friday

Friday was yet another curiously free-wheeling Indian holiday - Holi.

(http://www.lonelyplanet.com/theme/festivals/festivals_holi.htm)

This is basically an excuse for all of India to turn out and spray the shit out of each other with various colors and dyes, all while drinking potent bhang lassis, playing music, and generally having a wonderful time. However, the big shindig doesn't get going until Saturday - perhaps Friday is a day to ready for battle. I cannot be expected to know everything.

Aneesa, Chris, and Adam decided to go to a tiger reserve for most of the day. As we were slated to get on the train for Hampi that evening (and it was raining in that miserable dreary way), I declined and decided to spend the day shopping and steeling my nerves for my first sorty with the Indian train station. I definitely will make it to the tiger reserve at some point.

Lorraine saw the logic in my plan and stayed behind as well. We took a rickshaw down to Commercial Street in the deeply miserable weather, and I proceeded my systematic survey of Kashmiri stores on a mission for the perfect silk coat. I visited quite a few establishments, doing my best to look bored and mildly disgusted by the wares in fufillment of the ancient and majestic Haggling Dance. I did find a few lovely specimens, but nothing that attracted me quite as much as the one I found on M.G Road - all that gorgeous colorful embroidery on a jet black background - perfect. Maybe I'll just buy it and hope I can take the damn thing in. Or wear it with a belt.

The rain was really pretty misery inducing....too early for the monsoon my ass....so we headed back to Thippasandra. I was starving as always, and we went to the Clay Pot once more. I had a delicious dish of fish molie with kingfish, a thick, mild curry made from coconut milk and a little bit of chili. This was reminescent of a Thai curry - not surprising since the Southern Indian ecosystem is pretty similar to the Thai one - and very delicious indeed, full of firm, white fish. I have discovered the Clay Pot's secret by the way....the local fish market is right down the street.

We went back to the Katari Villa and napped. It was wonderful.

The others appeared in the evening. Dinner was egg curry, which gives me shivery nightmares, so I went down the street to the local biryani joint instead. I had a decent fish biryani which certainly included plenty of spicy sauteed fish along with rice - not a bad way to go.

We managed to pull ourselves together and hailed a rickshaw to the train station by half past eight for our 10 PM train to Hampi. This took a bit, but we made it to the train station, overflowing with people in various states of disarray from long journeys - whole families carrying their wordly possesions in rucksacks, camping out on colorful blankets in front of the station, stray dogs and worried looking European hippies wandering among them.

We found our way to the right platform - miracle! - and the train came chugging along on schedule, looking rather atmospheric in the evening fog and humidity. We found our berths - not bad, and actually pretty comfortable. I settled in presently and made my way to the bathroom. Some guy attempted to unsubtly grab my arse when I walked past him, and I responded (naturally) by slugging him hard....I will always treasure the look of profound suprise on his face. (Not expecting THAT were ya?)

Anyways, I dropped off surpisingly quickly - I sleep well in moving vehicles.