Mysore, Colorful Mysore

Mysore speaks the best through photos. So we'll start out by climbing the 1000 steps to the Sri Chamundeswari Temple. There's a road to the top, but we chose to make the climb with the other good pilgrims. There's nothing like working for your spiritual awakening.

That evening we taxied over to Maharaja's Palace, which was all lighted up for the Dusserra Festival. A couple days later we took a tour of the inside.

The next day was the annual Mysore Parade, which I've heard is the best in India. After a long wait in the sun, we were gratified with painted elephants, dancing girls, firebreathers, and more.

No parade is complete without a tribute to the nation's missile defense system.

The next day we found one of the most colorful and photogenic bazaars that I've seen so far in India.

It was a beautiful holiday, but I found it hard to capture with any meaningful detail partially because I wasn’t very good about writing every day, but even more because I think I was just too happy during those 13 days. There is something to the idea that good writing (which is so much about good observation) is really born out of suffering. With a packed schedule, good food, and excellent company, I really had little time to contemplate the minute details of my experience. I was too busy enjoying it all!