Stumble and Bumble Explore Bengaluru – Part 2

The great thing about the WPL is this years edition is that the games are on in the evening so that means you can explore the city in the morning.

This has meant that Russian and I have tried our best to see the sights and sounds of Bengaluru. 

Bengaluru known as the Garden City has plenty of open spaces to get away from the traffic and noise. We ventured out to the Lalbagh Botanical Garden and not far into the gardens there was a troupe of monkeys. The little ones were playing running about jumping on each other like they were playing tag, head to our Instagram of Facebook to see the video. They were super cute whilst the adults sat up in a huge bamboo grove. 

The garden looked dry but the monsoon rains apparently bring everything to life & it’s not hard to imagine that. The gardens contain a multitude of tree’s & plants from around the world as well as a glass house modelled on London’s Crystal Palace. As the gardens are so large it was a guided buggy ride that was decided on. 

I asked about getting on the tour with an English speaking guide, though the buggy was full, but once some women in the buggy heard our Australian accents they started singing out come come and made room for us.

Well we had new best friends and when a photo of their group was being taken they insisted we be in it. One lady in their group was good at taking selfies and passed them onto us. 

Again the Indian people are so very friendly and happy to include you in what they are doing. A great day was had in the gardens and to be honest my favourite bits were the monkeys and touring around with the group of ladies as they were good fun. Although the gardens were good they would look spectacular when in full bloom.

We had our fair share of adventures. Autos (known as Tuk Tuks back home) are our go-to for getting around since you really soak in the sights, smells, and that nice breeze from the open sides. However we found out that hotels aren’t too keen on autos pulling up right at the front, so we book them and meet them outside of the hotel gate. 

When our pride got in the way and we couldn’t strike a deal, we sometimes opted to walk, which often turned out to be a longer trek than we anticipated, but you also get to take in more of India. Plus, our phone battery would die while trying to navigate back home.

We made it work by using one phone for directions while saving battery for when we finally escaped the haggling and could book an Uber with four wheels and an English-speaking driver. It usually cost us around 100 rupees (about AUD 1.84), sometimes a bit more.

A must do when in Bengaluru is head to Bangalore Place. It is the home of the royal Wodeyar family. It was a quick 40-minute walk from our hotel, and we hopped on a auto for a speedy 10-minute ride back. 

The palace grounds are a hotspot for rock concerts, having hosted legends like the Rolling Stones and U2. We found out that foreigners pay double the admission fee for cultural sites, so we forked out 500 INR (about $9), which included a fantastic audio tour. It’s a common practice to charge tourists extra, but I guess at the end of the day $9 isn’t that much for a chance to see a slice of history.