July 15th

We have been meeting new Americans. Reasa and I were having coffee at Himaylia mall this morning and a new American came in, she just arrived from a small town outside of Houston. So we helped her with all kinds of things like where to get bacon.

We worked all day. I cooked lunch and dinner. After dinner they called and told me that my glasses were ready. So we took a rick shaw and picked up my glasses. They look really cool. I can't wait till the sun comes out so that I can test out my transitional lenses. I wanted these glasses since I first saw Bob's.

They got locks on the doors so that we are no longer locked in after the night shift leaves at 4 am. Doesn't keep the cats from coming in and checking out our trash. We have great trash.

July 14th

Last night we went to "the chocolate room" and had chocolate fondu. Parnav and his wife. He also took us to a 4 room bungalow with a great garden out in Bopal which is out in the suburbs of Ahmedabad. We also went to a party house out on a farm, complete with a swimming pool and the gardens were so beautiful with the flowers and vegetable gardens.

We seem to be getting busy every day. Construction on the bungalow downstairs is coming along nicely. They don't seem to bother us any. Reasa and Michelle want me to come and exercise. I have been able to get out of it the last two mornings, but I am afraid that they are going to come and get me tomorrow morning.

July 13th

It was a rainy day. Chirag and Dilput moved office desks and computer to the basement where they put in air conditioning. The carpenters are coming tomorrow and start building cabins in the first floor. "Cabins" here are offices for Bob, Chirag and Amish. As soon as they get that completed they will move everybody back up stairs and then start building wall to wall desks in the basement. So it is going to take some moving but it will be a really nice office. We have 2 shifts and are looking to put on the 3 shift really soon. We took off about 3 o'clock and went out to get some groceries. It was raining but not very hard, so it was humid. A really cool breeze so it was a very delightful Sunday afternoon.

Sunday is a day that all of India go out and go to the shops. So it is really busy everywhere you go. But that makes going out more fun. Lots of people to look at and a lot of people to stare at us.

July 12th

I called everybody last night. My phone cames in UNKNOWN and Kimi said "Who is this?". I have just been gone a week and she already forgot my voice. Her and Chad are probably still at work packing. They are moving into a new home. The movers come in Saturday morning.

We stayed in most of the day yesterday. It rained really hard almost all day. We went to the mall, then to the milk man for milk and the bread man for bread. There was water EVERYWHERE. I can see how mosquitoes can breed so easily. I don't see any standing water around our bungalow, but that is something I am taking precautions with.

Bob has been going to bed about 9pm Bob gets up at 4am and works till about 8am then goes back to bed. I stay up till 11pm or 12pm and then sleep until 7am. We have most of US and India business hours covered.

They got the wireless connected, electric plugs in the living room moved so Bob moved the living room around. The apartment is coming together nicely.

Bob and I went to get his haircut. We then went to Himaylia Mall and ate at "Papa John's Pizza". The salad was pretty good, they put alot of dressing on their salads. Reasa called and she joined us. I meet Ben her 4 year old son, he is the only caucasian little boy model in India. Ben has those beautiful blue eyes and long eyelashes like Cade. We took him to McDonald's and then we went to the 99rupies store. They have alot of American food. I got diet Shasta. Ben was all excited about "Skittles". Reasa has a private rickshaw driver. So she then called and they took me home. I haven't ventured out on my own yet. Reasa and Ben came up to see the bungalow.

At 7:45pm Reasa and Robert came to pick us up to go to dinner, they leased a car and driver. We took Ben to Bill and Michelle's. They have 5 kids from 12 yrs to 2 yrs. We went into their 10 bedroom home that is leased by the "Bosch" company. What a great bungalow. Guys had a beer and we then went to BBQ Nation to feast on the best food I have had in Ahmedabad. There are about 3 new restaurants that have opened that cater to American's not including Papa John's. India is changing so fast.

Ice Cream

Yesterday one of our employees bought a new house. So the tradition is that when you buy a house you have to buy everybody ice cream. What a great tradition! I eMailed that to Kimi. I told her that I wanted ice cream when I got home, she said NO PROBLEM! Bob said that he wanted CAKE.

Got my glasses ordered yesterday. Couldn't decide between Monte Blanc, titaniam, Celin or many other styles. But I picked one, They will be ready on the 15th.

Between sleeping, buying furniture and socializing with some new and old friends. I think now that we can settle in and get some work done. We had lunch with the lady that got us the Bungalow. Bob meet Reasa just after I left last time. Her husband works with all the American CEO's here in India. So Reasa has become a very good friend. She will turn 30 next month, but she got me some hairspray, so she is a friend for life now. They wives of these CEO's go for lunch once a month. Next week. Do I feel important, I will tell you after my first lunch. AMERICAN's! I have so many questions. We are supposed to go to dinner with the manager of Bosch and his wife on Saturday night to BBQ Nation.

Got the curtains up in the apartment. Kitchen is about complete. No sink, but I am not sure what we are going to do about that. DilPut washes the dishes, I don't see why he can't carry them downstairs to the kitchen. I still use alot of water while I cook and a sink in the kitchen would be a really handy item.

July 11th

We went to Shalimar to eat last night. It's where you sit on the ground and eat off of very short tables. Your plate is 4 banana leaves that have been sewn together. Your bowls are banana leaves that have been molded in to bowls. They just keep bringing you all of the vegetables. NO MEAT! beans, beets, onions, sprouts, potatoes, rice and all kinds of round flat bread like stuff. Nothing is really spicy, some a little. You have a sppon that you can eat with, but Shaynal and Pouti used their hands. Then after you eat you get up and go over and wash your hands with lava dust or something. They pour the warm water over your hands to wash over the ashes.

Then there are these beds all lined up around a stage and they sing songs about you. Of course Shaynal had to interrupt them, so no telling what they were really singing. They also had these chairs hanging from trees that you could swing in. Everything was natural clay pots, ropes, tree houses, weaved beds, etc. It was really nice evening and good food.

I have been having a little trouble getting used to DilPut doing everything for me. I was put the new pillow cases on this morning and Bob said "Dilput will do that". I started putting up the curtains in the living room and Bob said "Dilput will do that". He is such a cute little man (boy, but he has a 3 month old son so that makes him a man right?). He gets down on his knees and cleans all the floors. He takes out trash, moved furniture, wired the airconditioner, wash Chirag's car, brings all the employees a glass of water ever hour, and will grab anything in my hand and carry it up the stairs. On one hand it's really nice and you really feel like a queen but then he is always there, you have to lock the door if you are going to undress. I was napping and he just brings things into the room, NEVER knocks. He doesn't speak much English, so he is a very quiet little man too.

I am going to get my glasses today. I think we have all the furniture we need for a while. It was nice to sleep on a bed last night.

The weather is not really hot. Humid. But with the airconditioners it will be OK. I was pretty worried about just sweating all the time. Of course we are supposed to get monsoon type rains this weekend, that shall be an experience.

Better get to work. Again thanks for taking care of the florist for me.

3rd Trip to India

We were on the plane to NYC when we realized we were going to land at Lagordia Airport and our flight to India was leaving out of JFK. We have 6 hours between landing and taking off, so we were hoping that we could make it from Lagorida airport to JFK. Finally we found someone on the plane that said that it's not far. First adventure of our trip. We caught a cab and was at JFK in about 15 to 20 minutes. Jet Airways ticket counter didn't open till 4:00 pm and there was nothing at the airport. We found a couple of chairs and watched people.

We were the first in line at the ticket counter so we got exit rows all the way to Ahmedabad India. The first 8 hour flight a little boy was sitting behind me. Guess what his darling little feet just reached the back of my chair. He did ALOT of kicking. Have 2 very small grandsons I am a little more compassionate than someone might have been. I said something to the stewardess and she asked who the parent was to the little boy. They did not speak English and the mother had put her 4 kids in the row behind us. #1 it didn't stop him from kicking, #2 there was no place to move and #3 they should all the kids in the back of the plane together. So it was a very long trip. I kept thinking that he would go to sleep, and about the time that I would think that he would kick.

Our first stop was in Brussells. It was not a long stop. We changed planes and got back on the plane. This flight was alot better. The seat behind me was emtpy. Bob and I both slept 6 or the 8 hours. We arrived in Mumbai and had a 10 hour layover till our last flight to Ahmedabad. So we decided to get a hotel. We went to the window and booked a hotel that was close to the airport. You have to do from International airport in Mumbai to the domestic airport anyway, so we stayed at the Marigold. It was about 10 minutes from the airport and they hotel cab came and picked us up. It was 12 am and we slept until 7am. The hotel provided a complimentary breakfast and then off to the airport.

It sure did help with the jet lag. We arrived in Ahmedabad at noon. We really felt great. They took us to the new bungalow. We were very impressed. I will have pictures up before too long.

Our days and nights are a little messed up. But we did manage to go shopping and spend about 50,000 rupies. $1,250USD on 1 air conditioner, a couch, 2 matching chairs, coffee table, 2 end tables, refrigerator, TV, buffet for kitchen, 2 bookcases, wicker patio love seat and matching chair. All delivered up 1 flight of stairs, installed and assembled. We still need a bed, but still looking. I want flowers for my entrance patio and the balcony off of the living room and bedroom. I can actually have FLOWERS.

Dilput is very busy cleaning and putting the bungalow in order. He is a busy little man, three floors and 3 large patios. It is a fantastic bungalow. I wish that you all could come and enjoy it. We have employee's 24 hours, so that is a little weird. You have Indian music playing all the time. It's not loud up here, and it doesn't keep you from sleeping.

We went out to eat last night. Had a little trouble giving the rickshaw driver the directions back to the bungalow. We turned one block to soon or we would have been OK. If they would just put up a street sign,

the actual directions are:

"Ahmedabad" is the city

"Satellite" is the township

"100 Ft. Road" is the street you go down to get to

"Anand Nagar Cross Road" which is the nearest intersection

"near Madhur community center" which is a landmark across the street.

"2 Shivalik Bungalows" is the actually house number.

JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO POP ON OVER.