Mysore is a reminder of a different era. The wealth of the nobility at the time was astounding. From precious treasures to "summer homes" the life was clearly extraordinary. Many of the marvels are damaged or destroyed by subsequent invasions and yet glimpses of grandeur remain. Artifacts that remain face new threats of disrepair, vandalism, and over use.
Many attractions require removal of shoes. This gets old quickly to this wayward westerner. It ages even faster with hustlers charging to watch shoes. What damage does a shoe do? One shoe seems harmless. Then consider the thousands or millions of people that flow through on a daily basis. I thought it was impressive the first time I saw subtly worn stone and marble steps in New York and Washington, DC. I've seen similar steps in India truly worn out by the sheer volume of bare feet and accompanying sand. Humans are the new sands of time and vandalism is the new raging fire.
My trip/impression of Mysore was an outer fort aka summer home and then the Mysore palace. This included the spot of Tipu Sultan's death. In true modern fashion we had longer stops at shopping destinations than at political or religious attractions.
The summer home and fort were impressive even long past there time.
I this specific instance I found the temple architecture quite interesting.
And ironically I've spent significant time in Christian churches in India. The amount of diversity and acceptance here is really something to behold.
We took a quick stroll through a Zoo. I was hopeful of seeing tigers but found humans wondering around inside the tiger pit.
They did have a collection of snakes including nice Anaconda and Boa Constrictor specimens. There were several King Cobras but all appeared rather small even for zoo specimens.
Mysore Palace itself is reminiscent of posh royalty seen around the world.
After the palace the tour headed up Chamundi Hill for a nice overlook of Mysore.
I elected to skip Chamundi temple, keep my shoes on, and enjoy some quiet time on the bus. This proved a great opportunity to take in the subculture of drivers waiting in surrounding parking lots. The cows were note worthy making their rounds chewing flowers and vines off the various tour busses.
We passed this palace in the distance. Apparently its the fourth largest palace in India and has been converted to the only five star hotel in Mysore. Prices are outrageous even by American standards so primary guests are movie stars and business tycoons
Touring wrapped up at a Botanical garden light show built around a rather infamous dam. The dam controls water released to the next downstream state. Every year the downstream state has to engage the Supreme Court to get water released from the dam to supply the downstream state. People describing it attributed the malady to the prevalent third wold status. It reminds me of water fights happening in the US in California and Georgia/Florida.
Lunch and dinner were proved interesting negotiations. I was acutely concerned about getting sick after close brushes with less sterilized sources. In the end everything was okay. I was delighted to have safe breakfast feast at the hotel the next morning.
In hindsight what strikes me most about the day is the dilapidation of these "treasures". Several sites were registered historical sites. Even with that status they are very poorly tended.
Oh, and the bribery. Paying to hold shoes is one things. I was approached innumerable times by security guards offering private tours. While I feared repercussions for refusing the offers those consequences never arose.
One consequence was ever present - foreigners had to purchase separate and significantly more expensive tickets for admittance. In the end this was a perk as the tellers and lines dedicated for foreigners were always idle bypassing lines and providing immediate access. I think that was well worth the 5x-7x markup that still came in around $4USD.
Some expenses are covered by corporate perks and credit card but I'm still comfortably touring on around $200 USD cash converted to Rupee. I feel like $200 USD would cover less than one day of sight seeing in the US.
And that brings up cash exchanges and change - another interesting difference. My general impression is that exact change is optional. For breakfast lunch and dinner change was always off by 2-20 Rupee. The tour guide kept 40 Rupee in change and fished for more tip. At two locations I tried to give tip for exceptional service and it was refused.
For my western friends get ready to pay for toilets. It's frequently a trivial amount 2-5 Rupee but it is required. Payment also does not reflect the quality of facilities. Many times it was much more appealing to water a tree.
I did enjoy great conversation with a doctor on the tourbus ride back to Bangalore. People are friendly as ever and willing to share so long as I remain open and willing to listen.
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