While I am sleeping pretty well, my jetlag has morphed into going to sleep by 9p (which frankly isn't that unusual) and waking up ready for the day at 4am (which is unusual). Yeah, not so great. I lay there, thinking "really???" and finally around 5ish give up and get up.  

Today, was no different and after getting some work done and catching up on world events, I went for breakfast. After the over-the-top breakfast at the ITC Gardenia (my hotel in Banglore), this one felt a bit lame. That is a shame, as it would be in the top 10 at home...lots of choices, fruits, both Indian and Western foods, so I had no problem finding something I liked. 

My driver and my tour guide,( not sure his name so will be referred to as TG), arrived promptly at 930 and we went over the itinerary for the day. I was supposed to see the art museum, Palace and then do the sound/light show in the evening. Unfortunately, the art museum was under construction and the light show was cancelled, so we needed to adjust. TG had some alternatives, which all sounded good....so we were off.  

Our first stop was at the Fruit and Vegi Market. That doesn't sound that interesting, but it was really cool. Row after row of beautiful fruits and vegis, and my favorite area...the flowers. I have had questions from friends as to the smells of India, and except for one or two areas, it has never been an issue. Mostly it has been interesting smells that are spicy, but today it was wonderful smells of flowers...roses, jasmine and some flowers I had never heard of. Between the beautiful colors and the amazing smells, it was a nice way to start the day.  

One of the stalls had essential oils, so we stopped to smell. The young man, probably around 10 years old, who was working the stall was the epitome of an experienced sales guy. He was so cute and did a great job of telling me the benefits of each oil. I ended up buying some Jasmine oil, as it just smelled so darned good and to support an excellent salesperson!

Then it was one to the Mysore Palace. I have seen some amazing palaces from my previous visit, but this one was truly incredible. It was a combination of European, Islam and Hindu influences and had intricate carvings, woodwork and even the inlaid precious stones similar to the Taj Mahal. We first visited one of the 8 temples within the palace grounds, and the most ornate of the group. The temples were built between 1499 and 1947, so very diverse in look and feel. 

After the temple we went into the actual palace, which housed the rules of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. The descendant of the last ruler still lives in a portion of the palace,not open to the public. Part of the palace burnt down in the late 1800's, and the current palace was built between 1912 and 1940. To say that it was lavish, is an understatement. 

After the palace, we drove up to a large bluff overlooking the city, where one of the most famous Mysore temples is located. TG and I got out and walked to the temple, along with a wide assortment of Hindus. From the obviously wealthy to the equally obvious poor, this temple invited all to worship. On the way down, we stopped by a very famous statue of Nandi, a bull and a lower god to Lord Shiva which is made out of one big rock. He is quite impressive in the carving and just the huge size. 

Our last stop of the day was at a silk factory, which is one of the major industries in Mysore. I have been to these "factories" in Cairo, Jaipur and Agra and they usually are tourist magnets to sell you stuff. Not this one. This was a real factory and with my background in manufacturing, it was fascinating. Seeing the cocoons from the silk worm turned into a beautiful sari, was really cool. It was a very intricate process and I was able to see each step including making some of the silk threads gold. I couldn't take pictures, so what you see on the blog are what I could get from the internet. Oh and not a shop to sell me stuff in sight.

At this point, it was time to head back to the hotel for some R&R. A late lunch, nap, shower (really needed) and another night relaxing by the pool. All good!