Holcim, one of the biggest cement companies in the world. The Holcim Awards is an international competition that recognizes innovative projects and future-oriented concepts. It is designed to encourage architects, planner, engineers and project owners to go beyond conventional notions of sustainable construction in their work and to harmonize ecological, social and economic concerns. Projects and concepts in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, civil engineering and relate fields are eligible for entry in the competition.
Due to our winning project-tree protection facility for green urban transformation, we have the opportunities to go to India for award ceremony and traveling. Anyway, India is one of the planet’s multidimensional countries, presenting a wildly diverse spectrum of travel encounters. Some of these can be challenging, particularly for the first time visitor: the poverty is confronting, Indian bureaucracy can be exasperating and the crush of humanity sometimes turns the simple task into an energy-zapping battle.
Within the one week trip, we travelled around the India where we started from New Delhi (Delhi), Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and lastly Jaipur (Rajasthan). This classic circuit is a well-known golden triangle. The weather in India during the winter season in November is hazily and dusty. Surprisingly, this is the most comfortable period to visit India. Even through one week is a tight schedule of this vast and vibrant country, but this is my tremendous and memorable tour. Excited, frustrating, anxious, frightening and different kind of feeling will be imprinted in my mind. I will never forget about the graceful of Taj Mahal, the attractive Hawa Mahal (Wind palace) and the majestic of the Amber fort.
Day 1 (26th November 2008)
After two months preparation, finally we came to the KLIA and ready to start the journey. We spent around two hours in the airport and then get into the plane around 8.05am. Inside the plane, I started to imagine the Taj Mahal, can’t wait for the ceremony and felt worried about the itinerary. Five hours of suffering in the plane, we reached in the Indira Ghandi International airport at 11.45am (2.15pm in Malaysia).
Seriously, the first step just came out from the airport, everyone can feel the unpleasant smell in the air immediately, horrible surroundings and the most annoying is the noise from the traffic. This is INDIA! I was looking at my friends eyes and it seems like agree what I was thinking now. I told myself, I have to be strong and optimistic.
Some of the representatives from the Holcim are waiting for us, and they are ready to send us to the Taj palace hotel for registration. One the way to the Taj palace, I was totally blank about what is going on about this city. I can’t believe there was group of peoples sleeping at the roadside, cycling in the polluted air, begging from the tourists and some unbelievable scenes.
In the Taj palace hotel, it just likes a different world with a luxury interior and large swimming pool. After registration, we still not allow to stay in the hotel because Holcim only sponsor the accommodation during the ceremony. Hence, the staff from the Holcim sent us to the Raunak Inc. for our very first night.
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