Bhavan and Bike

I’m into week 4 in Mysore. We’re in full monsoon swing here, which means that the clothes I just washed that are on the line have gotten rained on 3 times this morning. But I just checked and they still smell fresh (surprising, considering the dirt that accumulates on the balcony chair after every rain!) so no problems here.
I’m astonished this trip by the kindness and authenticity of the people here, and this time I mean yoga students and not just the natives! Maybe it’s because this lot practicing with Saraswati is here to practice personally and not just out for authorization, etc, there are people with honest, sincere, deep, real practices and not looking for anything. I know this is true of the people last year also, but this crew is more humble, regardless. So, I’ve been having a lot of fun, and also enjoying sharing my time with foodies who are as obsessed about the incredible variety and variations of Indian food as I am, as well as always being up for spice and eating in authentic establishments like Sri Durga Bhavan! We’ve also gone into the center for breakfast on occasion to eat what are reputedly the best dosai in Mysore at Mylari’s, a classic “hotel” which only has 3 items on the nonexistent “menu”: idli, dosa and masala dosa with a different chutney, no potato, with lots of onion, carrot, green chili and something I can’t identify, like the miniature cucumbers they cook up here.
So, the news of the week would have to be my bicycle purchase. I went with Robbie, my shopping consultant, to “Cycle Paradise”, an aptly named bicycle showroom. There were 2 models for women’s bikes, “Miss India” and “BS”. Apparently BS is a better bike but came in an ugly color. When I asked if it really was better, the man answered, “It’s BS.” Anyway, the options were limited but “Miss India” came in bubble gum pink or a gleaming burgundy with a glowing undercoat so I went for the burgundy since BS was 500 rupees more expensive but had exactly the same features, being, 2 wheels, brakes and a sari guard of mesh metal to keep all those yards of sari material from getting caught in the spokes of the wheels.
How much did Miss India set me back, you may ask?
Well, it cost about the same as my flight from Calcutta to Bangalore, but putting it another way, it cost me one third what I paid for only 3 kilos of excess baggage returning from Bangalore last year. Another way to put it, it cost me what it would to practice yoga 2.7 days in the Shala on a repeat month.
Anyway, since I’ve gotten here I’ve just had such envy of the Indians slowly and majestically riding on their bikes among the traffic, a way to get around without getting such dusty and dirty feet, a way to move fast without giving your knees any work. And it’s glorious to ride, as long as it’s not uphill. I hadn’t noticed a lot of the hills in town here but gosh, with no gears on the bike, it’s pretty killer on the lungs. But this is good and can use the thigh-strengthening for my laghu vajrasana, which is better than 2 weeks ago, but still not at the same leg strength as I had in early July. At the same time, my bandha strength is much better in this posture, and I can arch much more than EVER before, so it’s coming. But now I understand why all the Indians go around walking their bikes so much. It’s hard to take those high high hills, but the ride back is a breeze. Hmm, the monkey is back on the balcony again.
Back to my bike, the lock mechanism looks more than S&M handcuffs than anything else and I have a nice parking spot in the garage under my apartment building right next to the patio garden. Plus, when I bought it, the man in the shop threw in a free bell and basket, perfect for the groceries. It even has a back storage mousetrap strong enough to clamp down even the largest of Mysorean rats. What else is new? That’s it, I think.