The Bangalore Streets

There is a garbage problem in Bangalore. There is too much of it, everywhere (and no recycling!!). That is a man in the distance, picking through it. For what? Your guess is as good as mine.



Here is a garbage truck but it's hard to say whether they were dumping garbage from the streets into the truck or from the truck into the street. I watched the men for about another five minutes trying to figure out exactly what they were doing but I still walked away unsure.




In this clip, hopefully, you can hear the voice from the mosque. I don't know what they are saying but hearing this on a Friday afternoon is pretty typical. As you will see, across the street from the mosque is a Hindu temple. There is a good mix of Hindus, Muslims and even some Christians here in Bangalore. They all peacefully co-exist.



Here is another larger and more ornate temple, just a block or so away.




But my personal favorite is this temple again, just a few feet down the same road. Temples are everywhere. Extra credit for whoever can name the god...


This is another colorful temple in the middle of a busier section of town.



This next clip is coming back toward our apartment complex. These shacks are on the same road as our high-rise. There is a pig farm down the side street (that is empty in this clip). We hear them in the mornings and around 5 pm - squealing and screeching. I've seen them a couple of times all herded into the streets but unfortunately (or fortunately) didn't see them when I was taping.



On the same street, I attracted the attention of this man who was eager to show off his daughter. I didn't want to linger too long because sometimes people like to insist they should get a payment or "donation" for offering themselves or their children to appear on film. Before he could ask, I moved on. Maybe he thought I was some filmmaker who would make her rich.


One thing I thought for sure I would see, as they really are everywhere, is a cow in the street. But here is a picture of one on the street outside our apartment.




And if you're interested this is what the inside of the auto rickshaws look like. They were putting a new roof on it this day. They are tightening it up front.



This gentleman (the statue not the man polishing it), should look familiar. This was just before his birthday, a national holiday here, in October.


Gandhi sits at the end of MG Road (named in his honor). MG Road, which consists mostly of shops and restaurants, is one of the main "tourist" areas in Bangalore and is always packed. (Although, I should mention that Bangalore isn't really a tourist town. In terms of "sites" that would attract first time visitors to India, there aren't really any.) The picture on the left is MG Road and the one on the right is across the street.



Hope your year is going well! Questions/comments are welcomed!