Bangalore 2009 - A Surprisingly Dull Place - IgoUgo Bangalore Journal

Bangalore City Railway Station

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Hotel | "How to get a taxi at Bangalore Railway Station"

Bangalore City Railway Station Photo, Bangalore, India

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~ Innocents Abroad ~Arriving in any big Indian city for the first time you are very likely to pay for the sin of not doing your homework, especially when it comes to dealing with getting from the airport or train station to your intended accommodation. This is doubly likely if you're also tired and a bit befuddled by a long journey. We learned some very useful techniques for minimising the potential for being ripped off when arriving at Bangalore station.We had travelled to the city on the overnight train from Hosphet Junction, the nowheretown that serves as the closest rail link to the historic town of Hampi. We learned that the late departure of our train was not unusual - in...Read More

~ Innocents Abroad ~

Arriving in any big Indian city for the first time you are very likely to pay for the sin of not doing your homework, especially when it comes to dealing with getting from the airport or train station to your intended accommodation. This is doubly likely if you're also tired and a bit befuddled by a long journey. We learned some very useful techniques for minimising the potential for being ripped off when arriving at Bangalore station.

We had travelled to the city on the overnight train from Hosphet Junction, the nowheretown that serves as the closest rail link to the historic town of Hampi. We learned that the late departure of our train was not unusual - in fact more often than not it's an hour late and then it drives very slowly. You see the problem is that Hosphet Junction to Bangalore isn't REALLY far enough to justify a sleeper train so it goes late and stops a lot in order to hold back its arrival in Bangalore until around 5.30 am.

We’d splashed out on a first class sleeper and got some advice off the retired military gentlemen who shared our carriage about how to get to the hotel. "Keep away from the touts" he told us "and head for the pre-paid taxi stand". We blinked and he melted into the crowd and we joined the throng of travellers heading for the exits. As we stepped out of the back gates of the station were pounced on by a taxi driver. He wanted 350 rp (about £4.50) to take us to the hotel. I told him to get lost and we kept walking.

He dived into his vehicle and came out with an official looking laminated rate card confirming the price of 350 rp. I told him again to get lost, doubting the authenticity of his rate card. I asked another driver - this time with an auto-rickshaw - for a price and he shaved 100rp off the first price. I didn't really want to go with either and told them we wanted the prepaid taxis. "Yes Yes" said both drivers as they swore blind that was what they were. I looked around and couldn’t see anything that looked like an official taxi office. It was too early, we were tired and eventually I gave in and we paid 250 to the taxi man but it left a nasty taste in the mouth. I knew I’d been played but after a night on the train I’d lost the will to fight harder.

~Forewarned is forearmed~

On our return to Bangalore later in the week we were better informed. The drivers swarmed towards us led by a man with a minibus- "Only 300 rupees madame, you come with me". I said no and kept walking "250 rupees madame" said the autorickshaw driver who'd waited politely for me to tell the first chap I wasn't interested. The first driver gave up and the rickshaw man got more insistent. An elderly gentleman strode up to the taxi drivers who were pestering us, called them ‘parasites’ and told them they should be ashamed of themselves and that they were a disgrace to their country. He was an ancient tiny fellow and his spirit was impressive. He told us to follow him and accompanied us to the real prepaid taxi stand and explained the routine to us which was a good thing as we'd never have figured it out without some guidance. "Madame, very long queue, you come with me 150 rupees" - the auto rickshaw driver was getting desperate. Like a lioness watching her impalas escaping he tried to drag us back but it was too late. Our rescuer was leading us towards the official pre-booked taxi stand.

He explained to us that the drivers had told him (in the local language) to mind his own business. "I told them, this IS my business. It's my country and you must not treat our guests like this. Leave them alone or I'll call the police"

He took us to a small hut on the far side of the car park. We joined the queue attracting friendly but bemused looks from the locals. After five minutes or so, it was our turn and we followed our instructions. Tell the operator in the hut where you want to go and how many bags you have and they issue you with a printed chitty showing the cost and an assistant summons an auto-rickshaw from the line to come and get you. From memory I think we paid a few of rupees, certainly not more than 10, for this service and were given a chit saying 50 rupees for the journey. Hubby had forgotten to tell the operator we had a bag so the driver said he’d charge us an extra 20 rp which seemed a bit cheeky when large families were clambouring into some of the other vehicles but it was still really cheap.

When we eventually got to the guest house we were more than happy to give the driver a 100 rp note (about £1.30) which was a massive tip but still much cheaper than dealing with the touts. On paper the distance doesn’t look like much but first timers need to be aware that Bangalore has a ludicrously complex one way system that might possibly cut congestion but certainly increases distances.

There are other official pre-paid taxi ranks around Bangalore and it's well worth looking to see if you can find one. We had nothing but trouble with getting drivers off the street so anything that reduces the negotiation needed just to get from A to B is well worth supporting. Read Less

Bangalore City Railway Station
Across the Kempegowda Bus Station
Bangalore, Karnataka 560001

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Terrace Gardens Guest House

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Hotel | "Loved it! A Place with Personality"

Terrace Gardens Guest House Photo, Bangalore, India

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We stayed at Terrace Gardens in Bangalore for three days over two visits. The first visit was for two nights and then we left for Mysore and returned a few days later for a final night. I found the hotel after asking for advice on the Indiamike travel website. If you don’t know a city, especially one as large as Bangalore, it’s really tough to choose somewhere. Add to that the fact that Bangalore is ridiculously expensive and that many of the lower cost hotels don’t have websites, and you’ll understand why a recommendation is so important.Terrace Gardens was recommended as a British-style Bed and Breakfast and that appealed to me which is particularly crazy as I hate British B&Bs. It’s...Read More

We stayed at Terrace Gardens in Bangalore for three days over two visits. The first visit was for two nights and then we left for Mysore and returned a few days later for a final night. I found the hotel after asking for advice on the Indiamike travel website. If you don’t know a city, especially one as large as Bangalore, it’s really tough to choose somewhere. Add to that the fact that Bangalore is ridiculously expensive and that many of the lower cost hotels don’t have websites, and you’ll understand why a recommendation is so important.

Terrace Gardens was recommended as a British-style Bed and Breakfast and that appealed to me which is particularly crazy as I hate British B&Bs. It’s located in a quiet residential area, just a short walk from a busy shopping district. I found the website and discovered it was possible to book on-line direct with the hotel. However, I was really annoyed that paypal used a very poor exchange rate and seemed to sneak in extra fees that increased the cost of the room by about 15 to 20%. I contacted the hotel and told them I didn’t want all my money going to paypal and they agreed to hold a room for us on the basis of just the one night’s pre-payment, so long as I paid the balance on arrival. This made me feel that this was a place I could trust and one that was willing to be flexible.

I wrote to warn them that we’d arrive really early in the morning on the overnight train from Hampi. They promised the room would be ready, even though it was just after 6 am when we rolled up. The night receptionist showed us to our room and said he was happy to wait until later for me to pay for the rest of our stay.

We had a large ground floor room in the main Terrace Gardens building. They have several annexes, one just across the street and a couple further away and I’d been recommended to try to get a room in the main building. The room had its own door onto the garden outside and was large, spotlessly clean and a luxury compared to the place we’d just been staying in. It was one of the cheaper rooms at about £25 per night and this was because it had a fan but no air con. I actually hate air con and rarely use it but I often book an A/C room in India since they tend to be the better rooms. We realised that we didn’t need more than this and soon changed our booking for our final night (which would have been about £10-15 more) and asked to keep this room because we liked it.

The room had two single beds, a sofa, a desk, a fridge and a television, good lighting and a couple of nice rugs. The bathroom had a rather ugly coloured suite but who cares when the water is hot? We quickly went through our bags to root out our dirty washing and handed it in at the desk before going to sleep.

The hotel has small but lovely gardens and they actually run a small garden design business from the premises. We were thoroughly charmed by the gardens, especially up on the top floor roof terrace where breakfast was served each morning. All the staff were super and we met the owner a couple of times who was clearly very proud of her premises. Despite the rooms being available on the very-Indian scheme of 24 hour rates, we were able to persuade them to let us stay a little later on the morning we were due to leave for Mysore. I’d have paid extra if I had to, but not being chucked out on the streets at 6 am was definitely a bonus and we weren’t charged anything for staying a bit later.

On our second visit we visited the annexe opposite to use their internet terminal. It was really awful and a dreadful connection but the staff went out of the way to try to help even when they were considerably less clueless than I was. In the end my favourite member of staff (whom I won’t name for fear of getting them in trouble) said "There’s an internet café at the end of the road. I’m really sorry I didn’t just tell you to go there but the boss was listening and I had to sell you a voucher. The hotel arranged our taxi to Bangalore airport on the final morning. The car turned up on time and was comfortable and clean.

Terrace Gardens is great. If you want something a bit more special than a faceless chain hotel, I thoroughly recommend this place. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 10, 2010

Terrace Gardens Guest House
15 Brunton Road Cross
Bangalore
+91 25584797

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Sunny's Restaurant

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Restaurant | "Sunny Even on a Rainy Day"

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After visiting Bangalore Palace and being dragged into some annoying touristy shops we were getting hungry. The trouble is that when your auto-rickshaw driver is charging you a pittance to drive you round all day you can feel a bit embarrassed about asking him to find you somewhere to eat. But these guys aren't stupid and they know when their passengers must be in need of sustenance. He asked us whether we wanted to eat, and since we didn't know the city at all we were obviously not in a position to dictate where to go. "I take you somewhere you will like" he said " Very popular – only foreigners!" It wasn't really what we were looking for but we're easy going and so we said that was OK. M...Read More

After visiting Bangalore Palace and being dragged into some annoying touristy shops we were getting hungry. The trouble is that when your auto-rickshaw driver is charging you a pittance to drive you round all day you can feel a bit embarrassed about asking him to find you somewhere to eat. But these guys aren't stupid and they know when their passengers must be in need of sustenance. He asked us whether we wanted to eat, and since we didn't know the city at all we were obviously not in a position to dictate where to go. "I take you somewhere you will like" he said " Very popular – only foreigners!" It wasn't really what we were looking for but we're easy going and so we said that was OK.

Most taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers in India will have some kind of arrangement with restaurants that tourists are likely to use. Depending on the city and the amount of competition in the area, this can vary from a small 'commission' for bringing people to their venue or might be a snack or a cup of tea. It makes no difference to the client as they just pay the prices on the menu, but try not to feel guilty about tucking in at an expensive place as your driver probably wouldn't have taken you there if there weren't some incentive to make it worth his while.

We arrived at Sunny's at 2.30 on a Sunday afternoon and were pleased to discover that it wasn't 'only foreigners' and surprised to find it absolutely full, so full that we had no chance of a table inside and were consigned to the outdoor dining area. I don't mind paying high prices to sit indoors in air conditioned comfort with stylish furniture and a bit of ambiance but it seemed a bit second-best to be sitting at plastic tables on plastic chairs with paper table mats. And talking of the paper mats, the waiter brought a roll of sticky tape and taped them to the table to stop the wind blowing them away.

By local terms it was quite pricey – we'd been in Hyderabad which isn't a touristy city and Hampi which is a cheap back-packer type of place so Bangalore was expensive for everything by comparison. By international terms though it wasn't dear. My choice of baby hair pasta with garlic, basil and chunky tomato was 225 rupees (about $5) and my husband's penne with pesto cream and mushrooms was 310 rupees. Remember though that service and taxes all go on top and inflate prices a lot. I was tempted by Tom Yum soup because I always am but there were some very tempting puddings to save ourselves for so we passed on starters.

Our request for water resulted in a very stylish looking bottle of water allegedly from the Himalayas – what a joke. We sipped it whilst listening to the light American rock background music and the buzz of autos splashing through the puddles outside. The weather was a bit of an issue since all bar three of the outdoor tables were under cover and ours was one of the three.

The waiter brought hot, crisp bread rolls with garlic butter and a bizarre looking butter knife. We nibbled on these until pasta arrived. It was a good sized bowl and despite being a simple dish, the quality was excellent. There was lots of garlic, perhaps not quite enough basil, and the tomatoes were really fleshy and rich. My husband's pesto was intensely green and very creamy. We both polished off every last scrap and turned happily to the menu to check out the puddings again. My lemon tart with cream was sharp and juicy and the cream set off the tartness beautifully. My husband's chocolate mouse was so good that he was reluctant to share.

In the interests of research I popped inside to use the toilet. I generally try to do this after rather than before just in case I find something that might make me scared of the food. On this occasion there was nothing to fear as the toilet was clean, there was soap, loo paper, tissues and the tap worked – all four things that you can't take for granted. It was probably the only restaurant of our trip to manage four out of four on those criteria. The flush even worked and there were separate facilities for men and women.

The inside of the restaurant was really nicely decorated with stone floors, yellow upholstered chairs and wooden tables. It looked very smart and reminded us how unlucky we were to have been put outside.

Our bill with 12.5% VAT and 10% service charge added came to 1035 rupees – around the $20/£15 mark. It's not cheap by local standards but we enjoyed it a lot. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 9, 2010

Sunny's Restaurant
No 34, Embassy Diamante, Vittal Mallya Road, Opposite Canara Bank
Bangalore, India
080 22243642

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Hanging Around with Taxi Drivers

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Bangalore Palace Photo, Bangalore, India

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Finding ourselves in Bangalore on a Sunday we discovered that it was astonishingly quiet for a large Indian city. The normal 'open all hours' culture didn't seem to apply and many of the shops and attractions were closed. We checked our guidebooks, pulled together a few ideas of places we could go and see and decided to head off and just wander around. How naïve can you get? You can't stroll in Bangalore - it's enormous. Everything is really far apart. We must have been crazy.Before we even made it from our hotel to the MG Road we picked up a follower. A guy with a splendid moustache, dressed in a grey uniform slowed his auto-rickshaw to walking pace and asked us where we wanted to go. "We...Read More

Finding ourselves in Bangalore on a Sunday we discovered that it was astonishingly quiet for a large Indian city. The normal 'open all hours' culture didn't seem to apply and many of the shops and attractions were closed. We checked our guidebooks, pulled together a few ideas of places we could go and see and decided to head off and just wander around. How naïve can you get? You can't stroll in Bangalore - it's enormous. Everything is really far apart. We must have been crazy.

Before we even made it from our hotel to the MG Road we picked up a follower. A guy with a splendid moustache, dressed in a grey uniform slowed his auto-rickshaw to walking pace and asked us where we wanted to go. "We're just walking around, going to look at the MG road" I told him, "We don't need a driver". He stayed with us chatting away, telling us he'd be really cheap "Why walk madame, I only want 10 rupees and I'll take you to the MG Road". I wasn't convinced - I'd seen the map, it was just at the end of the road we were on.

Eventually he appealed to our sympathy. He told us that there was no business for him today and he hadn't had a customer all day. He said the shops on the MG Road would mostly be closed (I doubted him but it was actually true) and he'd happily drive us around for half a day for 50 rupees. What did we have to lose, he asked and to be fair, he had a point. We had no particular plans, he had nothing better to do, why not keep each other company. After a quick chat with my husband, we decided to just go with the flow.

We got into the auto and I told him what I had on my 'to-see' list. I wanted to go to Lal Bagh and Tipu Sultan's palace. He told us that he thought the latter wasn't so great but he'd really like to take us to Bangalore Palace. He showed us some pictures and we decided to let him take us wherever he wanted. It soon became very apparent that what looked like quite small distances on my map were a long way in a tuk tuk with a complex one way system. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere but eventually we found ourselves at the palace, the driver dropped us off and told us where he'd be waiting and said we could take our time.

After the palace he dragged us to two shops. This was at the heart of our bargain tourism - if we scratched his back and agreed to go to shops, he'd take us around for very little money. This is NOT to be recommended if you are in a hurry or if you have a lot to see but we were very relaxed about just going along with whatever he suggested. I did get very annoyed on our second day with the driver but on day one I wasn't too bothered about looking in some shops. I assumed that he was after sales commission so I made sure that he knew when we had brought things. He told us that it didn't actually matter if we bought or not - he had an arrangement with the shops and each time he or the other drivers delivered tourists to the shops, they were rewarded with a voucher for 100 rupees. Once I understood how he was making money out of driving us around, I was more relaxed to go along with what he wanted.

Two shops and a palace under our belts and we asked to go and get some lunch. He took us to a place called 'Sunny's' telling us it was for "lots of foreigners". That wasn't really what I wanted but we didn't have any other suggestions so he drove us to this rather swanky Indian-Italian restaurant, parked up and left us for an hour or so. After lunch he was a bit more willing to fall into line with my original plans and agreed to take us to Tipu's Palace (he was right when he said it wasn't all that special' and finally onto Lalbagh (or Lal Gardens), probably the place I had read most about before our visit. Most of the population of Bangalore seemed to have the same idea and we spent about an hour and a half drifting around the gorgeous gardens.

Well satisfied with the amount of things we'd squeezed into the day (detailed reviews to follow of the individual attractions) we headed back to the hotel. Our driver seemed more than happy with the 100 rupees we gave him and we negotiated that he'd come back and drive us around the next day as well. Considering that every other driver we came across in Bangalore seemed very reluctant to take us anywhere, our new driver friend was worth his weight in gold. So long as we were willing to do a bit of browsing in shops, he was quite happy to spend all day ferrying us back and forth. I half expected some kind of sting in the tail, a demand for more money or an appeal for something more but he was as good as his word. Sometimes we're too quick to say no to what sounds like too good an offer to be true.

The next day he returned to get us and we made several more stops. He dropped us at a local department store then took us to find an ATM where we could withdraw some more money, on to a pharmacy to buy mosquito repellent and on to one of the city's large malls. He did draw the line at taking us anywhere that was very far (so we failed to get to the ISKON temple which we'd have liked to see) but on the whole we didn't do too badly. We agreed to go to a couple of tourist shops and bought nothing (he didn't care, he got his vouchers) and he very kindly helped us with finding a state tourism office where we could book a tour to another city (which was subsequently cancelled because we were the only people who'd booked). We dropped in to another of the old British parks, Cubbon Park, and wandered around in the rain. We'd hoped to see the city's art gallery or science museum but both were closed for unspecified reasons.

We went back to the hotel to collect our bags and rounded off our day with our taxi-man with a run to the station for our train to Mysore. There was something weird and probably illegal going on when we got near to the station and he made some evasive diversions to avoid some policemen so we suspect he either didn't have the right paperwork or wasn't driving entirely legally. Without him and his inexpensive attentions, one thing was for sure, we wouldn't have had half as much fun in Bangalore which really is a rather dull place. Read Less

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Bangalore Palace

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Attraction | "Would the Queen Recognise the Influence?"

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Our guidebook had claimed that Bangalore Palace was only open for one week each year so we'd struck it off our target list for a visit. I'm not sure if the book was correct and we had just struck incredibly lucky with our timing but I suspect it's not open very often but certainly more than only one week per year. We were lucky that the auto-rickshaw driver who had pestered us until we finally gave in and agreed to go with him knew his stuff and urged us to let him take us to the palace.Bangalore Palace is a bizarre place that's not as old as you might expect but is every bit as weird as you could hope. By Indian terms it's a newbie - built between 1862 and 1944 with its completion only ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 4, 2010

Bangalore Palace

Bangalore, India

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Bangalore 2009 - A Surprisingly Dull Place

Bangalore City Railway Station

Terrace Gardens Guest House

Sunny's Restaurant

Hanging Around with Taxi Drivers

Bangalore Palace

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