Sunday Funday @ the Vandalur Zoo

Last trip I tried to go to the zoo.... drove all the way there (approx 45min)... only to find out it was closed !

I finally made it to the zoo today. I was excited to see all the animals.. but it didnt take long before I felt like one of the attractions. EVERYONE... kept staring at me like I was a rare breed of human. It was annoying.  I miss diversity.


Check out my cool pics ...

My Zoo Tour Guide :)

Before we even got to any exhibits. ..  I noticed this.. I asked Ruks what it was and he said "ant hill". Dayumm those are some impressive ants.

We attempted to ride this bike. Until I found out Ruks couldnt ride a bike. lol. we returned it and walked. made for some good laughs though.

Monkeys!

You looking at my tail??

White Peacock

Never seen a black and white giraffe!

Hippo outta water!

Pumba!

maybe we should look into caging our "wild asses" in America too!

White Tiger going for a swim..

Big Daddy

Being a foreigner had some special perks too! The zoo worker invited Ruks and I to the back of the White Tiger exhibit to see the baby cubs. Of course there was a big price involved.. ($4 ..lol ) He took us back... opened the cage right up with the cubs inside and told me to go inside to take the picture. OMG. things you dont see in America. .. but very cool  :)

Sloth Bear

What a fun day!

India Round 2 !

Here I am in India again! Originally I was not supposed to come for this phase of training - they were going to send one of their trainers to America. Unfortunately, both of the people that applied for their Visa were denied. Apparently it isnt easy getting a Visa here in India. Regardless.. here I am for Round 2. My stay is a little over 3 weeks this time and I am traveling without my co-pilot Amy :( ! This adventure has been a lot different being solo and I definitely miss all the laughs Amy and I shared.. brown chicken brown cow.. 2-3-4! (sorry inside joke).


The journey here was LONG. I flew with Cathay Pacific Airlines this time vs Emirates. The food and service was better.. but the plane wasnt as comfortable. And on a 24 hr flight.. comfort is key! I missed game 7 of the World Series on my way to Hong Kong.. but was advised mid flight that the Cardinals won :)  YAY! My layover in HK was 4 hrs.. I wish I could have ventured outside the airport to explore a little but it was late at night and I didnt want to risk getting lost in China. I opted for the BusinessClass lounge instead. Free bar.. free food .. and free wifi made the layover not seem so bad.


I finally arrived in India on Sunday (I left America on Friday - weird) and was greeted by my favorite Indian friends.. Gopi, Ravi and Ruks!


This time I chose to stay at the newly built Hyatt vs the Taj. I loved the Taj last time ..but the rewards points of the Hyatt are more beneficial back in America (I earn about 10 free days at Hyatt for my stay here.. nice!). The hotel is beautiful.. Ive attached photos below.  However.. no hair salon.. and no gift shop.. boo! My room is very spacious... but during the day it is loud here. They always seem to be constructing something right outside my door and it usually involves about 10 Indians talking very loudly. It can be disturbing considering I work graveyard shift and I am trying to SLEEP!


I have 12 trainees in my class this time - 5 girls and 7 boys. I am in the same training room as the last time and havent seen the mice :)  I went to visit my dog .. Hourglass.. only to learn that she was picked up by Blue Cross. Ruks explained that there is an organization that will pick up dogs.. provide them with medication to get healthy again and then return them to the streets vaccinated and neutered/fixed. I was so happy to hear about such a program that I checked out their website and will be making a donation :) Amy's dog - Echo - was still her and even with a new addition (baby echo!). I brought 3 bags of chicken strip dog treats with me to feed the dogs on my breaks at work.  I was sooo excited to give it to them.. wouldnt you know.. I offered the treats to probably 5 different street dogs and not one of them would eat it ! Apparently they dont like American food.. but didnt know they would be so selective considering they are starving.


Everything else has been good...the weather is better this time..much cooler and lots of rain. The work days are long..I leave the hotel at 6pm and dont arrive back until 430am!! I am looking forward to my beach getaway this weekend.

Flowers brought to me on the first day from my Indian friends :)

The tree Amy and I planted last time! It has grown and has leaves now ..



Looking down from my hotel floor into the lobby



Cant figure out how to rotate the picture.. but this is the inside of the hotel and all the floors

View from my room

Ruks came and had lunch with me

Birthday Party - Amy's last day celebration!

Saturday we celebrated my birthday party and Amy's leaving India party. The entire class was there :) Good times. One thing I learned is they really love to have their picture taken!

Special Thank You to Amy for making this birthday extra Happy and Special! 3 dozen roses and a birthday outfit :) *** HUGS***

Singing Happy Birthday!

cutting the cake

Rukstar!

GOPI!

Meet the Class !

Here are a few pictures of our training class.. and Amy wearing a Sari. They were so excited to see her wear the traditional dress here in India. I wasnt as bold.

Amy and Balaji - Her favorite!

Amy and Karthik

Amy and her street dog "echo"

Most of the trainees...

We spent a Saturday morning playing Cricket. This was TEAM SWINGER!  Oh and you notice my doggie in front of Ruks? He promised me that he will take care of her when I leave :)

We nicknamed this group the Bad Boys!

The good boys!

Orphanage

Amy, Ruks and I spent the day at Udavum Karangal (Helping Hands) orphanage. I was so impressed with the facility. The grounds were very clean and nicely kept. We waited 2.5 hrs for the children to wake up from their rest so we could go in and play with them.

I expected it to be sad. But the children seemed genuinely happy and well taken care of. They were loved. :) The experience made my heart smile.

Radisson Temple Bay (again) and Shore Temple

Shore Temple is a popular tourist spot in Chennai. Check out the women and children trying to sell us stuff.. ABSOLUTE insanity.