Yesterday, All of a sudden, we decided to visit Innovative film city(IFC). We had passes for India Australia test match but the decision swung in favour of IFC at the last minute as toss went in favour of Australia who decided to bat first. Our group was full of children and adults and we looked forward to the experience. Being dussehra, the roads were quite empty and it took us almost 1.5 hours from Marathahalli with a 15 minute stop over at Kadu Mane restaurant on Mysore road. The roads were excellent; especially the Bangalore Mysore road and the signage were quite good. Ample parking space was available although it was quite full. We had little difficulty in parking with staff guiding us around. Even though we had parked a fair distance away, the Innovative Film City buses carried us to the main gate.
The security check was efficient and the staff was courteous. The immediate sense that we got as we entered the main gate was of something grand. The ticket counter was good and despite the rush, it took us little time to get the tickets. As we had reached only by 1pm, we decided not to go in for the combo ticket which was 700 bucks per person. We felt that we might not have time for everything, and it was a wise decision in the end.
First up, we had a view of the colonial buildings with Greco Roman architecture and the statues that were present in the middle reminded me of my days in Europe. The shopping plaza is yet to start and there were only a few stalls like Bata, Cauvery and some apparels shop. We found the Bata shop most strategic as one lady from the group broke her sandal as soon as we entered the IFC J.
First attraction was mirror maze which we were recommended and rightly so. I felt it was quite professionally managed as the staff handed out plastic gloves to the visitors and helped them keep the luggage to enjoy the experience inside. The inside was dimly lit with small red lights on the floors. My little daughter(1.5 years old) got a bit scared in the dark so my wife had to return from the entrance. Our group had by then moved on inside the maze and I had to tackle the maze by myself and it was a good experience. The queue was long but for 50 buck and half an hour, it was well worth it.
Next, we decided to go to the aqua pool as we felt we should do it before we filled our stomachs. We therefore skipped Dinosaur world and fossil hunt in the process. I had been to Genting highlands in Malaysia last week and did not feel the urge to repeat the dino experience here. Fortunately the others felt the same including the children. I guess even for them, dinosaurs are prehistoric now(:P).
The aqua pool was good but small. The place had ample space for everyone to sit and relax outside in the shade as well. The water was not as clean but did not deter us who were intent on making it an enjoyable experience. The waves were present only for about 15 minutes for our 45 minute stay in water. The latest music blared from the speakers above and my friends and I had whale of a time dancing in the pool like kids. Then we brought out a small plastic volley ball which was actually my little daughter’s toy but we all played with it. It was quite an experience especially because we had a large group
We got out of the pool by 3 pm but could not leave the area because the facilities for changing and shower were few especially for the ladies. It took us almost 45 minutes(as much time as we had spent in the pool) to leave the place. Overall, a decent experience
Next we went for lunch. Despite the large no of counters actual availability was poor. The tables were occupied completely and there were no clear signage that there was another food court at the back. We settled in for some food, which was average in quality and average in price(I am being extremely generous to the caterers). Dining experience was nothing to write home about.
Next we decided to split the group and some people wanted to go Karting. A one and a half our wait dampened their spirits. In the meanwhile, three of us decided to play mini golf. It was quite an experience. Having played golf all my life on computer, it was quite thrilling to have a putter in my hand. We competed with each other and in most cases were able to get the holes at par. It was really fun filled with my wife and other colleague’s wife pitching in for a couple of holes. The care taker objected to this and rightly so. For 50 bucks per person, it was too much on our part to share the clubs. We managed to finish the entire 18 holes in about an hour.
By now we were fairly tired and exhausted; Sun has been up the whole day. Others in the group went to Ripleys Believe it or not museum. The Rs 50 entry fees are good for the museum. The group felt that they needed more time to actually enjoy the exhibits completely. Overall a great exhibit.
Next we went to Loius Tussad’s Wax museum. Well to be honest, having seen Madame Tussad’s wax museum at Amsterdam, this was definitely a disappointment for me. Others were however thrilled as they were seeing such a thing for the first time. They could do better by having some Indian personalities other than Gandhiji and Dalai Lama. An Aishwaryua Rai, SRK, AB would actually be more interesting than the beetles, Loius Armstrong and Bruce Willis( We had to look at the exhibit to understand that this was supposed to be Bruce Willis). It is worth a visit for 50 bucks for first timers.
Outside the Wax museum, there was a shop that made wax hands for 50 bucks. We decided to skip it as there were long queues for the same. Few enthu people went to try the Karting again and this time they were successful albeit after a 45 minute wait. It was about 7 pm in the evening by now.
We were dead tired and decided to leave the rest of the park for next visit. Miniature city, Cartoon world, Roller skates, Fun Plex, Wild Wild West, Fossil Hunt, Guiness records, Haunted Mansion and Snow world – whew it is quite a list to visit even the next time around.
Few tips for other visitors leave early in the day to enjoy IFC completely. Carry spare clothes for the Aqua pool, it is well worth it. With my total expense coming to around 500 per person, I think this was a steal. At Genting I payed equivalent of Rs 700 only for outdoor theme park and all the parks would have costed aroung Rs. 1400. Madame Tussad’s in Amsterdam alone costed me equivalent of Rs 1000. Overall, a nice one day getaway from Bangalore