Bangers, Boomers and Crackheads...(nothing to do with sausage, yuppies or drugs)

Well, Diwali has officially started and outside the air is punctuated with a chorus/cacaphony of rumble, crack, snap, bang, boom of fireworks and crackers going off. The should call it the festival of support for the Chinese economy instead of the festival of lights, since the amount of fireworks purchased is staggering and nearly all are made there.

I was given three masks by the hotel manager to wear when I go outside as the air gets so infiltrated with dust and particles from these fireworks that you need to wear one. Already cut a small hole in one to fit my ciggy in when I smoke... or maybe I can save some money as just a deep inhale outside should do it for me! The pollution will go on for a week, he said. Unbelievable.

I was told that some of the wealthier families will spend up to 2000 GBP on fireworks. So bizzare that so much is spent on something so frivolous with so many starving, but who am I to say?


Food consumed: Paneer in tomato sauce, potatoes with spinach, stir fry noodles...and three scoops of ice cream!
Cigarettes: 7 (should be even lower tomorrow due to the availability of smoke in the air).
Bollywood dancing: none

Maybe Culture Shock is for People Who Have No Culture..?

I'm in India. Culture shock? Hardly any. Many parts of New Delhi resemble Athens, Greece or Rio or parts of the Caribbean. Where were the mobs of people at the airport waiting to prey on unsuspecting arriving tourists? An exaggeration to say the least-you can't believe what you read, especially from people on internet who don't get passports until after they retire.Is it frenetic? No. Is the traffic shocking? Most definitely. But it all works, like some many parts of the movement in a watch.

It's Dewali, the festival of lights (and fireworks apparently). People give gifts, especially sweets and visit their relatives. If you think that figuring out how the date for Easter is calculated is complicated, try reading this on wikipedia about Dewali: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali


I received a lovely gift from the hotel mgr.- a yoga mat made of recycled materials. I am touched by such a thought and by the kindness and attention of everyone I have met so far. 


Food consumed: Rice...and only rice due to yesterday's samosa consumption).
Bollywood dancing: brief 2 minute fling outside Kingdom of Dreams
Jet lag (1-10 scale, 10 being the worst): 8
Cigarettes smoked: 12

PS LANGUR MAN photo coming soon!!!

Life just gets weirder every year...

They say there's no time like the present and I can no longer avoid the first post to the blog.

Delhi, Day 3, technically day 4 if you count the arrival day after 20 some odd hours of traveling. Living at the Jukaso IT suites. Great hotel and the food is even better. 

Today was the first day I ventured out of the hotel, only out of necessity as I was recruited to do some casual photography work for a hotel promotion at the Kingdom of Dreams, a scaled down Epcot type place which features all the various cultures and cuisines of India... and the LANGUR man...(video and or photo to follow tomorrow). Live folkloric dancing & song and my debut as a Bollywood dancer. Could be a career possibility, after all, the president is Italian, so it's not so far fetched after all.

Food consumed: Samose with beans, Paneer with Iforgetthewordforspinach, dahl (for a change), misi roti, and an unidentifiable dessert with a spongy like texture and even more unidentifiable taste.

Cigarettes smoked: 11