Bangalore Walks

This weekend I went on a tour of Bangalore with Bangalore Walks, a journey through 500 years of history in 4 hours. This tour is one of the most popular among overseas visitors and expats, and is not a sightseeing tour--rather, it is an interactive introduction to Indian culture in parts of Bangalore that most expats (and even locals!) are unlikely to have visited. It includes short walks, along with portions driven by an air-conditioned bus, and moves from point-to-point over the 4-hour period. The tour was followed by a fantastic lunch at Ebony, a restaurant on the 13th Floor, a local favorite spot.

Andi, Mike, and Michael (from Target) joined me along with several other international expats and visitors from the Bangalore Expat Club (BEC) for this enlightening tour of old and new Bangalore and its rich history. It included visiting the legacies left behind by the British, French, and other nations of the world. India has been a foundation for so many of the world's influences--from the exportation of exotic spices, to being the home of a young Winston Churchill. Many battles have been won and lost on Indian soil, and if Napolean would have made it past Egypt to India in 1799, Indians may very well be speaking French today. Je trouve cela incroyable!

One of the most fascinating parts of the tour was visiting a Hindu temple and learning more about the different customs and traditions of Hinduism. Since 80% of population of India are Hindus, I wanted to learn more about the foundations behind their belief system. It was interesting to learn that Hinduism is not as much a formal "religion" as a philosophy about tuning into God within you. The Hindu teachings recognize a single God/Source, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God (sound familiar...?) The Hindu religion brings a tolerance that allows for different stages of worship, different and personal expressions of devotion, and even different Gods to guide your life on this earth. Fascinating. I was once again reminded how so much of spirituality is deeply within us; our religions just manifest this common understanding in different ways. Our physical and emotional bodies may be different, but our spiritual bodies are One--we are cut from the same cloth. And when it comes down to it, isn't that what really counts?

See beyond the body and mind;
see the spirit within each of us.

Namaste.

The Road to Mysore

This weekend I went on a weekend road trip to Mysore, India, a city south of Bangalore known for its silks, sandalwood, and beautiful palaces. The most popular attraction in Mysore is the Mysore Palace, or the Maharajah's Palace, known for its beautiful architecture, intricately designed rooms, 12 Hindu temples, and beautiful surrounding gardens. However, the most original feature of Mysore Palace is its spectacular lights that are illuminated for only one hour each weekend (and during Indian holidays). These tens of thousands of lights adorn not only the palace, but the temples, three gates, and accompanying buildings that complete the palace grounds.

I was joined on this fun-filled weekend by four of my partners in crime, er... I mean, comrades from Target: Michael, Mike, Tom, and Praveen. Yes--3 Mikes and a Tom (of which two of us are named Michael Thomas)--so it presented an interesting mix. The other "Michael" is expat Michael; Mike and Tom are visiting from Target HQ in Minneapolis; and Praveen is from Target India. Actually, one of the main reasons we went to visit Mysore is because Praveen is from Mysore so he became our trusty tour guide. The five of us had a great time laughing and goofing around like guys do--it was good bonding time and reminded me how much I miss just being silly with friends. Hey--that's what they're for! During many moments over the weekend our behavior reminded me much more of Junior High than corporate business. Whew--that's a relief!

We stayed at a wonderful organic farm where we were treated to a fresh breakfast of masala dosas (similar to crepes wrapped around curried potatoes), mango juice, and fruit every morning. It reminded me so much of Hawaii :o) On Saturday afternoon we took the palace tour, ate fresh coconuts and walked around the city. We returned on Saturday evening to see the Palace lights. Stunning! The whole Palace grounds became a golden playground. Amazing. It reminded me of being in Disney World :o)

On Sunday we visited other palaces, shopped at the marketplace, ate lots of delicious food, and headed back up the 3-hour road trip to Bangalore. It was so nice to get a couple of days "away from the city" to unplug and relax. The peace and quiet was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore. How fun it was to feel like I was back in Junior High on a Hawaiian vacation with Disneyworld as an evening treat. Apparently my weekend was much more of a trip that just to Mysore! I love it. Memories are so nice to :o)

The Royal Treatment

Today I got the "royal" treatment. My driver, Amith, took me to see Bangalore Palace... the former home of the King & Queen. It was built in 1887 by King Chamaraja Wodeyar and is supposed to be inspired by the Windsor Castle in London. Not only did I get to look around, but I got my own personal guide and tour of the castle. It was amazing. I'd never seen a palace with so many different styles and colors of ceiling tiles! Plus, the last King and Queen to inhabit this palace back the 30s had the coolest circa 1930s art deco furniture--too cool for a medieval-style structure.

Another advantage of having my own personal tour was that I was allowed to not only look at whatever I wanted, but to touch it, open it, explore the different rooms, and also take pictures of whatever I wanted. There were no "velvet ropes" on this tour. My favorite part of that privilege was touching the handmade stools fashioned from, oh I don't know, elephant's feet, perhaps?! Or how about buffalo hooves...? Yeah, this King was decadent. If you'd like to see my whole set of pictures from my personal tour (including the 100 year old elephant head mounted in the main foyer), just click on any of my slide shows and you'll be taken to my Picasa online galleries.

Later after the palace tour, Amith and I went shopping again and I picked-up the last of the Christmas gifts for my family back home in Minnesota. I also went out walking when I got home and explored my neighborhood... too bad I didn't have my camera, but I will take it another time. I would have loved to show you the cow that leisurely sauntered down the middle of the street like she owned it... sheesh! Moooove on over, darlin! (It's funny to watch the cabs and cars honk at them... they could care less). What a life. Happy weekend, all :o)