Road To Mysore

Bangalore & Mysore is nothing like Mumbai. I honestly hate Mumbai. I arrived in Bangalore yesterday morning and rode around looking for a bank to get money to pay Guruji. Bangalore reminds me a lot like Cebu. It's very progressive and the air is much cleaner. Mumbai's air is so thick and muggy. As we got off the plane in Bangalore, an Indian man took a deep breath, smiled and said something good. Like me, he was glad to get out of Mumbai.

The drive from Bangalore to Mysore was nice and pleasant. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive. The landscape was very similar to the Philippines...coconut trees, sugarcane, rice paddies, road contructions everywhere, pot holes and bananas. I was tempted to say banana trees but bananas aren't trees. They are a grass species. Indians drive like Filipinos or vise versa(crazy drivers). I could have easily driven the car except the whole driving on the left side just throws me off. I've almost been run over while crossing the street because I always look at the wrong side when I cross. The weather here is slightly cooler than Cebu. I'm really glad about that.

When I got to Mysore, I got more ruppees and went straight to Guruji's shala since it was past 4PM. As I entered the building, Sharath came out and told me wait since Guruji still had someone in the office. Sharath was teaching about 4 local students. I eventually walked in the office and sat face to face with the man himself. I looked straight at his face and was impressed with the fact that he does not look like he is 89 years old. He has a very young face...no wrinkles, very smooth skin and clear eyes. Anyway, I filled out the paperwork gave him the money (27,000 ruppees since I thought it was 26,900 ruppees). After he counted the money, he gave me back 2,100 ruppees and told me it was only 24,900 for the first month and registration. I was pleasantly surprised because the website says 26,900. He told me to come tomorrow at 5AM for the led class. I was so happy to be there.

I then proceeded to the Green Hotel and checked in. The room was nice and clean. It only cost me about 1,100 ruppees(about $25). It is much better and cheaper than the dump I stayed at in Mumbai. I really hate Mumbai. The Green Hotel is a very beautiful hotel. No airconditioning though. The garden is well kept and manicured. The structure is old but elegant. I had dinner there and met an Australian yoga student. She's studying with Sheshadri though. We went to Nigrilis(a supermarket) after dinner so I could get an idea of what they sell there. I got back to the hotel at around 7PM and was in bed by 8PM.

I got up at around 2:30AM this mornining and tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. My whole body clock is still so screwed up. I was in the shala by 4:50AM. The room was was filled up since there was only one class today. The mats were about 6 inches from each other but everybody went through the practice without having to jump on each other. I didn't do a head count but someone told me it was about 80. I was excited but tired. I haven't practiced seriously in about 3 weeks. I was just gald to go through the motions. Sharath told me to go to the back room after Mari A. I'm definitely a beginner in this group but I'm alright with that. They say that beginners here get more assistance and it's true. It's only been my first day and Sharath helped me twice and Saraswati assisted me once. I'm here for me and don't care if I'm a beginner.

I was hoping to see Amanda in class today but she wasn't there. I saw Rolf though and spoke to him briefly after class. I'm was sure he didn't remember me so I told him that I met him when he took over Noah & Kimberly's class. Other than that, everybody looked foriegn to me. I met Alex, a Norweigian student and he gave me Shiva's phone number. He is the recommended house hunter. We looked at a few apartments and rooms. There were two places that I liked. One was about a 12 minute walk from the shala. It was a new two bedroom apartment on a hill with a beautiful view and a roof deck. It was for 6000 ruppees. The other one was a large one bedroom, with a terrace, a western toilet, a veranda, roof deck and 2 blocks from the shala for 5000 ruppees. They were both nice but I liked the one close to the shala. I paid the first month and gave Shiva's his 10% commission. I like Shiva. He has a very good sense of what you want and he is not pushy. The commission I paid him was well worth it. I have a new home now. I check out of the Green Hotel tomorrow and move in my new place. I feel settled now. I feel like I'm home now...this is my home(for the next 4 months anyway).

I've always enjoyed reading those Mysore blogs. I'm happy to say that my blog is now officially a "Mysore Blog":)