We ended up taking a guided tour of the area, which is something that I definitely would not recommend doing. The day was jam packed, which made it difficult to really appreciate anything that we were seeing. Not to mention, that when traveling on an Indian guided tour, you have to adjust to “Indian Time,” which means there is a lot of waiting around…despite the feeling of being rushed. (That may be a concept that you would only get if you were here….but basically, the tour guide says that you have 30 minutes at one site, you figure in “Indian Time” and give yourself 40 minutes, and the bus doesn’t end up leaving for 50 minutes. You’re perpetually late, but you never know how late you’re going to be so you end up rushing around to accommodate the timeline.)
Our first stop was an old fort. I don’t remember the name of it, but I didn’t really care about it, so I opted out of paying the extra 100 rupees (which was only for foreigners…locals only had to pay 5) and waited outside.
The next stop was a Temple (can't remember the name of it though). That was actually very impressive. It never ceases to amaze me how intricate Hindu temples are. But again, we were told that we had 25 minutes to see the entire temple-which was impossible because there was a huge, slow-moving line because of all of praying to the Hindu shrines. Annabell and I were worried about the bus leaving without us, so we skipped the last half, only to wait around for about 30 more minutes for everyone else to trickle in. Again, annoying!
We went to breakfast and stopped at a little road-side souvenir shop, both of which were unimpressive, and the only reason I mention them is to point out how much was jam packed into this ridiculous day.
Next, we stopped at St. Philomena’s Church which was constructed in 1939 using the Neo-Gothic style inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. (Perhaps that is why Annabell was so unenthusiastic…she’s probably seen the real deal.) I personally thought the stained glass windows and tall ceilings were beautiful-but then again, I’m not one to frequent Catholic Churches, so perhaps they’re all pretty great.
After we went to the Church, we stopped at a Mysore silk shop endorsed by the tour company. Now, here is where my story gets REALLY ANNOYING. I had read in my Lonely Planet that the Government Silk Emporium is THE PLACE to buy Mysore silk. It’s cheap, no taxes, and absolutely exquisite. (Not to mention, 50% of the reason I wanted to go on this trip.) So, when we showed up at this dump, I was completely disenchanted and seriously bummed. The tour guide was obviously making a profit on every piece of silk sold, and when I didn’t want to buy any of the massively overpriced stuff, they really started to pressure me. The salesman followed me around everywhere I went…seriously, at one point I walked in a circle just to see what he’d do, and he followed me in the circle. I asked them if I could walk to the store I had originally wanted to go to, and they refused, told me I wouldn’t have time (I waited around for an hour, and most certainly would have had time), that the store was closed (on a Saturday?! I seriously doubt that), etc. Then, as I was holding back my anger, the sales-douche says to me…. “Oh come on, just buy something. You’re an American. You have lots of money.” That was his sales pitch. Not: “The silk is exquisite.” Or “This color looks beautiful on you.” No, it was some stereotype of Americans (which I certainly don’t fit) and he thought that that was going to be the thing to make me change my mind and make a purchase. Boy was he wrong. I was grasping for some witty comeback…something along the lines of “Oh, you’re Indian, so you must live in a shanty town…” but instead; I just flipped him off and walked away. Okay okay, I know I know…not my most shinning moment. In fact, it’s pretty embarrassing, and I can’t believe I just admitted to doing that. But, what can I say. I was f-ing pissed. This dude had crossed the line, and was standing in my way of some REAL shopping. (Have I mentioned that you should NEVER stand in my way of REAL shopping? Well, now you know.)
So, after that embarrassingly immature and culturally inappropriate episode, I went back to the bus and waited around for another 20 minutes for the rest of the crew to join. We had lunch at another tour company endorsed restaurant where Annabell and I tasted the single worst wine of our lives. (And that’s coming from a girl who regularly buys $3.99 bottles of wine).
Finally, we made it to the Mysore Palace…the main attraction of Mysore (and rightfully so). This place took my breath away. I was utterly speechless as I walked through the grand hallways and ceremonial rooms. It was built in the 14th century and completely burned down in the 1600s. The current palace construction was completed in 1912. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after the Taj Mahal. Sadly, you are strictly prohibited from taking photographs inside of the palace. That is a serious shame because the interior is what really gets ya…it elegantly combined fine gray granite, with deep pink marble, pink and green chandeliers, turquoise domed ceilings, solid silver doors as well as intricately carved sandalwood doors, and the most impressive room (“Ambavilasa”) which is an opulent hall with ornately gilded columns, an expansive stained glass ceiling, and a mosaic floor embellished with semi-precious stones. (Can you imagine being able to say you live in a place like that?!?!)
After the palace, we drove up Chamundi Hills for a nice view of the city. At the top of the hill is Chamundeshwari Temple. I was quite tired at this point, so I didn’t actually go inside of the temple and instead entertained myself by taking pictures of the cows and monkeys that meandered about.
The day wasn’t over just yet…our final destination was the Brindavan Gardens. Apparently, every night there is a musical fountain in which bursts of water are synchronized to the music of songs. I say apparently because our tour was late and missed this main attraction. And yes, this was after I spent extra money to bring my camera in so that I could snap photos. (Annoying, yes. Predictable, yes.) Instead, we just walked around and I had to get my moneys worth by taking photos of the vendors selling popcorn and fish.
We didn’t get home until about 1:00 in the morning. Exhausted, I rolled out of the rickshaw, shuffled up to my room, and passed out.
Peace. Love. and a Palace.
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