Shock to the Senses

I made it to India. I’m sitting and sweating in an extremely hot and muggy internet cafe “somewhere” in Bangalore. It’s actually more of an internet “cave” right now, ever since the lights and fans went out about fifteen minutes ago. The sounds from the honking horns of frantic rickshaws and buses and from mooing cows make for a surreal background soundtrack as I type this blog post.

Alex and I arrived in Bangalore at 3:30am this morning. We proceeded to seek the help of a travel advisor at the airport who found us a travel lodge near the Central Bus and Train hubs in the heart of the city. Price per night for the two of us: 450 rupees, or $9USD, or 1/11th of the price of our lodge in London.

The moment we exited the airport, I was rushed by a group of taxi drivers who circled around me all vying to get my business. Instantly, I knew I had made it to India. After a 45 minute bus ride, we jumped onto the awakening street. It was a complete shock to all my senses. The sights, the sounds, and the smells overwhelmed me. I saw street vendors preparing their fruits and flowers for the day and wild dogs lying lazily along the sidewalk. I heard buses zooming by and people speaking Hindi. I smelled the strong and repugnant aroma of the streets, a mix of vehicle exhaust and cooking Indian food.

Dodging past speeding mopeds and weaving through throngs of passing pedestrians, I found myself in an utterly new and unfamiliar world. People looked at Alex and me, the only non-Indians on the street, with great almost child-like curiosity. After departing the bus, we decided to trek our way to the lodge. This ended up being a poor decision. We painfully had to lug our heavy bags over two miles through skinny side streets all while hoping we were walking in the right direction as we asked over half a dozen strangers for directions.

I plopped onto the hard bed in our room at the lodge physically and mentally exhausted from the trek. My senses were completely shocked. Taking a deep breath in, I told myself, “I made it. I finally made it to India”.