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12/08/2012

Horseback riding in the heart of Delhi

 A friend of mine told me that I should try and do everything I could in Delhi like if I was going to leave tomorrow. And she asked what would I do? I told her nothing… She thought I was showing attitude but well, making a life in Delhi was not really about visiting all the monuments there are… And I’ve seen a lot of them anyway. 

However there was something pending on my “list” and this was horseback riding. And it is probably the most incredible experience I've had.  

I was taken to the Army Polo and Riding Club located in the “lungs” of the city. Right there, in the middle of Delhi, you have plain jungle!

india,delhi,horseback riding,army ground

india,delhi,horseback riding,army ground

india,delhi,horseback riding,army ground

You arrive there, tell the name of a horse and they hand it over to you, all ready to go – in France most of the time you need to clean your horse, put the saddle and stuff… 

You go up some steps and land on the horse – in France you put your foot in the stirrup and heave yourself up however you can. 

And here you go! 

You can go to the arena, or on the trails, you are completely free – in France no one will let you go before checking your riding skills and making sure you know the area. 

So you have dozens of people riding around…

 

As for us we went on the trail. I was put last. No ride for at least 3 years… These guys started trotting and I realised I had a very uncomfortable horse and an even more uncomfortable saddle. I asked when we were going to gallop and was told the trail was too narrow. Never heard something like that! So I let them trot, hold my horse back and kept catching up galloping!! Full speed… Live your life like if you were going to die tomorrow… 

After 40 minutes I was sweating and out of breath but damn happy!!

I could not feel my legs when I went down. I had two painful blisters on my fingers. And then I found out about the huge bruises all over my inner thighs and ankles. I also found out about muscle sores later but this I knew it would come… Not like the bruises!! Never had that. But it was so cool!!

12/06/2012

Drinking and driving

I may be going havoc these days but I still don’t smoke nor drink and drive – someone must have sung lullabies to me as a baby for these to be so printed in my brain.

Anyways…

The other night my friend tried to convince me to take my car for Friday night (LIT night if you remember) since “it was not too far…”. My friends told me they were impressed with my “self-control” since the other night I stopped after 2 glasses of wine and had food and water before driving back. I think I gave them a shock when I explained that I would be okay going into a wall with my car but would find it difficult to live with the death of someone else on my shoulders…

 

Accordingly last Friday I took a taxi. Now the guy was a young brat, trying to show off, driving like mad, talking on the phone, singing, all that jazz… One has to wonder what is safer?? Him or drunk me driving?? Mmmmhhh not sure… Like this one time I was going to the airport. The driver managed fine in the traffic but once we arrived on the highway, which was relatively empty, he suddenly broke. He had dozed off. And he kept dozing off like 5 times in the next 10 minutes, like if he had some syndrome. And this is so common…

 

So talking of women, drinking and driving, there is this article. So for instance in Chandigarh in 2012 they arrested only 1 woman for drinking and driving against 3 000 men. One could see women going out and having fun as a good thing, but obviously not the Hindustan Times. One woman is spotted puking and the world as we know it is coming to an end… Men are in for surprises in this country…

 

Firstly not so many women are allowed out of the house on their own at night, not many drive, not many drink and anyways, only female constables can check them out and they also don’t come out at night! Still, drinking and driving is not a good idea. Evil tongues might say that it would be even worse with women driving…

 

To finish I’d like to quote the article : “The police asking drivers to roll down the windows before sticking their neck in to sniff liquor is a common sight, a practice they find difficult to follow when it comes to women drivers.” This is hilarious!!

I’m waiting for the day a cop tries to sniff me!!

 

12/04/2012

Because a woman will always be a woman...

The Indians are quite not too adventurous. Especially in India as a matter of fact.

Having my (female) assistant to come to a meeting in the evening was really not easy, the whole office talked to the parents and her brother-in-law came along... What are the parents afraid of I don’t know, but they were damn scared. Obviously, given the act that I am a foreign girl, all alone in India for 6 years, it is difficult for me to fully understand. Though I respect it.

And this kind of attitude is not the exclusivity of the lower middle class people. For example my upper-upper-class girl friends have “crapped me a watermelon” – this is a French expression translated by Bing and I found it too funny so I left it!! It means they made a big fuss – the other day because I wanted to drive home at 2 AM. And according to them it is not safe (for the girl, not for the others, I see you coming! – though in my case I would think I am the danger...).

They have for example asked me to put on a sweater over my dress. And I drove home safely, and without my sweater.

When I told an Indian female friend, who is now roaming around Vietnam that I intended to do a road trip from Delhi to Mumbai, she told me without hesitation "no you can’t do that! I told her to stop being an Indian mum...” That said it's funny, a French girlfriend also told me I was reckless!