Journey from Coorg to Bangalore: Spectacular Stop at Bylakuppe to see the Tibetan Settlement and the Golden Temple

Journey from Coorg to Bangalore: Spectacular Stop at Bylakuppe to see the Tibetan Settlement

Sun, Jan 12, 2025:

Coorg-Bangalore-Bombay

We came finally to the last day of our travels in Karnataka after what had been a simply superb break and unimaginably fruitful family time. All of us slept well and were ready to attack another oen of Kaveri’s stupendous breakfasts before the hit the road for what would be a long ride to Bangalore airport. But en route, we had plans to stop at a place called Bylakuppe to see a most unusual settlement.

Kaveri’s Fabulous Breakfast Sets Us Off:

Kaveri’s breakfast was as substantial and delicious as it had been yesterday. It was a curious mix of Indian and Western items—as seems to be the trend in these parts. I suppose they try to appeal to the tastes of every kind of guest. The Western element was Devilled Eggs—halved hard-boiled eggs whose yolks were removed, mashed and seasoned with tasty spices and then piled up into the white shells. There was dosas with potato bhaji (I made myself a filling masala dosa) with chutney and sambar and there were batter-fried capsicum that were just wonderful. Of course, there was fresh fruit (papaya today) with excellent coffee to wash it all down. We certainly did justice to the meal and thanked Kaveri and her helper profusely for spoiling us as they did.

Our Final Goodbyes to the Ponnappas:

We said our final goodbyes and thank-yous to the Brigadier and his wife, gave our tips to their domestic help, took photographs with them on their beautiful porch (which had been the spot of so much fun for us) and then piled our backpacks and ourselves in our van and were off with Ravi behind the wheel.

Our first stop would occur in about 90 minutes in a place called Bylakuppe which is very much on the Karnataka tourist map, as we could judge by the large number of visitors there and the huge number of tour buses in the parking lot.

Visiting the Tibetan Settlement and the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe:

Who would ever expect that there would be a settlement of Tibetans in the middle of rural Karnataka? Certainly not me. I was taken quite by surprise on discovering that after China invaded Tibet, a vast number of Tibetans sought asylum from communist rule in India. In fact, India’s willingness to help led to the creation of the largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet. The township was founded and developed by Lugsum Samdupling in 1961. He was followed by Dickyi Larsoe in 1969. Together, they created a haven for Tibetans to practice Buddhism—every form of it—by setting up monasteries, each ascribing to a different sect. Hence, there are a vast number of monasteries that can be visited at Bylakuppe, but the largest, most spectacular and best-known of them is Namdroling Monastery also known as the Golden Temple. That’s the one most tourists visit and that was the one we too veered towards. We parked our van in the large car park and walked a few meters on foot to get to the entrance which is characterized by a large, golden arch that forms a gate.

Once inside the gate, visitors walk along a lengthy path facing an imposing structure that is one of the temples that make up the monastery complex. We followed the crowds and arrived at the building ahead of us which was closed. Instead, visitors were directed to a building at the left which is, in fact, the Golden Temple. These buildings are all constructed in typical Oriental style and leave no doubt that they are sacred Buddhist sites of worship. We left our footwear in a large bag and made our ways upstairs into the Temple itself.

If the exterior is interesting enough, the interior is simply breathtaking. You face three massive avatars of the Buddha—The Buddha himself, on the left Alokateshvara and on the right, the Maitryi Buddha. They are completely covered in gilding and are immediately striking, both for their color and their size—they simply tower above the visitors. The wall behind them and the walls along the sides of the building are simply covered with vividly-colored paintings depicting creatures from Buddhist iconography—animals and birds. The effect is to stun the viewer by the sheer size and grandeur of the spectacle. There were no guides available (unless one had come in a tour group) and we had to make the best of appreciating the place by simply taking photographs. Indeed, it was a most worthwhile visit and one that you are not likely to see often in India—unless, I suppose, one goes to the border state of Sikkim (where there are many Buddhist monasteries).

Exploring the Shops in the Monastery Complex:

It is possible, of course, to spend a great deal of time exploring the shops attached to the monastery complex. Buddhist llamas, dressed in the magenta and yellow robes of their sect, man these shops, They speak perfect English as well as Hindi and they make competent salesmen. We ended up buying a few trinkets from the shops including magnets of The Golden Temple and Bylakuppe as well as keychains. I bought a brass inlaid wooden tissue box that I had been seeking for a long while. We could easily have spent more time shopping, but we needed to avoid the stress of not arriving at Bangalore airport in time for our flight. So we resisted the temptation to shop further and made our way back to our van.

Journey to Bangalore Airport:

There’s nothing exciting to say about our returning journey to Bangalore which was about four hours away. We were all rather subdued at the fact that our wonderful travels were coming to an end and we continued to process (and laugh) over the best parts of it.

Soon, we found ourselves on the outskirts of Mysore, at Srirangapatnam, where our driver Ravi stopped at a place where we could eat lunch. It was a huge dining hall that offered vegetarian thalis—both South Indian and North Indian varieties. We used restrooms and washed hands and then, with our hunger pangs revealing themselves, we sat down to eat. Thali meals are always huge and filling. My South Indian thali had puris which I enjoyed while the North Indian ones had parathas. Everything was very substantial and tasty and reasonable too. We enjoyed our lunch and returned to the van for the last stretch of our journey.

In about three hours, we were on the outskirts of Bangalore. Sadly, we did not drive deep into the heart of the city and did not want to take a chance getting there as Bangalore’s traffic is horrendous and we could not risk being late for our flight. However, we had adequate time to drop Blossom and Menaka off at the latter’s flat before we could carry on towards the airport.

Goodbyes to Blossom and Menaka:

We spent about ten minutes unloading Blossom and Menaka’s baggage and saying goodbye to them at the point where our wonderful travels had begun. Then, we returned to our van (which suddenly felt much emptier) and drove all the way to Bangalore airport which we reached in about 45 minutes.

Return Flight to Bombay:

With about half an hour on our hands before getting to our gate, we were able to do some last-minute shopping for Mysore pak and Dharwar pedas which are specialties of the region to give away as gifts. Armed with these buys, we walked to our gate where we found that boarding was to begin shortly. Nothing much to state about our return flight to Bombay except that it was on time and comfortable and offered our Chicken Junglee sandwiches. At the suggestion of Blossom and Menaka, I requested the famous Masala Blue Tea on my Indigo flight. Apparently, they are one of the few airlines to offer it. It was actually really delicious and being caffeine-free, left me with no qualms about drinking it.

We easily found two rickshaws at the domestic airport which allowed us to get quickly to Bandra although it was almost midnight when we arrived at Home Sweet Home. It had been a wonderful trip and we gave thanks silently as we crashed for the night.

Thanks for following me on these travels. I hope you enjoyed seeing these places through my eyes. It was a marvelous trip, made better by the company and filled with the best possible memories.

Exploring Victory Coffee Plantation in Coorg, Family Fun and Games, Lunch in Gonikuppal Village, Relaxation at Victory House

Exploring Victory Coffee Plantation in Coorg, Family Fun and Games, Lunch in Gonikuppal Village, Relaxation at Victory House

Sat, Jan 11, 2025:

Coorg:

After the past three days of hectic sightseeing, today was devoted entirely to R&R—Rest and Relaxation—much to Chriselle’s relief. She had been a trooper over the past few days and had stuck it out without complaint through a whole lot of trekking and traipsing despite being horribly afflicted with plantar fasciitis. She was ready to hunker down and simply enjoy chilling over the next couple of days.

Accordingly, we all woke late after luxurious lie-ins but found ourselves hungry enough to do justice to the promised huge breakfast that the Air B&B tout.

A Royal Breakfast at Victory House:

We found, to our astonishment, that breakfast was actually home-cooked, made lovingly by the hands of the proprietress, Kaveri herself, with the assistance of a man who also served us. When we arrived at the table, we found that fresh, hot dosas were being delivered to our plates, right off the griddle. They were delicious on their own, but there was accompanying potato bhaji, should we desire to stuff them and make malasa dosas—which is what I did. There was also a Coorgi vegetable curry that was to be eaten with rice stringhoppers and fried bananas that were absolutely delicious. There was freshly cut watermelon too and the ubiquitous Mysore filter coffee which was always superb. Kaveri informed us that the coffee from her own estate is marketed and is available online under the name of KavBrew through her daughter. Believe me, we could not have expected or been offered a better repast.

A Long Exploratory Walk on Victory Estate:

After breakfast, replete with a really delicious meal, we decided to walk off our hearty indulgence by exploring the vast acreage of the coffee plantation. The weather and temperature were simply perfect and with Kaveri instructing us to follow the garden pathways of her property, we found ourselves enjoying tropical flowers and lush greenery. As the morning went by, we stopped to admire an abundance of crotons in various shapes and colors and we identified various types of ‘ginger’ flowers—shell ginger, red ginger, torch ginger (which is a most striking and unusual flower that I had never seen before). There were loads of heliconia (known commonly as crab claw), as well as birds of paradise in varied colors. There was also golden trumpet, Brazilian plume, Amazon Lily as well as the more commonly found hibiscus, ixora, etc. We found a lake and bordering it were touch-me-not plants that we stopped to examine. It is incredibly soothing to walk amidst colorful greenery on a lovely day. We also stopped to admire coffee bushes that were heavy with berries, ready for the picking. Needless to say, we took a lot of photographs and then, when we had traversed quite a bit of the estate, we sat down on the parapets above the culverts (I learned a new word for the large drainage pipes!) and gabbed about relatives, family history, etc. It was such a companionable morning and one we thoroughly enjoyed.

Then, just as we were ready to return to Victory House, along came Kaveri to find out if we’d found the coffee drying terraces. We told her that we had not. And so she offered to walk with us and show us the place herself. In the process, we learned more about her own family background and the estate and plantation that she so lovingly tends. Once at the coffee terraces, we saw a vast amount of space devoted to drying berries that were in various stages of dehydration. They would all have to become really black before they would be peeled, shelled and roasted. It was fascinating how much we learned about coffee from having spent only two days in Coorg.

Fun and Games at Victory House:

And then, we slowly made our way back to Victory House. As it was still only about 11.00 am and we had no thoughts of lunch at all as our sumptuous breakfast still sat high in our tummies, we decided to gather together on the porch and play games. We thought we’d start off with Dumb Charades and so we divided ourselves into two teams, separating couples, and off we went. We had the best time and the most hilarious experiences as we tried to mime the names of Western films. It was truly super fun. The game went on for quite a while before we stopped to think about lunch. This was primarily because Brigadier Ponnappa kept asking us if we were going to leave the estate to explore at all! We told him that we only wanted to stay in one place and enjoy the beautiful house and garden! Anyway, after a while, we decided to go out and explore the nearest village, called Gonikuppal, where Kaveri told us there were a couple of restaurants from where we’d get a good meal. She recommended a place called Durga Bhoj and so off we went with our driver Ravi taking us there in our van—at a distance of about 20 minutes’ drive.

Lunch at Durga Bhoji at Gonikuppal:

Needless to say, Gonikuppal is a one-horse town (if that!) and but for a main street and a couple of intersecting ones, there is nothing much to see. We found the restaurant and made our way to the top floor where we were seated and handed menus. We found Coorg Pandi Pork on the menu and decided to have that with chapatis and Vegetable Korma. Everything was good and very reasonable and we had a good break. Chriselle picked up some Cadbury’s chocolates which we all shared for dessert while back in the van.

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

Long Afternoon Naps Bring More Relaxation:

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

As soon as we reached Victory House, we adjourned to our individual rooms for afternoon naps—some taking longer ones than others. Before we knew it, it was late evening and we were ready to re-group over wine, gin and tonics and nibbles (which we had carried along with us)—sundowners enjoyed in true British plantation style!

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

We did call in for more food—this time we ordered Roast Pork and Paneer Masala with rotis—all very satisfying indeed. We talked about our plans for tomorrow and our decision to leave right after breakfast—which meant that we’d need to re-pack and get organized for a fairly early start.

And with that, we cleared up after ourselves and returned to our rooms to take a long needed rest at the end of a very rejuvenating day.

Exploring a Bit More of Mysore, then Journeying to Coorg: St. Philomena's Cathedral, R.K. Narayan's House, Nisty Coffee Plantation

Exploring a Bit More of Mysore, then Journeying to Coorg:

Fri, Jan 10, 2025:

Mysore-Coorg:

We awoke after a very restful night in the quiet serenity of our Homestay on the outskirts of Mysore called ‘Gitanjali’. We heard beautiful birdsong and the rustling of trees, but apart from those soothing sounds of country life, there was nothing to disturb our sense of quiet tranquility. The rest of our group were up and seated on the wide verandah overlooking the beautiful tropical gardens filled with hibiscus flowers, jackfruit and coconut trees. It was quite idyllic indeed.

Breakfast at Gitanjali Homestay:

At 8.30 am, breakfast was laid out and ready for us. We looked forward to the meal. It was served in a sheltered machan kind of place with all sides open to the gardens. But before we quite arrived at our seats, we ran into the owners of the place, the Achiacha’s. I did not get his name, but his wife’s name is Muthu and it is his daughter, Yamuna, who runs the place. They were a very gracious couple indeed—also retired army personnel. Yamuna apologized for not being present when we arrived last night, but she had to take her cat to the vet and had to leave at short notice. We told her that our arrival went very smoothly. We spent the next few minutes chatting and taking pictures with the very gracious family who were equally delighted to meet us.

Breakfast was laid out buffet-style, when we eventually sat down to fill up. The promo material talked about South Indian and Western items and we were very pleased to find masala omlettes with toast and preserves (there was banana jam and orange marmalade plus butter, of course) and a Coorgi bean curry served with a large rice pancake that was cut up in wedges. Fresh fruit in the form of bananas and papaya were also available as well as really superb Mysore filter coffee grown on their estate. We took our time knowing that this would probably be our main meal for the day. When breakfast was done, we said our goodbyes to our hosts, took some pictures of the beautiful arches, arbors and pergolas on the property with their bowers of flowers (hibiscus, honeysuckle, etc.), got back into our van and left. We still had a couple of places in Mysore that we wanted to see before we hit the road for our long ride to Coorg.

Visiting St. Philomena’s Cathedral:

St. Philomena’s Cathedral is a Mysore landmark. It is a landmark of the Roman Catholic church, constructed in Neo-Gothic style in 1939 during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Its style and architecture were inspired by Cologne Cathedral. It was designed by a Frenchman named Daly.

The church is named for St. Philomena, a young Greek martyr of the 4th century. The remains of a teenage girl, no older than 14, were found on May 24, 1802, in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla at the Via Salaria in Rome. On further examination and study, the remains and a vessel containing dried blood, were taken to be her holy relics. They were evidence of the fact that she had died a martyr’s death as an early Christian.

Today, the church is the main place of worship for Roman Catholics. The main nave can seat up to 800 people. But its real interest lies beneath, in the Crypt, which can be visited. Descending down into it, we found a reclining statue of St. Philomena and a further basement floor beneath us. From the Crypt, there is a narrow passageway covered in black granite plaques covered with the names of Mysore’s Catholics of old. These were either buried in the vaults that form the famous ‘Catacombs” of this Cathedral or they made donations towards the building of this imposing edifice. We walked along the Catacombs and emerged on another side—towards the back of the Cathedral. It was a very interesting experience indeed.

I remember attending Mass at this Cathedral, as a pre-teenager, when the Mass was still in Latin and still sung. In fact, the little I know of the sung Latin Mass comes from my memories of hearing Mass every day as we were resident in the classrooms in the same compound as the church. Hence, we could hear the proceedings of every Mass.

Visiting St. Mary’s School:

I was keen to visit the premises of the adjoining St. Mary’s School that is in the same compound as the Cathedral. The reason is that this venue is strongly tied to memories of my stay in Mysore with my family for a whole month in the late 1960s—I was probably no more than 10 or 11 years of age. My father had hired a classroom for our use with bathrooms and toilets adjoining it for our exclusive use for the entire month of May. I have very happy memories of that month when we made friends with other families that lived nearby—the Devrajs, for example, and one Anglo-Indian family from Georgetown, Madras, that had hired another classroom. The young Devraj boy, Josephat, and the children from the Anglo-Indian family, were my friends and companions during that month and it had been great fun.

I wanted to take some pictures of those classrooms and so we made our way to the bank of low buildings. One of them was clearly a new construction, but at the back, past the empty office of a Principal, I saw the classroom we had occupied and the set of bathrooms (now under lock and key) that had been available for our use. It was an extremely nostalgic visit for me and I have to say that I felt quite emotional as I recalled the happy times with my parents, my younger brothers and my cousin, Bonnie, who had accompanied us on that trip and spent the entire month with us (while she was a college undergrad at St. Xavier’s College in Bombay). I took the pictures I wanted, wandered around the premises and, about ten minutes later, we were ready to move on.

Visiting the Home of Indo-English Writer, R.K. Narayan:

RK Narayan (1906-2001) has a special place in the hearts of most Indians. He belongs to the generation of earliest Indian Writers in English (the other two are Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao) who gained the attention of overseas and indigenous audiences. Although the many novels and collections of short stories he wrote were known to readers, it was when his book, ‘Malgudi Days’, an anthology of short stories, were adapted for television and were shown weekly through Indian Doordarshan, that he literally became a household name. Everyone fell in love with his little protagonist, Swamy, who like any little boy from a quiet, mofussil settlement in India (Mysore was definitely the inspiration for the setting) had his fair share of adventures as he got into mischief with his neighbors and friends. As a young teenager, growing up in Bombay, I remember sitting down with my entire family to watch ‘Malgudi Days’ on TV. The stories were beautifully adapted, well directed and superbly acted.

Through the various rooms of Narayan’s home—that he occupied, lived in and wrote most of his books in—now converted into a museum, we were given a complete insight into the life and work of this extraordinary man who came from very ordinary roots, but by sheer lard work and a bit of luck (he was introduced to some of the biggest literary stalwarts of the time such as Graham Greene who promoted his work and found him a Western publisher), became a highly regarded Indian writer.

As we moved from one room to the next, we learned so much about his family, his marriage, his wife and daughter, his early jobs, his first forays into writing and publishing, his reception in the rest of the world and the accolades that came pouring in as he grew older. It was a wonderful capsule of Narayan’s work, the walls covered with framed quotations from his novels and his own pronouncements. In the main living room, we saw the sofa and the desk at which he worked. In another room, there were his clothes—jackets, coats, sweaters, shirts. In yet another room, his spectacles, watch and cufflinks, reposed in a glass case. Framed on the walls also were many photographs depicting him with other eminent international writers. There were first editions of his books in many languages There were colored still photographs from the shooting of ‘Malgudi Days’—the TV series. The kitchen is intact, although empty. There is a wide curving staircase that leads to the upper storey where there are more rooms filled with information about and memorabilia from Narayan’s life and work—his utter distress and depression when his beloved wife died very young leaving him to raise his daughter. In later years, it was this daughter and his grand-daughter who worked very hard to preserve the house and make it a museum. Refurbishing it and making it capable of receiving visitors was a mammoth task that was supervised by his own family members.

We are very fortunate to have this lovely relic of Indo-English Literature preserved in this backwater of Mysore. Yes, fans of his work do visit occasionally but when we were there, there was only one other family that were touring the premises. I kept thinking of my visit, several years ago, to Oxford, Mississippi, in the USA, when I’d had the privilege of visiting the home of the American writer, William Faulkner. Narayan was deeply influenced by Faulkner, particularly in the shape of Faulkner’s creation of a fictional setting he called Yoknapatawpha County. Narayan hit upon the idea of creating his fictional Malgudi from the work of Faulkner. I was very pleased to have visited both these homes—that connected two really diverse writers—in my own lifetime.

It took us more than an hour to cover the home at leisure. One can easily spend an entire morning here as there is much to be read in every room. As time was of the essence for our party, we left after taking a few pictures, got into our van and made our way to Mysore.

Journey to Coorg:

The road journey from Mysore to Coorg takes about 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. We did not have much and I thoroughly enjoyed leaving the urbanity of Karnataka behind (although Mysore is a model city and I could gladly have spent more time there) and entering the rural greenness of the state. The highway is well delineated and maintained and the journey in our spacious van was very comfortable. As we’d had a big breakfast, we stopped at Café Coffee Day where Chriselle and AJ treated us to refreshments of our choice—some had tea, others coffee, yet others more exotic milk shakes. Mine was a chocolate hazelnut milk shake that was to-die-for. It was large and very filling and was a meal in itself. I was very happy at my choice of shake as it easily saw me through the long ride into Coorg.

First Impressions of Coorg and Visit to a Coffee Plantation:

Coorg is a small district in the state of Karnataka that lies at the very southern end of the range of mountains called the Western Ghats. From colonial times, it has been known for its coffee plantations as it provides the perfect climate and terrain conditions for its cultivation. Coffee bushes need cool temperatures, well-drained soil and the shade of other trees to prevent them from receiving the direct rays of the sun. Coorg provides that perfect combination of conditions.

We knew we had arrived in Coorg once we started to drive along narrower lanes flanked on both sides by low bushes. At that time, I did not recognize these are coffee plants. But, about half an hour into our entry into Coorg, our driver Ravi stopped at a plantation called Nisty Coffee Plantation which offered tours of the plantation and the coffee processing plant that was on the same premises. For an entry fee of Rs. 200 per head, we were presented with a tour guide—a young man who took us through the plantation and pointed out several trees to us.

A Tour of Nisty Coffee Plantation:

Coffee is not the only cash crop grown on the Nisty Plantation. During our tour, which had about 15 participants in it, we discovered that a variety of spices and condiments are also grown on the same lands. We saw cinnamon trees and fresh pepper trees and received a great deal of information about their growth and use. Walking through the coffee plantation, we saw loads of berries on the trees. These ranged in color from pale pink to black. Our guide explained that they are all handpicked when they are very dark in color.

A little later, we walked in single file downhill to arrive at a small structure which served as the coffee-processing plant. Berries are laid out on the ground in direct sunlight for several days to dehydrate them and allow them to turn black. The outer skin is then peeled and the twin berries within are extracted. These are roasted gently so as not to burn them, before they go into the pulverizing machine where they are ground into coffee dust. We received a great deal of information on gradations of coffee beans, the blends that have chicory added to them to bulk them out (adding chicory lowers the quality of the coffee and makes it much cheaper). We learned why certain coffees cost as much as they do (they are superior varieties such as those sold in Starbucks or other upscale coffee shops) and why Nescafe, which processes instant coffee, is able to sell its products so cheaply. The end result of the tour was that I will never be shocked at the price of coffee at Starbucks again. I now know why it costs as much as it does.

At the end of the tour, we were led into the shop—a vast space covered with shelves in which all manner of spices, coffees, dried fruits, chocolate and candy were on sale. I bought the famous Coorg Pandi Masala which is used to make Coorg Pandi Pork (at the request of two of my friends). I also bought a typical souring agent, similar to tamarind or kokum, that is used to make this typical curry. In addition, I bought whole anise (as I have never found it in Bombay) as well as whole nutmeg as these were lacking in my spice rack. Overall, I enjoyed our shopping expedition at the end of the tour. We were ready to get back in the van and move on.

A Short Visit to Mercara and the Raja Seat Gardens:

A short drive then took us to Mercara (now renamed Madikeri, as all Anglecized place names in the South of India are being returned to their native pronunciation). This is the capital of Coorg and it is really just one main road with shops on both sides of it. Our driver parked his van and dropped us off at a well-known garden that slopes down to the valley. It is called Raja Seat Gardens and is supposed to have been set by one of the colonial administrators to enjoy the panoramic vista of mountains spread out before him.

On entering the Raja Seat Gardens, we found a number of animal sculptures dotted around. These would probably be quite amusing to children. There were also bowers covered with flowers and well-tended flower-beds filled with late seasonal roses. At the end of the walk were a number of seats that overlooked the mountains and a series of stairs that led down to a lookout point which offered some fine photo ops. Other than these aspects, there was little of interest in Mercara.

Once out of the garden, we walked along the street, passing by shops filled with spices and coffee. Our idea was to find a restaurant to have an early dinner (as we had not eten lunch), but we found out that none of the places served before 7.00 pm. Hence, instead of hanging around Mercara, we decided to drive off and get to our accommodation for the night early. Perhaps we could order dinner in as it appeared that our accommodation was an hour’s drive from Mercara in a place called Polibettu.

Arrival at our next Homestay—Victory House:

As expected, our drive to our accommodation took us an hour. Along the route, we passed nothing but mile after mile of coffee plantations that we could easily recognize after our very enlightening and instructive plantation tour. When we did get to our spot, we found it to be in the middle of a plantation (indeed we had expected this too). Dusk was falling swiftly over Coorg when our van entered the driveway premises of the plantation. We found the proprietor, Brigadier Ponnappa seated on his porch, awaiting our arrival, and rather startled to find that we had arrived in a 12-seater van (being that we were only six persons).

Our first impression of Victory House was of a gorgeous Victorian home, such as you see on Martha’s Vineyard in the USA or in the suburbs of the UK. It had the fabled gables of such homes, a very wide wraparound porch, two storeys with windows that opened on to the gardens. In other words, we had hit the jackpot in terms of a place to spend the next two nights and we were delighted.

We soon introduced ourselves to the Ponnappas—the Brigadier and his wife, Kaveri—the latter turned out to be a charming lady who actually runs the place. She sat us down in the huge living-cum-dining room that was simply filled with carved teak furniture and brass and glass antiques. After introducing ourselves and our places of origin, we talked to her about obtaining a menu so that we could order some dinner—we told her we had not eaten lunch and were famished. As she does not supply meals (except breakfast), all she could do was direct us to a restaurant that she said was run by Suresh, one of her relatives. We discussed the possibilities of menu items and chose the famous Pandi Pork as well as the Roast Pork—as pork is quite a specialty of Coorg.

In the meanwhile, Kaveri showed us up to our rooms. Luckily, there was a room on the ground floor and Blossom and Menaka were quick to bag it as Blossom has difficulty climbing up and down stairs. Upstairs, we (Llew and I) and Chriselle and AJ, occupied two other rooms, each en suite (with its own bath attached). The rooms were beautifully decorated and yet cozy and comforting and looked very welcome indeed. As the place contains just three en suite bedrooms that are given out to visitors and since we occupied all three rooms within our party, we had the whole place to ourselves.

Right outside the upstairs rooms, there was a little lobby area (a mini living room, I suppose), where we settled down for a glass of wine and other nibbles while we awaited the arrival of our dinner that we had ordered on the phone. When it did arrive, we went down the stairs to the Dining area. Kaveri provided us with plates and other necessities, water, glasses, etc. and we sat down to enjoy our first taste of the legendary Pandi Pork of which everyone had talked before our departure. It was quite good and had a sourish taste to it—the result of the special souring agent that grows only in this region. We’d also ordered a vegetable dish and with the typical rice rotis of the area, it made a filling meal.

It had been a long day as we’d made our way from Mysore to Coorg and taken in a lot of items of interest along the way. Little wonder we were all rather exhausted and ready to go to bed as soon as we finished dinner.

We looked forward to a very restful next day as the hectic pace of our travels was proving to be a bit much for Chriselle.

A Day of Strenuous Sightseeing In and Around Mysore: Somnathpur Temple, Srirangapatnam, Mysore Palace, Brindavan Gardens and Krishna Raja Sagar Dam

A Day of Strenuous Sightseeing In and Around Mysore

Thu, Jan 9, 2025:

Mysore-Bangalore:

We were ready for our 6.00 am taxi pick-up at Menaka’s place (despite having a very disturbed night—street stray dog’s conference!). The driver was late—typical IST (Indian Stretchable Time) attitude! Instead of 6.00 am, we ended up leaving at 6.30. We loved our home on wheel for the next few days—a Traveller van that seats 12. We were fortunate to be just 6 folks—this allowed us to stretch out, switch seats and make ourselves at home on the long road journeys between sites. We informed our driver (Ravi) that we would need to stop after about an hour as we had left on empty stomachs.

Breakfast En Route:

Accordingly, in a little over an hour, Ravi dropped us off at a very nice South Indian vegetarian restaurant called Krishna Vilas Palace. It had beautiful paintings on the wall of the Wodeyar dynasty that ruled the Principality of Mysore for centuries. There were also depictions of the famous Mysore Dussera Procession which, I believe, still takes place annually. We ordered from the extensive menu that included idlis and dosas—plain, masala and semolina—with sambar and chutney. Plus, we had something called a Mangalore Bun--which was like a large banana fritter (really tasty) and we washed it all down with Mysore filter coffee. Mysore is acclaimed for its coffee which grows in abundance on the plantations of Coorg (where we’d be spending two nights).

Ramnagar--It’s Association with Bollywood:

En route to our first spot of sightseeing, we passed by a towering bank of rocky mountains that were right alongside the highway. My guide book informed me that this area is known as Ramnagar and that it has a unique place in Indian cinematic history as the location for the shooting of one of the best-known scenes of all time. The scene from the film, Sholay, one of the greatest Bollywood blockbusters, featuring the villain Gabbar Singh taking his minions to task for having failed in one of their assignments, was shot here. It features dialogue that begins with the Hindi words, “Kitne Aadami The?” The Indian actor Amjad Khan became a household name and his dialogue was on the lips of thousands of wannabe actors in the 1970s when this film was released. It was good to pass by the spot and to imagine that iconic scene from that iconic film shot here.

Visiting the Somnathpur Temple:

Our next stop, about two hours later, was in a place called Somnathpur, where the famous Somnathpur Temple is located. It’s highlight is the incredible 13th century Hindu Keshava Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and built by King Narasimha III of the Hoysala Dynasty.

We paid a very modest entry fee (Rs. 20 per head for Indians, Rs. 100 for foreigners) and made our way along a lovely pathway flanked by gardens filled with winter dahlias, to the gateway of the Temple. It is really hard for me to describe the glory of these temples. I had Googled the temples and had carried printed notes to help us navigate the vast complex. But at the entrance, flanked, by twin deities, we found a guide who offered his services. We decided to hire him for Rs. 500 and told him that we did not have much time (as we had a long and tiring day of sight-seeing to accomplish). Hence, he promised us that within 90 minutes, he would show us around the highlights of the place.

He did just that. The Temple had three towers and sits on a pedestal that is approached by 4-5 steps. The entire place is built of granite that is finely carved over to resemble lace. The whole pantheon of Hindu gods, goddesses and deities are represented upon the temple walls in the form of intricate and beautifully delineated carvings. Hindu iconography overwhelms at every turn on walls that speak of the deep dedication of the worshippers of medieval India whose genius at building (engineering) and craftsmanship defies description. There were also friezes from the two major Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. My camera simply could not stop clicking as it was hard to commit everything to memory. Embellishment in the form of row after row of Indian animals (especially elephants) portrayed in various stages of movement, had me completely enthralled. There were pillars and columns that held up the structure that were also finely carved and massive stones that were turned using nothing but manual labor—no machinery of any kind. All of this was simply fascinating. Ceilings, inside the main temple, were adorned with hanging pediments that depicted banana and lotus flowers in various stages of bloom. Deities were depicted with their mounts or with the emblems of their powers. Surrounding the main temple building are arcaded cells that, the guide explained, once contained the carved statues of demi-gods and goddesses. Sadly, none of them stand as they were removed by the British and placed in the British Museum. Today, these cells are empty spaces with contemporary doors and locks to keep squatters from taking shelter within them. The entire place is looked after by the Archeological Survey of India who do a splendid job keeping the premises neat, clean and approachable. Y

es, we paused to take the mandatory group pictures at the entrance of the temple and, about 90 minutes later, were ready to explore some of the small gift shops just outside the temple precincts where Chriselle bought two pashmina shawls and some silk cushion covers. And then it was time for us to proceed as we had a lot of ground to cover before nightfall. Driving through Rural Karnataka:

Driving through Rural Karnataka:

The drive through miles of rural Karnataka countryside was itself a sheer delight, especially for us city-dwellers. Overall, despite the fact that the monsoon is long past, the land is green and fresh—probably a result of excellent irrigation facilities. We passed by mile after mile of coconut groves and areca nut palm trees. Occasionally, we drove by a vast expanse of lake—natural and artificial—that was filled with lotus flowers. Sugar cane plantations were also plentiful everywhere we went as their tall green fronds swayed gently in the breeze. Passing by small villages, we saw the simple domestic lives of rural folk as well as the vehicles (bullock carts) they still use for transporting vast bales of hay. Yes, there were haystacks (all neatly rolled up as seen in Europe) and herds of cattle (mainly cows in various colors) and some water buffalo everywhere. I thoroughly enjoyed these countryside drives.

The Splendor of Srirangapatnam:

Not too long after we left Somnathpur, we arrived at a site that occupies a special place in the history of Karnataka and especially Mysore. This is Srirangapatnam (known as Seringapatna in British days). This venue was the seat of the 17th century Maharaja of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, who was known as the ‘Tiger of the Deccan”. He was the arch nemesis of the British who tried hard to overthrow him and failed miserably. Tipu had been well-coached by his father, also a towering historical figure, called Haider Ali. Together, they made a formidable team that kept the British at bay until the arrival of Lord Cornwallis. At a very bloody battle fought in Srirangapatnam, Tipu was finally defeated. He was required to surrender his two sons (still very young boys) as hostages to Cornwallis—which he did with a very heavy heart. Tipu’s surrender is one of the saddest chapters in South Indian history. A side-note to this episode is that, flush with his victory in Mysore, Lord Cornwallis was posted to North America to fight in the American Revolutionary War where he faced the forces of George Washington at Yorktown in Virginia and was roundly trounced! Karma! So, the hero of Mysore became the pariah of Virginia.

Srirangapatnam is the kind of place that would take a whole day to explore properly. I am proud to say that when I was a pre-teenager and had spent an entire month in Mysore with my parents and two younger brothers, they had taken us on a day-long excursion (by horse-drawn tonga, no less) from Mysore to this venue. There we’d had the opportunity to explore Tipu’s vast domain which consists of his summer palace (called Daria Daulat) as well as a mosque, the living quarters of his courtiers, stables for elephants and horses, prison cells for his captives (including many British soldiers who were taken prisoner), and the mausoleums (Gumbaz) of Haider Ali, his wife (Tipu’s mother) and Tipu Sultan himself. etc. Exploring all of it would take tons of time and energy—neither of which we had. Hence, we focused only on two items—Daria Daulat Palace and Gumbaz.

Discovering Daria Daulat Palace:

It was a short walk along a lovely, shaded pathway with a canopy of trees that took us to the entrance of Daria Daulat Palace (which means Wealth of the Seas). The only irritating thing about our sightseeing was that we were required to pay entrance fees online (we had also done so at Somnathpur) as there are no longer ticket booths manned by human beings near these monuments. For anyone who is digitally challenged, this can be a real botheration. If you do not have a data plan (as many visiting foreigners do not), I am not sure how the tickets might be purchased. It is quite baffling. Dozens of people, all attempting to buy tickets through their phones, cause human traffic snarls at the entrances to these monuments. Somehow, we managed to buy our tickets (Rs. 25 for Indians, Rs. 100 for foreigners) and went past the lovely Islamic-style gateway to enter the neatly-manicured gardens that create an approach to the palace.

Inside the Daria Daulat Palace:

Daria Daulat Palace is a small, neat building that surprises on the inside as nothing about the exterior prepares you for what you will see on its interior walls. Indeed, contemporary frescoes that depict contemporary processions of royal grandeur cover the walls of the palace on the inside. Shades or chiks, as they are called, cover the exterior walls and serve to keep direct sunlight away from the paintings. I believe the colors would deteriorate rapidly under the harsh sun’s rays. We took many pictures of Tipu Sultan and Haider Ali with their massive entourages on horseback or in elephant howdahs. There are also depictions of ranks and files of Western (probably British) soldiers on horseback or on foot that made up the huge panoply of these rooms.

The palace also serves as a museum and we were able to see contemporary weaponry such as swords and daggers, etchings that depicted the surrender of Tipu Sultan to Cornwallis and other memorabilia of the period. A life-size portrait of Tipu by Johann Zoffany, who traveled across the colonial sub-continent depicting royalty (both British and Indian) is seen on one of the walls, while, on the other side, there is a portrait by Howe of Tipu’s handing over of his young sons to the British who took them hostage. It is a very pitiful depiction of a sad episode in South Indian history.

We were happy to meet a group of Indian school students who were eager to talk to us and ask where we were from. They were accompanied by their History teacher who was also very friendly and eager to converse. Everywhere we traveled, we found local groups of Indian tourists who had come by large coaches as well as school and college groups of students out on field trips as they explored their own country. I found these sights deeply heartening and a true testament of the fact that Indians are finally acknowledging the rich canvas of their history and going out to discover it.

On exiting the complex, we spied a lone tonga with a horse and driver that looked badly in need of customers. Deciding to relive the journey I had undertaken to this venue (all the way from Mysore) as a child, I approached the tonga driver to ask for a ride to our van. He readily obliged and four of us—Chriselle, AJ, Llew and I—climbed into the tiny cabin as the driver walked alongside and took us to our van. It was a simple joy but it meant a lot to me as it filled me with a sense of nostalgia.

Going to the Gumbaz:

Aside from the Daria Daulat Palace, another fabulous building that still stands is the Gumbaz (or mausoleum) of Tipu and his parents. This structure too, in pure Islamic style, with its impressive dome and pedestal and the long walkway, flanked by Moghul-style gardens, are a great legacy of Muslim rule in India. Sadly, we did not have the time to fully explore the interior and had to be content with taking a few pictures with the edifice in the background.

On the way back to our van and while leaving, we were treated to the sight of magnificently clad horses who, apparently, are available on hire, to take visitors around the premises. We did not have the time to try out their services, but I do imagine that it would be a very novel way of exploring a place that is deeply rooted in the annals of past centuries. It was a thoroughly fascinating visit that, being a history buff myself, truly left me aching for more.

Lunch at Sandhya’s Place:

Another drive (of about an hour) then brought us to the outskirts of the city of Mysore. By this time, we were starving and were ready for lunch. Menaka’s friend, who lives in Mysore had recommended this place as the perfect spot for a bit of typically local Kannadiga food. We were game to try it out and arrived at the venue where we found ourselves in a very traditional home that has been converted into a restaurant run by a woman called Sandhya. We had a bit of a wait of about 20 minutes (which gave us a chance to use restrooms) before we were seated.

Lunch consisted of a typical banana leaf that we were encouraged to wash clean (with water provided). After this ritual, three women came along, each carrying vessels filled with vegetarian food that offered such a bewildering variety of items that we were simply floored. There was rice and pooris plus dal (lentils), vegetables, sambar, tomato rasam (known as Saar in Karnataka), a few chutneys, plus buttermilk--all presented, thali-style in small bowls, and offered in unlimited quantities. The ladies kept coming back repeatedly to find out if we wanted seconds or thirds of the really delicious food. At the very end, there was coconut paak or a coconut sweet that was also delectable. This superbly generous offering of food was available for Rs. 200. We were thoroughly delighted with our choice of meal and when we had the chance later of actually meeting Sandhya, the chef and owner, we took a picture with her and applauded her for her culinary genius. Then replete with our meal, it was time for us to leave for the next item on our agenda, the spectacular Mysore Palace.

Our First Introduction to Mysore City:

The City of Mysore was, for centuries, administered, by the dynasty of kings known as the Wodeyars. They were formidably wealthy and were hugely benevolent. They were beloved of their subjects because while their own lifestyles were lavish (as seen in their palaces and other possessions), they did not neglect the needs of their people and spared no pains or expense to keep them happy and contended. Hence, they earned the complete loyalty of their subjects. Driving through the City of Mysore gave us the opportunity to see exactly how this benevolence was executed. The entire city is a model of urban planning with its wide boulevards, clear intersections, punctuated by carved statues of Wodeyar dynasty rulers seen standing under chatri (or umbrella canopies). Thus, although by Bombay or Bangalore standards, Mysore traffic is minimal, it moves, nevertheless, in an extremely orderly manner along streets that are broad enough to accommodate it. I would have dearly loved to have spent some more time in Mysore—just enjoying a feel of the city or shopping in its markets. Unfortunately, there was not much time to accomplish this.

The Magnificence of Mysore Palace:

We arrived at the car park for the Mysore Palace and went through the motions of careful security checks. We needed to leave our footwear in large bags at the entrance (you can walk around with socks). The Mysore Palace, also known as the Amba Vilas Palace, is the official city residence of the Wodeyar Dynasty who filled it with Victorian excess as was the fashion in the 19th century (their heyday). The original palace, built entirely of wood, caught fire and is long gone and was reconstructed several times. The current structure, open to the public, was built between 1897 and 1912. It is second only to the Taj Mahal in Agra in terms of popularity among tourists visiting India. The British architect, Henry Irwin, is responsible for the design of this edifice which is constructed in Indo-Saracenic style. This is a combination of Islamic, Rajput and Gothic architectural styles and is widely seen over the length and breadth of India. The British seem to be especially fond of this style of architecture as it probably speaks of the fabled wealth of India while also being removed from the typical architectural style of Western palaces. As regards the Mysore Palace, the exterior is an exquisite composition of onion domes in varied colored, plus canopied windows with Gothic arches—all of which add to the general grandeur of the place.

It takes at least two hours to explore the palace thoroughly. Once past the entrance, you walk along long corridors that act as museum showcases to display the wealth of the Wodeyars in the form of elephant howdahs as well as the taxidermied heads of hunted elephants. Inside, the various rooms of the palace are a testimony to the taste and style of erstwhile royal families. There were huge rooms whose embellishment involves Murano stained glass ceiling panels and windows, ornamented pillars, richly-carved teak wood doors and windows, marble balustraded staircases, loads of oil painted portraits, sterling silver boxes and sandalwood trunks. There is a second floor, to be climbed along a wide, marble staircase, that takes you to a turquoise gallery with dozens of towering decorative pillars. One side of this huge room overlooks the palace grounds providing uninhibited views of the origin of the annual Dusserah Procession before it leaves the palace precincts and moves into the city.

On one’s final looks around this palace one sees the grand courtyard whose main entrance is flanked by two large bronze sculpted tigers by Robert William Colton. It’s really hard to describe every detail of the palace. Suffice it to say that you will actually be quite tired visually and your eye will soon lose sense of exactly what needs to be taken in as the place is so crammed with eye candy as to dazzle and bewilder. It’s enough to state that the status of the Maharaja of Mysore as one of the most elite, wealthy and powerful of the Indian princes (during the Colonial era) is not lost on visitors who receive a vivid glimpse into the glory that was India before the wealth of the nation was stripped off by colonial greed.

As a child, I had visited the stables in which the Maharajas horses had been kept as well as his garages where his fleet of fancy cars, including Rolls Royces, were on view. That era is now long past. Most likely, these bits of movable estate have been sold and the buildings that once housed them today serve as gift shops that stand on one side of the building.

As we were exiting this complex, we saw what looked like golf carts parked on one side. We asked where these went and were informed that they took visitors around the periphery of the palace which is rather vast and provided good photo ops. As Blossom was keen to get a buggy ride, we hired one of the vehicles and set out on a 20-minute ride that made a couple of stops to enable us to get pictures against the main gates of the palace. I recalled that when I was a child, we had seen the Maharaja drive past us in one of his cars. On passing us, he had actually waved at us and we had waved back. This was probably the first royal sighting I have ever had and it remains etched in my memory. The Maharaja’s current family probably still continues to live in the building, in a series of apartments, in one wing of the palace, I have no doubt.

On returning to our parked van, we were accosted by a few vendors selling trinkets such as wooden fans and magnets. We bought the ones that caught our eye and returned to our van.

Our driver informed us that it would take us at least an hour to get to the next venue—the Brindavan Gardens that were located way outside the city precincts. Hence, with the sun setting, we would probably reach the gardens long after night fall—a perfect time to see the famous musical fountain for which the garden is known and which is accompanied by a sound and light show.

Brindavan Gardens and Krishna Raja Sagar Dam:

As expected, the drive to the Brindavan Gardens from the City of Mysore took us more than an hour. By this stage, both Blossom and Chriselle were tired and needed to forgo the excursion to the musical fountain. After our van was parked, they walked just a little bit to the point where it was necessary to use a long walkway across an artificial lake where boating was still in progress, in almost pitch darkness. They found a place to sit down at that spot and said goodbye to us as Llew, Menaka and I raced against the clock to the spot where the musical fountain would start playing in about 15 minutes. It was about a kilometer’s walk to the fountain and we went past the beautifully laid out beds of a formal garden whose construction began in 1927 and was completed in 1932. My parents had gone for their honeymoon to Mysore (in 1954)—so the gardens were only 20 years old when they had been there for the first time. When they visited again with their three children in tow, it was 1971—a good 17 years later. I had visited Mysore with my NYU students in the year 2000—so this was the third time I had been to this venue.

Sadly, as it was very dark and lighting was much too dim, we could not really see the grandeur of these gardens that are set against the imposing walls of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam—known as the KRS Dam. The dam was built to harness the waters of the Kaveri river that flow alongside and it provides hydroelectricity to the state of Karnataka. We could, of course, see the towering walls of the Dam alongside the flower beds of the gardens as well as the many beautiful fountains spouting colored water as we hurried along to the musical fountain.

Enjoying the Musical Fountain at the Brindavan Gardens:

The Musical Fountain was far more impressive than I had imagined. Having seen the famous Dubai Mall Fountains, I had expected not to be as taken by this spectacle of light, sound and water effects. But, in fact, they were quite dazzling in their glory. The show is free and the venue (a kind of amphitheater) allows people to sit on stands that provide an uninhibited view of the spectacle. Loud music from Kannada films accompanies the computerized program that shoots water into the skies while flood lights in varied colors tinge the spouting water in a spectrum of colors that is quite scintillating indeed. It went on for 15 minutes, after which everyone hurried away from their spots. We were very fortunate to find seats ourselves and we had almost ring-side views of the fountain. When the show ended, we walked along the return path to get back to where Blossom and Chriselle were awaiting us and without wasting too much time, then made our way back, past a plethora of stalls and shops selling drinks, eats, souvenirs, toys, etc. to our waiting vehicle. All that was left, after a long and exhausting day, was to find our accommodation for the night and to crash into it.

Spending the Night at Gitanjali Homestay:

It was thanks to one of Menaka’s friends, who had stayed in this place herself, that we booked our accommodation for the night. It was to be a place called Gitanjali Homestay run by a retired army officer, his wife Muthu and their daughter, Yamuna, who had communicated with Menaka to finalize the reservation.

By the time we found the place, which was just outside the City of Mysore—to which we had to return—we were all really spent and the place, being dimly lit too, encouraged us to simply find a girl called Lina, who gave us our keys and led us to a bank of rooms. There was not much we could discern in the dark and so we simply went to bed. Our lunch had been so huge and so filling that none of us felt like eating a large meal. We survived on a few cookies and trail mix before calling it a night.

It had been a truly extraordinary day and we were delighted at the amount of ground we had managed to cover in a single day’s sightseeing. Who knew what further delights the next day would bring?

Carousing in Karnataka: Journey from Bombay to Bangalore

Carousing in Karnataka: Journey from Bombay to Bangalore

Wed, Jan 8, 2025:

Bombay-Bangalore

The trip to India of Chriselle and AJ gave us a god opportunity to explore a part of the country with which we were not too familiar. As they were also keen to meet Blossom and Menaka, I hit upon the idea of spending a few days in Karnataka (as Menaka is based in Bangalore).

Hence, the very day after they arrived in Bombay, we left for our flight to Bangalore. We took an Uber to Bombay airport and hopped on to an Indigo flight that left at 6.00 pm. We had signed up for a light supper on board and were presented with a Chicken “Junglee” Sandwich which was a very tasty mayonnaise sandwich with a beverage of our choice. We had a spectacular sunset as we left Bombay. It stained the sky deeply in shades of vivid orange, crimson and yellow streaked with Indigo. It was a very comfortable (and short) flight—about 1 hour, 45 minutes, after which, with darkness having fallen, we touched down in Bangalore at 7.45 pm.

We were all very impressed with spiffy Bangalore airport. It was very easy to follow signs to the Uber port from where we picked up an Uber. The ride was also comfortable and introduced us to the burgeoning city that is Bangalore. Within an hour, we were at Drishti Dwelling, Menaka’s building. We received a lovely, warm and enthusiastic welcome from Blossom and Menaka (who had themselves only landed in the morning from Calcutta as they had spent the week in West Bengal).

Although we were neither hungry nor tired, Menaka offered us drinks and ordered a pizza which we enjoyed as we re-connected with one another and introduced AJ to our relatives. There was much laughter followed by the exchange of gifts as we had gifts for them and they had gifts for us—such a lovely homecoming! None of us realized where the time was flying as we gabbed non-stop.

Eventually, at past midnight, it was time for us to think about crashing for the night as we had a 6.00 am taxi pick-up. Menaka showed us our bedroom options and with our beds all ready, we brushed our teeth and settled down for the night. We did not realize it would be a really terrible night—with barely any sleep at all for any of us—as her neighborhood is menaced by stray dogs who struck up a cacophony through much of the night, keeping us wide awake. Eventually, when dawn struck, we were all up and ready for what would be a day of hectic sightseeing.