Mysore at first glance, was a vast departure from the rural scenes of Coorg. With the urban experience from Madurai under our belts, we managed without issue to tackle the challenges of navigating and getting around the more tourism centric city of Mysore. In our research we located a handful of highly rated restaurants, mostly located in an area a few km away from the central area where we were staying. Before reaching the bus stand we stood outside the north gate of the Mysore Palace, to catch a view of the thousands of lights illuminating the entire building. Walking into the mess that was the city bus stand was no help at all. Bus conductors were no help, neither were any signs. We gave up after a few stressed minutes and walked toward the rickshaw stand. There we were politely informed by two drivers that the best way to get to the restaurant was to take a certain bus, that just happened to be departing the station as we turned back around. As it turned out, we had heard other stories of taxi drivers promoting the bus over taking the taxi, as a seemingly harmless piece of advice. Grateful for their honesty we crammed on board the bus as it was exiting the station. As we circled the massive Mysore Palace, we got a better glimpse of the illuminated complex from all angles. A few moments later, we pushed our way out of the bus and tracked down some pizza for dinner.
Deserving of more than just a drive-by viewing, the Mysore Palace offers tours (audio guided in many languages) through the well preserved halls displaying many original pieces of art, thrones, and gifts given to the royal family. Most impressive was the grand scale of the building and the neatly kept grounds surrounding the palace. We skipped the elephant and camel rides and instead took a short ride to the zoo. For 60 Rs each, the zoo was vast and well maintained. We really came to see the tigers, and we planned our visit in the afternoon when they are more active. We saw all three tigers strolling around, many other big predators, elephants, giraffes, and birds galore. It was no comparison to Serengeti, however we relished the chance to partake in an activity that involved walking outside- but without the commotion of the city. That evening we ate at the eclectic Elements Bistro, then packed up again and walked to the train station for the overnight ride to Gokarna.
AJ - RTW adventure 