Duplicate Key Maker

This is a classic.  For weeks, I have been trying to have a spare key made but no one had any clue where I could get it done.  That was of course until I heard about the guy in the fruit market.  Well 30 minutes later on the back of my cousin's rented Royal Enfield and we found him amongst bananas, tomatoes and onions.  Lots of onions.  All he had really was a file, a clamp and twenty years of experience.  First try and the key worked like a charm.

Performing Children

Adorable yet sad.  They followed me everywhere in the parking lot on my way to the grocery.  The little boy kept calling, "You from America?  Italy?  England?...  Finally I had to see what it was all about and stopped while they performed their act.  I was just hoping that when I paid them, some adult wsn't around to take their money while pimping them out.

Trying to steal my bag.

But don't worry.  I followed them all the way to the taxi and got in with them.  And the fellas try this after every flight!

Three Wise Men?

Saw these men in the airport and of course had to go over and take pictures.  They were barefoot and some bareback walking through the terminal and eventually on the plane.

They told me they belonged to the Ayyappan Temple and they go on a pilgrimage every year.  On top of their heads are gifts to the temple of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  OK I lied.  It's rice and coconut.  After that they pulled out their Blackberries and asked me to email them the pics.  Lets be realistic, they were probably accountants and lawyers. Otherwise balancing stuff on their heads would have been easy peasy.  

Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in southwest India. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan meditated after killing the powerful demoness, Mahishi. Ayyappan's temple is situated on a hilltop surrounded by mountains and dense forests.

Women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter the temple, since the story attributed to Ayyappa prohibits the entry of the women in the menstrual age group.  The devotees are expected to follow a vratham (41-day penance) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing of a special Mala (a garland made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads). In general from then they are to refrain from non-vegetarian food of any kind (except dairy) alcohol, and tobacco, engaging in sex, using foul language, hair-cuts and shaving.

Did I mention that it gets kinda crowded?  On Friday 14 January 2011, a human stampede occurred just outside the pilgrimage, after a vehicle fell down on the small pathway. Around 100 people were reported dead, with roughly 100 more injured.

But I guess you knew all this stuff already I suppose!

Indian boy ‘killed for sharing higher-caste name’

LUCKNOW: According to the police sources, a 14 year old low caste “untouchable” was strangled in northern India because he shared his first name with a higher caste youth.
Neeraj Kumar, was allegedly kidnapped and strangled by a group of boys led by 23 year old Neeraj Chaudhary, whose family resented the idea of the low caste boy having the same first name.
The victim’s father, Ram Sumer, a vegetable seller, said when his son was admitted to primary school, the alleged killer’s father “called to advise me to change my son’s name because it was the same as his son’s”. Sumer said he told the father, an affluent landlord, it was too late to change the name because it had been entered in school records.

The higher caste family was further incensed when Sumer named another son Dheeraj, the same as Chaudhary’s other boy. Sumer stated that, “So many names are common to so many people but Chaudhary disliked the idea because I belong to the lowest caste.”
The victim was found dead in a forest near Raghupur village, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow.
Brij Lal, police chief of India’s most populous state, said the victim was killed over “caste discrimination” last month but the murder only came to light a few days ago.
Chaudhary has denied his family is responsible for the crime and has accused police of framing his sons.

Crossing the road

Indians I have discovered are the best road crossers in the world.  In the first video we cross a busy road and it a matter of life or death.  But in the second video we are assisted by Smiles.  To him it is one big joke. 

So I'm here..... Delhi

The first thing I noticed was the driving... to this day (2 weeks later), I am still amazed by it.  I have learned however to keep my head down, read my news paper, or just shut my eyes while I read.  I guess it makes sense to tell you that I am driven to and from work.  Other notables... the people are very polite and respectful - especially at the hotel.  The currency is 45 rupees to 1 US.  One can buy a sandwich and drink for 50 rupees.  The electricity keeps cutting out every hour.  But as most places have a generator, power is restored momentarily.  The temperature is about 33 and no rain in this season and is a lot like Trinidad.  In fact, the best way to describe here is that it is like being in Chaguanas but with GREAT food.  Words cannot describe how good the food is.  No beef though.  Cows are sacred here and there is just no eating beef here thus far.  In fact on the roads, you will often see cows walking against traffic.  Poverty...  yes it's here.  Once I had a mother tapping the glass with a baby in her arms and it was sad.  There are also a few cloth tents/shelters along the road where people live with dirt floors.  Heaven help them monsoon time.  Paperwork... I have never seen so much paperwork and red tape in my life.  There are about a million forms to fill out, some of them in blue, some in black, some you have to fill the same form out five times even though they are duplicate.  And everything dealing with the government is stress.  They make you register with the police within 14 days of arrival and that by itself is a whole day process. But on a positive note, a country is about its people and the Indians are warm and welcoming.  I can't wait to visit an ashram with the family and go to the many sites especially the Taj Mahal. 

On a personal note... when I arrived initially, I had a really hard time for the first couple of days.  I was jet lagged, had paperwork problems with my pilot license, culture shocked and was home sick.   I am in a type of country club that has 24 hotel rooms.  The place has billiards, big swimming pool, tennis courts, squash courts, a gym, and a most amazing restaurant that I can order anything I want for free.  Oh and all the dry cleaning is free too.  I have mostly been playing squash and swimming on my time off.  Don't want a Delhi Belly.  Tonight's room service... Chicken Biryani.

I miss EVERYONE in my family dearly but this opportunity through FlightSafety is one I cannot pass up one if I am to get current again.  FlightSafety hopes I will come back soon and teach having gained valuable experience.

In the meanwhile I am doing courses and writing exams to fulfill the Indian Aviation regulations.  And boy do they have many.  Soon I will be shipped out to Hyderabad in the south and start flying my astronaut off.  Will fill you in then...  Namaste