traffic

As we were preparing to leave and gathering information from friends and family, one of the most common reflections people had about their experiences in Bangalore was about the traffic. I brushed off these warnings as just exaggeration.

well, i was wrong. yep, you heard me right...i concede. this is one of the most congested and polluted places i have been. and there doesn't seem to be any plans for making it better. the increase in indivdual wealth is so evident in this city, but the chanelling of those resources to improving the collective good seems absolutely remote from the minds of the nouveau riche.

but that said, the city is alive as ever, bustling with activity and an odd congruity of modernity and tradition. the northern part of the city where we are looking for flats to live in, is a loud diverse mix of people from all over India, where the native language of kannada is rarely heard. it is also where ex-pats tend to land as this area was once the heart of the British settlement during the colonial period and is organized much like a european city. the southern part of bangalore where most of my beloved family lives is the home of more traditional Kannada, Hindu communtities. These neighborhoods are more like strings of well developed villages and towns that have merged together boasting some of the oldest buildings and homes in the city.

it is a vibrant city of young people and i think will prove to be a perfect place for us to get comfortable. We are meeting a broker to look at flats today and hopefully we can move out of this service apartment by the end of the month. Paige is, of course, being her superstar self and easing herself into the chaos that india invariably throws at you. i can tell. it is going to be a great year.