Friday Fun

We made it through our first week in India and it's been a pretty good one. We've been spoiled by the hotel staff, eaten a lot of really good food, and have been working with a great team in training.

We're headed off to Mysore early in the morning (no sleeping in here!) and I'm looking forward to both the sights and the shopping! We were a little concerned that we might not be able to make the trip, since there is a strike happening right now. The officials in the oil companies (which are state-run) are on strike in search of higher pay hikes. Additionally, the lorry (truck) drivers that deliver the petrol in Bangalore are on strike, so there are no new deliveries. However, Shankar has assured us that our snazzy little Toyota Innova can go 600km on a single tank, and since he filled up yesterday, we should be able to get to Mysore and back without an issue. For the eco-conscious amongst you, our Toyota actually runs on bio-diesel, so we're doing what we can to be green, even all the way over here in Bangalore!

Here is a shot that I took on the ride home from work today, showing everyone in line at the petrol station. You'll notice that the men standing there are holding containers of every shape and size to fill up. There is no requirement that you fill an official petrol can. In fact, we saw some men walking away with soda bottles full of petrol!

And for a laugh, I noticed this sign painted on a wall today. You'd be surprised how many men we see on our daily drives that have just stopped by the side of the road to relieve themselves -- right out in the open! It appears that the owners of whatever building was behind this wall did not want to experience that view on a regular basis!



Hope you all have a great Friday -- keep an eye out for a recap of our Mysore trip by Monday morning!