Landing in the home of the outsourcing revolution
Trip Start
Mar 03, 2008
1
10
Trip End
Mar 31, 2008
Bangalore,
India
Monday, March 3, 2008
I've been here for a few weeks now and had some hesitation about writing this travelogue, partly because I seem to be constantly on the move and internet places have been hard to come by and stifling hot. Another reason is that I'm not sure I'm seeing India in the same way as I used to. The things I found fascinating or crazy or frustrating on my first two trips are just normal to me now and I wonder what I can share with you that will give you an insight into Indian life in 2008.
The idea behind this visit to India was to take a more leisurely look mostly around one state - Karnataka - after crossing five states in a month two years ago and the year before. However, many of the places I am visiting involve taking a number of local buses which go about 10 miles an hour down unsealed roads, so whilst the distances I am travelling are relatively small in Indian terms, it feels like I'm travelling long distances for hours on end and I'm getting a fair shaking up on the dusty roads of this state.
So back to when I set off from home, taking a last look at the orderly, relatively clean, peaceful Sunday streets of cold, damp London. Sitting on the tube as everyone in the carriage avoided eye-contact with each other, I contemplated the scene in 15 hours time, when I'd be in the midst of what a first-timer in India might call chaos - dirt, dust, rubbish, endless tuk tuks chugging by hoping to pick up a fare, colourful saris, cows, men spitting red betel juice on the uneven excuse for a pavement, people interacting and only too happy to make eye-contact at length!
Now I know my friends and family think I'm totally mad, but I travel with the absolute minimum of luggage. After the last few days, I wonder how anyone travels with any more than I have as I wedge the bag under my feet on a crowded bus and then later drag it up a hill to find an ATM in a hot dusty street dodging the oncoming traffic consisting of several motorbikes, tuk tuks and a random goat and cow with big horns. All I take is a small holdall on wheels that could be taken on as hand-baggage were it not for the little bottles of shampoo, laundry detergent, mosquito spray and of course the all important Swiss pen-knife. The latter is my most important travel companion, along with a pair of flip flops for showering in dirty bathrooms, alcohol based hand cleanser in constant use, a clean pillow case, travel towel, washing line, mozzie net, probiotic capsules, grapefruit seed extract (to kill bad bacteria) and of course my camera and South India Lonely Planet book (plus a few pages ripped from my old Footprint guide - which is even better). Other than that I just have one set of western clothes and one salwar kameez (three piece Indian outfit) and matching bangles from my last trip and some undies, trainers and a pair of walking sandals. I'm a low maintenance girl!
The flight to Bangalore was totally full. I spent the night flight perusing my guide book (still not sure of my itinerary) and watching films on BA's great new flight entertainment system (lots more choice) including the gory, somewhat horrific No Country For Old Men. I suspect many of the Indian people on the flight were on their way back from courses or doing business in the UK. Judging by the gadgets they all had - MP3 player, latest Nokia phone, laptops - they were involved in some way in the outsourcing service sector boom which Bangalore is leading in India's economic growth. Next to me were a couple of people travelling with a group of 30 from the World Economic Forum, visiting the Infosys compound for a week. Infosys employs something like 65,000 people as is the hub of much of the outsourcing revolution. Headquartered in a suburb of Bangalore in 32 hectares of manicured grass, clean roads with golf buggies, a handful of hotels and residences, the shiny glass buildings tell a different story of India's development to the India I was planning on visiting.
Leaving the clean, cool sanctury of the efficient passport control, now a seasoned India traveller I knew the safest way into town at 5.30am would be by pre-paid taxi. I told the driver to take me to a little backpacker hotel just so he didn't try to 'sell' a hotel room to me. I actually didn't have anywhere booked for the entire trip including my first night. The hotel staff were snoozing as I arrived and showed me to a room from which I recoiled slightly and decided not to take. The funny thing is, this room was better than most of the ones I have taken since in small towns but I think that first night in India, however many times you've visited, is a bit of culture shock from the West. Obviously, you can easily do 5* luxury (which Indian's lay on with great panache) but I tend to 'backpack' when I'm here as it's cheaper, less sterile in every sense and you get to meet more travellers and everyday Indian people.
I waited in the hotel until it got light and then as only a crazy tourist can do (or may it's only me who is crazy), I trundled along the haphazard pavements of the MG Road pulling my little holdall in and out of pot holes to the startled looks of the few Bangaloreans already setting up their chai stalls or off to a hard day's work. I got totally lost as my little map was of no help and none of the English speaking contingent seemed to be up and about to ask the way. I was heading for the Richmond Road end of the city which was meant to be quieter and had a few serviced appartments which would supposedly be better value than the astronomically priced (by any standards) mid-range hotels in Bangalore. The tuk-tuk drivers didn't have a clue what I was asking so I just kept going as the rush hour started to build and the deafening beeping of horns and roaring of motorbikes and auto-rickshaws started to spoil my meander through the city. So finally, this weary, jet-lagged traveller found the hidden-away place she was looking for two hours later - yes I know I am mad - in the hope that there would be a room free. Thankfully there was even though it was actually only marginally better than the room I'd seen earlier but this was three times the price about 30 pounds which would buy me nearly a week's worth of hotel rooms in other parts of India! Casa Piccolo is based in a nice part of town full of Victorian era villas and run by some French woman who has a load of appartments dotted around four or five streets in the area. I was so desperate to rest my feet and take a shower that the offer of on demand hot water was too appealing to turn down.
After freshening up, I went for a walk around the main centre of Bangalore (again!) and like most of the big cosmopolitain cities but maybe more so, it was filled with a mix of the usual haphazard Indian stalls and activity but there were also streets hosting giant posters advertising the latest phones, designer brands and fast food. It seemed strange to be wandering along the main roads and seeing boutiques and stores like Benneton and Hard Rock Cafe. In contrast to the more conservative face of India, where women are pretty covered up in sari's or salwar kameez and men wear crisp shirts and where shows of affection between men and women are taboo, these places were frequented by jean clad, Westernised young couples, arm in arm and speaking English with the latest mobile phone glued to their ear. Welcome to the new, if not still exclusive, side of India.
I spent the rest of the day sorting out getting an Indian SIM card before meeting with Arun who used to be the marketing manager at LogicaCMG in India during my days doing the global marketing role. We'd talked many times on the phone over 5 years and it was nice to finally meet him face to face and get an insight into the more 'professional' white collar lifestyle in India, where it is not unusual to have a cook and a nice appartment and go out for dinner once a week. Indians work hard even in this business world - 12 hours days are the norm - but at least they get a weekend free unlike most of the population, although holidays are virtually non-existant - about 8 days on average and if you get sick after a few weeks you are more than likely to lose your job!
So that was the end of my very long first day in Bangalore and I'd pretty much decided that the big city was not for me and I was keen to leave as soon as possible and make tracks to smaller, more interesting towns and villages..
Travelling light
