Before that everything was going well, we departed Mumbai on Kingfisher Airlines (yes, the largest beer brewer in India also maintains one of the country's largest commercial airlines), had a meal on a two hour flight (take some notes on that American airlines), and landed in dusty, hazy New Delhi in northern India around 9:00pm.
Before we get to the India Moments, we'll start on a positive note with a few quick facts about Delhi. The city, with 12 million people, is the second largest in India after Mumbai. It consists of Delhi, the old city, and New Delhi, the national capital of India that was planned by the British in the early 20th century. New Delhi is awesome, but it is the most un-India part of the city because it has wide, tree-lined boulevards, less congestion, green lawns, and a lot of monuments and museums like the Mall in Washington, D.C. Ok, so with the scene set, we arrived and almost immediately the first "India Moment" hit:
India Moment #1: Heart Attack Victim Bumps Us
We were supposed to stay at The Claridges Hotel, a very nice hotel in the embassy district of New Delhi, and they were picking us up at the airport. When we arrived we found out the hotel was sold out and our rooms were not available because a guest had a heart attack. That was the explanation. One thing you learn quickly in India is details are apparently unnecessary or a bother because you never get them. Also, the answer to any question is always "yes." So you almost immediately stop asking "yes" or "no questions. Anyway, the hotel staff sent to greet us told us we would be spending the night at The Park, another hotel a few minutes away. Fine, we get there and it was one of these new hotels attempting to be hip and modern by looking like it is 1974. The colors were pastel blue and pink, some of the walls were velvet, and the lobby areas were separated by strings of beads hanging from the ceiling. The place was - no surprise - popular with Germans. So, since the heart attack victim or his family or someone was in our rooms in The Claridges, we were stuck in the 1970s at The Park. Morning comes, we pack up and go over to The Claridges where I encounter "India Moment" numero dos (that's for you Hunter)...
India Moment #2: No Materials
I had three material shipments to India and the first two had arrived problem free...again, I was a little nervous. So, when we check-in at the Claridges I inquire about my materials and they are not there. We had two school visits on Wednesday so this is not good. Another thing about India, if you want something to get accomplished you have to do it yourself, so I had to open my laptop at the check-in desk and access the FedEx website, type in the tracking number, show them the box was in New Delhi, and then I had to find the phone number for the FedEx facility. The woman at check-in looked at me as though I had said Gobblety Gook when I said "Federal Express." Great. She calls the number, speaks to someone in Hindi, hangs up and tells me the materials will be delivered sometime that day. Fine. Doesn't help the school visits but it does work for the evening reception we're having that night. We all go to the American Embassy School and the British School and have great visits - minus my materials - and return to the hotel. No materials, it is almost 4:00pm. Crap. I take matters into my own hands, I call the FedEx facility and ask to speak to someone in English. Turns out they seemed to be under the impression no one knew the materials were supposed to be delivered that day. Great. I ask them to deliver them ASAP and they say they'll try but it could be tomorrow. Thanks. So, now we host an evening program and who doesn't have anything but his business cards and a smiling face? This guy. Everyone is leaving, it is 9:00pm, and guess what a Claridges employee comes in with? A box of materials. Incredible...India.
That probably seems like a little bit of complaining and that's exactly what it is, but it is par for the course in India. It just happens here, you could have your room reservation randomly bumped, anything shipped through the mail may or may not arrive and then people tasked with helping you at hotels oddly enough end up being an obstacle.
Today was much better, we had three school visits and were driving all over Delhi from 7:00am until 4:00pm. My favorite visit, and the only place I had the camera out today (yes, I know, this is a text heavy post), was at Delhi Public School. In India "public" schools are actually private schools - it's a hold over from old school British naming conventions, don't ask. Anyway, we were at DPS and walking up to the meeting room and there were two, eh, sites on the walls. At the top of the stairs:
and at the bottom of the stairs a more appropriate Indian sight:
Why was Mount Rushmore a significant wall element at an all-Indian school? Great question, no idea, but it was a great photo op. Poor Gandhi and Mother Teresa, they have to stare at those American presidents every day.
Oh, and at another school I snapped a picture of my favorite Indian tourism/national pride slogan, "Incredible !ndia":
And, continuing my series of random signage in India. Today we were on another brand new tollway in suburban Delhi and at a massive toll plaza, once again, the government was trying it's best to help people know how to use the lanes, even if it seemed ridiculously obvious:
At least this time there were no signs indicating a "spitting" problem...
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