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Published: August 13th 2006
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Along the way
Here is one of the ox-drawn carts we saw on the road on the way to Mysore. More Updates
I've now been here several weeks, and am finally starting to settle into a routine.
Trip to Mysore: July 30
Back on July 30, I went to Mysore with some of the other people who are here from the United States. Mysore was the last capital of the Wodeyar Maharajas of the south, and contains one of the larger palaces from the period. Fore more on the history of Mysore, check the
Wikipedia entry.
We left in the early morning, and drove for several hours to the west and south. The main road between Bangalore and Mysore is not limited access, like a US interstate, but more like the old US highways (US 441, etc.). Not all the road has been four-laned yet, so we had to switch to two-way traffic periodically. Considering the lane ahead is marked as ending by a large pile of rubble, and there is not 'marker' from when you should switch back, this was an exciting drive.
Along the way, we saw many smaller towns and fields. Rice is a major crop here, but is planted in the fall and harvested int he spring to match the monsoon. This time
Outside the Palace
We've just retrieved our shoes and cameras from the holders, and this is a picture of myself and Manjunath, oe of the shuttle drivers, who was our driver and guide on our trip to Mysore.
The Part of the Palace behind us is a small corner, from the side. A later picture will show the same corner, from the front. of year, sugar cane is being harvested. We saw many fields being worked, and passed many tractors and ox-drawn carts pulling loads of cane from the fields into the towns.
Once at Mysore, we visited the Palace first.
Wikipedia entry here This is ahuge structure, very ornately decorated inside. But cameras aren't allowed in, so no pictures from inside. There are detailed mosaics, paintings, and gilded pillars all through the main palace. The structure is also designed to be airy, with cross-breezes for ventilation.
Outside, I took several pictures, many shown here. The only thing I have to compare it to is the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, but even though they were built at similar times, there is no real comparison. There is a side palace, the personal residence, that is about the same size, but Biltmore would be dwarfed by the main palace.
The next stop was the Temple in the Hills, one of the major Hindu temples in India. This is a temple to the goddess Chamundeshwari. The detailing on the temple is impresssive.
After the Temple, we went to see the
Krishna Raja Sagar dam. Built in 1924, the resevoir provides much of regions irrgiation needs, and
The Main Gate, from a distance
The Main Gate, as seen across the Rose Garden, from near the Palace. the dam supplies hydroelectic power for the state as well. We couldn't stay long, so we missed the gardens and light show, because we wanted to get back to Mysore to see the palace lit-up after dark.
On the way back, I caught a picture of one the interesting features of India: the use of a motorcycle or scooter as a family vehicle. I saw a family of four on one, but the record from the rest of the expats here is a family of six on a moped.
Back in Mysore, we stopped by the main palace gate to take some pictures. The palace is illuminated on Sunday evenings. Since we'd been out for about 12 hours, we headed back to Bangalore.
Daily life
Life in Bangalore is interesting. Many shops are 'storefronts'; there is a roll-up metal door, and when the shop is open, there is a foot or two from there to a counter that crosses the whole front, and you step up and ask the purveyor for what you need.
Much travel is by foot, and there are buses that are always crowded. There are also 'autorickshaws', little three-wheel taxis that
A temple on the grounds
Beside each side gate is a temple. These are not small temples. The scale at the Palace takes some getting used to. run on propane, that many people use for around town travel. We have a set of drivers that shuttle us to and from work, and also help us with driving around Bangalore.
There is a western-styled mall nearby, with a fairly large English-language bookstore in it. Many of the books are imports, so no major cost savings, but the books printed here in India under license are fairly inexpensive.
Food is inexpensive. Meals at the cafeteria at work are around Rs20 (twenty rupeess), and with a rupee going for aboit $0.02, that means lunch is about $0.40. Dinner at the restaurant across the street is about Rs150, and at the restaurant called "The Only Place" (because it is the only place to get steaks), dinner runs about Rs500, with dessert. That's $10.
We're staying at an apartment facility known as "St. John's Wood", which is an upscale complex. Almost all of the folks from my company involved with the training initiative are staying here. There is a "hub" where we can work with our liasons, and they also serve "continental" (European / American) meals for breakfast and dinner.
I should have some pictures from outside the
The Main Gate, Front and Center 1
I'm standing at where the main entryway opens onto the parade grounds at the front of the Palace, looking at the Main Gate. It's about a half-mile away. This is with the camera lens at wide-angle. building and some of our folks in the next update.
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