Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Update with Sticky Keyboard


So I am loving having the IPAD but I can't blog on it for some reason. So here I am in the internet, sticky keyboards amd all, to give you a report.
So, normally when I come to Bangalore, it takes me the good part of a week to purchase textiles and get them packed and shipped. This time, with the help of my wonderful friend, Mir, and his worker dudes, we completed the task in just three days. Well now, that left me five days with nothing to do but pester Mir and Waseem, which I have been doing on a regular basis.
I also met Mirs lovely wife, Naaz and I just adore her. I adore Mirs mommy too. What totally loving, happy and sweet people they are. Of couse, I spent one evening at Mirs house being stuffed full with Mommys delicious cooking, trying my best to clean my plate. I do not have a huge appetite, I am more like a nibbler, so these huge plates of food pose a huge challenge for me. I hope I ate enough to make mommy happy...forget it, I know I did not! LOL
One day I will bring Mr Ratburn and he will make mommy proud with his eating.
So I have bought a mountain of textiles, more than ever, and I just wanna go home and make stuff! I just cannot believe the beauty that my fabric shop makes for me, just for ME!!!!!! I cannot believe that walking into a textile shop nine years ago looking for a string to hold up my pants turned into this business, and this relationship where truly the cream of the crop in this store is ALL made JUST FOR ME!
It will take me two weeks to wash and shrink it all though! I think the textiles are going to reach my home tomorrow! Woo hoo, I love you DHL!!! And I love you Mir, thanks for your help, you are the boss!
Ok so then I also went to the home of my textile shop people, and had dinner. More stuffing self to the max with the most delicious Indian veg food ever, thank you, Mamta! And visiting with this lovely family was also a treat and a half. It was lovely to visit and see how their children have grown and all doing well in college now.
I went to Lal Bagh, to which I have dragged there Karen, Eileen, and Gary in the past. Attempted to read a book but was pestered by little school kids to the point I had to leave LOL
I have both enjoyed and sweated my arse off for the past 8 or nine days, and finally, tomorrow, more sweating as I arrive in Goa in the afternoon where I will spend 8 days hanging out drinking and visiting my pals.

Also I am getting a sore throat, I hope its just the pollution! So the convenience of IPADS also has made it possible to hide in my room a lot more as well as chat with Mr Ratburn and LR in the middle of the night, and keep in touch through facbook which has been really cool. If you saw my post this morning on Fbook, you will see that the pesky floor boys are driving me nuts, waking me up at 8 am when I have stayed up all night. Breakfst madam? Um, if I want breakfast, I know when and where to get it, I have stayed there eight times for goodness sakes. They also come to my room asking to clean it ten times a day. Thats what happens when you are a big tipper, they all want some.
Now, my motto for my life is "be the change that you want to see in the world". Can anybody guess who might have said that? I'll give you a hint, he's on all the Indian money. See one thing that really fries my head is how frightened people can be of people that are different than you. I dont understand how smiling at someone can make them feel threatened. But I will continue to smile and spread my brand of California sunshine all over the place and sometimes, I get a smile back, but lots of times not. Their loss.
Anyway the other issue, that my sister in law died right before I came to India, and Gary and I had been apart for two weeks, then he came home for just two days, then I left. I was not prepared emotionally to leave that way. Who could be after a death of a loved one? It was very difficult for me to leave, and I was a big crybaby in the security line, wiping tears all over my shirt, unable to stop. At one point in that line, I looked up and there were FIVE hands offering me tissues! How sweet was that? I took them all and it just made me cry more because I thought it was so sweet. What a damn mess, huh?
LOL so then I got here and was ok but I wanted to try to come home early because of all that happened. So this morning I went to two travel agents, made several long phone calls from a hot phone booth that had to be about 100 degrees in there, and then found out it would cost me "JUST" $4,280. USD to get home three days early. So guess what? I am not coming home early, that is ridiculous. The airlines charge $280 to change flight plus the difference in what the new flights were compared to the older ones. FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS????!!!!! I must say, planning ahead with tickets sure saves a bundle but obviously there is no more flexibility in flying.
Suffice to say that with Lufthansa airlines you are treated like a sardine barely fed, have to beg for beverages, and then there was the crazy man who tried to open the emergency door, ended up being tackled by eight stewardesses who sat on him, handcuffed him and tied him to a seat for six hours. Now that was unnerving. The man was 6'4" and drunk and violent. I was happy they took care of the man, but they did not explain to us what was happening, and left every passenger wondering what the hell? Of course, he was arrested immediately upon landing in Frankfurt, what fun! Then I had five minutes to catch my flight in a different terminal.....I ran like hell. I was sweating and panting but I made it. I also managed to tell the crew there were a bunch of ladies in heels trying to run so please wait for them. The fact that I had to do it, and that no staff offered to call ahead to help us, was just ridiculous. I just hate Lufthansa, and I hate Frankfurt airport, and I am so glad I am only 5'1" because there is NO legroom on Lufthansa.
Ok thats all for now, hope all is well. I will be in Goa tomorrow, time to get a tan!
Happy New Year

4 comments:

lime said...

once again your travels give you the good, the bad, and the ugly. sorry to hear you and your fellow passengers were so poorly treated. even sorrier for the emotional difficulty of the timing of things.

glad your visits in country are going so well. sounds like you and mir's family have a wonderful relationship and a great business deal. so when do we get to see pictures of the fabric????

g-man said...

Just get home safely and healthy!

Stealth said...

it's cold here, may I join you???

LisaPizza said...

It is so fun to read and travel along vicariously with you! Perhaps one year I can be your REAL travel partner? How's the tan coming BTW? ;- )