4.1.2010

Our first day

Our journey has begun. Yes indeed, it has begun. From Tampere to Bangalore we had three flights; all of them were delayed. The first one in Tampere 30 min, the second one in Helsinki 60 min and the last one in Delhi 90 min. But we arrived safely! Our chauffeurs had been waiting for us since 12:30 and we met them outside the airport at 15:45... That reminds me, since we arrived here I have been called Madam everywhere. I told the chauffeur that my name is Marie and he said okay and then again it was Madam. This happens everywhere. We may have to get used to it, even though I don't like it at all.

The weather is lovely and the surroundings are green! They call Bangalore (Bengaluru in Kannada, which is the local language. Bangalore is the English name for the city) the garden city of India if I recall right. And still about the weather, in Bangalore the weather is always pleasant! Not too hot, not too cold. For example today was around 30 C, but not too hot at all. There's a nice wind and the sun is not burning. Nice I would say.

The traffic was not as bad as I expected! But maybe that's because I've lived in Senegal... ;o) To resume the trip from the airport to our local home, which lasted one hour: cars just drove and the one who was going somewhere first got his space to go first, with looooads of honking to say that "Hey, I was here first!". Both ours and Toni's co-worker's cars were loaded with our luggage. We even needed to stop in the middle of the motorway because our chauffeur couldn't get the second gear on because of the luggage beside him. Before the stopping he tried to arrange the bags while driving and let's just say that it caused a few close to heartache -situations! :) But we arrived at home (the hotel) safe; Ali was a good driver, very kind and helpful.

Everybody else has also been very kind, so much more than in Finland; here we can't do anything ourselves, not even use the tap water or take the hand paper by ourselves in the toilets! Oh boy, I hope we don't get used to it. ALL is done for us. Also unknown people are very friendly: our chauffeurs didn't know where our hotel was, and when they asked for help, everybody helped us so kindly with smiles.

Let's then talk about the prices, after the first experiences in India. It's cheap, really cheap in here. We ate at Delhi's airport two meals at Mc Donald's and they cost about two Euros each. TWO EUROS EACH! Can you imagine?? At the restaurant from where we just arrived, we ate very well, we drank lemonade and very good lassi and we again paid about TWO EUROS EACH! Well, I just say it again: it's cheap in here.
I also think this is the first country ever where veggie is "normal" and non veggie is odd, hehheh. No, okay, not odd, but comparing to other countries, I would say in a minimum. Even in the airplane there were always veggie plates to choose. Wau.

Someone said to us, that in Bangalore nobody walks and I got really scared! Luckily that was not so true. People do walk here after all, because mainly there are middle class people. It's a little bit more difficult than in Finland, as the traffic is what it is and you have to watch out of the 2-, 3- and 4-wheelers coming from everywhere, but it's doable! When we went to eat me, Toni and the other Finnish family (V-P, Heli, Iina 7 months and Enna 3,5 years) which are here for a secondment too, we managed to walk without bigger (none actually) accidents.. :O)


Here are all of us who are going to Bangalore. Toni's mum Irja (on the left) is on the picture too, but she's just accompanying us, like Toni's sister Anne-Marketta and her husband Terho who are behind the camera, thank you!! =) From the left to the right Irja, Toni, me, Enna, V-P, Heli and Iina.


Leaving Finnish reindeers behind.


The smallest airplane I've ever travelled in. It looked like a miniature one. The flight was also the shortest ever, about 25 min.


Delhi's sunrise from the airplane, it was so beautiful.


Indira Ghandi International Airport it says. We had to wait a while before we could cross the road.


As you can see, the airport was full. We had trouble finding places to sit, but finally we found three and we took turns to sit.


This was the first and only compensation we got for our flight to be delayed. That was in Delhi.


Here we are, we told you that in India there are abscesses, here you get one every second. (paise in Finnish is abscess, if you don't recall)


Bangalore airport, it was beautiful, green and so much different, bigger and newer than Delhi's one.


Enna and Iina arrived happily too :O)


Here are our cars.


Our first dinner in Bangalore. We almost cried while eating, it was a hot dinner.


In India when you eat ice cream, your tongue becomes blue!! :OD