Transportation is Hard

Welcome back. Let's dive right in, shall we?? If you read my first post, you're all well aware of the delay I encountered getting here due to the Lufthansa strike. Since arriving, I've experienced some even more interesting/amazing situations with transportation.

I'm staying about 15 kilometers (approx. 10 miles) from the office I commute to every day. Because this is an official business trip, my company has hired me a driver to pick me up outside the hotel ever day at an agreed upon time, and drop me at work. He then picks me up at the end of my shift and brings me back. I'm sure this isn't cheap, but hey, it's a business trip, so they were counting on this.

Good thing I have a driver too, because the roads are crowded, and traffic is wild. I mentioned previously that my trip from airport to hotel at 2AM was a bit crazy, and that was with no traffic on the road. When my driver picks me up at 5PM, it's rush hour. School buses are out, rickshaws are out, other people commuting to/from work are out, and there are moped and small motorcycles galore. The rules of the road here basically dictate that the bigger vehicle has the right of way. It's everyone else's responsibility to navigate around them. I'm told by someone with local experience that the hierarchy of the road is basically this: elephants (haven't seen any....yet) --> trucks (like, work trucks) --> cows --> small cars --> rickshaws (golf carts acting like taxis) --> motorcycles/mopeds --> pedestrians.

So on a good day, my commute to work is maybe 40 minutes. On a busier day, it might take an hour. But usually it's somewhere in between. Most days I can't even look out the windows to watch the scenery passing by because I get so nervous for everyone out on the road. I've been here almost 2 full weeks now, and I've had multiple crazy encounters in such a short time. I have about 6 more weeks to go, so I'm not exactly sure what will happen next.

Commuter Day 1 (Wed, Sep. 12) - My first time commuting to my new 2-month office. I had made arrangements through my company before leaving Chicago that I would be picked up at 4PM for my first day (I think I mentioned before that I'm working Chicago hours...6PM to 2:30AM local time). I was told by a co-worker who just returned from India that it takes about an hour to get to RMZ Ecospace (a corporate business park in SE Bangalore) from my hotel. I gave myself extra time for day 1, just in case. A few minutes before 4PM my room rang, and the front desk informed me that my driver, Azmathulla, had arrived.

Azumath (I think that's how he pronounces it) is very professional and polite. Again, I'm treated almost like royalty, though I'm just a lowly desk-worker. He opens the door for me, closes the door for me, and calls me "sir" every time we chat. The car is small, but it is a real car...not a junky taxi or a rickshaw. So here we are weaving our way through traffic on winding roads...he could be taking me anywhere, but I have to assume that he's done this before because he asked me which location I was going to (we have 2 operations centers in Bangalore). We're cutting off motorcycles, I'm in awe of the random cows, goats, and dogs rummaging through the trash, and suddenly we skid and rear-end the Land Rover-sized vehicle in front of us.

Azumath puts it in park and hops out of the car (in the middle of crazy traffic) to discuss who is the bigger idiot in this wreck. Apparently, the other guy started to go left as the light was changing (remember, the lights are not followed closely, and left on red in India is light right on red in America). My driver was planning to go left also, but the big vehicle decided otherwise and stopped suddenly. No damage to the "Land Rover" and our car only cracked a headlight cover. The actual headlight was fine, but still. So I sat in the car while they worked it out and thought to myself, "this must be totally normal. Traffic is nuts, so obviously people get in crashes all the time." Well in any case, there was no insurance information or money exchanged. Azumath just got back in the car and we continued on our way. Other than pulling a U-turn in heavy traffic right in front of the access road to get me to work, the rest of the drive was otherwise uneventful.

Day 2 & 3 didn't have any such hiccups, but I was told by my driver and colleagues that the local city bus drivers were all on strike. Apparently they had just received a 4 or 5 percent pay raise, but they wanted more. Somehow buses on strike lead to less crowded roads, I guess. I don't know if people just stayed home, or if they all hopped in taxis instead. Either way, less buses somehow translates to less traffic...clearly, this doesn't apply in Chicago.

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week I didn't have any true traffic issues. Wednesday was the start of a traditional Indian celebration called Ganesha Chaturthi. Ganesh or Ganesha is the Hindu elephant-god. In a nutshell, the people of India will buy idols of the god and sing songs and chants specific to the festival. They keep the idol in their homes up to 10 days (or less, based on family tradition) and then they take the idol to a large body of water and submerge it. The link above gives more details, and the story is interesting if nothing else. Needless to say, it made for some good scenery on the commute with all the large, colourful (see what I did there?) Ganesha idols being sold along the road.

On Thursday, there was yet another "strike". This one was across the entire country for a recent hike in diesel prices imposed by the government. This strike was different than the bus strike from last week. In fact, this would be called a full-on protest in America, just short of a controlled riot. It was a planned event from 6AM to 6PM. Basically no cars were to be on the road during this time, and my colleagues at work told me to stay in my hotel all day. The hotel is near a stadium and some government offices in the center of Bangalore, so it is ground-zero for protesters. The hotel (and shopping mall it sits on top of) took extra precautionary measures to protect against anyone who might be inclined to throw rocks if the strike escalated.

From the local paper. A protective net draped over my hotel.

Finally, I've never really ridden a motorcycle. I rode a dirt bike around on some country roads in Nebraska at a friend's house one summer, but that's it. Until today. My company sponsored a weekend tournament for soccer (futbol) and throwball. The guys I've been working with on this training project invited me to come out, and of course I want to see more of the city and experience life outside my hotel room. Friday afternoon at work, Sai and Aravinda agreed that it would be best for Sai to pick me up and give me a ride to the fields on his "motorbike" (they are just not as suped-up as American crotch rockets or Harley's). Luckily everything went fine. No crashes, no falling off the bike, but I think my boss and girlfriend will both not be thrilled when they read this. I'm okay ladies! It was a little nerve wracking knowing that I was now on the low-end of the road hierarchy. Morning traffic wasn't bad, and Sai said he would take it easy, so I'm sure that helped. But I still am not comfortable with the constant beeping of cars and other vehicles alerting you that they are coming up beside you, so don't make any sudden moves.

My new team in India. L to R: Aravinda, Sandesh, Jayanth, Saicharan, and Sooraj.

That's all I've got for today. I'll keep posting these about once a week if I can. I usually have more time on the weekends, obviously. Hoping to get out and get some local photos and give you a quick run-down on the food lingo next week.

Take care!

Week 1 Down, 7(ish) to go

Hello from Bangalore!

Sorry I haven't blogged sooner. The long trip, time change, and working at night has really thrown my scheduling for a loop. I'm trying to make time to talk to people back home as well, and it's still all very new to me.

I departed Chicago on Monday afternoon for O'Hare airport. Rode the #77 bus from my place to Kuma's Corner for my final meal in Chicago for 2 months. (If you don't know by now, Kuma's is my go-to spot in the Chi.) I got the burger of the month: Black September. This burger is topped with braised goat, spinach, a black garlic sauce, and a rosemary(?) funnel cake. Goat was chewy, but the spinach and garlic added some amazing flavors. Washed it all down with a 3 Floyds Alpha King, and for a minute I was tempted to stay.

Yes, that is awesomeness oozing out onto the pretzel roll.

I hopped in a cab, and planned to arrive at O'Hare a little more than 2 hours early. I was under the impression international flights required a little added time for check-ins. Such was not the case. I flew business class (thanks company!) and got to skip the line....which was only one other couple in front of me at that moment. Security was fast. I guess Monday afternoon is not a busy time. So I was at my gate in about 20 minutes. Also, this was my opportunity to check out those secret lounges for "members only" in the airports. Let me tell you, the hype is justified. Free Espresso machine, Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, fruit, bottled water, soda, etc....just a free snack lounge with free Wi-Fi basically. So I guess it was still worth it to go 2+ hours early, but had I not just eaten the behemoth above, I would have definitely indulged more at the airport.

The flight from O'Hare to Frankfurt, Germany went by pretty quickly. This was my first time on a Boeing 747, I think. I've flown many times before, but I usually end up on the planes that are one aisle down the middle with 3 seats on each side, if not smaller. It was certainly the first time where flying business class meant more than a free drink and a seat near the front. That was part of it, but the luxury came in the form of fully reclining seats (not my pic). The trek to Germany was about 8.5 hours. They dimmed the lights, and most passengers slept a good portion of the trip. I watched movies instead of sleeping. MIB 3 (meh), Battleship (bad but entertaining), and Moonrise Kingdom (typical Wes Anderson, whom I enjoy). The one nervous moment was hitting some heavy turbulence (the pilot later said there were wind gusts of 250 miles per hour...yikes!) over the Atlantic Ocean.

On arrival in Germany, I had to change terminals. In doing so, I had to pass through security again. This was much slower than O'Hare. Lots of people leaving Frankfurt on Tuesday morning. I finally made it to my gate and again hit up the member's lounge. More free noms like espresso, fruit, water, etc. But at the Frankfurt airport they also had frankfurters (I know, right?) and sauerkraut, pastries (it was breakfast time, locally), and beer on tap! Since my clock was feeling midnight, I had a dog and a brew. I crashed out for about 2 hours in their sleeping quarters/quiet room before finally boarding my flight to Bangalore.

This time I slept most of the trip, only waking up occasionally to eat the airline meal service. It was actually pretty tasty, for "airplane food." You can check out the photos on my Facebook page. Getting through customs went pretty smoothly. I had to wait a bit for my bags, but no big deal there either. Then, the fun began.

As I started pushing the baggage cart out of the airport, I knew to watch for "my driver" who had been prearranged by my company. He was to be holding a sign with my name on it. Immediately upon exiting the secure area, I was approached consecutively by various tax drivers asking if I need a ride or help with my things. Living and working in Chicago for 5 years has given me thick enough skin to ignore panhandlers, so I basically used the same tactics and walked past everyone. Luckily, as soon as I exited the airport and hit the sidewalk, my driver was front and center. I say luckily, because there were easily 100 men holding signs with names and companies printed on them.

It was now after 1 AM local time, and traffic was almost nil for the drive to my hotel, and that's a very good thing. For one thing, in India they drive on the left, which is a strange feeling the first time you do it. Accordingly, everything happens opposite to what you'd expect in America. A left turn happens quickly and effortlessly, just as we would a right-hand turn in America. Also, they pass on the right, typically. These things take a little getting used to if you haven't spent time in Great Britain, etc. Additionally, they use their bright lights and horn to signal they are passing someone (as opposed to a turn signal) because lanes are basically a suggestion. In some cases, so are traffic lights. Every time we barreled through an intersection, I half-expected to be side-swiped by another vehicle.

The culture shock wasn't bad, as I've seen a few movies depicting the Indian lifestyle and crowded populations and had been told it was mostly accurate. Indeed, the streets are often lined with garbage. Sidewalks are broken up in many places, and the houses and shops all run together with the occasional temple/shrine thrown in between. Most are adobe brick or stucco houses with ribbed metal doors and windows. 4 out of 5 buildings look to be under construction. Basically, it's very dilapidated. My hotel is quite the opposite.

I have so much more I can tell, but this post is already dragging on. Suffice it to say, I still haven't told you or showed you much about my day-to-day life. But don't worry. I have at least 7 more full weeks to take pictures, record videos, and tell you stories. Believe me, there are many good stories to come, and I want to keep you interested and coming back for more ;)

For now, I will leave you with another video.....this is also very real, but varies from person to person. Already plenty of first-hand experience here to back it up, tho I cannot verify the brief history lesson at the beginning. Some of the other search results were a little more condescending, so hopefully no one takes offense to this as none is meant.