A day of 'firsts'

Today has been one of 'firsts'; the first time I do my washing in a bucket in the bathroom (due to economical packing and profuse perspiring, I am running out of clothes already!); the first time I am asked to star in a Bollywood film (well, ok I was asked to be an extra for 500 rupees -a bout 6 quid, but still); the first time I speak French in India - which fortunately enables a French tourist to show me how to use the cash machine (you pull the card in and out incidentally, and don't leave it in the machine), and the first time I eat a meal in a restaurant alone...ever!

To be honest that last one was a pretty big hurdle, which I had managed to avoid by eating breakfast and dinner at the YWCA and having lunch with my guide yesterday. Two things worried me; the whole issue of hygiene and avoiding food poisoning, and then not knowing what to do - what to order and how to eat it. Hunger eventually forced me into a place recommended by the Lonely PLanet, and thankfully it was absolutely fine, in fact i enjoyed it. It was actually easier than i imagine it would be eating alone in the UK. Here there is no explanation needed; I am a strange, white, foreign person who obviously does odd things like eat in restaurants on her own. Here I am already looked at with curiosity/amusement, so I may as well get fed at the same time. Anyway, I enjoy my lunch of veg curry and roti and a delicious ginger drink. I am well looked after by the attentive staff who help me navigate the bewildering menu. So, that challenge conquered, I set out with more confidence to explore the city.

I see the magnificent university building, the world's biggest outdoor laundry and men playing cricket in their gleaming whites - bizarre and yet somehow completely right to hear that familiar 'thwack' of the ball hitting the bat, followed by a patter of polite clapping in this totally foreign context. There are stalls selling everything you could possibly want and lots you probably don't. There are children playing, cats and dogs everywhere,and impromptu musical performances to celebrate the Ganesha Churti (that's the Hindu God in the form of an elephant - I think) festival which is on at the moment and brightly coloured tents/shrines put up at the side of the road for the same purpose. It is mind boggling - a feast for the senses. I just wish i could upload the photos to illustrate it better. But on this my second day, I am starting to relax and really enjoy this bewildering, dazzling, and utterly crazy city.