A short trip from Bengaluru to the cleanest city in India, Mysore

It was a long weekend and we decide to explore Mysore since we had heard so highly of the city. We booked a self drive car from Rev and set off on our joyful vacation. We started early at around 6 am to avoid the dreadful Bangalore traffic and reached Mysore at around 9.30 am. We then checked into our hotel, The Radisson Blue Plaza Hotel which is easily one of the best hotels in Mysore. Standing tall against the magnificent backdrop of Mysore,this hotel can be easily misunderstood as a palace or a fort. Located in the heart of the city, you can find all the five star facilities here be it the multi-cuisine restaurant, pool , coffee house ,recreational rooms or a functional bar. You may want to aim for the rooms with a mountain view!

After we had completed, the check in formalities, we quickly changed into something comfortable and headed out for the local sightseeing. First on our bucket-list was the Mysore zoo. They say that this is the best zoo in India; It is huge, well-maintained and has almost all the animals/birds you can think of! As soon as we entered the Mysore zoo, the first thing that caught our eyes was the sight of the beautiful giraffes eating leaves from the trees. The zoo seemed extremely clean. Since the zoo is huge, spread across almost 160 acres, we decide to take the buggy ride around the zoo instead of exploring the zoo on foot.This was our first zoo visit in about a decade and it made us so nostalgic and brought back a lot many childhood memories!

In the afternoon, we were hungry and headed out to the Nazarbad area for lunch. There is this old eatery called Mylari serving piping hot authentic dosas which is very famous. They have only 4 items on their menu (2 types of dosas ,idly and a sweet dish) but it remains crowded all the time. You may have to wait in long queues during weekends! After lunch,we went back to the hotel to rest a bit since the evening was reserved for something exciting.

In the evening, we headed out to see the light and sound show at the one and only,Mysore Palace. Mysore palace doesn't need no introduction, the light & sound show however is the highlight!, One that you should not miss! This show is organised from 7 PM to 8 PM on all days except Sundays and general holidays and is priced at Rs 50 for adults. You need to reach the place at least 15-20 minutes before to grab the tickets. The palace was located at a 5 mins distance from our hotel and so we decided to take the horse-cart ride to the palace. It was a lot of fun!!

After the show ended,we had a quick dinner at Sapa, which is a bakery known for its cool ambiance, outdoor seating, and mouthwatering eclairs, tarts, donuts and tea cakes before returning back to the hotel. We went to bed early as we had to get up really early the next day to catch the famous Kukkarahalli breakfast!

Next day we got up at 6 and headed to the Kukkarahalli lake for its renowned breakfast. Every city has it's popular morning traditions, Mysore too has its share of them. A delicious one though seems to be that of going for a long walk around Kukkarahalli lake, followed by steaming hot breakfast at food rikshaws, the likes of Upahara Darshini (Deepu Gaadi) that serve thatte idlis and set dosas and the famous filter coffee at Mysore Kaapi.

Once,we had a heartful breakfast, we set out to explore the local spots in and around Mysore.

These are the things that you can pick from -

1. Jagmohan Palace(Art Gallery)

2. Statue of Mahishasura Maharaja Main Palace

3. St. Philomena's Roman Catholic Church

4. Tippu Fort

5. Tippu's Death Place

6. Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple

7. Krishnaraja Sagar Dam(KRS)

8. Brindavan Garden (Illuminated)

We however could cover only the Jagmohan Palace and the Brindavan gardens. The Jagmohan palace is beautifully done with intricate carvings but what drew our attention was the art gallery there. There are more than 2000 paintings present in the gallery by renowned artists like Raja Ravi Varma. The art gallery is open to visitors on all days from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Tickets are available till 5 p.m and is priced at Rs 20 for adults.

The Brindavan garden on the other side charmed us with its natural beauty, resembling the Shalimar gardens of Kashmir.The garden is located 24 kms from the main city. After having our lunch at Hotel RRR which is famous for its biryani and mom veg dishes, we hired a taxi to the gardens. We reached there by 6 pm and by then the garden fountains were already illuminated mesmerizing all the visitors. It's a huge garden divided into many parts and also has a children's park. The entry is priced at Rs 15 per adult.

From the gardens,we decided to go back to the main city and enjoy some mouthwatering street food at the Chamrajpura food street. This is open from 6 am to 9.30 pm. and is a must must visit. The dry gobi at Usman's were heavenly-Crispy, deep fried, served with mint chutney!! What else do you need? You can also visit the Mysuru Dolphin, where you can binge on your favourite food in a double decker bus! It is popular for its bakery products and snacks.

We were on a very tight schedule and couldn't extend our stay for the third day as we had to head home but if you decide to stay over, you can plan to trek to the Chamunda hills . Alternatively, you can also visit the Madumulai or Bandipur national park. These two places are still on my checklist and we plan to cover it the next time we are in Mysore!

The Benjabi recommendation:

1. Visit the original Mylari for their celebrated masala dosa

2. The Mysuru zoo is so much fun and exceeded my expectations from an Indian zoo!

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-By The Benjabi Affair

A Bengali girl and a Punjabi boy having found their common love for travel