Mysore

From Hampi we travelled to Mysore

Got great food on the train, the trains always have amazing food.

Byriani's and Thali's, Chiapati's, delicious onion biscuits made with gram flour and a a tasty mixture of rice crispies, carrot, chillies and lemon juice that is served in a newspaper cone.

Yummy,

The reason for the visit to Mysore was to visit the Royal Palace which is lit up with thousands of lights every weekend for a few hours, it was very romantic.

It happened to be the festival called "Holi" or "The Festival of Colours" when we visited. Its a festival where everyone throws coloured powder and water at each other.

We went looking for a fight in a local flower market but found nothing, only a few people who were streaked with colour.

Including this chap who was attacked by his friends and Holi'ed.

He doesn't look too happy,

This Holi'ed chap looks happier, Cailín got him with a "drive by shoot by" photo

Went to a kick ass Railway Museum,

They let you mess with everything. I think it was just the typical Indian thing of just not giving a shit if you broke shit rather than being cool,

There was even a working signal box that were no signs on saying don't fuck with it so I fucked with it till all my childhood fantasies were worked right out of my system.

The childhood theme continued to the nearby slide.

We were even forced into the Kings personal carriage past "No Entry" signs by two of the museum caretakers, white skin and disappointingly small bribes will get you everywhere in India.

From Mysore Ass

Cailín got all "Back to the Future 3"

And then all Buster Keating.

Fancy Hotel gave us free toiletries, including my very own "Oval-D" toothbrush!

Cailín had a small accident in Mysore, it was very funny. Despite many warnings that if she wasn't more careful with them this exact accident was bound to happen, Cailín sat on her nail scissors......it was hillarious but no doubt very painful. They didn't go too deep but deep enough so when she sat up they stayed in her, just hanging there, mocking her. Then like some modern day Braveheart she grabbed it and pulled it out like it was an arrow shot by some bloody Englishman.

So with my four years college training and two years practical experience as a nurse I laughed as hard as I could and looked for some gauze in the first aid bag to applied pressure with.

Cailín survived with a 1cm deep hole in her bottom and had to sit with a lean for a few days. I on the other hand had to put up with an arse being shoved in my face twice or three times a day accompanied by the question "Is it better yet?", delightful. That coupled with the fact that I had to tape bin bags to her arse every day to stop the dressing I had on if from getting wet, meant that as usual I paid for her mistake more than she did, hahaha.

Booked a train ticket to Bangalore at the train station, by mistake we booked an unreserved seat, which in India means, if you push enough old women out of your way you will get a seat.

Luckily my beautiful Cailín attracted the attention of two curious men on the station platform who came over and struck up a conversation with us (normal stuff like, where you from?, you like India? how many children do you have?, and the like)

When the train arrived we were amazed by how the calm crowd became suddenly violent, with everyone pushing to get in the carriage doors, pushing children and belongings through windows to "bagsey" seats. They wouldn't even let people off the train in their hurry, shouting, cursing and probably biting broke out everywhere. With our big bags we decided that the only way we were getting on that train was if we trampled a few elderly couples, its hard enough to squeeze our huge bags through the small doors in normal circumstances. But then out of a train window came shouts and a franticly waving hand!

One of the men we had been talking to on the platform had not only saved the "Whities" a seat each but also places for us to put our bags!!!!

He must secretly be a vicious cage fighter because that crowd was the craziest I have ever seen.

Turns out he was a Ph.D. student studying chillies, a very nice chap who translated for us as we talked to him and everyone else in the carriage for the next six hours.

(The couple sitting across from us, they had just been to a wedding, check out the bling. Indians love showing off.)

We covered the whole gamete, money, marriage, work, food, college, travelling, India, weather and everything in between. At one point while discussing jewellery (Indian women wear alot of gold, partial to protect themselves financially in case of divorce, illlness etc.) Cailín said she liked a ring that a young girl across from us had bought, so the young girl gave it to her, Cailín tried and tried to say no or even buy it off her but our friend in the white shirt said that that would be considered rude and that we had to accept. Cailín even tried returning the gesture by giving the girl some of her jewellery or make-up but with brutal Indian honesty the girl said she didn't like any of it! Classic,

They even bought us food from every food vendor that happened to pass, including Guava fruit with chilli powder and salt on it, imagine an apple that doesn't taste in anyway nice, like eating polystyrene and the cover it with salt!! and then hot chilli powder, it was so awful my eyes were tearing but I managed to choke it down slowly.

Gratuitous modelling shot so Cailín doesn't give out to me about there not being any photo's of her in here.