Chapter 351: Taj Mahal Hotel

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"Her architecture and décor are five stars, but the drinking water still comes from the outside world and is not much better than other star hotels. While it can be drinkable, don't expect too much from India's tap water. Because if you are not careful, you are likely to get food poisoning. Especially when the medical conditions here are very different from those in the United States and Europe, you should be more careful. ”

"How do I feel that you are talking about India as hell, is it so exaggerated?"

"India is certainly not hell, but it is not friendly to outsiders. Any prudent approach will help us survive better in this country. Rebecca said calmly.

"Alright, well, all listen to you!"

"Anything else?"

"Also, take all your bodyguards with you wherever you go while you're in India. And, don't go to any of the slums, including Dahavi, don't go!"

"Because it's safe?"

"Yes. Your safety is at stake for the future of the entire Group. As your assistant, I am responsible for you. ”

"Understood. Guo Shouyun nodded.

"Also during the period in India...!"

In the following time, Rebecca Mark explained more than 20 rules to Guo Shouyun without pause. Some of them are normal, and some of them are very weird. But in any case, he was not prepared to violate, who made him inexperienced for the first time.

At around nine p.m., the Kunpeng landed at Mumbai Airport.

From the moment he stepped out of the plane, Guo Shouyun began to look at the country with his own eyes. First of all, the airport, Mumbai Shivaji International Airport, has been built for more than two decades, so it is noticeably very old in appearance. There is no shadow of Terminal 3, which was blown into the sky by Indians on the Internet in later generations.

Because the staff of Anping in India were not specifically notified, no one came to pick them up. After driving the car out of the cabin, the group drove towards the Taj Mahal Hotel, which had been booked a long time ago.

Because it was dark and India in '02 was far worse than it was more than a decade later, the surrounding lights were dim. Except for the occasional tuk tuk tuk passing by, there is no congestion on the road. But when he was close to the city, the real Mumbai was in front of him.

"Rebecca, what are those?"

Guo Shouyun pointed to the side of the road, and asked in small tents made of waste iron sheets, linoleum, and plastic sheets.

"Beggar!"

"All of them?"

Although he had already guessed when he saw it, Guo Shouyun still felt shocked when he really heard Rebecca confirm it. Because there are so many of them. It stretches along both sides of the road, as if it is everywhere. Whether it is China or the United States, he has never seen so many beggars.

"All of them!"

Rebecca's tone was a little heavy, "Many people in the world think that Africa is the poorest place. In fact, Mumbai is far more difficult than Africa. Because here you can clearly see the current situation of polarization. Billionaires and their lavish buildings live next to more than 2,000 slum kilns in Mumbai. The contrast between rich and poor is more starkly than anywhere else in the world. ”

Guo Shouyun nodded in agreement. Although Africa is poor, everyone is poor, and it does not bring much shock to people's hearts. But Mumbai is different, here is the real 'Zhumen wine and meat stinky road with frozen bones', in this strong contrast, the visual and psychological impact is the real shocking soul.

"Be careful!"

Just as Guo Shouyun was pondering, Rebecca suddenly spoke up. Soon there was a loud sound of brakes. Fortunately, he was wearing a seat belt, otherwise his body would have to be thrown out.

"What's going on?" asked Guo Shouyun with suppressed anger.

"Boss, there's a herd of cattle ahead!"

"Cows!" stunned for a moment, Guo Shouyun looked up, and sure enough. More than a dozen cows crossed the road in a grand manner. Under the illumination of the headlights, not only did they not panic, but a few of them ate the grass next to them.

It has always been heard that cows are revered as 'sacred beasts' in India. Now it seems that this is really the case.

"Is there a lot of this?"

Rebecca nodded, "Hinduism is against killing and believes in animism. So, in India you can see a lot of people coexisting with animals. Poverty and corruption aside, there is no picture of Indians living in harmony with animals in any country in the world. ”

"Matthew, don't drive too fast in India in the future!" Guo Shouyun said.

"Understood!"

"Actually, you can't get fast here, especially during the day!" Rebecca said.

"Why?"

"Because there is a lack of awareness of the people here to obey the traffic rules. Private cars, taxis, tuk-tuks, etc., are interjected, and sidewalks and overtaking never use turn signals, except for horns, nothing is used here. ”

Guo Shouyun was stunned, "Is there still such a place?"

Rebecca smiled, "Boss, India is a country full of contradictions, and there are so many surprising things here. I believe that after your trip to India, your worldview will definitely change a lot. ”

"Okay! I'm looking forward to it now!"

After a brief conversation, the herd finally left and the cart restarted. They are getting closer and closer to the center of Mumbai. There are also a lot fewer beggars on the road. The surrounding buildings have also undergone certain changes. The slum kilns enclosed with iron sheets and plastic sheets are gradually disappearing. There are more staggered, but extremely old bungalows.

The bungalows are followed by ordinary buildings, similar to the multi-storey buildings of Huaxia. But it looks more like a tube building in the seventies and eighties in China. Many of the facades have peeled off their skins, and even the steel bars are exposed, but they are still inhabited.

However, after seeing this scene, Guo Shouyun was no longer surprised. After all, although these buildings are old, they are at least a hundred times better than the adobe houses and tin houses of the poor kilns.

After looking at the dilapidated houses for more than ten minutes, suddenly a high-rise building with more than 20 floors, which looked like a business building in the nineties in China, without the slightest sense of design, appeared in his sight. And the closer you get to the city center, the more this happens.

Perhaps sensing his doubts, Rebecca explains: "India's urban planning is very haphazard, so there is no specific division between commercial and residential areas. Commercial buildings live next to residential areas, and it is common for high-end residential areas to be separated by walls from slum kilns. Of course, there will be some differences in Mumbai's South Quarter. ”

"Why?"

"It's Mumbai's affluent district, where the classical buildings left over from the British colonization, foreigners who come to India to invest, and embassies from various countries are basically concentrated there. ”

"Is the Taj Mahal Hotel we're going to there too?"

"Yes!"

Guo Shouyun nodded. Looking at the more and more neon lights around him, as well as the relatively much better buildings, Guo Shouyun knew that he was about to reach his destination.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for a square hotel with an obvious halal style and red, white and gray to appear in front of Guo Shouyun.

"Boss, we're here!"

After answering, Guo Shouyun pushed the car door and walked down.

As a prestigious five-star hotel in Mumbai, the in-house facilities are naturally up to a five-star standard. It is no different from similar hotels that Guo Shouyun has stayed in Europe and the United States. The doorman was also polite and attentive and quickly arranged a room for their stay.

"It's late, you guys should go back and rest early!"

"Boss, I'll sleep on the couch outside. India is not very safe!" Matthew said.

Guo Shouyun wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he agreed. Having experienced death once, he knows that nothing is as important as his own life.

After arranging everything and contacting his family in the United States by satellite phone, Guo Shouyun, who had already enjoyed dinner on the plane, soon fell asleep.

The next day, he got up according to his usual biological clock, washed up briefly, and went to the hotel gym for half an hour. Then beckoned Rebecca and Matthew to have breakfast together.

As a five-star hotel, the hygienic conditions of Taj Mahal Hotel are still okay. The only thing that displeased Guo Shouyun was that he didn't have his favorite beef. Also, he doesn't like to eat curry.

After breakfast, he changed his clothes and went downstairs to Anping's Indian headquarters in Mumbai.

"Isn't it more appropriate to have the iconic 'Gateway to India' at the front entrance of this hotel facing the sea like other hotels?"

It is said that during the British colonial period, Jamshetji Tata and his British friends went to the hotel near the current Taj Mahal Hotel for tea, but were kicked out because they were Indian. At that time, Tata was already a very successful entrepreneur and fully qualified to be respected. After that incident, he secretly decided to build the most luxurious hotel in India. This hotel is now the Taj Mahal Hotel. The reason why the hotel faces the city is because it expresses the diswelcome of British colonists from the sea. ”

"I see. It seems that there are still many elites among the Indians. ”

"Of course there will be elites among a billion people. For example, the well-known Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. These two of India's best universities produce some of India's best talents. It's a pity that these top talents don't even make up to one-ten-thousandth of India's population. Compared to the huge illiterate population, it is like a drop of water in the ocean, which is powerless to change India's predicament. In the end, it was just a wedding dress for developed countries such as the United States and Europe. ”

This is not difficult to understand. In the 90s, after witnessing the prosperity of foreign countries, most of the people who studied abroad chose to stay in the local area. Even if you have a 211 or 985 education, you are willing to brush dishes in the United States. This is also the most realistic portrayal of the country's poverty, even if it cultivates talents, it cannot be retained. Thankfully, that had all changed before he crossed over. Huaxia has become a spotlight to attract talents from all over the world.