Tour of India, Part 3

We arrived at the Udaipur airport in the evening and were picked up by the hotel's driver. Note: when traveling in India always pre-arrange someone to pick you up wherever you arrive. You do not want to deal with taxi drivers on the street. 

We drove into an old town with narrow streets and bridges that looked very tourist-friendly. Our hotel was small inn with a comfortable bed but a bathroom with a shower that had no separate stall. But we got a good price for it. We had a small snack at the rooftop restaurant and the breeze was a little chilly.

Tour of India, part 2

Sorry for the interruption. I spent a week in the US on business (plus, of course, visiting family) and have since been dealing with a cold and jet lag.

After we left the hotel in Agra we got back in the car for a road trip to Jaipur. Getting out of Jaipur was crazy; the driver had to take the car down streets with only slightly more clearance for his mirrors. But once we got on the road it was a nice trip. The road was wide and clear and ran through open country. Ms S and I sat in the back seat and chatted, snacked on peanuts and fruit we bought on the road side, and watched the countryside as the sun set.

Tour of India, part 1

Ms S was here for almost two weeks, and just left for home two days ago. I met her in New Delhi and we traveled through Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai, and Cochin before settling in Chennai. for a few days. I'll try to give you a decent summary without too much boring detail. Including links to photo albums by city, which may be boring.

Weekends in Chennai

Last weekend was a three day weekend for us, as Diwali was on Friday and a holiday at work. While the locals enjoyed their firecrackers and meals with family, Mr R and I spent a quiet day at home reading, cooking, and sleeping. We are learning to cook with dried, rather than canned, beans and have decided it’s time to make our own salsa. Spaghetti sauce is next. Then I’m thinking about making baked beans (remember, no meaningful or affordable source of canned/packaged foods here) but have no idea what the ingredients will be and if I can find them. I think I can get molasses reasonably.

Power and Mom's Visit

It’s been some weeks since I posted to this blog. I think that indicates that life is settling in to a new normal and I feel like I have fewer new crazy things to tell you about.

Right now I am typing on my laptop in the dark. The power is out but we’re delaying turning the generator on. A cyclone is sweeping in from the ocean north of here and it brought some rain to Chennai. When it rains there is a good chance the power will go out. Likewise when it’s windy, or there is a strike, or it’s sunny, or cloudy.. you get the picture. Really, though, chances are good when it rains that we’re dark.

Busy Weekends of Leisure

We've had two weekends in Chennai since our weekend in KL. We try to pick one day per weekend to stay at home and give our driver the day off. The interesting thing for us is that a day at home used to mean household chores and yard work. No more! We eat a long breakfast and chat, surf the web, clean our closets, sit by the pool, read, watch TV, go for a walk, swim. Some times we'd like ot pop out for a cup of coffee but it just doesn't seem worth having the driver come in an hour from his house to drive us for 20 minutes.

Living with a staff

It's taken some learning and adjustment to having a personal staff. First, what do you call them? Some people refer to their staff as "servants" but that just feels wrong.

We have a driver, Ramesh,

More Kuala Lumpur Tidbits

Just a little more about our KL experience:

We enjoyed watching our fellow guests at the tea times and happy hours in the hotel lounge. At tea time there were small sandwiches, fruit, and little pastries. Happy hour got more elaborate with sushi and some hot dishes. And, of course, the happy hour crowd got happier and louder the longer they were there.

Too Close for Comfort

Just saw this headline about snakes in the Kuala Lumpur airport this week. That is WAYYYY to close for comfort.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/travelgetaways/24865241/detail.html

Our Weekend in Kuala Lumpur

We are just home from a weekend in Kuala Lumpur.

Ford encourages us to leave the country four times per year: two weekends and two week trips. We wanted to make our first trip an easy one and we wanted to shop. KL fit the bill: a non-stop, 3.5 hour flight and plenty of shopping.

We arrived in the morning and were picked up at the airport by a Mercedes sent by our hotel. We marveled at the quiet roads in which cars drove in single file in their own lanes, the roadside was clean and landscaped, and the buildings were modern and clean.

Preparing for your Indian visit

Ready to come visit us? You will need some time to prepare.

Get a passport or renew your old one (it will need to be valid for 6 months beyond your planned travel date) at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Get an Indian visa; visit this site to apply, https://www.indian-visa.com/select-application Read the instructions for all details, but I'm pretty sure you will need to send two passport photos. You can get them at CVS or Walgreens these days.

This is the site of the India consulate if you need more info:  http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/6IndianVisa/IndianVisa.html

Settling In

It's been two weeks since my last post. Last time we were in ecstasy over having our furniture delivered. It's amazing how much that has changed our experience here. Yes, it's good to have a real bed to sleep in, comfy chairs, and enough dishes that we can go two meals without having to wash between them. But, emotionally, it's like we have our safe place and a home base to return to. It doesn't feel so much like a temporary place where you don't want to touch stuff because you don't know who's been there before you.

We had our boxes unpacked and our furniture placed within 5 days of receiving it. So we've been able to go out and about the past two weekends.

Our stuff has landed

The container holding our furniture was taken off a ship on Thursday last week, cleared customs on Friday, was driven down Chennai roads in the dead of night (the only time a 40 foot container can use the roads), and unloaded at our house on Saturday. I woke up at 6:00 AM and made us walk down to see the truck. We thought it might be at the end of our lane but they had to park it on the main road. We walked down and practically jumped up and down and hugged each other when we saw it.

Good story about Chennai and Ford

Of course you know I don't work at the plant in Chennai. But here is a good news story about Ford in India, and about the people who've come to Chennai to support their companies.

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/indias-detroit-city-2010-07-08/EDF916AB-3058-4D70-97EC-99ABC573B96F

The store you see at the end is across from the hotel I used to stay at. It's expensive.

Walking around our house

Mr. R and I took a walk down the streets around our house. We live in sort of a sub off the main road leading south out of Chennai. So a main street comes in and there are a few more streets that branch off. There's an amazing amount of open space, some empty lots that are walled off with small quarters for caretakers (apparently to protect the lots until the owners build in them), and some very posh and less posh homes. Here are photos of the area.

Is the worst behind us?

Since our dismal Tuesday things have started looking up:

Whirlpool finally showed up to replace and install our washer. So now we have a washer, dryer, and clean clothes. Here is a photo of the set; notice the cute little dryer. It was the only model in the store that dries clothes 100%. Apparently most people here hang their clothes out so dryers are not in demand.

The little things

Here's a short list of little things that remind us we're in a new place.

We drink, cook, and brush our teeth with water from a dispenser.

One Month

It's been one month since I arrived. In some ways it's flown, in others it feels like I've been here forever.

I took last Friday off work so we could have a three day weekend. On Friday we went shopping; first time Mr R had left the house since he arrived. We went appliance shopping: it took us three stores but we found a washer and dryer that seemed suitable and affordable. Went and picked out curtain fabric and made an appointment for the tailor to come to our house to measure windows. Had a nice lunch out. Did some futile housewares and grocery shopping.

Wednesday Update

We are starting to settle in. Mr R has been on his own at the house for 2.5 days now, while I've been at work. He's learning how to work with the caretaker and maid. We're still trying to get internet access and the TV service to work. But we have food in the fridge, the cats are becoming a little more comfortable, and we are developing a bit of a routine:

Our family has been reunited

The cats arrived safe and sound very early Friday morning. I was up all night waiting for them, like Christmas 10 times over.

The three of us spent Friday and Saturday at the house, them sleeping and starting to explore and me cleaning then relaxing. Friday was my big cleaning day- attacked the kitchen with Comet, scrub brush, and plastic gloves. Saturday was a little more relaxing- unpacked some more boxes, got my new work computer running, then took a dip in the pool. I could hear the sound of waves hitting the beach while I was laying around the pool- that was nice.

Starting to move in

The boys will be here late tonight and need a home to come to. So I've moved out of the hotel and will spend my first night in the new house tonight. I've been digging in bit by bit: received our air shipment, cleaned the bedrooms and bathrooms, bought a toaster and teapot, got internet access to the house.

Shipment Delivered

I sent many of you an email last night, but for the rest of you: our air shipment was delivered to our house yesterday evening. For the record that was 12 days late but at least it got here before Clay and the cats did. So now we have cat supplies, one box of cereal, ramen noodles, and towels and sheets.

I'm dithering on which room will be our bedroom and which will be the office. The bigger room has less closet space and a smaller bathroom. I tried the smaller bathroom today for a shower and it's pretty small. But the other bathroom, while bigger, just feels a bit more worn out. Ah well.

We always watched the chipmunks playing in the pine trees in our Michigan backyard. I was thrilled this morning to look out my second floor window and see a chipmunk playing in the palm trees. Hopefully he sticks around to keep us entertained.

Called a friend who called a friend and somehow we got broadband activated to the house today. Everyone told me that was going to be a weeks-long process so I'm happy with the quick turnaround.

Next is to scrub the kitchen down with a scrubby. Last night the bedrooms and bathrooms seemed pretty clean. But this morning I checked out the kitchen and it seems a little less clean. So I plan to use the elbow-high gloves.

Almost closer to being there?

It's Sunday night in India. They swear our boxes arrived in Chennai yesterday but were in a long line to clear customs. They should clear Monday morning and be delivered to our home once clear. So I'm waiting for a call tomorrow to go and inspect the boxes and start cleaning and unpacking.

A co-worker from the US came in last night to work this week. He and I both had the day free so I went over and picked him up. We bought a local cell phone, visited the house to drop off one of my suitcases and ask to get some of the utilities going, went to a nice resort for lunch on the beach (Fisherman's Cove. You will hear about this from me in the future. All the Ford people go there because it is so nice.), went to a small art gallery (of all things!), did some shopping, went to a cafe to kill an hour (very pleasant with lots of plants, sitting on a porch with an overhead fan), got massages, then had dinner. Now I'm back in the hotel preparing for the week.

Got to get the house ready for the boys and Mr R to show up early Friday morning and early Sunday morning. Yay, less than a week left!

Almost there?

It's been a few days, our shipment isn't in Chennai yet, but Palmer seems to think it will be here tomorrow and the guy in Chennai thinks he can dleiver it to our house on Sunday (which might mean Monday). To catch you up, here is the email chain which has been going in since my last installment:
________________________________________
From: palmermoving.com>
Sent: Thu Jul 01 11:16:44 2010

Your shipment was first located in Riyadh. The shipment was placed on a flight on 6/30/10 to Jeddah. It has been confirmed in Jeddah. The last leg of the flight is from Jeddah to Chennai. Your shipment will be on flight 900 7/2 from Jeddah with arrival in Chennai on Saturday 7/3/10 at 8:00AM

Dude, where's my stuff?

This email which I sent this morning says it all:
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 12:37 PM
Subject: Air Shipment Issues

It is now after noon, 29 June 2010 in India. That is 3:00 AM Detroit time, 29 June 2010. My air shipment is still not in Chennai. Multi Moving in India believes the shipment is in Saudi Arabia and says Palmer must instruct the people there to ship our goods; MMS cannot act until the goods are in the Chennai airport.

OMG Moments

I knew what I was getting in to, and I really liked India and wanted to move here. So don't think everything is bad. The climate is great, the plants are beautiful, the food is out of this world, and the people are very nice. But I've had so many OMG moments the past few days I just have to share them:

The café at my hotel has a dinner buffet. Last night I saw an older man pick up a little cake with his fingers, look at it, and put it back on the buffet table. OMG!

I've had enough

We have messed around and messed around with Palmer Moving on getting our air shipment sent. First we had to argue about when the shipment could leave Michigan. This involved email and phone calls with Palmer's Indian partners to tell Palmer how to do their job. Now I've been waiting since last Wednesday, when our stuff was supposed to arrive, and it's not here yet. Seems they used a sub-contractor who sent the shipment via Saudi Airlines rather than direct to Lufthansa (which everyone assures me worked well for them). I've sent emails, made phone calls, asked for advise, yelled, swore, and cried.

First Weekend in Chennai

Weekend has been pretty good. Friday night I was invited an American co-worker's house for an American dinner of pork and mashed potatoes.Yum! There were a few other people there whose spouses are also out of town- it was nice to meet new people. It was a really nice time: good food, lots of laughs, I learned a little about World Cup soccer teams, and the couple's daughters are really sweet.

Stuff I've Learned (or remembered) The Past Few Days

When people drive on the left side of the road they walk on the left side of the hall. Walking on the right side of the hall will involve you in many of those hallway dances where people have to go around each other.

The long scarf I wear can be a liability (got to keep it out of the toilet) or an asset (handy to dry your hands or wipe your tears).

First Day in Chennai

Here is my day one report:

• Dragged myself out of bed at 8:00 AM (after going to bed at 2:00 AM the night before)
• Quick breakfast in the hotel (cereal and yogurt- Indian food for breakfast would be way too much)

Packing

Another historical entry that I didn't post directly:

From: Jennifer Raybourn
Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 6:21 PM
Subject: Managing our stuff

As we subdivide our stuff into

• stuff we don't need (Goodwill or garbage)

Notes from our India house-hunting trip

Since I didn't get my act together and blog during the trip Clay and I took to India back in May, here are the email updates I sent at the time:

On 5/9/10, Jennifer Raybourn wrote:

We had a good day today in India. We arrived late since we missed our transfer in Frankfurt (we were re-routed through Dubai). So instead of visiting co-workers' homes as we had planned we spent most of the day sleeping. We got up around 5, walked around the hotel, sat outside by the pool, and had a nice dinner in the hotel. Tomorrow the prep work starts in earnest so we're calling it an early night tonight.
We had fun and are enjoying ourselves.

First India Visit Scheduled May 7-15

I finally got a confirmation from the contact in India that we can travel there the week of May 10 to go house hunting and prepare other details for our move there. We'll leave Friday evening, arrive late Saturday night, recuperate from the flight on Sunday, then work Mon-Fri and leave Friday around midnight. I'll take photos so you can see the place we end up picking (and, of course, photos of Clay in his new surroundings).

Dad's Morocco Log

Dad kept this log during our trip, and agreed I could post it to this blog:

2009 Morocco Trip with Jennifer

Tuesday lunch was dates, almonds, tangerines, walnut stuffed dates, and water while setting on a park wall in the medina. 1:30 pm - stop for tea - "te de la menthe" at a woman's shelter. All of the insides of the buildings are beautifully and colorfully tiled. Many French speaking people, in addition to people speaking Berber and Arabic. Many Spanish speakers also. This afternoon I met the first Moroccan who would not accept a tip. He directed us to a place to buy stamps, a normal event for tipping in Morocco. Am sending postcards to Gloria, Joel, and Julia from each city.