“Bangalore, Bangalore, Bangalore”
Well today was extremely busy and quite eventful to say the least. To begin with, practice was a bit more of an ordeal today than I thought it would be. By that I mean that they were filming again. I had been under the assumption that they were only filming the led class on Monday, but to my surprise they also filmed the Mysore classes today (Kwang later informed me that there was sign posted on the door that informed all students of this – but I was totally unaware it existed). Not that it mattered in the least really. It did affect my practice a touch, but really made me focus a lot more on my bandhas and gaze – which was a good thing. Plus I don’t wear my glasses or contacts during practice so I didn’t really notice the cameras so much anyway – just the fact that I knew they were there….That is until I began working on my dropbacks and two camera men decided to come right beside me and pretty much thrust the camera in my face. Again, no worries I didn’t really mind but it was a bit unexpected and made me feel a little odd. Today I was in the very back row at the far left, so the wall was to my left and at my back. Kwang was to my right, which as always, was a bit of a distraction! Anyway, these two camera guys came up to my left side and kept the camera on me for a few minutes – as I was working on my backbends, then my dropbacks, and my ‘hang backs’ as I call them. They stayed and taped until after Saraswati assisted me in dropbacks and then said, “one more.” It seems everyone sort of felt the way I did today. Those camera guys worked the room thoroughly today and got up close and personal with just about everyone for a good 30 seconds or so – people were talking about it over breakfast at Shakti a few hours later.
Speaking of breakfast, it was so satisfying today – I had some oatmeal, fruit, coffee, and a couple bits of Kwang’s pancakes (Yummy). We enjoyed great conversation with some fellow yogis – notably Anna, a girl from the States who is going to meet up with me and Kwang in Thailand. Well, he boyfriend will fly to India around August 8th and then they will fly to Thailand around the 15th. Likely she will do dropins with Paul at Centered Yoga and kinda chill out in Ko Samui till I’m done with my courses on the 26th. Then from there the four of us will travel around Thailand till the end of September. Very exciting stuff – and she is such a super cool chick, I am sure her boyfriend is as well – so it will be really fun to travel Thailand with another couple.
I had my acupuncture session with Andrea at 10:00am this morning, which went fine – I actually got so relaxed I dozed off for about ten minutes! Once I finished up Kwang picked me up and we scootered back home to wait for the Rickshaw driver to pick us up so he could take us to the Bus Station so we could take yet another trip to Bangalore to pick up my computer from Steller Information systems (the data recovery service center that Dell told me to take my computer to – and the same one that couldn’t even get the hard drive out of my computer – thus making me waste not one but two trips to the very polluted, very ‘not my favorite city’) Anyway, when we got the bus station an attendant nearby was directing soon to be passengers to the proper buses….He was speaking so fast I could barely understand him – sound something like ‘balore, balore, balore”, but he was really saying “Bangalore, Bangalore, Bangalore” – over and over and over and over again. There are a number of different types of buses you can take – obviously depending on how much money you are willing to pay. For 150 rupess we got a really nice aircon bus with tons of leg room. It was actually uber nice. And it wasn’t full either so Kwang and I got to sprawl out in the back! It was also super cool b/c it was high up and enabled me to check out the scenary to Bangalore for the first time…Got to see so much as we drove the three hours there. It was really quite beautiful landscape, and the typical dirty polluted towns, people urinating on the side of the road and in ditches, cows roaming free on the streets, and lots of horn blowing from drivers. The only single complaint I had about the bus was that it doesn’t have a toliet!!! Now, you must understand that I have a tiny little bladder……And this became a problem, oh, about 30 minutes into the three hour bus ride to Bangalore. Boy oh boy, by the last leg of the trip (ie 1 hour left) I was just praying that I could hold out long enough so I didn’t wet myself! Laugh, please b/c I can now, but I was seriously concerned during the bus ride….As we approached Bangalore I knew I would be alright, but the bumps in the road were trying to test this theory. Kwang and I had decided at this point that we would have to hurry hurry in Bangalore so that we could take the train home – as there was just no way I could do this on the way back too – and it was quite a shame too b/c aside from not having a toliet the bus was, in my opinion, the best way to travel from Mysore to bangalore (and believe me I am somewhat of an authority on this by now – having made more than four trips there and back on a bus, train, and taxi….Trust me the bus is the best…That is if you have a rather large bladder).
As it turned out the bus station was extremely close to the train station, so Kwang and I jumped out near the train station and walked there to 1) use the bathroom, and 2) go ahead and purchase our tickets home so we didn’t have to chance missing the train due to having to wait to purchase our tickets. So, first we used the disgusting pay to use toliets at the train station, which I was truly delighted to find and use, and then I stood in the ladies line at the station to purchase our tickets. You see the station is another oddity in India, at least in my opinion. There are about nine lines on the main floor and just as many on the upper level. So, we were on the main floor and of those nine lines, about six were open…One for credit cards only – but there was noone there to help; one for elderly and disabled only; one for ladies only; and several for anyone….As the ladies only line is generally the smallest line I could wait in (as I am not elderly or disabled), I opted for that one as Kwang sat his behind on the dirty ass floor ;(
Not surprisingly, the Indian ladies in this line were really quite pushy, with each other but especially with me. More so the rather large lady behind me who persisted to stand way to close to me – she probably knocked me about ten times, and made me lose my balance at least three. Being the ‘fair’ person that I am – I repaid the favor by accidently adjusting myself in such a way as to move back slightly and thus bumping into her. I know that was bad of me, but I just couldn’t resist. I only did it once or twice anyway….But luckily the line moved surprisingly quickly and I was soon rid of the issue entirely.
As soon as that wonderful experience was over and I had two train tickets for the 6:15pm Chamundi Express back to Mysore for 396 rupees only in my hand, Kwang and I grabed a rickshaw and were on our way to the Manipal Centre to Steller Information Systems to pick up my computer. When we arrived and went to the office the kind lady who has assisted me previously offered me a coffee as I waited for my computer to be brought from upstairs. I kindly accepted and was uber happy I did b/c that coffee was mighty tastey. So about five minutes later her supervisor came down the stairs with my precious computer – he told me he didn’t think my problem could be fixed in India, and anyway that he was sorry they were unable to help me. I thanked them for their time and we left. But, to my surprise right across the hall from Steller Information systems was a magazine publication office that had ‘travel and leisure’ among a couple other American Travel Magazines framed and hung up on the walls. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Although their clear glass door was closed and there was a sign clearly stating that press nor layperson could not enter without an appointment, I made a gesture to the gentleman standing near the door and he kindly opened it for me. I asked him where in the world I could possibly purchase any or all of the magazines that hung on their wall and he tried to explain it to me. He told me of two places at the end of the main road across the street from a park. I knew they were kinda far away but was hopeful Kwang and I could find it. He was not at all thrilled about this idea b/c he really wanted to eat before we had to get back on the plane and it was already about 4:25ish. I told him we would grab something and take it with us to eat on the train. He wasn’t happy, but agreed. However, as we were heading out of the building a guy stopped me and handed me the June edition of ‘Travel and Leisure’ as well as a guide to Bangalore and told me his boss wanted me to have them. I thanked him very much and left the building with a permanent smile on my face. “Wow,” that was just too kind of this guy who didn’t have to help me in the first place….Really made my day.
From there Kwang and I proceeded to walk for about ten minutes till we came to a bookstore. To my dismay it wasn’t the correct one but the guy tried to give me directions to a magazine shop nearby. Well we never found it or the magazines I really wanted, but instead we stopped into the Nike store and I purchased a near pair of dry fit yoga pants and a top. Really need it too b/c I just didn’t bring enough yoga practice wear and the stuff I brought was my older stuff that was already wearing away…Didn’t want to bring my newer yoga clothes to Mysore but looking back I should have brought some b/c your clothes wear away much faster here than at home for many reasons, so needless to say, my stuff is looking forlorn…
At this point it was almost 5pm and we were both starving. We walked to the Subway right down the road from the Nike shop and quickly ordered takeaway (as I have learned it is called all over Europe..But in India they call it parcel..We strange Americans call it TAKE OUT). Anyway, Kwang ordered a six inch Chicken with extra meat and a six inch turkey and chicken ham with extra meat. Talk about totally being those sterotypical ‘fat’ ‘overconsuming’ Americans. Well, I was gonna be just a tad more conservative than Kwang so I told the sandwich chef, “please only add extra meat to one of my two sandwiches!” I got a six inch roasted chicken with regular meat portion and one six inch chicken ham and turkey with extra meat (in my defense all Subways put very little meat on their sandwiches and that is especially the case in India) – but nontheless I found myself laughing inside as I told the guy I only wanted extra meat on one of two of the sandwiches that I was gonna eat all by myself. And eat them I did – an understatement to say the least. Kwang persuaded me to hold off from touching the food till we were on the train but man that was so darn hard to do as I was just about ready to eat the dirt on the side of the richshaw…It took at least twenty minutes to get from the Subway to the train station, and once we got there it took another 5 or so minutes to find our train. Not that that was SUCH a long time but it sure seemed like it when you had this food in a bag and a VERY empty tummy…Once we found our train, our car on the train, and our seats, I excused myself to the hole in the ground with a door they call a toliet…I used the bathroom, which I find amusing on the train b/c it all goes right to the ground below you. With an empty bladder (we have already established mine is uber tiny), I rejoined Kwang at our seats and sanitized my hands with the stuff I carry with me always (especially in Bangalore) – and as I was doing it I thought, “how many germs does this stuff really kill?” It says 98% but I just wasn’t so sure. Anyhow, as soon as my hands were clean, I opened the bag, pulled out my turkey and chicken ham sandwich and devoured it in just a few satisfying bites. “OMG I have never tasted anything so good in my whole life, ever,” I told Kwang as I pulled the second sandwich from my bag. Of course that is the overstatement of the year as the meat here is horrible, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what it is really made of, regardless of what they call it – but that was beside the point…I was starving and it sure did hit the spot. After finishing off the second sandwich and helping Kwang finish off the choclate cookies he purchased earlier in the day, I sat back with a special kind of satisfaction…Not just that we were about to head home to Mysore with my computer, a new outfit, a complimentary magazine (and not just any but one that I have been searching for here in India – one that I really need for my travel writing course), but also b/c my tummy was extremely happy…
We arrived in Mysore around 9:30pm and got home by 10pm. I gotta say I was uber tired, and after a nice shower and some warm tea – time for bed!
2 Responses to ““Bangalore, Bangalore, Bangalore””
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June 30th, 2006 at 6:00 am
What will the documentary be about? Could you ask around and see?
June 30th, 2006 at 7:08 am
Hey Ralph,
From what I understand it is gonna be about Guruji’s life and teaching…I know, not very specific but I will be sure to ask around for a little more info. I do know that Eddie Stern is behind the film and they have been compiling footage and info for several years for the documentary. Appearently, they have been doing a little filming of classes here in Mysore for at least a couple years. I will definitley try to get you a little more detailed info.
Om Shanti,
Krista