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Published: March 10th 2014
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Mysore overall is a very pleasant city – wide avenues, fine municipal buildings, though of course very much an Indian city. On our last full day here we went early to the Ranganathittu bird reserve near to Sriringapatna on the Cauvery river. We paid for a trip in a boat with other people, declining a private boat for INR2000. Suddenly the price came down to INR1000 (£10) at which price we said yes. Surprisingly we were not offered a receipt, I wonder if the two rangers declared our payment to their boss?
The reserve comprises a number of small islands in the river. It is a beautiful serene place, with very few people if you arrive early. But peaceful it is not – instead the air is full of the sounds of thousands of birds cooing, cawing, screeching and generally calling to each other. On the boat, you get really close to them. Masses of photos taken with the long lenses, and of course lots of photos deleted later in the day in the search for the quality images.
On to Sriringapatna again as David wanted to explore where the East India Company army made their breach in the
outer wall of the fort and sent in the two “forlorn hopes” to be the first to scale the breach and enter the fort during the 1799 battle. We found the obelisk commemorating the British soldiers who fell, and the breach was south of there. We reckon we found the section, took the photos to prove it. It is fascinating to find a site like this, as it was 215 years ago when our boys came over the breach and took the cold steel to the enemy. The Wodeyars (the Maharajas of Mysore since the British reinstated them after killing Tipu in 1799) were very well inclined to the British, but the whole site is so sadly dilapidated. On the other hand it means you can see it in an unsanitised form.
Back into Mysore. Sara is indulging David today, we eventually find and visit the Mysore Railway Museum. Billed as the second biggest railway museum in India, we were expecting something rather grand given the size and importance of Indian railways. In fact it is comical, very amateurish, but rather fun. You know a site is rarely (never?) visited by foreigners when there is no “foreigner” ticket price
and the little man behind the counter looks stunned to see you.
We feel ridiculously proud of the fact that this morning we have had Mr Ali take us to three different sites he has never visited or taken tourists to before (and probably never will again!) He probably thinks we are completely mad. As he said, ‘most people just go temple’.
Hot and sticky, we retire to the hotel and rest before setting out again with the faithful Mr Ali to try and visit the Devaraja market. We fail to find it, visit some other market, and decide we have had enough. Time for a beer back at the hotel, where we have take full advantage of happy hour each evening.
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