Mysore n Ooty in 42 Hours

January 2005. It was my Project Technical Manager Mathew (Matt) Fuchs' first trip to this part of the world. A long weekend was on the pipeline. Me being a local boy, youngest member in the project and more importantly a bachelor ( no commitments) :( was asked to give Matt a Taste of India. What better place than Mysore and Ooty. January 15 and 16 was reserved for Mr. Manager. January 14 being Makhara Sankranthi was spent at home.

January 15 Saturday Time - 7 am Place - The Windsor Sheraton

Yours truly Karthik, Ashutosh & Nithin (project mates) along with Matt left Bangalore in a Ford Ikon driven by a chauffeur Srinivas. As it was early in the morning we hit the Bangalore - Mysore highway very soon. 91 FM was playing in the car ( there were no cassettes ). We were having a jolly time talking a lot of things - jokes, movies, and boy talks. in short everything under the sun. Matt was being told trivia’s about Bangalore and the Indian Culture in general. He is kind of a silent reserved man who quite likes being by himself. So we didn’t disturb him too much.

Around 8-30 we reached the Kengal Temple located near Chennapatna. My parents got married here 35 years ago.



Surprisingly , even though it was early in the morning, there was quite a crowd in the temple. I being an atheist do not believe in idol worship .



As it was a Saturday and moreover the day after Sankranthi a fair (jaathre) was on where the villagers display their cattle. Interested buyers take part in the auction.



Next we reached Chennapatna town. As this is very famous for its wooden toys, we decided to pick some toys in a Toy Emporium.



Five Kilometers from Chennapatna is my grandmother’s village, Byrapatna. I decided to show Matt how rural India looks like. My Uncle warmly received us. After having some bananas and yellu (sesame seeds) we headed to my grandma's Coconut grove




Giri my cousin effortlessly climbed the trees and selected the tenderest coconuts for us. As the three of us excluding Matt hadn’t had any breakfast, this was to be our only source of energy until we reached Mysore.



The construction of the Banaglore - Mysore four-lane highway is going on at a brisk pace. The work is almost done and scheduled to be complete by October this year



As we neared Maddur, which is world famous for Maddur vadas, we caught a glimpse of the house of the former Chief Minister of Karnataka S M Krishna. Maddur is his hometown.




Around 11-30 am we reached Sriranagpatna. The town is almost in ruins. This was where Tippu was found dead during the battle against the British.



The palace of Tippu now stands in ruins.

We proceeded to the Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple. Matt was not sure whether a non Hindu would be allowed inside. We not only moved inside but also managed to get a photograph inside the ' No Photography Region '

Our next stop was the summer palace of Tippu. The Lal Bagh in Bangalore is built on lines of this.

The most interesting part here was the walk inside the museum. The paintings on the wall were too good and over the centuries have still retained the color and the beauty. Again a prohibited zone here ;-)

Standing next to the grand robes of Tippu made us feel we were living in a different era.

All in all we guys enjoyed a lot. There were many other incidents which I can’t go on writing here. Ashu, Nithin and me know about it the best ;-)

Further away was a palace where Tippu and his family are laid to rest. These places are a part and parcel of the curriculum of any school in Karnataka. We have all been here as kids from the school..

The tomb that is covered by the tiger skin is that of Tippu. His mother lies next to him along with his father Hyder Ali whose tomb is covered with a blue cloth.

This whole structure here houses the dead relatives of Tippu. Lucky in death too, to get such palatial buildings as their graveyard.

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary was our next stop. There are a lot of species of birds, which migrate here. It is a treat for any bird lover. We also climbed a tree top house. We saw a foreign professional photographer with all his bulky equipment trying to capture the birds.

Finally we reached Mysore. Our first stop was St Philomena’s Church.

The walk through the tunnels inside the church was an experience worth remembering. It was like we were in some English movie. There were a lot of names of Christian saints and priests engraved on the walls.

After leaving the church we headed to a handicraft store where we picked some stuff. They are so costly but worth the effort of the craftsman. This one here is that of Ganesha and I guess Natraja - The god of dance.

Is this Hanumantha & Lakshmi or Saraswathi ?

Wow I loved these two. You should have been there to appreciate the bulges on the body

The sleeping Ganesha. This one cost around 50 K INR

Our driver Srinivas was very keen on getting himself photographed. After shopping for around 16 K INR which Matt thought was 1600 INR ( which he told me when in Bangalore ) we hit the Jewel Rock restaurant to satisfy our hunger.

The restaurant is supposed to be quite a good one here in Mysore. We had a good time here. The incident about who's going to pay the bill is still talked about and laughed at. It was too hilarious !!

Coming to Mysore and going without any silk sarees is unthinkable. We went to a MSIL ( Mysore Silk International Ltd ) showroom

We convinced our boss to buy a silk jubba for himself, which he liked a lot.

By the time we reached the Mysore Palace, it was closing time. So we caught a glimpse of the palace from outside.

The camel ride was the high point of the trip for Matt. He seemed to enjoy like a kid.

Lalitha Mahal palace looked grand in the evening.

I decided to have a group photo outside the palace using the auto timer and the tripod, which was placed on the car.

We witnessed a wonderful sunset just outside the palace.

The drive to Chamundi hills in the evening was wonderful.

The temple on Chamundi Betta as always was flocked by a sea of devotees.

Mahisasura on the Chamundi Hills looks as threatening as ever.

The big Nandi on the Betta (hills)

We decide to drive to Ooty the same night itself . As there were no cassettes in the car we picked up two albums, RHTDM and DCH. The drive was just too good. It was very cold outside. We engaged ourselves in singing and talking a lot of non-sense. My friend Nithin was trying to woo his crush by messaging her on her mobile. We helped him compose a perfect message. But the problem was the message sent was not being delivered. Someone opened the windows and voila there it went to her mobile. We halted near Bandipur Jungle Lodges for dinner. But to our bad luck the halls were booked . Luckily we came across one restaurant just a few Kms away. We were told this was the last one until Ooty. After dinner we resumed the journey. Around 40 Kms of the drive was through the Bandipur forest. The very forest, which was ruled by the late brigand Veerappan. We were hoping to see some elephants and wild animals.

We came across a few deer’s and a wild porcupine. The drive up the Ooty ghat section was just too ultimate. Tall eucalyptus trees lined the winding roads. I have never see such tall and thick trees. The aroma and the chill night air was just too intoxicating. It was worth the gamble. The decision of driving in the night paid off. We reached Ooty around 1 AM in the night. We had a tough time getting a room in a hotel as it was too late in the night. Finally we got one suite for Matt and an AC room for the three of us in the Ooty Grand. We had a jolly good time in the room. We spoke about a lot of stuff and finally caught up with some sleep. We woke up around 5 AM. My god it was so cold that our hands had become numb. We wore our shoes and went into the bathroom. The water was ice cold. I repeat ice cold.

After getting ready I decided to do some early morning photography. I found my way to the terrace and the view was just spectacular.

I could see the mist in the air, it was a sight worth watching.

Ooty was still sleeping and it was so calm at that time. Later I realized that it was a very crowded place.

We checked out of the hotel at 8 AM. Matt was yet to come. He was supposed the join us in about 10 minutes time.

We went to the restaurant and had a hot cup of coffee.

After breakfast we headed to the Ooty Railway station. We got ourselves tickets for the Train ride from Ooty to Conoor. The ride was very picturesque and it was worth the money. Ooty has some scenic tea gardens.

Srinivas was waiting for us at the Conoor railway station. From Conoor we decided to drive up to Dodda Betta.

On the way we halted at this lovely viewpoint.

On reaching Dodda Betta we helped ourselves with some fresh juicy carrots.

The view from Dodda Betta was out of the world. Could see the clouds passing above us.

From Dodda Betta we proceed to the botanical gardens. The ghat section is lined with tall Nilgiri trees. Hence the place is also called Nilgiris.

We quickly covered the botanical gardens.

I got a couple of sweaters near the botanical gardens. These shops are run by the Tibetans who are now settled in Ooty. The prices are economical and the sweaters are worth it.

Our last stop of the journey was the Boating in the Ooty Lake. A lake on a Mountain. Too good !

We hired a motorboat and enjoyed every moment of it. After the boat ride it was time for the drive back home.

We took another route now, entry to which is allowed only in the daytime as the narrow roads are too dangerous with sharp curves.

To our bad luck one of the tyres got punctured. Thanked our stars as it didn't happen in the night. What would be our state then? We would have to spend the night with the wild animals ..

The Bandipur forest in the daytime looked so dry and dull. I was hurt to see its state. Man is cutting down trees everywhere.

It looked like the Tyre was in no mood of running. Yup, a second puncture. This time we didn't have a spare tyre. So Srinivas had to take a lift and go to the nearest village around 10 Kms away. We were left alone on the road . The heat was too unbearable. Matt was too engrossed with his video game. The three of us as usual, talking.

We started again after about an hour and made a stop at the next village to get the punctured spare tyre fixed.

We were too tired by this time. Nithin took leave of us in Mysore. We made a brief stop at the KRS dam and then after a quick dinner, we were on the way back home. 42 hours and so many places. It was a good experience. This trip has kindled a desire in me to drive to Ooty in my Esteem sometime very soon.