Beep, Beep, Whistle, Whistle
Mysuru
Our time in Mysuru was lovely and we hope to return for a longer stay in the future. We stayed in Gokulam Family Home, a lovely home that gave us room to spread out and had a small outdoor space we all enjoyed. We especially loved grabbing coffee around the corner. The coffee was amazing and the man running it quickly befriended A5, shouting out his name and hello each time we walked past. Our area felt authentic but was also full of yogis from abroad, giving the neighborhood a vibe we found fascinating.
While in Mysuru, we spent time relaxing in our personal space but also explored the town. We went shopping in Devaraja Market and nearby. We took in sites and smells, made some good purchases, ate good food, and learned about the making of incense. K got an outfit and managed to find a tailor to adjust the fit. A2 got a fun outfit that held together until Delhi. A8 showed off her negotiation skills buying bangles (her secret: she is absolutely willing to walk away if she feels the price is not right). And we discovered that sugar cane juice was a tad too strong for the kids.
We went on a few good adventures in Mysuru, including visiting the Mysuru Railway Museum, climbing Chamundi Hill to Chamundeshwari Temple, exploring Mysuru Palace, travelling to Srirangapatna, touring the Tipu Sultan Summer Palace, and meeting animals at the zoo. All along the way, our older kids willing to pose in various photos with local strangers. In Srirangapatna, we had a particularly heartwarming experience. As we approached the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, a school group was setting up for an upcoming festival. After stopping our oldest and chatting with her, they invited her to help them set candles on the railings using cow manure. She enjoyed chatting and helping until one of the grownups wanted her to leave because she was too much of a distraction. What was the most common question we seemed to receive from locals? It was either “what did you have for breakfast?” or “what do you usually have for breakfast at home?”. While waiting for my jean jacket to be mended at the tailor, his friend chatted with me. He wanted to know a typical breakfast for me and how much an egg cost at home.
The Milk Coffee Vendor
Every morning in Mysuru I would wake up and go downstairs while most of the family slept. A5 would often wake up right around then, so we’d grab our shoes and walk through the small courtyard. The cows sleeping off the side of the road in front of our place would hardly move as we walked by them towards the intersection. Then, turning the corner and just past the colorful Ganesh Hindu temple was the Milk Coffee cart. The vendor would open up and push forward his cart, and call to A5 by name. We’d order two milk coffees or the occasional coriander coffee and watch as he hoisted ladles of liquid out of the cart and tossed them back and forth between cups to create the perfect brew. A5 would chat with him, and he’d laugh as he answered questions. We’d take the small glass cups with milk coffee back home for K and me to enjoy, and he trusted we would return them later in the day. This whole experience was a small moment in Mysuru that K never knew about, until we would later walk by and A5 and him would exchange pleasantries like old friends.
Kochi
From Mysuru, we took a train and car to get to the Kempegowda International Airport. After arriving in Cochin International Airport, we took a car to our home for the week, a waterfront condo that provided splendid views of sunset. We also enjoyed walking on the waterfront and the nearby large playground. Funny thing about playgrounds and parks in India is that they have operating hours, outside of which they are not accessible. This particular park and playground was large, lovely, and on the water. At times our youngest two had difficulty playing because they would be swarmed kids overwhelmed with their cuteness.
On our first day in Kochi, we took a ferry to the fort to explore. We were pleasantly surprised by an art exhibit where we were able to get our hands dirty creating our own art. We also enjoyed walking to sites in the town, seeing the Chinese fishing nets, browsing the market, eating lunch by the water, and playing at the playground.
We were a little nervous about our houseboat experience on the Kerela backwaters. Would the kids get bored? Would we get bored? But our expectations were exceeded. We enjoyed lounging during our day aboard, taking in the views and eating a lovely lunch onboard. The experience even stuck in our three year old’s head, who would pretend he was a houseboat afterwards.
Another fun outing to Fort Kochin included a visit to the oldest synagogue in India, Paradesi Synagogue built in 1568, and a Kathakali performance. We also dropped into Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica.
Another worthwhile day trip we made was to Athirappilly Falls. We had a great guide who stopped when we desperately needed coffee. We were on our own for the short hike for the falls where we enjoyed a packed lunch and the mist from the falls. On our way home, we also stopped at Thumboormuzhi Hanging Bridge for a walk across the bridge and play on a large and empty playground.
One especially memorable experience from our stay in Kochi was our visit to the Bombay Circus. It was like no other circus experience of ours. Notable was that we went to a less attended performance so the tent was largely empty but the performance was not lacking. Our three older kids were all able to go up on stage at one point to participate in a jump roping activity that led to a tent wide prank on our oldest child.
Delhi and Agra
From Kochi, we flew to Delhi to stay two nights, spending our full day in Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We originally intended on more time in Delhi but the pollution felt too high for comfort so we cut the time down to that needed for a visit to Agra. We did have an amazing day. Despite staying very near the train station, we barely made the train to Agra. Once there, we were picked up for our private tour of the Taj Mahal. On arrival, we discovered the electric shuttle to be a bit short for how long we waited for the ride so we instead walked when leaving. During our visit, we learned about the history of Taj Mahal and heard our names echoed in the inner chamber. After, we were pulled into a visit to a rug shop that was an overall good experience despite the purpose being an attempt on a commission. The kids experienced making and trimmed rugs and we learned much. The only concerning part of our experience is that our guide wouldn’t let us out of the car until after we wrote a review for their company. We completed the survey and continued on our way. We took the train to hear to Agra Fort. We grabbed lunch across from the fort. The place was empty on entering but quickly filled. We then managed to meet up with our guide and start our tour early. Our tour guide was amazing, especially with the kids. he made the tour interesting and interactive, including a coin toss activity with one of the entryways. Since we started early, we had time to let the kids run around before heading to the station for our train back to Delhi. Funny story: during our train ride we were contacted by our hotel. They wanted to do a photo shoot of the family for social media marketing of our hotel. The experience was a bit tempting but turned it down.
After Delhi, we boarded a plane to Singapore. We left feeling we better understood India and better understood how much we do not know. We hope to return one day to learn and experience more.
