What a business! It's called Dabbawalla.
More than 100 years old. 5,000 employees, two-thirds of whom are illiterate, most of whom are barefoot. Six Sigma-certified. They average one error in every 6 million transactions: a 99.9999% accuracy rate. It exists only in Mumbai, India.
They deliver lunch.
Businessmen here work hard. They don't often take time out for long leisurely lunches in restaurants. Their wives are often working at home. He would appreciate a hot, home-cooked lunch. (Or, so would their kids in school.) She cooks it and packs it in a special container. They pick it up, deliver it from his home to his desk, and then return the container that afternoon. Addresses are coded with a series of colors and symbols, similar to our 9-digit zip codes, that lead to his desk. Even folks who can't read do it perfectly. Some of them have been invited to lecture at India's finest MBA programs.
200,000 deliveries a month. No high technology. They go years without making a delivery mistake. Most deliveries cost less than $1, except from the distant suburbs.
We actually saw a TV show on the BBC about this business before we left the States. Talk about the right idea and the right business at the right place at the right time! The things we could learn . . . !!!
For more information:
http://www.mydabbawala.org/general/aboutdabbawala.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbawala
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Maldives
Rain or no rain, we couldn't be more thrilled to be here. We're in a big jacuzzi tub. With champagne. Actually, it's raining into the jacuzzi on us, because the winds are high and the bathroom doors are wide open.A bottle of champagne was waiting for us when we checked in.
We're staring into the distance across the Indian Ocean. Which is also behind us. And under us. We're at Coco Palm Bodu Hithi in the Maldives. In an Escape Water Villa.
I've had some good hotel experiences. I've stayed in hotel rooms with grand pianos, rooms with 800 sq. ft. balconies, and rooms with 3 bathrooms and 5 TVs. But never anything like this.
Our villa has a huge deck with a small pool, a covered “bed,” lounge chairs, and an outdoor shower.
However, my favorite spot was sitting on the front "porch" looking out to the horizon. I spent quite a few peaceful hours there. We put on snorkel gear and fins and climbed down the stairs right down into the ocean, a balmy 80 degrees.
The water has everything from 3' Jack fish to small sharks, which don't bother humans.
Our villa is more than 400 yards from shore. The living room has a plasma TV and a sound system. I'll pass on a rum and coke from the mini-bar – there's a full litre of Bacardi rum, but it's $225. Without the coke (a bargain at $6 per can).
We were greeted by the resort manager himself, a Brit. He was glad to see us, and said they only see North Americans once or twice a month. There are about 100 rooms here, and it's full this week. No economic slowdown problems here. Most of our neighbors are Japanese salarymen and their wives or girlfriends (the 20-somethings fighting their way up the corporate ladder working 90-100 hour weeks). If they only get one week's vacation, they're ready to spend big bucks for a fancy getaway. There are also Indians, Aussies, and we've heard lots of languages from both Eastern and Western Europe.
This place is fully self-contained, the nearest store of any type is 20 miles across the water. All the staff lives here full-time (from a host of nations). They process sea water into drinking water, some 400 tons per day, and generate their own electricity (1000 gallons of diesel fuel a day for the generators). The internet is slow and unreliable, but it works sometimes. It's strange to walk into Reception or a lounge for a drink, and find the floors are all sand!
Kerala
We're in the South of India! Completely different from the North, and a very pleasant surprise. Different state, different people, different language, different climate, different everything!
Kerala has tremendous natural resources, from coconuts to rubber, cashews, pineapples, tea, coffee, spices, and a host of other things. These drive a booming economy, which supports solid education and local services. Because there is much manual labor, the Communist Party, about 20% of the population, wins elections, and drives local services. Because the British and missionaries were here more than a hundred years ago, about 25% of the population is Christian. So we saw labor rallies and nuns and Catholic churches and church schools, very different from the North. India recently proclaimed this state to be 100% literate, which is an extraordinary accomplishment, anywhere in the world.
We went first to Coconut Lagoon, a long drive from Cochin, that ended with a boat trip to the resort. It's a magical place, apparently one of Paul McCartney's favorite hotels. Small cottages with canals running through the resort, adjacent to a large lake. There are bridges to get everywhere in the resort. Food was very good, service was fabulous. We both had massages in the Ayurvedic Massage Center, and loved the pampering. 
We were served lunch on board, then watched as a tremendous downpour ensued. We were warm, dry, and safe, and had two fabulous hours to experience the monsoon in India. A really perfect day.
The big local sporting event is an annual Snake Boat race (the Chinese have Dragon Boats; this name is for tourists) with huge boats. The one we saw up close won the 2009 race, with a couple of helmsmen, 105 oarsmen, and associated others. Some boats have 130 oars! 
We next went high in the mountains to the Windmere Plantation in Munnar. It's a working tea plantation, with hundreds of acres of tea plants that look like green carpets covering the mountains. Rustic, but very comfortable, good food, and tremendously eager service. We're thoroughly spoiled by Indian service, everybody tries so hard to please, all the time. It is clearly cultural, because it's everywhere, all the time. 
Went to the highest mountain in the state, saw the endangered goats, toured a tea manufacturing plant, and enjoyed the local atmosphere. Relatively constant rain seemed only to make it more exotic.
Drove back to Cochin, 140 km, 4+ hours, there's a consistent pattern here. Virtually no “highways,” lots of small towns, no matter where we drive, we don't average more than 25 mph. Stayed in the Old City, in some British lord's house, now converted to a lovely small hotel. Portuguese, Dutch, British history all in this city that is trying to become a shipping hub for south India. Woke up Sunday morning to an organ playing hymns!
There is a Presbyterian Church next door, further evidence of the Christian heritage (~25% of the population) in southern India. Had a boat tour of the harbor, and toured the waterfront and fish market, and the old Jewish quarter, went to an evening local dance performance.
More than 90 degrees, almost 100% humidity, it sure feels like the middle of summer here. We're ready for a vacation in the Maldives!
There is a Presbyterian Church next door, further evidence of the Christian heritage (~25% of the population) in southern India. Had a boat tour of the harbor, and toured the waterfront and fish market, and the old Jewish quarter, went to an evening local dance performance. More than 90 degrees, almost 100% humidity, it sure feels like the middle of summer here. We're ready for a vacation in the Maldives!
Udaipur
A travel day to Udaipur. Long, hard day of driving – 250 kilometers, all narrow 2-lane road, tremendous amount of trucks, took more than 5 hours. Many thanks to our wonderful driver, Surjeet, for steady and safe driving.
Tata is a huge Indian vehicle manufacturer, they make everything from small cars to 18-wheel lorries to huge construction machinery. We have seen some seriously large and bodacious Tatas! :)
India has massive marble quarries. We passed two today immediately next to the highway (how many more are there 5 kilometers off the highway?), and towns dedicated to cutting and selling marble. We saw many individual blocks the size of small Vws, and vast quantities for sale beside the road.
We're in the new Fateh Garh hotel in Udaipur. Rather than build a new hotel from scratch, the Maharajah bought an old palace in serious disrepair, dismantled it stone by stone, moved the entire thing high on the mountain, and rebuilt it. It has a fantastic view of the lake and city, less than 5 miles away, but an hour by car. The staff is new, only partly trained, but very eager to please. Here are some pictures of the hotel grounds
We toured the beautiful City Palace and Museum, had lunch overlooking the lake, then an evening boat ride around the lake. There are actually four connecting palaces, built over 3 centuries; also 3 lakes, also connecting, at least when there is enough water. The monsoon was not good to Rajasthan this year, and water levels are extremely low. The royal family of Udaipur still lives in one palace, and there are at least two hotels and several restaurants in the complex now. Udaipur is a pretty city.
On the second day we headed 90 kilometers over the mountains to visit two of India's most spectacular sites. The Ranakpur Jain Temple, surely another WOW moment, was built in the 15th century. The base of the temple is some 48,000 sq. ft. There are four smaller shrines surrounding the central shrine, and 24 pillared halls and domes supported by over 400 columns. There are a total of 1,444 columns in the entire temple, all carved from
stone, and no two alike. In addition, the domes are carved stone, much in the same way church domes are painted in Europe. But these are carved from marble! There are nymphs, similar to Cambodian Asparas, throughout the temple. It really was breathtaking.
After lunch we visited the fort at Kumbhalgarh. Of the 32 forts of India's great warrior kings, this is the most spectacular. Built atop a large mountain, nestled among 13 mountain peaks, the ramparts around the fort run some 2.5 miles. Lookouts stationed atop the mountains used mirrors to signal danger; they could literally relay messages 20 to 30 miles in a couple of minutes.
The complex is surrounded by a 32-kilometer wall that resembles a small segment of the Great Wall of China. Any invading force had to come over the wall, then straight up the mountain to the ramparts. If they surmounted these, at least 15 meters (45 feet) high, they then had to fight their way uphill through 7 consecutive gates, a distance of more than 100 meters with curves and turns for ambushes all the way, to actually enter the fort. There were 5 attacks on the fort, none ever succeeded.
Monday was a scheduled rest day, which we very much needed, and which unexpectedly turned spectacular. After a workout in the exercise center and a swim, we retired to one of the many couches around the property. This one is actually a bed, where we read and rested under a ficus tree on the hotel lawn.
Hotel staff had noticed Bob hobbling around on his bad left knee, and a member of the housekeeping staff approached us with suggestions. Unfortunately, she spoke no English, and we spoke no Hindi. She disappeared, and suddenly reappeared with a bowl of olive oil, and proceeded, with thoroughly expert hands, to massage the knee.
She taught Fran the locations and pressure points, then refused even a small gratuity. At least we learned her name, Dolly, and got her photograph.
That evenng (our last in Udaipur) they served dinner upstairs on the balcony, with local music and dancing, and we ate under a brilliant full moon, overlooking the lake and palaces of Udaipur, with fireworks over the city.
A very relaxing day that suddenly included two WOW moments that make these trips so special. Tomorrow we head to the South of India and the backwaters, but this was a fabulous end to three wonderful weeks in the North.
Tata is a huge Indian vehicle manufacturer, they make everything from small cars to 18-wheel lorries to huge construction machinery. We have seen some seriously large and bodacious Tatas! :)
India has massive marble quarries. We passed two today immediately next to the highway (how many more are there 5 kilometers off the highway?), and towns dedicated to cutting and selling marble. We saw many individual blocks the size of small Vws, and vast quantities for sale beside the road.
We're in the new Fateh Garh hotel in Udaipur. Rather than build a new hotel from scratch, the Maharajah bought an old palace in serious disrepair, dismantled it stone by stone, moved the entire thing high on the mountain, and rebuilt it. It has a fantastic view of the lake and city, less than 5 miles away, but an hour by car. The staff is new, only partly trained, but very eager to please. Here are some pictures of the hotel grounds
We toured the beautiful City Palace and Museum, had lunch overlooking the lake, then an evening boat ride around the lake. There are actually four connecting palaces, built over 3 centuries; also 3 lakes, also connecting, at least when there is enough water. The monsoon was not good to Rajasthan this year, and water levels are extremely low. The royal family of Udaipur still lives in one palace, and there are at least two hotels and several restaurants in the complex now. Udaipur is a pretty city.
On the second day we headed 90 kilometers over the mountains to visit two of India's most spectacular sites. The Ranakpur Jain Temple, surely another WOW moment, was built in the 15th century. The base of the temple is some 48,000 sq. ft. There are four smaller shrines surrounding the central shrine, and 24 pillared halls and domes supported by over 400 columns. There are a total of 1,444 columns in the entire temple, all carved from 
stone, and no two alike. In addition, the domes are carved stone, much in the same way church domes are painted in Europe. But these are carved from marble! There are nymphs, similar to Cambodian Asparas, throughout the temple. It really was breathtaking.After lunch we visited the fort at Kumbhalgarh. Of the 32 forts of India's great warrior kings, this is the most spectacular. Built atop a large mountain, nestled among 13 mountain peaks, the ramparts around the fort run some 2.5 miles. Lookouts stationed atop the mountains used mirrors to signal danger; they could literally relay messages 20 to 30 miles in a couple of minutes.
The complex is surrounded by a 32-kilometer wall that resembles a small segment of the Great Wall of China. Any invading force had to come over the wall, then straight up the mountain to the ramparts. If they surmounted these, at least 15 meters (45 feet) high, they then had to fight their way uphill through 7 consecutive gates, a distance of more than 100 meters with curves and turns for ambushes all the way, to actually enter the fort. There were 5 attacks on the fort, none ever succeeded.
Monday was a scheduled rest day, which we very much needed, and which unexpectedly turned spectacular. After a workout in the exercise center and a swim, we retired to one of the many couches around the property. This one is actually a bed, where we read and rested under a ficus tree on the hotel lawn.Hotel staff had noticed Bob hobbling around on his bad left knee, and a member of the housekeeping staff approached us with suggestions. Unfortunately, she spoke no English, and we spoke no Hindi. She disappeared, and suddenly reappeared with a bowl of olive oil, and proceeded, with thoroughly expert hands, to massage the knee.
She taught Fran the locations and pressure points, then refused even a small gratuity. At least we learned her name, Dolly, and got her photograph.
That evenng (our last in Udaipur) they served dinner upstairs on the balcony, with local music and dancing, and we ate under a brilliant full moon, overlooking the lake and palaces of Udaipur, with fireworks over the city.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Pushkar
We've gone into the desert! It's blazing hot, well above 90 degrees, into the 50s or lower at night.
Less than 250 miles from the Pakistan border, we're at the Pushkar Festival. Pushkar Lake is perhaps India's holiest lake. What started as a pilgrimage centuries ago evolved into a fair as devotees started including entertainment, markets, and trading livestock. For more than 500 years it has been known as the Pushkar Camel Fair.
For 10 days in the Fall, devotees, livestock buyers and sellers, and tourists, especially photographers, swarm this small town for one of the most colorful events one could imagine.
There are thousands of each type of livestock, and I'm not a good judge of most, but we've seen the most spectacular horses here. The noticeable difference from horses at home is that these have beautifully curved and pointed ears. But they are strong, graceful, and extremely athletic horses with beautiful lines.
However, the undisputed stars of this show are the camels - and there were thousands of them.. Not obviously attractive or athletic, with two knees on each hind leg, they're very strong and work tirelessly, and apparently bond with their owners. They're clearly a major part of the work force in this part of the world.
Tourists actually buy camels (who knew??), usually to attempt to resell them a few days later for a profit, but they virtually always come up short. As the sun went down, the merchants prepared for sleep - and so did the camels
We're staying in a tented camp, reputed to be owned by a maharajah, and one of the most luxurious places in town. There is a western-style toilet, a hose and nozzle for a shower (pleasantly warm from the afternoon sun; very cold in the morning!). We even have “swamp” air conditioning, water running through weeds with a fan blowing, surprisingly effective. Sand and thorns everywhere, walking is an adventure. Even from 2 miles away, and despite the fact that much of this world rises before sunrise and sleeps when the sun goes down, we still heard the revelry from the camel fairgrounds at 2 a.m.
We took two separate camel cart rides through the livestock areas, one near sunset as the sun disappeared into the dust.
We arrived after the camel races and camel dancing, but attended the Indian Brides Competition (actually models from Ireland to Israel to France to Brazil) who got to dress up – 16 separate steps from head to toes, taking hours and hours to get dressed – in gorgeous Indian wedding sarees.
The next morning Fran woke up early to watch the sunrise. Within 2 minutes of her appearance outside the tent, our cabin attendant came by and asked if he could bring her some coffee. What a country!!!
On Day 2 we went to Pushkar Lake for a blessing ceremony from a Hindu priest. To get there we had to cross a parade complete with revelers, circus acts and holy men.
As the camel fair was winding down, pilgrims were arriving to Old Pushkar town in droves to celebrate a religious holiday. Pushkar began to look like Varanasi as people took their ritual baths in the river in the morning (little water this year because of the drought),
Particularly touching was watching an older couple dunking their heads in the lake as they were holding hands. Our guide told us that it is common for couple who've been married for a while to make a pilgrimage and give thanks while bathing, for all the blessings bestowed on their families.
Afterwards, we returned to the fairgrounds and watched acrobatic demonstrations, various animal acts and a competition that resembled a combination of tag and rugby.
On day 2 at Pushkar it didn't take long for us to feel overwhelmed by the crush of humanity. We cancelled our afternoon sightseeing - To quote a popular Far Side cartoon, our brains were full and we asked to be excused. We retreated to camp where we spent the afternoon resting. In the evening we ate dinner [Here's a picture of the tented dining room] and enjoyed local folk dancers by a bonfire.
An orthopaedic surgeon and his wife, from Los Angeles, are here, same travel company, this is the third city we've seen each other. They travel widely, to very different places (Antarctica, north of the Arctic Circle, Tibet, Nepal, etc.), but it's fun sharing travel stories.
Less than 250 miles from the Pakistan border, we're at the Pushkar Festival. Pushkar Lake is perhaps India's holiest lake. What started as a pilgrimage centuries ago evolved into a fair as devotees started including entertainment, markets, and trading livestock. For more than 500 years it has been known as the Pushkar Camel Fair.
For 10 days in the Fall, devotees, livestock buyers and sellers, and tourists, especially photographers, swarm this small town for one of the most colorful events one could imagine.
There are thousands of each type of livestock, and I'm not a good judge of most, but we've seen the most spectacular horses here. The noticeable difference from horses at home is that these have beautifully curved and pointed ears. But they are strong, graceful, and extremely athletic horses with beautiful lines.However, the undisputed stars of this show are the camels - and there were thousands of them.. Not obviously attractive or athletic, with two knees on each hind leg, they're very strong and work tirelessly, and apparently bond with their owners. They're clearly a major part of the work force in this part of the world.
Tourists actually buy camels (who knew??), usually to attempt to resell them a few days later for a profit, but they virtually always come up short. As the sun went down, the merchants prepared for sleep - and so did the camels
We're staying in a tented camp, reputed to be owned by a maharajah, and one of the most luxurious places in town. There is a western-style toilet, a hose and nozzle for a shower (pleasantly warm from the afternoon sun; very cold in the morning!). We even have “swamp” air conditioning, water running through weeds with a fan blowing, surprisingly effective. Sand and thorns everywhere, walking is an adventure. Even from 2 miles away, and despite the fact that much of this world rises before sunrise and sleeps when the sun goes down, we still heard the revelry from the camel fairgrounds at 2 a.m.We took two separate camel cart rides through the livestock areas, one near sunset as the sun disappeared into the dust.
We arrived after the camel races and camel dancing, but attended the Indian Brides Competition (actually models from Ireland to Israel to France to Brazil) who got to dress up – 16 separate steps from head to toes, taking hours and hours to get dressed – in gorgeous Indian wedding sarees.
The next morning Fran woke up early to watch the sunrise. Within 2 minutes of her appearance outside the tent, our cabin attendant came by and asked if he could bring her some coffee. What a country!!!
On Day 2 we went to Pushkar Lake for a blessing ceremony from a Hindu priest. To get there we had to cross a parade complete with revelers, circus acts and holy men.
As the camel fair was winding down, pilgrims were arriving to Old Pushkar town in droves to celebrate a religious holiday. Pushkar began to look like Varanasi as people took their ritual baths in the river in the morning (little water this year because of the drought),
Particularly touching was watching an older couple dunking their heads in the lake as they were holding hands. Our guide told us that it is common for couple who've been married for a while to make a pilgrimage and give thanks while bathing, for all the blessings bestowed on their families.Afterwards, we returned to the fairgrounds and watched acrobatic demonstrations, various animal acts and a competition that resembled a combination of tag and rugby.
On day 2 at Pushkar it didn't take long for us to feel overwhelmed by the crush of humanity. We cancelled our afternoon sightseeing - To quote a popular Far Side cartoon, our brains were full and we asked to be excused. We retreated to camp where we spent the afternoon resting. In the evening we ate dinner [Here's a picture of the tented dining room] and enjoyed local folk dancers by a bonfire.
An orthopaedic surgeon and his wife, from Los Angeles, are here, same travel company, this is the third city we've seen each other. They travel widely, to very different places (Antarctica, north of the Arctic Circle, Tibet, Nepal, etc.), but it's fun sharing travel stories.
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