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Published: February 10th 2013
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Notes From A Dug: Mysore More often than not on this trip, where we find ourselves staying has had enchantment written in big bold letters. Our stay in Mysore was a calming hideaway just a breath away from town. A small stream ran past the restaurant and, at dinner time, the geese and frogs would compete for our attention. Imagine "Bridge Over Troubled Water" croaked out and honked over by reptiles and feathers. On occasion, the geese seemed to strut into the kitchen oblivious to their potential fate. I'm not sure, with the fantastic use of spices here, if my spinach butter chicken was really euphemistic advertising. At $3.50 for a main course, though, you didn't hear me squawking.
Each of our ground floor rooms came with outdoor showers and, in our case, the upstairs guests kept their drapes closed. I guess our wizened bodies do not inspire the prurient. And ... the IT world finally came together at the Windflower Inn. Not only was the Internet free, it also worked! We played cards, we read and Janice ate. This chick knows where her next dinner is coming from and it ain't free. But ... breakfasts are and, in
Janice's case, she is a food camel that can ingest a buffet table and not eat again until the next breakfast. The attached picture below can attest to her championship form.
Although Mysore is but a town of only 3 million in a country of 1.2 billion, we have yet to buy a lottery ticket. We should. Yesterday we ran into a friend from Calgary who arrived in India about five days ago and just happened to be rolling herself through Tippu Sultan's 250 year old visitors' palace when she screamed out Terry's name. Like long lost friends at a school reunion, there was much to be said and shopping to be pursued. Deb went along for the ride while Doug & Janice turned chicken and bailed.
The following day saw us at a temple in the Chamundi hills. We happened to be there when a religious ceremony was underway. Terry's pictures below capture the mood of what was seen. Mystical and ethereal, it was understandable why so many Hindus had made the pilgrimage up the 1000 steps. We drove.
We did walk the 1000 steps back down and came across a monkey ripping apart what looked
like a backpack. One person was there, trying to approach monkey-doodle to retrieve the pack. The monkey would have none of that. Our guide and the putative owner of the pack then picked up stones to hurl at Mr. Monkey. Ooh, that's a boo-boo. Monkeys have teeth and this boy turned ugly. Our guide jumped. The other person back-pedalled. I shot video. The monkey then gave up the bag. Turns out it belonged to one of the school kids at the shrine. Backpack is now shredded. Field trip goes sideways. Parents will become monkey killers.
Our next stop was at the flower, vegetable, spice & meat market. Vendors everywhere. Colours were spectacular. The meats were probably doing a slow rot in the sun. We didn't think we needed to see chicken haunches and pork bellies. We'll see enough of that mix on our food trays on the train.
Last stop, hustle our bags on board our final train ride of the trip. Notice the porter in the pictures who is doing his best to hustle with Terry's bag on his head. Our previous train ride saw the porters carry twice that load on their heads. A now, short-necked
porter must have telegraphed his fellow fraternity members, "Keep away from those white women and that bearded guy. They need an elephant to carry their bags."
But, here we go. Nine hours from Mysore to Chennai. Having taken the same train in reverse two days earlier, our Calgary friend insists the bathrooms are fine. Vouches for the presence of clean western toilets. Terry thinks something got lost in translation. Fine does not include a scrubby-dub, squat toilet. Fine does not mean finding an overloaded bowl in a western unit that doesn't flush. Fine now means bringing on the Lysol body wipes. Joan, we think you held it all the way for nine hours. We'll be talking.
Back to Janice & Doug. The train food is free. Guess who dove in? Yup, one white woman and one white guy. Guess who declined the opportunity? Yup, the two other white women. Guess who doubled down on those portions? Yup, one white woman and one white guy. Guess who went hungry? Not Janice. Not Doug. We're good to go, all the way to Chennai.
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