I did not sleep much these past two days. Thursday morning Eli and I left at 11 am. His driver Balwan picked us up and took Eli to his office...Johnson Controls in the Motorola building. Then he drove me to Sardar Bazar..a market area where locals do their shopping. Balwan parked the car in a parking lot. I told him, "I come back 4 pm." I walked a few blocks in each direction to get my bearings and find my way back to the car.
I have to tell you what the streets are like and what a parking lot looks like. There are no sidewalks anywhere. People walk along the edge of dirt or paved streets, avoiding getting hit by a vehicle. Watch where you step. People spit, urinate, put trash in the streets. Vehicles can be a motorcycle, a tuk tuk... three wheeled taxi..motorcycle with seating for passengers facing front and backwards, a horse drawn cart, cars, vans, a bus, large dump trucks, you name it.
The parking lot was not a paved lot with markings telling you where to park. It was a mish mash of cars and trucks and carts parked very closely together...all on a compacted dirt surface.
There are also wild dogs, pigs, cows wandering the streets. Cows are sacred so people leave food out for them each morning. Cows go to their favorite places for food and people are allowed to milk the cow while it is eating. A win win situation. Pigs are like large rats...no good for anything. Dogs are dangerous. Two co-workers have been bitten on a leg as they walked by a dog...perhaps they got too close.
I found the street where the clothing shops were located and walked slowly down the narrow dirt unpaved street observing people. Vehicles were still traveling in between people shopping. Honking constantly. Vehicles were parked randomly on both sides of the street, so I had to weave around them, watching my step carefully. I must of walked about five blocks one way and took a few side streets for a short way and then back to where I started. I was shopping for two outfits to wear to blend in more. I was not sure what to buy, so I observed what the other women were wearing and decided what would work for me. Some women wore the traditional sari...pieces of cloth wrapped around your body. Others wore tunics with baggy pants or tight matching pants and a matching scarf. I decided I wanted to get tunics with baggy pants. They looked more comfortable. On my way back down the street I stopped at a few shops and felt uneasy trying to communicate what I wanted. I finally chose a shop that had a sign that said 150 firm. That would make it easy...I picked two tunics and paid 300 R (about $6). Now I want baggy pants to match them. Further down the street I found a shop that had the pants hanging in a circular rack. I picked out what I wanted and asked How Much? He answered 150 each..300 total. I tried bargaining by replying 250? He said, "No, 300". I thought it was a reasonable price so I paid the 300. Now I had my tops and pants. I got my first purchases in India! Success.
Now the heat and sun was getting to me. I looked at the cell phone time and it was only 12:30 pm. What to do next? I went back to the entrance to the parking lot and found a shady spot to stand. There were food stands nearby and a cart was parked next to me. I pretended to be waiting for my ride and stood there about 30 minutes watching people and noticing the run down condition of the brick buildings. People live upstairs from these shops on the street level. I know people were wondering what I was doing, but I didn't care. I wanted to learn more about this place where they lived.
After awhile, I got tired of standing and called Balwan. I told him I was Ready. He said..Go to the car. I went by the car, but I didn't see him. After waiting about 10 minutes, I looked in the car and found him sleeping in the driver seat. I knocked on the window and he got out of the car. I got in and he drove me home...about a 30 minute ride...I was tired, so I took a 5 minute nap along the way.
It was nice to get back inside to air conditioning. I got a drink of water and took a nap for a few hours. Eli got home and found me sleeping and went to sleep, too. When I awoke at 7 pm, Eli and I walked to a grocery store a block away.
The store was about to close, so we had to shop quickly. It was a small store with items displayed neatly on shelves. Meat department was in back with a butcher. We got 5 chicken legs, orange and apple juice in pint sized cartons, bread, broccoli, carrots, potatoes mouthwash, liquid hand soap..all for about $25. 10R for using their bag. I forgot to bring bags. Stores no longer use plastic bags. The store clerk carried the bag outside and Eli told him we did not come by car. Eli said that the clerk would have walked all the way home carrying the bag for us if we had come earlier in the day. He does not expect a tip. No tipping in India. I did not realize how heavy the bag was until Eli put it down to open the door. I tried to pick it up and it was about 25 pounds.
Eli just called. Balwan is coming to take me to the Kingdom of Dreams. More about that next time.
I have to tell you what the streets are like and what a parking lot looks like. There are no sidewalks anywhere. People walk along the edge of dirt or paved streets, avoiding getting hit by a vehicle. Watch where you step. People spit, urinate, put trash in the streets. Vehicles can be a motorcycle, a tuk tuk... three wheeled taxi..motorcycle with seating for passengers facing front and backwards, a horse drawn cart, cars, vans, a bus, large dump trucks, you name it.
The parking lot was not a paved lot with markings telling you where to park. It was a mish mash of cars and trucks and carts parked very closely together...all on a compacted dirt surface.
There are also wild dogs, pigs, cows wandering the streets. Cows are sacred so people leave food out for them each morning. Cows go to their favorite places for food and people are allowed to milk the cow while it is eating. A win win situation. Pigs are like large rats...no good for anything. Dogs are dangerous. Two co-workers have been bitten on a leg as they walked by a dog...perhaps they got too close.
I found the street where the clothing shops were located and walked slowly down the narrow dirt unpaved street observing people. Vehicles were still traveling in between people shopping. Honking constantly. Vehicles were parked randomly on both sides of the street, so I had to weave around them, watching my step carefully. I must of walked about five blocks one way and took a few side streets for a short way and then back to where I started. I was shopping for two outfits to wear to blend in more. I was not sure what to buy, so I observed what the other women were wearing and decided what would work for me. Some women wore the traditional sari...pieces of cloth wrapped around your body. Others wore tunics with baggy pants or tight matching pants and a matching scarf. I decided I wanted to get tunics with baggy pants. They looked more comfortable. On my way back down the street I stopped at a few shops and felt uneasy trying to communicate what I wanted. I finally chose a shop that had a sign that said 150 firm. That would make it easy...I picked two tunics and paid 300 R (about $6). Now I want baggy pants to match them. Further down the street I found a shop that had the pants hanging in a circular rack. I picked out what I wanted and asked How Much? He answered 150 each..300 total. I tried bargaining by replying 250? He said, "No, 300". I thought it was a reasonable price so I paid the 300. Now I had my tops and pants. I got my first purchases in India! Success.
Now the heat and sun was getting to me. I looked at the cell phone time and it was only 12:30 pm. What to do next? I went back to the entrance to the parking lot and found a shady spot to stand. There were food stands nearby and a cart was parked next to me. I pretended to be waiting for my ride and stood there about 30 minutes watching people and noticing the run down condition of the brick buildings. People live upstairs from these shops on the street level. I know people were wondering what I was doing, but I didn't care. I wanted to learn more about this place where they lived.
After awhile, I got tired of standing and called Balwan. I told him I was Ready. He said..Go to the car. I went by the car, but I didn't see him. After waiting about 10 minutes, I looked in the car and found him sleeping in the driver seat. I knocked on the window and he got out of the car. I got in and he drove me home...about a 30 minute ride...I was tired, so I took a 5 minute nap along the way.
It was nice to get back inside to air conditioning. I got a drink of water and took a nap for a few hours. Eli got home and found me sleeping and went to sleep, too. When I awoke at 7 pm, Eli and I walked to a grocery store a block away.
The store was about to close, so we had to shop quickly. It was a small store with items displayed neatly on shelves. Meat department was in back with a butcher. We got 5 chicken legs, orange and apple juice in pint sized cartons, bread, broccoli, carrots, potatoes mouthwash, liquid hand soap..all for about $25. 10R for using their bag. I forgot to bring bags. Stores no longer use plastic bags. The store clerk carried the bag outside and Eli told him we did not come by car. Eli said that the clerk would have walked all the way home carrying the bag for us if we had come earlier in the day. He does not expect a tip. No tipping in India. I did not realize how heavy the bag was until Eli put it down to open the door. I tried to pick it up and it was about 25 pounds.
Eli just called. Balwan is coming to take me to the Kingdom of Dreams. More about that next time.
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