Monsoon is here

Today the monsoon arrived in Delhi, 3 days ahead of schedule apparently.  This is a double edged sword...on the one hand the rain can be chaotic, messy and miserable.  However, it does provide some respite from the crazy heat we've been having since I got here.  Its worth braving the rain for that post-monsoon coolness in the air which makes it so much more bearable to be outside.  Distances here are significant, so walking anywhere in 100+ degrees is really not possible.  Thankfully Delhi has a state of the art metro system that really rivals any in the world (and has recently won awards for its sustainability...they save 30% on their energy costs through regenerative braking for which they also receive carbon credits for Certified Emissions Reductions CERs).  They also have a massive fleet of autos (three wheeled auto rickshaws) that are powered by natural gas making them impressively environmentally friendly.

Finally I found a cable for my camera and am able to include some photos.  I've mostly been spending the weekends visiting some sites around south Delhi.  I'm living pretty close to Lodi gardens, which is an amazing 90 acre garden beside Khan market, one of the most expensive retail districts in the city.  It’s interesting to see how Indians use parks and how it differs to back home.  People come here for picnics, to hang out in large groups, or to just sit or sleep in the shade.  It feels really relaxed.  Of course, that’s probably because its too hot for the more familiar band of joggers, cyclists etc. to disrupt the calm.  

And of course another way that parks in India are different to those in Ireland or the US is they usually have things like this in them...

The next couple of weeks will involve some travel, specifically to Lucknow..the home of great biryanis and amazing mangos apparently.  And I finally get to go on a field visit to see some of the projects I'm working with in action.