Next up -- Bombay and Goa

We have internet back at the dorms now, so hopefully I'll update this more often. It rained for a few days last week, which was nice. Just an hour or so each day, but enough to cool things off a bit. We've been busy with school and planning our future adventures. Next weekend five of us will head out to Bombay (Mumbai, I know, but I like the sound of Bombay better!) by train, stay a few days in the city, and then move on to Goa for a day or two of beach fun over the long holiday weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Bombay, as apparently it is common for foreigners to be asked to work as "Western extras" in Bollywood movies!

Mysore and Bangalore

Bangalore is a fun city. We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, where many of us indulged in thick juicy hamburgers. Funny, I so rarely eat red meat at home, but when it is not available anywhere I find myself craving it. We toured Bangalore and Mysore, and the highlight of the trip (for me at least) was the Mysore Palace. The palace was beautiful, but unfortunately they did not allow cameras inside. You can see some photos here though. At the end of the visit, a few of us went on elephant and camel rides. Luckily, I had my iPhone and was able to snap a few illicit photos of our adventures.

Ooty

Was amazing! It was cold! I know I love the sun and the warmth here, but it was nice to get out of it for a few days. It got down to the upper 40s at night, and in the day it was in the low 70s. The terrain was beautiful. Pine trees and mountains, waterfalls and rose gardens--I almost forgot I was in India. Our tour guide did a wonderful job of showing us around the city and we had so much fun. Our days were full of train rides through the mountains, paddle boat races, carnival rides (I got thrown off a mechanical bull after about 30 seconds) and delicious food. I just wish we had more time!


Kudos to JJ for the pictures!

Bangalore, Ooty, and Mysore

We are leaving Tuesday morning for our next side trip. We are first headed to Ooty, a beautiful vacationer's city, then tech-industry capital Bangalore and finally off to the visit the palace of Mysore. We'll be back Sunday night, so I'll post updates next week!

Snake charmers, motorbikes, and monkey mountain.

It was a fourteen hour train ride to Hampi. The six of us who went had tickets for sleeper class, meaning each of us had our own "bed" to stretch out on. When we arrived we rented cute little bungalows which had their own shower/bathrooms attached and hammocks on the front porch. The food in Hampi was fantastic, especially the fresh fruit juices. We rented motorbikes and spent a day zipping from temple to temple, surrounded by lush rice paddies and stunning mountain views. At night we ate in open-air restaurants, and enjoyed the temperate weather. There was a lot of good shopping, especially for clothes and jewelry. The river in Hampi is full of semi-precious stones, and local jewelers collect and craft interesting pieces out of the found rocks. The river itself was pretty fresh, enough so that we all decided to take a swim one afternoon. It felt great to cool off after a long walk in the heat. Some of us were brave enough to make the trek out to the Monkey Temple (Hanuman Temple). It was a good six kilometers from town, which we walked, and that walk culminated in a steep six-hundred step climb up the side of the mountain. It was worth it in the end, as the views were fantastic, and yes, there were plenty of monkeys. Will update this post with some pictures next time I'm online.

To give you an idea as to how cheap everything is in India, here are some of the prices we paid on our little side trip:

Round trip train ticket, sleeper class with reserved seat and bed - $11
Night in bungalow, double beds, fan and attached bathroom - $6 (split between 1-3 people, so as little as $2 a night)
Delicious meal including appetizer, two glasses of fresh juice, entree, bottled water and dessert - $3-5
Full day motorcycle/scooter rental, including gas - $3

I'm pretty sure we all spent less than $75 -- including transportation, hotel, food, shopping, sights, and bike rental. Some of us got out with spending less than $50. Not bad for a three day/two night adventure in paradise!

Madras and Pondicherry

I had a great time this past weekend. I bought a beautiful marble carving in Mahabalipuram, a temple city near Madras. More pictures to follow soon, along with some real updates. Been busy with schoolwork (eek) and am leaving today for another weekend trip, this time to Hampi, via train.

South India trip.

Tomorrow we are leaving as a group to south India. We are flying to Madras and then going on to Pondicherry later in the week. Will update with photos soon!