| We flew from Delhi to Bangalore as our first destination of our big trip to the southern part of India. Maneesh and I were able to convince the family to join us for at least part of this trip, and the early part of our travels turned into a great big family vacation. It was close to lunch time by the time we disembarked our two hour Jet Airways flight in Bangalore. Our first impression of the city was very nice. At least the few miles around the airport as we exited were very nicely groomed and had a very clean feeling. We were in Bangalore for two days and one night. Like most Indian cities traffic was crazy in Bangalore and naturally it was quite a populated place. However the vibe and characteristics of the city overall were very different from the other Indian cities I had been to. It was a very happening place in a different kind of way. While most Indian cities are quite populated and traffic is crazy, typically these two things contribute to the busy-ness and fast pace of big cities. However, these weren't the only two aspects creating the busy vibe. The city was a fast paced, hustling and bustling place. I found Bangalore to be quite pretty. The layout of the city was quaint and many of the streets were beautifully lined with tall trees, often forming a corridor by connecting at the top. Bangalore didn't really have many historical sights to see. We did visit Cubbon park, the local parliament building (which was previously a palace belonging to a former king) and did a little shopping on the popular MG road and Brigade road. There were many shopping malls outfitted with American and European vendors, such as Marks and Spencer, MAC, Aldo, The Body Shop, Forever 21, Colors of Bennetton, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, etc. It was obvious the demographics of this city were that of quite well off people. Not to mention all the high end vehicles that were on the road. Bangalore really has something going on that is very unique in India which may be heavily influenced by the presence of all the foreign businesses and multinational corporations nestled in this city. Bangalore has become the IT hub of India and many foreign companies have set up offices (including lots of customer service or support call centres). They employ a great deal of the residents of this city and many people from all over India come looking for work in Bangalore on account of these companies. In particular young university graduates come looking for career building opportunities. Hence much of the population reflects young people, working in the corporate world, running the daily rat race of accumulating professional experience and wealth, and looking for avenues to potentially migrate out of India. This aspect of Bangalore reminded me of Vancouver or Toronto. The focus of life and the daily routines were very similar to most cities back home. Needless to say Bangalore is a very cosmopolitan city, very modern and very trendy. While Kannada is the official language in Bangalore, being situated in the state of Karnataka, English was widely spoken. The cuisine also changed drastically, although we were expecting it. We do enjoy South Indian cuisine and were looking forward to eating a whole lot of authentic South Indian food. In Bangalore we were able to get a taste of a cuisine called Andhra meals, which come from the neighbouring state of Andhra Pardesh. Essentially the meal consists of curried lentils and vegetables, rice and curd, which is all meant to be eaten by hand, served on a banana leaf. South Indians eat their meals with their bare hands. Although we were looking for an authentic experience, it was a bit difficult for us to eat lentils with our fingers so we opted for spoons. Our second meal in Bangalore was at the famous restaurant MTR, who also manufacture many of the spices and easy mixes for making South Indian dishes at home (like a DIY version of the elaborate meals in the restaurants). We had the first dosa and idli (along with a variety other items) of our trip here and we were not disappointed. After our short stay in Bangalore, we headed to the famous city of Mysore! |
0 Comments
Pokhara is an adventure seekers haven and attracts thousands of outdoorsy people passionate about trekking in the mountains, camping in the wilderness, hang gliding, river rafting and anything else you can imagine that people would enjoy in the great outdoors. Pokhara is also a gateway to the most popular Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. Many mountain climbers come to trek the Annapurna circuit, a hiking trail ranging from 160-230km long. The demographics changed drastically once we got into Pokhara. There were many foreigners in town and Pokhara has developed into a base camp for people to gather all their essential needs (toiletries, backpacks, tents, socks, travel food, etc.) before they head out on their expeditions. I am assuming some of these expeditions could last weeks. Or it was a place people returned to for recuperation and re-entering civilization again. There were many restaurants, book stores, souvenir shops, apparel shops, backpack and other equipment shops along the main drag of the city. When we arrived in Nepal we noticed many people wearing The North Face branded jackets, including small children. Knowing this wasn't exactly an affordable brand, it rose my curiosity to know where they might be scoring this gear. Eventually in Pokhara (as well as in Kathmadnu) we found dozens of stores selling knock offs of many many brands. I admit we checked it out ourselves, but couldn't be convinced to buy anything. However it solved the mystery for me. We were most interested in viewing the sun rise in Pokhara. We had heard Pokhara was known for its sun rise. We did a little research and scored a cab driver who would collect us at 5:30 am and take us to a location called Sarangkot, another hill station about 30 minutes away, from where we could see the sun rise. From the lookout in Sarangkot, the Annapurna mountain range was also visible. We felt excited! Arriving at 6am, we weren't the only ones with this idea. There were many people already gathered at the lookout point. As time went on the crowd grew bigger. It was pitch blackk still at 6am. Facing East with our cameras and ready to shoot, we patiently waited for the sun to makes its appearance. In the darkness we couldn't see anything around us and had no idea what we were in for. The earliest sun rays first hit the tallest mountain which was to our left. The sun still hadn't appeared yet but the early rays first lit up an incredible sight, which took us by surprise. We wouldn't have imagined a mountain this tall was in view while standing in the dark. Slowly as the sun rose each mountain top was revealed. Again the view of the mountains was so majestic. Eventually we saw the sun make its appearance too and it was truly worth the early morning effort to get to this location. Nature certainly knows how to put on a dramatic production. We watched the slow sun rise and witnessed the light change and the colours of nature shift as the sun proceeded to illuminate the day. Eventually the valleys below appeared and we were able to catch a glimpse of the sprawling city of Pokhara too. The mountains were an amazing sight. Similar to our previous destinations, the mountains continued to be a surreal sight. The magnitude of their height was so paramount.
We were still quite busy with family and out of town guests the week following the wedding. My parents headed back to Canada four days after the wedding but before they left we were able to squeeze in a day trip to the Taj Mahal! It was my first time seeing the Taj Mahal in spite of the numerous trips I have made to India previously. After the tour it was hard to believe this structure was made without modern day technology. The details were extremely intricate and simply wondrous. The Taj Mahal was built by a grief stricken Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, after his beloved wife passed away while giving birth to their 14th child. In memory of his third wife the Taj Mahal was built and is a white marble mausoleum. At the centre of the mausoleum lay the tombstones of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz. The construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632 and completed in 1648. |