Mysore was a series of mixed experiences. The site seeing , temples, palaces and a fort. I would love to be able to wax lyrical over these visits but whilst the history and traditions are naturally educating there is always a disappointment that the artefacts have been so poorly maintained . The elements are very cruel here and damp and dust are not good preservatives.
At the temple we got "slum dogged" . Remember the Jamal in slum dog millionaire , he worked outside the Taj Mahal and took money from the tourist to watch their shoes and then sold the Nike trainers. Well our shoes didn't get sold but we more or less bought them back . It was the most expensive outing since we have been here.
As we entered the temple a tall young Indian man swooped us up , gave us instructions , told us where we could take photos and ushered us into the zones tourist are permitted to enter. We went like lambs to the slaughter, we took the lotus flower, we took the bright yellow flowers for the offerings. We had red dots, white dots and yellow dots put on our foreheads. None of the Indians had three dots so we reckoned that it was like having a stamp on your forehead saying " I've been had"
As we left the main temple our cunning guide said " follow me , yes please yes" so we did . We we walked barefoot on boiling hot Tarmac - away from the shoe depot. We hopped from one foot to another , he gently coerced us to into a second temple about 100 yards from the first one. Here we were out of sight of any security . At this point he was so caring , he noticed we were burning up and said with such authority" I send for shoes yes yes, right now. " ( chin, left -right-left) enter shoes man, "200 rupees please" (about £2.30. ) at this point we new we were doomed. 200 RUPEES! " Yes very so madam each thank you kindly" How stupid can you be , then came the bill for the whole lot, lotus flowers , little bright orange thread bracelet s . Yes , we ended up handing over around 6000 rupees for some thing that should have been free. At which point Guide man said "Working for totally free service, all money going to orphanage"........ yeah right. Then , puff ! and he was gone.
Our highs were all hysterical and came from nowhere .
The restaurant beside our hotel was closed so we were given another address close by.The Sudree Hotel was not exactly what we had imagined. ha Ha Ha. Oh so challenging just entering this basic and truly grim place. They greeted us so warmly , we decided ok lets ignore all the warnings we have been given and go native
We sat at the table and got out the antiseptic wipes. At which point the head man called a boy. Along he came with a huge white plastic bucket filled with pink disinfectant. Out came a cloth that must have been several months old at least and he started dynamically and with great gusto rubbing from side to side across the whole table . We joined in , encouraging him to polish harder , which he did with great spirit , the harder he worked the more everyone laughed, his white teeth and dark eyes shinning.
The walls were once pale yellow, now grey with chair scratches , the chairs metal with black plastic seats, old church hall style. The menus had seen better days. The laminated plastic was split , the paper inside curled at the edges and sticky.
( Yes I can hear you "LEAVE GO NOW" )
We didn't leave , we stayed an ate a wonderful meal, vegetable thali served on coconut leaves, parathas nan bread. We even got finger bowls with hot water and a slice of lime. They kept us laughing all the way through. Our laughter was slightly hysterical , nervous laughter. What will tomorrow bring?? Oh well we can always resort to papaya seeds.
The bill was 550 rupees £6.58 for the four of us. Then the lights went out!! Complete darkness.
When we're finally able to leave, all four of us squeezed into a TukTuk Franco in the front with his arms round the driver, Elaine Peter and I jammed so tight in the back that we didn't even feel the sleeping policemen.
There was another meal when Franco ordered a salad of crudités with tuna and a pesto dressing. What actually arrived was a mountain of raw strips of vegetables covered in a runny mayonnaise trimmed with batons of fried bread built up like a bonfire and a pile of chips on top, the finishing touch , sprinklings of glacee cherries. Well why not? He queried the order with the waiter, who went off in the direction of the kitchen.The answer, " sorry ,very sorry, chef confused" . Not the only one.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
At the temple we got "slum dogged" . Remember the Jamal in slum dog millionaire , he worked outside the Taj Mahal and took money from the tourist to watch their shoes and then sold the Nike trainers. Well our shoes didn't get sold but we more or less bought them back . It was the most expensive outing since we have been here.
As we entered the temple a tall young Indian man swooped us up , gave us instructions , told us where we could take photos and ushered us into the zones tourist are permitted to enter. We went like lambs to the slaughter, we took the lotus flower, we took the bright yellow flowers for the offerings. We had red dots, white dots and yellow dots put on our foreheads. None of the Indians had three dots so we reckoned that it was like having a stamp on your forehead saying " I've been had"
As we left the main temple our cunning guide said " follow me , yes please yes" so we did . We we walked barefoot on boiling hot Tarmac - away from the shoe depot. We hopped from one foot to another , he gently coerced us to into a second temple about 100 yards from the first one. Here we were out of sight of any security . At this point he was so caring , he noticed we were burning up and said with such authority" I send for shoes yes yes, right now. " ( chin, left -right-left) enter shoes man, "200 rupees please" (about £2.30. ) at this point we new we were doomed. 200 RUPEES! " Yes very so madam each thank you kindly" How stupid can you be , then came the bill for the whole lot, lotus flowers , little bright orange thread bracelet s . Yes , we ended up handing over around 6000 rupees for some thing that should have been free. At which point Guide man said "Working for totally free service, all money going to orphanage"........ yeah right. Then , puff ! and he was gone.
Our highs were all hysterical and came from nowhere .
The restaurant beside our hotel was closed so we were given another address close by.The Sudree Hotel was not exactly what we had imagined. ha Ha Ha. Oh so challenging just entering this basic and truly grim place. They greeted us so warmly , we decided ok lets ignore all the warnings we have been given and go native
We sat at the table and got out the antiseptic wipes. At which point the head man called a boy. Along he came with a huge white plastic bucket filled with pink disinfectant. Out came a cloth that must have been several months old at least and he started dynamically and with great gusto rubbing from side to side across the whole table . We joined in , encouraging him to polish harder , which he did with great spirit , the harder he worked the more everyone laughed, his white teeth and dark eyes shinning.
The walls were once pale yellow, now grey with chair scratches , the chairs metal with black plastic seats, old church hall style. The menus had seen better days. The laminated plastic was split , the paper inside curled at the edges and sticky.
( Yes I can hear you "LEAVE GO NOW" )
We didn't leave , we stayed an ate a wonderful meal, vegetable thali served on coconut leaves, parathas nan bread. We even got finger bowls with hot water and a slice of lime. They kept us laughing all the way through. Our laughter was slightly hysterical , nervous laughter. What will tomorrow bring?? Oh well we can always resort to papaya seeds.
The bill was 550 rupees £6.58 for the four of us. Then the lights went out!! Complete darkness.
When we're finally able to leave, all four of us squeezed into a TukTuk Franco in the front with his arms round the driver, Elaine Peter and I jammed so tight in the back that we didn't even feel the sleeping policemen.
There was another meal when Franco ordered a salad of crudités with tuna and a pesto dressing. What actually arrived was a mountain of raw strips of vegetables covered in a runny mayonnaise trimmed with batons of fried bread built up like a bonfire and a pile of chips on top, the finishing touch , sprinklings of glacee cherries. Well why not? He queried the order with the waiter, who went off in the direction of the kitchen.The answer, " sorry ,very sorry, chef confused" . Not the only one.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Kabini nature reserve
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