Shopping in India's dot com city

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The bus ride from Mysore to Bangalore was much better than our previous one. We got a deluxe bus (more comfortable) and traveled during the day. All of the villages and towns we passed through were packed full of people. I believe the Karnataka election results were being broadcast over loudspeakers on the main streets and everyone was out to hear the results. As soon as we got back to Padmanabh's house we were whisked off visit Mahesh's family. They were very kind and stuffed us full of home cooking. His father is a rice merchant and the rice pancakes we ate were made from the rice that he sells. Both his parents didn't speak English and Bean and I still haven't picked up any Kanada so Padmanabh translated for us. We had an enjoyable evening and went to bed with an overly full stomach. Anitha met us first thing this morning to take us on a tour of the city. We got an all day bus pass and made our way to several beautiful parks and temples. Anitha is one of the most liberal women we have met in India. Normally a woman wouldn't travel around with only two guys and most women we come in contact with barely speak to men. She taught us a lot about Hinduism and it was fun to watch the prayers that she performed at each temple. She showed us a huge stone bull (Nandi) that was supposed to have grown from a tiny stone carving three hundred years ago. She said that the only reason it still wasn't growing was because they put a crown on its head to stunt its growth. I was very suprised that a grown educated woman whole heartedly believed this, but I guess it is no different than the crazy stories Christians believe in either. We ended the day by doing a little shopping. This was quite an experience. It was a lot of fun watching Anitha bargain with the shop keepers for the best price. We ended up with some very nice things, that I believe everyone will like back home. We decided to leave for Hampi on the night bus so we said our goodbyes to our new friends in Bangalore, had an awesome Northern Karnataka thali (meal), and jumped on the bus for another restless night.

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Comments

[anonymous]

E
Jason and Bean, I have just read many of your journal entries, it sounds as though you have had wonderful adventure. I wish you safe travels home and hope to see you when you return. 2:30, Chadwyq - Chad

[anonymous]

I wa intrigued by the alternative energy self sufficient community. What was the climate like ? Did they need heat and AC ? It seems you are having a great experience as expected. Drew - Drew