Initial Observations

I arrived around 830pm. My driver was not at the airport (i had anticipated this) so i took a taxi to the main bazaar, which is the backpacker/budget tourist area of the city where my hotel is. I failed to locate the hotel as it was somewhere in the network of un-named alleyways off the main road. I proceeded to walk around dodging low hanging awnings, vendors, rickshaws, cows (who get treated like royalty so they walk anywhere they please knowing people and traffic will part ways for them), a stray dog fight, cowpies (poop), tourists, motorcycles, ascetics, etc and found a hotel, which although out of budget (33$) would do for the first night. It was only 930 and i passed out quickly.

Today i found a did some effective shopping and bargaining and found a place for 300rs (6$) a night. It has been pouring and the streets are flooded since there are no sewers to catch the rainwater. On the way back to check out of my hotel i was looking for a way around a flood in the road and wandered off the main road into the labarynth. Alleyways and unbelievably tiny passages darted every which way. Eventually there were no tourists, guesthouses, or shops - Just residences and small shrines. In passages only 3 feet wide more people seem to live than in acres of suburbia back home. Children were playing in the water of the flooded alleys, women washed clothes, men talked, and everyone smiled and said hello as i walked by. Eventually an amiable man holding a baby came up to me, asked where i was going, and said it was a dead end up ahead. He accompanied me and we had a nice conversation then parted ways. I walked back on to the main street already soaking wet and followed everyone else walking casually through the ankle deep street water.

This is a particularly chaotic and dirty area of the city, but still im enjoying it. The touts and vendors are less aggressive than i anticipated. Everyone says hello and smiles. Sure it serves their best interests to be nice to the rich white tourist, but I have been to areas in other countries that are not as poor as here where the people are very aggressive and much more prone to violence when it comes to trying to get your money (Jamaica and any US city for example). Off to find a cell phone and some outlet adapters and maybe some food....