The Kindness of Strangers

While in Hampi, I had a conversation with a fellow about a book entitled The Kindness of Strangers, which is a collection of stories in which travelers received help from a perfect stranger. Our time in Bangalore, the next stop down the road, was full of such experiences. A friend in the states had put us into contact with her Indian collegue, VJ, who lives in Bangalore. VJ and her husband, Raghu, picked up the three of us and spent their entire afternoon taking us around the city to experience some sights and sounds that we wouldn't likely find on our own. We toured several temples, where the couple extensively explained the Hindu religion and practices. They kindly answered many of our questions that had been accumulating over the first month of our travels. They drove us around some of the IT campuses, which are plentiful in Bangalore. Tall, shiny new buildings towered over the busy street below. Raghu, who grew up in Bangalore, has witnessed the explosion over the past decade or so as the IT industry has set up shop in the region. He spoke of playing cricket as a kid and being able to stroll across the street without looking to grab the ball. Now you have to wait for several minutes for a break in traffic to race across the road. AND this is on a street that is now one way because there was two much traffic as a two way street. As we drove out to the IT campuses, he spoke of how the area was all forest when he was growing up. Having them as a 'tour guide' offered us so much more insight to the changes Bangalore has seen in recent years. Finally, they treated us to a lovely dinner, much nicer than most we visit on our 'budget' travel wallet!! After a month of traveling, it was so nice to have a casual evening with some 'locals' that were willing to show us around. At the end of the evening, it was amazing to think that we had only just met them several hours earlier. We just hope that one day we have the opportunity to return the favor!!