Maharaja majesty after the bus journey from hell!!!
To reach Mysore in the state of Karnataka, we had to take a road trip as there is no rail track. We decided on a bus which I assumed would be a deluxe air conditioned one for the 6 hour trip. But no, the only bus from Kannur to Mysore that day was a public bus so instead of being deposited at the lovely new private bus station, we were dropped off at the rundown building of the state bus company to catch the 2pm Mysore express. Resigned myself to the experience but hated nearly every minute so won't be repeating it, if l can help it. The bus had no A/C and plastic seats so l was soon sticking to the bench. The plastic windows let in some air as we hurtled our way towards our destination with me hanging on for dear life. Indian driving is appalling but the bus drivers are probably the worst. Realised that we would have to climb to the hill area and down the other side. The only consolation was that we couldn't travel up too fast as the bus had little acceleration and tried to distract myself on the descent.We did seem to always be overtaking so closed my eyes when it all got too much. Think I could hear our luggage travelling from side to side in the luggage compartment as we turned each corner. We were the only foreigners on the bus and our fellow passengers were mostly single men. The old man next to us, started spitting out of his window much to my disgust. Didn't have to worry about the driver taking breaks as we stopped at every single bus station en route !!! Oh, and the road surface was terrible once we left the towns, with huge potholes which didn't seem to deter our driver. The route was very scenic as we drove through a lot of forest. We saw parts where there were the smouldering remains of forest fires, plenty of monkeys and a large elephant camp, presumably elephants who had been forced to flee the burning vegetation. There were also many tribal people living in small dwellings. The best part of the journey was getting to Mysore in one piece. Am now a big fan of Indian Rail!!!
Luckily, Mysore turned out to be fantastic and my favourite Indian city so far. Would love to revisit during the 10 day Dasar festival in October, when they relive the days of the Maharajas and cap it off with a dazzling procession of scenes from those times. It is relatively easy to walk around and full of wonderful buildings built by the Wodeyar Maharaja family and still used, albeit for different purposes now. We stayed at the Royal Orchid Metropole which was built by the Maharaja to house his British guests in style. The rooms were lovely and spacious and we ate our breakfast in an airy green courtyard. The staff were slow to respond to requests but you get used to that!! The Maharaja's Palace is breathtaking and is the heart of the city. The structure was completed in 1912 by an English architect after the original wooden structure burnt down. No expense was spared and it is gaudy and over the top but surprisingly beautiful. The Durbar, the audience hall, is open on one side so the Maharaja and his guests could watch all the processions. There was a fabulous wedding hall with stained glass peacock panels in the roof and a series of stunning oil paintings of life in the time of the Raj. Sadly, no cameras are allowed inside the Palace but will remember our visit for a long time. In the grounds are several Hindu temples and gardens and many Indian and foreign tourists.
As a complete change, we headed to the very old Devaraja market place. This is a very lively bazaar mixing the old with the new. The ancients walls and doors of the market are bursting at the seams with products to buy. There was plenty of fruit, vegetables,spices, incense and sandalwood. The busiest area was the flower market where men and women were making temple garlands with jasmine. The huge baskets of rose heads perfumed the air. The highlight for me were the stalls with huge conical piles of brightly coloured powder for bindis, fabric dying and painting. A surprisingly enjoyable visit was to the Railway Museum. It's highlighted exhibit is the Maharaja's train dating from 1899 but there were lots of steam trains and memorabilia from Indian Railways. Couldn't help thinking back to how much Sean used to love Thomas the Tank engine's stories. He would have loved this place when aged 5!!!
Bangalore was our next destination by rail. The train was fairly deluxe with free water, chai and biscuits!!! More leg room than previously encountered in India and windows being cleaned as we boarded!!!!! Stayed 2 nights in old house with leafy garden which was a welcome respite from this bustling metropolis. This important IT hub is called the Garden City but this is a misnomer as it is a mix of old and then spanking new shopping malls, bars and restaurants and impossible to walk around. So we had a lot of negotiations with auto rickshaw drivers. Please just take us where we want to go and not to shopping spots that you get commission from!!!!! Took a driver for several hours to visit the main sights, the Botanical Gardens, the Parliament, the Maharaja's Palace and Tipu Sultan's, both disappointing after Mysore. Saw a couple of temples, the Bull Temple being the most unusual with it's large seated black bull being worshipped. Bangalore's city market was the largest one we have visited. It was hemmed in with traffic on all sides with cows casually lying between the busy roads. Lots of country people were on the outside steeling fruit and veg. As it was just before a big festival, the flower and garland section was manic. Squeezed through the crowds for a few photos and then escaped. It was difficult as the porters with huge loads on their heads stop for no one so we were swept along with the masses. Requested that we visit Anokhi, a block printing fabrics shop that has lovely clothes and we also went into an upmarket jewellers to look at all the Indian bling. All in all a lovely few days in Karnataka before we hit the brights lights of Delhi en route to Rajastan. Xxx