Main > Photo Gallery > Trips > New Delhi
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India? Again?
Yes, my long-awaited audit of our Indian subsidiary finally came around, after being postponed. I just can't believe it's been 9 years since I went to India, and now I'll be here twice in the same year. What's cool is the difference in the experience. Usually, I'm flying in economy with the chickens, staying with relatives, bringing my own bathroom tissue, and showering with a bucket of water. Instead, I'll be flying Business class, staying in a nice hotel, eating at 5-star hotels, and sightseeing on the weekends.
Sounds like a good trip to me. :)
Okay, now the fun part. While I'm in India, I'm updating this site, in person, from October 31st through November 19th 2004, so if you're reading this page in that timeframe, you're experiencing my trip about as "live" as I can make it. Every meal, every sightseeing trip, and every time my coworker Alex gets arrested. Enjoy!
I've recently fine-tuned this Trip page, trying to keep the wild, out-of-control rambling to a minimum. How? I've changed the formatting a bit, rewrote blurbs, and added pictures from my team members. Regarding pictures, I couldn't have done this alone -- Thanks to Regina, Mary, and Bhawana for sharing their pictures as well. Each of you gets a gold star next to your name!
[Legal notice: All names are fictional, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidence. All gold stars were impersonated.]
A Passage to India |
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There is much to say about travelling Business class. I don't do it often, but boy, what an experience. I have to say that flying in economy takes forever. This time around, the flight time really flew by. What also helps? You don't just sit around before your flight, but you're passing the time in comfortable furniture @ an airline lounge, with free food and drinks. The flight can't be beat -- personal viewing screens, courteous service, good food. Oh, and don't forget open bar on the flight the entire time. Hello, alcoholism! |
All the food Alex brought. Like there's no food in
India?
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Regina, Frankfurt, and unlimited Gummi Bears. Any questions?
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Me, being a geek, working on my site in the Lufthansa
Business Class lounge @ the Frankfurt airport
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Here are the loudest, most obnoxious Americans in Frankfurt right..... now
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Heh heh, German
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Alex is hungry (Regina wouldn't share her Gummi Bears)
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Foliage!
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Even more foliage!
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Finally at the hotel: Bhawana & Miranda
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Wow, what a hotel entrance
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The front of the hotel lobby
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Hey, my room is all so European and cool
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Nice!
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Sunday was just a breakfast, and hitting the nearby DT and Metropolitan malls. Lunch at a very exotic locale..... TGI Friday's. Sigh, what tourists.
Sunday night, we had dinner at the Indian restaurant at the Hyatt Regency we almost stayed at. Good food, but took forever. Well, no one said Indian service was very good. Hmm, please don't give that tidbit of information to the companies outsourcing here. I don't want to bring down the entire Indian economy.
Anyway, the rest of the week was spent learning about the subsidiary, information-gathering, and yada-yada other audit stuff.
And to end the first week, we took a 2-day roadtrip to Agra over the weekend. Busy week!
Sunday |
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On our 1st day, we checked out the malls, and went to
dinner at the Hyatt.
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The DT Mall in Gurgaon. Basically, small, but full of
Indians
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Sunday lunch @ TGI Friday's: Miranda, Jorge, Regina
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Bhawana & Alex "The Flex" Anello
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Immense fountain pool in our hotel
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On the way to the swimming pool. Nice!
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Dinner at Hyatt restaurant Aangan
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Monday |
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Just our 1st day in the office. Pizza Hut lunch, and dinner
at our hotel
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Indian rush hour
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The city streets
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Cool architecture. Lots of foreign companies have stakes
here now
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Our building
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Another view
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Tuesday |
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Lunch at the China Club (authentic Chinese cuisine!) For dinner, we were supposed to go out for a Turkish Food & Dance Festival, but the event was booked up, and the hotel was a 90 minute drive. Hmmm, at 9pm, better luck later this week. We went out for Thai instead at the Oberoi Hotel.
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All the big companies in our complex
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Lunch @ China Club
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A different shot
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Regina & Alex perusing the menu
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Mahika & Sonali came to lunch with us
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Miranda & Bhawana
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Dear Boss, we're working hard!
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We took a 45-min taxi ride for Thai food
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Cool ceremonial mask
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Regina, your pad thai is bigger than your head!
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Turns out, Cobra Commander was hiding incognito, hanging
out with our taxi driver
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Wednesday & Thursday |
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After an especially grueling day, almost everyone needed to unwind. Everyone, except Wayne, took a ride out to the Hyatt Regency for dinner at the Italian restaurant, and drinks at the Hyatt Polo Lounge. Thursday was a long day (got out of the office by 9pm), so we just decided the logistics for our Agra trip this weekend over a quick dinner at our hotel. |
Uh, you know what would be nice? Knowing how to spell
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Drinks at the Hyatt Polo Lounge on Wednesday: Don't
I look relaxed?
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How the hell do they get a chocolate bar inside Mary's
croissant? Sorry, I meant "qua-sau".
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Ah, fine dining in the cafeteria for lunch.....Domino's
pizza
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Ah, who cares? We're hungry!
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We don't know what kind of insect it was, but do you
see how big it is? (that's Jorge's foot)
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Here it is up close and personal. Hey, everything's
bigger in India
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I believe in good service, but don't you think this
is a bit much for my laundered underwear?
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Friday |
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Hey, a cow in the left lane
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Mary taking in the sights of Gurgaon
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Lunch at the Metropolitan Mall
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That's right, lunch at the mall. We know fine dining
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The view from our conference room
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Hmm, snack time!
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Your resident I.S. auditor (and onsite tech support
for the dweebs)
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Work? Bah! What's the news on
joelipe.com? |
Oh Alex, so pretty
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Bad! Bad!
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Hey Chirag, check it out!
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Italian dinner at the Radisson
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Hmm, thirsty?
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Jorge & Alex joined the singers for an impromptu
karaoke session
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Yeah, we didn't believe it either. Must be a Kodak moment
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Saturday & Sunday |
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Finally, the long wait was over. We left for our two-day road trip to Agra. Off to see Akbar's Tomb, the Taj Mahal, and Fatehpur Sikri. We never did get to see the Red Fort, because we ran out of time. Still, a fun trip. BTW, the Taj Mahal is stunning. |
Our minibus, which we got to know very well
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Jorge & Mary
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[front-back] Bhawana, Miranda, Regina
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Some fort in Delhi, but it looked interesting
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Hmmm, traffic. This slowed us a down a bit
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I hate the roads in India
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Mosque or temple on the way to Agra
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Hey, real toll booths! Too bad they ain't open yet
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The tomb of Akbar, the 3rd Mughal emperor
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Main entrance
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Nice grounds
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The actual tomb
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You can see where the work is being restored
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Down to.... the tomb! [no pictures allowed]
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Our hotel in Agra for the weekend
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Regina is.... a little tired
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Bhawana is still in high spirits
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Wayne & Mary
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More of the hotel
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My balcony...
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where the jungle is just outside
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The outside buildings before reaching the Taj Mahal
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Within this structure...
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Is a door....
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Where the Taj Mahal awaits!
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My jaw dropped, and my eyes watered up
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Talk about beautiful. Hey, what's that building behind
me?
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Mosque on the property used regularly
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Same mosque
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Check out the ornate work
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You can see just how big it really is
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I liked this view a lot
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The marble facade inlaid with actual gemstones
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Look at the detail handcarved into the marble facade
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[l-r] Miranda, Mary, Wayne, Alex, me, Bhawana, Regina,
Jorge
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Bowling on a Saturday night in Agra
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Here I'm posing at the Taj Mahal again
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How exciting!
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On the way to Fatehpur Sikri
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A little description on Fatehpur Sikri
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CAD walking through the Fatehpur Sikri courtyard
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"We're walking, we're walking..."
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Where they played Parcheesi a very long time ago
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Pretty ornate, don't you think?
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Look at the detail in the wall carvings
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I love the architecture
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Oooooh, aaaaah
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Guess who this is, surrounded by the Indian military?
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Why, it's former British prime minister John Major!
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Mary, Regina, Jorge
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There's a joke in here somewhere, but I can't put my
finger on it
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Nice arch
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One of the my favorite shots
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Indian street market
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Didn't know what it is, but kinda cool, I think
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McDonald's in India. Why bother?
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Stuck on a minibus + boredom, add some cheesewiz = fun
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Looking back, we did a lot in our first seven days. I'm tired just reading it again. Our 2nd week really starts with Sunday after our Agra trip, when we all checked into the Delhi Hyatt Regency. Why? The Trident Hilton Gurgaon, although it offered great service, there was just nothing around it. The bad pollution around the hotel didn't help either.
Apart from the hotel change, Week Two was just a lot of work. In the office by 8:30am, late nights in the office until 8:30pm. By the time we finished a quick dinner, it always seemed to be 11pm. I didn't go to the gym for days, because I was just tired. Since we have so much work to do, and limited time, we stopped going out to lunch, and just ordered in.
It wasn't all work in the office. That Friday was Diwali, so Delhi was getting all dressed up in lights. On Wednesday, with the office closed Thursday & Friday, the office celebrated Diwali with "Best Dressed" contests and a holiday party. Don't get the notion that we had a 4-day holiday. On Thursday, we went to an empty office, and worked a full day until 8pm. Friday, we rented a conference room in the hotel.
On the weekend, we went shopping for family, friends, and coworkers. Throw in some impromptu sightseeing on Sunday, a Sunday afternoon massage, and that's a typically busy Ipe week.
Monday & Tuesday |
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On Monday, we went to an Irish pub @ the Maurya Sheraton. Kinda empty, but hey, close enough. Tuesday night, Sonali took us shopping for Indian clothes. |
Dinner/drinks @ the Dublin Bar in the Maurya Sheraton
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Sonali & her daughter
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I can't quite find the right pair of shoes that aren't
made of wood
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Men shoe-shopping. Never a fun time
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Wednesday |
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It's the day of the company office party, and we're all dressed up to party.... and continue testing controls.
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Cool design, right?
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Even better: they're all made up of colored rice
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Our floor is a little decorated
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Miranda helping Regina with her dupatta
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Bhawana working hard, in her own stylistic...idiom
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Jorge & Mary, Indian style
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Alex calling his mother, in front of the entire team
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Regina and her gnarly mendhi-decorated hand
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Testing a lock, I got slammed in the head by an opening
door. Ouch!
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Alex & Mahika (she's like family now!)
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Wayne the Mighty, sporting some fine threads
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That....would be me
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Mr. De La Cruz
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Group picture with the <deleted> (middle) and
Amar on the end
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Group shot in the lobby
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At the holiday party: Alex, Regina, Bhawana, Jorge
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Hmmm, drinks!
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Thursday & Friday |
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Everyone was off, except us. At least we had a nice Italian dinner @ Diva. We also had dinner at Dumppukth, but let's never speak of that dinner again. Both nights, a few of us went to Djinn's to blow off some steam. |
Everyone is working hard.... including Wayne
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Dinner @ Diva: Officially the worst spelling of Marilyn
Monroe I've ever seen
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Dinner @ Diva: Tiramisu and a Corona -- a classic combination
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Working in the hotel: Regina, Wayne, Jorge, Miranda
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Watch as Alex & Mary review financial controls!
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Saturday |
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The long-awaited weekend has finally arrived. Actually, our last weekend in India. Today, we visited Amar and Mahika's respective homes, and then we all went out for lunch @ Aroma. Finally, Amar and his wife went along with us into Delhi to help shop for gifts and stuff. At night, a few of us went out to the CJ's club @ the Le Meridian hotel. Good music, but my non-Indian friends were bewildered about the Indian music. I don't know why, but at least they made an attempt. It's Indian dance music, but at least it's dance music. I'm proud to say that I did 5 double shots of Jack Daniel's and Coke, and I survived. |
Lunch at Aroma with Amar's family & Mihika's family
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Mahika, her husband (the name escapes me), & her
son Dave
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Lunch @ Aroma with Amar & Mihika and families
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Thousands of dollars worth of pashmina shawls
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Shopping & haggling for handicrafts
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Looking for deals
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Wayne trying on the largest sandal in the world
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Sunday |
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Woke up this morning early, and met up with Wayne, Regina, Miranda, and Mary to do some quick sightseeing before our 2pm spa sessions. The plan was to quickly visit Qutab Minar and the Bahai Lotus temple. We were supposed to meet Amar at the hotel at 10am, but some hiccups occurred. We eventually caught up with him after visiting Qutab Minar, and then we all went to the Lotus temple. Then, quickly back to the hotel, and onto our massages and whatever. |
Qutab Minar, built in the late 12th century
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You can only try imagine what it looked when it was
all intact
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Qutab Minar (the tall tower) is just one minar. There
were a slew of buildings on this site: tombs, a madrassa, etc. All really
cool, all built more than 800 years ago by the Islamic Mamluk dynasty,
before the Mughal empire
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I love the detail
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It's friggin' huge!
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I see you....
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....but do you see me?
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The Bahai Lotus temple
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Nice grounds
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Oooooh, temple
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Pools at the foot of the temple
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Amar, me, Regina, Mary, Miranda. Wayne took the pic
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This is our last week, as we're flying out Thursday night at 3am. As the week continues, come back here for new pictures.
Monday - Tuesday |
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Our last week. |
Team lunch Monday @ Pind Balluchi with Amar & Sonali
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Monday Dinner @ The House of Ming: my fried ice cream
with Hennessy cognac
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Fire makes it better
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The adventure continues Tuesday -- our taxi overheats
in the middle of rush hour traffic
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Alex helped, I went to take a picture, but Regina was
safe in the car
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Wednesday |
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Our 2nd-to-last day in India. Busy, busy, busy. Finalizing our fieldwork, presenting to the client, and much running around. Stress levels are up. All recipes for drinking tonight. The only other highlight was a surprise party for Regina's birthday next week. She was definitely surprised, since we're four days early. |
Alex, Regina, & Mary working on non-IT stuff. I
say, "Who cares?"
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Bhawana & Alex.... "Is it 8pm yet?"
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I'm hunky-dorry. More hunky, less dorry
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"Note to self, remember to...."
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Bhawana getting our secret party ready
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One chocolate, one pineapple
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Surprise! Happy Birthday, Regina!
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Group shot
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It's your birthday, but give us some cake
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Amar & Mahika, partners in the conspiracy
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Alex and his best friend, the coffee boy
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Drinks @ Djinn's
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We were the normal ones at Djinn's too
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Awww, sho' cute!
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Thursday |
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Last day! We had our closing meeting (pretty uneventful), and I feel that I did a pretty good job at the closing. I think that's preferred over looking like an idiot. After packing up our last batch of files, we headed to the Odyssey restaurant in the Sahara Mall for a team dinner with some folks from the office. Funny thing about the Sahara Mall -- this is the 1st time visiting it, after driving by it plenty of times. Turns out, not only is there a supermarket inside, there are numerous clubs/lounges there that stay open until 4am. We find this out on our last night. Funny. |
Odyssey restaurant and lounge
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Mahika & Amar
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Miranda & Sunil
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Regina & Bhawana, ready to enjoy our last dinner
in Delhi
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As you can see, Alex can truly sleep anywhere, anytime
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Sunil talks, while Miranda listens intently
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Jorge, Mahika, & Amar -- beautiful smiles all around
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Time to chow down....
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.... while another Sunil picks up the 3-page bill
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New York, New York |
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After our dinner, we headed straight to the Hyatt, to get our suitcases from the bellstand, change into comfortable clothes in the lobby restroom, and then off to Indira Gandhi Int'l airport. Fairly uneventful trip. Stopover in Frankfurt, 3 hours in the Lufthansa Business class lounge, with a small sprinkling of duty-free shopping. The highlight of the trip would be our Frankfurt-JFK leg, where we flew on the new Airbus 300, which has the new seats. Awesome. I could have used the fully-reclining seats the whole trip. Now you'll understand why we're all friggin' giddy. |
Airport security check-in line: "Are we there yet?"
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Frankfurt airport: We're halfway home!
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Aw, check out the seats. We're absolutely giddy!
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So roomy!
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Miranda can barely reach the seat in front
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Cool console with wired remote
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What is with us men and the remote control?
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Congrats to me, I figured out how to recline
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Smarty-pants Regina already figured it out, but loves
it anyway
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Alex & Mary are go for launch!
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I bet Jorge would love this in his office after a big
lunch
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Alex and Jorge, catching some zzzzz's
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"Ewww, dessert."
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Look at Miranda, hard at work
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