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Metallica Live in India: The Bangalore experience (Photos, videos… and a few words)

October 30th, 2011. Sunday. The big day.

Metallica Bangalore concert tickets DNA
The one band Bangalore had been waiting for over 20 years is finally in town!

We reached Palace Grounds around 2pm and the line even before the gates opened were extending outside the venue for nearly a kilometre!

Palace Grounds TV tower grey cloud Bangalore
Grey clouds did mean it was going to rain
Bangalore crowd Metallica concert
By 3pm, we managed to get in. Erm, some what.
Metallica concert crowd Palace grounds entrance
They were only allowing people in slowly and in batches, so still a lot of waiting until we were anywhere inside the actual concert area

Not that there wasn’t enough ‘entertainment’ around us. Needless to say, some in the crowd were high even before the concert. One guy climbed up a tree to get an idea of what was taking so long, which only drew cheers from the crowd. Then the crowd shouted: “JUMP! JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!”. The look on tree guy’s face was as though he faintly understood what the crowd below were chanting. When the crowd realized he wasn’t going to jump, they then shouted: “PUSSY! PUSSY! PUSSY! PUSSY!” It was freakin’ hilarious! 😀

But all order broke loose when we heard a police siren and looked back to see a police vehicle escorting a convoy of high-end SUVs. The crowd made way assuming it was the Metallica themselves making their way to the venue. The cheers gave way to resentment when the license plate of the Range Rover said ‘Member of Parliament’. After that, the mood changed to anger and abuses hurled at the convoy. (The Range Rover was driven by Rajeev Chandrasekhar)

Eventually, the calm that was maintained ended as the convoy had to pass through and the crowd gave up on being patient and just ran past the gates and towards the concert grounds. You can’t blame the organizers when MPs themselves create havoc and only care for their own interest. Not to mention abuse a police escort to come to a concert!

Fortunately, nobody was hurt. I eventually regrouped with my friends and everybody formed another big line leading up to the concert ground.

Bangalore TV tower Palace Grounds Metallica concert
I was okay missing the first two opening acts. I didn’t want to rush or be rushed.
Bangalore Metallica concert day clouds India
As long as I was inside before Biffy Clyro hit the stage

Because it rained, the grounds were muddy and even though DNA (the organizers) covered the grounds with massive green mats (of some sort), the mud was still seeping through, given how many feet were pressing down on it. Past the security check and frisking, we finally entered the grounds by 5:30pm.

The audience was divided in an ‘H’ formation and the section close to the stage was already packed with people. I had no desire to be squished, so we went to the second section and secured a spot in front of the middle screen.

Biffy Clyro opening for Metallica Bangalore
Fortunately, Biffy Clyro hadn’t taken the stage yet
Biffy Clyro opening act Bangalore rock in India
Biffy took to the stage just before 6pm and hit the audience hard with their alternative rock. It also began to rain again, but the lead singer said that it only made things better!
Biffy Clyro Bangalore concert rock in India
Even though I only knew “Mountains,” “Bubbles” and their breakthrough chart single “Many of Horror,” Biffy Clyro still played a very good set
Biffy Clyro playing Bangalore concert
The mostly shirtless Scottish band truly lived up to their reputation as one of UK’s best live acts

My phone began acting up while I recorded “Many of Horror,” and I ended up losing the video. So here’s just a little bit of “Mountains”:

Biffy Clyro left the stage by around 7pm.

Metallica concert Bangalore India crowd
It was now time for the ultimate moment

But not before the crew could sweep water off the stage, set everything up and do the usual checks. During that time, a roadie came on stage, took the mic and requested the people in the front section to go back a bit. He said they had no intentions of repeating what happened in Gurgaon (the concert in New Delhi was called off the day before because apparently the crowds pressed against the barricades too hard, causing it to break).

It took some time, which wasn’t unexpected given how many people wanted to be as close to the stage as possible — and there probably wasn’t any space at the end of the section for people to go back any further. When the roadie kept repeating “You guys aren’t helping,” those around me in my section got agitated and began jeering, with some even chanting “Delhi crowd – go back!” (No offense Northern brethren, it was only for fun)

15 minutes or so later, we were ready. The stage was set. As it neared 8pm, the lights dimmed and “Ecstasy of Gold” played on the speakers! The time had come:

After opening with “Creeping Death” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” James Hetfield got everybody fist-pumping again with “Fuel“. Metallica’s 80’s hits “Ride the Lightning” and “Fade to Black” followed.

Metallica James Hetfield screen Bangalore concert

James then asked the audience if anybody bought Metallica’s last studio album ‘Death Magnetic,’ to which a good chunk of the audience responded to with a “yeah!/yes!/yup!/illegally downloaded!/wooh!” (Hey, at least he didn’t bring up ‘St. Anger‘).

“Cyanide” from DM was succeeded by the hugely popular “Memory Remains,” which saw the crowd sing along for quite some time even after the song ended. “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” followed, after which James spoke again before going into one of Metallica’s most popular songs:

All Nightmare Long” was another song from Death Magnetic Metallica played. Then, every fan knew what came next when the lights dimmed and machine gun fire came out the speakers:

After two hugely popular numbers, the band returned to …And Justice for All with “Blackened“.

Metallica Lars Ulrich Bangalore concert

Then came the big two:

The band all waved to the fans and walked off the stage. Everybody knew the show wasn’t over, but still chanted “We want more!”

Metallica returned to the stage for the encore and paid tribute to Diamond  Head with their cover of “Am I Evil?,” from their covers album Garage Inc.

Metallica members on screen Bangalore concert

Metallica Bangalore concert crazy fan India
It was a joy to watch this North Easterner who was head-banging like crazy… and then attempted to crowd surf. Guess how that ended! 🙂

“Battery” from Master of Puppets was the second last song on the set list. James spoke some more before closing out the night with the final song — “Seek and Destroy” from Kill ‘Em All.

Metallica Bangalore concert India
Aside from our tri-colour flag, Malaysian, Croatian(!) and other flags were being waved about

The band members – James, Kirk, Lars and Rob – all came forward, waved to everybody, spoke on the mic… and then gave away a shit load of guitar picks and drum sticks!

We left the (now even muddier) grounds very satisfied after a 2 hour show.

Metallica Bangalore concert crowd leaving
The ‘Black army’ of well over 25,000 slowly leave Palace Grounds

The show did have its share of minor technical issues (DNA, I mean actual glitches). The speaker in front of us did lose sound for a song and half, and the middle screen flickered occasionally. But all-in-all, I don’t think any of us had any regrets spending Rs. 2750 ($56) to see Metallica. James Hetfield sounded amazing, Kirk Hammett’s guitar solos were jaw-dropping, Rob Trujillo is a beast on bass, and Lars Ulrich really does stand and pound the drums! Seeing all that made it well worth the wait.

Technically, the Bangalore gig wasn’t supposed to be Metallica’s first performance in India. That privilege went to Delhi as part of the inaugural F1 Rocks for the 2011 Indian Grand Prix. Some in attendance went online and stated that it was a ‘racist’ roadie who riled up the audience when the people in front wouldn’t move back from the barricades as it was giving in. Others blame the organizers for the fiasco. Watching this video, in my opinion, what ultimately nailed the coffin on the Gurgaon show were the idiots who went on stage and started trashing it!

I was really shocked on Friday night when I heard, what was to be the ‘Metallica’s first concert in India,’ was cancelled! It was embarrassing. Sure, I can talk about how much “better” the Bangalore crowd is, but at the day, the international news headlines stated “in India” — and it got a lot of international press!

Which is why I was glad the Bangalore concert was a successful one without any major issues. I don’t think anybody attending wanted to risk any chance of cancellation of the only other show in India!

But that sense of satisfaction didn’t last very long. A few days later, news broke of a few who had their belongings stolen from the venue! A Malaysian couple who came all the way just to see Metallica play apparently found out their bags were robbed of their passport and money. I can’t imagine how badly their night ended after how good a time the rest of us had!

In DNA’s defense, it was very clearly mentioned behind the ticket that bags (I’m talking about the backpack variety) are not allowed inside the venue. 99% of crowd came without bags. But the few who came with bags had to leave them at some unsecured spot which was accessible to low-life loiterers from outside who had no clue even what somebody else’s passport is worth! But at the end of the day, those who lost their valuables blamed the organizers. Naturally.

Putting myself in DNA’s shoes, I can imagine the headache of organizing a concert of such scale in India. First, there’s the logistics of it all, but the worst part is dealing with:

a) the worthless public officials from whom the organizers need to get clearances from, and you just know bribes are involved

b) the concert crowd themselves

During the show in Bangalore, there were a few idiots who climbed up the scaffolding in front of us to get a better view. Did the thought that it’s dangerous to do so ever cross their minds? Yes, they were brought down swiftly by a policeman and a DNA staff, but why do they need to be told so? After paying Rs. 2750, did they feel it entitled them to do whatever they felt like, even if it meant compromising the safety of everybody else around them?

Friends of mine (not in my group) who showed up to the venue a bit late told me after the concert how a cop manning the front section told them he wouldn’t allow them in as there were already too many people inside. So how did they manage to get past that? They paid the cop Rs. 500, and he let them get closer to the stage.

Now who are you going to blame? DNA Networks? The Metallica roadie who supposedly hurled abuses at the crowd because there were just too many people pressing up against the barricades? No point blaming the authorities when the people are no better.

There’s a reason why Metallica would be especially concerned over crowd safety. The Gurgaon incident isn’t the first ‘riot’ to ever break out at a Metallica gig. Shit has happened at Metallica gigs before, but it’s not always the band to blame. They still have to play it safe because the next day, it’s their name that makes the headlines.

In some ways, it comes with the territory. Heavy metal fans can get aggressive very easily. Mix alcohol to that, and you just make it even easier. Which is why I was glad DNA chose not to sell alcohol inside the venue despite the concert being sponsored by a vodka brand. Things could have gotten much worse if they had.

Despite the many event promoters entering the Indian gig scene, we still have a long way to go. There are still many world famous bands with a huge fanbase in India who are yet to play here (Green Day, Link Park, Bon Jovi, U2 etc, just to name a few). Sure, we may not have a venue like Madison Square Garden or an O2 Arena, but understand one thing — if we did, the tickets wouldn’t have cost Rs. 2750 ($56). India still pays far less for a ticket compared to developed markets. In some ways, I’m cool with that. I only need the band, good sound and clear screens.

I come for the music — nothing else matters.

‘Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon’ film review: Jaw-dropping… and then some

Considering I hated the second film, I had high hopes from the more darker tone the trailers gave for ‘Dark of the Moon’. Did Michael Bay succeed in redeeming himself after the silly ‘Revenge of the Fallen’? Yes… but not in every regard.

Transformers Dark of the Moon review Autobots Decepticons logo
This review will remain mostly spoiler-free

The film kicks off with the Autobots (the good guys, for those who aren’t well-versed with the Transformers franchise) who now help the US Government in international ‘human’ missions. Which in a Michael Bay movie means fighting Arab and Eastern European bad guys. I’ll let it slide.

Shia LeBeouf’s character has graduated from college and moved to the city in search of a job. He also manages to score a new super sexy girlfriend (played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), who I’ll talk about later.

Using an alternate take on the US moon missions, the story unfolds about how the ‘machines’ were a lot closer to earth than previously thought. But watching first half of the movie, I couldn’t help but get annoyed by the attempt at humour. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen sucked because of all the silliness, the stereotypical racial characters, etc. and I thought after the negative feedback, Michael Bay would have done away with it.

Not entirely. Just about every attempt at humour in ‘Dark of the Moon’ involves screaming. John Turturro and his new assistant add to the comic relief, but resort to acting psychotic and yes, shouting. It’s all a bit exaggerated and out of place when the action kicks in.

As for silly characters, while ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ had jive-talking robots, ‘Dark of the Moon’ has a bunch of blue-collar Brits. Autobots with accents… again, I’ll let it slide.

Of course, let’s just get to the main attraction — the CGI and the action. And my goodness, does ‘Dark of the Moon’ deliver on those two counts!

Michael Bay, his team of visual experts and the special effects geniuses at ILM truly outdid themselves with this film. The action is incredible! The best you’ll probably see in any film this season — and probably this year.

Even with the first film, I was amazed at the sheer amount of detail that goes into the transformation process of the robots. The details just kept getting better with each film and watching some scenes in ‘Dark of the Moon,’ I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much work went into generating every speck of dirt, shatter of glass and pieces of metal — all in CGI! I’m a bit of a geek, so yes, I notice these things.

Decepticon crushing building in Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon
I sat forward and nodded my head in disbelief (with a smile on my face) when this scene took place

I’m sure ILM re-used assets from the first two films, but I applaud the artists for their superior work in this film. There’s still a lot of ‘new’ to see in Transformers 3.

Now for the 3D part. Should you watch it in 3D or is it just a waste of money? After all, director Michael Bay himself pleaded with fans to go watch it in 3D, that too after dissing 3D a few years back.

Trust me, watch it in 3D!

It is the best 3D experience I’ve had! Transformers: Dark of the Moon proves that if you shoot a film from the ground up in 3D, with action scenes keeping in mind the 3D experience to be had, the 3D medium can be a lot of fun!

Shia LaBeouf bumblebee 3d action car chase scene
This scene had the entire audience going wild!

I usually don’t care much for the 3D version of the countless movies releasing these days because most feel like a lame excuse to charge higher ticket prices. After Avatar‘s financial success (it clearly wasn’t a good movie), Hollywood has been churning 3D movies just to cash in. Most offer nothing but the usual depth-of-field experience with the expected pop-out sequences.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon offers a whole lot for a 3D experience and justifies the higher price of admission for once.

Now your 3D experience is only going to be as good as the theatre you see it from. And for those in Bangalore, I highly recommend you watch Transformers 3 at the newly-upgraded Urvashi theatre on JC Road. It is the best 3D visual experience I’ve had! Well worth the Rs. 250 we paid for the late night show on Friday.

Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon wingsuit jumpers
The wingsuit jumpers was an awesome 3D sequence

I never went to Urvashi before because, well, I assumed it was for the ‘local’ crowd and the experience would match that. The theater is still undergoing many upgrades, from its exterior to its interior. But they have already upgraded their projector (4k resolution) and the sound system was the best! The only thing missing was that it wasn’t on IMAX, and I do hope Urvashi upgrades to a much larger screen. Because the hall of that size is perfect for IMAX. The 3D glasses were better too. Oh, and I also sat ‘balcony’ after a span of 5 years! In an age of multiplexes, I sorely missed that part of going to the cinemas 🙂

Coming back to the film: even at a length of two and half hours long, Transformers: Dark of the Moon had its (many) moments of shoddy editing. I’m sure when the film hits Blu-Ray and DVD, it’s going to be even longer — and I can’t wait for that honestly.

Shia LaBeouf Bumblebee Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Guess who's the odd one out in this picture

As for new girl, British Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley… what can I say. She is smokin’ hot. Problem is, she’s smokin’ hot in every scene, even when the scene doesn’t demand it. When everybody (including her character) is getting dirt all over their face and bodies are taking a beating, she still stands out as the ‘smokin’ hot blonde supermodel’. She feels so out-of-place in this movie. At least with Megan Fox, there was some chemistry between her and Shia LaBeouf. With Rosie, the fact that she’s Shia LaBeouf’s girlfriend is hardly believable, even for a movie! Maybe it’s her height… or her acting… but just consider her the non-CGI eye candy.

What about Michael Bay’s signature film traits? It’s all there: lens flare, tanned skin tones, saturated colour grading, plenty of slow motion, American flag waving in the wind, making the US Army look badass and of course, explosions — lots of it!

——-

One thing I’ve observed lately with Hollywood blockbusters the last few years, is the dumbing down of jokes and content to make it easily understandable to the masses. It quite obvious why the head honchos at movie studios insist on it. Major Hollywood block busters (such as the Fast & the Furious franchise) now make more money overseas than in America. So its common to see actions so simple and cliched, they’re easily understood by just about anybody in the world. But to me, it only makes the high class filmmakers look like they stooped a bit low in film making process. Oh well, with films like this, for the Hollywood studios it’s all about money.

For the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchise, they are also financially backed by toy maker (& IP rights owner) Hasbro, so its not like the filmmakers have absolute creative control.

Shockwave then and now Transformers Dark of the Moon
Shockwave - then and now (Who knew the animators would re-design the robots this drastically)

From action figures to a cartoon, a comic and then a rebirth thanks to advanced CGI, the Transformers have evolved quite a bit. Growing up, Transformers was my all-time favorite cartoon for me and my brothers. I was doubtful as to how in the world they would make a credible live action film without making it look too silly. With the first Transformers film, they delivered. They delivered silliness with the second. While the third isn’t silliness-free, Transformers Dark of the Moon delivers a megat(r)on of amazing eye candy and pure entertainment (especially when the action hits Chicago). I honestly don’t want a fourth Transformers film soon because there’s only so much Shia Laeouf screaming I can take, but I do hope Michael Bay and his team pressure the studios to give them more freedom with the plot. Because the plot in this film… oh who cares, just go and see it for the action!

My final rating: 4/5 (for pure entertainment value, otherwise a 3/5 for how ‘good’ the movie is)

Edit (02/07/2011): Saw the film for a second time today, but this time at INOX in Garuda Mall. I’ll re-iterate what I said about the 3D experience at Urvashi. Compared to Urvashi, INOX sucked! The projection was the usual dark and smudgy look and the audience showed little to no enthusiasm to the very same sames that drew loud applause yesterday at Urvashi. Urvashi’s image quality is far superior, crisper, brighter and much more clear than INOX’s multiplex offering.

Nasi Lemak AirAsia in-flight meal

Malaysia 2010: Leaving Kuala Lumpur… and about going back

Date: 4th October 2010

Today was the last day of our trip, and what a trip it has been: 3 whirlwind days in Singapore, 6 full days in Malaysia (1 day in Penang, 2 in Langkawi, and 3 in the capital city)

We woke up at a reasonable time and since I was done with all my packing yesterday itself, after breakfast I headed to Times Square just to roam about and see if there was anything I could pick up for the last time.

Berjaya Times Square shops morning closed
Unfortunately most shops were still yet to open
Berjaya Times Square shopping mall floors
Most shops only post 11am
Exclusive Nikon centre Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur
There’s a fairly big exclusive Nikon store on the ground floor

I did go around looking for camera tripods but as mentioned earlier, most shops were closed.

Once all three of us were packed and ready, we checked out of Irsia and hailed a taxi. We initially asked him to take us to KL Sentral, from where we thought of taking the monorail to the airport. Then the taxi driver offered to drive us to the airport for RM60 (Rs. 875/$20/€14). The three of us looked at each other and wondered about all the luggage we had, sighed… and then said “fine” to the taxi driver.

Taxi driving to LCCT airport with luggageRow houses villas Kuala Lumpur outskirts airport highway

Taxi driving to LCCT airport highway
The journey was nice — and long
Onwards KLCC Sepang circuit Malaysia
Sepang Circuit, home to the Malaysian F1 and MotoGP events, is close to the airport

We arrived at the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) an hour later, and were among the first to check-in for our 3:30pm flight.

LCCT plastic baggage wrapping service
First, we had to shrink wrap our IKEA boxes; cost RM30

We had pre-booked for 20kg luggage (per person) and fortunately all our luggage came just under 60kgs!

Relieved everything worked out alright, we went through customs and made our way towards the departures lounge. There is a Duty Free at the LCCT but liquor prices weren’t that great (read: cost more than Bangalore Duty Free) but you get good enough selection of international brands and chocolates. I instead went to a store selling traditional Malay sweets and snacks, and picked up tea biscuits, chips, etc. Something different for a change I thought.

We had to sit a bit longer in the boring departures lounge because our Air Asia flight was delayed by 45minutes. By the way, there is a new LCCT set to open by the end of the year.

Once it was time, we made our way in. We pre-selected our seats as myself and Ramesh were keen on window seats.

Air Asia LCCT baggage handling laptops
Even laptop makers want to cut costs on flying
Petronas stations KLIA
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is all the way there
Petronas station KLIA take off runway
In case you wanted to fill up before taking off, there’s a Petronas station here 🙂
Palm trees new LCCT construction Malaysia
We took off…
Palm tree farms near airport Malaysia from sky
… and flew over lot of palm trees
Palm tree farms near airport Malaysia from sky
Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, and you can see why
New LCCT airport construction site from sky
Guess that’s the site of the new LCCT

Selangor river from sky planeMalaysia town from sky planeSelangor Malaysia from sky planeTelok Gong Malaysia river into Malacca Strait from sky plane

Port Klang Malaysia from sky plane
Port Klang

Power station Kang Malaysia aerial viewMalacca Strait sea Malaysia from sky

Pulau Selat Kering island Malaysia from sky
Selat Kering island

Malaysia shore line aerial view from airplaneMalacca Strait aerial view from plane

Ships Malacca Strait Malaysia aerial view
Container ships making their way to Malaysia

Air Asia plane wing aerial view from skyI took a break from taking photographs to reminisce about the last few days. I guess its always sad when a holiday comes to an end, especially when you think how fast time flies by.

We began planning for this trip as early as March. Booked our flight tickets in April. Made arrangements for stay in Singapore first, since we were going during F1 weekend. We made most of our booking via Hostels.com and Hostelworld.com, with only our Langkawi booking done via Agoda.com.

We flew Tiger Airways (one way) to Singapore (which cost Rs. 4500 per person) and our Air Asia one way journey from KL to Bangalore (with 20kgs luggage and pre-booked meals)  cost us Rs. 3600 per person. All in all, this 9 day trip (10, if you include today) cost us around Rs. 36,000 ($810/€560) — that’s flight, stay, food, commuting fares, and sightseeing expenses! 🙂

I didn’t do a whole lot of shopping, so I spent the least among the three of us.

If we had gone via a packaged tour, it would have easily cost us more than Rs. 50,000 per person and I doubt we would seen all that we saw the past 9 days. Sure, we didn’t check out Sentosa Island (and Universal Studios) but that’s due to lack of time in Singapore. It was either Sentosa or the Zoo — we chose the Zoo. In Malaysia, we skipped Genting Highlands as well because it was another theme park and casino — places subsidized package tours include so that they bring in droves of tourists in hopes the tourists will spend some money.

Indonesia shores from Malaysia aerial view
Looking at the world map, I believe this was Indonesia we were flying over

Indonesia shoreline clouds from Malaysia aerial view

Indonesia from sky aerial photography AirAsiaThe long wait at the airport made me quite hungry and I was looking forward to the meal I had pre-booked. Not that I had high expectations, I was just hungry.

Nasi Lemak AirAsia in-flight meal
Microwaved Nasi Lemak for lunch. It was a bit dry, but alright.

So would I go back?

To Singapore, that’s a definite ‘yes‘! Mostly because the experience of being in Singapore during F1 weekend is just too good. The whole city really comes alive during the Grand Prix. The main lesson learnt from this Singapore visit is that 3 days isn’t enough, even for such a small city state. You can spend an entire day at the Zoo itself — go see the animals in the morning and then the Night Safari once it gets dark. You can spend an entire day at Sentosa, for which they have activities from daylight to sunset. Next time, I’m definitely going to Universal Studios Singapore.

Also, next time, I’m going to carry a lot more money. SGD$250 is enough to get by for 3 whole days in Singapore (which is what we spent on getting around, eating, some shopping, and the attractions we visited). But next time, I’ll probably triple my budget and stay for minimum 5 days. I want to have fun in Singapore!

Aerial photograph Tamil Nadu India
By now, we were flying over Mother India

Would I go back to Malaysia? Well, depends really. I felt I saw all that I needed to see and do in Langkawi. I also saw quite a bit of what I sought in Kuala Lumpur. The one place I do feel ‘incomplete’ about is Penang. Just one day in Penang was a bit of a stretch, plus I didn’t get to see what was on the other side of the bridge, which apparently has its fair share of attractions.

Funny thing though, until last year, I didn’t even know there are two ‘sides’ that make the nation of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi are all on one ‘side’ — but there is more to Malaysia, on the Borneo side.

Malaysia territories map
(Map image taken from Wikipedia)

Sabah and Sarawak are famous for its wildlife, lush forests and serene coast line — offering an experience quite different from that of the ‘main land,’ so to speak.

But because they are far apart, and not as developed, most tourists to Malaysia are often oblivious to Sabah and Sarawak’s existence.

Air Asia has flights to Sabah and Sarawak, so if I do go back to Malaysia, I would probably hop over to ‘the other side’.

Bangalore village aerial view lake from skyBangalore Karnataka India farm land aerial photograph from skyBangalore highway ring road aerial view

Nandi Hills Bangalore aerial photograph view
Not sure if these are Nandi Hills
Bangalore outskirts aerial view from plane
The outskirts of Bangalore, from up above

As we descended, the nice and sunny outside suddenly turned dark and rainy.

Rain clouds plane landing Bangalore

Dark rain clouds from plane Bangalore
Rain

Rain airplane window BangaloreLanding at Bangalore airportBangalore airport dark clouds

BIAL airport Bangalore rainy day
Landed at 5:30pm

After picking up some stuff at the BIAL Duty Free, we were out in half-an-hours time. We hired a cab who agreed to take us to Srajapur Road (near Total Mall) for Rs. 650. We opted not to take the airport bus due to the luggage we had.

If felt nice to return to the post-rain, fresh air and experience Bangalore’s greatest asset — its weather. But 30 minutes into our journey, and into peak hour traffic, it didn’t take long for all three of us to get frustrated and say the same thing:

“Man, I wanna go back!”

P.S: I also didn’t get to have bread ice cream in Singapore!

Other posts in this series:

Singapore & Malaysia 2010: Planning and preparing for the trip

Singapore 2010: Day 1 – Little India, CBD, Clarke Quay, China Town… and a lot of walking

Singapore 2010: Day 2 – Orchard Road, mall-hopping… and already shopping

Singapore 2010: Day 3 – Singapore Zoo, Marina Bay Sands; leaving Singapore for Penang

Malaysia 2010: Day 5 — Langkawi (Ferry ride from Penang, Cable car & Sky Bridge)

Malaysia 2010: Day 6 — Langkawi (Island hopping tour, Pantai Tengah beach, Night market)

Malaysia 2010: Day 7 — Kuala Lumpur (Low Yat Plaza, Petronas Towers, Jalan Alor)

Malaysia 2010: Day 8 — Kuala Lumpur (Batu Caves, Petaling Street/China Town)

Malaysia 2010: Day 9 — Kuala Lumpur (KLCC Aquaria, Merdeka Square, KL Tower observation deck)

 

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