day by day india: saturday morning

In so many ways the early morning hours in Bangalore remind me of Sicily.  The dogs barking, the birds chirping, frogs (or insects) purring. The heat of the sun behind the clouds, burning off the early morning fog. Even the sweeping sound of brooms whisking the street of dust and frangipani petals.

And like Sicily, I wish I could package the wind and how it first feels on your skin. Its been a gift to have a balcony during my stay at Brunton Heights and the only way it could have been better is if there had been a screen to protect the inner room from the mini mosquitoes and flies that so love my skin and blood.

I've been in India just shy of a week, and my sleeping patterns are slightly off. thought perhaps a part of it is the excitement of being somewhere new, there will be plenty of time to catch up on sleep when I return home next week.  Still falling asleep so early on Friday night makes for a very early Saturday, my body and mind refused to sleep past 4.30am. I've been putzing, reading (The Yard by Alex Grecian), perusing the news (Deccan Herald) and planning my day.  I will be exploring Garuda Mall, immersing myself in some shopping and spa, and if its possible I will catch a tribal jazz event at CounterCulture, a live music venue in the northeast part of Bangalore. It will be a nice close to Bangalore, before our trip to Goa tomorrow.

*~*~*~

I spent the day shopping at FabIndia and then treated myself to a fish pedicure at the Kenko Spa at the Garuda Mall. After reading about it on Trip Advisor I was particularly intrigued. as the "doctor fish," a toothless fish which resemble guppies feed on dead skin cells and more or less suck it off whatever body part you submerge in their pool.  I arrived and was led by the technician into a bathing room where they first rinse your feet with antiseptic and a natural soap cleanse. They then escort you to the pools and instruct you to immerse your feet into the pool. The fish swarm your feet and within seconds you feel a tickle--I would imagine it might be excruciating to anyone who is crazy ticklish but for me I laughed out loud for a moment and then was immediately mesmerized by the "feeding" frenzy. Ten minutes later the soles of my feet were fantastically smooth. I later learned that the recommended time is 30 minutes to get a proper cleaning so I feel a bit cheated and will definitely have to do it again some time.

*~*~*~

Evening time finds me at Mehkri Circle waiting for Venus and Advaitha to return from visiting family. We are scheduled to attend the May Queen Ball, a local pageant and fashion show at the Bangalore Club. The sky has erupted in rain, it  sounds lovely against the city streets, the wet breeze sweeps in dampened by dirt and asphalt and co-mingled with the heat of the day creates a fragrance only a summer rain can conjure.

Next: Sunday Sojourn to Goa