Markets of Bangalore

KR market is one of the largest markets in Bangalore. Past these gates you can find everything from gold jewelry and textbooks on engineering to fresh mangos and silk saris. 

Places where people shop

Places where people eat

Places where people work

Places where people live

These are the places that define the city

And these are the places that give life to the city

Most of the fruit and vegetable vendors at KR are located outside and sell off tarps and underneath umbrellas

Should you, while on your travels happen through Bangalore, prepare your body. The markets are alive, the jasmine at the flower stands is as fresh as the cow dung on the street, and the smells are just as you would imagine. You'll hear children crying, fruit merchants sceaming their prices, rickshaws honking their way through crowds of people, and a cow mooing on the sidewalk. You'll see every color in the rainbow and the millions of others that aren't in the rainbow, unless of course if you're colorblind. You'll see more people than you could ever imagine and everyone loves staring at eachother.

The flower bazaar at KR is renowned throughout the states as the go to place to get the freshest flowers. From marigolds and roses to jasmine and orchids, they can all be found in one place. 

KR market on a not so busy afternoon

Commercial Street Market on the night before Eid. There wasn't even space to walk around.  

​However this is entirely dependent on what type of market you visit. India has shown itself to be both an extremely developed place at times, as well as a place where millions of people don't have clean drinking water.  This means that India is home to both some of the worlds largest open markets like KR Market as well hi-fi shopping Malls that have marble floors and big air conditioned cinemas. ​

Mantri Mall on a Saturday evening. Notice how there are much fewer people than KR or Comercial. 

On this trip I've been priveleged enough to see both of these spaces and I must say that they are both spectacular in their own ways. Both the markets and malls are impressive in their own rights, yet they demonstrate a larger more complex issue in India, the massive wealth disparity. I'll speak more on this in another post but for now please enjoy some pictures I took. ​

A-1 Best Bangalore Traffic Pro Tips 2K15

Pro trip #1

To avoid traffic, try traveling at 3 am like I did. However, KT our driver who drove us from the airport our first night was kinda sleepy while driving.  It was nice that the no on was on the road so it's was fine with us driving in the middle of the road. Also no respectable places are open at 3 am, so keep that in mind. 

Pro tip #2 

Rickshaws are these little yellow & green go carts that propel people through the city. These can be both your best and worst friend. They are everywhere and they can get you around on ge cheap. However make sure your Rick puts the meter on, or you'll be sure to get overcharged for your ride. 

Pro tip #3

In India a road could have two lanes, but there will always be atleast four lanes of traffic.  

Cars are nice to have in Bangalore. You can sit on a comfy seat, have AC, possibly even a cassette player, and not to forget a huge metal cage protecting your body in the case of an accident. Granted, I haven't seen any accidents not because Indian are safe driver, but because drivers in India will do anything to avoid other cars to make sure their car won't get hit. This includes but is not limited too; driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, honking like no tomorrow, and flashing their high beams. 

I've also noticed that many drivers in India turn their cars off in traffic. Upon further inquiry ( I asked a rickshaw driver), I learned that Indian drivers aren't so much concerned for the environment as they are concerned for their pocket books. Turning the car off helps them save gas, which helps them save money.  

Pro tip #4

High Grounds Traffic Police Headquarters in Bangalore.  

If you happen to find yourself in India for an extended period of time you should consider getting at scooter or motorcycle. They are small and can fit in between cars on the road, they are fuel efficient, and you can park them pretty much anywhere! 

A note about parking, most folks park their scooters and bikes on the sidewalks while they run into a shop or get something from a street vendor. However, if you leave your scooter unattended for an extended period of time the traffic police will come by and tow you. They take them to the High Grounds Traffic Police Station and you have to pay to get it back, I took a picture of all the folks who parked in the wrong places. 

Layover Part one

Made it to Dubai, it took 20 hours of being locked up next to an old guy who smelled like cabbage inside a flying metal tube. 

Found a garden in DXB with the fam  

Reasons why three hour layovers suck

1. You can't really leave the airport to go explore the city
2. You're frantically searching for your gate so you don't miss your flight, and are stranded in a foreign country. 
3. You're groggy, smelly, tired, haven't had a good meal and you can't bathe yourself in an airport sink and you can justify spending $5 million at the airport McDonalds or  Starbucks to buy food and drinks. 

Reasns why three hour layovers at DXB suck   

1. The airport is literally in the middle of the dessert. You can't leave because, well first off you only have three hours and secondly people get lost and die in the dessert. 
2. Emirates is a great airline but the only one that really operates at DXB, and the whole airport is just empty all the time. It's a ghost town in there.  
3. DXB was the most opulent airport I've ever been too. Everything is shiny and spotless, there are massive indoor waterfalls and gardens, but there is honestly no one in this whole airport.
4. It's scary as all heck because all the airport employees are always smiling and trying to sell me Gucci handbags and gold plated cellphones. 

Some final thoughts  

Dubai is probably a great country will cool people, but I didn't see that. All I saw was their gold plated and tinsel covered airport that was devoid of any sort of human activity.  As my connecting flight to Bangalore neared Indian people started to materialize out of thin air, I took a picture because I couldn't believe it!  Seeing people again reminded me that maybe I wasn't going crazy over the past three hours walking around, and that I still had another 4 hour flight to look forward too. 

Who knew there would be Indian people in an airport that took people to India! 

Rolled Up Undies

Here's the Deal

I'll be in India for the next 48 days.  One month in Bangalore and two weeks in Chandigarh.  It struck me a few days ago that I would have to carry my clothes in a suitcase for that time period because, well I won't be home.  It also struck me that that I can't carry 48 days worth of clothes because partly I would need three suitcases, and although I work out regularly I don't want to be carrying those three suitcases around everywhere. 

The Solution

Rolled up Undies.  One suitcase filled to the brim with little clothes logs (clothes rolled into the long little cylindrical shapes that resemble logs in certain lighting situations).  I didn't post pictures, but I'll let your imagination do most of the work here.  I'm quite a fan of boxer briefs because I like how they hug my body.  I won't tell you what brand I use because, well they don't sponsor me, and who knows maybe this post will become wildly popular and I'll move to LA. 

Tips

• Keep your rolls tight (otherwise your undies will unravel in the suitcase)
• Pack the rolls tight next to each other (otherwise your undies will unravel in the suitcase)
• Pack enough undies so you won't have to do laundry for 48 days. 

I'm really hoping this don't lose my suitcase