Happy Journey!

After much anticipation and a practically seamless journey, I arrived safely to Bangalore, India yesterday at 2 am.  If I didn't know any better I may have mistaken the warm welcome I received of a crowd of roughly 300 people seemingly vying for my attention as my first red carpet event. Alas, I left my Oscar de la Renta at home.... and gratefully my exuberant driver, whose name I cannot pronounce or recall at this moment, was waiting for me among the masses with my name printed on a small placard in his hands. 

Our drive to Mysore was to take about 3.5 hours, horns, bicycles, bulls and speedbumps included. As we exited the airport and payed the toll, the familiar 'EZ Pass Paid' sign on the Turnpike was replaced with a welcome suggestion of 'Happy Journey'. Fortunately, traffic was very light so early in the morning and even with a roadside coffee stop we made it to Mysore, my new home for the next month, in just over 3 hours. 

In an effort to stay awake Friday, I settled into a hotel where I'll be for the next few nights, enjoyed the complimentary breakfast of chai and kitchari (that's my best guess) and stepped out into the warm and sun filled town of Gokulam, Mysore.

My day was mostly a sensory experience as I take in and begin to digest the many new sights (yep, cows roam freely), sounds and smells that surround me. Some wrong turns, some friendly advice resulting in a lead on a room to rent and a completely reassuring experience served up at Anu's cafe have left me convinced that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. So glad that I've arrived.