Cunningham Road has Lost it's Charm

Day 18

Did some shopping today.  It was a bust, mostly.

Cunningham Road is just not the same.  This is what remains of Casa Picola.
And Sigma Mall? Empty.  Seriously all the stores gone and ripped walls and light sockets remain.

At least we found Fab India in Garuda Mall.

 And this fine gentleman selling his bubble guns...

Under the Weather...

Day 17

Today we all slept until 11am!  We needed it, I guess, as now Gagan woke up feeling sick, and M's eye was swollen shut!  After all those times I touched wood, now all this is happening!  We had some breakfast at home from leftovers from Manju and our lovely meal at Nana and Nani's house last night.

CM Nana is Gagan's mom's uncle, I think you will remember.  They moved to Bangalore from Bombay while we were here, and we visited them a few times in Dollars Colony. One son, Mohit, is here in Bangalore (married with 2 boys) and the other son, Amit,  has been in the US for 20+years (now also married with 2 kids).  Hopefully we will see Amit and Seema and their boys (bit older than R); Gagan needs to call them.

I worked on M's eye with hot compresses and massaged the tear duct, in case that was the problem.  Gagan's throat was killing him, and he felt a fever coming on, and we had no Tylenol!  After all that meds shopping, we overlooked buying pain medication for adults!  Oh, and today is a holiday, so the on-site doctor was not in.  Just great.  We did find out that Reception had paracetamol, so at least we didn't have to walk to Sahakara Nagar to get some.

After lunch, I convinced Gagan to rest, and he was able to sleep for a few hours.  The kids played soccer with some NCBS kids, and then I took them for a swim.  S also spent some time taking some pictures.  Some turned out to be pretty good, too!

M's eye got a bit better by the end of the day.  We talked to Gagan's mom, who recommended some drops we picked up for her, so we put those in before bed.  See how it is tomorrow.

Catching up with Manju...

Day 16

Woke up today with a brutal sore throat.  I should have expected it, as the night before my ears were cracking/popping.  R had a touch of a cold in Hampi, and M is just starting.  I always think I'm more robust than I actually am.  Anyways, I slept through breakfast (intentionally) as I wanted to feel good enough to make it through a very important day - today we were meeting Manju!

We made arrangements for her to arrive after lunch, and we met her at NCBS Reception.  She was with her daughter Girija. It was so good to see her!  We walked to our guesthouse to have a visit.

Gagan made us some tea, (I wanted it to be US to serve tea to HER, and not the other way around), and Manju, very generously, brought out some jalebi and rasgulla from Kanti Sweets and some palak paratha that she made just for us. She even made sure it was not spicy.  She was so happy to see us all, especially the kids.

Girija graduated with her Bachelor of Business Management last year and has been working for IBM as a financial analyst ever since, earning Rs.15,000/month (for reference, we were paying Manju Rs.4000 at the end).  She is now 21 years old.  Her English is very good and she expressed much gratitude to us.  She is such a lovely young woman.  Someone else must think so too, as Girija's marriage is fixed for November 1st. He's a business graduate from Hyderabad and she will move there after the wedding.  She feels she will have enough work experience to find a good job there, and is not planning to have children for some time.

Manju's son Ashok did not go further with his studies, and is working with his father in construction. They borrowed Rs.1.5 lak from Manju's recent employer (a post-doc at NCBS) to get the materials to begin their own business.  They have paid back the loan and are now construction contractors.  The family seems to be doing very well.  Have I told you how great it was to see them?

Unfortunately, Manju has not been well.  I could see she was not as sprightly as she used to be, and appeared to be walking slower than I remember.  Girija explained that her mother had been in an Aruvedic hospital for a week for tests about 6 months ago.  A year ago, Manju began to experience pain in her back and legs, and these tests indicate it is nerve related.  She has not been working for 1 year.  She kept telling me "Chana gi do, Madam.  Chana gi do," meaning, "Everything is fine, I am fine."  She has insisted that she come back to give us dosa for breakfast next weekend.  It was so good to see her.

I Love Good Coffee

Day 15

Today, after a quick lunch with Geoff, we walked over to Sahakara Nagar to run some errands.  We picked up some staples and snacks at Namdhari's and also did our medicine shopping (Crocin, Iodex, Chawanprash, face wash, family requests, etc).  We let the kids use some of their money to buy some candies (Gems, 5 Star, and KitKat).  They were absolutely thrilled.  Then we headed to the Laundrex to drop off our clothes for washing and ironing.  The prices have got up, but they have also changed: now they charge by the kilo! Interesting.  There was even an ad promoting "for the cost of a pizza, you can have your clothes washed and ironed"!  Wow, the demographic has really changed here.

At the end of all our running around, the kids were patient and well behaved, so we went to the new Cafe Coffee Day (2nd floor).  It was more of a treat for me, really.  DELICIOUS cappuccino. The kids also got themselves a dessert.  The place has wall to wall windows that you can watch everyone below go about their business.  Would have loved to meet my girlfriends there for a chat...

We came home and I called you, but you were heading out the door.  So we went to the Sports Centre to fit in some fitness before dinner.  Gagan and I got some cardio in by playing some squash.  After eating at the canteen, we came home and I call you.  So good to talk to you.  Later, I started to feel like I was coming down with something so took some Ibuprofen and went to bed.

Back in Bangalore!

Day 14

We arrived at Yelahanka Station around 5:40am.  We had set M's watch alarm, but it failed to wake anyone up!  Good thing Gagan's internal clock woke him up around 5:30am.  He was worried we might have missed our stop, so he woke us all up and we all got ready.  Turns out he was right.  In about 10 minutes time, we arrived; it was still dark.  All the autos were in cahoots, and wouldn't take us for anything less then Rs.200.  Vat to do?

When we got to our guesthouse, no one thought they could sleep, but I insisted we try.  We ended up falling asleep for at least a couple of hours.

We had a relaxing day of laundry and going to the Sports Centre.  I had a big workout at the gym and Gagan played squash with the kids and then a swim.  This creepy man (a real nosy body who always want to "advise me") that was there again!  The kids refer to him as the "bummish guy" - remind me to tell you why we found him so annoying!

We took some goofy shots that I'm posting here.

Monkeys, of One Type or Another...

Day 13

We had an overnight night train back Bangalore later Thursday night, so we had the day to kill.  We had already seen a good amount of Hampi’s famous ruins, so we decided to hang out at the Guest House until late afternoon.  We sat under the outdoor canopied restaurant and played some games (Bananagrams), played cards (UNO and Go Fish, mostly), and read.  Gagan and R bet each other a “lemon nana” juice for the winner of their final Bananagrams game.  Even though I tried to help R, Gagan won.  They shared the lovely lemon-mint juice together.  Later, they went for a walk through the rice paddy.

When we got off the boat that took us across the river, Patrick, the auto driver that took us around the ruins the day before, was waiting for us.  He told us his business name was Patrick, but we heard his buddies call him Mudhu. He told us he worked for 3 years without sleeping so that he could buy his own autorickshaw.  He also installed a fancy music system, but one of his speakers was stolen recently.  When we asked him if he is married with kids, he told us he was 21 and had four more years before marriage.  He is now working to save up to buy a house, where he will have extra rooms to rent to tourists.  Very focused entrepreneur, I'd say.

We went to a restaurant in Hospet for dinner, where they served the hottest daal and muttar paneer I have ever had in my whole life.  My mouth felt like it was on fire, really.  The waiters explained the chef was from Andra Pradesh, and very spicy food was the style of the food from this region.  I felt this was unfair, as there were none of those red fiery chilli peppers next to item on the menu to indicate it was going to be so hot!

We ended up waiting at the train station for a good hour, as our train was late.  The kids were so excited to be on a train again, they were climbing up and down like monkeys; and I had to send them to bed.  We set up our bed sheets and blankets on the beds and then hunkered down for some shut eye.

Yes, Now Happy in Hampi!

Day 12

Good news.  By the next day Gagan was much better, and we ventured out to have a look at the fabled capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, that ancient village that was most powerful in the 12^th - 14^th centuries.  We took it easy, though, and paid a rickshaw driver to take us around, much to Gagan’s chagrin (he likes to save his money).  It was better for the children and their flushed cheeks; even with the small amount of walking we did, we drank at least 5L of water in the hot sun.

Will update this more tomorrow -need to get to bed!!!

Not Yet Happy in Hampi...

Day 11

Why not happy?  First, we almost missed our stop on the train (me: “Hey, Gagan, I think this is our stop.  It says Hospet Junction.”  Gagan, sleepily: “Uh, what? No. Can’t be. Oh God, we need to go. Everyone get up, hurry! Crap!”). Then, Gagan looked a little pale on the 30 minute auto ride to Hampi.  Then, just before crossing the river, Gagan complained of a worsening headache.  Finally, after making the slow hot walk to our lovely Mowgli Guesthouse, Gagan began twenty fours hours of what can best be called “Delhi Belly.”  Oh yes, a meer eleven (11) days since he was last sick and throwing up all day at Heathrow Airport.  Poor soul; travelling is hard on him.

I won't keep you in suspense until the next blog.  I'm happy to share he is all good now.

Me and the kids explored the new digs.  Did some reading and resting outside on the jula (swing).  And let the lush, verdant surroundings take our breath away...

First Sleep, Then Play!

Day 9

We Came all this Way... to eat Pizza Hut

Day 8

Our kids are such good travelers.  Give them one twin bed, and they're happy.

Today the kids met up with Ishaar to play some badminton, table tennis and foosball at the NCBS Sports Centre, while I was upstairs at the gym.  Gagan had some things to do at the lab.  Later, we all went swimming.  Then we met up with Aisha for lunch.  We hung out for a bit after and it was lovely to have her company.  After fancy coffees, she had to go, but with a plan in the works for me to attend an art opening with her later in the month. 

In the afternoon, we went to the village to do a bit of shopping.  It was nice to see Shri Hanuman Fancy Store exactly as it was – 2 floors chock full of everything under the sun.  We used to shop there for birthday parties and various shopping needs.  Today, I needed a bathing cap (swimming rule) and the kids used some of their money to get something for themselves (S bought a Hot Wheels car and R & M got a deck of UNO Cards; Rs.100 each [less than $2]).  The guy there remembered Gagan and told him he’s gotten fat!  It’s a compliment, I think… 

We also picked up a few groceries from Namdhari’s and Smart and some snacks to take with us on our trip to Hampi on Monday. 

We buckled and went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  Kids needed a change from the South Indian fare we’ve been having 3x per day, and it wasn’t too large a splurge.  And I'll admit, it was good.  

Finally, we went to Kanti Sweets to get some of our favourite sweets (besan laddoo, malai peda, jalebi, and coconut burfi) to take home with us.  And rasgulla, because rasmalai was finished L. 

We took an auto home, just in time to watch kids’ all time favourite movie, Mr. Bean.  It was so brutal, I had to leave the room!

PS Some of the new additions to Sahakaranagar:  SNAP Fitness 24/7 Gym, Gold's Gym, Cafe Coffee Day, Sweet Chariot Cafe, and Lush Cosmetics.

Things I Don't Miss: Traffic!

Day 7

The morning was special, because I finally got to talk to you, Mom!  Our internet is fixed, or fixed enough to support (sort of) a Skype call.  How wonderful to talk to you! 

We picked up the laundry we sent out with the dhobi-wallah, and discovered he is charging us the foreign rates!  He wanted more than Rs.300 for 22 pieces!  I know everything has gone up in price, but this is crazy!

We played at the playground for a bit, and debated if it was always set up that way, or if it had changed since we had left.

After lunch, it was another visit to the big city, but this time with a taxi!  I thought it might be a little easier on us as a family to travel this way, rather than auto rickshaw.  The traffic was horrendous, both ways, much worse than I remember.  We went to Hum, on Church St., an old favourite of ours for clothes.  Unfortunately, their prices have skyrocketed, selection was not so good, and they no longer carry kids clothing.  So, off we went to the Mota Arcade Mall, at the end of Brigade Rd.  We tried to get some sweet lime soda on the way from Nilgiri’s upstairs restaurant, but it has changed to some upscale café, and at Rs.150 for a coffee, we more or less walked in and walked out (well, as soon as I visited the ladies room).  Mota Arcade Mall was still the same as it was 5 years ago, still 3 floors of export surplus, and still good bargoons to be found.  I got some Adidas hiking shoes for 60% off MRP – about Rs.1300 or $24!  [In my insistence that we pack light (btw, we packed a family of 5 in two suitcases!), I limited our footware, and now I need something a bit more robust for the Hampi ruins.]   Everyone got something and I may need to go back again before we go home!

Kids were hungry and tired, so we got them some Subway to eat on the way home.  Gagan didn’t want to spend the Rs.120 on us, so we needed to wait until we got to closer to home to eat.  We stopped at a chaat place for some ridiculously hot aloo paratha and chole thali.

I promised the kids they could watch a movie on TV tonight, and that I would get some popcorn for them to go with their candies from Canada.  I couldn’t get the stuff I wanted, so I got some Lay’s chips instead.  So, I’m going to get back to “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” and write again tomorrow.  Good night!

What to Do When the Monsoon Comes?

Day 6

Today I needed to get some laundry done.  I used the Guest House washing machine, which took me a good 10 minutes to figure it out (select “dirty”, “very dirty” or “stained”; how much soap is “2 cups”????; water level “2, 2 ¼, 3, 3 ¼”???).  It also conked out on me.  Twice.  Good thing I gave the non-underwear and socks items to the dhobi-wallah (washing man).

Later, it began to rain, a thorough monsoon soaking.  We didn’t get caught up in this one, and we came prepared.  We played some crazy eights beside the canteen while we watched the heavens open.  And I finished my Soduko that I started when I first arrived!  Well, it was rated “hard” by the newspaper!

M has been going to the crèche to help out with the little ones, and to relearn some Kannada.  She is really insistent to remember some.  She can be heard saying “I hope I get my accent back!”  The ladies are very welcoming and kind to her.  She can now say about 10 words/expressions.  It’s great to see her so interested and motivated.

Gagan had some things to do, so I took the kids for a late swim, but it was too cool for me to get in.  R and M are quite competent on their own, doing their laps and racing each other.  I watched S in the little pool, and read a bit on the deck.  After that, I went to the gym for some me-time.

We stayed up late watching Jackie Chan in “The Tuxedo.”  Couldn’t have asked for a better end to the day.

NCBS Update

Day 5

Here are some panoramic pics of the new campus.
The first shot shows the additional Administration Block on the left of the original building.  The path has been moved so it was re-planted with grass.

The next two shots are of the Southern Labs building.  It is a huge glass building with one large open concept  lab for all the labs combined.  A very unconventional modern model.

Here is the new NCBS pool - isn't it beautiful?
We all, especially the kids, enjoy this everyday.

And here is the new dining hall (aka "Canteen").  It's now 2 levels and boasts a beautiful view of the pond.

 

And here is the good old playground, and behind you can see a bit of the faculty housing, the building we used to live.