This was our last full weekend, and everyone went off of their own to explore various parts of India...  a couple people went up to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, a few went to Ooty, the nearby hill resort, some stayed in Coimbatore, and I went up to check out Bangalore.  Bangalore is everything I'd heard it would be: modern, efficient, tech-focused, and much more Western than the other Indian cities I've seen (of course these are all relative comparisons :). 


I visited with some family friends who live in Bangalore, which was really great.  They were incredibly generous and had me to their home to meet their entire extended family, fed me amazing food, and told me all about Bangalore's history.  I also got to see my co-worker Vish, who just happened to be in Bangalore for work - a crazy coincidence!  It was pretty surreal seeing someone I know from back home here in India. 

On Sunday I visited the City Market, an amazing flower, fruit and vegetable market in the center of town, where I saw more flowers than I've ever seen in my entire life... piles and piles of them.  I'm fascinated with the big Asian markets - I could wander them forever.  And I went to see the Bull Temple, which is centered around a huge statue of Nandi Bull, of Lord Shiva, which is supposedly carved out of a single rock.  I also checked out some of the shopping areas - it was almost like being back in the States, with every high end store you can imagine - very different than Coimbatore!

Bull Temple

Only in India....