Badass Bangalore

From Heaven to Hell in one 8 hour bus ride.
This morning I woke to the sounds of untainted nature and breakfasted on organic fare with the lucky few nestled in that haven, Rainforest Retreat. Leaving was difficult.
Yesterday we enjoyed an incredible trek together, up and down steep jungle ravines and through tranquil valleys. I hadn't anticipated a mountain adventure this holiday and was ill equipped -- freezing at night and no proper walking shoes. I took a nasty tumble during one slippery decent and have an assortment of scrapes and bruises to remind me that just this morning I was in a world apart.
I whiled away afternoons in the best hammock in the world. Dappled sunlight, a view of a crystal stream and exotic trees draped in orchids and vanilla vines, a good book as prop. Evenings we chatted around the fire -- a delightful couple from Whales, an Australian couple, two witty Londoners and a chap from Bangalore. Oh and the cutest kitty perched on my lap.
The owners are utterly inspiring. They offer a glimmer of hope to this pollution choked land.
And here I am in the Pollution Capital of the Universe. One of those places you prefer to suffocate rather than attempt breathing.
Funny thing, I was in Bangalore briefly a week ago en route to Sai Baba's. I stepped off the bus and was pointed in every direction by everyone, including official dudes in khaki with walky-talkies. Eventually it turned out there was no bus to Puttaparthi and after a farcical ride in an auto-rick I ended up on a train to Sai Baba.
Well, this evening was just as crazy. I discovered that last week I was ripped royally in that the train station is directly opposite the bus station, meanwhile that sly auot-rick managed to get 20 rupees out of me to get me from one to the other. Hummmph. Tonight I congratulated myself on finding a pre-paid booth. Unfortunately my driver had absolutely no idea where we were headed. I'm yet to find a single person in India who can read a map, although everyone loves to try. I'm really good with maps. In the end I got us to the Empire Hotel. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than anything else around here. And it's clean.
I'm tired, but fortunately I've perfected the head wobble that passes as polite conversation in these parts.
Communication is always open to interpretation. An example:
'Do you burn cd's here?'
Wobble
'Yes?'
Wobble
'No?'
Wobble
And so on...
The plan is to do some shopping on MG Road tomorrow. Every single Indian town has a MG Road -- Mahatma Gandhi -- this one's supposed to be particularly impressive.

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