Bangalore Mania!

Excuse me, but does that tree look like a bud. G~man? It is, in fact, an indian tree in the sativa family, or was it the cannibis family? I can't remember. Monaji?

Hello everyone. I think I can finally take a breath here from running around Bangalore like a headless chicken! I have spent the last 3 days buying textiles, riding around in an autorickshaw, and watching Eileen's mind being blown out by my lovely, chaotic India.

Each year, it is clear that Bangalore will continue to explode upon itsself. I didn't even recognize my own favorite hotel when we arrived. The wall in front was gone, the road is 2 lanes wider, there is no sidewalk anymore so that my morning walk can set my spirit free. In fact, just now I had to drive to the place that I normally walk to. It's just too dangerous now.

I am being amused by Eileens reactions to stuff like cars coming within 1/8 of an inch, um milimeter from crushing a motorcyclists leg, or a bus turning left within inches in front of us. I realized that I am used to it, and it doesnt scare me anymore. Eileen hasnt really crossed the street yet, and by that I mean, cross an 8 lane road with thousands of cars, buses, rickshaws, motorcycles and people all at once trying to do what they have to do.

Why did the Indian man never cross the road?
Because it was bloody impossible!

She said to tell you if it's up to her, she wont cross the street EVER!!!! Hee hee, we can't walk around the block forever now, can we? She also would like to report that she will pay someone 20 rupess to take her across the street in a taxi before she will do it herself.

Last night we went out to a lovely dinner at Ebony. Such good food! The power went out about 10 times while we were up there, and while I didnt say anything to Eileen, I was wondering if we would be walking down the 13 flights of stairs. Better to walk then to get stuck in the elevator, nah?

Tonight we have been invited to the home of the family that I have bought my fabrics from for the past 7 years. So Eileen and I just picked up some lovely white roses for the Mrs. and yesterday, we bought some lovely salwars so that we will look like proper Indian ladies when we go.

Eileen has reminded me that I am now a smuggler, all that wheeling and dealing at the DHL office and all. Man, I can't take me anywhere without getting into trouble. The very awesome manager of my hotel has given me some very important lessons in the art of baksheesh. Now for those of you that don't know, baksheesh means bribe, but it also means tip, or gift, or some blending of all of the above. Let me just say that with baksheesh, all things are possible. The cotton um, erm, polyester is now on it's way to my house in California. :D

In other news, I can tell you how awesome it is to walk into a shop, restaurant, hotel, internet cafe, and be greeted with a familiar face or two, or three, or um, 25 or 30. In India, once you get a good job, you do not give it up. The people that work in my hotel have been working here 10, 20 and 30 years or more. So they all remember that scared wide eyed American woman who first came to India in 2002 in search of....well, myself, and some textiles too. Of course now I just boldy march in waving and smiling, namaskaring and smiling.

Yesterday I saw a dead dog in a ditch on the side of the road. I am not sure why, but it has been really bothering me. In the US, I dont think there are too many people that would leave a dog at the side of the road and not give it a proper burial. It probably got hit by a car inthe middle of the night. You guys are going to think I am weird, but I went over to the dog, and I said a prayer for him, and I told him, that I am the one person in this world that cared about him. Someone had to. No creature deserves to die and then be left at the side of the road forgotten. If I could have I would bury him, but where to do that I wouldnt know. I think it made me especially sad because when I went to India two years ago, I had put my dog to sleep 3 days before I left California, and I was very attracted to dogs that year. Quite a few of them ended up following me around. When Karenji and I returned home that year, we also learned that her family dog had been hit by a car while she was gone. We both lost our dogs that month. I don't know why I connected that with this poor doggy in the ditch, but I did. I don't need to make sense all of the time, do I? Just say a little prayer for that doggy for me, ok, and I will feel a lot better.

It is alot hotter in February than in December here, and the smog in Bangalore is terrible. But, the new airport, one hour south of the city, is state of the art, lovely, efficient, and painless.

Now if you are all worried about that India/Pakistan thing, know that I am far away from Pakistan and Mumbai, and that I am safe, and that there's not a Pakistani or an Indian on this sub-continent that has it out for me. Try not to worry about that and send peaceful vibes instead.
Hope all is well in blogland.

Love, Susie