First day
on the job! The hotel turns out to be a pleasant surprise. We had a pretty good
dinner last night, although you should always be cautious and judge how good it
really was the next morning . A 1h30min drive to the location turned into a
typical Indian taxi ride. A few stops here and there, being stuck at a railway
crossing, the occasional cow, goat, dog randomly crossing the road .and of course
the army trucks who take up the entire road. A light breakfast is an absolute
must! Bumpy roads, lots of near misses Wont go into specifics on the work, but
in a 38°C heat and with this humidity it is insane. Luckily, today, we were
stuck in a room with air-conditioning .thanks Rob! Things went smooth, even the
hourly power outage wasnt too big a problem. Before I left, I was told to
bring anything I would ever need while on site and that is exactly what is
required. There are no tools, nothing. We left for the hotel in a hurry as
there was a big sandstorm approaching with some thunderstorms. Took some
pictures and made a short movie of the drive home ..unbelievable. If you like
living on the edge, an adrenaline rush or a course in how not to drive .do come
and visit. All these things considered, I never felt unsafe. Returned at a
reasonable hour and was able to go for a short swim. Yes, there is a pool at
the hotel! It seems to be maintained by what seems like a 50% Chlorine and 50%
water mixture. About to head for dinner while listening to Another me Regi ft
Jessy. Second time this week a song describes how I feel at exactly the right
moment. Never bothered listening to the lyrics before, maybe I should do so
more often.Will try to make my blog
this evening, should be an adventure on this internet connection that only work
1 out of every 60 minutes
New Delhi
traffic can be chaotic .yes it can! Or how a 30 minute drive turns into a 2
hour rollercoaster ride where every 5 seconds you think, how did we not hit
something or not get hit ourselves. Somehow, chaos works here ..and I like it!
The running with the suitcases through Old Delhi station to catch the train
with 30 seconds to spare was a little less fun. It is probably the reason I
didnt think it smelled so bad there, despite all the horrible stories Ive
heard. The coach I am in has Airco, AC sockets, decent chairs ..not so bad. The
other 40 coaches dont have Airco .so our coach is packed. Luckily the guards
step in and clear some space around me be it not for free ofcourse. I am
listening to Arun Kant and not buying anything to eat or drink. Watched Avatar,
for like the 20th time, still dont think its a great movie .for
the rest, music and taking pictures. Somewhere along the playlist Lifehouse
came up. Everything is still their best song. The guy next to me knows Tacabro
Tacata! He is also reading while I type this .not sure if he understands,
will find out soon enough if he looks away after this ..so yes, he understood
and got the point apparently J 8 hour train ride, have about an hour left.
Instruction on arrival: just walk out of the station and wait .where? how long?
Like everything here, well just see what happens en when it happens. Nu hurry.
Heading straight for bed when I get to the hotel..6 am wakeup and a long
drive tomorrow morning. Ive been told to not eat too much for breakfast, as
the drive is a little bumpy should be great fun. The Fear playing while I
shut down the laptop
7 am pick
up to go to Brussels Airport. Smooth drive over, quick check in and nice flight
to Delhi. No problems with the luggage (how did that happen?) and a hotel
pickup that is actually there! The heat smacks you in the face though .36°C at
11 in the evening. Ouch. I asked the hotel manager what the weather would be
like. He told me that it was not so hot during this rainseason .:s Wifi at the
hotel works, be it intermittent ..AC is another story .boiling hot, or freezing
cold. I chose the hotel lobby and a cold Mountain Dew!
Tried one last time to say goodbye
to the baby ..fell in deaf ears. If they think it hurts me, they are wrong. It
makes me stronger. I wont waste any further words on it. Still have doubts
though . seriously?
Did some paperwork, never any fun, but had an amazing
lunch with my parents and grandmother! A typical Belgian meal last one for a
month ;-) After that, packing time it was like solving a puzzle. Now I know
what women feel like when they have a large suitcase and have to pack stuff for
a week .except with me its for a month and half the suitcase is full of
equipment .just kidding ;-). 2 pairs of shoes, a sweater, some socks and a fewt-shirts
later it all fits. No bicycle, no running shoes for a month.Perhaps Rob can arrange a motorbike, the
dessert is always a nice place to learn how to drive one. Nothing to hit and
pretty safe to fall. Will ask when I get there! Time for bed ..no Miu to wake
me up at 6 .so for the first time in 2 months I have to set an alarm.
Another long day. A lot of stuff
still do to before I leave. Clothes are the main issue .is it worth it taking
so much, if your t-shirt is soaked after working for 5 mins. Bought lots of new
ones anyway and some desert clothing. I also made sure I wouldnt starve. I
bought a large amount of cereal bars and magnesium sticks. These should keep me
going for a while. With such nice weather I couldnt resist a final bike ride.
Nice companion to ride with, great chat, nice to catch up. Its good to know
some people still believe me J A pizza to finish off a great evening .or so I
thought. A small fuifke and 2 hours of prepping the Toughbook for India
later, it is 6AM. Time to sign off!
