Wow, it has been an exciting couple of days! Let me start at the prelude to our arrival in Bangalore.
August 11 - All day flight from Amsterdam, through Paris, to Bangalore, India. There was mass confusion in Paris getting us on the plane and we got delayed. Rob was way too big for the tiny seats in economy seating. I felt bad for him the whole time. As we started our descent into Bangalore, I had a mild panic attack as the excitement wore off a little and reality set in. I turned to Rob and said, "What the hell are we doing? We're in freakin' India!" We got off the plane and waited forever for our bags (we checked two backpacks), which never arrived. Luckily, we planned a little for this and had most of the essentials in our carry-on backpacks. I second guessed our decision to pack our large backpacks in trash bags. What if they were mistaken for actual trash and thrown away?? It probably sounds strange for us to use trash bags, but the packs have many straps hanging off that can get caught in conveyor belts, plus the airlines only cover damage to the contents of your bag, not the bag itself. The trash bag then becomes the bag and the packs are now part of the contents. Anyway, the airline was surprisingly helpful and we left with hope that the packs might find a way to us. My uncertainty about being in India was relieved when our college friend, Vidya, was there to pick us up. An old friend in a new place. Everything's gonna be alright.
August 12 - 13 (Day 1 & 2)
We're staying with Vidya and his family at their home in Bangalore, and we're very thankful for this! We didn't have the typical stress of transportation and accommodation. Vidya took us to some really nice restaurants where we tried all sorts of delicious Indian cuisines and we had a great time catching up. We haven't seen him since Rob graduated from NMSU back in 2004. Vidya has been fielding all of our questions and educating us about Indian culture, traditions, and religion. We had our first experience on an Indian auto-rickshaw (also know as an "auto"), which is a common form of transportation. Driving is a scary thing here, so a lot of people prefer not to drive. Autos provide a more affordable option to a taxi and is more reliable than a city bus. We toured around a little, did some shopping, relaxed, and planned our next couple of days.
Our bags did arrive, which was a huge relief, but then we discovered a new problem. Our debit cards don't work at Indian ATMs. Rob was very upset by this, since he specifically discussed money options with our bank before we left and he was advised to just get money from ATMs. We were able to find a Citibank and could withdraw money from there. No bags and no money our first two days. Good thing we had Vidya!
Favorite things so far: morning and afternoon tea/coffee and the Muslim call to worship that happens five times a day. I've heard of this, but have never been to a place were we could experience this. There is a calling that happens a few minutes before and then this chanter comes on a loud speaker at the mosque and sings the prayers. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. The voice is so pure and flexible, doing all these slides and glottals. It's hard to describe, but is transfixing when your hear it.
Heartbreaking things so far: lots of trash everywhere and lots of poverty. "Cripples" that approach you on the street - young and old - some deliberately disfigured. Forearms cut off, fingers cut off, missing ears...it is very hard to see.
August 14 (Day 3)
Today we attended a flower festival at the Botanical Gardens. It was a mind-blowing experience. There were so many people!! The flowers were beautiful and we had a great time soaking it all in. Rob received many stares and even a couple invitations to take pictures with people. We were the only white people in a sea of thousands of Indians and Rob was towering over them all. It was great fun seeing all the people snapping pictures of us. So far everyone is very friendly and excited to talk to us. They give us these big smiles and try out a few English words they know.
On a down side, Rob was the first one to get sick. He ate/drank something that really didn't agree with him and he was paying for it all day. He is slowly getting better. I accidentally drank some untreated water (the one thing we were told NOT to do!), but thankfully am okay. With our tummies becoming iron strong, we are off on a day trip to a nearby city called Mysore. Our first venture on our own!
August 11 - All day flight from Amsterdam, through Paris, to Bangalore, India. There was mass confusion in Paris getting us on the plane and we got delayed. Rob was way too big for the tiny seats in economy seating. I felt bad for him the whole time. As we started our descent into Bangalore, I had a mild panic attack as the excitement wore off a little and reality set in. I turned to Rob and said, "What the hell are we doing? We're in freakin' India!" We got off the plane and waited forever for our bags (we checked two backpacks), which never arrived. Luckily, we planned a little for this and had most of the essentials in our carry-on backpacks. I second guessed our decision to pack our large backpacks in trash bags. What if they were mistaken for actual trash and thrown away?? It probably sounds strange for us to use trash bags, but the packs have many straps hanging off that can get caught in conveyor belts, plus the airlines only cover damage to the contents of your bag, not the bag itself. The trash bag then becomes the bag and the packs are now part of the contents. Anyway, the airline was surprisingly helpful and we left with hope that the packs might find a way to us. My uncertainty about being in India was relieved when our college friend, Vidya, was there to pick us up. An old friend in a new place. Everything's gonna be alright.
August 12 - 13 (Day 1 & 2)
We're staying with Vidya and his family at their home in Bangalore, and we're very thankful for this! We didn't have the typical stress of transportation and accommodation. Vidya took us to some really nice restaurants where we tried all sorts of delicious Indian cuisines and we had a great time catching up. We haven't seen him since Rob graduated from NMSU back in 2004. Vidya has been fielding all of our questions and educating us about Indian culture, traditions, and religion. We had our first experience on an Indian auto-rickshaw (also know as an "auto"), which is a common form of transportation. Driving is a scary thing here, so a lot of people prefer not to drive. Autos provide a more affordable option to a taxi and is more reliable than a city bus. We toured around a little, did some shopping, relaxed, and planned our next couple of days.
Our bags did arrive, which was a huge relief, but then we discovered a new problem. Our debit cards don't work at Indian ATMs. Rob was very upset by this, since he specifically discussed money options with our bank before we left and he was advised to just get money from ATMs. We were able to find a Citibank and could withdraw money from there. No bags and no money our first two days. Good thing we had Vidya!
Favorite things so far: morning and afternoon tea/coffee and the Muslim call to worship that happens five times a day. I've heard of this, but have never been to a place were we could experience this. There is a calling that happens a few minutes before and then this chanter comes on a loud speaker at the mosque and sings the prayers. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. The voice is so pure and flexible, doing all these slides and glottals. It's hard to describe, but is transfixing when your hear it.
Heartbreaking things so far: lots of trash everywhere and lots of poverty. "Cripples" that approach you on the street - young and old - some deliberately disfigured. Forearms cut off, fingers cut off, missing ears...it is very hard to see.
August 14 (Day 3)
Today we attended a flower festival at the Botanical Gardens. It was a mind-blowing experience. There were so many people!! The flowers were beautiful and we had a great time soaking it all in. Rob received many stares and even a couple invitations to take pictures with people. We were the only white people in a sea of thousands of Indians and Rob was towering over them all. It was great fun seeing all the people snapping pictures of us. So far everyone is very friendly and excited to talk to us. They give us these big smiles and try out a few English words they know.
On a down side, Rob was the first one to get sick. He ate/drank something that really didn't agree with him and he was paying for it all day. He is slowly getting better. I accidentally drank some untreated water (the one thing we were told NOT to do!), but thankfully am okay. With our tummies becoming iron strong, we are off on a day trip to a nearby city called Mysore. Our first venture on our own!
