I had never desired to travel to India.
From what I have heard from others, India can be a tough place to travel, even for those who have spent time in developing countries.
But you never know what opportunity may come your way.
And when the opportunity to attend a training class in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) was presented, I had to take it.
With just a few weeks notice, I booked a flight to India and frantically submitted Visa paperwork online.
I was only in Bengaluru for one week with two free days to see the city, and I stayed in a nice hotel near a trendy, modern part of the city.
It was like dipping a toe into India.
And it was perfect for me. I got a glimpse of the rapidly growing, modernizing tech-hub city of Bengaluru.
Photos and Observations
The traffic is insane. It is a beautiful chaos.
I have no idea how it works, but it does. I relaxed as cars and tuk-tuks carried me to my destination with incessant honking, no observable lanes, few traffic lights, and close-calls every few seconds. I could have tensed up and worried but I trusted in the system… whatever that system may be.
Everything is under construction. Everything.
The construction dust adds to the pollution from the vehicles. Pretty buildings are hidden behind ugly cement blocks and barricades. The sidewalks look like a war zone.
Incredible poverty lives next door to the middle-class and the wealthy.
The contrast was at first a bit shocking. How could a family live in a make-shift shack with no running water less than 10 yards away from an upscale hotel, a nice restaurant, or an office building?
It is as if the city modernized and developed infrastructure but didn’t bring everyone along nor did they bother to relocate those left behind. But soon it just all started to fit together. It is the landscape of this city.
Rain is serious.
I was lucky it didn’t rain as much as usual. But there was one downpour, and I got caught out in it.
I was waiting for an Uber to take me back to my hotel after a day of exploring the city’s main attractions. (Yes, they really do have Uber.) The temperature dropped suddenly. The wind started whipping.
Locals were on their way home from work. I could tell this was a bad situation because the locals were rushing to take cover. Luckily it was only a couple of miles to my hotel, but I felt terrible for the many business men riding home on scooters, completely soaked.
The next morning I saw the article pictured above, and I was glad I wasn’t in that part of the city.
Times are changing, but there is a long way to go.
There seems to be concerted effort to improve political corruption, women’s rights, and discrimination. I read the paper every morning and saw several articles about women and homosexuals being assaulted or mistreated. The most disturbing thing I saw was a billboard with the silhouette of a little girl that said “She’s just a girl. Don’t take her innocence.” It’s good that investment is being made in a strong message, but it’s shocking that such an extreme is necessary.
Service is over the top.
I was approached by multiple hotel workers every time I walked in or out of the hotel. Did I need anything? Was my stay okay? How was my day going? Friendly and nice, but it got a little annoying and obtrusive.
I also started to realize that everyone I spoke to said “yes” to everything I asked. I was told this is because they don’t want to be rude or disagreeable by saying “no.” So you have to figure out the right question to ask to get the information you want. And find the one person who give you the straight answer. For me, that was Shiva (pictured above) who greeted people at the front of my hotel.
People are incredibly friendly and helpful.
I already told you about the amazing street food experience I had with locals Shibaji and Simi. I had another great food experience at a buffet lunch when I asked this young server to help me choose which dishes to try. When I explained I knew nothing about Indian food and that the number of choices was overwhelming, he took me around and pointed out his favorite dishes. He continued to bring small plates for me to try more.
You get used to the cows.
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I am so grateful for this opportunity and the people I met who enhanced my experience. This has made me curious and opened me up to the possibility of exploring more of India in the future.
I have a similar attitude toward visiting India but augmented by an intimidation of its enormous size. I feel like I need to plan a very long trip there and for that I need to be mentally prepared. On the other hand, a quick one week trip to one location like you did is a great alternative — especially if on a company’s dime 😉
I am also woefully ignorant of Indian cuisine. I have no fear of it, just no familiarity. Just checked out your food post and everything looked great.
By the way, I am heading to Amsterdam this weekend for 2 nights on my way back to the U.S. and just re-read your posts on that city to get some good ideas. Looking forward to it.
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Enjoy Amsterdam! I loved it and hope to have more time to explore in the future… or maybe live there
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Adventures in Dog Sitting in Puerto Rico
Hi!
Lovely post!
I have just discovered your blog. I have started a travel blog too, we could follow each other
let me know in my blog! xx
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It was interesting to read about your impressions, Stephanie – I am so happy this trip has opened up to you exploring more about India… I hope the trip happens really soon!
Arti (@artisdiary) recently posted..Kande Pohe, Masala Dosa and Maharashtrian Thali at MTDC’s Neem, Shirdi
It reminded me of how wonderful it is to step into a place so different… it had been a while since I felt that.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..PHOTOS: Patterns and textures in the Bangalore Palace
I am an Indian and I think your observations about India must be read by all. There are a lot we need to change in our society and infrastructure. Keep writing !
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Thanks! I feel I only saw a tiny slice of what is going on in Bangalore, but I wanted to share what I thought were fair observations.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..PHOTOS: Patterns and textures in the Bangalore Palace
Hey, Stephanie, since I feel the same about going to Moscow, I think this article will help me to take a step:) I have an opportunity to go with my company and I have to decide in two weeks cause paperwork with Russian visa can be a hastle sometimes. Im also thinking to take a guide there for my free days, I’ve contacted TravelAllRussia agency and decided that in a country with completely different language and culture I’ll need some help.
I haven’t been to India though, after reading your toughts it looks lake a place to visit!
That’s amazing! I hope it all works out!
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..PHOTOS: Patterns and textures in the Bangalore Palace
Nice post talking about your own experience in India. And of course you took a memorable souvenirs in this trip.
I still haven’t been to India and I’m still not sure if I’d feel comfortable there or not, but I know it’s an experience I need to have at least once in my life! Lovely photos btw!
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I am Indian and i like that you have discussed about india in your
website.. Thank you…
I really enjoy to readding this blog post!
Great Tips- thanks a lot for the Indian culture and Indian civilizations which you can provide the best place for the travelling. Bengaluru is the smart city at India. I really like to explore in India’s most famous cities.
Great Posts, thanks for the fantastic tour arrangements for the travel chica is offer online for the tourists.
This is a real appreciable post, beautiful photos and the story!
Wow. It’s really look interesting to travel India and you showed very courage to go alone there.
such a good post feels great people like you visit India and share your experience with world. i will advise you come to north India also some day in future. thanks for sharing this post.
This is so well put. I was smiling through the article. You have got the essence of India in one trip and these issues exist exactly like you mentioned which sometimes travellers don’t undertstand in one go. Loved going through the article.
Thanks so much, Prerna! I wasn’t there long, so I’m glad you are able to verify I really did get a feel for the place.
Great Article Stephanie,
Bengaluru is one of the largest cities in India thus traffic and crowd is obvious and you are absolutely right there is a big gap between rich and poor in the country. Rich people are getting richer day by day and poor are becoming poorer. Sad but true.
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thanks for sharing nice information blog about India tourism
hey that’s really amazing to know about such things of India. I have been keep on sharing my thoughts that people from US & UK must visit this Incredible country.. though these problems has been faced during my tour to India but even these small problems make your trip interesting…
Great Posts, thanks for the fantastic tour arrangements for the travel. The Golden triangle tour of India is undoubtedly on everyone’s bucket list and a must do tour of India. For competitive and well organized Golden Triangle itineraries please visit us at Citrus Holidays.
Great Blog, Bengaluru is one of the largest cities in India. thanks for write and sharing nice information blog about Bengaluru tourism.
Hey Stephanie.. I am glad you would to explore India and share your experience. India is such a beautiful country having so many attractions and history. And Bangalore is a beautiful city. I loved to read your experience.