Incredible India

well, as per my previous post, i really really love India. i was rather skeptical about going to India because well, not that im racist but you know, haha i think i dont have to spell it out lah. haha! on the other hand i was pretty excited because it's a country i would never have thought of visiting if not for business reason ( this is before this trip ) and since i have everything paid for, why not? basically i was to be there for a week and to visit New Dehli for one day. wanted to try to make a trip to Taj Mahal but guess i dont have enough time as Taj Mahal is like 4 hours away form Delhi and I have the risk of missing my flight home.

anyway i must say, in India, im like a princess or rather the queen. becuase im like the ONLY chinese girl in the whole of India, they look at me as if i was a dinosaur - rare and extinct. haha! and they treat me like im some queen from another land, visiting them and gracing their country. the very moment i stepped into the airport, i was treated differently. everyone was queuing up to get out of the custom with their luggages but the airport officers looked at me and said " madam, you can go first " haha! and i was given the priviledge to ride on the elevator that is meant for big-shots who worked in my office building. haha! they saw me and they were like " madam, this way please " haha! and i got picked up by people at my very own hotel. haha! just got back from shopping and was looking all tired and dirty and then these 2 indians was like " hey, how are you? where are you from? " and i just replied politely that im from Singapore and they went on " you looked really cute in your outfit, where did you get that? " in my mind, im like " DUHZ, i look like a market auntie with ugly plastic bags and my hair is in a mess and you said i look cute? blind " and then they actually invited me for a drink at the bar which is at the top floor of my hotel. I told them " sure, let me put my things down and i'll look for you " very effective drop-off line! haha if they are cute like some bollywood star, i would definitely go with them. haha actually maybe not too.

this is Bombay. doenst look very indian-ish right?

aah, this is in Bandra Bends' End if i didnt remember wrongly. it's sort of like the outskirts of Bombay. do you see those small little thins in a distance? those are not rubbish okay, they are Indians. accordingly to my friends, they like to just hang out at the beach and yak non-stop haha no wonder we see Indians hanging out in Little India on grass. haha!

this is my hotel's view. i am facing the Arabian sea and im living on Marine Drive. apparently if your apartment faces the sea, it fetches a much higher price than the rest.

this is my friend's house in Bandra, not the whole block but the 2nd floor lah. Bandra is like the outskirts of Bombay. It looks dirty and small but guess what? it cost almost half million for this flat.

this is SharuKhan's house. it's HUGE!!!

see slums in India is everywhere. as compared to SharuKhan's house, such a stark contrast ya? apparently these slums are not legalized BUT should the governement ask these people to move, they have to pay them. interesting right? and they are really EVERYWHERE.

heh heh i took the so-called India Tuk-Tuk, which is called the Auto-Rickshaw. quite an exciting ride and they are only found in Bandra and not in the city area.

doesnt this look like flats in Singapore? acutually i think this is the only so-called flats i saw in Bombay. most of them are low houses.

this is Humayum's Tomb, in New Dehli. it is said that it is this tomb that inspired Taj Mahal. well from the picture, it may not look that grand, but trust me, the moment this came into sight, i went " OH MY GOD " and it's from the botoom of my heart that i am really inspired or amazed by this huge and amazing structure. i cannot imagine how Taj Mahal will be like. oh Humayum is some king i think. haha not sure.

this is the tomb of some scholar who is situated next to the Humayum's tomb. when i first saw this, im already awed. but then it pales in comparaion to Humayum's tomb. haha!

see i love it sooo much that i have to take another picture of it with me inside. and guess what, if you'rea an indian you only have to pay like 10 rupees to get in the park. for foreigners like me, i have to pay 100 ruppees. they should implement such practice in singapore to encourage us to go to our places of interests!

the street of New Dehli. see so many indians. hahaha! so lame.

in the whole structure, the only main thing is the tomb and the white box is the tomb. that's it. quite a waste of space right? maybe i should marry an indian who is willing to build Taj Hannah for me. hahaha!

another tourist attraction in New Delhi is the Red Fort. think it used to be like a castle kind of thing for some kings. there's houses, mosques, dining places, etc in the fort itself. very very grand again.

this is the gateway i think. cannot remember already. i just snapped snapped snapped. haha besides this is like 4 months ago.

all the buildings are white because it's real marble. although it's hot and sunnyoutside, the marble is cool to touch. very interesting. i think this is where the king entertain his guests in the old times.

the entrance to the red fort. i think it's called red fort because the outside is built with reddish brown stuffs, may be bricks. haha not sure.

this is the throne of the king. made of marble again. i think the king has to ride on elephant to get on top of it. not sure. just guessing. haha

well if i didnt remember worngly, this is the bed of the king and this is the bedroom. dont ask me how they sleep on such hard stuffs. i really have no idea. was there on my own and so dont have a local guide to guide me. maybe should have hired one so that they can explain to me what is this and what is that.

anyway i really want to visit India again and i want to go Taj Mahal. now im reading this book called "Shantaram" and it's all about Bombay and all and as i read them, i can kinda recall certain places that the book is talking about but i want to go back and see it AGAIN. amazing book, read it! ooh actually come to think of it, an Indian colleague of mine is getting married in March 2009 and her wedding is in Goa and she's going to invite me, which means i can go India again!! yay yay!!