7/1/2012 Sunday
Up at 4:45am, 5:00, yay!! And we did go to bed at 8:15pm; Anu said we did very good!
It was much cooler today because it rained hard last night (maybe that's why we slept well? Or, maybe we were just worn out...)
Anu met us at 9:45am and we got a short introduction to India and things to expect or know before getting too ahead of ourselves. We started immigration papers, and gathered our things up to go on our first trip actually into the city: SHOPPING! (Upcoming post, Shopping Adventure- because it's an adventure in itself!) Anu took us to the oldest mall in Chennai, and possibly the oldest mall in all of India!
We needed kurtas (long shirts) and I needed a bag. Believe it or not, I was the first to purchase an item! It helps a lot to have the same size/ stature as other Indian women.
For lunch, we tried something new- Indian-Chinese cuisine.
The second kurta I bought took some charming. :) I think I caught this one boy's attention and he directed us to look into a certain store. There, someone else helped me find the blue one- but it was too expensive (Anu was advising all of us), about 400 rupee or so. The man lowered it and said he would "only" bring it to 350 rupee, but again, I wouldn't pay that price. So, we turned to leave, but the man knew I wanted it and was willing to pay something for it. So, he caught my attention and asked if I would name my own price. I looked right at Anu, away from him, decided on 250 rupee, and he thought a little bit, and took it! I was now the proud owner of a second kurta! Yay, I bartered! According to Anu later, bartering is common, and prices are intentionally set high. That way, if people don't barter, they make a lot of money, and if they do, they still make some, but the customer also benefits.
Finally, after 6- yes, SIX hours...- in the mall, we were done. Everyone found at least two kurtas and a bag.
Now that we were shopped out, we spent the next hour getting back through town. On the way back, Anu really craved ice cream or a chocolate milkshake, either one. However on the way, we saw many welcoming crowds lining the streets because the opposition's party leader or some important person from their group was going to be passing that way.
Finally, we found a sweet spot. We got in, made it upstairs to the air conditioned part, and sat down comfortably, ready to eat milkshakes. Anu and Laura Lou had already ordered theirs chocolate, and after some debate, Becca and I decided chocolate too. Minutes later, the mugs came.
Up at 4:45am, 5:00, yay!! And we did go to bed at 8:15pm; Anu said we did very good!
It was much cooler today because it rained hard last night (maybe that's why we slept well? Or, maybe we were just worn out...)
Anu met us at 9:45am and we got a short introduction to India and things to expect or know before getting too ahead of ourselves. We started immigration papers, and gathered our things up to go on our first trip actually into the city: SHOPPING! (Upcoming post, Shopping Adventure- because it's an adventure in itself!) Anu took us to the oldest mall in Chennai, and possibly the oldest mall in all of India!
We needed kurtas (long shirts) and I needed a bag. Believe it or not, I was the first to purchase an item! It helps a lot to have the same size/ stature as other Indian women.
For lunch, we tried something new- Indian-Chinese cuisine.
The second kurta I bought took some charming. :) I think I caught this one boy's attention and he directed us to look into a certain store. There, someone else helped me find the blue one- but it was too expensive (Anu was advising all of us), about 400 rupee or so. The man lowered it and said he would "only" bring it to 350 rupee, but again, I wouldn't pay that price. So, we turned to leave, but the man knew I wanted it and was willing to pay something for it. So, he caught my attention and asked if I would name my own price. I looked right at Anu, away from him, decided on 250 rupee, and he thought a little bit, and took it! I was now the proud owner of a second kurta! Yay, I bartered! According to Anu later, bartering is common, and prices are intentionally set high. That way, if people don't barter, they make a lot of money, and if they do, they still make some, but the customer also benefits.
Finally, after 6- yes, SIX hours...- in the mall, we were done. Everyone found at least two kurtas and a bag.
Now that we were shopped out, we spent the next hour getting back through town. On the way back, Anu really craved ice cream or a chocolate milkshake, either one. However on the way, we saw many welcoming crowds lining the streets because the opposition's party leader or some important person from their group was going to be passing that way.
Finally, we found a sweet spot. We got in, made it upstairs to the air conditioned part, and sat down comfortably, ready to eat milkshakes. Anu and Laura Lou had already ordered theirs chocolate, and after some debate, Becca and I decided chocolate too. Minutes later, the mugs came.
...You are so Brethren!
ReplyDelete