It has been a few years since I visited Northern India so…I decided it was time to visit Bangalore in southern India on a business trip and of course, I had to explore every second I found some free time outside of work.

It was a nice trip on British Airways when you can go upstairs to the upper deck of a 747 where it is so quiet and peaceful.  It is so easy to adjust your sleep schedule to be ready for a time zone that is 12.5 hours ahead of your normal cycle.

When I travel, what do I to acclimate myself to the time zone and explore the area?

Go running of course! The routes are not simple running trails.  They are more of an obstacle course with trees, debris, trash, electric wires and scooters/bikes chasing you everywhere.

When you explore, you never know what you may find. I am still trying to figure this one out myself…

It was mighty hot and humid and hard to run more than 5K despite the 3,500 elevation which is much cooler than the surrounding area.  You know it is hot when the security guards outside the hotel need to use shade umbrellas…

You can find some great boutique hotels here in Bangalore that are cozy and quaint that are close to the high tech center areas of the city.

You can also find enormous variety and choice of local delicacies along side the road when you need a snack or a lunch break.

The high tech sector is very packed and crowded.  The traffic is brutal in these areas and it can take 1.5 hours to get to the high tech areas when you are only 12 KM away in a large hotel.

But if you want to truly see and experience Bangalore, you need to go to the city center and visit places like the K.R. Market.  The traffic is not bad and it is a lively place.

Very safe, fun place to explore and experience the lifestyle, culture and be part of the daily flower market.

You can also meet and make some great friends who roam and shop the market with you.

Now, the real treasure and highlight of the older and historical part of the city center was the Bull Temple.  This is really the origin and history of the city.  It is a place you must visit to fully understand and learn about the culture and history of this very old city.

If you would like a little more recent history and learn about some of the British occupation and battles, you can see some of the remains of the old Bangalore Fort.  Most of the walls and prison cells are torn down now, but the one remaining section gives you a feel of what the original city was like.

The largest building is the government building which has been extended in the early 200s.  The state parliament is near the huge Sri Chamarajendra Park and the former British parliament house which is now the state courthouse.

I only wish my hotel was close to the Cubbon Park and this is an awesome place to go running and is like New York City central park.  Highly recommended for runners.  If interested, here are some of the other places I have run in the world when I was exploring:

• Zambia
• Cuba
• Antarctica
• Greenland
• Oslo
• Vienna
• London
• Suzhou China
• Grenada
• Singapore
• Zurich
• Budapest
• Karkow
• Warsaw
• Dominican Republic
• St. Lucia
• Seville
• Madrid
• Casearea, Israel
• Hanoi, Vietnam
• Hakone, Japan
• Dublin
• Haiti