To the Hills of Tennessee . . .

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ramkumar, Our Driver

We (Sherri, Jenny, Tim, and I) are very fortunate to have Ramkumar as our driver. He's absolutely an amazing person. We have learned so much from him. He has made our stay much more enjoyable and less stressful. We are so happy to have him as our driver. We wouldn't trade for him any other driver in India.

We all hit it off with "Ram" the first day he drove us to work...He's always smiling and laughing. He has shared stories with us...He has allowed us to ask questions about his family, his culture, his religion, etc. He speaks six different languages. He has two daughters and a beautiful wife. He works non-stop to provide for his family. He lives day to day...Some days I wonder what his life must be like...

We were so happy to see him at the airport on Sunday evening. We just had a long weekend in Agra and it was great to see a familiar face at the airport. We were excited to see him and he was excited to hear about our trip.

I don't even consider him a driver anymore...He's a friend of mine...I told him the next time I come to India I'm staying with his family. He laughed...I told him I was serious and he say my family and I are always welcome....I asked him the other day, if I won the lottery, would you come to the United States and be my driver...He smiled and say, "yes". I'm buying a ticket once I get back.

I could go on forever about Ramkumar....I have learned so much from him. Everyday he makes think about life in general. I'm excited to get home to my wife, my family, and friend. However, I will miss my daily talks with Ram. I will cherish those forever. Thanks Ram!!!!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Taj Mahal Pictures

Taj Mahal...Part Two

On Sunday morning we decide to go tour Fort Agra. This place was just amazing. This is up the river from the Taj Mahal. However, we couldn't see it the evening before because of the Fort we go to a Marble Store. The next thing I know I'm buying everything in the store. This is crazy. The pieces were just so beautiful and very reasonable. After an hour or so I'm finally able to drag myself out of that store.

We head back to the Taj Mahal to get a different view. The fog is finally gone and the sun is out. You will be able to tell by the pictures how different this place looks throughout the day. We spend an hour or so taking pictures...

While we are here I finally have my celebrity moment. I had some locals come up to me and want their picture taken with me. I tried to get them to do the John Wall, but was not successful.

We had back to the airport. We arrived in New Delhi in Arrivals...We get to go through security again and be Violated. We have two hours or before our next flight. I ended up having KFC for dinner. Let me tell you what. It was absolutely amazing. It was a process to get what I wanted, but it was worth it...It was so good. I can't wait to get back so I can get a drink with ice...

Well, it turns out our flight is delayed again due to the fog and the military. I tried to spend more money in the airport but I couldn't find anything I wanted. Luckily, I found the O2 Spa...We had 2 hours or so to kill. Three of us decided we would get chair massages...Let me tell you what. That was the best massage ever. It was heaven... We finally get to leave...Back on the plane back to Bangalore. We arrived to our hotel around 11 or so...I think we spent more time in the airport then we did anything else. It was worth the hassle and the stress to see the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal Trip....Part One

Last weekend we decided to head north to Agra to visit the TAJ MAHAL.....I would have thought this would be an easy trip. Boy was I wrong!!! By plane it's only about three hours (Bangalore to New Delhi to Agra). Remember everything in India is a PROCESS.

We leave our hotel around 4:30 A.M. on Saturday morning for the Bangalore airport....It takes about an hour or so to get to the airport. This is not an easy commute...There are plenty of dogs, cows, people, cars, bikes, rickshaws, etc. on the road at this hour....We arrive at the airport. We get our tickets and head to the security line. Five minutes or so go by and I start talking to women in front of me. I was trying to figure out why the other two lines were so much longer than the one I currently standing in. She quickly points out that I’m standing in the “Women Only” line. Well sure enough I look up and Tim and I are the only two men in this line. In India, women and men have separate lines at the airports. Why? Every person is searched (Violated) very thoroughly at the airport. Women even have to go into special booths to get searched.

We finally get through security and realize that our flight to New Delhi is delayed because of FOG...This is a big issue in India especially in New Delhi. Also, all of the airports in India are at RED ALERT. This is due to threats of Mr. Bin Laden. Apparently, we wanted to hijack an India Air plane. I'm feeling pretty comfortable about flying the friendly skies in India….

An hour or so later we finally get to leave. While on the plane I noticed there was MILITARY standing in the in-field of the airport. They stand there while planes land and take-off.

While on the plane, the pilot mentions that the New Delhi airport will be closed for an hour (11:15 to 12:15), so the military can practice for Republic Day (January 26th). We picked the wrong time to fly in India....We land in New Delhi and let me tell this is one big airport....However, it was difficult to see how big it was due to the fog...

We arrived and we were dropped off in Arrivals. WHAT!!!! I ask. We have to go through security again!! It took about an hour or so to get our tickets and get through security and there was hardly anyone in line....Process....We get to our gate and they bus us out to our plane...We get out to the plane and we notice the hood on one of the engines is open. They realized they have an engine problem and that the engine won’t start. Great!!! This is the only plane into Agra and they decide now to check the engine. The plane had been on the ground for several hours. They inform us that it will hopefully take an hour to fix.

We have to make a decision either wait or get a car to Agra...There's only flight into Agra. The car ride is about four hours long and apparently it’s not a pleasant ride. We decide to wait it out...To our surprise they drop us off at arrivals again instead of departures...Guess what? We have to go back through security. It’s time to get VIOLATED again.....

We arrive in Agra and we notice very quickly this is not a nice place...The airport is guarded by the military...Luckily we have drivers and a guide to show us around...It’s about five or so and we decide to go see the Taj Mahal at Sunset because we were afraid that it would be too foggy in the morning...

It’s absolutely chaos in Agra...I think to myself there's no way the Taj Mahal is here. I would have thought the area would have been a lot nicer...The Street that Taj Mahal is on is very dangerous. You name its going on here...

Once we are in the gates I'm just blown away by how magnificent this place is...It took 20,000 workers twenty two years to build the Taj Mahal. It’s so grand, marvelous, beautiful, overwhelming, majestic, etc...This place is heavily guarded...We stay a 1.5 hours or so taking pictures and touring the grounds.

It’s quickly getting dark and we all realize we have to walk back down the street that we came in on after dark. Even our guide tells us to stay close together as we walk back and to watch out...Once we get out of the gates it’s just chaos...Our group consists of five women and three men...We literally had to muscle people out of the way to even get down the road..I had to push people out of the way just to get the women into the car...I'm thinking to myself this is not good. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. However, some of the women decided they wanted to start a riot by purchasing items from the car...At this time I'm saying some choice words because this has started a frenzy and now our cars are surrounded by locals....Somehow we get out of there and we head to the hotel.

Mr. Kentucky....

Today in the hall way at work one of the staff called Mr. Kentucky....I can go home now because I have accomplished my goal.

In regards to those CATS...I have followed every basket from India...I have had to get up at crazy times to watch them play, but it has been worth it....Next time I will be purchasing a sling box so I can watch them a little easier.