Day 12: Goodbye Mumbai, Hello Bangalore
Trip Start
Apr 14, 2006
1
15
30
Trip End
Mar 07, 2006
Where I stayed
Bangalore, India
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Fortunately, there was no traffic and we got to the airport with time to spare. Unfortunately the flight was not on time. It was delayed by nearly an hour. And understandably Arun was getting very restless now to get to Bangalore and meet his Fiancée.
While Arun and me headed towards Bangalore, Vasee was staying back in Mumbai to explore it bit more and then he is going to Goa. We will meet him again on 1st of May in Bangalore.
Once we arrived in Bangalore there was a big surprise waiting for Arun. We had arranged a hotel pickup but waiting at the airport to receive Arun was Divya with some flowers. How sweet:) He was shocked and speechless. Also at the airport was Arun's parents and Divya's dad. It was a big re-union and shock from Arun.
We finally made it to our hotel - Royal Orchid Central. This is right in the heart of the city and close to MG Road the main street in Bangalore.
In the evening Arun and I went to Divya's house for dinner and catch up. Divya's mom is Tamil and she was happy when I spoke to her in Tamil. She likes my Lankan Tamil accent. Apparently we speak tamil with proper words unlike the South Indian Tamil which is mixed with lot of slang.
It was good to meet Arun's In-Laws. They are just like Arun's parents. Funny and cool. Arun and Divya could not be any more perfect for each other. I spoke to Divya's dad about the wedding preparations and he is bit tensed about getting everything organized in time for the wedding. I think it is all part and parcel of the celebrations. They are all very happy that I was able to make it to Arun's wedding and are very helpful in making me feel at home.
My first impression of Bangalore is very positive. Relatively speaking, compared to Delhi and Mumbai, Bangalore is clean city. The people seems to be following the road rules to some extent. But they still do not drive in their own lanes. There is definitely less honking and people sleeping on the streets.
Bangalore is the IT Capital of India so a lot of people in Bangalore must be well off or come from a middle class family. It is not as hot as Mumbai or Delhi. It rains every now and then which keeps the city cool. Nights are still warm and A/C is must unless you can get used to stuffiness that hangs in the air.
Tomorrow I have a lot of shopping to do. Bangalore is famous for its shopping, pubs, restaurants and parks. So lets see what this city got in store.
Comments
Awww
that would have been a very nice surprise for Arun, and how sweet of Divya! :)