Bangalore, India. 11.7. - 20.7.2011

Bangalore, India
All kind of things what happened during our stay in the Bangalore, India 11.7. - 20.7.2011 with pictures.

Monday 11.7.2011

Time to do some work also, so we drove to the office first thing in the morning. On the way there we saw a local shanty town. Somehow seeing those children is making me sad, I wish I could do something for them, but reality is that no-one can’t save all the children in this world. I just have to close my heart and try not to think about this issue.

After the working hours, we went to shopping. And let me tell you about one thing: I have always thought that I’m master level shopper… but oh my god :O
My friend is totally something…

Tuesday 12.7.2011

While waiting the hotel car to pick us up, I started fixing my broken shawl by sewing the hole in it. 4 ladies were wiping the water away from the front of the building and started staring at me…. Finally they gathered enough courage and approached me. One of the ladies wanted to see with what I was sewing my shawl. They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak their language but we managed to understand each other somewhat with sign language. But mostly we just laughed… and every time we saw each other we waved and laughed.

For these I don't remember date...

Insident with Salmiac:

We are so bad... we made one of our consultants to eat Salmiac candy :D
Too bad that I didn't have my camera with me, the look in his face was showing all what he thought about that stuff...hahahaha
And other consultants knew that stuff, because they have lived in Finland... but even they didn't warn him. Poor fellow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salty_liquorice

Other stuff:

We have found the best shopping places around here: Central shopping mall, Brigade road, Garuda mall, Commercial Street, Deepam silk shop…  

I bet the hotel employees thinks we are really crazy foreign persons, as we are doing all kind of things, which are not so common with people, who are staying at the 5 star hotels. Every evening after arriving back to the hotel from office, we just drop our laptop bags to our rooms and went roaming around the city. And we are doing all our travelling at the city with Rickshaws. Usually people are taking hotel car with a driver :D

And let’s talk about swimming too… some evenings after returning from our shopping trip we went for a swim. At the pool… and there are hotel restaurants situated around the pool. So people were having their dinners while we were swimming. We didn’t let that disturb, but I have to admit that it didn’t feel very nice either…

Photo of the temple on the way to the office. Outside of the temples usually were older ladies making flower garlands. In Hinduism, flowers constitute an important offering made to the deities. Flowers are used while doing puja at home, temples and at sacred places.

Two different kind of transportation was available everywhere... a local Rolls Royce and an oxcart.

This plant would have been Selma's favorite, because it was bright pink :)

Bangalore city, India. 10.7.2011

Sunday 10.7.2011
Bangalore city, India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

So tired when I woke up. Time difference is only 2,5 hours, but when it is much earlier in our own country it feels like waking up in the middle of best sleeping time. During the breakfast we got the best idea ever. It was a pool time!

I just briefly tell about it: it included sun, swimming, a cup of cappuccino, white wine and a great book. Soooo relaxing.

After spending some hours at the pool it was time to have a shower, download photos from the camera and check email, Facebook etc. I made a cup of coffee for myself. Only available milk was some kind of powder…sigh…well, at least it was white. 

My friend got sick, feeling so sad for her :(

I needed some water and so did her, so I went for a walk. I still can’t explain why all these places felt so familiar. I knew the road and knew where some shops were. Made some shopping and took a rickshaw back to hotel.

Some photos from my hotel room, it is a good room, but of course not like the suite we had in Agra :D

Pictures from the pool side and yes, you guessed right, I was swimming there every day.

Agra Fort, Agra, India. 9.7.2011

Agra Fort

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_Fort

Last time I didn’t have enough time to visit the fort. Luckily I didn’t know what kind of place it was, because I would have felt so angry that I was so close but didn’t have a chance to visit there. I don’t have other words to describe it than it was big and red :D

Inside the fort we saw remaining of old decorations. All semi-precious stones, jewelries and gold were removed from the walls and roofs with fire by Englishmen very long time ago. Destroying something so beautiful just because of the greediness is unforgivable.

Drive back to Delhi took 4 hours and we were worried that we won’t make it to the plane. But our driver drove like a maniac and we did arrive in the airport on time. Next stop is Bangalore, South India. 

Taj Mahal, Agra, India. 9.7.2011

Saturday 9.7.2011

Agra, India

Time to visit one of the world wonders: Taj Mahal.

Our taxi driver has arranged a guide for us. Yikes… not a good start. I was still traumatized about the guide I had last time when I visited Taj Mahal. That guy practically run around the whole place and tour was over before it even started. Lesson learned, I would say. The guide can come with us, but we are going to see that place with our own terms and no-one is going to hurry us... 

Taj Mahal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal

Okay, I will take my words back. We had an excellent guide, who let us roam the place with the speed we wanted and who told to us the story about the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. He pointed out details about the artwork and building itself, which are not written to any tourist guide. He showed how the stones reacted with the light. Especially the orange stone was set on fire when light touched it.

It feels so unrealistic that we really were there and saw this amazing building. There are no words to tell, not enough photos to show. You just can’t describe it to anyone who hasn’t visited Taj Mahal him/herself. From experience I know that the reality what we have seen will hit much later and it is overwhelming.

I have seen it now twice and I have a feeling I’m going to visit there again, some day. And that next time I want to take my girls with me, they need to see the most beautiful building with their own eyes.

One thing what I regretted from my last visit was that I didn’t buy a little tourist souvenir: little white ‘marble’ Taj Mahal. Now I have one…

View to our hotel garden.

The Great Gate (Darwaza-i Rauza)
http://www.tajmahal.com/listingview.php?listingID=13&name=Great+Gate

The proof that I have seen Taj Mahal in my own eyes.

Our guide took secretly a photo of me, where reflection of the Taj Mahal is visible in my sunglasses.

They were taking photos of us... so I took photos of them :D

Details of the semi-precious stone decorations and marble carvings from the Taj Mahal facade.

Those decorations are handwork. We saw some samples how those are done.

Lotus Temple, Delhi, India

Lotus Temple, Delhi, India

One of the remarkable architectures of Bahai faith. The temple looks like a Lotus flower and it is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Temple

Modern piece of architecture in the middle of the centuries old atmosphere. That’s how I feel about the Lotus Temple. No offence, it’s very beautiful and this is the second time I visit there, it’s just so new. Everything here in India is from other centuries, but this one is from our time.

It is possible to go inside to spend a moment in silence and praying. It is requested to take off your shoes when going inside and also avoid talking. Temple is also really beautiful from inside, so we took our shoes off and went there. Unfortunately they don't allow photoshooting inside the temple.

We drove to Agra that evening+night, it took total of 5 hours. And Agra is located only about little over 200km, but traffic causes that it really takes so long. Because there is only one word to descripe the traffic here: SUPERHYPERCAOTIC.

Surprise was waiting for us when we arrived to the hotel. They have upgraded us to the suite. WOW.

The suite contained a living room, master bedroom, bathroom and dressing room. But we didn’t have much time to enjoy of the luxury, much needed sleep was waiting for us.

Qutub Minar, Delhi, India

Qutub Minar

Soaring stone tower, 72 meters high, was built by Gutub-ud-din Aibak in 1193. The base of the Minar is 15m in diameter and the top just 2,5m in diameter, an amazing piece of work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutb_Minar

All those carvings are so detailed, really an amazing like said in the book.

Like several times before I wish there would be a way to go back in time and really see how those were done without modern tools. Too bad stone can’t tell its story to us.  

Same thing happened here, group photos. Those Indian clothes are so awesome and colorful, so after all photos taken from us, I felt justified to take photos of them. :P

Some weird guy followed us around and took several photos with his mobile. Maybe he has never before seen a European woman… or maybe he has never before seen a woman. Lolzzz. Anyway we didn’t let him disturb our visit to this memorial place.

Small squirrels were running around and I managed to catch some photos of them. One of them came very close to my friends foot and she thought it’s going to bite her :D

I’m happy of those photos of different animals, which I have been able to capture so far. My girls ordered me to take as much photos of animals as possible, they are crazy animal lovers…lolzzz

Found also this very scary tree

Rashtrapati Bhavan, Presidential house, Delhi, India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, Presidential house

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Bhavan

Opposite of the India gate is Rashtrapati Bhavan. We walked around and took some photos. I also saw some monkeys resting on the top of the outer wall elephant statues. I don't have anything else to tell, let the photos speek on behalf of me.

Rickshaw

If you use rickshaw, remember to bargain about the price ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickshaw

Does anyone know what is this flower?