I commute to work (when I am not working from home) and generally get around in an auto-rickshaw, a.k.a. auto (you can search for auto in India or something of the sort on YouTube to get a sense of what it's like, though I find autos in Bangalore generally more tame than the in rest of India). Since the streets in Bangalore can be confusing, you try to tell the drivers a general neighborhood. Fairly frequently, they won't take you, for example if it's too far, or if the trip takes them into the heart of traffic. Also, they may demand extra fare on top of the metered fair, which is illegal, but everyone generally accepts.
The GK office is several kilometers south of the main of Bangalore and the streets are decreasingly paved (though they were all paved at some point in time), so both my drivers so far seemed annoyed and/or demanded extra money beyond the meter because they would have to go back empty (and because I just made them take a moped with a shell on a road I would hesitate to take a 4WD car). So, my daily commute costs about $2-2.50 each way, which is more expensive than my commute in Seattle. Also, biking is not really and option for me here, given the high likelihood of me being killed. Auto rides into the city--i.e. MG Road-rich-Westerner-area usually cost 70-100 Rs, depending upon how bad traffic might be and how much fight I'm willing to put up over 25 cents. Rides home at night are 100-140 Rs.
The commute to the office takes about 40 minutes, including at least one stop for directions (though I'm getting better at identifying where the turns are). The ride home takes lest time, since my place is more in-town and by some reasonably good landmarks (though once I had a driver go to the wrong massive fancy development).
As you may have guessed, I'm in the middle of another internet and power outage, so I have time to write about really mundane things. Basically, I work until I run out of things I can accomplish or meetings I can have, write or review notes until my laptop dies or I give up on waiting.
[Time Passes]
Since the internet is still not in my home (and quite honestly, I'm about to just ditch hopes all together), I'm again in a cyber cafe--no beverages, just carrels with machines and a printer, though they let me plug in my laptop at this one, thankfully. It costs about 20-50 Rs per hour. I could go to a fancy Western Hotel and sip chai while I work, but internet access costs 1000 Rs/day, plus 45-60 minutes transit each way, plus the $5 in auto rides. I ran a speed test, and I get ~100-125 here at the ol' cyber cafe, and it's not too bad.
Interesting (well, for Britten, at least) Aside: This morning I saw a car with a "Mystery Spot" bumper sticker. I'll look for Wall Drug tomorrow.
Also, I'm officially one month in (not in India, but with GFTC), so 5 months, plus or minus any vacation I take, are left. Time flies...
3 years ago
