India - my brain hurts

[Bob]

As part of my job, I've made it to India for a some sightseeing and investigations of local infrastructure and community development. I'll be adding pics when I have better wi-fi, and decided to post here instead of trip reports as I didn't bring my cruiser for obvious reasons!



So far it has been the most stunning contrast between vibrant culture and abject poverty. We claim to have a divide between rich and poor.. but we don't know the meaning of the word in the West.

As for Toyotas, there was a 200 cruiser outside our hotel this morning but the Hilux based Fortuner is a popular truck amongst the wealthy here. Mostly Mahindras and Tatas which are utter scrap as far as I can see.



More to follow

Bob

 

[StarCruiser]

I can see you're not in Mumbai then Bob…
Too much road visible…

 

[clivehorridge]

Great start to the trip Bob, in at the deep end!

Not or been to India, but I have a lot of Indian friends. Lovely people IME, but you'll judge for yourself. They're tough in business though, so watch out if you're striking deals

 

[GeekOKent]

The fortuner toyota sell in india is supposed to be a 4gen 4runner on a 3l d4d.

The yellow / green rickshaws .. delhi maybe ?

 

[Charlie]

I have a Fortuner here in Indonesia, I've been very happy with it.

 

[Bob]

That was Delhi. We are in Agra at the minute, and it's an amazing place. Every road journey is an adventure. Absolutely enthralled by the country and the people. But my god it's dirty. Proper write up promised next week for those who are interested. Wi-Fi is patchy at best

Bob

 

[StarCruiser]

+1 on all that Bob. I've never felt like I stood out viewed as a rich man but I did in Mumbai. It was a most uncomfortable feeling being the only white face in a sea of brown ones. True it's filthy dirty, but just about everyone has a huge smile. Hope you're not driving at night anywhere. They don't replace the bulbs in the vehicles so you have to look out for black holes in the distant light. Crazy!!

 

[clivehorridge]

Currently in Albania, always interesting to be somewhere new, but not as exiting as India must be....

 

[Chris5-7chev]

Hi Bob, as Starcruiser said, it can be a very uncomfortable place to be depending on which part of the country you're in, a couple of us spent some time working in a steam turbine factory in Bhopal in '95.

This is the city where the worst industrial disaster happened when Union Carbides chemical plant went up in '84, caused thousands of deaths with thousands more blinded etc.

We loved having personal guards and wallets that were 3" thick with about half a million Rupee's between us, the roads, taxi's and even the 737 was falling to bits on the jump from Delhi to Bhopal.. Great fun and we were constantly laughing our red sweaty faces off..

If you can stand the heat Bob you'll love it all..Look fwd to reports thanks.. Chris.