Bangalore some more
Sunday after the aforementioned breakfast I spent part of the day working with Gaya, a little bit of it using the little gym - I wanted to try the pool but they put up a maintenance sign just when I would have. The pool is actually very nice:
Gaya and her husband picked me up in their car for dinner. Harrowing! The traffic is just crazy. While I was busy ogling the “family two-wheelers” and the little golf-cart-ish three wheeled taxis and the teeming mass of humanity walking, cycling and driving by I am suddenly gazing through the chaos at the peaceful, pastoral site of three large bovines sauntering along with the crowd. After that there were many cows – along with many, many dogs. Gaya says it would not be surprising to see goats, monkeys and even camels just wandering loose in the city!
Dinner was at a place that serves food from the state of Rajasthan. It was very good and fun to eat because it was so many small dishes of various curries and lentils and lots of different breads to soak them up in.
Dinner conversation was a lively comparison between lifestyle and culture in India and the US. Gaya and her husband lived in the US for about four years. They said that as astounded as I am by the crowds and disorder, they were equally astounded when they arrived in the U.S. at the lack of people outside and the orderly-ness of everything.
The restaurant was in a shopping center on a high floor. Have you ever been in an elevator with 800 people? Ok, it probably wasn’t 800.
Back in my room my goal was to watch a Bollywood musical. I found one that looked like it would fit the bill but I was asleep before I really saw any of it. I will try this again tonight.
Monday morning I had a tamer, smaller breakfast of some kind of bread and papaya. The coffee is different, premixed with what seems like it must be evaporated milk. It is quite good though.
Gaya and I worked all day and accomplished great things. I watched her son’s swimming lesson at the pool for awhile, then used the gym. It was my plan to go for a swim myself but there were too many people hanging around and I was a little worried about the immodesty of my bathing suit. I gave up.
We decided that tomorrow I should travel to Mysore and she arranged for me to have a private driver to take me there. It is about three hours over there. I will visit Mysore Palace and the temple at Srirangapatnam. So Gaya and the driver dropped by to make the arrangements. He will pick me up tomorrow at 7:30a. I went in to have dinner here at the Club. I got Mulligatawny soup because I love it (and it was really good) and a specialty of the restaurant that the waiter recommended called Dal Makhani. “Flavored robust lentil preparation with onions, ginger, garlic and cream. It was a dark brown and the flavor reminded me just a little bit of Mexican mole. I don’t know why. It came with papadoms and a little platter of veggies.
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| The pool at Woodrose Club |
Gaya and her husband picked me up in their car for dinner. Harrowing! The traffic is just crazy. While I was busy ogling the “family two-wheelers” and the little golf-cart-ish three wheeled taxis and the teeming mass of humanity walking, cycling and driving by I am suddenly gazing through the chaos at the peaceful, pastoral site of three large bovines sauntering along with the crowd. After that there were many cows – along with many, many dogs. Gaya says it would not be surprising to see goats, monkeys and even camels just wandering loose in the city!
Dinner was at a place that serves food from the state of Rajasthan. It was very good and fun to eat because it was so many small dishes of various curries and lentils and lots of different breads to soak them up in.
The restaurant was in a shopping center on a high floor. Have you ever been in an elevator with 800 people? Ok, it probably wasn’t 800.
Back in my room my goal was to watch a Bollywood musical. I found one that looked like it would fit the bill but I was asleep before I really saw any of it. I will try this again tonight.
Monday morning I had a tamer, smaller breakfast of some kind of bread and papaya. The coffee is different, premixed with what seems like it must be evaporated milk. It is quite good though.
Gaya and I worked all day and accomplished great things. I watched her son’s swimming lesson at the pool for awhile, then used the gym. It was my plan to go for a swim myself but there were too many people hanging around and I was a little worried about the immodesty of my bathing suit. I gave up.
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| The gym |
