Mysore a Jewel in Southern India

The Maharaja's Palace lit by 100,00 bulbs

Having met so many people who have raved about this place we decided on the spur of the moment to go.  Its 140 kilometres from Bangalore so 3 hours by train, but couldn’t get a first class air conditioned seat, so abandoned that. Flights worked out last minute to £140, or 3 hours by air conditioned 4 x 4 for two days with guide just £77.Minds made up and with a hotel booking done, we made an early start 7am and were soon struggling through Bangalore traffic, the city must be the most polluted in the world.  The day before we had really struggled with the fumes we both felt ill. They are trying to get all the rickshaws to adapt to LPG, there fines of 500 r for causing pollution but no one enforces it.  There are a few electric cars with 300k range, and also electric scooters, so they are making headway.

We passed numerous colleges, schools, universities , they study hard and are eager to succeed and get our jobs. The call centres are vast, taking five minutes to pass in a car, all the jobs being done by graduates.

Construction is on a staggering scale, roads, railways (72 new train services this year alone and no price hikes, houses, metro in all the major cities, hospitals, colleges, everyone is busy, busy, busy! India is not a third world country.  Growth is 8%, savings rates for senior citizens (50+) is 15%!! Ordinary rates being 10% What is ours? Mmmm

roof top view

Soon we were in open countryside, paddy fields, sugar cane,  coconut palms, banana plantations, agriculture and horticulture everywhere, oxen ploughing, the old world and the new. We went through a village that specialised in selling silk cocoons, the cost just £5 a kilo, and rocking horse road with handmade childrens toys.

Inside the Palace

Mugged by "Nelly"

Mysore is calm quieter and the air much cleaner.  We arrived about 11 after a coffee stop and set off on our sight seeing tour.

While we were walking round, shoeless, for about an hour, we came across the Maharaja’s elephant, and the cheeky blighter distracted me by pulling my hair, then lifted 100 rupees from himselfs pocket.  When himself asked for some change the mahout said that the elephant cannot count sir!

The throne room