India was never on my travel list. Even if I had exhausted all the other places, I would have not set foot on India either. Couldn't blame me. There's just been too many negative comments of India of late. Not even of late, it's been for as long as I can remember. Everyone I know whom has visited, have not a good praise for the place.
Hygiene is bad. Water is unclean. Uneven roads. Crazy traffic. Overly populated. Prone to harassment. Unclean food. Well, they don't call it "Delhi Belly" for nothing. Discrimination against women. All in all, it seems to be the worse place for a traveler.
So imagine my reaction when I was called to be there for business - unaccompanied. And it was to a location where none of my contacts have ever been - Bangalore. "Shucks! I'm suppose to go to an unknown location, all by myself? Do I really have to be there?" It wasn't something compulsory anyway. But rejecting the invitation would seem undiplomatic. After all, it was the boss who had invited. Fine, so I braced myself for the worst and made extensive preparations for me to get in and out of Bangalore safe and sound. It didn't helped either when I realized my travel desk had booked me on a Malaysian Airlines flight - the distressed airline which had a lost plane still undiscovered and a flight to Bangalore itself which had to be turned back for some technical failure just a few weeks back. Bummer!
But, after having picked up my courage and being there, turned out that I was being over paranoid. Apart from a delay in departure, my plane didn't burst out in flames, or dropped from the sky or even crashed into the sea. If those negative comments about India had been true, they didn't apply to Bangalore. Perhaps the reviews were made about other states or other cities.
Bangalore (or officially known as Bengaluru), the capital city of the state Karnataka in the south, is known as the "Silicon Valley of India", as it is the center of India's IT industry. It is also known as the "Garden City of India" due to the lush greenery that surrounds it.
My flight had arrived at 1am at Bengaluru International Airport, a 1.5 hours later than the initial arrival time. Customs and immigration checks had been swift perhaps due to the lateness in the hour. There wasn't much of a queue. Upon arrival, my designated driver had been waiting. He introduced himself as Alladin. Nice and friendly chap without much of an Indian accent. At least I understood his each and every word. There wasn't anyone who stared at me as a foreign female upon my arrival and there weren't any beggars around to tug at my shirt. Criticism 1 debunked.
It took 1 hour for me to get from the airport to the hotel - Alila Bangalore Hotel and Residence. A cosy and very spacious 5 star hotel. Surrounded by trees and over looking a lake. I had a whole room to myself! With a king sized bed! No, I didn't hopped on it like a small kid if that's what you are thinking.
The crew had upmost hospitality. They were very much courteous and attentive. "Good morning ma'am, how was your night? Did you rest well? Is there anything which you'd require further?" "Hi ma'am, how was your stay? Is everything all right?" "Hello ma'am, how was the food? Is it to your preference? Would you like a different menu?" I think up to a certain point, I'd got tired of replying, "Yes, everything is fine. I have no need of any other preferences."
I've turned vegan on visit. My Indian colleagues had been considerate in taking me to non-vegetarian and non-spicy diners. But out of adventure, I had opted for the exact opposite, which came as a surprise for them. Of course I would have wanted to try out the local food. To try stuffs that I couldn't get back home. And so they were more than happy to do so. We went to an Indian fine dining restaurant - Copper Chimney and they had picked out the best dishes for my tasting. It was kind of them to explain each dish too. While I can't remember the names of all the dishes and I didn't managed to capture some shots of them, they were indeed tasty. They have flavours that we don't. I was surprised to find myself liking them. :)
Ohh...about drinking water. As a foreigner, you'd be served with bottled mineral water whenever asked for. The bottles would be new and unopened. There weren't any upset tummies after taking them. There were no issues in using tap waters for shower and washing either. I didn't contracted rashes or itchiness. Criticism 2 debunked.
Perhaps one of the criticism that couldn't be debunked is the crazy traffic. Vehicles were coming in all sorts of directions. And in between you got to watch out for pedestrians and cows! Real huge cows! That wouldn't budge no matter how long you honked. Ahh...yes, the honks. The magical "instrument" that has to be used when you drive, in every single way. Not that it ever worked...
Hygiene is bad. Water is unclean. Uneven roads. Crazy traffic. Overly populated. Prone to harassment. Unclean food. Well, they don't call it "Delhi Belly" for nothing. Discrimination against women. All in all, it seems to be the worse place for a traveler.
So imagine my reaction when I was called to be there for business - unaccompanied. And it was to a location where none of my contacts have ever been - Bangalore. "Shucks! I'm suppose to go to an unknown location, all by myself? Do I really have to be there?" It wasn't something compulsory anyway. But rejecting the invitation would seem undiplomatic. After all, it was the boss who had invited. Fine, so I braced myself for the worst and made extensive preparations for me to get in and out of Bangalore safe and sound. It didn't helped either when I realized my travel desk had booked me on a Malaysian Airlines flight - the distressed airline which had a lost plane still undiscovered and a flight to Bangalore itself which had to be turned back for some technical failure just a few weeks back. Bummer!
But, after having picked up my courage and being there, turned out that I was being over paranoid. Apart from a delay in departure, my plane didn't burst out in flames, or dropped from the sky or even crashed into the sea. If those negative comments about India had been true, they didn't apply to Bangalore. Perhaps the reviews were made about other states or other cities.
Bangalore (or officially known as Bengaluru), the capital city of the state Karnataka in the south, is known as the "Silicon Valley of India", as it is the center of India's IT industry. It is also known as the "Garden City of India" due to the lush greenery that surrounds it.
My flight had arrived at 1am at Bengaluru International Airport, a 1.5 hours later than the initial arrival time. Customs and immigration checks had been swift perhaps due to the lateness in the hour. There wasn't much of a queue. Upon arrival, my designated driver had been waiting. He introduced himself as Alladin. Nice and friendly chap without much of an Indian accent. At least I understood his each and every word. There wasn't anyone who stared at me as a foreign female upon my arrival and there weren't any beggars around to tug at my shirt. Criticism 1 debunked.
Bengaluru International Airport
It took 1 hour for me to get from the airport to the hotel - Alila Bangalore Hotel and Residence. A cosy and very spacious 5 star hotel. Surrounded by trees and over looking a lake. I had a whole room to myself! With a king sized bed! No, I didn't hopped on it like a small kid if that's what you are thinking.
The crew had upmost hospitality. They were very much courteous and attentive. "Good morning ma'am, how was your night? Did you rest well? Is there anything which you'd require further?" "Hi ma'am, how was your stay? Is everything all right?" "Hello ma'am, how was the food? Is it to your preference? Would you like a different menu?" I think up to a certain point, I'd got tired of replying, "Yes, everything is fine. I have no need of any other preferences."
Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence
I've turned vegan on visit. My Indian colleagues had been considerate in taking me to non-vegetarian and non-spicy diners. But out of adventure, I had opted for the exact opposite, which came as a surprise for them. Of course I would have wanted to try out the local food. To try stuffs that I couldn't get back home. And so they were more than happy to do so. We went to an Indian fine dining restaurant - Copper Chimney and they had picked out the best dishes for my tasting. It was kind of them to explain each dish too. While I can't remember the names of all the dishes and I didn't managed to capture some shots of them, they were indeed tasty. They have flavours that we don't. I was surprised to find myself liking them. :)
Ohh...about drinking water. As a foreigner, you'd be served with bottled mineral water whenever asked for. The bottles would be new and unopened. There weren't any upset tummies after taking them. There were no issues in using tap waters for shower and washing either. I didn't contracted rashes or itchiness. Criticism 2 debunked.
Perhaps one of the criticism that couldn't be debunked is the crazy traffic. Vehicles were coming in all sorts of directions. And in between you got to watch out for pedestrians and cows! Real huge cows! That wouldn't budge no matter how long you honked. Ahh...yes, the honks. The magical "instrument" that has to be used when you drive, in every single way. Not that it ever worked...
Auto-rickshaw. The "tuk-tuk" of India
Another interesting sight during the stay was the amount of security personnel all around and the need to have everything scanned all the time. You get scanned at the airport. You get scanned before entering the hotel. You get scanned before entering the office premise. You get scanned before entering a mall. It is not just you that's being scanned, every vehicle that enters a building gets scanned. Even the bags and purses you carry gets scanned as well. I'm not so sure if I should feel secure or worried. When asked of the purpose of the scannings, no one knew either. I was told, "If you asked the security why is scanning and what is he specifically looking for, he won't be able to answer you. He just does as being told." Interesting.
Didn't get to go sight-seeing this time. The trip pretty much revolved around the office and the hotel. Bangalore wasn't a tourist spot. It had nothing much to offer. There wasn't much night entertainment either. As a single female on foreign soil, best to stay indoors at night. So I had occupied my spare time with some Bollywood movies on TV and reveled in the luxury of the hotel room.
The trip had definitely changed my perception of India. Or to be specific, Bangalore. Not everyone is dark-skinned and waiting to pounce on you. And you don't get sick just from breathing the air or drinking the water. Yeah, call me naive. Generally, the people are friendly and is much delighted to introduce their culture and country to you. You just have to have an open mind to take in all in.
I'd probably have no worries in returning should there ever be a need to. But if it's to the other locations, I'll have my doubts......
*Certain pictures posted are courtesy of the internet. Didn't managed to snap much. But they are as how I viewed them.
1 whispered:
The information in the blog is very interesting and helpful and will surely help people who are coming to travel to India and i have also heard that one of the best way to travel in India is online bus booking.
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