021 All Good Things Must Come to an End

So today was our last day in India, and I spent the whole day torn between being ecstatic that we were finally going home and heartbroken that we were leaving this wonderful, wonderful country. The day was pretty relaxed, and we got the chance to see a lot of monuments. To be honest, I kind of wish we were given a free day to lounge around, or pack, or shop, but the monuments were pretty and I was just happy to have the opportunity to spend more time with people I can now consider my good friends. The day started early, as we had to have all of our luggage packed and ready to be loaded onto the bus by 7:30am. Naturally, the lot of us had a good time talking and spending time together till about 6 in the morning the night prior (our last night in India!), and so waking up and packing up was near impossible. Somehow, Kaleah, Ariel, Mary and I managed to get all our things down in time, and we had a pretty relaxed breakfast. The group gathered in the IDSA lobby for the last time and soon headed off for Qutb Minar.

Qutb Minar was beautiful and yet another stunning architectural feature for India. We enjoyed taking pictures and taking in its interesting history. Arjun told us that the tower we all wanted to climb was now closed because it was the site of one too many suicides, which was a little morbid…we definitely weren’t too keen to be around it after that little tidbit, but we did continue to explore the rest of the site and take tons of pictures! I’m so glad that the group is so comfortable with each other now. I almost wish we could stay a little longer and have a week to hang out and investigate the rest of Delhi. 

Some of the sights.

It was beautiful.

The tower.

In any case, we managed to see the famous Iron Pillar while we were at the Qutb Minar, which was super exciting. My group had done a presentation that had covered the Iron Pillar briefly and so to see in real life was a little surreal.

After leaving the Qutb Minar, we went to the Lotus Temple, which was a strange experience. The Lotus Temple is the place of worship for people of the Baha’i Religion and we had the opportunity to tour the temple, but not really learn anything about it. 

The Lotus Temple.

What I thought was most interesting about the temple was it was mostly staffed by college-aged students who led and arranged the tours in the temple…if you could call them tours. Essentially, we were told to get into two different lines, given a brief spiel about the Baha’i belief, and led into the temple where we were expected sit quietly, and…pray? Meditate? We couldn’t figure it out, so we left relatively quickly. The inner sanctum of the temple was quiet, peaceful and serene – so different than most of India. I was impressed by the level of commitment these kids had for their religion, so much so that they were willing to travel half way across the world to volunteer in their belief’s name. I thought it a little odd only because typically missionary work is supposed to be for the betterment of a community or some form of relief work – I’d never seen people volunteer at their religion’s places of worship. In any case, the visit to the Lotus Temple was a nice break albeit an unexpected one, to say the least. After the mini-tour, we were free to roam the grounds, and so we just hung around the pools and took plenty of pictures.

Once we left the Lotus Temple, the group headed off to Humayun’s Tomb. Before that, we stopped at a Hindu temple called Akshardham, and it was absolutely stunning. I walked into the temple and literally, my jaw dropped. The level of intricacy and skill that was on display was out of control. We were told that each individual statue was unique (and they were!) and I could hardly comprehend the amount of time and effort put in by each contributing artisan and sculptor. Truly, truly awe-inspiring. 

Aksardham from afar.

Eventually, we got to Humayun’s Tomb, but by then, admittedly, most of us were monument-ed out, so we stuck together, took some pictures at some name-worthy places and were ready to leave relatively quickly. 

About to enter.

Humayun's Tomb.

We did find a random statue of a dwarf with some NFL team’s logo on it on the stairs near Humayun’s Tomb, and that was very odd, but also super exciting. Perhaps a sign that we were returning home soon.

Little Seahawks gnome.

After taking the obligatory group picture, we headed for the bus, but not before Thomas and I grabbed some local Indian ice cream. Delicious! After Humayun’s Tomb, the group headed to a nearby “mall” to pick some food and medicine up. Since the group had some roaming time, we explored the area which turned out to be a little shopping neighborhood. I saw a huge Manchester United Restaurant/Bar and took plenty of pictures there. I’m glad to see my favorite team is pretty popular in India too.

Glory Glory Man United!

After that, we headed back to IDSA for a buffet dinner. I made it a point to only eat Indian food since it would be the last time I would have authentic Indian food in a long time.

Last meal in India!

Goodbye, Indian ice cream...

Dinner was delicious, and the lot of us were definitely stuffed by the end of it. We finally headed to the airport and flew home. Bye India! 

020 T-Minus 2 Days

Second last day in India...sad times. We had a really fun day today though, so for that I’m glad. Our morning started off relatively early. The girls and I have been managing to catch some extra sleep time in the mornings as we have decided to skip breakfast to avoid having to pay for it. That’s still a concept that I don’t understand and am most definitely frustrated with. I feel like patrons who pay for their rooms at their hotels, especially patrons who bring in a group of 20 people, should be afforded free breakfast. I understand the need to remain profitable, but isn’t it a generally accepted belief that businesses that treat their customers well will have repeat business? But I digress – the group collected at the IDSA lobby before heading out to the Makemytrip.com campus in Delhi. Makemytrip.com is the company that has been responsible for setting up most of the itinerary for our trip, utilizing suggestions from the group about places we’ve wanted to visit, as well as suggestions of their own. I think they’ve done a truly phenomenal job, especially for a group as large as ours, and for one with hardly any experience within the country. Our trip has gone smoothly, with some hiccups here and there, but that’s to be expected.

Anyway, we arrived at Makemytrip.com’s corporate office and were soon ushered up to their conference room where we were naturally provided coffee and tea and other refreshments. Indian hospitality to me is still an incredible experience, and certainly one that I hope to continue when I get back to the States. We were treated to a few very interesting and informative talks about Makemytrip.com as well as the tourism industry in India in general. I loved learning that a majority of India’s tourism sector is fueled internally, meaning that it is the local Indians who visit monuments and other sites within their own country. I feel that this is because traveling locally is so much more affordable. Also, when you have monuments like the Taj Mahal within your country, there isn’t much reason to leave. Another reason why local travel is so popular is because the country is so steeped with culture and tradition that I believe most Indians feel an innate sense of pride that they have so many monuments to call their own. In any case, after listening to the two talks, we had the chance to tour Makemytrip.com’s office complex, peeking in at their offices, cafeteria (no-work zone!) and call center. Just like WIPRO, having the chance to see these facilities solidified my belief that America and other Western countries are certainly not alone in the race to the top. With companies like Makemytrip.com who are now competing with other international companies and successfully carving a niche for themselves in a market of over a billion people, it is no longer a wise or viable decision for companies in the Western world to turn a blind eye. Again, I was so impressed by the level of effort that was put forth by yet another Indian company to be such gracious hosts to a bunch of college kids. You’d never see hospitality like that in the States unless you were a big fish guaranteeing a big profit for the company you were visiting – what a shame!

After leaving Makemytrip.com’s corporate office, we headed back to the Ambience Mall for lunch. Most of us went up to the food court to grab some food, as did I, and I was very surprised to see that there was a Sbarro there - how random. Most of us bought some form of Western food like burgers, pizzas and pasta…I did too, and I was definitely feeling bad about it, but at this point, I really was getting tired of Indian food, as horrible as that sounds. I don’t know if I could live here and have to eat it every day. In the beginning, it was awesome but I suppose too much of anything – even a good thing – isn’t always ideal. The group sat together and we talked and had a great time. After lunch, a few of the girls headed to finish up some shopping, while a few of us went to the arcade! That was a lot of fun. 

Aww, food with friends.

Random arcade in the mall.

I am very mature.

Ariel and I playing DDR. Nbd.

We eventually ended up back at the meeting point, on time of course, and I had the chance to grab some ice cream before we headed off again!

Yeah, I snacked a lot this day.

This time we went to the Walmart/Bharti India corporate office in Delhi, which we were all very excited about. Most of us work directly for Walmart or for a Walmart vendor or supplier, so to go to one of Walmart’s corporate offices in a different country seemed like it would be very interesting. 

Made it!

When we finally arrived, we were led up to a conference room where we were provided with a talk by one of the company’s executives who explained the Walmart/Bharti relationship, while providing some basic background about retail in India, and the changes and adaptations Walmart has had to make while there in order to cater to the needs and wants of the population. 

I thought it was a very insightful talk and I felt like I learned a lot. I thought it was interesting to see that even a retail giant like Walmart had to change the set up of its stores and the way it marketed its products to cater to a country that was initially ignored for being second- or third-world. It is intriguing to me to see that India truly is a dichotomy on so many levels…on one hand, you have a group of people who are so eager to embrace Western values and ideals and would welcome Walmart any day, and you also have people who could care less about the Western world and who have already found a way to make their worlds work without outside influence. I love that so strong are relationships and the need for interaction in India that the big store concept that Walmart so loves employing would never work in India. To me, it gives India so much character and personality and makes it so unique in that so many Western companies truly have to adapt to local culture in order to survive. At least one country is putting an end to the “McDonaldization” of our world! This can also be seen by the government’s requirement for companies selling more than one brand to partner with a local business. I can appreciate India’s want to remain in the global game while not being dependent on Western companies for capital and other investments. It allows India to maintain a sense of pride that the country is capable of succeeding without outside help, especially now it has gained independence from British rule.  

We learned that Walmart/Bharti is rolling out variations of the stores they have in the States to include smaller convenience-type mini-marts as well as the Indian version of “Sam’s Club” to cater to small businesses and restaurants within the area, and from what I understand they’re poised to do very well, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that. Side note: Not to be nitpicky, but one thing I definitely noticed was the lack of hospitality Walmart/Bharti displayed. Our hosts were gracious enough, but we weren’t offered tea or coffee or any refreshments (which is a staple here in India!) and once the talk was over, we were almost immediately escorted out, unlike at the WIPRO or Makemytrip.com visit. American companies apparently have the same corporate mindsets in India – and this needs to change. If college students who hardly understand Indian culture could tell they weren’t being treated as well at an American company, I can guarantee you that local Indian business will be able to tell as well. Again – an absolute shame!

In any case, after we left Walmart/Bharti, we headed back to IDSA to get ready for Pree and Afshar’s birthday dinner! We were originally supposed to eat at Bukhara, which is apparently the number one restaurant in India and/or Asia, but we couldn’t get reservations in time. I’m kind of glad we didn’t as I wanted to celebrate Pree and Afshar’s birthday with them, but I wasn’t too keen on dropping a hundred bucks for a meal. Eek! We ended up eating at the hotel where Dr. Anand got married or had his wedding reception and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

Paatra, the restaurant of the night.

Oh, how I'll miss you, Indian food.

The restaurant we ate at had wonderful food and we got to have cake after, which was definitely nice.

Caaaaake.

More caaaaake.

Oh, and in between Walmart/Bharti and dinner, Ariel, Varun, Alex and I took a car to South Extension market to pick up our saris, which was super exciting! We weren’t sure if the tailor was actually going to show up with them as he hadn’t picked up our calls all day, but eventually he did, and it worked out great. After dinner (anachronism much?), Ariel and I got to try them on, and let me tell you – I have a newfound respect for the Indian women who wear these things EVERYDAY. Ariel and I could hardly figure out how to put them on in the first place, and when we finally did, we could hardly wait to take them off – they’re not the most convenient things!

Got our saris!

I’m sure we’ll get it eventually… After trying saris on, most of the group hung out upstairs in our apartment, playing cards and talking and enjoying our last night in India. 

Yuuup.

Love, love, love these girls!

Sad day! It was a whole bunch of fun though, and I’m glad I got to spend time with everyone. 

019 The Underground Market

Today was shopping day - my kinda day. We met up with our FIIB students who followed us to a place called Cottage Industries near Connaught Place, which was another government-run shopping place for souvenirs and the like. I didn’t find anything I really liked, so a few of us left after perusing the place for a little bit and grabbed breakfast at a McDonald’s across the street. We essentially had the freedom to do just about anything we wanted to on condition we visited an underground market, which sounded really exciting. Ariel and I wanted to get our saris tailored, but we hadn’t known that you could get your saris tailored at Cottage, so though we had brought them with us, we left them on the bus. Dumb! Anyway, after eating at McDonald’s we broke off from the large group and started making our way to Connaught Place as we wanted to get more pastries (hah!). Naturally, along the way, there were plenty of side stores and vendors which were much more my style of shopping, so we stopped in just about everyone in an effort to make sure all of us had enough souvenirs to take home. 

Getting ice cream - essential.

Before we actually reached CP, we checked the time and realized we still hadn’t gone to Palika Bazaar (the underground market) and would need to regroup pretty soon, so off we went in the other direction. Palika Bazaar was AWESOME – again, my kind of shopping experience. Unfortunately, because of time restraints, it was pretty much touch and go for our little group. We could only walk through and look at things before having to leave to meet with the rest of the group.

Once we reconnected with everyone, Ariel and I, as well as a few other FIIB students broke off from the big group to try and get our saris tailored. We walked around and took rickshaws trying to look for tailors and it was so much fun. 

Some of the vendors we saw along the way.

I really, really wished that we were given a little more free time in Delhi with our FIIB students to truly explore it, but that may just be me. I prefer independent exploration – too much structure takes the fun out of everything and you don’t really learn much unless you’re actively trying to do so. In any case, we eventually found a tailor who would be able to tailor our saris within 24 hours which was awesome. After getting our measurements taken, we paid the tailor a down payment of half of the tailoring cost and were soon on our way to meet the rest of the group at yet another market called Dilli Haat, which sells crafts and other goods from all over India. 

Dilli Haat entrance.

As we had arrived as the group was just about to leave, Ariel, Alex, Varun and I as well as a few other FIIB students ended up hanging out in Dilli Haat for a bit longer, breaking off from the big group again (rebels!). 

Some of the crafts available.

Pretty sweet looking tiger.

We got a little bit more shopping done, and I got henna on my hands which was super exciting.

Super stoked!

How cool is this?

We eventually caught up with the group at one of the malls and had the opportunity to go to a Gold Pass cinema to catch Gulliver’s Travels. The movie was crap, but the experience at the cinema was ridiculous in a good way. We had reclining sofas basically and free blankets, and most of us ordered dinner to enjoy with our movie was so good! I’m telling you…Fiesta Square is just not going to cut it from now on.

After the movie and dinner, we roamed around the mall for a bit and grabbed some coffee at my favorite coffee place – The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

We soon gathered outside the mall to wait for the bus and had one of the strangest experiences while doing so. First, our bus driver – who is super responsible, mind you – couldn’t be reached for some reason. He was either asleep or driving somewhere with poor reception, which was out of the ordinary. So we ended up having to wait for quite a bit. While waiting, these beggar children started approaching us asking for money and for food. Jarred, who was holding two pieces of cake from Coffee Bean looked like a jerk because he had two boxes of cake in his hands and was surrounded by apparently starving children. He actually held the two boxes up over his head so the kids couldn’t reach them. Alex, who we have now learned is the definite softie of the group, gives one of the kids 10 rupees – wrong move. Out of nowhere, this auto rickshaw full of beggar kids shows up and they spill out apparently detecting that Alex had given one of them money and they surround us tugging at shirts, begging, calling at us. STRESSFUL. Almost as stressful as Choki Dhani. Hah, kidding. Nothing was as stressful as Choki Dhani. And then they leave and try to climb in some other auto rickshaw only to have the owner take one of the girls and beat her – hard. I’m sure she’s fine, but it wasn’t a pretty sight…more people cried! After this little incident, Dr. Anand and Dr. Ellstrand decided that that was enough, so they called some taxis for us to get back to IDSA. By the time it was my group’s turn, our bus had arrived, so we had the entire bus to ourselves, which was nice.

018 The Amazing Race: India

Amazing race day...so much fun! We started the day by returning to FIIB early in the morning for a lecture. Our lecturer, Arvind Bahl, provided us with some background on the real estate industry in India, which I found to be very interesting and insightful. Listening to the level of corruption and bureaucracy that still apparently exists in India was certainly eye opening. I thought it was interesting that so much money is exchanged under the table that it has acquired its own moniker – “black money” and is often built-in to just about every transaction. I know that this will bring about a slew of issues that foreign companies will have to deal with if and when they decide to enter the country. So often we’re taught, even in the Walton College, about the importance of following the customs of another country…does that apply even if it means breaking a law that no one seems to care about anyway? What if companies that choose to stick by their ethical principles and not give into bribery are guaranteed to fail? Walmart can play this game because their pockets are deep enough to survive but this may not hold true for smaller companies. Where do you draw the line? 

Our speaker of the day, Mr. Arvind Bahl.

Another interesting facet of Indian culture that was brought up that a lot of American students couldn't understand was the concept of purchasing property to pass onto future generations, even if no one stayed in said property. A lot of the Walton students felt that it was a waste and that it showed improper allocation of resources towards construction, in that India was supplying too many houses because no one lived in them. Buying property as inheritance is common for Chinese families too, so it wasn’t overly odd for me. I think a lot of Asian families tend to prefer houses or other pieces of property simply because they’re tangible things that (whether true or not) do not appear to be able to lose value as quickly as cash or stocks and bonds can.

In any case, after our lecture, we headed upstairs again for quick lunches as the Amazing Race in Delhi would start soon.

Subway and Diet Coke: Lunch of the Champions

We trusted our FIIB students to plot our path to victory as they knew the outlay of the city fairly well. 

The team!

Before we knew it, we were off, and we had so much fun! We had to visit certain destinations and take pictures in each one, often staying for required periods of time. Our first mistake was that we thought we had to stay within the 1000 rupees that had been supplied to us. This resulted in us taking buses and walking to our first destination – the Train Museum, effectively putting us about 20 minutes behind everyone else. Oh well – you win some, you lose some. 

In an Indian bus...that was an experience.

Success!

Hanging out with the trains.

Negotiating with drivers. We left that to the pros.

We got to see the India Gate and meet some guy from Auburn who recognized us by our Razorback gear (!) and ride bicycle rickshaws through the streets of Delhi.

Me and Jarred at the India Gate.

Yep - found a random Auburn fan in the middle of India.

Another random stop on the Race route!

We had the chance to visit plenty of beautiful and interesting monuments and locations in India and experience all sorts of things we never would have had to otherwise, like buying pastries in Connaught Place (so good!) and buying spices in a random market. 

The famous Wenger's at Connaught Place!

Dericiousss.

Roopak's Pik-N-Pay.

Awesome spices.

We took the subway after getting pastries though, and were definitely not aware of the fact that we couldn’t bring pastries on the train. We didn’t want to waste any of the food we had just purchased, so we ended up eating it before going to the train station – Jarred is convinced that this is why we lost. 

Stuffing our faces with delicious.

We had the opportunity to see of the most incredible and luxurious malls I’ve ever seen and ride the Metro and visit a ridiculously packed train station. 

The Emporio mall...another stop along the way!

At the train station. Geez.

After completing all our tasks, we rushed back to IDSA, ended up tying with some other group and rushed up the stairs to Dr. Anand’s and Dr. Ellstrand’s apartment. Yeah – boys here believe in equal opportunity…they definitely did not afford me the advantage of climbing of the stairs first since I was a girl. I got shoved into the wall, had my hair and clothing pulled and literally got kicked as we ran up – it was crazy. We ended up tying for last anyway, so hah!

After the Amazing Race, a few of us took cars and went out to grab some dinner together. We ended up eating a really nice sushi place, and headed home soon after. All in all, an Amazing day (pun totally intended).