A Weekend In Bangalore - Post #2

The last three days have been eye opening to say the least. Check out my activities over the last three days below (I’ve included some pictures and videos to supplement you’re reading experience):

Friday

10,000 miles and 26 hours of travelling later and I’ve finally arrived at my hotel in Bangalore. It’s 6am local time and I’m overwhelmed with exhaustion. The first thing that I noticed when I was checking in was the absolute hospitable nature of the people at the hotel. Everyone greets you by putting their hands together and bowing, wishing you a great day. Every door was opened for me, and my bags were taken up to my room. The hospitality is almost overwhelming and will take some getting used to. Furthermore, they employ a centralized tipping system, so you can’t individually tip any hotel staff which I’ll soon discover speaks volumes to the culture of the people.

My room is modest but comfortable and the view from my balcony overlooks the central courtyard of the hotel which is enriched with tropical vegetation (see below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53854912@N02/sets/72157624814871025/

After a few feeble attempts of trying to get some sleep I’ve come to the realization that I’m still jet lagged and may as well make the most of my day. I take the next few hours to get accustomed to the hotel and what it has to offer. After a haircut, lunch, and some poolside relaxation I headed out on the town to run some errands. Walking outside the hotel gates into the streets of Bangalore made it very apparent that outside the gates of my 5 star hotel was a whole different world.

The streets are flooded with construction due to a metro project that is currently underway and are mostly still undeveloped around the hotel because of how fast demand for city infrastructure has grown over the last 10 years. Traffic floods the streets on a busy Friday afternoon and after a short walk I arrive at Bangalore centre. Bangalore centre is a 5 story shopping centre that houses clothing shops, grocery stores, a cinema, a small night club, and more. I purchase some toiletries, water, a few other small items and am on my way back to the hotel. On my way back to the hotel I’m heckled by some of the locals who try to offer me a ride and tell me that they work for a government business. As I was previously advised, I keep walking and after several attempts to get my attention they finally leave me alone. It’s obvious that they’ve pegged me as a tourist a mile away, and being approached by them is quite nerve racking. This is my first major business trip, first trip to a third world country, and I’m travelling alone to boot! Furthermore, for those of you who know my sense of direction, you’ll know how nervous even a small trip in a foreign area can make me. Let’s just say I was glad to make it back to the Hotel without conflict, phew!

I’ve arranged with my driver to go on a city tour early in the morning so I grab a quick bite to eat, refreshment at the Hotel bar, and call it a night.

Saturday

Breakfast at the Hotel is included with your room and has been one of my favorite perks so far. The spread of sausages, bacon, omelets, hash browns, etc… is just what I need to start my day right. After a wholesome meal I meet my driver, Paul, at the hotel lobby. Paul has been arranged to be my driver for the entirety of my stay in Bangalore and has thus far been a huge help. He’s Roman Catholic and speaks quite good English. He’s also a Bangalore native and lives a Hindu lifestyle. Paul has brought along his friend who just by chance is a Bangalore tour guide by profession. For the next several hours, Paul and my tour guide take me for an all inclusive tour of Bangalore which was one of the most informative and rewarding experiences that I’ve had on my trip thus far. I put together a video and pictures below to give you a glimpse of my tour and a taste of Bangalore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlSqGOMInHQ

During my tour I’m told that this weekend is the weekend of both the Ganesh Chaturthi and Ramazan festivals, both major festivals in the Hindu and Muslim religions respectively. I’m fortunate as the two festivals have never fallen on the same day before so I get to see a very diverse and religious perspective to the City during my tour. The highlight of my tour was visiting the Nandi temple and receiving a blessing. Nandi is the name of Lord Shiva’ bull, any Nandi temple is regarded as a temple of Lord Shiva himself. Shiva is the Hindu God of everything and I’m told that a blessing from Shiva puts everything at ease. I’m truly grateful to have been part of the Ganesh festival and had the experience of visiting the Nandi temple. It has certainly broadened my horizon and opened my soul to the meaning of religious and spiritual dedication. (see below)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/53854912@N02/sets/72157624815423587/

After my tour is over I took some time to reflect upon what I had just experienced. Among many other realizations that come to mind about what I had just witnessed, my major take away from the tour was that regardless of spiritual or religious belief, the 7 million people of Bangalore coexist with less than a 4% crime rate. Not once on my tour did I see any armed policemen, crime, or acts of hatred. The inherent kindness and accepting nature of people here is something that we can all learn from.

Later that evening I had an incredible Thai dinner at one of the Hotel restaurants. Tucked away in the royal palms scouring the hotel, this bamboo Thai restaurant was just the elegant dining experience I needed after a long day.

Sunday

I met a couple of Americans this morning in the Gym. Tom is an aeronautical engineer and air force veteran who manages a team of engineers out here. Angela works for Thomas Reuter’s and is implementing Cisco Telephony in their Bangalore call center. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of them during my stay here. It was good to run into some friendly faces and have some good conversation. I’ve spent the last hour or so recounting my experiences thus far on the trip. I’m attending a special Hotel brunch put together for the festival in an hour or so and then spending the rest of my day preparing for the work week tomorrow.

I’ll catch you all up to speed after a few of my first workdays.

Thanks again for following.

Karl