Hi everyone!

I’m in India, and having fun. Well, as much fun as you can while working and meeting new people and not being run down by cars.

First off, I took Air India, which was not nearly as bad as people had said.

Here is the lovely interior.

Vealy got his own seat even.

The flight went perfectly fine. We stopped at Heathrow, and they had us all get out of the plane, wander around duty free for an hour, and then reboard for the trip to Mumbai. I sat next to a grandmother who had visited her daughter for four months in the suburb right next to mine, and she was very helpful.

Oh, and if you fly air India, order the indian food option. It’s much better than the western option.

The Mumbai International Airport is under renovation. Signs about flights are not helpful at all. My flight to Bangalore was delayed, and the board just said - delayed. Not even what gate it would depart from (that never showed up). So, I had to roam the airport seeking information.

Speaking of which, in India, everyone tells you to take a seat.

Also, muslim men feel perfectly comfortable setting their wives and family right next to me. Then they go sit somewhere else. Apparently, I’m “safe”. One family actually moved twice to sit next to me. The third time, only the wife sat next to me, and the husband went elsewhere.

I also found out that military men apparently find me quite hot, because I got a lot of leers. I was pretty much ignored by everyone else.

I finally made it to Bangalore. Here are two pictures from outside. The airport is well outside the city, and reminded me landing at Denver’s International Airport.

My driver picked me up, and brought me to my hotel, the Royal Orchard Central Bangalore. It’s very nice, and quite expensive. However, room service is very affordable by american standards, of course. Oh, and I paid about a 1.20 per article to have them iron 2 shirts and 2 pants.

The drive in was very interesting. I didn’t take any pictures because the driver kept insisting that it wasn’t really ‘bangalore’ and seemed almost ashamed of the broken down buildings and sort of teaming masses. I did see a cow in the middle of a 6 lane highway, passing with the help of a human. That, I wish I had a picture of.

The traffic in Bangalore is crazy. People don’t stay on the lines. Motorcycles drive on the sidewalks to get around traffic. However, I’ve kind of gotten the hang of crossing MG road so far - I look for the person who knows what they are doing (Hopefully a group of them), and then follow them.

Oh, hotel room pictures.

Please note the minibar. There is a bottle of beer in there calling my name . Many Indians do not drink, and apparently most women do not . I was not even offered an alcoholic beverage on the flight.

Oh, and I got lost walking back from work tonight. My hotel is very close to the office, but my colleague had picked me up because it looked like rain. And the hotel, it turns out, is sort of hidden behind this huge office complex. So, I finally make it back to the hotel, and ask where I can buy a hairbrush. I left mine at home. The bellhop walks me over to this tiny convenience store, which has everything except hairbrushes.

The poor bellhop then tried to give me directions to the nearest mall. I completely misunderstood them, and walked around a ton until it was getting dark. But, I’ve found a place that has them, so I should be set tomorrow night for my next adventure. I do feel fine walking around - the sidewalks are very rough, so you have to pay attention to your feet and to the cars and to the other people, but no one has hassled me. Guys sometimes give me a second look, but hell, I’m from Chicago. I know how to ignore people. :)