Bangalore, Karnataka
India has always been a mystery to me. When I was a younger, I have always wanted to visit and discover its beauty. The popular story and history of Taj Mahal was one of the few reasons that intrigued and attracted that curiosity.
I first set foot in India on 2004. From Manila to Bangalore, the flight took 7 hours or so. There was no direct flight to India so I had to make a stop over in Bangkok, then the connecting flight to Bangalore’s Airport. While on the flight from Bangkok to Bangalore I had my first taste of the spicy Chicken Curry and Chapatti (flat pancake like bread, made of whole-wheat flour) the first dip to the sauce of the curry made a sharp burning sensation in my tongue. It was hot! I could even feel the redness in my cheeks. I tried most of the food served and wow it was an experience! And I thought this is just an introduction of how the food would be and the truth is I’m not even close to the varieties of cuisine being served in India. I was totally excited.
Upon arriving the airport and checking out, there were crowd of people waiting for their love ones. I can’t help not to notice the traditional clothes that the women were wearing. It was colorful, very intricate and with such details on the embroidery. And in that instant I was like being transported in another place and era that is completely unique. Everybody was speaking in different language. My eyes and ears were overwhelmed on what was going on. And yet I knew there were more to see.
Then the taxi arrived. It was first taxi ride in Bangalore, and it was quite a ride! I couldn’t believe how fast we got to the place. As there was not much traffic, probably this was a rare chance that our cab driver could zoom the road ha-ha.
Few Tips: Make sure to have few cash with you. I don’t remember how much we paid the taxi then but the fee right now probably its $20-25 or 1,000 rupees or so. The new airport also provides a shuttle bus for $5 below or 200-250 rupees that could take you around the city.
These are just few of the things that I could post for now. I still yet to pen down my other experiences in Bangalore then the other state also I had the privileged to visit like Tamil Nadu, Mysore, Goa, Chennai and Kerala.
I would not say that it is completely perfect as no country is. But the beauty of a place can be seen in different ways. I choose to see the beauty and of course pray for more developments, developments that will help not just the country but most especially its people.
