我的哲學之道: September 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008

Hotel in Delhi

We arrived in Delhi on a Wednesday afternoon. The traffic was pretty smooth so within an hour, we were at the lobby of our hotel. It's situated near Connaught Place, one of the areas where the recent blasts occurred. I've been to Connaught Place previously. It's the main shopping area where you can find McDonalds. To me, Mc is an indicator of the state of "development". Hahaha.

Here are some photos of our Delhi hotel.

The Lobby - very "un-Indian"

The Mist - one of the hotel restaurants. We had 4 of our meals there!

The corridor to my room

My room - 606

View from my room - Sunny

View from my room - Rainy

Home Sweet Home

We touched down at 7.15 am this morning! Wow, this is my first landing at Terminal 3! I had wanted to window-shop before clearing the customs but knowing what the response of my colleagues would be like, I decided to keep my suggestion to myself. Upon picking up our luggage, I went to DFS to purchase Choya. I realized this is the 6th bottle we have at home! Oops!

It's good to be home! I guess over the weekend I would be busy clearing work as well as cleaning the house. Our small little place is getting very dirty AGAIN! If you have suggestion on how to maintain the cleanliness, do let me know! :)

After doing Part 1 of laundry, I checked my office mails and then headed off straight to slumberland! My colleague and I have decided to give office a miss today! Hahaha, wonder what the consequences will be when we are back in office on Monday! Maybe my boss will give us a scolding for not going back to work.

I vaguely recall opening my eyes at 12 plus but I wonder if that's my illusion. I officially touched down from slumberland at 3.20 pm and even now, my head feels heavy and my body is very heaty. When I am lacked of sleep, I can feel my body temperature going up and my lips "burning". Not sure if you react in the same way as I do. Feeling a bit sick. The supper served on board the SQ flight made me rather uncomfortable. Shouldn't have eaten the lamb in red wine at 3 am (Singapore time) and ended up puking in the cabin toilet later. I have only my gluttony to blame!

Wow, SQ flights are really superb! We were lucky to board an almost brand new Boeing 777-300ER which has the latest inflight entertainment system! I was happy to be watching "Sex and the City" but I think I dozed off here and there so I failed to catch the complete movie. I guess the "extra services" on board justifies the premium we have to pay for taking SQ flights. If not for business purposes, I don't think I will have the luxury to fly with SIA!

So now, I am going to clear my office mails and hopefully upload some photos! :)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Delhi

Delhi feels very different today! The air smells cleaner and the road is a lot better. The government is building a new Metro Airport Express line so in time to come, access from Delhi Airport to the city would be much more convenient. However, I don't think I will use the Metro service unless the price I have to pay for comfort travelling increases tremendously.

Our hotel is very, very nice. It's got a modern touch, feels like a boutique hotel and is totally different from many of the hotels in India. I don't even feel that I am in India! I glanced through the room-service menu. The prices are scary! I hope we will be adventurous enough to take a 5-min walk to the restaurant recommended by our colleague stationed in India. But I think we will somehow end up eating at the hotel and paying for ultra-expensive Indian food!

Supposed to be typing minutes but I like my room too much. Should be enjoying the one night stay here instead of working right? Hahahaha!

*Afternote*

There was a sudden "pop" sound. I walked over to the window to check out what has happened. The recent Delhi blasts have left us feeling worried and maybe even paranoid. Thank goodness, the loud sound was nothing but thunder! It has started to pour and I guess I am right, dinner would be at the hotel.

The restaurant's deco is nice! I somehow like modern deco, compared to the traditional one. We ordered northern Indian food. I had chicken tikka, butter naan and masala chai! This meal cost me almost Rs1000, which is about S$33! This is considered pricey in India. A normal meal at restaurants would probably cost Rs150-200! Ok, I guess it's a premium we pay for dining at hotels. It's the same logic why Chatterbox's chicken rice is many times more expensive than normal hawker centre chicken rice.

The waiter told us that after this period of rain, the season would change and winter would soon be approaching. I wish we could feel the seasonal change in Singapore!

Tomorrow is another long day. Time to zzzzz and enjoy my only night of stay in this room!

Incredible India

It's 9.30 pm, India time now. Here I am in a hotel in Kochi, typing using an IBM ThinkPad and watching Cartoon Network simultaneously.

We reached Kochi late last night and after an official visit this morning, we basically have a free afternoon and evening to spend. Hence, after checking and clearing our official emails, my colleagues and I decided to sign up for the free sunset cruise offered by the hotel. It's a 2-hour cruise and by the time we returned from the boating experience it's almost 7 pm.

Kochi is a nice place, less chaotic than Delhi and Kolkatta. Perhaps being located along the coast does enhance its "resort" feel. Although this is my 3rd time in India, it is the first time I set foot on the southern part. Where food is concerned, I certainly prefer northern Indian cuisine.

Tomorrow morning we will be flying off to Delhi. This is going to be my FIRST India domestic flight experience!!! I don't think I am looking forward to it but I will try to look on the "bright" side. Instead of focusing on the flight, I shall look forward to the butter chicken and naans!