Gurgaon, India

One of the “perks” of working with a big corporation like Oracle (ORCL) is that you get to travel a lot. Well, one reason why I decided to quit Oracle mid-2005 was due to all that travelling.

But a visit to Gurgaon, India in the last quarter of 2004 was a good experience.

That, and I got to stay in the very nice and classy Trident Hilton Gurgaon Hotel.

The hotel is beautifully designed (you’ll feel as if you were on an Indiana Jones set), service was top-notch, the room was luxurious and staff were friendly.

This photo was edited in Google’s Picasa program ( ) using its array of one-click image editing features, and subsequently resized and sharpened in IrfanView. I’ve just started giving Picasa a spin, and will have more to write about it in future.

Equipment used? Nikon D70 and the dirt-cheap, USD100 Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC lens - I now own the more expensive Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens, but I have tons of nice pictures captured with the cheaper version.

Other Fun Things To Do In Gurgaon and Surrounding Areas

Top on the list is to have a cobra round your neck - something I’ve always wanted to do for a long time.

And this was in Delhi. Be careful with the pricing though - the handler will tell you that it costs, oh USD5 to hold the snake, and when you’re starting to really enjoy it, he’ll put the reptile round your neck and charge you $10 later.

By the way, the prices I mentioned were back in 2004 - you’ll have to factor inflation in if you go there now. The taxi driver took this image, and I’ll always remember him for charging me more than what was originally agreed.

Tags: India

This entry was posted on Monday, December 11th, 2006 at 11:23 pm and is filed under Travel. Leave a comment.