Two Nuns Walk onto a Plane...

Traveled home to NC for the Christmas holiday over the weekend. Took a new route through Frankfurt, which was a good travel experience. I have visited Germany a few times in the past, and really enjoyed it, including hearing the fascinating language pronunciations (how long a single word can be!), of course the history, the countryside views of beautiful "chateaus", and the cars. The pretzels are cooked a little bit darker, and every sentence contains a word that sounds like "fluffenhagen". It is such a neat place at Christmas, with all of the nutcrackers and different wooden ornaments on display. Too bad I was only inside the airport this time and unable to get outside for a few hours. I flew on 3 planes on this trip, and 2 were Lufthansa, with full German crews. It was so funny to me, as during one delay, I heard 8 or 10 sentences in German, (that I can't understand with the exception of willkomen, danke and achtung) and thought "I can't wait to hear the translation of these 8 sentences!" Then, I simply heard, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to inform you that flight 407 will be delayed." End of message. I tried to study all of the German's faces to see if anyone was concerned over the mention of Achtung! Haha

When you travel internationally, you go through full security checks at each airport, and that is where I learned the most today. I personally can understand the stress that comes with missing a connection when you NEED to get somewhere, and how it could produce a reaction. Well, today, with Christmas already being a high volume travel period, I am sure there were a lot of people that missed flights due to late connections. It is times like this when you see how different people process and react to stressful situations. So....I was in line with a good number of people who were about to miss flights (and probably did, as they would say to me, and other people in line, things like, "Take-off time was 10 minutes ago"), and yet they were just plodding forward as fast as the lines would allow, and were still able to laugh with their travel companions. The most stress I witnessed overall were heavy sighs. You have to admire this calm type of reaction to stress. Then.....there was the woman and her family. We all heard her coming, with the "event" starting shortly before she reached the actual security line. The security line is the LAST PLACE you want to lose your temper, and as we watched her yell at the guy on the phone to personally escort her through the line, we wondered for a second, "Are these German security guards going to escort her to her plane and just bypass the entire process?" The guy she initially yelled at was indeed in a work conversation, and could not give her full attention, and yet was able to point to the front of the line. She was able to go to the front, which of course we were all relieved. We all wanted this woman to make her plane. And then....we hear more loud voices. Maybe things are not proceeding as fast as needed? Of course other bags WERE in the x-ray machine when she arrived, which were being checked. Then....we see her touch one of the workers' faces (in a desperate plea, not necessarily anger). It almost looked like a "please help me" plea. It was, at this moment of actual physical contact, that I, and everyone of us watching this unfold, knew that this was not going to end well. Other senior security officers emerged out of nowhere, and there was a huddle. There were tears, and I truthfully felt bad for her and all involved, yet, in security, these guys are trained to not allow people to move through these lines willy-nilly, especially if you start yelling at them, as it could be a diversion, mental issue, and a threat to everyone else (not to mention inequitable). Well, I hope she was allowed to board another plane and not "taken to the basement" for questioning!

Finally, on my last flight home, I was sitting in my aisle seat (a smaller plane with 2 seats on each side). The plane is almost full, and I look up and see 2 nuns coming my way. I think to myself "Awesome", as seeing people like this in public is so different from a regular day. These nuns seem to be giggling and I secretly hope they sit near me so I can hear "what nuns talk about". Well, they stop and one sits across the aisle, and the other tells me I am sitting in her seat, 19D. I think "I have taken a nun's seat! Dear Lord, how did this happen!" Well, I have only looked at my ticket about 15 times today, and I personally KNOW I am in the right seat, however, there is NO WAY I am going to argue with a nun. If she tells me to jump onto the wing, I would certainly have at least considered it. I say, "Oh, no problem, let me move over!". At that time, the other nun immediately sees what is going on and tells her "(Oh, fellow nun) You are supposed to be on this side with me!" She looks at her ticket and realized she is on the wrong side. She begins to laugh and apologize over and over, and I am of course fine, but just disappointed that she is not my neighbor. I already had some things planned to ask her about. Of course, I was, on the flip side, a bit relieved, as I had taken that awesome blanket off the Lufthansa plane, and the books in my purse included True Crime novels, a choice of "Body Count", or "Evil Beside Her". While true crime novels are interesting to me, I am not sure she would have approved of these books. While I am not Catholic, I feel as if I may have launched into a quick confession session had she stayed.

So, I am back in NC for the holidays, and am wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy Holidays to everyone.

Karnataka "Wild" Life

When you visit a new country, you obviously see new and different types of animals. In examining my photos so far....these “chickens” (very unique) have been my most interesting wildlife encounter while in India. I have been trying to determine what kind of chickens they are, tied to the location in the state of Karnataka where I took these photos, and so far have only come up with comments from others who have photographed them in the same location.

The comments include:
“unique birds”
“saw them for the first time in India”
“exotic chickens”

I can say that I agree with all of the above!

Spicy Hot, and also....On Fire

There is a restaurant in Bangalore that I “absolutely” love to visit: Absolute Barbecue. I went tonight, on a Tuesday, and it was fully packed by 7PM, with people waiting. It is on the 3rd floor of a building with a small-ish elevator that takes you to the entrance, and most people want to take the elevator rather than the stairs. Being in crowded Bangalore, you can be the first person to reach an elevator and still somehow “miss getting on” if you hang back from the crowd. There are just so many people.

They have a musician, apparently almost every night of the week, and tonight it was “Henry”. If I had kept my back to him the entire time, after he announced his name, and heard his sound, I would never have thought “that is an Indian singer”. He sang Eagles songs like he was a member of the original band.

What it is so interesting and amazing to me about “AB” is that there is an actual charcoal grill built into every single table, where your food is placed and grilled. I could be wrong, but I do not think this was an electric set-up. The foyer/hallway which leads in is filled with neat colorful “Weber grills”, and grilling utensils. A whole Barbecuing motif. After your meal, when you leave, your clothes smell like you have been grilling in the backyard on a windy day; you smell like a charcoal briquette.

They bring so much delicious food, you simply cannot imagine: Veg or non-veg, whatever you like. From pineapple, to chicken, to big chunks of cheese, to mushroom caps. The wait staff are truly interested if you are enjoying the food, and want to bring you items you like. The place is semi-big, but the wait staff are really on top of things and offer more, more, more food……. You can get the spiciest of food here, which is very tasty after being grilled.

The 2 things that really keep your attention at this establishment, outside of the delicious food, and wondering about the carbon monoxide situation, are: The waiters are racing around with sharply pointed metal skewers. They are moving fast, tossing them around, and you get used to this situation quickly. A dinner could suddenly turn into a drama at a moment’s notice. And, the back kitchen, where chefs are doing the pre-grilling and other cooking, as seen through a glass, always appears to be completely “on fire”. Quite a mesmerizing view from your “grill table”. I took some pictures (all taken inside), which are not good, as there was so much movement in this busy restaurant, but it does illustrate the views from within this fun (absolutely exciting) restaurant.

Bangalore vehicles: Top priority is a working horn!

Went out to a few places today...Sunday...a slow day for Bangalore traffic and crowds. In looking at the first 2 pictures above, this represents “a slow day” (999K people on this side street versus the usual million). I walked a lot outside with a Bangalore local; the weather is truly great right now. It is considered “winter” season in India (a 2 month period referred to as “Hemant”) and so the “high” got all the way down to a chilly wintery 82 degrees. Haha. I went out on a limb and crossed the street (where there was a Starbucks AND a Krispy Kreme) to go to a coffee shop called Matteo, and it was awesome. Really enjoyed the coffee flavor, variety and presentation—a fancy place to get a shot of caffeine.

Also, we rode the Bangalore metro which is a set of rails high above the city that basically cross about 8-10 kilometers. You pay 17 INRs each way and can ride this metro and see the city from above. I had my camera around my neck, and while standing on the deck awaiting the metro, I took the 2 pictures you see posted here. The guard/security guy was standing beside me watching me intently, and he let me take these photos before saying “No cameras allowed ma’am”. As he had watched me take it out, and focus and get the shots, it was quite nice that he allowed me to move ahead with breaking the law a couple of times before he told me to put it away. The metro is an awesome ride that allows you to see so many views of Bangalore "from the top". They have a system for this metro where you purchase a token, and it is black and plastic. You place it on top of the computerized “gate” (which is quite fancy and electronic) to get inside the metro area to ride. At the end, you have to pull it out again and drop it in to a coin slot before the computerized gate opens and you can get out. I have no idea what happens if you lose that token along the way!

Finally, I toured the inside of a church, as they were preparing for the evening service. It was very beautiful inside, yet none of my pictures processed well enough to post. There is only one here, of the gold plaque that hangs on the wall, where the Hymns that are planned for the service are displayed. Exquisite gold design with obviously a lot of planning and preparation for each service, as they sing quite a few hymns, I noticed!

On the way home I took an Uber and, well, there is always excitement on the road. The basic paved roads of Bangalore are fine. Like any other city. Well, there are shortcut roads that connect these paved ones that can be harrowing. My cabbie tonight decided he would take a shortcut. It is his car, and if he wants to drive through the potholes, I am fine with this, as a shortcut in Bangalore can save 30 minutes. Well, this particular road was very narrow, of course dirt, with deep trenches on each side. I kept saying to him (as he swerved to avoid the potholes and headed directly towards this trench), “Be careful of this ditch” and he of course did not understand English, and would say “We take shortcut, ma’am”. There were motorcycles all over this road, and truthfully, with the hilly terrain on this road, they probably get higher jumps than you see on TV in some of the professional motorcross events. At one point, 2 motorcycles flew out of a side road in front of us and of course, we blew the horn. We blew it long, and we blew it hard. The guys on the bikes did not seem to appreciate this. They stopped. They stared, and there was yelling. One guy banged on the hood of cabbie’s car, and I thought to myself “This is like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome out here!”. I waved and smiled to these bikers (as in “We are soooo sorry”, with full apologetic "Namaste-style" hand gestures), and they drove off. I feel like I probably kept this cabbie from getting “into it” with these bikers!

Indian-Italian and Auto-Rickshaws

Travelled across town to the most fabulous Italian restaurant here in Bangalore this evening. Very fancy place with live (low-key) music, and delicious food. As mentioned in previous blogs, Bangalore is filled with more awesome restaurants than any city in which I have ever lived. I had not been to an Italian one here yet, and this was a great experience. In the US, the best Italian restaurants are run by…well….a family with some kind of Italian background, whether 1st or 4th generation. They must have “Italian blood” to create such a tasty marinara. So when I began eating this excellent food, I immediately blurted out “Are there Indians back there in the kitchen cooking this Italian food?”. Kudos to the Indian chef cooking this excellent food at Toscano’s in Bangalore! Unforgettable pasta.

We travelled there by auto-rickshaw, which is always a fun experience. On the streets of India, there are buses, recycling trucks, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and a LOT of AUTO RICKSHAWS. Being in a rickshaw is like riding in the back of a super fast golf cart. With no golf clubs, and a meter is running. You talk to the driver before you ever step in and agree on a price. The current state of auto-rickshaws in Bangalore is shaken up a bit by the influx of Uber cabs. Lots of competition on the roads for your business. Therefore a rickshaw for a 25 minute ride can cost the same as an Uber cab. Rickshaw drivers seem to have a kinmanship, and wherever 2 or 3 are gathered, they are always talking, and “seem to know each other”, though as Bangalore is so huge, they could very well have just met. If there are 2 or 3 lined up (outside a hotel or restaurant) and you haggle a price for a ride without an agreement, you can walk to the next one, to try to get a better deal. However, they seem to be “banded together with an unspoken agreement” or bond that they are not going to undercut each other. I have only witnessed this a few times, so my perception could be completely “off” here. As with the current state of competition, how could this be working? Also, most interestingly, rickshaw drivers are the most sought out group in Bangalore for “asking directions”, and in the 5 minutes we stopped and paid, a car drove up and asked for some directions. Also, last week, while out with colleagues, we also stopped to seek out a rickshaw driver for directions. (Bangalore is huge and no one (except rickshaw drivers) know where anything is. Haha)

I took some pics (just with my phone, quickly) inside the restaurant, above, and also while riding in the rickshaw, below. We are super close to a white car if you cannot tell (inches). I simply do not know how these drivers get so close, and do not hit each other constantly, and yet remain so laid back at the same time. There is a bar which the passengers in the back can grip. It was probably added so the passengers do not grab onto the rickshaw drivers!

Another exciting night out in Bangalore, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Shopping versus Six Sigma Training

With the US being the only country celebrating Thanksgiving (other than some news I have read today on the British enjoying the turkeys!), if you are in any other country, it is basically work as usual. So, I worked, and had an awesome lunch in the company canteen, joined by 6 colleagues from my dept, and was able to watch them laugh over “neighboring states in India” and “their take on opinions and state of affairs”, and therefore laughed in return! (Some people......you can just see their facial expressions and laugh, and I was lucky enough to celebrate my thanksgiving with these 6 guys, however short on both time and turkey!)

So, normally I would be spending the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, simply shopping. Shopping for Christmas for family and friends, shopping for myself, shopping without remorse! This year, while in Bangalore, I can say I am “thankful” that I was invited to attend a Six Sigma training, which will begin tomorrow. My organization hires amazing talent, and I get to be a part of “expanding my knowledge” tomorrow. The six sigma training, as you probably know, crosses various industries, and through “a broad sense” of eliminating defects in processes, results in business outcomes such as “reducing process cycle time, reducing costs, therefore increasing customer satisfaction, and increasing profits”. It provides process improvement tools and techniques that enable all of this.

I can justify that in simply showing up, and attending this class tomorrow, during the period of “Black Friday in US” when I would have spent a few hundred dollars, I have already “reduced costs” for which I will be “thankful” when my credit card bill posts in December.

The Bangalore Palace

Posted here are pictures taken at the Bangalore Palace, constructed between 1862 and 1944, with renovations in recent years. If you read local news stories over the last 2 decades, you will discover a “legal tangle of ownership” between the Mysore Royal Family, and disputes with the government and Supreme Court involvement. I am sure that Bangalore locals could explain this a lot better than me!

The Palace is absolutely beautiful and covers 450 acres, with the interior covering 45,000 sq ft (4200 m²). It includes 35 rooms, "mostly bedrooms". The architecture, preservation of pictures and paintings, the grounds, and history, etc. provided for an interesting tour. What I remembered, that piqued my interest the most, as I walked through this Palace and listened to the headphone audio, was that this had been a fairly recent venue for some big concert names, including the “Rolling Stones”. As I googled it, The Hindu news reported that the Rolling Stones had played here on April 4, 2003, with quite a few other big name bands also playing here through 2011, that I could find in the news. Quite an unexpected and interesting fact, for sure, about The Bangalore Palace.

It is open for daily tours for a basic fee, and there is a guard with a gun, who I photographed, who maintains the entrance. Everyone remarks, casually, that his gun “is not loaded”. However, that will remain a mystery, that is only known by him and his closest counterparts!

Chamundi Hills in Mysore

Posted here are some pictures taken on my 2nd trip to Mysore, atop Chamundi Hills. Buses leave every hour (or even more often) from the base city center of Mysore, to travel up this curvy mountain, where Chamundeshwari Temple is perched on top, along with beautiful views below to Mysore and the Mysore Palace. There are designated areas where you can stop and take pictures which provide breath-taking views. To give perspective, Chamundi Hills is 1,000 m (3,300 ft) while Highlands, NC is 1,255 m (4,118 ft) so they are "about" equal in height.

There is a lot of activity surrounding this temple, that continues down the mountain road that leads to Mysore. The first picture is of a child (teenager?) made-up in full costume, dancing and singing. Other pictures show just how close you can get to the cows. The "bull near the toilet" was a shot that was "too much for words". His placement was just too ironic, at that moment, and it was neat to snap that pic!

Other pictures included women selling beautiful flowers, or fruit/vegs (always placed in an atttractive fashion as seen throughout India), and a man selling hand-made beautiful threaded bracelets, that many people get when they leave the temples. I was fascinated by this particular man and bought 2. He tied them around my wrist for me. I remember telling him I was going to need that hand later! He seemed to understand, and loosened them a bit. Another picture included a truckload of the young (green) coconuts that are so good to cut open and drink fresh coconut juice. (Until I came to India, I simply thought all cocunuts were "brown" and had never seen a truckload of this variety, at this young stage.)

There were also 7 or 8 monkeys that were running about, yet I only was able to take shots which are too blurry to display. I want to go back, just to photograph these monkeys. They are amazing to watch, and come right up to the public (especially, if you have a sugary drink bottle, or something with which they can play). Think: Zoo without the bars? One man was so close I was a bit fearful for his hands!

Chamundi Hills is a place that you DEFINITELY want to visit if you venture anywhere near Mysore, as it is alive with history, beauty, culture, and of course, cows and monkeys that are "freely walking around".

I'm at the Big Chicken!

I think that I have written about transportation in Bangalore quite a bit, but it never fails to provide some excitement. I plan to include other topics, and take more photographs (which I enjoy sharing most), of different parts of India, and wildlife etc, as I plan more trips during my stay. I feel as if I am truly just getting settled in here truthfully, so please look forward to more exciting blogs. So, today it is, once again, back to the basics of "getting around" in Bangalore. As many "want-to-be" India expats read this blog, I am writing this blog particularly directed at you.

When my assignment began, my organization offered to assist with finding a driver, etc, yet I decided to use cabs instead. It was definitely "driven" by the thought "I can't keep a driver waiting all day while I am at work" ("What will he do all day?") and also I take a lot of US calls at night from home, and so therefore can't keep a driver busy full time during the week, so I decided on cabs. Which work fine. They actually work great. Except...when you are at an unrecognizable corner (according to GPS) in the middle of an Indian concert, with amps that are loud enough to reach neighboring communities. And your phone is dying, yet again. The uber cab driver cannot hear you nor find you, though his car visual on your uber app says he is practically on top of you.

This was Saturday evening, which is a BUSY time in all areas of Bangalore. The thing is...these uber cabs run until the wee hours of the morning...I just needed a place to plug in and have connectivity until one arrived, as they find you using maps and addresses.

Sooooo...I entered the "Big Chicken", a restaurant. I wanted to see if I could plug in my phone. Of course the concert is going on right beside the Big Chicken, and it is loud in there. I am yelling over my phone (as you can call and talk to the uber cabbie)..."I'M AT THE BIG CHICKEN!!"..."Please come and get meeeee...my phone is dying!!!!"

An intent young guy working at Big Chicken, who is watching me, figures this out (as does probably everyone inside Big Chicken) and offers to plug my phone in, and talk to the uber driver (how nice!?) to translate every word after “Hello” which I will not understand due to noise, and of course our differing accents. Every worker...every diner...every family...at the Big Chicken on this night, is looking at me, and wondering, "What is going on?", I am sure. This kind worker at The Big Chicken is more intent on helping me than on doing his job at this time, so his work is piling up. Dear Lord I hope I do not affect the employment status of this Big Chicken worker. Though, everyone that works there, including management, remains extremely hospitable. I am sure there is an expiration time tied to this hospitality! (Luckily I leave before it is reached.)

Big Chicken connects with Uber, and I did get picked up. If I were to read this as someone “not living here, unfamiliar with Bangalore”, I would think to myself, skeptic that I am..."How hard can it be for a cab to find you, with an address typed in to a google map??". Well, in some areas of Bangalore, it is really hard, due to how many PEOPLE (literally every street corner, a hundred people) are standing outside in certain areas of Bangalore, and certain regions are displayed as “blocks” so you could be “anywhere” (especially when you are on a live concert corner!). There are so many people, a cabbie cannot find you in the throng of people, due to the traffic lines and heavy population.

I can say, that even in this situation, being in a heavily populated area, I never for one second felt unsafe or even nervous. I think, in Bangalore, from my experience alone, there are a lot more strangers ready to help you, than harm you. In reading the news as a foreigner, I would think I was taking my life into my own hands going out in Bangalore as a foreigner. However, I have not personally ever experienced any fear being outside, and am now approaching 6 months in Bangalore. Yes, at times I wish I had a driver for the weekend, so he could find me at the Big Chicken (!), but that is only for convenience sake, and not for safety.

If I were considering a year or more in Bangalore, I would potentially look into a driver, for evenings and weekends, as stated, just for convenience sake. Otherwise, just have your phone charged at all times (which can be easier said than done if you are out all day), or plan on being close to a Big Chicken!

Restaurants in Bangalore, Galore!

A Bangalore census was conducted in 2011 which recorded about 12M people (plus or minus 1 or 2 haha). It is “is one of the largest cities, and fourth-largest metropolitan area in India” according to Wiki. Due to the economic boom, it has grown steadily, and rapidly in the last 15 years. I always refer to it as “the NYC of India”, personally, as there is a LOT to do in Bangalore...hotels, restaurants, housing complexes are built so much faster than you could ever imagine. There are over 5K restaurants listed on the website Zomato alone (check it out!), which is a neat guide (computer app) to different cuisines, menus and locations, and is validated by reviews, etc. You could live here 10 years and not see “everything” there is to do in Bangalore...every store...every restaurant, etc. What is a different experience overall, for me personally, is that this city is truly more like, for example, NYC (without the “big expansive parking lots” that I am used to seeing in North Carolina). In NC, you go out with a group of people, you park your car, chat a bit, unbuckle, leisurely get out of your car, and head into the store or restaurant. Here (as I am sure is the case in NYC), you are in a cab and are "hustling it" out of the door before someone drives by and accidentally takes the door off. Also, before opening the door, you are making sure the guy has gotten close enough to the curb where someone has not “created a new lane” and traffic is coming through unexpectedly. You are on your toes a lot more! (If I could count the number of times our car side rearview window has hit a pedestrian on the shoulder, and I immediately turn around and wonder...hope...“Is he OK??”) Mainly, I am saying, Bangalore, represents a “big city” atmosphere, which has both the metropolitan advantages, and of course the...ahhh...potential hazards.

With this big city life, comes of course, excellent restaurants! Bangalore is, I would think, more atypical of “India overall” as it has every single cuisine you can imagine due to what the population here demands. Smaller towns in India probably have less choices overall (however, not forgetting, there are MANY large cities in India (Delhi, Mumbai, many, many more, that rival Bangalore!). One other interesting thing about Bangalore, is how “hidden” places can actually be, even from natives in Bangalore. A group of buildings on a sidewalk can have so many advertisements, and billboards (for other things), that you don’t know that an AWESOME store or restaurant is in there. You don't just drive by and casually file away in your mind, “that is where such and such is, I will have to go back”. The best restaurants can be completely hidden. “The people” will find good food however, and Indians know this!

Saturday night I was invited out by an awesome colleague and her husband. We went to a North Indian restaurant that was just fabulous. Her husband is from the Punjab area, so they wanted me to experience North Indian food. It was absolutely excellent. The one thing about Indian meals, is that the “starters” can be as big as a whole meal. The starters for this meal included huge chicken pieces, Corn fritters, mutton and huge chunks of cottage cheese (paneer). Covered my plate, with seconds. Then, the meal consisted of a "daal" (tomato based Indian cuisine in which I personally dip my bread), Naan (buttery bread) and an excellent basmati rice that looked like steamed rice, but it was SO GOOD and tasty (I am not sure how white rice can be that tasty! Have never had rice that good). Then, they bring various desserts. During an Indian meal, the waiter is constantly attentive, overseeing your plate contents, to see “how empty you are” and offering “more”. It is quite an experience! The hospitality factor in India is off the charts, and I am sure one of the things that may be opposite of NYC, as a comparison here to Bangalore. After arriving, while I was waiting (less than 5 minutes), a manager came up to me (in a crowd) to ask “Are you Pamela?” and took me to a table, and I had not even checked in with any name (was just waiting for my friends). This was a first for me!

I had a great night out, and this amazing couple brought me a special cake which was so sweet and thoughtful, beautifully decorated, and tasty. Had such a fun night, and fabulous dinner conversation, that expanded a hundred topics, and made the night unforgettable.

Back to Bangalore, and Some More

As I prepared to travel back to India with my 78 pound bag, I checked in at the airport early. However, quite a few of the 50 passengers behind me were running late or had arrived “just in time”, so, I was not a popular “person in line” at RDU this past Sunday. I knew the 78 pound bag was heavy. I did NOT know it would be a problem. I thought I would just pay overage fees and move through the line. I was informed that, yes, I would be paying an overage, but also, I would need to remove some items, as there is a 70 pound weight limit. Oh dear. Well, I was taking back Bath and Body Works lotions for people in India, and could not just LEAVE these in the airport. However, I could not check my computer bag, as it had my work laptop and IPAD in it, as well as my entire NIKON camera bag and lenses. Normally, people working for airlines just “leave this up to you to figure out”. This was not Mr. American Airline’s problem that I was unaware of the weight limit rules. How the heck did I even get all of these heavy bags to the counter on my own, anyway, in thinking back?!? When you encounter a problem like this, you quickly realize that the person behind the airlines counter is one the following: 1) Burned out, yet sympathetic. 2) Irritated, and this is clearly not their problem, as in “Move your bag to the side until you figure this out, Next customer please!” or 3) Energetic, Customer-friendly, and ready to help! I believe that if you see 3 lines, you are lucky if you find that 1 extra-special customer-friendly, ready-to-help kind of guy. I can’t say that I would not be burned out myself in dealing with what goes on at these counters every day. I was lucky to get the coolest guy, G. Davis, working for American Airlines, who “made my problem, his problem”. He offered several solutions, one being that I could buy a second small bag and check it (as that 2nd bag would be checked free), OR I could re-pack my bags...checking my computer bag, and carrying on the Nikon camera bag, placing the IPAD in my purse, and hand-carrying the laptop under my arm. It ended up working well in the end. Of course, in the meantime, I had stuff from each bag lying ALL OVER THE FLOOR of RDU, and was bending down, re-packing, with people either laughing or silently swearing, haha. G. Davis, Mr AA, was, fortunately, a logical man, who kept his judgment in check, and laughed with me. He kept asking “What is so heavy in that bag?” as he wanted to drill down to the root of the problem and solve it as quickly as possible, (as we pulled out paperback book after paperback book, which happened to be the items on top). It was all too funny, and luckily I was early, and not running late.

The trip to Bangalore from RDU is long, as there is a lengthy layover in Heathrow. However, the Heathrow layover is the only “1 stop” from RDU that I know of, and I am a fan of 1 stop or less flights. The thing is...Heathrow is the most awesome airport “in itself”...LOTS of upscale shopping and neat places to eat...Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant “Plane Food”, and Chanel cosmetics shopping, etc. However, if you have woken up at Sunday AM, and boarded the US flight to Heathrow at 6:10PM that same evening, and then flown for 9 hours overnight, Heathrow is suddenly not fun. It actually becomes, the exact opposite of fun. Heathrow is the largest airport I have ever travelled through, and when you arrive from an overnight, you are ready for “a bed and a biscuit". Yet you literally walk ¾ of a mile to get to the central part of the airport, to gear up for the next 9 hour flight ahead. You go through a partial customs and then a security check, again. It is the most walking I have ever done in an airport, and Heathrow, due to various reasons, is one of the tightest airports on security, so you have to be prepared. Don’t forget I have my laptop “loose” in my hand, with 2 other bags in tow. Then, the layover between flights is 7 hours + or minus, prior to the 9 hour flight ahead. By that time, you have been up for 24 hours unless you slept on the plane. Heathrow is one airport of which I am aware that offers "bunks" for sleeping which I may need to check into for subsequent flights such as this. They are a great offering...if I can find them! (You need to fly through Heathrow London on at least 2 occasions to see how BIG it truly is.)

In waiting for that 2nd plane (to Bangalore) to take off, I saw the take-off time on the board change from 2 to 3 PM, a delay, but no one over the loudspeaker saying much. Closer to 3PM, the airlines announced there was a “pilot shortage” at the exact same time I saw a pilot “hustling in”. He was “very aware” that 250 Indians and some others were anxiously waiting to travel to Bangalore, haha, and this was demonstrated clearly in his jog towards the gate. They stated he was now here (hooray!), and had been called in from another flight that he was due to take. He had graciously abandoned his scheduled Singapore flight, to command our Bangalore flight. In the hours waiting for all of this to transpire, I had been constantly hearing of British Airways “last calls” for other flights, and in this time, heard another specific flight delay that was quite interesting. I realized 2 things during this period where I was not in a place where I could sleep, yet too tired to do anything but sit and listen: 1) The British accent can literally put you in a trance. It is soothing, and I think the person over the loudspeaker could have announced "Ladies and gentlemen, the plane you are about to get on was just on fire, and yet, we have it under control”, and we would all march onto that plane without hesitation. Something about that British accent...Also, 2) The airlines have become extremely transparent in communicating exactly what is going on “behind the scenes” with the public. I heard earlier that one plane (one gate over) was delayed due to a power shortage and everyone was “in the dark”, with 2 “real time” updates on this situation. I am sure these type of updates cut down on passengers wondering exactly what is going on, but I also wonder what else is said in addition to the several hours worth of “informational” updates that I heard. It has to be interesting, quite dramatic, at times, and makes you wonder what is said in the airport on a daily basis!

So...I made it back to Bangalore uneventfully, and once I got in the car...heard the horns...saw the motorcycles, I knew for sure that I was back in India! Seeing the street culture here is so interesting to me. I passed a man on a motorcycle (alone) carrying a TV. It makes you think of what you can do when you “set your mind to it”. I saw a van that had gotten stuck trying to pass “something”, with a wheel stuck, and his vehicle could not move. 3 or 4 people had jumped in to assist him, and were having so much fun, laughing, trying to get him freed. Being in India is so adventurous and exciting to me, for so many reasons. It relaxes me a bit, for one, in just watching and observing my surroundings. Things don’t “get to people”, as much as in the US. If someone has a flat tire, or is stuck, you certainly don’t see a group of people “having fun” in the moment, as you will see in India. It makes me think more carefully about my responses and what they “could be”. I am, naturally, a Type A person, impatient...and yet if I could have some fun “in the moment” during a car break-down, I would certainly live a lot longer. haha Definitely "Easier said than done."

It was a great week back, actually. Seeing people at work I have gotten to know and missed, eating at the awesome cafeteria where I work, and seeing the people where I live during the week who are dying to catch up on things. Between June and this visit in October, I dodged a hot and humid (yet not blockbuster hot) summer in NC, and will dodge a cold winter in NC, for the (basically) constant sunny and 80s temps in Bangalore (except for a couple of hot months). Not a bad trade-off!

NC Fall Vacation

Had a great break back to NC, for a couple of weeks. Caught one neat picture while on a visit to Harker's Island, above.

On the first night home, while eating out with friends, one who jokes a lot told me that the Kansas City Royals were in the World Series. I expected him to say, "Kidding!", yet he did not. I can say that this was the first thing I googled when I arrived home that night. Kansas City Royals going to the WS is absolutely surreal, and reminded me how out of touch I truly had been!

Other highlights include....

- Eating at The Cheesecake Factory, shopping at J Jill and a great visit with family and friends.

- Best friends and their kids visited the beach, and took my mom and me out for lunch and a really fun visit that included an award winning homemade chocolate cake. (Several great visits with these friends.) Ate at Sanitary Fish Market, where you can eat great seafood and practically be sitting on the water. Lots of fishing, sea birds, and leisure boats.

- Seeing a great friend and colleague when I first arrived from the 32 hour trip in country, and was so exhausted, and getting to "catch up" and have a great conversation with her. Also getting offers from others who were about to go abroad themselves, to drive me to a store to buy supplies when my suitcase was not here and I was tired and had no easy transportation.

- Being in the middle of all the mid term election ads, phone calls, campaigns and creative "mud slinging" commercials between political parties on TV. I remember when I first went to India, and people would sometimes ask me if I was a Dem or a Republican. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. Haha. That is one neat thing about being in India during the outcome of this election....no one will ask me about Tillis or Hagan for this campaign!

- Participated in "breaking into" a church (with the pastor and wife who were accidentally locked out) for a great service. We actually broke in with metal stakes from a political campaign sign that was in someone's trunk. Again...election season, Thank You! Was great to see this church family.

- Had a great meal with some friends last night where I think a couple of us at the table laughed so hard that we cried. How can talking about something as simple as "pre-engraved gravestones" result in a tear-inducing conversation? It is literally a time where you "had to be there". The table shook with laughter at one point and my stomach hurt.

- Driving on the open highway. I was lucky to get a rental Dodge Avenger in black and it is "stealth". It is fast and it is fun! I drove "like an Indian" of course, at 90 miles per hour if I got the chance.

- Shopping and eating too.much.food.
Another excellent restaurant in Morehead City/on Atlantic Beach that we discovered for the first time, though it has been around for a while, is Amos Mosquitos. Absolutely excellent food that goes a step past local seafood to include a "Louisiana" bayou type atmosphere, with views on the marsh side of the sound. Excellent scenery, an enclosed patio, and the most HOSPITABLE experience from management and staff that I have had in a long time in North Carolina. Friendly atmosphere, yet also upscale and fun. All of the food is made on the premises, even the peanut butter ICE CREAM PIE. Will definitely return there. Wednesday night fare includes "deep discounts", so get there early.

- Starbucks. Starbucks. Starbucks. It is interesting that when I first was thinking of going to India, I googled Starbucks, and discovered that the very first one had just been built and opened in Bangalore in November 2013. Now, today, in less than 1 year...there are 8 (maybe more) Starbucks in Bangalore! That shows how quickly Bangalore is (still) growing. If there was one next to my office or my home there, I am positive I could keep their light and water bill totally paid with all of the coffees I would buy!

- The neighboring town, which borders Morehead City, is Beaufort, NC. This is where I was born and lived the first years of my life. While I was home last week, it was featured in a national, major magazine, Travel and Leisure, as the "#1 Small Town in US". There is a small island across from Beaufort where there is a population of wild horses that roam, which you can see from the beaufort waterfront, or on a boat tour, if you are lucky.

- Listening to 570 AM comedy radio! 24 hour comedy. Heard some of my favorite comedians. Below is a link to a short Brian Regan "Why dogs bark" YouTube that is just hilarious to me, especially the last minute of the snippet. When I first was planning to go to India, I wondered if I would find people who laugh at weird stuff like me, and have found "just enough people" where I am able to laugh hard at least once every day.

Fried Dough and Buffalo Wild Wings

I visited the North Carolina State Fair while home…lots of exhibits, contests and “best of” ribbons, livestock (cows, pigs, etc) massive vegetables, beautiful flowers and of course FOOD! Being in India for 4 months, I have witnessed the differences in cuisine on a daily, personal level, and so while home, I have found myself in constant comparison mode. I find myself thinking “would an Indian like this?”. Many items, I am pretty sure they would not, but 2 items that I am pretty sure they would love, include: 1) “Fried Dough”, found at the State fair, which is as sweet as some of the items that I have seen my colleagues in India really enjoy. Fried dough is hot and covered in powder sugar, or chocolate, or whatever, and so is basically pure “hot sugar”! Indians love sweets and I am positive would love this treat. 2) Buffalo Wild Wings, for non-veg Indians, should be a restaurant that would provide the spice level that they miss when they visit places like the US. They have 15 or so levels of “heat” for the chicken wings (or could be used to dip a veg item). I ordered the 3rd hottest (Mango Habanera), with the hottest sauce noting to “keep away from eyes and pets”. These wings were the hottest/spiciest item I have eaten in quite a while.

Posting a few pictures from the fair, that include some livestock, a picture of the Fried Dough, and one of the NC favorites: Jumbo Turkey Legs.