Seen on a train to Pune...

Passengers sleeping....


....and waking up....


....and meeting other passengers....

Heading to Pune

We're heading to Pune tonight for a couple of days...going by train. We're acquiring some land near a green-city-under-construction called Lavasa, about a hour's drive from Pune. The property was recommended by a close family friend. We need to register it with the government while we're here. We leave Hyderabad around 9 pm tonight, arriving in Pune 12 hours later. Not sure if I'll have Internet access during this time, so I might not be able to get back to work until this weekend.

"Gully cricket"

Weary of working for the day and needing a break, I took a walk around the neighborhood. I happened upon a bunch of youths playing cricket in an abandoned lot. I thought I could watch inconspicuously, but a few of them saw me and shouted, "Which country?!?"

"America", I replied, somewhat embarassed at being seen.

They invited me to join them. I didn't really want to play, just watch. They peppered me with all sorts of questions....what I did, where I lived, how much money I make, how much did it cost to fly to India, etc. I, in turn, asked them about their school, home, and of course, how cricket is played, which they were more than eager to share. One thing I learned is that they were playing "gully cricket", a variation of the game meant for smaller lots. Mom warns me about some of the shady characters that wander around their neighborhood, but this group seem to be a nice bunch of kids.

When they finished and started for home, they said, "Come back again....we play 4:30 pm here".

Maybe...maybe next time, I'll try my hand at the bat.

Hosting a neighborhood clinic

Our doctor-friend whom I mentioned earlier plans to partner with Dad to set up weekly health clinics at a facility near our home. This clinic plans to deliver basic medical services to poor families (which there are plenty) around our neighborhood. Our friend will provide the services, while Dad's organization will provide $$$ for medicines and supplies.

The first clinic was planned for last Sunday, but our doctor-friend had a family emergency and couldn't make it. The word didn't get out, however, of the cancellation. We learned that several families came together anyway to await the opening of the clinic. Dad rescheduled the clinic for this coming Sunday....hopefully, things will go as planned this time. We have another doctor-friend (ophthalmologist) coming in to visit from Seattle this Saturday who, if he's not too tired, may offer help as well.

Cricket update #2

Looks like India's back on track in World Cup Cricket. Fans are smiling and hopeful again, effigies have been put back in the closet.

India thrash the shorts off Bermuda

Chandresh Narayanan/Times News Network

India's best chance at making the Super Eight stage, rested on them making the most of the inexperience of the Bermuda side and making them pay heavily for the same.

The Indian batsmen did just that as they rattled up a World Cup record score of 413 for 5 and then the bowlers did a reasonable job to restrict Bermuda to 156 to register a whopping 257-run win on Monday.

The win has boosted India's run-rate and has also put additional pressure on their next rivals Sri Lanka as the two teams square on March 23 for a place in the next stage.

Cricket update #1

India bows to Bangladesh in surprise opening-round loss!

Some folks here aren't taking it too well...

Dejected fans burn effigies of Men in Blue

VADODARA/AHMEDABAD: Unable to digest the humiliating defeat that India was subjected to by minnows Bangladesh in their World Cup match on Saturday, angry fans burnt effigies of Virender Sehwag and some other member of Team India in Vadodara and Ahmedabad on Sunday.

India'll get another chance tonight against Bermuda in the round-robin tourney. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch this one on TV. We didn't get it on our TV for some strange reason, even tho' we had the channel and time right. We'll probably head over to Uncle's house tonight to watch.

Once...twice...three times communion

We attended Mom and Dad's home church, SBF, today. Like last Sunday, we took communion (SBF take communion every 1st and 3rd Sunday). Later in the evening, Dad took me to a couple of homes where elderly parents are being cared for by their families. Because of their physical limitations, they're unable to make it to church, so Dad and other church members visit their homes to conduct once-a-month mini-services for them, complete with communion. So that makes three communions today, four communions in one week. But I guess one can never too often "do in remembrance" of what Christ did for us on the cross, especially as we head into Easter. It's also nice to share with and encourage family in Christ here in this manner.

Bumps and fever

The mosquitoes are making a meal out of us, but especially out of "B". She's collecting a lot of bumps all over her body. A Christian doctor-friend of Dad's who happened to be a dermatologist examined "B". He said she was allergic to bug bites and prescribed some medicine for her. At least it wasn't measles or something more serious.

However, last night, "B" came down with a temperature of 102.2, which got us all worried again. It was 12:30 am and we didn't know who to call to ask whether it was safe to combine Tylenol with the prescription meds "B" was taking. Thanks again to technology, we used Skype to contact a pharmacist friend of ours in Seattle who assured us it was okay to give the Tylenol. This morning, "B's" temp returned to normal.

Now if the mosquitoes could only leave her alone....

Haircut

I finally went and got my haircut today. Closing on our home and moving afforded me no time to get one in Seattle before coming to India. We went to a hair saloon (yes, they're called "saloons" here) just a mile from home. "L" was able to translate for me to make sure I didn't get butched or something. But we needn't have worried. The young barber had an impressive way with scissors. Totally "unplugged"....no electric razors. "L" and I were quite pleased when it was all cut and done. And even with a high-percent tip, the total still came out to less than $1 US....a fifth of what I'd pay the cheapest barber in the US. I learned later that because of the fast-growing economy here, haircuts had doubled in price over the past year....from 10 rupees to 20 rupees (that's about 23 cents going to 47 cents, USD). Still a bargain, no matter how you cut it, if you're coming from the West.

Charminar

We visited Charminar yesterday. Charminar (which means "four spires" in Urdu/Hindi) can be considered Hyderabad's equivalent of Seattle's Space Needle or NYC's Statue of Liberty. "L's" uncle, aunt, and cousin drove us there in their mini-van. The women split off to shop in the endless bazaars, while Uncle and I toured the nearby Mecca Masjid (mosque) and Charminar itself.

There's nothing I could write about these places that could be said better than the links provided above. They're both large, impressive, albeit detriorating structures. Uncle and I went to Mecca Masjid just as noon prayers were ending. We walked around the massive courtyard. Off to the side were tombs of revered Muslim rulers. A sign near the mosque entrance read "OUT SIDER NOT ALLOWED". Assuming this meant us, we stayed outside, taking pics of the inside from the entrance.

Admission into Charminar --- 5 rupees for locals, 100 rupees for foreigners. India's not the first country I've encountered such an opportunistic entrance-fee structure.

Speaking of foreigners, there aren't that many around Hyderabad. Uncle said Hyderabad is more homogenous and less multi-cultural compared to Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. That may change in years to come, as Hyderabad attracts more foreign tech companies.

A old, narrow, steep, stone spiral staircase led us to the first level of Charminar. That was as high as we were allowed to go. At the first level, the wall along the edge stood only a couple feet high, creating a nervously precarious feeling as we walked around. The best view was seeing the busy marketplace below with the Mecca Masjid in the background.