Day 44: Mysore

Our tour leader had us waking up early for a tour of the palace in Mysore. The two younger guys and I decided to ditch the tour group for the day. The main reasoning for this was because the day with the tour group ended at 11:00am; however, we had to leave for the train station at 8:00pm. So what is the point of waking up early (8am) and then have 9 hours free in a relatively small town? The guys and I stayed out a little later the night before slept in for an extra hour or so and then hit the town. I personally feel that exploring the town on our own was a much more enjoyable experience than having someone hold my hand all day.

Aside from exploring the town, we didn't do too much, but that definitely kept us occupied. Eating street food, getting a local wet shave, and conversing with the local made for an enjoyable day. Even though we skipped out on the palace, I was much happier to experience the town rather than see the town. Also, I need to correct myself. In the dirt post of Delhi, I spoke of all those guys harassing us with the blood in their mouth. I have come to find out that it was not blood but actually this street made tobacco called Pan or Beetle Nut. It would be comparable to chewing tobacco. They make it right there on the street, combining all different types of things and then it is wrapped up in some type of green leaf. After chewing it, it makes your cough very red and causes you to have to spit much more than chewing tobacco would. Of course, I had to try some and I will admit it was rather good. You can get all different levels of strength, I ordered the basic, but from what I have heard, the higher up ones will knock you off your feet.

The train ride was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. When we got on, the train was almost empty, so we had time to spread out and play some cards before it got packed. Some Indians even joined in later on in the night. Once we stopped in Bangalore, which is a huge IT hub in Indian (lots of call centers as well), the train filled up fast, so we spent the rest of the night hanging out the door and running and jumping on the train when it started and stopped. It sounds very reckless and idiotic, but there are not many places that have this loose of regulation. Take advantage of it while you can.