Some random observations about India

* Driving in India is sort of an art. Pretty much, you just blow your horn and then move. Want to change lanes? Honk your horn and do it. Usually there's enough traffic around that you're not driving very fast, so the worst that can go wrong is a bit of a fender bender. It's the motorbikes and the pedestrians you really need to watch out for. I'm soooo glad I don't need to drive here.

* Women get some pretty tough jobs. So far, I've seen women road workers and women construction workers. These ladies are hauling pavers (carried on their heads, with the added safety of a special helmet with a flat top) or pounding gravel level. And, they're doing it while wearing saris. So far, I haven't been able to get a photo of it, but if I can I'll put it up. It's a pretty strange sight. The upside to me is that at least women don't seem to be blocked out of what are traditionally "male" jobs in the US. Although I'm sure that if the male workers are making 10 cents a day, the women are probably making 5 cents.

* While walking the hotel grounds last night I saw that there was a banquet in one of the ballrooms for some guy who was obviously very important. Through the glass patio doors, I could see several men with rifles and machine guns standing around outside the ballroom. They weren't in a uniform, so I guess they were just hired bodyguards or something. Seeing men walking around with big guns is a sure sign you're in a developing country. Or, perhaps a resident of the US Gulf Coast. (Maybe that's the same thing post-Katrina, eh?)

* While I did post several photos showing charming scenes such as cows roaming the street, Hyderabad is not a backwater by any means. We went to the office today, which is located in an area called Hi-Tech City. The office builidng is very new (about a year old) and very nice. Technical and physical facilities are excellent. I saw the Dell office down the street, and there is a building being built next door that Motorola will occupy.

* Hey, it's raining! This is the rainy season, but even though I've seen evidence of rain (wet pavement, etc.), I've not seen it rain yet. The showers seem to last for only a few minutes. Just enough to get you wet if you're out on your motorbike, I guess. After about 10 minutes, it looks like this shower is over. Wow, if could count on a daily shower like that, I can just imagine how my garden would grow!