I need to start today's post with a correction to yesterday's post. The figurine on the dash is not Allah. He is a Ganesh, 'one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon'. Known by many attributes, his elephant head makes him particularly easy to identify and he is widely revered as the 'Remover of Obstacles'.
Why I thought he was Allah when upon closer inspection he clearly has the head of an elephant, I cannot say. things are not always as they first appear (from the third row of seats).
Big highlights of today: The usual commute sights:
The celebratory cricket game, complete with dust storm, migrant worker children, and jerseys and balls for everyone. This was of course Julie's idea. Note the attractive Cerner van... contributing to our brand here in India.
And to complete the day, the 'Bangalore Walk' tour. Impossible to describe effectively, it was part history lesson, part humility lesson, part adventure. I've included pics below and will have to tell you about it when I get home.
your random cow, always an interesting feature on Bangalore's busy roads.
the King's palace that he lived in when the British came to attack... it's made entirely of teak wood.
Pics from the live flower and food market. We were more than a little overwhelmed by the various sights, smells, wares, and people. But after we got used to the chaos, it became obvious it is a thriving economic system run by families who are expects in trade. The market is in the old center of town, where the original British fort was. Each street sells a general category of 'stuff'... sort of like aisles in a department store. They are narrow and crowded and of course you can't just walk down them, you have to be on constant alert to keep from being run over by a motorbike, scooter, rickshaw, car, ox wagon... etc etc. such is the excitement of India. It felt like we were in a James Bond movie, especially as it got dark and our tour guide got lost!! But we eventually found our way out and made it back to the safe luxury of the ITC Gardenia. Only one more day in paradise :)
Why I thought he was Allah when upon closer inspection he clearly has the head of an elephant, I cannot say. things are not always as they first appear (from the third row of seats).
Big highlights of today: The usual commute sights:
The celebratory cricket game, complete with dust storm, migrant worker children, and jerseys and balls for everyone. This was of course Julie's idea. Note the attractive Cerner van... contributing to our brand here in India.
And to complete the day, the 'Bangalore Walk' tour. Impossible to describe effectively, it was part history lesson, part humility lesson, part adventure. I've included pics below and will have to tell you about it when I get home.
Pics from the live flower and food market. We were more than a little overwhelmed by the various sights, smells, wares, and people. But after we got used to the chaos, it became obvious it is a thriving economic system run by families who are expects in trade. The market is in the old center of town, where the original British fort was. Each street sells a general category of 'stuff'... sort of like aisles in a department store. They are narrow and crowded and of course you can't just walk down them, you have to be on constant alert to keep from being run over by a motorbike, scooter, rickshaw, car, ox wagon... etc etc. such is the excitement of India. It felt like we were in a James Bond movie, especially as it got dark and our tour guide got lost!! But we eventually found our way out and made it back to the safe luxury of the ITC Gardenia. Only one more day in paradise :)
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