Some observations...

Everytime I sit down to write about my trip, I end up with way too many thoughts, and only about a tenth of them end up being written down. There are some day to day experiences which don't really qualify as stories, or events really. But are things that deserve to be mentioned. So I have decided to include an "observations" section, where I can write random things that I have forgotten to blog about at the time.

This morning, on my way over to Erica's house, I saw goat, balancing on a wall, so it could eat off of a tree. The area I was walking through was residential, with a few construction projects going on. There are often cows, and bulls laying around, but i've never seen a goat!




The traffic in Bangalore is beyond insane. At any one time, there can be three different streams of traffic converging onto one road. There are no lanes, there are no rules. It's basically every man, woman and lop-sided bus for himself. I am completely shocked that I have not seen an accident yet. And here when you want to turn or changes "lanes" no one checks their mirrors, they merely cut in, and hope that whoever is behind them has good brakes. The auto rickshaws are the worst, they are like tiny street vermin that squish into the tiniest of spaces.

And everyone here spits. They spit out of windows, they spit onto sidewalks, they spit onto walls, they pee on the walls. It's like the street is one giant public toilet. There are signs that says "Keep Bangalore beautiful. Do not litter or urinate on the walls." And there will be people standing there and urinating on the sign.

It also gets dark here very quickly. By 7 o'clock, its nightime. And it's odd, but as soon as night falls, it seems that all the women disappear and there are only men on the street. I wouldn't say it is dangerous to be out at night as a woman. But it is definitely risky. Especially if you need to tak a rickshaw, they will automatically triple their price because they know you have no choice but to pay them.

Being in India also has its perks. Namely that everything is cheap. Especially food. And almost everyone here speaks at least functional English, so it's easy to find your way around.