Travel to Mysore, India – Episode 740

kumar

I listened to the Mysore podcast. Rahul said Mysore is at 5000 ft above sea level, No it’s at 2500 ft. Also, he does not know Kannada, the local language, and seems to be proud of it, the way he talked. Next time, get someone from the state who know the facts, and who’s proud to be a Kannadiga. He just seemed to be showoff.

Chris Christensen

I didn’t think he seemed proud to not know the language. I am afraid that is pretty common in the U.S. We are a nation of immigrants but often lose the knowledge of the language in the first generation. It was true in my dad’s side of the family. My grandfather came from Denmark as an infant and never learned the language even though his father spoke no English when he arrived.

Chris Christensen

update from Rahul Iyer

Hello Chris

I hope that all is well for you regarding the Amateur Traveler podcast.  We did an episode together on Mysore India (#740) in January 2021.  Don’t not know if you want to append anything to this in the form of notes, as some things have changed as of February 2024.  I was just in Mysore India in February 2024, and there are a few things that are different from what we discussed.  Here are the obvious things.
I was there with my wife and sister-in-law (sister-in-law is from Vietnam) to attend a wedding for my cousin (he lives in Atlanta and was getting married in Mysore where he grew up..as was his now wife).

1. Mysore has become much busier, crowded, chaotic, and it is visible.  Traffic can be scary.  I do not know if I would recommend bicycling in Mysore much anymore.  Not with the way the roads are, and how the traffic is.  It is not that it is bad.  It is more for the bicyclist’s safety.  Traffic is that chaotic now.  This has affected the air quality in Mysore at times.

2. You can now get around Mysore via Uber.  The tuk-tuk three wheelers can be summoned by the Uber App, and most of the rides are less than US$1 or US$2.  Most tuk-tuk drivers are easy to work with.  They will ask you show them the OTP Confirmation Code on the Uber App to use this.  It makes it a lot easier to negotiate fares (as Uber fares are fixed).  You can do similar with an app called OLA for India.

a. Some Uber drivers do not want to use the App and want to charge you 2-4 times more.  Use your judgement and tell them to take a hike as needed.  Just walk away.  Usually the driver “caves”.  I had to tell one tuk-tuk driver to “take a hike” and walked 10 feet to another driver and tuk-tuk who was ready to work with me.

b. You can also use the Uber fare as a start point when negotiating a fare if you do not want to use Uber directly.  Generally, you can get them to knock off 10% in most cases.

c. Also, in the city center, around Devaraja Market (still a very popular market, and main place that people shop at—locals and foreigners) it is very walkable.  The Mysore Palace is a doable short walk from Devaraja Market.

3. With the increase in traffic and people, there is now a bit more pollution, which is expected.

4. They now have a few shopping malls in Mysore.  Two of them are The Mall of Mysore, and the Forum Mall.  Both have closer to “USA” prices for clothes.  They have Indian and Western style in the stores.  Same for their food courts.  My sister-in-law from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), who was traveling with us, said that clothes in India are less expensive than Vietnam.

5. Regarding food in Mysore, there are now so many cafes all over the place.  Some very Western like McDonald’s and Subway.  Others more traditional Mysore style.  You will practically find a Western style coffee shop almost every block and a half in Mysore (Starbucks, etc).  Of course, they have Western costs.

For Breakfast each morning, we would rise, and clean up.  We would then get the tuk-tuk and go to various cafes for breakfast (generally one that served traditional South Indian Mysore style).  The ones that we tended to patronize in Mysore are:

• Mylari Dosai House in city center
• Gurudarshini Dosai Palace in city center

Generally, the costs were the following accordingly for breakfast
Combo:

• Masala dosai, various kinds (paper masala dosai, Mysore masala dosai, etc)—lentil crepe with potato and other kinds of fillings
• FYI—“paper” refers to the crepe being “paper thin”
• Chai (tea)
• Sambar (stewed vegetables and lentil)—curry
• Some kind of sweet (usually semolina, butter/milkfat, and sugar based)

The total cost was around US$2-US$4 depending upon what you got.
You could even get idly with coconut chutney and sambar instead of dosai for similar regarding breakfast.  Idly is steamed rice cake (maybe chewy).  Most cafes like this open at 7:00 in the morning and can be busy.
Many of the customers are salary workers now working in Mysore’s budding technology economy.  Mysore/Mysuru is becoming the “alternate” to Bangalore/Bengaluru for companies to locate their technology centers to.
Additionally, there are many choices for international fare and non-vegetarian fare.  Some of the places we went to are as follows.  We went there because my sister-in-law from Vietnam, who was traveling in India with us, wanted something other then Indian fare sometimes.
They have a few Chinese restaurants.  One we went to was called Jade Garden.  It was very similar to what you would find in any Chinese restaurant in the USA.  You will get your typical Chinese style stir fries and sautés (chicken and fish primarily)
Another place we went to is called Empire Hotel (in India “hotel” sometimes refers to restaurant—not a lodge).  It is a fast casual regional food chain for non-vegetarian Indian food (based out of Bangalore/Bengaluru).  You will find things like chicken kababs, mutton kababs, and even mutton burgers on the menu.  Their signature is the mutton biriyani (a dish of cooked rice, mutton, and spices together)—very filling.  It is popular enough.
It is very rare that you will find anything with pork or beef, due to religious restrictions of most people in India (Hindus don’t eat beef, and Muslims don’t eat pork).  Chicken and fish are popular.  BTW, Mangalorean style seafood is popular in Mysore (Mangalore is a city closer to India’s West Coast, a few hours straight West by road of Mysore).  Also, Mysore is starting to get influenced by Kerala style preparations (the Kerala provincial border is about two hours’ drive Southwest of Mysore (Mysore is in Karnataka province).  Kerala style food can still be vegetarian but is unique (primarily for it’s ubiquitous use of coconut as a base for curries and related).

6. There are now several hotels in Mysore.  Many Western chains (US and related).  Some of the ones that are there now are:

a. Radisson Blue
b. Fortune JP Palace
c. The Oberoi
d. various Accor branded hotels (Novotel, Sofitel, Ibis, etc)
e. Sheraton
f. Marriot
g. Intercontinental
h. Iconic Hotel Group

Yeah, some are pricey.  Fortune JP Palace is maybe more budget friendly, much like Ibis.
In February 2024, we stayed at a place called Xcel Luxury Apartments (Apartment Hotel)—in Tilak Nagar section of Mysore City.  It was a nice budget friendly hotel that catered to Westerners (staff spoke excellent English and knowledgeable).  The place was clean (very clean).  We booked it on AirBnB, and it was more of a self-catered apartment, with a functional kitchen.  It was clean.  Yes, there are quite a few AirBnB listings in Mysore now.  Some are quite pricey.
Tilak Nagar is pretty much in the city center.  This is where we stayed.  We were literally within a 10 minutes’ walk from the main Mysore regional bus terminal.  Most of the hotels and Airbnb’s you want to target are in city center.
If you can, get a place in Tilak Nagar of Mysore, as most everything you want to see is close by.
Mysore is walkable, though at times the traffic is chaotic (use the tuk-tuk if you are concerned).

7. In Mysore itself they have added a few things…rather one thing.  They cleaned up a reservoir for holding water, and made it a nice, preserved area and park now.  It is called Karanji Tank Lake.  It has some recreational areas for boating (kayaking), and related, along with some trails.  It is easily accessed from the city center.  Get a tuk-tuk or Uber to take you there.

8. Regarding getting in and getting out of Mysore.  You have more options now.

Mysore has a domestic airport now, just outside of the city.  They have yet to get international connections, but they have domestic air connections.  The most frequent right now is on IndiGo Airlines India LTD from Hyderabad Airport.  Indigo Airlines leaves a lot to be desired, but it is perhaps okay for domestic flights.  It is located about 7 kilometers outside the town (to the South).  They are working to get international capability at this airport

You can still fly into Bengaluru/Bangalore International Airport (Kempe Gowda International Airport), and they have many flights, international, from most places.  You can get connections from many places.  In February 2024 I flew to Bangalore from Arizona via San Francisco and Doha (Qatar), on Qatar Airways.  You can also use airlines like Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur, or Emirates from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.  They even have flights to Bangalore from Europe, and elsewhere.

From Bangalore International Airport you can connect to the Karnataka State Regional Transit Company Bus (KSRTC), called the Mysore/Bangalore Flybus (tan colored bus).  It leaves from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 in Bangalore every 45 minutes.  It is an air conditioned, Mercedes or Volvo bus, and is fairly affordable..about US$15-$20 one way.  It arrives at the KSRTC Bus Stand in central Mysore in about four hours from Bengaluru Airport.  The highway from Bengaluru to Mysuru is a modern, controlled access, interstate type, highway.  This bus has its own dedicated bay at the KSRTC Bus Stand in central Mysore.  It is very comfortable.  Be sure to pre-book this online if you can, as seats get sold on this pretty quick.  The bus usually leaves for Bangalore airport with every seat sold out of Mysore at peak times.  It is very popular.  Most of the people using the bus are tourists, or those traveling on business.

9. The University of Mysore has just grown over the years.  Mysore is a university town, with the University of Mysore being a renown place to study.  It attracts foreign students, and local students.  The university has just grown and gotten bigger.  Many of the buildings in the city center are now part of the university.

10. Regarding the Mysore Palace being lit up at night.  It now is only done once a week on a Sunday night.  It is packed with people now waiting for the event each time it occurs.  It used to be done nightly in the past.

11. Last few comments:

a. Climate change is affecting Mysore and surroundings.  Mysore is getting hotter, and drier.  Less rain then in the past.  So certain things in Mysore will be affected due to less water.  Not bad yet, but I have seen some things.  Krishna Raja Sagar/Brindavan Gardens is closed at times because of near drought conditions affecting the Cauvery River and water (not enough water for the water fountains and such).

b. Quite a few of the admission tickets now are paid via an app on your smart phone (no physical cash payment).

c. Mysore is now potentially attracting too many tourists.  It is now among the most visited areas in India after Delhi-Jaipur-Agra.  Mysore Palace is now, by numbers of tourists, the 2nd most popular tourist destination in India.  Almost every place is now crowded.  If you want a chance now in some places, this means showing up at 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning when they open the door.  Don’t listen to locals and wait until after 12:00 Noon.  Verify the opening times and show up when they open.

Add to it that Mysore is now slowly attracting technology workers and companies away from Bangalore, and elsewhere (Bangalore is still the premier technology center in India, but it is fully saturated, and there is “nowhere else to grow”).  Mysore is becoming the 2nd hub for Karnataka for technology workers.  There are data centers and related going up in Mysore (rather than Bangalore).  Mysore’s proximity to Bangalore is perhaps part of it.  Mysore is also starting to be a “bedroom community” for Bangalore, as it is just 50 minutes in the commuter train to Bangalore, depending upon where they must report for office.

So, Mysore is experiencing “growing pains”.  It was once a pensioner’s paradise, religious pilgrimage center, and old royal city.  It is now adding technology city and bedroom community to the list of things to describe it.

It used to be quiet, and calm.  It still is relatively calmer and less chaotic than other Indian cities.  However, it is getting busier now.  It is getting more gentrified…growing pains.

Who knows…perhaps in another 10-15 years I will asking you to do an episode on Hasan or Srirangapatnam (where the Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace is located), and with no mention Mysore or Bangalore.  Both of those towns are now starting to be “construction zones” with new buildings going up everywhere.  Hasan is “gunning” for its airport to be developed next (after Mysore).  Srirangapatnam is too close to Bangalore or Mysore for its own airport.

Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bangalore is slated to reach full capacity in 2028, well ahead of schedule.  It was designed with the expectation to reach full capacity by 2035.  The area around the airport, once open fields, originally away from the main city of Bangalore, is now a bustling small city in its own right (with all the urban issues that come with it).  Devanahalli Village, where Bengaluru’s Kempe Gowda Airport is located, is effectively a city (no longer a quiet “village”).  The local residents are not necessarily happy, but are learning to live with it…even the farmers.

Rahul Iyer

@kumar

1) As far as the height above sea level, yes it is high. When comparing it for people in the USA, the closest analogy for them would be Denver (Colorado). That is what I was eluding to. We need to explain things in terms that people understand, and we need to explain it in a context.

2) Though my name is definitely Tamil (not Kannadiga)–adopted surname is “Iyer”, my mother, my grandfather, and many of my aunts were born and raised in Mysore. My mother is not an Iyer, and not a Kannadiga. My mother, if you want to call it anything, is an Iyengar. Mysore is becoming very cosmopolitan, and there are many people of different backgrounds. For the record, my family has been in the Mysore area since the 1940s at a minimum. My grandfather (mother’s father) moved to Mysore from Jamnagar. My grandmother (mother’s mother) is from Srirangam (closer to Chennai).

The name of Iyer, my adopted surname, I get from my father, who traces his roots to Kanniyakumari. He is Tamil. He is Iyer. I was born in Chicago. You have many people like this.

As far as the language issue, you will find that many people who are American who do not know the language of their ancestors. It does pain me that I fall into that group. The questions and concerns raised are as follows:

1) Which language do you suggest I learn? Kannada and Hindi (what my mother speaks), Tamil (what my father speaks), Malayalam (what my father and his family speaks), or Vietnamese (what my wife and my in-laws speak)?

We live in this world where many people marry people of different backgrounds. This is the new world. Within my family (extended family) I have relatives who speak, English, Coorgi (Kodagu, Karnataka), Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, French, Slovak, Norwegian, Marathi, German, Arabic, Afrikaans, Swahili, Dutch, Flemish, Khmer, Thai, Lao, Fujian Chinese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and even Russian. Additionally, religion is quite diverse amongst all of them relatives. All of them work and live in the various countries where the languages mentioned are a necessity. So, what does that make me? This is the new world we live in. My family is the “United Nations”. The common language is English.

The language skills that I have acquired (strategically) are English (my native language), Spanish (I live in Arizona USA), and Vietnamese (I am married to a Vietnamese woman for 20+ years and share a life with her).

I am still Hindu. My wife is still Roman Catholic. I would not have it any other way. My wife speaks Vietnamese, Japanese, and English (she is learning Spanish).

People adapt and make things work. You choose what matters to you in your life. I have made my choices. BTW, I am a world traveler (not just India).