Kerala

So it's been awhile since I've posted.  It's been a busy few weeks.  I recovered from my first (and it was really bad) bout of food poisoning.  After that, we headed off to Kerala which is to the Southwest of Bangalore.  This area is much warmer than Bangalore and has a much slower pace of life than other cities and regions in India.

The city we went to visit is called Kochi.  They have these Chinese fishing nets along the water.  We walked around, took some pictures, and visited a spice gallery which is what Kerala is known for.

The next day we got to go on a boat ride around some of the islands in the area.  Lunch was served on the boat.  It was a very good time.  We even got to wander around a small island and see all the different types plants like pepper plants, banana trees, jack fruit, cocoa, pineapple and papaya!

After lunch, we got to go on smaller boat through narrow canals in a small neighborhood.  This was really relaxing.  After a small spot of tea, we headed back to the main city and wandered around there a bit more for the remainder of the night.

A video of us traveling on the small boat in the canals.

A video of our view in Kerala where we ate a late lunch looking out over the Arabian Sea

A video of our trip from the side of the bigger boat

An empty bldg on the island we visited by boat in Kerala

The type of boat we were riding in the morning

Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi

the smaller boats we took in the canals

a shot from the smaller boats in the canal

paper star decorations outside a church in Kochi

eating a traditional south Indian lunch on the boat

cellphones in India

So cell phone usage in India has definitely skyrocketed in the past 5-10 years.  People everywhere use cellphones including farmers in remote areas.  Cell phones here are also very cheap compared to American phones and plans.  Most of the networks are 2G with some 3G scattered around here and there.  It's obviously easier to put up cell phone towers all over the place rather than dig and route telephone wires everywhere.

All incoming calls and texts are free in India.  This is awesome and totally the way it should work in the US.  A byproduct of this is that you'll periodically get calls or texts advertising something.  I've been told there is a "do no call or txt" line you can call to stop these messages.  These probably help subsidize the overall cost of the plans. 

Plans are prepaid and post-paid or similar to monthly plans.  Pre-paid plans cost 1 paisa per second.  (1 rupee = 100 paisa) so you can talk for about a minute and a half for one rupee.  Very cheap!  Data plans are about $12 to $24 with unlimited calling.  If you throw in international calling plans, most will never spend any more than $90 a month!  Cell phone plans in the US with data typically start around $99 and go up from there.  I'd be curious to know what cell phone plans are like in other parts of the world.  Plans are definitely really cheap in India which I think is great.

quiet weekend

So far, it's been a pretty quiet weekend.  Tracy and I went to commercial street on Saturday to do some shopping.  Today, we went over to O-zone (a community where some of the expats live) to play a few games of volleyball with co-workers.

Later tonight, we'll be back over there again for a big BBQ feast which should be a lot of fun.  I've got a few pictures from commercial street.  It was really busy, very hectic, and nice to walk around and try and bargain with people to get the best deal possible.  Though I have to admit, it can get tiring after awhile.  It's like shopping for a car all the time in the US.  You know you can get something for much cheaper than they're quoting you for it, but you have to work at it to get it. 

a couple views down commercial street and some side streets

inside Mysore Saree shop on commercial street

My next post will be later this week about cellphones.  Americans pay what for their plans?......... $50-60 on the low-end.  iphone users and those with data plans are probably racking up at least $100 a month or more.  Indians pay less.........and I mean A LOT less.

Also next weekend, we'll be in Kerala riding boats in the jungle on back water canals.  It's going to be a lot of fun and very relaxing!

New Indian foods

So today was Phil's last day in India.  We all went out to lunch for work to a place called Zaica.  Very good Indian buffet.  (No McDonald's this time)  I had the opportunity to expand my horizons with some unique Indian cuisine.  The first is called Jalebi.  My co-workers tell me it's basically deep-fried sugar soaked in more liquid sugar.  Apparently it's some kind of batter, deep-fried, then soaked in some super sweet syrup.  It was very sweet but I've been told there are even sweeter variations than the ones they had at Zaica.

The other thing I had after lunch is Paan. It's a betel leaf with a whole bunch of stuff wrapped up inside of it.  There are lots of different variations.  I'm not quite sure what was inside of the one I ate, but it tasted sweet, had a hint of licorice, and had an after taste of toothpaste. There were a bunch of other flavors in it that I couldn't distinguish.  It was quite a cacophony of flavors. It's supposed to help with digestion and make your breath smell better after eating spicy foods.  It was definitely an experience.

All of us enjoying Paan

McDonald's

So I think it was Tyler who told me he has taken pictures of McDonald's anywhere he goes in the world.  I know, I know, there are way better food options out there but I wanted to at least show some pictures of the menu.

Taken with the Blackberry so it's a little blurry

So the first thing you'll notice....no hamburgers.  You can get hamburgers in India, but they are usually only found at fancier restaurants that typically cater to foreigners.  Prices aren't too bad.  A value meal is only 125 Rs. which is just a little bit more than 2 US dollars.  This McDonald's is in a shopping mall that relatively close to our hotel.  (about a 5 min. drive and there isn't a lot of traffic).

There are veggie burgers, Paneer Salsa wrap (Paneer is cheese), fish, chicken nuggets, and of course, the Chicken Maharaja Mac which probably replaces the Big Mac.

It was very odd to see the McDonald's close at 2pm in the afternoon.  I couldn't believe it.  They closed the restaurant in the middle of the day for cleaning.  Everyone was just hanging around at the counter.  My picture was actually taken during one of many cleaning breaks they had during the day.  People were waiting to get in and buy food while they were cleaning.  Definitely something you would never find in America.  We went in to get a bite to eat, and after we finished (about 30 min. later) they closed again for cleaning!  They have a very different mentality here.  This wasn't just the case with McDonald's though.  We saw other restaurants that closed for long periods of time in the middle of the day for cleaning.

Another interesting thing.....apparently they deliver.

finally got to see Megamind!!!!

So this was a pretty quiet weekend.  We didn't go anywhere except to go and see Megamind!!!!!!!!

FINALLY, after months of waiting I got to see it.  I think I'm probably one of the last few people to have worked on the movie and not seen it yet.  We went to the Urvashi theater which is supposed to be one of the best 3D theaters in India.  Phil also went with us to see it again in this theater and it is definitely one of the best out there, including better than most theaters in America.  Turns out that the guy who built this theater meant business and did everything the "right" way.  Basically, he uses two high end projectors, one for left eye, and one for right eye.  This way, brightness is doubled and I have to say, this was easily the brightest theater I've ever been to.  American movie theaters should take note...3D films require more brightness!

As for what I thought of the movie, it's difficult to properly analyze the work and objectively review it.  Especially since this was the first movie I've worked on, I found myself just admiring all the incredible work that went into making this film.  I studied every little detail about the movie rather than focusing on the larger picture. 

The movie theater

We got the red carpet treatment which was awesome!