Post by Radders on Feb 18, 2009 18:20:16 GMT
Because I am lazy, you may have copy and paste of my email to extended family about the trip.
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I have been intending to write this for months as many people have been asking how I have been doing in India. I think I must have fallen into the very indian way of putting things off as long as possible. However, I have finally started travelling a bit, and have a few things to write about.
I am doing very well, it is easier than I expected. Took a little while to get used to the place. Especially the food, not that it is too spicy, it is milder than most indian takeaways, but it really is curry 3 meals a day.
I have had a few interesting experiences, the official system for doing things here, is bribery. It is expected, and one of the harder things to get used to. My flat was almost broken into while I was at work; they broke into my neighbours flat when they couldn't get into mine. But that was just very unlucky, and not the norm.
Work is going well, though the programming is about as technical as it can get. My colleagues are very friendly, helping me with work, teaching me Carrom (a game like pool, but with draught pieces, on a powdered board. You flick the stricker with your finger instead of useing a cue) and a few of them also took me treking.
There is a large and thriving expatriate community here in Bangalore, they are good fun, even though dancing at night clubs is banned (just in Bangalore). We usually attend the clubs that pay the 'special tax' to the police, so they will allow us to dance though, but it still only happens if the expats are there to start it off. Socially, the only difficulty is that none of the other expats are younger than 25, but I have finally started to make some good friends and am starting to do a bit of travel with them.
I managed to get out to the 'local' city of Mysore. It has a large palace, many impressive temples and I even got to see the token wild monkey, and get close to the palace elephants.
A few of my colleagues took me to Kodachadri, a nearby national park, for the Trek (nearby for India, 10 hour coach trip). We travelled there and back at night, which meant no sleep, as the roads here are terrible, and can be filled with potholes, not to mention the speed 'bumps'. It was a very good hike though, 22km (14 miles) through some very jungly terrain. We saw many interesting birds, flameback woodpeckers and others and had sticks thrown at us by a Malabar Giant Squirrel (about the size of a cat). No tigers unfortunately. Birds were to hard to photograph, but the group manage a few of the squirrels.
I have a photobucket account full of pictures of India, I will keep updating it, though not that often, in case you want to keep the link and see later : s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/1337_Radders/India/.
____________________________________________________
I am about to spend 2 weeks (27th Feb - 12th March) travelling India... BEFORE I GET BACK ON THE 14TH !!!!!
But it looks like I am off to China for 3 months work, in the week of the 6th April.
I have a birthday, Christmas and New Year to make up for. People want to do things?
___________________________________________________
I have been intending to write this for months as many people have been asking how I have been doing in India. I think I must have fallen into the very indian way of putting things off as long as possible. However, I have finally started travelling a bit, and have a few things to write about.
I am doing very well, it is easier than I expected. Took a little while to get used to the place. Especially the food, not that it is too spicy, it is milder than most indian takeaways, but it really is curry 3 meals a day.
I have had a few interesting experiences, the official system for doing things here, is bribery. It is expected, and one of the harder things to get used to. My flat was almost broken into while I was at work; they broke into my neighbours flat when they couldn't get into mine. But that was just very unlucky, and not the norm.
Work is going well, though the programming is about as technical as it can get. My colleagues are very friendly, helping me with work, teaching me Carrom (a game like pool, but with draught pieces, on a powdered board. You flick the stricker with your finger instead of useing a cue) and a few of them also took me treking.
There is a large and thriving expatriate community here in Bangalore, they are good fun, even though dancing at night clubs is banned (just in Bangalore). We usually attend the clubs that pay the 'special tax' to the police, so they will allow us to dance though, but it still only happens if the expats are there to start it off. Socially, the only difficulty is that none of the other expats are younger than 25, but I have finally started to make some good friends and am starting to do a bit of travel with them.
I managed to get out to the 'local' city of Mysore. It has a large palace, many impressive temples and I even got to see the token wild monkey, and get close to the palace elephants.
A few of my colleagues took me to Kodachadri, a nearby national park, for the Trek (nearby for India, 10 hour coach trip). We travelled there and back at night, which meant no sleep, as the roads here are terrible, and can be filled with potholes, not to mention the speed 'bumps'. It was a very good hike though, 22km (14 miles) through some very jungly terrain. We saw many interesting birds, flameback woodpeckers and others and had sticks thrown at us by a Malabar Giant Squirrel (about the size of a cat). No tigers unfortunately. Birds were to hard to photograph, but the group manage a few of the squirrels.
I have a photobucket account full of pictures of India, I will keep updating it, though not that often, in case you want to keep the link and see later : s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/1337_Radders/India/.
____________________________________________________
I am about to spend 2 weeks (27th Feb - 12th March) travelling India... BEFORE I GET BACK ON THE 14TH !!!!!
But it looks like I am off to China for 3 months work, in the week of the 6th April.
I have a birthday, Christmas and New Year to make up for. People want to do things?
