Blogging from a Sify iway, somewhere near the new flat I moved into yesterday.
Being eaten alive by BIG mosquitoes.
Bangalore, I have realised is a haven for these pests. They're everywhere!
So though I was very tempted to sleep with all the windows and doors open yesterday since the flat is quite well-grilled, I decided that I didn't want this method of blood donation.
Jil and Rocky made sure I settled into the place. After enjoying a really satisfying lunch (Jil being a really awesome cook :) they took me shopping for essentials like buckets, mops, cleaning detergent and stuff that life in India is incomplete without!
By the end of the day, I was loading with all forms of cleaning agents. But thankfully, the flat is in quite a good condition. I decided to leave the few spider webs in the verandah till the next weekend and take it easy instead.
As I had mentioned in my last post, I was rather apprehensive about the move. But finding a place to stay has lifted a great burden off my shoulders. At least I have a place to park myself somewhere (until I buy that three bedroom apartment in a posh Bangalore suburb. Well, a girl can dream!).
I guess the loss of familiar faces and sights is the most difficult part of moving to a new place. It's like being thrown in the middle of a desert with no navigation system! Well. I'm exaggerating. But for me, it's important to have a few good friends around wherever I am. It helps me feel more centred. The fact that both Jil and Rocky are just a phone call away has helped. Friends have been pretty helpful with contacts. A school friend put me in touch with her college friend settled in Bangalore. And I'm hoping to meet up with a few Bangalore bloggers to get more acquainted with the ways of the city! Aqua, hope to catch up with you this time!
Last April, when I visited Bangalore with my sister, Madhu cooked us a delicious Thai meal. Now, he's opened his restaurant in Indiranagar, so a visit to taste far Eastern cuisine is on the cards :)
Thankfully, the move been relatively painless. Of course, I miss Kit Kit a lot. I realise how attached I am to her when I don't see her for a long period of time (about 18 days now). But she joins me in Bangalore next weekend! So there's something to cheer about. Meanwhile, I'm trying to make the flat cat friendly in preparation :)
Okay, now these mosquitoes have literally parked themselves on me. And my new abode beckons.
I meant to write this post before I left Mumbai, but life got in the way!
Anyway, here is a long overdue update.
I moved from Mumbai to Bangalore on the 8th of April. It was pretty crazy trying to get everything organised just before I left.
And between feeling excited, depressed, low, high, bad, good, I didn’t have much of an opportunity to actually express what I was feeling the last few days in the city. I landed in Mumbai in September 1997with mixed feelings. I also left with mixed feelings!
It’s funny how just when I am settling down into a place, I find it is time to move again. But then, I have moved places so often now, that after a few years, I usually ask myself, "Where next?" This time, its Bangalore.
Ever since I reached Bangalore, I have been hunting around for a place to stay. Bangalore I have realised is a maze of phases, sectors, layouts, blocks, crosses and mains that is supposed to make life easier for you. Excuse me, but I disagree. Have spent quite a lot of time getting lost and finding my way again. And trying to communicate with auto drivers who don’t know one block from another. Blockheads. Arghhhh!
I’m still trying to get a hang of my life right now. But thanks to all those who left messages on my earlier post. Haven’t got time now to reply to all of you, but I will do so in the next couple of days.
Finally caught up on my backlog of pictures and scanned and uploaded them to my online albums. What a feat! Didn't realise there was so much to do!
Anyway, here they are. The much delayed pictures from the Kerala trip.
These were taken by Steph and me, with her Sony digital handicam.
The journey: Netravati Express from Mumbai to Alleppey
Alleppey: About 2 hours from Cochin, this is an ideal place to laze around, go for long lake rides and do absolutely nothing.
Thekkady: The famous Periyar Sanctuary is located in Thekkady. A day long trek in the reserve is recommended if you want a real feel of the place. And a binoculars to do some bird watching!
Spice plantation: We got an in-depth lesson about our spices by our informative guide (stuff they never taught us in school!). The plantation had not only spice, but also really pretty flowers. Check out the pics!
Cochin: A nice town by the sea. Fort Kochi is where all the action is! And all those Chinese fishing nets. Besides Willingdon Islands from where you get a nice view of the Cochin harbour.
These are a whole bunch that I took with my Nikon Nuvis 751.
Kerala - Alleppey, Thekkady and Cochin
Kihim Weekend, 27-28 March, 2004