Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Sightseeing trip around South Mumbai



Sunday I got to spend the whole day with one of the Datamatics employee's (who took his only day off to spend with me)!

It was great to see a whole different view than I have seen so far...between hotel and office.

The traffic actually wasn't quite as bad. They do have a highway system to some extent that the traffic generally keeps moving. But it was also under construction in places and the driving is still pretty crazy.

I am going to post pictures now, but will have to come back and add the descriptions. Some I know I don't remember exactly what or where they were taken!

I did get to visit a couple of beaches along the Arabian Sea, which flows into the Indian Ocean. Mumbai's layout is similar to the Puget Sound and made me feel a little like home...but then also made me miss home a little more at times. I got to put my feet in the water...so now I have had my feet in 3 oceans! And, even though the beach was the cleanest beach they have, hardly even a little rock laying around (and no seaweed or anything like that)...I stumbled upon 2 seashells!

First we went to a history museum and it had the complete history of India from ancient times to the present. I got a few pictures taken before I was informed...no photo's allowed!

Then will be:
  • this is a Hindu Temple that was just on the way
  • beach photo's (don't remember name of this beach)
  • Buddah Temple acroos the water way
  • Photo's in the History Museum
  • Chowpatty Beach, with me in water
  • no photo's but went to the official Tea Center of India...and got some tea to bring home.
  • A bunch of old buildings that include the Univeristy, Capitol, Congress buildings of the state, Central train station)
  • Freedom Fountain
  • Taj Mahal Hotel (both old and new - side by side)
  • Gateway of India (across street from Taj Mahal hotels). This is where all incoming boats arrived since the discovery of India, and trading ships) It is still a major port area, and also you will see some Navy boats.
  • Boat ride to Elephanta Island. Took about an hour each way, was a great ride and got to see yet another view of the city.
  • Once on the island, we took a little train ride up to where the steps start. There are 120+ stairs to get to the monuments. By the time we got there, we ran out of time. But I was able to get some cool stuff to bring home!
  • What was scarey, is that they had guys that had these freakin' chairs with poles attached and for a fee...they would carry you up the stairs! I chose not to go for that ride...
  • They even had wild monkey's hanging out in the trees.
While in my journey's though I really wasn't able to find much in the way of souveneirs! Most of anything I saw...wasn't any better than dollar store crap! And it seems that everyone sells all the same crap/

I'll just have venture out some more to find some cool stuff to bring home.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! I had fun taking them.

Love and miss everyone....can't wait to get home!!!!!!

PS
OK...it's almost 1am....and this blogger is pissin' me off! Half the time I upload the pictures, it isn't loading them; the other half it loads - it is only like a thumbnail and big gray box!
I will continue tomorrow...plus it puts them in the wrong order from what I am uploading...ugh!

posted by Unknown @ 6:26 AM 1 comments

Thursday, March 02, 2006

video going to work

I haven't had a chance to edit or anything, so it's kinda jerky and just plain bad in places. But, I took some video on the way to the office today...mind you I was in the back seat of a car and it's through the windows.

It is just really unbelievable as far as the cummute and how they drive here. There seem to be no rules to the road, they just go where ever they want. I'm surprised there aren't more wrecks!

There is so much going on, I kept going from side to side or even out the front window it might be hard to follow...but I promise I will get some better video before it's over!

I also saw my first cows wandering the streets tonight. I guess they are a bit too smart to try to wander in the real bad traffic, so they wait until evening when it isn't quite so bad. I didn't have my camera with me at the time. But hopefully this weekend I will get out of the core of the city and be able to get some good pictures and or video.

Tomorrow evening the company I am working with is having a party that I have been invited to. They said I could bring my camera, so will get some pitures of that also. It includes some traditional Indian music and dance...will be interesting!

Here is the link to the video's:
http://hotrods4u.com/india/

You should be able to just click on the link and depends on your computer, it will either start playing or ask you to download and save.

Til tomorrow...it's after 3am and I need to get to bed.

posted by Unknown @ 11:25 AM 2 comments

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Hi eveyone!





























I want to thank everyone for joining and saying hi to me...makes me feel not quite as alone as I could be!

I'm proud of you Jamie and Val for figuring it out (all by yourselves)!

I am going to put some pictures up real quick, then later tonight when I have more time I will try to add some words. It's too bad that the way the blog is set up, it doesn't let me add captions under the pictures. But, I am going to see if there is a way to do that.

Right now it is Thursday 4AM here in India...I am working the graveyard shift tonight, then looks like I will go back to mid days until next week...or it may change - who knows!

Love and miss you all!
Denise

  1. Internet cafe and other 1 room businesses. They are like this lined up on all roads.
  2. This is the only traffic light I have seen so far. It's on road leading out of airport by hotel.
  3. Hotel is getting ready for "Universal Mother" who must be 'somebody important'. I will have to find out more. They have all kinds of people showing up, guards, and lots of suite & tie kind of guys from hotel walking around.
  4. Kids playing baseball in vacant lot by hotel.
  5. traffic by hotel. Not nealy as bad as most I have seen coming and going to the office.
  6. Backside of hotel from main road.
  7. Entrance getting fancied up.
  8. Pretty flower.
  9. Decorations in hotel. All real flowers laid out.
  10. Doubledecker public bus. So full that standing room only on both levels and people hanging on the back.
  11. Open construction by hotel. It's like this throughout the city.
  12. Only gas station I have seen so far.
  13. You can't really tell, but there are 20+ 3 wheelers lined up on side of road for gas.
  14. Dump trucks like this usually have guys riding in the back.
  15. 3 wheelers, sometimes they will squeeze 4 in a row.

posted by Unknown @ 11:01 AM 1 comments