March 1 – 3 : Bangalore

Bengalore, or Bengaluru as it is called now, is the IT Capital of India. Set in the south and having an international airport, it seemed like a good starting point for my adventure.
I decided to try out couchsurfing and made a nice connection with an indian veterinary who offered to host me. Biju and his roommate, Paul, made my first two days in India really memorable and they showed me what Indian hospitality is capable of. Not only did they spend their whole free time making sure to show me around Bangalore, they also made me nice traditional breakfast and of course offered me a couch – well actually a bed – to spend two nights. Oh well they also helped me reciving my delayed luggage and setting up an Indian phone number.

If you want to read more about couchsurfing, check here: www.couchsurfing.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing

Bengalore is also known as the city of gardens, and if your time is limited I suggest that you see the botanical garden and one of the many parks. The palace and the fort can be ignored, as much more impressiv ones can be seen in other parts of India – or for the palace part, even in the nearby Mysore.

Transport whitin the city is hectic and seems chaotic at first, but once you get the hang of it is quite easy to navigate. Try to use the metro for longer distances as it is really the most comfortable way to travel in this city. No constant honking an no smog! Just check the network on your phone or on the maps that are hanging in every station and buy a ticket (which is an electronic disc that you scan to enter and insert to exit) from the counter. They will usually ask you where you want to get off and the price seems to be based on the distance. The network is not very broad though, there seeem to be just two major lines, in my case that meant that I always had to use it in combination with a bus. Just check on your phone where the bus stops are and how to get from one stop to another. The lines are numbered and although their time schedules might not be reliable, they run all the time. Each bus has a driver and a conductor, the latter being the person that sells you a ticket after you tell them where you want to get off (usually 20 – 30 INR). Be aware that ladies sit in the front part and gents in the back; I had to be scolded by several women to understand this.

If you want to travel from Bangalore to Mysore, as I did, you don’t need to worry at all about booking a ticket in advance. Got to the mysore satellite station (https://tinyurl.com/2raa6r93), which can be quite easily reached from the Deepanjali nagar metro stop. Busses to Mysore depart from here 24/7 and really no prebooking is needed. So you don’t need to worry about arriving at the bus stop at exactly the right time! The first of many bumpy intercity rides took about 2,5 hours and costed 186 INR.