Go-Go Goa

A quick weekend jaunt to Anjuna Beach in Goa with co-workers was exactly what I needed to kick start the longest vacation I've taken in a while. Following an easy flight and harrowing taxi ride from the airport, Scott and I arrived at "The Orange House" in Anjuna. For a cool Rs 600 per night ($15) we got our money's worth; a bed, a fan, a sink, a toilet and a shower. The weather was hot and muggy and the landscape was green and lush . In many ways, I was reminded of other vacations in the beaches/jungles of Mexico and Costa Rica.

For the most part we (there were 9 of us in total) spent two days sitting on the beach, drinking the local brew Kings Pilsner and munching on Indian snacks. The beach was pretty remote and it felt like we were at the end of the world. The highlights included: some rough water swimming in the Arabian Sea, catching a great beach sunset, shopping at a huge international flea market (Ingo), scooting around the back roads of Anjuna while avoiding yak traffic, mendhi henna on the beach and knowing that when I returned to Delhi Mo was waiting at the airport to join me in two weeks of travel all over India.

Chandigarh

Modernism and urban design are not terms that leap to mind when thinking of India. So when I learned that a town designed by Le Corbusier was just a 3 hour train ride away, I was determined to go and check it out. I studied urban Utopian design in college and was familiar with images and philosophy behind Le Corbusier's tall buildings, large public spaces and wide boulevards. However, what I did not expect was the lack of emotion in the practical implementation of Le Corbusier's design.

If you look at the pictures, you will see empty streets, cool modern fountains and large plazas with just a few people loitering around. These pictures were taken in the commercial district of Sector 17 (the city is built on a perfect grid) during the afternoon; the space should have been a buzz with commerce but it appears to be totally dead. In the US and in Europe, I tend to appreciate this type of design however, in all manners of speaking, this is TOTALLY DIFFERENT from the rest of the cities in India . The irony is that for most my time in India, I have craved linear structure and order but as soon as it was presented, the logical presentation felt empty and sad. To be fair, it's really hard for me to separate my emotional connections to the chaos of India (I have accepted chaos as part of the way things are and therefore, chaos is normal). So, when presented with a city plan that agreed with my mind but not my heart, I felt a huge disconnect.

Aside from the city plan, Megan and I checked out a really cool (back to chaos) rock garden/maze built by a transportation engineer from Chandigarh. While inside the garden we played on some swings and rode a camel. I could not stop giggling while on the camel....totally hilarious experience! Megan does a better job of describing our time in Chandigarh but I'll add one comment which is that I never want to cut it that close with a train again...we stepped onto the train as it pulled out of the station. Whew!

U Turn

Just as soon as driving the wrong way on a one lane road became normal to me, Amit revealed a new traffic violation; wrong way on a one lane U Turn. The maneuver was truly heroic because we needed a running start in order to horizontally cross three lanes of traffic and not t-bone the car on the metal traffic barrier (as shown in the photo). Good times.

BollyWould

Jodha Akbar was my first - but will not be my last - Bollywood movie. Nearly four hours long, the movie is the most recently Bollywood block buster and I checked it out on Saturday night. Classic story of an arranged marriage between a handsome prince and a willful woman who is in love with another man. I was absolutely captivated by the jewlery and fabrics. Maybe you will be so lucky to watch the version with English subtitles with me sometime.

New York Times Article

Gurgaon made it to the NYT this weekend (thanks for the head's up Bri). The pictures are exactly what I see on my drive home each night. If you click on the title of this blog post, it should take you to the article.

It's about how parts of India are developing so quickly and how they deal with energy, emissions and growth. I completely agree with the final point, which is that India has a chance to redefine the rules about energy consumption which are more evolved than 'the west.' The trouble is that I can't tell if Indians have an awareness of conservation. Where ever I see prosperity in India, people are consuming on a level that rivals America coupled with a ton of waste. Not just with energy, but with almost everything. And surprisingly, Indians in higher socio-economic classes, where I would expect people to be educated and aware of conservation are not as aware as I would expect. There is a culture of consumption instead of conservation. My biggest pet-peaves are that people litter and the absence of recycling. And trust me, I understand that part of the reason these things bother me so much is because I was raised in Northern California, but they still point to the larger issue - that people don't seem to care.

On the bright side, they are building a Metro line on the street right outside my apartment at an astonishing speed. I am convinced that they will be done with the construction before I leave India and this public transportation link into Delhi will absolutely remove thousands of cars daily.

One final point about my current home town...many people have stated that they hate living in this Delhi suburb but I've grown to enjoy it (my interest in urban development has never left me even though I don't use the degree). I get to see a developing city in the middle of a developing nation as well as be a part of the development. To me, this experience is just as exciting as my travels and daily work.

Beautiful Delhi

Summer, at least summer as I know it, has arrived in Delhi. This weekend the temperature was warm, the air was clear and I finally went to Lodhi Garden and the Lotus Temple.

I was prepared for the Lotus Temple to be a quickie tourist stop but I ended up sitting inside the temple on a cool marble bench for over an hour. To enter the Bahai temple I removed my shoes and walked up a set of warm stairs before entering a structure that looks very similar to the Sydney Opera House. The temperature was 10 degrees cooler than the outside and guests were directed to sit on very plain, white marble and teak benches in silence. Within the stark white interior and enforced silence I realized that over the last 6 weeks I've become accustomed to sensory overload of the visual and aural kind. It was almost unsettling....but I have a feeling the Lotus Temple will be a great place to escape in the future.

Lodhi Garden is Delhi's version of Golden Gate Park or Central Park...though much smaller. It's also a place where couples go to make out. It's actually quite funny because these may be lovers who's families don't approve and so they make out in private....kind of....there are a handful of green park benches which are perfectly placed facing a large hedge or bush so that when other people walk past, they can't see the faces of the couples smooching. I sat down in the wide open, on slightly damp grass and read Shantaram.

Found It

Not that I was actually looking for it...but I now know where Delhi has a yuppie, head-banger bar. Cafe Morrison (playing rock music from Metallica to Creed to The Doors all night long) in South Extension was the site of James' going away party. He's headed back to Dublin and I'm not sure family dinner will be the same without him. (pictures coming soon...)