Trip to Kerala

Had a bit of a hectic first week. My wife had some work in Mahe. Went for an inauguration ceremony of the company with the Pondicherry Home minister invited as VIP guest! Brought along his little(!?) entourage as well who all had to give a little speech!

Same day back to Palakkad, then the following day was my wife's cousin's engagement ceremony in Thrissur. Directly from there the whole family went to Mahe again as there was still more work to do. We stayed in a fantastic hotel, which was more like an old imperial house with only 6 rooms. They make you feel as if you are guests in their home. Everything is included including 3 meals per day and the owner is a top class chef as well. The balcony overlooks the sea and there are stunning sunset views.

Went to the fort in Thalassery as well as the only driving beach in India. There we also learnt how to dig for clams! Apparently the beach is full of people collecting them in the morning to have for breakfast.

Overall, the hotel was fantastic, and we had a great time relaxing in the outdoor pool. There isn't that much to do around Mahe and Thalassery though, so next time we plan to go to Kannoor as well.

Trip to London

I have just been to London for a week for work. Apart from the weather being a bit cold and miserable, it was nice to be back. I met quite a lot of friends too.

I guess after a week back I should make some comparisons.

I found it a bit strange driving at first, not having to overtake at all. Getting up in the morning and using milk straight out of the bottle instead of having to boil it is easier. Commuting to work took a bit longer, but at least I could read a book on the tube. But the biggest difference was that work seemed a lot more relaxed than in India.

Holiday booking

I've booked my holidays for the year. Going to Kerala during my daughters school holidays at the end of September until October 10th. It should be cooler at that time at least.

Also going to London for my brother's wedding at the end of November.

It has finally happened, and typically it has happened after my wife and kids arrived. The power failed at home in the middle of the night for several hours. We were trying to get an inverter (domestic UPS) sorted out yesterday. Unfortunately the electrician said the wiring in the flat is not set up properly for a UPS to work so I'll have to work on my landlord to sort that out. I'm not sure whether he will do anything as he has been reluctant to spend much money on anything so far...

Update: The guy who claimed the wiring was not suitable for an inverter was telling porkies! We found another electrician who sold and installed us a different brand of inverter for less than half the price of the first guy.

Another update: It has been announce that in Chennai, everyone will have a scheduled power cut for 1 hour per day to save power. Good thing we got the inverter!

Driving

I've been a bit busy at work recently so haen't posted for a while.
In the last couple of weeks I've bought a car (Honda City) and passed my driving test.

In most countries, the test itself is he hard part. However here, all I had to do was drive the car in a straight line, do a u-turn and come back again. All this was on a deserted road. But India being India, the difficult part is getting the test, waiting around for a couple of hours, then after passing, waiting around to get the license itself. At least I can legally drive in India for the next 20 years.

Everyone was telling me that driving in India is crazy, although I'm actually enjoying it. It does require a lot of concentration though. The main differences are the motor bikes and auto-rickshaws zipping in between the cars. In heavy traffic if you leave any kind of gap between you and the car in front, it is instantly filled by bikes!

Shipping Update

Hooray! I have 18 boxes at home without any fuss. I met the shipping agent this morning at Customs House. He had arranged for a pass into the port area. In hushed tones he mentioned that in order to get the pass quickly, they had said I was an employee of the agent, as otherwise it takes over 48 hours!

Once inside we just walked to the customs warehouse, where the agent told me to wait in an air-conditioned waiting room while he went through the paperwork with the customs officials. I waited for about half an hour in which he came back a couple of times for a signature on a form. Then, with the senior customs official, he took me to the boxes. The customs guy ordered one of his minions to open 6 or 7 boxes, asked me if there were any electronic goods and then apologised to me for having to open the boxes!! The agent then said I could go while he arranged delivery of the boxes, and that was that! There were no "extra payments" that people warned me about, just the agent/transport fees etc. It was all very straightforward and I was able to go and work from home while waiting for the boxes!

Shipping Report

No it isn't a transcript of BBC Radio 4 LW weather forecast, but a report on how our shipped belongings are progressing on their journey from London to Chennai.

After a false alarm when the shipping company sent me an e-mail saying that the boxes were arriving in May, they have arrived in Chennai for real. The ship arrived on Friday and I got a call from the appointed shipping agent. Went to meet him at the agents office and signed the customs paperwork. Apparently tomorrow I will have to go to the port itself for a customs inspection of the boxes. Hopefully this will result in the boxes being cleared and delivered home tomorrow evening (all for a modest fee to agent, customs and for transport from the port).

So far it has been straightforward, but I've been told to be wary of the customs people asking for extra "donations"...

It's Hot!

Generally, I haven't been used to 42 degrees Celsius in London. In fact I can safely say that the maximum temperature I have ever experienced is probably about 37-38 degrees before this. I guess it wasn't a smart move to come to Chennai just before the summer then :-).

For me it isn't too bad. I have air conditioning in my bedroom at home, and in the office so at least Monday - Friday is bearable. Weekends it is a different matter though.

Actually this post is a bit late as we seem to have reached the peak. Apparently it should cool down once the monsoon season starts in Kerala. I was expecting a monsoon season in Chennai as well, but I've been told not to get my hopes up!

The weirdest thing for me is that the only time of day to go out is either early morning or after 5pm. It really does start getting too hot by around 8.30am. I have been told that this year has been particularly severe though.

IPL

The Indian Premier League (Cricket) has been running for a month now and of course I am supporting the Chennai Super Kings!! (Dhoni! Dhoni! Dhoni!)

It's the make or break match tonight against Deccan Chargers. CSK have to win to make the semi finals.

UPDATE: CSK lost on the last ball of the match! For a full match report see here

I've told my friends about the blog now

This is a quick message to say hi to any of my friends/family who are visiting the blog for the first time. Up until now I have just started out trying to figure out what to write. But I guess eventually I have to have an audience rather than write purely for myself.

Visiting Family

This weekend I visited my family in Kerala (just outside Thrissur(Trichur)). The excuse for the trip was my cousins daughters "choroonu" which is the first time she eats rice. It was good to see several people that I hadn't seen for a long time.

I went by train (Trivandrum Mail) on Friday night, arriving in Thrissur at 5am on Saturday morning. Got picked up by my uncle inmy dads car and went to Peruvanam. I do feel at home in my Dad's house there, even though my mum and dad aren't actually there at the moment. Although I slept there, most of my time was spent at my grandmothers house just 5 minutes walk away.

Saturday was pretty busy with the function at my aunt and uncles place a few kms away. Made use of my dads car which otherwise just sits in the garage while he is in the UK. Lots of my cousins ahave small kids now. It's good to have a play with them, especially as I'm missing my own kids so much.

Spent sunday mostly at my grandmothers place, but also checking things at my dads house. It's a really quiet relaxing village. Here is where it is:

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You can zoom out to see exactly where it is.

Spent the rest of Sunday just relaxing with everyone at home. It was kind of strange just coming to see everyone for the weekend. Normally visiting Peruvanam is a planned 2-3 week trip from the UK including many other visits.

I travelled by train in the 3 tier A/C sleeper car (meaning there are 3 rows of beds the middle one of which folds to let people sit during the day). It's comfortable enough, but a bit tiring as I tend to wake up every time the train stops at a station. It was strang reaching Thrichur station as I didn't recognise the place. It has had a major refurbishment since I last went there.

Travel

Most people around here do not seem to rate Chennai public transport very highly. I admit it is not up to Londons standards, but I don't think it is too bad. Since I got my flat, I have been getting the bus to work in the mornings, which has been fairly comfortable (although I do leave home at 7.15am to avoid crowds and heat).

I have pointed out to a few of my colleagues that there is bus route information freely available on the MTC (Metropolitan Transport Corporation) website. And one thing is certainly true, bus and train travel is cheap.

I admit that I have been using a lot of Auto-rickshaws which has been more expensive, but I will probably buy a car soon. The auto drivers are pretty mad though, dodging in and out of the traffic. But they seem to get to your destination in one piece. The only other issue with them is payment. In Chennai it is illegal for the auto's not to have a meter, but I am yet to see one that has been turned on. The basic aim is to agree the price before the journey, otherwise there will be an almighty argument at the end of it!

I think driving will be OK, although the only problem might be if I am involved in any accident, I would struggle with not understanding Tamil.

Getting a gas connection

Me: I would like a new gas connection please.
Gas rep: Do you have a ration card?
**a ration card is something that allows residents of India to buy staple goods at a subsidised price. There is no hope of me getting one for at least several months.**
Me: No
Gas rep: I can sell you a private cylinder for Rs1200 <4 times the subsidised price!>
Me: erm...

Luckily Bharat Gas are doing a promotion where they will give a gas cylinder at the government rate if you pay Rs7000 up front. For that price we also get a gas cooker (2 rings), a mixi, a pressure cooker and an iron. Quality wasn't too bad either (not that I had much choice :-)

Help! I don't hava a residential address.

Getting a Bank Account

Scene: HDFC bank rep comes to my office to sort out corporate salary accounts for new joiners. In India, these guys tend to come to you to set things up, and often fill the forms for you as well, meaning we just have to sign in seventeen places at the end.

HDFC Bank Rep: What is your residential address sir?
Me: I don't have one, I'm staying in the hotel round the corner from the office.
HDFC Bank Rep: erm...
Me: Can I put my office address for now?
HDFC Bank Rep: We don't normally do that...
Me:


Scene: Airtel mobile rep comes to office to set up postpaid mobile connecction

Airtel Mobile phone rep: What is your residential address sir?
Me: I don't have one, I'm staying in the hotel round the corner from the office.
... (you get the picture)

In fact later on I got cut off by airtel for not having provided a residential address! within 2 weeks of arriving in Chennai! Apparently the rep should not have given me the connection without getting a residential address.

Arrival in Chennai

Well actually I arrived in Chennai from London almost a month ago, but I've been too lazy to start writing this blog.

So who am I?

I am a IT professional, born and brought up in the UK to Indian parents and I am married with 2 young kids. We have made the decision as a family that spending a couple of years living and working in India would be a good experience for us all (although my wife was actually brought up in Tamil Nadu, so she's cheating!).

I got the opportunity through my employer to come and work in our Chennai office for a 2 year secondment. (If anyone from my company has figured out who I am, don't worry I am not going to write about the company in this blog, only maybe cultural differences in the office).

What am I going to write about?

I hope to write about my experiences on coming to Chennai, the differences in daily life between London and Chennai and pretty much everything that happens along the way - good and bad.

Anyway, feel free to comment on the kind of things you'd like me to write about and I'll do my best to find the time.