Bangalore — Part 1
I moved to Bangalore this last week, as I got an internship as a Data Scientist at one of the biggest FMCG companies in the world — ABinBev at their Growth Analytics Center in Bangalore, India.
My primary motivation for writing this series is to share my experiences in a new city as a newcomer, both in terms of living on my own for the first time in my life, and also to share what the city of Bangalore offers.
Another reason is that this series will serve as an archive for my memories here, something I can look back at in the future.
I am going to write these series every few days (depending on the content I have), and will try to keep these as detailed and fun to read as possible. If you do read through these, a big Thank you.
Let’s get started.
8th June, 3AM, New Delhi
I woke up from my brisk, 20 minute nap to get ready to leave for the airport. As my Uber arrives I say my goodbyes, and the journey begins.
The driver was an older gentleman, probably in his early 40s. He initiated the conversation by talking about the (un)construction of the flyover that has been going for what feels like a thousand years now and I tell him that I’ve seen this throughout the years, as this was the main route to my school.
He then starts telling about him, and his family and that he drives only during the night time (12 am to 9 am) because of less headache from traffic, and that way he gets to spend most the rest of the day with him family.
After about an hour, we arrive at the airport. I take out my bags bid adieu to Delhi for a couple of weeks.
The Airport
If you have never traveled via Vistara airlines, you should give it a try.
I’m 6'1" and an economy seat in most airlines is too small and uncomfortable for me in terms of leg space. Vistara has 8 seats in the front with plentiful leg space and then rest are for economy tickets which, are also good enough for a tall person like me to not feel uncomfortable in a 3 hour journey.
They also provide in-flight meals, which is nice.
Landing in Bangalore (8th June, 10 AM)
It was about 36ºC, around midnight when I left Delhi for the airport.
When the plane doors opened, I felt like I had traveled to another country.
It was about 20ºC when I came out the airport at the Uber zone, waiting for my cab to arrive. The winds were blowing fast, with dark clouds covering the sky.
The refreshing, cold winds of Bangalore, that we mostly get to experience during December in Delhi, brought an amazing sense of energy in me.
After waiting for about 20 mins, the cab arrived and I was on my way to the hotel.
The Hotel (1 PM)
I checked in to Hotel Lakeview, because it was about 3 kms from ABinBev’s GAC office, and I realized that it would be good to save up on cab expenses (I booked about 10 Uber Pool rides in the next 3 days, all for Rs. 49) while I looked for an accommodation, which I also wanted to be in a 5km radius to the office.
I didn’t plan or research about accommodation while in Delhi, because most friends and relatives told me that it’s very easy to find accommodation in Bangalore. And so I started looking for all different places online and started making a list.
Here’s something to keep in mind when you come to Bangalore to stay. It might save you a lot of hassle, time and also money.
- If you’re here to stay for a short period, say 1–2 months, find a PG. Justdial and Sulekha are the best sources for finding PGs very quickly. I called Justdial, told them the area I’m looking to stay in, and within 5 mins, I had a list of top 10 PGs with all their details. They cost about 5–10k per month, with food, but I wanted something more comfortable.
- If you’re here for atleast 6 months, only then look on Nestaway. They do have good apartments at reasonable prices, but you have to pay a month’s rent extra if you leave before 6 months. Again, not something I wanted.
- Then there are various co-living spaces. These are like PGs, but more expensive as they provide bigger, better rooms, a couple more facilities like Gym, Kitchen, etc. They also are flexible in terms of stay period and don’t have restrictions like curfews, which most PGs have.
Ulsoor Lake
My hotel was right next to Ulsoor Lake, one of the biggest and the most beautiful lakes in Bangalore. I was a 5 min walk from my hotel, and I went there after having a nice breakfast at the Hotel.
The lake has a small park-like sitting area for people to enjoy, along with some shops, making it a small picnic spot.
The HUB (Sunday, 11th June)
I got to know about The HUB, a fairly new hotel turned into a co-living space, from a colleague at the office. When I reached there, I just knew that this was the place I would finally move in to.
In comparison to the best PG I visited the days earlier, which was offering a small 2-shared room, about 6 km from my office, for 10k a month, The HUB was just better.
For about 15k a month (pricing keeps changing based on demand) for 2-sharing, the rooms are much bigger, with a TV, mini-fridge, a well built bathroom, one kitchen on each floor with all appliances, fully-automatic washing machine and, a Beautiful terrace which, when you come back from the office, will take away all day’s tiredness in a couple of minutes, with the fresh, clean and cold breezes in the evening.
After living here for 7 days, I can say with confidence that If you plan to stay for 2–3 months, and can afford to pay a little more than what you would pay for a PG, a co-living space like The HUB is a much better option.
It’s walking distance from my office, so I can save up a lot on travel expenses.
It’s in the middle of commercial street, where you can pretty much find anything, be it general stores, malls, or places to eat and drink within 2–3 kms.
Office, Day 1 (Monday, 19th June)
My first day at the office was a not an unfamiliar experience for me. The reason I got this Internship in the first place was because they organized a hackathon in February, in which me along with my friends from DTU (shoutout to Gautam Prajapati, Satwik Kansal) participated and won the 2nd Prize.
Once I reached, I met Srinidhi, the people’s manager who introduced me to my colleagues and of course, Satwik who was here for the past 2 weeks.
The office is one of the most beautiful ones I have visited, with large open spaces to work, a pantry with all kinds of coffee and tea, and a calm quite environment to work in.
Here are some photos of the office.
I left early from the office the first to setup my room, and get acquainted with the place.
The day ended with me sitting back relaxed on the terrace, eating doritos and watching a CSGO match.
And that’s the end of Part 1. Hope you liked it.
I understand this article was more like a journal than a normal piece of writing. There are just too many things happening every day, and I want to preserve these memories while they happen to me. And also share a part of them with friends and family. Thanks for reading.
