Sunday, February 5, 2012

India 9 years on







I visited Bangalore in early 2003. I must admit I can't remember that many specifics from 2003, but here is a list of what struck me on a 10 day work visit


  • The traffic. Almost literally. Never have I had such an adventure crossing the road. I managed to unconsciously subdue my regard for personal safety, in order to be able to cross the 3 roads between the hotel and the office, to the extent that on my return to London I nearly got run over by a black cab. London traffic is far faster and less inclined to avoid you.
  • Check each water bottle provided by the hotel that the seal is in-tact. I forgot to check only once and 6 hours later, well, the world fell out of my arse. probably only 3 on a scale of 1-10, so can't grumble really. You get the picture and nuff said. 
  • I felt no concern for my personal safety, excluding being run over. Walking back from the other hotel some of my co-workers were staying at, even on my own at near midnight I felt no concern for my personal safety.
  • There seemed to be less general bureaucracy in the airport, though still was a lot.
  • I still have no idea what Indian rules of the road are, but they must involve using the horn a lot and there is a fine of leaving more than a few mm of gap in any direction between stationary cars, mopeds or bikes.
  • The level of pollution after a couple of days got me down and Bangalore is meant to be one of the better Indian cities.
  • Everyone I meet was friendly, polite and nice.
Glad to be home, but I am sure given a few weeks, I will miss aspects of the place just as happened in 1995 and 2003. 1 aspect of the trip I won't miss though.