A NEW WEEK

THE WEEKEND IS OVER AND I HAVE TO ADMIT I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE! IT WAS A LOT OF FUN HAVING TIME TO EXPLORE DELHI, AND I’M ALREADY THINKING ABOUT NEXT WEEKEND! TODAY I WENT TO A MALL ABOUT 40 MINUTES SOUTH OF MY APARTMENT. IT WAS IN AN AREA CALLED SAKET, AND THE MALL ITSELF WAS CALLED “SELECT CITYCENTER.” IT WAS YOUR AVERAGE 3 STORY MALL (OK, ACTUALLY IT WAS SUPER NICE) – BUT WE WENT MAINLY BECAUSE IT HAD A MOVIE THEATER INSIDE. (WE WERE CRAVING SOME MOVIE POPCORN AND SODA!) WE SAW INDIANA JONES – IN ENGLISH, AND DESPITE HEARING BAD REVIEWS ABOUT IT – ENJOYED IT. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK TO DOING MORE INDIAN STUFF THOUGH – THIS WEEKEND INVOLVED A LOT OF AMERICAN FAST-FOOD AND WITH THE MALL AND MOVIE TODAY, I’M FEELING A BIT LIKE I’M WASTING MY PRECIOUS DAYS IN INDIA DOING STUFF THAT I COULD BE DOING IN THE U.S. I THINK AT LEAST FOR A WHILE I WILL STICK TO CHECKING OUT THE LOCAL MARKETS AND THE BIG CENTER OF DELHI – CONNAUGHT PLACE.

I MANAGED TO GET A FEW PICTURES OF OUR ADVENTURES TODAY AND YOU CAN CHECK THEM OUT HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/April.Gay/IndiaPicsJune12008
I ALSO TOOK A SHORT VIDEO WHILE WE WERE RIDING IN AN AUTO-RICKSHAW (LITTLE MOTORIZED, COVERED 3-WHEELED VEHICLE). INDIA USED TO BE WELL KNOWN FOR ITS RICKSHAWS – WHICH USED TO BE MAN POWERED – I.E. A BIKE WITH SOME SORT OF SEATING STRAPPED TO THE BACK, BUT NOW THE MAJORITY OF RICKSHAWS ARE MOTORIZED. (I’M NOT SURE IF THAT IS BETTER – SAFETY WISE – OR WORSE! THEY DRIVE A BIT LIKE MANIACS!) THE VIDEO SHOULD GIVE YOU SOME IDEA WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO BE INSIDE ONE, AND HOW CLOSE TO THE OTHER VEHICLES THE RICKSHAW DRIVERS WILL GET!

ONE THING I DID NOT GET PICTURES OF – DESPITE THE HALF A DOZEN OR SO ATTEMPTS I MADE WERE THE COWS (WELL, STEERS, I THINK) THAT WE PASSED WHILE ON OUR WAY TO THE MALL. THEY WERE JUST ROAMING FREE ON THE SIDE OF A MAJOR ROAD AND THEY WERE ENORMOUS! I THOUGHT THEY WERE BUFFALO AT FIRST. WE SAW AT LEAST A DOZEN ALONG A 3 ROAD STRETCH AND IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THEM RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING! I WILL TRY TO GET A PHOTO OF ONE IF I RUN ACROSS THEM AGAIN.

WELL, I AM REALLY TUCKERED OUT TONIGHT, SO I THINK THIS WILL BE A SHORT BLOG. I NEED TO REST UP FOR ANOTHER LONG WORK-WEEK.