TravelStream™ news feed for member bwulz on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/bwulz en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:44:45 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250593155/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250593155/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250593155/tpod.html Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:44:45 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Who would have thunk it?  There's actually a world championship badminton tournament each year where the best "shuttlers" from around the world compete in an Olympic style format to win the title as the best shuttler in the world.  On Olympic years they do not hold the tournament as the Olympic games will determine who's the best that year.This year the tournament is in Hyderabad and it happens to be very close to my office.  VIP seats are all of $8 so I went over one day during lunch to watch them hit the shuttle cock back and forth.  I was actually surprised by the pace and agility of the shuttlers...it's actually a fun sport to watch (similar to tennis).  Before the tourney even began, there were reports of tourists threats which caused the entire British team to bail along with a couple Austrians (wusses...all of them).Despite the security concerns, Hyderabad did a great job and everything went off without a hitch.  The Chinese won pretty much everything and all the players seem to enjoy their time in H'bad.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250591273/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250591273/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250591273/tpod.html Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:49:22 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

So some friends asked me the week before they took off for a trip..."Hey Brandon, we're going to Kuala Lumpur for the weekend, wanna come?".  My first answer...no....it's too close to your departure date so it will be cost prohibitive.  But then I realized that this is India, we're in the middle of a swine flu scare and it's monsoon season...so maybe it wasn't so cost prohibitive after all.  $500 later I had a round trip ticket to KL from Hyderabad + 2 nights in a posh 5 star hotel (Traders Shangril La).  Because I had a little more extra time than the rest of the group coming, I went out a day early (overnight flight arriving Friday morning) and stayed until Sunday evening.Arrival into KL was a lot like arriving into Singapore.  Efficient taxi service, clean roads, well behaved drivers...everything that India is not for the most part.  Not to bash India...because India also has a lot going for it that KL doesn't really have...but I digress.  Anyway...the taxi drive to the hotel took about 40 minutes and gave me some great views of the city and of course the Patronus Towers.  If you don't know what the Patronus Towers are, click here.  Arrived at the hotel front desk around 8AM and was able to score an early check in and take a shower.  The hotel was great, but sadly I didn't have a view of the Patronus Towers.  After freshening up, I took the free hotel shuttle to a bus stop where you can pick up a "hop on/hop off" tour bus that takes you on a complete drive around the city complete with an audio guide.  It was OK, but I'd never do it again as it took entirely too long.  By 1PM I was going crazy and I "hopped off" and caught a taxi to get some lunch.  I told the driver I was hungry and wanted "American food"...so he took me to the Hard Rock Cafe.  Wouldn't have been my first choice, but the burger and beer were damn good!  On the way home I walked past the Patronus Towers and into the incredible mall built into the tower complex.  Back at the hotel I took a swim on their rooftop pool which offered the best views of the Towers.  That evening I had an amazing sushi dinner and went to a local bar that had a great live band.  The next morning I met my recently arrived friends for breakfast and then we were off to see the Patronus towers and check out the city.  We had a pretty lazy day which comprised of hanging around the shopping mall, eating more "good" American food at Chili's and having a few beers to cool us down.  That evening we managed to hit the same sushi restaurant I hit the night before (you can never have enough sushi after being away from it for so long).  Copious amounts of sake and sushi were ingested before we headed off to take some great night time photos of the Patronus Towers.  After wards we heard some really great music from a nearby bar so we headed over and found a really cool live music venue which played 80's and 90's music.  We loved the band so much we stayed there until they kicked us out (around 1AM).Sunday is departure day, but our flights are not until 10PM.  Two of my friends from H'bad left early as they were continuing on to Bali...the rest of us were all on the same flight back to India that evening.  So we got up, checked out of the hotel and headed over to China town for some shopping and a bit of "pampering".  The pampering was something that friends have recommended I do in KL...but not what you're thinking.  We went to some place called a Fish Spa where you dip your legs into a tank full of these fish (called Doctor Fish) and they nibble away at your feed.  Allegedly they eat the dead skin off your feet...but I'm not sure they really made much of a dent on my feet.  It was fun and something to say you've done...once.The trip to the airport was uneventful and our flight home was smooth and fast.  Great trip to Malaysia!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250485601/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250485601/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1250485601/tpod.html Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:06:06 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Cancun, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Most of you experienced travelers can probably figure out the name of this entry.  For you travel rookies, those are the airport codes I touched down in during my most recent trip to the US.  Hyderabad - Doha - New York JFK - New York La Guardia - Okla City (via St. Louis) - Dallas Love Field - DFW Airport - Cancun - DFW- New York JFK - Doha - Hyderabad.  A lot of flying for a two week trip back to the US, but it ended up working out very, very well.First stop, a one night stop-over in New York City after the 13 hour flight from Doha to New York.  I had arranged a nice hotel near mid town (Giraffe Hotel - recommended) and managed to get upgraded to a Park Avenue suite upon arrival.  After a shower, nap and some rest, I called up a few of my local NYC friends to meet up for a tasty margarita at a local Mexican place.   From there we went to an amazing local place called the Spotted Pig.  Good times for my one night in NYC.  The next day I had a few hours to kill before my flight to Oklahoma so I did something that I hadn't done in nearly 15 years...go to the top of the Empire State Building.  I must of arrived at just the right time because there was no line and it wasn't too much time before I was on the observation deck.  I booked another ticket that got me to the 102 floor which is the tip-top of the building.  Nice views for sure.  Back down to sea-level where I grabbed a quick slice of NYC pizza before heading back to the airport for another flight...this time to Oklahoma via St. Louis.Oklahoma was of course a required stop to see the family and participate in my family's favorite holiday, the 4th of July.  The weather was hot and windy in Oklahoma, but of course on the day that we had 50+ people over the the house for dad's fireworks show, the heaven's opened up and we had two hours of non-stop rain which flooded the driveway and threatened to put a damper on the fireworks.  Fortunately, it only rained during the daytime which gave everyone plenty of time to drink, eat and catch up.  At night the firework stands were setup and dad trucked out a trailer full of "almost legal" fireworks.  Everyone had a great time and we definitely had the best show in the neighborhood.  The rest of my time in OKC was spent catching up with the parents, eating good food and hanging out.After a few days of Oklahoma home cooking, I caught a Southwest flight down to Love field in Dallas where Tanya was waiting for me.  We spent the next two days with her and her family catching up and enjoying more home cooking.  Tanya and I then headed off for a 4 night holiday in Cancun which we had originally planned to take in May...but didn't because of the Swine Flu epidemic was in full force back then.  Out flight in first class to Cancun was uneventful and short.  Customs was a breeze and we were soon in a taxi on the way to the ME Melia resort in the Hotel Zone.  I haven't been to Cancun in over 10 years and it was great to be able to use my Spanish again (I think Tanya was a little impressed).  The ME Melia was beautiful...I didn't realize it until after I booked it but evidently it was the hotel where the Real World Cancun was shot.  Because we had modified our booking from May to July...they didn't have the reservation correct, but after some begging we were upgraded to an ocean front room and $100 of resort credit to use for whatever we wanted.  Our room was amazing...the ocean seemed like it was so close you could almost jump into it.  Sadly it was already dark when we arrived so we didn't get to fully appreciate the view until the next day.  We had already eaten on the plane so we just took it easy the first night and enjoyed a cocktail in the lobby bar.  We spent the next three days hanging out at the pool enjoying the sunshine and margaritas.  We spent the next three nights eating amazing seafood and mexican cuisine and enjoying what little culture there is to offer in Cancun (the biggest cultural thing we did was go to Senior Frogs where Tanya was shocked at what she saw).  In need of a little culture, Tanya had a great idea that we visit the Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza.  Our hotel organized a bus tour that started at 7:30 AM and lasted all day long.  The tour included breakfast on the way out, a very comfortable bus which Tanya had no trouble sleeping on, a guided tour of the Chichen Itza complex and cold beer on the way back.  Oh...one more thing, on the way there we stopped by a huge sinkhole which has been transformed into this amazing swimming hole.  The water depth is 150 feet deep and there are plenty of cliffs and ledges to jump off of (it was a blast).  Back at the hotel we made reservations at an amazing restaurant for our last dinner in Mexico and enjoyed every bit of it.  Our last day was spent lounging at the pool until checkout time and then making our way back to the airport where it was back to the cold, hard reality of our normal lives in Dallas.The remainder of my time in Dallas was spent with Tanya and my friends enjoying my favorite restaurants and some new places Tanya wanted me to check out (for a laugh go to the Ritz Carlton in Dallas on a Saturday night...wow...what a cheese fest).  My final Saturday was one of my best friends weddings so Tanya and I got dressed up and spent the entire day with Stacy and Spencer enjoying their wedding and reception.  The best part of the wedding was how Stacy was running the show and if anyone tried to do anything that she didn't want...well, let's just say you don't upset Stacy on her wedding day. ;)  She was great and we all had a great time...congrats to them both.On the way back to Hyderabad I had a layover in New York for a few hours...enough time to enjoy a nice dinner with Tanya's sister Angelina and her boyfriend Randall.  Safely arrived back into Hyderabad and already missing the US.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246014068/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246014068/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246014068/tpod.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:59:52 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India

One of my "to-do's" before I depart India is to see a tiger in the wild.  It's not an easy feat given that there are only a few places to go where the tigers are protected and that by the last count, there were only 1,400 wild tigers left in India.  So before the monsoon season hits and most of the national parks and tiger reserves shut down for several months, I managed to throw together a long weekend trip up to Rajasthan to visit Ranthambore National Park...one of the best places remaining in the world to see a tiger in the wild.  Coming with me were a few friends from Hyderabad...Brian, Lauren, Becky, Hillary and her husband TJ.  I had a bit more flexibility on my departure date so I left a day earlier than the rest so I could also do a couple additional game drives through the park.  The park opens at 6AM every day and closes at sunset. There is a morning game drive from 6AM-9AM and an evening game drive from 4-7PM.  Our hotel was recommended to me by a Hyderabad friend who stayed there earlier in the year...Jas Vilas, which is right on the boundary of the park.My flight was Hyderabad to Jaipur was uneventful...which is a good thing given that I have a train to catch to Sawai Madhopur right after I land into Jaipur.  Sawai Madhopur is the nearest "city" to Ranthambore national park and getting there by train (2 hours) is a heck of a lot easier and more comfortable than by car (3+ hours).  From the airport I caught a rickshaw to the train station and had time to enjoy a nice egg curry at the station restaurant (un-airconditioned).  Did I mention it's bloody hot in Rajasthan in the summer...like 44C or 108F.  The train pulled up on time and I climbed aboard my 2nd class AC seat and enjoyed the quick 2 hour train journey through Rajasthan.  Most of the people with me were actually heading to Mumbai on the same train (an overnight journey).  Two hours later we stopped for a quick 10 minute stop at Sawai Madhopur and my driver from the Jas Vilas hotel was waiting for me to help me with my bag.  After a 20 minute journey through the city, we arrived at Jas Vilas.  To say the hotel was beautiful and relaxing would not do this place justice.  Nor would the words kind and pleasant be strong enough words to describe the staff.  This place was great.After checking in to my bungalow (with an outdoor shower and views of the park), I inquired about a quick trip into Rathambore park to visit Ranthambore Fort and a Ganesh temple I had heard about.  Within minutes I was off with Dinesh the driver and we entered the park.  Entering the park you feel like you are really entering an open air zoo...but with no cages or protective measures between you the animals.  Other than the ever elusive tiger, there are thousands of deer, wild boar, leopards, monkeys, peacocks, alligators, mongoose, lizards and more birds than I can count.  All of those animals are what makes Ranthambore a good place for tigers...because basically anything that's not a tiger is tiger-chow.  Dinesh and I drove deep into the park where Ratnhambore Fort is perched 700 feet high above the surrounding plains.  The climb up to the top wasn't too bad...with the exception of the super aggressive monkeys.  The views of the park were amazing...my pictures don't do it justice.  Dinesh did his best to try and spot me a tiger with his binoculars but it was not to be.  He did say that the previous day there was a tiger very close to where we parked our car (yikes) enjoying a tasty deer kebab.  Within the fort is a very famous Ganesh temple that attracts thousands of local pilgrims for prayer and to make an offering.  I managed to perform a small puja and make a small offering.  What did I pray for you may ask?  Why to see a tiger of course!  One the way back down to the parking area we looked a few more times for Tigers, but all we saw were alligators and deer.  Dinner at the hotel was amazing considering the entire place is pure vegetarian.  Sleep came quickly...Day 1 Game Drives:Friday morning at 5:30 AM there's a knock at my door.  Usually a wake up call this early would cause be to jump up and punch someone...but in this case it's just a member of the hotel staff to bring me hot coffee and biscuits to wake me up for my morning park drive in the park.  The way these game drives work are you have two options...you can opt for a 6 person open air jeep...or a 20 person open air truck.  Obviously the jeep is the better option as you're able to cover more terrain.  My jeep arrived with three other people in it...two Indians and an annoying girl from Canada (who I'm convinced was bad luck).  The Indian couple told us they had an amazing tiger encounter the previous day and showed me a video of a tiger practically coming up to their jeep.  More than ever I wanted to see a tiger.  Entering the park you are assigned one of 5 "zones" which are given to the various jeeps and trucks.  They say these zones are "randomly" assigned, but this is India and I'm sure it's more complicated than that.  We were assigned a good zone...zone 3 which includes the biggest lake in the reserve.  I'm not going to get into the number of deer, antelope, bird, alligators and monkeys we saw because you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting at least one of those animals in this reserve.  What we didn't see that first drive was a tiger...bummer.  We saw fresh tiger-poop and a tiger pug mark (foot print), but no tiger.  Back at the hotel breakfast was served and I spent the rest of the hot, hot day by the pool.  After a quick nap, I was off on my 4PM evening drive.  It was actually raining when we left (open air jeep), but stopped quickly.  This time I was with the same annoying Canadian girl (bad luck) and a bunch of India dudes.  This time we hit zone 2...again supposedly a good zone.  We did a ton of driving, saw a lot of animals and so many places that a Tiger should want to be in...but still no tiger.  Damn...I'm starting to get upset.  Back at the hotel for a much needed shower.  As I got cleaned up for dinner, Becky and Lauren showed up so the three of us had dinner and drinks before passing out to the beautiful sounds of the the park at night.  Around 2AM, Brian, Hillary and TJ showed up...but I was passed out and didn't even here my roomie (Brian) come in.Day 2 Game Drives:Saturday morning...another knock at 5:30 AM...another person almost gets punched for waking me up too damn early!  Because we have 6 people in our group, and because the game drive jeeps seat 6, and because we're all at the same hotel...we made the rational assumption that that government of India would put us all in the same jeep to make things easier....versus having multiple jeeps make the long drive to our hotel to pick us up in small groups.  Of course anything logical just doesn't make sense in India so we got separated in to three different jeeps this morning...sucks.  It was Brian and I together so off we went for my second drive in zone 2.  Our guide told me we had a 80% chance of seeing a tiger today.  Riiiight.  I told him (jokingly) that if he showed me a tiger today I would give him 500 India Rupees (about $10).  More bad news...the annoying Canadian girl is in the jeep with Brian and I.  After driving around our zone for 3 hours chasing tigers, we finally gave up.  I was 0 for 3 with only one more drive left that evening.  After we left the core area of the park and entered the park boundary area, we saw a bunch of jeeps pulled over on the side of the road.  After a long exchange of Hindi our guide informed us that just 5 minutes earlier a tigress had crossed the road and was now heading towards a water source.  Sadly, the water source wasn't visible from the road and we're not allowed to exit our vehicles.  It really sucked too because you just knew something was down there based on the commotion the other animals were making (mainly the monkeys screaming their warning calls).  At one point the driver told us all to get out of the jeep and walk towards a ledge that offered a view of the water area...but as soon as he said to do that his boss drove up and we had to all get back in the jeep.  Damnit!  So close.  We hung out on the side of the road for another hour and several of the other jeeps had called it quits and drove off to drop their passengers back at their hotels.  Just as we were getting ready to do the same, our driver yells "Tiger Tiger Tiger!!!!".  And there she was...strolling about 100 yards away from us going back to the core area of the park.  You would think an animal that is orange would stand out against the park background...but it was amazing how well she blended into the scenery.  Because her path back to the park ran parallel to the road we were able to follow her all the way back to the park entrance.  At one point we got within 10 yards of her...very cool.  You may ask...."Brandon, weren't you worried being in an open air jeep?  What if she charged?".  Honestly...she could have given a crap less about us.  There is so much "free food" in the park in the form of deer, antelope and other more tastier animals, that she barely gave us a second look.  We stayed with her as long as we can and I got off a couple good shots and one very bad video.  Brian and I were on a bit of a high on the way back to the hotel.  Our guide sits down next to me and says "Sir...I stayed out one extra hour so you can see a Tiger.  I made a promise to show you a tiger and we did it.  Do you remember the promise you made to me sir?".  Meaning the 500 rupees I told him I'd give him.  I gladly handed it over without even thinking about.  Back at the hotel, Brian and I were the only ones in our group to see a tiger and did a little bragging.  The entire afternoon was spent in the pool trying to escape the Rajesthan heat.  While most of splashed around in the pool, Hillary went into town with our hotel manager to try and arrange it so we could all be together for the afternoon drive.  Surprisingly she pulled it off and at 4PM we were all loaded into our jeep for a tour of zone 2 this time.  The people in our gang who didn't see a tiger offered the driver a 500 rupee incentive ala me.  Zone 2 was a very interesting zone, lot's of natural beauty...but not a damn tiger to be seen.  As we neared the park exit, we saw our driver go over to a supervisor vehicle and he comes back saying that there is a tiger in zone 3.  Sadly we're in zone 2 and if you cross over into a different zone the guide and driver can get fired.  But with a 500 rupee incentive promised they chose to take the risk.  The driver changes out a number plate identifier on the vehicle to zone 2...and then he pulls into a small path off the main path and removes some batteries from a device in the dash.  It turns out that was a GPS receiver that beams his location back to the main office.  If the big boss saw his car going over into a new zone based on his GPS receiver, the driver and guide are both fired.  Heading over into zone 2 we see a lot of commotion and vehicles by one of the lakes.  After squinting a bit and maxing out my zoom lens we were all able to make out the tiger hidden in the tall grass.  So everyone in our group got to see at least one tiger during the trip (and our driver/guide got their 500 rupees).  Back at the hotel we had a great meal and celebrated with a few drinks after wards back at our rooms.The next morning we slept in and packed up for the long drive back to Jaipur to catch our flights home.  I road back with Brian, Hillary and TJ in a minvan on some of the worst roads I've ever been on in India.  Lot of on-coming large trucks, steep drop offs and crowded villages.  Somehow we made it to the airport unharmed and safely flew back to Hyderabad that evening.Great trip, two tiger sightings and another box checked on my India to-do list.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246011175/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246011175/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1246011175/tpod.html Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:57:35 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Hard to believe it's my third yearly company sponsored Community Service event in Hyderabad.  This year I signed up to volunteer at a boys ophanage in Hyderabad that caters to boys from troubled homes, from the streets and/or orphans.  This particular orphanage also has a "vo-tech" on campus so the boys can start to learn a new skill like woodworking or electronic repair.  But today was all about fun...sports, dance contests, drawings, games, etc.  Despite the temperature of 40 degrees C (104 F), we had a lot of fun and the boys did too.  Enjoy the pics!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1244132580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1244132580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1244132580/tpod.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:31:18 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Back in the 'bad...and as soon as I touch down I'm handed a wedding invite from my landlord to his son's wedding.  Two things for you to know...#1) anyone who owns land in Hyderabad (like my landlord) is uber rich...#2) India weddings are known for being huge and over the top.I really didn't want to head all the way across town for a crazy Indian wedding...but I couldn't pass up something this massive so I donned a suit and heading over to Secunderbad (Hyderabad's twin city).  The wedding invitation said 8:30...so using my best India judgment and factoring in the "normal" India wedding, I decided that 9:30 would be a good time to show up.  My decision and timing was perfect.  I showed up just as the men were called upon the stage to wish the happy couple best wishes by pouring some rice over their heads.  Of course being the only white guy at a wedding of over 2,000 people, I had to pose for pictures with the happy couple as well.  As soon as I walked off stage...boom...called my driver and back home.  It was good to be part of such a huge wedding...but better to be there for the most important part, congratulating the bride and groom.Congrats to the happy couple!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1245253020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1245253020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1245253020/tpod.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:13:52 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Because of my extension in India beyond 2 years, I managed to get one more trip back to the US.  For this trip, I ended up working a lot and networking even more to try and find a spot in the firm for me after I leave India.  But I also managed some time to spend with the family...and also with some long lost friends in Tulsa and my good friends in Dallas.Landed into Dallas and checked into a great hotel (hotel Palomar) for my traditional "cleansing" after India and the 24 hour plane journey.  Palomar is a great hotel and the wine reception was a welcome relief from bad India wine.  Tanya joined me and we had a great sushi dinner.  Two days later I was off to Oklahoma to visit the parents for a few days where I was properly fed and fattened up (side note...I gained 10 pounds this trip home).  I managed to squeeze in some extra time to driver up to Tulsa where I was raised and went to high school.  After meeting Brett and his wife Tiffany, I checked into a hotel (Hyatt Place - GREAT) and then met 5 old friends (Angie, Brett, Hoang, Mike and Chris) for dinner and drinks at a local pub downtown.  It was great to catch up with all of them.Back in Dallas, Tanya and I were carefully monitoring the swine flu epidemic and decided to cancel our planned trip to Cancun.  Sucks...I was looking forward to it.  In replace of sunny Mexico...I made a last minute adjustment to go to sunny Florida to visit mom.  Plenty of sun, seafood and fishing were in store and I had a great time.Back in Dallas (again) Tanya had managed to organize a surprise birthday party for me at one of my favorite restaurants...Javiers.  She did an amazing job hiding it from me and I can't thank her enough for getting Stacey, Ruben, Alexa, and their significant others out (and to keep it a secret).  We had lot's of good Mexican good and too many good drinks.  My last few days in the US were spent in Dallas enjoying the great food and spending time with Tanya.  On one our last nights outs...we even managed to see an authentic India rickshaw patrolling the streets of Dallas.  Crazy.Enjoy the pics.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1240240980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1240240980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1240240980/tpod.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:29:28 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hyderabad, India

Believe it or not, rumor has it that Hyderabad (the 'bad) has a pretty decent bowling alley.  So together with a group of expat and local friends, some of us decided to confirm this fact and do something different for a change (different meaning...not going to a restaurant, pub, club for a change).  So this Saturday night we heading to a place on the far side of town for a bit of bowling.  So you may be asking...what's different about a bowling alley in India vs. one in the States.  Well...first of all, the lighting at this alley is very "clubby" meaning it's more like a night club than a bowling alley.  Secondly...no beer.  Seriously...bowling without beer is like fishing without beer.  Anyway...we had a blast and yours truly even managed to bowl quite well.  Enjoy the pics.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238560080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238560080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238560080/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:33:49 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hyderabad, India

Two years have just flown by...wow.  And I haven't even show you guys pics of some of my everyday Hyderabad routine.  Shame on me.  Well lucky you...here's a blog entry with pictures of my apartment, my car, my motorcycle, my driver Ryas, my watchman Shiva and his family (wife Suryakala and son Durga) and a few other things.I can't believe how fast two years has gone by.  Right now the plan is to work an additional 6 months in Hyderabad...but you never know what might happen.  Enjoy the pics.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238372580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238372580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bwulz/india2007/1238372580/tpod.html Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:17:09 -0400 Relocating to India for two years? What am I thinking?

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Hampi, Karnataka, India

Another weekend in Hyderabad = Another chance to do something outside of Hyderabad.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy in Hyderabad, but given that I don't have much time left in India, I need to take advantage of every free weekend I have and try to see some more sites before I run out of time.  So...I made the decision this weekend to visit Hampi which has been recommended countless times by my friends who have been.  You can read more about Hampi here if you wish.  Coming along with me on this trip was a friend from Monster.com, George and his family.For this trip I had to take an overnight train from Hyderabad to a small town called Hospet.  Our train left around 9PM and arrived into Hospet the following morning at 7AM.  We managed to polish off a few beers on the train which made sleep a easy chore.  Up early the next morning we were picked up at the Hospet station by a waiting car that George had booked to take us all to the hotel.  Our Hotel was called Hampi Boudlers and it was definitely the nicest place in the area.  It had amazing grounds and basic accommodations, but it's location was perfect and food amazing.  After cleaning up we arranged for the hotel to take us to the main Hampi area for some site seeing.  I decided to hang out with George and family for this first day, but the remaining days I was going to do my own thing.  The hotel SUV took us to the main River that bisects the older part of Hampi from the more new part where a lot of the guest houses and hotels are.  Why are they bisected you may ask?  Because the old historic part of Hampi is a dry (no alcohol) area given it's religious significance.  The other side of the river however is not dry and thus the main choice for most of the guest houses and hostels for the backpacker scene.  Because we were on the "wet" side, we had to pay a boat operator 10 rupees each (about 20 cents) for the the 30 second journey across the river.  Once on the other side we were dropped smack dab in the middle of the ruins and did some touring around the main sites.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but the highlights were getting blessed by an elephant, tormenting the monkeys, having lunch at Mango Tree (awesome place) and climbing to the top of a nearby hill with George for some amazing views.  Back across the river to catch a ride back to the hotel where a nice cool pool was waiting for us.  Dinner was uneventful but good.  Another couple from England is also staying at the same hotel so new friends were made.The next t morning we were off again to visit more ruins in Hampi.  I guess I should mention that the ruins are quite spread out so getting around the area outside the main strip is a bit difficult unless you have a bike or rent a auto rickshaw and driver for the day.  Because I wanted to do my own thing today and explore some of the more remote ruins, I said adios to George and family, rented a motorcycle and headed out for the site seeing.  It's bloody hot in Hampi this time of year so the breeze generated by driving around on the bike was welcome relief.  I saw quite a few sites today and met some other expats from Bangalore while having lunch at the Mango Tree again.  On the way back across the river I saw George and family hanging out and getting ready to head back.  I stopped to get a shave at the local "barber" who gave me the closest shave I've had since puberty for $2.  We stopped on the other side of the river for a couple beers at a local pub before heading back to the hotel.Our last full day we decided to check out  of the Mango Tree as they wanted to charge us another full day accommodations to keep our rooms for a quick shower that evening before heading back to the train station.  Rubbish we said after some heated discussions and we ended up checking into a cheaper guest house in the main part of town just to store our bags and have a shower before departing that evening.  During the day we went our separate ways again and I saw the remaining places on my list I wanted to check off.  We met up again after lunch and decided to do a coracle boat tour together.  You can read more about coracle's here, but basically is a round raft with slopping sides and a center portion that sits in the water.  At one time they were the only way to get across the river, but now they're mainly used for tourist purposes.  So we all climbed aboard a good size coracle and headed off with our captain (a 17 year old kid) paddling away.  He showed us some cools sites along the river including an area called "1001 lingams" that really did have over 1000 lingams.  After the tour, we headed back across the river to our "new" guest house for showers and cleaning up before catching our 12 hour overnight train ride back to Hyderabad.Hampi was amazing for many reasons...the incredible scenery, the ability to get lost and feel good about it, meeting other travelers and the food at the Mango Tree.  I would also say the Hampi Boulders hotel is a great find...but the fact that they got a little cheap on us the last day was a bit of a turnoff.Enjoy the pics!
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