2 months evaluation...

I just wanted to do this for myself, but I haven´t put anything in here for long time, so I will spit it out in here.. ;)

Lets start with what amuses me in here:

Generosity of people - it´s simply amazing... I think its the main difference from home. People are very curious if your experience in India is going well. If you have any problems, they are always willing to help. Always very friendly. Always ready to host you and if you let them, you will never regret your decision. :)


Accommodation - I will owe Eric for the rest of my life. He was so nice to let me move in. My experience changed 180 degrees since Ive moved here. The location is amazing, the flat is amazing, great to have Eric and our common friend Parishot (Paritosh, Rapitosh, Rapishot) around.

Clothing!!! - Sometimes I just stare at some ladies, because the Saris that they are wearing are just out of the world... I wish I could buy one to my mom and my sister... Im pretty sure that my mom will buy one when she gets here, but we will have to find one for my sister. Btw. I have already bought pair of Kurta tops for myself... And Eric AND my Indian friend Parishot (who is very critical) loves it!!! so I think Ive done some good purchase... (but honestly, I got ripped off = for being white) :(

Possibility of travelling and diversity - the options where you can go and what you can see are tremendous. Also with many options how to get from spot A to the spot B. Himalayas on the north with amazing views of the roof of the Earth or amazing beaches on the west shore of Kerala and Goa. Numerous temples all over the India or rafting, hiking and bouldering in Manali. You name it, you can find it here. And many ways how to travel. Walk, bike, bus, ship, train, plane. Different prices, many options. You want to save, you take train. You want to do it fast and dont care about the price, take a plane (but the flights are still cheap) ;)Just amazing.. ;) Looking forward my travelling which is coming soon.. ;)

And now about the not cool Indian stuff:


The crowd - honestly, I think that Indian people are multiplying so fast, just because they love to touch each other, make huge crowds and hug. The best way how to notice this is to take a metro in the rush hour (which is by the way almost the whole day in Delhi lol). At first, just stay in the middle of the platform and watch. The best one for this is Rajiw Chowk. The train stops, door swings open, but what happens? Only one or two people will get out and the rest is already facing the barrier, that has created by human bodies, pushing everyone inside of the train... At first I thought its mainly because of trying to take a seat before they get full, but then you take a close look on the pushing people and you will see that the once who are in the middle of the crowd are having a very pleasant face expressions. They are loving it!!! But to be honest, I hate it and find it quite rude.


The food - I know that lots of people will be hating me for this, but I really cant stand the food in here. Im really bad with spices and there is no way, how to avoid them. So dont take this offensively, but it suuucks!! Just cant get my mind of a dinner at my place few weeks back, when Indian friends were cooking. Out of probably 6 different meals, the only not spicy stuff was rice. (and spicy in this case was really spicy, Imagine me crying for 15 minutes with red face and opened mouth) Actually I know one really close person, who would love this... :(

The traffic and travelling around Delhi - being white means many things in India. Mostly its good, but for travelling around Delhi its bed!! Like really bed. Rickshaw drivers trying to rip you off everyday, not a good experience. I hate bargaining with them everyday. Also, when you get stuck in the traffic, sitting inside of the auto rickshaw, not very good. One of my Indian friends told me, that riding rickshaw for about 30 minutes in the traffic is like smoking 30 cigarettes. How awful is that? :O It also takes time to get from one place to another... :(

Weather - despite its getting better now, its still super crazy. The humidity level is like 8 out of 10 and the temperature during the day goes really high. Really looking forward next few months when its supposed to go really low. That makes me think that I havent brought my winter jacket here. Ive heard that the mornings and evenings can be super chilly in here and I will definitely need one to our Sikkim trip with my friends. That means buying a new one in here.. :D

There is many more things that I will be able to come up, but I really need to go to sleep now, since Im working early tomorrow again.
So hope you have enjoyed it and blog you later.. ;)

Don´t panic, DON´T PANIC!!!

Wow... that´s all I can say...

I have been very close to a terroristic attack.
You know what, waking up to a new day, finding out that a bomb exploded and 9 people were killed and more then 50 are seriously injured doesn´t make it easy to get up. Actually, it made me stay at home for the whole day...
And what HORRIBLE day it was!!!
Black Tuesday, the 7th of September... Now it wasn´t really a lucky seven...
I  woke up by getting text massage by my Indian friend, telling me about the bomb blast and that Delhi is on the red alert.
Knowing, that I was supposed to work in Pacific mall, which I have to go through Rajiv Chowk metro station, which is probably the busiest junction of Delhi metro, I have decided to stay at home and not go to work. Even though there wasnt another bomb blast, I think it was a good decision.

And after few hours of getting a really good rest at home I found out about the plane crash in Russia. I was struck, hard to admit but cried for a bit and really angry. Knowing that so many great sportsman have died... :(
And especially three amazing Czech players that have just became fathers and they will not be able to see their kids grow up... :(
I got very emotional, especially being so far from my family and friends.

And to make it the WORST day in India so far, we have had a HUGE earthquake at around 10:30pm I think. We were sitting with Eric in the living room and suddenly a huge tremor came up with a very loud sound. We jumped up, Eric running towards the doors, me towards the window, because he thought it´s an earthquake, but I thought it´s another bomb blast very close!!!
Few seconds later I got a text from the same friend from morning, that we just had a huge earthquake, 6.6 Richter scale...
After calming down my adrenalin rush few hours later, I went to sleep, ending the horrible and disastrous 7/9/11...

So that is the news what is happening and now to let you know what happened before that.. :)

Time flies here very fast, especially with working shifts of 9 hours and 6 days a week.
I have finally activated my international phone calls (like 3 weeks ago) lol, so I have had a chance to speak with my fam many times. Very good feeling to speak with the one you love and care about, knowing that they are ok and using your own language again.. ;)

I was trying to get in touch with Czech embassy in here, but failed. Im trying to find out if they organize any cultural events as many other embassies do in here. I think the best way to connect with them is to go there personaly, which is not really hard since its like 5 minuets from where I live right now.

Eric, my US flat mate was hosting a dinner few days back, but his Indian friends were cooking, so I had a chance to try some typical Indian, home made, meal. And it was amazing! ;)

Regarding work, I think I start quite liking it... even though it´s seriously physically and mentally the toughest work I have ever done.

I´m planning my first trip in here. With my flat mate and our two friends (Indian and German) we are about to book fly tickets to Sikkim. It is the least populated state in India with Nepal so close that you can touch if you lean over. ;) It is very well known for its spectacular-spectacular (Used from Moulin Rouge) ;) snow-topped mountains and views. I have to admit that Im very excited. We are going for a week during the last week of October. Hopefully everything will work out well for us.

And I have been also researching about another trip, when my mom gets here.
I still havent told her, but I think we will do a short trip by train to Jaipur, then off to Agra by taxi or bus and back to Delhi. Few days in here and then off to Goa, Mumbai, Bangkok (Thailand), either Phnom Penh (Cambodia) or Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and then too Bali (Indonesia)...
The very interesting thing is, that in many of those places, I can get cheap accommodation thanks to my friends staying there and also the flights are quite cheap.
We have to make the best out of this trip, because I got just double entrance visa to India!!! :(

Hope you all are doing well and keep me filled with your lives also.. ;)

Loving lazy lifestyle? MOVE TO INDIA!!!!

I have just celebrated my first month in Delhi and I have survived... but it could have been different...
When I got sick, having stomach issues, not able to leave my flat for 5 minutes due obvious reasons, I have discovered very convenient, but very lazy style of Indians... HOME DELIVERY!!!

You can think of whatever you want and Im positive that you can order it from home with delivery. Its pretty usual with pizza back home, but this is different dimension. While back home you have to pay extra for home delivery, its absolutely for free here.
Yesterday, we have even ordered our grocery through the phone. "One milk, bread, dozen eggs, spaghetti, ketchup, vegetable". Even a flower delivery is for free!!
Actually, Im pretty sure that they would deliver you your own dad or mom to your home... ;)

And now, read CAREFULLY!!!
You ever thought about slavery being banned forever?
Well, different story in here...
You want your own driver, maid, gardener, cook? NO PROBLEM!!!
Well, call them slaves is a little bit harsh, they do get paid... BUT...

Driver, alert the whole day from 6am till 10pm, always ready to drive you whenever you want... Just 5000 IRN per month, thats about 80Euros. And maid, why not...
You dont want to wash your dishes, iron your clothes, sweep your floor, vacuum??

This is a solution for about 3000 IRN per month, thats about 48Euros...

Amazing isnt it?!!

Next post about expenses in Delhi... ;)

How much do you love your life? :)

I was taking a ride from work yesterday night with rickshaw as I do everyday and it was raining very heavily... The monsoon season right? The streets are flooded with water, ponds are created in the middle of the boulevards.
I was thinking how great the day was, since it was so cold and the humidity was pretty low...

And then... huge hit, splash of a water and I thought the rickshaw was broken in the middle. We were just driving down from one of the bridges with the huge pond in front of us. BUT an enormous pothole was hiding in the water. It is very common during the monsoon season, that the streets are covered with many of them and its easy to drive around them, but this one was hidden very well...

Well I think that I blacked out for few seconds... when I realized what happened, I was soaked with water/shits from the streets. My head hurt since I hit the roof of the rickshaw and my knees hit the front partition made of metal... not really pleasant. The driver was cursing himself and the road for about 5 minutes in Hindi. Thanks I couldnt understand a word... ;)

But it made me think of how safe this transportation is, actually how DANGEROUS it is!!!
The traffic is heavy every day here. With no rules, no lines, cars passing on red lights, not stopping on stop signs. Im actually very lucky, that I havent experienced a major car/rickshaw/bike accident yet.

I was always afraid of flying, but after taking one ride in a traffic with auto rickshaw in Delhi, you will never be afraid anymore before taking off with airplane!!! :)


Anyways, to update you on my life here.
I have moved to a new place. Its pretty much amazing!!! It is in a really calm expat area in Moti Bagh, Anand Niketan, very close to all embassies that are based in Delhi. I think I have seen a Czech one, which is connected with Slovakian one and its also very close to my work.
I have my own room, AC, bathroom, balcony.... :)
I just got my first pay check after first month and now, Im gonna be paid every 14 days.
Im going to join a gym very soon, which is located 5 minutes from my house. Already looking forward that, since I got so lazy in here.
I have also cooked my first REAL dinner, thanks to the really clean and neat kitchen in my new place.

So by moving, I have solved the very last major problem that I have and it really made me calm down.

I think it has also shown in my work, because since Ive moved, I have been doing quite a lot of sales and Im getting really successful... ;)

Im also planning my first trip away from Delhi sometimes soon. I think its gonna be around the beginning of September, after getting my second pay check...

I hope that everyone who is reading this blog is having a good time while reading it and whenever you are, stay positive!!!
As far as we are not dying, IT IS ALRIGHT!!! :)

Few snaps... ;)

I hate it sometimes!!!

Alright...
India is lovely place if you try to overlook many terrible things that are happening around, but when you get involved in something, it makes you hate the place...

So for example, the water is not running at my place again!!!
With 40 degrees outside, sweating, you cannot take a shower!!!
You cannot flush the toilet!!!
You cannot shave your face!!!

Especially really bad when you are suffering with Delhi belly again, diarrhea for a day and then you cannot flush the toilet!!! Where are we!? (And just let you know, that we are paying over 70000 IRN for this 3bedroom flat, which is really really really expensive for how shitting this flat is!!!)

So I decided I have to move as soon as possible, I cant handle this anymore!!!

When we were driving with auto rickshaw this friday from Hype club in Sangri La Hotel, we have seen a horrible car accident at around 2am. I dont really know how it happened, but Im pretty sure that the 7 guys who were driving in one of the cars were pretty much wasted...
One of them was covered in blood, his friend trying to stop the bleeding, while the other 5 guys threw the driver from the other car out of his car, beating him up heavily...
It was an unreal picture of how it works in Delhi...

When the police and "ambulance" came, the guys from the crashed car were still going crazy...

The two crashed cars were in the middle of the road... so we were driving really slow passing them, but suddenly one of the drunk guys run towards our rickshaw and smashed the front window with his fist... I think that my heart stopped for few seconds, the rickshaw driver couldnt believe what just happened and put his face in his palms... He pulled off the rickshaw for about ten minutes beside the road, not knowing what to do...
Then we took of from there eventually with terrible feeling that it might get worse there...

Its not like its really expensive for us to replace the shield (its around 500 IRN= 200 CZK=10 dollars), but its quite a lot for a man who drives rickshaw...
When he dropped us at our place, we gave him some extra money, because he looked like he is going to black out soon... :(

Everyday is different in India... One day is shitty as hell and the next one can be the best you have ever experienced...
Lets just hope the good days would come soon.. ;)

Two faced Delhi: Poverty and Luxury

It has been quite long since my last update. Im writing this one at 3am after drinking red bull, which doesnt allow me to go to sleep... :) What was I thinking? :D

New Delhi is a very interesting place... In just few minutes or nearly seconds you can see and breath the same air with the lowest cast Indians but also with one of the richest Indians in India. The changing differences are so drastic that it might hit you in your face few times if you are not ready for it...

One example: The Select City Walk or for locals shortly just SAKET mall is one of the best malls in whole India. It is located in South part of Delhi and you can find the most expensive brands in here. Actually shopping here is more expensive then in same malls in Europe. The only HARD ROCK CAFE is located in this mall and Im working in this mall by coincidence. :)
Its not just about the mall inside, but also about the surroundings. It is magnificent!!! Palm trees, ponds, water falls, grass that Masters could be played on it. BUT just make one step outside of this fenced property and dirty, sick kids would run at you, begging for the money. Its a upside-down world, where you are meeting the Indian Bill Gates in one minute and in the other, you are facing a family, that hasn´t eaten for weeks.

The last few days were pretty hot in here... The temperature and humidity is unbearable, but show must go on and life never stops here.

Im having a day off tomorrow, hoping to get to see the Lotus temple, which is located nearby. Im so bad in taking pictures, but after tomorrows sightseeing I will upload some for sure...

Delhi is a place full of interesting buildings, temples and monuments and its almost impossible to visit them all... but I will try to do my best and try to keep showing you my little steps through amazing India and incredible New Delhi...

Tip of the day: When you are taking auto rickshaw, make sure that you have a scarf with you. The pollution is so high in here that you would not like to see what you are breathing... Scarf around your nose and mouth doesn´t seem to make a big difference, but trust me, it does... and also sun glasses to avoid dust bursting into your eyes is a pretty good idea also.. ;)