Still waiting for news about "our" house. Negotiations apparantly are not over yet, but we are not very positive. We shall see...in India, one needs time.
In the meantime I have been busy checking out the shopping areas in Delhi. The city is divided into "Colonies" and each colony has it's own shopping center. Every center has its own specialties, ranging from textiles to computers, antiques, silver, fabrics, or food. Khan market is of course very famous and frequented by diplomats, expats and rich Indians, but my favorite so far is Greater Kailash 1 with its friendly appearance and colourful Fabindia shops. I actually bought an Indian outfit there, consisting of a Salwaar (pants), a Kurta (tunic) and a Dupatta (shawl).
Shopping is quite an experience and I am glad that I am being shown where to go, because the best stuff is in places where no man has gone before, it seems. In India, one has to climb stairs, delve in basements, wiggle through backdoors or enter little seedy streets that look as if there is a mugger around every corner...but then a world of beautiful (though sometimes moldy, as I recently discovered) things opens up. The nicest fabrics, pieces of furniture, books, jewelry and coffeshops can be found in these places, like hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Actually, it is part of their charm.
In the midst of it all one can find cows lying side by side with motorbikes, monkeys eyeing peanut sellers and birds picking at the remains of...yes, of what? (Do I WANT to know?)
But no shopping for us this weekend because T is down with the flue (we think). Let's hope it will pass quickly...it's the second weekend in a row he is ill and I am starting to become anxious to do so sightseeing, because there is SO much to see here!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Delhi is on red alert!
There have been threats of terrorist attacks on (or preceeding) Independence Day - the day on which India gained Independence in 1947 - which is on august the 15th.
All government institutions, major markets, airports, trainstations and major hotels are possible targets, and security has increased dramatically.
As we are staying in a hotel that belongs to an American chain, our hotel is taking serious precautions as well. No cars are allowed to stop or park in front of the entrance, all cars are inspected inside out to check for bombs, and guests have to enter via a metal detector. Every time there is a power cut (which happens app. 10 times a day, if not more) it now makes one wonder if this is perhaps more serious than a temporary blackout. I think we will spend our Independence at at the poolside, far away from the building.
This is the first time I have experienced the terrorist threat this close. It is a comfort to see that here everything is treated very seriously, and the staff comes prepared. Still, against a whacko with a bomb hidden underneath his/her cloth, there is not much one can do. All we can do now is cross our fingers and sit it out....
There have been threats of terrorist attacks on (or preceeding) Independence Day - the day on which India gained Independence in 1947 - which is on august the 15th.
All government institutions, major markets, airports, trainstations and major hotels are possible targets, and security has increased dramatically.
As we are staying in a hotel that belongs to an American chain, our hotel is taking serious precautions as well. No cars are allowed to stop or park in front of the entrance, all cars are inspected inside out to check for bombs, and guests have to enter via a metal detector. Every time there is a power cut (which happens app. 10 times a day, if not more) it now makes one wonder if this is perhaps more serious than a temporary blackout. I think we will spend our Independence at at the poolside, far away from the building.
This is the first time I have experienced the terrorist threat this close. It is a comfort to see that here everything is treated very seriously, and the staff comes prepared. Still, against a whacko with a bomb hidden underneath his/her cloth, there is not much one can do. All we can do now is cross our fingers and sit it out....
Our "Indian farmhouse" is a no-go...we just heard that despite our strict wish to ONLY view houses within our budget this one exceeds it by far, and the owner is not willing to go down in price. Right now I could kill the real estate agent, because it means we lost a precious week of house-hunting as we were waiting for the negotiations.
It also became very clear that in India they simply try, no matter what you say.
But that had become clear to me anyway, over the past 2 weeks. Here, everything is about negotiating and doing business. If you don't try, you will most certainly NOT get what you want...if you DO try, who knows.
Taxidrivers do that by asking way too much for the ride. Shopkeepers try to lure you inside to show their merchandise. Waiters can't wait to wait on you and snatch your glass away from you as soon as you finished the last drop...and sometimes even before that, so they can sell you another glass. And even the manager of the beautyshop (where I went on The First Monday T went To Work) actually managed to sell me lots of treatments I didn't ask for...but it did teach me how they do it!
I went for a manicure and pedicure, and sitting there (with someone at my hands and another one at my feet) was inspected by the manager. "Mhhh...you have very dry hair. Shall I give you a scalp massage with oil?" Granted, my hair DID suffer from sun and chlorine and seeing the beautiful shiney Indian hair made me wonder if I could look like that after a scalp massage, so I agreed. But it didn't stop there. "Oh...your muscles are so tight. Maybe I should massage your shoulders as well!". Ok...yes, we had some stressy times and yes, my neck does feel stiff. So ok, a little shouldermassage couldn't hurt. But it didn't stop there either! "Oh, I see now that you have a lot of dead skincells on your face. That makes you look old. You know what, I will give you a facial, ok?" Well, who wants to look old?
In the end I spend 3 hours in a chair, had approximately 20 different things smeared on, rubbed on, peeled off en massaged onto my face, was dying to go to the ladies' room and spent the monthly salary of an Indian waiter on the treatment (at least, that is what I am estimating). It was an experience, but I do not go anywhere near the salon again!
Still, I can't help but like the Indian people. After all, who can blame them for trying? And as soon as I have found the proper response to ward off any business I don't want, I'll try a manicure again. ONLY a manicure....!
It also became very clear that in India they simply try, no matter what you say.
But that had become clear to me anyway, over the past 2 weeks. Here, everything is about negotiating and doing business. If you don't try, you will most certainly NOT get what you want...if you DO try, who knows.
Taxidrivers do that by asking way too much for the ride. Shopkeepers try to lure you inside to show their merchandise. Waiters can't wait to wait on you and snatch your glass away from you as soon as you finished the last drop...and sometimes even before that, so they can sell you another glass. And even the manager of the beautyshop (where I went on The First Monday T went To Work) actually managed to sell me lots of treatments I didn't ask for...but it did teach me how they do it!
I went for a manicure and pedicure, and sitting there (with someone at my hands and another one at my feet) was inspected by the manager. "Mhhh...you have very dry hair. Shall I give you a scalp massage with oil?" Granted, my hair DID suffer from sun and chlorine and seeing the beautiful shiney Indian hair made me wonder if I could look like that after a scalp massage, so I agreed. But it didn't stop there. "Oh...your muscles are so tight. Maybe I should massage your shoulders as well!". Ok...yes, we had some stressy times and yes, my neck does feel stiff. So ok, a little shouldermassage couldn't hurt. But it didn't stop there either! "Oh, I see now that you have a lot of dead skincells on your face. That makes you look old. You know what, I will give you a facial, ok?" Well, who wants to look old?
In the end I spend 3 hours in a chair, had approximately 20 different things smeared on, rubbed on, peeled off en massaged onto my face, was dying to go to the ladies' room and spent the monthly salary of an Indian waiter on the treatment (at least, that is what I am estimating). It was an experience, but I do not go anywhere near the salon again!
Still, I can't help but like the Indian people. After all, who can blame them for trying? And as soon as I have found the proper response to ward off any business I don't want, I'll try a manicure again. ONLY a manicure....!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Just went househunting for three days...how frustrating!
Houses in the city are expensive and hard to find, and many of them have been "improved" to meet foreigner's expectations...or so the owners seem to think, because T and I have never seen so many ugly lamps, kichens, bathrooms, ceilings and doors in our lives!
Unfortunately this also means that the authentic character of most houses is lost and what remains leaves us depressed and with an utter disgust for marble...marble! Marble is everywhere!
After looking at "townhouses" - freestanding houses in the city- and appartments we decided to also take a look at the so called "farmhouses", located app. 30 minutes driving outside of the city. These houses are called farmhouses because they are build on what used to be agricultural land. Their name suggests a rural type of dwelling, but nothing could be farther from the truth - the farmhouses we have seen look like little (marble) palaces with huge gardens and a swimming pool.
Still, we have spotted one we like. It is build "Indian style" and was left intact - no bad interior architects here!
We do hope it will fall within our allowed budget (still haven't been able to figure out how much that exactly is) and that it will be approved, because many new families are starting to arrive, and they will all go househunting beginning next week! If we don't find something now or real soon we'll be staying in the hotel for a loooong time...so we are holding our breath...
Houses in the city are expensive and hard to find, and many of them have been "improved" to meet foreigner's expectations...or so the owners seem to think, because T and I have never seen so many ugly lamps, kichens, bathrooms, ceilings and doors in our lives!
Unfortunately this also means that the authentic character of most houses is lost and what remains leaves us depressed and with an utter disgust for marble...marble! Marble is everywhere!
After looking at "townhouses" - freestanding houses in the city- and appartments we decided to also take a look at the so called "farmhouses", located app. 30 minutes driving outside of the city. These houses are called farmhouses because they are build on what used to be agricultural land. Their name suggests a rural type of dwelling, but nothing could be farther from the truth - the farmhouses we have seen look like little (marble) palaces with huge gardens and a swimming pool.
Still, we have spotted one we like. It is build "Indian style" and was left intact - no bad interior architects here!
We do hope it will fall within our allowed budget (still haven't been able to figure out how much that exactly is) and that it will be approved, because many new families are starting to arrive, and they will all go househunting beginning next week! If we don't find something now or real soon we'll be staying in the hotel for a loooong time...so we are holding our breath...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
On Saturday the 29th of July 2006 my husband T and I moved to New Delhi, India.
T has accepted a job at the Netherlands Royal Embassy, after being professor of Industrial Design in Daejeon, South Korea, where we lived for the past 16 months.
Tagging along with him, out of fear of getting eternally bored if I don't do something useful, I have decided to combine two of my secret wishes (to write and to be more active in the wonderful world of online adventures) and start a blog...for friends and family left behind elsewhere in the world (of course dying to know how we are doing here) and obviously for everyone else who might be interested in whatever it is that I am writing.
As I have never blogged I have no idea what I am doing, but that will simply add to the adventure this whole move is anyway.
India has always been on my list of "countries I definitely will want to visit before I die" and I can only count myself lucky that we are here now - hopefully years before my death so I actually get to enjoy being here.
So...India, here we go!
T has accepted a job at the Netherlands Royal Embassy, after being professor of Industrial Design in Daejeon, South Korea, where we lived for the past 16 months.
Tagging along with him, out of fear of getting eternally bored if I don't do something useful, I have decided to combine two of my secret wishes (to write and to be more active in the wonderful world of online adventures) and start a blog...for friends and family left behind elsewhere in the world (of course dying to know how we are doing here) and obviously for everyone else who might be interested in whatever it is that I am writing.
As I have never blogged I have no idea what I am doing, but that will simply add to the adventure this whole move is anyway.
India has always been on my list of "countries I definitely will want to visit before I die" and I can only count myself lucky that we are here now - hopefully years before my death so I actually get to enjoy being here.
So...India, here we go!
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