Out and about in Bangalore

Its time to come clean about my stay in Bangalore. I'm not exactly backpacking here. Monty is doing a 3 day course and we are staying in the rather plush Hotel Atria where it is being held. I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and I didn't leave the hotel room very much so the huge telly and wifi internet access were appreciated. I couldn't bring myself to post on the blog (despite having lots of time) because I felt such a fraud but today I got out and about in Bangalore town so... I do love to window shop and Bangalore is a great place to do it. I went into several shops where I was surprised by the prices of the clothes. Bangalore has the highest number of millionaires in India so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked. The story has it that the late Winston Churchill still owes money in Bangalore where he lived as a young soldier. It is apparently the newest city in India and some guidebooks describe it as relaxed...hehehe. Like everywhere else we have been, the roads tell a different story. I did make 2 journeys today in 'auto-rickshaws' and I think it went quite well. The price was 40 Rs and it felt safe enough although it took a bit of courage to approach one - and Monty calling me chicken. I am a little worried that I don’t have what it takes to be an 'independent traveler'. My little interesting experience of the day happened when I settled on 2 tops. These tops had long sleeves but I was more interested in getting T-shirts so the lady in the shop closed up and took me to a tailors a couple a minutes walk away. He shortened the sleeves on the 2 tops very nicely for 30Rs. It all reminded me of Jim William, our shoe maker in Adrigole. I have tired of my own clothes very quickly. I didn't pack very much and everything white has gone a kind of yellow that I'm not very comfortable with. I went against Liz Hamlyn's advice and packed my jeans and I took such great pleasure in putting them on yesterday. I am loving the food a bit too much but that isn't really news. I can't think of a place on the planet where I wouldn't love the food. The Indians seem to worry a lot that the food will be too spicy for me, there was a bit of drama over a chili on my plate yesterday - I say 'Bring it on'. So far, I can safely say, I have tasted a lot hotter in Tooting. Better be careful here though as I could find myself laughing out the other side of my face. So much of India so far is reminding me of Summer festivals in the UK. Today, I had a toilet smells flashback.