Inventive...

One of the most shocking, and now most normal, things I see everyday is how goods are transported in India. Space is limited and motorbikes are used by almost every family. It isn’t abnormal to see a family of 4 sometimes 5 riding down the road on a single motorbike. I’ve become so accustom to this it seems almost silly to have less than 3 people on a bike. Why would you waist 10 cents for a rickshaw when you can all just pile on a bike? I’ve also seen some pretty crazy things being transported on motorbikes: computers, doors (yes a front door was seen), coconuts, tricycles, etc. I’ve tried explaining it to people back home and everyone just wants pictures. So that is my goal for the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck…these pictures are difficult to get as I’m usually playing frogger with my life crossing the road or speeding along on a city bus. Here is your first picture…enjoy.

Meet Jack...

I have a nephew!!!!! I was able to meet him over Skype as he slept in his other aunt's lap the entire time. He even yawned during the call...I think my heart melted when I witnessed this adorable act. Four more weeks and I can snuggle with him!!

Hampi and Bangalore...

Four of us took off for the weekend with no real plans in mind. We had train tickets to Hampi and Bangalore, but no real plan in mind. Thanks to Lonely Planet we had some great suggestions on where to stay and places to visit throughout our trip.. Hampi is an old ruined city with lots of monkeys crowding the streets looking to harass tourist. Luckily, we all came through with only one incident that left us all running from a monkey wanting to share Pam’s snack of carrots. The carrots were lost, but we were saved without being attacked. We also managed to rent some motor bikes to cruise around Hampi. The bikes proved to be easy to acquire with me ‘passing’ the driving test with flying colors (I only had to verbally confirm that I had driven a motorbike and had a license for one in the US…neither of which is true, but I was still handed the keys).
We then headed out on a train to Bangalore where we met up with Jim, an American we had met on a previous train ride. Jim and the rest of the group hung around Bangalore all day being dragged around by our ‘tour guide’, which was a man that had a sketchy van. When offered a ride, we immediately jumped in this van and set off on our day of adventure. The highlight of the day wasn’t the beautiful gardens or crowded market, but a BAGEL SHOP!!! That is right!!! In the middle of the city we found a bagel shop where I had my first bagel and cream cheese in months. I was also able to visit a McDonalds!!!! I didn’t my get my usual quarter pounder (remember no beef), but settled with a chicken sandwich, fries, and fountain pepsi. Life is good.