A Word From Maam Costello

Hey all,

Sorry it has taken a few days to blog but already we are crazy busy and in full blown training mode. I will try and sum up the last few days as briefly as I can and try to capture the many experiences I have already experienced .

Travel
OMG!! First Class is the only way to fly! I felt like Kylie and kept looking around to see who they were talking too. They treated us like popstars - "Can I dress your table Maam", "Care for more Champagne?" "What time shall I serve you Maam" - I could go on.

Hotel
The hotel is a georgous buisness hotel and our rooms are fantastic. I have made mine just like home already - got my candles, my incense sticks going and my jo malone ( that ones for you Laryea !).
I have the pool to myself every morning while Jay is pumping her stuff in the gym. David wakes at noon.

First Day
Traffic!!! What can I say, I have never seen so many people, cars and beepiing and the driving would make a grown man cry!
I have now trained myself to look only at the headrest to and from work.

Anyway I digress, Jay decides to take me to the supermarket. Its 1K away so obviousely too far to walk so she makes me get a rickshaw.
The rickshaw is about 10cm big and so is our driver! I get out of the rickshaw visibley shaking shouting "never again if I have to walk 20 miles Kerai!"
We stopped at the supermarket and then decided to pop to the next door "shop" to buy some wine and kingfisher beer as the hotel prices are designed for actual popstars!
Anyway I find myself in a shack filled with men that look like they may have been there a while ( maybe 3 weeks) ! There are flys everywhere and as soon as we walk in, everyone turns and stares! I felt like I was in some kind of western and Clint Eastwood could show at any minute.
The "shop" turns out to be a local MENS drinking joint and the serving area has bars from top to bottom now making it look like a prison shack - its getting better by the minute.
Anyway undettered Jay chats happily to the man behind the prison asking for his number and what not ( the girl has no shame - she even got the 10cm Rickshaw mans number I may add!!), while I hot foot it back to tiny mans cab.
That was enough for one day I can tell you so we spend the rest of the day chilling and eating and deciding who was having an affair with who around the poolside ( apparently this is very common in Bangalore!).

Monday
First day at work and our driver - YES you got it our very own driver turns up 2 hours early and no one tells us. The poor man is sitting out in the 40 degree heat waiting 2 hours for us to arrive! Eventually we arrive at SMS to be again be greeted like popstars ( beginning to really like this trip!) and meet the team. They all look so happy and chilled , totally different to the stressed pinched look they seemed to aquire after a few days in the UK.
Anyway 10 minutes in and Team ALD is up and running and we haven't stopped!!

Having an amazing time, loving every second and had a really good thought - Me and Jay will stay in India and IMS can off-shore to us - worth a thought I think Carolyn ;-)

Anyway chaps, missing you all ( expecially the tea rounds and what ifs) and hope your all doing ok. Will update again soon.

Take care J