I'm heading to India for two weeks starting tomorrow afternoon. What places in Bangalore India should I not miss? I would like to try to get some site seeing in and would like to hit up the town to see what they have in urban clothing stores, art shops, japanese vinyl toy stores, and good dining places. Any good suggestions....I know getting steak is going to be a problem but I pretty like all types of food.
Never been to bangalore but ive been up Delhi way many many times. as far as NONE! The middle class that would purchase this stuff is busy being respectable in bootleg dockers and what not. Art stuff usually goes down in Mumbai as far as modern Indian art, but since bangalore is such a hub for tech Im sure youd find some stuff there. Id suggest bringing your favorite clothes from home and take em to a tailor there and have em remade in all sorts of awesome indian fabrics. Just make sure they double stitch everything as you can find that things unravel quickly on return. Its a totally different scene over there. There IS indian punk and metal but to be honest most of what i heard is pretty whack.
I meant to say something here, but I thought you've probably already left for BLR anyway, so what's the point.. So, India is really something else. Some love it, some don't. Looks chaotic and out of this world, so don't get surprised. You won't find identifiable markers like an urban styled store there. Perhaps you will, but it's not what you'd think.. The phrase Japanese Vinyl means pretty much nothing in BLR. They're about the Benjamins.. or whomever is on their currency. I would recommend getting some carved figures, made from Sandal wood. I've got a Ganesh, one of the deities of Hinduism, which is just sweet and stunning, imho. Cost me about 3k RS, about $70. Not sure what your purpose is there, but if you've got some locals that can be considered cosmopolitan enough, they'll know what you're about and can hook you up with the relevant stuff. But India in general is about age old traditions, even for younger people. Don't get offended by everybody wanting to rip you off. Same as here in the US and/or Europe, just not as sophisticated. Nothing personal, they've only got one life to scrape something better together, so they're doing it the best way they know how. My only issue with the whole place is the lack of hygiene. I know why it doesn't matter to them, but for me, it's a deal-breaker..
I dunno about Bangalore....only been to Kerala/Trivandrum on holiday and it was mind blowing. Never fancied going to an Indian city having experienced Mumbai for work. Never again. If there's any chance of getting further south and into Kerala do it, the region is stunning and the coconut fish curries are to die for!
