Our first stop on our road trip was a summer home that belonged to a King - Daria Daulat. The home and gardens were incredible - so huge and beautiful. Every floor, wall, and ceiling had intricate artwork. This owner must have been very, very rich. This is also where I first learned about being a "foreigner". At the gate, Jairam paid 5 rupees (10 cents), I had to pay 100 rupees ($2.00). Now that is not so bad in the scheme of things, but I was shocked at the disparity.
Next stop, a bird sanctuary. And again, a foreigner fee roughly 10-20 times the amount for a "resident". Jairam is actually a U.S. citizen so he should have been paying the high rates, but since he is actually from Bangalore and can speak many of the local languages (I've heard him use at least three - Hindi, Kannada, and Tamil) the people working the ticket booths don't know any better.
This sanctuary was beautiful - gardens were incredible. We took a boat ride around to see the birds. There were birds from 18 countries including North America. I couldn't get over that part. Since I had just flown from SLC, I just couldn't figure out how the birds would make it all that way! Where did they stop? And so I kept asking Jairam question after question but of course he doesn't know and he doesn't want to ask the guide because the boat is full of other locals. And admittedly, my questions were a bit ostentatious.
My favorite part of the visit was the crocodiles. We saw two right up close and they were quite large! The first one we came upon was sunning himself on a rock and a big bird was standing right next to him. I loved the juxtaposition.
I have three fundamental truths that I have observed in India:
1. Nothing goes until it is full (I was calling this "tons of people" at first, but it morphed over the days). Nothing in India will go until it is packed full of people. This is true of elevators, busses, cars, tour boats, taxis, cars, 2 wheelers.
This was also true of our boat ride tour of the sanctuary. Even on our drive to Mysore, I would see tiny cars (smaller than the Toyota Echo) with 8-10 people in them. Four or five in front and the same in back.
2. Everything is Indian food (see McDonald's post)
3. High Heels Don't Work Here (seems obvious when you say it outloud, but I sure didn't think this one through when I packed)
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