Bangalore Stardom... First Brush with the Indian Media

It was like any other birthday party, on any other wednesday night.

My flatmate, Winnie, and I took the late bus from work and rode into town in style aboard our 1978 sputtering clunker of a vehicle. It was our new found British friends' last night in town, and sadly upon their departure the next day, our expat circle would shrink back down to the tiny size of my fellow co-workers. We decided to head out to properly toast our Brits bon voyage at their fellow countrywoman's birthday party.

Out at Taika, a trendy spa-turned-bar come the evening hours, we again encoutered (first time was a week ago) the photographer who works for infamous "PAGE 3"- a section in the Bangalore Times, which is an insert in the nation-wide The Times of India. According to reputable hipsters in the town, Page 3 is where the comings and goings of the who's who is prominently displayed for the rest of the townfolk. I had first discovered the excitement of Page 3 when I was lazily flipping through the Times of India (ToI) on the way to work, when I was informed by fellow passengers that its much more than merely a colorful ink printed on recycled paper-- Page 3 is an institution people worship. Due to the dearth of glossy celebrity lifestyle magazines here, which plaster every newstand, mall, supermarket isle in the United States, Bangaloreans get their voyeur fix of public figures from all-knowing Page 3. It was then I first caught the Page 3 fever.

**** A Clarifying Side Note: Judging by the frequency with which parties and events are covered, and the accompanying articles' focus on "keeping the fun alive"... in my opinion, Page 3 has become increasingly important as Bangalore adjusts to the new Police Comissioner's harsh city-wide ban on dancing, requiring all gin joints and jazz clubs and everything else in between to rudely kick all patrons out and lock its doors at promptly 11:30pm every night. In the past, pre-evil comissioner days, apparently Bangalore was notorious throughout the nation as the one place in India where good music could be enjoyed by all anytime, anyplace. And dancing could actually take place on the floor. Now, late night establishments are forced to strategically place couches and coffee tables across the vacant dance floor to prevent people from committing that forbidden activity, dancing. Its like Indian bureaucrats are trying to spark a revival of similar Footloose Kevin Bacon performances.

This new rule, virtually ending all activities dancing and otherwise after dinner in a city known for its lively scene, has infuriated many people here. In turn, the photos splashed across its pages become a testament to the true, undying fun-loving spirit Bangaloreans are so well-known for. Page 3 has become Bangalore's rebellious demonstration to the corrupt Police Comissioner that he may have the money and the power, but the people have a fun-loving desire that can't be squelched (although they do respectfully quiet down their spirit as directed at 11:30). *****

Back to my role in helping the people of Bangalore in their noble Page 3 quest in reclaiming their identity of boisterous music lovers.

My rotund photographer friend insists he must take our photo again and I balk, because the week prior we had our first photo taken to no avail. I recalled how Winnie and I raced to our doorstep, religously tore open the India Times every morning for a full week straight eagerly anticipating our Page 3 debut, only to be disappointed. He claims the memory stick failed him last time and he lost not only our fabulous photo, but several others- and he is determined to make it up to us.

Fine, I say. Just make it good.

And he did.

Full Page spread of all the Birthday revelers. (Cheesy Title: Keep the Party Goin') And yes, we know the other people featured on the page.

Winnie basking in her Page 3 glory with an equally cutesy caption- "Check It Out."

"White Night" Cheesy caption #3. Should read, "Witty gentlemen and charming lady enjoy the evening's company, relating David Letterman caliber one-liners while discussing the complexities of globalization and chaos theory."

(By the way, lovely placement next to the daily Japanese Su-Doku puzzle which is sweeping India into a boxed green and red number frenzy. A kind of cross-word puzzle with numbers I have yet to attempt, as bouncing around the back of a bus on the way to work at 8am is not conducive to such productive activities.)

Apparently, the readership levels of the Bangalore Times and Page 3 are much higher than I could have ever expected- 22 year old girls aren't the only ones who excessively indulge in ritualistic scanning of the edition's current photos. Most of the people in the Marketing Department- I assume since its so young- immediately came up to me Monday morning after Saturday's feature. Some even called me on Saturday morning to be the lucky first ones to alert me to my new celebrity status, but I missed the call.... "Lauraaaaa its so great! you're on page thareeeee!! you're real bangalorean now ehh!"

Later that day, one of the bosses mentioned my newfound celebrity in an email to the entire dept which was meant to formally introduce us new hires. After the lengthy paragraph I wrote contributing to the email describing my professional interests, educational background, etc, he decided to add the all-important breaking news of my stardom. It read something like the following: "What Laura forgot to mention is that she already made it into The Times of India's Page Three!!!! For those who are unaware, the Times of India is a daily newspaper with the largest circulation in India, and maybe even the world given India's population!! :) "

Fantastic... and a relief to know that passing, infinitesimal fame on Page 3 has amsuing albeit slightly embarrassing consequences.

The other crazy Americans who moved to India

... and who I'll be working with/cavorting around the country with for the next 16+ months. All chracters.
The illustrious, larger-than-life Scott MacPherson Stapleton.

Ludwing, Me, Ricardo, Winnie. Practiced my Spanish for a couple of hours (got to hear Borges and Becquer in a Peruvian/French accent) and in this photo we were mid-SALUUUUD!- to women, love, and money.

Nate and Matt, mid-western Fraternity boys, furiously texting their south Asian admirers

Juan Castro, giggling.
Pete and me, soaked to the bone after running to catch the bus on our first day of "unofficial" work.
Nate, really really soaked on the 2 hour bus ride back home.
Nevena, Bulgarian ringleader.

Photos from Austin

The old days in Texas, land of chlorinated pools and the world's best frijoles.

The clan at the Fourth of July party at Austin Country Club. Probably the 10th time or so I've seen the fireworks above Lake Austin from the comfort of ACC and it never gets old. Granted when I was 8 I was slightly more interested in winning the coke toss (where dozens of little kids line up along the edge of the pool, pushing each other, plotting how they could gather up the most free coke cans floating in the water thrown in by the lifeguards- my personal record was 6) than enjoying a margarita, but the fireworks never get old. Especially the grand finale spectacle...
Enjoying my last real BBQ meal at a small hole in the wall joint off of Hwy 71. I highly recommend the Frito Pie. Notice the massive roll of industrial grade paper towels strategically located between my brother and my dad since they don't believe in real napkins and prefer wads and wads of coarse paper. Luckily, this food joint's target audience is people exactly like them, and readily supplied a steady stream of paper products.
Packing for India (the day of my flight) with the help of Whitney, best friend and last minute packer extraordinaire.
Little brother comes home from tour with Navy ROTC where he played with nuclear warheads and submarines.
Jenny and Vivian, oldest and best friends from Texas. Hoping they will be visiting India soon...

New and Improved -- Part One of my exhilarating introduction to India (Hampi)

Newest additions- more captions and monkey stories down below.

The best view of all time. After a grueling hike to the top of the tallest mountain in the area, we were rewarded with 360 degrees of amazing mountains comprised solely of huge sandy boulders, acres of banana plantations, pure white temples to the elephant god ganesh in the distance, and the remarkably still standing temples from 13th century- seen over my right shoulder in the photo, along the lazy cafe au lait river.
The best road I saw for days. Seriously. After roaring through the jungle in a Toyota Qualis for well over 2 hours through "roads" which featured quicksand-like mud, potholes deep enough to house a small tribe of pygmies, and crazy kamikaze daredevils on motorscooters, this road was like a slice of heaven.
The best photograph of nothing. I forced Winnie to take the photo of me shooting up peace love and happiness to the tadpoles swirling in confusion at the bottom inch deep pool of water which was quickly evaporating under the tropical-almost equatorial-sun.
The best jungle restaurant. Fellow indiana jones wannabes: Matt, Josh, Pete, Me, Winnie. You have to hike through a banana plantation for 15 minutes without any indication that there will be sustenance or prize at the end of a dirt path, upon which you stumble upon this oasis of swings, balconies, and amazing Indian chefs lodged on the banks of the river. And what makes this the best restaurant beyond a doubt- I had a banana crepe smoothered in Nutella (straight from France) served on a gigantic fresh banana leaf. Absolutely supreme.

Stumbling into the Mallagi Hotel, the only lodging with private bathrooms for miles, we were greeted by an exuberant staff of 20 crowded behind the "reception" desk, giddy with delight that their famous westerner guests had finally arrived. Above is the sign featuring our mini-celebrity status in the state of Karnataka- we are the party part, while Josh (apparently Joshuo) Bornstein was the real attraction. Josh has been living and working in Bangalore for two years and truly rules the little expat kingdom here. Evidence A: Upon entering the banana plantation restaurant near Hampi, miles and days away from Bangalore, we hear "Josh, Josh!" and turn to find two Israeli families with a gaggle of curly haired blond little girls giggling, smiling, and waving at him. The man is recognized by people even in the sticky humid depths of the Indian jungle. Amazing. Evidence B: http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/07-17b-04.asp So famous, didn't even know this article existed about him. Oh, and the Times has done a couple pieces on him so far. Tropical flowers on the side of the road
A monkey contemplating the deeper meaning of life, the missing matter of the universe, and why bananas are yellow (and taste so good).
A hidden monkey admiring his jungle paradise. The ones we encountered were very curious and playful animals. Several botched attempts to make friends by offering twigs and banana peels later, we realized that bringing him back to Bangalore as a pet to train was just a dream.

One was so friendly, he even investiaged (more like dug into, threw out and carried away) the contents of Matt's bag he left laying unguarded by the side of a temple perched on top of the mountain. Contents included: his new Play Station Portable, Eyeglasses, Postcards, Eye drops, and his wallet with credit cards, cash, and the foreign resident permit. Fortunately for Matt, the monkey wasn't too bright- when he returned and discovered the Monkey red-handed, the culprit hurled the postcards over the edge of the mountain and scampered off with his glasses, dropping them further down his getaway path only after much agitated yelling from the humans. The only permanent damage- the unusable chewed up bottle of eye drops spewing eyedrop solution from little monkey teeth puncture holes.

Above, Winnie and Nate in front of a temple built in 1161. Below, Nate dwarfed by rocks... and I thought I had seen a boulder before. these things were massive and chaotically scattered throughout the countryside. It was like a couple of bored giants decided to play marbles with rocks the sizes of mansions, flung the stones about the banks of the river, then got up and left their marvelous mess behind.


Hampi, the ancient forgotten capital of South India. An unbelievable trip- from the very fact that we survived abandoned dirt roads winding for miles in the middle of rice paddies and jungles, to the impressive temples adorned with intricate statues depicting Hindi gods in elaborate scenes hundreds of years old. A highly recommended brief background on Hampi for those interested- http://www.webonautics.com/hampi/history.html http://www.world66.com/asia/southasia/india/karnataka/hampi/history

Starting with the temples… now I’ve seen my fair share of crumbing rocks and granite slabs posing as ancient ruins, but these temples were some of the most well-preserved and ornate buildings I’ve encountered. Every inch was carved into a scene of gods and goddesses, mythical animals, ancient rituals, telling the story of a civilization long lost to years of invasions by Muslim invaders. It was amazing to see the transformation of plain, boring boulders dug up from the jungle countryside into scenes loaded with life and character solely with the help of the local craftsman axe and pick.









The most remarkable temple we visited, Vitthala, actually played music when you tapped on one of its 86 columns. Clusters of solid columns four feet high, ranging in diameter from 4 inches to 12 inches, surrounded the perimeter of the temple. In the middle of each of these clusters, a worn carving resided which indicated which musical instrument best represented the noise that eerily diffused from the dark corners of the ceiling when one clicked on the exterior of each column. Yes, quite spooky.

Again, explanations/stories will accompany these photos tomorrow...

And the now infamous Times Article which is slowly circluating around the world, making my plight in the little city of Bangalore, India a little more well-known. (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20A11FF3F5A0C738DDDA10894DD404482)

Bangalorean Life

Back from Hampi- photos will be up soon. Had my first series of meetings today... its official. Life in the cubicle has begun.

Huge update with colorful photos on Monday... and maybe me in the local newspaper!

Number in India

00918026990477

gotta run at work!

INDIA: Man's Modern Day Jungle.

I am officially on the exact opposite side of the world from my java-loving, lance armstrong-loving, live music-loving hometown of Austin, Texas. Couldn't get any farther away from my roots unless I hijacked the shuttle Discovery and did a U-turn back into space.

Although I've only been here a mere 36 hours, I've absorbed so much on the streets, at work, at the airport, that I'm beginning to adopt a feeling of familiarity with this city. Very odd. Where to begin...

Hong Kong Airport Experience: As can be expected at this point, I encountered considerable problems while transporting my enormous suitcases and life out of the airport at Hong Kong. Unfortunately, due to re-packing difficulties/impossibilities and a growing pile of new wardrobe additions, I had accumulated a new piece of luggage, which brought the grand total to 2 large suitcases, duffel bag/body bag, smaller "carry on" and another large duffel-like contraption. Or, if you just want a weight estimate, approx 110 kilos according to the evil scales at the Cathay Pacific check-in counter.

I arrive early of all things and wait in the normal check-in line. Approached the counter, tried to check 3 bags, and the woman says if I'm checking an extra suitcase I must wait in a new line, and since one is overweight I must shuffle some kilos from the big suitcase to the already over-stuffed smaller one. Physically impossible. Wait in new line. New person informs me my little suitcase/carry must also be checked. Doesn't matter if I have a computer in there, I'll just have wait and see where else it can fit. So, re-pack again... and lose my patience. Rip open my suitcase in desperation, throw out the first layer of random items including dirty socks, a sandy hammock, a pink bikini... and furiously scatter them across the recently waxed airport floor as frightened airline clercks stare at the mess unfolding admist their sane customers. One scurries away and comes back triumphantly clutching a Cathay Pacific cardboard box and cheap plastic tape telling "no problem no problem!"- I can simply put my extra belongings I deemed important enough to lug all the way from a Texan suburb to India in a flimsy box worthy only of shipping coconuts.

Summoning all of my calm negotiating skills, we reach I compromise- I pay 200+ USD, get my suitcases on the plane as is, and we call it a day. Life Lesson #237, avoid traveling with more than you can carry and bringing more than your body weight in luggage.

Then I barely make the plane. I felt the impending absence of a good hamburger in India and dashed to McDonalds for one final non-juicy piece of meat. I get distracted by the McFlurry, and soon realize that the time circled on my ticket is not the typical boarding time thats 45 min ahead of departure, but the actual departure time. I run. More like a gallop, until a Cathay Pacific worker waving a large sign with my flight number on it comes rusing toward me- we clarify that yes, I indeed am the missing passenger and yes, please hold the plane- I am coming. My run slows into a relieved brisk walk toward the gate until a new set of Cathay employees appear on the horizon. They don't waste any time talking. Instead one grabs my hand, the other my carry on, and we run together like a bunch of deluded fools toward the sunset, only once we reach the sunset (aka gate 68) they shove me onto the hallway connecting to the plane. There, a new set of employees take over and I finally make it to my row as the plane slowly rolls backward towards the tarmac. My fellow seat mates weren't too pleased with my tardiness, as they remained motionless after I pointed to my window seat. As I stared, confused, wondering if I should just sit in the isle, one pulled his Financial Times newspaper closer to him as he motioned with his hand to simply step over them. They asked for it- so I climbed over... we arrived in Bangkok 2 very, very long hours later.

First impressions of India- absolutely fascinating.

As soon as I stepped outside the Bangalore airport, I was greeted not only by hundreds of taxi drivers held back 100 ft from the exit by a low life-saving gate, but also the shrill honks and beeps of what sounded like thousands of cars. Horns, I realized, are commonly used as instruments for all sorts of communication on the streets- from hello to watch that bumper fool to you better move it now- it sounded like a flock of exotic bird calls working out which direction everybody would be flying in. Throw in a total disregard for traffic signals and lane markers, add a jingle that rings every time the turn signal in a car is set, include turning off the engines when stopped for a moment because its just too much to keep that foot on the brake, spice it up with horrendous traffic jams, and you have the modern day jungle on the streets.

A quick rundown of the rest, with details later...
Could do without:
The dust- its everywhere
The brown out- digging through your suitcase to find a toothbrush is made extremely difficult when the lights flash on and off every 7 seconds.
Highlights:
My Apartment- much bigger than I expected, and I even have 2 beds in my room,
The Company's campus- beautiful, like disneyland, complete with a golf course, a paddle boat pond, and a fleet of bikes scattered around campus ready to ride,
The people- everybody is amazing, helpful and friendly,
The food- discovering how much I love Indian food.

I'm going to Hampi this weekend on my first road trip with fellow co-workers- Monday is Independence day here, so we're getting out of town. Tuesday is my first official day. get ready real world.

Yes, India...

Super Random Pics

Out in Beijing's "hottest" club- so cutting edge, so cool that they didn't accept our foreign credit cards. that is, until Ryan pulled out his mandarin, threw in the beijing accent, chatted up a cute waitress, and then we had a table.
Hong Kong's Insomnia... for some reason one of my favorite places- inside you'll find a super cheesy cover band playing to an over packed dance floor with teenage girls swooning in the front row over the shaggy haired lead singer. awesome.
Groovin
These dudes followed me and vivian around t.square, throwing some "I'm so hot poses" in our direction while giggling. Then I got an idea... ran up to them, smiled, struck a pose imitating theirs, then ran off again.
Vivian getting excited in T.Square. It took about 7 tries to get it right- the height, the angle, and most importantly her not accidentily flashing the thousands of tourists in one of the most respected monuments in Beijing
Hong Kong skyline from the Kowloon side... the flat building is the Convention Center, site of the British handover of the island back to the Chinese. Its one of the cooler buildings- the curved roofs are supposed to evoke a bird in flight Out in SoHo in Hong Kong when Vivian first got into town




Dave (friend in hk) and me chillin in SoHo- notice the earring(s). first of many photos taken after I lost my left one and rolled- unknown to me- pirate style for the rest of the night












An Italian bartender from Florence who thought he was God's gift to women, and that it was our lucky night since we got to meet him and experience his fabulousness... yes Marco, so lucky we were

A glimpse into beach heaven

The coolest and most dangerous thing I have ever witnessed. There is a small thai teenager jumping and dancing to pumping music while he whirles behind/above/around him two metal chains supporting at the end wads of cotton-soaked kerosene consumed in flames.
I was there for the Black moon party, celebrating no moon. (smaller version of the backpackers party paradise, Full Moon Party, which has gained tremendous popularity in recent years). In Koh Phangan, on Haad Rin beach there are huge- 10,000 people huge- parties on the beach to welcome the full moon.
Ever have a guy flirt with you while striking a "GQ" style pose with balls of fire swirling around his head?
More playing with fire on the beach, only we've switched to 2 flaming poles now
Inevitably, visitors to the island are going to become fascinated by the fire dancers and want to partake in the fire games themselves. The thai dudes thought us regular folk swinging balls of fire was just too dangerous, so they lit 2 hoops on fire, strung them up 4 feet off the ground, and told people to run and jump through them. This guy makes it... but I think tasted sand for 3 days afterward
Typical street in Phangan- internet cafes, restaurants that magically serve every dish in the world with just one cook, and "ticket change" stores
One of the many dogs who lived on the beach- very unusual animals, as I only saw about 2 awake the entire time I was there. Mostly they curled up in the sand (or on my beach mat in this case) and slept morning noon and night.
Late night snack at Mama's Schnitzel- Adam and Carlton getting friendly with the dogs and sharing the schnitzel
mmmm bucket drink (don't worry, I shared)
mini-kerosene wicker lamps that were on top of every beachside table- and carlton relaxing on a hammock
The humble abode #2
A lonely island
Complete peacefulness
First humble abode's bathroom the shower/bucket contraption are behind me. Can't get picky on 7 usd a night
View from humble abode #1's door. perfection
Leaving koh samui- the runway is the large expanse of pavement and the airport huts are behind me... you can almost touch the planes as they take off. scary/cool thing number 59 we encountered in thailand