Fiat "Flair"

It is quite interesting that on many personal cars in India (I’d say in Bangalore, at least half?), people display their names on the back windows. I took a picture this evening of a Fiat, as an example, owned by "Naman" and "Patil".

The other quick pic included in this blog, below, is “My name at Starbucks in India”. As service people hear your pronunciations, it does make you work on adjusting how you are actually speaking.  (Though, I can say I was here with colleagues once before, and we all had a good laugh at the way our names were written on our cups.) If I worked at Starbucks and had to write in my 2^nd language, I am sure it would be far worse. By the way, the drinks at Starbucks in Bangalore taste EXACTLY the same as the drinks in Starbucks Raleigh, NC USA, Frankfurt Germany, London, England, etc. That, to me, speaks volumes about this chain: The ability to produce an exact taste, with literally 0 variation, no matter which location, which continent.

I still think the verdict is out with Indians on Starbucks, as it is new here, but we will give them time!

The City of Guntur

Posting some final pictures from the trip to Guntur last weekend. Most were taken from the car as we were moving, etc, but will give you some perspective of the city. You will see “the highway”, which is so expansive and empty (at that time), as well as several really neat snaps of cattle crossing the street. (The first picture of cattle posted were not actually...ahhh...crossing, but rather had simply taken their own lane. They truly "owned it". ha) Also, caught 2 white cows hanging out at night, with some other shots of the strings of lights, which are hung from store shops and lit at night. I have never been to any city yet in India where I did not see this phenomenon. Larger stores, car dealerships, etc ALL have colorful lights hanging from storefronts, which provide such a unique night-time experience. Also, you will see a pic of one of the many mountains you will see in Guntur. In addition, I saw an intriguing street sign which said “Danger, Accident Prone Area” and in reviewing this later, the only thing I noticed is that big rock which you see on the street! You will see a shot of 2 workers setting up shop in the AM (they were hanging lights; this is the first picture posted), as well as a cool coconut booth owner in a baseball cap.  Also, just some random pictures of the streets, and buildings of the area. The picture that shows the Nokia store was taken from outside of my hotel, and so you can see how easy it is to just walk across the street in this city. Finally, some pictures of my friend’s family in their beautiful home, who served me such delicious food, and were so amazing and hospitable. Just an awesome weekend, and a great experience.

Church Services in Guntur

 

While visiting Guntur this past weekend, I was invited to participate in several church services, by speaking for a few minutes. My friend Robert’s family manages 4 churches, and they travel from one service to the next all day each Sunday, and then work throughout the week to continue their ministry. It is quite amazing, all of the work and preparation that goes into this! The number of people that showed up for these services stretched outside of the churches on a very hot day, where people were sitting outside just to hear what would be said. My friend, Robert, is in the purple above, and prior to the weekend, I had never heard him speak publicly. I cannot tell you how beyond amazed I was. Such an engaging speaker, with a commanding presence, and words come so easily to him. His father and mother run these ministries full-time, and both preach in the same amazing fashion. I was so honored to be invited to join this family for these services.

You will see that these church members were so welcoming to me, and presented me with garlands, flowers, rose petals, along with kind words (in Telugu! ha) and smiles. The children, many are orphans, you will see, arrive in beautiful, colorful clothes. The entire church was so nicely decorated, and the service was uplifting with a message, music and English translation that day especially for me.

I was so touched and impressed by the events of the day and the kindness of these people. It is one of the most special days I will remember about India during my time spent here.

Below is a picture of Robert about to hop on Spicejet. I am so blessed to have met so many nice friends while in India which has led to experiences of a lifetime!

Vijayawada Airport, Andhra Pradesh

Travelling across India can be quite an adventure. I have had some of the greatest, most unforgettable experiences. The airport closest to GUNTUR is called Vijayawada, and is currently in the midst of a large planned expansion. It is quite a departure from the advanced Bangalore airport, (which is also actually under a bit of construction at the moment), yet becoming quite fancy and forward, inside and out. I have flown into and out of the Bangalore airport 6 or 7 times, and yet this is the first time that I returned to find FLOWERS planted in the middle of the luggage conveyor belts. There were different plants on each one, all absolutely gorgeous. Pictures above of the Bangalore airport. Looking at flowers while waiting for your luggage was a genius idea by someone, as waiting for luggage can be a stressful time, and colorful horticulture is calming! As we returned from Guntur, there was a Japanese group on our plane. As they reached Bangalore, the Japanese guide inside the Bangalore airport was holding the Japanese flag to bring everyone together. The group moved to the conveyor belt and as I was reviewing my pictures, I noticed this guide was still gripping that Japanese flag as he helped his group retrieve luggage from the conveyor belt! (as seen above....Now, that is a devoted travel guide.)

As the new capital of AP is currently being re-named (?) (news occurring literally this week), and there are plans for this capital to be close to this airport, the air traffic is expected to increase quite a bit, I would assume. Currently, most people who read this blog will not be able to compare, but the best comparison I have of Vijayawada Airport, near Guntur in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is to the New Bern, NC Coastal airport, in North Carolina, USA. About 10+ departures and 10+ arrivals on a given day. In Vijayawada, SpiceJet, Air Costa and Air India are the carriers. The runway is quite nice and already expansive, and ready for more traffic NOW in my opinion (as we were 1^st for take-off each time, as well as due to the size) but I suppose the innards of the airport and other parts of the infrastructure need to catch up to the runway. We flew there and back on the SpiceJet Bombardier, 78 seats, which I can only guess includes 2 for the pilot and the crew jump seats. Once we got into the air, it was fine, but you could tell it was hard to “even out” on landings, the plane was so small, and so anyone who managed to fall asleep during this hour flight, I am sure remembers this landing! As you exit the airport to board your plane, there is no computer that scans your ticket, yet rather there is a guy with a clipboard, and he marks your seat and name manually. I imagine that Vijayawada will be a completely different airport 5 years from now, and I feel quite lucky to have been able to snap some pictures (see 1st 4 pics below) while it is under such heavy construction, so I can say “I was here when……”.

On the way to the airport coming home…..was my first adventure of “create your own lane” by a cab driver. I have posted a picture of this, to show the types of vehicles you see in this section of India, and how cab drivers are not going to sit behind trucks. It is not like in the US, where there is a possibility of a HIGHWAY PATROL CAR pulling up behind you if you begin “riding the shoulder”. You can simply create your own lane, and as long as no one gets hurt, you just move on with your day! While we sat on the shoulder a bit, I snapped a picture of the Good Morning Restaurant, and thought how good of a morning it actually is if you manage to avoid that barbed wire in the lot.