Tea anyone? and Charming Mysore (Karnatika, India)

women picking all the tea by hand

upland plantation, harvesting new tea leaves

A lot of hard work (of course) Notice how she stores the leaves

the entry  into the Palace at Mysore

Somewhere between the hill  country 
of northern Kerala and driving into the southern part of Karnatika to visit Mysore, we came upon these women picking the tea, softly moving within the landscape, doing their delicate work of picking the young pale tea leaves.....an on going process.  (white tea in current vogue is even more difficult to harvest as it is the new leaf Unfurled)

historic headquarters of the Wodeyar raja dynasty

Mysore is A Delightful Place to Visit.  Unlike the chaos one can experience in Indian cities....... it is reined in with a city planning
transportation plan that really makes sense.  There is nothing like whizzing circularly  around the streets in a tuk-tuk in the evening, the breeze making me giggle even more.

DEMONS

old palace was gutted by fire in 1897

pretty much over the top inside and out

overview of gardens + palace

The great temple of Sri Chamundeswari (125 ft Height)

No picture taking allowed  in the interior .... but truly it was as flamboyant with stained glass, paintings that followed you around with "their eyes" , mirrors galore , gorgeous mosaic floor tiles,carved wooden doors and Color as the
Raja's collaboration with the Edwardian reign could be.
My jaw was perpetually slack in awe. 

waiting for the pilgrims outside temple

monkey on the climb

Ritual: as you enter the  temple you break a coconut and then  take the  colorful pastes and put on your forehead for bindi

We then climbed Chamundi Hill to see some great views of the city and visit an important temple for pilgrimage.  I am sorry i could not capture the THRONGS of pilgrims lined up.....we also queued up and actually had the rarity of going into the chamber of the temple. Holding an offering, one is pushed through the sea 
of humanity, each wave pushing you closer to the destination;
a Hindu priest giving you a blessing.
Being a supplicant in this manner is difficult for me.
It was busy + fast!

outside of Sri Chamundeswari Temple- the ever present street food and sacred cow

detail on temple

the pyramids of color go on your BODY (in paste form)

How to describe the Indian market places......... well just take a look at the one in Mysore

that's a whole lot of succulent beans

banana leaves (who needs tableware?) this is how they serve your food

ah the garlands

Coconut......lovely staple of indian cooking and eating (and puja also)

Bhindi Okra my favorite and beautiful aubergine

Banana-Sculpture

the colors never  cease

Mysore was definitely a highlight of southern India for me.  Charles also took us out for some Outrageous Street Food- he knew where  we could eat safely and I was pretty blissed out as was everyone else; spicy, succulent and savory.  Cheap too!
Mysore also had the most beautiful silks and I indulged in purchasing Another dress for my darling daughter. 
I hope you have the opportunity to walk the beautifully laid out streets of Mysore and go whizzing around in your own tuk-tuk.
It has a charm that is uniquely its own; sophisticated and yet real India pulsating.







travelin' woman