India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (193 page)

Planning Your Tour

Most travelers head directly for
Bengaluru,
Karnataka’s capital, using it as a springboard to fly to
Hyderabad,
capital of Andhra Pradesh (discussed at the end of the chapter), or—more usually—as a base from which to catch an overnight train to and from the “lost city” of
Hampi,
which lies 320km (198 miles) north. (Note that more adventurous travelers, usually backpackers, can also catch a bus from Goa and head straight to Hampi.) Remote and serene, Hampi is good for a few relaxing days—at least 3 days if you intend to explore the undervisited
temples of the Chalukyas,
which lie north of Hampi. The second principal destination in Karnataka is
Mysore,
again usually reached from Bengaluru. If you’re traveling to or from Tamil Nadu or Kerala, it’s also possible to drive directly to Mysore, passing
Rajiv Gandhi National Park,
or to approach it from the coastal city of
Mangalore,
which is in turn connected to Goa and Kerala via the Konkan railway. Spend at least a day in Mysore before spending the next day or two visiting the beautifully decorated
11th-century temples
at Belur and Halebid, and the nearby
Jain monolithic statue
at Sravanabelgola. Karnataka also has a few stunning
beaches,
just south of the Goan border, but unless you can make do with limited facilities, save your sunbathing for Goa and Kerala. Finally, if the heat and dust of the plains is exhausting, then a quick escape lies just 3 hours from Mysore, in the cool coffee plantations of
Coorg.
And if all this sounds like a mission to plan, simply hop on to the superluxurious
Golden Chariot
(
www.thegoldenchariot.co.in
) and chug your way across the state, taking in all the major sights (with Goa thrown in as a bonus) over just 7 days (see “Getting There,” below).

1 Bengaluru (Bangalore)

Karnataka

If you’ve been in India awhile, the capital of Karnataka will probably feel like a long, soothing break from endless commotion. The first city in India to get electricity, Bengaluru continues to blaze the trail in terms of the country’s quest for a modern identity. Once known as the Garden City, the country’s most pristine city evolved significantly when the high-tech revolution arrived and Bengaluru suddenly found itself at the center of the nation’s massive computer hardware and software industries, earning it new sobriquets such as Pensioner’s Paradise, and Silicon City. Its cosmopolitan spirit, fueled as much by its lively bar and cafe culture as by the influx of international businesspeople, gives India’s high-tech hub a high-energy buzz, yet it’s tangibly calmer and cleaner than most other places in the country, with far and away the best climate of any Indian city—no doubt one of the reasons the majority of upwardly mobile Indians rank it the number-one city in which to live.

Unless you go in for cafe society or are keen to see India’s new moneyed elite flash their bling and wads of cash, you won’t find very many attractions in Bengaluru—perhaps a relief in a country that is so saturated with historic must-sees. An excellent option to the standard sightseeing would be to opt for a walking tour (see “Walk the Talk,” below). The city’s real appeal is its zesty contemporary Indian lifestyle and its usefulness as a base for getting to the extraordinary temples and ruins of the Deccan interior and the cities of Hyderabad and Mysore.

Getting “Bangalored”

Thanks to flexible labor laws, cheaper operational costs, excellent linguistic abilities and reliable, sophisticated IT infrastructure, major U.S. companies such as General Electric and American Express shifted their back-office processing operations to Bangalore in the mid-1990s, and many of the world’s major corporations followed suit, bringing with them millions of new jobs. In fact, with so many business processing jobs outsourced from the West to Bangalore, the term “getting Bangalored” meant losing your job to someone in Bangalore!

ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE & AWAY
By Air
Bengaluru’s airport (35km/22 miles from M.G. Rd.) is the busiest in South India, connected to most of the major cities in India (including, of course, Hyderabad). British Airways and the excellent Kingfisher, India’s top private carrier, fly direct to Bengaluru from London daily. Kingfisher Airlines also fly direct from San Francisco, while Jet Air fly via Brussels from New York, London and Toronto. Alternatively there are several international carriers that fly to Bengaluru via Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. For domestic and international flight availability and reservations try
www.yatra.com
or
www.makemytrip.com
. To get to your hotel from the airport, it’s best to use a taxi; expect to pay about Rs 600 to Rs 800 from the prepaid counter. (
Note:
City traffic is a nightmare in this city, so consult your hotel for a realistic time frame in trying to reach the airport, depending on where you are and what time of day it is.)

By Train
As a major transport hub, Bengaluru is reached by a significant number of rail connections. Journeys from North Indian cities, however, are extremely time-consuming; the fastest connection with Delhi takes 35 hours, while Mumbai is 24 hours away. From Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu), take either the evening or the morning 5-hour Shatabdi Express or the overnight Bangalore Mail, which leaves late and gets in early. To get to Mysore from Bengaluru, catch the 2-hour Shatabdi Express (departs Wed–Mon at 11am) or else take an ordinary passenger train (which departs several times a day and takes only 1 hr. more than the Shatabdi) and enjoy the sights and sounds of local commuters, many of whom begin impromptu song competitions in order to pass time. For Hyderabad, catch the comfortable overnight Rajdhani Express (departs four times a week at 8:20pm). Since 2009, Mangalore has been connected by rail to Bengaluru (Mangalore Express), although so far, there is only an overnight option available. Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Cantonment are the two railway stations; the latter is a bit closer to the main downtown area.

By Road
For the greatest amount of freedom, you should hire a car and driver, particularly if you plan to get off the beaten track. To get to Mysore there is a very comfortable and convenient option of air-conditioned KSRTC Volvo buses that run at hourly intervals from the Kempegowda Bus Stand (
080/2287-3377
).

VISITOR INFORMATION
Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation
(KSTDC)
information counter
is at St. Mark’s Rd. (
080/4132-9211;
daily 9:30am–7:30pm).
Karnataka Tourism
(Khanija Bhavan, Race Course Rd.;
080/2235-2901
through -2903 or 080/2227-5869 or -5883;
http://kstdc.net
; Mon–Sat 10:30am–5:30pm, closed Sun and second Sat of the month) is reliable for sightseeing information rather than info on accommodations and dining; ask for a copy of
Bangalore This Fortnight
or visit it online at
www.explocity.com
. The
Government of India Tourist Office
is at the KSFC Building, 48 Church St. (
080/2558-5417;
Mon–Fri 9:30am–6:15pm, Sat 9am–1:30pm), where you can pick up a copy of the free quarterly guide
City Info
(also supplied in most hotels).