Day 24 - Records of India. Day 3

Up early to see more of Delhi! We ate breakfast at the buffet provided by the hotel, what a spread! Waffle, omelet, and morning noodle stations! Knowing me it was al about the omelet! Mushroom, onion, tomato is my classic! Today was day two of Delhi city tour. We left the hotel around 8:30am and headed to Rajghat, the final resting place of Gandhi’s remains. The grounds had a large amount of grassland and vegetation. Shoes were not allowed as a sign of respect.

We made our way across town to Old Delhi and the Islamic Mosque. This mosque was a local prayer center. The men had to cover their legs and females had to cover all skin. This provided a good opportunity for a picture. Instead of white marble of the Taj Mahal the mosque was constructed from red sandstone. It had an open courtyard which would fill up during prayer hours. The courtyard stone got quite hot in the Indian sun, burning our feet as we walked around. Once again as we lined up the take pictures, locals quickly snapped pictures of our group.

Our next event was easily the highlight for the most of us. We all took a ride through the side streets of Old Delhi on a two person Rikshaw. A Rickshaw is a wagon like carriage attached to a bike, and serves at the equivalent to a taxi in India.

As all of our drivers raced through the busy streets we were exposed to many sights and smells that we were not accustomed to. Overwhelmed with beeping and shouting we momentarily found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam. The end of the Rikshaw ride left us at the gate of the Red Fort.
The Red Fort

This massive royal family fort was constructed in a mere 10 years. The fort lies along the Yamuna River which feed the moat surrounding the fort. Our tour guide has a lot to say about the fort. As we walked along the sweltering heat he explained how much of the fort is still in it original form. We walked through the Archeological Museum before we made our way back to the entrance to participate in more bargaining for souvenirs.

As we made our way to the airport we briefly stopped at Bengali, a local traditional sweets shop. Only Erin and I got off. How in the heck can you pass up a special stop for SWEET TREATS! We were the only non Indian people in the shop, but I felt surprisingly comfortable. Perhaps I feel most at home around sweets HAHA. Our tour guide Karan led the way as he suggested the best sweets to get. I decided to get “Atta Laduo” a compressed spiced sugar and flour ball that resembled the flavors of a peanut butter cookie. The crumbly sweet was slightly crunchy. My next item was “Peda” a dough-like disk shaped with pistachio flavors. There was a odd bitter aftertaste the took some getting used to. My last item was “Gungia” a tart like item with a cinnamon sugar and raisin mixture folded between pastry dough. Thanks to Karan’s direction we were greatly satisfied with the selection.


Arriving at the Delhi airport, strict security measures were enforced to just enter the airport. We said our final goodbyes to India as our plane departed back to Dubai just after 4pm. It was a trip I will never forget!

I hope everyone is doing well, thanks for following me through India, Sean.

Day 23 - Records of India. Day 2

In the morning, we had a breakfast buffet at the Gateway Hotel it was a nice setup the omelet station and fruit was calling me. We then boarded the bus for our long drive from Agra back to Delhi. Erin found a playmate during a bathroom break on our trip back to Delhi.

After arriving in Delhi, we went to the Qutab Minar Complex, initially ancient Hindu temples, the main tower is the tallest brick minaret in the world and has five distinct levels with balconies. Half way through our tour a security guard asked us to leave due to some kind of scare. Our tour guide tried to argue with him to let us stay…but no luck.

After getting lunch at the Rendezvous Café nearby (some of the best Indian food I have ever had) Mushrooms curry and tandoori was tasty! We then were on our way to Humayun’s Tomb. This site holds the remains of Mogul Emperor Humayun and members of his family. This building strikingly resembles the Taj Mahal, and was built before it. The Taj Mahal included changes that were needed in Humayun’s Tomb, a trial building. It had a lot more color and I personally enjoyed the site a little better than the Taj Mahal.

Our last site for the day was a Hindu temple, Shri Lakshmi Narain Temple. Shoes were not allowed to bring in our cameras or cell phones, unless we paid the fee. It was very valuable to see people practicing a different religion. Their gods were artfully displayed as followers showed their respects.

After the temple, we boarded the bus for the Shangri La Hotel in New Delhi. This five-star hotel had a stunning golden entryway, had several different restaurants on the upper floors. The gym, pool, and gardens provided some jaw dropping views. We went to dinner at an Asian restaurant which had a confusing menu. We decided on a table menu which came with enough food for at least 12… so the interns had to do our best to eat it all…we did not succeed. So I tried just about every dish, my highlights was the jumbo shrimp (cooked to perfection), the fried sesame mushrooms, and the eggplant stir fry (the best dish of the night). This dish inspired me to learn how to cook eggplant this summer.
Full and tired we headed up to the luxury rooms which were equipped with a odd window from the shower to the bedroom…I fount this really weird…I later realized that it was for tv watching form the bath tub. Haha. We had a good time joking around that the use of it was viewing pleasure of whoever was showering. Haha It of course had a curtain. So Mike and I found the robes and proceeded to be silly and take a few photos. Exploring India will continue tomorrow.



Thanks for following my adventure, Sean

Day 22 - Records of India. Day 1

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of postings in the last week, I will attempt the catch up in the next few days. Here is my records of my first day in India. Enjoy!!

After our Midterm it was time for India! We took the evening off to recuperate from the exam. We left fop the airport at 2am! After not sleeping till out flight at 4:30 I was able to sleep the entire flight. It was Thursday (6.2.11) morning when we landed in landed in Delhi, India. We met up with out tour guide, Karan. Through the trip we became quite close to Karan. We then started what was suppose to be a four hour trip to Augra, but turned out to be more like six hours with all the traffic. The second we entered India the extreme poverty and mass population issues became obvious. It was a huge culture shock to see villages, such extreme poverty, hunger and over population. I sent a lot of time just absorbing all the images of the Indian city streets filled with people, cows and garbage. I really had no Idea the magnitude of the poverty and the dire situation the country is in. Of course India is a quite large and we only saw a small part of Northern India. Through all the saddening images I enjoyed the occasional monkey and all the colorful outdoor markets which sold fresh fruit and vegetables in an open air environment. I am a big fan of farmer’s markets at home. When I say driving is chaotic, it is a huge understatement. Traffic laws are non existent and the honking of the streets began to be white noise as the trip went on. The roads were filled with cows, honking, buses weaving, pedestrians, and motorized scooters. I was surprised we made it the entire trip without an accident.

Once we arrived in Agra, we checked-in at the Gateway Hotel. The main reason for visiting Agra was to see the Taj Mahal. As we made our way through the front gates, one of the Seven Wonders of the World cam slowly into sight. This dramatic effect was previously thought about the designer and created a sense of suspense and u began to see the all whit structure.Our tour guide continued to recite including how the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the building in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to their 14th child. I was impressed with the quality and detail of wor which was all completed in the15th-century. We got so lucky with our visit, the weather was mild (for India that is 96 deg F), it was off season , so crows were limited and it was sun set which provided a sandy red glow to reflect off the white marble as the sun dipped below. The group at the Taj Mahal
Hand laid marble detailing in the Taj Mahal.


After a wonderful visit we returned to the hotel and ready to eat. We all decide Indian food was a must, so moat of us feasted on a sample dish that could easily feed three. I didn’t have much lunch so I ate for three, haha. I decided on the veggie sampler and took everyone’s tandoori fish. So good! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. My platter consisted of three types of nan, curry mixed veggies (type 1), fried cottage cheese & spices, bean & chickpeas and curry type 2, green bean and curry (type 3)!!! I left a happy camper with a full stomach and ready to play cards for the rest of the night. We let all the food digest as 6 of us play Phase 10 till 1am. GREAT FIRST DAY!

Home from India

I am now safely back in Dubai after my amazing trip to India. It was a humbling experience filled with beautiful views and new foods.

I will share more on my trip in the coming days.
Here are a few pictures in the meantime.

Taj Mahel - We went on the perfect day. Mild tempratures, low crowds, and sunset!!!

View behing the Taj Mahel

Northern India Veggie Sample Platter, all for me...YUM and I finished it all!! Then didn't have to ear for the next half day. HAHA

We all got some good sleep after our long days touring India.

High Five! We saw monkeys all over the place. NEAT-O!

Typical side street of Old Delhi

Bengali - Well known Indian sweet treat shop! A highlight of my trip.

Day 19, 20 - Burj Al Salam Day 1&2

Up and out early. Today we visited the Burj Al Salam (translation the tower of Salam). This building is located on the Sheikh Zayed road, one of the, if not the most popular road of Dubai. The Burj Al Salam project is a mixed use high rise building it is a 202 meter tower and 50 meter tall car park. DCC took over construction on the 6th floor and was awarded the project for a contract value of 850 million AED $231 million, with a contract duration of 31 months.

It was a long morning due to being extra tired, due to a alte night studying for the midterm. We had a three hours to study for the midterm prior to taking the exam. There was a ton of information we were responsible so I spent just about the entire time to review, with the exception or having a quick lunch.

Here are some pictures or the construction site, Enjoy:

Thanks for following, Sean.

Day 18 - Long but Knowledge Filled Day

Today my team was back in Abu Dhabi visiting the ADNEC building again. To let out some of my inner nerd, today we learned that post-tension slabs (floors) were preferable in this project because this system works bests in larger spans. Post tension slabs concrete is pored over steel cables which are then tightened in tension to create compression in the floor. This creates a slight camber (bend) in the floor allowing the applied loads to equal out the force created from tension. The owner decided to add two extra floors of penthouses at the top of the 27 floor structure. Due to a very low water table here in Dubai. Water protection and dewatering systems were of high importance. The pumps will be used until the structure reaches floor 24 floor because the building weight will counteract the buoyancy uplift force of the water. Out team did some manual labor and laid cement wall blocking in the ADNEC building. Was a lot tougher than the workers make it look. We are so proud of our baby wall! haha



After a nice lunch at the Holiday in, our group went to the Guardian towers in Abu Dhabi. The towers are located near the ADNEC building. A detailed tour was provided by Mr. Jihad, the project manager for the Guardian Towers. The towers were completed earlier this month. It was a nice to see the building in its completed stage. The finish of the multi use building was stunning. Marble and granite was used in several locations. Both polished and unpolished versions provided the building a clean and contemporary finish. The ground floor connects the two towers. A special feature of this project is that it uses an expansion joint spanning the width of the building to allow for the building’s material to expand and contract without educing failures. Apartment kitchen of finished Guardian Towers in Abu Dhabi...Ill take one!



On our way home we made a quick visit to the mosque of Sheik Zayed, one of the largest mosques in the world. It was stunning!! The craftsmanship on the building was incomparable.




AUTHORS NOTE:
Dear Followers,
I will be heading to India for a little vacation with the other interns and program teachers. I am so excited for this unexpected journey. Here is a brief outline of our 3 day trip. Arrive in Delhi Thursday morning, drive to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, drive back to Delhi and explore the city (Friday). I will not be taking my computer, so I will take avid notes in order to update the blog upon my arrival.
Thanks for following,
Sean

Day 17 - Stressful Day but Great Dinner

Today was the most stressful day so far. Our mental capacities are getting tested and people are on edge. At least half of every day is occupied with either a site visit or a classroom lecture. This gives us very little to complete the assignment and study for pop quizzes. Unfortunately, most of the students have to as possible. Most of my morning was spent on doing the blog specifically about the internship, typing job site notes and writing my technical report. In terms of the internship blog, its contents are followed daily by faculty at SU. Talking about faculty at SU, at the end of the program the Syracuse University chancellor and board of trustees will make the trip to Dubai to attend our graduation ceremony. SWEET!!!

The better par of the day came in the evening, where Jaene, Katelyn’s sister in law’s sister took Mike Katelyn and I out to a Italian dinner. The restaurant “Prego’s” was located in a hotel about 10 minuets from the hotel. They did a lot of things well there. First off I really liked how they immediately brought a hot loaf of bread to the table along with a garlic aioli sauce, oil & vinegar and parmesan reggiano cheese. Here in the UAE alcohol can only be bought in hotels, odd, I know, but the way it is. Jaene is a fan of wine and we decided to share a bottle. We couldn’t decide what red looked good until I say my Dad’s favorite wine listen on the menu. We decided on a 2007 Gabbiano Chianti Classico!!! I knew it would be great with the hardy Italian meal. The 3 grape wine is aged in oak to soften the tannins giving a off bold and spicy flavors. Thanks dad for all the wine knowledge! Haha.For dinner I greatly enjoyed the waiter recommended Capricciosa pizza (tomato, mozzarella, mushroom, artichoke, black olives and spinach). Always room for dessert, the plate of three crème brulee was my choice (pistachio, hazelnut and vanilla flavors). GOOD CHOICE SEAN!! After a great meal and good conversation it was back to the apartment to finish up some work before bed and an early morning.

Thanks for following my adventure, Sean