(2) Waking up in Bangalore
On my second day in India, I watched the sun rise through the window of my train. The landscape has started to change, from the greenish hue of a rural setting to the bland and stark concrete buildings and the typical garbage-strewn streets of a city --- we are nearing the Cantonment area of Bangalore. After the surprising letdown at Trivandrum, I tried to stamp down my expectations of the place.....
Bangalore is one of the more cosmopolitan cities in India and is often compared with Chennai as the "gateway" to the South, considered as the tech center in India with a host of techno parks and multinational companies spread out across the area, it has its share of wealth and poverty residing side by side.
Medyo malamig pa ng konti as I careened through the streets of Bangalore (we arrived a bit early), my destination is MG Road (as it stands for Mahatma Gandhi Rd -- feeling ko lahat yata ng lugar sa India eh merong MG Rd gaya ng "Rizal St o Rizal Ave"). The streets were so quiet, and then I realized its a Sunday.
I was looking for Hotel Ajantha, it was listed in the guide book as one of the best deals in town. "Sorry, we are full. Its a weekend." I was instead told to try Brindavan Hotel at the end of MG Rd.
The place is great and the room rate is a reasonable 550 rupees per night, a bit more steep than what was on my budget but so far, so good. It is centrally located in the main business district. They even accept early check-in! I'll just catch a nap and then, Bangalore --- you are all mine to explore!!!
I wanted to get a caffeine fix so I went out and explored MG Rd (just walk straight through and memorize all the side streets and mark it off in your map and you'll be fine!). Just a short walk away from my hotel is Brigade Rd where all types of shops converges. Planet M is a mini-shopping mall (i think from a SM baby like me, every place will be considered "mini-mall"), next to that is an Electronics store (you can see a lot of it here, and they say its also cheap to buy electronic gadgets here), and whoa!...... dozens of eateries and coffee shops and a KFC!!!!!
Hay naku, sabi ko nga, cheapie talaga ako ever since. I always rate the standard of living of a place by how many KFC outlets they have!
After having a cappuccino at a McDo cafe, I browsed through some shops. I wanted to get a few novels at Gangaram's (kalaban yan ng Higginbotham's, parang mga National Bookstore dito pero naku ang gloomy ng mga decor at parang ang old ng place!) but its closed for Sundays. Well, I had to start my cultural tour otherwise i'd be bogged down by my incessant window shopping!
Told the tuktuk driver to take me to Tipu Sultan's Palace (admission is U$2 for foreigners), an old teak pillared palace of the Moslem rulers of Mysore in the 18th century -- they were replaced later by the Wodeyars, the current residents of the Mysore seat. A tour guide latched on to me when I arrived, I retained him kasi kailangan ko ng photographer! "Kabayan, kumusta ka!" I looked back and checked, I saw this guy who is smiling at me with his wife and two kids in tow. I went and introduced myself and he told me he works in the Middle East and has lots of Pinoy workmates! Galing talaga ng Pinoy, kahit saan ako magpunta someone will really try to make a Pinoy connection with me. It feels good....
From there, I went to Lalbagh Botanical Gardens (admission is 5 rupees), a garden laid out during the reign of Tipu Sultan, it means "red garden". Maybe its too wide (96 hectares) or maybe its the heat but the place did not give me the wow! factor like the botanical garden in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Just one more trip before I stop for dinner.....the Amoeba Bowling Center! Bowling fanatic that I am, I couldn't resist taking a peek at what type of lanes they have! Considering the size of the population here (almost 6 million) and the modernity, I thought they will have like lots of bowling centers around the city but no, the 12-lane Amoeba is the only bowling stadium they have in the whole state of Karnataka!
Medyo napagod ako (nagpa show off kasi) with my bowling games so I headed out to the KFC branch at Brigade and got a takeout -- mas marami kang makain talaga as in every morsel talaga ubos if you eat in the confines of your hotel room....hehehe
If you want to have a side trip to Mysore but stay in your budget and also not get lost better take the sightseeing tours offered by the KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation). For only 550 rupees, you can join a one-day trip to Srirangapatnam - Mysore - Brindavan Gardens (7am - 11pm).
Better tip off the reception to give a wake up call at 6am! I still have to go to Badami House at least 30 minutes before departure to make sure the bus doesn't leave without me!
Okay, ciao! See you at Mysore.....
Comments