Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Arriving in Bangalore

It has been two weeks since I arrived in India and each day I wake up wondering what crazy thing will happen today.  No matter how much I had prepared or strong I thought I was, nothing could have prepared me for what I have experienced in my short time here in Bangalore thus far.

Sunrise in Singapore

The 4th of December I said goodbye to my sister Jessica and her wonderful family and settled in for the 32 hours of air travel that laid ahead.  I am really glad I decided to fly with Singapore Air, there service was wonderful, it made the travel much more bearable.  The 14 hour flight to Tokyo was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, probably because I spent most of the time sleeping...but still not horrible.  I had a quick 2 hour layover in Tokyo, which was just enough time to grab a bottle of water and make it through security to board the same plane.  I am sad I didn't have more time in Japan because from what I could see as we flew in I think I would really enjoy it there.  From Tokyo we set off on a 7 hour flight to Singapore once again sleeping the majority of the time.  It is funny how just sitting on a plane can take so much energy out of you.  I arrived in Singapore at 3AM so I wasn't able to see much as we landed in this small, immaculately maintained country.  From what I have read Singapore is a amazingly clean and well organized but very expensive by Asian standards.  I might try and hit it up on my way to Thailand in April.  Famished from my trip thus far I had only one thing I wanted to eat while in Singapore, Singaporean Chicken and Rice.  Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to get out into the city to find a proper bowl of this delicious treat, so an airport version would have to do.  Even though it was airport quality food it was still amazing and the small scope of little red chilies set my mouth on fire but I loved every minute of it.  "I am sure I will pay the burning price for that in a few hours" is what thought as I headed to the gate.

The sun began to rise as I boarded the plane to Bangalore. With butterflies in my stomach I took my seat not knowing what I would face when I landed in India for the first time.  I was pleased to find that an older Indian couple would be sitting next to me for the duration of the flight and I couldn't wait to strike up a conversation with them and pick their brains for whatever information I could.  After we reached cruising altitude they noticed me staring out the window in awe as the plane began to fly over the Bay of Bengal. They asked me if this was my first trip to India and I explained that it was and what my basic plan was.  From this point the conversation took many turns from family, cooking, money management to world politics and basic survival skills for India.  They were very kind to me and provided me with valuable information about how to cope in India.  I thanked them when we landed and I set off to find a way into the city and hopefully a place to stay.  I was pleased to see that my bag had made it all the way from L.A to Bangalore and the two plane changes in between without any issue. All I can say is that Singapore Air is amazing, I highly recommend it.

With my pack on my back I headed out in the the utter chaos of India.  I was immediately mobbed by taxi drivers as I stepped foot out of the airport.  I had no idea what I was doing but I just pretended I did, following the saying, fake it until you make it!  I pushed my way through the crowds looking for someone who might be able to explain to me how to find a taxi and how much it would cost me.   I found another old female traveler who ended up being from Germany.  She explained to me how find a reasonable taxi and roughly how much it would cost me.  I tracked down a taxi that didn't look as scratched and dented as the others I had seen, so I took this as a sign that this guy could at least get me somewhere without killing us both in the process.  After some 10 minutes or so, overcoming a thick accent and broken English, I was able to negotiate a reasonable ride to the heart of the city assuming I could just walk around and find a place to stay.  As we snaked our way through traffic I thought impossible to navigate, I talked with my driver about the city and his family.  When I realized the was a nice guy and knowledgeable about the area I asked him if there was a place in the city that he would recommend.  He nodded with a smile, zipping down alleyways and side streets unfit for any vehicle by US standards . After 45 minutes of unnerving driving we arrived at the hotel. It was nice enough, a good place to overcome jet lag and ready myself for the next day. I checked into my room and in need of a little pampering I headed to the nearest salon for a nice strait-razor shave and hair wash and for $5, it was a pretty nice experience, I left feeling like a new man. Other than that I pretty much just spent the day sleeping and getting a grip with what India is all about.

Bangalore Parliament House

The next morning I awoke to the

Gobi Manchurian

5am Muslim call to prayer, feeling pretty good after 16 hours of sleep I was ready to face the day and see what Bangalore had to offer.  Walking a short distance from the hotel I flagged down a near by auto-rickshaw and headed to some museums.  I was pleased when the drive offered to show me around for the day for just 100 rupees ($2).  My driver Babbu was a native Bangalorian and was thrilled to show me all the happening locations he liked best.  Our first stop was the Technology and Science Museum which was entertaining enough but more so with the hundreds of school children on a field trip who constantly came up to me for pictures, ask me where I was from and to shake my hand.  I think I shook more hands in the 2 hours I was in that museum than in the rest of my 27 years combined.  Stop two was to the Government Museum just across the way to see statues, paintings and artifacts dating back as far as 2800BC, unfortunately there was no photography allowed in the museum because there were many amazing things I would have loved to snapped photos of.  Feeling pretty hungry we traveled a few miles to one of Babbu's favorite lunch spot.  It was in a small back alley where I would have never ventured into alone but that is why having a local guide has its benefits.  At this dank, dirty little shop is where I had my first veritable kati roll which is like the closest thing I will probably be getting to a fajita out here.  It is sauteed veggies, some other mystery ingredients covered in a very spicy but sweet red sauce and wrapped in roti (something like a tortilla), it was amazing.  He continued driving me around showing my some site from the back of his three wheeled death cart. I only call it a death cart because it is open on both side and it only had 3 wheels and if we were in even a slight fender bender I am certain we would both be thrown from the cart into Indian traffic (sorry mom, I love you).  Babbu would snake in an out of traffic following, what seemed to me, absolutely zero traffic rules...but then again no one here does.  After seeing the parliament house, which was sadly under construction at the time, I was feeling completely exhausted although it was only 3:30 in the afternoon.  I returned to my hotel room and slept until the next morning only waking for a short period to head down to the hotel kitchen for some dinner.  This meal has been possible the best thing I have had so far.  Gobi Manchurian is probably the best use of cauliflower know to man. The cauliflower has been coated in some red spicy batter and fried...simply amazing.  If you haven't guessed by now, I really like food.

Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens

House in the Jungle

My third day in India was my first really challenging day since leaving home.  The day started off with a little shopping for a few clothing items I thought would be nice to have.  Over the last couple of days I knew I had been taken advantage of by shops, lied to by people on the streets but so far nothing major.  I had ready many articles on how to avoid scams and thought I would be able to pick out the cheaters and simply not do business with them.  Well I have quickly learned that people are much better at deceiving me than I am at at spotting the scams.  To make a long story short I ended up getting taken by a shop keeper for about 50% more than the actual cost of the items I purchase and the driver who had brought me had set the whole thing up....grrr.  Well this put my into a funk knowing that if I didn't figure out quickly how to survive in India my money would run out and this would end up being a whole lot short of a trip that I had originally planned.  Not only had I had a bad morning of shopping but the noise, pollution and never ending crowds of people were starting to bother me.  For those who close to me they know me as a person who enjoys his alone time and personal space...well there is none of that in India ..at all.  So feeling kind of bummed out and a little frustrated I decided to take a stroll through the botanical gardens of Lal Bagh to clear my head and find a nice peaceful place to relax.  The gardens were beautiful, filled with exotic plants not only from India and Asia but all over the world.
I really enjoyed my time there but it didn't do much to improve my mood.
I had only planned on staying in the garden for an hour or so but close to 4 hours later I decided I needed to go back to my hotel and plan the next step in my trip.  Slowly wandering from the far end of the garden I made my way back to the entrance by a different way than I had originally come.  Suddenly I found myself looking at a gate that seemed out of place for the rest of garden.  It was an oriental looking gate with a large yin and yang symbol on it.  Having already spend much more time in the garden than I had originally planned I was tempted to pass it by but as I walked by I thought a few more minutes to check out this unique area couldn't hurt.  Entering that small bonsai tree garden has changed my trip to India and my life for forever.

Children of Bornfree Art School for Kids