your plan and location you may need to know special dialing prefixes or not use them at all. I find this confusing myself and suggest you try a few calls before needing to make them under pressure.

"You won't need any power converters" (questionable advice from a friend)

Actually most modern equipment auto-switches between 110v and 220v inputs so the heavy old converters are obsolete. Physical plugs are a different matter. In high end hotels you will find sockets supporting multiple plug types but you can't expect to find them everywhere, even in airports. You will need at least a plug converter for two pole round European style plugs to U.S. standard plugs. The hotel may have one to loan you but don't count on it. Taking these out of my laptop bag at the last minute cost me a few days of lost productivity. I also regretted leaving my RJ45 cable at home and wound up filching one from the office.

"Bash On Regardless" (sign near a military base in Hyderabad, appropriate slogan for driving in India)

Don't drive unless your life insurance is paid up. You will see things in traffic that are completely insane. We're talking four people on small motorbikes weaving in and out of traffic, three cars to a lane, running red lights, pedestrians dodging between traffic like characters in Frogger, cars and motorcycles going the wrong way, vehicles forcing their way through bizzarre U-turns, cattle and people in the street, goats/pigs/dogs... You name it, its all normal here. Defensive driving will get you killed. Many people fold their side mirrors in so they don't get torn off by passing motorbikes. Even getting out of the car is hazardous, people will whiz around you on both sides so be sure to look first even if it doesn't seem like someone could navigate between you and the curb. Hire a driver. We used Noori travel in Hyderabad and have had great experiences. Here's how it works. You tell your driver what time to pick you up in the morning. He takes you wherever you want to go and waits till you are done. He will wait all day if necessary, that's his job and he expects it (I never knew how he dealt with his own biological needs or food but it was never a problem). We told our driver when we would be ready but were often late. When you are ready to be picked up call your driver and he will magically appear from wherever he's parked. His job is to facilitate your day whether it ends at 5:00 or midnight. Once you get used to this its addictive but makes relaxed life in India possible.

"I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry, because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?" (Anonymous)

Make sure your hotel has laundry service. This reduces the size of your suitcase significantly... and leaves more room for shopping. You put your dirty stuff in a bag and it will be collected each morning. The cost is practically nothing. Depending on the hotel they may do the laundry in-house or send it out. If they wash it themselves you will get it back the next day. If not it may take a few days. Just the same I didn't use everything I brought and could have left a lot of it at home. In fact at least half of it... and that would have saved the backs of everyone who had to deal with my suitcase.

"You'll do better if you take an Indian with you" (a friend's advice about shopping)

I did a lot of shopping in Hyderabad this year. If you buy handcrafts from a government shop or craft fair like Shilparamam you are expected to haggle over the price (you cannot bargain in major department stores so don't embarrass yourself). Don't expect to get stuff for nothing but asking for a better price is normal, especially if you buy multiple items. In general you can count on 20% or better, especially if you work for a major company that has invested in Hyderabad's economy. By myself I was able to get 30% off by threatening to walk away a few times. When I had an Indian with me I could get 40% off. Hearing my company name routinely will get to 20% immediately. Ignore promotional offers you may get through the hotel or your driver. Also be careful of the exchange rate. Stores will tend to round up for simplicity and this can disadvantage you. Even with an Indian helper it is possible to insult the proprieter so don't play the ugly American. A well intentioned friend nearly started a fight with a merchant in Bangalore by telling him his merchandise was hopelessly overpriced. Also beware of banking fees for currency conversion. These are normally a percentage of the total and can quickly make a purchase more expensive than it needs to be. In spite of propaganda about theft I generally carry a few thousand rupees in cash and pay for things that way when I can. On the few occasions when I've used my debit card in government shops I've never had a problem with the accuracy of what I was charged. Ymmv. Remember to call your bank before leaving and make sure they know you will be using the card in India. Depending on the bank you may or may not have to tell them your travel dates. This is a protection against identity theft.

That's all folks!
So that's my checklist of travel tips to India, hope you found it helpful. My last tip would be to enjoy the people and take them on their own terms. During my trips here I've met a few fellow travelers who have a preconceived ideas that keep them from really experiencing what the country has to offer. Where there is poverty there is also dignity of spirit. Where there are less material possessions there is often great spiritual treasure. Enjoy the adventure that is India and it will stay with you a lifetime.

Thanks for listening

Return to India - The Life

I awoke this morning to the sound of gentle rain on the patio. My colleague and I agreed to meet for breakfast at 9:00am and enjoyed the rain falling outside the hotel windows. My plate consisted of a Dosa accompanied by two chicken sausages, fresh fruit and a vasa with chutney. A vasa is doughnut shaped and made from potatoe. They appear to be fried and have a nice brown exterior. Dipped in chutney they are a great substitute for toast although considerably less healthy. The new Shamshabad airport opened last night and Begumpet closed its doors forever to the great consternation of a lot of Hyderabadis who believe both could have continued to run in parallel. The new airport, which we will fly out of on its fourth day of operation at 3:30am, is in a part of the city that is harder to reach. To read the papers it seems they didn't plan for better access roads and people are expecting a real mess for awhile. One of our colleagues told us to allow four hours for the trip from our hotel to the airport and check-in procedures. Hopefully he is wrong but we aren't sure what to think at this point. Perhaps there will be a bandh and we won't be able to leave at all.

The Party Whirl section of the Deccan Chronicle carried the title "Holi Fever Grips the City" this morning. The papers are full of reports on Holi with celebrities and tourists alike pictured in vivid purple and blue hues. The Taj Krishna hosted a huge Holi party and people played with color and each other long into the night. One politician was greeted at his home by a group of tribal villagers and he played Holi with them for awhile to the bemusement of his guards. Of course he encouraged them to vote for his party in the upcoming elections. Yesterday we saw several group of young people displaying their colors in convertibles and jeeps, the photo at the head of this article is one of them I shot out the back window of our cab. It looks like a lot of fun.

India is a huge place and its not possible to see everything. This trip I'm really just enjoying living in the country and experiencing the people and culture. We've managed a few historical outings and were planning to visit Golkonda Fort today but the rain started last night and hasn't stopped for 24 hours so it turned into a light shopping day and rest. It was interesting to walk through Hyderabad City Center and see the kinds of things typical Indians would put in their homes. Most of the refrigerators were very small by American standards, about half sized. They seem to cost about $400. Their selection of cell phones is better than ours. My colleague was severely tempted by an HTC phone that looked much like an iPhone but ran on Windows Mobile. We visited several handicraft shops and finished our shopping (again) and had a Thai lunch at the Taj Banjara. We're feeling less of a need to cram a lot of stuff into each day. Despite the incredible energy in Hyderabad I feel a sense of peace here that is rare in America. Perhaps its the kindness of the people, their openness to ideas and willingness to share. I love seeing roadside temples and covered fruit stands everywhere I go. I even enjoy the crazy reckless traffic. But whatever it is my sense of place is strong here and it feels like a second home.

This evening some friends came by and took us to Barbeque Nation which is much cooler than the name sounds. Its a lot like Korean BBQ at Blue Ginger in Bellevue. They put skewers of kabob on a grill at the table and you eat until you're stuffed for rs 430 (about $10.75). We had prawns, more prawns, more prawns, as well as mutton, chicken, veggies, fish and other things. Their pomegranate and passion fruit martinis were delicious. Toward the end we were all stuffed and our local colleagues insisted on adding Biryani. We laughed at them. Since they are always such great hosts we had decided that we would insist on paying the bill and I have to give my colleague a lot of credit. He talked to the manager while nobody was looking and when the bill was called for it came to us. Our local colleagues were literally reaching across the table trying to grab it out of his hand, it was the funniest moment I've had in weeks. Since they drove through heavy rainfall to bring us here is was only fair. That's life in India.

Thanks for listening

Return to India - The Festival

My nemesis this morning was a Sports Art Fitness C53r recumbant exercise bike. The blasted thing tortured me for 30 minutes while I road 14.2 kilometers and burned of 354.3 calories worth of shrimp kebab. Bupati is provided by the hotel as a personal trainer and seems to know me by name, but familiarity didn't stop him from insisting on just a few more reps of weights and some crunches to flatten the tummy. I spent the better part of an hour and feel great but sore. Hopefully I will achieve my goal of returning to the U.S. no fatter than I was when I arrived in India on the 12th. Last year the food took its toll and I gained quite a bit of weight, this year I'm holding steady so far.

Today is the festival of Holi which is rooted in several Hindu legends. There are several versions of how the festival started and each contributes a piece of the whole. One version tells how Hiranyakashipu the king of demons was granted almost complete immunity to being killed and in his arrogance demanded exclusive worship from the people. His son Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to stop praying. After surviving multiple attempts on his life the son was ordered to sit on top of his sister Holika on a pyre. Prahlad prayed to his god for protection. His sister was expecting to be protected by a magic shawl but it miraculously flew from the sister to the son as the flames burned. Holika died but the son survived. Vishnu finally had enough of the king of demons and killed him. That's one of the reasons why Hindus light fires all over India to commemorate Holi. Another story has Lord Krishna complaining to his mother about his consort Radha's fair skin and the mother colored her face to improve the situation. Krishna of course is blue. That's why Hindus color their faces, hair, clothes and anything else that's exposed at this time of year. In some parts of the country they drink baang which is a canabis derivative. Younger people play firtatious games and often find their life partners during this festival. Its a very romantic time in the Hindu calendar. Holi can get dangerous for women and most seem to agree it's best to celebrate it with family and close friends. Just the same we saw many smiling faces in vivid colors on this day and watched a lot of people enjoying themselves tremendously.

We decided to take the day to do some shopping and site seeing but didn't get started till quite late. I didn't come down for breakfast till nearly 11:00 and the hotel staff was almost ready to pack up the buffet. Fortunately I was able to down a good breakfast before we hit the road around 11:30. Armed with a wallet full of rupees we headed for the Charminar which is a beautiful structure built by a Nizam ruler to ward off cholera. It is surrounded by massive markets dating back hundreds of years. This year we didn't tour the Charminar itself (see last year's post for that experience) but walked deep into the markets instead. A young man appointed himself as our guide and provided a lot of interesting information about the market. The Charminar is about 450 years old but the market is older, around 500 years old. For the most part its completely destroyed, to quote our guide, but there are a few of the original walls left standing enough to see the original architecture which must have been beautiful. The shops are built up against the old walls, many of which have been rebuilt or modified multiple times. It gives the market a sense of energy and timelessness. There was one shop selling herbal remedies, the Muslim equivalent of Ayurvedic remedies which are very much the same. In another shop there were many shelves of books and magazines, some very old like an MS-DOS manual. I expected that our guide would want payment for his services but surprisingly he excused himself when we got back to the car without asking for a dime. During the walk he asked me endless questions about getting a job in technology, the salary ranges in America, whether he could get in with only a bachelors in IT and other similar questions. Perhaps he thought my answers were payment enough, but it was nice to have someone local to talk to during our walk.

Across the street from the Charminar is Mecca Masjid, a large mosque dating back around 350 years. We removed our shoes and upon entering the mosque grounds were immediately adopted by a guide who gave us a very nice walk around the premises and explained it's main features. The mosque and courtyard are big and capable of containing 10,000 people during Friday prayers with 3,000 inside and 7,000 more outside. They have large canopies they can put up during prayers to keep the rain and sun off the worshippers. The inside of the mosque is carpeted in rows where worshippers kneel for prayer. The large chandaliers came from Belgium but are of a more recent vintage, around 100 years old. There are verses from the Koran inscribed into the front wall and an orphanage in a building to the side. Our guide told us numerous times that this building houses 500 children and asked repeatedly for donations. We gave him several rounds of rupees to assuage our conscience and he finally backed off. You enter the mosque through an area where quite a few kings and one Sufi holy man are buried. At the Sufi tomb I was offered the chance to place a flower at his grave and received a Muslim blessing which was delivered with a bundle of straw that looked very much like a broom. Of course I was also asked for a donation. Many of the people touring the mosque that day were visibly Hindu judging from the women's garb, life here is very multicultural despite a sad undertone of religious hostility. Last year, only a few weeks after we left Hyderabad, this building was bombed by extremists. Fortunately several of their bombs didn't go off and the building was unoccupied at the time or many people could have been killed. There is a black granite table from Iran on the grounds and it's said that if you sit on this table you will return to Hyderabad. We both sat down for a photo so I guess we'll both return some day.

After Charminar we went shopping at India Treasures, a well known shop carrying handcrafts including rugs, statuary and textiles. We were stunned to recognize two of the sales guys from last year and even more surprised when they remembered us. At the time they worked for Kashmir Emporium but had moved over to this shop. I finished most of my shopping for the trip and returned to the car minus many more rupees. But I'm getting better at haggling and got them down to a price I thought I could afford after long discussions and multiple attempts to leave. My Indian collegue did a little better for me last year but being a foreigner I think I aquitted myself pretty well. I even got a free package of sandalwood incense. During my negotiations the power went out and they had emergency backup in this shop, I found that interesting and wondered if it was a security measure. Some of their merchandise was very nice, particularly the carpets which were too expensive for me this trip. During the power failure my sales guy laughed and said "That's life in India". Life indeed.

Thanks for listening

Return to India - The Tombs

After our day in Ramoji we felt a need for some history so we decided to visit Qutub Shahi tombs near Galconda. My colleague had seen them before but I hadn't so it was something I was looking forward to since last year. We started out fairly early expecting a long drive but our driver surprised us by weaving through back streets and getting us there very quickly. We paid ten rupees each to get in and I had to pay an additional 20 rupees for my camera's admission. This is the only place in the world where my camera required admission, I found that funny. One of the guys in the admission booth offered to act as our tour guide and he was an excellent choice. We were taken through the entire tomb complex and saw the inside of several of them. The Qutub Shahi dynasty ruled in Galconda for 171 years. The first ruler was Sultan Quli Qutub Mulk who conquered Galconda and became its Governor in 1518. The new Islamic dynasty split the Telagu nation into two countries, one ruled by muslims and the other by hindus. This division remained in force until 1948, long after the dynasty fell to the Mughul emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. This gives the area around Galconda a unique multicultural character that is highly valued by most here. When the Charminar was built the ruler prayed: "Oh God, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode. Like fishes in the water." Whatever else is true this is exactly what came to pass. The tomb of Abul Hassan Qutb Shah, the last member of the dynasty, remains unfinished as he was killed when Galconda was conquered.

The Qutub Shahi dynastry was Islamic and inside each tomb is a black marker inscribed with verses from the Koran. The main tomb contains the remains of Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah the builder of Charminar. You can see a replica of the minarets in this photo. His wife's tomb is there as well and nearly as large. We were told a number of times that she was the wife of the builder of Charminar, daughter of a king, mother of..... and so on. Our guide was very proud of his historical script and recited it well. He also was a singer and intoned an Islamic chant inside one of the larger tombs. It resonated and reverberated inside the dome for a long time. My colleague and I both found this inspiring and I was glad for the chance to see the beautiful side of Islam.

After the tombs we went to Hyderabad Central for lunch and some shopping. On a patio overlooking traffic there is a McDonald's and we had to try it once. I had the Maharaja Chicken Burger which tasted a bit like chicken tikka and cost 125 rupees (about $3.12). Their fries were outstanding and seemed to be cooked in a special kind of oil. I took a photo inside and was severely chastised, evidently this is forbidden for some reason. But I still got the shot. After lunch we did some shopping. I bought a pair of Reebok sandals which served me well the rest of the trip as well as "The Complete Indian Cookbook" with great recipes and photos of each. I was determined to return from this trip armed with the necessary information to cook authentic Indian food. We wandered through other stores and got a feel for the kind of clothing that is considered stylish here, furniture, appliances and the other merchandise local people buy. Interestingly I saw only western clothes on sale in this mall. To get traditional clothing you must go have to go elsewhere.

After our adventure we returned to the hotel and I crashed for a few hours. The heat at the tombs affected me more than I thought and I didn't drink enough water. Later on in the evening we got together for dinner at the hotel restaurant and found the food there excellent. After dinner I spent some time watching Hindi and Telagu music videos on TV. The video themes generally revolved around beautiful women and lots of dancing. It was interesting to see the multigenerational cast in many of the videos, you would see many older faces as well as young beautiful ones. That was refreshing and speaks to the power of family here. I find the sinuous rhythms in Indian music compelling and would love to learn more about them. There is an incredible cultural history behind tabla and other types of drums and it shows through even in modern music.

Thanks for listening

Return to India - Ramoji Film City

A local colleague gave up his Saturday to take us to Ramoji Film City yesterday. The day was so memorable I thought I'd share. Ramoji sits on 2000 acres of land outside of Hyderabad city and claims to be the largest film studio in the world. There are 96 elaborate gardens in Ramoji that took eight years to build and are fed by water from a lake. It has extensive sets which we were driven through in a comfortable bus. Many of the buildings have completely different characters on alternating sides offering a director tremendous shooting flexibility. There were quite a few typical Indian street scenes where famous fighting sequences have been filmed. Others had English country homes, banks and jails, and even an airplane complete with realistic interior. For efficiency Ramoji hosts Rainbow color labs and a large sound studio that is able to record soundtracks along with the on-site shooting schedule. Numberous feature films and TV shows are created at Ramoji and one of the hilltops bristled with antennas and other communications equipment. There is a lot of work involved in keeping a facility like this up to date. Many of the buildings are rebuilt or repainted every few months, especially those that are blown up or otherwise defaced during filming of action sequences. When he heard that my colleague and I had both lived in Southern California our guide became very interested in our opinion of Ramoji as well as our comparison to Universal Studios. They are very passionate about quality and I was asked several times to fill out surveys and feedback forms. In the children's play park "Fundostan" I took a photo of a man meticulously painting a colorful column, its enjoyable to watch people who love their work. There are several hotels in Ramoji to house actors and movie workers during projects. We ate lunch at Sitara which was luxurious and beatifully ornate. The ceilings had elaborately carved wooden panels with tasteful crystal chandeliers. The food was served buffet style and the tables had vegetarian to non-vegetarian cuisine. My plate consisted of India dishes like lamb bhuna, chicken kebabs, fish in spicy ginger sauce, fresh mixed fruit and even an excellent minestrone soup. Mr. Ramoji lives on the property in an enormous house and seems to have had incredible personal vision to create this complex. You can get into Ramoji for only 300 rupees, about $8, but we paid a little extra for a deluxe experience. The tour, including a sumptuous lunch at Sitara, excellent guided tour of the sets, action and dance shows where we were wisked to the head of the que, multiple rides and several hours in "Fundostan" only cost 800 rupees. That's about $21, quite an unbelievable bargain. We all agreed that the lunch alone was worth more than that. I bought the T-shirt, something I'll actually enjoy wearing with an "Om" symbol on the front, for only 200 rupees which is a little over $5. Even with a weak dollar this was quite the entertainment value!

The commute to get to Ramoji is an adventure in itself, our first opportunity to see the Indian countryside. Our colleague was used to relying on his wife for navigation and was truly lost without her. We stopped several times to ask directions and had to make a few U-turns in heavy Hyderabad traffic. On the way back we took a different route which led us through small towns and pasture land. There were herds of sheep on the road as well as cattle. At one point a large cow came straight down the street towards us at a dead run. Fortunately he had no interest in a test of strength as our little Suzuki automobile would have lost big time. In one town we saw a monkey cross the road in front of us and climb up a wall on the other side. His hands were able to grab onto the stucco quite effectively and he pulled himself up with little evident effort. His brown fur looked thick and clean, I wondered if he was a community pet or just freeloading. There are also lots of dogs in Hyderabad, although it is a problem in some communities people generally seem to tolerate and enjoy them.

In the evening we sat on the hotel patio and enjoyed the evening air. Dinner consisted of a tasty Biryani, lamb kebobs and tandoori chicken accompanied by several sauces, and fresh naan of course. We also downed a few bottles of Kingfisher, the excellent local brew. It took me awhile last time I was here to realize that the evenings in India are very special. Temperatures cool, a soft breeze blows and everything slows down. These are times to have long conversations, think about the next blog post or just generally relax with friends.

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Return to India - The Hotel

My hotel serves a wonderful buffet breakfast but I discovered something even better at the suggestion of Dorja, the doorperson who greets me warmly every morning. She asked me if I would like to try an authentic Indian Masala Dosa which can be made spicy or plain. Feeling adventurous I picked the spicy one and in a few minutes it arrived warm from the kitchen with three little mounds of chutney. One was ginger, another was coconut, and the third was a tomatoe. Inside a thin, crispy crepe wrapper are peppers, onion, potatoe, curry leaves, seeds and a few other things I can't identify. This has become my favorite breakfast food and I really have to get the recipe before I leave. I told Dorja how great it was and she seemed pleased. The following day nobody was at the front desk and I had the regular breakfast bar. When I went to leave Dorja was back on duty and asked "no Dosa today?" I jokingly replied that she wasn't there to get it for me and she looked troubled. A few days later the other greeters were falling over each other asking if they could bring me one. Evidently I made an impression, hopefully positive. Dorja laughed and said "I guess you know we're talking about you". Everyone here is so friendly it's a bit disconcerting.

The hotel hosts a day spa which people can join whether they are staying here or not. There is an indoor pool, changing rooms, massage and spa services, and a well equipped exercise room with treadmills, exercise bikes and both free and machine weights. A personal trainer is available to help and I found him excellent. The equipment is from Sport Arts Fitness and seems state of the art although it took me awhile to get used to metric measurements for weight and distance. My colleague and I both tried to make exercise a priority this time and I'm feeling great. Unfortunately I have not yet found time for a massage but will before the trip ends.

The hotel is competing for business with much larger luxury hotels like the Taj Krishna and Novotel, so they are trying really hard. In most cases they do very well but we have had a few disappointments. In a previous post I already mentioned the lack of dual format power plugs, if you stay here remember to bring converters. Internet access in the hotel is spotty. Wireless signal is very low and the cable port in my room didn't work at all. They assured me they would fix it the next day but the technician discovered he had to pull new cable so they moved my room. The new one worked fine with only a few DNS hiccups in the mornings. Our laundry used to take a single day in the Novotel, here it takes several. Both of us had issues with the furniture in our rooms, a cabinet door came off in my hand and my colleague's office chair lost its hydraulics. We had problems with our drivers earlier in the trip, this was the first time we ever had that problem. It was probably due to the fact that this isn't a premier venue. On Friday morning nobody arrived at all despite telling us that there were at the entrance. The substitute driver dropped us off on the fourth floor of a parking garage attached to a building that was under construction and we had to walk the rest of the way on foot in traffic. We complained and things seem to be getting better. Despite a few problems I find this hotel much less antiseptic and a lot more personable. I'll stay here again next time.

I have to be careful on this topic so apologies for the lack of detail. The team spent several days working through very tough technical issues on our project. I'm really impressed with them and we're learning to work together well. We had to deliver a difficult and nuanced message to our business customers on a late conference call last night and it went as well as can be expected. Overall progress has been very good and the knowledge and cooperation of the team here is great. As always the project will have its twists and turns, ultimately we will deliver and succeed. We always seem to get through somehow.

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Return to India - The Beginning

For some reason I feel most alive in India. Perhaps its the fulfillment of long held dreams to travel the world, perhaps its my good luck to do so at company expense. But whatever the reason I feel motivated to write again so here we go. Our plane left Seattle at 2:00pm and we took a polar route to Amsterdam on the first leg of the journey. There was a spectacular sunrise over Scotland, off in the distance the sky was ablaze. We dove into the clouds over Amsterdam and arrived at Shilshole intact for a layover which we spent in the NWA elite lounge. Its been awhile since I breathed that much cigarette smoke and I must say I haven't missed it. We had to relocate to the far end of the room to enjoy our stay. Arriving at Begumpet Rajiv Ghandi airport in Hyderabad many hours later we were informed that there was a general strike over labor issues so we had to use an old style rolling staircase instead of the skyway. Our bags arrived and we cleared Indian customs without incident arriving at our hotel around 3:30am IST (India Standard Time). Needless to say we were not in the office first thing the following morning although we did arrive before noon.

Last year we stayed at the Novotel which was a luxury hotel connected to a conference center. This time we were asked to save as much money as possible since the travel budget is exhausted. Ellaa Compass Suites is very nice, my only complaint was the absence of a US-India plug converter for my laptop and the lack of free wireless. There is a port in the wall that seems to work in most of the rooms but doesn't work in mine, so I'm working offline at night and blissfully unable to obsess about the latest news. Since most business guests stay in other places the Suites are very accomodating, employees are nice to the point of embarrassment. After the front desk was unable to find the right plug converter the manager personally tracked down a compatible one within a few minutes. My coffee was refilled whether I wanted it or not and the slightest question sent people scurrying. The breakfast buffet was outstanding with both Indian and Western choices available. I had an omlette with fruit and sausages. My colleague came down to breakfast earlier than I did and was disappointed with the regular brewed coffee so at his request they brought him a special steamed coffee. I asked for a refill a half hour later and was given the same treatment without asking, deliciously welcome but unexpected. We realized the connection later, seems we are educating everyone as to our preferences without realizing it. In the evening I was asked my opinion of a mixed drink and found myself giving a primer in Cosmopolitan preparation for which I was ill prepared. Hopefully they won't hurt anyone. The hotel has an indoor pool and workout facilities which I'll take advantage of tomorrow. They also have a day spa which would send the company accountants into hysterics so massage is on my own dime.

The work day was hectic as expected with several days of accumulated email and a million questions about our project. We were able to identify and partially resolve a number of key issues with the local project manager before meeting with the full team later in the day so our investment in travel is paying off already. Old friends and new ones stopped by to say hello, discuss technical issues and participate in that strange exercise called "team building". If I'm honest that's the biggest thing I enjoy about my job -- working with smart, motivated people who like each other and enjoy solving difficult problems. In our full team meeting we didn't have time for much content but were able to do the necessary interpersonal groundwork to build a solid project team. So far the engagement feels very productive. The previous dev manager even showed up to say hello so we are connected to our last trip and there's a feeling of continuity.

In the evening we went to dinner at Chutney's, one of my favorite Hyderabad restaurants. Getting into the car we wondered aloud whether we needed to wear our seatbelts which had worked their way under the back seat. The driver turned around and gravely nodded, evening traffic here is legendary and its reputation is well deserved. We wove in and out of oncoming cars at high speeds while pedestrians adroitly dodged around other vehicles. Amazingly nobody was killed, at least not by our driver. Chutney's is very informal with a family feel and the food is fantastic. We had Rogan Josh, Dal Makhani and Four Uppamas with different spicy chutney dips. The waiters tended our plates and made sure they were never empty which led inevitably to being stuffed. After so much travel that connected us both to exhaustion so we called it an early evening and returned to the hotel. All in all not a bad start to our trip.

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