JC in India

On Tuesday this week I moved into my apartment, and it was the toughest day I’ve had since coming here. Suddenly I’d gone from the relative safety and simplicity of a hotel life with all the trappings of service that provides, to being basically on my own here and having to find my own way through the intricacies and complexities of a life in India.

It didn’t help that the apartment was freezing cold. Despite the perception that India is hot all the time, that’s actually not the case in the North of the country in the Winter. Most of the year it is very hot yes, and as a result homes are geared towards being kept cool to keep out the hot and humid seasons. So it meant that despite it being a nice apartment it felt very sterile and cold, anything but cosy and welcoming. This added to the sense of loneliness and exposure. While this is an adventure and something I am keen to do, it’s not all glossy and easy, and on Tuesday that fact certainly hit home. Thankfully I’ve now got some heaters on….

After three weeks in the Roseate Hotel at the airport, it was with a heavy heart that I finally had to leave… Nah! It was fabulous to get out 😊. In fairness it was a good hotel, and I “mustn’t grumble”, but after all that time basically stuck in one room with very little options to leave, it was great to finally move to the new Chez Jules here in Vasant Vihar, an enclave in South Delhi.

Before I confine the Roseate Hotel to the annals of history, one of the memories that will stick with me is the game myself and the in-room dining team played every day with respect to breakfast. After the first week when all the restaurants closed due to the pandemic restrictions the hotel food options became room service only. My first in-room breakfast saw me order the night before (at the hotels request ‘to make it easier for them’) where I asked for an 0830 delivery. Subsequently though I was woken at 0745 with a knock on the door to deliver it. From then on I stood resolute in my position that I would order each morning when I was ready, although that didn’t deter the usual 6pm call every evening asking for my order!

I became a creature of habit, as once I found food that landed well (so to speak) and didn’t cause any issues, it was more comforting to stick to the same. So each morning usually consisted of 2 fried eggs, hash browns and toast. But when ordering 2 fried eggs, the voice on the phone always seemed to translate that to two portions of 2 fried eggs. As much as I tried to explain “just two eggs, it’s only me so one portion”, invariably I’d land up with two plates of 2 fried eggs. Still, it became a routine that brought a smile to my face most mornings to start the day. I think the chap delivering the food also found it entertaining after a while!

On the couple of occasions I did manage to get out I would head to the Starbucks around the corner for the daily coffee fix. Despite being the only person in there usually they would always ask my name and write it on the cup. Historically I’ve always used the name Chris (don’t ask me why!) on such occasions, as Julian is often harder to articulate in foreign lands. They never quite got it right though, not that it mattered…!

Still, now I’m free from the hotel, set up in Vasant Vihar, and am a Delhi resident. The apartment is fully furnished, and the agreement I have includes Wifi, and Cable TV etc. The Cable TV though pretty much consists of two options of BBC World, or CNN for my Western taste. So I’ve renamed the TV to be known as the News box. Thankfully I have an iPad and an Express VPN subscription. Although as was quoted to me yesterday by Jen when I was moaning about having to watch daytime TV in the UK in the evening here, that is the problem with living 5.5 hours in the future!

The apartment is good, and it’s nice to be finally set up. The cold is abating with the heaters on, and the top floor affords me a nice terrace.

We are now entering a period of a few months where the terrace will actually be useable. From April it will likely be too hot, then after the summer the monsoons kick in, and then over the winter it’s too cold. Still, a couple of months use will be a good way to start.

I’ve got some local shops around the corner (ok, not exactly high end, but they stock the basics), and yesterday I spotted the entrance to “The Pint Room on the second floor”, which I was too hesitant to venture into by myself, but when researching from the safety of the t’interweb afterwards looks to be a small little café/bar, so it’s on the list to check out one day soon. I’ve yet to find the most intriguing spot I’ve seen on the map which is supposed to be in the same shopping zone; Pass Code Only (PCO).  This is supposed to be a higher end bar which you can only enter with a passcode that you need to get from a previous entrant. While I can see it on the map, I’ve yet to actually manage to find an entrance! 

One thing about India is the entrances to shops, restaurants, bars etc may not be immediately visible and quite often they are concealed to such an extent that makes them hard to find. So PCO is quite possibly there, I just have yet to find it. 

I’ve experienced this challenge of finding elusive locations already when it comes to basic shopping. My first scouting trip to the local shop left me thinking it was ‘ok’, and would do for the basics. But on my second visit yesterday I found a small little access door, and lo and behold a whole other floor of shopping opened up. So thankfully the local shop has now been promoted from ‘basics only’, to the ‘can get all I need’ category. Much more convenient!

I also took an Uber down to the local ‘Ambience Mall’ which is a big Mall as the name suggests a couple of miles away. £1 for the Uber thank you very much, and £1 in a rickshaw back (which was probably over the odds realistically!). Within this is a larger scale supermarket. Ok, it’s not quite Tesco’s but certainly the largest shop of such type in the area. Although they do a good job of hiding it. I had to get directions including a video walk through from one of my colleagues to help me get there. Let’s hide it underneath a major clothes store, with an unmarked entrance right in the middle of the men’s clothing section. Sure! But then that’s India. Once you learn that generally it’s expected that you’ll be offered advice from others to find places, actually signage or more conventional Western ways of wayfinding seem less relevant. I’m already getting used to it – all adds to the experience!

The restrictions are slowly beginning to ease now thankfully. On Friday it was announced that the weekend curfew was cancelled, and hospitality venues etc could re-open at 50% capacity. Everything still has to close by 10pm, and the rules state you aren’t allowed out at all after 10pm, but it’s progress. Although more on that later… 

The most challenging restriction is the requirement to wear a facemask everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean that literally. Walking outside on your own, still requires a facemask. And, somewhat bizarrely even if you are driving in your car on your own you are still required to wear a facemask. There are various social media and news reports of people being stopped by police for flouting this rule. I’ll purposely steer clear of political opinion, religion etc in all my posts, but sometimes common sense around the reason for the rules needs to also be considered… I just hope these mask restrictions ease soon, as it’s going to get very challenging walking outside when the humidity starts to increase. My glasses already spend half their time fogged up with a mask on, and this is while it’s relatively dry in the air!

The other and most important restrictions that remain in place for me personally are of course with respect to inbound travel from certain countries. I’m relatively clear to fly domestically in India now without any challenge (although when I landed in Goa last week, they were checking Vaccine or negative test status, but to say it was a cursory review of the document is an understatement). I can fly to the UK now from here without any problems, but coming back will require a PCR test at the airport on landing and then only being able to leave the airport once in receipt of a negative result, followed by self-quarantine at home for a week. I’m optimistic this rule will change in the coming month or so as cases in the UK reduce and the third wave here in India is now in notable decline. Once this changes, then a world of long weekends at home become more viable at last. The first few months were always going to be the most challenging in terms of travel capabilities, so hopefully there’s light at the end of the runway….

It’s taken a plethora (not a word I use often!), of forms and admin and formalities, but the authorities have now set me up with applicable approvals to pay tax and reside here. Just need to wait till I get my first payslip tomorrow (hopefully), to see quite how much I tax I will be paying… Just hope my research is accurate!

I took my first business trip to Goa on Sunday last week for a day at our office there on Monday and to see first-hand the works underway for the new airport that is due to open this summer.

Getting there Sunday meant I could meet my new boss, and some of my peers who are also Expats on secondment from Groupe ADP (Paris based airport operator), which is a key shareholder in this business. This was actually my first time meeting anyone in person that I am to be working with after months of interaction, and a few weeks in the job. To do so in Goa, and with the first order of business being lunch at a beach shack and a couple of hours on the beach was a little unconventional to say the least, but actually made it nice and relaxed.

I’d never been to Goa. It’s not one town, but actually a large coastal region with a variety of towns, villages and a number of different beaches stretched out along the coast. The expectation of a tropical landscape didn’t disappoint, and the West coast orientation means on a clear day (most days in the peak winter season), it’s spectacular for sunset views over the sea. There’s a vibrant bar lifestyle, and a good choice of international cuisine often run by expat immigrants who have relocated for the Indian beach life that Goa offers. We dined Italian style in the evening, with a good pizza from a restaurant run by a French/Italian lady who was living such a lifestyle. Ironically I am likely to eat more Italian food here in India than any other cuisine, as the boiled water for pasta or the hot oven for pizza is a fairly reliable way of ensuring food safety. Not fool proof for sure depending on toppings etc, but it’s a risk minimiser. That and being temporary Vegetarian while I am here!

My colleagues had been in Goa for over a week before I met them, having positioned down from Delhi to work there given the curfews in Delhi and the office being closed due to the pandemic restrictions. They’d found an old colonial style hotel (www.siolimhouse.com) and set up camp there, so it would have been very rude not to have joined them given the suites were £65 a night, and came with four poster bed fitted with obligatory mosquito net. Needless to say when I go to Goa from now on – likely every month at least – this will be my new home by the sea!

That said, the journey from the hotel to the office at the new airport site in Mopa is a 30 minute drive, which involved the not uncommon practice of driving on the wrong side of the ‘motorway’ for part of the journey into oncoming traffic. It was fine though as our car was in the shadow of a truck which also thought it was a good idea, so he’d have taken any head on impact first… Apparently the reason was because we were turning right at the next junction, and the slip road on the ‘other side’ was easier to use for the road we were turning on to. Fair enough.

Another common sight on the roads is the motorcycle pillion passenger (the one on the back), is usually helmetless and more often than not watching something on their phones, while the rider at the front, usually with helmet, focuses on the road. Personally I’d be holding on for dear life on the back of a motorbike in India doing 60mph rather than catching up on the socials!

Thursday saw my first actual visit to the office as it has finally opened with the government now allowing 50% occupancy. That’s gone well, with tours of the building, intros to some people in person finally, and to getting all the last admin sorted. I’ve got my own office, and the name placard was on the door already, and while it’s still a little spartan I’ll populate it with some more personality in the coming weeks and months.

When I went back on Friday some plants had appeared, so it’s nice to know that behind the scenes there is some activity underway to get things arranged. Quite hilariously within 2 minutes of actually sitting at my desk the ‘pantry boy’ came in to tell me that all I needed to do was dial 9999 to get tea or coffee. Good to know that’s treated so seriously!

Thursday evening involved Pizza and Wine at my bosses apartment which is a short walk away, with a few other people to wave off the outgoing airport COO, as he returns to the USA to take up a role in with Los Angeles Airports. It was my first glimpse of the Expat social scene. A group of us sitting around in a nice apartment, with imported wine, and delivered food. My goal here is to experience India for all its charms and character, but I cannot deny that it is nice to balance that with the Expat lifestyle on occasion, particularly while I first find my feet in this country. 

The evening did end with some skulking though.. As the curfew hour of 10pm approached, I’d brought it up in conversation whether we all needed to clear out and get back to our respective homes before the clock chimed ten. There was a general view that it would be fine in Vasant Vihar, as the area is full of Embassies (mostly smaller country ones, not the ‘big ones’), and so long as we were in this area we would be fine. All well and good I thought, until I found myself walking back in the dark completely alone with just the street dogs for company. I was studiously watched by all the security guards who pretty much live in their little huts outside each apartment building. I kept going at a fair pace to say the least, and was doing my best to stay in the shadows. I expect it would have been fine, and any police would have actually just encouraged me along, but you never know here, and I didn’t want to test that hypothesis… Particularly pleasing was when I found my way back was actually closed by a big gate at the end of one road, and after a few diversions I found that pretty much all the roads were blocked off with closed impassable gates. So, some climbing happened where the side wall by one gate was just about reachable with a bit of a clamber. I was pretty relieved to get back to the apartment to say the least, and won’t be doing that again. Let’s hope this 10pmcurfew business is over pretty soon.

Sadly I’ve pretty much abandoned any hopes of running outside here. I went on a walkabout yesterday to see a trail that I had heard was an option, only to be greeted by a guard standing by a sign that said it was closed except for limited hours early morning and late afternoon, and beside that a nice big “No joggers” sign stood menacingly to deter any aspirations of trying to keep fit.

I’m eyeing up a treadmill instead. There’s a Decathlon in the Ambience Mall, and a visit there will be on the cards soon I expect…