India

Hotel Lobby

June 28, 2015

I flew from Pune to Hyderabad where I checked into the Taj Krishna Hotel.  My hotel in London was a Taj property as well.  This is also an extremely nice hotel.  It is an older hotel and it could use a few updates here and there but overall, it is a very nice hotel.

One of the things that stunned me since I arrived is the level of service.  We don’t get that in the USA.  The housekeeper took a pile of cords I left on my desk and wrapped them up nicely and tied them.  He folded my clothes, and put my shoes on a shoe mat.  He put “shoe bags” on my shoes.

When I ordered room service, the waiter set up the table, asked me to sit down and then plated my food.  He then asked me what time to pick up the table, I told him a 1/2 hour and he returned and asked if I would like to have a bowl of cut fruit. A few minutes later he brought it to me.   Compare that to the states where they plop the tray down and ask you to sign.

The lobby, pool and grounds area are beautiful and wish I had more time to sit and take it all in.

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A Gold Mercedes

Bill in front of the Shitole Status

June 27, 2015

As we went around Pune, there were a few things that raised our eyebrows, first the Gold Mercedes pictured on the left.  It is not just gold it is bright gold!  I am sure someone will ask if it was real gold.  Let me just say, if it was or if I suspected it was, I would have been the first to ram it and run off with the bumper or at least a rear view mirror.

Walking along the wall on the Fortress was not only great to see inside of the fort but also outside.  It allowed me to get pictures showing the chaos of the streets.  On one corner, Bill noticed the apartment building across the way named “Shitole Status”.  We had to take pictures.

I have mentioned a few times the traffic. I would never drive here, I don’t even want to cross the street. As with other British Settlements, they drive on the left hand side of the road – and even that is debatable.   There are lanes but people pay no attention to them and when traffic is busy, people drive on any side of the road if they can get away with it.  The driving reminds me of a school of fish, if someone goes one way, everyone behind them has to adjust.  The part I cannot quite get down is who yields and when, it all appears to be one big game of chicken.  In some areas, I have seen kids playing out in the street.  It is just amazing. Continue reading →

June 27th, 2015

Originally built-in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khann III.   It was built as an act of charity, to create work for the local people.  In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and his secretary were imprisoned there by the British.  During that time, his wife and personal secretary both passed away.

n 1969 it was donated by Aga Khan IV to the people of India as a tribute to Gandhi and his philosophy.  Today, the palace uses the rooms on the ground floor as a tribute to Gandhi, his wife and his secretary.  It was in those same rooms that they were held from 1942-1944.  Each room has photos, paintings and a few personal effects of the people who were interred there with an overall focus on Gandhi’s career.

In a garden out back of the house are shrines containing the ashes of Gandhi along with his wife and personal secretary

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June 27th, 2015

We had a day off in Pune so my coworkers and I checked out the locals attractions.  There isn’t a lot of tourist attractions in Pune.  Lonely Planet listed a half-dozen including a meditation resort and a Memorial Yoga Institute.  Our flight wasn’t until the 10PM so we set out to kill some time, we first stopped at a local temple.  We then checked out Pataleshvara cave temple followed by the Shaniwar Wada – a fortress, and finally Aga Khan Palace – the palace Gandhi was held prisoner.

Our first stop was Chaturshringi temple – a hindu temple. We stopped there for no particular reason, just that we passed it frequently.  There was a Yoga class going on for a group of teenage boys.  Personally, I have never tried yoga but have always wanted to try.  I don’t think jumping in to a Yoga class in a country where they have Yoga competitions, seem right.  While walking around, a little boy was walking down some stairs, he spotted a lizard and shrieked.  I am not sure who ran faster, the boy or the lizard.  I couldn’t believe how quickly that lizard moved.

We moved on the Patalshvara cave temple. There wasn’t a lot to see, a small unfinished temple that had been carved into the rock.  It dates back to the 8th Century and still used today.  There is very little inside except a set of statutes and an altar.  It wasn’t what I expected at all.

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Lavasa

June 26, 2015

In the afternoon, our hosts took us to Lavasa, a planned community outside of Pune.  It is still being built.  It will be interesting to see what it becomes in the future.  There are plenty of nice houses but there isn’t anywhere to work close by.  I wondered if people were using the area for holidays and long weekends.

The drive took over and hour through the countryside and up windy roads over mountains and then back down again.  Along the way the way, there was plenty to look at including rice paddles, sugar cane fields,  a dam holding back red water turned red from the clay. Unfortunately, it was a rain day and my pictures are very overcast.

It was a nice change and a huge contrast between the chaos of the city and the calm of the countryside.  We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking Lavasa with spectacular views.

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The water-drop building

June 25 ,2015

We were picked up at the hotel and went to Infosys where I would spend the day learning about the operations and meeting various people at Infosys.  Outsourcing has been around for the better part of a decade and am accustomed to hearing foreign accents when I dial a customer support or service number.  I have always wondered what kind of offices and conditions these people are working in.  What do the call centers look like?  I was about to find out!

On our way to Infosys, I noticed a series of at least 30 signs in the middle of the road from ADP.  They had pictures of people and a quote from them talking about how great working for ADP is boasting regular work, regular hours and being able to spend time with family.  The people depicted were former singers, dancers, and cricket players.   I also noticed seeing Symantec offices along with a few other familiar names.

I am not quite sure how to describe the Infosys campus.  As we drove on the campus, I felt like we had left Pune and into a different world.  I felt like I was in a “Tomorrowland” movie set with buildings of the future.  There was a bus Depot at the entrance and in the center of it was a Cricket Field surrounded by buildings.  In addition to the offices, there were food courts, a gym, badminton courts, game rooms with ping-pong tables.  It was during working hours when we took our tour, we were told that after work hours the places would be packed.

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Jet Airways, Business Class

Jet Airways, Business Class

June 24, 2015

I flew Jet Airways from London to New Delhi.  Not having flown them, I didn’t know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised, the seats where extremely comfortable, the configuration was such that you weren’t sitting next to anyone.  There was a good selection of food and movies.  Unfortunately, I did not sleep well and after working the better part of the day in London before heading to the airport for a 9 hour overnight flight.  When I got to New Delhi the following morning, I was exhausted and I had a six-hour wait before a domestic flight to Pune.

I arrived in Pune late afternoon.  I could tell by the size of the airport that Pune was not a large city (I read 2 Million). A man manually pulled up the stairway before we exited on to the runway and walked to the terminal.  By the looks of the airport, I wasn’t sure what to expect, it was seriously outdated and in need of some attention.

The traffic in Pune reminded me of Bangkok, it moved very slowly and was nothing short of chaotic.  Trucks, buses that looked like they were left by the English, motorbikes, scooters, motorbike taxis going in all different directions mixed with people walking in through it.  I watch knowing that there are unwritten rules as to who has the right of way but I cannot quite figure it out.

We checked in at the JW Marriott Hotel in Pune and it was the absolute opposite experience of what I had at the airport.  The hotel is  new, very nice and well maintained.  There ware some very nice restaurants and service was excellent.  I couldn’t say more about the hotel.

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