Kicking off our international travelogues, Arjun heads to Austin the capital of Texas, USA. There he watches a lot of live music, eats a lot of Mexican food, and comes back with way too many stories to tell.

Getting Here
Texas is in the south of the US. While Austin is the state's capital it is not the largest city in the state, with Dallas, Houston and San Antonio all bigger than it. It's not small per se, but if you stay here for more than a week, you're likely to bump into the same people Downtown. To give you an idea of the relative size of the place - while Dallas, Houston and San Antonio all have their own major NBA franchises, the Austin Toros are only a D-league (Development league) team.

To get to Austin, you first need to get to the US (duh). If you arrive in Atlanta (the world's busiest airport), there are direct flights to Austin that take about two and a half hours to get there. If you arrive in New York, you're likely to have to switch flights in Atlanta.

Most of the fancy places to stay are Downtown (the central, business area of the city, sort of like Colaba in Mumbai or Connaught Place in New Delhi or Brigade Road in Bangalore). However, if you're on a budget, it's a good idea to try websites like Couchsurfing.com to find inexpensive living options. You can also try Craigslist to find a decent deal on accommodation. If you're going...

for a music festival or during a major touristy period, it's a good idea to start contacting people via these sites at least a month or two in advance.

Contrary to popular misconception, living in the US is as expensive as you want it to be. Of course, you're dealing in dollars, but if you're sensible about your spending and have at least a broad idea about your budget, you won't return cursing Haagen-Dazs for their delicious but expensive ice cream.

Getting Around
You're likely to spend most of your time Downtown, and this is a very well connected area of the city. The cheapest way to travel is the Capital Metro bus system. Getting from anywhere to anywhere using the buses is just 75 cents a ride, though if you're going to be in town for some time, it's a good idea to pick up the $7 weekly pass that lets you take unlimited rides on buses. The buses are slightly slow, but they get you to wherever you want to go safely and comfortably.

If you're a little adventurous, and are not living too far away from Downtown, you can also hire a bicycle and see the sights. Rentals are cheap and there are dedicated biking lanes on the roads so riding is safe. The most expensive way to travel is to take a cab. Cabs are quick, but once you start converting dollars into rupees, a $10 cab ride doesn't seem that worth it anymore.

An interesting way to travel around...

Austin is to take the Dillos, which are like trams and are really slow. They're as cheap as the bus system and should be experienced at least once.

Stuff To Do
The big tourist pullers in Austin are the two major music festivals that are held here every year. South By South West (SXSW) is the biggest independent music conference in the world and sees nearly 2,000 bands from all over the planet perform in Austin during five days in March. Head to Jammag.com for a full report from this year’s festival.

The other big music event in Austin is the Austin City Limits festival. The festival (the 2009 instalment of which will be held between Oct 2-4) sees much larger, household musician names perform in Austin. Over the past year artists as big as the Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, Muse and Coldplay have performed at the festival. This year, the bill includes Pearl Jam (see poster), Dave Mathews Band and Arctic Monkeys.
Austin is a city for live music. The self proclaimed “live music capital of the world”, Austin features several live music venues and hundreds of tour stops for all sorts of musicians and performers. In fact, most catering venues like restaurants, bars and pubs find it hard to survive without a live music space. Even spaces that generally do not find themselves privy to live music often do in Austin. At SXSW, I caught several gigs at the Central Presbyterian Church (a beautiful venue with great acoustics), parking lots, walkways and...

hot dog stands.

Austin is essentially a student city. It is home to the University of Texas which is one of the largest universities in the US. A large, international student population resides here so don't be surprised if you spot a few brown people.

Austin is a lot like the Bangalore of the US. Most of the action happens on 6th Street, while the rest of the town doesn't really hold many other attractions, quite like Brigade Road and Bangalore. East 6th Street holds most of the bars, cafes, restaurants and pubs of the city. Most of these have live music spaces and you'll find something here for every budget. Being in Texas, Austin also has a lot of Tex-Mex on offer. Tex-Mex is essentially the Texan version of Mexican food. There are dozens of street vendors selling a whole variety of Tex-Mex including fajitas, quesadillas and tacos. You could also try gourmet Mexican food at restaurants, but Tex-Mex is usually best had street side. Texans are also big beef eaters, so if you're vegetarian and the PETA types, you're going to have a hard time getting by with hot dogs and bratwurst available at almost every corner.

If you're not here for the music, there are other touristy places where you can pass your time. The Texas State Capitol is about a 10 minute walk from 6th Street and you can easily pass an afternoon here marveling at the architecture, sitting on the lawns and meeting some squirrels. The Auditorium Shores...

park by a lake is another great place to hang out with some great views of the city. But yes, live music is by far the biggest attraction in Austin and if you're a music buff, you'll not be disappointed by the trip.