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A Merry Mysore
A big oversight in my planning involved travelling to one of the most popular christmas destinations in the south of India - on christmas day, without booking ahead. Thankfully fate was guiding me and everything fell into place. On arrival at the station i chatted to a couple of boys one German - Marco, and one Austrian - Manuel, who had also just arrived with no booking. I informed them of the grave situation and we agreed to attmept to search and find something together. After getting a few taxi drivers to fight for our business, we obtained a cheap ride into town. The driver happy to help (presumably for some basheesh provided by the hotel increasing the rate) stopping off at a couple of hotels on the way in and very luckily landing a 3 bed room with no real trouble at all. After settling in i decided to search for a single room to book for the following day as the other boys were only staying one night but i was there for 3. I gave up after about 3 hours, resolving to the fact that i'd be paying over 1000 rupees for a 3 bed room on my own..
Mysore was a refeshing change, out of the bigger city of Bangalore where i was too sick to really enjoy anyway, Mysore gave a glimpse of what the South offered in comparison to the north. The pace was slower, people still wanted your business but not in the same determined manner that tires you out.
The main attraction to Mysore is the Royal Palace. A giant complex in the centre of town, built all in stone and cast iron (they were determined not to let it succumb to the fate of the last wooden palace that burnt down), the architecture is a somewhat of a mix of indian, persian and british, making it extremely unique. There was no photography allowed inside the palace, but from the outside it was still impressive. Moreso on Christmas day and every Sunday where they illumate the 50,000 or so lightbulbs attached to it creating a glowing palace shaped effulgence. The crowds were insane. and the queues even more so.. so i decided to experiment with some of the benefits i'd noticed us foriegners seem to get away with. Instead of lining up in the 150meter queue to buy tickets i simply walked to the gate and when the guy asked me where my ticket was i simply asked 'oh. um. how much?' in a suggestive manner. he added 50rp to the price and in about 30 seconds i had a ticket in my hand and was through the gate. Then there were queues to have baggage checked before entering the temple and queues to cloak your camera and shoes (mandatory) i killed two birds with one stone here by simply walking around the baggage check and leaving my shoes and camera in my backpack. i think i saved about 3 hours with those slick manouvers. grabbing an audio guide (free for foreigners) i slowly ambled around the palace absorbing it all and listening to the informative narrator while hordes and hordes of indians fought and pushed past each other.. I could not understand it but everyone seemed so intent on getting past the person in front of them i dont see how they could posibly be appreciating what they were there for... in each room i just ducked off to the side and let people file past until i was ready to move on. Overall a really cool experience learning about the Indian Royals and their sweet pad.
The 2nd day after saying goodbye to the Germaustrian boys and agreeing to possibly meet in Hampi, i walked around for a short period and found a couple of French guys - Mattieu and Phillipe, with backpacks on and distressed looks on their faces. Recognising their need for accomodation I let them know of the two beds i had spare and wanted to sublet and they swiftly agreed. Problem solved for at least one more night!
Other things i visited in Mysore included the extremely vibrant and colourful market where i watched incense being freshly made and rows of colourful flower garlands, vivid powder dyes, and rich smelling oils and purfumes that Mysore is very famous for. With the Mattieu and Phillipe I visited Chamundi Hill, and its Chamundeswari Temple overlooking the town (although very hazy), we also took another bus out to Brindavan Gardens which has apprantly been the backdrop for many Bollywood scenes, however it appeared that film time was the only time they were maintained.. quite a pathetic display really.
Done
Overall Mysore was a brilliant introduction to the South of India. I was supposed to stay 3 nights and train back to Bangalore for another night there and then a train to Hampi. But i felt done after 2 nights and booked a bus direct from Mysore to Hampi, saving myself 2 nights and a wasted day back in Bangalore, I cancelled my other tickets for a not quite full refund. Turns out buses are a lot easier to get on than trains.
Photos
The Palace lit up with thousands of lightbulbs
Incense being hand rolled. I bought some, they burn for like an hour
Colouful dyes at the market
A Merry Mysore
A big oversight in my planning involved travelling to one of the most popular christmas destinations in the south of India - on christmas day, without booking ahead. Thankfully fate was guiding me and everything fell into place. On arrival at the station i chatted to a couple of boys one German - Marco, and one Austrian - Manuel, who had also just arrived with no booking. I informed them of the grave situation and we agreed to attmept to search and find something together. After getting a few taxi drivers to fight for our business, we obtained a cheap ride into town. The driver happy to help (presumably for some basheesh provided by the hotel increasing the rate) stopping off at a couple of hotels on the way in and very luckily landing a 3 bed room with no real trouble at all. After settling in i decided to search for a single room to book for the following day as the other boys were only staying one night but i was there for 3. I gave up after about 3 hours, resolving to the fact that i'd be paying over 1000 rupees for a 3 bed room on my own..
Mysore was a refeshing change, out of the bigger city of Bangalore where i was too sick to really enjoy anyway, Mysore gave a glimpse of what the South offered in comparison to the north. The pace was slower, people still wanted your business but not in the same determined manner that tires you out.
The main attraction to Mysore is the Royal Palace. A giant complex in the centre of town, built all in stone and cast iron (they were determined not to let it succumb to the fate of the last wooden palace that burnt down), the architecture is a somewhat of a mix of indian, persian and british, making it extremely unique. There was no photography allowed inside the palace, but from the outside it was still impressive. Moreso on Christmas day and every Sunday where they illumate the 50,000 or so lightbulbs attached to it creating a glowing palace shaped effulgence. The crowds were insane. and the queues even more so.. so i decided to experiment with some of the benefits i'd noticed us foriegners seem to get away with. Instead of lining up in the 150meter queue to buy tickets i simply walked to the gate and when the guy asked me where my ticket was i simply asked 'oh. um. how much?' in a suggestive manner. he added 50rp to the price and in about 30 seconds i had a ticket in my hand and was through the gate. Then there were queues to have baggage checked before entering the temple and queues to cloak your camera and shoes (mandatory) i killed two birds with one stone here by simply walking around the baggage check and leaving my shoes and camera in my backpack. i think i saved about 3 hours with those slick manouvers. grabbing an audio guide (free for foreigners) i slowly ambled around the palace absorbing it all and listening to the informative narrator while hordes and hordes of indians fought and pushed past each other.. I could not understand it but everyone seemed so intent on getting past the person in front of them i dont see how they could posibly be appreciating what they were there for... in each room i just ducked off to the side and let people file past until i was ready to move on. Overall a really cool experience learning about the Indian Royals and their sweet pad.
The 2nd day after saying goodbye to the Germaustrian boys and agreeing to possibly meet in Hampi, i walked around for a short period and found a couple of French guys - Mattieu and Phillipe, with backpacks on and distressed looks on their faces. Recognising their need for accomodation I let them know of the two beds i had spare and wanted to sublet and they swiftly agreed. Problem solved for at least one more night!
Other things i visited in Mysore included the extremely vibrant and colourful market where i watched incense being freshly made and rows of colourful flower garlands, vivid powder dyes, and rich smelling oils and purfumes that Mysore is very famous for. With the Mattieu and Phillipe I visited Chamundi Hill, and its Chamundeswari Temple overlooking the town (although very hazy), we also took another bus out to Brindavan Gardens which has apprantly been the backdrop for many Bollywood scenes, however it appeared that film time was the only time they were maintained.. quite a pathetic display really.
Done
Overall Mysore was a brilliant introduction to the South of India. I was supposed to stay 3 nights and train back to Bangalore for another night there and then a train to Hampi. But i felt done after 2 nights and booked a bus direct from Mysore to Hampi, saving myself 2 nights and a wasted day back in Bangalore, I cancelled my other tickets for a not quite full refund. Turns out buses are a lot easier to get on than trains.
Photos
The Palace lit up with thousands of lightbulbs
Incense being hand rolled. I bought some, they burn for like an hour
Colouful dyes at the market
1 comment:
The Palace looks amazing!
And I love the coloured dyes
Great pics Dan! xo Mum
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