On Sunday we had a lovely trip to the Nandi hills. A hilly area about 60km north of Bangalore, the closest hills to the city. We went with Shravan (a friend from AZ) and his wife Sowmya. It was a very windy day and we had a great time flying their kite. Apparently they have taken it on trips all over India and this was the best wind they have had anywhere!
I'm sorry to disappoint, but we didn't climb this one, we drove up to the top and then had a wonder around, flew the kite (with a LOT of interest from the assembled crowd, who didn't seem to quite understand that they shouldn't stand underneath the kite!).
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| The view from Tipu's drop - apparently where he (a Sultan of Mysore) fell to his death. Or maybe not, as many hills claim this! |
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| Trying not to get blown off! |
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| Only the monkeys weren't interested in us |
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| Ben the proud teacher teaching Shravan to loop the loop (even if he was showing off a bit!) |
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| Surprisingly we managed not to get rained on! |
On the way back we had some chad (street food) in a little restaurant which was very tasty (although may have been to blame for some very unhappy tummies for the rest of the week!).
Ben cooling some Indian filter coffee by pouring between steel mugs.
Filter coffee is made by pouring hot milk through coffee grounds.
A selection of chad including Pani Puri (crispy hollow balls, stuffed with spiced potato - add your own sweet and spicy water before eating whole!)
All in all a lovely day out and it was nice to have some local guides we understand!
This week I have started a Calligraphy course, and have booked up a North Indian cooking class for the week after next. So things are getting busier. This weekend we have booked to go on a trek with the Bangalore Mountaineering Club all day Saturday, so looking forward to telling you all about that!
Love to everyone,
Kathryn & Ben
Sounds great apart from the upset tummies. Do you think it was something in the food or the water or drink. In Cambodia and Vietnam other tourists were avoiding ice cubes as they don't tend to be made with bottled water. But we had them and were fine, in fact I think it helped our tummies adapt. Looking forward to jeari g about calligraphy and the trek. Xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn and Ben
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Lovely to see pictures of some familiar places and to hear that the kite is being enjoyed. The apartment looks nice, must be good to have some space to yourselves and feel settled. I found it weird having a driver waiting outside for me but I think being a driver is quite a good job: reasonably paid, nice air conditioned car and don't have to work too hard. I think they get a bit of extra cash by taking you to their friends shops too! Have you had a chance to go to the botanic gardens yet? or to try the different varieties of bananas or the jack fruit? Hope you enjoy the cookery course - I shall look forward to getting some tips. I never did learn how to make dosa. Enjoy exploring. Take care Helen.x