|
By
getting into town a couple of
days early we've been able to see
some of the groundwork DomainX
Founder Manmeet Pal Singh,
conference Co-Organizer Gaurav
Kholi and their entire team have
done to make this 2nd annual event
something special. After their
successful debut last year in Hyderabad
I came to India with expectations
already set high but everything I
have seen so far has exceeded
those expectations, so I think
attendees are in for a couple of
very productive days here Friday and
Saturday.
As
I wrote yesterday,
the site for the show, the Taj West
End Hotel, is a true world class
hotel that underlines DomainX's
intention to play in the domain conference
big leagues. As the bustling capital
of Indian high tech, Bangalore is
also a natural host city for
the event. My wife, Diana, and I got
a close up look at the town today
when DomainX arranged a car and
driver and again lent us team member
Dhairya Cholera to help guide
us through an urban maze we likely
would have gotten lost in without
their help. We certainly wouldn't
have been able to cover as much
ground as we did - and now that
we've done that I wanted to share
some photos from this lively city
with you.
|
Above:
DomainX team member Dhairya
Cholera (left) and our
expert driver at one of
today's stops - Lalbagh
Botanical Gardens.
At
right: Our first stop - the
Sri Someshwara Swamy Temple
in Old Bangalore. We have
always loved Indian architecture
and art and this temple is an
eye popping example of both.
Below:
A closer look at the
temple entrance's multi-level
dome reveals
some
remarkable artistry. We were
surprised to find that this
structure is essentially just the
gate. The actual temple
is a few yards behind it. We
did walk through it but
photography is not allowed
inside. It was also interesting
but it is this structure that
provides the eye candy. |
|
After
our temple visit we headed for one
of Bangalore's most famous
attractions - the fabulous Lalbagh
Botanical Gardens.
Above:
This
may not look like a scene from a
world famous botanical garden but it
is. This very unusual natural
rock outcropping is at the
entrance to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens,
an enormous green space that
stretches over 240 landscaped acres.
|
Above:
The crown
jewel of the Lalbagh
Botancal Gardens is this
massive Victorian inspired
greenhouse. It
overlooks a horticultural
complex that was laid out in 1760 by
Mysore ruler Hyder Ali.
At
right: Inside
the greenhouse a floral
replica of the famous Bangalore
Palace was being
constructed almost entirely
from flowers (a la Rose Bowl
parade floats but much
bigger). The display is one of
many being put together to
celebrate India's Indendence
Day August 15
When
we left the Lalbagh we drove
across town for a quick look
at the real Bangalore
Palace. From there it was on
to the massive Vidhona
Soudha. |
|
Above:
Vidhona
Suddha - the seat of the Karnakata
state government. Like many places
in rapidly growing Bangalore a major
construction project is underway at
the site.
After
a few more stops, we decided to have
a late lunch before heading back to
the Taj West End. Dhairya and
another DomainX team member who had
joined our group back at
Lalbagh Gardens, Hardik Modi,
decided we needed to have some good Indian
food so they took us to a
barbeque joint! But make
no mistake - this was Indian
barbeque - with both spicy
versions of various meats and vegetarian
barbeque (an animal I didn't
know existed)!
I
always thought Americans ate more
food than anyone but now I think
Indians could beat us hands down
in that department. The all you can
restaurant - Barbeque Nation
- served up plate after plate of
appetizers, soups, salads, main
courses and desserts that Dhairya
and Hardik made disappear (OK, maybe
we helped them a little bit). The
only downside is we now have an
insurmountable calorie overload to
work off this week!
Above:
Diana Jackson and DomainX's
Dhairya Cholera get ready to dig
in at Barbeque Nation.
When we
got back to the Taj West End at the
end of the afternoon, hotel receptionists
had another nice surprise waiting
for us - fresh
jasmine flower garlands and a Bindi
dot painted on our foreheads - a
gesture said to bring good health.
They also gave us fresh glasses of
coconut water (maybe as a backup in
case the Bindi dots don't work)!
We have
had a couple of great days to get
acclimated in Bangalore, but now
it's time to get down to business.
DomainX gets underway at 12 Noon
(local time) Friday (August 7) and
continues all day Saturday. I will,
of course, have photos and
highlights from both days for you in
this column.
|
