One week on...

I can't believe I've only been here for a week -- feels like I've experienced so much already. I haven't gotten sick yet -- so I guess that is one clue that I haven't been here that long.

Here is a picture that I took from the back seat of the car on my way back from a shoot... just a regular-old intersection... there are so many people everywhere!

Yesterday I went on a little walk... to explore the area around my hotel. I'm living quite close to a busy commerical area that we had stopped at the other day after a shoot. There are movie theaters, stores, bakeries etc... and driving past the area made it seem quite appealing (well, relatively appealing). So, yesterday I ventured out on a little walk.

It's just that I stick out too much -- people flock to me... I MEAN **FLOCK** to me. I feel like Prime Minister Singh or something -- I have so many people in tow. People offer things to me, beckon me into their shops, kids pull at my legs and arms, try to get me into a taxi, people try to shake my hand... it's all just too much! My favorite are the shoe-shiners... I must have had TWENTY-FIVE people offer to shine my shoes... and I was wearing sneakers!!! By the end of my walk I was so mad that I just started pointing at my shoes and saying, indignantly, "HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SHINE SNEAKERS?" Them: "Ok, next time sir, next time". Oye.

After I'm able to shake the big crowd... just a few people would like to walk along with me... walk and TALK with me. It goes something like this:
Them: "Hello, Sir" / Me: "I'd just like to take a walk please - alone" /Them: "Ok, Sir... How are you, Where are you from?" / Me: "I live here -- please just let me walk -- I'm not going to buy anything" / Them: "I don't want to sell you anything, Sir." / Me: "Yea, I'm sure" / Them: "I just want to practice my English with you, Sir"... you get the point. Of course, it ends up that they DO want me to buy something - or they want money for pointing me in some direction... "There are more stores over there, Sir". Oye vey.

So... this is funny... look where I wound up -- McDonalds. You can see I have NO SHAME when it comes to taking photos for the blog.

Yes, I sat here eating my "McVeggie Burger" -- of course, no beef on the menu -- and I felt that I was in some alternate universe. First, I rarely eat fast food. Second, I've never seen more people inside a McDonalds in my life!

It was really quite humorous... here I had gotten completely fed up in my quest to have a nice walk and "experience India"... and I ended up seeking refuge at McDonalds. It's not even that I veiw McDonalds as some "piece of home"... it was simply a place that I could sit down and relax for a moment that wasn't inside the hotel. I trust that over time I'll find better places than McDonald's to relax. By the way, I've decided just to enjoy the hotel today.

Mary made this picture for me -- it is a "Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese Shop" sandwich (the #5) sitting next to my drink from Starbucks. Now... THAT reminds me of home. If only I could have that for lunch...

The espresso here at the hotel is pretty bad -- of course I'm still drinking it -- but I've contemplated switching to tea.

I do have a nice little routine at the restaurant here in the hotel. Every day I go down for breakfast and the hostesses seats me at the same table. The other day they started referring to it as "your table", "Would you like your table today?", they ask. Friday I went down to find that they had put a little "Reserved" sign on my table for me. Well, Saturday, I went down later than normal and caused quite a stir. The waiter I usually have, Vikam, was quite upset because the hostesses had just GIVEN AWAY my table. Well, the same thing happened today and it caused an even bigger fuss -- I've promised them that I'll be back on schedule tomorrow. I'm sure the other diners wonder what is going on.

I'll have to photograph these people tomorrow. Can't believe I haven't done that yet...