Driver by Day...

Nick and I arrived in Bangalore late Monday night and while I tried and failed to keep my eyes open on the road from the airport to the hotel, Nick was so overcome with fear that he couldn't close his.  What we've come to learn our first week in Bangalore is that lane lines, if they exist, are ignored, brake lights are not to be trusted, and horns are a must are not just for audibly flipping someone off as they are in the States.  I'm fairly certain that everyone learned to drive at the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Driving School.

Fortunately, we had a great driver.  Meet Shankar... happy-go-lucky personality and a great smile to greet us each morning to drive us the 8 km from our hotel to Symphony's office.  This drive took us nearly an hour each way.  Shankar managed never to get flustered, even when another driver bumped into his side mirror while at a stop and then stared at him with daggers as if it was Shankar's fault.  Given the amount of honking that was non-stop in the city, I was really surprised that Shankar never hit the horn. However, by day two I finally observed him honk the horn.  What I realized it that he had been doing this the entire time.  He managed to just, ever-so-quickly, twist his wrist on his right hand to depress the horn.  All without removing said hand from the steering wheel or his left hand from the shifter.  It was almost ninja-esque the way he did this that it got me wondering what other skills he might possess...

Unfortunately, and fortunately, we will not be seeing Shankar this week.  Symphony's office is moving tomorrow to a spot walking distance from our hotel.  I will miss seeing Shankar's smile each day but I will not miss the 2 hours we spent in the car each day.  Nick will not miss the 2 hours following the commute each day it took him to recover from the roller coaster effect the drive had on his stomach.