Indian Friday: A Day in Mysore

My diary, revived from my trip to India back in 2007. This second part details my solo travels during the last three weeks or so.

A Day in Mysore

Wednesday 21st November.

Time to say goodbye to everyone: people are off to all points north, south, east and west.

I took a rick to the station, and didn’t manage to change my ticket (Jobsworth in charge) But there was good internet access and I caught up a bit.

Bike park outside the Station

The market, if colourful, was a lot of hassle.  Touts everywhere. Of unbelievable persistence.  A youth selling flutes came down from Rs 280 to Rs 50, unable to take ‘no’ for an answer.  And STILL I didn’t buy (This market remains one of my worst memories of India.  I couldn’t enjoy a single second in peace).  Later though, in a side street, I found a tailor and bought fabric , so that for Rs 600 (not much more than £5.00) I’ll have a custom made salwar kameez by 7.30 this evening.

Lunch was fun, at a local cafe where all the locals were, like me, enjoying the ‘small’ veg thali served on a banana leaf.  A guy with a big canister kept doing the rounds, topping up the already big portions of all the diners. I declined sugar on my yoghourt-for-pudding, but my table mates didn’t, and sugar equal to the amount of yoghourt was spooned into their bowls.

I got quite comprehensively lost after lunch (easy to do.  No street signs.  Stop to look, and a rick driver is on your tail, or a vendor.  Ask the way, and you’ll pick one of the few inhabitants who speaks no English).

But here I am at the Art Gallery.  There’s supposed to be an Indian Dance Festival, and I’ve been here for about 40 minutes now, with lots of audience, mainly women, sitting patiently waiting … but … nothing.

And that was how it went really.  A ‘warm up’ singer came along, and I quite enjoyed that, as well as watching the stage being set up with plush seating and flower garlands.  I thought I’d leave at one point, but a man implored me to stay, saying it was starting in 10 minutes – which it did … But after the presentation of garlands to the Great and the Good, they moved onto – I dunno – soliloquies, perhaps poetry, impenetrable – to me anyway – so I did go.

And got a rickshaw to FabIndia which has lovely simply styled stuff, so I got a salwar kameez, a blouse, and a kurta for Malcolm.

Rick back to Om Shanti – my driver looked as though he’d just got a place at Oxford: all preppy glasses and smart casual shirt and trousers – perhaps he has! Anway, he was the first person who knew where Harding’s Circus was. Where I had my first disappointing meal: cabbage vadi with some trimmings and a lassi.  Expensive for what it was.  The last time I use Lonely Planet!

Funfair at Mysore

Ran into a young man, Samir, a teacher.  We got ito conversation and he took me to the  funfair. ‘I no try funny business.  You – old lady – like my mother.  Me – like your son’  That went down well. But we were in a public place and it was indeed fine.  He took me round the funfair because it I’d noticed all the lights – it was quite fun.  Then a rick to the market to collect my salwar kameez.  Then, inevitably, to his friend’s uncle, and Ayurvedic practitioner, where I did indeed buy some oils (they were brilliant and lasted me ages).  A rick home was produced and we said our goodbyes.  Market salwar inevitably disappointing:  FabIndia’s – not.

My featured photo was taken at the station. Those schoolgirls have just dismounted from that autorickshaw to hurry off to school. You might be able to see the rickshaw still has several passengers within. The schoolchildren I saw were always smartly dressed. Definitely no customisation of uniforms, with rolled-over skirt waistbands or heavily-adjusted ties, as here in the UK.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

34 thoughts on “Indian Friday: A Day in Mysore”

  1. It was a fascinating time, wasn’t it? All these years on, do you still have occasion to wear the Salwar Kameez? My friend, who toured this year, made her first lunch appearance with us after she got back wearing a very pretty red one xx

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  5. You were a brave one. I found India overwhelming and was too afraid to travel alone. Your market experience was very like mine in Zimbabwe. I thought once that the trader was going to pay me to take his carved elephant!

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    1. Aaagh. Markets eh? I’m not brave, honest. I just wanted to organise my own time without bowing to anybody else. And I never once felt even slightly fearful. It was (almost all) fun.

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  8. I love that opening shot of the schoolgirls! But I sympathise over the market hassle as I hate that sort of thing. It ruins any pleasure I might get from browsing and maybe buying something as a memento. When will they realise they might sell more, at least to Western tourists, if they hassled less?! Having said that, I don’t recall being bothered to that extent in India – Marrakesh was worse and Tunisia too.

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  13. Hi Margaret
    We travelled nearly everywhere, India was the place we wouldn’t go again. We travelled four months through India and in the end we hated it there. All the time people bothering you and just too many people. We went afterwards to Nepal and Bhutan where we liked it very much. It was our recovery from the time in India.
    Wishing you all the best
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. I was lucky to spend some time in rural areas, and in smaller, non-touristy towns, so I was lucky to have that experience as it gave me positive times, in addition to the busy cities which were – yes – difficult. I would love to have visited Nepal and Bhutan. But that ship has, I think, sailed. Happy Sunday!

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      1. Dear Margaret

        We spend our time in rural Souther India and in cities in the North. Most impressive I found Varanasi where we staid for a fortnight.

        Kb had to work in India. He had to write a book there. You wouldn’t believe it how complicated it was to rent a typewriter. And communication was a problem, too.

        Anyway, with the distance of many years we wouldn’t like to have missed it.
        We are happy that you enjoyed India

        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      2. Ah! I thought Varanasi might be Tourist and Pilgrim Central. But I never went to the north in any case. We can all agree it’s an experience we’re glad not to have missed!

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  16. The bike park is astounding! Funny how something as simple as the school girl’s hair ribbons triggered memories from my childhood. I wonder if school girls there still wear such hair ribbons these days – not that 2007 was that long ago! What varied experiences you had in one day.

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