Sunday 30th October
Last night was my first night in India. I think that I was so tired from being up for so long that it was hard to sleep. I woke every couple of hours but was able to fall back asleep. The traffic did not stop all night, horns continued to beep but did get sparse in the wee hours of the morning. Around 4am I started to hear some temple chatters/chanting that lasted about an hour. I listened to the chaters as well as the crickets! Yup, India too has crickets! I officially woke this morning around 6:30 and began to read about Kerala(southern India). I will be heading to Kerala on November 14th after a 4 day trip to Delhi. I am planning a day backwaters boat tour, another day in Fort Cochin and one more day traveling to and from a tea plantation. The best spices in the world come from Kerala so I plan to stock up. From Kerala, I've booked a sleeper AC train to Goa.
Tomorrow I am going to downtown Bangalore to MG Road. This road has all the main shopping in Bangalore. After a few hours there, I'll head over to a travel office and book a day trip to Mysore. Mysore is a few hours from Bangalore and it has beautiful temples. The couple that I am staying with is help I helping me arrange the trips around Bangalore and showing me around. This is very helpful to me as they know where to go and how to go about getting there so it saves me time.
For Sunday brunch, we some extended family of Mr. Srinath. His cousins are visiting from Zurich and they are staying in a new hotel and the called yesterday and invited us for brunch. They said that the food was fantastic and now that I've eaten it, I too can agree. Oh my goodness, I ate so much. I knew coming to India that I would have 'real' Indian food and that wold be able taste the difference but oh my goodness the masla dosa was amazing! If I was not with so many people, I would have taken a picture. So we had masla dosa, some curries, chutney, omelette yes, I don't typically eat eggs unless I cook them but when in Rome), some sort of fried bread, a rice pancake looking thing and coffee. Seriously one of the most delicious meals of my life. We ate on the roof top of this hotel that was surrounded with potted plants and green grass. The sky was blue and dragonflies were busy in the air. The hotel was just one turn off the main road but it was so quiet, I could not hear the beeps of the traffic at all. After everyone finished, I took a walk around and took some pictures and I will try and figure out how to post them on the blog.
When we got back from brunch, I took a walk in this little park just across the street. Its very well kept and was busy with locals and stray dogs walking around. Trying to fit in some workouts whilst away is tricky but while I'm with the Srinaths, I'll utilize this park for some morning jogging, before the hustle and bustle and the cat calls awake.
Later today, if it does not rain from the monsoon, we'll go to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens.
So the shock of actually being in India has not come yet. I have not seen another westerner since London but I did met some British folks at the baggage claim in Bangalore. Other than going to the botanical gardens, my goal for the day is to stay awake.
Last night was my first night in India. I think that I was so tired from being up for so long that it was hard to sleep. I woke every couple of hours but was able to fall back asleep. The traffic did not stop all night, horns continued to beep but did get sparse in the wee hours of the morning. Around 4am I started to hear some temple chatters/chanting that lasted about an hour. I listened to the chaters as well as the crickets! Yup, India too has crickets! I officially woke this morning around 6:30 and began to read about Kerala(southern India). I will be heading to Kerala on November 14th after a 4 day trip to Delhi. I am planning a day backwaters boat tour, another day in Fort Cochin and one more day traveling to and from a tea plantation. The best spices in the world come from Kerala so I plan to stock up. From Kerala, I've booked a sleeper AC train to Goa.
Tomorrow I am going to downtown Bangalore to MG Road. This road has all the main shopping in Bangalore. After a few hours there, I'll head over to a travel office and book a day trip to Mysore. Mysore is a few hours from Bangalore and it has beautiful temples. The couple that I am staying with is help I helping me arrange the trips around Bangalore and showing me around. This is very helpful to me as they know where to go and how to go about getting there so it saves me time.
For Sunday brunch, we some extended family of Mr. Srinath. His cousins are visiting from Zurich and they are staying in a new hotel and the called yesterday and invited us for brunch. They said that the food was fantastic and now that I've eaten it, I too can agree. Oh my goodness, I ate so much. I knew coming to India that I would have 'real' Indian food and that wold be able taste the difference but oh my goodness the masla dosa was amazing! If I was not with so many people, I would have taken a picture. So we had masla dosa, some curries, chutney, omelette yes, I don't typically eat eggs unless I cook them but when in Rome), some sort of fried bread, a rice pancake looking thing and coffee. Seriously one of the most delicious meals of my life. We ate on the roof top of this hotel that was surrounded with potted plants and green grass. The sky was blue and dragonflies were busy in the air. The hotel was just one turn off the main road but it was so quiet, I could not hear the beeps of the traffic at all. After everyone finished, I took a walk around and took some pictures and I will try and figure out how to post them on the blog.
When we got back from brunch, I took a walk in this little park just across the street. Its very well kept and was busy with locals and stray dogs walking around. Trying to fit in some workouts whilst away is tricky but while I'm with the Srinaths, I'll utilize this park for some morning jogging, before the hustle and bustle and the cat calls awake.
Later today, if it does not rain from the monsoon, we'll go to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens.
So the shock of actually being in India has not come yet. I have not seen another westerner since London but I did met some British folks at the baggage claim in Bangalore. Other than going to the botanical gardens, my goal for the day is to stay awake.
Sounds like you are enjoying your first day or so in India!! There is a man at our church who is from India, so when I see him, I think of you.
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to post pictures on your blogspot blog. When you are writing your new blog post, there is an icon along the top of the posting box that allows you to insert pictures. It's very simple.
Looking forward to reading more about your trip.
Laura