http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9183 It's also on Church Street (off M G Road) and it's a good place to know becuase this street is full of restaurants, all sorts of food and nearly all very good).

Price: Buffet lunch, around 215/Rs per person (about 3 and a bit euros).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9183 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9181
Plus point, you can then go out and peruse your finds over a great (cheap!!) cup of coffee at the nearby Indian Cofee House.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9181 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9033
Tip: If you are travelling from abroad and are being tempted by all the cheap books available which you cannot pack into your 20kg weight limit, just buy all that you want. Stack them into packs of about 5 kgs (about 20 or so paperbacks). Go a stationary shop, get some bubble wrap, some clear wide tape and some brown paper. Make packages- Ist bubble, then brown paper. Leave a large window on one side when wrapping the brown paper. Address it to your home, write Books, Printed matter only in large letters, go to a Post office and send it by seamail. It will cost about 170 Rs (hardly 3 euros) for a 5 kilo packet. In about 6-8 weeks you will get your packet at home.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9033 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9032
It has been there for as long as anyone can remember and it looks it. The opening is pretty normal, in the middle of the bazaar, and then it just gets longer and longer and some terribly rickety stairs lead you to the upper floor stocking more books: if you trust the wood to hold you up that is.

They never throw any stock away, so if you dig around hard enough, you may come across "rarities" that have been unsold, lets say, since the 1950s and the owner will carefully convert the shillings and pence at the back to charge you (I picked up a cookery book for 2 Rs).

And if you are academically minded or just a university student, there is not a bookshop that I have seen that staggers under such a wide variety of books on any subject you may be pursuing, be it organic chemistry, engineering geology or vast amounts of English literature.

Staff are knowledgeable about their own section, and helpful (they go around switching fans on and off according to the section you are in) and no one cares if you spend hours browsing.

Warning: bring a duster, as they never seem to have got around to cleaning any but the most popular sections, and that is ususally limited to the top layer!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9032 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9030 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9030 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9029 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9029 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9028 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9028 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9184 If you are amazed by the number of people browsing everything from cookery to music, be prepared for the check-out. There are nine tills, and from the crowd it looks like they are giving books away. Be patient and enjoy the fact that you are in crowd of people who don't mind waiting for 20 minutes to pay for books! It's not to say the bookshop is inefficient, it's just the number of people it attracts.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9184 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9031 If you are not into channas, they also have some absolutely delicious steamed momos, both veg and non vegetarian.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9031 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9027
Rest of the market is great for shopping where Indians do (silver, gold jewellery, designer wear) and at the same time also cheaper stores with belts, shoes, Indian cosmetics, etc.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9027