Bangalore: Part 1--The Very Modern City-- A Metro, Malls, and Avatar Two!

Bangalore, aka Bangalaru: Where old meets new. (Hey, it even rhymes!) Considered the twin city of San Jose (and really, Silicon Valley in general), Bangalore is the center of I.T. in India. As such, it attracts bright, young Indians who love everything about the good ol' U.S. of A. Not only that, these I.T. people have money--lots of it, which gets invested in many new, very modern buildings that are VERY western. One such example: the mega mall I visited, in a total state of wonderment. Here I was, in a large city of India, but in fact I could have been "anywhere, U.S.A."  There were myriad American companies represented in this mall: e.g., Columbia, Guess Jeans, United Colors of Benelton, and the like. Sadly, though, there was also an overabundance of all of the worst American fast food: Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, and so forth. Ad nauseum, quite literally! Horrifying. Not surprisingly, I also sawmy first, extremely obese Indian child. Probably not more that 5 or 6, he HAD to have weighed at least 130 pounds or so... and he was staring up with great longing at an ice cream shop. Just SO tragic.

There were TWO indications, however, that I was in fact still in India and not the U.S. One: The mall was filled with Indians, of course! (Albeit in modern, western clothes... ) And two: a very severe screening process required to enter BOTH the mall AND then again to enter the movie theater inside of the mall (talk about overkill...sheesh!) What I mean is, just like at the airport, bags and other personal items went through an x-ray machine, and the body itself got scanned with one of those weird wands the airport security people use. I could only figure that, because of the ongoing tensions between Hindus and Muslims, they were afraid of terrorists entering crowded, public places such as this mall was. Hmmm. Maybe America SHOULD do something similar, considering the plethora of mass shootings?? 

Oh, and the same process was required for riding the Metro here! The Metro, by the way, was the nicest city subway system I have EVER been on, anywhere! It was so new, clean, modern, quiet... every stop was automatically announced well ahead of time, AND displayed in both Hindi and English on a couple screens in every car. What's more, there was a "ladie's only" car at the front of the train, which was quite comfy to ride in. And...never too crowded! I would have been happy to take that train all over Bangalore! It was also amazingly cheap: Only 55 rupees to go quite some distance... the equivalent of about 75 cents. Truly a wonder. 

My favorite street--happily within a short walking distance from my Airbnb--was called "New Bel Street", filled with lots of nice boutiques, hair salons, good restaurants and the like. I ate in great cafes, got a GREAT haircut at a very upscale, beautiful salon for a whopping 1300 rupees (no worries--only $16 U.S.!!!), and simply enjoyed walking, window shopping and people watching. Oh, and I did buy 2 very nice kurtas and pants--they were on the pricey side--for about $45. Still, if I were to purchase the same items in the U.S., they would have cost at least twice as much. 

The neighborhood in which I was staying was very nice: a high-end, residencial area,  filled with beautiful houses, plenty of greenery and relative cleanliness. (There was, however, a pack of dogs that lived in a trash-filled, empty lot across from my Airbnb building. I had to chase them away with sticks as they barked ferociously at me every time I came or went...MOST annoying, to say the least! But... a true reminder that this WAS still India, after all!!!) 

Finally, and best of all, in the mall mentioned above, I got to go to the movies and see Avatar Two. I know some people don't think it was as good as the first one... I mildly agree, but loved it just the same. It was very long--over 3 hours--but thankfully with an intermission, so I could visit the "ladies' toilet" and buy some VERY expensive popcorn! (yes, truly speaking, as expensive as movie theater popcorn in the U.S.! Still, it was a very nice treat...) Coming out of the theater about 10 p.m., I was once again reminded I was in fact in India: it was next to impossible to get an Uber Auto-- I finally had to take a regular cab, and, of course, get charged twice as much as I should have been. Well... evil as this practice is, taking a cab in India is STILL FAR cheaper than it would be in the U.S... what can I say?!?!

Bottom line? My 4 night stay in this city was way too short, and I hope to be back again at some point soon.

The gigantic mall was about 5 floors high and covered many blocks...truly amazing! 

I went into the Columbia clothes store and told the staff there I was happy to see something GOOD from America situated in India! Although too pricey, I love the design and quality of their clothes, and happen to be traveling around India with my very nice Columbia shirt! One of my favorite items of clothing, in fact. 

                                        I am not a fan of malls in general...but when feeling homesick for the 

                                        finer goods produced in the U.S., this was a welcome find, indeed!

On the other hand, the fast food crap from the U.S. is NEVER a welcome sight ANYWHERE in the world, far as I am concerned!!!


But the INDIANS love it, of course, and literally "eat it up"... much to their detriment, of course!

And of course EVERY evil fast food chain from the U.S. has to vie for profits in these foreign countries... I really hope their bad karma comes back to bite them big time!!!

In contrast with the mall, there was a pretty little park in my neighborhood which was small but pleasant to stroll through. 

Immaculately manicured, as you can see...and kept free of trash, thank God!