Have some water sir - I’m, entering the car the hotel sent to pick me up at the Chennai airport... The weather feels like Rio and the water is welcome... One more stage is gone, one more hotel, a good one this time...


The day was intense in Bangalore, my friends started by taking me to wild life sanctuary where we did a photo safari, at the sight of my camera I was invited to sit near the driver... It seamed almost on purpose that most animals showed up on the driver’s side and I could not take their pictures from where I was...

The driver offered to take pictures for me and I handed him the camera... I was using one of my old manual lenses so the driver did not have much success on focusing, but each time he handed the camera back he was smiling as if he had taken the best picture of his life...

In the end of the trip the guide came to me and told me discretely that I should tip the driver... - Now I get it - I thought to myself... I hand him twenty rupees but he does not look happy, I leave the bus and ask my friends if I just did anything wrong, and they tell me I didn’t - it’s just that because you’re from other country everybody expects you to be generous in terms of tipping, a typical Indian would have given him half of what you gave...

Several times I’m reminded that my reality sits years and several dimensions away... In one way it seams that I’m watching a movie, but on the other, my presence seams to have too much effect on people... Yes I’m here... Yes the pollution burns my eyes and they still hurt... Yes I think if I should take pictures or not... Some people tell me they do not want their picture taken, some feel honored to do so... It looks that I’ll carry these memories through my life; they seam to strong to vanish suddenly after my flight out of here...


We skip lunch and head to Bangalore’s botanical garden, the place looks tidy and organized in a way I still had not seen here... People sit on the floor walk or run like they would on the central parks of this world...

Some time later we have a last beer and I head to the airport... The flight gets delayed... We finally depart... And arrive... Once more I did not wait long for the suitcase and the driver as easy to find...

At dinner after asking for a local beer I’m offered a 650 ml bottle - I’ll pretend its water, tells the bad boy in me before the good boy reminds me that I did not have anything for lunch - Anyway I decide to give my stomach a break and for the first time in some days I have non spicy food... I’m offered a glass of wine... I accept... Coffee carries me back to the room...