Flying Out

I got my flight itinerary today. I'll be taking off at 7:10 a.m. from Heathrow. Which means I have to get to the airport around 5 a.m. Ugh.

The good news is that, because I'm flying Lufthansa, I change in Frankfurt instead of an Indian city. And the flight goes directly from Frankfurt to Bangalore.

Another shot in the arm -- plus needles!

Got another vaccination yesterday, for rabies (arf, arf, grrr!)

I also bought:

-- Six months' worth of malaria medication. I opted for Doxycycline, a cousin of tetracycline also used to cure acne. I had a choice of four different treatments, including one that can make you crazy and another that accumulates in your eye (!)

-- Bug spray (two kinds, three bottles)

-- Insect repellent coils

-- Pocket-size sunscreen

-- A first-aid kid that includes my own set of sterile needles and an intravenous kit (what fun!)

-- A plug-in bug killer. It works like those plug-in air fresheners, except that it kills mosquitos instead of making the air smell nicer.

No pith helmet ... yet.

Why Torpedo?

Some -- well, most -- folks will be wondering why I called this "Bangalore Torpedo."

Lack of imagination :-)

The Bangalore torpedo was a weapon invented by the British that was used for blowing up land mines or clearing barbed wire. Basically, it's a bomb placed on the end of a tube.

It's the only phrase I knew offhand that had "Bangalore" in it. And the name has jazz. And it beats hell out of "Bangalore Daze," which was the first lame title to come to mind.

Thus, "Bangalore Torpedo."

Bangalore Bound

A new day, a new blog. I learned a few weeks ago that I would be going to Bangalore, India, to build and head up a new unit. Tnis blog is about the move and the place.

Before you move to India, you have to get vaccinated to a 'fare-thee-well. So far, I've received shots for:

-- Diphtheria

-- Tetanus

-- Polio

-- Hepatitis C

-- Hepatitis B (two shots down, one to go)

-- Rabies (One down, two to go)

I've also had two doses of oral cholera vaccine. To make the vaccine, you a) mix fizzy powder in 150 milliliters of water, b) shake then mix a vial of cholera vaccine into the mixture, c) do your best Dr. Jekyll impression and d) drink the whole mess. Fun.

Meanwhile, the relocation company is working on getting me a work visa and an apartment. I have an information pack from them that says that the apartments they provide in India are "quite small."

Given that this is a company in Britain -- where apartments are already on the smallish side -- I have to wonder if I'll be renting a closet.

I'm scheduled to leave the first week of January. The time will go quickly.

I've also bought a copy of the Rough Guide to India. It's a good read.