View Full Version : My trip to VU-land
I am scheduled to leave on the 10th of this month for Chicago...the easy flight, then a non-stop to Delhi, India for three 45 minute sets of music, then a couple of days to roam the place before the long trek home. The problem is the difference in urgency between our American way of thinking, and our Indian hosts, who seem to feel withholding our flight itinerary until the last minute is ok...considering we have a corporate gig the night before. We need to know this stuff! We cant readily complain since the host is the third richest man in India. They also approved the set list my boss sent them, with all sorts of crazy shit from ABBA to Sinatra to Martha and the Vandellas to Nora Jones...they just sent back their own set list! Bugger that! Regardless, i am totally looking forward to this trip.
Please help me! Has anyone else made this trip? What can i expect and do you have any suggestions? The longest time in the air for me previously was 9 hours, Alaska to CA in the back of a C-141. I understand this to be twice as long. I will sleep in increments and spend the rest of the time drawing, reading and studying songs on my iPod. But this will be like living in a diving bell for a day. I know we have some experienced travellers out there who have been there. The flight is not really a concern as i have a game plan, but i have no idea what im getting into in country.
kf0rt
10-31-2011, 07:45 AM
Never been there, but those who have tell me the worst part is the food. :vomit:
All of us are expecting to shit our brains out most of the time. I will NOT eat anything out of the Ganges river! And its bottled water only from landing to take off. Going to be rough on the gastrointestinal system.
kb2vxa
10-31-2011, 09:54 AM
Oh dear, a culture clash. You just may get what you expect mainly because customs are quite different from Western culture all the way from eastern Europe to Japan, likely you can't stick to the bottled water either. There is no such thing as a "no, thank you" because even a what we think of as a polite refusal is an offense, that is to say one must accept that which is given or the giver loses face.
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take,
I say, Doctor, to relieve this belly ache?
I say, Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take,
I say, Doctor, to relieve this belly ache?
Now let me get this straight,
Put the lime in the coconut, you drink them both up.
Never been there, but I've heard from those that have that some of the smells are "unusual".
WØTKX
10-31-2011, 11:06 AM
I've heard the food is great if you are a little adventurous (especially the vegetarian dishes), and you're OK if you watch the water sources. I'm jealous, and would want to get as far up into the Himalayas that I can.
Some of those Bollywood chicks are hot. :mrgreen:
There's a Himalayan cuisine restaurant not far from here. Just walking into the place and inhaling deeply is like entering into another world. Indian food can be delicious when properly prepared and I would assume that someone with enough money to fly you in from Vegas for a one night gig would have enough money to provide you with the Good Stuff.
WØTKX
10-31-2011, 11:17 AM
Saffron is amazing stuff.
kb2vxa
10-31-2011, 12:30 PM
"Just walking into the place and inhaling deeply is like entering into another world."
I've been to my share of smoky places... (;->)
K7SGJ
10-31-2011, 12:52 PM
Indian food can be rather spicy, but when done properly, it is quite good. I'd probably stay away from goat eyes and monkey brains on the half skull. They use a whole gaggle of different spices and herbs, some that I've never heard of. As mentioned above, Saffron is really good. If you can bring back a couple of kilos of it, you can pay off your home mortgage.
You may also want to include some Maria Muldaur, or Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in your set.
kf0rt
10-31-2011, 12:59 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Sam_the_sham_1965.jpg
K7SGJ
10-31-2011, 01:21 PM
There ya go.
There ya go.
Boy, talk about your mixed metaphores. First off, Pharaohs are Egyptian, not Indian. Second, the picture show a mixture of Arabian and Sikh headgear. While the latter is Indian (although only worn by a relative minority there), neither of them would have been worn by a Pharaoh.
kf0rt
10-31-2011, 01:38 PM
Boy, talk about your mixed metaphores. First off, Pharaohs are Egyptian, not Indian. Second, the picture show a mixture of Arabian and Sikh headgear. While the latter is Indian (although only worn by a relative minority there), neither of them would have been worn by a Pharaoh.
No, really. Those are the Pharaohs. :rofl:
kc7jty
10-31-2011, 01:47 PM
Put a pad lock on your kidneys.
K7SGJ
10-31-2011, 01:54 PM
No, really. Those are the Pharaohs. :rofl:
And that's no scam, that's the Sham.
Boy, talk about your mixed metaphores. First off, Pharaohs are Egyptian, not Indian. Second, the picture show a mixture of Arabian and Sikh headgear. While the latter is Indian (although only worn by a relative minority there), neither of them would have been worn by a Pharaoh.Have they been to ancient Greece? And if they have, do they have any grapes?
WØTKX
10-31-2011, 02:42 PM
Maria sez, It's Not the Meat, it's the Motion. Tho I believe that was a cover song. :lol:
My trip to VU-land:
4800
Paying homage to the latest anti-contest whiner, you'll notice this one's pegged...just like the compression-level and PO meters on my rig when in 'war mode' ... :whistle:
K7SGJ
10-31-2011, 07:48 PM
My trip to VU-land:
4800
Paying homage to the latest anti-contest whiner, you'll notice this one's pegged...just like the compression-level and PO meters on my rig when in 'war mode' ... :whistle:
Wow, you actually have meters that measure pissed off?
Wow, you actually have meters that measure pissed off?
Remarkable, isn't it? Yaesu's engineers must have captured the essence of the Angry Yankee in the ergos of rigs such as the FT-901 and FT-726!
K7SGJ
10-31-2011, 09:59 PM
Remarkable, isn't it? Yaesu's engineers must have captured the essence of the Angry Yankee in the ergos of rigs such as the FT-901 and FT-726!
Talk about forward thinking. Surely (sorry) they must have been able to portend thway ham radio would (d)evolve.
Adam:
Get a prescription for Ambien or Lunesta for the plane flight both ways. Trust me, being on a plane that long SUCKS ASS and the drugs make it better. DON'T rely on booze.
You'll be FAR more rested that way...
kb2vxa
11-01-2011, 09:37 AM
Nembutal works better...
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-oh
I wanna be sedated
Just get me to the airport put me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane
I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain
Oh no no no no no
n2ize
11-01-2011, 09:54 AM
I was invited to India by a native of Delhi. He told me that there are a lot of Americans and western Europeans there. As far as the food goes they have of course the regular stuff the natives of India eat and are used to. But he said if you are a tourist and you bring some money you can eat at a lot of good restaurants that serve Indian food that is very much the same as you get in Indian restaurants here in the west only it is better and somewhat more authentic. As a big fan of Indian and Pakistani food I would probably enjoy it. If I can manage it I'll head over there one day.
P.S. Only problem I would have is dealing with the flight. I am by nature, claustrophobic and the idea of spending many many house cooped up in a plane doesn't set well with me. If at al possible I would prefer to travel there by boat.
n2ize
11-01-2011, 10:03 AM
Adam:
Get a prescription for Ambien or Lunesta for the plane flight both ways. Trust me, being on a plane that long SUCKS ASS and the drugs make it better. DON'T rely on booze.
You'll be FAR more rested that way...
Last long plane trip I took (a long long time ago) I loaded up on opiates and it made the trip far more tolerable. I spent a good part of the trip totally relaxed, reading books, writing computer programs, doing problems sets for school, and chatting with the passengers and just feeling totally peaceful, euphoric and contented. Towards the end of the trip I drifted into a pleasant nod. It felt good. I did the same thing on the return trip. Even my claustrophobia didn't bother me.
Booze is the worst thing on a long trip. At first you feel great but then you're running to the bathroom and, once it wears off you feel worst and more restless than if you didn't drink at all. Weed might not be bad for a long trip but, it's not very practical to smoke aboard a plane. Too conspicuous.
K7SGJ
11-01-2011, 03:39 PM
Just spark up a doobie before boarding, then munch your way New Delhi.
Weed might not be bad for a long trip but, it's not very practical to smoke aboard a plane. Too conspicuous.
I've got just one word for you, son: pot brownies. Okay, so that's two words; you know what I mean. Back in the mid-Seventies, I successfully survived two trans-continental excursions via Amtrak with the help of some magical baked goods.
Sorry i posted and ran, had a bunch of stuff to do, but thank you all for the input...i am making notes, for real. We are supposed to depart next thursday...yet, we STILL dont have flight information, hotel info or transpo when we get there. The worst part is the client approved our set lists, so we busted our asses to learn all this ecclectic stuff, backing vocals included...then they send a NEW set list of stuff they want us to play without even asking first. We dont have time to learn new stuff...im still trying to figure out how im going to call my wife without breaking the bank. Im pulling my hair out and i have it easy! Three managers are coming with us, so if they are keeping calm, then i will too.
The flight is going to be a long one, for sure. But i am going to mentally prepare for it like a person going into a diving bell, space capsule or biosphere...just buckle down, relax, sleep and draw. I will get up every couple of hours and walk around, stretch, etc. Should be fine...my boss, probably not so fine. He hates 4 hour flights, so 18 hours will be a true test for the guy. The food is going to be fine since im vegetarian and dont drink. I also have a very good garbage disposal stomach, but i fear for my singer, he has a "tender tummy". My drummer is German so he can eat scrap metal and be fine. My other singer is an experienced world traveller so she should be ok, but being cooped up with her for that long will drive ME nuts! :lol:
Last night is when we got the news that they wanted to completely change the music, i felt sick to my stomach, but nothing compared to my bosses (husband and wife, both are going). Then i went to a friends haunted house they set up and my entire band was dressed up and working there...including both bosses. They were stressed about the issues at hand, but they were putting it aside to have fun with the kids coming through. So i guess theres no control here and i can relax and accept whatever happens.
The Indian people's version of timing, protocol, manners, etc, is vastly different from ours and they have to accept that just as much as we do. Were not a band you see in the movies, where the star walks up to the front of the stage and says, "hey guys, i need to impress this girl, play ***"...then we say, "You got it, ok, hit it boys!", and everyone knows it perfectly. It never works that way, so they get what they get...we already got half the pay up front, so fuck it! And as soon as my ass sets foot on that plane, we WILL get the other half no matter what.
I have lots of friends who do this stuff all the time and they never complain, and they always have a good experience...but they always say the same thing. "I am glad to be back home!" So, here we go.
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