Back to reality

Well im finally back in the office. Good flight back but heathrow was a bit busy.
here's a round up of my last few days in India.

Went to Agra and the Taj Mahal which is every bit as beautifully as I had heard definitely earns its place as one of the wonders of the world. Did you know the dude who built it was going to build an identical one for himself on the other side of the river except that it was going to be made out of Black Marble. He never got around to though as he was murdered by one of his kids.

Jaipur was perhaps the most beautiful place I have visited in India, basically it is a walled town surrounded by the second largest Mountain range in India. The place just had a serene value to it and I dare say there would be some amazing scrambling routes near by.

Delhi has more than enough tourist sites which kept me busy for the rest of the time the highlight being Lodi Gardens which where of particular elegance. And the memorial to Gandhi which was a very moving experience.

but now IM back and I no longer have my own driver butler, chef or guide, so I am not quite sure how I am going to cope. But I will try.

photos should be here tomorrow by the way

Delhi

I am in Delhi now and it is Raining, Raining just like i was in Cornwall, no sign of a let up so I’ve been doing all the in door things today in hope of better weather another day. The First museum was some what unique for a couple of reasons First off I was taken around on a personal tour By the Curator, second The Museum refused a donation and third, It was The International Museum Of Toilets. It was actually a very good museum and is dedicated to Bing a clean toilet to every person around the world.
The rest of the museum trail was the national museum, and the gallery of modern arts. Which are worth a visit but not too amazing.

Now I am in Delhi I am back in the care of TCS and they have provided me with beautiful accommodation and once again I have my own driver. So I will be off to the Taj Mahal tomorrow.

Whilst killing time in the airport yesterday I was looking around a book shop when I stumbled across a new Jack Parlabane Book. Well I had to buy it really and Yes Gary you can borrow it as soon as I have finished with it.

All the Internet cafes don’t seem to like my Camera so I will have to wait until latter to upload some more pictures but I should have some good ones when I do.

Update

Will i am now in Mangalore again this has a far nicer atmosphere to Bangalore. For a Start You can actually talk to the people without them demanding money. So here is what I have been up to the past couple of days.

Friday - Mysore
Seems so long ago now, But Mysore was a highlight you could tell that it was a much more Regal kind of a town. It had Temples and Palaces gallery including chandumundi Hill which is an out crop over looking the town quite nice views but pretty much the same as any other temple. Also went To the ISKON temple, Hare Krishna, which at first seem much more turned on to tourism, but as soon as the doors open the crowds just flooded in, no such thing as a polite queue here, oh no for this temple they would just get in as quickly as t hey could and if that means walking through people they would happily do so. This meant that there was no time to look at anything because everytime you stopped the throng of the crowd just pushed in to your back, not really adding to the peaceful temple atmosphere.

Saturday - Sravanabelagola
I might not be able to say the name of the place put it is one of the most serene places I have ever been. Nothing like the rest of India. You had to walk bare foot up about 700 steps to reach the stature where by you on top of the only piece of rock for as far as the eye could see. And on top of this rock is a big Statue well worth the 2 here Journey.

Sunday - Mangalore
Got here this morning and have pretty much seen all the sights but there are some pretty Amazing beaches most of which are really quiet. So I think tomorrow I will be finding my self a spot to sit upon and chill for a couple of hours. The people here are also very friendly and Genuine definitely worth a visit to if only to get a way from the Bustling Indian Tourist Havens.


Driving, In India it is not safe, I don't think I need to say more than that.

crocodile

That's a town not an injury.

bumped in to another guy from DB yesterday so we both went down to Mysore and saw the sights it is a far nicer town than Bangalore. The main highlight for me was when we stopped at a bird sanctuary on the way down. I had heard That there were some crocodiles in the water so we Hired a Row boat and got some little dude to row it for us. I told him I was keen to see a croc, and he quickly found one and rowed closer to let us take some pictures of the "sleeping" Croc then he rowed us closer and the croc sprang to life I jumped out of my skin but it only moved to the waters edge but intent on scaring me even more the Little Dude rowed us closer and closer still until we were about 3 feet away from it Pincer like Jaw, so what do I do I stand up in this little fragile rowing boat and begin snapping away. Managed to survive that with some pretty cool pictures, I also managed to get a pretty good shot of a crow stealing an Egg From an unguarded nest (don't have time to put them on just now but I promise I will shortly).

the rest of the stories from today will have to wait as I've got to dash.

Food In India

The main thing people said to me when I told them I was going to India was "Take some Imodium" or "You'll get Food poisoning" and it seemed that any one from the west who has been to India Has returned with a story of some sort of illness. But what i cant work out is why it only seems to effect people from the west I mean there are millions of people that actually live in India and don't get sick.(with the exception of suresh and his dodgy stomach) so what is the difference.
heres the choices

1. Strong Constitution They have a stronger constitution and in the west we cant take all the strong flavored foods of the east. Maybe But I doubt it
2. Change In diet it may just be a matter of getting used to different diet
3. Eating with Hands. In the west we go used to using utensils to eat with but in India they have a much more hands on approach, even down to only using the right hand to eat and left to use everything else but as a westerner eating Indian food we use both hands and therefore would transfer more germs.
4. liars People who have traveled to India are exaggerating, Lying or are simply Unlucky.
5. Indians Do get sick but don't moan about it like us Brits.


I am open to any other theories but I kinda like number 3 myself, as I have found the food over here to be of the highest quality.

Mangalore not Bangalore

Been a bit lax without he update of late but here is an update and if your lucky I may put some pictures on latter. I have decided I have now seen everything Bangalore has to offer, so I am going to Mysore on Friday (The Office is shut RESULT) a little town about 50 miles south of Bangalore which is apparently very photogenic. and then I am going to see the Largest monolithic statue in the world, Sravanabelagola on Saturday. Sunday I finally get to leave Bangalore when I go to Mangalore, which I hope is more different in style to Bangalore than it is in name. and then I am away to Delhi for the rest of the time. Shall see what I can see up there.

Day off in Bangalore

I have a lot to write about today it being my first day off

Driver
Got to know my driver pretty well over the past few days, it is quite strange having a driver and I am not quite used to it. I can ask him to take me any where and he does but I feel awkward because he has to get up before me just to be ready to pick me up, and then he stays out with me all day. I end up just telling him I am going back to the hotel just so I can feel a little less restricted and then I sneak out for a look around the city from a ground level perspective. You see you can't wander around backstreets and discover strange little markets from a guided car, but on foot things are different.
Today I also got to meet his family and see his house, Very small one roomed ground floor apartment he shares with his wife sister in law and three children for this he pays 1500 Rupees (GBP 20) , a month. It was very nice of him to do that but I think he was trying to hammer home a hint about a tip, but none the less very nice and he does have very well behaved children.

Shops
Just like Thailand the "Gift Emporiums" Employ an incentive scheme to Cab drivers Where by if they Bring a tourist to there shop they Get 5 points when they get 100 points they get 1000 rupees, so if you get a cab or a rickshaw they end up trying to convince you to go to a couple of shops, all of these shops employ the hard sell tactic, I started off along the "Just looking" tack but as the shops where on I discovered the best tactic was to to be harsh on the workmanship whilst being tight as anything.

Tips
Not much to say here but I just wanted to say that it is impossible to know when to give tips and when not to.

Bannergataha national Park
I decided I wanted to see some wildlife so my driver told me about Bannergathar National park which he happily informed me I would see Lions, Tigers, and Elephants, all in the wild. Now I was a little dubious as Lions and tigers do not share the same habitat, but I went along anyway.
Turns out that it is nothing more than a Large safari Park, but you did get a lot closer to the animals than you do in the UK. To be honest thePark is a lot bigger but you are not aloud in to the main park for conservation reasons But still it was a bit of a dissapointment, on the "wild" front but still cool on the "oh my god i can feal the bear breathing on me" front. also they had a zoo around which i was guided by a "knowledgeable" guide who knew nothing about the animals kept in the zoo.

Market
Went down to the city Market, lots of meat and vegetables all very cheap but of no use to me as I don't have a kitchen. Also have seen a lot better markets in Slovenia and Thailand. It was worth a trip if only to get away from bangalore high society.

Photos
I am just setting up some new photo albums, the work one will probably only be of interest if you happen to work for DB or TCS but I would recommend the animals and streetlife one.

Luggage
Oh yeah. My luggage finally arrived but not before I got a bit of a scare. The hotel picked up the wrong bag from the airport and happily delivered someone else's bag to my room. When by bag did turn up it was shrink wrapped and looked about half the size, whereby the hotel porter promtly went about hack the wrapping cutting one of the straps in the process.

Bangalore commuter

Well the end of my first week and still no luggage but I do have a new wardrobe.

I seem to have settled in to the swing of things over here and refer to my Hotel as Home and am off on the daily bangalore commute. Its a bit of a shame I have to do any work but even that is going pretty well now and hopfully it will be viewed as such by DB.

I am off to a national park this weekend, where they apparently have Lions and tigers and elephants, so I should have a great weekend, will report back then.

On the Africa Front things are starting to come together now Cat has said she is coming out for Christmas in cape town, which is really cool. Additionally I have relatives over there who have said we would be very welcome to stay, My Boss has a house in Jo'Burg so we are fine to stay there. And Josie and Mirium (I am never going to be able to spell your name) Know some one in Zanzibar so again accom is well truly done. Need to convince Alex and an to come out as well now.

Lifts,Bags, Drivers and work

First off my bags are still missing and it seems they are still sitting on the runway in London along with 7000 other bags. Which is not much use for me however it has enabled me to do a bit of shopping but I don't want to go too crazy in case BA don't settle my claim properly. Also I should have some cover with my works insurance which should be pretty good.

its a shame I have to work out here as I could be having a real ball, the roads are as crazy as you hear about but the weather is not quite the same. Still the work is tiring and I haven't had a chance to see too much what with shopping and work.

I managed to get my self stuck in a lift yesterday which was interesting, the first time I have ever seen a lift overloaded.

The cool thing about being here as a client is that TCS have gone out of there way to welcome me when I got to the building all the receptionists instantly knew who I was and there was a welcome board in the lobby saying "TCS Welcomes Mr Douglas Silverstone Of Deutsche Bank" and they have given me my own private Driver to take me wherever I want to go 24 hours a day so no more getting ripped off by The rickshaw drivers.

Been making the most of the food too already had too many curries but supprisingly my stomach still seems to be holding out. any how when my bags arrive I will post some pictures but until then good night.

The journey

Well I made it all the way to Bangalore unfortunately my baggage did not meaning that I only have one pair of trousers and one t-shirt to keep me going. I Was under the impression that the baggage handlers were on strike for my return flight, however in this situation I don't think it would have made a difference. Incidentally it seemed to be only the business class passengers that have had there bags mislaid, all the commoners where happy as Larry with bags and everything.
Now nothing happens in a particularly organised or promt manner in Mumbai so even though I only had a short amount of time before my connection there seemed to be endless administration and you would get walked to a particular point in the airport and then the wee manny would disappear and someone else would come and walk you to a completely different part of the airport, and so it continued until it was to late to check in with baggage so it was just as well BA lost mine so I could go straight on to the Jet airways plane, shakey little turbo Prop. Its kind of a shame because BA business class was really cool especially during take off as you have your back to the pilot and as the front of the plain lifts you sort of just dangle looking down the plane.

Any way had a look around bangalore today seems quite nice and just what I imagined, the rickshaw drivers rip you off at every opportunity but if you argue a bit they normally fall in to line. I Was had by one when I was on the way to the Bull Temple, he stopped at the top of a one way road down which Rickshaws are not aloud and proudly informed me that the Bull temple was "down there on the left" of I dandered to find out I was actually 9km away from the Bull temple.

Off tommorrow

Just ting up a few loose ends like looking for my passport, tickets, money, You know you cant get rupees in this country. but i think i am definately all sorted out now. well thats if you don't include packing.

India Advice

Some advixce i recieved from Gary - He went to India last year so i thought i'd put this on here so that i had it to reference.

Thanks Gary


Elephant ride up to one of the Forts. (Jaipur)
Taking a rickshaw ride... anywhere, the life threating experience can be found in any Indian city!
Tai Tour (Taking a tour guide is not recommended as a rule for anything in India coz they rip you off but hay it's the Tai and worth it and considering they think ripping someone off is £2.50 what can I say?)
Take an auto rickshaw ride (Same experience as a push pedal rickshaw just faster)
Go Shopping in Jaipur... well shopping is a 'loose' term here. More like have a group of people following u around begging while you try and not get ripped off by the locals... which brings me to...
Barter... they won't respect u otherwise, good tip: Get them to come down in price a bit then decide your not interested in the toy/gift/junk and walk away... they normally half their price and come running after u.
Visit one of the Palaces in Jaipur and have lunch/dinner/snack/bottle of wine out on the lawn , especially good in the evening.
Try to get to the look out point (one of the old forts in Jaipur) at night and have a beer, the view is amazing and it won't be touristy then, just lots of locals hanging out... be careful getting up their - get a cab and get them to wait - it's a bit of a trek but so worth it.
Have Dinner at the Oberoy in Agra (just down the road from the Tai). Perfect way to relax after a hard days site seeing... the full size marble tiger is well cool and the staff are more than willing to take your photo with it!
Eat as much of the local food as possible, (does get to you after a while and you need just to go and have chips but there are plenty of places that do european style food). Lots of the Indian food is veggie so should suit... which brings me to...
Never ask for a Big Mac... (I know as your veggie you won't) It's not big and it's not clever....
Clubbing (altogether a different experience and like stepping back in time) - 'Steam' in Jaipur should satisfy your needs. It's a riot.
Get a open blade razor shave and head massage (make sure they use a new blade for the razor) it's so nice.
Finally have fun, it's a bit daunting with everyone trying to get you to buy things or beg off you to begin with but if your strong and ignore it they go away (sounds harsh but in some cities in India it's illegal to GIVE to beggars)
Yeah and Have fun, your gonna love it! (Perhaps not the day or two you end up on the bog and can't get any further than two steps away but that doesn't last)
Oh and watch out for the camels!

Shakey India

My trip to India was looking a bit shakey for a while today. it turns out that the guys that I am going out there to teach don't have any access to our systems and my boss gave today as a deadline for there connectivity. and until now it was looking shakey, but now it appears all in place.

haven't organized any cash yet, or packed it seems like there is a lot for me to do but I can't think of much.

really beginning to look forward to India now, I have sorted out a company flat for my weekend in Delhi, and reckon I can do the Taj in one day, Jaipur on another and see the rest of India on the othe Day.

Hopfully the trip will go well and when I come back I should be able to hand over the rest of my stuff with ease and be out of a job by October 1st.

Blind Jackson and Gdansk

Went to see blind Jackson yesterday they probably played the best I have ever seen them and I don't think it will be long before they get signed.

Also just booked a ticket to Gdansk on the 9th October ID

Saturday, 09 Oct 04
Flight WZZ 302
Depart London - Luton at 08:05 and arrive in Gdansk at 11:00

same flight as Cat going to have a look around Poland and then meet up with the Guys in the check Republic

Photos

Well i remembered my leads and uploaded my pictures, see the album attached on the left hand side of the screen.

Happy Weekend Depressing World

Had a great weekend, and managed not to lose my digital camera which for me is a good start its really cool and takes pictures and everything, but I did forget my USB Lead so no pictures today, I will put some on tomorrow.

One weekend of summer and I have already had two days of BBQ's almost feel Australian.

also found out that Malawi Only had television introduced in 1999 how weird is that, I mean in the UK we get most of out Input from the outside world from That little flashing box in the corner how strange it seems that A whole culture still exists with out Big Brother. The other thing that is striking about all of the African Countries IM visiting is the average life expectancy is always in the Late 30's. Even in south Africa It is only 45, which sort of implies that I will be seen as a middle aged man there, it just doesn't seem right some how, but at least they don't have to worry about a pension plan.