Went to the central market today and took these pictures.
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Dar and I took the bus to Mysore on Friday and spent the night. Mysore is a nice break from Bangalore as it is quiet and peaceful compared to the business of the city.
Highlights were the palace and the bird sanctuary.
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Wanted to give folks a taste of traffic in Mysore – bare in mind that this is a smaller city…Bangalore is about 10x this. By the way, that is not a sheep you hear but a horn.
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We are staying in Koramangala neighborhood in Bangalore – it is one of the more busy districts and is near the center. There are two pics I took from our balcony.
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Ok so ironies of ironies one of the most polluted cities has organic grocery stores. There is no way of getting around this but the traffic here is absolutely insane – today when we were driving out to one of the properties off the MG road, there was literally 2 inchs on either side of our car – our driver has nerves of steal.
What amazes me is, regardless of how crazy things are here it all just works which is incredible when you consider how many people we are talking about and how many cars – there are est of 18K new cars PER WK in Bangalore. It is like the tiffin delivery system in Mumbai – no one is sure how it works, it just does.
Pollution is horrid – you might as well just bend over and suck on the tail pipes of one of the auto rickshaws because as soon as you turn on the air conditioner or roll down the window you are doin gjust about that. Staying in doors helps alot. Also, this is why we are keen to get a house in a residential neighborhood and not in an apartment block as the trees actually really make a huge difference.
Anyway, the shopping here is actually quite good and you can find just about anything you want. Dar and I learned our lesson though when we paid $11 for a bit of boursin cheese – @#$@#. The lesson – buy local…duh. Pic of market and a snapshot of our ride today.
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Pull out your map of Bangalore and if you can decipher it (a trick we are still learning) then follow along –
Richmond area we found one penthouse we liked – Norris cottage with a great patio overlooking the city but the kitchen is kinda stupid – given the fridge would need to be on the balcony with the washer. 100 degree heat and fridge on patio equals no ice…bad idea. Pic of balcony is 1st below
Indranagar – fell in love with area but home is a bit old and cramped and a kitchen was made for elves – the counters were 3.5ft tall. It is near a lot of shops and is a quite neighborhood. There are suggestions that we would need to hire a guard – day and night…but the area is really good so I am not so sure. Pic of staircase inside home is 2nd belowTwo apartments off the MG road are also a possiblitiy. The 1st one we love – great kitchen, room for washer, dryer and fridge inside – what a concept. The layout was also fab with a great balcony and 1 bedroom downstairs and 2 upstairs. 1st apartment living area pic #3We are getting used to the fact that nothing is square here, no one who builds kitchens has ever used a oven (other than a microwave – which by the way, when you say oven, that is what most indians think of) and that there is a seperate entrance for domestic help - with most apartments dedicating a small closet (where they can live if you so choose) and their very own squatty potty – frankly this is the part that we are having the most difficult time with.
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We had a steak pie, potatoes and peas 🙂 and built a fort the next day. Good times 🙂
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Check out this bogolanfini given to me by my brother Paul and fiancee Marie for my birthday.
Paul spent some time with the artist in Mali also pictured (however, she isn't making mine). These bogolanfini are made by painting special mud onto cloth with sticks – the result is stunning!
Nakunte Diarra, the artist, is pictured here.
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This is what happens when you show a Kao kid a camera…lots of smile (and drool).
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