To have nice timte out of the world pls go there i have been 2 times great fun place to be at.

Nothing really to say and no photos but we wanted the dot on our map!!!

Very good hotel, great central location. Very clean and reasonably quite (by Bangalore standards). About 1000 INR per night. (17-18 euro approx). I would stay there again.

See my entry of 8 March 2008 in my weblog: http://fransglobal.blog.lemonde.fr/

I started working at an animal rescue shelter for street animals (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, CUPA) and mainly spend my days walking and petting the gazillion dogs they have there. Now, I like dogs and don't mind doing that all day but I came here to learn something too. But at CUPA  I'm not really allowed to participate very much in the veterinary things and stuff and most of the workers don't speak any English so asking them about this and that is difficult. It's also not a very nice place in general. Really dark and dirty and they don't exactly use the cleanest ways to treat the animals. And this is supposedly one of the best animal shelters in India... One really nice guy there, though, was Mr. L ( I just call him that because I could never remember his whole name) and he's just so sweet and really tries, I think. He's also the only one who actually talked to me. Other than that I just came in the morning, played with the dogs, left in the afternoon and it didn't seem like anybody cared whether I was there or not. So Mr. L told me on day about this wildlife rehabilitation centre at Bhannergatta National Park that CUPA started a few years ago and the guy who runs it now, Salim. Mr. L called him a miracle man and couldn't praise him enough. He really wanted me to go and stay there to learn more and see more and get to do more things than just walk dogs all day. So I did, and stayed a week and a half and (especially compared to CUPA)  it was heaven.

I went there on Sunday to check it out and within the 2 hours I was there I had gotten a good tour around the place, and seen the pens with jackals, deer of different kinds, reptiles,snakes and turtles, and birds of all sorts, and what not.  Then I fed a huge fruit bat for about half an hour, right after Salim had dropped a Cobra on the floor. Oops, but obviosly that's nothing to worry about. it happens, and then they go to the hospital, he said :) hehe, he joked about it then, but it's really serious business and he's been bitten about four times I think, and almost died of it once. Tarun, a friend of his who comes and helps out lost the tip of his finger from a cobra bite once. But then again, when you work with venomous snakes, that's bound to happen sometimes. But it looks like a really good and professional place, though. and it's bright and clean and every person I met there is there because it's something they really want to do, whether it's to work with the animals or build fences or plant trees. And I was overjoyed to be out of the city and see trees and grass all around me again. It just felt like a different world to me.

So I came back the following Wednesday and was supposed to stay a week, but then Anette got stuck in Sri Lanka and I figured there was no point in going back to the city if she wasn't even there, and I could stay at this place instead!

 A few hours later we get to Delhi and get Miriam to a hotel and say good bye to her there. She's going home on Dec 6 and we're going to Bangalore. So that was it, very suddenly we were down to two and it was really sad. Anette and I run to the airport knowing full well our plane left hours ago and when we called the company from the train they said all the money was forfeited because we hadn't canselled earlier. But that just hadn't been possible so we figured we'd just have to buy new tickets but could try again. This time, at the counter, we spoke to a very nice young man who didn't even flinch when transferring the money we'd paid to new tickets. We only had to pay a little bit extra and were good to go! Happy happy joyjoy :) The plane left just a few hours later and we reached Bangalore in the afternoon. There it was just rush rush to the coordinator who gave us lots of information and things to read and know and finally late at night got us to our two guesthouses where we'd be living with other volunteers. Since the placement in Delhil had been cancelled just days ago we were sort of thrown into bangalore and the only beds available were in different guesthouses. So  I stayed at Shirley's and Anette down the street at  the Katary's. Now, Katary's has a common room with a tv and fridge so it's a natural meeting place for all the volunteers. Some of them were leaving in a few days so the next night we all went out for dinner to say bye to the ones leaving and hello to the newcomers. And I had the best hummus, EVER! 

you have to c

From Chennai it took only a (surprisingly hassle free) overnight busride to Bangalore, where I ended up at the house of Ram and Esha. Still a bit exhausted from the previous days of travelling around I slowed my pace a bit in bangalore. The second day I payed a trip to Mysore, a nearby town (still 3 hrs by bus) which has a beautifull palace and some nice bazaars to wander around. The palace was huge and very beautifull and the bazaar lively and busteling. The next day I met up with Shrimoyee, as she was taking a course in Bangalore and we spent a nice evening and midday shopping in Bangalore. Then, thinking that there was more to India than big cities it was time to leave Bangalore and I decided to go on to Hampi, as this promised to be a nice and historical place to visit, with spectacular nature at that. Buying my ticket from the trainstation the day before was a nice adventure in itself, since the window for the foreigners quota was combined with the windows for the elderly and the disabled. All the oddities in one que, so I was standing in line with two American Hare Krishna's, a lot of elderly men and some people on crutches. I am sure it was quite a sight. The departure from Bangalore station involved quite some chaos in itself, since the train was late and the authorities kept the platform number a secret untill the last possible moment! The trip itself was fine and arriving the next morning in Hospet (near Hampi) was lovely.  The rikshaw ride to Hampi itself followed a winding road through all sorts of tiny villages that were just waking up, while a morning mist slowely cleared. This cleared my head s well and when I finally arrived in the Hampi guesthouse (that gave me a spacious double room for the price of a single) I was sure It was going to be a lovely stay!

but mor on this some other time

Colorful India - More than writing anything about colors of India, I have uploaded snaps to view the different  hues you  would see in South India. Come September- November, its a heaven for eyes. One can see exotic flowers, feel the scent in the air, vibrant Indian women et al. Do see the snaps yourself and decide to experience COLORFUL INDIA :)

History :
The story how Bangalore came to be called by its present name has an interesting history. Once on a hunting expedition King Ballala of the Hoysala dynasty lost his way in the jungle. Deep inside the jungle, lived an old woman who took pity on the hungry and tired hunter. The old woman was poor and had nothing else to offer but boiled beans. But the king was so pleased with her hospitality that he named the entire city as bele-benda-kalu-ooru, which in the local language Kannada means, the place of boiled beans. The historical evidence of the name "Bengalooru" can be found in a 9th century inscription found in a temple in the village of Begur. Today the name has been shortened and anglicised after the British influence and has come to be called Bangalore.

Around 500 years ago :

Kempe Gowda marks the four corners of the city

Another historical figure instrumental in shaping the city of Bangalore is a feudal lord who called himself Kempe Gowda, and who served under the Vijayanagara Kings. Hunting seemed to be a favourite past time in those days. During one of his hunting bouts, Kempe Gowda was surprised to see a hare chase his dog. Either his dog was chicken hearted or the hare was lion hearted one does not know, but the episode surely made an impression on the feudal lord. He told himself this is a place surely for heroes and heroics, and he referred to Bangalore from then onwards as "gandu bhoomi" (heroic place). Kempe Gowda I, who was in charge of Yelahanka, built a mud fort in 1537. With the help of King Achutaraya, built the little towns of Balepet, Cottonpet, and Chickpet, all inside the fort. Today, these little areas serve as the major wholesale and commercial market places in the city. Kempegowda, the II built four watch towers to mark the boundary of Bangalore. A hundred years later, Vijaynagar empire fell, and in 1638, it was conquered by Mohammed Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur.

Power shifts from Sultans to Marathas to British:

Pleased with the services of his trusted lieutenent Shahaji Bhonsale, (father of the great Maratha king Shivaji), Adil Shah gifted Bangalore to him. After 49 years of Maratha rule, the moghuls captured and passed it to the Wodeyars of Mysore for 3 lakh pagodas. In 1759, Bangalore came into the possession of Hyder Ali, father of Tippu Sultan. It was during these two heroes, Bangalore flourished with parks, gardens and palaces. When Tippu died, British restored Bangalore back to the Mysore rulers, the Wodeyars, but were not too sure of their entrpreuner abilities. So they ruled Bangalore directly. Under the British influence, Bangalore bloomed with modern facilities like the railways, telegraphs, postal and police departments. In 1881, the British returned the city to the Wodeyars. Diwans like Mirza Ismail, and sir Vishweshwarayya were the pioneers to help Bangalore attain its modern outlook.

Situated at a height of 949 metres (3113 ft.) Above the sea level, the city is blessed with salubrious climate throughout the year. Most of the homes and schools in Bangalore didn't have fans till the beginning of the nineties. In summer while the rest of India wilted in the heat, Bangaloreans would snuggle under warm blankets at night. Thus Bangalore came to be called the Air-conditioned city in India. The city has dry tropical savannah type of climate. The rains are very frequent and the summers are warm. Winters are cold. But no weather goes to its extreme. One can visit the city any time of the year and enjoy the pleasant climate but it is advisable to avoid the rainy season between July and September. This typical climate attracted the retired people to make Bangalore their home giving the city another nickname “ The Pensioner’s Paradise”. However, the city once famed for its refreshing climate is now traveling the polluted path to heat and dust.

Bangalore should have got the name "City of Nicknames" because of the numerous name tags the city has earned. However it is not a easy task for anyone, leave alone a city to earn names unless there is some achievement on its part. One of the names which Bangalore has to its credit (Or is it a Debit) is "The Pub City" because of the rampant Pub Culture among the younger generation and the mushrooming of Pubs in the City.

However the nemerous restaurants which offer food and drinks from almost every part of the World makes Bangalore the best place to visit. Whatever maybe your taste and whichever country you maybe from, Bangalore has restuarants to cater to anyone who visit this dream city. That's the greatness of Bangalore. Experience the celebrated hospitality of world famous hotels. Everything you could ask for in comfort and service, plus a lot more. The best luxury class business hotels in the country can be found in Bangalore offering a choice of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisine and 24 hour coffee shops.

Almost all the star hotels are centrally located within 10 kms of the Bangalore Airport, Railway Station and Bus Station. All the big hotels are of International quality with luxurious, spacious rooms and suites, swimming pools, Health clubs and Tennis courts. Some of the hotels also have facilities for pickup from the Airport and Railway Stations and accommodation in all these hotels can be booked from anywhere in the world.

Once in Bangalore one should utilise the opportunity to taste some of the best foods available in the city. The last 5 to 6 years have seen the mushrooming of small self service restaurants called Darshinis. These darshini's offer the best quality South Indian and North Indian dishes at very reasonable rates. One of the restaurants which is still maintaining the taste since decades and still makes customers to patiently wait for hours to get a table is the Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, more popularly called the MTR. Ask any Bangalorean about a good restuarant and pop comes the reply "MTR". Situated on the Lalbagh Road, the restuarant is crowded from 6.00 am till 10.00 pm. Bangalore also has restaurants offering the best in Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Portugese,Continental, Mughalai and almost from all the regions of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarath, Rajasthani, Kashmiri types of foods.

In conclusion Bangalore’s rapid urbanization has led to congestion in the city and pressure on its infrastructure. Bangalore was essentially a small town,which has grown rapidly. Thus streets and public spaces, which were designed for a much smaller population, are now being subjected to enormous
pressure by urban development. The unquenchable thirst for land for development has led to many public spaces being eliminated.
Bangalore continues to grow at a rapid pace and today the city has expanded into a large metropolis, an international technology hub specializing in aerospace, information technology and biotechnology. Today Bangalore’s population stands at roughly 5 million.Even today Bangalore comes across as an unstructured city without any hierarchy. Attempts have been made to introduce ring roads and radial roads to give structure. Bangalore that in spite of all the development that has taken place over the last three decades Bangaloreans still like to call their city a ‘Garden City’.
Finally, I can say that Bangalore is still perhaps the most liveable of Indian cities. Bangalore is perceived as a cosmopolitan city because of its diverse demography and comparatively fewer slums. It may be a misnomer to call it a ‘garden city’ but Bangalore still has one of the highest percentages of land devoted to green spaces in India, and in no other city has the government undertaken tree planting on such a massive scale.

The 75-year-old restaurant, is situated in a small, old building bang in the middle of Lalbagh road, adjacent to Lalbagh garden. A must visit when you are going to Lalbagh gardens in Bangalore. This resturant serves the best food which can be close to home made food in India. As you walk through the old painted door, you can see the cashier sitting within an old-fashioned grill enclosure. The menu for the dinner is written on a board next to him. Truly pre-independence style :) If you are going for a full meal, go at around 11 am and reserve your seats. Make sure that you drop in atleast 15 mins before your stipulated time. Before I forget, there is a fixed timing for meals and there are only 2 rounds. While waiting, you can go through a number of old framed photographs adorning the walls that showcases many celebrities eating away to glory a long time ago… You will get only VEG food as it run by Brahmin community which doesn't eat/cook meat. So, please dont even expect anything apart from pure veg stuff here. Be ready for a heavy meal and burrping agter the meal is sign of enjoying the meal!!! If you dont know how to burp, then don't visit here .. just kidding.. A must visit place for travelers who want to try authentic south Indian cuisine and which tastes just like home made food.

The cultural differences and some general tips when you come to Bangalore. The main language spoken is Kannada, you will however find most people speak at least some English, so you should not have a lot of problems with the cab driver/waiter/at a store etc. The weather is usually pleasant, it does not get extremely cold during winter, summer are not over the top hot! So need of heavy clothing in winter and also don't expect that you can get a complete tan in summer ;) General Tips : -Take off your shoes before you enter someone's home/religious place. -Shaking hands is the most formal way of greeting someone in business meetings, you will embarrass people if you try to kiss them on the cheek as a greeting. If its informal event, just say a Hi/Hello. -There are American fast food chains in Bangalore-Pizza hut, Subway, KFC, Mcdonalds to name a few.. You will not find any place than will serve beef! Cows are sacred in India! -Get prepared to experience some horrible traffic jams and cows blocking your way on street sometimes :) -People can get curious sometimes and ask irrelevant questions, if you do not wish to answer, shrug them off gently. -Try to hire pre paid cabs to go site seeing/shopping to make sure you are not over paying. -Auto rickshaws are also available, pay as much as the meter shows. Otherwise you be looted with their exorbitant demand for fares. If it is after 10pm, you are required to pay the fare+50%.(thats the norm) -Most places will not accept credit cards for small amounts, carry a few hundred rupees.. -There are lot of clubs, pubs near the M.G. Road, Brigade road area. Try to leave these places before 10pm as it is not safe after that time. -One more surprise all pubs,bars, discotheque close by 11pm in Bangalore so if you planning for late night party, then plan it at your home without disturbing neighbors.

The Golden Palms Hotel Spa offers the traveler hospitality in the highest traditions of India. This resort, spread over 19 acres & owned by Bollywood personality Sanjay Khan, is built in the style of the Moorish-Spanish casitas.

The Royal Afghan restaurant in the Windsor Manor Hotel at Bangalore: This place is excellent for north Indian and Afghan style food. A special mention for the excellent "Naan bukhara" (Family naan) that they prepare - an approximately 3 feet by 2 feet wide single "naan" bread. Dig in, tear it with your own two hands and enjoy with some "Mutton roghan josh" (Lamb chops in curry) or "daal bukhara" (type of lentil sauce). Good buffets and (south) Indian food in other restaurants in the same hotel. For drinking, ask them to get you a "full yard" of ale - in a yard long glass... tilt it up and drink to your heart's content! For the less adventurous there's also a "half yard" of ale. Gets best towards the end of the glass! This used to be one of the favorite party place on special occasions between me and my colleagues, always had a good time! Its a bit on the expensive side... the ale is about Rs 800 a yard. The food can cost you perhaps about Rs 600 per person or so.