Back from ATLANTA!

P and I had a great getaway weekend in Atlanta. Warm breezes, good food, cooking, museums, and lunch with Julie filled our weekend with happiness! This was the India detox trip and it was just what I needed before buckling down and finishing graduate school! WOW--do I have a great boyfriend or WHAT?

We stayed at the Georgian Terrace, and old hotel in Midtown. It was a beautiful place with a kitchen in the room! We were very excited about the idea of cooking breakfast...until we realized that the hotel wanted to charge us 25 dollars a day to borrow some pots and pans AND 25 dollars a day to loan us plates and silverware! Always the problem solvers we headed over to the grocery store around the corner and found a 12 dollar pan, plastic plates and cutlery, and a much needed knife! The best thing we bought was some seasoned raw shrimp! We asked the woman to add some spices she had sitting on the counter and she happily obliged. These guys cooked up in a flash for a great snack.

We checked out the Botanical Gardens on our first venture out. They had a train exhibit set up outside. It was amazing!












All of these exhitibts were created out of organic materials...and made to look like local attractions. Here is a picture of Turner Field.

We had fun checking out the indoor plants as well. P is standing near this weird tree that has very soft bark.
















A lot of plants were from South Africa...making me excited to view the landscape of this country with my own eyes in a few months.

We headed over to check out Olympic Park on other day. During our outing P and I have decided to rate all of the Olympic locations that we visit. Atlanta will be our second following the winter trip we took to Munich. I think we both agree that Munich was much cooler than the area put together in Atlanta. Munich's sky lounge and elaborate glass structures created to cover the swimming pools and other exhibition halls were unbelievable.

Atlanta does have some interesting components. They allowed people to purchase bricks so there are sidewalks made of personalized bricks throughout the park.












The fountain is amazing. It resides on the ground, forming the olympic rings in brick. It is coordinated to music at different times of the day. Its HUGE!





It is a very peaceful place in the middle of this bubbling city. I appreciate the quiet of America so much more after returning from India. We take the clean air and quiet city afternoons for granted here.




Finally, the quilts. There are several of them on one side of the park. Each has a message it is trying to convey. This one is showing the evolution of the Olympics through out time.

Other quilts included tributes to the medal winners, statements about terrorism and the importance of the global event. I imagine these were added after the actual games ended which give the park a sense of historical record not evident in Munich. If anything, the Germans have conveniently forgotten the terrorist incident that occurred on their grounds. There is no tribute or any information available on the kidnapping event that took place there.

All and all it was a GREAT WEEKEND! So wonderful to spend some time with P, see an old friend, relax and check out the city!

Experiences

Back in the US and feeling very overwhelmed...perhaps gaining so much insight into things is bad when you attempt to step back in to mainstream America. Over-stimulation. To much information. To much vivid reality...vivid smells...vivid colors clouding up my brains.

It feels like simple things people are freaking about are somewhat ridiculous compared to the people I saw last week eating and peeing on the same street. But this is the reality of the world and I can't fault people for minding their life...its what I will be doing in a few weeks when I recover.

I was at a silk store on Sunday for assorted reasons and overheard this woman talking about how silk farmers own these beautiful small farms, family businesses, they work for a very small clientele, and on it went...it was the story of silk farmers that American's want to hear. I assume they know better.

Ironically, the man helping P and I, after hearing this woman, proceeded to tell us about how he is setting up a silk factory in Bangalore. Two totally different worlds and experiences operating with in 10 feet of each other and successfully selling the same thing. Is this America? How did that man know, I wonder, that we would rather hear about his silk factory than the "story of the silk farmer?"

So over the past day or so I have been thinking about dramatic experiences in my life...things that have startled me...

Earthquake in San Francisco
First earthquake. I had just arrived in the city by the bay to enjoy my delicious bed at the W hotel...they have this ridiculous mattress topper there that is like 5 inches thick...pure heaven.

After a run, shower, and reading away....I drifted into a beautiful sleep until my bed started cruising around the room. All I could think was WOW, those people in the room next to me are having crazy sex! Um...no.

Training in Delhi after the 10/29 Bombings
In the middle of setting up projectors and other technical equipment, someone comes into the room and asks if they can turn on the TV. I look at the TV as the man is watching it and understand nothing that is being said....but see all of the pictures and the horror growing on his face..

As my students piled in over the next few hours...I saw their questioning faces...wondering where their peers were...cars were arriving late because the streets were closed off. Communication was sparse throughout the evening before I left for the next city on my tour. ..which seemed to soon to be honest. I felt like I wanted to know what happened...were they all okay?

Riots in Miami
Running to meet with a client in Miami...I was cabed there by a complete FREAKSHOW. This guy was dressed up in a complete Dallas Cowboy outfit. Sweatpants, sweat shirt and yes, SWEAT BANDS on his head and wrists! I got into the back seat and almost fell on the floor because there was SO MUCH vinyl cleaner on the seat...

As we were driving there, I noticed a child in the front seat(in a car seat) and thought, hmm...that kid looks way to young to be up there and wow, he or she is very quiet. Yeah, that was not a child, it was a CHUCKIE doll dressed in the same outfit as the driver. LOL. The airport is close, thankfully.

But anyway, in the middle of the chuckie recognition, I hear on the radio that Janet Reno has ordered the removal of Elian Gonzalez from his temporary US home.

I enjoyed the peace of my Miami hotel room for about an hour before I noticed a simple note slipped under my door, notifying patrons there may be riots in the streets with regard. I love hotels--so helpful. NOT.

Riots in the streets ensued...people chanting and screaming about Janet Reno, shutting down main roads.... In retrospect its just fascinating that Reno showed up there a few years later in a political race.

Fire in London
Love the British. Upon check-in or arrival at a business they always show you a map of the emergency exits. This map should be STUDIED closely so when a fire breaks out by the front desk of the hotel, sounding the elementary school bell fire alarm in your hotel room, you know how to get out of the hotel.

After this I made a mental note to always take the stairs down once I arrive at my hotel...so I at least know where they are....

Flat tire in Agra
A flat tire anywhere is a PAIN, but in Agra, India...its crazy.

A bicyclist tore off the plug to one of the tires on the car I hired to drive me to the Taj. It was a complete blow out! I can still hear the sound and see the air flying out and everyone on the crowded Agra street reacting to it...remember most people are on bikes or in open air vehicles like rickshaws.

The driver pulled over and started changing the tire. I got out of the car and people started stopping and staring at me on the street. I don't think you can stay in the car when you have a flat as you need to jack up the tire to change it...at least this is what I have been told.....so I just decided to wave to everyone. It worked--well kind of. People still stood there and stared but some folks moved on.

We have a flat tire in the truck and the spare on the car...4 hours from where we are going. Yeah, time to stop and the "tire shop." This would be a blue tarp tent on the side of the road. Here you will find a man that has some how acquired an air compressor...I have NOT ONE CLUE where the power to operate such a device comes from but this thing is HUGE! Its about 3 feet long. The driver speaks with him and he pulls back a board from the pallet that forms the bottom of this tent...out comes the tube we are seeking to fix out tire...

The Taj!

Here is our chalet to the Taj. The funny thing? This old beat up van is "pollution free." No idea how they managed this...perhaps they removed the whole engine and replaced it? Troy is talking to our guide in this shot--our driver acquired his services. It became very apparent that we needed an escort as the day wore on.

Here is the entrance to the Taj looking back from the Taj itself. I was to busy taking videos...until they took away my camera... to get this building from the front! This gives you an idea of how large this landscape is...the entrance to the Taj is a little under a 10 minute walk.



To give you a better idea of its size...remember this is just the entrance!



As you walk through this building there is an opening that is designed to "frame" the Taj


On the other side they take away your video camera and lock it in a locker, giving you the key. I love India, you never know if there is really a locker, if there is really someone handling these things....your guide just tells you that you have to pay the man standing by this entrance 50 rupees to run your camera past the door, and then you have to pay him 50 more rupees to store your camera.

We got some good pics while walking toward the Taj, primarily because our guide yelled at people to move out of the way and told us where the good shots were! This one would have been perfect...damn that hand!




On each side of the Taj is a "poor man's Taj". CRAZY! These buildings were designed to balance the Taj. One was originally a temple and the other was a guest house. They are identical!



Not sure what the story on this was...lots of women dipping their feet in the pool outside the poor man Taj


So before you are allowed to enter the Taj you have to cover your feet or take off your shoes. Yeah you are in INDIA where most people do not have shoes so you choose to cover your feet...and hopefully you have a guide like we did who brings covers for you...cause guess what? There is no one assigned to this duty, just a bunch of folks that show up everyday a pull the old covers out of the trash and sell them to you for a variety of prices....Guard = GOOD.



And we are off! Here is the walkway you take to get up to the main level of the Taj.



Finally when you get up to the top...guess what? IMPOSSIBLE to take a pic of this thing! Just to big! And then you can't take a pic inside....not allowed! So you get in line and the guide pushes and shoves you through the door while paying off the guard to get you through...and shows you all of the special jewels that are carved into the marble. Here is a picture of some work outside the door...there is much much more inside.



The Taj was amazing, beautiful, overwhelming...so according to the learning channel, I have 8 more wonders to observe:

1. Great Wall of China
2. Pyramids
3. Angkor Wat
4. Panama Canal
5. Sydney Opera House
6. Taj Mahal
7. Mount Rushmore
8. Trans-Siberian Railroad
9. Machu Picchu
10. Golden Gate Bridge

Think I will hold out on the Pyramids until the terrorism calms down a bit...had enough of being in cities being bombed for a while...perhaps I should see if the Machu Picchu railroad is running again...

Why you should check the State Dept web site...

October 10th warning stated that facilities associated with the US or locations in which US citizens and other foreign nationals are likely to be present could be targeted...attacks could include suicide car bombings.... No information is provided about the identity of the possible attackers, but candidates include the various Kashmiri-based militant groups that were implicated in bomb attacks at a central market in Mumbai in 2003 and an assault on parliament buildings in Delhi in 2001....

Message from my travel department....letting me know that the state dept has issued a warning about travel to India...after checking that I was still "beating"

Thanks!.... I told them....since I am on the ground here I will send you updated coverage on what is happening.....and will try to avoid crowded places (like this is possible in a country with 1 billion people) and places where international travelers hang out(um like any nice hotel in India?????)

NOTE TO SELF: Check State Dept web site EVERY DAY before you leave and while you are in country for updates.