Blogs from Banashankari, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 2

Mit der Bahn ging es früh morgens nach Frankfurt, überraschenderweise völllig problemlos: Pünktlich, der Umstieg in Dortmund direkt zur Zugtür gegenüber, Klimaanlage funktionierte. Das Einchecken in Frankfurt ging erfreulich schnell, der LH Check-In Schalter ist direkt am Eingang vom Fernbahnhof. Mit etwas Verspätung startete der Flug, konnte die Verspätung auch nur unwesentlich aufholen, sodass es nachts halb zwei (Ortszeit) wurde, bis wir in Bangalore aus dem Terminal kamen. Die Fahrt mit dem Tempo Traveller dauert dann nochmal 1h, wir waren erst um halb drei am Ziel. Egal, auf dem langen Flug hatte ich sowieso das Zeitgefühl verloren. Tempo Traveller: Ein 12sitziger Kleinbus mit großem Gepäckfach auf dem Dach, offensichtlich ein Lizenzbau des Mercedes-Benz „Bäckerwagen“ aus den späten 80ern. ... read more

Just before the plane descends, I make a quick trip to the bathroom. I've sat in the middle seat on every flight and hate to disrupt my fellow passengers in order to get out - particularly the young, serious man sitting beside me who boarded the plane in Paris. Though we sit nearly touching, we haven't spoke a word the entire trip. I did hear his voice right before take-off as he concluded a phone call with someone I somehow suspect was his mother, or a lover. "Ciao!" "Ciao" "Ciao!" he bellowed before hanging up. I had a feeling he needed his space and decided against aimless small talk. I settled into my seat again only to remember that I needed to get my backpack from the overhead bin to ready my passport for customs. I ... read more

So here we are again! Today is our final day in Bangalore as we are heading to Trivandrum (or Thiruvananthapuram) in Kerala this afternoon. We've had a great time here, risking our lives trying to cross MG Road, going on mad tuk tuk rides and eating a lot of very good food. We went to the local aquarium for Rs5, visited Cubbon Park where we made friends with a keen cricket fan and have been very well looked after by Amitha. On Sunday, we went to visit Mysore Palace, some 200km away but really worth the long drive as it is absolutely stunning. Yesterday, we were taken shopping by Sneha in Commercial Street and bought our very first Salwaar kameez! This actually came in pretty handy since we later got '"invited" to the big Indian wedding ... read more

For once I was able to leave work while the sun was still shining. We’ve been working so late that the only thing to do once we get home is eat and drink and waste time until we can get back up and do it all over again. I had been counting the minutes until I could leave mainly because 1) I really wanted to see what Bangalore looked like in the daylight again 2) my roommate bought a case of Kingfisher and a hookah rig the night before and was in obvious need of some company, which me and JS provided in excess as usual and 3) no one should ever have to work on a Sunday anyway. On the drive home from work, as I was clutching my head in my hands, taking deep ... read more

The AirFrance flight from Paris to Bangalore was good. Minor bumps, etc. The plane was kind of rickety and made all sorts of creaking noises and the stewardess needs a new job. On the flight to Dublin my wine glass was kept full without me even needing to ask. On this flight, I spent 10 min trying to get the stewardess' attention and when she finally came over I raised my glass and asked for more wine. She took my glass and never returned. I had to flag down a different attendant. We went through this same procedure about 5 more times. And here I thought wine was their thing! Anyway, other than the judgmental stewardess the flight was good. It was business class so I got to lay down again! So finally got to India ... read more