Sometimes you just need some time
Yeah, I know it's only been a few hours - but I'm feeling better than I was earlier. I mean, even as I type this out I hope y'all know (that I know) that I haven't even been here a day yet so it's pretty darn early in the trip and that my last post was pretty mopey sounding. And I knew it did - so what did I do? I got off my ass and took a walk...
Um... Hmmm... Yup - a walk. It was interesting. See, I'm in this IT/Tech park/zone of Bangalore and it's changing from day to day in big ways. So while my hotel is fairly modern the surrounding area isn't so much. I started to walk down the street and it took all of about 10 seconds before I really felt like the stranger in a strange land that I am. I mean, 6'5" 300 pound bald guy just walking down the road. On my walk I saw: many stray dogs, a man pee'ing on the side of the road, and quite a few hut-type shacks where people were selling tea, cigarettes, etc). I was stared at - a lot. Yeah, I'm an oddity. Zero smiles and some really big scowls from a few. I guess for some people seeing me sorta represents what's going on in the city right now. Westerners coming in with more jobs that the lower castes don't really have a shot at getting. My driver this morning has lived in Bangalore all his life. He likes the progress he's seen but dislikes it as well because it's being done at the cost of the citizens and the city itself. The switch to quick growth industry has turned a once green, lush, park-filled city into a rather dingy and industrialized series of business parks. I did get a nice smile from the gal working at the Shell station where I bought water. I think she liked getting to use her English on a native speaker - she said goodbye to me about 5 different ways.
It was such a good idea to get out of my hotel room. Even if I later learned that in this area it's not a great idea to go walking about as the traffic is dangerous and the local dogs can be as well.
I had gone on my walk because on Google there was supposed to be a Dominoe's pizza a few blocks away. Well, it actually ended up being on the second floor of the building right next to my hotel - I just missed it because I wasn't even looking for it as a I left. But yeah, the walk was good. Even if I did have a woman literally cross the street in order to avoid walking past me.
Back to Dominoe's. I went in (no pork toppings or beef of course) and got a small cheese and a Coke. While I'm ordering in walks in this cute guy I saw in the Hotel. We said hello and I found out he was here from Germany. I went to sit down and wait on my food and then he asked to sit with me. His name is Daniel and we had a really great time talking. It was also nice to just be with another Westernized guy who could relate to what I had been experiencing. He'd even seen the 30 Days episode called "Outsourced" (google it). So yeah, that was nice. Odd thing, the Dominoes was on the 2nd floor right? Well, the building was like a shell - the stairs that you took to get to the pizza place were kinda the only part that was left of this concrete structure... but the shops above and on the first floor were both nice inside. Like a lot of things here, the inside is nice even if the outside is crumbling and not so spectacular to look at.
When I got back I connected with this guy Tom who is staying here for work. He's from the States and we're going to get dinner while I'm here. He is staying in the city proper and has a driver so he's going to show me around some which will be great.
Weather-wise - it's hot but not unbareable. It's a little like New Orleans... Balmy. And yeah, walking all the way that I did it did get a little steamy. Rain-wise, it has only sprinkled a little bit but Daniel said when the monsoon rains come it's like a huge downpore. They just had one a few days back and he said with my being here two weeks I can expect to see one while I'm here.
And now it's time to get to work. I'm really getting sleepy (body is dealing with it being 4:20am US time) but I'm going to power through until 10pm or so, so I can get my sleep sched going correctly.
More to come!
Daniel from Germany
On my walk...
Um... Hmmm... Yup - a walk. It was interesting. See, I'm in this IT/Tech park/zone of Bangalore and it's changing from day to day in big ways. So while my hotel is fairly modern the surrounding area isn't so much. I started to walk down the street and it took all of about 10 seconds before I really felt like the stranger in a strange land that I am. I mean, 6'5" 300 pound bald guy just walking down the road. On my walk I saw: many stray dogs, a man pee'ing on the side of the road, and quite a few hut-type shacks where people were selling tea, cigarettes, etc). I was stared at - a lot. Yeah, I'm an oddity. Zero smiles and some really big scowls from a few. I guess for some people seeing me sorta represents what's going on in the city right now. Westerners coming in with more jobs that the lower castes don't really have a shot at getting. My driver this morning has lived in Bangalore all his life. He likes the progress he's seen but dislikes it as well because it's being done at the cost of the citizens and the city itself. The switch to quick growth industry has turned a once green, lush, park-filled city into a rather dingy and industrialized series of business parks. I did get a nice smile from the gal working at the Shell station where I bought water. I think she liked getting to use her English on a native speaker - she said goodbye to me about 5 different ways.
It was such a good idea to get out of my hotel room. Even if I later learned that in this area it's not a great idea to go walking about as the traffic is dangerous and the local dogs can be as well.
I had gone on my walk because on Google there was supposed to be a Dominoe's pizza a few blocks away. Well, it actually ended up being on the second floor of the building right next to my hotel - I just missed it because I wasn't even looking for it as a I left. But yeah, the walk was good. Even if I did have a woman literally cross the street in order to avoid walking past me.
Back to Dominoe's. I went in (no pork toppings or beef of course) and got a small cheese and a Coke. While I'm ordering in walks in this cute guy I saw in the Hotel. We said hello and I found out he was here from Germany. I went to sit down and wait on my food and then he asked to sit with me. His name is Daniel and we had a really great time talking. It was also nice to just be with another Westernized guy who could relate to what I had been experiencing. He'd even seen the 30 Days episode called "Outsourced" (google it). So yeah, that was nice. Odd thing, the Dominoes was on the 2nd floor right? Well, the building was like a shell - the stairs that you took to get to the pizza place were kinda the only part that was left of this concrete structure... but the shops above and on the first floor were both nice inside. Like a lot of things here, the inside is nice even if the outside is crumbling and not so spectacular to look at.
When I got back I connected with this guy Tom who is staying here for work. He's from the States and we're going to get dinner while I'm here. He is staying in the city proper and has a driver so he's going to show me around some which will be great.
Weather-wise - it's hot but not unbareable. It's a little like New Orleans... Balmy. And yeah, walking all the way that I did it did get a little steamy. Rain-wise, it has only sprinkled a little bit but Daniel said when the monsoon rains come it's like a huge downpore. They just had one a few days back and he said with my being here two weeks I can expect to see one while I'm here.
And now it's time to get to work. I'm really getting sleepy (body is dealing with it being 4:20am US time) but I'm going to power through until 10pm or so, so I can get my sleep sched going correctly.
More to come!
Daniel from Germany
On my walk...