 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Abhi took us to the Bahai temple in Delhi, one of only a few in the world (we have one near Chicago in Wilmette). Gorgeous lotus-blossom architecture, this is a neutral and welcoming place of worship for people of any religion. | Pretty water in the pool, Bahai temple. | Vanessa and I in front of it. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Another shot of the pool with walkway. | Looking towards downtown Delhi; not a lot of skyscrapers or massive buildings downtown like US cities have. | Bahai temple again. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Vanessa in front of the water, solo. | Flowers outside the temple. | A couple guys working on scooters. Note the nondescript little cinderblock stalls; this is perhaps the most common architectural form for small businesses. The lack of signage (esp. in English) for orientation made it a guessing game as to what most were. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| More guys working on scooters in front of stalls. | A different kind of 3-wheeler. The actor shown near the back turned up everywhere in advertising, on TV and in print for dozens of products. We called him "Sir Salt and Pepper," but his name is Amitabh Bachchan. | Fast-food meal with tomato soup (very tasty in India, much more interesting spices), bread and dal. Tons of veg/vegan fast food available, and dirt cheap. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| The first of many photos of cows in the street. It's really a beautiful thing, we miss it now that we're back in the states. They just wander around and do as they please. | Cows lay in streets, on sidewalks, and wander through traffic. I feel bad for them with all the pollution and honking horns in the cities, but they seem to be used to it. | Typical multi-use buildings in a slightly better neighborhood. |
 Mon, Jan 31, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Short video of Indian traffic at a stoplight. This is fairly sane and orderly. | Bridge overpass has a nice curved underbelly. | Bata store with bamboo scaffolding in front. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| More masterful painting on the back of the trucks. Most common were "Horn Please," "Keep Distance," "STOP," "Use Dipper at Night," "Public/Goods Carrier," etc. | A Public Carrier truck from the front. This isn't the best example, but decent. I shouldn't need to explain this, but the "swastikas" are ancient and benign religious symbols that are thousands of years old. Fucking Nazis, ruining everything... | Another peek at an autorickshaw. Notice the heavy-duty bumper protectors. There are tons of fender-benders and scrapes here, it's a daily occurance that nobody blinks at, let alone sues each other over. Very few vehicles look pristine for long... |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Modest example of a truck with metal details and hand-painted warnings. | Typical but faded lettering on the side of a truck. Usually very colorful. | Excellent rear-end of a truck. Tata is an Indian automaker, they make millions of cars and trucks and are very common there. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| India Gate (I think), as seen in evening with bonus silhouette of Abhi, Delhi. | More typical small shops in Delhi. | And again. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| This is probably Connought Place again. | Statesman House, one of the larger buildings in downtown Delhi. | 2-wheeler parking in Delhi. They're everywhere! |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Autorickshaws take a break from the hellish traffic, Delhi. | Large buddha figure outside of the Cottage Arts Emporium, Delhi. | Traffic in a roundabout, Delhi. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Nice stencil on a city bus, Delhi. | Welcome sign is charming on a crowded city bus in Delhi. You enter and pay at the rear, exit in the front. | Stop message, always on the left, Delhi city bus. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Indian scooterists don't consider themselves scooterists any more than most Americans consider themselves "automobilists." It's just a really common and cheap form of transportation with no subculture status. | The passenger observes the helmet law with a hardhat. Note the advertisement for tyres on the spare cover. | This said Pee Jay Finance Co. Ltd., but it didn't turn out well while driving by in the car. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| D'cent Furniture is all I've every really asked for in life. | Shoe Park had a nice logo in neon. | I love this action shot of a scooterist on an LML with city bus in backgound. It's so grainy because it was 400 speed film equivalent camera setting. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Similar action shot of two guys on a bicycle, fighting their way through traffic. | Here's Abhi in his office. It's in an incredible little neighborhood outside of Delhi that never sees tourists, so it was a great "slice of typical neighborhood life" for me. | The view to the alley below his office. Scooters everywhere you look. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Another view from his window of a fruit stand. | Hallway of their building. This little building has a security guard of sorts who stays there all night to keep watch. Lots of jobs that involve standing around in India. Lots of patience. | Abhi, Anoop the accountant and Rajneesh (Abhi's brother) in their office. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Following are some photos taken while walking around the little self-contained marketplace around their office, I.P. Extension area, Delhi. | Little wooden sign in Hindi enticing people into the store. | Cycle/scooter traffic is common in these narrow alleyways, weaving through the throngs of people with lots of blasts of the horn. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Clothing for Kids, Ladies and Gents. "Gents" is a very common term here, used more often than Men, and Vanessa was often referred to as "Madam." Such charming English. | Hand-painted sign for a fish store. | More scooters, nothing special, 2 LMLs and a Bajaj. Note hand-painted license numbers on legshields. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Nice local signage leading down ever more narrow and mysterious alleys. | Loved the sunglasses in this one, as well as the coloration in Akshi. | View down the alley. Some stores were closing at this point so crowds were thinning. |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
 Wed, Jan 19, 2005 |
| Handpainted sign for Gupta Handloom. | There was a stall selling fresh juices, but I was advised against sampling it. Looked great though, and nice sign. | Jars of things for sale. |