Depending on the kindness of strangers

For all my ranting about the bus ride, it wasn't a total disaster. I met a number of interesting people, including a policeman from himachal pradesh and a Buddhist monk. In addition to pleasant if halting conversation, they generally helped me out, letting me know when stops were coming up, or other such useful details of bus travel.

That seems to be happening a lot here, my depending on the kindness of strangers. Whether these random gestures are the acts of hosts who want to welcome a guest in their country, or of a parental instinct to aid a babe lost in the woods has yet to be determined. Both seem plausible, really.