Mysore Trip: from McD's to the Temple

We took a weekend driving trip to Mysore, a small city about 100km from Bangalore, a 3.5 hour drive b/c of traffic.

Mysore is surrounded by tall, rocky hills. A famous temple (Chamundeshwari, in case you were wondering :)) sits atop one of the hills. There were monkeys climbing around it, street vendors selling religious and secular handicrafts, and food vendors, too.

Another famed site is the Mysore Palace, centuries old and rebuilt after a fire over 100 years ago. No photography was allowed inside, but the outside shots are impressive. Our driver has friends in Mysore and found us a great, knowledgeable and reasonable guide.

A HUGE HIGHLIGHT for the kids, though sadly not documented by photos due to aforementioned restriction, was the chance to ride an elephant ($2) and camel ($0.40) inside the palace compound.

We stayed at a lovely hotel a few kilometers out of the city w/open air reception area, restaurant, etc. It featured natural/recycled building materials and lots of open space. The photos of the kids playing w/chess pieces were taken there.

Another interesting stop was a wood carving shop where we were given a tour and detailed explanation of the process. Remarkable.