Some of the places I have been to in the last 3 weeks....................
Austin
Texas has this whole image of being cowboy country with supersized buildings, roads, cars, food, heck even people. But Austin was nothing like it. Its a medium sized city which is quite modern and in a sense reminded me of Minneapolis, atleast the downtown. Bang in the middle of downtown is the state Capitol, which was Dubya's first political office. Surprisingly though, Austin apparently is part of the Bush bashing bandwagon. Just like Minneapolis, there is a big university right next to downtown. But the UT campus doesnt even begin to compare with the structural grandeur of the U of M. Honestly, the EECS building was quite appalling. The thing that strikes you the most ofcourse is that everything is wider rather than taller in Texas. Gaps, gaps, gaps! Between houses, offices, heck even airline terminal gates............everything is spread far and wide. Ofcourse, the drive to San Antonio gives you the feel that you expect from Texas, with miles and miles of open lands, home I'm sure to hundreds of ranches and farms. And ofcourse I'm told that you can get a lovely three bedroom, two garage house for under $200K. Coming from California, thats a hard pill to swallow!
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia is truly a tourist friendly place. Malaysian airlines cleverly gives its passengers a few hours in transit at KL between flights to almost all destinations. A free visa on arrival only encourages one to step out of the airport and see the sights of the city. India could try something like this to improve its tourism but heck no one in their right frame of mind would travel air India, maybe once Jet and Kingfisher start operating international flights! The KL airport is quite majestic with its glass roofs and wide hallways and neat landscaping. And ofcourse free internet!
Anyway, like any good metro, KL has a well-connected public transport system. From the lightrail transit, to monorails, to buses and cabs you can cover every inch of the city in just a few ringets. I had just under 8 hours to cover as much as I could. This is the sort of situation I enjoy the most............. an unknown city, a map in hand and the possibilities endless!
KL is a two-faced city. On the one hand, it screams of development, modernization and growth. Great roads, tons of skyscrapers, well thought out landscaping (there r just miles of coconut trees laid out neatly on the ride from the airport to the city). The Petronas towers ofcourse is the big tourist attraction. The panoramic view of the city from the KL tower is not to be missed. And ofcourse consumerism. The malls in KL compare to and outdo most malls in the US. From designer labels like Louis Vuitton to food chains like California Pizza Kitchen, the american brandwagon is rampant all over the city. And whats more its very very pricey. And yet, these malls are packed with people. Yes, a lot of them maybe tourists but the locals were the ones doing most of the shopping. Ofcourse, being predominantly Islamic, the city is punctuated at regular intervals with mosques.
The other side of the story, ofcourse, is not so rosy. Overcrowded, narrow, congested roads, noisy, dirty and waiting for all hell to break loose. I was told by a local cabbie that KL has a large immigrant population from neighboring countries who come over the Malaysia in search of a better life and are forced to survive in the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Poverty naturally also drives people to crime, which is also quite a problem. The economic divide between the rich and the poor is only widening. Sounds a lot like India doesnt it. Infact, Malaysia has a sizable Indian population, mostly Tamil. I was reminded of this quite early on in my trip, when I was greeted on board my flight at LAX by a voice which said, "Welcome aboard, this is Jagannathan, your pilot speaking!"
Hyderabad
I really didnt get a chance to explore the city. But from whatever little I saw, it was a bit of a yawn. The whole place seemed rather lifeless. Indian metros today, even Chennai, are abuzz with activity. Everyone is in a mad rush to get ahead without much care for whats happening around them. Infact the traffic situation in most cities is sort of symbolic! Anyway, Hyd was fairly laid back and for all the talk of Mr. Naidu's efforts to improve the IT infrastructure, cyber-city was a bit of a joke. Bangalore and Chennai are way ahead in the IT race. Maybe old Hyderabad is more charming than its younger cousin.
Calcutta
Kolkata, I should say, is again a city with many faces. It has quite a few firsts to its credit. The first presidency in India, the first college(appropriately - The Presidency college), the first tram service, the first metro, the first Indian museum, the first cricket club and so on. But it is also the dirtiest, most densely populated city in India home to the most number of slums, homeless people and sex workers.
Steeped in history, primarily because of its place in British India, its a must see for any Indian.
The metro (which is almost as crowded as a Mumbai local at most times), has just one line and runs the entire length of the city and is great for covering long distances. Buses, which resemble jail cells, and share autos are best for shorter trips. Givent that almost all the sights are in Central and South Kolkata, Park Street is a great place to stay. Its also supposedly the ritzier part of town. That actually is true of only one stretch from the metro station till about St. Xavier's College, which contains The Park hotel and numerous fine restaurants including Flurry's, the bakery! The rest of the road (where we stayed) is contrastingly ordinary and quite filthy. Although it is still much better than most other localities in town.
The two biggest tourist attractions are ofcourse the Victoria Memorial and the Howrah Bridge. The memorial is a majestic marble structure surrounded by vast gardens and ponds on all sides. Honestly it deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the Taj Mahal. The museum inside gives one a nice insight into the history of British rule in India. Right beside the memorial is a huge maidan which, refreshingly, has an equal number of kids playing football as cricket. comes into view. A short cab ride past the unmistakeably gigantic Eden Gardens takes you right next to the modern Vidyasagar sethu, which honestly is far prettier than the Howrah bridge. A ferry ride from there gives you a nice view of the city from the Hoogly river. Getting down at Howrah brings both the bridge and the railway station into view. A short walk across the bridge through the vegetable markets on the side, the sheer volume of the crowds remind you that you are well and truly entering the heart of the city. From the financial district to the shopping areas of New market, Chowringhee and esplanade, this part of town was just overflowing with activity. Its also a great place to pause for some tasty roadside gol-gappas! And if that doesnt satisfy you, there is always K.C.Das and Haldiram's.
In sharp contrast to the utter chaos of Calcutta, is the wonderfully planned and still under development Salt Lake City. Just a few kilometers northeast of the city, you are greeted by a quiet almost pollution free environment. Wide roads, tall modern buildings, heck even nice parks, this is how every city in India ought to be. Its difficult to imagine how the two co-exist and one can only hope that Salt Lake remains free of the filth and mess that pervades the rest of the city.
