Blogs from Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 55

The following day we met up and had brunch/lunch at the Leela Palace, a 5 star hotel. A co-worker, Ashish also joined us. We had a fabulous buffet of local foods and ate like royalty. The total cost of the meal for all four of us was 60.00 US. Afterwards Ashish took us around a bit (although Craig and Diane had seen it all, they did it for my behalf). That evening at work, Diane and Craig left for the airport at around 9 PM and I had my first night on my own with the staff. Again I can’t express how impressed I am with the staff here. I retired to my new flat around 4 AM. (This flat is on the top floor and takes up ½ of the floor.) Today I woke up ... read more

My very first impression was not the best at the airport as the custom lines were insanely long, and when I first got outside I was accosted by tons of people trying to carry my bags. I was then met by the contact here and she and her driver took me to my flat which was nice, 2 bedrooms 2 baths, with a kitchen, living room, and dining area. It seemed very nice even by US standards. Nothing fancy but all the amenities. After unpacking I got to go to sleep at probably 430 AM local time. I was awaken at 7 AM by the hotel manager to see if I wanted some food (he thought I asked for a wake up call at 7AM, I had said 12). I was actually hungry and the cook ... read more

hello all this is diane blogging on Craig's behalf. It is 6:2O AM and we have not been to bed yet. We have been drinking and Craig is sort of laid back and letting me blog since I do not have a sight of my own. We did not do anything special during the day. Our power went out and I was denied a shower which put me in a bad mood. However, I was ok by the time we got to work. We did go out to dinner with Kelly and John and a few of our co-workers to say good bye to John. I actually had non spicey food, I was in heaven. Craig had some kind of fish, small portion, and he was starving by 10:00 pm and had to beg some cheese ... read more

4:15 a.m. Bangalore. Work was cut short this evening by a little get together for a colleague who is returning to the U.S. on tomorrow. It was a welcome change of the same old routine here. I did not eat today. I have had it up to my ears in rice by this time. I am also turned off by spicy food. There is no such thing as bland food in India. I don't know how they do it. Nothing exciting to report today. We were invited to Goa today by a couple folks in the office. It would be perfect if we had the funds to travel but things are getting kind of tight as far as cash is going. I am loading the last of the pics from the weekend with this entry. Not ... read more

Namaskar, Just before 12:00 a.m. on Sunday. I am in an odd mood this evening, thinking about things back home. I am missing Chicago and all things familiar right now. This did not come over me until Diane and I got back from hanging out around town. Actually it started coming on on Thursday following a call to the States. I tried reaching out back home again to calm/settle myself but with no success. This only made matters worse for me. Enough of that. With working until 3:30 a.m., M-F, there is no such thing as a wild Friday night out in the street, drinking/dancing until the wee hours of the morning. During my tour in Washington, D.C. last year, I could not wait until the weekend. I would drive home, hang out for an hour ... read more