Annika and Auggie are SUPERSTARS in Bangalore

We went to a large park in the center of Bangalore today called Cubbon Park. They had a cute little train that went around the perimeter of the park so we got a good overview of what it had to offer. There was a large children's play area and lots of carnival type rides but nothing was working today. Sunday is the day of rest in India since most people work 6-day workweeks. The train cost 10 rupees per adult and 5 rupees per child = 30 rupees = about $0.75 (it's 40 rupees to the dollar (at the moment)).

The children's play area was crowded with families and nearly everyone stopped and stared at A&A. Many people reached out to touch them, one lady took her hand and pinched Annika's face together then kissed her fingers that did the pinching, and LOTS of people asked to take pictures of the kids or even have the kids pose with them in photos. The kids did really well with all this strange attention. If the kids didn't want to have their picture taken, they'd usually just run off and I'd tell the person that the kids weren't interested, but most of the time the kids just grinned and bared it. One family had Annika pose with them and then had Annika hold up their baby daughter so they could have a photo together... so strange?!? But definitely all eyes were on us. We were the only white family we saw at this huge park. But with Auggie's white hair, he stands out more.

Also, something I love... men often walk with their arms around each other. In a casual setting, such as the above-mentioned park, we saw it all the time. This culture just seems so friendly. People seem to have respect for each other, animals, the earth, karma, etc.

I had my first experience with a beggar holding a baby while knocking on the car window next to me at a traffic stop. I had heard that they drug the babies to keep them quiet while the beggars are working, so after I told the beggar "No", I kept looking at the baby. The little girl's eyes were open, but she never seemed to focus or blink. Before we were able to move the car forward, the baby turned and looked at me, so I smiled and tried to engage her, but she just looked at me with empty eyes...