Quick Update

Hello all and Happy New Year from Bangalore!

I wish I had started this blog earlier because each day brings a zillion small adventures and funny moments that seem to quickly dissipate into a detail-less overall impression in my mind. Like today, for example, my rickshaw driver saw that I was nervous about crossing the busy street when he let me off and he actually parked his vehicle, took my hand, and led me across the street. Or the way the child who was working at the coffee shop I visited this morning must have searched every shop on the street until he found me to deliver the sweater I'd forgotten in the store and how I then tried to offer him an ice cream as a reward. When he didn't understand what I was trying to tell him ("No Engliss...Engliss!") I tried to do my best mime impression of someone enjoying an ice cream - at which he giggled (without understanding what I was doing - or at least without understanding correctly) and ran off in the other direction. It seems that I have a better memory for the scams I've encountered - which, as anyone who has been a tourist in India will know, are a daily reality. Today I fell for the old "I'll take you to the famous flea market trick" - which involves the rickshaw driver taking you to a terrible and over-priced store with very pushy vendors who provide free clothes (or other incentives) to the rickshaw driver on a per-customer-delivered basis. But I'm getting smarter. These terrible stores often have cleanish Western-style toilets for their tourist customers. So I made good use of their facilities and helped myself to some extra toilet paper (which - as my sister taught me - is gold in India). Similarly - when Neeta, Salim and I were somewhat diappointed with our expensive so-called "4 star hotel meal" on New Year's eve (which was provided in a gymnasium-like room without tables - people were sitting in chairs along the walls and in the centre of the room and balancing plates on their laps. There were not even enough chairs and many had to eat standing up) I stuffed my purse with bananas for the road.

But my overall impression of India is a good one so far. I've seen amazing beaches along the coast of Kerala, beautiful temples, hiked in the Kodagu region (aka the "Scotland of India") and stayed on a coffee plantation (my dream come true - and first decent coffee in India). Today is my first full day on my own. The people have generally been extremely friendly and generous. I spent the first week with my sister in Kerala (with an initial side trip to the Taj Mahal) and then met up with my friends Nimi and Grant in Fort Cochin for a very fun night and then flew to Bangalore to meet Neeta and her husband, Salim. The three of us (Neeta, Salim and I) spent New Year's in Mysore and then went to the Kodagu region together for amazing hiking and coffee. On my way back I visited a Buddhist temple and monestary where I met a very sweet monk who gave me a personal tour and then invited me and Joanne (someone I met in Coorg) up to his dormitory room and bought us each a peach soda while we did our best to communicate with him given his broken English and our non-existent Hindi. At some point he kept asking me if I wanted to see "He Vin" which I thought meant heaven. So I said that, of course, I hope to see heaven. At which point he told me to wait, he turned and ran up to a gate at the side of one of the temples, and then came back, looking dejected, and said "No sorry, He Vin, it is lock." I'm hoping this is not a bad sign.

Tomorrow morning I'm flying north to Chandigarh to meet up with Yogi, whom I met on the plane on the way to India. His family lives in Chandigarh which is about 4 hours away from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He, his friend from Italy, and I will likely rent a car (and driver) together for some sightseeing.

Some quick other general impressions before I forget them:
* The moustache rate is approximately 85% here. More on that later.
* The food is amazing and crazy inexpensive. We've been eating a lot of thali which is basically an all-you-can eat buffet of Indian food but they bring the food to you. I've had a number of amazing and gut-busting meals for less than $1.50.
* The Vengaboys seem to be very popular here. More need not be said on that topic.

I will sign off here and will try to be better at writing and updating. I miss you all so please send news from home. Please excuse any typos, poor grammar, or incoherence in this email. My excuse is a lack of sleep and caffeine.

Luv Nadine