Bargains

You never stop bargaining in India. It's insane. Everything is bargained for, and I'm not just talking about stuff you are going to buy. Prices, of course are bargained. Deadlines. Deadline extensions. Deliveries because of deadline extensions. Whether or not a financial institution is going to exchange your Traveler's Checks. (They aren't.) Rooms. Room types. What's included with the room? Whether or not you are going to pay the dudes who just put all of your luggage on top of your rented 16 passenger tour van even though you didn't ask them to. Snickers bars on the Jaipur-Agra highway. Tips in general. Tips for the bellboy who shows you how to turn on the hot water in your room, as if you wouldn't be able to figure that out on your own, and even though he's already been told he will be tipped by Deep on behalf of everyone when we leave the hotel.

All of the time. If I spoke Hindi, I think I would have been completely exhausted.