{ enygmatic }

13 Observations of a Mumbaikar in Bangalore

enygmatic — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:10:29 +0000

Here are some observations from my short walks in a small portion of Bangalore:

The first thing that strikes you as you enter Bangalore is the pleasant weather. While I liked it at first, I really don’t know if I can get used to it. I’ve kind of grown fond of Mumbai’s almost all year round hot and humid climate. Still this is one area that Bangalore probably majorly scores on.
The weather again. This time on a negative note. It’s supposed to be the monsoons and I am yet to see any significant showers. Most of the rains that I have seen so far would classify as a light drizzle. Seriously miss the torrential Mumbai showers.
Footpaths!! Yes, you heard me right, footpaths. It’s such a joy to walk on un-encroached footpaths. I’ve gotten so used to walking on the street in Mumbai, so much so that I keep forgetting that I have a footpath here that I can actually walk on
Traffic lights that work for pedestrians. Barring South Mumbai, haven’t really seen the walk sign used anywhere in a Mumbai traffic light. Out here, they are there and they actually work
This place has too many trees. I know that Bangalore is probably a city of gardens, but what’s with the trees? The streets are lined with them, and they often come in the way while walking. I’ve actually knocked my head on a low hanging branch while walking.
The weather yet again. Like I mentioned earlier, Bangalore seems to have a nice cool climate. However, the people here seem to act as if it’s really cold. I’ve almost always seen people dressed in at least two layers of clothing – a jacket of some sorts (mostly not a windcheater) and the regular outfit. Dunno if it’s considered fashionable here, but seriously what’s with the jackets? Makes me feel under dressed.
Food’s been generally ok to good here, but I’ve two complaints so far. I have yet to eat a decent plate of rice so far, its either slightly overcooked or just tastes plain weird. And in a similar vein, yet to feast on good kebabs. I probably need to try a lot of new places I guess.
Also when eating out alone (true for Mumbai as well) its far more economical to eat at a food court. I liked the one at Forum Mall because they have a fairly wide selection, the food is good and get this they use “real” cutlery. You heard me right, “real” cutlery and not the plastic gunk that passes for spoons and forks in other food courts. Trust me, makes a world of difference while dining.
Things here move at a glacial pace and the general attitude is fairly laid back when it comes to work.(not that its necessarily a bad thing) I’ve seen this is restaurants, in checkout counters, at movie theatres and many other places. The whole approach to both speed and efficiency is drastically different than that in Mumbai. As an example, I used to often eat at Alfredo’s in Juhu. Their Pizzas used to take about 15 minutes to table and were always consistently good. Out here, I’ve patiently waited for 30 minutes to be served something that wouldn’t pass muster as “good” pizza anywhere. This after being promised that it would just take 15 minutes. A big fail for me.
Infrastructure and Travel woes are equally bad here if not worse. The other day just 37mm of rainfall lead to widespread waterlogging and flooding. I guess you only appreciate the BMC when you live elsewhere.
Travel by public transport is not as good in as in Mumbai, though the buses are neat. The bigger problem is the widespread traffic congestion during peak hours. Not as bad as Mumbai, but certainly getting there.
Also what’s with the low lighting? I distinctly recall well lit streets back in Mumbai. But out here nothing of the sort. The sidewalks pretty much poorly lit in most side lanes and even on some major roads.
Also, things close really early here. By about 8:30-9:30 pm the streets are fairly empty (not that they were as full otherwise), a fact that is accentuated by the dim lighting. Most eateries do stay open till 10-11:30 pm, but compared to Mumbai the 11:30 deadline seems absurdly early. On the bright side though at least you end up having dinner on time and not at some insane hour.
Malls seem like the number one pastime of people here, judging from the crowds thronging the malls. I’ve pretty much become a Mall Rat myself. Though one thing I did notice in the supermarkets in Malls. Almost all of them have a wine and liquor section. Far more than the Malls in Mumbai. Makes it a very convenient shopping destination that lets you pick up your booze along with the groceries.
Lastly, noticed a more than average sprinkling of people from the North-Eastern states of India. Really heartening to see so many of them in Bangalore. I think it makes Bangalore seem far more cosmopolitan than Mumbai.

The “Big” Move

enygmatic — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:46:36 +0000

For those of who don’t know, I moved to Bangalore (Bengaluru) about 3 weeks back. I had been looking for opportunities in the IT-BFSI-Consulting space that were more in line with my long term goals, and when a firm in Bangalore offered me a position in their Product division along those lines I jumped at the opportunity.
So far the move has been pretty smooth, with the firm offering me good accommodation during the initial transition period. I’ve also been able to find accommodation fairly close to where I work and so far moving in has been quite easy. While I haven’t really done much after moving here other than visiting the local Malls (more on that in another post), I do hope to do a lot more exploring in the days to come in addition to a number of weekend trips (Hampi is probably the first on the radar). The move however has taught me a few valuable nuggets of wisdom:

De-clutter your life
While packing I realized that you have to be able to fit your life’s most important belongings within the check in baggage limit (in my case 20Kgs). I mostly carried clothes, figuring out that most of anything else that I wanted could be bought in Bangalore. Still I wasn’t able to fit within the 20Kgs. Guess I need to de-clutter more.
Re-cluttering is just as easy
In a twist of Irony, I also learnt that it is just as easy to re-clutter. Since I came here, I have been gradually buying a lot of things, small little things that I just can’t do without. Realising now that at this rate, moving out to another place may be an equal pain.
Learn to ride a bike/car or live in Mumbai
While Bangalore isn’t the biggest city in the whole wide world, it’s a fact that it’s a huge hassle to travel anywhere if you don’t have your own vehicle. The bus network is fairly good (though nowhere as extensive as BEST) and you do have auto rickshaws but nothing beats getting into a Mumbai Local when you need to get somewhere fast.

Do expect more posts on my experiences, adventures and misadventures in this fine city. Until then …

The Ladakh Journey – Day 9: Escaping a “War” Zone

enygmatic — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:28:38 +0000

The next day we left early in the morning so as to make it in time for our flights. The environment outside was fast bearing resemblance to a “street” war zone with security personnel gearing up by the road. Luckily we reached the airport in time and without incident.

Soumen, Ajay and Gargi were booked on the earlier SpiceJet Flight and they managed to check in a little before Hansel and Me. By the time we had cleared the long and laborious security check though they had already boarded their flight. Pretty soon it was time for our flight as well and soon I was on my way back to Mumbai from Ladakh carrying with me memories of an enchanting trip to that heaven on the roof of the world

The Ladakh Journey – Day 8: Srinagar at last

enygmatic — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:09:28 +0000

On the previous night we heard news of the curfew being temporarily lifted in Srinagar. This certainly buoyed our spirits for the long journey onwards. We began at the crack of dawn from Kargil and stopped for tea along the way at Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world. The road was equally scenic with the scenery filled with lush green meadows, babbling brooks and serene rivers and grazing sheep. Along the way we passed several military encampments and a convoy of army trucks.

Along The road to Srinagar

As we neared Srinagar the tension in the air was palpable. In fact after a point, we could see armed military sentries posted after every km along the road. At around mid-day, we finally sighted Dal Lake and began our entry into the city. The city certainly looked normal, though there was an undercurrent of tension in the air – the proverbial calm before the storm.
After checking into the Hotel, we decided against venturing out into the city as the reports that we got from the Hotel Manager as well as the news channels were not at all encouraging. So we just called it a day after a quiet dinner.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 7: Moonscapes and the road to Kargil

enygmatic — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:07:08 +0000

We began our journey to Kargil with a new driver. Due to the problems in Srinagar our travel agent arranged for a driver from Srinagar so as to avoid any trouble along the way. While he was certain that we would reach Kargil without incident, the Kargil-Srinagar journey was what was hanging under a cloud of uncertainty.

Mountains along the way to Kargil

The road to Kargil was breathtaking. Along the way we passed the moonscapes of Lamayuru, fields, desolate mountains, scrubland and quaint little villages. At around 4:00 in the evening we finally arrived at Kargil and checked into our hotel.
After resting for a bit, we went out to explore the marketplace. I managed to find some excellent apricots and walnuts on sale in the market (Should have bought more though…). We also bought more provisions for our journey the next day. After the “shopping” we went back to the hotel to turn in early since we needed to leave at the crack of dawn for Srinagar.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 6: More Monasteries, bridges and camp fires

enygmatic — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:01:19 +0000

The next day we began our last leg of local sight seeing before hitting the road to Kargil and then on to Srinagar. Our first stop was the Hall of Fame, which is a museum of sorts erected in remembrance of the many soldiers that have lost their lives in the Ladakh Region. The museum has a beautiful monument erected to remember those who have fallen in the mountains of Ladakh and boasts of an impressive collection of artifacts relating to both the wars fought here as well as the local culture. After the Hall of Fame we went began our journey towards Likir Monastery. En route we passed Magnetic Hill and the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers. While most of us had enough of Monasteries, the sheer beauty of the Likir Monastery won us over. As usual, the multi-level monastery offered us some stunning artwork to see as well as fabulous 20 foot statue of the Buddha. But what really stood out was the view of the valley from the Monastery. It was breath-taking!!

View from Likir Monastery

After lunch we went onwards to our camp site at Uley-Topko where we would camp for the night. The accommodations here were also way beyond our modest expectations. Our tents were nestled among lavender blossoms with the majestic mountains in the backdrop and a river flowing in the gorge behind the tents.

After resting for a bit we decided to go and explore the area a bit. Along the way we found a sign to an ancient out of the way Monastery. To reach the monastery we needed to cross a bridge over the raging river. However the monastery was a good 6km away and we realised that we wouldnt be able to trek to the monastery and back before dark. So we just crossed the bridge and spent sometime exploring the gurgling mountain streams and rivulets near the bridge before heading back to camp.

After dinner, we started collecting firewood – it was campfire time!! Pretty soon we had a nice small little fire started. The warm fire, the cold night and the sky was studded with a million stars, it was beyond magical!!
After some time we were joined by a group of Belgians who were also staying at the Camp. We shared stories over the warm fire and after a long time we finally called it a night.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 5: 18,000 FT above the sea

enygmatic — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:42:18 +0000

The next day didn’t begin as I expected. I woke up and lo behold it was raining outside. Luckily the rain stopped in a few hours. After having breakfast and checking out of the rooms, we went to see a local monastery at Sumur. Like all the other Monasteries, this one too had some of the most intricate and beautiful paintings on the wall.
We then began our long ride back to Leh. This time round we stopped at Khardung La for some time. Standing at 18,000 ft above sea level and peering into the valley below was an unique experience for me. After shopping for souvenirs, we left Khardung La to reach Leh by lunch. Since we had the rest of the day off we decided to spend the time walking around Leh.
We had some pizzas and some mushroom and chicken starters at a roof top restaurant. The food was quite good, though the service was slow. Then again I guess the restaurant is more used to the laid back tourist than one in a hurry.
After lunch we set out to try and find our way to Leh Palace. After following signs and moving through some narrow winding streets we soon reached the stairs that led up to the palace.
There we ran into some local Ladakhi children who were very keen to have their pictures clicked. In fact one of them was so keen that he did an impromptu slide down the hill, much to our surprise.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the palace, climbing higher and higher to get a fabulous view of the city below. Climbing down was a tad problematic thanks to Gargi’s fear of heights. I’ll always remember the concerned look that a monk had on his face when he saw her gingerly climbing down the stairs, one step at a time.

A view of Leh city from the Palace

Later on we enjoyed the sunset from another roof top cafe, while we also tersely discussed the remaining leg of our journey. Due to the deteriorating situation in the valley, we were considering cutting short our trip, however our travel agent convinced us to push on – which as it turns out was a good thing.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 4: Camels and Sand Dunes

enygmatic — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:07:05 +0000

The next leg of our trip was an overnight trip to Nubra Valley. The route took us through Khardung La Pass, which at about 18,000 ft above sea level is the highest motor-able road in the world. As compared to Chang La, I think it actually took us a lot less time to get to Khardung La from Leh. After clearing the pass we stopped along the road to have some fun in the snow. It was quite crazy with people sliding through the snow, throwing snowballs at each other and in general attracting bemused smiles from the passing vehicles.

After this short bit of fun, we carried on the long scenic road. The funny milestone markers put up by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) sure did keep us entertained. After having lunch at a local village (where the nice furry dogs seemed to like Gargi a bit too much for her taste), we saw the first signs of the desert in the distance.

Diskit Monastery

Our first stop was the Monastery at Diskit. While the general consensus among the group was – “No, not another Monastery”, I think Diskit had a charm of its own, nestled in the formidable mountains and overlooking a giant statue of Buddha.

Camels at the Sand Dunes of Hunder

From the monastery we went onwards to the sand dunes of Hunder. Here one can ride a double humped Bactarian camel for a small fee. We chose our mounts and then rode into the desert for a short while. (On a side note, that was one painful ride)
After the camel “safari” and doing some more picture shooting at Hunder, we moved on to Sumur, which would be our camp site for the night. The camp site was quite picturesque with a sea of flowers in front of the tents. Our cabins for the night were quite nice.

Tents at Sumur

I noticed a lot of birds flying about in the camp site and thought that I woke up early the next day, I could easily get some brilliant pictures. With that thought in mind, I called it an early night and went off to sleep.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 3: Grey Skies and Blue Waters

enygmatic — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:30:22 +0000

We woke up early in the morning as we needed to leave by at least 5:00 am or so to make it in time to Pangong. When we left, the skies were still overcast and it did seem that we might have grey skies that day. The road to Pangong took us through the scenic countryside and then up into the mountains. In a few hours we had reached Chang La Pass, which at 17586 feet above sea level, is the second highest motor-able pass in the world. Stopping there, we had some Ayurvedic Tea courtesy of the Army outpost there. The road after Chang La passed along streams, meadows and small villages. We passed encampments of Yak herders, sheep, wild asses and many more animals along the way.

A Himalayan Marmot

Somewhere along this scenic road our driver suddenly stopped and got out of the car asking for a biscuit. He had spotted a Himalayan Marmot on a rock and it tamely stood right next to him as I clicked its photograph. The cute furry creature didn’t seem all that enthused with the offering of the biscuit though.

Grey skies over Pangong Lake

Soon, we caught the first glimpse of the famed Pangong Lake. It shimmered in its pristine blue splendor, giving two hoots about the grey skies. We rushed to click photographs of the colors, lest they vanish in the blinking of an eye. Our driver drove us along the lake up to a spot where they supposedly shot the climax of the movie “Three Idiots”. After a quick photo shoot at the lake we made our way to another part of the lake. There thanks to Gargi’s 300mm lens, I could get some great closeups of migratory sea gulls. Pangong, being one of the highest brackish water lakes in the world, plays host to these feathered creatures during summer.
By now the weather seemed to be taking a turn for the worse with a very light drizzle starting at the lake. So we decided to head back as they was no chance of the weather changing and treating us to Pangong in its full splendor. However, the weather did make it up to us as well as we got some light snowfall at Chang La, something I’d always wanted to see.

The Ladakh Journey – Day 2: Of Monasteries and Palaces

enygmatic — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:30:54 +0000

The day dawned and the daylight dispelled the miasmas of the previous day. We were in high spirits!! The day comprised of an trip to some of the famous Monasteries near Leh. We first visited the Hemis Monastery. After a scenic ride to Hemis, we disembarked and got our first glimpse at a Ladakhi Monastery.

Colorful Paintings on the walls of Hemis

The narrow doorway to the monastery barely prepared us for the splendour and rich colors that the interiors held. It was breathtaking, especially the intricate paintings on the walls of the Monastery. After spending about an hour there we moved onwards to our next destination – Thiksey Monastery.

Thiksey Monastery

Thiksey, in my opinion, was one of the most scenic monasteries that we visited while in Ladakh. Once again we quickly saw the interiors of the monastery and moved on to our next stop – Lunch. Lunch was a simple vegetarian meal at a roadside eatery near Shey Palace. The palace used to be the summer palace of the erstwhile kings of Ladakh. While not much of the splendour of yesteryear’s is on display in the palace, one can definitely get a feel of the grandeur of the days gone by.
After Shey Palace, the last stop of the day was Stok Palace. This is the current residence of the former kings of the Ladakh region and many of the ceremonial garbs, ornaments etc are on display at the Palace. On our way to the palace, the sky suddenly grew quite overcast. That along with the barren terrain, made the trip quite surreal – like we were driving up to some gloomy medieval castle.
The Palace did have an excellent museum, which had some really unique items. On display was a monstrous head-ornament which the queen is rumored to have worn, swords twisted by the King’s Oracle, various curios etc. After seeing the Palace, we headed back to our hotel in eager anticipation, since tomorrow was the day we’d go to Pangong Lake !!