Catch of the Day

This morning's 5:30AM stroll brought out all the usual contradictions of the place.

A few striking ones. A sign for a fertility clinic.

One of the stunning impressions one gets moving about is the demographics. The streets are filled to overflowing, but filled with 10 to 30 year old. 90% would be in this age range.

Since I first came to India in 1996 (15 years ago) the population has increased by over 300 million, or the entire population of the US has been added in 15 years.

The streets are swept by hand each morning, but the amount of refuse that accumulates each day is quite impressive. In the market area I passed by an interesting sign "Clean Delhi - Green Delhi" behind a dumpster and piles of refuse.

One of the houses near by was being worked on, one of the workmen sleeping on site as a guard. This appears to be a common technique. Most shops have the usual pull down metal shutters, but the more upscale shops with glass fronts will pay someone to sleep in front of the door.

On the market street there is an image of Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, sitting under a tree. At first I thought he was surrounded with garbage, but it turned out to be plastic bags of flower offering and the like.

I had a meeting in Gurgaon which is a massive city SW of Delhi proper. This is one of the places where you call for phone support (with the others being Mumbai and Bangalore).

It was stunning. Mile after mile of huge glass towers housing the call centers, all built in the last 5 to 15 years. Interspersed between the towers are India's version of malls. Each one almost as massive as the the brand new call center buildings.

Unlike US malls, here each mall specializes in one thing, so there will be an electronics mall (or 3), a housewares mall, a women's clothing mall, an automobile mall, etc.

Since most of the work is for US and Europe, the whole city operates on a different time zone. When I was leaving at 6:30pm it was rush hour, but not rush hour home after a days work but rush hour to work, for the US day.

These call centers pay very well by Indian standards so there is a huge amount of 'disposable' income, hence the dozens of malls. Most 20 year old call center workers earn 2-3 times what their parents earn.

Night

Being fairly anti-tourist I only pull out the camera under cover of darkness or very early in the morning before most are up.

This is out the window at 3am after 2 hours sleep thanks to jetlag.

Delhi has filled with cars over the last 10 years. Where once there were only a few Ambassadors (1940's style), now there are millions of brand new cars.

This one sits under s tree that sheds little sweet smelling flowers every day.

Rabies

Well, when I got some vaccines before leaving, since I hadn't had any since childhood, the doctor suggested rabies vaccine, but said I should get it once I arrived in India because in the US a round of injections costs around $1,000. Well I got my chance right away. Got bit by a street dog this morning.

It was just casually walking by, turned its head and bit my leg and then just as casually walked on by.

After lunch, I walked to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital about a mile or so north. The grounds of the massive facility were filled with family members camped out. The building entrances were lined with stretcher carts. All made of steel sort of if you cut culvert pipe into thirds (so the patients cant roll off easily) on wheels. I walked through the grounds and back out as it was obvious it would take a day or two to get a shot.

 
While most arrived in ambulances, some have other means of transport.

Later in the afternoon, did a google search (Internet connections here are about the same as I get at home), I found a private hospital just nearby. I was immediately ushered into a doctor (in a headscarf), who was just chatting with nurses. Within another minute had the prescription for the vaccine and got it in the next room for Rs 250 ($5) and had it injected. Doctor bill was Rs 50 ($1).