I guess Delhi `s jealous I pay more attention to Paris than to her. So she`s calling me back...
As they say, you can get out of Delhi, but it can always grab you by the nuts and pull you back (or do they?)
mardi 29 mai 2007
vendredi 25 mai 2007
Rue de doggy poo (the road of...)
So Paris is all strange and beautiful. Or so i thought, but on closer inspection, this divinity seemed to melt, and I found myself in just another city, far more beautiful than any other I had been to, but not quite the heavenly refuge from humanity that I had envisioned.
Turns out there are homeless people in Paris, a lot less than what you would find on the footpaths of Delhi, but perhaps the greater contrast that you see here between the homeless and the homes in whose shade they live increases the shock you recieve at seeing them. Even two streets away from the Eiffel, you can see sun-tanned, glassy eyed people sitting on benches with a hopelessness that seems to mock the smiles on passing faces, answering nature`s calls sitting between two parked cars, or guarding there life`s possessions in polythene bags pilfered perhaps from one of the garbage bins lining the extremely clean streets. It`s nothing to hold against the city, for I doubt if it is possible for any human city to not have at least some of her denizens spending their lives on the streets (the vatican maybe, but then you would scarcely count that as a human city).
Then there are beggars too...again, nothing like the pity-demanding flood of decaying human spirits that accosts you at traffic signals in Delhi, and certainly not in the city`s heart, but in the RER that joins her to the suburbs. To be honest, they seem to be almost no bother compared to the haggling, almost threatening professionals you see back home, but they are enough to make you question utopian reputations.
Now to the title of this post...a small street along the river, starting from the bridge near Porte Versailles, on the side of the 16eme, and lined with dog shit and dried (hopefully) dog urine.
Turns out there are homeless people in Paris, a lot less than what you would find on the footpaths of Delhi, but perhaps the greater contrast that you see here between the homeless and the homes in whose shade they live increases the shock you recieve at seeing them. Even two streets away from the Eiffel, you can see sun-tanned, glassy eyed people sitting on benches with a hopelessness that seems to mock the smiles on passing faces, answering nature`s calls sitting between two parked cars, or guarding there life`s possessions in polythene bags pilfered perhaps from one of the garbage bins lining the extremely clean streets. It`s nothing to hold against the city, for I doubt if it is possible for any human city to not have at least some of her denizens spending their lives on the streets (the vatican maybe, but then you would scarcely count that as a human city).
Then there are beggars too...again, nothing like the pity-demanding flood of decaying human spirits that accosts you at traffic signals in Delhi, and certainly not in the city`s heart, but in the RER that joins her to the suburbs. To be honest, they seem to be almost no bother compared to the haggling, almost threatening professionals you see back home, but they are enough to make you question utopian reputations.
Now to the title of this post...a small street along the river, starting from the bridge near Porte Versailles, on the side of the 16eme, and lined with dog shit and dried (hopefully) dog urine.
jeudi 24 mai 2007
Eiffel 2
Guess I was a trifle too hard on Gustav`s giant gift to Paris the last time...turns out sometimes you just have to see things in a new light. Literally.
Note to tourists 2
The tower looks a million times better in the night. There`s a mesmerizing quality to the white lights dancing on the sparkling coat of yellow that the tower dons during the night. I don`t think they keep the white lights on for long, so pick up your slots carefully.
Another sight that I will never forget was the Eiffel on a cloudy day. It seemed like a bridge to the clouds with its lowest levels clearly visible and the higher ones slowly fading away into a blanket of stationary looking clouds. Reminded me of god-knows-how-many heroic tales. All that was missing was a dragon to breath fire from its top...
It`s tough to believe how many people turn up to see the tower each day. All the four pillars have entrances and lifts, and all four give birth to really really long lines. There`s a sign about 10 m from the entrances that says, 'average waiting time frm here; 30 minutes'. The lines are usually about 10 times longer. Hope all those hapless people have good lower body strength...and ORS solutions.
Note to tourists 2
The tower looks a million times better in the night. There`s a mesmerizing quality to the white lights dancing on the sparkling coat of yellow that the tower dons during the night. I don`t think they keep the white lights on for long, so pick up your slots carefully.
Another sight that I will never forget was the Eiffel on a cloudy day. It seemed like a bridge to the clouds with its lowest levels clearly visible and the higher ones slowly fading away into a blanket of stationary looking clouds. Reminded me of god-knows-how-many heroic tales. All that was missing was a dragon to breath fire from its top...
It`s tough to believe how many people turn up to see the tower each day. All the four pillars have entrances and lifts, and all four give birth to really really long lines. There`s a sign about 10 m from the entrances that says, 'average waiting time frm here; 30 minutes'. The lines are usually about 10 times longer. Hope all those hapless people have good lower body strength...and ORS solutions.
mardi 22 mai 2007
On Ethnicity
You won`t believe this... I ve been here for a week; walked about a fourth of the city, and I haven`t seen a single Sardarji!!
Now how many big cities in the world can offer you something like that? (I don`t know: like most Indians, I just assumed Sardarji`s were everywhere)
Another, bigger surprise is the number of East-Asian people around. They really are everywhere. Every major and most non-major streets I have seen host an Asian restaurant, be it Chinese, Japanese (esp. the Sushi bars!) or Thai. The restaurants look more or less like family endeavours so you can safely assume that there are atleast that many families of the said ethnicity around town. Actual calculations would probably give you a mind boggling number...
Pro-Paris fact 7
You wouldn`t believe the number of inter-racial couples in this place... all possible permutations of ethnicities can be found cuddling on the bridges on Seine or the parc du champ de mars near the Eiffel. It`s heartening to see such genome-spanning romance in a time when racial violence has become a big problem (Last year, schools in Paris had to be closed for a few days due to anti-immigrant riots.). Guess it`s ok to like someone as a person and hate his race for taking your jobs!
Most of the Indians I have seen here have been tourists, or incredibly pesky souvenir-salesmen at the Eiffel. The few seemingly permanent resident`s I happened to come across appeared to have become very Parisian in manners, and I must say maang-mein-sindoor looks incredibly funny when combined with Parisian 'Haute-Couture'.
Now how many big cities in the world can offer you something like that? (I don`t know: like most Indians, I just assumed Sardarji`s were everywhere)
Another, bigger surprise is the number of East-Asian people around. They really are everywhere. Every major and most non-major streets I have seen host an Asian restaurant, be it Chinese, Japanese (esp. the Sushi bars!) or Thai. The restaurants look more or less like family endeavours so you can safely assume that there are atleast that many families of the said ethnicity around town. Actual calculations would probably give you a mind boggling number...
Pro-Paris fact 7
You wouldn`t believe the number of inter-racial couples in this place... all possible permutations of ethnicities can be found cuddling on the bridges on Seine or the parc du champ de mars near the Eiffel. It`s heartening to see such genome-spanning romance in a time when racial violence has become a big problem (Last year, schools in Paris had to be closed for a few days due to anti-immigrant riots.). Guess it`s ok to like someone as a person and hate his race for taking your jobs!
Most of the Indians I have seen here have been tourists, or incredibly pesky souvenir-salesmen at the Eiffel. The few seemingly permanent resident`s I happened to come across appeared to have become very Parisian in manners, and I must say maang-mein-sindoor looks incredibly funny when combined with Parisian 'Haute-Couture'.
Cooking
Cooking for me has been like being hit with a 3-shot in PTANKS...cook, do the dishes, then eat what you cooked! It`s tough to decide which shot hits the hardest.
Pro-Paris fact 6
You don`t really have to cook much; everything from rice, vegetables, dal to noodles is available in pre-boiled form. So all you have to do is to add a 'tadka' as per your taste.
Anti-Paris fact 4
Everything is pretty expensive. And the labels are tough to interpret...so beware.
My meals usually consist of various permutations of rice, lentils, bread, eggs, milk and kellog`s. And yes, pasta!
Lesson`s learnt 2
You can use the frying pan for anything you want, but never use any other vessel for frying.
Learnt this the hard way after coating a vessel with carburized starch while cooking pasta for myself. Ate the pasta anyway coz I didn`t feel like throwing 3 euros in the sink... that`s another lesson I guess.
Lesson learnt 3
Do not use the microwave as a bread warmer. It turns them into really tasteless biscuits.
Learnt this the same way as many other lessons, put a bunch of bread slices in the microwave to heat them a little, ended up turning them into tasteless brown biscuit like things (closer to RUSKS perhaps?) that were completely inedible.
I am currently hopeful that my cooking will improve iteratively, though the scrambled eggs I made this morning do not really support this hypothesis.
Lesson learnt 4
Sprinkling salt on scrambled eggs after they ve been cooked doesn`t really help.
Pro-Paris fact 6
You don`t really have to cook much; everything from rice, vegetables, dal to noodles is available in pre-boiled form. So all you have to do is to add a 'tadka' as per your taste.
Anti-Paris fact 4
Everything is pretty expensive. And the labels are tough to interpret...so beware.
My meals usually consist of various permutations of rice, lentils, bread, eggs, milk and kellog`s. And yes, pasta!
Lesson`s learnt 2
You can use the frying pan for anything you want, but never use any other vessel for frying.
Learnt this the hard way after coating a vessel with carburized starch while cooking pasta for myself. Ate the pasta anyway coz I didn`t feel like throwing 3 euros in the sink... that`s another lesson I guess.
Lesson learnt 3
Do not use the microwave as a bread warmer. It turns them into really tasteless biscuits.
Learnt this the same way as many other lessons, put a bunch of bread slices in the microwave to heat them a little, ended up turning them into tasteless brown biscuit like things (closer to RUSKS perhaps?) that were completely inedible.
I am currently hopeful that my cooking will improve iteratively, though the scrambled eggs I made this morning do not really support this hypothesis.
Lesson learnt 4
Sprinkling salt on scrambled eggs after they ve been cooked doesn`t really help.
lundi 21 mai 2007
Shopping for living
This is a totally new experience for me... shopping for sustenance. I ve had to go out almost every day buying stuff like water, milk, rice, detergent (!) and what not. So it has been kinda like setting up a household. And the shopkeeper`s of Paris are not making it any easier...
Pro-Paris fact 5
There are plenty of self-service mini-supermart type shops, so you d hardly ever have to travel far for anything. The shops sell everything from cheese to liquor, though I wouldn`t vouch for the quality of the latter, and since you have to just go in and pick them up, the language problem is somewhat alleviated.
Anti-Paris fact 2
The common articles do not have an MRP listed on them. So every shopkeeper sets his own price. And some of them really take you for a ride. The bigger problem is that a shop that sells one article cheaper may not be as benevolent with others, so your situation may reduce to buying milk from one place, juice from another and rice from a third. Research well before you settle down to buying from one place...
A good place for buying most things can be large stores like FRANPRIX, MONOPRIX, CHAMPION or GO2...although the prices may not be the best for all articles, these are a good bet if you want to do most of your shopping from one spot.
Lessons learnt 1
When the French say mineral water, they really do mean mineral water. Unlike back home, all brands taste different. I discovered this rather painfully on my second day when I bought a six bottle (= 9 litre) pack of water, lured mainly by the discount they were offering. Anyway, the water tastes like well water from my village. And apart from having the very unpleasant effect of making me feel guilty for not visiting my grandma for all these years, also makes me a little sick in the stomach.
Pro-Paris fact 5
There are plenty of self-service mini-supermart type shops, so you d hardly ever have to travel far for anything. The shops sell everything from cheese to liquor, though I wouldn`t vouch for the quality of the latter, and since you have to just go in and pick them up, the language problem is somewhat alleviated.
Anti-Paris fact 2
The common articles do not have an MRP listed on them. So every shopkeeper sets his own price. And some of them really take you for a ride. The bigger problem is that a shop that sells one article cheaper may not be as benevolent with others, so your situation may reduce to buying milk from one place, juice from another and rice from a third. Research well before you settle down to buying from one place...
A good place for buying most things can be large stores like FRANPRIX, MONOPRIX, CHAMPION or GO2...although the prices may not be the best for all articles, these are a good bet if you want to do most of your shopping from one spot.
Lessons learnt 1
When the French say mineral water, they really do mean mineral water. Unlike back home, all brands taste different. I discovered this rather painfully on my second day when I bought a six bottle (= 9 litre) pack of water, lured mainly by the discount they were offering. Anyway, the water tastes like well water from my village. And apart from having the very unpleasant effect of making me feel guilty for not visiting my grandma for all these years, also makes me a little sick in the stomach.
Eiffel
Waking up in a strange town at 6 in the morning was indeed a new experience. That the tower seemed so near only made it harder to stay indoors. So I started my first morning in Paris with a walk to the tower, afraid that I`ll get lost on the way.
Pro-Paris fact 4
The only way to get lost in Paris is to get lost in its beauty; you just can`t lose your way here. Most of the streets are arranged in neat little rectangles, ever road and avenue has a number of signs telling its name; and every bus stop has a map of Paris neatly framed on it`s rear wall. A person will have to be one or more of blind, illiterate, amnesiac, or just very very thick to lose his way here.
Anti-Paris fact 1
There are tourists at the Tower at 8 in the morning. I do understand enthusiasm but 8 a.m. is certainly too early to stand in front of a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge tower and ask an innocent, hungry and bewildered guy on his morning walk to take your picture.
Note to tourists 1
There is NO WAY YOU CAN TAKE A PERSON`S PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE FULL EIFFEL TOWER IN THE BACKGROUND, not without reducing the person to a tiny speck in a corner. So please do not ask an innocent, hungry and bewildered guy on his morning walk to do so. He is liable to get tempted to press the wrong buttons on your camera.
The problem with the eiffel tower is that it is not beautiful. It is too wiry to be graceful, and its USP of height doesn`t really work with all the buildings that have sprung up. Perhaps the view from its top is still amazing, more so now than when Gustav designed it, but there is little pleasure in staring at it`s graceless ascent from the ground.
It`ll certainly make a great place to commit suicide from, but I doubt most tourists will be in a mood to try that.
So I did find my way back... without having to use any of the bus-stop maps. Totally unimpressed.
Pro-Paris fact 4
The only way to get lost in Paris is to get lost in its beauty; you just can`t lose your way here. Most of the streets are arranged in neat little rectangles, ever road and avenue has a number of signs telling its name; and every bus stop has a map of Paris neatly framed on it`s rear wall. A person will have to be one or more of blind, illiterate, amnesiac, or just very very thick to lose his way here.
Anti-Paris fact 1
There are tourists at the Tower at 8 in the morning. I do understand enthusiasm but 8 a.m. is certainly too early to stand in front of a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge tower and ask an innocent, hungry and bewildered guy on his morning walk to take your picture.
Note to tourists 1
There is NO WAY YOU CAN TAKE A PERSON`S PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE FULL EIFFEL TOWER IN THE BACKGROUND, not without reducing the person to a tiny speck in a corner. So please do not ask an innocent, hungry and bewildered guy on his morning walk to do so. He is liable to get tempted to press the wrong buttons on your camera.
The problem with the eiffel tower is that it is not beautiful. It is too wiry to be graceful, and its USP of height doesn`t really work with all the buildings that have sprung up. Perhaps the view from its top is still amazing, more so now than when Gustav designed it, but there is little pleasure in staring at it`s graceless ascent from the ground.
It`ll certainly make a great place to commit suicide from, but I doubt most tourists will be in a mood to try that.
So I did find my way back... without having to use any of the bus-stop maps. Totally unimpressed.
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