Going to do some exploring on the East coast

After being back in Hampi for about 10 days now I decided I should do some more sight seeing. Since I am not coming back until the end of December now, I have 4 more weeks to explore India. On Thursday I leave for Bangalore and will be heading to another state called Tamil Nadu, the town I will visit is called Pondicherry.

Pondicherry used to be colonized by the French and is supposed to be a small, quaint town with French bakeries, French expats mixed with Indian charm and culture.

Kiran's cousin, Shrutti, who is 20 years old wants to visit her aunt in Bangalore who just had a baby. The women in India rarely travel alone! They are usually accompanied by a man or with their family. It's not like this all the time or for all the women, as I have seen some Indian women by themselves (although very infrequently). Shrutti is nervous to go to Bangalore by herself which is a big city and a lot more hectic than Hampi is that's for sure. I told Shrutti, she could come with me, and I will take her by rickshaw to her aunts place and then when I come back from Pondicherry I will pick her up and take her back to Hampi with me.
She asked Kiran what he thought, or basically asked him for permission. It's just funny, because Kiran is so westernized that he laughed when she asked him. He said, "This isn't even Shelley's country and she is going to travel by herself, and you Shrutti are afraid to travel in your own country." He said you don't need my permission, but I trust Shelley and if you want to go with her, that might be better for you if you are nervous.

I just sat there with an amused look on my face. I am learning so much while I am here about Indian culture, and sometimes it frustrates me to no end, and other times I embrace it and the way they take care of each other in their families!

So Shrutti and I leave Thursday evening on the sleeper train to Bangalore. I have to admit, although I am fine going by myself, as I am quite used to the million of peering dark eyes curiously focused on me, it will be nice to have company. I will bring Shrutti to her aunt's place (like I even know where to go- I've been to Bangalore once). And I will have breakfast with Shrutti's aunt (Kiran's mother's sister), Kiran's mom is one of 6 daughters in her family. And take a shower, and leave my bag there. I plan to do some shopping in Bangalore, as I need some more books to read. Then I will take a night bus to Pondicherry and spend 3 or 4 days there, then head back to Bangalore to meet Shrutti and come back to Hampi with her. Kiran might come and meet us as he has some errands to run in Bangalore. It's much easier for me to travel with Indians as the prices are cheaper. There is usually a foreign price and an Indian price.

As for me, things are great and shanti shanti (relaxed). I rode a scooter by myself for the first time a few days ago, as I escorted a French couple to see Kiran's plantation, as they were interested in seeing the beautiful land. It was a rush to drive down the dirt roads on the scooter, and so much fun!!
Today I got an Ayruvedic facial, neck massage, head massage and threading of my eyebrows (a hair removal procedure) that cost me all of $10 and lasted over an hour. It was amazing and my head is still tingling from the mint gel she rubbed into my scalp.
Tonight, Kiran and I are going to a movie in the next town called Om Shanti Om, which the very famous movie playing all over India right now. It should be interesting being in a theater where most of the people will be men!! There should be English subtitles because the movie is in Hindi, and people speak Kannada here. But I love the Hindi music, and there should be lots in this movie!

Life is good and relaxed and I am learning a lot about myself and India. Kiran's cousin is teaching me the Kannada language (which is the language of this state). I'd prefer to learn Hindi, but if I ever want to really communicate with Kiran's mother and family I should learn some basics. It's a tough language and I know I'll probably only learn to speak it, not read and write it, as it just looks absolutely daunting to write or read Kannada. It seriously looks like scribble to me - a concoction of circles and squiggle lines. This is what it looks like this ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ and this:

ಕ ಖ ಗ ಘ ಙ

ಚ ಛ ಜ ಝ ಞ

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Yowza!!