Dog Days of India
Having been raised by a dog-fanatic, one extremely knowledgeable in all things breeds and behaviors, I've also acquired an interest in canines, and consequently it's not surprising that I've become extremely intrigued by what I'm calling 'India Dogs.' These dogs are everywhere, sometimes in packs, sometimes solitary. All of them look exactly the same except for their coloring, with what I immediately assumed were features akin to those of Australian Dingos. But what I find most interesting about them is their extreme expressiveness in looks and manners. Each morning on the commute to the site I observe these pooches trotting along the roads, sitting at bus stops, or hanging around food stands looking up expectantly. One gets the distinct impression that they have an agenda, almost like they’re also headed to work and beginning their daily routine, which I found phenomenally amusing. India dogs have character! (And likely some have rabies) I kept trying to get a picture, but since I've mostly seen them while we're both in motion and headed to work, it’s proven quite difficult until I found one on the beach enjoying the Sunday morning sun. An Aussie has since confirmed what I initially suspected, they are Dingo-like in appearance. Now I'll await my mother's assessment.
Having been raised by a dog-fanatic, one extremely knowledgeable in all things breeds and behaviors, I've also acquired an interest in canines, and consequently it's not surprising that I've become extremely intrigued by what I'm calling 'India Dogs.' These dogs are everywhere, sometimes in packs, sometimes solitary. All of them look exactly the same except for their coloring, with what I immediately assumed were features akin to those of Australian Dingos. But what I find most interesting about them is their extreme expressiveness in looks and manners. Each morning on the commute to the site I observe these pooches trotting along the roads, sitting at bus stops, or hanging around food stands looking up expectantly. One gets the distinct impression that they have an agenda, almost like they’re also headed to work and beginning their daily routine, which I found phenomenally amusing. India dogs have character! (And likely some have rabies) I kept trying to get a picture, but since I've mostly seen them while we're both in motion and headed to work, it’s proven quite difficult until I found one on the beach enjoying the Sunday morning sun. An Aussie has since confirmed what I initially suspected, they are Dingo-like in appearance. Now I'll await my mother's assessment.
India is HOT
It's winter here yet the average high has still been around 85 degrees. I broke a sweat while walking along the beach, and by simply sitting in the sun for too long at the hotel. Today I read in the paper that it's been unseasonably cool..... Needless to say, I'll think twice before heading over here in July/August.
Down Under
Aussies say 'reckon' a lot... Who knew? Also, they don't drink Foster's in Australia, it's marketed for the US. It's their equivalent to Natural Ice, haha. They do, however, eat Vegemite daily.
"Finger Lickin' Good"
Here are the fast food chains I've seen thus far: Domino's, Pizza Hut, KFC and Baskin Robbins. They seem to particularly like KFC, and I've even seen KFC knock-offs on the street (Konney's Fried Chicken). I've also heard that there's a McDonald's and a Subway. Oddly McDonald's in India is more of a family restaurant than a fast food joint, ideal for a Sunday night dinner. This amuses me. Though a bit disappointed, as long as I don't see a friggin' Applebee's or Olive Garden, I'm happy.
Swearing and Sex are Bad
I noticed upon arriving in Mumbai, and while walking on the treadmill and elliptizing, that they heavily censor western movies here. There are a lot of western movie channels, and I've been able to enjoy at least one of the Harry Potters movies daily; I find it strangely comforting. Anyway, the censorship seemed a little over the top, removing even the slightest reference to swear words and especially anything sexual. Therefore, I was shocked while watching 'The Ugly Truth' and they let slip a 'bullshit;' I then waited to see if they censored what I knew would follow. Sure enough they blocked out 'tits,' 'ass,' and 'blow job.' Interestingly, they also run banners at the bottom of the screen that state 'Smoking will kill you' when movie characters are smoking, which I first noticed while watching 'The Hobbit' and Bilbo was enjoying his pipe. Another banner provides a phone number to call in case people find the content of the film offensive and wish to file a complaint. While watching 'Cruel Intentions' I remember pondering how many calls they'd receive on that hotline, and also wondering if I'd actually get to hear any of the movie since I expected 95% of it to be censored out.
E6?.... Hit!
The view of the Bay of Bengal has looked like the set up for a game of Battleship for the last couple of days. Apparently there's a naval base here. Regardless, it's a bit intimidating.
Gingerbread Disco
One night while having some drinks my colleagues and I noticed that the beautiful Gingerbread house they had put up as a Christmas Decoration has disco lights flashing inside of it. Yet another example of how they go above and beyond with their decor here, these people know how to make everything colorful and fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment