The Baynhams

I've been sent to Bangalore for a week by my employer, and I must say it is quite an experience.

After travelling for nearly 20 hours I arrived at Bangalore airport at about 10pm fairly exhausted. I had a very long queue through customs before emerging from the airport to what seemed like a riot. There, hundreds of people were pushing and shoving asking if I wanted a taxi and car horns blaring continuously.

After a brief moment I spotted the words "Mr Byron" being held up amongst a sea of other placards. Bingo.

My taxi driver was just as pleased to see me as he'd been waiting nearly two hours for me to arrive.

Sat in his old Ford Fiesta, we headed off through the melee to my hotel. What a journey - I was warned about the unusual driving habits, but nothing could have prepared me for that drive.

Unbelievable. Motorbikes, rickshaws, cycles, battered trucks, buses and cars all swerving together. No lane markings, just every man for himself, and seemingly the horn was used as much as the steering wheel. Dogs, cows and people kept walking across the road while vehicles just swerved around them. It was dark so I couldn't see much of the city, and I was too tired to take much of it in anyway. The hour car journey seemed much longer than that and I was very glad to get to the hotel.

My hotel far exceeded my expectations. After I checked in as "Mr Byron", I was shown to my room. It was large, very clean, with modern furnishings, two televisions, a kitchen, separate living area and a PC with internet access. The bed looked very inviting too.