A Day in Delhi - Part 2

My day in Delhi was packed and I took plenty of photos.

I had the opportunity to visit the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib - a Sikh Temple. It was very beautiful.

Yes, that is real gold.

This is the pond that the Sikhs use to purify themselves.

One must cover their head when on the grounds

I also had a chance to see the famous Lotus temple.

My last stop of the day was to Qutub Minar, the tallest tower in Delhi. It is the tallest minaret in the world.

Spotted - wild Parot

This is the Iron Pillar of Delhi. There is a popular tradition that it was considered good luck if one could stand with one's back to the pillar and make one's hands meet behind it. That is why there is a fence around it now, to keep Indians from trying.

A Day in Delhi - Part 1

It's been hard to find time to get out and see much besides work & hotel. I did take time on Saturday to hire a tour guide to show me around Delhi. I was supposed to go with colleagues to a market on Friday night, but it had to be cancelled due to client emergencies. I guess if I really want to see India, I will need to come back on vacation sometime. However, missing out on the time with colleagues Friday night allowed me to attend the hotel cocktail hour. I did make a friend at the cocktail hour (another business traveler) and we plan on going to Kingdom of Dreams tonight to see a Bollywood show.

On Saturday, I started the Delhi sightseeing tour around 8am. I went to both New & Old Delhi -- they are very, very different. Old Delhi is what you would traditionally think of when you imagine India. Crowded streets, rickshaws, people everywhere, carts blocking the way, pickpockets, etc. I did a little shopping in Connaught Place, which used to be the center of shopping in Delhi. Now, the shopping is done more in malls (very similar to the US). I did not take a lot of photos in Old Delhi mainly because I stayed mainly in the car as we were constantly being harassed. There were hand prints all over the car windows from beggars trying to get my attention.

While I was there, I was able to go to a Kashmir Rug shop. I got to see the labor-intensive work that goes into to making the beautiful rugs.

Lack of Posts - Sorry!

I apologize for those following my posts - this week has been very busy.

The bulk of my training took place this week. I had day-long meetings with a team that is learning how the US does their work. I also, unfortunately, got sick mid-week. However, all of my training is going very well and the team is up to speed on many important features. The real test will be "can the do it" once I leave?

I also had very successful meeting with APAC leadership and attended a few client meetings. All went extremely well and I learned a lot about doing business in Asia.

Tonight, the team is taking me out, so I promise more photos and interesting blog posts! I also plan on exploring Delhi this weekend, so more to come.

Namaste,
Kim

Trip to Agra - Part 2

Of course, there is more to Agra than just the Taj Mahal. It is a historic city with plenty to offer (http://wikitravel.org/en/Agra). After I went to the Taj Mahal, I stopped by a jewel shop that specializes in star rubies. These are amazing stones, and only found in India. I also went to the Agra Marble Emporium -- artisans who specialize in marble inlay work. I did not take photos, as they usually charge you if you take a picture of them while doing their work (welcome to India, everything has a price tag).

My tour guide, Manny, telling the pick pockets to buzz off.

Coca Cola is everywhere in India. If there isn't a sign for coke, there is a sign for Pepsi.

Agra Fort - some leftover original paint work

Entrance to Agra Fort

More Agra Fort

The king's bathtub

A view of the moat around the fort

The Taj Mahal from a distance

Enjoying the view

The paint still left is made of gold. When the fort was in its prime, the walls were adorned with gold paint and gemstones, diamonds, pearls.

The king's throne

The GIANT wooden doors that close the fort.

Beautiful arches in the fort

Trip to Agra - Part 1

As this is my first weekend in India, I opted to go to Agra for the day on Saturday. Agra is about 5 hours from Gurgaon (see map below). It was a long day, but I got to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. I also got a chance to see a collection of star rubies and visit a marble artisan.

Some photos from the day

Picture of monkeys -- we had to stop at the state border to show the car's papers. People were walking around with their pet monkeys. It was cute until they had the monkeys jump on the cars and then ask you for money to get them off of the car. In India, it appears that certain individuals expect you to give them money just because you are a foreigner.

A beautiful shot of the Taj Mahal. I got there right when the site opened. Unfortunately, this time of year isn't the "best" time to visit -- other times of the year, you can see the top sparkle at sunset and sunrise.

The Marble work was amazing - I had a chance to watch a demonstration of the work. The same family that did the work on the Taj Mahal STILL does this level of detail work. I really wanted to purchase some marble to bring home, but the price was a bit out of budget for this trip. 

I will post the other photos tomorrow; I have a very long week ahead and need to finish prepping for work!

I will never complain about Chicago traffic again.

Happy Friday! It's been a long week and I have an early wake-up call to go to Agra tomorrow. Today's post is mainly photos.

Seen on the way to work (@Justin)

After work, there was a team outing at a bar in Delhi. Delhi is quite different from Gurgaon.

I drove with several colleagues, which was great since they could point out interesting spots. I saw several of the universities and the area where the majority of my team members live. Interestingly enough, I met the head boss' servant when we had to drop off a bag at her home. She called him "her servant" very casually - I had to keep my expression to myself.

(http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&contentid=2009061720090617042635680cd9b112a&sectid=2)

Birthday Cake

Team Dancing

 Me and a few of the team members

Lots and lots of dancing - to American pop songs and Bollywood hits!

Pictures of the DJ & the yummy food spread!

Pictures of my ride home; I don't think they truly display the madness that is Friday night Delhi traffic. I will never complain about Chicago's traffic again. It took me 3 hours to drive 20 km.