Wanna Travel to shop ?

All you women out there , love to shop? Better , love to travel to shop? Well there are a million places around the world but in India which are the hot spots ? read on …

There are a LOT of places around the country that are worth traveling to only to shop, Delhi is forever known for being a shopper’s heaven, then there is Rajasthan and some in the Eastern side of the country, but lets limit this post for the South Indian options.

It mainly depends on the kind of shopper you are, if you are looking for classy concoctions for your home, or a beaded necklace for yourself, the hippie styles have come back, oh but you already know that. Which is the best place to go to get those awesome ali baba pyjamas? Those beaded necklaces and bracelets? Those kaftan styled soft silk loose tops with awesome prints?

Let us first see what we have in the state of Karnataka. Well it is a well known info that Hampi and Gokarna beat most places hands down for shopping. 

Hampi – What will you get there ?

Oh well just about anything a backpacking kinda girl would want, by that I mean junk jewelry, embroidered waist bands, super silver jewelry for definitely some of the cheapest rates [ if you know how to bargain]. Hampi has a very distinctive style, mostly hand made crafts do the rounds as the gypsies living there have a hang of what the tourists look for and create pieces accordingly. So you can also have the liberty to custom make a piece. You can get an embroidered piece done to fit your outfit back home, you just need to visualize it. Then the ready stuff that you get there is out of this world, some of the most amazing bags, hand made, hand embroidered and almost always each different than the other. The waist bands too are lovely, these waist bands mind you can be used as anything you want, just pick up a few of these embroidered ones and you can team it with bells and hang them on your window, or stick it to your big leather belt. And sometimes you will chance upon some real antiques too, hand bracelets and Kum Kum bowls. 

How to Bargain -

And then the silver jewelry, first thing they will talk a lot about how its real silver and the rate of silver and all of that just remember to ask real cheap, ask every earring [ not the small studs those are cheaper] for 200 INR, then every locket for 300 INR and the chain it self should be asked for 250 INR, then keep insisting and you will see how they will come from 1000 rupees down to 500 in a minute.  You will also get some amazing juthis, chappals and shoes there, embroidered colourful ones that are a must buy. Don’t pay more than 250 INR per pair, cheaper if there is not too much work on it. You can also buy some semi precious stones to add it and fit it to your jewelry.

Gokarna  - What will you get there ?

Gokarna is obviously known for its beaches, apart from beaches what you get is a variety of awesome shopping experience. You will get an amazing range of ali baba pyjamas, lovely printed tops in both cotton and synthetic. A variety of bags, from the machine embroidered sling bags with motifs of mushrooms, cartoon characters, Bob Marley and such others you also have the option of picking up the motifs separately and you can stitch or stick them to your bags and outfits back home. They are usually decently priced, but bargaining is compulsory , if you buy more stuff at one place you could get a better discount avoid the shops very close to the Main Gokarna Beach as they are higher priced than the ones a little into the town. You also get some amazing hand made paper diaries, books  and note pads. With cloth or printed hand made paper covering. You will also find jewelry boxes with silk covering they are beautiful and a must buy. Bear in mind most of these things are available only in the peak season. As most of the shops close down for the off season time. The main season to go is between late October and early April. The rainy season sees almost no shopping experience. And also remember that the other beaches in Gokarna like Kutle and om do not have any shops all you shopping needs to be done in the main town.

How To Bargain – The foreigner rates are usually exorbitant and pre decided and so if you are from another country try to start off by telling them you have visited the place a lot of times and know the rates, they normally works. And as for Indians, these guys now have decided rates, so most shops will tell the exact amount for similar stuff, so try and buy more than one thing in one place and ask for at least a 100 rupees lesser what they say, you should get a decent bargain. The Ali Baba pyjamas cost anywhere between 100 INR and 300 INR depending on the material. The tops range between 100 INR and 250 INR.  

Watch this space for the continuation, for more places and what is the best buy there ...

Parinitha Konanur