Spectacular Spectacles...

Last week I took my two day weekend and visited Mysore.
Mysore is known for its silks, sandalwood and incense.
I will remember it as the place where I was bombarded by Indian tourists who thought that I was the main attraction at the Maharaj's Palace. At this point, I looked up and realized that I was part of a photo. In fact, I was possibly the first white woman that many of the visitors at the Palace had ever seen! As soon as people realized that taking my photo was ok, I had to sit for at least 10 more before I could move along.
Luckily, some of the picture takers were also willing to have me take their picture!

My first day, I visited the Maharaj's Palace - a beautiful place that is truly the focal point of the city. I wandered around a bit, and then sat near one of the gardens so that I could enjoy the surroundings. It was at this point in time when one young woman sat unusually close to me. (I say unusually close, because physical contact in India is almost non-existent.)

Naturally, people were surprised that I was traveling on my own, and several times I had to 'mention' that my husband was back at our hotel.

The next day, I visited the Temple at Chammundi Hill, and although I had to consciously avoid all of the people who wanted to take my money ('offerings to the gods'), I did meet some nice Brits who toured with Temple with me, and a lovely family from Mumbai who drove me to the Bull Temple.
From there, I walked the remaining 700 (of 1000) steps down to the village, and went exploring the 'world famous' market.
The market was filled with colours, and smells, and sounds that made me want to sit in a corner for hours and just absorb as much as possible.
Traveling solo made the entire journey a little tiring, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to visit a new place, and to have a home to return to at the end of the day!

Love from India,
Haley.