Mysore

This weekend I went to Mysore with Amandine and Mariena. It’s about an hour bus ride from Hunsur and is a much larger city with more things to do. The first place we visited was Mysore Palace. The first palace burned down and a new one was built in the early 20th century, so it had fairly new architecture (called Indo-Sarcenic) as well as electricity. It was very different than the palaces I saw in England, but in no way less grand, and it borrowed a lot from the Victorian Gothic style. The color schemes were vibrant, turquoise and gold being prominent, with lots of intricate carvings and chandeliers. There were elephant heads mounted on the wall and pictures framed in ivory tusks. Stained glass from Europe made the roof of one dome in the shape of brightly colored peacocks.

We spent the rest of the day aimlessly wandering, sampling different foods, and shopping for traditional Indian clothes. We found a little piece of home in a supermarket with everything from Oreos, frozen french fries, to Twinings tea. At night, we took a bus to the Brindavan gardens, “the pride of Mysore and a magnet for Indian tourists” (Fodor’s). It is a huge terraced garden with flowers and fountains. The point of going at night is that the fountains are illuminated by colored lights. We were expecting a peaceful place to walk around, listening to the trickle of water and Indian music, but apparently this was a party scene for some and we instead had to listen to drunken Indian men singing and yelling as they paraded around the neatly manicured sidewalks.  We had a sampler dinner from the numerous food stalls outside the gardens and made our way home. 

It was a necessary and enjoyable first outing. Though we have grown accustomed to our hotel-home, and have even fondly adopted an affectionate nickname for our hotel manager and persistent protector, its tight quarters make living a bit inconvenient. We still have about another week to go until our house is furnished and ready for living. 

Mysore Palace

typical Mysore street, complete with a rickshaw

Brindavan Gardens at night