moved back from Diwali to Diwali on We are back in Mumbai, the everyday university life is back in full swing.
We had a very fine week in Karnal
Ankit at home. He still has some time alone with his family, were Arne and I also for 2 days in Shimla
and have since the cool weather and the clean air really enjoyed it.
Delhi and Shimla
The flight Delhi was almost without incident. The Indian behind me has brought the small pack of tomato ketchup, it was at breakfast, to burst and showered me by mistake with it, and the stewardess has a pot of tea spilled over my seat. Otherwise, everything fine.
carousels in Delhi. Each country has their customs with your luggage ... But so many wrapped in blankets suitcase?
The airport even has a bus stop, it is air-conditioned buses in the city. However, the stop is not marked and the airport staff is working with the taxi mafia together. Ankit knows the way ...
The buses that is still on the old terminal, which is now closed. If the operator of the buses to profit from, they would probably leave the buses to the new terminal, but the bus company is the state. Probably the bus driver has never given notice to his superiors that he always goes almost empty ... It really is not as stressful as a full bus.
with Ankit and Arne for 2 hours through the city, Parathas lunch and subway travel. Then it goes on from the great interstate bus terminal.
This looks like it.
About Delhi lies a thick cloud of dust, and even outside the city there is not better. All those gasping and coughing. The air pollution in the area is indescribable and has to do with the many rickshaws (Zweitakter-Motoren. ..), the truck without a particulate filter, the many wood fires in the kitchens, and the habit of the household waste (including plastic) in the morning before Home to just put on fire.
the first time I saw a burning garbage dump, unfortunately, no good photos. All around is a slum area, to the rubbish heap of people are traveling and looking for useable.
set at the motorway exit us from the bus, from here it goes with Ankit and his luggage in a bicycle rickshaw, and Arne and me in another rickshaw after him home.
Ankit Both his mother and father speak English very well, we have not yet had during our visits. Papa is with drugs and vitamin and sports drinks, and well deserves quite well with it. The house is maintained extremely well, the two cleaning ladies come every day. This is also necessary, in Karnal, the air is just as dusty as Delhi (stinks but not so).
dinner and breakfast very rich, there are the usual (Chapati, sauces). Whether it has sometimes been in Germany, that there is to eat in every home across the country every day exactly the same?
Nevertheless, it tastes good to us, Mom cooks delicious and we ate a precaution, not in Mumbai for some time Indian to return to fancy curries have ...
The next day, jet Arne and I went to Shimla, Ankit stays with his family and enjoy the rest of us.
Our hotel in Shimla. 15 € / night for a double room. Clean maintained and the room service is a bit pushy and wakes us late at night, whether we still wanted to eat something, we would have not even tried the hotel restaurant ...
relics from the colonial era: A Christian church, half-timbered houses ... and a pedestrian zone. The air is actually clean.
we may look like a vacation.
refrigerator with legs ...
view.
In Shimla one can even advertise alcohol.
And some huge statue of a god on the hill.
The station of Shimla. Nero Ahead two days around there, not much to report. Many people angeschwatzt, many new "friends" made ... The most interesting conversation with a tea seller:
He: Sir, where are you coming from? We
: Germany.
He: Ooooooh, dangerous country, very dangerous country. We
: (Confused look), Why?
He: (with joy view) Hitler! Hitler!
Gnaaaah. We now come back from Finland.
Down we take the train, we got the night train at least there is space. With a change in Kalka we drive through the night to make Delhi and there is still a sightseeing tour: The Metro has been enhanced so we can now also look at things that were on our last tour still beyond our reach.
the night train We are out of a few soldiers on the road. Rising in the morning to maintain one short with us. The others listen with a cell phone songs by Brian Adams. How peaceful.
some point it starts on the train, according to smell smoke. My fear is already in the train fire, but no, we are in the vicinity of Delhi. The smell will remain.
arrival at the main railway station of Delhi: The burning of plastic waste pile, and our eyes too. One would not even breathe, but it stinks everywhere, and at some point you have to get it air.
In the metro, the air is filtered, and the central station has even a Metro station. Get out of here, and with the newly expanded line in the outer suburbs. There is a large complex of ancient ruins
. Most tourists view
only to the great minaret and come by taxi, we come from the metro station on foot. The eight-lane road has no footpath, but we stumble into an unplanned part of the terrain, the kind no one uses and where never a tourist comes back.
the middle of the 10-million city of Delhi a square kilometer area completely for us. We take only a few farmers who let their cows graze in the park, and a few Wild boar.
The Lotus Temple has recently also a metro station nearby. Let us also have, at least from the outside.
And we pass the village of the Commonwealth Games. Looks more like a barracks, it was probably fear of terror. I like the friendly tiger mascot of the barbed wire ...
goes from Delhi then by train back to Karnal to Ankit. Our real visit to Diwali begins.
In Ankit
at home it is very relaxed. We're all late (the parents), Mama makes breakfast. Ankit family is very reasonable. Papa also helps in the kitchen, Ankit helps dish, and if we want to help can find us something. Even the mother takes the time to eat, they become the first Indian housewife who see we sit and eat ever.
eat While we the milkman comes by and brings fresh milk ...
The vegetable man comes along and brings vegetables ...
Mama cooks from the milk ...
crushed with the pestle fresh spices and make a tea of it ... We would
wife or husband on the Way home from work quickly to get something from the supermarket.
talk to the dad about us families in Germany. Yes, in Germany there are many children of divorce and reconstituted families. In India there are not really that: a couple stays together, no matter what happens. Large colorful families are common here, where almost all the uncles and aunts live in the same place. Children move back home after college or if they are married, in a house in the same place. The father is very proud of it.
Which system makes people happier? I do not know.
Diwali
has something with lights, to do rockets and firecrackers. It's really about the god Rama to light the way and always takes place in a new moon night.
Wikipedia know more.
is important Ganz, illuminate the house completely.
From the roof hang from the chains ...
If one has more lights than the junction box has, as one must not be squeamish. The father of Ankit's coming and commented: "You have to use your engineering skills!"
not things we do.
And so at night from the House of Ankit parents ...
... so here.
We are moving in the evening through the city and take pictures of other houses. Arnes camera can do better, I hope he blogs soon. Until then, a little taste ...
Much of this has flashing or other lighting effects.
Almost like Christmas. Just different.
Diwali has abandoned a few similarities to Christmas. It is the feast of the family. Although we visit each other at one of the days of prime time but is actually celebrated in the inner circle. It is a great honor for us that we must be there. If we invite them to Christmas Eve, a friend from university who has not even speak the language do? I do not know. Very nice anyway.
We have not rumgeknipst all the time, but we have to take a picture but asked. In the background a wild flashing plastic figure of a god, where many dishes are offered. To do that, above the figure and pelted with flowers ... behind and eaten by us. An happiness :-)
And still an honor to be among us. Apart from the usual public holidays, there is a temple that belongs only to the family and the never been a guest who was not part of the family. We may come along.
The temple is located near the village from which Ankit dad is, about 30 km from Karnal. Inside, I have not photographed.
When Come out already but. The extended family including great-uncle, cousins and all.
In the village we attract many spectators. Ankit must Explain who we are ...
In Papa's office, we are also gone. The employees get gifts today.
the evening of the last day it's so similar to ours on New Years Eve. It is geböllert and fired rockets. Ankit parents and we do not like the fireworks so much and would rather see the fireworks that produce them. One of the uncles of Ankit but extremely fearless. gebäugt With the infant in the arms of the Pops and me the sparkler because herumgefriemelt - no need to worry. Sparks fly from the little ones in the neck? Quick wipe, . Continue He wants to persuade us to go along, even little children were playing with firecrackers. Maybe. We are not. At least not in India.
10cm long fuses, sometimes smolder for a minute - but sometimes the cannon is going on at once, if you touch the fuse. Sprühfackeln that burn suddenly on the handle laterally. Volcanoes, the most beautiful but spit fire up, sometimes they explode just at a time. I wonder if in India there are also security standards for bomb. Sure, I am told, there are two companies that have defined standards for their own products.
The fireworks put pressure waves I have 10 meters further in the stomach feel all car alarms are on spinning. In the whole mess to collect a few women in rags, the half-burnt firecrackers and collect them in a cart. Somewhere you have so well can make money. That would be the equivalent of our bottle collectors ...
is, however, the fireworks diverse than ours. Most of the rockets come from small farms. This is in India in all sectors through very common: A lot more people become self-employed. Mumbai alone has thousands of chemical companies, most with only a handful of employees. Ankit Papa is also such an example: He has his own factory Vitamin tablets, but only about 4 people. This also explains why environmental or quality and safety standards are much more difficult to control here than with us: Everyone does his own thing, and even if Ankit dad probably makes ideas about hygiene, there are ten others that do not. In any private citizen who has welded in his backyard a pollutant filter in its private chemical reactor are hundreds who do not care or do not even have money for it. As a large company can not so bring something ...
Something like I imagine her, the companies that manufacture in north India blast: two people sit in a garage and wrap explosives in cardboard. But are often very creative: rockets, starting up in the sky to rotate rapidly and every second around out blow in a different color sparks and the like ... In Germany, every second missile from Aldi and looks just like any other rocket from Aldi.
Outside we do sometimes hurt your ears. Go in but is not: there is food inside. Those who reject the food is being fed by the same aunt. So it is here. Quickly get out in the noise, the belly is too full.
From the village of Papa Ankit we also guavas get from the tree, thinking Ankit grandfather planted. The guavas are pink on the inside that is special and is probably connected with the variety. They do taste good anyway.
On Saturday we will get on the train to Mumbai. The journey takes 24 hours and 5 minutes. The train is clean. We have booked 2 1 / 2 months, that was a little late, we got only first class. We already have a shower on board. With us in the compartment is an elderly lady, who listened with their mobile music and arguing with the conductor, but otherwise is very peaceful.
have 
