Today was our trip to the Kabini River Lodge. After a two hour bus ride on some of the worst roads yet, we arrived to find a place that exhumed tranquility. It was so peaceful and calm. It looked like we were at a camp. There were bungalows and tent cabins to sleep in. Teresa and I shared a room that was very nice, although the beds were hard as rock. The first thing we did was go exploring. We found a gigantic hammock that a bunch of us climbed onto and relaxed for a few moments. Then we ventured onto a trail that took us to some giant termite mounds. We thought they were anthills until our guide told us what they were.

We then went back and checked into our rooms. Lunch was served and it was very close to American. Many of us were very happy. At 4PM we loaded up the jeeps for our excursion into the jungle. It was fantastic. We saw spotted deer, two kinds of monkeys, some larger deer like animal, wild hogs and then the coo de gra - elephants - three of them. One was a bit smaller and not too happy to see us. He kept swiping the ground with his right front foot - kind of like a bull does before he charges. He was very figity and went behind our jeep. I took lots of pictures. We kept going in search of the elusive tiger, but to no avail. I felt like we were on our ATV's back home. The forest and trails looked like it could have been something I'd ride on back in MN or WI. We even drove under some electrical line paths. On the way back we encountered what I'll call a wild buffalo. That's not the real name, but they sure looked like buffalo. I guess they are hard to find because they are very shy animals.

When we got back to camp we watched a movie that is similar to National Geographic. Then it was off to dinner and then back to our rooms. We had a slight problem when we arrived. There was a gheko in our room on the wall. Teresa tried to shoe it out by standing on a chair with a floor mat and her shoe, but instead of leaving the room it climbed up the wall. It was a little after 10PM and I knocked on Rajiv's door and asked him if he would come over and get the gheko out of our room. He basically told us that it wouldn't hurt us and to just ignore it, which of course we couldn't. I slept with my head under the covers the entire night. I listened to the sound of monkeys ousiide my window while I fell asleep.

Today was a jam packed day of visiting beautiful sites. We started out the morning at 7:00 AM with a trip up the Chamundi Hill to the temple. It is visited by so many people every day. We had to take our shoes off before entering the temple and walk on ground that was littered with monkey and cow droppings. Everybody was pretty disgusted with the walk. The lines to get into the temple were long, but somehow we got to the front of the line. You were jam packed into this small room with people giving alms to the men taking care of the temple. The idol was drapped in flowers. They treat it as if it were a person. On the way out, there were people touching the backside of the building because the idol was just on the otherside of the wall. There was a monkey sitting on the ledge eating a banana, which was odd to see in the middle of all the people.

We then headed back down the hill, but stopped to see a large statue of a bull. The bull is the transport vehicle of one of the Gods. We also stopped to take pictures of the view of the city. It is a very large city that stretches out for miles. When we arrived at the institute, our instructor was ready to teach us Yoga. We each got a mat and laid them out on the ground. We watched the students first and then he had us mimic them. I had really wanted to do this before he talked about the part of praying to different Gods. Then I realized it was not for me. I pray to Jesus Christ as my one and only God. It was interesting poses and may be good exercise.

The Secretary of the college spoke with us and wanted to know how our visit was going. We told him we were very pleased with everything they have done. They have outdone themselves. Next, we moved onto the Maharaja's Palace. It was unbelievable. The intricate designs, wood carvings, tiles, and gifts from many countries were displayed in elegant grandeur. It is such a contrast to walk from the poor conditions people live in just outside the gates of the palace, to the over abundance of wealth that is obvious as soon as you step in the door. It is interesting that the marble stairs brought me back to my job at the St. Louis County Courthouse. The amount of marble I see on a daily basis lulls you into the state that this is normal. Seeing the marble stairs in a palace setting will make me appreciate the exquiste taste of those that went before me. It will be a reminder of the palace visited in 2008.

I was pleased to visit a Catholic Church built in the gothic style. It was small but well done. It thrills me that Christians can live alongside Hindus and Muslims without strife in a country besides the U.S. There were many bee hives hanging from the outside rafters. They had many shapes and sizes. We then traveled to a summer palace and had lunch on the lawn. They had packed us a lunch, which was well received by the group. We had vegetable cutlets, cheese sandwiches, luke warm french fries, and bananas. We visited the palace, which was much less opulent than the first palace and in much need of repair.

We stopped for tea or a coke on the way back towards the city, which was very much appreciated. Then it was on to the bird sanctuary. This place was nice. We saw lots of birds and fruit bats, but the highlight was a boat ride around the lake with crocodiles resting on rocks and the river bank. It was a little intimidating. We then moved onto the gardens. They were beautiful. A dam was built in the early 1900's, which allowed for the building of this beautiful park. There were water fountains and a view of the lake from the top of the dam. The sun was setting, which added to the beauty of the moment. Thousands of people visit these gardens daily.

It was getting dark and time to head back to the city to view the palace at night. There are around 9,600 light bulbs that are lit on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8pm. We arrived to see the palace lit in all its glory. The palace was lit along with most of the periphrial buildings. It was a wonderful way to end a long day of sight seeing.

We had the morning off to do as we please. Mary had made an appointment for a massage and I went with hoping for an available time for me as well. They didn't have her down for the massage and wanted to reschedule for later. She couldn't because of a prior commitment, but I could. We went back to the hotel and I studied while I waited patiently for the spa driver to pick me up. India time had kicked in so they were 15 minutes late in picking me up. That was unfortunate because I then didn't have time for both a massage and a facial, since I had to be back to the hotel for a 1:30 tour. Lost revenue doesn't seem to phase them here.

This massage was nothing like in the U.S. and took me totally out of my comfort zone. It started out with me sitting in a chair wrapped in a towel. She poured warm oil all over my head and gave me a scalp massage. Then she had me lean forward while she dripped more warm oil all over my shoulders, neck, and upper back and massaged those areas. Next she moved me to a table and doused me with oil from head to toe. I felt like I was dipped in vegtable oil. Then another girl joined her and in unison they worked on both sides of my body from head to toe. Once they were done, they moved me to a steam box. The hot steam really felt good. While I was getting all steamed up, they turned on the shower so it was nice and hot. They had a cup of shampoo and another cup of brown soap that didn't look or smell very good waiting for me. Talk about pampering - WOW!! I will definitely do this again and recommend it to everyone.

Our tour today was really cool. We visited AT&S. Finally I felt Freidman's Ten Flattners in action and the world flattening. I thought I would have seen this occur more often than not, but this was the first big opportunity. The company made electronic circuit boards for companies all over the world - Motorola, Nokia, and BMW to name a few. Their marketing and distribution comes out of Austria. All they do is get the orders from the Austrian division, make the boards to the customer's specifications, and send them back to Austria, where they are then shipped out to the customer. This was an example of two of the flattners - offshoring and supply-chaining.

The process was very detailed and meticulus. Their QA was of very high standards. This plant has won a Deming Award. They had a clean room, which was interesting. There were many steps to the process. They reused every bit of scrap from the pieces. When we got back, I studied until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

We started out the day with a session interviewing reporters for four national newspapers. They would be equivalent to reporters from the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. We asked them a lot of questions, which didn't give them much time to ask us questions. They were very frank about the corruption taking place and how they hope their efforts reporting on such things will help. We then had a session on HR from an instructor from the Institute. He was one of the instructors that sat at my table for the opening reception. He led us through a history of HR in India. We then had a chance to once again interact with the reporters. I tried to make a few comments about how nice the campus was, hoping for a little good PR for the Institute. They have bent over backwards to make sure we have a great time.

Then we were off to TVS Motors. They make motorcycles. I was not feeling very well during the presentation, but started to get a little better when we began the tour. This plant again reminded me of Artic Cat in Thief River Falls. It seemed a little cleaner than the Axel Plant. Seeing all the forklifts running around reminded me of my work life in the warehouse of Miner's and Twin Ports Grocery. It is hard to see the Ten Flattners at play at this factory, since just like Axel, 90% of their customers are within India. The facility was very secure. When I worked for General Dynamics in California, they were just as secure. - Gates, Security Guards, and NO Cameras. They need to make sure their trade secrets remain just that - secrets.

In the evening I was pretty exhausted and still not feeling very well. My stomach was pretty quezy. The Indian food is starting to not sit too well with my stomach. I've eaten a few pepto bismals and they seem to help. I watched about 20 minutes of TV and zonked out early.

Class today was very difficult for me. I could not understand the instructor. The subject was supply-chain and logistics, which I am very familiar with so that made me feel a little better. The tour of the axel plant in the afternoon was very interesting. When we entered the grounds, it was like we were back in the U.S. It looked like an American plant. We received a tour and I thought the operations were very much like the Artic Cat plant in Thief River Falls and the Polaris Plant in Roseau. They ran several lines as well as three shifts.

I noticed several things that disturbed me, primarily because my husband's career is in safety. There were many workers without safety glasses, very few gas masks, and a man overhead without a tie-off. They did say they have two safety officers and have done tests to make sure the air is safe.

During a presentation we were told that 90% of their business is internal to India. Because of Freidman's Ten Flattners, I expected more of their business to be for foreign customers. I asked them about their technology department of which they have four people, and on the tour I asked if they would be using more technology on the floor in the future. The guide told me that was their plan. I did notice that they used one of Freidman's "Steroids", because the president was giving us an opportunity to ask questions and his mobile phone went off at least three times.

In the evening, the head of the institute's wife took us shopping. We went back to the main street that we have been shopping at and I bought two more outfits from the same place that made my first one. I'm hoping they turn out nice. It will be boring back home as I look at people's clothes. I've gotten use to seeing such beautiful fabrics with vibrant colors, that our normal clothes will seem drab.

Today we started out class with two tests. Then we had a guest speaker that was a lawyer. He was really interesting. He spoke of the different courts - of which there are many, and how long it takes to have a case get through the legal system. Businesses don't have much protection over here, which makes me wonder how they get anyone to invest. He also spoke of the different religions having laws that have been incorporated into the main law. I was very surprised at how little females are regarded over here. I would not have guessed that from my encounters so far. There are girls at the institute studying business. He told us about how some women will have illegal abortions if they know their baby is a girl. Boys are held in much higher regard. I was disappointed to hear that. I thought they were a little more civilized than that.

We were allowed to ask many questions, which made the discussion much more interesting. It was a lively class session. Then we went on a field trip to see the legal system in action. The differences between the US and here as far as the buildings are concerned were significant. I work in the court house and it is so well maintained with marble walls and floors. It is very clean and well kept. Over here the windows were broken, the carpet was peeling off the floor, and the rooms were very small. We saw two sessions in progress. The first one had a judge at the front with a lady typing on an old typewriter. The witness stood behing a wooden railing and was being asked questions by the lawyer. The lawyers all were blue suit coats with a little white tie, even the women lawyers. They'd have these beautiful outfits on and then this blue suit coat over it. Several lawyers sat at a table in the middle of the room. We as observers were not allowed to cross our legs or talk. I can understand the talking part, but I don't know why we couldn't cross our legs.

We then went into the second courtroom. We got there before the judge. The judge was in his chambers behind a dirty yellow curtain. When he came out, he slipped off his shoes and went up the stairs to his desk. We all stood when he entered. He asked why we were there and was fine with us staying. In fact in the middle of the testimony, he stopped and gave us an update as to what was happening, which was a good thing because they were all talking in the Indian language. The defendent came in with his shoes on, slipped them off and stepped up some stairs to the railing. The judge must have told him to get his shoes outside, because he went down, put on his shoes, walked outside and took them off, and came back in barefoot. It is much different than the US, but I really enjoyed the experience.

Next, eight of us took rickshaws into town. I had to buy a new hairdryer, since the power system blew out the one I brought from home. Then we started walking and walking and walking. We entered a street market that had lots of produce, perfume, flowers, and jewelery. The isles were very narrow with blue tarps hanging overhead to keep out the sun. What an experience. Then we got back on a main thoroughfare and found a store selling DVDs. I bought two that had English sub-titles. One of them we saw on the plane and the other is suppose to have lots of dancing. It has been running in India for 12 years. I hope I like it.

Then we found another side street and started walking down this smelly, disgusting street. I thought I was going to throw up. The exhaust was so thick, along with the smell of cows and their fresh manure and then I can't forget about the dead chickens hanging on some hooks. This man stopped us and wanted to take us to his store. Somehow the others thought he was taking us to a craft place, but he was taking us to his perfume and inscense store. Along the way we stopped so Gene and Harvey could play cricket with some boys. The sign above the building where they were playing said Dist. TB Control Center. That made me really nervous. Everyone was shaking all these peoples hands and I just had to get away. We finally kept walking and got to this store. Then he took us down this long dark hallway and into a back room. It was really creepy and I felt very uncomfortable. There was this little old lady sitting on the floor hand rolling inscense. Two men came from the back and started talking. Jinny's nose was having a hard time with the place so she had to get out. I didn't feel comfortable in there so I left with her.

Once outside I felt better, but the man that took us there wouldn't leave our sides. I asked him if we were safe there and he said yes. I told him he could go back in, but he wouldn't leave us. I really wanted to get out of there, but the rest of the group was still inside learning about massage oils and how this guy sells his wares in the US. Finally the group came out and we left. We took rickshaws back to the grocery store where three from our group decided to go back to the hotel. The rest of us went shopping some more. I went back to get my hand sewn garment, which had been completed. Then we asked the store owner to get us directions to a Subway restaurant. He called someone that spoke English who gave us directions. We took a rickshaw there and were so excited. We were laughing, joking and just really having a great time eating our Subway sandwiches. It was very similar to the US, but no beef of course. What a wonderful way to end the day.

We started class a little later today, so we could recouperate from last evening. The instructor was amazing. He spoke on ethics in life and in business. It really resonated with me. I have never had an instructor that brought tears to my eyes before, but this one did. I think it has to do with my age. He spoke of the different phases of life and what we are suppose to be doing at each phase. As I listened to his description of the learning, then earning, then teaching, then letting others take over, while we are to rest, I felt an inner pull that was overwhelming. He spoke of the need to give back to society and the peace that comes with this type of action.
He spoke of social responsibility and happiness.

I am at the place in my life that he spoke of and have lived the type of life he suggests. That could be another reason his lecture moved me so much. Being at the point in my life where it is time to move from earner to teacher resonates with me. I find myself wanting to pass on what I have learned in life. I have gained so much knowledge through the earner part of my life that there just seems to be this natural part of me that wants to pass on this knowledge. I find I am at this place in my employment as well. I am a mentor and trying to teach the next generation how to perform at a higher level. It is very rewarding.

Later in the evening we went back to the Institute to listen to the Police Band. While we were waiting for them to set up, one of the instructors started teaching us about Yoga. It was very interesting. He didn't get to finish, but said he will later. I hope so. I would really like to understand more about it. Then it was time to start the concert. It was a 23 piece band with all types of instruments. There were flutes, clarinets, violins, saxs, trumpets, and percussion. The music all seemed the same to me, although there were two songs that I really liked. It was traditional Indian music. The weirdest thing happened. One of the flute players was playing a solo and his cell phone went off. He stopped playing his flute, checked his phone and then went back to playing. We couldn't believe it. They also had someone playing a solo on the violin, which was my favorite.

We then went back to the hotel for supper. I sat and chatted with Rajiv, Al and Tod about all sorts of interesting subjects. Then it was time to study for the test.