Newsletter for June 2018,
And great June greetings to everybody in the world of Willi – once again we have suffered through the heat of Chennai, with friends living in the Middle East suffering worse I am sure, but it has been mostly nice here and we seem to have missed most of the 45 degree days this year. The weather is great for taking the bike out though and I have now diagnosed the machine as having malaria, which reoccurs regularly after getting through the first dose of illness. Why malaria? Well – another flat tyre of course! This time with a French journalist on the back as we were about to go around the sites and have a look, but I did at least get 500 meters down the street before the rapid decompression of the tube once more. One good thing about being in India is that a phone call back to the office, send a driver to bring my car, he then stays with the bike and gets the tyre repaired, while I carry on in the car for the trip around. A couple of hours later the bike turns up at the office all repaired once more. Found out that the last tube was a local one and this time we put one in from a reputed manufacturer so hopefully I will be alright for a while now. Maybe I should stick a few anti-malarial tablets down the fuel tank so it does not reoccur! All fun and games and part of being here I suppose! After the expenditure on the sound system, it was the turn of the air-conditioning man to collect my life savings as I finally placed in a 2.5 ton split a/c into my lounge. Works well so far, just has a habit of blowing the switches and it really does not like it when there is low voltage coming into the house! I have never heard a machine groan so much as it has done. See, if it was a Kiwi machine it would just shut up and get on with it! I was going to say like the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team, but as they lost to the French – AGAIN – I do not suppose they count anymore! What has happened to NZ rugby these days? The days of sending opponents off on a stretcher have long gone and now while the game is faster played, it looks a tame format of its former self! Don’t say that to Damian, an Australian friend who continues to play long past the time that most people have hung up their boots, and has a build that no matter what format of the game is being played, would take two bulldozers and a semi to stop one of his charges up the field with the rugby ball safely tucked under his arm! Final note on the rugby in that Waikato came second in this year’s Super 14 – a great achievement for them and as they are my home town team I try and follow their games when-ever I can. Brissie also won the State of Origin again this year, or Queensland I should say, so most of my home teams are doing well on the sporting front. Sorry Steve who is die hard New South Wales fan!

Sundays, and can anyone tell me how to cut Brunch down to a reasonable 4 or 5 hour session? 1 pm to 11-30 pm the other day and what happened to Sunday? Sunday is bacon and eggs day, the only time I have a cooked breakfast and get away from the muesli and stewed fruit syndrome, the Aussie Rules are on, followed by the League and finally the Super 14 match, then off to brunch and to Yanni (the cat) that we shall see you long after the sun sets! Mind you, I have trouble these days just getting an evening at home during the rest of the week, so you can imagine how much updating has happened on the websites and emails never answered promptly as I always commit to do! Passing phase probably, as soon it will be six days a week out but this time being the host in one of our new restaurants that will probably open sometime soon. When you are asking, as are most people in our circle in Chennai? Well, the Pizza Pasta restaurant Tuscana should be open in about 2 months. Less than two months now to build the thing and I need a couple of weeks to try and train some cooks and waiters up. By the way, does anyone know how to handle a wood fired pizza oven over a five hour meal period? We shall make two ovens, which shall be easier to handle from one to the other, but even I have not worked a full wood fired over any length of time. Looking for Italian Chennaite volunteers here – no pay of course, – but there may be a free pizza in there for you! Our other place is coming along but I still cannot see any work happening on the building above us and the fact of the matter is we need them to be nearly finished and with an operating license before we can open as well. The good news is that contrary to rumours spreading around, there has been some delay due to refinancing but work will commence full swing very soon and we will probably now be looking at an October opening. It is also a matter of some landscaping and pathways placed in so guests can actually access our restaurants and bar as somehow I do not think people will be happy climbing over piles of sand and gravel just to reach the front door. Did the same myself in a small pizza place for lunch the other day who also had the front blocked by building material as I walked down, so I noticed after my little (softly spoken of course) tirade to him about never coming back again if he does not care for his guests enough, the materials were quickly shifted! Am I really the mean ogre when in other people’s restaurants? Most times I am quite happy to instruct more than criticise but a lot does depend on the attitude of the managers as well.

Been a fairly quiet month overall though and this newsletter is a bit barren and also not too much photo work that I can post up. In a few days’ time I shall be across to China for a couple of weeks – mainly business and just a few days as a break as well, but then that will have to wait for July’s newsletter. With this swine flu around, I was also down with a strong case of flu virus last week and even had a few days off work – very unusual, while at the same time a number of my friends also went down with the flu and also getting hit hard with it. One went to hospital for a check and as soon as he walked in and showed symptoms of the flu, there was a general exodus from the room and all of a sudden he was alone! It was just the flu though and it has now run its course for most of us here so back on form once more. We are wondering if the swine flu would be a problem in India anyway, as most people here have built strong immunity and conditioning to the high level of bugs and germs around here that the flu would be hard to find a foothold! Is it true that it is not a tropic thing anyway, but loves colder, wet, foggy winter weather?

Registration has been done once more and unlike previously, we are now required to renew the registration every year instead of just once for the length of the visa. As I had made two copies in December of all the paperwork I needed then and used only one set, plus I was already six months late registering in the first year, I turned up with the 3” thick stack of paperwork all dated from December last for the renewal! Company articles, contract, accommodation lease, tax papers, letter to request the registration from myself and from employer, letter from HR as to why a foreigner is being hired in the first place, letter from accounts to say my taxes will be paid, letter from company to say if I misbehave the company will be responsible and the list goes on. Actually got away with it as well and all I needed was one more letter to say that I am still working with the company even though the tax papers, contract and everything else already says and proves that I am! As I write these letters out myself and just ask the various people to sign them, then us the company stamp in my drawer to stamp them with, it is a bit of a mockery, but we go through the procedures and jump when told to jump and wonder why after nearly 15 years living in a country I cannot get PR status here. It is a fact that no matter how long you live in India you are always asked “where do you come from?” and if you say India you are never believed and repeatedly asked “no – really – where do you come from?” Ask the same question back and you get proudly told in a nice Indian accent that they are from America, Australia, NZ or wherever because they have lived there 3 years or so and now are residents. Can understand protecting the country from an influx of foreigners as there has been enough of them in the past who have taken over – the Brits, the Greeks, the Mongols and so on – but can just ONE of us stay as a PR please without having to marry first!!!? Talking about marrying – well – I am not going to talk about it, so no need to ask any questions concerning THAT part of my life here! No residency in sight, let’s put it that way.

It seems that I have run out of small talk for this month and will need to sign off and try and get this letter posted in reasonable time. As I am away down to Pondi this weekend and have a few other bits and pieces on during the week, it will be a rush to get this on-line before heading into China for the two weeks or so. Should be a good trip and will let you know about it when I return. So, have a great July ahead of you all and enjoy each other company. Just a thought for the day from my overworked brain – How can you tell that you go to sleep?………..  By waking up!

Cheers for now and bye, Willi