If the truth be told, there was a small part of me that was ever-so-slightly disappointed by the slick and shiny Bangalore airport, with the impressive e-Visa process, the ease of hiring a metered taxi, and the modern highway into town. This was ameliorated when we hit the thronged rush-hour traffic on the MG Road and I was able to gleefully point out to Noah how we swerved to avoid a very relaxed cow meandering across the road.

After a couple of false turns our driver finally delivered us to the Oberoi (oh, that scent of jasmine!) where we were able to use the spa to take a shower after our long journey, and laze by the pool until our room was ready.

After a day of recovering in our well-appointed room, we relaxed on the balcony watching the local birdlife, of which there was much.

Before having an early supper in the on-site Thai restaurant Rim Naam:

The next day we were somewhat recovered so hit the ‘sights’ of Bangalore via the rather impressive ‘Namma Metro’. First stop was ‘Bangalore Fort’ which turned out to have been demolished, the only remaining part is the Delhi Gate, so not that much to see really. Next door was ‘Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace’ which at least had a small museum attached to it to provide some context. Across the road there was what looked like a very modern Medical Research Institute under construction, along with the inevitable:

After a spot of lunch in a local cafe we took an auto-rickshaw to ‘Lal Bagh‘ which is a nicely laid out and well-used park and botanical garden in the middle of Bangalore, where apparently no fun is allowed:

Although suspicious topiary was rife:

And a ‘Snow White’s Cottage’ that was not frightening in the least, honest.

The Glass House was modelled after Crystal Palace in London, and was recently renovated:

…and the lake, for the most part, was clean-ish and quite pretty:

As the sun set it was time to head to the real event of the day – Indian street food at the V V Puram Street food market, just a short walk from the West Gate of the Lal Bagh.

It was already busy when we arrived:

So after watching a few locals place their orders, we dived in:

SO much good food!

Dosas, being made and being eaten!

And of course, the juice:

After eating until we were too full to walk, we managed to persuade an auto-rickshaw driver to take us all the way back to MG Road…

…where we stopped off in a local bar (the ‘Easy Tiger Bar and Cafe’) and sipped cold Bira91 while watching the world go by  (including a very surreal promotion for a new Oppo mobile phone shop!) from their verandah.

The next day was Sunday and I decided, on the advice of the hotel concierge, to join some of the locals for a jog along the Ulsoor Lake lakeside path nearby. The path was full of strollers and joggers enjoying the Sunday morning sunshine and the local rowing club were training hard!

After enjoying the hotel facilities for as long as we could we eventually had to check out as in the evening we had a late train to Hampi. To pass the time we decided to check out the opposite end of Bangalore’s foodie culture, having discovered a branch of Yauatcha in the shopping mall across the road from our hotel. Street food to Michelin-starred cuisine within 24 hours – no complaints from us!