Bangalore

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The Indian government kindly paid for our sightseeing trip round Bangalore. Some types of commission racket I am a fan of. Mutually beneficial ones: the rickshaw drivers get extra petrol money as commission; the government get more customers; we get a low fare in exchange for visiting a government shop, and retail therapy with no obligation to buy. Although I did. They were pretty coasters though.
It is eclectic, the stereotypical Indian market with cows wandering through things content in the knowledge that the seas will part for them, children begging, people carrying amazingly massive loads on their heads and vendors saying
"YesHello Whatyouwant?" holding up a child's frock or displaying bangles galore.
Then there is the other half of Bangalore with Pizza Hut, McDonalds (it really is taking over the world), Levi's and places that sell alcohol until 11.30. Although some happy hours were from 11 am to 5 pm. People existed in short skirts and held hands without being married. It seemed quite sixties in the hair and dress styles. Years ahead of the little villages of Tamil Nadu with hints of Victoriannes - discipline by rulers, rote learning and hair in looped plaits.

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