It was back on the sleeper train again to get to Bangalore. I bought the tickets thinking I had got a great bargain as they were only half the price Vj had been quoted. It was only when he pointed out that the tickets were for 2nd class I realised they hadn’t been such a great bargain after all. In 2nd class the windows are left open so when the train is speeding through the desert during the day the beds gather a nice coat of sand and dust. I spent half an hour scrubbing the bed with wet wipes and bribed the ticket man to get me a bed sheet before I could lie down and even then I still woke up covered in red dust.
I only had one clean skirt left to change into by that point which made me believe I was the only woman in Bangalore showing her legs. I wasn’t overly bothered as I seem to have finally got used to being stared at. It was only when a couple of fingerless begging lepers tried to touch my legs as I walked past that I really regretted my wardrobe choice. No idea why they thought that would make me hang round long enough to search my bag for change instead of freaking me out?
Bangalore is quite a modern city, having the first shopping malls (and Marks & Sparks and Lush shops!) that we have seen in India so far. It felt heavenly having a hot shower after weeks of cold water or a bucket of water. The weather felt much cooler than Hampi at a mere 30 degrees. I even managed to drag Vj off to the cinema to watch a Bollywood film, although he fidgeted and yawned for the duration!
As always we are trying to cram too much into a few short weeks so we decided on a sightseeing day trip to Mysore from Bangalore. It was a very strange day. The rest of the sightseers were well off Indian tourists so we stood out a little bit and they choose to acknowledge that by ignoring us (with the usual staring) for the day. The Palace was one of the most impressive we have seen so far on this trip. It didn’t really give us a feel for Mysore and the guides were far more interested in long stops at shopping emporiums which they hoped would give them a nice commission.
Heading to Kerala on yet another night train next.
One Response to “Bangalore”
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Kerala is lovely, have fun!