And I thought Naples was crazy. Somehow it hasn't frazzled my nerves yet; I'm pretty calm walking through a sea of people, cars, tuk-tuks, dogs, and some kind of shit (sometimes dog, sometimes not) and garbage (the rivers smell like garbage dumbs). However, people have been very nice for the language barrier there is. I find it odd that everything is written in Tamil and English, many times only English, but almost nobody speaks more than a few sentences and most only a few words. This is really the first travel where I don't know at least a few basic phrases of the other language. Smiles help a lot after I initiate contact - but I will take to heart the advice don't just smile willy-nilly at people or it will cost you money. A guy at Kapaleeshwara Temple walked up to me and started right in with "need a tour guide, of course you do, let's start with this shrine, put the ash on your forward for good luck..." When he started to bug me about a large donation to the temple to help feed the homeless from the 2004 sunami, a donation that he would have to take into the inner temple because non-Hindus are not allowed, I realized I had been taken. He wouldn't let me walk away but insisted I finish the tour. At the end he wanted $20, which is a full day's budget for me. I said no and walked away and out of the temple. He followed angrily all the way out to the tuk-tuk waiting for me (also a scam to get me to go to shopping at certain stores - I did buy a lovely shirt - I like to get all the mistakes out of the way on the first day). I offered 100 rupee as the value of his tour. He was furious so to shut him up I gave him 200 and he stepped back from the tuk-tuk so we could leave. And then the scamming tuk-tuk driver said "never trust guides at the temple. If you want guide ask me." Thankfully, I'm not as jet lagged now and have paid my tourist dues.
In general the history has been interesting; the ancient art lovely; the religion completely confusing (avatar of who again?); but the way people live has been eye-opening. The contrast of the rich with Land Rovers and the extreme poor of families living on the sides of streets in shanties or just a piece of plywood with a little fire pit next to it is a little shocking. They aren't really separated out into a separate area but are just all over the place. Of course I've been in the city center where there are cheap hotels so haven't seen much of the affluent suburbs.
I love the food. Just run of the mill food is great. Thankfully I brought lots of antacid. I've yet to find any toilet paper to purchase at the shops. Since this is the largest city south of Mumbia (at least I think it is), I'm a little afraid I'm going to have to go native - huhhhhhh.
Oh, oh, the government museum has some great ancient temple bronzes of a whole bunch of avatars of Shiva and Vishnu, but the "anthropology" section is itself a museum of at least 60 or 70 years ago; complete with instructions on how to measure and differentiate the races and signs like "Daggers of Various Types", "Neolithic Vases of Various Kinds" with no explanation.
On my last day I did a little bit of medical tourism. Before leaving I got one of the three rabies shots because completing the entire course was $1000. While the travel nurse couldn't officially advise me on the idea she agreed that I could finish the course in India where it was cheaper. I wasn't sure about finishing the series, but in the last few days just walking around the city I've come within a few feet of at least 30 dogs a day. So today I went to a private hospital recommended as a place for medical tourism. The place was as nice as everything but the very latest medical buildings in Seattle. The vaccine came in a little packet with a packaged, sterile needle and syringe and was the same stuff from novo-nordisk as in the states. It was cold and on ice as I took it from the pharmacy to the vaccination clinic. For the same shot that cost $320 dollars in Seattle at the King County Public health that charges cost for the vaccine itself and a $60 injection fee, I paid about $8. One more in a couple of weeks and I won't die from a dog bit.
Wi fi here sucks!
