Some suggestions for a move to Bangalore

Best Things We Brought

• Our cats – they made Bangalore seem like home. It was expensive, but worth every penny to us.
• Brita water pitcher – takes any leftover flavor out of the already UV filtered water.
• Crocs – great shoes for here because they are relatively comfortable, water proof, and can be easily soaped and cleaned. Tivas or anything similar would be good too.
• Bicycles – Palm Meadows is great for riding around, especially with kids.
• Scooter - Jessi likes to zip around and doesn’t complain about going with us for a walk if she can use her scooter.
• GPS – Larrie enjoys riding his bike east of Bangalore in the villages and country side. It has been very handy for that and trips to other cities.
• Camera – when we moved here, they were significantly more expensive here for the exact same model we purchased at Target. $250 in B’lore –vs- $150 in Minneapolis.
• Laptop – as we have traveled around, most hotels have wifi so it has come in handy to keep in touch, as well as to look up tourist destinations and information while we’ve been on the road. They are also cheaper in the U.S. for the most common brands though there is not as significant a difference in price as for cameras.
• iPod / iPad – good for using when wifi is available for email, Skype, games, videos etc. when a laptop is bigger than what you want to carry around
• Nintendo DS – great for traveling in the car for Jessi. It takes much longer to get anywhere here due to the heavy traffic and bumps in the road.
• Mobal phone – this is a pay by the minute international phone that works in almost all countries in the world. Mobal is the brand. You only are charged when you use it. We will let it sit for months at a time then use it when we travel out of India. (My work cell phone only works in India).
• Copier / scanner / printer device – an inexpensive multi device has been extremely handy for business transactions with the United State. We’ve had a number of documents we’ve needed to print, sign, scan, and email back; especially for our house purchase in Plymouth. It has also been very handy for scanning documents for insurance claims. Larrie won one just before we left town. We saw the same model on clearance at Target for $30.
• French press for coffee or percolator – power often goes to backup generator in Palm Meadows. When that happens, a coffee maker, microwave, toaster oven, dryer, water filter, water heater, etc. does not work. (Lights and TV stay on.) Also coffee makers are very expensive here.
• Toilet paper – if you like it soft and absorbent. We have yet to find cushy toilet paper here. Most is rough and thin.
• Travel Kleenex packs – many rest rooms will not have toilet paper.
• Purel – many rest rooms will not have soap.
• Folding lawn chairs & folding patio tables – Bangalore almost always has beautiful weather so we spend significant time outdoors. These have come in handy for barbeques, parties, and just hanging out.
• Web cam – nice for staying in touch with family back home
• Step Ladder – keeps the service providers from using the excuse that they can’t do the work until they have a ladder and then not showing back up for a few more days. Plus just generally handy for getting cobwebs off the high ceilings and changing light bulbs.
• Tool box – Larrie has found lots of uses for his tools for dripping faucets, tightening cupboard doors etc. It take a long time to get the rental agency to fix anything like that.
• Universal plug adapters – this has been handy as we’ve traveled to other countries outside of India. There is quite a variety of electric outlet configurations.
• Grill – we use it often since the weather is so nice. We use real coal here.
• Lawry Seasoning Salt – a taste home for food cooked on the grill
• Cooler – to keep the beer cold when grilling. You can buy them here on occasion, but they are VERY expensive.
• Mattress – typical beds in India are much firmer than in the U.S. If you like it soft, bring your own or a good thick mattress pad.
• Citronella candles – nice for sitting outside at dusk when the mosquitoes appear.
• Bug spray – such as Deep Woods Off and your favorite kind for your kids. Mosquitoes aren’t too much of a problem during the day in Bangalore so we ended up with way more than we needed.
• Board games, playing cards – fun way to spend time with the other expats
• Favorite DVDs – cable is available here (Disney, Nick, etc.) and has a number of familiar children’s program though.
• Swim goggles – lots of swimming opportunities are available
• Crop pants – You don’t commonly see women wearing shorts but crop pants are very acceptable.
• Pots, pans, and favorite cooking tools – the basics are in the house but wasn’t adequate for things we like to cook.
• Over the counter kids medicine
1. Advil, Tylenol
2. Anti-itch crème, Benadryl, sunscreen
3. Cold Medicines
4. Imodium, Rolaids, Pepto-Bismol and other stomach medicine
• Vitamins
• Prescriptions
• Preferred personal products for deodorant, shampoo, pads, etc.
• Lego – hours of fun for the whole family and the neighborhood kids too.

What I wish I would have brought
• Folding Quad chairs – since the weather is so nice, we tend to socialize quite a bit more or go to the park. The folding quad chairs are easy to take along for a comfortable seat.
• Extra radio batteries and Triple A’s – These are hard to find. Double A’s are readily available everywhere.
• More holiday plates and decorations – makes it feel more like home to have reminders of the traditional American holidays
• A light that automatically turns on when the power at the outlet goes off – would be handy on the rare times when the power is out more than a few minutes before the backup generator fires up.
• A tent – it would have been fun to camp in something that would keep bugs and snakes out.
• Our bike trailer – would have come in useful to haul items back from nearby businesses by bicycle, since we don’t have access to a car all the time.
• Jumper cables – after initially publishing this list, two people mentioned how difficult (impossible) they are to find in Bangalore. In fact, the Bangalore native next door picked his up in California.

What I didn’t need
• 24 bottles of my favorite lotion - it is humid here so skin doesn’t dry out link in Minneapolis. I’m taking 237/8 bottles back home.
• A dozen pairs of socks – the only time I’ve worn socks is for trips home to Minneapolis and during layovers in Europe. A couple of pairs will do.
• Ant traps - The types of ants here in India, do not recognize the U.S. ant traps as food and therefore the traps are ineffective. The just walk right over the top.

Favorite things I purchased here
• Hammock – cheap and I use it often because the weather is so nice
• Bar – there is beautiful Teak furniture available here for very good prices, especially at Tahr. We bought a nice fold up bar that is unlike anything I’ve seen in the U.S. for an extremely reasonable cost. I’m quite sure it would have cost 4x as much in the U.S. All sorts of table, chests, and cupboards can be found.
• Toaster oven – generally houses here will not have ovens. Buying a small toaster oven has allowed us to back cookies, pies, and cakes for some comfort food from home. Best to buy it here because of the 220v power source.
• Electric tea kettle – quicker to warm up water than on the stove. Best to buy it here because of the 220v power source.
• Scarves for gifts – they are inexpensive and it is fun to take a whole stack back to the U.S. and let people pick their own from it.
• Children’s books – you can often buy hardback familiar titles for less than paperback in the U.S.
• Electrified mosquito swatter – handy if mosquitoes start hatching in your house. We haven’t had many until the last two months and now we can’t seem to overcome them. I’m getting bit inside my house way more than when I am outside.
• Charcoal starter can – makes getting the coal hot much easier for firing up the grill
• Labradorite – as pretty as opal and very inexpensive.
• Sterling silver – very good prices.
• Silk – beautiful patterns.

Best Online Services
• iTunes Store / App Store - for movie rentals or purchase and downloading games, music, etc.
• Amazon kindle downloads – to get newest books. I’ve used this when I’ve wanted a specific title. There are good bookstores here and books are less expensive but when you want something specific Amazon might be easier.
• Skype service plan with an external Minneapolis phone number – allows family / friends in the U.S. to call for the same price they would pay to call my in Minnesota. Also very handy to give to insurance companies etc. since many people don’t know how to call India or have their phones enabled for international calling.
• Realtor.Com / Zillow.Com – used to find a house to buy long distance in the Twin Cities.
• Google Earth – great for getting a lay of the land.
• www.earthclassmail.com – PO Box, Mail scanning and forwarding service.