Final Installment

Heading home in 5 more big sleeps. although we are pretty excited about returning, South India continues to enchant us.
Presently in Mysore, just returned from a hard day of visiting a Palace of the last Maharaja to govern in Karnataka. The palace is truly a masterpiece designed by Henry Irving of Scotland and consequently all the fittings are from Scottish manufacturers. It is one of the most impressive building we have seen.
Our travels this last week have taken us to rubber plantations to an overnight houseboat stay on the back waters of Kerela with a captain, engineer, and chef for the 2 of us. It will be hard to adjust when we get back home, where the captain will be golfing and the chef will be cooking, cleaning, sewing and otherwise serving the maharaja (who cuts the grass).
Stayed in Fort Cochin on the Arabian Sea. Lots of seafood, yum yum. We were treated to a sumptuous seafood dinner at the Malabar, a very classy restaurant in Fort Cochin. Enjoyed the local ferries across the bay for 2 INR which is 5 cents where we shopped the night bazaars.
The travels through the countryside to Ooty a hill station in the Nilgri Mtn was highlighted by return trip on the Blue Mountain Railroad, a UNESCO Heritage Railway between Ooty and Coonoor. Just visualize lush green tea plantations terraced on the hillsides with quaint villages nestled in palm groves.
We travelled through 36 switch backs as we descended to our next destintation, a jungle safairi camp, Bandipur National Park. Here we relentlesly hunted the evasive tiger and leopard with our camera. Our treat was several herds of wild elephants. Very impressive in the wild. They were dusting themselves after having their daily bath.
Hassan, Bangalore, then homeward bound out of Mumbai.

Merry Christmas,
Alan and Susan