I am in Bengaluru, having taken part in a traditional Indian wedding in Kolkata. My plan is to write a dedicated post about the wedding experience. Meanwhile, I'm sharing my travel impressions from this first-ever trip to India.

Excellent food was the first thing I experienced. My new culinary discoveries include:

  • panipuri — a crispy ball with a variety of filling dipped in refreshing dressing,
  • pizza with paneer — an intriguing spin on Western food mixed with popular Indian cheese,
  • buddha bowl with buckwheat and red beans in Go Native Sadashivanagar.

The exposure to Indian cuisine in Malaysia prepared me for the local tastes and spiciness. So the above discoveries feel like next level. Like something I'm able to appreciate only after I'm familiar with staple Indian dishes I eat every day in Malaysia.

Buddha bowl at Go Native in Bengaluru

Payments, tech, and mobile numbers

When I prepared for the trip, the PhonePe app came up as the best choice. Only upon arriving in India and spending some time there did I discover the UPI One World incompatibility.

Cheq is the UPI app designed for travelers under the One World initiative. My AI research pointed out that I'd still need to undergo an in-person KYC to activate it. However, the most recent Cheq update digitized the KYC. Instead of visiting a designated counter or waiting for a Cheq representative's visit, I completed the KYC on my phone.

Cheq UPI | Payments For Foreign Tourists | UPI Wallets for All
Cheq UPI Payment Wallets For Foreign Tourists. Let’s you pay anywhere in India using your phone through the UPI Platform.
Cheq UPI for Foreign tourists

Since then, I have paid via UPI several times. Topping up with Apple Pay the exact transaction amount plus ~1.5% payment fee.

I'm glad that this part works well. And I'd love to use local apps like:

  1. Blinkit for quick delivery of daily essentials.
  2. Zomato and Swiggy for food deliveries.
  3. Urban Company for ordering at-home massages and wellness services.

Unfortunately, all these apps rely on having an Indian mobile number. A similar case to my trip to China. The only one that eventually worked in our group of friends was Swiggy.

Problems that are on the verge of technology and travel are my favorite. While they might annoy me, finding a viable workaround makes me cheerful. For me, finding clever tech solutions is part of my nomad journey.

Paneer pizza in Kolkata