In front of a fountain at Brindavan Gardens
A monkey with a stolen juice box
With the bull Nandi
The Palace where we ate lunch
Riding the elephant
In front of Mysore PalaceThis weekend we took a trip to Mysore which is known for it's palaces, silk and sandalwood. This was a trip arranged by the program I am attending so all 41 students came. I think we were quite a site as we were the largest (and sometimes only) group of foreigners in the tourist areas. One of the girls- a freckled, fair skinned red head- had about 20 guys take a picture with her and she was trying to walk away, feeling uncomfortable. One of the others girls tried to charge 100 INR (about $2) for a group of five guys to take a picture with her. It still amazes me that we are as much of a tourist attraction as beautiful temples and palaces.
On the way to Mysore we stopped at the Government Cocoon Market where there were millions of silk worm cocoons. The government provides a subsidy for the farmers to tend to the silk worm cocoons.
Next, we stopped at Srirangatna Fort which was the capital of Mysore State (which is what Karnataka state was previously called) under the warrior-king Tipu Sultan, who was later murdered. We then walked to the Sri Ranganthaswamy Temple which is a temple tribute to Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu). Walking through the temple reminded me of waiting in line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. There were the same bamboo ropes to keep us in line and stone walls and figures. This situation also reminded me of the lack of personal space in India. I was at the end of the group and therefore behind me in line were Indian tourists. Looking ahead I could see that everyone was allowing for the appropriate personal bubble of space, while behind me people were pushing and shoving into my personal bubble. Here in India there are no real lines or ques if you want tea at the little food shop on campus you have to push your way through a crowd hold your money through the remaining people in front of you and yell for tea. I was not very good at this originally, having always been taught it is rude to push past people and cut the line, but now I can push my way to the front and am able to get my tea and climb back up the five flights of stairs on a fifteen minute break (the guard will not allow me to bring the tea into the building however). Anyways, it is always those idiosyncrasies that remind me that I am not at Disneyland, but am indeed in India.
Once we got to Mysore, checked into the hotel and ate lunch (a yummy Indian version of Chinese buffet) we were able to go out and explore the city. The bus took us to several shopping areas which turned out to be government run businesses that were to pricey for any of us college students so we insisted on going out to the markets on our own. I was looking forward to finding the bright beautiful colored powdered dyes that the Hindu women use for the Bindi dots and Tilaka markings on the forehead. The pictures I have seen of Mysore are dominated with piles of the colorful powders and I wanted to see them for myself. After wandering through markets filled with knock off American brands (Poma etc.) and asking so many people where we could find this we gave up and headed back to the hotel hot and exhausted. Upon further inquiry with our resident director who accompanied us on the trip it turns out Monsoon season has interrupted yet another trip, the powdered dyes are not sold during Monsoon season as the would be destroyed by the rain.
That evening we went to Brindavan Gardens. We all thought it was odd at first to go to the gardens when it was getting dark but it is the most popular time to visit this garden as it is dominated by lighted fountains. The main attraction is the Musical Fountain which is lit up and "dances" to music. Despite the pouring rain we all enjoyed ourselves.
Sunday started with a yummy Western breakfast complete with scrambled eggs and toast! You have no idea how much we all enjoyed this as Indian "breakfast" is primarily the same foods you eat for the rest of the meals. Dosas, idli, chutneys and sauces (none of which I like!). After breakfast we headed off for a temple built by the Mysore Maharajah in memory of Chamundeshwari who is said to have killed the demon Mahishasuran. Here we were able to see Indian monkeys, wandering cows and hoards of people shoving things in our face to buy. "Sandalwood" fans, postcards, wooden boxes, jewelry etc. I have gotten good at thwarting these vendors by not engaging with them at all, but most of the other girls are tempted to look in their direction and then get mobbed and harassed even further. After this we went to visit a 15 foot high 24 foot long stone carving of Nandi (the bull mount of the god Shiva).
We had a special surprise for lunch when we were taken to Lalitha Mahal Palace which was built by the Maharajah for his esteemed guests and has since been converted into a hotel. Upon touring the hotel we were taken to the top suite which was bigger than mine and Rex's apartment and cost more for one night then for a month of rent! The lunch was delicious and was only overshadowed by the dessert buffet which included homemade vanilla ice cream and homemade cream puffs with dark chocolate on top! Needless to say I enjoyed it.
After lunch we headed to the main attraction in Mysore, Mysore Palace which was the official residence of the Wodeyers, the royal family of Mysore. Building of the palace was started in 1897 and it was completed in 1912 so it is not very old but it was ornate and beautiful. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take picture inside the palace but the wood carved doors and ceilings, the gold covering almost all the pillars and the "3-d" paintings with not only eyes but entire armies of horses following you from one side to the other, it was definitely an amazing tour. After our tour we got to ride elephants and camels! And then headed home.
I was fortunate enough to have a spot in a smaller bus (and not have to ride on the same bus that we spent 17 hours in on the way to Goa) and on the way home we watched an Indian movie which was interesting/happy/depressing/romantic/action/comedy/dancing/singing all rolled into one.
It was a wonderful weekend and one I will not soon forget! I can't believe I have less than four weeks to go now. Classes all this week and then next weekend we are going on a trip to a village so it should be interesting to get out of tourist cities and see what living in India is like for villagers.
On the way to Mysore we stopped at the Government Cocoon Market where there were millions of silk worm cocoons. The government provides a subsidy for the farmers to tend to the silk worm cocoons.
Next, we stopped at Srirangatna Fort which was the capital of Mysore State (which is what Karnataka state was previously called) under the warrior-king Tipu Sultan, who was later murdered. We then walked to the Sri Ranganthaswamy Temple which is a temple tribute to Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu). Walking through the temple reminded me of waiting in line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. There were the same bamboo ropes to keep us in line and stone walls and figures. This situation also reminded me of the lack of personal space in India. I was at the end of the group and therefore behind me in line were Indian tourists. Looking ahead I could see that everyone was allowing for the appropriate personal bubble of space, while behind me people were pushing and shoving into my personal bubble. Here in India there are no real lines or ques if you want tea at the little food shop on campus you have to push your way through a crowd hold your money through the remaining people in front of you and yell for tea. I was not very good at this originally, having always been taught it is rude to push past people and cut the line, but now I can push my way to the front and am able to get my tea and climb back up the five flights of stairs on a fifteen minute break (the guard will not allow me to bring the tea into the building however). Anyways, it is always those idiosyncrasies that remind me that I am not at Disneyland, but am indeed in India.
Once we got to Mysore, checked into the hotel and ate lunch (a yummy Indian version of Chinese buffet) we were able to go out and explore the city. The bus took us to several shopping areas which turned out to be government run businesses that were to pricey for any of us college students so we insisted on going out to the markets on our own. I was looking forward to finding the bright beautiful colored powdered dyes that the Hindu women use for the Bindi dots and Tilaka markings on the forehead. The pictures I have seen of Mysore are dominated with piles of the colorful powders and I wanted to see them for myself. After wandering through markets filled with knock off American brands (Poma etc.) and asking so many people where we could find this we gave up and headed back to the hotel hot and exhausted. Upon further inquiry with our resident director who accompanied us on the trip it turns out Monsoon season has interrupted yet another trip, the powdered dyes are not sold during Monsoon season as the would be destroyed by the rain.
That evening we went to Brindavan Gardens. We all thought it was odd at first to go to the gardens when it was getting dark but it is the most popular time to visit this garden as it is dominated by lighted fountains. The main attraction is the Musical Fountain which is lit up and "dances" to music. Despite the pouring rain we all enjoyed ourselves.
Sunday started with a yummy Western breakfast complete with scrambled eggs and toast! You have no idea how much we all enjoyed this as Indian "breakfast" is primarily the same foods you eat for the rest of the meals. Dosas, idli, chutneys and sauces (none of which I like!). After breakfast we headed off for a temple built by the Mysore Maharajah in memory of Chamundeshwari who is said to have killed the demon Mahishasuran. Here we were able to see Indian monkeys, wandering cows and hoards of people shoving things in our face to buy. "Sandalwood" fans, postcards, wooden boxes, jewelry etc. I have gotten good at thwarting these vendors by not engaging with them at all, but most of the other girls are tempted to look in their direction and then get mobbed and harassed even further. After this we went to visit a 15 foot high 24 foot long stone carving of Nandi (the bull mount of the god Shiva).
We had a special surprise for lunch when we were taken to Lalitha Mahal Palace which was built by the Maharajah for his esteemed guests and has since been converted into a hotel. Upon touring the hotel we were taken to the top suite which was bigger than mine and Rex's apartment and cost more for one night then for a month of rent! The lunch was delicious and was only overshadowed by the dessert buffet which included homemade vanilla ice cream and homemade cream puffs with dark chocolate on top! Needless to say I enjoyed it.
After lunch we headed to the main attraction in Mysore, Mysore Palace which was the official residence of the Wodeyers, the royal family of Mysore. Building of the palace was started in 1897 and it was completed in 1912 so it is not very old but it was ornate and beautiful. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take picture inside the palace but the wood carved doors and ceilings, the gold covering almost all the pillars and the "3-d" paintings with not only eyes but entire armies of horses following you from one side to the other, it was definitely an amazing tour. After our tour we got to ride elephants and camels! And then headed home.
I was fortunate enough to have a spot in a smaller bus (and not have to ride on the same bus that we spent 17 hours in on the way to Goa) and on the way home we watched an Indian movie which was interesting/happy/depressing/romantic/action/comedy/dancing/singing all rolled into one.
It was a wonderful weekend and one I will not soon forget! I can't believe I have less than four weeks to go now. Classes all this week and then next weekend we are going on a trip to a village so it should be interesting to get out of tourist cities and see what living in India is like for villagers.
Sandal on an elephant! So cool! How does it feel? Like a stuffed rocking chair?? Cool photos! Love all the info you give along with photos, makes us feel like we're with you!! Rex perked up after your call yesterday. It was cute to see the bounce back in his step! He sure loves you :) So do we!! Hey, I love silk and sandalwood! LOL!! Does the lotus have a scent? How's the humidity? Step in a cow pie yet? Bet you won't think their holy after that!! Miss you and send our love, so does riles, shorts and phatty!
ReplyDeleteWow! Sounds like mom wouldn't be able to walk anywhere without people looking to take photos with her.
ReplyDeleteI'm so bummed you couldn't see all the powdered dyes too! I have always seen photos and thought that would be a beautiful sight to see in person.
I'm glad you have been able to mix in different types of food besides Indian, seems like it might get tiresome eating the same thing every meal everyday no matter how delicious.
Thanks for posting more pictures! Love you
Wow what a weekend for you. So amazing and unforgetable. How many people get to see a palace, ride and elepahant and get homemade cream puffs in the same weekend? (I know they are your favorite).
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to see those dyes, I've seen so many pictures of them and Laurie's right the colors are quite something.
When I was a teenager we were in Mexico, I could hardly go anywhere without a lot of attention because of my long red hair, not so much pictures but male attention. It get's a little old quickly. I suppose she could always cover her head with a scarve
Lottus flower is huge! Nice pictures really glad you were able to upload them. Looked like a nice comfortable bus, I'm sure better than last weeks.
Love you--hopefully Dad will get the phone cards today.
Peggy- It really did feel like a stuffed rocking chair! I felt so bad for the poor elephants having to carry tourists around all day and walk on cement, but it was fun. I'm glad you enjoyed the info with the photos, everything has a story and I find them all so interesting that I want to share! I always perk up after I talk to Rex too, I miss him so much and love him to pieces. I am having a good time but just miss him so much. I was sad that we didn't go shopping in the right areas to buy souvenirs and gifts of silk and sandalwood because I was planning on doing a lot of my gift shopping there but it just didn't work out! If there is anything specific you want let me know. The lotus flower did not have a scent but they are beautiful! It was particularly interesting to me to look out the window of the bus into a river filled with trash and see the lotus flowers blooming through it. The weather here in Bangalore is wonderful it gets warm sometimes but not nearly as hot as any of the other places we have been and when it rains it isn't hot and humid it is actually nice and cool. I fortunately have not stepped in a cow pie or dog poop yet but I'm sure it will happen sooner or later and since I wear sandals everywhere I am not looking forward to that! Did Rex tell you that on our way home from Mysore a sewage pipe had burst and the road was flowing with sewage? People were driving motorcycles and the wheels were completely submerged in sewage, rickshaws were stuck and had to be pushed out. It was disgusting!!
ReplyDeleteLaurie- I always think about mom whenever people are taking pictures of us, I am sure she would get her picture taken everywhere! I thought you would appreciate the dyes too and was so disappointed I didn't get to see them.
As far as food goes I only eat one real meal a day otherwise I eat in my room but I am glad that I am getting some variety. Today I had dinner with one of the Indian girls that lives across from me and we had chapati (which reminds me of a wheat tortilla) curry and rice. It was a nice change from all the deep fried foods. She is going to take me to get some Biryani which is a rice dish although it is made with a lot of Ghee (clarified butter)so like everything else here I am sure it is extremely unhealthy! Then I am glad that I take the stairs up five flights to my class and five flights to my room!
Mom- It really was an amazing weekend. How many people can say they have eaten lunch in a palace? And do so many of the other things that I have done while I have been here.
ReplyDeleteEven for me the staring gets quite old, for a lot of people they have never seen white people before and they just stare unabashedly. It is weird coming from a country where we are taught not to stare. The lotus flower was actually a bouquet of lotus flowers tied together not just one flower. I can't wait to be able to actually talk to you guys! I miss you so much!
Lol about the flower looking at it again I can see that. You never know they could have a diferent variation. I think it's great that you are getting to see places that usual tourists don't go.
ReplyDeleteHad the day off, it has been relaxing, even with cleaning house. Keep taking the stairs--love you
You just got back from vacation and you are already taking time off? You should take a day off when I get home and we should hang out and get mani pedis. I would say we could do it on a Friday but I am backpacking the first Friday and the next Friday I have my Mental Health Stipend orientation and the school starts! I've been doing good with doing the workout DVDs also, I am really trying not to gain weight!
ReplyDeleteI miss you! Can't wait to talk to you!
Aaiiii Sandy!!!! Looks like your having an amazing adventure. You really are able to feel like were there when we read your posts. Don't come back skn and bones eat! Love the pics everything looks pretty so far. Have fun!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't exactly have a day off, I worked Sat and Sun nights, so couldn't really get up and work on Monday. Sat. night really was crazy, 2 GSW's one was a 3 y/o plus 2 code blues both young, then of course psych patients. Mike is a better man than I am it kicked my butt. But I guess I would get used to it if I did it all the time. The night shift said it was one of the worst they'd had in a long time, so that made me feel a little better. Sunday night was much calmer.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hang out with you when you come home. What if I took off on the Thursday that would be the 12th I think. Let me know. I think I need to find a place in Visalia to buy the cards, Dad's too busy.
Jessica! I am having an amazing adventure! At this moment however I am supposed to be writing a Cultural Self-Assessment/Self-Awareness paper. How many of these have I written in the last few years? Jeez. I promise I won't come back skin and bones but I am trying not to gain weight either because everything is either deep fried or has a lot of butter in it. Are you still in summer school? Have you started your project research?
ReplyDeleteMom- That weekend sounds crazy. I 3 y/o GSW? Oy. I hope that today is a better day. I do admire Mike for being able to do it weekend after weekend! I think that Thursday the 19th would be better. I don't want to get a mani/pedi the day before I go backpacking, that seems kind of pointless. Does that work for you? Let me know! Also, you can look into buying a phone card online if you can't find anything in Visalia or it is to much of a hassle to make it to a store. There is Reliance and Airtel which both sell cards online, I can't look it up here to help you out but if you google it I am sure you can find something. Then, just let me know what time you are going to call so that I will be free! Love you!
I have a phone card!!! Yay! Can I call tomorrow morning, I will even get up early so I can talk to you. I'm so excited. The 19th should be fine I think I should just reserve a slot with Andrea for you too, do you want it the Monday after backpacking?
ReplyDeleteI actually already have an appointment with Andrea because I couldn't get in before I left so I have one the Tuesday after I come back from backpacking. Yes, call me in the morning, which is the evening for me. I will keep myself free! I am assuming you will call between 430-530 am your time? Which will be between 5-6pm my time so that should work perfectly. Love you can't wait to talk to you.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to call you this morning but then I overslept. LAME! Can I call you tomorrow around 7-7:30am my time?
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to talk to you this morning. I really miss you, I love hearing the excitement in your voice when you talk about your classes and travel. So glad I have the phone card now.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, yes! Call me!
ReplyDeleteWasn't it nice of Dad to buy a card for Laurie too? He must love you
ReplyDeleteSandy, I love your stories of the trips and pictures are great. What a great adventure!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they don't have washers and dryers or laundry service. I would not like washing everything by hand.
Waiting for more
I believe they have traveled to New Dehli this weekend. Should be interesting stories here on monday,
ReplyDeleteMom- It was so nice of Dad to buy Laurie a phone card, I was so happy to get to talk to her.
ReplyDeleteAunt Debbie- They do have washers but you have to fill them up with buckets and then drain them before you use the spin cycle and it sounds like a huge hassle! Of course so is washing clothes by hand so I might try the washing machines just for the experience.
Mom- We aren't going to New Delhi until the 28th. We are going to a village this weekend for a service learning trip.