Tikeh!
Trip Start
Apr 20, 2007
1
6
Trip End
May 20, 2007
New Delhi,
India
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
When I was last here, I wrote that it felt as if this nation had blatantly ignored every rule of order in the world.
Bingo.
No change.
So what can I say that hasn't already been said about Delhi? Probably nothing. It's just plain crazy.
Good crazy...but crazy nonetheless.
En route to the chaotic capital, we were fortunate enough to be treated to fine service onboard some of the world's best airlines
a. The Beautiful Trident Hotel
. For the better part of 24 hours, we were happy to eat whatever landed on our tray tables, read trashy novels and watch movies until our heavy eyelids had their way with us. Sleep felt great...and we were ready to go as soon as the rubber hit the runway. Leaving Delhi's international airport, I was suddenly reminded just how much I value the concept of defensive driving. Even during the middle of the night, the sensation that accompanies driving in India can most closely be compared to the rush one gets on a roller coaster - even though you know you will most likely survive the experience, it still scares the shit out of you every time.
As a (fairly) neutral observer, I get the impression that everyone on the road in Delhi is late for something....like the birth of a child...which is highly likely given the rate of population growth. In order to make it to these births (let's assume the best) drivers cut each other off with surprising nonchalance and have their thumbs permanently attached to their horns. If there are 4 lanes on the highway, trucks and rickshaws alike will squeeze together and somehow find a way to form 7.
Of course, this resourcefulness is not forgotten inside the vehicles - most on the road are stuffed to the gills with people, animals and, often times, both. In fact, it's not uncommon to see a small rickshaw with 12 men spilling out on your left and spy an entire family of 4 on a motor scooter to your right. Stare straight ahead and you'll probably see the open bed of a truck sporting the massive bookends of Bulls asses which sandwich a handful of truly troubled looking people...some of which will be holding goats and/or chickens
b. Aimee, Meredith and Christie at Bukhara
. Seriously.
But if there is a yin to Delhi's disorderly yang, it is our beautiful home base at the Trident hotel. While there, I constantly marvel at how relaxed I feel. With it's smooth Moorish design, pleasing neutral color palette and candlelit walkways, the only thing that impresses more than the perfectly manicured grounds is the impeccable service. Arriving there sometime after 1AM, my comfy down pillows cooperate well with a dose of Lunesta and show me the way to 10 hours of blissful sleep.
Waking up in good spirits, I spent the day with my colleagues recovering from travel and preparing for a busy week ahead. When evening comes, we all board some hotel cars and speed into the city to meet our good buddy, and former India agent Rep, Pyush, for dinner.
For the meal, we've chosen Bukhara, a very popular local restaurant recommended by nearly everyone. Sitting on carved wood stools, we crowd around platters full of rich Daals, Grilled Lambs, Curried Chicken and Cottage Cheese. Over the next three hours, I consume enough Naan to kill an Atkins dieter and drink enough Kingfisher that I might just catch a hangover
C. L-R: Sankalp, Vijayant, Bhuvan, Sumit
. Heading back to the Trident, I am extremely full.
The next day, we begin our workweek with a quick presentation at the William Conner Agent (WECA) offices. Here we meet some new team members who have joined since our last visit. Bhuvan, Sumit, Sankalp, Vijayant and Anugrag are all great guys..and over the next few days we develop fast friendships. During the day, we spend time reviewing samples with vendors who have set up in the meeting room at a country club nearby.
For lunch we have yet another rich meal of Indian classics. Again...naan....my frequent friend....Expands in my stomach....and I am very full.
Indian food is good.
We finish the afternoon with a few more vendor reviews and head back to the hotel for an early night. The second day is always the hardest on a traveler.
On Tuesday, we begin by driving two hours outside of Delhi to visit the Galaxy show room
d. Little Miss Delhi Sunshine
. Having already visited the prior year, I am excited to walk through this beautiful suburban house - turned showroom. With hundreds of metal and glass pieces crowding three floors of the home, there is plenty to look at. We pull lots of samples and talk about costing for future development. For our next stop, we head further out of town to the "Expo Mart", a huge mall devoted solely to manufacturer and trading company showrooms. The idea is brilliant, but the occupancy rate is pathetic. Probably no more than 20%. Still...with at least 5 floors and miles of space, this is probably a huge number of vendors... in absolute terms. After visiting with Dileep and Kohinoor, we start to think about lunch. Getting back into the cars, we drive a good 20 minutes into the city of Noida so that we can eat a buffet lunch at the local Radisson Hotel. I spend the car ride back trying to convince Bhuvan to open a WECA restaurant at the mall. Talk about $$$.
Back at the Expo, we visit Brassex and do some good cost negotiation on our Spring product. When we finally hit an agreeable cost, I receive multiple high fives when I shout out my new favorite Indian phrase, "Tikeh!" which means something like "OK!"
At Gupta, the atmosphere is not quite so charged, and we spend an intense hour discussing costs on wood candleholders
E. At Galaxy with their favorite Yogi
. When we walk out, we still haven't quite worked things out....which is a bummer. But we'll keep trying. We finish the day by meeting with Dynatech and pile back into the cars on our long journey back to Delhi, where we'll meet WECA office GM, Terry O'Conner, for dinner at Coriander Leaf. As we pass through long stretches of undeveloped land, I marvel at the fact that there are still people everywhere. Just when you think there is a barren patch of land, 5 naked kids will appear out of nowhere with a functioning garden hose. And as soon as you think the road is empty, you'll come upon 4 skinny fellows on rickety bikes, hauling watermelon to the next village, 10 clicks away.
It all points to the fact that there really isn't "space" here. No matter where you are or what time it is....there are people. Standing in line at the extremely inefficient Delhi airport the next night, I will soon learn that this also applies to personal space. While it's hard for a Westerner not to take offense when your linemate expresses extreme olfactory obsession with the back of your shirt collar, it's important to understand that the idea of giving someone "room to breath" is probably much more literal here.
Our last day in Delhi is spent touring some factories and showrooms in the city
F. Frootie
. I am most impressed with our last stop, S &R, where the Director, Rahul, walks us through an extremely clean and well ventilated facility. When some of us comment on how nice it is to see the working conditions be so pleasant, Rahul simply states that this is how he gets workers to stay with him and build efficiency. It's econ 101, but you'd be surprised how many factories just don't get this concept. It's nice to be working with Rahul, and I am looking forward to seeing more facilities of this caliber during the rest of the trip. With a quick shower and some tasty room service dinner, I meet Meredith and Cristin in the lobby and say goodbye to my tranquil home in the capital of chaos. It's been a good stop...but we've got more countries to see and more work to be done.
On to Thailand
Namaste.
Ari
Comments
Great post
It was featured on the TravelPod blog today: http://blog.travelpod.com since the Trident is in the news again.
Louise Brown
TravelPod Community Manager