On various weekends, when we don't have other on-campus responsibilities, SB teachers, staff, and volunteers will occasionally leave campus -- sometimes to run errands (bank, groceries, shopping), sometimes to visit friends or family, and sometimes to travel.
This past weekend fellow volunteer Lori and I took off for a weekend trip to Mysore. My travel guide says, "If you haven't been to Mysore, you just haven't seen South India," and this sentiment is one that I had heard from other travel resources, other travelers, and local Indians alike. So, Mysore-bound we were.
Perhaps at another point I'll write more about the weekend. We had a lovely time. We visited the Maharaja's Palace (and saw an evening light show), wandered Devaraja Market, took a bus-ride up to Chamundi Hill, meandered throughout the city, ate tasty food, did some shopping, and learned a bit more about the silk industry. But on Sunday morning, before we left to return to SB, we went to Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens -- the Mysore Zoo.
One of the things distinctly different between India and the States is the number (and acceptance) of free roaming animals -- cows, goats, chickens, dogs, and monkeys. It's entertaining to me because monkeys aren't an everyday sight in the States. So seeing them roam freely is highly enjoyable. (It's almost like they're really big squirrels. They live in the trees and wander as they please. And for the most part the only people who pay them any attention are white folks visiting from somewhere else.)
At the zoo there are plenty of primates, both those that are caged and free-range. The zoo was also highly entertaining because of their signage. Here you see two pertaining specifically to the monkey population.
Now, about half-way through our zoo walk, we witnessed a bonnet monkey eating an ice cream cone. Oh so much fun! The video is below. What do you think? Don't you want this as part of your everyday life too?! We don't know whether someone gave him the cone or if he stole it. Either way, kinda surreal for this chick who's much more accustomed to squirrels and robins than monkeys. (Sorry that the video is so short. You have to pay a fee to take photographs in the zoo, which I payed, but you also have to pay a separate, higher fee to take video, which I did not pay. I felt guilty taking video -- not that anyone knew or cared. But, as a result, the video is short. But still enjoyable. At least to me.)
(2012.05.01)
This past weekend fellow volunteer Lori and I took off for a weekend trip to Mysore. My travel guide says, "If you haven't been to Mysore, you just haven't seen South India," and this sentiment is one that I had heard from other travel resources, other travelers, and local Indians alike. So, Mysore-bound we were.
Perhaps at another point I'll write more about the weekend. We had a lovely time. We visited the Maharaja's Palace (and saw an evening light show), wandered Devaraja Market, took a bus-ride up to Chamundi Hill, meandered throughout the city, ate tasty food, did some shopping, and learned a bit more about the silk industry. But on Sunday morning, before we left to return to SB, we went to Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens -- the Mysore Zoo.
One of the things distinctly different between India and the States is the number (and acceptance) of free roaming animals -- cows, goats, chickens, dogs, and monkeys. It's entertaining to me because monkeys aren't an everyday sight in the States. So seeing them roam freely is highly enjoyable. (It's almost like they're really big squirrels. They live in the trees and wander as they please. And for the most part the only people who pay them any attention are white folks visiting from somewhere else.)At the zoo there are plenty of primates, both those that are caged and free-range. The zoo was also highly entertaining because of their signage. Here you see two pertaining specifically to the monkey population.
Now, about half-way through our zoo walk, we witnessed a bonnet monkey eating an ice cream cone. Oh so much fun! The video is below. What do you think? Don't you want this as part of your everyday life too?! We don't know whether someone gave him the cone or if he stole it. Either way, kinda surreal for this chick who's much more accustomed to squirrels and robins than monkeys. (Sorry that the video is so short. You have to pay a fee to take photographs in the zoo, which I payed, but you also have to pay a separate, higher fee to take video, which I did not pay. I felt guilty taking video -- not that anyone knew or cared. But, as a result, the video is short. But still enjoyable. At least to me.)
(2012.05.01)
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