Eventually Aaron and I got to the point where we realized we needed a few additional things that we didn’t bring with us (luckily, my Contra Costa coworkers provided me with a few essentials before I left for my trip). We ventured up the street to the local hospital around 7pm in search of transportation. Outside the main building, 4 or 5 autorickshaws typically line up waiting for a fare to come out of the hospital. For 30 rupees (~60 cents) our driver took us to the MORE Megastore… think Indian version of Walmart. On our first trip towards central Mysore, we noticed people were gathered everywhere on the street. Some just idling by and some purchasing fruit from the many vendors along the way. A few very daring men ran across the busy traffic in order to get to one of the shops across the street… Pedestrians definitely do not have the right-of-way here! Unfortunately, I am unable to post the video I took.
When we arrived at MORE megastore, the autorickshaw driver stopped and let us out on the opposite side of the road to the entrance. As I began to cross the street, I realized Aaron was not with me. I turned around to find out where he was… Big Mistake! Never stop even for a slight moment in a Mysore street! After looking for Aaron for the briefest of moments, I turned my head back towards the street to realize I was inches away from the front end of a moving auto-rickshaw. Somehow my hand wound up slapped against the front end of his vehicle. The driver had luckily stopped in time, then gave me a very dirty luck for: number one, touching his rickshaw , number two and probably most importantly, making him have to let go of the gas . After nervously laughing about the situation and while being yelled at by the driver’s passenger, I found Aaron who was apparently standing behind me the entire time during this little fiasco. We finally managed to get across the street and headed towards the store. We approached the metal detector in front of the entrance, which of course, Aaron and I both casually walked around not noticing the guard standing by who was holding a large military gun.
Inside the More Megastore, there were people cluttered in every aisle doing there grocery shopping. We had to push and shove our way to the staircase so we could get to the second floor where all the clothing was. After a little while, we reached the desired floor and were able to peruse our many choices of patterns and designs. I should actually say my many choices of patterns and designs, the men’s clothing was pretty simple. I think I tried on 9 different options of salwar kameez before I could finally find one that fit me. In Indian sizing, Aaron and I are both an XL!!!! –Mom, broad shoulders and large hips may come in handy in sports, but not when trying to fit into petite Indian clothing...I eventually found a few items, but pants were hard to find and none matched the size of the shirt that came with it. For two shirt/pant sets and an additional shirt, my total came to about $20 with. With the addition of shampoo it wasn't much more. Aaron’s shirts each cost about $2! He also picked up some mangos while we were there, which he was told were very fresh. The little bananas they sell in Mysore are also super sweet and taste fantastic. I have been substituting my morning dosa with a few (as in four) bananas with a slice of fresh mango...yum... If my stomach weren't the limiting factor here, I'd be eating the bananas, mango, and masala dosa every morning accompanied by a very large mug, not glass, of tea. The hot Badam milk is also great. It's basically almond milk mixed with saffron.
Sunday morning we woke up early (see mom & dad, it’s possible…) and took off to visit Karanji Lake and the Mysore Zoo. Karanji Lake was absolutely gorgeous! We saw quite a variety of India’s beautiful native birds and several brightly colored butterflies. There was always a cute cuddling couple sitting on every shaded bench we passed along the way. There was a tall lookout tower from which we could climb and watch the herons fly by and the top of the palace could be seen in the distance. After 10 minutes we headed down the tower and met a nice elderly couple during our descent that stopped to ask how we were doing and where we were from. As we were leaving, we saw another white person, which hasn't been a common sight since we got to Mysore. I know we came with a bunch on the plane, but where did they go? Turns out, many of the tourists that stay in Mysore are found near the more upscale areas outside of the busy central districts. We have located a Pizza Hut, Domino's, Subway, and Baskin Robbin's if at any time we feel we might go crazy without having an American fast food binge. Apparently, one of the restaurants in this area will cook a full Western breakfast at your request.
Back on track...
After circling the lake, we headed towards the zoo, which I have to admit, we spent more time taking pictures of caution signs than we did the exotic animals. One sign cautioned against entering the zebra habitat to avoid injury. There was an illustration of a man climbing over the handrails and leaning over a pit. In the second frame, the man has fell into the pit and an angry zebra proceeds to maul the man who has blood gushing out of his body. The final frame is security escorting the man away in cuffs while bright red blood is pouring out of the wound and onto the ground. While it may be a bit morbid, the sign was absolutely hilarious!!! The Giant Squirrel exhibit was also very interesting and pretty darn funny as it contained one squirrel smaller than the normal squirrels you find sitting at home on the back fence. The snake exhibit as well as the rest of the zoo was pretty awesome. The African elephants were standing very close to the rail which was great, but I later realized they were chained in position for tourists to have a better photo op. = (
ಮೈಸೂರ್ ಓ : Mysore Zoo
Early evening we visited Naomi’s friend, Fazil, who runs a clothing store named Badsha Bazaar in central Mysore with his brothers. Unfortunately, he was not there but his brother sat down and chatted with us for awhile until their other brother had finished praying near the corner. The walls of the store were just stacked with different types of fabric and patterns for making Indian or Western clothing. I have been informed by Naomi that their tailor is amazing and purchasing a saree here is a must. Hopefully, I will be able to find the a good Mysore silk saree here.
After peeking into the Devaraja market across the street from Badsha Bazaar, we took an autorickshaw to Mysore palace. From 7 to 8 every Sunday and during holidays and festivals, the palace is lit with ninety-seven thousand lights! This palace has been home to the Wadiyar Maharajas, since the original was built in the 13th century (this is the fourth built here). There was brief change in rule with Hyder Ali, a general of the Wodeyar army, and then his son Tipu Sultan. After Tipu Sultan was killed by the British during battle, the monarchy returned to the Wadiyar family and lasted until 1947, when India gained independence... Hopefully, within the next couple months I can take a tour of the museum inside and get more of the history.
I love the pictures!
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