Detour

So I was kicked out of India.

Let me rewind a bit. I posted a bit about Japan in the last post but figured it needed a little more. Three of us were planning to take a trip to Japan since the airfare from Bangalore was relatively cheap. We planned it over a long weekend that no one would be at the Studio I office anyway so it'd work out well for us. We packed up, took a very long ride to the airport, and went to the immigration people. Unfortunately this is when I noticed my passport had taken it's own voyage through the washing machine.

I was told I was not allowed to reenter the country with this visa. Since my date to leave was the next friday I wouldn't have enough time to reapply for a new visa either. So, whatever, that was fine I was going to Japan! I scheduled a new flight from there straight to SF.

My time in Tokyo was a lot of fun. Kelly and I had Josh Hart with us who has family there and has visited many times. So he made a good tour guide to show us the really cool places to be. The subway was our main mode of transport. It was massive. You could go anywhere on it. I know there are stories of how packed they get, but only once did we encounter this. Most times we stood or were lucky and got a seat. I was super surprised at just how clean everything is. It's hard to overstate just how nice and orderly things were. It might also have been the fact I'd been drenched in the chaos of India for weeks prior. Just about anywhere would have looked nice in comparison. I saw a lot of cool things there. Lots and lots of toy stores, knick knacks, and good food. It had been one of my goals to some day visit there and I wasn't disappointed.

The architecture was particularly interesting. Many buildings were very narrow. It's an island nation so it makes sense they built up instead. Our hotel was especially tiny. There was barely enough room to step into it before bumping into the bed. The door to my left housed the escape pod looking bathroom, again enough room to step in and then sit on the toilet or step into the shower. It was cramped but efficient. I liked it.

Vending machines were everywhere. Literally every street had a few. Most housed coffee/tea/soft drinks, but they had weird ones too like panties and ties. I don't understand the kind of emergency you're in that you buy your underwear from a vending machine but there they were.

One of the cooler things I saw as the giant gundam. It's from the anime of the same name and was built to scale what it would look like if real. Seeing a giant robot like this was amazing. They really went to town with details and it looked like any moment it would just start walking away.As a sense of scale I only came up to it's ankle.

Giant robots

We had a long weekend in India. They are doing their voting right now and so they had Thursday and Friday off. With the extra time a couple of us decided to go on a trip..... To Japan!

It was a ton of fun. I would have written during it but my battery died on my laptop and the plugs here don't have the ground wire it needed. As it is I'm writing this one on my phone. I'm at the airport now waiting to head back home to the US. Going to India was an experience that opened my eyes.

Japan was full sensory overload. There are so many people and shops and lights.  Most places are really cramped so if you go shopping the aisle is just big enough for my shoulders to kind of touch either side. Josh is over six feet tall and had to duck in many places. The food here was excellent as well. We had some grilled meat cooked at our table for our first dinner. I missed beef so much I almost cried.

I bought a lot of souvenirs for myself and others. There were so many things I wanted. Seems every Street had some kind of toy store. Some new and some used places.

Speaking of streets they are so clean. Even the subway areas were clean and we'd often see people washing or sweeping to keep it tidy.  After bangalore this was a welcome change. No open sewers here! The subway system was complex and the easiest way to travel. You could get anywhere in Tokyo with it. Almost all signs were in Japanese some were in romanji versions of katakana that we could read a bit at least.

I really loved trying to speak with locals, mainly people in stores. I knew a few words and phrases already and would look up others on my phone.  People seemed pleased or at least amused by this. Even when we were in less tourist areas it was easy enough to be understood through broken Japanese or pointing and hand gestures.

We saw some really awesome architecture, old temples, and giant robots. I know we only saw a small fraction of the city too. We went to one of the newer malls,  sky tree, that has a look out tower at the top. I think it's the highest point in Japan now. Even up there we couldn't see the city edges.

Over all I'm really glad I came and would go back again to see other sites. Josh and Kelly both want to live here and I can't say I'd be opposed either. It's a very orderly place and so big it'd take forever to explore.

Train rides and Mountain Tops

Sorry for the delay in posting. This last weekend our whole studio went on a trip. It was definitely a cool experience to have. We all met at the Bangalore train station which was filled with lost souls just laying around waiting for who knows what. We were unsure if we'd find our way to the correct platform but luckily three white people stood out like a sore thumb and they quickly spotted us.

The train ride itself was pretty cool. I'd never been on a train overnight and this one reminded me of movies I'd seen of trains with cramped sleeping compartments in Asia. True to those movies soon as the train started to slow people swarmed it. I saw people trying to crawl through windows, shoving through doors, pushing their bags like a shield to get people out of their way. It was chaos. Apparently it's first come first serve.

Lucky for us we had two cars secured just for us so no pushing we all had a spot. Another interesting fact: they call train cars bogies here. The cars had a good amount of room, and sleeping on it wasn't too bad actually. I got near a window and at night it got very cool and I fell right to sleep. They gave us some food too for the trip, since it was 9 hours on the train.

After getting up and seeing the sun rise over the India countryside we finally reached the middle of nowhere train stop. Our bus ride to the top of the mountain was scary. The driver seemed determined to beat every other vehicle to the top and would drive on the wrong side into on coming traffic that would have to stop onto the side of the road to let us pass. Also he'd swing wildly toward the edge. We were over 2,000 meters into the air and it was a straight drop. This man did not care. Once we reached the top everyone was just glad to still be alive.

The resort itself was really pretty. There is a big lake at the top of the mountain and it has lots of little street shops around it. That first day I spent my time in a hammock reading. We ate some good foods, and wandered around a little. Josh and I went and got oiled massages which was pretty cool, but a little weird. We played some board games and also some poker. That night the Studio I people took over the club house and had a dance party. Let me tell you: these people can dance! Those who were so quiet and meek in the office just went nuts here. Of course, they made a point to pull me, Josh and Kelly out onto the floor. We danced to bollywood music which was pretty cool. It reminded me of the kind of stuff you'd hear in DDR.

The next day we explored the mountain a little more. We went horse back riding. Since this is India there was no need to sign a waiver for safety, or bother with gear. Sandals on a horse? No problem! Also, as you can see I decided to ride one handed and use the phone. I figured if a knight can swing a sword from horse back surely I can manage my phone. I was told all I needed was a cowboy hat that I was riding so naturally. We happened to come across a wedding procession too! Apparently they cart the groom to the bride and have this big parade with people dressed up as Hindi Deities. It was really fun to see.

Out trip back was less eventful. No crazy bus ride. Everyone was exhausted. In fact, when we got to the train station we were at the wrong platform. We'd have to go up onto the overpass and back down to the next platform. Screw that. Too many stairs. Instead I jumped down into the train tracks and ran across to the next platform. I tossed my bag up ahead of me and a guy reached out to help pull me up. Some other guys had ran across after me too and instead of helping them the guy turned me and said, "Just leave them, they won't make it."

As you can see it was pretty dark out, I took this after I ran across. Everyone is still on the other side. Suckers. :)

Tough Times

Work has been kind of hard. I was hoping I could just sit back more and do job hunting, work on my portfolio items, but that's not the case. The structure here isn't the best. I obviously can't write too much about it but getting people to follow instructions is difficult. There are reasons I ask for our schedule to be updated, and files put in certain places. I need to track what's going on. It feels like herding cats. I feel sort of like the SF artists think we're just goofing around over here. Which isn't the case. Just what I write on facebook or here is about what I'm doing blowing off steam after work. Work is a pain lately. It's one thing to teach new people, it's another to teach new people then not have them listen, then some randomly quit and you have to start all over. Frustration.

Also today we got a little lost. Kelly, Josh (who arrived today from SF) and myself all got in a rickshaw to get to a mall. The guy totally had no idea where we wanted to go apparently and dropped us off at some other random store that looked like they started to build the mall then gave up. So we got another rickshaw, and some nice guy helped translate for us to the driver where I was trying to explain to go and got us there. The mall was actually pretty nice. A few floors of shopping and some food courts. Unfortunately the one we went to didn't have the luggage we wanted. Tomorrow we need to go to a different one and hope to find some good roller carry on bags.

End of the week we have a team outting on a train ride! Should be fun. We'll be heading to northern India somewhere. Maybe I'll rent a motorcycle there and ride around a bit. Week after the three of us who got lost are going for a mini trip to Japan for a few days! Should be fun and I plan to buy some things there. I did a tiny bit of souvinere shopping today too. I don't know what to get people. I saw some plates today with swastikas on them. I know they meant peace far before the Nazi's hijacked it but still kind of funny to see out in the open.

Lots and Lots of Alcohol

My first full week in India has come to an end. It's been pretty non-stop adventure. This is mainly due to everything being so new. I've gotten used to my surroundings enough now actually that when having a friend drive me home last night I was able to give him directions, which was a pretty amazing feat considering it was nearly 3am at the time.

Nearly everyone I've met here has been very kind. I was speaking with some friends at a party last night and they explained it all to me. Apparently in India from a young age kids are raised being taught that, "Guest is God." It really shows too. People will bend over backwards to help you out when shopping. Just today we all went to get some clothes and shoes and soon as I expressed interest in a pair of sandals I was ushered over to sit down, they measured my feet, quickly grabbed several pairs and would slip them on my feet for me to see what I thought. For something like shoe shopping, which in general is extremely tedious for me, this not only made it a lot faster but kind of entertaining. It was strange to be waited on that way but I also appreciated it. I got a pair I really like, and walking around is now a whole lot cooler than before. Now, this isn't to say that they won't try to push to sell you a lot. Our next stop ended up being a clothing store and when I found shorts I wanted they very quickly suggested shirts that would look good with it. It's hard to say no to trying them on when they move so fast. The store clerks were running to the back opening new boxes to check if they had our sizes even. I did end up buying that shirt too.

I've probably drank more this week than the last several months combined. It's so cheap to do so. On top of that It seems like my options are that or water. I'm also downing gallons of water like never before. I spoke before about some great microbrew that I had but this week I drank mainly cocktails. Having something cooler like that is really refreshing when its 100 degrees outside. Luckily it's a dry heat, you get into the shade and it's not nearly as bad. One of my new favorite places to drink here now is News Cafe.

They have a really huge list of cocktails, many are named either after sexual inuendos or scifi/pop culture references. Their service there actually isn't the best....I know after just writing about how great service is everywhere. There are only a couple of exceptions like this. I thought of it as a balance. The drinks were really good, as was the food, so the lack in service was passable. Honestly, it was about the level you'd get in the U.S. where the waiter comes by once and you don't really hear from them again.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I have had some kind of cocktail at every meal this week...hmm...

Last night was a going away party for one of the Ex-Zynga employees here. We all met up at this bar that was actually really packed, probably the most I've seen in one place here in India. It definitely reminded me a lot more of a crowded SF bar. The only difference being it was on a rooftop in the open air. Which was great because I'd probably have passed out from the heat of that many people inside. Because it was so packed getting drinks was a little tough there, but I had a really awesome expresso martini and pretty soon everyone at the table was drinking them. Hurray for trend setting! Someone mentioned a friend that is anti-social and I chimed in saying, "So am I. I actually very rarely go out. I don't like talking to lots of people, or being around big crowds." Everyone seemed really surprised and a little confused by this. One person said, "No, you're very social! You've been going around talking to everyone here." I suppose I had. Which is unusual for me. Everyone was pretty friendly though and not so stand-offish as I'm used to seeing in America. Also, because cell phone reception sucks people aren't just staring at their phones all night long. It definitely helped. I feel like I'm using up all my internal social activity budget here. I was definitely ready to seclude myself again after that.

Also, I want to say, I'm pretty proud of myself, and my friends, of how well we've been taking the rickshaws around and crossing the streets. Sounds kind of dumb, but you have to time darting across traffic, often getting part way across a street, stopping, then ducking behind a car just as it goes past. The rickshaw drivers here can refuse to drive you places, so you have to get a price before going anywhere, or at least tell them you want the meter. Just tonight as we were getting a rickshaw back from News Cafe we saw our first accident right in front of us. A rickshaw rammed into the back of a car and crumpled up like aluminum foil. Everyone seemed ok though. When I went up to the first driver and said, "Diamond District." He just shook his head 'no'. Ok..no problem there are a ton other rickshaws all over the place. I just went to the next and said the same he nodded I inquired how much. He tells me 200. Not going to happen, that's at least double what it should cost. I backed up and said 100 and started to move away thinking he was going to stick to it and drive off. Seeing this he changed his mind and countered my offer....with 70. I stopped and stammered a little at this. I had expected to need to work him down more.

Tomorrow I finally get to have some decent coffee. Apparently there is a place next to work that is really good. The coffee in the office is the worst. I can't wait.

Work Work

I'm a couple days in now. Seeing the Studio I team headquarters was pretty nice. They do have a nice work space and they serve meals on the roof which is a pretty cool place to eat. Most of the food I could not tell you what it was, but it's been tasty and only a little spicy, despite reputations for Indian food. If anything I think the food has a strong taste more so than a spicy one. Now that I'm not on edge from jet lag I can start to relax and enjoy some things here.

Last night we all went out to a local brewery called Arbor Brewery, which was tough to google since it kept wanting to show me one in Ann Arbor, MI. Getting to the place was another ordeal with Uber. It's very cheap to get a taxi ride here but without proper addresses it's really difficult to tell them where to go or where you are. Generally we've had to call them and yell over the traffic and honking of cars to get them an idea of where to pick us up. Traffic is still nuts but I'm getting used to it. No one goes very fast, mainly because you can't, and so even though it looks scary it's not so bad. Crossing a busy street is still kind of crazy though. It's a game of frogger without a second chance.

Oh, so back to the brewery, I had an Expresso Love stout and then some blonde ale both were really good.  The food wasn't that great, I had some 'mexican' which I put in quotes because it was clearly some India version of it that was a valiant effort at being Mexican food. Lunch the next day was at TGIFriday's which was interesting. It was almost like home but not quite. The menu was almost American, but not quite. For example: you can get a cottage cheese quasadilla. They had a buy one get one free drink special. Dave and I each got a long island ice tea and kelly got two...I don't know some pink drink.


Work has been going by very fast. We get in at 9-9:30 and then I start in on fire fighting basically. My job has consisted of explaining how to fix technical problems, reviewing some art and teaching others how to review. Its fun, I get to teach in a way which is cool, and my day goes by very fast. We take off at 5 and get home, shower, I read for a little, then we go get dinner.

It's actually been pretty fun having three other people out here with me that I know. We pretty much go do everything together. I end up sitting over at the Kellies apartment because they have wifi through the hotel. The place Dave and I are in is an apartment, no wifi, and we have some aircards for internet. It's pretty much useless until 11 or so at night when they suddenly start working. I assume it's the amount of traffic on them that during peak hours pretty much no one can use it.

Today on our way home we had a cow blocking traffic. It just sort of stood there and everyone had to try to go around it, which didn't work well. It was pretty funny but I'm sure on a regular basis it'd get annoying fast. I'm not totally sure how these cows survive, there isn't really any grass or anything to eat around here. Maybe people feed them? Either way, it was totally not worried about being in the street at all.

We saw a white guy today too. It was kind of funny, as he passed us on the street all our heads turned. I totally get why we get stared at here. It was just really funny that we all were like, "Another white person!"