Bengluru
Finally down south!
Bengluru was a 3 hour plane ride from Jaipur, and we were very much sad to say goodbye to north..but so happy to see sunshine and take off the layers!
Bengluru was one of the cleanest cities in India, and a bit flashy too! Arriving it was a total twist from up north. There were bars, brewery’s, cafes selling wine, and a variety of western stores just in the airport.
We arrived at midnight- and hopped in a 3 hour Uber over to HSR.. where our Airbnb was! Unexpectedly, there was not as much noise from the horns of taxis that filled the streets and alleys up north. There were cars staying in their lanes as we exited the airport, were we still in India?
We stayed at a place called Homigos. It was exactly what we paid for, very simple, shower bed, kitchenette, and sofa. It was cozy.. We cleaned, and put our favorites in the fridge from the local grocery store, it turned out satisfying! It was our first time having a fridge and stove since being in India, and we were anxious to cook! As we went to the grocery store old memories of living on Paros Island,Greece came back. Where it’s mandatory you bring your own bags, or else you must pay for them. If only America could force people to do so! It’s therapeutic going to the grocery store.. scanning the shelf, pulling every unknown object off and reading the label. A foreign object in one hand, cellphone in another googling all the unknown words.. I think it’s an important aspect of understanding the culture, what’s in the grocery store. It says a lot about what the local people keep in their household. I was in spice heaven viewing all the common Ayurvedic herbs on the shelves. Johan threw what he thought was "salt"in the cart- turns out it was MSG! We didn’t know until till I put it on a cucumber and was like.. uhh this doesn’t taste like salt. First time, I had ever poisoned myself!
Fresh Papaya, oranges, banana, watermelon, pineapple.. made our way into our cart.. we stopped to get fruit almost everyday! It was so fresh, and shocking how affordable it is. I found lovely Ayurvedic Products at the store- also available on amazon if anyone wants to know about them.. Iv been using for about 2 weeks now, and see magnificent glow in my face or it could be all the papaya.. maybe all the pranayama.. fresh Indian spices.. or an indian glow!
Cubbon Park
The Garden City of India the Green City- Bengluru! The parks are beautiful! Filled with huge trees.. that are hundreds of years old.. silk trees. The roots.. so breathe taking! We enjoyed the street corn..we both sat on his skateboard eating it.. nostalgic about it now. One wasn’t enough, we went back for seconds!
Side Note- The cops in Begalure were very cutely dressed. They all wear cowboy hats and boots!
LalBagh Botanical Garden
So so beautiful.. so much effort and care put into the details of the garden. Gardeners stay all day tending to the cleanliness. You will see them peacefully sleeping on the beautiful lawn for their afternoon rest. They work hard to ensure everything is alive, and healthy..The trees .. Iv never seen roots so large. I like to admire all the Indian families.. I love to see how they interact, and communicate. They have different gestures toward one another.. the grandma, moms, brother, babies.. There were so many people taking pride in their country, with picture of the huge trees, and selfies with the plants. They aren’t scared to take selfies at all! I love it!
It has happened often- the most at the the garden where people will pass me their baby to take a picture with the baby. Random people.. have passed me their children and said " here take take" . The children’s moods are so different. Some babies are smiling starring at me like I’m alien.. others are screaming. One baby kept rubbing my hair and face..I wanted to kiss and squeeze him, but the family would probably think that is to much affection. They surely put a lot of trust in me with handling their precious baby. That day at the garden I held a total of 5 strangers babies. There all so cute too! So so cute!!!
Ashtanga Yoga Sadham- Yoga is for everyone.
Nitesh Batra is the teacher & owner. Do you ever have someone stand out to you so much you’ll remember them forever? He’s one of those people. During the practice his energy is just so bright, and calming.. he naturally makes you become more mindful in every asana. Johan and I are in completely different places in our practice, and Nitesh cared to help each of us in our own particular manner with compassion. We were only able to practice with him for 4 days, our time went by too fast. I felt very sad to leave..but undoubtedly I will be returning to learn from him my next visit. Namaste Mr. Batra.
Cave Skate Park
Another one of our daily hangout spots, Cave Skatepark. It is a DIY spot, with a lot to play around with! The artwork was very detailed, I admired it. Johan could say more about the skating architecture. There’s a very cute dog who hangs out at Cave Skatepark Bamboo.. she’s the skatepark queen. I learned she doesn’t like cashews, so I made her a flower crown instead. Another skate park, not a DIY spot, is PLAY- they have two pools.. rails, and a half pipe!
I like watch johan connect with his passion. To watch his fearlessness of dropping into a deep empty pool of concrete, and make it out so graceful. It’s a gift. No matter how many times you fall on concrete... you get back up and try it again. His flame is bright, his mental & physical energy he places into those moments on the board.. it’s a talent. He has a particular smile he makes when he lands a trick he has been working on for a while! It’s a extra bright one! I think Skating will always be his first love..
We went to some really good places to eat. I love Indian food, and their was such a variety, modern, authentic traditional, Chinese, Indonesian.. the city is filled with such diversity of culture, and it’s expressed through their cuisines. We visited so many lovely cafes! My favorite place was Leela Palace-fancy.. but it’s just so beautiful.. We went to just grab a tea, unknowing how luxurious the palace was.. their media really downplays how posh it is. Here we are..walking into the most beautiful hotel in Bengluru..wearing clothes we had been wearing all day at the skatepark. We weren’t too underdressed, so why not? We sat. I felt like I was in a fairytale? We had a fancy dinner outside.. enjoying each other. We cheers with glass of wine, and indulged in the peaceful moments we had. It was relaxing.. I may have drifted off a few times imagining what it may be like to stay there.
Shiva Temple
A new temple built in 1995, to honor the God Shiva.. The people at the temple make sure you are very much involved in honoring Shiva, and understanding all the Gods of India. It was very modern. We enjoy the older temples more, a bit more authentic to the culture, but it was still a beautiful experience. If you are reading my blog, you probably know me. I went to school for anthropology, and it is taken seriously not to put opinion or judgement upon other cultures. Everyone should do this daily with religion ( as long as it isn’t conflicting harm upon others). Religion is beautiful. When people have a faith, it gives them a sense of purpose in life, to be better, to do better, to love more and live a honest happy life. I love visiting the temples, rituals passed down from century’s, and still practiced today. There is so much color in the Hindu culture. The offerings of flowers, coconuts, money, and bananas. The flower smell promotes a sense of calmness to the mind. We touch flames to our eyes to our hearts, to activate our senses.The Tilak ( red dot) is believed to prevent the loss of "energy", ‘kumkum’ between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. The hindu religion is very peaceful.
Bengluru was a beautiful city, a twist of modern style, arrangement of activities, and sincere people. The atmosphere was clean ( besides the inevitable pollution) the people were friendly, and the yoga shala felt like home. It was a stay I won’t forget.
Bengluru was a 3 hour plane ride from Jaipur, and we were very much sad to say goodbye to north..but so happy to see sunshine and take off the layers!
Bengluru was one of the cleanest cities in India, and a bit flashy too! Arriving it was a total twist from up north. There were bars, brewery’s, cafes selling wine, and a variety of western stores just in the airport.
We arrived at midnight- and hopped in a 3 hour Uber over to HSR.. where our Airbnb was! Unexpectedly, there was not as much noise from the horns of taxis that filled the streets and alleys up north. There were cars staying in their lanes as we exited the airport, were we still in India?
We stayed at a place called Homigos. It was exactly what we paid for, very simple, shower bed, kitchenette, and sofa. It was cozy.. We cleaned, and put our favorites in the fridge from the local grocery store, it turned out satisfying! It was our first time having a fridge and stove since being in India, and we were anxious to cook! As we went to the grocery store old memories of living on Paros Island,Greece came back. Where it’s mandatory you bring your own bags, or else you must pay for them. If only America could force people to do so! It’s therapeutic going to the grocery store.. scanning the shelf, pulling every unknown object off and reading the label. A foreign object in one hand, cellphone in another googling all the unknown words.. I think it’s an important aspect of understanding the culture, what’s in the grocery store. It says a lot about what the local people keep in their household. I was in spice heaven viewing all the common Ayurvedic herbs on the shelves. Johan threw what he thought was "salt"in the cart- turns out it was MSG! We didn’t know until till I put it on a cucumber and was like.. uhh this doesn’t taste like salt. First time, I had ever poisoned myself!
Fresh Papaya, oranges, banana, watermelon, pineapple.. made our way into our cart.. we stopped to get fruit almost everyday! It was so fresh, and shocking how affordable it is. I found lovely Ayurvedic Products at the store- also available on amazon if anyone wants to know about them.. Iv been using for about 2 weeks now, and see magnificent glow in my face or it could be all the papaya.. maybe all the pranayama.. fresh Indian spices.. or an indian glow!
Cubbon Park
The Garden City of India the Green City- Bengluru! The parks are beautiful! Filled with huge trees.. that are hundreds of years old.. silk trees. The roots.. so breathe taking! We enjoyed the street corn..we both sat on his skateboard eating it.. nostalgic about it now. One wasn’t enough, we went back for seconds!
Side Note- The cops in Begalure were very cutely dressed. They all wear cowboy hats and boots!
LalBagh Botanical Garden
So so beautiful.. so much effort and care put into the details of the garden. Gardeners stay all day tending to the cleanliness. You will see them peacefully sleeping on the beautiful lawn for their afternoon rest. They work hard to ensure everything is alive, and healthy..The trees .. Iv never seen roots so large. I like to admire all the Indian families.. I love to see how they interact, and communicate. They have different gestures toward one another.. the grandma, moms, brother, babies.. There were so many people taking pride in their country, with picture of the huge trees, and selfies with the plants. They aren’t scared to take selfies at all! I love it!
It has happened often- the most at the the garden where people will pass me their baby to take a picture with the baby. Random people.. have passed me their children and said " here take take" . The children’s moods are so different. Some babies are smiling starring at me like I’m alien.. others are screaming. One baby kept rubbing my hair and face..I wanted to kiss and squeeze him, but the family would probably think that is to much affection. They surely put a lot of trust in me with handling their precious baby. That day at the garden I held a total of 5 strangers babies. There all so cute too! So so cute!!!
Ashtanga Yoga Sadham- Yoga is for everyone.
Nitesh Batra is the teacher & owner. Do you ever have someone stand out to you so much you’ll remember them forever? He’s one of those people. During the practice his energy is just so bright, and calming.. he naturally makes you become more mindful in every asana. Johan and I are in completely different places in our practice, and Nitesh cared to help each of us in our own particular manner with compassion. We were only able to practice with him for 4 days, our time went by too fast. I felt very sad to leave..but undoubtedly I will be returning to learn from him my next visit. Namaste Mr. Batra.
Cave Skate Park
Another one of our daily hangout spots, Cave Skatepark. It is a DIY spot, with a lot to play around with! The artwork was very detailed, I admired it. Johan could say more about the skating architecture. There’s a very cute dog who hangs out at Cave Skatepark Bamboo.. she’s the skatepark queen. I learned she doesn’t like cashews, so I made her a flower crown instead. Another skate park, not a DIY spot, is PLAY- they have two pools.. rails, and a half pipe!
I like watch johan connect with his passion. To watch his fearlessness of dropping into a deep empty pool of concrete, and make it out so graceful. It’s a gift. No matter how many times you fall on concrete... you get back up and try it again. His flame is bright, his mental & physical energy he places into those moments on the board.. it’s a talent. He has a particular smile he makes when he lands a trick he has been working on for a while! It’s a extra bright one! I think Skating will always be his first love..
We went to some really good places to eat. I love Indian food, and their was such a variety, modern, authentic traditional, Chinese, Indonesian.. the city is filled with such diversity of culture, and it’s expressed through their cuisines. We visited so many lovely cafes! My favorite place was Leela Palace-fancy.. but it’s just so beautiful.. We went to just grab a tea, unknowing how luxurious the palace was.. their media really downplays how posh it is. Here we are..walking into the most beautiful hotel in Bengluru..wearing clothes we had been wearing all day at the skatepark. We weren’t too underdressed, so why not? We sat. I felt like I was in a fairytale? We had a fancy dinner outside.. enjoying each other. We cheers with glass of wine, and indulged in the peaceful moments we had. It was relaxing.. I may have drifted off a few times imagining what it may be like to stay there.
Shiva Temple
A new temple built in 1995, to honor the God Shiva.. The people at the temple make sure you are very much involved in honoring Shiva, and understanding all the Gods of India. It was very modern. We enjoy the older temples more, a bit more authentic to the culture, but it was still a beautiful experience. If you are reading my blog, you probably know me. I went to school for anthropology, and it is taken seriously not to put opinion or judgement upon other cultures. Everyone should do this daily with religion ( as long as it isn’t conflicting harm upon others). Religion is beautiful. When people have a faith, it gives them a sense of purpose in life, to be better, to do better, to love more and live a honest happy life. I love visiting the temples, rituals passed down from century’s, and still practiced today. There is so much color in the Hindu culture. The offerings of flowers, coconuts, money, and bananas. The flower smell promotes a sense of calmness to the mind. We touch flames to our eyes to our hearts, to activate our senses.The Tilak ( red dot) is believed to prevent the loss of "energy", ‘kumkum’ between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. The hindu religion is very peaceful.
Bengluru was a beautiful city, a twist of modern style, arrangement of activities, and sincere people. The atmosphere was clean ( besides the inevitable pollution) the people were friendly, and the yoga shala felt like home. It was a stay I won’t forget.
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