This was my second trip to India, and I have to say that it was so much better than my first trip! Perhaps it was getting over the huge shock that is India on the first trip... or the fact that I didn't get sick this time... or maybe the fact that unlike last time when I was in the massive cities like Mumbai and Chennai (10-15million people each)... we were in "smaller" towns (of only 3-4 million people each).
This trip was my first to India that included train travel. The train stations and train accomodations are a unique experience all to its own... but the view out the window is like being in a time machine! Villiages of people living in grass huts, plowing fields using only water buffalo or ox... and riding the occasional camel or elephant for transportation. It's just so hard to imagine that a large portion of the world's population still live like this - but the fact is that they do.
(Full photo gallery at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2103689108399.132380.1130619233&l=14ee2d31e3 )
The cities (Ranchi, Rajgangpur, Rourkela) we visited were still very densely populated, chaotic and dirty... but no where nearly as "difficult" as Mumbai - where there are millions of poverty-stricken people packed into the slums- and where traffic makes a simple 10 mile commute take upwards of 3 hours. These cities had a bit of green in them... and a more suburban feel.
Jamshedpur, the city where our Indian office is, and where Tata Steel has a massive steel plant(one of the world's largest), is "run" by Tata, and actually clean and green! There were actually trash cans and dumpsters in the city! No joke - this is not something you see anywhere else in India! It was quite a nice thing to see!
The food was fantastic, and on this trip my colleague from India was with us every step of the way, to recommend the hottest and the tastiest foods to try. This was great!! On a dare, I ate the hottest pepper there... striaght... you can't fully see the REDNESS and SWEAT that broke out on my face for the rest of the evening...
The scariest part of the trip was the 3 hour car ride from Jamshedpur to Ranchi. It was on a winding mountainous road (kind of like the one in the "Ice Road Truckers - India - World's Most Dangerous" - but not quite as mountainous)... this was a view into rural India, traveling on dangerous, horrible sorta-one-lane roads with big trucks passing on all sides. We passed 3 fatal car accidents! Plus, this stretch of road is notorious after dark, and the locals won't even drive it in the dark because of the risk of hijackings and other bad stuff.
We did pass villages of grass huts... and people RIDING CAMELS for transportation... among other weird sights along the way!
All in all, while India is a crowded, dirty place which has more poverty than any other place in the world I've been to... this trip was so much more enjoyable and comfortable for me. Again, partly due to the smaller cities where we went, and in part to the fact that I was fully prepared for what to expect this time around.
After my week in India - I hopped a flight from New Delhi, India to Frankfurt, Germany. Man - that was like getting into a space ship and going to a new planet...
Germany is so clean, so orderly, so meticulously organized and cared for... with food that is rather bland and brown (but very tastey) in comparison to the bright, spicy foods of India. Such a contrast!!
My week in Germany was busy and comfortable. I know the area... I can drive (I have a 6 speed diesel VW over there - which is so much fun to take out on the autobahn)... the language is more familiar to me as are the accomodations, food and climate.
I met up with colleagues there from Spain, UK, France and Germany for a productive week - and lots of good dinners and beers at night.
Flight back home to Cleveland was wonderful - First class again, and very comfortable and relaxing.
The homecoming from Amy and the boys was so wonderful that Thursday night! Ahhhh... so good to be home again! Wonder where my next trip will be?
China and Japan I suspect...
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