last weekend in Bangalore

Friday night started out with the gang at work taking me out to dinner.  We went to a place called BBQ Nation.  Of course the first thing I think about when I hear BBQ is meat, but being in India and quite a lot of the population being vegetarian, there was a lot more than just meat available at this restaurant.  There was so much food that kept coming to the table and then after that, there was the buffet... I am still not able to eat that much, so I was completely stuffed after the first round and there were many more rounds that kept coming.  It was all very good, but I wish I could have taken better advantage of all that good food.

This weekend there are local elections going on and for some odd reason, no one is able to purchase any alcohol from 5:00 pm on Friday until the end of Sunday.  So at dinner all you could get were mocktails.   All liquor stores are closed and all restaurants and hotels are strict about serving because they could be subject to heavy fines.   Although I did read in the papers today that there are some candidates that go around and offer voters 200 rupees and a bottle of beer to vote for them!

On Saturday night a few of us at the hotel organized dinner outside by the pool and some wine, gin and vodka was smuggled out in water bottles so that we could have drinks with our dinner.  Considering we are not able to vote, I don't see what the big deal was,  but some of the hotel staff really did not like the fact that we were doing this but we were allowed to none the less.   It was earth hour, so we had dinner by candlelight which helped us keep our contraband from being too obvious.

This morning I actually went for a bike round around the area.  Jimmy who has been here for five weeks has been riding every weekend.  I did not even know that the hotel had bikes available!  So when I found out that he was going I made him take me this morning.  Being Sunday and a voting day there was very little traffic and it was actually a pleasant ride.  I would never go out otherwise because the traffic is just crazy.  We went out for about an hour and it was so great to be able to go out and ride around.  The other thing I did today which has been on my list to do before I left was to take an auto-rickshaw.  I only took it from the mall - about 5K from the hotel, but now I can say I was in one.  I was able to bargain them down to 50 rupees which is about 1/4 of what they try to get from westerners for that distance, so I was pretty happy and proud of myself about that.

I also went back to Lal Bagh and Commercial Street this weekend.  Bought a few souvenirs and walked around the park, which was on my list of things to do again before I leave.

Only three more days and then I am done work and on vacation!

Mysore

Mysore is about 200K away, but takes over 3 hours to get to because of the traffic. First we had to drive clear across Bangalore city which took an hour in itself. I was told that Mysore is also a must do visit - so off I went this Saturday morning. My driver suggested a 7:00 am start to beat the heavy traffic. I am sure he would have liked to have left earlier, but this was the earliest I had gotten up since I arrived here, so I think he knew not to push it. Plus I have been sick for the last few days and was not willing to get up any earlier. I woke up on Wedensday feeling absolutly fine, but a couple of hours into my work day I felt absolutly horrible. It is just a cold, but it started in my chest which is a little unusual for me. I was having trouble breathing, and then could not stop coughing. Today, my breathing is better and coughing has subsided a little, and it has moved into my sinuses now. Was feeling a little better when I woke up, so I decided that I was well enough for an outing - besides, it was mostly spent driving there and back and I figured getting away from the air pollution here would be good for me.

After Bangalore, Mysore is the second largest city in the province, but unlike Bangalore and it's high-techiness, Mysore apparently still has some old world charm - there are no Aon offices!. Upon arriving to Mysore, we went straight up Chamundi hill where there is a temple that looks over the city. I looked around a bit and even walked into the temple - it did not do much for me I must admit as it was fairly croweded and I wasn't sure of the protocol. So didn't hang around there long. On the way down made a short stop to take a picture of Nandi, Shiva's Bull which was carved from a solid rock of granite in 1659.

We then made it to the Mysore Palace, which I was told I had to see and walk through. They would not let me take any pictures inside the palace, but got quite a few shots of the outside. My entry fee incuded an english recorded commentary of the palace, but I won't bore you with the historical details - most of which I have already forgotten! It was nice to walk through - of course they make you take off your shoes so I can attest to the nice floors!

It was only 1:30 pm by the time I was done with the palace and Naryanan suggested that we go and visit Brindavan gardens. He already knows that I would rather walk around outside than go shopping or more museums! The gardens were another 20k outside of the city on the down stream of a dam. The gardens are well planned and have well maintained lawns, innumerable pools and fountains. It was not busy at all when I was there, but at night it supposidly is very busy as the gardens are transformed into a kind of fairy land when the concealed lights near the flower beds and fountains are turned on and add a new dimension to the garden.   So after almost 13 hours after I left this morning, I made it back to the hotel safe and sound and no worse for wear...

Bangalore green spaces

Today was again about being outside and getting away from the hotel for the day. Two of the places I have been told that I needed to go to are Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. They are both large green spaces near the center of the city of almost 300 acres and are said to be a must to visit when visiting this city. My driver took me to Lal Bagh first. It is a well known botanical garden and was commissioned by the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali in 1760. It has a famous glass house and also has an aquarium and a lake. I spent a couple of hours walking around. I very much enjoyed this park, it seemed very well taken care of and there were lots of families and couples strolling around the grounds.

After spending a couple of hours there enjoying the scenery, I then went to Cubban park. I had high hopes for this park and was a little disappointed. It was not as nice as Lal Bagh in my opinion because it is not as green or groomed. I thought this might be a place that I could one day go and run in, but I did not see anyone even remotely running and the park has roadways cutting through - and again the wild dogs. It is at least a half hour drive away, so I don't think that running there is in my future. Walking around these parks, I was definitely a minority and clearly a tourist and as a result had a lot of people staring at me. Maybe I need to start dressing like the other women here?

Bannerghatta National Park

I was feeling a little cooped up after this past week and needed to get outside and away from the office and the hotel. After talking with people at the hotel and the office I decided this national park was the best bet. I was told that it was about 45 minutes away from the hotel on the outskirts of the city. It took the driver almost 2 hours to get there. Perhaps he didn't take me on the most direct route or I was mislead on the distance? I didn't mind too much as I still enjoy seeing the city streets as we drive through.

We finally made it to the Park and I paid the $150INR to get the grand safari tour - about $4! The grand safari tour included a bus drive through the park to see lions and tigers and other native Indian animals. I was ushered onto a bus and felt lucky to get the last seat at the front, next to the driver with unobstructive views out of the front and side windows. The tour took about an hour and sure enough we saw different types of deer, bears (Asian black bears), lions, and tigers, including white tigers.

The lions and white tigers were sleeping as it was the middle of the day, so didn't get to see them up and about but we did see them sleeping close by.
The animals all looked healthy and well taken care of which was nice to see. After the tour was over, I was made to realize why I was given the best seat on the bus. Everyone got off the bus first, and as I was getting off, I was held back and told I had to provide a tip! No one else had to which kind of irked me, but since I had the best seat and the driver did take a couple of the pictures for me with my camera, I gave him an additional $150INR. He wanted more, but I refused and had to practically push my way off.

I then went into the attached zoo where they had a surprising amount of other animals. I spent another hour and a half waking around looking at snakes, crocodiles, monkeys, birds, elephants, and more. It was just nice to relax and wander around outside. I could have taken a ride on an elephant, but felt I could live without that experience and I think the elephants could too as they did not look that thrilled with their occupation. Unfortunately the animals here did not look as well taken care of. Their cages were mostly small and bare and not really all that secure. It would be so easy to jump into the hippo or crocodile pens. I guess Indian people have a lot more sense than North Americans and Europeans - or it is an easy, cheap way to feed them!