I just discovered that ScummVM has been ported to Android. That’s the platform that all the old LucasArts games were written for, including the Monkey Island series, DOTT, Sam & Max, etc. I’m definitely installing, a not-so-straight-forward process, once I’m off this plane.
We didn’t know what to do with the silly flag and sticker that came with Jessica’s Toms shoes, so we put them on the pup.
Today we (Jessica, her parents and I) headed out of Bangalore to get some peace and quiet in the Nandi Hills. This is an ancient hill fortress about 45 km north of the city, famous for the small temples built at the peak about 1000 years ago. It was nice to get away from the smog, get some exercise, and see some wildlife. One thing we found humorous was how several groups of Indian visitors wanted pictures with us, which we gladly agreed to. My Indiana Jones hat probably contributed to their amusement.
The hike up to the top from the lower parking lot is less than 2 km, and takes 15 minutes or so, even when hiked casually. Here were some scenes along the way.
Lawn art
Just blows me away
Nandi temple
One of the locals
The highlight for me was all the monkeys. We white folk don’t get to see them much unless at the zoo, so we snapped plenty of photos. I will say, though, Lonely Planet needs to mention the 500 or so inhabitants with a disclaimer. Monkeys are not afraid to approach humans and will take something if they want it. Case in point:
Curious monkey approaches
Initial inquiry
A friendly greeting
The plot thickens
Negotiations
Final attempt
Once things seemed to be getting out of hand, Jessica stopped capturing the events and we exited the situation. No one was (badly) injured. We witnessed two other water bottle heists, one from another foreigner and the other from Jessica’s parents. Lonely Planet will be getting an email shortly.
Something fishy at the airport
Trina, Jessica, Jen, Emily and Joel at the airport
Lalbagh Garden plant life
Emily using it
Meeting the director
The lake at Lalbagh
Let me tell you 'bout the I-D-C
Decisions
The Parms and I arrived in Bangalore at 1:30 AM on Saturday, and have since pretty much recovered from the jetlag. Our hotel is the Fortune Select Trinity in Whitefield, about 30 minutes from the city center on a good day and over an hour during rush-hour (which lasts most of the day). On the plus side, the drive to the Accenture campus is about 5 minutes.
Over the weekend we checked out the Bangalore Palace. The palace is beautiful if not a bit quirky. We saw elephant heads and stools made from elephant feet. We also saw a very old wooden refrigerator, cooled only by ice. There were also a bunch of paintings of naked ladies on the walls, Chinese furniture, and a Spanish mosaic bench.
The bench
The crew
On Sunday we took a walking tour of Lalbagh Garden through BanagaloreWALKS. Our tour guide Vijay took us on a 3 hour tour of the plant life in the garden. The tour included a lunch at MTR, an ‘institution’ in Bangalore that’s been around for over 70 years.
MTR blue grape drink
Dosa Masala!
We stood on a 3 billion year old rock in the gardens, one of the oldest exposed geological features on earth.
Stroll up a 3 billion year old rock
At the top
More pictures to follow.