Goodbye to Pune

We went to the police station again today on the off-chance that the officer had my registration ready, and - surprisingly - he did. He chatted with Nupur a bit and handed us the letter without asking for any money, despite the fact that other people seemed to be required to give him cash before getting their stamps. I think he liked that she is cute and speaks Marathi. He told her that he isn't the one asking for bribes, it's his superior. I'm sure that's always the way.

Two days ago we went to Osho, a big ashram with a lot of foreign clients. It seems to promote general positivity and free love. Supposedly the meditation techniques are very good, but a lot of people take the opportunity to go a little wild. We stopped by a German bakery and had a very good mango crumble. I had my first disappointing meal today - I ordered a tomato omelette at breakfast, not realizing that the restaurant of my hotel is pure veg and doesn't serve eggs. It was the strangest thing I've ever had in India - some sort of yellow bread.

One thing I've realized by hanging out with Indian young people is that I don't feel very integrated at all in Bangalore. We have friends, but they are mostly French, American, deaf, or from other parts of India. It's kind of fun to go around with someone who speaks the local language. It's actually not her native language, but since she grew up in Bombay she speaks it well. Her friends from Pune make fun of her language, Gujarati, but no one will tell me what the joke is. I guess it must be somewhat racy. Anyway, we've been having a good time talking about love, marriage, kids, etc. She is only 20 but she is pretty mature for her age - not at all like an American college student.

I watched Sania Mirza play tennis on TV yesterday. She is a girl from Hyderabad and was the first Indian woman to make it to the fourth round of the Australian Open last year. This year she was apparently the first Indian woman to win a match at Wimbledon. She is all over the media here even though she is ranked in the 70s. Anyway it's nice that India supports its female athlete(s).

Gilles is arriving tonight, after finally getting his visa. He spent the weekend with his parents and also took the opportunity to see friends. I am taking a special bus to the airport to meet him tonight. I'll probably end up waiting around for a long time, but I've always kind of enjoyed airports so I don't mind. I am looking forward to getting back to Bangalore - friends are starting to ask when we are getting back, and I am looking forward to seeing them again. We'll see how heavy the monsoon is there. It is really nice when it rains in Pune - everything cools off and the trees turn a nice dark color. The only problem is that the drivers like to race through the puddles - once our own rickshaw driver did it and I had to wash my hair for the second time that day.