Forget walking in Memphis... it's walking in Bangalore!

"Don't run or dart across the street because that kind of movement is unpredictable to drivers." Those were the words of advice we got from a local about crossing the street in  Bangalore. Easier said than done when every instinct you have is to get the heck out of the way when hundreds of  zippy motorbikes or a fully loaded bus is barreling down on you. Also, Bangalorians are very liberal with their use of the horn, which all come in varying pitches to create a disjointed noise that is somehow comforting from inside my hotel, but very irritating outside.

I love that the woman on the bus is eyeballing me!

While the city chokes on noise and air pollution, it was a welcome change to walk through the Ulsoor neighborhood. Ulsoor is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Bangalore and is home to lower income folks. Ulsoor is not a slum, but home to working people trying to capitalize on Bangalore's recent global ascent as one of the top technology hubs.

We also walked through the streets of a mostly Muslim enclave on the way to visit a private school. This neighborhood was described as a "slum" and the community is poor, with most of the students at the school being first time learners in their families.

Friendliness, vibrancy and an interesting mix of past and present can be found in Ulsoor, while the Muslim community struggles to move out of the shadow of poverty and lack of education. 

A man playing the harmonium. 

A woman praying at the Holy Trinity church, built in 1851. 

A fish stall in the Muslim enclave

Access to water is a struggle for many in this slum and children often have to miss school in order to procure water for their families. 

Dog and cow are friends. 

Davika and her mother in Ulsoor

Newborn twin calves in the middle of an Ulsoor street. Many people own cows in this neighborhood and the delivery of twins was especially auspicious. 

A halal mutton store in a mostly Muslim enclave of Bangalore

A woman street vendor cooks for the locals  

He's not going anywhere, unlike a lot of the other cows who are left to graze around town in Ulsoor. 

A Hindu temple outside of Ulsoor

A cow grazing in a littered lane.

Ulsoor market