Bangalore

So I had just about finished a long message about India, and the power blipped off across the area. It came right back on, but it was long enough to lose everything I wrote. Good thing I have my headlamp handy in case it lasts longer next time. It may be worse since everyone is stringing lights for Diwali (the festival of lights) today and tomorrow.

 So anyway - got on the plane at JFK Monday with sore knees after the marathon to find I had been bumped to business class. Enjoyed my little bed on the way over to Heathrow, as well as Trish's cupcakes and Meghan's brownies.

On the flight over to Bangalore I perused the GQ and Esquire magazines Mohan made me buy him and realized I couldn't love Ryan Gosling more. Soon after, I was pondering his break up with Rachel McAdams, I started to realize it was not getting lighter out and I had misread the itinerary of when I would be landing. I had told Mohan to pick me up in Bangalore at 4:45PM. That military time can really be pesky. So got my backpack (or Lorene's really) at the airport and had my pre-paid taxi driver, Michael, drop me at the Bangalore Club where Mo reserved a room for me. As we jerked through the loud, crazy, auto-rickshaw crowded streets, and I saw my first cows in the road, I fell in love.

Fancy petal pool at the Leela

After watching some Office and Bollywood videos on TV, Mo and his cousins picked me up and drove me around. I stuffed myself with dhosa and kati rolls and some other yummy things, and we took in the high end life of Bangalore - walking around the Leela which is supposedly the #1 business hotel in the world and taking in some afternoon drinks on the veranda of the Karnataka Golf Club of which Mohan is a member. He is definitely not roughing it here.

I am excited to break away, though, and get into the mix when I get to Delhi and Agra this weekend.