Due to the TB mentioned in the last post the kids and I did NOT go to the clinics today! We are hoping to go to the orphanage when the kids get out of school this afternoon, however. In the interim, our hotel is located in the heart of the shopping district in Bangalore which means going out to buy diapers and to get lunch was a nice excursion and only required walking 2 blocks. BUT! We did have to cross the street - a task that terrifies me even when I don't have kids. Traffic in India consists of large buses, cars of all sizes, autorickshaws, motorcycles, the occasional cow, and pedestrians - all in large numbers and going at pretty decent speeds with horns honking. It is both terrifying and fascinating to observe. Thankfully one can actually cross at the lights in some places (though lots and lots of crossing goes on without a crosswalk!) and the street in front of our hotel is a one-way street so you can "safely" jaywalk when the light is red if you do not walk down to the light. So after the hotel doorman helped us navigate through stopped traffic to cross we were on our way to McDonalds. Which was a very fasinating experience. Here were my observations
- it is a happenin' place - packed with what looked to be students and young professionals.
- it was certainly as clean as the average McDonalds at home and probably more efficient service
- the veggie burger was better than pretty much any I have ordered in the States anywhere
- The french fries tasted exactly the same as the States!
- We had a combo meal and 6-count chicken nuggets for 155 ruppees or about $3.50
It was fun to go somewhere that was both familiar and totally different at the same time.
-Sara Midturi
