Just a little unexpected "side trip"

So, we landed in India on Feb 2.  We went to Tirupati on Feb 19, nearly 3 weeks later. My feet have been a bit swollen ever since we landed. I'd put my feet up, I'd drink lots of water, drink coconut water, stopped at the doctor housed at the ITPL to make sure I didn't have DVT  got a little relief but nothing was really solving the problem. Well, it came to a head when we went on the road to Chittoor and Tirupati, climbed up and down a zillion steps, long drive back at night with one stop along the way, a very large Mall that Sunday, and then that night we walked to the local Chinese restaurant but were sent in the wrong direction so inadvertently walked quite a long ways on very rough and bumpy roads. Ever since I had the 2 ankle surgeries 2 years ago, the left ankle complains when it gets abused. After that walk, the ankle was not only complaining, it was threatening me with secession.  It's been since before the surgery that I had felt that much pain and I was afraid I'd killed it! 
Before I left the U.S., I'd been automatically enrolled into an international security service via our corporate security and health service. This service provides global security, medical assistance and international health care anywhere in the world by linking us to health care that is up to international standards. In case of political unrest or a major natural event, they would be the ones to ensure our safety and evacuation. So, I called them on Monday. I was conferenced in with a doctor in the US who advised that I be seen by a doctor and they would call me back with appointment place and time. I got the call Tues morning at about 9am and my appointment was at a hospital here in Bangalore about an hour away at 10:45am. So I had about 1/2 hour to shower, dress, figure out transportation. While bathing, I notice that from the knee down, the skin on both of my legs is red. Well, I was wearing capris out in the sun, so maybe that's it.  But geez, I'm puffier than I was before!  My feet look like 2 loaves of unbaked bread, and my ankles are the size of softballs. My fingers, my face, my wrists.. all puffy. Hmm..
I tell Lisa where I'm going, Madhav calls a taxi for me, we decide the taxi should take me, wait and then bring me back, and then I'm off.  And the cab ride is extremely uncomfortable and for an hour long cab ride I need to keep my left foot elevated on the seat and my legs are not feeling right.  = /
I get there, wait for my appointment and the jitters start.  Now, I know logically this is not a government hospital, which is a good thing as I've heard and read way too many bad things about Indian government hospitals.  So breathe. First thing I do notice is a brochure that states this hospital is affiliated with Harvard Medical International - Boston.  Okay ... I've heard of that place.  ;)  And while I wait a little longer, (cuz a couple of asshole men think they are more important and push their way into the doc office when I had been called and they had been told to wait.. assholes) that's when providence sends me a little more reassurance.  I need something to do, and there's nothing to do, and it feels like everyone in the waiting room is looking at me (cuz they are!) and a little girl stops in front of me and I smile. And she smiles. And then she goes away and comes back. And then her mom comes and smiles and sits next to me. Makes conversation by asking my name, telling me hers and her daughters', asks me why I'm there, and then tells me she, her husband and her daughter all came with her mother in law to this hospital for a checkup after her mother in law had had heart surgery recently.  They come all the way from Maharashtra, stay at a lodge here for a week just because they say this hospital is THAT good.  That's certainly reassuring!
Assholes finally leave, and I go in. Woman doctor (score!) and she's right down to business but she's also present and focused. I like her right away. She asks a bunch of questions, gets the story, then asks me to lie down so she can take my blood pressure. She takes it, and when I ask her what the reading was, she refuses to tell me. Okay.. is this the Indian way or is this a bad sign?  I don't know.  But she does say that she wants to take it one more time as the reading didn't seem right. Asks me more questions, does a little more poking around, then takes the BP again. This time when I ask, she tells me.  220/120.  She got the 220 out and I gasped. I asked her to repeat and it was really 220/120.  Both times.     I know that's bad.  That's in range of having a stroke.  Any second.  
She wants to admit me. Right now.  Only other option is to come back tomorrow to be checked again.  Well, if it wouldn't have been another 3-4 hours out of my day to come back, I just may have, but I also know that it would be risky and that I needed to be admitted, but for GOD'S sake, it's an Indian hospital!!  I have never done any research whatsoever on hospitals in India, the only thing flashing through my head is some passage from some book I read about someone being taken to an Indian government hospital and that's where you take people to die, you have to know people who know people who pay people to get care...  well I KNOW this isn't a government hospital, but c'mon!!!  it's 9000 miles away from my home!  and MY doctor.  And MY family and friends and comfort zone.  But I know I have to be admitted.  So she sends me back upstairs to the admitting area.  I call for my cab and tell the driver that I need to stay, and pay him and send him away. 
Now, I know that was just a cab driver that I'd only spent one hour of my life with, but when I sent him away, I was A.L.O.N.E.!  Empty, deep dark hole forming inside my gut that is echoing. I can do pretty much anything alone, but this is pushing the envelope, even for me. First thing I do, I pull out my cell phone and it's nearly dead. Oh GREAT!  I have my iPhone with me too, and THAT's only half charged but it costs a mint to use so I don't. Only in emergency.  Guess what this is?? but the numbers I need are on my cell phone. So I dial Naveen, my buddy, my project manager, the one I know who is responsible, has a cell phone and is responsive.  No answer.  By now I'm heading back inside the hospital, and am between the 2 entry doors. I'm not ready to go to admitting until I TALK to someone, so I dial again.  No answer.  That's when I started shaking. And I went and stood in a corner so that no one could see my distress, cuz I've just about had enough for one day and it's nearly 1pm and oh.. he's either in a meeting or at lunch. So I try to text him. You ever tried texting when you're shaking like a leaf and trying to not crumple?  Not so easy.. but that's when he calls me.  Thank God! I have now contacted the outside world, someone who gives a shit and now knows where I am. I can go be admitted now.

My god, I'm wordy.

I call the SOS people, and let them know I'm being admitted. They take over and I hand my phone over to the woman doing the admitting, and I see there are guys in suits behind her and people bustling, and I have faith that the SOS people are doing exactly what needs doing. Good thing I had my passport, my SOS ID, and my insurance card with me. I was admitted quickly and easily. Naveen calls me back and says he and Satheesh are on their way, and I'm okay. I can start to see again.
While being admitted, I was told there were only two types of rooms left available, - Executive or Royal. I had to laugh.. and say I don't need Royal. Executive is fine.  o.O
I was lead to my room, and this wonderful little nurse welcomes me and leads me into this HUGE room, with a bed, and a cot, and a sitting area and more cupboard/closet space than I have in my own home, and a refrigerator, tv, and huge window looking out into a courtyard full of plants and fountains.  Yikes.. what is this going to cost me and I hope insurance will pick it up as I've not had a lot of choice in this whole thing.. but here we are. I settle in, Satheesh and Naveen arrive bringing apples and juice and asking questions and kind of coming in and taking charge and I let them.  Even my inner control freak has its limits.  ;)  And someone comes in and asks me what I'd like for lunch  - scuse me, I get a CHOICE? - and someone brings me 4 liters of water, and other people are bustling in and out and everyone is SO nice and professional. The nurses call each other "sister" although they are not nuns or related :)  I settle in, and begin the process of seeing more doctors and taking meds, having tests run and scans done and BP taken hourly, and every time it's down a LOT.
All in all, amazing hospital stay!  The food was fabulous, the care was superb, the nurses really wonderful, sweet, caring, thoughtful, professional, everyone spoke great English, and when it helped to have the local language spoken Satheesh and Naveen were there. Spotless, organized, orderly, LOTS of staff, air-conditioned, nice smelling!, just amazing. Through the night they did fill completely every bed, and were very busy but my care was never compromised. The doctors were, each one of them, top notch - caring, personable, knowledgable, great bedside manners and thorough, never bustling or too self important.
Naveen and Satheesh took the time to head to my apartment to get my phone charger and a few other things, which really helped me feel more at ease. And then my phone started ringing.  Many people started hearing and were checking up on me. But that's when I found out how really well this security SOS service is!

I got a phone call from the SOS office in Delhi, checking on me.  And I got a call from the security desk at the home office in Minneapolis. Both checking on me, asking how I am, if I need anything.  I thought that was nice.  But it was when I got the phone call from my V.P. was when I found out how REALLY well it works!
Seems they woke her up at about 3am to let her know one of her employees had been admitted to a hospital in India and they did not know why, but that she should know.  The "not know why" kept her from falling back to sleep so she went into office early, saw emails that had been flying already where our Ameriprise General Counsel in New York had been alerted, who had in turn sent an email to the CIO, who then sent an email to my Senior VP and VP asking what was up, and the TCS folks were also in the same communication flurry and most of the staff both here and in Mpls was hearing, and I HADN'T EVEN CALLED MY OWN MOM OR DAUGHTER YET!  :D  I just didn't want any fuss... I'd call them tomorrow.  HAH!  No fuss..  So I called them both. 

Honestly, was an amazing experience.  Everything worked.  I've been taking it easy since and have been on some medication that's pretty much knocked me on my ass, so my BP HAS to be quite low. A door slammed LOUDLY earlier today, where normally I would have jumped.. and I didn't even react. I'll be calling for a follow up in the morning.

In the meantime, i was afraid of the cost of this wayyyyy out of network hospital stay.  Took hours for the insurance and billing to get settled, but that happens everywhere. And the stay itself?  With the Executive room, all the meds, the tests, the doctors, the whole thing that probably would cost $5000 -10,000 in the US, came to 20950 Indian Rupees.   $450.00.  I had to pay 80 rs for the 2 waters I drank.  that's like $1.75. 

That's it. I'm sold.  If I ever need hospitalization again, put me on an airplane for Bangalore!  

and the best part?  One of the nurses, very late at night/early am, doing what she needs to do and says, you foreigners are so much nicer than our local people.  You are so NICE!  :D 

Tirupati

A lot has happened since Friday, but I must get this down in writing, as Friday was an AMAZING experience! We had been to Ajay's wedding in the morning, and then along with the wedding invitation, we were invited to visit Tirupati, home of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. As soon as I mentioned to my Indian friends that I was visiting Tirupati, I started hearing ALL sorts of stories, legends, and experiences. Some of the stories were darn near horror stories, how people wait in queues/lines for 6/12/24 hours at a time, crushed together like sardines in a can, waiting to enter the inner temple where the Darshan occurs. But, I would mention that we have VIP tickets, and then the reaction was "oh, OK, but...."  and I'm warned still that yes, the line/queue will be shorter but toward the end there will be a "crush" of people as the devotees push forward and push you along with them. OK, duly noted. I've been to rock concerts.  :D
It's an amazing thing on its own to realize we'd be visiting a structure that is believed to date back to the 9th century or even earlier. It is said that this temple is the most visited temple in the world and the richest place of religion after Vatican City. It's incredible, with the main dome covered in gold, shining in the hot sun. Real gold! On certain festival or other auspicious days, a half million people will visit. The drive there is glorious, through and around hills covered by verdant forests, very clean and maintained by the trust for this temple. The temple is located on the 7th peak of sacred hills which can also be reached on foot by the devout, who climb over thousands of steps and a well maintained path to reach.  We drove  :)
We spent a good deal of time waiting.. waiting to get the car through security and all the bags screened as no alcohol, cigarettes or non-vegetarian foods are allowed, waiting to connect with the person who had our tickets, waiting for the tickets to be registered (via biometrics! crazy mix of ancient and technical), waiting for the reserved time. We passed the time by walking around the temple grounds where there are many shops, stalls selling souvenirs and kitsch, items to buy to offer in puja, foods, maps, excellent people watching (we, the two tall white girls were both watchers and watchees) and so many questions to be answered.  Why so many people with no hair? Because they have given their hair to this god. I've heard at least 6 different reasons as to why hair is given -

• hair = beauty, so by shaving head and donating your hair to god, you are giving your beauty to god
• by shaving your head and removing hair, you are renouncing worldly things and surrendering your ego to god.
• the god himself has long hair, loves long hair, so by giving him your hair your are pleasing him
• by shaving your head, you wash away past sins and can begin anew
• a female god noticed that this god had lost some hair, so gave him some of her own. Others continue the practice of giving by giving. 
• Give hair, ask for a favor in return, and that something will be granted.   Or..  ask for the favor, receive that favor then offer your hair in thanks or as previously promised.  

No matter, many, many shaved heads - male, female, young old.  I truly did not realize this was such a large part of the practice here. So much so that the temple sells the hair for an astounding amount of money every year, which appears to be increasing. Temple hair which is also strong "Indian" hair (you've seen them!) is in high demand and commands top dollar from U.S. and Japan. 

Well, "VIP tickets", which I find a little offensive as even a category for viewing god, just feel strange. There's thousands of people here, waiting to do what we are waiting to do, only they've been waiting much longer and in much tighter quarters. We walk by all these thousands and I feel conflicting feelings about this whole deal - It's a temple, but it's a tourist attraction. It's got the queue issue handled better than Disney, but that makes it seem even more like they and I are in line for a "ride". Very conflicted, but I try to push the judgments and criticisms out of my mind and just experience. I've never been to the Vatican so have no clue.. but I bet so called VIPs get quickly in to see the pope, too.  My own god lives within me and doesn't require worship or hair or money, just that I seek for knowledge of her/his will for me and the power to carry that out. So, with that within me, we go to visit this god as so called VIPs, but really, just those who through some money exchange get preferred treatment. :/  This place has been here for thousands of years, feeds millions of people, supports itself and the entire surrounding area, and I know little to nothing about the Hindu religion, so need to just empty and open the mind.
My friends/colleagues were the ones accompanying Lisa and me. Raj had been here before, this was Naveen's first visit, and Satheesh had been here many times, had climbed the hills and I could see from the light in his eyes that this place is dear to him. That, to me, is what this is about. Could not have picked a better mix of people to travel here with, as we had one very knowledgeable and experienced, one with brand new eyes like ours only he had the Hindu and Indian background, and one who had experience and logic but was also seeing things as fresh and inspiring. It was pleasing to me to watch their reactions to things along with feeling my own. It helped me to know that we are there not as a pack of tourists, but just as 2 curious people traveling along with devotees.
Since no cameras or shoes are allowed and I'd rather not have someone else pick up my Birkenstocks, we leave shoes and cameras in the car and depart.
We descend the stairs and are met by two temple elephants, who are decorated and have the markings on their own foreheads of the status of priest. Conflict again enters my head.. captive animals on display bother me, even though these have the same status as priest. But, they are majestic and beautiful. I make a mental note to research their situation. We are led to a roped off area where we sit on stone flooring  in front of a glass walled enclosure that holds 1000 small lanterns called diyas that are all lit, making this appear as one very large lantern. You can feel the heat emanating from the enclosure, but I'm not sure it's simply the lanterns. There are priests in simple white dhotis pushing a golden swing holding one or more gods/idols covered with flower garlands and I don't know what all else. They swing it back and forth then side to side while other priests and musicians are chanting and playing holy and ancient music. We had to cut the sit short, as I couldn't handle sitting on the ground for long. My legs just don't do that any more. Then it was time to move into the temple.
First, Lisa and I had to sign a form, stating we would not say anything derogatory about the god.  As this is one of the few temples that allows non-Hindu into the inner sanctum, that's the price we pay so we sign our names. What I didn't read was what the consequence would be if we did bad-mouth the god, but I had/have no intention of doing so; just one of those things that makes one go "hmmmm....."
Then we meander through iron pathways to the iron gate which is guarded by a harried looking man. He had just stopped the whole queue of thousands of people so that this new group of VIPs (there were lots of us now) could interrupt the flow. Then the gate opens, and in we go, to another line, where we can see yet another queue for disabled and elderly are now entering. We wait more for them, then who knows.. 1/2 hour to an hour later it is our turn.
I'm tempted to leave this blank.  I don't know how to even begin describing this, and I've been back to edit this post a zillion times this week. There is no way to do it justice, but here goes.
We're waiting in line, and can feel the excitement of the people before us, beside us, behind us as we get closer to entering. I don't know who is starting this chanting of Govinda, Govinda GOOOOOOOOvinda, but it's picked up by most of the people, WITH enthusiasm. And then we start to move forward. The ground is uneven, sometimes small ramps that are quite slippery in bare feet, especially where there is water that washes your feet along the way, but mostly ancient stone that has been walked upon by millions and millions of feet over the centuries. Wrap your brain around THAT! Millions and millions and centuries. But I only have a second to think about that, because my eyes are trying to take in what is around me, centuries old walls and columns and script on walls, and GOLD, and opulence and bare stone and simplicity all mixed together.
And my ears are fighting my eyes for the brain time because I hear people, excited people! and a low hum (not sure what that was) and volunteers, employees and priests telling me to move along and pulling me along and showing me where to go, and I'm starting to be jostled by people. People with babies. Crying babies, who are being held very close, but also being sandwiched between other people. And these people are passing me, and I could care less, I don't know what the rush is all about, but it occurred to me that I may never see my companions again ;)  But, Satheesh is watching out for me, and when he gets into range, I grab onto his elbow and don't let go. And that's when the sardine thing happened.  Can't even move an arm. People on all sides of me, even where I didn't know I had sides!  This is the proverbial "sea of humanity" and I'm just a drop in the wave.  I'm still trying to take this all in when apparently I'm at THE spot where I can see the god,  and I'm not even sure what I'm looking for and he's about 1/2 mile away.  Oh, maybe not that far, but he's NOT close. I can make out a black idol, covered by flowers and I don't know what else, and that's about it, so I hope that's what I'm supposed to see.  Come to find out, yes, that was it.

But what I am keenly aware of is the reverence with which Satheesh and others here at this most sacred spot display. For about a second; then realize I am being pushed and pulled and prodded and bumped and lovely little volunteers smilingly try to pull me along but I'm bigger than them and sorry folks, I am clutching Satheesh's arm and I am NOT moving until he does!  And maybe he got to stand there a little longer because I was his shield, but very soon on we move.
I remember seeing more gold, and more chambers of more idols and more stone, and more people, and more water, which all kind of blurred together, but what  I could FEEL was a change in the energy. Or maybe it was just relief.  :)  Either way, there was a "high" and then a "coming down". Yes, I used to do drugs, and that's my reference point. But, earlier, when we were hanging out waiting, Raj had told me that these temples are built where someone or many someones feel or determine there is an energy. In this case, the energy would have been emanating from where the god was housed. Well, I don't know if it was energy radiating from the god, or from underground, or from the hopeful fervor of the devotees, but I definitely felt an energy, and when we were done, I felt the let down, the departing of the energy from my body and it was nice. Calm replaced the chaos and it felt peaceful.  I think that's when I let go of Satheesh's arm.  Sorry for the bruises  ;)

Met up with Naveen, had a little curd rice nourishment, Satheesh went off to get the prasad, a "gracious gift" containing the deity's blessing within it which for this temple is an Indian sweet called laddu that they are famous for and have a patent on the recipe. Naveen and I come out of the temple into a square where there are people milling about, sitting in family groups or couples or groups of friends, enjoying an absolutely beautiful night with twinkling lights, music in the background, open air, we're up in the hills, it's cool, and they're all rushing off to the car, and I just stopped and stood and listened and felt and looked. Looked at those guys and asked, "Do you ever just stop?"  So we did.

That was the best part.

Three states in three weeks!

Three weeks in, and time is going too fast already! Can't believe it's been 3 weeks already; we just got here! But, from the exhaustion I've been feeling the past couple days, it's been 3 very busy weeks  :)

I wake up early every morning, don't know why, just do. I've never been one to go to bed at 10pm, but I have been. Then, up at 6am to watch our part of the world wake up. I go stand out on the patio off the kitchen where we hang laundry ( I let the boys wash my clothes-clothes, *I* wash the underclothes.) I hear a bird call I've never heard before, and can't even describe,  but it has the sound of tropical. The sky is pink, the trees are wrapped in mist, there's the smell of wood smoke in the air, and people starting to walk by on their way to catch the bus to work. Starts off with just one at a time, slowly building till after a while there are many, and the vehicles add to the hum of the day, and water trucks, and all sorts of hauling begins back and forth bringing and taking all the various things people need for the day. Then the guys selling from their bikes or their backs calling Soppu or other things I'm not sure what they are selling, but I love the sound! I'm standing out there one day, and one of the guys on foot with many plastic buckets hanging from his frame spots me watching, and hopefully directs his calls my way, but I shake my head no.  He takes a few steps forward and calls again, and I again shake my head, and he moves on. I try to be invisible and just watch and listen, but it doesn't always work that way.
The morning builds to a crescendo when the school girls are all out waiting for the bus and all the cars and bikes and trucks need to let us know their presence by a short "beep". Indian drivers don't honk their horns when there is a problem, they honk their horns to prevent a problem. Or something.  Indian driving cannot be explained. Just Google 'Indian Driving' and then watch a couple of the videos.  Then multiply that by infinity and it might be close  ;)  And can anyone tell me what INFAMMABLE means?  :D

I make coffee in those early morning hours, because I can.  IF the power is on!!  That is not always the case. It's been interesting, just minding our business and bam, out it goes, and then the generator kicks in. When generator is on, no hot water, no coffee, no air conditioning. Maybe that's why I get up so early. I make coffee and turn on my hot water heater.  Usually. I've been caught a few times with no hot water or coffee but luckily the cook and the boys have their means to come up with coffee and hot water when that happens, and the ceiling fans work. We are very fortunate and never go without some sort of air movement which is a good thing as I hear the temps this next week will be nearing 93-95 F.  Oh boy... here we go!!  Yikes.

 The so-called "dudes" that take care of us are Madhav, Anand, Harish, Raju, and a couple others I still need to figure out their names. They love me.  :D It's just not that hard to be nice to people, and when we are, the rewards are many. I get the rewards of genuine smiles, and not that fake - I'm here to smile and serve you and get paid smiles - but genuine "glad to see you" smiles.  All it takes is asking their name and using it. Or a kind word. So little. Those are the rewards, and then there are the gifts.
Indian breakfasts of idli or parathas or other heavy items was fine the first two weeks, and maybe fine once in a while, but not every day, at least for me, and Lisa was eating the same omelet every day (Indian omelet = dry, scrambled eggs). I asked for fresh fruit and was told it's not on the menu, but worked it out so that we could get fruit and pay extra if need be. The cup of coffee that comes with the meals is like a thimble. Just one time I asked for BIG coffee, now I don't even have to ask. Breakfast the first couple days was one fruit, now it's this pretty mix that they told me would be too expensive to do, and look at that coffee cup  :)

After I complimented Anand on dinner one night last week, the next night we were served a Chicken Biryani, and I KNOW that's not on the menu! It was great, it was huge, and I took the leftovers down to Madhav and the boys and asked "who's going to finish this"?  And Anand got a pat on the back, and I could feel him beaming. And then I get to go back upstairs with a warm heart. All I need to sleep well.And I just got the food bill, and fruit is not on there.  :)

We see this on the ride to work every day.  Bangalore - the Garden City

We worked a whole 3 days this week in the office, and one from home. The 3 days in the office were spent listening, observing, talking and being frustrated as hell at the slowness of my computer. Took a while to root out the cause, and hopefully we'll have it addressed tomorrow. Seems also that the message light does not light up on my phone when there is a voice mail, so oops.. there were a few voice mails when I checked. So, if you leave a message, don't be surprised if I don't return it right away, but I will check.

Thursday after working at home, we prepared for a road trip to Ajay Reddy's wedding. Ajay is on my new team, or rather I am new to his team, and was kindly invited to attend his marriage and reception and a trip to Tirupati. Come to find out my whole SE Tools team of people I've been working with since last May were also going, so YAY!  Yet another chance to wear the sari, too!

These are the gorgeous young women gathered in our room while Geetha helped "drape" us in our saris. The girl is a pro and a goddess! She assisted me the rest of the evening making sure I wasn't falling apart or down!  :D (I just KNEW I would trip on the stage in front of ALL of those people, but I didn't! )
Geetha is to the left of me in below pic of all of us. Thanks, again, Geetha!

Lisa and I had the good fortune to travel with Raj, Naveen and Satheesh all the way from Bangalore to Chittoor on National Highway 4.  We didn't talk a lot; Lisa and I tend to stare out the window at India flying by. And fly it did! That driver was amazing!  But, it's good to just be with people sometimes. Especially good people with the wild beauty of Andhra Pradesh going by.

And then there's the monkeys!  I was not expecting that. I'm staring out the window, and I see a monkey, and Satheesh turns around and looks at me to see if I had seen that at the same time I turn incredulously to Lisa and say.. I just saw a monkey!  And Lisa looks at me and says "Shut. Up!!" . :D  No pictures, no time. But we see more and more along the way, singles and groups.  They don't look quite so cute in the wild. They look like something I would not want to mess with.  But they were MONKEYS!  :D
And some of you saw my Facebook status the next morning. "So, I awoke in Chittoor early this morning. Checked the view out the window, and see the morning bustle of a city in India. I notice movement on the ledge below the window, and before it registers that a dog could not be there, I realize it's a monkey who then jumped up and scampered up the side of the window!! Not a foot away from my face! OMG!! :D"
Fanfreakin'tastic!! After I said "Oh. My. GOD!" Lisa, who is still in bed, gets quickly OUT of bed, then for a brief moment fear flashes across her face (she doesn't know why I'm exclaiming at the window) when she asks "what?" and I tell her "a monkey was just right THERE and it scampered up the window right THERE and I thought it was a dog but it couldn't have been cuz we are three floors up and it was right THERE, and Oh My GOD! :D  Of course it's gone, not to be seen again, but it was THERE, it happened, and I will not forget!!  Later, Naveen tells me when he was younger and at home, there was a refrigerator in his room, and he comes home one day to find a monkey standing in front of the open refrigerator looking in and I can just visualize that, it standing in front of the fridge with hand on the door handle, gazing into it like a teenager looking for a snack!  Guess I'll stick with squirrels in the house.  :D
That evening was Thurs, and the wedding reception.  We girls got all done up and then headed on over to the reception hall. There are many people, all the women in their fancy saris and all sorts of food stuffs to be had. I am told the best part of Hindu weddings is the food, and we weren't disappointed. Very nice, eat what you will and standing in groups, but it was HOT!  Not the food, well yah, it was, but it was HOT! I think I'm having hot-flashes from the stress and the travel and the food and the spices and the sari and the thinking it's falling off of me, and my makeup is melting and where's the air, and I'm in another strange city where a white woman in a sari is NOT a common site, so do I have anything in my teeth cuz all these people keep looking at me and am I eating this thing correctly with my fingers, and it's HOT, and where's the water?  :D  We move upstairs to the reception, where we go on stage to have pictures taken with the couple and present our gift, and the group gives me the honor of presenting this gynormous card with all the signatures on it, and we present and get pics taken and then we're done. While leaving the stage, I see a couple women whispering, and then one says to me.. very nice.  You look very nice, and it's approval for us 2 white girls honoring the couple by showing up in fancy saris and actually wearing them right.  Whew.. we passed!  :D

We head back to the hotel, rip off the saris and get into cooler comfier clothes, and it's all of what - 10pm.  We're in a new city, nothing to do, nowhere to go. Hmmm not satisfactory.  So I text Naveen.  Come to find out they are in the room down the hall and they have CARDS!  Bums..  they're having a party without us!  ;)
Lisa and I taught Raj, Naveen, Satheesh, Harish, Meenakshi and Shiva how to play Texas Holdem Poker until midnight. So.. check off the Team Building task from the week's to-do list.   ;D

Next morning is the wedding. No sari wearing, the girls are gone and we sure don't know how to drape them, so on with the easier to wear salwaar kameez suits and off we go to breakfast and coffee at the wedding hall, then the marriage ceremony.  I made one faux pas at breakfast, and that was having coffee before eating, but I think Naveen was able to make excuses for me.  I am used to coffee in the morning and had had none, rather I had been dealing with monkeys in the windows and was in NEED of coffee, so I believe I was forgiven.
Hindu Wedding - this one begins with LOTS of noise from the discordant sounds of Hindu wedding music and drums, then the excitement increases and the groom comes in with his family.  They move toward the stage where he greets his bride, then all the traditional rituals begin with priests and fire and rice and flowers and coconuts and chants and incense. Goes on for a while, I'm sure there is much is occurring up there on that stage and all I can concentrate on are the photographer who is in front of everything and his assistants and equipment.  Ah, when did weddings become something to be recorded rather than something to experience the meaning of?  Just makes me more curious about the customs and rituals and want to know about them and the meaning behind them.  Same thing was evident at the wedding in Chennai. Hmmmm....
Once we're at the end of the ceremony, rice is passed out to all guests and at a certain point, it is thrown at and on the couple. It was definitely interesting to watch that part, as all the guests come as close to the stage as possible and then throw, many/most doing it with three tosses of the hand.  I don't know the meaning, but it brought the community aspect into the wedding.  Then, it appeared that certain close family members and friends were blessing them by pouring a little rice on each of their heads individually or as couples. And then WE were invited up to do the same.  One of the priests simply explained to me what to do, and I did. That felt a little more personal and meaningful.  Once that was over, we were given a bag of sweets and silk and tumeric from the mother.  That whole part was a very nice experience. Then the band struck up again, and the wedding ended with a bit more ritual and lots of sounds.
Then, we were off to Tirupati.  THAT needs it's very own posting. 

More later!

Work? Really, we have to do that? :D

So, I just registered with the State Department. Forgot to do that before we left, and that's probably a good idea considering recent events. Thanks for the reminder, Vasant!

Just getting ready to start week #2 at work in Bangalore. Got to meet the whole team last week, and put faces to names and personalities to voices. Had a couple different ice-breaker meetings, and a few "stop by the desk" ones. I prefer those, as Vijay knows  :) Met SOOO many people, and also recognized many that I used to work by or with, some from a few years ago in I&A, others from IPS, more from Service Mgmt, some from Data Mgmt and others. I've been walking down a hall, see someone and say "hey, I know you!" and they smile and say, yes, you do! Often need my memory jogged for the name, but have yet to run into one who doesn't know mine. Very weird. Nice, but weird :) It'll take a while till I get all these names.
Day #1 was meet and greet, and find our way around. Food court below is amazing. Not just a food court but shops and a gym and a spa being built, pharmacy with a doctor, all sorts of services. Holy cow, is Alphonso Mango ice cream good!! Next door a huge building is going up and that will be a Mall! and multi-plex theater and apartments. One would not have to leave this International Tech Park. Ever. That could be the goal. Most of these guys travel quite a ways and even longer times to get to work, and the Bangalore traffic is a lot of stopping more than going. It's not uncommon for daily commutes to be 1-2 hours each way. Let's hope the new Metro system helps. Over 4 million people in this city.  The whole state of MN has just over 5 million. !!

Day #2 we were invited to visit a school which is sponsored by TCS, the Immadihalli Government High School. TCS employees volunteer to do fund raising for supplies, tuition and do volunteer work there weekly. It's nearing the end of the school year here so they are winding down with a cricket match for the boys and a throw ball match for the girls, each with a team of TCS employees against students. Throw ball was similar to volleyball except one has to catch it without fumbling, and then immediately throw it back over the net, and only the hands may touch the ball. Lisa jumped in to play, and by the time she was done, she was the red girl rather than the white girl out there.  ;)  While she's playing the game, I'm being surrounded by little girls introducing each other to me and laughing when I pronounce the names back. But they were also practicing their manners and were delightful!

After the throw ball game and while the cricket match was going on, we were sitting in the shade under the portico of the school.  With 100s of kids. There were a couple groups of girls, and a couple girls in particular that got my attention, most of whom are in the above picture. These, joined by many others, were sitting all around me and one group asked me to sing a song.  I declined, but asked them to sing me one. They did.. new version of Yankee Doodle I had never heard  before...some of the lines were "shake it  baby shake it". In Yankee DOODLE??  ;)  Then we heard other songs, then we had dueling choirs as the group NEXT to them chimed in with their own renditions.  One was giving me Bollywood film songs, the other Yankee Doodle-ish and Kannada language ones. Thankfully, one of the leaders who spoke the language got them to sing 1 song at a time, but they were still competing for attention. Was pretty fun, but VERY claustrophobic as they crowded closer and closer!

That one in the middle there?  Brave, with an attitude and twinkling eyes.  She's trouble.  The good kind of trouble  :) I recognize her!

Back to the office later that afternoon, feel like I'm full of dust and dirt.  But, was a good day.

It's amazingly quiet in this office, which really surprises me due to the noise I hear in the backgrounds when we are on conference calls. Really quiet. When I laugh, I see a whole buncha heads turn.!  Hey,  I know I'm loud.  Just louder when it's really quiet  ;x.  But, quiet doesn't last. One day while there's a production issue with ETL (no, really? :) I see why when I'm on conference calls from the US I hear background noise. Speaker phones. Freakin' speaker phones, in close quarters. Well, no wonder. And there are people gathered around those speaker phones and the whole room can hear what's going on. I could NOT concentrate on what I was doing, way too distracting to listen to that. But, at the same time, informative. And really strange when I'm recognizing voices in the room and realize it's Beth and James and Karen and other people I know, but they are 9000 miles away!.  I can see the value - all the people who needed to know were close by and could offer input when needed. But still.. not good to be across the aisle from the speaker phone. 
I don't quite get the phone setup here. I'm sure it's a money saver, but it doesn't seem very efficient. They have to share phones, and only certain ones have speakers. So, it's either that with the probable background noise and realizing the whole room can hear the "onshore" people talking (not cool for this blabbermouth), or they go into conference rooms and use a speaker phone there and we in US hear echo, echo, echo.  Not ideal, by any stretch, but it is what it is. For now.
The week whizzed by, meeting wonderful people, throwing paper snowballs in a conference room (ice breaker), watching wariness turn into openness (best part!), and finally meeting my PM who was out of town until Thursday, so got to see him again. We met once, at Geo's house in MN right before he left to come back to India. A few weeks later, I was awarded him as my offshore PM, and knew I had a winner! And now I get to meet him again. My whole team are winners, so I'm quite fortunate.
Saturday, we went shopping to Commercial Street. Oh my.. what a dangerous place!  And I mean that in a good/bad way.  Good that we got our bonuses on Friday. Bad that we got our bonuses on Friday.  :D

We went with 3 people from my team - Naveen, Lydia and Aparna.
Shopped a bit, then had lunch at a fabulous Chinese place. Buffet, but they serve soup and appetizers/starters before the buffet, then you go to the buffet, then dessert buffet. NOT like buffets back in the US, AT ALL. Very good!
We will definitely be making a few more trips to Commercial St!
On the way home, we stopped at a place called the Metro, the Walmart of India or something. Huge store, one of 3 or 4 Metros so far, offering clothing, food, housewares, electronics, all sorts of stuff. But so much of EVERYTHING was plastic! We did buy a few things like some beach towels, glasses, bowls and silverware, just a few things we can call our own. Bread. Jam. Ice cream  :) Crazy wild place, though, too too busy. Produce was out of the question. Seems you have to have it weighed in the produce section before you go to check out.  We didn't know that. Went back to produce section and couldn't even get near the weigh station. So forget it. We'll get the fruit later.
Sunday, we took it easy. Well deserved after a whirlwind week in Chennai, then a whirlwind week at work in Bangalore. We did venture out to see our neighborhood, but made it about 2 blocks when we hired an Auto to take us to the air-conditioned mall.  Yikes, it's hot in the midday sun!!  Very pleased to find a nice grocery store inside, so we loaded up on a few things. Like fresh fruit! 


So, week number 2 down. It's President's day in the U.S. it's Monday here.  :)  But a quiet one, as HQ is closed. Nice day to catch up and just hang out with the team.

See you next time!

Bangalore

We are in Bangalore, have been since the train on Sunday. It's now Saturday, so yeah, been a little busy and issues with bandwidth here  ;) We're getting settled for a 3 month stay of work and exploring!

Sunday, we bid farewell Chennai, at least for now. I'm kind of sorry to leave.. not so much the dirty, smelly, crazy city, and the not so great hotel, but there is something here that is pulling me. It's the people. Made some new wonderful friends, and will definitely be back. But not completely sorry to leave. Next time I'm staying at the Radisson  ;)
The train ride on Sunday was quite the experience. Woke up in the middle of the night (well, 4:15am) to catch the 6am Shatabdi Express train from Chennai to Bangalore. My first "real" train ride. Taxi picked us up and the humidity was so high all the windows were fogged. At freakin' 5am!! Free saunas in Chennai - just go outside! and it's not even summer yet..
Got to the train station, got out of the cab, and porters were there to whisk away our luggage. I think my suspicious traveling companion thought she'd never see her luggage again, and held on to way too much heavy stuff instead of handing it over to the porters. The walk was fast and long to the train, and I think she may have regretted the decision to hang on to all that and lugging it herself, but her decision. I tried tipping them an unacceptably small amount, and the guy scoffed at me, so, properly chastised before coffee I handed over 300 rs which was much more acceptable. We settled into our seats and tried to find enough room for legs and my carry on and Lisa's assortment of bags, then looked around. Full train, as they usually are. I'd read about the Shatabdi and how they are considered some of the best trains in India so was not in the least concerned. I don't think Lisa had done the research I had so was quite a bit more apprehensive than I was, so while I enjoyed the coffee and the breakfast, she stuck with her bottled water. Five hours later, we arrived in Bangalore, and were met by our TCS Program Directors Shailaja and Raj. I love this aspect, of putting faces to names we've known for a while. Whisked away once again, this time gladly being led, so someone else could argue with the porters about the amount, where they just see our white skin and the price goes up.  Commonly done, and I get it, but hey now..
We are taken to lunch at a Chinese restaurant very close to our new home. OMG, is the Chinese food here ever amazing! Indo-Chinese, Chinese food with a kick.  SO flavorful!  then HOME!
Our apartment is a 2-bedroom, 2 bathroom, nice enough place to be comfortable for the next 3 months. We each have 2 single beds in our bedrooms, and what is with the freakin' straw mattresses around here?  :D  Oh well, my back actually seems to be ok with the firmness, but I have yet to sleep a whole night through. Going from a Sleep Number bed to these..  guess I'm spoiled. But they're fine. Place is good, close to work, close to the Main ITPL road so there are shops and malls from large western type malls and shoe stores to small shacks selling batteries, and open air stalls selling fresh watermelon and coconut water. We just need the time now to go explore.
We have a caretaker named Madhav, whose card says he's the Head Caretaker.  I have dubbed him the Head Dude, and that's what he now is. He's very sweet, and takes care of us well. He's from way up North near Nepal, so also understands cold weather. There are also a couple of "boys" here, and they too are sweet, but speak very little if any english. They do the cleaning and the serving of food, and just smile and say yes. No matter the question  ;) Thank goodness for Madhav. And that a sense of humor does not need to share a language completely. He's discovering that I like to joke and tease, and I love to make him smile. I think he's just used to being talked TO rather than being talked WITH. First two days, when we left in the morning, I said to him "have a good day". Day one took him by surprise. Day 2 he wished me in return.
Day 3 and 4 he beat me to it and wished me a good day before I him. That's the stuff I like!!

We have our own bedrooms, where the internet access is (a cord, no wi-fi) and our own baths, both of which have major deadbolt locks on the doors. Took us a minute to realize that our bedrooms were our havens, but the rest of the time people tend to come and go in and out of the apartment, whether it's to serve food or to clean. Unnerving sometimes, but I'm getting used to it. The door stays open, but we can bolt it if we want to. But, we each have laptop, tv, desk and our own space, so it's cool. Just different.  Power goes out every day, usually in the morning when most people are heading to work, and I think that's by design so that the power can be directed toward the IT and other businesses rather than homes during the day, but there is a generator so the dudes are great about getting that running right away. It gives us light, tv, internet, coffee and the blow dryer, but it doesn't heat the water.  So, if we haven't already turned the heat on for the hot water tank in each bathroom, we're sunk. BUT, I found out 2 days ago that there is a back up for the hot water, and that a bucket of hot water can be had for the asking.  Note to Payal...  I understand.  :)  I have not taken a shower here yet, but for the 1st day when it wasn't that great.  The bucket way is quite nice!

Bangalore!  Bengaluru  The Garden City What we have seen so far has been beautiful and amazing. The weather is glorious. So much cleaner than Chennai. Smells better most of the time, too ;) Flowers everywhere, parks, beautiful architecture. We are off to explore the city now, going shopping on Commercial Street.  More later about first week WFI  :)  (Working From India)

Bar fight in Chennai

So, we want to know about the almost bar fight, eh?  ;)  Wasn't really all that much. 
We went to a bar at a nice hotel with my friend Pratik and a friend of his. The four of us sat at a nice table, they had beers I had diet coke, we ordered food, I was watching people drinking and talking and dancing and doing what people do in bars. Nobody was sloppy, and it seemed more like groups of friends having fun rather than any kind of "pick up" activity. Just a nice night out in a nice "Applebees" kind of place.

My Indian friends tell me that going to bars is an uncommon activity for the vast majority of people, especially the women.  I was enjoying seeing the young people acting like free young people. I see the weight of convention as rather heavy here, especially for the women. I imagine it is quite similar to what it was like in the US - remember when "good" girls didn't go to bars?  :::blech::::

Anyway, I wanted to take a picture of Pratik.  I pulled out the camera, and within seconds the "camera police" were there telling me pictures were not allowed.  Well, as those who know me know, when I'm told I'm not allowed to do something, something that is quite harmless and what I WANT to do, I get testy.  He tells me that pictures are not allowed.  Thinking I would accept that as an answer was his mistake. I asked why they were not allowed.  He said that picture taking is not allowed in any pubs in Chennai.  Mistake number 2 - still does't tell me why.  I asked again, "why?" Same bullshit answer. Now, I am bright, do have a clue and know why.  Oooh.. somebody "may" not want to be captured while in a pub.  Another convention thing, and a "what would THEY think?" I can't stand those.  Who CARES what other people think? 
Well, apparently these folks do and it'll take a while to get past that, if ever, and just because I don't care doesn't mean I need to lay that down as a shared response. That one's going to need to change, though. Tourists and more that come into this country and partake of such outings are going to want pictures.
And really..  the risk of anyone caught in the background of my picture of my friend being shared with their freinds and neighbors and family who would judge them for it is very, very low.

I told the dude, you can tell me that's the rule, but if you can't tell me the WHY behind the rule, I can't accept it. He wsan't getting it, so I let the poor guy go after a few more rounds of questions.

That's when Lisa dubbed it a bar fight. 

Pratik's friend who accompanied us (wish I could remember his name) told me he'd taken picutures many times there.  Pratik told me to go ahead and take the photo.  I did not.  I don't need trouble in Chennai my first week there on behalf of Ameriprise Financial and TATA.  THAT would probably not look good, and there is where I care what others think.

Just a little.  I was tempted.  ;)

Grab something to drink, it's a long one :)

Our hotel in Chennai really does suck. The smells, the broken air conditioners, the open windows allowing mosquitoes in, the hard beds, the realization that there are few if ANY other women here, no internet access, walls that could use a fresh coat of paint (and probably some Lysol)…Going to the Radisson yesterday just for the afternoon to use their business center was like walking into an oasis. Beautiful, well-trained people greeted us to clean, air-conditioned, lovely smelling (!) surroundings, and I’ll bet the mattresses are not filled with straw like they are at our hotel. Yep, I checked through a hole in mine. No wonder it’s so frickin’ hard! Oh well, one more night. Large trade event in town has made rooms at reasonable prices scarce. But, we did not come here to be pampered we came here to experience. That, we have done.

But, had we not stayed here, I may not be as enamored with the traffic as I am. I can get a cup of coffee and stand at a window at this hotel and watch the amazing morning rush hour traffic right from a window outside my room. I have been found there many times, just staring. There’s a symphony of horns, a spectacle of sites and color, unidentifiable and sometimes potent scents while I enjoy a cup of Indian filter coffee which is thick and sweet and strong. There’s a young man selling fresh coconut milk from a bike who has a designated spot right across the street from the hotel. I’ve seen him arrive for work in the morning, then cross the 4 (yeah, right) lanes of traffic and the median to get his breakfast from a nearby stall, then cross that traffic again to start his day selling. Like many others along the streets, they are there providing refreshment for thirsty or hungry commuters. A (motor)bike with a couple came along, him dressed for work in an office, her in a sari sparkling with sequins (she’s been riding on the back, side-saddle). They checked out the offerings and chose a coconut. The seller then very skillfully hacked at it with what appears to be a machete, and soon it’s offered to the buyers with a straw or a spoon and they drink, get back in/on their vehicles and off to work or school or wherever they are headed. Then he settles back into the boredom of waiting for the next person to stop. Yesterday he had 3 customers all at once, and I felt pleased. Guess I adopted him or something.

We went to Prakash’s wedding on Tuesday night, full of jetlag and wonder at how people find their way from one part of town to another. Maps don’t help. There’s no GPS. So, one stops and asks. Anyone, and particularly the Auto-rickshaw drivers. We arrived just in time as the bride was just heading down the aisle. Lovely wedding, Christian and very similar to American weddings, but with the bride in gold and much gold jewelry, and flower wreaths similar to other Asian religions to signify the marriage is official. LOUDest wedding I have ever been to! Horns honking outside the open church doors which open right to a busy street, people moving about, children running around, talking going on, and a horde of photographers buzzing around the couple like gnats. Wee bit different than weddings in US . While seated waiting for band to begin and the reception to start I looked up and there was Ganesh, who used to be with me onshore. Was very good to see him and his father whom I have also met before. But, since jet lag was gaining a hold thought we’d just give our gift and our regards, and then leave. Custom with Indian weddings is to present the gift to the couple in person and then have picture taken with them. I’ve seen some of the wedding pictures…there have been HUNDREDS of pictures of people and a gift and a bride/groom who look dazed. Little did I know that a line would form and the line was LOOOOONG.

We were fading fast and would not have been able to tolerate the long line so we asked Ganesh to deliver the gift for us, which he accepted, and we went back to the hotel to sleep.

Next day, after a good nights sleep we spent a good deal of the day at Dakshinichitra which was really nice (Thanks Vasant!) A little history, culture, a little shopping, a little bargaining/negotiating/arguing (we were with a PRO) and a nice lunch.  A little more shopping later and we headed back through the mezmerizing traffic again.

 
We also stopped along the Besant Nagar portion of Marina Beach for just a short time.  It's the 2nd largest beach in the world.  I do want to make it back there and be there in the evening when there can be 1 million people on the beach. It's been making a comeback from being severely polluted and is now one of the not-to-be-missed spots in Chennai. After the day touring, we had dinner at Arvind's home.
 
I have to fast-forward just a little bit.  But, having no internet access for that first week was probably not such a bad thing.  Lisa brought along 2 laptops and a blackberry, I have one laptop and an iPhone. Had we had internet access I think we would have spent too much time not experiencing.  ;)   Although, it was good to be able to get access at the Radisson for an afternoon.  Was an oasis, lemme tell ya....

If you're ever going to go shopping at Pondy Bazaar for silk and/or gold, go with some local women, not so much for their company but for the experience! Having Arvind's mom and aunt fuss over us and deal with the sari and gold sales people was just fun to watch.  Arvind's mom is Banu, and we certainly have a bond - must be that kid of hers. Whatever, I have some new friends for a lifetime, methinks. Banu and her sister Rani did all the choosing of colors and materials for the saris, and even though she'd ask my opinion as to what color I liked, it didn't matter..  she chose what SHE thought looked best.  The colors are fabulous, and all credit goes to her. We shopped Thurs. night I think. Friday morning, went over to Arvind's home again and the women took our measurements to stitch the blouse that goes under the sari. Then Lisa and I went to visit Sridevi and Ram who used to work in our domain onshore but moved back to India last year and had a little girl. Pics are on Lisa's Facebook page. We had lunch there and visited for the afternoon, another lovely day in a real Indian home with a beautiful family. That night we went out with my friend Pratik and a friend of his to a really loud  bar so Lisa could have a night out in Chennai. Turned out to be too loud to even talk so was a bit hard, but it was fun. Good to see Pratik and to catch up and know he'll be back in the US before me. :)  I almost got into my first bar fight in India.  :D  Stupid rules... 
anyway

Headed back to Arvind's house where the plan was that we'd now have the blouses made for the saris and have our pictures taken, as that was the dear wish of Banu that we do so. Got there, and discovered that the power had been out most of the day, which it is wont to do in India. So they are frantically scurrying back and forth between houses, fitting things on us, cooking, pinning, measuring, cooking, while Lisa and I are trying to stay out of the way. . Power comes on, food is prepared, we eat, one more time just the two of us while Banu and Rani and even Arvind stand and watch and cajole us to have a little more of this.. one more of that..  Sure was excellent! Then we get to go get dressed up.  We're 1/2 way dressed (at least I was, I think Lisa was completely dressed) when the power went out again. No matter.. they finished dressing us by candlelight. Arvind's father came home about then, so he was able to view the final product. 

They then presented us with gifts - payals (ankle bracelets) for both of us, and earrings that Arvind's dad had to go find and pick out.  They had borrowed a nose ring from one neighbor, the hair decoration from another, and they were very very excited to have these photographs taken. We do look good, don't we? 

That was last night, we are now in Bangalore having arrived here after 3 hours of sleep and a 5 hour train ride, and meeting more people I know but have not met yet, getting settled into our apartment which will be home for the next 3 months, and I am so tired my eyes are closing and my head is nodding while I write this.

So, Good Night! 

First day in India... erm, night actually.

Couldn't tell it is night by my body but from the dark outside. eh, it's just jet lag and will pass. We whisked through customs and the airport and got our bags while I fretted about exactly where and how we were going to find my friend Arvind whom I had only seen a couple pictures of in the 2 1/2 years since he joined my Infy team. We followed the crowd out the exit and there's a crush of people there behind a barrier holding up signs and offering services and I scanned about a half a second and saw his face and knew him! And he knew me! thankfully he was able to steer us out and around and into his car and outta that airport. I'd read numerous things about the touts and scammers and people just clammoring to help you so they can make a living, and could readily tell just by scanning all those eager alert faces that they saw $$$ and a bulls eye on our backs. I don't think getting out of there would have been a fun time on our own so Thank You to Arvind, who is just as wonderful if not more so than I knew he'd be!
Our hotel on the other hand... That's more the reason I can't sleep than the jetlag I'm afraid. We wanted an "Indian" experience, and by Jove, I think we got one! just as I had gotten out of bed (hardest damn bed this soft white woman has EVER sat on) to kill a mosquito, Lisa is knocking on my door saying she had just been bit by something and showed 2 bites on her ankle and her lower lip was swollen. Located the antihistamine and the mosquito repellant, went back to her room where I killed one, came back to my room to try to sleep but when I went into the bathroom I could see the damn things coming in through the window! good thing we,,'re taking the anti-malarial meds. I think we will be finding a new hotel tomorrow.
It's 4am and I really need to sleep but this really hard bed and Mosquitos after so many warnings of malaria - well, as I said to Lisa -toto, we are not in Kansas anymore!
( if you don't get the reference, watch the Wizard of Oz)
hopefully next entry will be from different hotel ;D