One thing I should not forget is the horrendous traffic in Bangalore. For a ten minute distance, we were once sat trapped in a car for nearly 2 hours. Never again do I want to plan to go anywhere in Bangalore!
The weather was 28 degrees in December so I could only imagine how it would be in the summer!
On the other hand, the city was abuzz with news about new start ups and wherever we went, be it restaurants or coffee hang outs, there were youngsters sat next to us planning one new venture or the other! The confidence and focus of these groups of young twenty somethings was wonderful to see and observe!
After 4 days, we took the Shatabdi express to Mysore. Our friends were already on the same train travelling from Chennai. The kids immediately wanted to catch up and we swapped places so the kids, the gentlemen and the ladies could all catch up. It was a good start for the second part of the holiday.
We had booked a quiet farmhouse slightly away from the city and the kids loved it. They loved watching the birds, the cow and the bulls and feeding the fish in the pond. Most of all they loved going up to their secret alcove of the bunk bed into the kids' rooms and chatting into the night before going to sleep.
I loved taking walks on the farm path with the coconut groves on either side and watching the kids play.
There were some irritants too but that is for the review of the place and not for here!
We went to the Mysore palace, the Chamarajendra zoo, the Ganapathy Ashram with its fantastic aviary and Bonsai gardens, Dobare elephant camp, Karanji lake and the Chamundeshwari temple. The brindavan gardens were a major disappointment due to their poor maintenance.
I also let the rest of the gang go to Melkote, Ranganathaswamy temple, Ranaganathittu bird sanctuary and a jackal horse ride while I booked myself for a much needed spa break at the Indus Valley Ayurvedic centre.
On the last day, we chose to relax and go back to Karanji lake and watch the wonderful peacocks while our friends visited the Chenna Kesava temple.
Though K and I have been to Mysore several times, booking a guide for the Mysore palace made a huge difference. The beautiful oil paintings where the Saree Palluss and the eyes followed you whichever direction you went, the stained glass paintings, the golden flag, the private and public Durbar halls and the empanelled doors were all a sight to behold.
The palace flower gardens were a pleasure as well.
The weather was a boiling 31degrees in the mornings and a shivering low in the evenings.
Other highlights were the Coorg coffee which was the best I have ever had , watching a peacock trying hard with its mating dance to attract a pea-hen for a good 20 minutes, being sprayed with waterby a naughty baby elephant , feeding the elephants and having the colourful birds in the aviary of the Ganapathy ashram sit on our heads and shoulders ;)
On New Year's Eve, we had a lovely Bon fire lit, listened to songs, danced a bit, ate some cake and ushered in the new year with the kids fighting over something silly and making up in an even more silly manner!
All in all, another memorable holiday.
The weather was 28 degrees in December so I could only imagine how it would be in the summer!
On the other hand, the city was abuzz with news about new start ups and wherever we went, be it restaurants or coffee hang outs, there were youngsters sat next to us planning one new venture or the other! The confidence and focus of these groups of young twenty somethings was wonderful to see and observe!
After 4 days, we took the Shatabdi express to Mysore. Our friends were already on the same train travelling from Chennai. The kids immediately wanted to catch up and we swapped places so the kids, the gentlemen and the ladies could all catch up. It was a good start for the second part of the holiday.
We had booked a quiet farmhouse slightly away from the city and the kids loved it. They loved watching the birds, the cow and the bulls and feeding the fish in the pond. Most of all they loved going up to their secret alcove of the bunk bed into the kids' rooms and chatting into the night before going to sleep.
I loved taking walks on the farm path with the coconut groves on either side and watching the kids play.
There were some irritants too but that is for the review of the place and not for here!
We went to the Mysore palace, the Chamarajendra zoo, the Ganapathy Ashram with its fantastic aviary and Bonsai gardens, Dobare elephant camp, Karanji lake and the Chamundeshwari temple. The brindavan gardens were a major disappointment due to their poor maintenance.
I also let the rest of the gang go to Melkote, Ranganathaswamy temple, Ranaganathittu bird sanctuary and a jackal horse ride while I booked myself for a much needed spa break at the Indus Valley Ayurvedic centre.
On the last day, we chose to relax and go back to Karanji lake and watch the wonderful peacocks while our friends visited the Chenna Kesava temple.
Though K and I have been to Mysore several times, booking a guide for the Mysore palace made a huge difference. The beautiful oil paintings where the Saree Palluss and the eyes followed you whichever direction you went, the stained glass paintings, the golden flag, the private and public Durbar halls and the empanelled doors were all a sight to behold.
The palace flower gardens were a pleasure as well.
The weather was a boiling 31degrees in the mornings and a shivering low in the evenings.
Other highlights were the Coorg coffee which was the best I have ever had , watching a peacock trying hard with its mating dance to attract a pea-hen for a good 20 minutes, being sprayed with waterby a naughty baby elephant , feeding the elephants and having the colourful birds in the aviary of the Ganapathy ashram sit on our heads and shoulders ;)
On New Year's Eve, we had a lovely Bon fire lit, listened to songs, danced a bit, ate some cake and ushered in the new year with the kids fighting over something silly and making up in an even more silly manner!
All in all, another memorable holiday.
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