Bangalore City

Bangalore has been a culture shock as well as an explosion of new experiences for me! The first thing you notice is the lush greenery & the numerous lakes which dot the city landscape.
Its a pleasant change from the concrete jungle up north...
While the weather is less extreme than Delhi,its frequent fluctuations leave u guessing & sneezing :)

The food..I abs have 2 write about it.Before coming to this city I didn't knowthere were upto 20-25 varieties in Dosas--wheat,daal,cucumber,cheese,chinese,palak,tomato,ghee etc!!The list stretches as far ur imagination..
Second would be the numerous "baths"..no, not the ones u take every morning:) These are usu rice/suji preparations...like Bisibela bath,Kesari bath,Kara bath,Chow Chow bath,Avalakki,Shavige bath(my personal fav).
And yes,people here can eat rice & dosas for bfast,lunch,snacks & dinner!!
There is abs no limit 2 their love for rice-- tamarind rice,lemon rice,tomato rice,puligere,pongal & the most popular-- curd rice!!
For me the most intriguing discovery has been- "Paddu" formally known as 'gundpangala' (spherical spicy idli balls served wt chutney).Fresh off the skewer,they make for a delicious snack along wt a cup of filter coffee :)
The lesser known "Dharwad Pedha"...is my preferred choice over the famous "Mysore Pak". Besides this ,there's nothing much in terms of sweets here.I have 2 say,North Indians are better in this department.

Bangalore has good bus services..esp the Vayu Vajra Volvo service to & from the Airport. I wish Mayawati would start something like this in Lucknow to improve the connectivity to Amausi Airport.
However,the city's infrastructure is in poor shape...the city looks cramped & over crowded.The roads/flyovers are narrow& traffic jams a constant menace! Even driving through short distances is a pain in Blore:(

However the best part is that you don't face Delhi-like eve teasing in buses here & hence its relatively safer to travel in buses at any time.Men usually avoid or easily vacate the "ladies seats" for female commuters(unlike their delhite counterparts).
But the autovalas..Gosh!! They're notorious for openly cheating & (frequently) attacking passengers.Even the police are not able to reign them in,despite regular media coverage of this issue.

Its a cross-culture cosmopolitan city but with a predominantly South Indian influence.Though booze flows freely here, people are quite conservative in their lifestyle.The North Indian-South Indian distinction is omni-present but not openly acknowledged by the localites.

Due to its central location,Bangalore is a traveller's paradise.There are so many places near Bangalore for weekend getaways like Mysore,Waynad,Coorg,Pondicherry,Kodaikanal etc.One can go trekking,camping,rafting...nature & history both can be experienced at their best here. Hills,forests,beaches,temples,waterfalls...the options are unlimited!!

I'm sure to explore & make the best of my days in this new city..