| I’ve just got off the phone to tell my mother that in the last week of this month I will be travelling for work. She thinks that it will be fantastic as there will be so much shopping, the place will be cheap and travelling for work is glamorous in her books. I’m not so sure as the place that I’m likely to be going is polluted, crowded, noisy, dirty, had recent terrorist attacks and being allergic to chilli and pepper, I can’t eat the food. But despite that I am sure that Bangalore (or as Bengaluru as it is in the maps) will be a bit of an adventure.
So over the next 3 weeks, in addition to working about 9 hours a day, I will be swotting up on basic Hindi phrases and how to negotiate a good price on Indian silks and saris.
Also all I know about India is that the people like cricket, it’s bureaucratic, and it’s a fellow ex-colony. All I know about Bangalore is that there are lots of IT companies and call centers in addition to my client’s offices. I also know about the dysentery, not to give money to beggars and to pack my own cutlery as I have no desire to learn how to eat everything with my right hand.
If anyone out there in blogland has any travel advice about going to India for business, I’d be glad to hear about it. I know that with business travel you miss out on all the exciting sight seeing during the day and just want to know where you can go in the evenings to relax, have a decent meal and possibly do something slightly cultural that you can’t do at home.
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