Bara Imambara - An Ancient site in Lucknow |
Did you get it? |
This
past month, one of my family friend who is from Fiji paid me a visit in
Lucknow. His late father was one of my father’s best friends. He came up for 5
days. I had the opportunity to speak
with him in my own language. It felt like I was home. He is studying in
Hyderabad so he came up on his holiday break. It took him 30 hours by train to
get to Lucknow. What do you do for 30 hours in a moving train in India? I will
let you know if did. So I was his local guide. I took him here and there. One
of my friends in Lucknow told me to go to BBQ Nation. So I took him. Very nice
food, service was excellent. Lot of meat though but it was all good. The
amazing thing was that it cost us only $8 [NZ] per person. You can eat as much
as you like. They put a BBQ grill in front of you and will place meat on a skewer.
They
will replace any empty skewer. Patrons also have access to a buffet meal. You
can have all these for only $8. This meal in New Zealand may cost like $30-$50
per person. I shouldn’t have eaten lunch on that day, lol! The good thing was we
both enjoyed the meal and of course the company. Funny thing happened when he
was returning back home to Hyderabad by train. His train berth already 11
people inside his compartment, there was no seat for him, even he paid for a
seat. It should be 8 people. 8 beds mean 8 people! Three extra people sneaked
in the train without ticket. I said to him good luck finding a seat inside.
However he did well and those people left and he had a seat to travel on.
Shocking
Last
week was shocking! I was travelling on a rickshaw. A rickshaw is like a bicycle
transportation vehicle driven by a person. Suddenly, a police vehicle smacked a
passenger on a motorcycle with his jeep. Both the passenger and the motorcycle
spanned few times around before it came to a standstill. However, the police
vehicle didn’t stop. The passenger was able to walk out of it but his
motorcycle was totalled. I felt sorry for him because of his bike was ruined and
no compensation for damages caused.
Funny
Brick washing |
Unfair
On
22nd August, two weeks ago the local public transport system went on strike.
Why? Because they wanted the government to increase transportation fare! The
Indian rupee is going down and the fuel price is going up. Drivers were demanding
an increase in fare for a while now but the government has yet to approve any
increases. So they went on strike, while some continued to work. We were
actually caught in between the dispute. As my British friends and I was travelling
back home, all these drivers on strike surrounded our vehicle and demanded the
driver to stop work. So I said in a calm voice to those blocking our ride to
let us go, they said no, no, no. I replied, “Why you want to bring bad name to
India. What will my friends think about India when you all behave like this?
India will get a very bad name”. They replied the name of India is already bad.
Eventually they let us off, but the driver got scared and he dropped us to the
nearest roundabout and took off. The reason he gave was that other drivers can
smash his vehicle and even beat him up. So we got off and eventually found
another ride back home. Okay, the next day the police became very strict with
them. Before they could transport 10 passengers but now they only can carry a
maximum of seven passengers at any one time, instead of ten passengers, usually
they squeezed three extra passengers in but now they lost three passengers
because they went on strike. Last year the drivers went on strike and the
government made a law that all drivers should wear a uniform. So what’s the moral
of the story? Don’t go on strike?
Surprised
I
was surprised to find three more Fijian residents here in Lucknow. I have yet
to meet them in person, but managed to get their phone numbers. So stoked to
know this! Perhaps their company will deliver me from my boredom in Lucknow.
Frustrating
Still
hot! I thought the temperature would be going down by now but I am wrong.
Although for the past few days it has been raining heavily, the temperature remains
the same. I am so looking forward to winter. Hope not to complain too much
during winter.
Rupees [Indian Currency]
For
me it is actually working out well since the rupee has fallen about 20% in her
value. Although local and business people are disappointed with this but I am
happy because I get a bit more out of a dollar. The price of Gold is going up
but the rupee is going down.
Project
I
am seriously thinking about some project to do with underprivileged children or
people. There are so many needs. If you earn less than $20 [US] per week you
are below the poverty line. Many people in Lucknow have families living in
their village because it is a bit cheaper than urban Lucknow. Usually the
husband or father will be working in Lucknow and they send money to their
family and visit them every three months. The question I ask is: what can I do?
What role I can play to help these people? Lot can be done, but need wisdom and
understanding what and how to do it.
Sports Time
Thanks
to YouTube I managed to watch the Bedisloe Rugby game between All Blacks and
Australia. It is very difficult to find online streaming games on the internet.
I have to settle for replays on YouTube. Football is no problem. I can watch it
online but awkward hours. Congratulation to All Blacks winning the Bedisloe cup
for 11 conservative years!
Past
Presently,
I am reading a book on medieval history of India by V.D Mahajan. It is a fascinating
work especially understanding how India came to be. India was ruled by Kings, Emperor,
Mughals and even slaves at one time. Many Kings, Emperor, Mughals and even
slaves who ruled India was killed by someone close to them and succeeded in
their place. They had amazing economic plan and foreign policies and most
important how they defended India against invaders.
Future
Perseverance,
stick-ability, endurance, commitment is top on my list. Language study is going
well. Verbally, I am doing okay. Writing is a struggle. I have to increase my writing
speed. I can read road signs, shopping banners and stuff. This is one hurdle I
have to overcome so things will be much easier for me.
Thanks
Thank
you all for your friendship and support. I very much appreciate it. This
journey is not for loners. It is team work. Please free to drop me an email or
two. Love to hear from you all. Take care and God bless.