Bangalore!!! (Nov. 5-7)

This weekend was amazing for several reasons. First, we needed to get out on our own and have a weekend to ourselves. Second, Brooke Bauer, Trevor Carstens, and Sidney Krall were meeting us there for the weekend! Needless to say we were pretty stoked about heading to Bangalore.

There were some logistical problems that we ran into though in our preparation to depart. First, we decided to go 3 days before leaving and so trains were completely booked. The only way to get tickets at the last minute is to pay about twice as much as you normally would and also you have to buy tickets through what is called “Tatkal”. Tatkal is where the railway companies save a select number of tickets that can only be purchased starting 48 hours before the time of departure. This is wonderful when you think about it but the problem with it is you must buy them within about 45 minutes of the tickets opening otherwise you won’t get them. We set up to buy our tickets at the second they opened up but we ran into internet issues and finally had to suck it up and by 2AC tickets, which is the second most expensive ticket class. It was a bit spendy but we were on our way! The second thing was a bit more stressful in reality…

I headed over to talk to him about us taking Friday off and going to Bangalore for the weekend. This is same man who had us get permission to go on any trip from our parents…so needless to say I was a bit worried. The conversation started off like normal, the usual pleasantries and such and then I dropped the fun little bomb about our trip. He cut me off halfway through my explanation with the usual “No, you can’t go, it’s not safe!”. I just kept on rolling with it though and told him we had already booked our tickets. He hummed and ha-ed for no less than 30 seconds before finally telling me that was okay but that any other travel should always be consulted with him first! I left as fast as I could simply because he wasn’t super stoked on the whole thing in spite of giving the go ahead.This second thing that I speak of was our wonderful Executive Vice President, Dr. R.N. Prabhu das. The one who thinks every single part of India is “unsafe” for us to travel to and also thinks we should be under the same supervision category as the students here. (Think boarding academy style but stricter). Anyway, we didn’t tell him until Wednesday afternoon and we were leaving late Thursday night.

So with that out of the way we headed off for Vijayawada to catch our 11:15 P.M. train to Bangalore. We jumped on the bus as it was leaving by running with our bags and all while it was literally driving away! We made it and caught our overnight train. It was really nice! Trains here are the most amazing way to travel because you have a bed and power for your computer and plenty of times to read books and watch the countryside as it flies by. I really enjoy train travel and wish the US had a better rail network. We made it to Bangalore around noon on Friday and hopped off at the platform to be assailed by a million rickshaw drivers who all wanted to take us to a hotel. We had already decided where we were staying and had called ahead to make sure they had rooms available and so we immediately found a rickshaw that could take us there. There was a ton of bargaining the price down amongst about 5 rickshaw drivers before we finally liked one guy’s price and hopped on. Bangalore streets are crazy and the ride was super fun! We arrived at our hotel after about 3 u-turns and having to stop to ask for directions twice. We booked our room and immediately called Trevor, Brooke, and Sid. Thankfully our hotel was only a block away from the main shopping street and that’s where they were.

It was easy to find them since we’re all white and it was so amazing to see some familiar faces after 2 months of not seeing someone we knew before India! It’s amazing how much strength you can gain from seeing someone who is going through the same struggles and experiences you are but in slightly different place.

To some up the next 3 days is pretty easy…free/cheap sightseeing, coffee shops, and food! We didn’t do much else. We immediately went and ate at McDonald’s, which in the US I don’t care for but here I loved it! We also ate enough 12-rupee ice cream cones for about a year in 3 days! We wondered around the shopping district for the rest of Friday seeking out used bookstores to replenish our supply of books since we all have read pretty much everything we brought over here with us… We also had more food, none of it with rice or curry! It was so good to taste things that none of us had had in a long time! Pizza Hut was dinner and then coffee after! Have I stressed the point of how amazing the food was? It was AMAZING!

Sabbath we decided to run around Bangalore and see some of the temples and parks that it had to offer. Since Brooke, Trevor, and Sid had booked the guest room at the Adventist college, Lowry Memorial College, which is about 15 minutes from downtown, we decided to meet at the ISKCON Hindu Temple the next morning around 10.

Zach and I had to get a rickshaw there so we got up and found one who was willing to take us out their for 100 rupees. This is a deal since the others were charging 200. We headed to his rickshaw and took off for the temple. As we were pulling out he yelled over shoulder that he had to take us to a shop so he could get a free gas card but he would take us to the temple right after. We agreed since he also said we didn’t have to buy anything at the shops.

We arrived at the shop and were attacked by the sales people… They follow you around asking if you want to buy something for your wife, girlfriend, mistress, etc. They also use language like, “Here you go my friend, this is perfect for you”, which in my head I’m thinking, “First, you’re not my friend and also, the last thing I need is $400 Buddha statue!” When they see you’re starting to leave they start pleading with you! “Please sir, would you buy just one small thing because you are our first customer of the day and you buying would be good luck for us!” We didn’t buy anything…it was fun to walk out after they annoyed us for 10 minutes!

We then thought we were heading to the temple…NOT! We went to 4 more stores! They were all the same and with the same annoying sales people! When we got done with the 5^th store Zach and I had had enough so we really lit into the guy about going to the temple and he gave us some story about something being broken on his rickshaw but his friend would take us from here. We made sure it was still going to cost the same, which it did and we finally made it to the temple after and hour of driving from idiotic store to the next! We didn’t get ripped off money wise but our time definitely was stolen…

ISKCON temple was really amazing. The pictures are really the only thing that does it justice but it was huge and was very ornate. It really made me appreciate being a Christian and in particular an SDA. The crazy chatting and offering bananas, coconuts, and other trinkets to the statues really showed how idol worship is still very alive in this modern world. It is crazy stuff, but pretty interesting at the same time.From there we headed to the main mall for lunch because it was rumored the food court was amazing, it did not disappoint! We found Taco Bell, Sbarro and Subway all with their own “Indian twist”. After eating and lounging at an outdoor coffee shop for a while we decided to walk to the Bangalore Palace and see what it was all about.

When we reached the Palace after about 45 minutes of walking we made it to the Palace grounds. Now this palace is actually more of a castle and was built to look like some massive royal palace in England, which I cannot remember the name of. Evidently the palace is still inhabited by the original family that built it but it now serves as an event center that has hosted concerts by the Rolling Stones and some other big name bands. It is also a popular wedding spot for the wealthy of Bangalore. When we arrived they were setting up for a huge wedding. There must have been 2,000 seats at a minimum with crazy purple and green decorations with the usual gold gaudiness that accompanies every wedding here.






It was several hundred rupees to go through the Palace so we opted for a few photos out front and then headed off towards more good food and relaxation.

As we walked away a rickshaw driver literally followed as we walked the several hundred yards to the front gate bugging us the whole time about giving us a ride. Here they seriously get in your face when they think you should use their service or buy their product. It gets really old, really fast…We finally got rid of him and found a rickshaw driver who said he would give us a “free” ride if we stopped by one shop with him so he could get his gas card. Since we made sure it was only going to be one shop before leaving, we hopped on and headed to the shop. As we pulled up Zach and I realized this was the same shop that the other driver had taken us to earlier in the day. We were definitely busting up laughing when we walked in and trying to sheepishly hide behind Trevor, Sid, and Brooke…. It didn’t work though; they recognized us as the “twins” who hadn’t given them good luck in the morning by not buying something! And we were happy to bring them more bad luck by not buying anything again! It was actually kinda fun to walk in and already know you weren’t going to buy anything.

Once we finished with the shop, we hopped back in the rickshaw (all five of us), and headed off towards the main road and our hotel. We arrived and hopped out saying thanks for the ride since he had indeed said it was free. He immediately began telling us we had to pay but we insisted he said it was free and began walking off. At this point he was torn between leaving his rickshaw in the street and chasing us down to bargain for a price. Sid put 20 rupees on the seat and it fell off in the gutter and Sid grabbed it up again but the driver thought it was in the gutter so he went looking for it and we made our escape! He said it was a “free” ride 3 or 4 times and we weren’t going to let him go back on his word! It was an awkward but fun experience for sure!

The rest of the evening was spent wandering around the Brigade road area, eating at various restaurants and finally finding another coffee shop to play card games in. It was a super good day and nothing was better than spending it eating and seeing the sights.

Sunday we all met at our hotel and then headed in to get breakfast at our favorite restaurant/coffee shop in Bangalore! Mateo is a wonderful little café that has everything from amazing donuts to tasty pasta dishes. It also has comfy couches and chairs to sit in so we planned to plant ourselves there for the entire morning and eat and play card games. While sitting there waiting to leave for Zach and my 2 o’clock train a guy walked up to us and asked us where we were from. That happens all the time but this guy was an American and we started talking with him about where we were from and what we were doing in India, the usual questions. Turns out he was touring the world as a Watson Scholar. The Watson Grant is a grant given to graduating seniors from participating colleges and universities that allows students to travel the world for 12 months following graduating from their respective institution. The grant requires that you only visit countries you’ve never been to and also requires you to research a topic that you want to learn more about. Our new friend, Manny, was researching and studying the international Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community around the world visiting the countries of China, Australia, Brazil, India, and England. He had just arrived in Bangalore three days prior after being in London for 3 months. Did I mention that the grant gives each person $25,000 to travel the world? Also, you can’t return to the US while on this grant for entire 12 months. It sounded so amazing but WWU doesn’t offer it and I didn’t know about it until now but for all my friends who are juniors could transfer to Whitman because they are a participating school.

Anyway, it was fun to hear about Manny’s experiences so far on his 12-month trip and also talk about the struggles we’ve had while here. Zach and I left at 1 to catch our train at 2. We hopped on the train after a little difficulty finding the right platform. We still hopped on with 10 minutes to spare and settle in for the 18-hour trip back.

The weekend was absolutely amazing! It was filled with good times with amazing friends. It was really a boost after being stuck in Nuzvid for 2 months with the same scenery.

That was Bangalore and I hope that you enjoyed reading about our trip.

Blessings, J