Hotel Royal Orchid Bangalore

... ve seen since being here. The city is referred to as the “U.S.’s back office” because of the number of technological call centers here. Many computer and software companies from the UK and the States outsource their call centers here. If you’re talking to someone from India they are most likely in Bangalore. Over the past years the city has experienced a pretty mild climate change. This ...

... dress, and playfulness of the children. I greet my Muslim neighbours, the men at least, with as-Salamu Alaykum. And I have a letter of introduction prepared for the imam of Masjid Khadria asking the religious leader for permission to visit the beautiful mosque down the street, and to meet him and the muezzin.

As much as I am an atheist I understand religion and do not despise it. Faith is a necessary part of human existence, and it can be and is a ...

... and was an essential part of the larger celebration of Dasara nation-wide. The British encountered pandals and illustrated them in exotic lithographs. The festival’s prominence grew during the British Raj, especially in Bengal, and the seat of colonial power, Calcutta. But India’s Hindu reformists saw Durga as an embodiment of their struggle for independence. The community puja was an ideal way for reformists to promote their cause. And since ...

... t know anything about this mumbo jumbo.”

And though my boss might have been discomfited by the affair his employees certainly took the veneration seriously. For an hour or more after lunch my coworkers fussed over the preparations, clearing a desk and having the cleaning lady give it a good scrub before shifting the shrine from its usual place beside the entrance. The picture of Ganesh and his consorts Lakshmi and Saraswati was garlanded ...

... gossiped, and bored security guards played with their nightsticks to look important. This was my first real taste of India, and I could **********tain the broad grin on my face.

Everywhere there was action; vendors selling vegetables on ancient carts; auto drivers vying for fares and space on the road; mangy dogs digging for food in rubbish heaps; and above all the sound of traffic, honking horns, revving engines and the puff of choking exhaust fumes. It ...

... quarters up til now. Here, we had gobs of space (and the bathrooms were to die for -- tiled throughout and soooo much room!). While we only spent a handful of nights here, as you'll see -- we were off on photography excursions on an almost every day basis, what a wonderful home base where we both felt at ease, safe and comfy. We slept well on hard beds (there's so much to say about the way of life I witnessed -- everything has a purpose, a time, a meaning and ...

... that it was the "new kids" that caused a lot of the trouble in the back of the classroom. On the third day, while I was teaching the class vocabulary, and the class was still quite routy, I got hit in the face with a paper football. I was emotionally saddened, disappointed, and felt very disrespected. I shouted at the student that threw it and also at the entire class for the way they had been treating Heather, Lauren, and I over the last few ...

... Kali temple and were shown round by a priest - it was heaving with people trying to get a glimpse of the statue of the goddess Durga as the Durga Puja festival is approaching in the next few days (at the end of the festival period they throw replicates of the goddess into the river). We had red dots placed on our heads and red string tied round our wrists to give us good luck and happiness. We walked ...

... and then pay for my flight back to india in a week or so! my flight to sri lanka is tomorrow! i cant wait. Last night i went out to eat and i guy from *****ia starting talking to me. He's h**e to do a football trial and is having problems und**standing indian-english, they are also having problems und**standing him. He plays for the *****ian national team and was telling me about Yakubu or someone moving from English football to somewh**e else. He says he also know Okocha and some ...

... Shame on you!' instead of the filth that I was really wanting to say and that would have made me feel so much better. The formality of the words did not match the urge to follow him onto the bus inflicting the damage that was playing in my mind. I figured at least I got my point across in front of a bus load of people. I walked away mumbling, 'I will give you something free for the taking.' The evening didn't get any better. We had missed the sound and light show. The ...