Hampi Trip.....

Last weekend, we took a train ride to Hampi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi). The train ride was eight hours long.....Luckily I had some "Happy Pills" (Ambien) so I could sleep through the train experience....Smart move on my part...You definitely didn't want to go to the bathroom on this train...They had two bathrooms, one named "Indian Style" and the other "Western Style"...Neither on was really that clean...I decided I would choose the toilet (Western Style) over the hole in the floor (India Style). Also, on the train there are different classes...First Class, Second Class, Third Class, etc...My trip to Hampi I was in Second Class...It wasn't too bad...The bed was long and wide enough and I had a curtain..Apparently in first class you have a door on your bed...Now coming back to Bangalore I was in Third Class...Big difference...I couldn't imagine what it would be like to sit in general seating...

We arrived at about 8-9 in the morning....Let me tell you this place made Bangalore look like the Emerald City....It was unreal...Word can't explain what I saw and witnessed during my stay....I think the pictures will explain it. The whole weekend (Train Ride, Hotel, Personal Drivers, Personal Guide, Lunches, etc.) cost only around $150 or so...

Highlights of the trip:

1. Being blessed by an elephant..Yes I had my Kentucky hat and t-shirt on that day...and Kentucky beat Auburn that day...Maybe I should get blessed by an elephant every game.
2. Mango Tree Restaurant....You have to walk through a Banana Grove to get to the restaurant...The entire restaurant is under a Mango Tree...Your view is of a flowing river...The entire group (nine of us) ate for $30...The view was to die for....Its right up there with Mama's Fish House in Maui, Hawaii... Make sure to check out this view...This is what it looked like from my table. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1226702
3. River Ride in Thatched Saucers...The pictures I will add will do this experience justice.
4. Bodyguard...Having to play bodyguard for Natalie...All of the locals (men and women) were following us because of her....They are fascinated by blonde's...Everyone wanted a picture with her...The women were fine but the men were a little creepy...

Stephens Brothers in Bangalore...

I decided while I was here that Josh and I would open our own clothing store....We pass this store everyday going to the office.

Thinking out Loud.............

Did you know that one billion people live in India? Of that one billion, 300 million are illiterate (that's the population of the United States). There are more millionares in India then there are in United States....


You have to wear a "Langote" (special disposable underwear) when receiving a massage at my hotel...You ask what's a "Langote"...Well you know what the Summo Wrestlers wear...Thank goodness no pictures are being taken....However, you can get 60 minutes for $30 or so...That could explain why I have been getting two massages a week.

Process...If you go to eat or to the grocery store in India its a process...The only way you get your bill is if you get up and walk out....If your hungry you better go 30-45 minutes before you realize your even hungry....

Today I was a part of a meeting in India that included Seniors and Above...The Seniors were receiving a Market Adjustment (Salary Raise) and all they were concerned about was, if the staff were going to receive one to...What a difference from the United States...If you held the same meeting in the United States no one would be worried about anyone else except for themselves. We are definitely spoiled in the United States....Its a race out there....Here, they challenge themselves to get ahead. In the United States we challenge ourselves to make more contacts to get ahead....Honestly, we better get our act together.....

Southern India - Vegetarians
Northern India - Meat

Cricket - These matches last for 3 days....That must be one heck of a party....I must attend a match before I leave....

Sign at the office "No Tailgating" - I'm still trying to figure out what this means....

Clubbing means "combining" in India...Pass out means "I passed a test or I passed out of school"

Five on a Scooter!!!

That's right...This family decided to all travel on one scooter. Its very common in Bangalore to see multiple people on motorcycles and scooters. Our driver, Ramkumar, has seen six people on one scooter. Amazing!!!! Also, check out the little boy in the front...He's asleep.

Pics from Thursday Sightseeing

Bull Temple

The Bull Decorated for the Holiday!!!

Ross, Sherri and I at the Bull Temple..If you look closely I was blessed (red dot)

Yes that's a large Monkey

Thursday.....Holiday

Last Thursday was a Holiday (Sun God Festival) in India.....A couple of us decided we would do some sightseeing in Bangalore...Our driver, Ramkumar, decided he would take us to the Bull Temple (http://www.indiasite.com/karnataka/bangalore/bulltemple.html), Ross's Cat Temple (which we never found), and to do some shopping....

Bull Temple - One of the more visited Temples in Bangalore..The Bull is made of rock and is approximately 15 feet high and 20 feet wide...Ross and I decide to go into the Temple to see the Bull and to be blessed...I found it interesting that I had to pay someone to watch my tennis shoes...I figured I would comply and not take a chance of losing my shoes.

Cat Temple - We are still looking for this Temple...Apparently, there's a Temple that worships CATS. I don't think this Temple really exists, but Ross claims he has visited this Temple before. We drove around for a little while looking for this Temple. Our driver and the locals looked at us like we were crazy when asking for the CAT Temple. Here's the so called story about the CAT Temple. Apparently, you have to crawl in a tunnel on your hands and knees with CATS...Are you serious? I must find this Temple.

Shopping - Always adventure in this city...You can get really good prices on about anything in Bangalore, but just expect an event...I had never been shopping for rugs before...Wow what a production..Before I knew it they had 10-20 silk rugs laid out for us to view. They were pretty cool. I was amazed by how the pattern and color of the silk rug would change depending on where you stood in the room. Absolutely amazing!!!! Unfortunately, even with the deep discount I couldn't afford one of these rugs...A 5x8 rug starts off around $1,800 US dollars in India, which is a 50% savings of what someone would pay in the US...I want one of these rugs...I kept telling Ross he could buy Jill and I one for our wedding present. Instead, Ross bought two of them for himself.

Partnerships 201, Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday morning I taught my first TECHNICAL training course ever. As you could imagine, I was pretty nervous the night before…The course material was very challenging for me. Some of the material was way over my head. I stayed up all night trying to teach myself the material…I didn’t get much sleep on Monday. I even went to the gym at 3 A.M. to try to calm the nerves…but I wasn’t able to….

All twenty-nine students were present ten minutes before class even started. Once I started to teach I realized very quickly how much they already knew. I thought to myself they should be teaching me instead of me teaching them….Haha…The class was just amazing…I had been warned that the level of participation would be extremely high…Wow…I wasn’t expecting that. They really wanted to learn…They were very attentive. Anytime we asked a question we would get twenty-nine responses. It was just amazing how smart they were…I asked a fellow E&Y senior how do they know so much already. He goes because they take teach themselves tax by taking the Code home at night….WHAT? Are you kidding me? Absolutely amazing…They work all day and then they go home to learn some more. He continued by saying, “it’s a race here, they are always afraid to get behind. They are afraid that person sitting to next to them will know more”. I wish I was motivated like this all time…I tell you one thing for sure their attitude alone has motivated me to challenge myself to learn more.

After class on Wednesday, all twenty-nine students came up individually, to shake my hand and to tell me, “Thanks”.