So Fresh So Clean

Rub a dub dub, do your laundry in the tub?  While waiting to move into our house, we have accumulated quite a bit of laundry.  We thought the easy solution was to call the “laundry man” and have him take away our clothes to wash.  We had heard that laundry and dry cleaning was cheap in Bangalore so thought nothing of the possible cost.  The laundry man came, filled 4 bags with dirty clothes and then handed us a sheet of paper with a breakdown of the cost to wash each item of clothing.  George quickly pulled up his currency converter and told the man we would call him back later to get the clothes.  After the man left, George informed me that the cost to wash one T-shirt would be $5.00 USD.  We had a lot of T-shirts and that price was not going to fly.  We put our heads together and devised a master plan….we would wash our clothes Indian style.  George ran the bath water and I filled it with all the shampoo and soap the staff had just stocked our room with.  The wash even included 2 rinse cycles.  We laid our clothes out on the balcony to dry and in 2 days we had freshly clean and dry clothes.  We have new found respect for the man who invented the washer and dryer.

 

The Leela Palace

We’ve been in Bangalore for 21 days now and have been staying at the best hotel in the city- the Leela Palace.  The Leela Palace is probably the biggest hotel we’ve ever stayed in.  It has 2 restaurants, a bar, a beautiful pool area, and a mall that is attached to it.  Although it has been our little oasis for just short of a month, there are a few customs that we are getting used to.  One of which is the intense security. Upon entering the gates of the hotel you first must get your car checked for bombs.  This process involves a man opening the trunk of the car to inspect the inside and another man looking underneath the car with a mirror.  Once given the ok from the bomb squad, you then circle around the magnificent fountain and are immediately greeted by a man wearing traditional Indian clothing.  Then you must go through the metal detector and have your bags scanned.  They always use the wand to recheck George but simply smile at me even if I set the alarm off.  I guess George looks like more of a threat.  All kidding aside, the Leela is one of the most beautiful hotels and we feel lucky to have been able to stay here.  The staff go above and beyond each day to ensure everything is to our liking.  After being here 21 days they all know our room number and names, and all of our preferences.  Our room is stocked with fresh fruit, cookies, water, and chocolates every morning and evening. I made friends with the “sweets man” and now he slips us extra chocolates.  Although we miss home some days, the Leela’s staff has made our initial transition into Bangalore life much easier. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does this look like the scene of the biggest Alabama Alumni Party in Bangalore?

When we decided to make the move to Bangalore, one of the first things that crossed my mind was that if Bama made the National Championship game what would be our plan. I had made the previous two games to Pasadena and New Orleans, and really wanted to make this one to get to South Beach and party with Pitbull "Dale!" My first thought was to leave from New Orleans, go to Miami, then it would be off to Bangalore. Although it sounded good in my head, it would be almost impossible to pull off especially with the craziness of the move and 12 bags of luggage. So I figured that I would either have to watch it in New Orleans and leave after the game or try and watch it here. We decided getting to Bangalore sooner would be better for the move. A partner in my office, Ismael, was kind enough to give Julie and I his slingbox. A slingbox is basically a device that hooks up to your cable at home and allows you to watch TV remotely on computers, iPads, etc. Thanks to my Dad’s electronic expertise, we had our slingbox set up and ready to go.

Due to a combination of jet lag and excitement, the day of the game I was up at 1:00am local time ready for the Tide. I have to give big props to my wife, who normally would love to sleep in, was up and at breakfast with me 10 minutes before they opened so we could make it back in for the game and party. We were back in the room 15 minutes before kickoff, with two drinks poured from the mini-bar.

One good thing about being on the complete opposite side of the world is that there is a 12.5 hour time overlap that allows us to keep in touch with friends. We were able to get our texting set up and I was able to text with fellow Bammers Ryan and Ben, and Daniel and Shane.  During halftime I got to facetime the Kirks’ party.  The game turned out just as I suspected, with the Tide completely dominating. Now I just to have to find out how to get National Championship gear sent here.

Roll Tide.

How to Move to India

Three days before our flight to India, a moving company came to pack up our house.  It took 4 guys, a lot of boxes, and 2 moving trucks to empty out our entire house.  We were told that we could not pack anything ourselves in order for everything to be covered by insurance.  The lead guy’s name was “Sugar Bear” and he helped us sneak a lot of extra food into India….we hope.  We went to Sam’s a week before and bought essential American food to bring with us, like easy mac, jambalaya , spaghetti, Gatorade, and of course lots of candy for George.  We then were told that we could only have one small box of food shipped to India.  Sugar Bear told us not to worry and he began hiding food in our bed sheets and pillows.  After a long day of watching our house get boxed up, and with a Popeye’s Chicken Break in between, our house was empty and we moved in with our parents for a couple of days. 

 

 

On January 5 we packed up 2 SUVs full of 12 suitcases and 2 carry-ons and made our way to the airport.  Our parents went with us and Aunt Jeanine, Uncle Randy, and Brittney came to the airport to see us off.  The first flight was quick to Atlanta, and after a 2 hour layover, next we flew to Paris.  The flight to Paris was not the best.  Originally, our seats were booked with me sitting next to the window and George in the aisle and a random man in between us.  The random man, who later became known as the stinky man, agreed to switch with George.  This man smelled very bad and he did not know about personal space.  He kept resting his arm on George’s stomach.  After we made it to Paris, we had another 2 hour layover, and we hopped on our last flight to Bangalore.  That flight was much better.  After about 27 hours we made it to our new home.  Considering we had 12 checked bags, 1 domestic flight and 2 international flights, and only 1 lost bag, we considered it a success.  The bag made it 2 days later.  We were picked up by one of George’s co-workers Brad, his driver Manju and our driver Sarvana, and we were on our way to our hotel, Leela Palace.