"Good. Ill be popular now." He laughed.
My bus arrived 2 hours early! Unheard of in India. I had planned my trip to give myself an extra hour in case of delays. So that I would be on time to catch my flight. Now I have three hours to spare and it's 3:00 o clock in the morning. I'm outside the gates of the Delhi metro which doesn't open until 6:00 am. Yet there is already a line of people waiting outside. Do I try to find a hotel for 3 hours? Are there any cafes open at this time? Or do I just surrender to my fate and join this group of people sleeping outside the metro gates?
It's mostly men but its dark enough that no one will really be able to see me.
So I found a street corner, sat my backpack down and checked my clock again. 3:08. I can do this. Less than 3 hours. So this is what it feels like to sleep on the streets of India, not so bad. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to doze off. The bright lights of the rickshaws woke me up. More men are approaching. Maybe I should move. As if to tell me not to worry, a group of 2 women and a baby came and sat down next to me. Protection. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall back asleep.
Thank god for darkness. I can't see what I could be sitting on or next to. The baby pees on the ground inches from me. I'm so tired It doesn't even bother me.
30 min nap. It's now 5:00 o clock. Almost there. I'm not surrounded by morning commuters.
He sat down next to me and pulled out a smart phone.
"Do you speak English?"
"Huh?"
"English, do you speak English?"
"Huh?"
"YOU TALK ENGLISH?"
"Yes."
He invited me for chai, "it helps wake up the spirit." And we sat and talked to pass the time. When the doors finally opened, a mad rush of people poured through. "We wait ten minutes then go." He directed me. Who knew the metro would be so crowded this early in the morning. If not for his help, this would have been impossible and i surely would have gotten lost. When we got on the train, he took me to sit in the women's cart and he went to the next cart over and when I got off at my stop, he was already gone. The kindness of strangers.
"I hope you enjoy your stay in India. I want people who come to visit my country to have a good experience." We met a couple at a temple in mysore.
I have left the heat of northern India to embrace the cooler air of southern India.
"It's good that you went to Delhi first. Now you have an appreciation for mysore." My friend said as we walked down the streets of mysore.
A fellow San Franciscan, i met Alex while we were being hosted by the same couch surfer in Bangalore. As he is also traveling south, to a city called ooty to volunteer to spay and neuter cats for a week, we decided to accompany each other. its always better to travel with a friend.
It's a full moon today. The city of mysore has banded the sale if meat.
In Bangalore we ate beef at a Christian restaurant. I felt like I was sinning as I chewed on the piece of old, jerky like meat with a picture of Jesus staring down at me. "You can find beef everywhere actually but it's all really old cows about to die anyways so the meat is not really good." My couchsurfing host informed us. Raised in Dubai and the United States, him and his friends can be considered of the extremely liberal and western population of Indians. "Really, there is no where in the Hindu religion that forbids the eating of cows." He says as he hands me a joint.
We arrived at my yoga school after a 3 hour bus ride that took 6 hours. It's a new building in a wealthy part of town. We were taken immediately to my place of residence for the next 2 month. $130 for rent. The place doesn't look like much on the outside, old runned down building with paint pieces chipping off. But it's surprisingly sufficient on the inside. No running shower. Gas stove. One pot and a couple of plates.
We walked around outside looking for food only to come across a Bollywood dance studio just around the corner from my house! Yoga on the right and Bollywood dancing on the left, everything I could possibly want in life. A group of teenagers breaking out in a pool of sweat to funky hip hop ballywood steps. I am home.
Alex stayed with me for 2 days in my new home. Having a friend helped me acclimate to this new place. Going through a dramatic break up with his now ex boyfriend, I think I also helped take him mind off things. It's beautiful how the universe helps bring random strangers together.
The day he left the monsoon came. The downpour suddenly covered the city flooding every street corner. I'm stranded, taking shelter inside a men's barber shop. "Maybe I'll get a haircut while I wait." He looked at me and laughed.
It's beautiful, magical almost. A melancholy calm. The streets are empty except for the occasional stragglers. This city could use a good washing.
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