Actually, one's a city. The other is a village gone bad.
So here's what it's like when you move from Bombay to Bangalore:
In Bombay, my life revolved around train timings.
In Bangalore, it revolves around bus timings.
In Bombay, I traveled an hour to work each day.
In Bangalore, I still travel an hour to work each day.
In Bombay, things work. Autos follow meters, cops help when they try to gyp you, people are uninterfering and genuinely helpful when you ask for assistance.
In Bangalore, nothing - not one thing - works. Autos try to con you constantly, meters are for decoration only, and cops run away when you ask for help - if they're there to begin with.
In Bombay, the flyovers have already been built.
In Bangalore, they're being built... resulting in endless traffic on narrow, crowded roads.
But but but... oh, the weather. Awesome. Windy, cloudy, maximum temperature of only around 28 degrees C, perfect for tea and conversation and perhaps some Scrabble and definitely some cuddling-up-with-a-good-book-and-a-cup-of-steaming-hot-chocolate. You know?
So now that we've covered that bit, here's a quick update:
1. Quit job.
2. Had pleasant day dealing with movers and packers, ending with my throwing a fit at the way they were trying to pack my music, which in turn has probably resulted in their unloading my cartons at top speed (R17) from the maximum possible height.
3. Said tearful-cheerful goodbyes to Bombay - Bandstand in the evening and Colaba any time of day or night, Leopold's for a last chilli beef and coffee, my favourite Tibetan restaurant in Juhu for atmosphere and delectable food, last drinks with friends.
4. Flew around the country - Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore in the span of a month. And tried out Spicejet and Kingfisher - which, added to my earlier experience on Air Deccan, now makes me the country's fore-most expert on which low-cost airline to take. A post on that soon!
And of course, Kraz and Maverick have tagged me for movies and books, and I need to respond to those, so that too will happen soon.
Watch this space!
4 comments:
Yeah the weather in Bangalore is probably it's only saving grace right now - the traffic and crowds have grown to intolerable proportions! Must be a rude shock returning after 4 years, to see the Frankenstein Bangalore is turning out to be. :)
Coming for the AIESEC Alumni Congress in Agra in early September?
Send/sms me your new number - ronald.philip@ge.com or 0-98117-31207.
Take care. Cheers
Hola Progga
As another ex-Mumbaiiyite now Bangalorean i echo ur sentiments !(Tho' bus timings dont matter to me here and i just spend 13 minutes commuting 6 km to office zipping thru Ring road)
The B'lore weather !! there's just no place better weatherwise. U'd wish they'do something abt the roads tho
Read my take on that subj below
http://o3.indiatimes.com/jonagil/archive/2005/05/12/114431.aspx
btw Leopolds, Mondys...Bandstand at 3 am all strikes a nostalgic chord. Need to see if i can get a low cost airline tkt and just make a trip for the heck of it
(advise plzz)
Flaash,
Based on my extensive experience with da low-cost carriers, I recommend Air Deccan for price and absolutely no frills, and Kingfisher for some frills and some good jazz inflight. And Yana Gupta demonstrating the pre-takeoff security procedures, if you're so inclined!
If its Yana who demonstrates i wonder if anyone will remembr any instructions,...duhh wot did she say ??
Who cares?..Kingfisher it will be!
Alas no free beer!
Neway have a gr88 time in NJ and sometime do visit my blog too
cheers
flaash
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