Val, Natalie, and Ben :)

This morning we got up early and our first stop was the Hare Krishna temple (See Janelle's post).  We then went to a mall that was MASSIVE with 6 different levels, one of which had a movie theatre.  We learned quickly that the prices were VERY different between stores and you had to shop wisely.  We ate at the food court where some of us were more daring then others.  It was hard to know what we could and couldn't eat without getting sick.  We then went to a market.  On our way we saw the standard sacred cows in the street and eating the grass on make-shift sidewalks.  There were other animals roaming around as well such as sheep and dogs.  On our way to the market, we stopped at the Parliament building to take pictures.  We soon became a tourist attraction by the locals and many were taking pictures of us.  :) We attracted quite a crowd and decided it was probably time to go.  We got our first try of bargaining with the locals at the different store owners.  Some were more willing to lower their prices then others.  It seemed like the item of interest were scarfs.  A couple of the girls decided to get some outfits tailored which seemed to be a good idea because the lady told them the modifications would take them a half an hour... An hour and 45 minutes later they just kept hearing only about 10-15 more minutes, every time they asked how much longer.  During the time the girls were treated to tea and had a lively conversation with the store owner.  That was pretty neat!  "10-15 minutes later" the girls finally arrived back on the bus with sheek new Indian attire.  During this "10-15 minutes" the rest of us were back on the bus, culture watching.  We saw lots of cars going the wrong way, a young boy with no clothes on, and the general commotion of Bangalore.  

SOME THINGS WE LEARNED TODAY:

-Crossing the roads by foot is nearly impossible without almost getting run over by something.  It was an amusing site for the locals to see 5 Americans standing in a tiny median trying to figure out when it was okay to cross the road.

-Bus rides can be adventures in themselves, but if you have motion sickness, these are not the adventures you are hoping for!

-Indian clothing and traditional Indian clothing are very different.  Some locals were wearing more westernized clothing while others wore more traditional clothing.

-We found out that we tend to be attractions when going to public places such as malls.  A lot of people would come and shake our hands and say hello.  

-When you stay up for a very long period of time, it is really hard to stay awake!

-INDIA IS SO AMAZING!