Vroom for adventure

An urge to explore new cities and experience them is what drives this couple to literally go places.

After having worked in several parts of North India for most of their lives, Ayesha Barse and Merajuddin Ansari didn't waste time when an opportunity to relocate to Bengaluru came their way.

The duo work in the hospitality industry and this also made it easier for them to find jobs of their choice in Bengaluru. Ayesha works as a senior HR professional and Merajuddin is an executive chef with a hotel.

Elaborating on what prompted them to choose Bengaluru, Ayesha says, "We lived in Pune before this and we were told by a lot of our friends that the people are warm and welcoming here and that the weather is good. These two factors further influenced our decision."

It is Ayesha who first moved here and joined her new workplace and Merajuddin soon followed suit.

"This is a growing city that has tremendous opportunities for work and networking," says Ayesha.

It has been a little less than a year since the couple moved here and they say that it didn't take them too long to feel one with the city. "Our work keeps us both very busy and this leaves us with very little time to mix with people outside our respective work places. But having said that, I must say that I have managed to make some really nice friends and that has also helped me settle down here," she adds.

There's no better way to explore the city than on a bike or by foot. Both Ayesha and Merajuddin have followed this belief. They love riding and one of the first things that Merajuddin did after moving here was to buy a Royal Enfield. "We thought the best way to explore the city and places around it was on our bike. So weekends are set apart for our bikes rides. We have so far ridden to Nandi Hills and Bannerghatta National Park. We wanted to first visit places inside the city and then maybe move farther away," adds Ayesha.

Who doesn't like to experiment with food? Merajuddin's profession as a chef and Ayesha's work in the hospitality industry has only added to their interest in food. "We are experimental eaters. We like frequenting 'Toscano', 'Whitefield Social' and ordering from 'Paradise Biryani'. Some of the restaurants at Phoenix MarketCity and Forum Mall in Whitefield are also nice," says Ayesha.

She adds that they have also tried the brunch at Shangri-La, enjoy the oriental food at Zuri and head to Coyla at 'Four Points by Sheraton' whenever they have time. While their experiments with food continue, the couple also watches their diet. "We didn't really watch our diet during the first few months after moving here but now we make the most of the fresh vegetables sold by farmers near our home. While we love our food, we have slowly begun to regulate our diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle," elaborates Ayesha.

While the couple have settled down here, they don't seem to take too well to the massive traffic jams they encounter regularly. "The traffic here is unbelievable, it is worse than Mumbai or Pune. Thankfully, we chose a place close to my office but my husband has to battle with crazy traffic during the evening. I had only heard about the nightmarish Bengaluru traffic and now I have experienced it too," she says.

Ayesha wonders why people here don't take to carpooling in a big way, "This would reduce the number of four wheelers on the road. Had the traffic conditions here been better, I feel people could meet more often," she signs off.