After a night’s rest the group awoke to have breakfast in the downstairs hall of the Swasno Palace. After taking a look around the dinning hall it was apparent that it was designed for elegant and grand large events; however, now it was just being used for serving small meals.

The group met in the lobby for a 10:30 checkout, two days earlier than planned. During a group vote, it had been decided that we would upgrade to a hotel closer to Delhi. We were told that the Swasno Palace was a stereotypical Indian hotel. This self proclaimed executive hotel would probably rank at the bottom when compared with any western hotels. Out the front window, the Gurgaon landscape was in a state of flux; multinational companies and large malls/entertainment complexes were springing up like daisies. With the influx of western culture and companies, it seems that there was an opportunity for western hotels/hospitalities. In fact, Dr. Singh commented as we drove away that there were few mid-range hotels. Either hotels catered to the business class client and were superior five star qualities, or they catered to eastern clients and offered poor service and amenities.

Our bus ride started with the usual honking and tailgating madness that is the antithesis of driving in America. The bus took us on a tour of major sites and scenes in India from new construction to historical and politically significant sites. Driving around Gurgaon you can see all of the construction on buildings being erected for big named companies like Dell, Veritas, and Genpact. The building construction is curious to most of us, as we are used to American style construction that requires a large amount of steel. Here buildings are constructed of a framing made from concrete, and walls are built of brick. Brick is simple, cost effective and offers a good deal of insulation.

During our tour, we went through one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Delhi. The houses cost around $40 million in this area. Some famous residents included the President’s house and the Prime Ministers residence. Many of the students were surprised at how small and plain these multi million dollar homes were. There appeared to be a lack of upkeep on these residents but that may be the result of the challenges the weather poses to the white exteriors of these mini mansions. Also, Dr. Singh told us that the houses were all historical and no changes could be made to the exterior or landscaping. A $40 million mansion in the United States would look much more grandiose in the United States. As a side note, most of the “mansions” on the block are reserved for government officials (such as high ranking judges or congressional delegates). Since the row is owned by the government, lots are rented to these officials at the discount rate of $30 a month. From there we stopped the bus at India Gate, a monument dedicated to fallen soldiers, to get a group photo.

As soon as we stepped off of the bus we were bombarded with small children and other peddlers trying to sell us little trinkets, necklaces, and camera parts, or simply begging for money. This scene was replayed throughout the day, but offered insight into one of the major differences between China and India. In China, it was a rare occurrence to be touched and pulled at by people looking for money – but in India, little kids do it in bunches. We’ve heard multiple times that China has some challenges ahead because it has an aging population, but conversely, the young men and women and children that China does have are getting opportunities to succeed through school, technology advancements, and infrastructure growth. In India, it seems there are a lot of young people, but only the privileged youth have a real opportunity to succeed. It will be interesting to see how the two countries develop as the next generation of worker starts to control their respective governments.

Our ventures then led us to Parsvnath Developers Ltd. Again, as we stepped off the bus children on the street dashed towards us to give a small performance; hoping for some spare change - once again reminding us that we were in India. Parsvnath is one of the largest developers in India, with a hand in the growth of planned communities, retail centers and metro stations. Currently they have over 100 projects in the works in 17 states around the country. The housing they build provides residence to all classes, and one of the focuses is on the rising middle class in India that is expected to see a severe shortage of housing in the near future. There is an incredible push for environmentally conscious buildings, and Parsvnath seeks to meet this demand. With growth numbers in the double digits there is potential for exponential growth in pollution around India. To curb this potential growth, there is an extensive approval process that developers must go through to evaluate environmental and residential impact. In China we saw a much different picture where the central planning had laid out an entire plan for the city.

Lunch was served from the famous Indian bakery called Nathus Pastry Shop. The main dishes consisted of a paneer (Indian soft cheese) chili croquet, a potato curry croquet, and sweet cole slaw sandwhich. Salty chips were served on the side. The lunch was finished off with a dessert pastry known as a barfi. The particular variety, called kaju katli, was made of dough and cashew nuts and is quite famous throughout India.

The spices used in Indian food are fabulous, and it is easy to see why, historically, India was the center of spice trading in the east and in Europe. Food also seems to be a large part of Indian culture and economy. Looking out the bus window, we estimate almost half of the carts and mini-entrepreneurs we see driving around the city are selling some type of food or drink.

After our firm visit ended we headed to our new hotel, the Intercontinental Eros. The Intercontinental is a five star hotel with all amenities included. The rooms included a mini bar, a variety of cocktail glasses, luxurious beddings that ensured a restful night’s sleep, and two hairdryers. The pool area was amazing with pillowed lounge chairs and crystal blue water. The luscious greens and shrubbery that surrounded the pool added to the ambience. After everyone checked into the hotel they showered and dispersed towards shopping, the pool, or the hotel lounge.

While some stayed back at the hotel a group of us taxied over to an area of Delhi called Janpath for some shopping. Shopkeepers were still willing to wheel and deal, but unlike China, their initial offers were much closer to the final settling price. Being that shopping was so close to the restaurant where we were to meet for dinner we didn’t have to worry about hailing a cab.

Our group gathered again for dinner about 30 minutes from the hotel at a restaurant called Saravana Bhavan. For those living in the South Bay area, they have a sister restaurant in Sunnyvale (1305 S. Mary Ave). The restaurant served food from the southern region of India, an area outside the scope of our trip. The cuisine was different from what many of us had experienced in Indian restaurants in America. Our first course came in a large metal tray called a thali. Inside this tray were a variety of small metal trays all filled with different dishes. These dishes included a variety of curries, a mixed pepper, a plain yogurt and a spiced onion yogurt. The dishes were eaten with rice and rotis (similar to a puffy tortilla). The second course was called uttapam which was a large tomato and onion stuffed flat bread served with a coconut, a coriander, a tomato, and two additional chutneys, and sambhar, a dipping broth. Fresh squeezed watermelon juice was served on the side. The meal was topped off with Indian mouth fresheners which consisted of flavored sugar crystals and anise.

After a great meal we all settled into the bus for a short ride back to the hotel. Though the night was young, the exhaustive pace of the trip had caught up to most, and sleep was desperately calling. However, some brave souls found the courage and energy to celebrate Mr. Christopher Kirk’s birthday.

So far, we’ve had 13 great days of adventuring, and so far, we’ve all survived … but another long day awaits.