Bangalore - has anyone been.

I am off to work in Bangalore, India in August for 4 weeks. Its a internship so I am being placed with a family.
Has anyone been to Bangalore before. What is it like?
I am interested in learning about
The food
What to wear
Things to see and do
Things not to see and do / things to avoid.
Any other recommendations.

Thank you.

Hi,

I don't have too much useful information, but as nobody else has answered...

I was there for a week for work in 2003. It was December, the temperatures were around 20C - that's the coldest time of year there, though it was quite pleasant for me. In August, there could be a lot of rain (monsoon season), temperatures in the high 20s, so not too bad. As you're staying with a family, you'll be able to ask them what to see, etc. We had a driver who drove us from hotel to office and waited outside all day for us. He took us on a few excursions the weekend we were there - Mysore was an interesting city - huge palace open to public - it was a 2-3 hour drive and I wouldn't drive anywhere myself there, the roads are busy and chaotic. In Bangalore, we went to a modern shopping centre where shop assistants immediately pounced on us and slapped "Privileged Guest" stickers on us - this encouraged other sales assistants to "assist" very eagerly - I emerged with gifts for all nieces/nephew, all I can remember was an Indian Princess Barbie and a model auto rickshaw. Also, there's a whole street full of "cottage industry" shops, with things like rugs from Kashmir, jewellery and other handicrafts from different parts of India. I ate lunch in the company canteen each day and it was delicious - a lot (most?) Indians are vegetarians, the sauces are great. We went to one good restaurant on M.G. Road, but I've no idea the name of it; apart from that, we ate in the hotel most evenings. I like Indian food here and liked what I had there too - I remember I went for the lamb rogan josh in the restaurant and it was very good. In Mysore, the driver suggested we try the chicken biryani, which was good too. I heeded the dire warnings about eating things from roadside kiosks, so stuck to restaurants which were expensive by Indian standards but cheaper than here. In Bangalore, the only tourist attraction I remember was a large park, which seemed a bit threadbare and tired (that was my impression of a lot of India - the tech boom has only benefited a tiny minority). The Karnataka parliament building was there too, with the slogan across the facade - "Government Work is God's Work". There was an interesting temple - Bull Temple - with a large statue of a bull outside.

That's all I can remember.
ATB.

I've been and would say it's a fairly pleasant city... a lot less manic than places like Mumbai or Delhi ... though Bangalore does have brutal traffic at rush hours.

As calculator says there's not a hell of a lot to do/see in Bangalore - no blockbuster sights really .. I've not been to Mysore but have heard that it's well worth a trip out of Bangalore

Note if you are arriving they've a new airport open now which may not be in your guidebook ... all flights go from the very nice new airport about 35km north of town ... the airport has loads of reliable honest taxis as well ... The old airport is now closed.

Thank you Calculator you gave me lots of information there and you too EvilDoc. I am off weekends so I'd say there will be plenty of opportunities for trips out of Bangalore its also interesting to hear that there is a new airport too

I was there twice last year for work. Bangalore is one of the main industrial centres in India having grown from a relatively small city to one of 10 million people in a short period of time (15-20 years). Therefore the infrastructure is very poor, though it is being developed. Within the city, everyone travels on the road, whether its car, bus or the huge number of two wheeled vehicles. You will even see families of 4 or 5 on a motorbike. Efforts are underway to produce a cheap Indian car (from Tata) which should see the road congestion get even worse.
You can rent a car and driver relatively cheaply if you want to tour around and that is probably the best bet if you can trust them.
Within the city, the Tuc-tucs aren't bad but don't be fleeced, particularly if they try to take you to buy souvineers from a shop where they might be promised a commission.
Culturally the souvineer shop sellers are different to us and don't see any thing wrong with the 'go on go on go on go on' approach to the point of extreme rudeness. Decide what you want, how much you want to spend and haggle and be prepared to walk away....you are a tourist with lots of money in their eyes.

As its growth was on the back of the many, many, many multinationals who set up there, there is a westernised flavour to the nightlife and entertainment. However, in the past 12 months this has been cut back the stage where closing times in bars and clubs is early, about 11.30.
If you like Indian food, India is the place to be...duh! I'm a big fan and even the vegetarian food is excellent. (I could, without much trouble, become vegetarian there.)

There isn't much to do in Bangalore, there are interesting buildings and a major cricket ground. Don't know if there is any cricket on there at that time.
Flights between cities are relatively cheap and are of excellent quality. You could get to Mumbai or Hydrabad within a couple of hours.

Overall, excellent country, generally excellent people and I would say a must visit for anyone

PM me if you have more questions, sorry if the above is a bit all over the place, just trying to recall

If the OP is female - I'd say get the clothes over there and don't bring so many clothes. Good city to get stuff made up and also sometimes nice to give a nod to the local clothes and customs.

Health wise - I'd check what medecines you need (esp the dreaded malaria tablets) doctors tend to be overcautious and load you up with stuff you don't need. You can get all medecines and medicare there.

Bon voyage!