KARNATAKA
We decided that after Darjeeling we would travel south, to experience a different part of India and have some beach time – it has been quite a year. Andy was keen to visit another national park after our glorious time in Ranthambore, and there are several to chose from. We narrowed it to plan A: Mysuru (Mysore); Kodagu (Coorg); Hampi and Dandeli then somewhere in Goa; or plan B: Mysuru, Coorg, Nagarahole and then a beach in Kerala and Fort Kochi
Plan B won, Nagarahole looks more accessible, visitable and with more accommodation options than Dandeli. We will save that, and Hampi, for another time
We flew in to Bangalore, a shiny modern very clean airport. Found our car and driver and headed south. Instant difference: no horns blaring, white lines, road discipline . . . . Which continued pretty much for the four hour drive. The weather was warm, high 20s, even as we arrived in Mysore at 10pm.
With two full days to explore we decided on one day in town and one day for surrounding areas. The city is an interesting mix of old and new. A very vibrant traditional market full of food, incense, paints and spices; lots of produce being sold from street stalls/pavement baskets, relatively low hassle and we had an entertaining time buying some handmade incense (I will post the video separately)
Modern shops and coffee bars nestle amongst some crumbling Raj architecture and everywhere looks pretty clean. We are repeatedly told that Mysuru is India’s second cleanest town but googling to find out the identity of the cleanest it appears that Mysuru currently holds that spot, and the cleanliness is apparent although we still traverse the occasional open sewer and pass the detritus of every day life. The city looks and feels quite prosperous, less evidence (visible to us anyway) of pavement dwelling than we have seen elsewhere
The must see is the Mysore Palace. Relatively new, constructed in many styles in 1912, it is now owned by the state government and is an enthralling, photogenic visit, a glorious example of complete over-the-top-because-we-can construction and decoration. It reminds me of Brighton Pavilion. We also read that the local royal family have lodged a court claim for its return . . .
A hot and fairly humid walk round town looking for a good place to buy coffee beans completed our tour of the city and we ended our afternoon in the roof top pool of our modern hotel watching kites fly overhead and from the decking monkeys gambolling in the tree tops. Our wildlife experience continued at the rather smart restaurant we went to for dinner, on the edge of the city. It was all very lovely, roofed but open sided, gently lit and with a breeze. I noticed across from our table a creature I claimed as our first mongoose. Andy highly dubious but not wanting to alarm me suggested that was unlikely but no more. Subsequent internet research identified it as a bandicoot rat. It was huge, and not at all mongoose like but did neither did it move like any scuttling rat I have seen
A tour with a car and driver of sights outside the city the next day was a mix of nature and culture. A bird reserve on a lake, filled with crocodiles and surrounded with lush gardens. We particularly enjoyed the roosting pelicans but there were many other species
Then a tour of Tipu Sultan’s summer palace and mausoleum. He was known as the Tiger of Mysore and tried hard to rid India of the British but met his end in 1799 when the future Duke of Wellington defeated him in battle. We had seen, not long before our trip and without knowing we would be in Karnataka, “Tipu’s Tiger” at the V&A. It was fascinating to see the tiger motif in huge evidence at his summer palace, which is extraordinary, all wood – teak – and highly decorated, in shady formal gardens. It is astonishing that the palace has withstood the climate and is so well preserved
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The Gumbaz mausoleum was built by Tipu Sultan to commemorate his father, another great warrior, Haider Ali, and to hold his own tomb. It’s a beautiful place of granite and marble and was festive on the day we visited
Our cultural tour concluded with a visit to the exquisite Keshava Vishnu Temple in Somnathapur. All greys and blacks and made of stone, granite and marble the colonnades and carvings were mesmerizing, and the stones hot underfoot
The drive back to Mysore was beautiful in the afternoon light, paddy fields, coconut palms and king coconut to drin
We have enjoyed Mysuru and its surrounds very much. The climate is tropical, hot and humid. The landscape lush and verdant, people are friendly and there is much less noise, much less pollution than we found in the north. It is a great contrast to the desert cities and the mighty and majestic forts of Rajasthan and the religious focus of Haridwar and Amritsar
Our next destination, Coorg, is chosen for coffee (after tea in Darjeeling). A couple of hours west of Mysuru and in rolling hills (our guide book says rugged mountains but they appear much more gentle than that), coffee plantations and the river Kaveri. We can see why our friend Ravleen told us Coorg is known as the Tuscany of India – it has scattered villas and hotels, is easily accessible from Bangalore and Mysore, good food and an agreeable climate with cooler evenings and nights.
We are expecting walking trails and fresh air and find both, along with a tour of a coffee plantation and a river walk involving nine islands and some slippery rocks
The hotel grounds were beautiful and a naturalist on hand to identify birds and trees. The chef, with whom we chatted a lot, is from Kerala but had worked in London for eight years latterly at The Wolseley. His local food was very good
It was probably our most restful few days so far, we felt indolent and overfed! We loved the pool. The only “cultural” activity was an evening in the hotel amphitheatre as outdoor cinema (that sounds grander than it is) watching “The Mummy Returns”, with fellow Indian guests, cold beers and a blazing bonfire in a fire pit. Hilariously stupid but enjoyable under a blanket of stars. We had to find the amphitheatre the next day as we had seen it only in the dark . . .
Next to Nagarahole and the national park, staying in a tented camp which also houses a horse and donkey sanctuary, on the side of a lake
A different safari experience from Ranthambore, here there are no private safaris, they are government run on 4WD buses seating about 20 – ours was noisy, not necessarily conducive to good animal spotting. The big draws are elephant, tiger and leopard. It is a vast area with a national road running through it and a village strung along a river – perilous living! Quite flat, densely treed, very beautiful. We saw some great birds and beasts and – how lucky are we – the third tiger of our trip, but no leopard
We also took a boat safari, astonishingly lovely on the lake, beautiful birds and a glorious open landscape. We were only five: one serious twitcher who logged everything he saw, and a keen photographer and his assistant, all three local tourists. The below are a few highlights weeded from many more
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What a great several days Karnataka has been and what a contrast to the northern deserts and cold of Darjeeling. Looking at the photographs again now, at a distance of some three months, I am captured again by the colours and textures, built and natural beauty that we saw throughout
Next stop, Kerala. Until then, Namaste
ALISON
OOoooh. I think I’d like to follow in your footsteps..