On safari and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So last week we went on a safari.  The place we stayed at was called jungle retreat.  It was a wonderful location.  The food was great and the safaris were well orchestrated.  We took the train from Bangalore down to Mysore again.  It's cheap, fast, and a great way to travel.  Plus it was nice to have Roshan on the trip with us this time.

After the train trip, we took a cab for about 2 hours south of Mysore to Bandipur national park.  Let me say, traveling in the city is one thing but traveling on back country roads is an entirely different story.  There are lots of slow moving trucks, and it seems to be a requirement to pass them at all costs.  Unlike American roads, this quickly turns into a dangerous game of chicken.  Even buses will pass slower moving cars and trucks.  Just because your lane is clear doesn't mean you won't run into a bus and a truck coming barreling at you.  Obviously given their size, we sometimes had to almost stop or get off the road to avoid being hit.

So after the exciting and very bumpy car ride, we reached the safari camp.  We didn't hang out long and went straight out for an evening safari.

Me and Roshan when we got to Jungle Retreat

This first safari we went on stayed on the main roads.  I wasn't sure we would see much wildlife from the main road but I was pleasantly surprised.  We saw some peacocks, sambar deer, bison, wild boar, and elephants. We got some pictures but since we didn't want to use a flash, the pictures are a bit blurry.

Really cool to see a wild elephant

The next day we took a tour of the jungle retreat area.  They have tree houses people can stay in.  They're even equipped with full bathrooms!  Unfortunately, they're only open during the summer but we were able to go up inside one and look around.

Tree house

In the afternoon, we took another safari into Bandipur national park.  This one went off the main roads and out into the park.  Saw similar wildlife from the night before and unfortunately, no tigers.

A small temple near where we stayed

Jungle retreat is right at the foot of these mountains

The main building where we ate

Gaur or Indian bison

Sambar deer

Monkeys looking for free handouts

Gecko

Pigs at jungle retreat.  They had lots of farm animals there

domesticated water buffalo

white spotted deer

Driving in India

So I think I've sort of figured out driving in India.  At first, it seems very hectic, chaotic, and definitely intimidating but there is a rhyme and reason to it.

Speeding is never really an issue.  There's TONS of traffic and lots of speed bumps. Staying within your lane is completely optional.  The use of your horn is recommended and you should refrain from using any turn signals because it will probably confuse people.  Late at night, stop signs and traffic lights are optional or whenever traffic is light.

People frequently use their horns to indicate when passing, to indicate when someone else is trying to pass you, to let other drivers know where you are, at pedestrians to let them know to get out of the way, and immediately after a red light turns green.  If you're not fast off the block from a red light, people will assume you're asleep at the wheel.

Traffic is also really bad especially during rush hour.  Typically, it takes about 1 hour to go about 10km in Bangalore.  That's about 6.2 miles.  If it's during rush hour, you can probably add another 30 minutes to that. 

Cutting people off is perfectly acceptable. Making u-turns whenever you like is totally alright, and even driving against traffic is okay if it helps you get to your destination faster.

Basically, as long as you don't hit anyone or anything, everything is fair game.

Roshan is here and BBQ

So this week Roshan came out.  Really exciting since he's out here for work as well.  We went out to BBQ-nation on Thursday night.  A very awesome place.  It's sort of like a Brazilian steakhouse where they keep bringing out food until you tell them to stop.  There was a small coal pit/grill in the middle of our table and they brought out vegetables, shrimp, fish, and chicken on kebabs.  It wasn't until after the fourth serving that we realized these were just the starters!  They had another buffet for main courses and desserts.  Oh well, the starters were great.

Towards the end of dinner, all the waiters performed a song and dance for everyone at the restaurant. Very interesting.

They didn't seem too happy to be doing it at first...

but with pom-poms, how can you not smile :)

We also hung out some in Bangalore over the weekend.  I'll put a few more posts this week as well since every weekend is sorta sporadic.  Next weekend we're traveling out to a national park near Mysore.  That will be a lot of fun.  Going on a safari, riding elephants, and taking a boat trip.  Hopefully I'll get lots of wildlife pics so more to come soon.

Happy Diwali!! - and our trip to Mysore

Happy Diwali everyone.  Today Tracy and I ventured off to Mysore....by train.....and no, we didn't get taken for a ride, contrary to what many assumed would happen.  Mysore is a very busy little city about 2 hours south of Bangalore by train.  We rode first class which was actually very nice.  They provided us a small snack, bottled water, comfortable seats (we didn't have to hang on the outside of the train) and the whole cost was only $12 per person.

Bangalore railway station

When we got to town, instead of riding an auto rickshaw, we decided to walk since it was only about 2km to our hotel. (a little over a mile)  It was incredibly hot, very humid, and the streets were extremely busy.  All in all, it was a lot of fun to walk through many of the markets in Mysore.  Unfortunately, the pictures don't really capture the chaotic atmosphere.

Bustling streets of Mysore

After we reached our hotel, we set off for Mysore palace.  This place was huge and extremely elaborate.  The attention to detail in the carvings, architecture.....it's truly astounding.  Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the palace so you'll have to come out here and visit if you want to see what is inside.  Apparently the prince still resides in this palace from time to time.

South gate of Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace

One of the temples surrounding the palace

One of the gardens surround Mysore Palace

Every Sunday, the Palace lights up at night from 7 to 8pm.  Since it is Friday and this is Diwali, they make an exception to this rule and light up the palace as well.  We decided not to stick around to see the palace all lit up.  Instead we took a cab out to Brindavan Gardens which have their own lit up fountains which react to music.  The show was really cool until it started to rain, and when it rains, it pours.  We got completely drenched!  It came down in buckets.  Stairways quickly became waterfalls and sidewalks turned into lakes.  It took us about 20 minutes just to walk back through the gardens to get our cab, and then it was another 30 min. back to the hotel.  All in all, a really fun experience.  Next time we won't forget our umbrella.

Some of the fountains at Brindavan Gardens

The next day we walked around the city a bit more, visited the art gallery and took the train back home.  A really fun trip and looking forward to taking more.

Mysore art gallery

A typical occurrence - cows in the road

A small hut and palm trees seen from the train

I've got a couple videos showing what the countryside looks like by train.  I apologize in advance for the bad quality.  I may upload HD footage to Vimeo or Youtube at some point.  For now, hope you enjoy!

Exploration - day 2

So for our second day of exploring Bangalore, we went to some local markets, the botanical gardens, and the bull temple.  Apparently the bull is the second largest bull statue in India.  Very impressive.  The botanical gardens were also fun to walk around in.  On our drive back, I got some video of a bunch of people celebrating the birthday of Karnataka.  Lots of cabs and cars were driving around with the big yellow and red flags to celebrate this day.  I was tempted to roll down the window and jump onto their car but I figured I'd better play it safe instead.  Plus it was starting to rain and we all know how I would react to water.

Me and the little bull at the glass house in the botanical gardens

Tracy and I in front of the 2nd largest bull in the bull temple

Hundreds of flowers for sale in a local street market

More flowers and fruits for sale

The glass house in the botanical garden

Tracy at the local market

exploration days

So I've had a chance to explore around this weekend for the first time.  Saturday, went riding on scooters with a bunch of expats.  It was my first time ever riding a scooter and I have to say, it was an absolute blast!  We rode around the small villages, out through some fields, and along a bunch of dirt paths.  It was fascinating to see these small villages with cows walking around on the streets and kids running up to wave and say hi to you as you rode past them.  It was surprising relaxing at times when the terrain was flat.  At one point, I even got some air when I gunned it up this ramp onto the road.  Lots of fun!  Unfortunately, no pictures of this event since I needed both hands to drive the scooter.

Sunday, Tracy and I got to explore some parts of Bangalore for the first time.  We went to some parks, checked out their science and technology museum and got to see Bangalore Palace.  Saw lots of stray dogs roaming the city.  I think there are more dogs here than pigeons.

The science museum was great too.  Being with Tracy and her red hair made us stand out a lot.  In fact, we had people coming up us asking to take a picture of us.  It was very flattering.  I never thought we'd get celebrity status in a science museum before.

Bangalore Palace

The Karnataka Courthouse - all British buildings are painted this red color.

Some stray dogs in the park

Cubbon Park in the center of the city