Aidan's Asian Blog

Aidan's Asian Blog
Delhi 8th March 06

I got word from England that the 50mm F1.8 lens that I want for my camera is sold out. So I’ve got a top of the range digital SLR arriving on 11th March and the lens I ordered for it is out of stock and won’t be delivered to my address in the UK for at least eight weeks. In the meantime my “stopgap” lens is also sold out! Sometimes I wish that companies weren’t run by fcukwits. If they know that the lenses are selling well, why don’t they make more of them? Is it too much to ask?

I’m a member of a photography forum on the Internet and I posted a question there to see if anyone knew of a shop where I could by a lens in Delhi. I got a reply from an Indian guy who now lives in the US and he gave me a lead and I’m glad to say that I can source the 50mm lens over here, lets just hope my camera arrives safely on 11th.

I went to check up on my motorbike today, it should be ready this week but I decided to see how they were getting on. I was told that it’ll be ready on Friday and that I can come back tomorrow afternoon and watch them put the engine into it and they’ll also give me some tips on servicing (which I’m sure that I’ll need). I was a bit lazy and took the Metro there, it was only two stops and cost 8 Rupees (about 0.10p GBP) although it left me at the wrong end of the town and I didn’t have a clue where I was. It took me about quarter of an hour to find the bike shop and I would have walked there in about twenty minutes from my guesthouse. From there I walked to the camera shop, which was down by the Red Fort and it took me an hour to get there battling through the crowds of cows, tuk tuks, taxis, trucks, cycle riskshaws, oxen driven carts, people pushing and pulling hand carts and swarms of pedestrians. The smells ranged from stale urine, rotten rubbish, traffic fumes, cow sh1t, coffee, frying food, oranges, ginger, garlic, chilli and other exotic spices I can’t name; a real assault on the senses.

I got hassled a couple of times at the bazaar, I decided to make up a new job anytime I’m asked what my job is. I told some guy at the market that I was a bounty hunter and was looking forward to having some fun with him, but his next question was “are you married” and I couldn’t steer him back to my new job. Oh well, I’m sure that I’ll have a bit of fun with that one of the coming weeks.

It was 15:45 by the time I started making my way back to my guesthouse and I happened to pass by a school just as the kids were getting slung out. This slowed down my progress as groups of kids (4 or 5 at a time) kept on coming up to me and making conversation. I had a good laugh with them about the cricket and most of them told me that they were up for England, I told them I was up for India! They were all very nice and well behaved but as soon as one group left me another would be at my side saying hello.

It amazes me how free people here are to dishing out punishment. I rang my sister in Ireland a few days ago and was charged 430 Rupees (over £5 GBP) for the call, which is a big time rip off. When I asked why it was so expensive I was told because it’s international. I told him I knew as Ireland isn’t in India (!), he told me that I’d asked to make a call to Varanessi. I told him that I hadn’t, I’d gone next door to use the phone as it was 5.50 Rupees a minute to UK / Ireland (just over 0.07p) and that there was no way I was going to pay 430 Rupees. Anyway we had a big argument over it and the guy ends up going next door to the person I first spoke to and started shouting to him in Hindi and then he smacks him around the face! A right good clatter he gave him too, I stood there speechless. Yesterday as I was walking to the market some security guard starts whacking one of the cycle rickshaw drivers with a big stick, then further along the market a policeman starts whacking the bonnet of a truck trying to go the wrong way down a street. And we’re talking good solid sticks, not flimsy ones that bend. Note to self: Keep out of way of people brandishing big sticks!