I slept in and by the time I'd packed, showered, and shaved (I had to take advantage of the hot water) I didn't have quite enough time for breakfast. Conversely this meant I had some extra time to get to the station. So when the rickshaw drivers asked for five times more than they've been charging - just because I had my pack and I wanted to go to the train station (they figure I'm in a hurry) - I got annoyed and refused to go with anyone unless it was on the meter. I walked a few minutes and found a driver who agreed and the fare was under nine rupees - the first drivers had demanded 50. The train ride was pretty quick - less than three hours. By the time I got out of the train station it was two. I took a rickshaw to the area of town I wanted to stay in (M G Road). My first impression of Bangalore was good - wide streets, lots of trees, stately buildings, but still India. At MG Road I couldn't find a hotel - I tried three hotels and I'm sure that at two of them I was told there wasn't room because of the way I was dressed!?! Walking, the city isn't as nice. The wide streets and heavy traffic make crossing very difficult and it's hot. I finally got in another rickshaw and headed for a hotel in a different part of town - only to find it's been torn down. Finally I just told the rickshaw driver to suggest someplace. He pushed a hotel that didn't sound bad in the guide book so I agreed. It's relatively expensive, but so was every other place I've been in here (and it's still only ~$10) so I checked in - it only took me three hours to find a hotel room! I was starving by this time and a little fed up with the city so I went for an escape - Pizza Hut. I had a huge meal. I then hit an internet cafe to send the mail I had written on the train. By this time it was dark and Bangalore started to feel more typically Indian - teeming crowds, vendors on the street, basically familiar and comfortable. I found a supermarket(!) and bought some water and cashews and then headed back to the hotel. I have a TV with satellite so I watched a couple movies (Die Hard and The Spiral Staircase) and then went to bed. The hotel room isn't that nice, but it's generic, it could be a cheap room back home. This realization made me feel lonely and pointless. It's one thing to be experiencing something new, but why have I gone through the last four years only to end up at someplace generic and alone - it was minorly depressing for a few minutes (if the second movie had been good it probably wouldn't have been a problem).
