The only other time I had been to Bangalore before was this one time we attended a first cousin's wedding and so we went there in a bus from Hyderabad, the whole bus filled with my immediate family, extended family and some more family. We stayed at the marriage hall for the three days we were there and all the memories I had made of going to the city mainly revolved around staying in that marriage hall and having fun with my cousins and attending one ceremony after the other. That was fifteen years ago and cut to present (i.e an year ago from now!) Kiran got an interesting offer to mentor an incubator program that required him to stay in Bangalore for six weeks, accommodation included! I jumped at the second opportunity life was giving me to explore this garden city! I had to give myself a reality check that I would have to do most of the exploring by myself, two kids 7 and 2 years old in tow, while Kiran was away for most of the day working and being involved at the program.
Before heading any further, a quick intro about the city feels appropriate here: Bangalore is the anglicized name of the Kannada language name Bengaluru, the metropolitan, capital city of Karnataka State in India. It is located in the Southeast of South India and is known as the 'Silicon Valley of India' for its role as the nation's leading information technology exporter. For more in-depth information click here
Coming back to our trip, we found a vacation rental in Avalon apartments near Sony signal, Koromangla through Airbnb. We had prior experience booking through Airbnb when we stayed in NYC for four days and it was a dreamy stay in a very nice apartment with spectacular views and came fully furnished. Hence our expectations were set high! But given the fact that India is still catching up to the whole concept of vacation renting and we had no reviews to rely on, we went with an optimistic attitude. To be fair, the pictures on the website looked nice and done aesthetically. When we actually got there, we were slightly disappointed to see that the place was dusty and poorly maintained as the owners had moved out and so it had bare minimum things like beds, dining table, TV and the kitchen was pretty much empty sans some cutlery and tupperware. When we conveyed our concerns to the owner, they were kind enough to get us a few of the essentials and the rest we bought from the Hyper Market close by. Slowly, we came to terms with the situation rationalizing the steep price we were paying for the apartment was mainly for location, location, location!
The kids and I went to stay there for a month and even though living in a new city in India, just after landing from the US was a bit disorienting initially, I took a hold of the situation and made the most of the time I was there. We hired a maid and a cook, who were a challenge to find considering the fact that we were there just for a month. But once we found them things got rolling. We had them come in on weekdays and they got the weekends off as we knew we would go on short trips to places a few hours away from the city.
I made a list of the places I wanted to go visit on weekdays and these were my initial concerns I had to take into account for:
As we were trying to get in touch with friends who lived in Bangalore, we realized one of our very good friends also lived in Koromangla! It was very nice catching up with them and also getting an overview of the places to visit. Manyavelu Mansion ranked top on the list and rightfully so. When we set out looking for it, not many people had heard of it and was bit of a challenge for us to find it and once we got there and it was calming and peaceful the moment we stepped into the premises.
With greenery all around, we were captured by the different elements of the place. The mansion sits on a 3.5 acre property with a pond in front of a huge colonial-style building surrounded by manicured lawns, tall and lush tress that added grandeur and drama, giving a sanctuary like feel, tucked away from the city. The National Gallery of Modern Art is set up in the premises of the Manyavelu Mansion which seamlessly blends into the heritage building while still living up to the requirements of a modern museum.
The day we were visiting, they had a Photography Exhibition by Raja Deen Dayal who was a commissioned photographer to the elite in India during the 1870's. Among the many places he was stationed, he also chronicled the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahabub Ali Khan at the Falaknuma Palace. I had visited Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad(my home town) a long time ago, before it was transformed into the now famous Taj Faleknuma Palace, when the palace was maintained in all of its glory sans the Nizam of course! Watching the black and white photographs of the palace while the Nizam with his family still lived there conjured emotions of a bygone era where life was lived king size from the decor and infrastructure at the palace, to the outfits and the Nijami jewellery!
There were other galleries at the mansion which showcased paintings and sculptures too. It was a creatively stimulating tour and well worth the visit.
While I was still juggling the house help and scheduling outings and nap times for the little one, we set out to Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, about an hour from where we lived and on our way Nihaar fell asleep in the auto rickshaw. I got off the rickshaw unaware of the mammoth size of the park and the insane amount of walking I would have to do carrying a sleeping kid that is! Lucky for me, I spotted golf cart tours with the driver doubling as the tour guide that would stop at major sightseeing spots in the park and also because the kid decided to wake up midway. The guide drove us around briefing us on the history and various flora and fauna within the park. Sriman mainly enjoyed being driven around in the golf cart as evident from the touristy photos we took at Sheeh Mahal.
"Lalbagh, for its unique achievement in nurturing the concept of horticulture and aiding the development of horticulture, has earned a pride of place among the gardens of the world and it has come to be regarded as one of the best gardens in the East for its layout, maintenance, scientific treasure and scenic beauty. It is the place of legends and beauty, a place of rarity and wonder, a place of paradise and landmarks. It is an important genetic resource centre for introduction, acclimatization and maintenance of plants; it envisages documentation of the variations available in plants of ornamental and economic value. It is an important centre of dissemination of scientific, technical and popular information on plants including offering of regular courses. It aids the development of horticulture in the state. It is a valuable adjunct to botanic study in educational institutions, a vital lung space of Bangalore, a place of beauty that provides healthy recreation to the public and it provides a venue for people to get close to plants and nature" ~ from here
The Museum building is divided into 5 levels catering to different topics of study like Astronomy, Electrical, Mechanical, Biology, historical and modern achievements and more. There was also a section for dinosaurs called Dinosaur Alive which had special animatronics movie that the kids especially enjoyed. As we were visiting on a weekday, there were field trips from different schools visiting the museum which was a bit too much crowd but we avoided the levels they started on and ventured onto a much calmer upper level working our way downward. The terrace level has a canteen that offered very basic, fuss free lunch option.
The Metro Art Center also ranked high on the list mainly due to its location on MG road and close to Bridage road and it was the most recent addition to the city's must see attractions. The place included a couple of galleries, an auditorium and extends into a wide side walk converted to display art and sculptures and also a play area for the kids. It was right below the M G road Namma metro station.
The day we were visiting one of the two galleries had a vintage black and white photography exhibition of how Bangalore city was in the olden days. The other gallery was holding an exhibition of an artist who worked with wood and a special technique to burn the wood in a way to capture architectural lighting and shading.
After getting our art fix, I needed some retail therapy :) so we headed towards Brigade road stopping at Pantaloons and then walked towards Garuda Mall exploring stores that piqued my interest on the way.
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| Tippu Sultan Summer Palace |
Before heading any further, a quick intro about the city feels appropriate here: Bangalore is the anglicized name of the Kannada language name Bengaluru, the metropolitan, capital city of Karnataka State in India. It is located in the Southeast of South India and is known as the 'Silicon Valley of India' for its role as the nation's leading information technology exporter. For more in-depth information click here
Coming back to our trip, we found a vacation rental in Avalon apartments near Sony signal, Koromangla through Airbnb. We had prior experience booking through Airbnb when we stayed in NYC for four days and it was a dreamy stay in a very nice apartment with spectacular views and came fully furnished. Hence our expectations were set high! But given the fact that India is still catching up to the whole concept of vacation renting and we had no reviews to rely on, we went with an optimistic attitude. To be fair, the pictures on the website looked nice and done aesthetically. When we actually got there, we were slightly disappointed to see that the place was dusty and poorly maintained as the owners had moved out and so it had bare minimum things like beds, dining table, TV and the kitchen was pretty much empty sans some cutlery and tupperware. When we conveyed our concerns to the owner, they were kind enough to get us a few of the essentials and the rest we bought from the Hyper Market close by. Slowly, we came to terms with the situation rationalizing the steep price we were paying for the apartment was mainly for location, location, location!
The kids and I went to stay there for a month and even though living in a new city in India, just after landing from the US was a bit disorienting initially, I took a hold of the situation and made the most of the time I was there. We hired a maid and a cook, who were a challenge to find considering the fact that we were there just for a month. But once we found them things got rolling. We had them come in on weekdays and they got the weekends off as we knew we would go on short trips to places a few hours away from the city.
I made a list of the places I wanted to go visit on weekdays and these were my initial concerns I had to take into account for:
- Language: The regional language is Kannada but most of the people could effortlessly decipher what I was telling them in Telugu(my mother tongue), if they didn't already know English/Hindi that is!
- Navigating the city: I thought transport would be a hassle, because firstly I don't drive in Indian traffic and secondly a car would entail having a driver and maintaining both of them round the clock in Bangalore traffic is an absolute nuisance! So I maneuvered my way around by hiring auto rickshaws, google maps downloaded on my phone and making sure he was taking the correct and shortest route to get to any place. On weekends we used Olacabs or got rental cars to get away from the city.
- Packing Light: Since I was getting around the city with a two year old, I still needed a diaper bag with some snacks and water for all of us. For the most part, Bangalore roads are not stroller friendly and so it meant I would have another thing to carry around everywhere I went. That also meant I didn't want to carry the bulky camera and so most of the pictures I have are taken from my trusted Iphone 5 camera.
Sightseeing:
- Manyavelu Mansion
- Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens
- Visversvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
- Venkatappa Art Gallery
- Cubbon Park
- Rangoli Metro Arts Center
- Tippu Sultan's Summer Palace
- Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
- Government Aquarium
- Bannerghatta National Park
Shopping:
- Oasis Center
- 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar
- Forum Mall
- Garuda Mall
- Fab Home
- Commercial street
Food
- MTR
- Rajdhani
- BBQ Nation
- Hotel Chalakya
- Anand Sweets and Savories
- Taco Bell
Sightseeing
Manyavelu Mansion
As we were trying to get in touch with friends who lived in Bangalore, we realized one of our very good friends also lived in Koromangla! It was very nice catching up with them and also getting an overview of the places to visit. Manyavelu Mansion ranked top on the list and rightfully so. When we set out looking for it, not many people had heard of it and was bit of a challenge for us to find it and once we got there and it was calming and peaceful the moment we stepped into the premises.
With greenery all around, we were captured by the different elements of the place. The mansion sits on a 3.5 acre property with a pond in front of a huge colonial-style building surrounded by manicured lawns, tall and lush tress that added grandeur and drama, giving a sanctuary like feel, tucked away from the city. The National Gallery of Modern Art is set up in the premises of the Manyavelu Mansion which seamlessly blends into the heritage building while still living up to the requirements of a modern museum.
The day we were visiting, they had a Photography Exhibition by Raja Deen Dayal who was a commissioned photographer to the elite in India during the 1870's. Among the many places he was stationed, he also chronicled the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahabub Ali Khan at the Falaknuma Palace. I had visited Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad(my home town) a long time ago, before it was transformed into the now famous Taj Faleknuma Palace, when the palace was maintained in all of its glory sans the Nizam of course! Watching the black and white photographs of the palace while the Nizam with his family still lived there conjured emotions of a bygone era where life was lived king size from the decor and infrastructure at the palace, to the outfits and the Nijami jewellery!
There were other galleries at the mansion which showcased paintings and sculptures too. It was a creatively stimulating tour and well worth the visit.
Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens
While I was still juggling the house help and scheduling outings and nap times for the little one, we set out to Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, about an hour from where we lived and on our way Nihaar fell asleep in the auto rickshaw. I got off the rickshaw unaware of the mammoth size of the park and the insane amount of walking I would have to do carrying a sleeping kid that is! Lucky for me, I spotted golf cart tours with the driver doubling as the tour guide that would stop at major sightseeing spots in the park and also because the kid decided to wake up midway. The guide drove us around briefing us on the history and various flora and fauna within the park. Sriman mainly enjoyed being driven around in the golf cart as evident from the touristy photos we took at Sheeh Mahal.
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| Sheeh Mahal at Lal Bagh |
Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
Aaaah! The joys of seeing a weighing machine from the 90's!! Every self respecting theater would have one maybe because they wanted to check if the movie you just watched, weighed you down or up :p Thats what welcomed us once we stepped into the Visvesvaraya museum
Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum & Government Aquarium
As we stepped out of the Visveshwaraya Industrial museum, a bright red colonial building next door caught our eye and we had just enough time for a quick exploring of what was inside. Photography was prohibited indoors but it essentially was an art gallery with paintings and a collection of sculptures, old jewelry, coins and inscriptions and much more.
The Government Aquarium was a very basic aquarium with a few kinds of fishes, nothing compared to the aquariums I was used to seeing back in US but from a kids view they all looked magical nevertheless.
Rangoli Metro Arts Center
The Metro Art Center also ranked high on the list mainly due to its location on MG road and close to Bridage road and it was the most recent addition to the city's must see attractions. The place included a couple of galleries, an auditorium and extends into a wide side walk converted to display art and sculptures and also a play area for the kids. It was right below the M G road Namma metro station.
The day we were visiting one of the two galleries had a vintage black and white photography exhibition of how Bangalore city was in the olden days. The other gallery was holding an exhibition of an artist who worked with wood and a special technique to burn the wood in a way to capture architectural lighting and shading.
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| A quick stop at the cafe upstairs for a hot cup of coffee and samosa! |
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
It so happened that my friend from New Jersey whose hometown is Bengaluru was also visiting at the same time as we were. We planned an impromptu meet-up to take our kids who are similar in age to the planetarium. Once at the planetarium, the guy at the counter refused to issue a ticket for Nihaar as he was under age but we just sneaked him in and he stayed quite all through the show which was such a relief! We would have had to leave the auditorium midway otherwise... The show itself started on a good note but it was too long and too much information for the 7 year olds to absorb. After watching the show at the planetarium we headed to Hotel Calakya on my friend's recommendation for lunch. Fun fact: This hotel was a hub for the MLAs' from the nearby Raj Bhawan and Vidhana Soudha to head for a quick bite, in not so recent times.Cubbon Park
Its centrally located and a stones throw away from most of the popular museums, galleries, planetarium and art center. Its a huge park with an open children's play area that included a train ride that attracted kids and adults alike. You could go picnicking all day with family and friends which I'm sure was popular during the 90's but I thought the park is in need of some caring and pruning currently.
Bannerghatta National Park
We thought the National Park in the name was a bit misleading and what it essentially was was a glorified zoo. This trip came towards the end of our trip and by that time we had been to Kabini and Bandipur, where we went on forest safari trips and spotted numerous animals in the wild during our weekend getaways and so Bannerghatta just didn't match up to our expectations. It is still a nice place to take the kids for a day trip to get away from the city.
Tippu Sultan Summer Palace
Next up is our trip to Tippu Sultan's summer palace. Every once in a while, it feels nice to time travel through history to imagine how people must have lived in all the grandeur that era had to offer. Kudos to the Karnataka government for maintaining their historical sites in ship shape. The palace was used to hold durbar, a public reception with the King while the royal women stayed indoors, behind windows and viewed the proceedings.
Shopping:
Malls
Whenever I felt like the kids(I really mean myself haha) were getting an overload of art, history and nature trips I chaperoned them to a mall! The most popular malls we kept visiting more than a couple of times were the Oasis Center, Forum mall, and Garuda mall. I had a deal with the kids, they made time for me to shop and I made time for them to hangout at the kid related stuff in the mall like Landmark, Apple store, gaming place or last but not the least, the food court! My favorite places to shop were Westside in Forum mall, Commercial street for shopping Indian wear and 100 Feet road in Indiranagar for window shopping everything high-end :))Fab Home
This place was definitely the highlight of all the outings in the city!! It was such a sensorial experience and a treat for the eyes to soak into all the vibrant colors, textures, fabrics, furniture on display. In a beat of a heart I could see myself working as the styling/sourcing expert in this store! The sheer earthiness of the patterns and the warmth and coziness you feel the moment you step into the store was a welcome change from the chaos we left behind outside the store.
They also had a courtyard converted into a cafe and from what I had heard, had good reviews but they were closed for the day by the time we went, bummer! Overall I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for Indian ethnic home furnishings or anyone who is interested in interior design to go check out Fab Home. And while you are there, also visit Fab India store across the street for ethnic clothing and jewelry.
Food
Having a cook come in on weekdays definitely felt like a luxury after years of not having any help in the US. Our cook Lallan, a Bihari, made the best paneer capsicum and aloo parathas to date, hands down! But we were also excited about exploring different restaurants. As always, when visiting India we always gravitate towards known flavors and tastes so our food related exploring was limited to authentically Indian even though Bangalore caters to a wide range of cuisines and palates! Below is a list of the fraction of all the yummy food we tried during our stay.
MTR
What can I say about MTR that hasn't been said before....it is an institution in itself! The waiting line at their Indiranagar location on 100 feet road was always serpentine by the time we got there for breakfast but the food was well worth the wait! We enjoyed the softest idlies and crispiest buttered dosas while sipping in freshly brewed, steaming hot coffee and its heavenly aromas.
Rajdhani
Another favorite joint was Rajdhani for a quick fix mainly for our dokhla craving but the other attraction is of course the vegetarian Rajasthani food served thali style with free refills of everything on the pre-set menu.
Chicken drums of heaven!
After shopping at Lifestyle by Sony signal in Koromangla, we would find ourselves in the top most level of the complex which had an Indo-Chineese restaurant and they made the perfect drum sticks!
Darjeeling Momos
Bangalore is home to a lot of people from the Northeastern states of India and every now and then we would see street vendors selling Darjeeling momos on the side walk. Momos are common in Tibetian cooking and are dumplings with meat or vegetable filling. I had to try them of course. They were a filling snack on evening walks to the nearby playground.
Taco Bell
I can almost see the smirk on your face but I had to mention it! I thought it was so much tastier as it was catered to the Indian palate which means more spicy! and it was right around the corner from where we stayed, which made it more accessible ;)
Stay tuned for an upcoming post of our weekend trips to Tippu Sultan's Mysore Palace, Dariya Daulat Palace Srirangapatna, The Bison Kabini Wildlife Resort and Bandipur National Tiger Reserve.
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