Weekends here are a bit different from at home as most things continue as normal on Saturday.  Michael’s class met from 11:00 to 1:00 and I joined him soon after for lunch.  Kirn produced our new SIM cards and we quickly got online to recharge them but, alas, the site wouldn’t take any of our credit cards so we still didn’t have a phone.

I used google maps to find a local Vodafone store and found one just down the main street from us.  I walked out (first time by myself) and easily found the store.  The only problem was that the small shop was closed!!   I asked the neighboring shop owner if he knew when it would open and he said to come back around 5:15.

I made the return trip to find that it was STILL closed….oh well, who needs a phone!!!

I laughed when I saw this van for a Pre-School named “Muddiee Toes”.  Some people come up with the CUTEST logos….

We have seen a number of people using their cell phones while riding motor cycles….

Michael saw one man who had his cell phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder!!  I can’t do that at the best of times and can’t imagine doing it while driving a cycle!!   Then, I saw two guys on a bike with the back one holding the phone to the front one’s ear!!!

When we were here in 2008 I had learned about Rangoli.  They are Hindu designs that are put at the front of doors to welcome the gods and bring good luck to the house.  This is the first one that included some flowers as well….

These designs look like they are done with chalk, but they are actually made of rice flour that has been “pinched” by hand onto the walkway.  Some of the designs are very intricate!!

On Sunday morning we were picked up by an NCBS car and taken to the Bangalore Presbyterian Church which is pastored by our friend, Paul.  It was a beautiful service and we enjoyed singing praises in two different languages!!!

After church we were invited back to Paul and Shirley’s house for lunch, along with 4 men visiting from Ghana and another American (from Kentucky) who was in town on business.   We made quite a group…..

When we said that we were having trouble with our cell phones, Paul and Shirley’s son, Joseph, offered to go to a local store and recharge them for us.  We were SO thankful to be connected again!!!

On both Saturday and Sunday night we had Monsoon-type rains for several hours.  It is the end of the Monsoon Season here so I guess that it was to be expected.  We would hear the thunder first and then the rains would come.  It was amazing to hear it pelting down around us but very nice to sleep to!!!  Fortunately, it has yet to rain while we are out and I hope that continues!!!

It is hard to believe that we have been here for a whole week…..the time has certainly flown!!!

By Friday, I had been in the apartment for long enough and, since Michael had the morning off, we decided to go out to explore the neighborhood and do some shopping. I had used Google maps to figure out where a local store (called “The More Store”) was, or so I thought!!!! Fortunately we stopped at the front gate to make sure we were headed in the right way. They said “No,No there is not a More Store anywhere near”, but the head guard drew a map to get us to a “Reliance Fresh” store.

He told us to walk to the circle and turn right, walk to the next circle and turn left and then to find the store on our right, about ¼ of a mile down.

Our first concern was that we KNEW there were no circles, at least not the kind that we have at home. We finally figured out that he simply meant the intersection where two streets cross each other without a stop light. As we were being driven later, we realized that most people do use these intersections like a circle rather than one way having the right-of-way and the other having to stop and wait.

We followed his instructions and soon found the desired store. It was not as big as a “More” store, but was much more like a local shop. We actually liked it better and I know that the workers were amused by our shopping style. We left with two bags of goodies, including eggs and cheese to make omelets and sandwiches in our apartment. We also bought lots of fruit, but always picked items that could be peeled so that we were never eating the outsides of the fruit.

We kept stopping along the way and looking to see what types of shops were around. We had passed one car parked along the street and a woman stepped out and said the we looked confused and asked if we needed help.  We assured her that we were just walking and looking around and that we often looked confused!!  She laughed and went on her way.…..it was SO nice!!!

As is usual for India, we passed several cows roaming the streets….

 

We returned to the apartment, unloaded our wares and headed out again to try another direction. We ended up in an area that was more residential and filled with small shops. That is when the shopping disaster struck….well not really…… we saw a small store that sold all sorts of kitchen stuff and we went in for a look. We had planned to purchase some of the steel plates that they use here but ended up with a very kind, but gently insistent clerk, who sold us a LOT more than a few plates!!!…..

OK, so we have already started filling an extra suitcase and it is only the 5^th day of our trip!!!

We took the shuttle to campus and met up with some of the students for lunch. They opted to skip the main cafeteria and instead visit the South Indian food stand….

Once again we had very spicy but very flavorful food. As we moved down the cafeteria line, the workers kept handing me items and saying that I needed it for my meal. The result was a LOT of food!!….

This green dish concerned me a bit, but it turned out to be potatoes that were WONDERFUL.

The small orange dish…..

….. was a paste that had Sultanas and was sweet and a great end to the meal.

They were also making Dosa (a pancake like dish that is used to sop up wonderful sauces…..

We were picked up by a car at 3:00pm and taken to the Indian Institute of Science where Michael gave a talk to a large group of students and colleagues. As a matter of fact, I am sitting at the back of the room right now as he answers questions!! I had planned to walk around the campus while he was speaking, but it looked like rain so I opted to stay here instead. As I listen to the thunder and pouring rain outside I am certain that I made the correct choice!!!

After the talk, I spent a while talking to one of the students, Bella, and enjoyed hearing about her life.  Michael spent the time talking with some of the students in Praveen’s lab.  But, the highlight of his afternoon was getting to hold a Blind Snake…..

Apparently he has wanted to see one for years but they normally only are found in the tropics of Asia and India.   It looks much like a big worm and is often called a “Worm Snake”.  It was a fun snake to hold but amazingly strong!!

We finally met our driver and he took us back to Mandara and to our apartment.  Our friend Paul Arnold, who had hosted us when we were here back in 2008, picked us up and we found a coffee shop and visited for a little bit.

We ended the night by watching a Midsomer Murder DVD that we had brought with us.  Thus ended our first fun Friday!!!

On Wednesday and Thursday, Michael spent a lot of time at the University and I spent an equal amount of time working on accounting stuff. One thing that I really LOVE about my business is that I can work from anywhere!! I will admit that I am dying to get out into the neighborhood but we still don’t have our cell phone SIM cards and I don’t want to go out without the ability to call for help if I need it. But since I had work to do, maybe this was a good thing!!

When we have traveled, we have loved to listen to the sounds of the morning, the sounds of a country waking up and getting started with their day. India is no different although the sounds that we are hearing at the guest house probably differ somewhat from those in the city itself. One of the first sounds is the cooing of the pigeons that have roosted on EVERY available railing around the complex. It almost sounds like a locust swarm as it starts quietly and then swells to a crescendo before diminishing to a quiet hum.

The next sound was a bit hard to isolate but we finally figured it out. Our apartment is on the second floor (although here it is called the first floor) and there is a parking deck below us. Just outside of one of our windows, there is a large “plastic” roof over part of the garage. The sound that we hear is the plopping of bird poop as the pigeons go thru their morning ablutions!!!! In the late afternoon we hear tiny plinks on this roof as the birds eat seeds and drop little bits over the edge.

One of the next sounds are the footfalls of the guards as they meet for their morning convocation.

Then come sweeping sounds as the workers start cleaning all of the walkways, sidewalks and flower beds.

Finally, the shuttle bus starts up at 7:00 to make the first trip to the main campus. At this point, we are FULLY awake!!!

As the morning goes on, there are also some bird calls that I can’t quite figure out and eventually you can hear the street vendors walking down the closest street, calling out their wares.

We have sort of settled into a pattern where Michael takes the 8:30 or 9:30 shuttle to the campus and I follow on the 12:30 shuttle, arriving just in time for lunch….see what I did there???

After eating and spending a bit of time on campus, I return to the apartment by the 3:00 pm shuttle. Michael returns once he has finished teaching his class or meeting with colleagues.

On Thursday, during my time on the NCBS campus, I decided to make a photographic tour of the area and, in particular, the flora of the area.

I first was drawn to a HUGE tree called a Gulmohar.  According to Nupur (my authority on all things Indian), it is a very iconic tree..… It was covered in gorgeous red/orange flowers. I found one that was close to the ground and spent the next 20 minutes studying and photographing it. The flowers are gorgeous…..

…..and seem to gracefully unfold…..

I also loved the symmetry of the inflorescence (group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches)…..

I would have loved to photograph one of the flowers that was fully open, but alas, they were all at the top of the tree.

Much time was spent playing with the camera until I got an excellent shot of this Acacia type of tree flower……

And basically did the same thing with this one…..

These “balls” were interesting…..

…..but even more so when I saw the flowers that the start from…..

The bark on this tree appears to be covered with chocolate chips…..

 

The NCBS campus itself is beautiful and very well maintained. These two women are weeding a gargantuan field and were amazing to watch as they used a small fork to pull the weeds. Their hands were moving so fast….

I would probably end up poking myself in the hand or foot if I tried it.

There are guards at almost every turn and although they are there to protect the area, they are VERY nice and helpful……

Fortunately, I haven’t had a reason to find out what the stick is for!!!!

The campus has several housing complexes, a nursery (crèche) for the children, a gym and swimming pool and several cafeterias and eating areas. On that note, I have to give you the latest food update.

Most importantly, we have not had any food that we have disliked!!! Yesterday the cafeteria had a special line for “South Indian” food which is known to be quite a bit spicier. Needless to say, Michael and I ate it up….literally.

One of my favorites was a dish containing green beans, chick peas, onions, grated ginger, grated coconut and a VERY spicy pod of some sort. It was served slightly warm and was super spicy.

 

I immediately sent the picture to my friend Nupur who wrote back and gave me this explanation…..

“I definitely know what that is- Beans Thoran! A simple everyday stir fry. Typically made with greens beans alone, or green beans with carrot, but just like everyday dishes where cooks make variations, the version you ate had chickpeas, making it hearty and protein rich. 

Here’s a recipe from a blogger I know:

http://www.cookingandme.com/2008/01/republic-day-special-dish-beans-carrot.html

Very easy to make!”

 

I can’t wait to try making it when I get home….any of you want to come for dinner???

We were told that South Indian food typically use a lot of rice or other bread type fillers. I couldn’t resist trying this brown “ball” which I have now been told is called “ragi muddle”.  Ragi is finger millet…..

I found it to be rather doughy and I wasn’t that excited with it at first. However, when I used it to dip up some of the sauces, it proved to be the perfect backdrop to the spicy flavors.

Before I left the campus, I had to sneak up to Michael’s office and take a photo….

While I was waiting for the bus, I had to photograph yet one more flower…..

….aren’t the colors and shapes enthralling!!!  

Of course, now I am thinking of a series of small square quilts, each with a 3-D rendition of one of the flowers….what do you think????

On Monday and Tuesday Michael and I spent a majority of our time taking care of the little tasks that needed to be done…..buying groceries, washing clothes, getting life organized and meeting LOTS of new people.

I mentioned how nice our apartment is in the last post and we are really enjoying the comfort and convenience of it.   This is our living room……

 

There are two bedrooms and one has now been relegated as storage for all of the trekking stuff.

There are washers downstairs and this wonderful contraption for drying them.  You lower the bars to hang up the clothes…..

  

…..and then raise it to allow them to dry without being in the way……

The kitchen has drying drawer where you put your rinsed dishes so that they can drip dry out of sight…..

 

Several gentlemen come  in each day and clean from head to toe…..there is not a speck of dirt anywhere.   They also leave new towels and bottles of water.  The water here is not drinkable but between these bottles and the “pure water stations” that abound on campus, we are not having any issues with it.

There is a cafeteria on our campus and we started Monday morning out with breakfast from there…..

The white pancake looking things had a slight sweet flavor while the “doughnut” was savory.   The little bowl has Chutney that the breads can be dipped in.  It was yummy and cost a whole 75 cents for both!!!

We are staying on one end of the NCBS campus and have to take a shuttle or car service to get to the building where Michael is working.   If we need a car, all we have to do is call and ask someone to pick us up.  This is a great arrangement but we do feel a bit silly riding in the back of a government car!!  The shuttle parks about 50 feet from our front door so it is super easy to catch.

We have found that there are two routes to get between these two properties.  One goes thru the city streets with the Agricultural Station / NCBS always on one side of you.   The other route used by most cars cuts thru the Station, winding its way thru experimental fields.   The amusing thing about this route is that the drivers go down a “cut-through” road that is dirt and FILLED with potholes and washboard areas.   I am sure that it makes the trip faster, but I cant imagine the damage that they  are doing to their cars when they travel this path.

On Monday morning, we met Krushnamegh at his lab and were introduced to a number of his students.   One young man, Kirn, was given the dubious task of taking us to buy groceries and get telephone SIM cards.   He patiently waited while we shopped for snacks and other items for the apartment.   When we enquired about SIM cards, we were told that it would take several weeks to get one ourselves, however, he could order two extra cards, let us use them while we are here, and then cancel them again.  As I write, he is in the process of doing that for us!!!

When we arrived back at the building, all of the students were heading to the Cafeteria for lunch so we asked if we could crash their party.  They thankfully said yes so we had lunch with a number of interesting and fun young people.  I think that we broke protocol a bit by ordering both Rice and Chipati, but, what the heck!!!

As we were heading back to the building, one of the girls bought a Papaya ice cream bar and of course I had to have one too.  It was so sweet and the flavor was so mild…..a perfect end for the meal!!!

We headed back to the apartment to unload our groceries and basically turned around to go back to NCBS for a movie that Krushnamegh was having his students watch.   It was a 1960’s film called “Inherit the Wind” and was based on the Scopes Monkey Trial.  I had never seen it before and truly enjoyed the evening.

On Tuesday morning, we opted to eat toast with jelly (in our apartment) rather than getting dressed to go to the cafeteria.

We thought that Michael had ordered a car for 10:00 but realized that it had never been finalized.  So, we jumped on the 10:30 shuttle and then had the awful thought of “I hope that this goes to a part of NCBS that I can recognize”!!!   Never to fear, the trip was uneventful and we arrived with no problems.

We headed to the cafeteria for tea and a snack…..

……. 15 rupes….about 25 cents!!  The “ball” is a potato curry that has been breaded and fried…..YUM!!!

We were back at the cafeteria for lunch shortly thereafter……

 

The corn salad was so fresh and had a bit of sweetness to it.

I returned to the apartment to wash clothes  while Michael stayed to get ready for the class that he was teaching.   This is where I found my unexpected treasure!!! 

I was waiting for the clothes to spin for the last time and was just strolling down the corridor between the apartment building and a large concrete fence with barbed wire on top.   As I walked past, a little boy popped his head over the top and smiled at me.   I said “hello” and he smiled bigger.  I kept walking for a few yards and then turned back around to return to my washer.   As I walked past, he motioned for me to come over to him.  As I did, he handed me a small bag of crunchy cheese goodies and motioned that it was a gift for me.  I told him a heartfelt thank you and left with my heart filled with amazement that this little boy, who probably had nothing in the world, was willing to give me such a sweet gift. 

These interactions are one reason that I LOVE to travel!!!

Tuesday night ended with an Italian meal with Krushnamegh and two of his students, Saurav  and Riddhi.  It was fun talking to them about things that we need to see and do while we are in Bangalore.   Saurav is from Nepal and he told us of a few foods that we MUST try while we are there.   Ahhhh. so much eating to do and SO little time!!!

I had one laugh while we were driving……the road was very crowded and traffic was crawling along.   An ambulance approached from behind and everyone slowly moved over to give him a lane.  As he slid thru the opening, so did about 15 motorcycles that were closely following their “battering ram”.

 

Our travel was fairly long and convoluted but everything worked well and we arrived in Bangalore with no problems.

We had a slow start to the trip as our flight out of Atlanta was delayed by about two hours but since we had a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam, we were not too worried by it.

We made friends with the flight attendants and were treated wonderfully during the flight.

In Amsterdam, we found a place to have breakfast and feasted on ham and cheese omelets, bread and hash browns. 

Since I am always in “noticing” mode, I had to laugh when we passed a smoking booth that was a glass box about 6 feet square that had FOURTEEN people in it, including one man smoking a cigar.   I certainly hope that the ventilation was good in there!!!

The airport had several bench areas that were designed so that you could lay down while you waited…..

We boarded our flight for Delhi at 1: 00pm and managed to sleep for several hours during the 8 hour journey, arriving in Delhi at 1:00am.  We cleared customs and then started looking for the domestic transfer area so that we could give them back our bags and get our boarding passes.

People kept telling us to go to the right but we couldn’t ever see exactly where we were supposed to go.  One man  told us to take the elevator to the 2nd floor and we finally realized that the LONG line we were seeing were people waiting to get onto the elevator.  We joined the queue to get our documents checked and then another line to actually get onto the elevator.

When we arrived on the 2nd floor, we walked into a large room that was crowded with people waiting to check in for their flights.  There were people everywhere….sitting on the floor, lying on luggage and basically filling every possible area.

We picked our way thru the room and asked the guard what we were supposed to do.  He looked at our tickets and said that since we didn’t have our  boarding passes that we should go out of the room and into the airport lobby.  We were SO glad to be able to bypass the crowded room!!!

We realized that we were going to have to go thru security again and that we had our full water bottles with us so we discretely poured the contents into a potted palm tree!! 

Going thru security was an interesting experience.  Women have a separate line from the men because they are only serviced by women TSA agents.  AND, they have a curtained booth that is used to “wand” everyone who goes thru.

Also, I caused all sorts of problems because I hadn’t pulled all of my computer cords out of my bag!!  

Finally, each of our carry-on bags had to have a tag on it and the tag was stamped as it went thru the security process.   Before we could board the plane, we had to show them our stamped tags.

I said earlier that I was impressed with the “sleeping” seats in Amsterdam, but Delhi has them beaten!!  At every gate, there were 8 or 10 lounge chairs and many were inhabited by snoring passengers…..

There were several that were open, but we were afraid that if we laid down and got comfortable that we would sleep thru our flight departure!!!

I have to be honest here and say that we had hit a wall emotionally.  I told Michael that I think the allure of travel had worn off completely!!!!  But once we had found some coffee, tea and pastry, we felt a lot better.

One other interesting thing is that the airport is considered to be a “quiet airport” meaning that there are virtually no boarding announcements.  Most information is relayed via large screens in the lounge area.

The funniest thing that happened was that we were sitting by a young man who was a Sikh, complete with turban and beard.  He looked very austere and serious, however when we started heading down the gang plank he was right in front of us.   The walkway wasn’t well marked and we weren’t sure exactly where to go so we were just following him.   Finally, he turned around, laughed and said “Dont be mad at me if I am taking us to the wrong plane”!

As we were boarding the flight, we were treated to a beautiful Indian sunrise…. The flight to Bangalore was only 3 hours and I think that Michael and I both slept for most of it.  I kept snapping my head back as I was sleeping and had the thought that I was giving myself whiplash!!!

We quickly found our bags and walked out to be met by a driver from NCBS (National Center for Biological Sciences).  He helped us get everything to his car and then he drove us to our apartment….well almost.   It ended up that we had been moved to a different complex so we piled back into the car and drove to the appropriate one.

The apartment is wonderful with two bedrooms and bathrooms and a comfortable sitting area.  There is satellite TV and, most importantly, excellent WIFI.  We had several bottles of water, two packages of cookies and a plate of fruit waiting for us when we arrived!!!

We unpacked all of our cases and were picked up by Krushnamegh at about 1:00.  He showed us around our complex and helped us to find the Dining Hall where we enjoyed a simple meal of rice and curry sauces….

He asked, somewhat worriedly, if it was too spicy and was visibly relieved when we said that we loved spicy food!!!

Next, we drove to the NCBS campus and explored the area where Michael will be headquartered for the next 3 weeks, ending the time sitting out in a beautiful covered courtyard…..

We talked until Michael and I couldn’t hold our eyes open anymore…..

….. and then were given a car service to return us to our apartment.

Once there it was shower, snack and BED!!!!!