Saturday in the Park

We started our Saturday morning off with a little motorcycle tour of Bangalore!  It's a total trip and never the same thing twice!!  I absolutely LOVE it but it's not for the faint of heart.  The traffic in B'lore is INSANE!! Matt always goes "off road" for awhile so you get to experience the "backroads" of Bangalore too!

Jamma looks a little nervous...but she DID IT!!

Now it's Pop-Pop's turn...wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get on the motorcycle or not b/c he recently had knee surgery....But he DID IT too!  YAY!

 Beautiful Bougainvillea line the walls in Bangalore

One of the backroads we like to ride the motorcycle on...We're not the only ones that like this road.  The locals use it all the time for funeral processions!!  ACK!

Houses are always painted very bright and vibrant colors.

Pink, yellow, orange....green!  Claudius told me his house is painted green.  "Grass green!" ;0)

Little "Blue Tarp Tepee" Villages are scattered

throughout Bangalore

A little closer look.

Another Bangalore House

Rice Paddy's

Working in the rice paddy's

The large circle on top of his load?!?!...It is his BOAT! 
It's called a coracle and chances are he just came out of the water from harvesting that "water weed".

Government School

Tire Repair

Since there are a lot of motorcycles and bicycles being ridden in Bangalore you can only imagine that people often get flat tires, small leaks or holes.  If you are looking for someone to do a repair just keep your eye open for signs that read, "Puncher Shop."....as in "Puncture Shop!"  ;0)

 Water Delivery Tractor

What can you buy from this roadside vendor?!...

The first should be obvious...coconuts.  The second item is hanging on the line behind the coconuts...nope, not lottery tickets ;0)  They are in fact little packets of tobacco!  NICE!  A little coconut milk to swish around with your wad of tobacco!  EWWW!  PAToooOOOeeeEEEYYYYyyyy!

 A stop off at one of our local grocery stores, Sorbet.

Hahaha!  What a coinkydink...Pop-Pop's shirt is almost a PERFECT match to the Sorbet employees uniform! 

We didn't stay long or they might have put Jim to work bagging groceries or customers might have started asking him questions like, "Excuse me, Sir.  Do you carry capsicum (green pepper)?!"

Matt and his Mom both share a love for gardening so it was no surprise that Matt wanted to show his parents one of his favorite "garden centers" here in Bangalore.

Not exactly a "Lamberts" or "Lowe's" garden center is it?!

Their selection and price blows Lowe's out of the water though!  They have gorgeous stuff!  It's Matt's landscaping mecca! :0)

Eating a lime at the garden center

Jamma & Pop-Pop's turn.

You want to try it, Mom!?

Pretty Little Girls

You see this a lot in Bangalore, while the children's parents are at work (in this case at the garden center nursery) the children hang out and play or work alongside of their parents. 

Playing on the swing

David's Turn

Everybody hold still for a quick "snap"

The children LOVED seeing their picture in the preview window of our digital camera.  They giggled and laughed.  It was really REALLY cute!

"Snake House"

These snake houses are found all over Bangalore (Jamma was fascinated by them!) but we'd never been this close to one before.  Termites make these with their saliva and once they move out - The snakes move in!  There is a lot of superstition regarding snakes here - So not just anybody will go near them.  (YES!  This one was vacant of snakes and termites!) 

Afterschool Follies!

These boys stopped at the garden center on their way home from school.  Just like in America, people LOVE Jim.  They thought he was HILARIOUS  (we think you're pretty funny too, Pop-Pop!)

Pop-Pop teaching them a new handshake!

"The King of Indian Roads"

The Ambassador or the Amby as it's affectionately called.

How cute is she?!  I bet such a story she could tell too?!  We spotted her grazing in a field near where we had lunch.

Lunchtime! 

(Nice...INTENTIONAL...spinach in Matt's teeth for the picture!)

I wonder if they did a little "Tinkring" on that adorable car if we could have taken her for a test drive!?

Night on the Town

Today is the day of our big night out on the town.  Everyone got all gussied up and we went to pick Daddy up at work and then off to the Blue Ginger restaurant in Bangalore.  I had never been before and next time....we will leave the kids at home.  It was WAY too nice for four snotty nose kids that would have been just as happy if not HAPPIER to eat a bowl of pasta at home ;0)

Waiting for Daddy to come out of the office...

Dignified Divas!

Goofy Guys!

Cheers!

We're feelin' a little bit NUTTY!!!

What are these kids drinking!?! ;0)

The "proud" parents ;0)

Life is good in Bangalore!

Kids finished off the night with a little after dinner yoga!

Hi Ho...Hi Ho...It's off to work we go!

Day Four was anything but a bore!  Matt and I decided that Jamma and Pop-Pop should experience the drive he takes into the office everyday.  The roads are insanely BAD - If you can make it to the office without getting car sick - It's a miracle (and this is coming from the gal who doesn't get car sick!) 

Thankfully, we all arrived without needing to use the motion sickness bag.  We drank a cup of cappuccino with Matt before bidding him farewell for the day & then Pop-Pop, Jamma and I were off to Commercial Street to do some serious shopping!

At Matt's office I spotted this sign and out of sheer spite - I think people have spat on the "Don't Spit Here" sign!?!?!  Hahaha!

Welcome to Commercial Street!!!
A Bangalore Shopping Mecca - Get ready to haggle!

 Chances are whatever you are looking for - You can find it on Commercial Street!  It's just a matter of how many shops you have to go into and how far into the recesses you are willing to dig?!

Big wrists...Little wrists...Sparkly...Smooth...

We have BANGLES to suit you!!

Maybe Pop-Pop will be able to help make the final decision?!

PHEW!!!!  I was wondering when the next shipment of toilet paper was going to be arriving!!  Never fear - This man on his mighty mo-ped will deliver it..."tomorrow." ;0)

Whenever you inquire about when something will be ready or how long it will take or when should you be expecting it...without fail they will give you the answer, "Tomorrow."  Yep.  Not today.  It's never today - Always "tomorrow".  Which in reality is their way of saying, "I really have no idea but I don't want to disappoint you or upset you and since I can't do it now or get it for you now...."Tomorrow!"  ;0)

Who's ready for dinner?!

 

Jamma & Pop-Pop in their new Indian outfits from our day of shopping!

 

We all got into the Indian theme of things for the evening!

 

 

 

Takin' The Day Off!

While Jamma and Pop-Pop were here we let the kids take a couple of days off of school.  SO!  In the morning, the girls attended a Zumba® class with me while the boys went to the pool and played badmitton with Jamma & Pop-Pop.  In the afternoon, us gals hit the nail salon & we finished the evening with dinner at home.  A great, relaxing day in Bangalore and the kids LOVED that they got to skip school!  ;0)

Riding scooters down to the pool

 And they're off....

Posin' by the Pool

The boys take on Pop-Pop in badmitton

Rachy & Mommy doing Zumba®
(photo courtesy of Erica...she was tired of dancing and decided to take a break!  Hehe!)

Time to take care of our tootsies!

The Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round & 'Round

Ready For School

Day Two with Jamma and Pop-Pop found everybody (except Daddy...somebody has to bring home the bacon!)  hopping on board the school bus and taking a trip to Indus International School.  The kids were so proud to show off their new school and all of their friends to their grandparents!

This is how we roll!

The People on the Bus go bump, BUMP, B U M P!!!!

The ride to the school takes about an hour (depending on the traffic).  The ONLY good news about the long ride is that there is a lot to look at along the roadsides!  Even after being here 7 months I never tire of watching out the windows.  You NEVER know what you will see that you've never seen before :0)  The following are some of Jamma's pictures she took as we were whizzing along down the road.  (I liked looking at her pictures b/c it reminded me of what I felt like when I first got here....some of the things that were "new" to her....I have grown accustomed to.)

There is this huge lake that you pass on the way to the school.  It is quite the sight.  Vast.  Sometimes the surface is nearly COVERED in green plants and within the week the plants will all be gone as the locals harvest the plants to feed their cows.  Although I'm sure there is an official name for this lake, our family simply refers to it as, "The Poo-Pond".  It's NASTY!  As you can see by the FOAMING....GREEN water! :0/  

One of the first times we drove by this lake, the kids spotted the foam floating on top and they shouted out in excitement, "MOM!  LOOK!  SNOW!!!"  Um.  No.  These are the times when I think my kids aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.  Doesn't it have to be COLD to snow!?!?  Haha!  In their defense I think they just got so excited to see something that reminded them of home and that in their hasty excitement they declared the funky foam...snow!?  Hehehe!

In addition to the motorcycles, bikers, walkers and livestock in the roads, you see LOTS of auto rickshaws.

Houses

Bakery.  

Not exactly your neighborhood Dunkin' Donuts, now is it?! 

 Cows?!  Yep.  We've got lotsa those!

Trash?!  Yep.  We have lots of that too! 
(Honestly, I don't even notice it anymore.  That's why it's fun to look through the lense of a first time visitor!)

They are building EVERYWHERE!!!

See the laborers carrying the supplies on their heads?!

According to my driver, these people are working for about  $2.00 a DAY!!!

 Coconut, anyone?!

Maybe a lemon instead?!

We made it!!!

 Friends!

Tennis Time for Erica
(too sunny so she borrowed Mommies sunglasses!)

Indus Day-Program Practice for Mikey

Nappy Time for David?! 
(He was getting sick of watching Michael practice!)  BUT he didn't stay laying down for long as he soon discovered that a bunch of ants ("hants" as Claudius calls them) were crawling all over him!  ACK!!!!  No rest for the weary! ;0)

Horseback Riding Time for Rachy

Phew!  Long day!  David fell asleep on Pop-Pop's lap on the school bus on our ride back home! 

After we woke David up and wiped the drool from his face (ewwww!) ... We did something wild and crazy when we got back home that we'd never done before....we got off at the FIRST bus stop in our housing development so that we could all go to Baskin' Robbins for an ice cream!  (The crazy part was that we didn't get off the bus at OUR stop....not the getting ice cream part ....that's not so crazy....shhhh....wanna know a secret!???!......we eat ice cream ALL the time!)  Hahaha!!

And so concludes the end of Day #2!!  What do you suppose we shall do tomorrow!?!?!