Bangalore and Our Farewell to Asia
Our last stop in India, Bangalore, is faster paced than Kochi. Cows still graze the sidewalks, but in Bangalore they do so in front of Starbucks and McDonalds. Women wearing jeans and shorts (very rare in Kerala), craft breweries and fancy malls contribute to the more Western feel.
Our apartment, a fifth floor “penthouse”, looked out over the neighborhood of Cox Town. Unfortunately the air is so polluted that if the windows are left open a fine layer of dust covers every surface within a day. The background noise never ends: cars honking 24 hours a day, early morning and evening calls to prayer from mosques, and daily fireworks after dark. One night a wedding celebration with a full band went down the street at 10pm. I wish I could say we liked Bangalore as much as Kochi, but both Sarah and I preferred the more laid-back feel of Kerala state. However, we did love the energy and chaos of big-city India, and it was really neat to be able to experience these two different cities and the different energies and experiences they had to offer.
By the time we arrived in Bangalore we felt like India experts. We were already used to the daily power outages and by now had figured out Swiggy, an app to order food via scooter, which makes life so sweet because we can stay inside and pretend we aren’t traveling.
Well, this marks the end of our trip! To our wonderful readers and commenters, thank you so much for staying connected to our adventures and helping us feel connected to the larger world as well! We really hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures as much as we enjoyed taking photos and writing posts knowing we could share them with our loved ones back home.
Sarah and I are now in the process of settling down in Victoria, BC. Please drop by if you’re ever in town.
We will see how long the reverse culture shock lasts, but it feels good to be back ‘home’ and settling down……..there were so many amazing experiences abroad, but there are so many pros to being in one community that we are very excited to explore…….
And lastly, Sarah has started an eating disorder recovery coaching business, which was one of the key reasons we decided to come back when we did. The website can be found at: radiancerecovered.com.
Until our next un-mooring!
Thank you so much for staying connected with us.
~ John and Sarah
This train took us from Kochi to Bangalore over ten hours.
Lots of excitement in our second class seats. We chatted with some fellow passengers.
The train sandwich tasted as good as it looks.
Welcome to our Bangalore bungalow!
Our apartment included the obligatory tiled living room floor.
View from our apartment. The neighborhood was an interesting mixture of Catholic, Muslim and Hindu.
Cafe around the corner from our apartment.
A street-crossing cow is never far away in India.
Modern and touristy downtown Bangalore.
Sarah lounging in our posh movie theatre seats.
Bangalore Transit system.
Amazing used bookstore – downtown Bangalore. Mostly English books.
Beautiful thunderstorms in the distance were visible from this rooftop restaurant downtown. I’m happier than I look.
OSHA-sanctioned construction material conveyance system.
Alley in our neighborhood with a chicken wandering around.
A colourful walk through the city.
A couple cows and a dog hanging out in the Bangalore heat.
Local Catholic church.
Forbidden oasis – this building is in the army training centre. Public not allowed.
Cows munching away on some street snacks.
Popular shopping street near Ulsoor Lake.
Sarah loading up on fruit during our daily neighborhood walk.
Construction with modern scaffolding.
Such an experience.
Warning sign around army camp.
Our local grocery store.
Fancy mall downtown. Beautiful outdoor restaurants and stores for when you need a Western shopping fix.
Clean and Green, Cubbon Park, Bangalore.
Some of the available methods of transport are presented in this photo.
Here’s another one!
The sun sets over Bangalore, ending the day and our Asia trip. So long, India!
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