At airport to fly back to the States

Well, this is officially it. I'm at Bangalore airport to head first to Heathrow London, then connect to my flight to LA. I'm flying British Airways so fingers crossed that I'm fine due to the strike, but I digress.
Six weeks in India are now coming to a close. It has been a whirlwind of a trip. I can see why people have this mixed love/hate relationship with it. India has so many facets to it both good and bad, combined together make it truly an unique experience. On the drive to the Airport I thought how I felt when I first arrived. Everything that seemed so strange and different had now become my norm; the crazy chaotic driving, livestock mixed in the roadways, the large throngs of people pushing and cramming in lines. I had acclimated truly to living here. In some ways I am truly sad to be leaving now. It is funny that once you get used to a place it is then that it is time to leave. There is this charm/mystique of living here. Some things that are so easy to do in the States take such the effort here, where as other things are just simply not a concern. There lies this calm pulse of serenity under the skin of India's frenetic lifestyle. Just yesterday, the team took me out to lunch literally down the street of a main street where the sides were lined with hundred of shops teaming with activity and noise. We turned just off a side street and we were transported to a serene jungle. The only sounds now of nature. Here we ate a magnificent lunch in an english style bungalow with large screened windows letting us take in the beautiful views.
I feel and hope I maximized my time here as much as possible, using the work week to train and help support the matte painting team and on my weekends visit as many locations as I could. It was truly sad to leave the guys in the dept having worked so closely with them over these several weeks. All in all this is truly one of my most rewarding and enriching vacations/time abroad. Thanks to all that made this such a rewarding experience.

Prasad's candid's of Matte Painting Team

So as I write this I am wrapping up my trip to India. I have just finished packing all my items back into my suitcase for the long journey home. This truly has been a wonderful experience and one I'll treasure forever.
Here are some candid photos that Prasad took back at the office and on our Hampi trip.

Thanks to everyone at DDU Dreamworks for making this trip so special

Hampi Pt 2

Hampi trip continues...Had a splendid time with rest of Matte Painters. Just exploring all over the place.

Hampi trip with Matte Painter team Part 1

Late posting from this past weekend's trip to Hampi. All of Matte Painting except one person who was sick went up to Hampi for a group outing. This landscape was spectacular, ruins scattered every which way along with boulders that seemed to have been dropped from the heavens. It turned out to be a lengthy journey. We rented a mini-van and I was picked up on Friday night at 10:30pm, we didn't reach our hotel until 12 noon the next day. We had plenty of space in van and a dvd player to pass the time. I watched a Bollywood action history film that was quite good on the way. We stopped off on side of the highway for tea/coffee/biscuits. It was literally just a man in this tiny shack illuminated by a single oil lamp in the blackness of the night.
After the long journey we were all tired and freshened up for an hour before heading out for a hefty day of walking in the hot sun. It was a great trip...more posts on Hampi soon...