We had a big diversion from our usual caravan trips recently with a trip to Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) in Southern India.

The main purpose of the trip was to continue our son and daughter in law’s marriage celebrations, with a reception in India. As you would expect this was an evening of much joy and congratulations, with plenty of photographs taken to commemorate the night.

We were thrilled to meet more family and friends who made us feel so welcomed and at home. The buffet was a feast of the best in Indian cuisine and pasta dishes which are also popular. Indian desserts are absolutely sublime, but despite my best effort I could only manage to try three of the many options.

This was our first trip to India so of course we wanted to make the most of it in the limited time we had, so managed to pack in a lot of exploring the city, and the local area in 12 days.

We based ourselves in Bengaluru, a city which has a population of around 14 million, and didn’t venture too far from the city, preferring to get a real feel for the country, its people and customs by immersing ourselves in the one place.

Here are some of the highlights and observations of the trip:

Traffic

Our immediate impressions on being driven from the airport to our hotel was the shock of what to us seemed to be chaotic, loud and frenetic traffic. Everything from cars, buses, trucks, carts, tuk tuks, motorbikes, and scooters were chopping and changing lanes, horns honking continually and yet it all seemed to flow and work. We were astounded that we only saw the aftermath of one small crash in the whole time we were there.

In the daily travels you also have to be watchful of pedestrians, street dogs and yes, even cows crossing the roads or lying down for a rest. It’s also not unusual for traffic to flow in both directions despite it appearing to be a one way road.

Thankfully we had a rental car with a fabulous driver (Girish), for our whole stay so didn’t have to worry about getting around.  It was a mind blowing experience for us but surprisingly after the first few days the noise and frantic pace didn’t take up too much of our attention.

Crossing the road is another matter. We soon learnt to watch for slower moving traffic and then once you’d committed to crossing just go for it, extending your arm to (hopefully) stop traffic until you made it to the other side.  Our other tip would be to wait for locals to cross the road and jump in the flow next to them.

The city

We were pleasantly surprised that the air quality was good and the temperature during our stay didn’t waver much from around 27 degrees with not much humidity. The city and suburbs were unlike anything we’d seen before and to our eyes the disparity between the very poor and very rich was such a stark contrast.

It wasn’t unusual to find crumbling, cramped and basic housing and businesses immediately next to high end, polished and brightly lit shops selling luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Rolex and similar. Quite an incredible sight for us.

We were based at the Southern Star Hotel in Bengaluru which was in a central location and easy to walk to nearby streets known for their shopping and food outlets. We felt very safe and walked on a few occasions during the day and night without any qualms.

As well as the expected Indian food options there is a huge range of fast food outlets such as Subway, burger outlets, and Asian food varieties and pasta and pizzas are a very popular option so there is something to suit all tastes. The food all has a distinct Indian style to it so beware you may have to make it clear that you don’t want it too spicy. Even French fries come with a hefty dose of peri peri added.

Shopping includes everything from street stalls through to high end fashion brands and everything in between. If you happen to stand out as westerners as we did, you’ll receive a lot of attention and persuasion to enter particular shops where they will ‘give you the best deal’. We never felt too menaced though, despite some persistent traders and their relatives. A firm but resolute refusal with a stop hand signal was enough to get our point across and we’d be left alone with a polite goodbye.

A great ice breaker in India, especially for Australians is to mention cricket and all of a sudden you’ve got a conversation going and mutual interests established. They are a cricket mad nation, much like ourselves, and it just so happens that the Indian national team is in Australia now for a series of test matches so the subject was high on everyone’s agenda.

Pubs, Breweries and a Winery

Breweries are a popular spot to socialise in Bengaluru with quite a few to visit, all which have great dining too.

We visited the brewery pub, District 6 for tastings and lunch. They specialize in German style beers and there was extensive range of food with North Indian, Italian, Continental and Asian dishes to choose from. Once you’d chosen a beer you wanted, then you could also choose the glass, including a boot!

Another great venue we really enjoyed was The Biere Club for its location and ambience. The interior of the club is inspired by British pub décor and the menu caters to a wide range of tastes again. They have their own range of 6 craft brews and we were lucky enough to meet not only the brewer but also the owner who were both extremely hospitable and more than happy to have a chat.

One of the reasons we chose this place to visit though was also because of where it was situated. The building was on one corner of an intersection where 5 roads met and we just wanted to sit and watch the unfolding daily life and traffic that flowed through. We were once again astounded that 5 busy roads, full of every kind of traffic imaginable, could flow without traffic lanes, a roundabout, lights or any kind of intervention.

That was until a jam occurred where traffic was at a blocked standstill, at which time a traffic police officer (yes they do exist) walked into the centre of the intersection and somehow managed to get traffic shuffling again and soon enough everyone was left to their own devices again. Simply amazing.

The highlight of one evening out, was finding Skyye Bar which we went to for a closer look at the unmissable nearby Kingfisher Towers, complete with replica White House built on top. On entering Skyye Bar on the 16^th floor we were met with pumping popular music, and a busy dance floor on this rooftop bar, complete with disco light up floor. What a buzz. This was a real pinch me moment and the moment it actually hit us that here we were standing on a rooftop bar in India, enjoying a gin on a balmy evening with great music and a happy crowd, a world away from our usual lives – literally!

One day we also visited a local winery, Sula wines. The state of Karnataka is the second largest grape producing region in India and it has an emerging wine culture. The venue was really relaxing and the wines which ranged from sparkling, whites, rose and reds, we found to be delicious. There is also an onsite restaurant which serves Indian and Italian cuisine and the grounds are cool and green, perfect for a relaxing afternoon out.

One final brew bar we visited was Toit, a very busy and bustling venue, a testament to its popularity. I just had to try the brew called Basmati Blonde and wasn’t disappointed, the small food plates we ordered were just perfect too.

Palaces, Parks, Parliament and Temples

Bengaluru as well as being known as the I.T. capital (or Silicon Valley) of India, is also known as the garden city of India, and we were pleasantly surprised with how true this was, when we visited Cubbon Park.

The park is spread across 300 acres and within the gardens the absolute hustle, bustle and honking of traffic and life outside was left behind. It truly was peaceful, quiet, green and cool. A haven in the centre of the city.

We were thrilled to see squirrels, much to the locals amusement, and here you can also visit the over century old State Central Library, a must for bibliophiles. The building itself stands out, with its bright red brick walls in contrast to its green surroundings. It’s the biggest library in the state with more than 3 million books, and lays claim to having a copy of every book, ever published in the state.

We were astounded (and in some cases shocked) by the incredible range of books it holds including a range of periodical publications and books in braille. It is a reference library so books can be read within the library but not borrowed out. Unfortunately no photos could be taken inside but trust me, it is worth a visit.

Parliament house (Vidhana Soudha) is an impressive building to stop by and take photos of too. The Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council sit in this opulent, Neo-Dravidian (southern Indian temple) style building.

The most incredible building we saw though, would have to be Mysore Palace. It takes a little over 2 hours to drive to Mysore and the complete contrasts of life really hit you here too. The palace consists of two main parts, the ceremonial and the residential, where descendants still reside.

The palace of three storeys is built from grey granite and has a five storey tower covered by a gilded dome. The façade has 7 big arches and 2 smaller ones supported by pillars, but it’s on the inside where the jaw dropping décor really grabs your attention.

To enter the palace you have to remove your shoes, which are safely stored for you to collect afterwards, and you then enter through the elephant gate to the marriage pavilion. The octagonal painted pavilion has a stained glass ceiling which together with the mosaic tiled floor has a main theme of the peacock, hence the hall is also known as the Peacock Pavillion.

The walls of the pavilion are covered with murals depicting famous Mysore festival scenes. Another room of the palace houses photos and paintings of the Mysore royal family generations.

Other rooms you can visit contain silver chairs and old palace silver doors along with other artefacts. By far though, the most impressive room is Dunbar Hall, a colonnade of mind blowing colour and intricate workmanship. It’s hard to know where to look between the highly decorative tiled floor, to the teak wood carved ceiling and the bold aqua blue painted arches. Opulence overload.

All the doors within the palace are also completely stunning made of teak and rosewood with ivory inlay and decoratively carved. Within the grounds of Mysore Palace we also entered a highly decorative temple where we received a blessing.

Another temple we visited in Bengaluru was the Bull (Nandi) temple. The temple is famous for its large statue of the sacred bull Nandi which is around 4.6 metres high and 6 metres long and was carved from a single granite stone. Within the walls of the temple photography isn’t permitted but here we received another blessing, one can’t have too many!

The zoo or Bannerghatta Biological Park is a must see too. We almost didn’t visit but at the strong recommendation of our driver, who said we must and go on safari, we did and are so glad we listened to his advice.

When you visit, pay for the full experience of safari, walk in zoo and butterfly house and you’ll be very happy with all of the activities. The highlight of course was the safari which we did in a jeep with a driver (better than on a crowded bus) and he was so very good, making sure that we could see and snap every animal there was to find.

The safari area extends into national park so some of the animals were wild and roaming free as in the elephant we spotted. Other animals like the big cats, are in separate enclosures but we the visitors are the ones caged in a car, not the animals. We saw cheetah, lions and the beautiful tigers, including a white tiger. Just magnificent.

The zoo was a good way to stretch your legs and really well laid out with easy to follow pathways and the butterfly house wonderful too. The staff only too happy to show us the different butterfly stages too, from caterpillar through to pupae and plenty of butterflies free in the glasshouse.

Lalbagh Botanical Garden was another lovely green space, calm and cool and a nice respite from the busyness. The gardens are spread over 240 acres and is full of statues, carvings, green open spaces, a lake and the glass house, inspired by Crystal palace in London’s Hyde Park. Another peaceful spot to take a break and enjoy the serenity.

Dining out

You can’t visit Bengaluru without stopping in to eat at the famous Vidyarthi Bhavan, a south Indian traditional vegetarian restaurant which has been serving up THE best dosa since 1943. When you visit, have your camera ready, the staff are more than happy for you to take photos of them as they serve up dosas with gravity defying ease, carrying more than 20 at a time to dish out to a steady stream of customers.

These were absolutely the best dosas we’ve eaten and the bill for 5 of them, 5 great Indian coffees and 5 bottles of water, well a mere equivalent of $10 Australian. The service was fast, the café clean and efficient and the food divine.

For a really special night out visit Kaze a rooftop bar and restaurant on the 21^st floor overlooking city lights. As we found with a few dining experiences, wine prices can be high, or equivalent to Australian prices, but the food which was silver service was some of the very best of dining we experienced. The service from staff again was impeccable and they were so attentive in fact that you could barely lift a finger before someone would appear at your table to serve for you.

This was a very high end looking establishment without the price and one that was recommended to us from the owner of The Biere Club. Thank you!

A big highlight for cricket fans was to dine at the restaurant One8 Commune which is owned by Indian cricket legend, Virat (King) Kohli.  Yet more incredible food, terrific service and views, and our favourite dining experience because we were able to share it with our Indian family, a very special night that we’ll never forget.

I must make mention of the restaurants at the hotel we stayed at too. Within the Southern Star Hotel there is an Asian fusion restaurant, The Rice Bowl, where we were treated exceptionally well and made to feel very special. There is also a restaurant called Zest where we breakfasted from an extensive buffet every morning and dined at one night also. More exceptional service and attention to detail including having a green tea ready for me every morning we arrived.

Our hotel also had a rooftop bar on the 5^th floor which gave great views of the surrounding area and was a quiet restful place to soak up day’s full of busy activities and debrief.

The people

I’ve left the biggest highlight til last, and that is the beautiful people themselves. There were a number of occasions where we were approached by people, usually folks under 30 or kids, all who wanted to know ‘from which country are you coming’? When they guessed or we told them Australia, their eyes lit up and they beamed a smile and were full of questions or happily imparted their knowledge of Australia and of course our cricketers.

We had nothing but positive experiences with everyone we encountered and felt safe and welcome everywhere we went. Language wasn’t too much of a barrier with us only having blank looks a few times I think, but everyone either had a smattering of English or we found sign posting enough to work our way through situations.

I hate to think how many people in Bengaluru have photos of us, we were the subject of quite a few people’s request for selfies, which we were happy to oblige them with. When we decided to turn the tables and ask these kids for a selfie in return, that caused quite a giggle!

Our daughter was quite the celebrity on a number of occasions too, being close to 6 foot tall and blonde with fair skin, she was quite an attraction, but people were always respectful when approaching us and cheekily asking if they could take a photo with us.

One thing I found completely amazing was how beautifully dressed the women were, no matter their stature in life. Even in the obviously poorer suburbs they looked so graceful and beautiful in saris, going about their daily lives and chores.

Finally to our extended Indian family we say thank you for the invitation and opportunity to experience your wonderful part of the world and the absolute pleasure of meeting your family and friends.

We look forward to returning one day and seeing more of your incredible country. We loved India!

Namaste

Glenys

xx