Bank, Apple store and Facing the death

As in Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" I ll tell the same day from my point of view.

In the morning, the idea of getting to the hospital early has been accomplished by the use of a Tuktuk (or Auto as they call it), an APECAR (Italians will understand immediately) with 2 seats on the back, otherwise no doors .....only roof.

Anyway as Louise was trying to accomplish her mission against the local nursing HR I went around for my tests: blood sample etc etc. As I was waiting for my eye test I couldn t help noticing that a lot of boys walk along holding hands. Apparently it is not a homosexual behaviour(according to the guidebooks) but a physical manifestation of the friendship between two guys (hhhhhmmmmmm?!)

Once my eye test was concluded we went to the bank that Nagarajan suggested. First of all it was outside the Health village. The impression we had approaching the bank is that they were trying to beat the Guinness Record for how many Indian people they could fit in only one room.( that was supposed to be the queue for the desk we needed). We opted for the smaller and internal bank that opened our account in 5 mins.

So what next, ahh yes I remember, the Sim Cards. There is a stand for the Vodafone , the same one you find in Tesco when they promote coffee or cheese and you can have a sample. Also in that occasion I could appreciate how doctors are treated much better than nurses. (now I understand how a British nurse feels :-) )

Anyway Vodafone has a contract for our hospital: if you call any other hospital vodafone user the call is free...not bad.

The cabs was booked and the centre of Bangalore was next.

Approaching MG road, Lou yelled:" a MAC store". Excitement and happiness spread throughout my body as I thought :" perfect, so I can buy something for my computer!!!". Immense sadness and deep disappointment when I found out that it was a ONLY make-up shop.

I have to say, India, and in this case Bangalore, is a place that even if you don t want, it enhances your senses: loud and chaotic traffic noise of engines and horns used as Paracetamol with the fever; several bright colours of buildings, cars, saris etc; very tasty smells that tingle you palate alternated by stinky and smelly odours of open sewages. As you walk on the pavement, or by the street, or ON the street ( it makes no difference at all) you need to watch out where you put your foot to avoid stepping into a ditch, at the same time you need to pay attention not to bang your head onto an open window, or not to be run over by anything with an engine.

The mall where we went was no different to any other "western" mall. The time flew and we found ourselves in the middle of Bangalore at 7.30 of a Friday night where Indians decided to win the Guinness Records for trying to drive all the indian cars in the centre of Bangalore. And tonight probably they succeeded. so we decided to take a cab home.

The taxi driver was continuously spitting outside of the window both while driving and when stopped at a traffic light. For this reason I could not open my window to inhale additional pollution because afraid to inhale part of his spit. (weaw gross). Louise was sat on the opposite side of the car, safe from any sparkle of saliva.

He was ( I hope he still is) a mad driver, but the scary thing was that he had only one eye!!!!!!!!!!!! It was dark when we got the cab, so we realised it halfway through.

I saw my life, and the one of other 4-5 hundred pedestrians flash before my eyes.

At the end we arrived at home safe and sound.

Some practical notes:

• 16 spring rolls in an expensive mall = 160 rupees

• monthly unlimited phone call SIM card = 99 rupees

• Spit in your face= free

• Death night journey home by a cyclopes spitting indian driver= priceless

Good night