So, this weekend I went to Mysore, about 140 km west of Bangalore. Mysore is famous for its sandalwood, its silk, and its incense. I got all three :). But let’s start at the beginning…
I decided only on Monday that it would be a greate idea to go to Mysore, for a one-day trip. So I started by picking out a train to go there. Bangalore and Mysore are connected very well, so I could go by train, by bus, or rent a car and a driver. I planned to do this very cheap, so I picked out the Mysore Express, leaving at 6:30 from the main city station.
What I did not know then was that there is a train ticket shop directly in Koramangala, so I went to the main station to get my tickets. I wasn’t the only one who had this idea, and I had to wait about 45 minutes to get to the counter, the last few minutes fending off Indians who wanted to get in line before me („Sir, 8 o’click train“ – it was 7:45 and the queue very long). Fortunately, a cop was standing there, so I finally managed to get to the counter.
When I had to pay my ticket, I got slightly suspicious: only 24 Rs from Bangalore to Mysore? 0.50 € for 140 km? Well, yes, but only in Second Class. Doesn’t sound too bad, now, but you don’t know the designations. The best class is 1st AC, followed by 2nd AC and Sleeper class. Therefor, Second Class, or simply II; is the worst class, meaning wooden benches :(. But I was happy I finally had my ticket, and it was late already, so I figured it wouldn’t be too bad and went home.
On Saturday morning, I already got up at 4 am, to catch the 4:45 bus to the train station. Due to warnings by my colleagues at SAP (and my own experiences in India), I chose a bus which would leave me with lots of time, in case anything went wrong. And, guess what – right, no bus left at 4:45 am. No bus left at 5 am. Only at 5:05 am, the bus finally decided to show up. To my surprise, it arrived at the train station at 5:30, which menas it was not even too late (4:45 normal time + 45 minutes drive).
Navigating my way from the central bus stand to the train station, I seeked out my platform (number 6) and waited for the Mysore express, which arrived (on time!) at 5:55 and left (on time again!) at 6:30. Finally on my way! Fortunately, the wooden benches are not as bad as they sound and are quite comfortable, although your behind starts to feel a bit numb after the three hours it takes to Mysore. More important, and more surprising, the train was rather empty, so I had lots of space for myself in the compartment which would easily accomodate six people (or ten Indians), but was only filled with me and an elder couple.
The train runs through the beautiful landscape of southern Karnataka, and only stops at a few stations (three, I think) between Bangalore and Mysore. I arrived in Mysore at 9:30 am, again on time. The weather this weekend was unfortunately overcast, and it drizzled a bit sometimes, but it was OK. So I went out of the station („Do you want a rikshaw?“ „No.“) and got my first impression of Mysore. Well, it looked a lot like Bangalore. After consulting my travel guide, I decided to visit the Rail Museum first, because it is directly next to the station („You want autorikshaw?“ „No!“)
The entry to the Rail Museum is 10 Rs, and it is not worth more than that. You can see some old steam engines, a dozen old railway cars, and some old pictures and paintings of engines and cars. Not very interesting. Oh, and I noticed one thing: In India, it is perfectly normal that the people at the counter don’t have enough change. If that happens, the amount you still get back is written on the back of the ticket. You can come back later and get you money, but don’t forget it (as I almost did)!
After this dissapointment, I went to the Mysore Palace (Rs 25 by rikshaw). The building (entry: Rs 20) is very impressive, but you are not allowed to take pictures inside (Rs 5 for keeping you camera) and you are not allowed to wear shoes (Rs 0.50 to keep your shoes). You can see some nice objects, the throne of the Maharajah (golden, of course), wall paintings of military units, and of course the magnificent architecture of this palace, which took more than 15 years to build. [Read more about the palace at Wikipedia] After coming back out, you can enter the second part of the palace, the Maharajah’s private rooms (another Rs 20). As they containmostly photographs and pictures of the maharajah and his family, you are well advised not to hire a guide („Much more beautiful with guide“). I skipped the multiple temples on the palace grounds (remember: No shoes in Hindu temples), but I took a moment to enjoy the surroundings of the temple, which are a favourite location to have wedding pictures taken.
After the palace, I decided it was time to get lunch, since I had only eaten an apple for breakfast. I chose the „Shilpashri Restaurant“ off Gandhi Square, which was OK. Afterwards, I decided to start my shopping spree. First of all, I went to a silk shop I had seen on my way to the palace, and which advertised „up to 50% off“ in the windows. And indeed, I got a whopping 20% off on my whole purchase of 2 shirts (Rs 500 each) and a shawl (Rs 1000). Afterwards, I continued to the Devaraja Market, which was built by Tipu Sultan to raise local commerce. I was instantly captured by a young boy („Which conuntry?“ „Germany“ „Guten Tag!“ *staun*) and led to a stall for incence sticks and essential oils, where I was invited to see incence sticks being made. A good worker can turn out arounf 10,000 sticks a day. The shop owner has an impressive array of greeting books from all around the world, where he lets his customers write recommendations for further customers (here we see the whole Web 2.0 concept taken offline), and his son also speaks some German. After having numerous oils tested on me and being invited to small glass of chai, I bought ten small bottles („last you for a whole year“, 100 Rs each), which made me eligible for the free transportation box and a gift of a bunch of incence sticks. Very nice people, and I tought myself lucky to have met them, but on continuing further down the market I was met by another shop owner, who also possessed numerous greeting books, including German.
The shop owner also recommended me to visit the Chamundi Hill, a location of a temple and a place of whorship. I took the bus (route 201, platform 8), which leaves from the City bus stand and costs 6.50 Rs for the single trip (and was overcrowded). The Sri Chamundeswari temple on top is very impressive, with a seven-story, 40m roof. A hint from a friend: Don’t fall into the claws of one of the people up here. This makes it rather expensive (Some red color, some flowers as gift to the goddess, a take-home statue for good luck: Rs 200; Keep the shoes: Rs 5; Take a picture in front of some wooden construct and get a yellow paint dot: small gift (Rs 100); Gift to the temple; Pay the boy who led you around: Rs 200). And don’t buy the postcards they offer you at every touris attraction. The temple itself is nice inside, and you have a great view on Mysore from the top of the hill (if it isn’t raining).
After returning to the city, I finished my shopping by buying Mysore Pak, a sweet made mainly from butter and sugar, from a sweet shop, and some sandalwood goodies at the Cauvery Arts & Crafts emporium.
For my trip home to Bangalore, I chose the „Ultra Deluxe“ bus for Rs 70, which operates from the central bus stand every half hour. I decided against the nonstop bus, which leaves Mysore every five minutes, in the hope that the journey would be more confortable. I arrived just in time for the bus at 6 pm, and for most of the trip I had my two-seat row for myself. However, since the bus was not a non-stop bus, it made some breaks in small cities in between Mysore and Bangalore, where passengers got on and off. But the seats are quite comfortably (for Indian seats) and the rows are far enough from each other to fit my legs in between. One very important thing to know: On Indian buses, you pay n the bus to a collector who also rides the bus and comes to your seat.
The bus indeed needed the advertised three hours from Mysore to Bangalore, and another hour to get from the city outskirts through the Bangalorean traffic to the city bus stand. I took the bus back to Koramangala, after all I had purchased a day ticket in the morning (go everywhere for 24 hour, for only Rs 35! When do German bus companies introduce that?). This time, it was quite full, but it got emptier the more it approached Koramangala, and after a while I even got a seat.
Wow! This was a long post, but it was also a long day. I sure enjoyed sleeping long on Sunday and then spending four (yes, 4) hours brunching at the Leela Palace 5-star hotel 😉