Blogs from Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 6

Our last day in India was supposed to be a quiet day with nothing to do. Things don’t always turn out as planned. Mr Ali advises us when we leave Mysore that our airport hotel in Bangalore is a 3 ½ hour drive away, so we ask to stop off at one more temple on the way. It’s a small but imposing 13th century temple with just a French woman and a group of three Indians as the only other visitors. As ever, we are told to leave our sandals at the entrance. We stack them neatly in a concrete compartment and look round the temple, which takes under 20 minutes. When we come to leave, Sara’s blue sandals have been replaced with a small black pair. Some mistake, surely? Gradually the awful truth dawns that ... read more

We have a rental space! Anusha's family have agreed to rent us a room they own at only 1200 rupees per month (about AUD$24). This is a fantastic achievement given that the rent in the village is usually over 2000 rupees per month. For two months we will occupy a smaller room on the top floor of their house, until the current tenant of the larger room moves out. The larger room is a separate dwelling on their property, with an attached bathroom. We are all thrilled about this. On the facilitator front, we have one great candidate named Apoorva. She is about to start her Masters in Science, and has a fantastic grasp on English. Her father is also very supportive, we just hope she will be able to fit Pod into her busy schedule! ... read more

We are still swanning around in luxury; lovely Thai dinner last night, pedicures, swimming in the pool, sitting enjoying a drink at the al fresco bar and delicious complimentary breakfast. The staff are just lovely and did I mention the beds? Goose down pillows and duvets, crisp clean sheets and thick luxury towels- oh so mmmmmmmm.... We did however tear ourselves away to go sightseeing this morning and then some last minute shopping. Bangalore is ( according to the guide) the largest city in India with a population of close to 2 million. It is much cleaner and much more modern than other cities we have visited. We visited the Hindu Shiv Temple and had a quite different experience from what we expected. Firstly we dropped 108 silver coins on a snakelike walk through 108 bronze ... read more

India is filled with stray dogs. I was prepared for that. But then I met Bella. Bella was lying by the main road in our village, helpless and sick. He was severely malnourished, barely able to walk, and totally unloved. You could see his ribs ripple under his skin every time he breathed. And nobody seemed to care. Everyone here would walk straight over him. I have been trying to feed him milk and soft biscuits this past week, but he remained extremely weak and unresponsive. He made my heart break. So last night I got in contact with Rakesh, the founder of Voice of Stray Dogs (http://www.strays.in/). Check out their website! They are a not-for-profit organisation that rescues and gives medical treatment to stray dogs, and helps rehabilitate them. They have animal ambulances, and qualified ... read more

I am loving my time at the 40K plus pod here in Maralakunte. As many of you know, I have had trouble interacting with children in the past. I am loving it here though. The kids are lovely, enthusiastic and well behaved. Pod time consists of the welcome song, and 2 sessions of 15 minutes on the tablets. These are broken up with "Brain Breaks" where we play games, such as Bullrush, Stuck in the Mud, Bang and Simon Says. Finally there is a 15 minute session of spoken English, where we generally break up into smaller groups to help the kids with conversational English. 40K is in the process of upgrading its curriculum and delivery method, changing it into a fully interactive app, which is very exciting! Once again, please consider donating to 40K, to ... read more