AFIELD

Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, is indeed a beautiful mess. Our visit last November was my first introduction to India and I must say that it wasn’t a good first impression. Blondie was there to attend a conference so, naturally, I tagged along, but I wasn’t ready for the full-frontal assault on my senses. The first thing I noticed was the traffic – millions of cars, auto-rickshaws, scooters, trucks, and buses going somewhere fast – all the while laying on their horns using them as part warning and part bat-like sonar. The second thing I noticed was that there were people everywhere. Bengaluru has a population of nearly nine million people and apparently none of them like to stay at home. Thirdly, and I say this not as an insult but more of as an observation, the city has a dire waste management issue as well as a number of other infrastructure problems, but I won’t get into all of them here. There are piles of trash of varying sizes and consistencies all over the city. Someone told me that occasionally the trash piles spontaneously combust, which must be a solid gold drag for the people who live near them. Lastly, one is never truly ready for their first encounter with a gigantic cow ambling down a crowded city sidewalk or the amount of stray street dogs giving you the stink eye – every time I encountered dogs I either felt bad, like I was sitting through one of those Sarah McLachlan animal cruelty commercials, or I felt like they were sizing me up as a possible meal. Read more