DOWN. NOT UP! WOMAN!

A few weeks ago Lance and I headed to Goa on the Indian Ocean for a long weekend getaway. As we arrived at the airport we immediately felt relaxed. Fresh air. Beautiful palm trees. Ready for 5 days of respite and quiet on the beach...

We get into the airport to collect our single piece of luggage and there is a gentleman at the top of the escalator directing traffic down to baggage claim. Lance is walking two steps behind me when I ask the airport attendant where you pick up the luggage from our particular flight. He waves me down the escalator with his hand. Lance quickly sees the sign for our airline over the gentleman's head and yells out my name, "Lisa!" and points over to another door heading away from the escalator. In a second I realize I don't need to go down the escalator so I quickly turn back up to take the ONE step back up to meet back up with Lance to get our luggage from the correct baggage area when the gentleman who directed me to the wrong place starts yelling at me in Hindi and waving me down stairs. I am like, "but..." and motion towards the other pickup area.

He then proceeds to start yelling at me in English..."This is the down escalator. You MUST go down."

I state loudly, "There was one step between me and the top of the stairs." I am down founded and by this point I am half way down the escalator. My husband is watching this interaction with his mouth hanging open.

So the guy keeps yelling at me..."DOWN. NOT UP! DOWN. NOT UP! DOWN. NOT UP!" He just keeps yelling and repeating it to me like I am the dumbest person he has ever seen. He is hounding me like I am a criminal and as though there are strict rules in this country for riding an escalator. Everyone is turning to stare at me and they are shaming me with their Indian eyes. I finally am at the bottom of the very long escalator and have to take the stairs to get back to my husband who is still standing at the top of the stairs.  So on my way back up the guy has the gall to meet me in the middle of the stairs to proclaim again directly into my face, "DOWN. NOT UP. It is dangerous to go the wrong way, WOMAN."

'Woman!' I see my husband sign and close his eyes...like 'Oh God dude what have you done!'

I have had enough of this interaction with the airport attendant. So I yell "OH SURE, I am doing something illegal here with the escalator (pointing over my shoulder at the contraption) but your whole country drives cars like a maniac with no rules or respect for other people and that is legal! And don't call me woman, MAN. I have had enough of your male macho crap!" His eyes widen and he stares at me as though he has no come back to that remark or he has never been spoken to by a woman like this before. Either way he shut up!

Later I would laugh with my husband about my little snarky comments. I don't know where it came from but good grief it was just an escalator! No one was in danger or anything!

Another example of how I sometimes don't understand this country!  :)

Indian Driving "Lesson"

It appears that rules for driving in India are more like guidelines. And no one really pays attention to the guidelines either. They pretty much drive where and how they want!

For instance, a few Friday nights ago we were heading out for some dinner at our favorite Chinese place when we found ourselves in the middle of the 8 pm traffic rush on a Friday night. Cars everwhere. My husband leans over and comments, "Did you notice that there are 7 lanes of traffic on a 4 lane road." I look around. Good grief he is right. There are cars, rickshaws, motorcyles, trucks, and bicycles moving in the same general direction but squished together into more lanes of traffic than it appears the road can handle. But in true Indian fashion it does work... somehow.

The other day I was driving over to pick up some shirts from the dry cleaner for my husband. We were heading along with the traffic on a very busy road when a young woman walked directly in front of my car and stuck her hand out in a stop sign fashion. There were about 20 other cars around and behind us when she did this and we all came screeching to a halt. She never once looked up from under her dupatta (a long scarf worn over the head). Then about 15 goats begin to cross the road with, who I am guessing to be, her husband following behind them. No one honks during the whole ordeal. Everyone just waited. I sat there with my mouth hanging open waiting for my driver to honk. Nothing happens as it is very normal for a herd of goats to cross a road in a large metro area of over 27 million people. I was amazed.

In general...

If there is a red light people still go.

If there is a curb seperating two sides of the road people just drive over it as though it is not there.

If there is a round-about in an intersection people just drive directly across it. Literally!

If a car is turning onto a street then it is the responsiblity of the other drivers to look for him as he will not be looking for them.

And the most terrifing thing you experience here is if you need to get to the other side of the road but only one opening in the median is available within the next block your driver will simply cross over to the oncoming lanes of traffic and drive on the wrong side of the road...honking his horn and blinking his lights.  Really!

So that folks is why Lance and I do not drive in India.  :)

Goa (Indian Ocean) Vacation 2012

Blue Skies and 90 degrees = Life of a Yogi

It was beautiful here today. Sure it was warm (90 degrees F) but really pretty.

Around noon today I was doing my hour long yoga practice on the top floor of my house.  The curtains were open to the balcony. I opened the door to let the heat into the house while I practiced and the sun was shining from the skylight on the roof. I was trying some very difficult poses, focusing very hard on not falling down as I have been trying to learn some inversions (hand stands and shoulder stands). I was enjoying the difficulty of the various positions and feeling pleased with myself for the successes I had been having as of late. I finished my session with some quiet meditation and let my mind relax. 

During my peaceful contemplation I was focusing on my body. Feeling how strong my shoulders were becoming. How my legs felt and how my arm muscles were coming back after years of neglect. I could sense that my dog had come into the room and had lain down on her mat beside me. After a few more minutes, I opened my eyes and  noticed how blue the sky was. The air in my city had cleared out along with most of the dust that seems to float around consistently. How nice the call of the birds in my back yard were and how lovely the dragonflies looked while they graced my balcony with their presence. My dog Bella was lightly dozing beside me.

I looked around my yoga space and noticed how sparse it looked. Nothing on the white walls. Just a red mat on the floor with a purple blanket I had purhcased in Mexico like 8 years ago. There was an extra plushy blanket on the floor for my dog to sleep on while I practiced. In the corner were my yoga blocks and straps. On the ceiling was a basic, plain white fan set on high speed on this hot day. My room needed nothing more!

I started thinking about a yoga quote I had read in a book recently. It basically said that when you feel your life is lacking look inside and you will find peace. Today it made more sense to me than ever before. I found peace in the heat, the emptiness of my yoga space, the sound of my dog sleeping beside me on the floor.

My wish for you is that you find peace today. In your clean life. Your empty spaces. Your connection with yourself. The love of your dog. The sunny heat.  

The Haggle and the Hairy Rug

So in India if you want to purchase an item at a local market or small family owned store you have to learn to haggle...something I thought I wasn't good at doing but I guess all you need is practice.

Our friend's girlfriend (who is from Japan) happened to come into town this week to visit her man. She wanted to spruce up his flat a bit so she asked me to take her around to the local stores and purchase a "few" items for his house. Notice I said a few!

Anyways, so I pick her up around noon on Monday and for the next 5 hours we do nothing but shop non-stop for his house. Half way through the day we head to the carpet store to haggle for a rug she wanted to purchase for the living room. My friend had a specific amount of money she wanted to spend but she didn't want to haggle so she asked me to do this for her. She is very timid in true Japanese culture. Now, I hadn't haggled in India before but thought...hey you gotta learn sometime.

We arrived at the carpet store and the first thing I noticed was that the store had rugs from all over in all different shapes and sizes and colors. They put any US selection I have ever seen to shame!!!

So we approach the shop owner and I state very loudly, "My friend was in yesterday and looked at a rug. You gave her this card with the price of the rug on the back. It is too much. We want a better price."

The shop keeper looks shocked. I am sure he was thinking who is this pushy American!!! He looks at my Japanese friend and says, "You were in yesterday and I offered you the best price...8,500 rupees."

I respond, "Well it isn't good enough. 4,500 is closer to the amount we want to pay."

He steps back from me. He looks me up and down clearly sizing me up. I put on my best 'don't think you can push me around' face. We have a little stare off for a moment. Then he laughs and declares "4,500 is stealing from me. Need 7,000 to get this carpet."

I say back, "4,900."

He says, "6,700."

I pause to consider and then turn to my friend and say "Let's go." She looks from him to me and we start to walk out. She whispers to me in a desperate tone, "but I really want that carpet."

The shop keeper pipes up, "You have come in twice to look at this carpet. I will take 6,300 for it!"

My friend spins on her heals and declares "Sold" with a truimphant wave. My friend and I are smiling ear to ear. The shop keeper is grumbling under this breath. I am sure he grumbles every time a carpet is sold in his store. He probably uses the same words to grumble at everyone.

I start to congratulate myself on being a good haggler. I begin to think about all the great deals I will get in the future. I realize that I should have haggled earlier in my first days in  India. I think back to the plants I bought for the back yard and probably overpaid for. I think about the wooden statue I just purchased for the living room and think ' good grief, I probably overpaid on that too.'

And just as I am feeling bad about not haggling for better discounts in the past....the rug comes out....and DEAR GOD WAS IT UGLY. It was a good thing I hadn't seen the rug before I started the haggling or I might have started at like 5 rupees. :) It was brown and hairy. I mean really hairy!!!  Like don't touch me or I will growl at you hairy. Anyways, I hide my distaste and smile at my friend. She is smiling broudly while admiring her purchase. She is very happy with the carpet and so I am very happy for her. We head to the next shop to haggle some more.

I vow to practice the art of haggling as often as possible during my time in India even if it is to purchase a rug that growls. The haggle is definetly part of the culture here.