I am writing this report in the apartment at 11:30 Tuesday night. I cannot believe that I have been here for less than 24 hours, because so much has happened. The flight over was very smooth; Club class is a really good way to fly, with beds that go flat so that I got a proper sleep. The food was also good with variety, which meant that I was ok even though I had not booked a vegetarian meal. The flight also arrived 20 minutes early.
Arrival was the complete opposite, with my driver being over an hour late. Consequently, I kept being accosted by people offering taxis and hotels; all of which I steadfastly refused. It did not help that I did not have a contact number or an address so had no choice but to wait. I also saw the other side of Indian behaviour, with a local man seeing that I was waiting and offering me the use of his mobile to try to call my driver. I stayed talking to him for over half an hour while he waited for the people that he was collecting. I felt much safer with a local. After he left, I met a guy from Wood Green who teaches in Bangalore. He was returning from his Xmas vacation and will be out here until August. We stayed together until my driver turned up.
Everybody rushes to do a little something just to get money out of you – the one dollar bills came in handy for that – I just stopped myself giving one of them the $100 bill by mistake. Worse came when we arrived at the complex and nobody would let the driver in. We went to about 6 gates before we finally got in. The driver did not speak enough English to explain what was going on, which certainly did not help. So by now its 7am, light and I have just got to my apartment. The boy is friendly and willing but speaks no English at all. Luckily, his mate from next door speaks a little, so I communicate via him if necessary.
Valerie, you will be impressed that I unpacked everything before going to bed. The clothes travelled well although I found that the wheel of the smaller suitcase had been smashed, so that case will probably not make the return journey. When I finally got to bed I was so tired that I could not get to sleep. I eventually dropped off for a couple of hours before I was up and ready to go to the office for midday. You can imagine the trepidation while I awaited my driver.
A pleasant surprise was that he was a different fellow, older and wiser, who speaks reasonable English. He takes no nonsense from the guards; just drives past as if he owns the place.
Bangalore Traffic rules – I will leave that for the next instalment.
I found that I knew at least half the people in the team and they have all been very welcoming. They have now planned all three of my weekends and some evenings as well. They are really friendly and hospitable.
Planned recreational activities – more to follow in other instalments.
The day at work was manic; mainly from problems in the UK. I have had hardly a moment to draw breath. I have stuck to my regimen of bottled water and teas. We have just come back from a really pleasant, authentic Indian restaurant, water and vegetarian food, where two of us dined for £4. Summarising – I’m impressed with the people but not the city (more on that in another episode).