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Published: March 12th 2007
Yesterday was my cheapest day in India yet. Even if you include the bus ticket purchased the night before, I spent a grand total of 400 rupees total. This would include the 125 rupees for a 5 hour bus trip (where we got the pleasure of driving through a wildlife preserve and saw ELEPHANTS), 125 for the hotel (we chose the second place we checked out because the first place was too dirty-even for my new standards), 50 rupees for lunch, 20 for dinner...and a miscellaneous 30 rupees for a 7Up (the first I've had since I was 7), camera and entrance fee into a palace...and I'm sure I probably blew a few somewhere else. This means that for a grand total of under 9 dollars I travelled over 160 kilomaters, ate well, and saw basically every site that Mysore had to offer.
I give this particular breakdown of my day for two reasons. For one, it seems hard for me to believe that it is possible to be this overwhelmingly excited to spend this little. For the second, it is also frightening to understand the poverty that exists in India when it costs so little to live in relative luxury. More on poverty another day...because I have learned a great deal since I've been here.
However...to recap the past couple of days...I left what is now my favorite mountain town Ooty (think Aspen, minus the glitz, and add about 300 stray cows and buckets and buckets of dirt...add a few Hindu temples and churches that look like temples for good measure. The one similarity might be the number of jewelry shops that dot the winding streets. Ok, so nothing like Aspen at all...except for the amazing hiking to be had. The food couldn't have been better, the people couldn't have been warmer. I stayed at a beautiful guest house where europeans and australians seemed to flow through with constant regularity. For a mere $9.50/day I had a wonderful new community of people who ate together, hung out at odd times and had a great time. For the millionth time I wondered why I haven't seen a single American yet...
Had I not had to figure out a way to get to Dehli by the end of this week, I may have stayed in Ooty for the duration. I also experienced the excitement of having my clothes made, but with an improptu decision to leave the next morning...I had to leave without them...with promises by the shopkeeper to send them to my hotel in Dehli. (I must say that anywhere else in the world I would question their arrival. I am almost 90% certain they will arrive there...if I have provided them with the correct address.)
Yesterday morning had me paying my whopping bill of $40 dollars for 4 days before I left on a bus trip to Mysore with my new friend Guillauma where we expected to see a palace. Now, the bus trip down the mountains was terrifying enough with hairpin turns that would make a roller coaster ride seem tame, but about an hour into the Madumulai wildlife sanctuary we came across an elephant farm! I had been waiting days to see elephants...and there they were! Big ones, small ones, baby ones...I couldn't have been happier! After arriving in Mysore (see above) we found our new sleeping place...and set off for lunch. Next stop...the Mysore marketplace whose main drawing point are towering bowls of coloring powder for children, and the flower market...it was altogether a place overpowering in its fragrances, sounds and sites. Bananas seem to be the mainstay of most of the markets...and I only wish I had a kitchen to cook from while I was here. The flower market was amazing...and to humor my french friend...I managed a 10 minute jaunt into the meat market which has reconfirmed my vegetarian tendencies. The ironic part is that the cows seem to be particularly attracted to this area. If I were a cow I would not hang out around the meat part of the market!
And a word on the cows. I used to think they were cute...had a certain charm about them. Here...that feeling has completely faded away. They are EVERYWHERE. Sort of like the cats in Jerusalem...but MUCH BIGGER. And they don't seem to have a care in the world that there are other things in existence other than them. What is funny is that while I thought the cows were particularly revered in this part of the world (due to their significance in Hinduism) they are treated more like nuisances than anything else. They eat trash, sit in the middle of the road...and look at you as if you are blocking their way. And perhaps I am...
So...on to the palace. We had been skirting the palace for most of the day...and now we were finally on our way. As we walked up to one of the gates we spotted the passing of an elephant inside...and we started running...past the guards (who were apparently there to keep crazy people like us out). After grabbing a couple of quick shots we were rather kindly escorted out...where we were told (through a mixture of head nodding and pointing) that we should walk around the gates to somewhere else-apparently the front. As we continued walking we passed another gate...where lo and behold we glimpsed more elephants...and once again we were off! This time they were even MORE exciting...because they were carrying trees and other stuff. (Why this is exciting I do not understand...as I suppose I am just used to watching machines carry out most of the functions that animals do here). Once we had our fill of pictures...we snuck past the guards and continued on our way...but it became apparent that we had clearly entered in the wrong way because no one was wearing shoes except for us. So, we turned in our shoes and cameras and made our way through the palace.
Later that evening we made our way back to the palace because once a week it is lit up for the public and the gardens are open for an hour. I find it difficult to describe the scene as literally thousands of Indians with their families in tow came through the palace gates and lounged on the grounds while the palace is lit with 5,000 lightbulbs. Being admist the scene, one could imagine this is what a movie set would feel like...slightly surreal and yet very real. The heat in the air was cooled by a slight breeze and one could almost get lost in the atmosphere (and the people). After a while of drinking it in, we headed to dinner where we found a rooftop restaurant where apparently the only other tourists in town all managed to find at the same time. An omlette later...we were off to bed. The end of a fabulous day.
So far this morning we bought a bus ticket for Hampi where we will spend a couple of days. Our next stop was the silk factory where I unsuccessfully tried to bargain my way into sucessfully buying a silk caftkan...and on to the sandalwood factory...and back into town. I am officially beat...and hoping that the 13 hour bus ride overnight allows me to get some rest.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Marni
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Alison
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Good to hear from you. Sounds like quite the adventure! Thanks for including mein your travel log! Things are great here. Darci just got back from Africa. She had a great time! Hali and Wade are moving to Vail next month. We went to South America in February. Carnival was amazing!!!!