Blogs from Karnataka, India, Asia - page 146

Heya, Liz again. I've been nominated to do this blog too, given that it's my first time in India and my impressions are (obviously) more interesting. Right? Anyway, that goes without saying :) I'm not quite sure where to start, so I'll just try to summarize the week. We arrived in New Delhi last week after a flight on the nicest plane I'd ever been on. Free socks + eyemasks + Lou Reed Movie + Ice Cream. Kickass. We had a couple of layovers in the Middle East, and I have never, EVER experienced anything like the heat we felt when we stepped off the plane in Muscat. It was 1:00 in the morning, and the temperature had to be pushing 40 degrees. It was like stepping into an oven. Crazy. Even crazier: Omanian Dairy Queen ... read more

I came and stood here a lil far from the lake for quite some time. 'Ominous' is the word, I would like to depict this place & time with. Or that's what I thought for some moments. It's surprising how my mind changes opinions (or rather gives second opinions) about the surroundings once I get an appropriate adobe over the comfortable branch of a huge tree of this Jungle. Nay, this is not written by any ape - coz, obviously you would say that an ape can't write English. All Right! Let me clear out some of the confusion by describing the place and time in a lil more precise way. I will start with time; it is 1538 Hrs, 09-JUL-2005. The place is a National park (forest reserve) called Bandipur National Park (BNP), in Karnataka ... read more

Found a great little gym, albeit right next to a stagnant waterway, but with a real character and no frills exercise options. Plays some thumping super techno hits such as ‘Disco Samurai’ and 'Eternity' (you know the one - it goes "Eternity, eternity, eternity, eternity"...ad nauseum). At the villa, met Vaibhav and Paresh, two local workers for a Norwegian videoconferencing company, from Mumbai and Delhi respectively. Vaibhav, a quiet, but very intelligent man, sat tapping away at the laptop, pausing occasionally while Paresh jovially recounted the subtle differences in Indian languages that can lead to confusion and near-lynching in the wrong social situations. They gave me a crash course in Hinduism, cuisine and the history of Indian cricket coaches, while we shared a meal at the villa. After I displaying my lack of tolerance for the ... read more

The pilgrimage to the IT holy land, India, has begun. Like King Monkey, but without the massive lamb chops. Upon reaching Singapore, I realized I still had no accommodation for tonight in Bangalore. The hassle of looking up phone nos on the internet and negotiating for a phone card was nothing compared to the ‘conversation’ with the guy at the serviced apartments. ‘Hi, Id like to follow up on a reservation enquiry’ ‘Hello sir’ ‘Yes, Id like to make a booking’ ‘Hi’ 10 seconds silence ‘Er, can I make a booking’ ‘A booking yes sir’ ‘I arrive at 9pm tonight’ ‘What time sir?’ ‘9pm’ ‘7pm sir?’ ‘No, 9pm sir’. (Dammit, he’s got me saying it now) ‘Very good sir’ ‘Umm, so you’re going to pick me up from the airport then?” ‘The airport sir’ ‘Yes I ... read more

To all my friends and loved ones who have anxiously been awaiting my inaugural posting from India, I say “Namaste” with much love and respect. I have been caught in the swift current of the human river this past week, but have finally found my rudder and am navigating quite well. You will notice me returning to water imagery throughout these musings - appropriate given the nature of my work here - but I will try to keep them on point. Last night, while relaxing after a day in the village on the balcony of the 13th floor Ebony Lounge in Bangalore, I witnessed an incredible pre-monsoon lightning display that ignited the sky from the Arabian Sea to the Western Ghats. Since energy is another focal point for this USAID project, you will note the connection. ... read more