INDIA & BANGLADESH 2014: 16 From Pune to Hassan, India

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The car was parked on the street four stories below our window. I could see Igbal very early out cleaning it. When asked why he was so early, it dawned on me that when he said he would be at the hotel if we needed him he had been sleeping in the car. I wrongly assumed there were rooms for drivers. The car has bucket seats front and back, so it would be like sleeping every night in economy class on a plane without a nearby toilet! It would seem reasonable to provide a bed to ensure the person who has to make split second decisions while fighting through incredible traffic gets a good night's rest, not to mention the safety aspect.

After a fond farewell to Igbal at the airport, we passed through tough security to board our Jet Airways flight to Bengaluru, formerly Bangalore. Last week the name changed officially, which seems a bit ridiculous considering the cost business and government in reprinting addresses! Airports have been very good, and today's was no exception. The "free lunch" policy on Jet is now in effect, so a sandwich, cake and a bottle of water were provided on the one hour flight. On both flights we had an empty seat between us for comfort. Praveen, our latest driver, drove to Mangalore from Bengaluru and will be with us until we board the train there.

At the very nice Gateway Hotel our room was upgraded and very nice. Internet is high priced – about $12 per day, but the hotel has a comfortable lounge where we had drinks and a dinner of fresh caught king prawns.

Mangalore, a major seaport in Karnatica State, has a metropolitan population of about 700,000. The old river port is used by fisherman and a new container port has been built outside of the city. It is situated where the large Netravati and Gurupura rivers join at the Arabian Sea. It is an old city, mentioned in early Greek writings. It was ruled by a Buddhist king from the 3rd century BC, then after a number of changes was taken by Portugal in 1526. It was torched by Arabs in 1695 for restricting trade, then the Portuguese lost it to the King of Mysore in 1763. The British East India company took it in 1768, but it was retaken by the son of the King of Mysore in 1783, then returned to British rule from 1784 until independence in 1947. It was voted the 8th cleanest city in India, and shows it, a huge surprise as I expected a dirty tropical seaport.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

We met Praveen at 8:30 and he said our guide coming by train from Mumbai wouldn't arrive until 10 AM. He'd had a terrible night - it was stifling hot, but if he opened the windows mosquitos swarmed in, including the malarial variety. This business of not paying drivers the pittance required for a room is nuts!

We decided to start seeing things without a guide, so Praveen suggested the nearby fish market, where dozens of deep sea fishing boats were unloading every imaginable form of seafood. One fellow was weighing the most enormous prawns I've ever seen, but the brainwave to buy a dozen and have the hotel chef cook them came too late, they had left for market. Fishermen and buyers were very friendly, encouraging photos with their catches.

The guide was still not available, so we drove to the Sultan's Battery, a small fort built to keep unfriendly ships from travelling up the Gurupura river. Once with the guide we drove an hour and a half to visit The Temple of 1,000 columns, a Jain Temple in bad state of repair with far fewer than 1,000 columns! The grounds were overgrown, floors dirty, and garbage was strewn around the outside – I'd say not worth a three hour return trip.

Another 20 minutes away was the giant monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali, a local prince, which was built 1432 on a hilltop. It is 42 ft. (13 meters) high, carved out of one piece of stone showing him in glorious nakedness, fully anatomically correct. A sect of the Jains are nudist. The religion dates to the 6th century. Another Jain temple built in 1586 could be seen below from the top of the hill the statue is perched upon.

Once back in the city we went to the Jesuit St. Aloysius Gonzala church and school. The church is a masterpiece of artwork, painted in only 2 ½ years. The ceilings, walls, every blank surface, are covered by beautifully done religious paintings – and it is not a small building. The school itself has 14,000 students in all levels of education, from grade 1 to university. Class sizes can be up to 90 students. While it is run by Jesuits, it is open to all religions. Teaching is in English. This is the only Christian Church I've been in where it was necessary to take my shoes off.

Back at the hotel we inquired about inexpensive accommodation for drivers, and were told there was a hotel nearby that charges 300 rupees (about $5) for a room for the night. We asked Praveen if he would say there if we paid, and he was quite enthusiastic, so we sat with our hotel's hospitality manager who quickly made all the arrangements. While it may be looked upon as a good deed, it is also self preservation. We have a long drive tomorrow and it would be madness to have a driver who has had no sleep for two nights!

A fabulous dinner at the hotel was in the bar, as the restaurant air conditioning was set to sub zero temperatures. It consisted of a squid appetizer, then six king prawns each, all fresh from the fish dock and done to perfection.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Praveen was telling us the Intercity Hotel he stayed in last night was perfect. The cost with tax was 330 rupees ($5.41) for a single room with ceiling fan, TV and a bathroom. He got some sleep, but the question is why don't companies pay a small but vital expense like this?

The start time was 8 AM, as it is a driving day that began on good 4 lane toll road, then deteriorating into terrible road as it twisted upward into the mountains. This is the main Bengaluru to Mangelore road, which will close December 1 for a rebuild. Once in the mountains we drove through miles of coffee plantations, rubber plantations and cardamon farms.

We arrived at the Hoysala Village Resort, near Hassan, in pouring rain, so left the luggage in the car until after lunch when it stopped. The food was great, and we had a private villa a fair walk away from the restaurant and lounge area.

Our luck held, as the rain quit once our guide arrived, so we drove a little over half and hour to the huge Temple Belur, where the sun came out. This was built in 1121 out of soapstone in the shape of a five pointed star, engraved with thousands of intricate animals and life sized people or gods in many poses and activities. Entire armies are cut into carved bands around the hundreds of meters of exterior walls. It was something to see!

Another drive took us to the walled Halebid Temple, where the high, ornate entrance gate is covered with scaffolding for repair. It was shoes off to even enter the large courtyard, so I declined as the ground was wet and I was in shoes and socks. For temple viewing some type of flip flops or plastic sandals would be a good idea! Marilynn said it was very beautiful, but not up to the standard of the Belur one. After that it was back to the hotel for a reasonable dinner.