Mysore

The man who greeted us at our hotel reminded us a lot of one of the characters from The Best Marigold Hotel. We spent the morning on a sight-seeing tour of Mysore. The first stop was the temple of Chanduswari, the consort of Shiva. 

This was the first time that I felt...wow, I'm in India with the bold colours, the sea of saris, the Indian music wafting through the air, all the little stands with their coloured fruits and garlands of flowers, the cows meandering through the streets, the horns tooting and honking, and of course the bright smiles of the Indian people.

From here we went to the spectacular ochre-coloured Mysore Palace, built in 1897. It is one of the biggest palaces in India and is built in a combination of Hindu and Muslim styles.

 

I could just imagine the Maharaja riding atop his golden throne on his brightly decorated elephant up the grand entranceway to the public galleries of the palace.

On our bus ride to our next location, we saw three wild elephants. I felt like I was back on an African Safari.