An Asian AdventureA short business trip to Bangalore, capital of the sixth largest Indian state, Karnataka.
India is a country of dramatic contrasts. I stayed in a very luxurious hotel, Ista. This photo is the view of the pool from my room. However within less than one hundred yards people live in complete and utter poverty but they appear to be immensely at ease and happy. Their values are non-materialistic.
This is a traditional Indian gift given to me by our business partner and now takes pride of place in my house.
One aspect of Indian life I didn't expect was their obsession with using their car horns. From six am until late at night the city rings to the sound of honking car horns. Lane discipline just does not exist. This is a photo of a typical traffic 'jam'.
On the way to Mysore from Bangalore the road has been recently upgraded. This is a photo mainly to show the wonderfully maintained central reservation. An amazing aspect is that entire stretches between towns are kept to this standard.
The typical cost of a banana is one rupee, this equates to around 70-80 banana's to the English sterling pound. Compete with that Tesco's?
St. Philomena's Cathedral is a beautiful gothic Cathedral, with twin 175-ft spires, and was modelled on the Gothic Cathedral in Cologne.
The detailed stain glass windows were imported from France.
Maybe not to the taste of animal lovers but within the grounds of Mysore Palace you can have an elephant ride (I didn't!).
For such a hot part of the world, it was incredibly green. I really liked this tree, of which there were many but what is it?
Typical Indian architecture.
The Chamundeswari temple at the top of Chamundi Hill has its own tribe of monkey's, this one was eating a dropped banana.
A view of the Chamundeswari temple from the same area.
View of the temple from the other side.
One of the many rocky outcrops seen between Bangalore and Mysore, Bangalore is over 950m above sea-level, so is this an Indian Munro?
Scorched earth, and the ridge to Chamundi Hill.
First picture of the flat plain below Chamundi Hill.
Second picture of the flat plain below Chamundi Hill.
Is this an Egret?
Our hosts were very generous, lunch was at this very grand hotel, Lalita Mahal Palace Hotel.
Another photo of Lalita Mahal Palace Hotel.
Mahishasura killed by Goddess Chamundi, about 1,050 metres above sea-level.
Maharaja's Palace at Mysore.
Pradeep, our host, for the visit to Mysore, getting his hand bitten by one of the six tigers!
View 180 degrees opposite Mysore Palace. |
