All Our Bags Are Packed!

 India # 1 

Past business trips to India have been filled with a variety of perspectives: 

High-tech: We supplied power supplies for India's commercial and government radio/tv transmission/broadcast equipment, medical equipment, flight simulators, etc.

 While resolving customer issues, we experienced the -- unexpected. The contrasts were extreme:

                                            Poverty

                                            Begging

                    Everyone works hard to earn a living

            Wealth: We were invited to an Indian wedding

2008: We were unnerved learning that terrorists attacked the Taj Mahal hotel about ten days after we left. Also, we just met a couple that had detailed knowledge of the situation--pointed out a side gate near the hotel pool which provided a quick exit from the melee.

2016: We drove through the city of Chennai two weeks after the horrific tidal wave. Three miles from the coast, we could see debris and a three-foot waterline on office buildings and homes 

While meeting a customer in Chandigarh (city north of New Delhi), we were rushed by Sikh guards to a "secret location" where cars would take us to the railroad station and back to Delhi. There was fear of a potential "incident."

We were invited to a luncheon at the Presidential Palace. Jerry sat at a desk in what would be similar to what exists in our president's oval office. Jerry almost picked up the "Red Phone" to see who might be at the other end. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the building.

Jerry had a moment to "move boulders!"

2024: We're now looking forward to seeing India from a different perspective: being a tourist!

               LAX - Very few travelers at Terminal 4 and Bradley 

Another "India surprise" - A passenger became quite ill. Pilot made an emergency landing in Dubai (UAE). Following UAE medics providing medical support, passenger was taken off the plane and we were finally on our way to Mumbai.

          Welcome to Mumbai: Congestion, noise and fog/smog

Airport taxis to the hotel ranged in size, age and price. We splurged and booked a large, airconditioned car with a driver that spoke limited English. The forty-five minute ride with all of this "bumper to bumper traffic" cost about $18. 

Jerry started taking quick photos from the car - There was plenty of color and poverty

"Typical" apartment complex

     Building a retaining wall and reworking a road: Where's OSHA?

              Even with the poverty, people have satellite TV

        Many women continue to maintain tradition - wearing a sari

                 This man has a good head on his shoulders

                                    The young and the old

             Crossing a busy highway and trying not to get hit by a car

            Someone is drying clothes on a fence next to a busy street

  We're "officially" in India. Jerry gets a "good luck" red dot and neckless made from scented pieces of bark