I made it!!!

Wow. I'm here. Unfortunately, that's about as deep a thought as I was able to conjure when I landed at 1am Bangalore time last night.

After 24 hours of travel, I have come to one conclusion: I love business class!!! A huge thank you goes to MMG for the support on that account. It was amazing. The food was great and for the first time in my life, my knees didn't touch the seat in front of me. It was truly incredible. As were the business class lounges, it's like a secret party that goes on while everyone else migrates to the airport Chiles. The sad thing is though, this has ruined coach for me forever. Although, the amount of attention you receive is a little overwhelming and it is true what they say (credit to Adrienne) they feed you constantly! I think I'm good for the remainder of the week...

As far as jetlag goes, I'm actually okay. I took the advice of travelers past and only slept on flights where it was nighttime in India. I didn't sleep in today (although with the blackout curtains at the hotel I probably could have slept until Saturday and not noticed) and went for an amazing brunch at the Leela. By the way, the Leela is the hotel I'm staying at (I figured barging in at 2am was not the best first impression for my new roommate) and it is super incredible. Google it. Leela Palace Hotel, Bangalore (picture to the left). And after you do, all I can say is yes, it is that beautiful. I changed my mind, I think I will stay here instead (just kidding).

Initial impressions of India:

There are stray dogs EVERYWHERE. I know that's an odd thing to mention, but seriously, they're everywhere. Then this morning I was reading the Times of India (newspaper) and there was a whole article on strays around Bangalore. It was nice to know it wasn't just me...

I also have already verified that when they say the people here are extremely kind and warm, it is so true. I already made a couple of friends while waiting for baggage at the airport. And apparently my giant stature (I have yet to see/meet anyone taller than me) does not frighten anyone. Speaking of kindness, Will Stanton (a manager in MP I work with) was so wonderful. As if he had nothing better to do at 1am, he and his driver made 45 minute (each way) trek out to the Bangalore airport to pick me up. And for those of you who know Will, or Willard as he is known here, in true Stanton fashion he was waiting outside with a Target-branded sign on a clipboard that said "Ms. Kate Brady". Classic...

Other than last night, my only other experiences in Bangalore have been in the car. And yes, the traffic is as bad as they say. We sat at a green light (yes, we had the green light) as the first car in line and it took us about 15 minutes to get through the intersection (on a red light of course). Shekar, my driver, is very nice, although I'm pretty sure I make him nervous, which probably surprises no one reading this blog. I spent most of the ride trying to convince him to stop calling me "ma'am".

Alright, well I'm going to move into my new place and meet my roommate Pam. Feel free to email me if these are incredibly lame or if there are any burning questions you have. Direction would be helpful, otherwise these will most likely be the ramblings you see above.

Pictures to come!!