This blog title is a shout out to Kim (Hi Kim!), a travel friend I met, because I totally just coined her subject line that she used when describing her 2 months in Bali. Thanks Kim! Kim actually is traveling Asia also for 6+ months, and has a very creative and fun blog, "Adventures in a Mid-Life Crisis," at http://thelmalooksforclues.blogspot.com. Check it out!
I couldn't think of a better title in describing India, so here are my top 10 things I love about YOU India!!
1. Organized Chaos. Those are the 2 best words I can use to describe India. Seemingly contradicting, yet so appropriate. For a country with more than 1 billion people, it is surprisingly organized, efficient, and functioning. Yet, it is totally chaotic and crazy. The train system is a perfect example. The train system in India is not only has the world's cheapest fares but also has the world's most extensive networks. All the trains I took were fairly on time and had a nice "organized chaos" way of getting tickets and navigating around the train stations, which is a feat in itself.
2. The Colors: I met someone this lady from the US that worked for HP and did package designing. Her team was in India and basically she was there to see where HP printers were being set up and color schemes, such as which colors would appeal to the Indian homes and offices. When she was telling me this, she looked at me with such exasperation, saying "the thing is, I couldn't think of any color that would 'fit.' Here there are just so many colors, everywhere!" I almost laughed (didn't want to be rude), but that is what I, and many other people, love about India! The brighter the better here! From the painted bright blue or pink houses to the bright colorful and beautiful sari's and garlands in the hair, the colors are absolutely spectacular and it could make any drab, dirty, polluted city look beautiful.
3. The people- Generous, proud, warm-hearted, patient, polite... I could go on and on. The patience and politeness is what stands out the most. How often to you hear, "excuse me madam.... would you mind if I XXXX" or "Can I have your permission to take a picture with you?" (umm really, I think I've been in hundreds of pictures. At first it used to bother me, but then again, I've taken plenty of pictures of locals and it is nice that they at least ask...especially as politely as that!). And as we are used to the "NOW" in the States, here people can wait for hours and not even hint at impatience or frustration. Okay, I admit, I have had my fair share of unpleasant interactions (aka rickshaw drivers), buuut for the most part, again, I can't get over how generous and welcoming the people are! It's unfortunate that they sometimes can get a bad reputation of being ruthless, pushy, or competitive, but hey, in a country of 1 billion plus people, it has to be the survival of the fittest! The people here in India especially looooooove foreigners, and if you become friends with them, even if it is just a brief discussion, they will invite you to their home, feed you endlessly, push the family out of their only room to accommodate you as they cram in one room (that happened to be once)... and be totally fine and welcoming of it. It's not just pleasing us, it is wanting and having the desire to have you feel welcome. It is soooo sweet!!!
4. Optimism about the future - I got a hold of this book called Planet India (yes, with all my "down time," he he, I've done a ton of pleasure reading. Author is: Mira Kamdar), and it really portrays India in the now and future. This fact is what I found most remarkable, 1/2 of India's population, yes, that is 1/2 a billion, is under the age of 30. Imagine almost the entire population of the entire US, and then some.... being under 30. With the globailization that is going on, the youth is eager, excited, proud and optimistic about the future. I got into a brief discussion about this with a rickshaw driver of all people, and he said, literally " ", "You will not like this, but American is coming down and India is moving up." Of course I was immediately insulted, but then saw some truth in it. NOT to say I don't believe in America or have faith in our power, buut in many aspects, it is on the brink of global power, economically, financially, you name it. Need I say one word, "outsourcing" or ven medical tourism to prove that point?
Before the young would go oversees and stay there. Now more and more are either opting to stay in India and receive education, or if they do go abroad, they come back and have well-paid jobs. There is soooo soooo much opportunity here!!! I have a friend that came to the US for his graduate education, did extremely well, and then said, "I've met all my goals and have reached a plateau with what I can do here. India has much more growth and opportunity" and he moved back. I was astounded by this, but it is very realistic. In the States we are not as optimistic as we used to be, we fear job security, however here there are plentiful jobs (they definitely have, what I call, "up-size" versus downsizing: you will have one person to take an order, one person to grab the item, one person to wrap it, and one person to ring it up. Hey, you have to have jobs for 1 billion + people). The other thing is that India has learned from our mistakes. In the States we take up 6% of the world's population, however we consume 30% of the earth's resources. India is trying to balance this or come to reasonable terms to have resources. If they become like us, that would be a disaster so I hope they succeed in this big venture! With India being the 2nd-fastest growing economy next to China, but unlike China, because India is the largest democracy in the world, it has greater assets.
5. The Food - Masala dosa's, chapati's, dhal's, thali's, roti's, paneer's, need I say more? Okay, as you see, I was mostly in the South, but I also love the Northern Indian food also. Delicious and satisfying. I've gone through phases of being a vegetarian, and each time I've been more than pleased how many veg options there are.
6. Family/Community Bonds - An older man that I happened to be sitting to next to the bus, after he asked the usual, "where are you from?" "are you married?" And then asked "you travel alone?" And I said, "yes!" And he looked at me strangely and said, "everything okay?" as if someone had left me or something. I tried to explain to him that I chose to travel alone (well, more so because I couldn't find anyone to do all these travels with me). He said, "in India, we never travel alone. Especially woman. I wouldn't let my daughter travel by herself." I get that a lot, and everywhere I go, tourist sits or public transportation alike, it is rare to see less than 5+ family members traveling together. They have a unique and special bond and togetherness that has been lost in our Western World. A randomly met a couple of girls traveling alone to meet family, and I think every 5-10 minutes the phone rang with a family member asking them if they were okay, "they are scared for me" they both said. It was really cute to see. I especially liked it how some families almost adopted me as their own just so I wouldn't be lonely. Sniff sniff. Once, it was so cute, this older lady sat next to me on the bus, and after the simple common questions, she gently rested her arm on my forearm, and then leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder and then promptly fell asleep. It was sooo cute I could die! I was so touched by this because after like 2 sentences she felt comfortable enough for me to sleep on me. At home in the Western world we have that personal space wall and boundary and there is rare public touching, especially to strangers, that it feels nice when such a simple gesture like that happens. I wish my bag was more accessible because I would have loooved to take a picture :-)
Here is a typical scene at a bus station. The bus pulls up, there is a mad exodus both inside and outside the bus. Before even stopping, the people inside the bus are pushing and shoving to get out. Then the people from the outside are pushing and shoving in throwing things in the window to reserve a seat and or shoving their way through the door. It is ruthless and crazy, and each time I am thankful that I get out (or in!) without harm. However, once you get inside and have that seat, everyone is as sweet as pie. People hold each others bags, they are gentle in conversation, food gets passed around... it is just soo funny! So the sense of community here is lovely, but more so the township/village that you live in. People know each other, they help each other out, and it's nice. No wonder weddings typically have 300+ people, because really, everyone is family.
7. Ayurveda and yoga - Both of these things were "born" here and the Indians stand by their word. Have a cough, no Nyquil here, it's an ayurvedic treatment and natural tea. Have a random rash on your leg (ummm... twice that has happened to me) here is a natural soap, no medicated ointments here. Of course they have it, no doubt that the medicine here is CHEAP and effective, but usually first measure of a simple ailment is a natural one. Also, after doing my 1-week yoga retreat I realized I'd forgotten this mind/body connection we have. At home I'm a type A competitor, if I'm not sweating, it is not a workout. Here after I did meditation and different breathing techniques during some asanas (or movements) I realized how calm and focused I felt. I hope to keep up with the practice, and get in touch with the more "spiritual" side of things that locals are so good at. I might become a Yogi! hahaha! (no, probably not).
8. Ambition/motivation - When I did my volunteer work in Vellore at the CMC hospital, the staff got there at 8am... worked till 4:30 pm with a 1/2 an hour lunch, and then I had my lectures from 5:00pm to 6:30pm... for 3 weeks. Loooong days, but NO ONE complained (well, not that I could understand!) and (mostly) kept awake. Many told me that they want to learn to better themselves and obviously help the patients, and didn't mind having these looong days. They also didn't complain as much as we do (or hmm.. maybe its just me!). Again, as they grow up in such a competitive society, they work hard to succeed the best they can. I had also met a 16-year old local girl who was talking about how competitive schools were, not just the individuals,but the schools itself. At her school she is literally taking Yale classes, "I am 16, but in order for our schools to be ahead, we are using their curriculum, college-level material, when I am still in secondary school. But it's okay, the education will take me a long way and it's the way things are around here." Wow. There was also this 22-year old I met that was working on her 2nd masters and going for her phD.
9. Diversity: Landscape and People -
Landscape: Jungles, desserts, beaches, snow-capped Himalayan mountains, beautiful National Parks, forests, there really is everything here. As I noticed on my trip, there are more and more Indian tourists. I met this family and we were talking about travel (no surprise) and they seemed pretty well-to-do, and yet they said, "we don't need to travel anywhere else, we have everything here in our country! There is too much to do here as it is!" And they are right. I spent 3 months traveling a LOT of Southern India however only for about .2 seconds felt like I had seen a lot but then I kept on meeting people that would say, "what? You haven't been XXXX? Or XXXX?" You could really spend years here exploring and it wouldn't be enough. Love it!
People: Just in these 3 months, I went to 3 states in Southern India: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Each state has its own language, its on music, its own style of wear (hair and sari's and more), traditions and costums... and even religion! Also, the landscape and weather is varied. And this is all of India, not just Southern. India has 200+ dialects and it is MUCH easier traveling India because most people speak English because of all these dialects. All and all, it is so interesting to travel because going into a new state sometimes is pretty much like going into a new country! Can be a little overwhelming sometimes because just as you get comfortable and somewhat familiar with a state, off you go to a new one and have to start all over.
10. Music - Ahh.... from the fun, festive upbeat Bollywood music to the traditional music to nice meditative yoga music, I really enjoyed all of it! Of course I also can't complain about the random bursts of singing you commonly hear too. :-)
I love you India!!! I'll be back!!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Incredible India!
Ahh.... India. My 3 months have come and gone, and my lasting impressions are how incredible it is. But I'll get into that in a whole blog dedicated to just that!
In the meantime, just wanted to share and sum up the rest of my land journey to get to Chennai. Last I left off I was flexible, relaxed, calm, and felt great after eating only ayurvedic food at the 1-week yoga retreat I did in Mysore. My next stop was Ooty, or Udhagamandalam. Phew, try saying that... or spelling that 3 times. Hence you see the common nickname, Ooty. Ooty is in the Nilgiris Hills and is considered a hill station retreat that all the Indians flock to around this time of year to get away from the simmering heat. The "high" season literally starts April 1st... I got there April 2nd. And yes, that day new menu's came out with the higher prices. Welp, you can't win them all!
When I got there it wasn't just getting used to the HONKING and NOISE again, it was also.... COLD! Gasp! These last 6 months I've been in at least 80+ degree weather everyday. Here it was a balmy 50-60 degrees. Eek! Out came my one long-sleeve t-shirt and my one shall for my "winter wear." I'm ashamed to say how frigid I felt despite being born and raised in Chicago. I even had to sleep with 3 blankets! Anyhoo, Ooty is known for the hiking and trekking and I was eager to get moving again. I joined a group that ventured into the cool hills, which was beautiful.
It was back to my Sri Lankan days being in a "tea country," and I fondly reminsced my days there. I fortunately had a fun group of Germans, Dutch and French.
It was hiiii-larious (okay, fine, you maybe had to be there) because the Germans and Dutch were expats and they spoke English with Indian accents because they had been living in India for some several months. One of them had such a good head wobble, I almost gasped in surprise. I asked her for some tips as when I have attempted I've gotten neck cramps, ha ha, and she willingly obliged and I practiced in the mirror later. I must have not gotten the technique down because later when I tried to use it, people just looked at me strangely and didn't break out into a huge grin when she did it. Oh well.
So off we trekked for just a couple of hours and then.... were met by RAIN. Again, gasp - I haven't seen rain since my Indonesia days. But as soo many of my travel experiences have shown me, even this unexpected weather change had special moments. We were running to cover ourselves from the rain, couldn't even see where our guide and rest of the group was, and out in the clouds was a man standing in his little hut waving us in. We ran in, and it was just sooo cute. We were in this tiny village and his hut was pretty much the size my bedroom at home. He immediately moved this sofa-like thing from across the room so we could sit and although he didn't speak much English, was just so sweet in offering us tea and other little goodies he had (which weren't that much). He also had this TOTALLY winning smile and I loooooved it!
As our trek got cut short, we stopped for thali,
and then headed back. The rest of the afternoon (of course, the minute we got back to town, the weather cleared up to be this beautiful sunny day) I went to this Thread Garden, which, as you may have guessed, was this whole garden made of thread! As it is called a "miracle" and took 12 years to make and 50+ crafts people, it is quite impressive when you see the detail (and keep in mind that there were NO needles, all done by hand!). Wow.
Also passed by the Reflections Lake and the Boat House, which is pretty much like a mini (very mini) Navy Pier in Chicago with ummm.. shacks to sell stuff, bumper cars, and family and couples hanging around.
So from hill station to JUNGLE! Again, I love the diversity of landscape in India (will be talking more about it in my next blog). 2 people in one day (random) told me about this Jungle Retreat in between Ooty and Mysore, and I took that as I sign and booked it right away. I ended up getting a dorm to myself at this Jungle Retreat. Again, soo nice to be IN nature and to fall asleep to frogs chirping and other "jungle noises." Of course a few of these creatures came into my room, but it wasn't too bad :-) Spent afternoon on a sarfari where saw elephants in the wild and in captivity (including a baby elephant!), peacocks and wild boars. Of course was hoping to add to my wildlife collection that I've seen so far on this trip (Big 5 in Africa, whales and polar bears in Scandinavia, dolphins in Indonesia, elephants in Sri Lanka, etc) by seeing TIGERS, which are in this area, but no such luck :-( There are supposedly more tigers up North of India, so I hope to go there some day and see these big o cats.
Anyway, also did a "mountain trek" which really was a work-out for me. Boy am I out of shape! Not much wildlife but good to get my heart rate up and see nice views. Ended up back at the same village I was before, but at least this time it was sunny!
Here is some home-made masala chai I had in the village...
After jungle comes... TOY TRAINS! A UNESCO World Heritage site, this miniature toy train from Ooty to Mettupalayam was actually really spectacular. This steam engine pushes rather than pulls and although jerky at times, the views were really fantastic!
I then went to Pondicherry, the former French colony. It is super interesting because the French Quarter is super quaint, many cute colonial buildings, relatively low key and quiet. Then you literally cross one street, a "canal" which is pretty much a sewer, and you get more "typical" India, chaotic, LOUD, and busy. I pretty much spent the few days there wandering around and mostly enjoying the colonial architecture in the French Quarter, some good food, including delicatessen's and sweets (helloooo crepes!). Yum.
After that French flavor, I headed to Mamallapuram. The 1st day I pow-wow'd through the famous cave temples, of which most were constructed in the 7th century, including the Five Rathas, which was supposedly built from a single piece of rock.
The lighthouse was pretty cool as well, and the Shore Temple is one of the most photographed temples in all of India!
Sniff sniff.... after Mamallapuram was my last stop, Chennai. Stayed with a friend that I stayed with when I first got here and also met up with a friend that I met 3 years ago when I was here. Which is always nice to see some familiar faces!
So alas, India, old and new, poor and rich, quiet and loud, it is time to say goodbye and am ready to embark on the next leg of my seemingly neverending trip, he he... off to Dubai!!!!
In the meantime, just wanted to share and sum up the rest of my land journey to get to Chennai. Last I left off I was flexible, relaxed, calm, and felt great after eating only ayurvedic food at the 1-week yoga retreat I did in Mysore. My next stop was Ooty, or Udhagamandalam. Phew, try saying that... or spelling that 3 times. Hence you see the common nickname, Ooty. Ooty is in the Nilgiris Hills and is considered a hill station retreat that all the Indians flock to around this time of year to get away from the simmering heat. The "high" season literally starts April 1st... I got there April 2nd. And yes, that day new menu's came out with the higher prices. Welp, you can't win them all!
When I got there it wasn't just getting used to the HONKING and NOISE again, it was also.... COLD! Gasp! These last 6 months I've been in at least 80+ degree weather everyday. Here it was a balmy 50-60 degrees. Eek! Out came my one long-sleeve t-shirt and my one shall for my "winter wear." I'm ashamed to say how frigid I felt despite being born and raised in Chicago. I even had to sleep with 3 blankets! Anyhoo, Ooty is known for the hiking and trekking and I was eager to get moving again. I joined a group that ventured into the cool hills, which was beautiful.
It was back to my Sri Lankan days being in a "tea country," and I fondly reminsced my days there. I fortunately had a fun group of Germans, Dutch and French.
It was hiiii-larious (okay, fine, you maybe had to be there) because the Germans and Dutch were expats and they spoke English with Indian accents because they had been living in India for some several months. One of them had such a good head wobble, I almost gasped in surprise. I asked her for some tips as when I have attempted I've gotten neck cramps, ha ha, and she willingly obliged and I practiced in the mirror later. I must have not gotten the technique down because later when I tried to use it, people just looked at me strangely and didn't break out into a huge grin when she did it. Oh well.
So off we trekked for just a couple of hours and then.... were met by RAIN. Again, gasp - I haven't seen rain since my Indonesia days. But as soo many of my travel experiences have shown me, even this unexpected weather change had special moments. We were running to cover ourselves from the rain, couldn't even see where our guide and rest of the group was, and out in the clouds was a man standing in his little hut waving us in. We ran in, and it was just sooo cute. We were in this tiny village and his hut was pretty much the size my bedroom at home. He immediately moved this sofa-like thing from across the room so we could sit and although he didn't speak much English, was just so sweet in offering us tea and other little goodies he had (which weren't that much). He also had this TOTALLY winning smile and I loooooved it!
As our trek got cut short, we stopped for thali,
and then headed back. The rest of the afternoon (of course, the minute we got back to town, the weather cleared up to be this beautiful sunny day) I went to this Thread Garden, which, as you may have guessed, was this whole garden made of thread! As it is called a "miracle" and took 12 years to make and 50+ crafts people, it is quite impressive when you see the detail (and keep in mind that there were NO needles, all done by hand!). Wow.
Also passed by the Reflections Lake and the Boat House, which is pretty much like a mini (very mini) Navy Pier in Chicago with ummm.. shacks to sell stuff, bumper cars, and family and couples hanging around.
So from hill station to JUNGLE! Again, I love the diversity of landscape in India (will be talking more about it in my next blog). 2 people in one day (random) told me about this Jungle Retreat in between Ooty and Mysore, and I took that as I sign and booked it right away. I ended up getting a dorm to myself at this Jungle Retreat. Again, soo nice to be IN nature and to fall asleep to frogs chirping and other "jungle noises." Of course a few of these creatures came into my room, but it wasn't too bad :-) Spent afternoon on a sarfari where saw elephants in the wild and in captivity (including a baby elephant!), peacocks and wild boars. Of course was hoping to add to my wildlife collection that I've seen so far on this trip (Big 5 in Africa, whales and polar bears in Scandinavia, dolphins in Indonesia, elephants in Sri Lanka, etc) by seeing TIGERS, which are in this area, but no such luck :-( There are supposedly more tigers up North of India, so I hope to go there some day and see these big o cats.
Anyway, also did a "mountain trek" which really was a work-out for me. Boy am I out of shape! Not much wildlife but good to get my heart rate up and see nice views. Ended up back at the same village I was before, but at least this time it was sunny!
Here is some home-made masala chai I had in the village...
After jungle comes... TOY TRAINS! A UNESCO World Heritage site, this miniature toy train from Ooty to Mettupalayam was actually really spectacular. This steam engine pushes rather than pulls and although jerky at times, the views were really fantastic!
I then went to Pondicherry, the former French colony. It is super interesting because the French Quarter is super quaint, many cute colonial buildings, relatively low key and quiet. Then you literally cross one street, a "canal" which is pretty much a sewer, and you get more "typical" India, chaotic, LOUD, and busy. I pretty much spent the few days there wandering around and mostly enjoying the colonial architecture in the French Quarter, some good food, including delicatessen's and sweets (helloooo crepes!). Yum.
(sniff sniff, the above reminds me my Oak Park hometown!)
(Gandhi statue above!)
(As it happens at least 5 times a day, people ask to take a picture with me. So sometimes I return and ask to take a picture with them as well. ha!)
(This is actually in Auroville, near Pondicherry. It is a "universal" township that was built off of 124 donations of soil from other countries. The "Mother" a big guru here, wanted to build a community of harmony, peace, and universal acceptance. It's a little New Age, but also very interesting! And no, I am not going to get eaten up by this 'space ship' :-)
After that French flavor, I headed to Mamallapuram. The 1st day I pow-wow'd through the famous cave temples, of which most were constructed in the 7th century, including the Five Rathas, which was supposedly built from a single piece of rock.
The lighthouse was pretty cool as well, and the Shore Temple is one of the most photographed temples in all of India!
The Shore Temple was.... would you believe it? Right by the shore and I ended up there right around sunset, and boy was that a fiasco! Below are some pics from the crowded and populated beach. No romantic strolls here!
Sniff sniff.... after Mamallapuram was my last stop, Chennai. Stayed with a friend that I stayed with when I first got here and also met up with a friend that I met 3 years ago when I was here. Which is always nice to see some familiar faces!
So alas, India, old and new, poor and rich, quiet and loud, it is time to say goodbye and am ready to embark on the next leg of my seemingly neverending trip, he he... off to Dubai!!!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
IT World, Palaces, and Yoga
Last I left off, I was colored pink from the Holi festival in Hampi. Umm.... why did the pink stay on my eyebrows for a good week afterwards (and my nails, hands) when everything else washed off? Oh well.... Lucky I was still in India because people kept on saying "ahhh.... so you celebrated Holi." There is a certain amount of pride with that!
Anyway, as I continue my land travel from Mumbai to Chennai, I hit the "capitals:" Bangalore, the IT capital of India (and the World I would imagine!) and Mysore, where the infamous Mysore Palace resides as well as it being known for as an up-and-coming yoga and ayurveda capital.
Here are the highlights....
Bangalore:
The IT Capital of the world! The 1st city in India to have electric street lighting and the inventor of hotmail grew up here. I met a lot of expats in Hampi and people said, "eh... as an expat it is nice living here, as a tourist, not so much to see." Well, I have to admit they were right!
I was eager for some Western comforts, and that included: Eating at the Hard Rock Cafe (hehe), having drinks at the Sky Bar, or swank roof top bar on top of UB city, a luxury mall,
Walking around Cubbon Park
where we sat to just relax, had a good 3-4 men rotate sitting on benches in front of us just to stare at us (awk-waaaard),
Going to a couple of the local markets, such as Russell Fruit Market and Commercial Street,
And finally to see Leela Palace Hotel, which a local told me was actually nicer than the Bangalore Palace. Ha!
Best part was that I did the couchsurfing thing again, stayed with an expat, then met up for lunch and drinks with 2 others. One of which was a local and we watched the cricket quarter-final match,
which of course was a big deal for India because they later won (by "later" I mean the game takes so long, I was long gone by then) and that would put them in the semi-final with Pakistan of all countries! Eeek! It was just cool being in another World Cup setting (wow! South Africa seems sooo long ago! The soccer World Cup is when I started my journey in June!!), and one in which the host countries were actually winning (Sri Lanka AND India). Woo hoo! So.... welp, that's about it! That was my time in Bangalore! See? Locals were right!!
Mysore
As Bangalore as known for being the technology capital of India, Mysore is known for the infamous Mysore Palace AND the place where asthanga yoga was originated. However, it unfortunately got off to a bad start. After all these months... with one scare that I'm still not sure if it was or wasn't... da da dum, I got good 'ol bed bugs in my bed. :-( I woke up from the itching, saw the little buggers, fully inspected my bed and thought they were all gone and decided to sleep with the lights on and an eye mask because typically they don't attack with the lights. WRONG! Saw some more when I managed to doze a little, but woke up more from paranoia and then saw some more. I normally would be "peace out" and change hotels, but this was at 1:30am and going out at night by myself to look for another hotel would not have been smart. I ended up changing rooms and somehow (after a full inspection of the bed) managed to fall asleep... and had the same problem. I had also done a full inspection of my pajamas before I changed rooms because that is how they spread, they can leech onto your clothes, and it was soo disturbing that bed #2 was infested as well. So I ended up just sleeping with the lights on... on the couch. I was outta there first thing in the morning after an ugly talk with the management, and ugly reviews on Trip Advisor AND Lonely Planet. Hmph.
Onto more pleasant things.... the Mysore Palace, or Maharaha's Palace. This is really one of the grandest of India's royal buildings and where the Wodeyar maharahas resided. It is truly amazing. The old palace unfortunately was gutted by fire in 1897, but the English architect Henry Irwin completed and restored it in 1912. It has everything you can think of, amazingly detailed carved wooden doors, kaleidoscope stained glass, mosaic floors, and a beautiful series of paintings depicting the extravagant life in Mysore during the Edwardian Raj. As you should all know by now, this would be a perfect opportunity for me to take 0239480239482390423 pictures, buuuuut they had a strict No Photography inside the palace. So I saved my 23094832409832 pictures for outside! It is quite a majestic place, I'll tell you that!!!
Funny thing and what I love most about traveling is the unexpected adventures. When I arrived at the Palace I accidently went to the wrong entrance gate, but yet encountered this fun wedding party that had a local acrobatic band and some festivities. Love it!
I also somewhat more or less came across the St. Philomena's Cathedral, which is a towering cathedral built in neo-Gothic style between 1933-1941, it is very impressive!
Oh! Can't forget to mention this AMAZINGLY delicious masala dosa I had more than a few times. :-) It's probably one of the best ones I've had in my entire stay! Yummy! I am developing quite a palate for Indian food!
Sooo.... as I mentioned earlier, Mysore is known for ayurveda and yoga. As I had done a fantastic 21-day treatment of ayurveda back in December in Varkala, Kerala, I needn't do it again. Instead I went to this beautiful ayurvedic center... but only to do yoga. It is set in the foothills of the Chamundi Mountains as well as in almost 7 hectares of gardens, the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Center (IVAC).....
I was getting tired of the constant honking, noise, and pollution of India and needed a break. I came to the right place! So for the week I was here, I did 2x/yoga a day (asthanga yoga) with a lot of 1-1 time because there weren't too many people there and had a super fun and cool instructor,
1x hour of meditation,
And ate 3 delicious meals of ayurvedic foods a day. The rest of the time.... I read the 900+ page Shantaram book (excellent book about India! Author is Gregory David Roberts), lounged by the pool (which side note, literally was the only person there each time I went!),
Sat in the fish tank and had these exfoliating fish eat the dead skin off my feet (also had this in Thailand, this one was free though and unlimited access!):
Met some nice Westerners doing ayurvedic treatments, and managed to do a couple of side trips to Chamundi Hills, India's 8th most holy hill with the Sri Chamundeswari Temple at the peak of the 1062m summit,
Also went to Lalit Mahal Palace Hotel, which, you guessed it, was a former palace converted to a hotel. I should say it was more like a ghost town. There were absolutely NO guests and I literally was the only person wandering around. Kinda spooky, but also neat to have the place to myself!
After this week of yoga detox and FINALLY doing something for my body (I am stiff as a board after almost 10 months of backpacking, sitting for 6-15 hours at a time on varying trains/buses!), I feel rejuvenated and ready to conquer the rest of my almost 2 weeks left in India!! Yeaaa!
Anyway, as I continue my land travel from Mumbai to Chennai, I hit the "capitals:" Bangalore, the IT capital of India (and the World I would imagine!) and Mysore, where the infamous Mysore Palace resides as well as it being known for as an up-and-coming yoga and ayurveda capital.
Here are the highlights....
Bangalore:
The IT Capital of the world! The 1st city in India to have electric street lighting and the inventor of hotmail grew up here. I met a lot of expats in Hampi and people said, "eh... as an expat it is nice living here, as a tourist, not so much to see." Well, I have to admit they were right!
I was eager for some Western comforts, and that included: Eating at the Hard Rock Cafe (hehe), having drinks at the Sky Bar, or swank roof top bar on top of UB city, a luxury mall,
Walking around Cubbon Park
where we sat to just relax, had a good 3-4 men rotate sitting on benches in front of us just to stare at us (awk-waaaard),
Going to a couple of the local markets, such as Russell Fruit Market and Commercial Street,
And finally to see Leela Palace Hotel, which a local told me was actually nicer than the Bangalore Palace. Ha!
Best part was that I did the couchsurfing thing again, stayed with an expat, then met up for lunch and drinks with 2 others. One of which was a local and we watched the cricket quarter-final match,
which of course was a big deal for India because they later won (by "later" I mean the game takes so long, I was long gone by then) and that would put them in the semi-final with Pakistan of all countries! Eeek! It was just cool being in another World Cup setting (wow! South Africa seems sooo long ago! The soccer World Cup is when I started my journey in June!!), and one in which the host countries were actually winning (Sri Lanka AND India). Woo hoo! So.... welp, that's about it! That was my time in Bangalore! See? Locals were right!!
Mysore
As Bangalore as known for being the technology capital of India, Mysore is known for the infamous Mysore Palace AND the place where asthanga yoga was originated. However, it unfortunately got off to a bad start. After all these months... with one scare that I'm still not sure if it was or wasn't... da da dum, I got good 'ol bed bugs in my bed. :-( I woke up from the itching, saw the little buggers, fully inspected my bed and thought they were all gone and decided to sleep with the lights on and an eye mask because typically they don't attack with the lights. WRONG! Saw some more when I managed to doze a little, but woke up more from paranoia and then saw some more. I normally would be "peace out" and change hotels, but this was at 1:30am and going out at night by myself to look for another hotel would not have been smart. I ended up changing rooms and somehow (after a full inspection of the bed) managed to fall asleep... and had the same problem. I had also done a full inspection of my pajamas before I changed rooms because that is how they spread, they can leech onto your clothes, and it was soo disturbing that bed #2 was infested as well. So I ended up just sleeping with the lights on... on the couch. I was outta there first thing in the morning after an ugly talk with the management, and ugly reviews on Trip Advisor AND Lonely Planet. Hmph.
Onto more pleasant things.... the Mysore Palace, or Maharaha's Palace. This is really one of the grandest of India's royal buildings and where the Wodeyar maharahas resided. It is truly amazing. The old palace unfortunately was gutted by fire in 1897, but the English architect Henry Irwin completed and restored it in 1912. It has everything you can think of, amazingly detailed carved wooden doors, kaleidoscope stained glass, mosaic floors, and a beautiful series of paintings depicting the extravagant life in Mysore during the Edwardian Raj. As you should all know by now, this would be a perfect opportunity for me to take 0239480239482390423 pictures, buuuuut they had a strict No Photography inside the palace. So I saved my 23094832409832 pictures for outside! It is quite a majestic place, I'll tell you that!!!
Funny thing and what I love most about traveling is the unexpected adventures. When I arrived at the Palace I accidently went to the wrong entrance gate, but yet encountered this fun wedding party that had a local acrobatic band and some festivities. Love it!
I also somewhat more or less came across the St. Philomena's Cathedral, which is a towering cathedral built in neo-Gothic style between 1933-1941, it is very impressive!
Oh! Can't forget to mention this AMAZINGLY delicious masala dosa I had more than a few times. :-) It's probably one of the best ones I've had in my entire stay! Yummy! I am developing quite a palate for Indian food!
Sooo.... as I mentioned earlier, Mysore is known for ayurveda and yoga. As I had done a fantastic 21-day treatment of ayurveda back in December in Varkala, Kerala, I needn't do it again. Instead I went to this beautiful ayurvedic center... but only to do yoga. It is set in the foothills of the Chamundi Mountains as well as in almost 7 hectares of gardens, the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Center (IVAC).....
I was getting tired of the constant honking, noise, and pollution of India and needed a break. I came to the right place! So for the week I was here, I did 2x/yoga a day (asthanga yoga) with a lot of 1-1 time because there weren't too many people there and had a super fun and cool instructor,
(Me: Obviously a beginner....)
(Deepak: Advanced!)
(Hmm... what a show off :-) heheh)
1x hour of meditation,
And ate 3 delicious meals of ayurvedic foods a day. The rest of the time.... I read the 900+ page Shantaram book (excellent book about India! Author is Gregory David Roberts), lounged by the pool (which side note, literally was the only person there each time I went!),
Sat in the fish tank and had these exfoliating fish eat the dead skin off my feet (also had this in Thailand, this one was free though and unlimited access!):
Met some nice Westerners doing ayurvedic treatments, and managed to do a couple of side trips to Chamundi Hills, India's 8th most holy hill with the Sri Chamundeswari Temple at the peak of the 1062m summit,
(Offerings to the Temple)
(View of Mysore)
Also went to Lalit Mahal Palace Hotel, which, you guessed it, was a former palace converted to a hotel. I should say it was more like a ghost town. There were absolutely NO guests and I literally was the only person wandering around. Kinda spooky, but also neat to have the place to myself!
(I have to admit, as cheesy as it sounds, this kinda reminded me the staircase in the movie Titanic... where I envisioned myself walking down the stairs as Kate Winslet with a handsome Leonardo DiCaprio at my side, ha hahah!!)
After this week of yoga detox and FINALLY doing something for my body (I am stiff as a board after almost 10 months of backpacking, sitting for 6-15 hours at a time on varying trains/buses!), I feel rejuvenated and ready to conquer the rest of my almost 2 weeks left in India!! Yeaaa!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)