It is a little sad though. When I was here the last two times, there were 22-24 children. Since I left the first time, one child has passed away, and 11 others were sent away to other places, and the oldest has left the centre to start a job (at JP Morgan no less!) leaving only 11 of the children still at at the centre. It's a little strange because four years is a long time to children, especially as they are entering adolescents...but fortunately they still retain their extraordinary attraction to electronics (most days have different groupings of children surrounding my computer, my iPod, and my cell phone...with me off in the corner beating up on a smaller defenseless child until my violent tendencies are satisfied.
As could have probably been inferred from all of my recent obsessions, we also spent several hours securing the most important ingredient of any successful trip abroad: Buying a scooter. After haggling with a store owner in Lingarajapuram, we managed to secure a BEAST of a scooter. Normally scooters here range from 50-100 cc's, which provide plenty of power for Bangalore's heavily congested and frantic roads...somehow, we managed to find an ungeared scooter with an 167 cc engine, which allows us to propel between cars, goats, pedestrians and cows with impunity. It is fantastic, and I miss riding on these roads...despite the fact that it's perhaps among the least wise things to do in India (other than eat street food, which I did yesterday...mmm Pani Puri enhanced by airborne fecal matter and hepatotoxicity.)
We haven't just stayed in Bangalore though...we also ventured out of the city to local Hoysala temples in Belur, Halebidu, and Sravanabelagola...where we treated my old friends (and their children) to a free trip. While at these venerable old temples, we took in the intricate lacework, brilliance, and marveled at the beauty of the 900 year old temples while their kids, um...Did NOT touch the carvings. ahem.
Oh...and we spent some time in Kerala in the backwaters before coming Bangalore...where I spent 7 hours laying on a houseboat eating food and watching this:
I return to the US
3 comments:
You look like a giant holding that little girl on your shoulder. A big, Chinese giant.
Disappointed that there's no post on Krugman getting the Nobel yet.
I would have, had I actually been posting.
I have been through the wringer, and now I've popped out the other side in Manhattan. I'll be back soon, I suppose.
But uh, yes. Awesome.
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