La Dee Dah

Well, I woke quite early and thought, now would be a good time to write. I've caught a cold of some kind. I've got the usual fever, running and stuffy nose, feeling blah.. the works. Vikas had it first and now I have it. He's doing much better but I'm just starting. I guess it's time to get out the old OJ and tylenol.

We haven't had a car really in the last few days. We've had to get a rental when needed. Here the rental comes with a driver. Believe me when I say it's safer for everyone that way. Anyway, we finally have our own official car and driver. He's supposed to be here tomorrow to pick up Vikas to take him to work. I'm not sure of the driver's name yet and have not met him yet but will do so this morning. Maybe I'll be able to sneak a photo of him. We'll see. Me on the other hand will be in the house. I mean other than the usual walk, I haven't gotten out much in the last few days.

I'll be honest folks, it's not entirely what I thought it'd be. Though it's only been a couple of weeks so giving it time is definitely the option I'm taking.

We have a housekeeper and a cook, same person actually. Her name is Husna. I hope I spelled that right. She is the same person who normally cleans this residence for the landlord. She's very sweet. She doesn't speak English but she says she understands it. Either way, we've got everything worked out so far and it's probably the most cushy job ever. I mean two single people who barely make a mess and don't need a lot of food. I'm happy, Vikas is happy and the maid is happy so all is good on that front.

So I mentioned in my last blog I was going to get a massage yesterday. That had to be rescheduled for Saturday. A torrential rain storm came along and I didn't really want to wander around in that to walk over to the spa. There was actual lightning folks. Lightning = no wandering around outside for me. I will, however, let you know how it all goes after Saturday's appointment. I'm excited to get the massage, even if it will be somewhat painful because I know it will provide some relief.

I'm sure I have some photos to post.. hmmm.. let me get those for ya.

This photo and the rest below are photos from one of our favorite restaurants in Bangalore. It's at the Taj West End Hotel and it's called Masala Klub. They have excellent food and one of the best desserts on the planet called, Kesari Phirni. You can read more about the restaurant here, http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/City-Hotels/The-Taj-West-End-Bangalore/Fine-Dining/Masala-Klub-Restaurant.html.

Also, if you want to know more about the Kesari Phirni, you can find that out here, http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/kesari-phirni---khana-khazana.aspx and below is a photo. Enjoy! Try it at home and if you do, send me photos. It's a wonderful dessert! 

More photos of the Masala Klub at the Taj West End Hotel in Bangalore.

Statues at the restaurant, made of clay.

Well, I know there's more but I'll save it for the next blog. Hope you all had a great day. It's still Thursday there but it's already Friday morning here. Sleep well America!

And the journey begins...

Hi everyone! It's 8:22 a.m. in Texas right now but here in Bangalore it's 6:54 p.m. We arrived last night/morning around 1 a.m. We were tired, but well rested since my husband was able to get our last leg of the flight, from Frankfurt to Bangalore, upgraded to Business class. Let me tell you something, there is just no other way to fly. Meals are created by renowned chefs. The food was amazing! See the photos below. The seating will recline in several different positions, included practically laying flat with enough room for a person to lay on their side. You have proper feather pillow and a nice comfy quilted blanket with a sheet sided lining. The airline we were on was Lufthansa.

Photos of food on plane:

Potatoes in tomato curry, saffron rice, and black lentils. Spicy fruit chaat on side. Raita (yogurt dish on the side for main dishes). Vermicelli kheer for dessert. 

Swiss Reclette with pickles and carrots. On the side, seasoned crawfish with seasoned rice pilaf. Dessert, chocolate mousse. 

The airport in Bangalore is about 3 years old and it's quite nice. In many ways, it reminded me a bit of Austin's airport, in size and newness. No, I didn't take any photos of it as it was 1 a.m. here and I was ready to get to the hotel and sleep sleep sleep.

We got to our hotel and all I can say is, Wow! It's so beautiful! We are staying at The Taj West End. You can see their website here: http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/City-Hotels/The-Taj-West-End-Bangalore/Overview.html

We were greeted with bows and greetings of Namasté. Namasté is a customary greeting of saying hello to someone when you meet them. You can also say Namasté when saying goodbye. It means peace and not it's not the peace as in deuces up yo, it's more like peace be with you. Although a good "peace out!" is good too sometimes. You bow slightly and have your hands together palm to palm. They also had a beautiful glass bowl filled with water, fresh jasmine flowers, and a floating candle in the center. The flowers smelled so pleasant. They gave us each a customary blessing for success and good health. I found that to be such a beautiful way to greet someone. If only that was a custom in so many other parts of the world. Well, we got ourselves checked in and then were driven to our villa and walked to our room door. The room is very nice. Photos below.

Writing desk, where all the blogs come alive. 

Sitting area. 

Room

Incense for us to use. 

Bathroom vanity.

In case you didn't notice in the photos, the room has fresh flowers throughout the room. Outside of the room are beautiful glass bowls of fresh flowers along the corridors which are outside.

Another thing when we arrived, there is tight security here as in most places. They check the vehicles thoroughly. This is a good precaution. I think security should be more like this everywhere. It would be a safer world and it would provide more jobs, but this is not a political blog, just an informative and fun one. Still, it was interesting to here them open the trunk, see them check under the car and check the car overall.

We did do some house hunting today. We saw four rent houses. All were nice, but two were especially nice. We have more to see tomorrow and I think we'll be closer to knowing what we want to go with. I'll write more later tonight about that part of our day. I'm still feeling a lot of jet lag so I think it's nap time. :)

Oh, a funny side note, when watching most English tv channels, such as movies and tv shows and sometimes news, there are English subtitles at the bottom. It's for those strong English accents (American and British) that people here might not understand. It makes me giggle though. I also find I end up staring and reading all the subtitles instead of watching the actual movie or show. Haha!

I'll write another blog later this evening. I have a few more photos to post. Yes, this trip, I am taking photos with my phone. This is a vacation in a way and so therefore I did not bring my Nikon. I will have more time later to do that. Ok, very sleepy so now off to get some sleep. More soon!