The tales of an American girl living in Hyderbad, India




Saturday, September 30, 2006

Mysore

We arrived in Bangalore and went for brunch at the posh Leela Hotel. Notice the bowl filled with rose petals and the beautiful courtyard behind me:



After brunch, we drove 3 hours to Mysore. Mysore is famous for its silk and sandalwood. If you're not familiar with sandalwood, it's extremely fragrant and very expensive to buy. A tiny carving will set you back $10 (less if you're an amazing haggler). We visited a State-owned sandalwood factory where they also make inlaid tables. There are craftsmen there who can cut tiny, intricate birds and flowers out of different colored woods in a matter of seconds using hand saws:



It takes almost a year to make just one table. The little wooden carvings are inlaid, then the table is sanded down and polished:



Afterwards, we went to Mysore palace:







Later that night, we went back because the palace was all lit up for the festival of Saradhas, which is a Hindu festival in which offerings are made for dead relatives:





These festival was especially exciting for children:





Joanne and I bought some rosewood jewelry boxes from a vendor at the festival. We've been told that we overpaid ($5 each), but we were satisfied customers. We didn't notice Matt lurking in the background of this picture.

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2 Comments:

Blogger mister mateo said...

Damn, that Lufthansa shirt is SO COOL! Where'd you get it?

2:53 PM

 
Blogger carolyn said...

I clicked on the link for this entry because I thought is was some sort of Indian myspace reference. little bit disappointed.

8:35 PM

 

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