Part 5: India – On The Way Again
October 21, 2005
In June the surgeon gave me 6 – 12 months to live. Now, Oct. 21, there are no signs of tumor or cancer activity. For this I thank God. I believe He is leading me to treatments that enhance my body’s inherent ability to heal itself.
However, my face is still a mess. There are still open sores and I still have to wear the surgical mask across that part of my jaw.
We have finalized our plans to go and live in India for up to a year. We obtained plane tickets to Bangalore for a good price of about CDN$1,600 including taxes from Baines Travel. My disability application was approved, so we will have enough income to support us there. The Indian consulate allowed us to have 1 year medical visas, and we have found a house to rent in Mysore that sounds lovely for a very reasonable amount through Craig’s list (www.craigslist.org). God seems to be pulling everything together.
We leave October 27th.
Singapore
Singapore Airlines flies to Bangalore, the closest international airport to Mysore. The flight was less stressful because they put us up for 24 hours in Singapore at a very nice hotel. We had time to do a little sightseeing and visited the famous Raffles Hotel.
Bangalore, India
We stayed a couple of days in Bangalore to get over the jet lag. That is one crowded, noisy and polluted city! It is not at all the city of gardens that it used to be. But, it is only 130 kilometers from Mysore.
More about Bangalore in Life in India.
By the way, you can avoid Bangalore altogether by taking a taxi directly between the airport and Mysore, but it is the best, most comfortable, and by far the least stressful, way to make the journey. In India, this mode of travel is very affordable.
InformationSatish: cell number: 944-810-1360 – country code 91. We used him on recommendation from a friend.
Hotel in Bangalore: Hotel Vellara, 126 (New no.283) Brigade Road, Opposite Brigade Towers, 80-2536-9116, 80-2536-9205. Double: US$27 or 22 Euros. Ask for an upper floor room off the street. It will be quieter. |
There is a prepaid taxi stand at the Bangalore Airport. A taxi to Mysore will run about 1,300 rupees (about US$30), but it may be more if you arrive late at night, and they may charge you for a round trip. Friends suggested we call Satish, who has cars that travel both ways, and wait for fares going back. He will charge the one-way fare, and will make sure the car has the capacity to comfortably carry everything you have.
The trip took us about 3 hours and was quite pleasant, but the new highway should be open by now, which is supposed to reduce the travel time to 90 minutes. In any case, the driver will stop about half way at a place with a western toilet, if you wish.
It can be less expensive to make the trip by train, especially if you are staying at least one night in Bangalore. Tickets should be purchased in advance to ensure a seat. Paying the service fee of about $3 to a travel agent to get them will save you an hour or so of waiting in line at the train station, which is not air conditioned.
Of the six daily expresses, the Shatabdi Express is the fastest, taking only 2 hours. Getting a seat in a chair car on the others makes the slight additional expense well worth it.
Once you are on the train, it is very interesting and enjoyable, but getting on and off the train is the challenge. Indian train stations are almost always crowded and everyone jams onto the train as fast as possible in order to find places for their many suitcases. If you don’t have many bags, it is best to wait a few moments until the crush abates before finding your reserved seat.
Also, before the train arrives, be sure to show your ticket to a few fellow passengers, train officials and vendors so that you can be fairly certain to be standing approximately where your assigned car will stop. If you have had a porter carry your bags, he will lead you to the right spot. He may even return to put your bags on the train.
For the adventuresome traveler, bus is another way to go between the cities. Make sure you get a Volvo bus or you will be in for a hard, uncomfortable trip on a Tata bus. The Volvo buses are air-conditioned, which keeps out the dust, and the seats are comfortable. Also, because they are a bit more expensive than the Tata buses, they usually aren’t packed to overflowing.
Whichever method suits you, be sure to keep watch for old temple ruins and families of monkeys along the way.
We chose to take a taxi because we had 4 huge bags, and I wasn’t about to fight with train porters and crowds.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
