On to Phase II and III

 As we wrap up Phase I of our India trip, we decided to do some shopping while still in Bangalore because we don't know exactly what will be available in the state of Bihar where we are headed for Phase II and III.

A trip to a mall here is like being transported to a different place and time.  The malls are very modern, clean, and cool. They are always crowded no matter what time or day you go and overall most people are just there to browse, take pictures of themselves in the mall, or to eat. 

It's easy to forget where you are when at a mall because of how similar they look to malls at home. That is until you see one of the many ethnic wear shops or one of these things driving along giving kids rides. 

                                                   

We shopped around and had some lunch, as well as found an Indian version of a hair dryer and straightener that I can use while I'm here. (Indian electric plug and power is different. Believe it or not although the power goes out frequently, the standard plug is 220 V vs 110 v! That's enough to fry most American small appliances)  We left the mall around 4pm, just in time for the rush hour traffic.

Returning to my sister-in-law's house, I learned that people would continue shooting off their leftover fireworks.  We weren't interested in seeing any more of the carnage, so we just quietly tolerated the noise from inside until around midnight (although the ordinance says to stop by 10pm).  

I also learned that we had been invited to my brother-in-law's parent's apartment for dinner.  Having just eaten at the mall, along with the never-ending feeling of mild nausea, I wasn't remotely interested in going.   Not accepting an invitation like that would be considered extremely rude, so although dinner was being served at 10pm, I was obligated to attend.

I soon found out that we would not be subjected to rice and lentils, but that pizza was ordered for us. This is both a relief and an embarrassment to me. Although I don't care to eat those things, being put at a separate table with separate food is almost as bad.  I appreciate the gesture, but it just further points out the obvious. (Shivali took these pictures, ignore her sarcastic hashtags😬)  Note the plastic wrap on the footstool- it is NOT new, this is an Indian thing I continue to not understand.

We ate our pizza under the blaring fan that probably hadn't been on in years and drank super sweet regular Coke. The other interesting thing about this dinner was that the hosts typically eat at 11 or midnight so did not eat with us, only watched us eat.  We did our best to get through the experience and off to bed.  Tomorrow my other sister-in-law is coming here for more shopping and dinner before we head off to Phase II and III locations of our trip.  I can only suspect that's when it's going to get really interesting......