Student in Bangalore... Where should I travel?

Hi,

I'm currently 21 and a engineering student in California. This summer I'm going with a professor to IISc in Bangalore. I'll be there for six weeks running circuit simulations, but I hope to also spend at least a week at the end traveling around India. I haven't traveled outside of the USA too much (outside of a couple family cruises), so I am looking for some travel advice and help on planning an itinerary. I will be traveling alone.

I figured I could get plenty of shopping done in Bangalore, and perhaps sample some of the local brews. I'll also try to travel around Bangalore on the weekends (Nandi Hill, Mysore, etc...). But, I want to have an action-packed iternary at the end. Here are my thoughts so far:

Since Bangalore sounds pretty urban, with shopping etc... I was thinking of not going to Mumbai, because it is somewhat similar?

Kerala sounded interesting, with the backwaters and wildlife areas. Perhaps going from Bangalore to Fort Cochin and then to the backwaters? Or start from Trivandrum and travel up the coast? Perhaps finish off by visiting Ooty for a couple days on the way back to Bangalore?

If you have any advice, alternate itineraries, suggestions for other places to visit, or any other travel advice please let me know. Would this be too much to do in a week? My budget is probably around $50 / day, though I could spend more if I had to.

I'll probably use a small, lightweight duffel bag + a smallish daypack while traveling. Does this seem fine?

Also, I might have to bring my laptop for the work I'll be doing, but I wouldn't want to carry it around during the last week. Are there safe places to store luggage for a week or two in Bangalore?

So far, I've purchased the Lonely Planet: South India guide and a couple books on Hindi (though I know that Hindi isn't too common around where I'll be).

Thank you!!

Since you only have a week or so I would agree you should stay in Southern India. Some other time you can go to Mumbia which is very nice but also VERY EXPENSIVE.

While in Bangalore definately visit Mavalli Tiffin Room - maybe once a week! I would definatley recommend going early in your stay because you may love it, as I did, and decide to go OFTEN! Mysore is a nice place to visit, I have heard you can do a long day trip from Bangalore, you can determine this for sure once in Bangolore.

If you think you can make it with a small duffel bag go for it - smaller is better than bigger.

Have a great time in India.

50 dollars a day is fine.
small bag is fine.
take plenty of insectrepellent for that area at that time of year.
dont bother taking a sleeping bag,
consider a compact mosquito net.
take only light clothing and an umbrella!!!!
ditch the hindi books.
s. indians more likely to speak english than hindi...some dont like the assumption that they should speak a north indian language anyway.
s.india lp guide is perfect for a week...if you really want to learn some lingo, check out the language section and memorize the kanada phrases if there are some.your attempts will be appreciated!
have fun

Thanks for the recommendation for the Mavalli Tiffin Room. What are the normal prices for a meal?

Any recommendations for the type of mosquito net and should I get travel bed sheets (~$20 USD) or do most places have clean ones nowadays? Should I buy before I leave or while I'm in India?

I believe Marvalli Tiffin Room is about 75 Rupees. The meal consists of about 20 different items - all delicious!

I have never purchased a mosquito net for India - a few places I stayed had, most did not. I also have never used a bed sheet, I have just slept on whatever sheets are in the room - generally they have been clean, not always though.

i have over the years travelled all over s.asia without insect repellent, mozzie net or malaria pills and guess what?eventually i got malaria:-).its not pleasant!!!
youre probably going in the rainy season...which is prime time for mosquitos...you can get ultra compact nets that fit in a backpack side- pocket these days...take some tacks and few metres of thin cord and you can put it up anywhere.of course if your staying in one place for most of your stay and its not too basic they should provide a net. the same goes for the sheets...i dont know bangalore that well but a fifty dollar a day budget should get you a reasonable room in most places.
however you can buy a couple of large decorated sheets in india for a few dollars...and have a souvenir at the end of your trip..!

by the way if you get a chance go up to hampi...one of the most amazing beautiful places in india...miles and miles of ruined temples set in an incredible landscape!
good luck

Get the "52 weekends from Bangalore" book - usually very easily available. It has great recommendations of places to go, things to see, and food to eat.

I have only three things to say to you: Hampi, Hampi and Hampi. It's an easy overnight train trip from Bangalore and one of the very best places to visit in India - at least in my personal opinion. The great ting about Hampi is that it combines two wonderful attractions: The wonderful ruins of Vijayanagar which in it's heyday was the second largest city in the world (second only to Beijing) and an amazing boulder strewn landscape the equal of which I have never seen. Both these are worth a journey in themselves, but the combination makes the place magical. Despite the fairly large amounts of visitors the whole area still has a nice rural feel and is large enough for you to sometimes find yourself completely alone in some wonderful historical spot. This is a must-do trip and you'd be well adviced to spend at LEAST 2-3 days there.

To check out my pictures from Hampi click here. For some pictures from Bangalore click here.

Enjoy your trip.

hi .

It would be a good idea to take a short trip to mysore , visit the mysore zoo , palace and botanical garden.

Also if you are interested in backwaters /hill stations take an overnight bus from bangalore
and roam around for 3-4 days.

U can visit munnar, kumarakom, thekkady , aleppey....

rajesh