Festival of Ganesh

There was a gecko-sighting Friday night. He was at the front door when we were on our way out to dinner. We told him it was nice to meet him and we're glad he could stay for a while but we understood he needed to be going. So we showed him the way out and think he might've headed next door.

Most of my lady friends in the OWC frequent the hotel restaurants and card-carrying members (like myself) get discounts at certain restaurants - most of which are in hotels. We've never had a bad experience but I'm beginning to wonder if eating there is like eating at chain restaurants in the US. The meals are usually good but there is nothing really authentic about the experience like say, eating with your hands, off banana leaves or with a rat running around. We don't want to be the American couple that only eats in fancy hotels but sometimes a good clean atmosphere and not so spicy food is ok. So Friday night we went to an Italian restaurant in a hotel. We learned that even in hotels, you really should ask if you're unsure what a menu item is. That way, when you and your vegetarian friends order an appetizer to share you can be sure the dish does not have some kind of fancy bologna in it. Other than that, the meal was good.

Saturday marked the first day of the Festival of Ganesh - which is supposed to last 10 days. From what we gather, this is a time to celebrate the God who is the "remover of obstacles" by putting countless gaudy statues out on the streets, going to presumably the only Temple of Ganesh in Bangalore and to eventually make an offering to the God and according to Chandan, a time to hold "competitions." I think these competitions include things like, gather the most stray dogs together without a fight, obstacle courses modeled around cow dung and garbage and perhaps games that include some form of conning or staring at the white people but I can't be sure.

There aren't many tourist "sights" to see in Bangalore but one of the few is the "Bull Temple" (which happens to be next to the Temple of Ganesh). The city's founder is a man by the name of Kempe Gowda and in the 16th century he decided it would be a good idea to build a temple with a massive bull inside. This Nandi bull is made of grey granite but actually looks black because they have covered it with charcoal and oil. The Nandi bull is the bull that Shiva - the destroyer - rides and the gatekeeper to this god. The first thing we noticed as we approached the Temple was the crowds. We had second thoughts about getting out to see the bull because the line appeared to snake all the way down the street and around the corner but Chandan told us the line was for the Ganesh temple. So we jump out with our tell-tale tourist sneakers and backpack and head up a small hill flanked by food stalls, people selling miniature Ganesh statues, keychains and other must-haves, and of course, the beggars. Honestly, how many people are really buying toy snakes, mini-chess sets and large maps of India?

As we approach the Bull Temple we see piles of dusty sandals outside the door to the temple and a very old, very hunched over, very dirty-looking man motions for us to take our shoes off. As I bend down to untie my shoes, I notice the army of red ants frantically moving - "we've got a white one coming, move!" - and I decide to keep my socks on. There was so much going on outside the temple that you almost forget that this is sacred ground and how beautifully interesting (or tacky?) these temples are. Again, as we walk in, it's not at all like you are walking into a cathedral where everyone is quiet and subdued and it is so small, there is really nowhere to stop for a prayer or even a quiet moment. Very much like a cathedral, they are more than willing to take a donation. And of course, there was a teenager who was more than willing to start explaining the significance of the bull and temple - none of which we could really understand with his accent. But still, we walked nearly single-file around the bull and he told us we could touch it here for good luck but not take pictures of it. It felt cool and slimy. The bull takes up the entire tiny temple so after we circled it, we were outside again and the nice Indian fella asked us to follow him around the back of the temple for more of the "tour". Realizing this would not be free, we declined to which he said, "ok, 200 rupees for the tour." We (and by we, I mean George here) argued for a minute, gave him 10 and we went to get our shoes. Not that 200 rupees is alot but we didn't ask for a tour nor did we get any value from him leading us in a circle around a bull. I did feel like red ants were crawling on me the rest of the day though. (They weren't.)

Saturday night we took our first auto-richshaw and although, I had ridden in one with Vivian, she did all the talking and navigating. We only went up to the mall and had read that you shouldn't get in a rickshaw unless they are running the meter. The gentleman who stopped for us said he would take us for 20 rupees which seemed like a fair deal (even though the meter wasn't running). Plus, we had the added bonus of blinking, colored Christmas lights - we think for Ganesh but they added a nice ambiance to the ride. We ate in an Indian restaurant in the mall that is designed to look like an old train car complete with waiters dressed in brown conductor uniforms. We're having a hard time deciding which restaurant we've tried that's the best. On the way home, one of the rickshaw drivers asked for 200 rupees. We declined and ended up going with another driver for 50. The rates increase after 10pm.

One of the women I met on Friday, said that they were looking for teachers at a new school that opened up and put me in touch with someone there. I spoke to her this morning and what she's really looking for is a full-time, 8th grade math and science teacher. I think I operate on about a 5th grade math level and I get gecko and alligators confused so I'm not sure it's going to work out. She seemed desperate though for help - "I can maybe rearrange some things so you teach all subjects..." - so I'm supposed to go see the school tomorrow. We'll see.