Markets, Meals and Rains

Where have those people gone? They made us eat these pills in the morning and then they just left us here alone without giving any special treats! It seems a little too quiet when they leave. However, the little human like creatures came up outside our big windows today, and boy did they have fun! They poured a bottle of water on the floor out there after drinking and then they ate pieces of a bunch of the green things! Boy, that was fun to watch! Other than that it was pretty boring- like what these people write! (they want to write now.)
On Saturday May 16 we were taken by our friend Sunil to Gandhi Market. We left about 11AM- a little later than we had hoped because it was getting warm outside. We first looked for a musical instrument shop, but found they had moved. We then visited several vegetable and flower stands along the street. These are much like you see in the books- a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Because Sunil was with us, the prices were very reasonable. The prices would be reasonable even if he were not there, but they would be higher since we are not good negotiators by Indian standards. We then visited a bake shop and bought a number of items that we don't really recognize. We then visited a sweets shop and tried several kinds of things that were generally very tasty. We bought several types- including one that is a bit like chocolate fudge. The Indian sweets are clearly different from those back home. They have lots of sugar, just like at home, but then there are other things that give them a different flavor too. They taste a lot like cookie dough of various kinds of cookies. Of course we find lots of chocolate bars from Cadbury in the stores too, so these are popular too, but they are a little expensive. While in the sweets shop a cow and her calf walked up to the front door and nearly came inside until the shop keepers chased them away. A begger also came to the entrance and tried to convince us to give money. They do spend more effort to get money from westerners. He eventually left, but then later followed us to the house of a friend of Sunil where we dropped in. This fellow collects modern art by Indian artists. He was very friendly and invited us into his house where we visited for a little while and then went off. We stopped at a jewelry shop where Janet was having a something modified. Jim and Joseph waited outside and the picture showing 4 cows was taken right next to our car. We saw a lot of cows this day. They do roam pretty much all over the city, though we rarely see any near the center of the city. They have owners who keep them for milk, but then they roam freely to graze. Unfortunately, they often graze on trash and there is a big problem of cows dieing from eating too many plastic bags that come wit the trash the cows eat. Be fore we left the US last year we heard a story about this on the radio. The problem was understood, but through some of the usually odd workings of government, a law was pass that requires plastic bags to be made of thicker plastic. How this helps save cows is somewhat mysterious. One day a couple weeks back Janet went to give a cow some vegetables from a bag she had just bought and gave some to one cow, but another cow came up to her from another side and took the bag with its contents and swallowed the whole thing before she knew what happened!
We went on to do some grocery shopping. We spent a little too long at the big grocery store and were rather tired afterword.
When we returned home Janet noticed that the plastic bottle she uses for watering plants was tipped over on the balcony and several of the plants looked beat up and chewed. We figured the monkeys were at it again, and sure enough, we saw them down on some fences near the ground. They come around about once a week. They are cute, but destructive and they can be dangerous for people and pets.
We rested after returning and then Janet went out with some friends in our car while Jim stayed home trying to relax. The results of the Indian elections were tabulated Saturday and announced. Our driver was nervous for us. He said that some people get violent when the results don't go as they wish and might attack foreigners, but all was quiet. Apparently, a lot of money was spent on the election. Some say that a lot was to buy votes and if the people didn't vote as they were supposed to, then violence might result. However, as noted, it seems peaceful.
On Sunday we went with friends to breakfast at a sort of country club nearby. The Bangalore Club was started around 1868 by the british but has become the place where the old Bangalore families go to relax and meet up with other friends. They have very nice grounds in the center of the city, but the road noice is still all around. The breakfast was good. These friends have a very nice old bungalow in the city that they want to rent out. Some day the property will, undoubtedly, become an office building of apartment building, but for now its a nice house on a relatively quiet street. Some other friends came over a little later and we went to a restaurant for lunch that was quite good. While eating a cloudburst came down - pouring quite a lot of water in a short time. We walked home after it let up, but we got pretty well soaked on the last couple blocks home. Once inside we rested, but it thundered, lightninged and rained quite a bit more later. Zoe really likes to sit outside on one balcony in the evening. There are some little lizards that climb on the walls out there and she loves to watch them and fantasize about catching them.
(What do they mean about fantasize? Ymmm!!!)