March 20, 2015 
HIRIYUR to BANGALORE 167 Km 
High Gates Hotel 2200 Rs ($37.47) wifi, AC, breakfast & small fridge... Highly recommended...

Voda and Idly

The guys in the kitchen tried very hard to please us. They do not see many foreigners which almost always guarantees that "no spice"  means "spicy." They just don't compute that any one could possibly desire to taste whole foods without drowning each dish in strong tasting spicy sauces. In the end, the tomato & onion omelette was within our acceptable spiciness range. They don't have bread in these out of the way places so we got to sample Voda, deep fried spicy donuts, and Idly, white hockey puck size discs made of fermented black lentils. The latter is meant to be dipped in flavorful sauces that are sadly way too spicy for us.

When I look at the variety and colorful Indian dishes I truly feel bad that we cannot partake. Not only are the dishes spicy but much of it is deep fried and the heavy and rich sauces stick to the ribs . 
 
We left around 9 am and soon were back on the seamless interstate. It was as scorcher. 


Close call.....

We were zooming along, at around 70 kph, for us max speed on the luxurious 6-lane divided highway, when a herder and few cows were walking on the edge of the expressway about 100 yards in front of us. As we closed in, one of the big white Brahmas lurched across our lane with the herder tugging on its rope futilely. Dave hit the brakes, I felt the back tire slip underneath me. We were weaving and frighteningly unstable. What followed was 11 very scary seconds that seemed like minutes. I was convinced we were going down. I must credit Dave for miraculously keeping us upright, I don't know how he did it. But as he eased off the brakes, we came out of the side-slide and swerved into the next lane, a meter or two in front of the big boy. We zoomed by safely. We must have still been going about 40 or 50 kph. There would have been zero chance of stopping before plowing broadside into the cow, if we hadn't been able to change our line. Luckily, the herder saw what was happening and was able to stop his cow from going further into traffic and turned him back. I was so shook up, I felt like puking. We must have that animal magnetism, first a pig and now almost a cow. 
 
 
My nerves were frazzled. I always dread getting into a big city with its mad and chaotic traffic. In fact, after our cow episode, I was ready to hail a taxi to get to the center. It turns out that Bangalore traffic was not too bad at all. Broad shaded roads led into the center past parks, ponds and a beautifully groomed golf course. Traffic behavior was somewhat predictable. 
 
 
High Gates

A couple in Hampi had recommended the High Gates Hotel on Church Street. We readily found the place. They had negotiated a long stay discount and we just told the manager we wanted their room and discount. He first said okay but without the breakfast buffet, then threw in breakfast too. The hotel has a great location, western standards, a small fridge in our spacious room and an electric kettle, which makes making our filter coffee a cinch. It will be a great spot to call home for a week or so.


 
 
March 21st to 27th - BENGALORE 

Livable Bangalore
 
Bangalore is touted as a very livable city. A magnet for Indian retirees, I read. And we can see why. A fair amount of green spaces but even here the concept of sidewalks seems to be lost at city planning. Pedestrians are too often forced to share the roads motorists, a terrifying and dangerous situation. The modern Metro is a work in process only a section of 5 stations is currently operating. Once completed, it will alleviate the bulk of the traffic congestion plaguing the roads at rush hour. 

 
Krishnarajendra Flower Market

The heat doesn't motivate us to do much sightseeing but we did venture out to see the Krishnarajendra market and the nearby mosque, Jama Masjid. The flower section of the market is most interesting to me with its endless meters of flower petal garlands coiled neatly in big colorful piles and the huge bins of nothing but petals that people buy by the kilo.
   
Woman all over India love their flowers in their hair. Flowers are mostly sold in garlands or just the petals or heads of flowers. I wondered where these super perishables come from when we saw so much arid land where precious water was used sparingly for staples like corn, rice, sugar cane, potatoes etc. 
 

Escape from Veg Ville
 
 
8.6 million people, a relatively cool climate much of the year because it is at 900 meters (3,000 ft), and is known as the Silicon Valley of India. It is striving to build its international status. For us, a relatively modern city like Bangalore, gives us a chance to find good food other than vegetarian.

Hard Rock Cafe is a few minutes from our hotel. Our favorite foreign themed restaurants in India;  Chili's and Papa John's Pizza are located a bit further from us. We went to two different Chili's in three visits. Yumm .....