Bangalore to Mysore

Today was the first day in India. We got into Bangalore at 2:30 am on Friday. The first thing we noticed was the stray dogs just hanging around right out side the baggage claim. It was around 6o F degrees and a little humid. In India you don't flag down a taxi at the airport there is a guy to do all that for you. You just go and pay him and he takes care of the rest. You do however tip the guy who takes care of your bags...I didn't do this because I didn't know...would explain the look I got when I shut the door in his face. I just thought he was just really attached to us.


We arrived at a small dirty hotel in Bangalore I refer to as Satan's ass around 3:30am. We checked in and were carried to our room and again I didn't tip the bag guy. I read somewhere not to tip. I was told later you tip the bag guys...my bad. We were informed not to use the water until 6am and there would be no hot water until then as well. I had to have a shower so I chattered my way through a cold sprinkle. I went to check the beds and furniture for bed bugs and found a used condom under my mattress. Susie laughed and I cried and some guy before us got lucky. We were so tired we just curled up and fell asleep. We had been up at this point for over 37 hours and on a plane for 29 hours. We woke at 8am and were out of there and on our way to Mysore by 10am.


First things first. We had to get out of Bangalore. We got a taxi to Mysore for about 2400R which is about $46 which is not bad considering it is a 2 and half hour ride. We were twisting through the streets of Bangalore towards Mysore through crowds of people, stray dogs and cattle..no joke. We stoped at a traffic light and I looked at Susie and we just laughed. My conclusion was why are there even lines painted on the roads...They really don't use them. It is scary at first and then you realize no one is crashing so there must be some order to the chaos. We stopped at another light and all of a sudden there were kids and young ladies with their hands in the window asking for money. You have to pretend they are not there. You can't smack at them or even tell them to go away. They are very persistant. You just hold on to your pockets and ignore their advances. The older ones go away but the kids grab on to your arms and hair and clothes. In the next few minutes we were out of Bangalore and on our way to Mysore.


The cattle, stray dogs, and monkeys are everywhere. You see them on sidewalks, in pastures, crossing the street. It is odd how they just hang out among the locals. We saw a downed cow with open wounds just laying in the street and old dogs who can barely walk just splayed out in the middle of the side walk and street. The cars and rickshaws just go around them. On the buildings you see monkeys playing and goofing around swinging from one tree or ledge to another. After you get out of Bangalore it is so peaceful. You see temples to Ganesh and Krishna the whole way.
 

We arrived at Mysore and right away I felt a peace in my chest. We checked into out hotel and were off to find Shiva who is a guy in charge of yoga students provisions in front of the Pattabhi Jois shala where we will be practicing. He found us a place to stay for our whole stay in Mysore. It is a brand new 2 bedroom flat with a kitchen, shower, living room and running hot water for only 12,000R a month. I still ask myself what have I done to have such good luck. We are very fortunate.

For dinner we went to Anu's Internet cafe for a vegetarian buffet. It was the best Indian food I have ever eaten. There isn't the salt and fat used here like in the states and everything is so fresh. The markets are everywhere and the vegetables and fruits are plentiful. I had shredded carrots, balsamati rice, dal, cucumber and tomato salad, and roasted acorn squash. It was a perfect meal and all you could eat for 150R (around $3). We met a few yogi's and talked till around 6pm. By 7pm I was asleep in the hotel. Tomorrow is another day and I was beat.




I never want to leave here. It is the real world here in India. You have the really wealthy and the really poor and the in between. It is poverty that you will never see anywhere else but inner peace as well. What surrounds you here is life and death..... saddness and joy. I have never seen a culture so real and sincere. My experience here has taken my blinders off and ripped a hole in the plastic that has covered me for so long. Vande gurunam to my teacher India. My eyes are beginning to open. Mysore is not only my love... Mysore is my heart.