Impressions of Southern India (Day 14)
Jun 9, 200920090531 (Day 14)
Have I adjusted? I suppose I have a bit. It’s still very different (on
the other hand, I’m tall by local standards, which is nice, I can only
imagine how out of place my 6'6" colleague feels). I don’t think twice
about taking the auto-rikshaws and I’m growing accustomed to arguing
over the price. The drivers refuse to use the meter for Westerners,
charging four or more times what locals pay for the same distance. It’s
still inexpensive in comparison to the U.S. Went to MG Road (Mahatma
Ghandi) today where the locals shop and the two “markets” cloth and
fruits. The constant press of people is something I don’t think you can
get used to in a few days.
Went to Mysore on Saturday. Formerly the capital of the kingdom and state capital under the British rule, it’s two and half hours from here. We took in a bird sanctuary/preserve, the palace tour and then returned to the palace at evening when the 96,000 light bulbs are lit. Amazing. I’ll upload the pictures soon.