New Year In Delhi

Happy New Year 2014!

As I sit here contemplating the New Year coming in I decide I am going to count my blessings.  Here am I sitting in one of the most exciting, vibrant cities in the world and reflecting on the year that has just flown by.

2013 was an unusual year year for me in many ways; it started in misery and, at the end of it, I am sitting here feeling all optimistic.  Strange how things can turn out isn't it?  I think I'm going to take many life lessons from this year but the most important lesson I have learnt is that there is always a way to go, an option to take, a decision to make.  No matter how dark and threatening the situation appears, look again, and look again until you can see a way forward.

There have been times over the last few years that my resolve has dropped and I have mentally thrown in the towel.  I then wallowed in misery for a period of time, sometimes for several weeks, before kicking myself in the backside and moving forward.  I have had times where I just looked at the task in hand and thought - why, why push on, why do I even want to try?  However each time I slipped I found a reason to keep trying.

I know that there is a life lesson in all of this for me and I sure I'm going to find out why all this happened to me but at the moment I just too busy trying to find a way out of the mess I'm in to worry about that right now.

I have discovered there are lovely people all around all you have to do is look and they will show themselves.  I have noticed these people reveal themselves through chance meetings and casual incidents, therefore I had to open myself up to the opportunity before I could see these people and KNOW they were coming to me.  It is very freeing to know that the power to meet these people is with you, just ask, open yourself up and these people will come to you.  How wonderful is that?  I can now ask for anything and it happens for me.

I did this before coming to Delhi I consciously opened myself up to opportunities and I meditated on this for several weeks before flying out here.  I then took a decision to accept offers from people, to be open and friendly and then people came to me, slowly at first and then more quickly.  You wouldn't believe the difference in just a few short months.  I had very few friends before arrival in Delhi, even though I make friends very easily, but after arrival I started putting in the necessary effort to develop friendships and things have blossomed.  People now enjoy talking to me and they call me and want to be in my company.

Therefore to round off I will say I am feeling optimistic about the coming year and all I can say is BRING on 2014!! I hope the Lord smiles on each and every one of you - but remember you have to want Him to smile and demonstrate this by smiling first.  Open yourself up and take chances and opportunities that you may well have passed up previously.  I have discovered you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  A life of boring mediocrity is no life at all - believe me I did it for five years and it sucks!!

QBA Nu Delhi

Over the Christmas period in 2013 I went to two events at this club.  The first one was the Christmas Boogie Woogie night organised by Kalpana Mehra Penfold and the second was the Tag Christmas do.

I enjoyed both functions however there were problems with both - which is not a good sign.  On the Christmas Boogie Woogie the venue was shared among three or four separate parties.  The main floor downstairs was cleared for the night and was allocated to some school reunion for a boys school.  We were allocated an area in the balcony.

Which wasn't too bad as it was private and, because our drinks and food were all covered by the ticket charge then no one else could come and take these.  Problems began when we wanted to use the dance floor, the group downstairs didn't want us to use the floor so the management asked us to leave.  Of course they were told to get lost and the evening was a big success.

The second evening was a sponsored event by Tag.  This means that entry had been covered but we were responsible for our own food and drink, not a bad idea, but it meant the waiters were following you around and there didn't seem to be a way to pay for your drinks also the event wasn't well attended but I enjoyed it anyway.  On both visits the food was forgettable, not good, not bad just forgettable and the drinks (if you have to buy them) are on the pricey side. 

Its not a club I would recommend as there are much better, friendly places around Delhi that could be used for events.  However, if you are invited to an event then go as the live music I experienced there was good (a big loud for me) but the tunes were good.

Just a couple of pictures from the events I went to.  The lower one is the Christmas Boogie Woogie night and as you can see people make an effort in Delhi to get into the Christmas spirit.

Red Fort Delhi Visit

The Red Fort Delhi

I was fortunate to have visited the Red Fort during the winter months as I couldn't imagine walking around this massive structure in 50 degree heat.  The temperature on the day I visited was approximately 26 degrees and skies were beautiful, clear and sunny.  The Fort itself is really easy to get to if you want to travel independently (as I did) however, if you want a guide they are also plentiful.  My recommendation is, if you want a guide, to get one who won't take you to shops and restaurants that he gets paid for.  If you want to go to craft shops then do so but only if it's what you want as the taxi drivers get paid to take you to certain shops and restaurants.

The Red sandstone walls of the massive Red Fort (Lal Qila) rise 33-m above the clamour of Old Delhi as a reminder of the magnificent power and pomp of the Mughal emperors. The walls, built in 1638, were designed to keep out invaders, now they mainly keep out the noise and confusion of the city.

The main gate, Lahore Gate, is one of the emotional and symbolic focal points of the modern Indian nation and attracts a major crowd on each Independence Day.

The vaulted arcade of Chatta Chowk, a bazaar selling tourist trinkets, leads into the huge fort compound. Inside is a veritable treasure trove of buildings, including the Drum House, the Hall of Public Audiences, the white marble Hall of Private Audiences, the Pearl Mosque, Royal Baths and Palace of Colour.  An evening sound and light show re-creates events in India's history connected with the fort.

This is well worth spending some time at because the mood of the fort changes at different time of day.  In the morning it tends to be busy and bustling but by late afternoon the large courtyards are peaceful and calm.  People sit around eating and drinking relaxing in the late afternoon sun.  The evening light and sound show is very impress and changes the mood again of the building.

The pictures here are only a small selection as I don't want to clutter the post but there is plenty to see.  There isnt much to do except walk and take pictures but the layout is fairly user friendly.

The pricing again, in common with all major attractions in Delhi, is 250 rupees for foreigners and 10 rupees for Indians.

Sen5es Restaurant DGC visit 22nd Dec 2013

On the 22nd December 2013 the Delhi Gourmet Club (DGC) went to the Pullman Hotel in Gurgaon to have an event in the Sen5es Restaurant there.

On this occasion there was more than 100 DGC members in attendance.  The event was initially planned to be outdoors but the weather was not brilliant and it was decided to bring the party indoors to the Sen5es restaurant.  The restaurant was all, and more, than you would expect from a top notch hotel.  Great food, beautiful decorations and well trained staff.

We were greeted with drinks and smiles and everyone settled in for a lovely time.  It was only my second DGC event and already I was feeling at home.  People recognized me and came up for a chat which was very nice.  I also met a lot of new people and managed to form some good friendships with some of them.

Above are a few photos I put together.  The table I sat at was the largest (pictured above) and seemed to be the collecting point for people as they came and went.  As the food was served buffet style people would drop by and share one plate and then move off for the next round.  A very sociable way of getting to know people.  I have included a picture of the amazing seafood but I could have literally covered the page with amazing photos of the food.  There was so much the Pullman Hotel could have fed a small army!  The picture on the right shows Rocky, one of the three organizers of the DGC, with the very talented head chef at the restaurant.  I don't know his name as yet but I will try to find out and when I do I will edit the post as I feel his attention to detail is worthy of a mention.

Qutab Minar Visit

Qutab Minar is a soaring, 73 m high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom. The tower has five distinct floors, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. The first three floors are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth floors are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. An inscription over its eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing '27 Hindu temples'. A 7 meter high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled. 

Its an amazing structure to think it was built so long ago.  The photos don't really do it justice (I'm not a professional photographer) as you can't appreciate the sheer scale.  I was convinced that the structure was leaning to one side slightly but everyone assured me that it is perfectly straight.  However if you look at my photo to the left it really does look tilted to me.

The big advantage of this attraction is that it is right in Delhi (so no long coach/taxi rides) and it’s not far from the Metro which runs through Delhi so it’s very inexpensive to get to.

The pricing for this, in line with other major Indian attractions, is 250 Rupees for foreigners and 10 Rupees for Indians.  I think £2.50 for seeing this amazing site is well worth it

In one of the pictures below you'll see a "stump" this is where one of the previous Indian rulers tried to make a second tower but failed miserably but it makes for a impressive pile of stones.  On the photo on the right below you will also see the 7 m high iron pillar I mentioned above.

Delhi Gourmet Club Lunch at the Made in Punjab Restaurant 15th December 2013

I joined a Facebook Group called The Delhi Gourmet Club where people come together a couple of times a month to enjoy a new restaurant together.  This event was my first so I didn't really know what to expect.  So on Sunday 15th Dec 2013 about 70 members of this club descended onto the Made in Punjab restaurant in Cyberhub Gurgaon.

The restaurant is new, as the whole of the Cyberhub complex is new, and they were trying to get some exposure so the rate they gave the club was excellent, 2100 rupees which at the time of writing is £21, the price included unlimited drinks and way too much food for me to eat.

The food was first class and this was not just my assessment some of the people from the DGC (Delhi Gourmet Club) are very knowledgeable about food and they were all very impressed with the quality of the food as well as the presentation.

On arrival we were greeted with drinks and I, as the new guy, was introduced around and I met some lovely people.  After about an hour of socializing we settled down to the first of many courses.  Obviously my western pallet didn't like some of the food offering but on the whole the food was first rate and there was plenty to drink.  The staff were very well trained and did their job of being available without being intrusive.

The lunch actually lasted around five hours but it didn't seem that long because everyone was having a nice time.  Fortunately, for me, the table I was at was filled with people who just loved to laugh.  We had a blast and other people at the event keep stopping at our table to enjoy the
atmosphere there.

One of the most impressive things about these events, for me, is that everyone speaks fluent English and ALL the conversation is carried out in English even at tables where all the people were from India! now that shows us up in the UK.

One very nice touch was that the menus were in the form of a scroll, which had been printed just for that event, and you could take them home as a reminder of the day.  If you look closely at the photo above you can see them neatly presented with a gold coloured bow around them.  When all the guests left they were given a little goodie bag filled with nice little touches, nothing expensive, just nice little things like little pouches filled with spice mixes and a miniature bottle of wine - just good little touches.

Looks like I have joined this club at the right time as the weather is perfect and it is the lead up to Christmas.  There is another event next week and I am looking forward to that already.

First Impressions

After travelling for just short of twenty four hours I was really glad to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately midday. We got off the plane quiet quickly and the journey through passport control was very straightforward, I must admit after travelling to many third world countries I was expecting to be held up at this stage so I was pleased that my route to baggage reclaim was not impeded.

Baggage reclaim was another story all together. I didn't realise the amount of luggage that the people on the flight had taken with them. I wish now I had taken some pictures as I have never seen the like of this before! Huge great bales of possessions held together with string and plastic bags mainly. The baggage allowance on Saudia Airlines is a very generous 46KG but no one had kept to that except me! All the other passengers were carrying bags that they could barely move! However I was in no mood to take photos I just wanted to get off the plane and head for the shower. It took about an hour and a half for my bags to finally arrive and for me to get through the green lane to the outside world.

Tyrone, the Indian office manager, had sent his driver to pick me up and he was patiently waiting for me outside the terminal building - so far so good. The weather is fantastic a lovely summers day (UK style) not too hot but certainly warm enough. Jassie, the driver, took me for a 30 minute drive to the hotel I would be staying in for the initial part of my time in India. The roads can best be described as chaotic. The first thing you notice in that everyone is blasting their car horn I don't know why as no one is really losing their temper, no one pays attention and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose but they all do it anyway. I will do a separate post about the roads as they deserve it and this post is about my first impressions.I was taken to the The Palms Town and Country Club a hotel in Gurgaon and it is superb.



Service, location and facilities are all great a very pleasant surprise after travelling all this way.  The hotel was even far enough from the roads to mute the incessant car horns - a good thing when I needed serious sleep.

Now it would be easy to focus on the negative aspects of Delhi but if that's what you're interested in then move on, I will mention all aspects but I won't dwell on the negative side of things.  Delhi is dirty, smelly, polluted, noisy and overpopulated but there is an energy here that is very appealing, it feels positive and vibrant, somehow I feel like I've come home.  I suppose because of my experience with Saudi Arabia then Delhi feels very similar.  Many Indian people fulfilled the working roles in Saudi and therefore I think the day to day living is so very similar.

A lot of people here, especially the young people, are very intelligent, very well qualified and very motivated.  Most people work very long hours and KNOW they have to earn their own rewards.  They know they can't rely on the state so they look after themselves and their families.

There is a lot of poverty here and some people are living in awful conditions but there are other people who live a very western-type lifestyle.  They are becoming upwardly mobile and consumer driven.  There are western style shopping malls popping up all over and the TV is pushing consumer goods like there's no tomorrow.


 We travel around in various forms of transport:

This is my favorite over here its called an Auto short for Auto Rickshaw.  They are everywhere they buzz around powered by motorcycle engines but they are very cheap, typically £1 will take you 20 minutes travel time.  The drivers can be a bit of a nightmare trying to bump up the fare especially if you are a westerner however they do still try and rip off native customers as well.  Also make sure you have small notes as they don't tend to have any change, especially in the morning.

I

If you want to travel any distance at all in Delhi I would suggest using the Metro system.  The roads are such a stressful experience and the Metro gets you there much more quickly.  The trains are clean and air-conditioned and they arrive every three or four minutes.  A word of caution however they get very crowded and the concept of personal space is not important here.  Hold onto your possessions I have already had my phone stolen on the Metro and it was in my front trouser pocket!  Some of the stations get very crowded and I think pickpockets will target people so just be aware.  The price of the Metro is the most appealing thing I take the Metro two or three times a day and it costs me less than £3 per week!

If you need to go somewhere off the beaten track or if you need to travel late you will need a cab.  You can get all sort of charging systems with these but I liked Meru cabs as they go by meter and they will wait for hours for you for very little cost

These are bicycle rickshaws.  I wouldn't recommend them as they are slow and aren't much cheaper than the Autos.  You do have to try them at least once just to say you've been on them.