I have to start by sending a HUGE thanks to Madhukar and Puneet for arranging such a wonderful day for us. They made our trip to Mysore so much more than it would have been if we went by ourselves.
The day started with an early wakeup call at 6:00 a.m. IST (India Standard Time) - By the way, did you know that the entire country is on the same time zone and does not do daylight savings time. We took our taxi to Puneet's home and met his wife and daughter and they showed us their home and the view of the city from their balcony. I will post pictures another time. Then we took the taxi to pick Madhukar up and we were off to Mysore. It is about 150 Kilometers (a little less than 100 miles) to Mysore from Bangalore.
On the way, we stopped at a wonderful roadside restaurant in Ramanagara and had an amazing breakfast that consisted of about 10 different foods. There was Dosa, Paratha, a small donut shaped Vada, sweet Jalabi, idli wrapped in banana leaves, Kesari bath that had a pineapple taste, rice pongle (dahl with cashews), Coconut chutney that was very spicy, Banana pakoda that was sweet and a very spicy Sambhar dipping sauce. This was a wonderful experience for me and I loved all of it, although the rice pongle was not my favorite. I was so happy to have experienced that.
Then we continued on through Toy City where the vendors primarily sold toys on the roadside. I noticed on our drive home that there were several motorcycles driving towards Bangalore, where the passenger was carrying a wooden rocking horse (or giraffe) that was obviously from Toy City.
We probably reached the Mysore Palace a little after 11 a.m. This is a palace where 4 generations of Mysore kings lived. They ruled the southern half of the state of Karnataka. We visited a shrine and , of course, had to remove our shoes to enter. Then we took a tour of the Mysore palace itself. No cameras allowed. Madhukar and Puneet arranged for a personal guide for us that was very helpful. This was a very lavish place and the architecture, artwork, and stories were wonderful. Afterwards, we passed on the elephant and camel rides though.
Next we went to a state-run handicraft store and did a little shopping. We saw some amazing craftsmenship and admired many things that were too big to fit in our luggage. Then we had lunch. I had a spicy thai vegetable soup and we shared more traditional Indian foods. Rice with vegetables and Dal. It was so tasty.
Then we met Kiran (a friend of Madhukar) who went with us to the top of Chamundi hill. We saw the Chamundi temple, we saw monkeys hanging around looking for food and we took some pictures of Mysore and neighboring towns far below us. I will post pictures later.
Then, after driving through, what I would describe as narrow dirt paths (not even roads), we made it to the summer home of the Mysore king (maybe 10 miles from the main palace) called the Lalit Palace. This palace is used as a hotel now and is the site of many movie shoots. When we arrived, the security guard at the gate insisted on charging us an entry fee since we were not guests. We went inside, took some pictures and had chai (tea) - then we went outside and got a horse drawn carriage ride around the parking lot.
Then we dropped Kiran off and started our trek back to Bangalore. Everyone was extremely tired when we left, so you can imagine how we felt after about 4 hours of driving. We passed some kind of auto accident that had about 100 motorcycles and cars pulled over to see what was going on. We also got slowed down while a small herd of goats were ushered across the highway. Then we dropped Madhukar, then Puneet off and headed back to our hotel. When we got to the hotel, we were essentially walking zombies. Thank goodness for a comfortable bed.
It is Monday now and we'll go into work shortly. I hope everyone is enjoying the cold winter weather. 90 degrees and clear is the forecast for Bangalore this week.
The day started with an early wakeup call at 6:00 a.m. IST (India Standard Time) - By the way, did you know that the entire country is on the same time zone and does not do daylight savings time. We took our taxi to Puneet's home and met his wife and daughter and they showed us their home and the view of the city from their balcony. I will post pictures another time. Then we took the taxi to pick Madhukar up and we were off to Mysore. It is about 150 Kilometers (a little less than 100 miles) to Mysore from Bangalore.
On the way, we stopped at a wonderful roadside restaurant in Ramanagara and had an amazing breakfast that consisted of about 10 different foods. There was Dosa, Paratha, a small donut shaped Vada, sweet Jalabi, idli wrapped in banana leaves, Kesari bath that had a pineapple taste, rice pongle (dahl with cashews), Coconut chutney that was very spicy, Banana pakoda that was sweet and a very spicy Sambhar dipping sauce. This was a wonderful experience for me and I loved all of it, although the rice pongle was not my favorite. I was so happy to have experienced that.
Then we continued on through Toy City where the vendors primarily sold toys on the roadside. I noticed on our drive home that there were several motorcycles driving towards Bangalore, where the passenger was carrying a wooden rocking horse (or giraffe) that was obviously from Toy City.
We probably reached the Mysore Palace a little after 11 a.m. This is a palace where 4 generations of Mysore kings lived. They ruled the southern half of the state of Karnataka. We visited a shrine and , of course, had to remove our shoes to enter. Then we took a tour of the Mysore palace itself. No cameras allowed. Madhukar and Puneet arranged for a personal guide for us that was very helpful. This was a very lavish place and the architecture, artwork, and stories were wonderful. Afterwards, we passed on the elephant and camel rides though.
Next we went to a state-run handicraft store and did a little shopping. We saw some amazing craftsmenship and admired many things that were too big to fit in our luggage. Then we had lunch. I had a spicy thai vegetable soup and we shared more traditional Indian foods. Rice with vegetables and Dal. It was so tasty.
Then we met Kiran (a friend of Madhukar) who went with us to the top of Chamundi hill. We saw the Chamundi temple, we saw monkeys hanging around looking for food and we took some pictures of Mysore and neighboring towns far below us. I will post pictures later.
Then, after driving through, what I would describe as narrow dirt paths (not even roads), we made it to the summer home of the Mysore king (maybe 10 miles from the main palace) called the Lalit Palace. This palace is used as a hotel now and is the site of many movie shoots. When we arrived, the security guard at the gate insisted on charging us an entry fee since we were not guests. We went inside, took some pictures and had chai (tea) - then we went outside and got a horse drawn carriage ride around the parking lot.
Then we dropped Kiran off and started our trek back to Bangalore. Everyone was extremely tired when we left, so you can imagine how we felt after about 4 hours of driving. We passed some kind of auto accident that had about 100 motorcycles and cars pulled over to see what was going on. We also got slowed down while a small herd of goats were ushered across the highway. Then we dropped Madhukar, then Puneet off and headed back to our hotel. When we got to the hotel, we were essentially walking zombies. Thank goodness for a comfortable bed.
It is Monday now and we'll go into work shortly. I hope everyone is enjoying the cold winter weather. 90 degrees and clear is the forecast for Bangalore this week.
Dana, your breakfast post has inspired me to discover what the items which I don't recognize from your list are....I am happy to know a handful of them; I think I would be in heaven to be tasting them and not just researching them! And all in the same meal!
ReplyDelete~Judith