Silicone Valley of India

If there is one thing I have learned from being in India for a month, that is to never underestimate the diversity of its cultures and people. I went from living in a town where we got daily power outages to Banglore, the IT capital of India. This city is like no other I have seen in Asia, let alone India. The IT parks are designed in the American fashion giving you an outer body feel while you drive through the Microsoft and Yahoo buildings. The streets are filled with boutiques, coffee bars, cafes and trendy restaurants.

I want to stop in my tracks and scream out 'where the hell am I?!'.

Just kilometers away people are still riding around on bullock carts yet in this city Indians are deriving an income from calling American clients and speaking a western accent. The claim is that this is the future of India, but I refuse to acknowledge this as India at all. It is an elite bunch that seem to reside in this city, almost like the NYC of India, where you come to make all your dreams come true.

I was grateful to be couchsurfing with a native Mumbaiker who has been living in Banglore for a few years now. He knew the ins and outs when it came to where to hang, what to do. When it comes to sightseeing Banglore is definitely on the dud side. The only place worth seeing is not photograph-able from the outside (the Palace) and it was being used for a wedding at the time I visited.
Banglore is a green city though filled with parks and trees. This adds to the big city effect. It is not a city I can ever see myself living in.

I enjoyed the rides through the city with my host and having good chats while reflecting on what I have learned from being in India.
At the end of the day its not where you go that's the important part, it's definitely the people you meet and the moments you create that have a lasting effect.

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