Lions and Tigers and Bears... and Shrines!

Sunday in Bangalore was my day to go sight seeing on an official site seeing tour around Bangalore. This was offered by the K.S.T.D.C, the tourism branch of the government here. I opted for the all day tour, which covered "new" Bangalore. It departed from downtown at 7:15 AM and was due to return at 8:00 PM (but never made it back... read on).

Our first stop was Sri Radha Krishna ISKCON Temple, which was impressive. No shoes allowed inside, so we were made to walk barefoot from the bus across the streets and sidewalks to get to the bridge that takes you. No cameras are allowed inside either - we checked those at the gate (where we could have also checked our shoes - not sure why we had to remove them on the bus). You climb several terraces of the temple, each with different shrines and incense burning, until you get to the top. The top most temple was fascinating. There were hundreds of people singing the Hare Krishna mantra to music (there was a small group playing music and singing over the microphone). The people in the temple were laughing, jumping, and singing to the music in a semi-organized way (kids were pushing each other in good natured slam dancing). Picture of the outside of that temple below (shamelessly stolen off the Internet, I did not take my own picture here).

I also had a breakfast of spicy spring rolls sold at the temple and served on big leaf (I have been told this is very common). When in Rome... It was good, but kind of strange to have as a breakfast item:

From there, we proceeded to Sri Raja Rajeshwari Temple which is a Hindi temple. Again, no shoes or cameras in the temples. Another barefoot walk across the street, but I brought my camera. I did not take pictures IN the temples, as I understood that was the rule, but I did take pictures on the grounds (later learning that was taboo as well - sorry!). These are beautiful, ornate buildings and I wished I had brought my "real" photography stuff (polarizing lens, tripod, monopod, zoom, etc.). Pictures below of this temple:

After the temple, we went to a tourist trap, Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, where I bought a small gift and shirt for myself (very inexpensive compared to US prices). I am saving my rupees for Mysore next weekend which I understand is cheaper and better selections for sandalwood and other handicrafts.

After the shop, we made our way to Bannerghatta National Park, which worth the price of admission to the whole tour. We took the "Grand Safari" where we climbed into a bus covered in chain link fence (with small holes in the windows to take pictures) and off we went into the park. We saw lions and tigers and bear (oh my required here) and deer and owls. The animals were loose, so we could have reached out and touched them through the windows of the bus if we were interested in loosing our arms to them. I have been to tons of zoos, but never been where the animals come up to you (or sit near you). It was a lot of fun. I got the "American" treatment on the safari bus, which was the front seat and someone pointing out all the animals to me (in exchange for tip later, which proved to be quite excessive). Even with the tip rip-off, it was still well worth it to see. Pictures below:

From here, we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. I am sure they had a deal with the tour operators, but it was not a bad place at all. Open front with tables and fans. They had a very large menu, of which they were out of most everything, so I settled for noodle and vegetable spring rolls which were tasty (and safe being deep fried). Spring rolls seem to be popular here.

Next stop was the HAL aerospace museum. Having been to Wright-Patterson and the Smithsonian, I was more interested in the setting than the planes, which was very garden like. I took some pictures of flowers, etc.

Our last stop was the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. The program was about fireworks in the sky and covered meteors, comments, and the life and death of stars. It was done in native speaking English (the defacto International Language), and was interesting and very well done.

From there we were supposed to go the the musical fountain and art museum. Everyone got on the bus and after a couple of minutes, the operator got on and said something in Hindi and people started drifting off the bus. Thinking he said we were going to wait a few minutes longer, I elected to sit on the bus. Eventually the bus driver said, "You can go now, please". Evidently, they were tired of doing the tour so just decided to end it here instead of going on to the next place! I got off the bus and called the hotel who sent a car for me, but it took 40 minutes. While I was waiting, I enjoyed my celebrity status as the only Anglo around. A lot of people stared and one little kid with his family pointed at me. He gave me a hesitant wave and I smiled and waved back. He got a huge grin and started talking excitedly to his family who all smiled at me. I guess I am repairing our national reputation one smile at a time.