Last City Adventures, Bangalore

This would have been the traffic has we left later

Please keep in mind that it takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get into the city so we have to plan ahead. Now we have it down to a science. We left at 7:30am (arrived in a little over an hour!) to beat the traffic and get the best dosas in town by our foodie standards. We wanted to see if the kids have developed our high standards for food. Nope. They ate the dosas nicely but could not really talk about how different these were compared to the store bought dosas mix we buy at home. Oh well. John and I and our driver enjoyed them.

After breakfast we walked to a temple that used to be underground but was discovered when a company wanted to build on the land. It was pretty cool. The water in the middle is natural spring water with fish and turtles. Pretty cool temple. JJ wanted so badly to pet one of the turtles and of course he tried. It was a different kind of temple for me. It felt so calm and meditative. You just sit and reflect.

Next stop was our favorite street called Church Street where our favorite bookstore and cricket store are located. We got 2 books for the kids to read on the plane (when and if they get bored with watching movies or TV) and some cricket shirts to give to some of the kids that James and Ashram have become close to in the neighbourhood.

Our last stop was to this upscale mall where I had never been but everyone else has been there several times. A “must see” by everyone’s standards. On the top floor of the mall is an outdoor food court but it is not your typical food court. It is more like Newbury street with outdoor seating. There is a fountain at the entrance and both sides are lined with restaurants and outdoor and indoor seating. Ashram picked the restaurant which has a lot of meaning to us. He chose a pizzeria called Toscano which is the first restaurant we went to when we first got here. They have the closest pizzeria pizza as you are going to get in Bangalore. We also all had our favorite sodas—Fanta and lime soda. Ashram likes his lime soda sweet and John and I like it sweet and salty. It was a perfect day!

We parted our ways and John and the boys went home and I stayed in the city for one last meeting at 6pm. Seems so typical of me to work to the very last minute. But honestly it was not my intention, but it just happened to be that way. And really, will the work ever end? No. The true idea of Design Thinking process is to be dynamic and change with the times. As long as I am a teacher, the work will be ever evolving.

I am meeting with the Director of Education at Azim Premji University with my mentor from Azim and my mentor at Indus in one last attempt for my work to carry forward in India. Onward!

Ps- I will let you know how it goes tomorrow. I am anticipating getting home late tonight since it takes so long to get home and probably will go straight to bed.