My First Whole Day in Bangalore!

My first day in India really got started with the tuk tuk ride from our relatively quiet suburb to the bustling heart of Commercial Street. Commercial Street is one road lined with shops, the shops occupying storefronts as we are used to in Western countries, but also nestled into basements, upper floors, and in-between in any gaps. Off from Commercial Street, the shopping gets cheaper and more colourful, with shops also spilling out onto pavements. There are kiosks selling sparkling and bangles and earrings in all colours you could wish for, barrows of ripe and delicious-looking tropical fruits, and stunningly coloured, patterned and embellished saris and kurtis displayed in clothing shops.

Some side roads seem to have designated wares to sell, so turn one corner and every shop will sell shoes. Another road specialises in jewellery, and everywhere the colours are amazing and beautiful. July is not a great time to come as a visitor to Bangalore due to the monsoon rains, which also gather all the street detritus as they flow along the narrow roads, and so I saw no other western tourists on my first day. Augustine had advised me to only look, not to buy on my first visit; however I couldn’t resist buying a set of bangles while I was there. I am sure I paid a ‘tourist’ price for these, but I as long as I don’t get thoroughly ripped off then I have no problem with this. I am aware that Australian money has a different value to Indian rupees, and that what for me is a little money may be more significant for some people in India.

I had to negotiate my own tuk tuk for the ride back, and this was a bit tricky at first – the first drivers I found were only offering a fee of 5 times what I paid at first, and refused to use the meter at all. It was tricky, but eventually I found the best spot to catch a tuk tuk for a fair price and I headed back. On the drive back I saw my first street cows, looking pretty scrawny and unhappy as they rummaged through garbage on the street.

I must have been pretty tired, as I planned to get back to the guesthouse for a bit of a freshen up, before heading out again to explore another part of the city. Instead I sat down to read a chapter of my book while I drank my tea, and just fell asleep on the sofa! I was woken a bit later in the evening by Augustine, who came by again to check on me and to bring some more fruit. We talked a while about some of the cultural differences between Australia and India, and he told some more detail about India’s social history, how the economy has developed, and some of the difficulties faced in development work in India.

After Augustine left, I walked up to the local café for dinner again. Dosa and Indian tea is going to be a regular feature of this trip I think!