A day trip to Somnathpur

Today was supposed to be an easygoing day. We woke up, had a relaxing breakfast and planned to visit Somnathpur - a place around Mysore where Keshava Temple is located.

On the way to the bus station I decided to buy Rita a flower garland. I have lately noticed that many women wear it here and I new she will look beautiful. Unfortunately, the old lady selling them did not speak English so after so some weird haggling we made the deal and I had a huge bunch of flowers. I started clumsily putting in around Rita's neck but did not succeed very well. Another older lady joined in and helped me out - together with a very serious blessing for Rita (can't say what the signs she did were but definitely looked like a blessing not a curse). Rita became from then on a celebrity - like one would need to get more attention here. It seemed that flowers one way or the other were the sign of marriage...Rita is now double blessed - by elephant and some VERY OLD street lady that takes her job of blessing seriously. What more might you want from life :)

Our guidebook mentioned the way there as relatively simple. Hop on a bus - after 30 minutes change to another one and you are there. So we did. After 15 minutes of the first ride, the road ended. After another 45 minutes we ended up in a VERY remote village trying to figure out where the next bus is. After some time it has arrived...wild crowds rushed chasing it (just like in Hampi ). This time though we decided to join in as last. Since it seems everybody somehow fits in we strategically placed ourselves to be the last ones to enter the bus (we left the roof for the locals). Strategy proved correct we made it in. Bus was fully packed - we were almost near the exit so everything seemed perfect (after we lowered our expectations to the point that just getting on the bus is what we want). We have however not expected that ten minutes later there will be another stop and yet the same amount of people will enter the bus! We got squeezed almost to the back of the bus which we thought was already packed beyond comprehension -
so we suffered for another hour as the bus was taking a dirt road on which some bigger trucks got stuck and waited for being towed away.

The temple was great and well kept - in a very tranquil place, without lots of people, with beautiful sculptures etc. Worth the ride.















About the "planned economy" smell - the ultimate smell will be posted once we get out of Mysore.