thank you to Jony for such a lovely review!
reviews
lovely people, fab reviews
I’m just catching up and responding to reviews on Trip Advisor. Its such a nice job, its actually one of those we should all aim for, a job that’s not a job, because we love it so much. We’ve got exactly that here, whether its welcoming guests, helping them get the best out of Mysore, helping them solve problems (lack of Rupee notes, comes to mind), chatting over dinner, making breakfast and dinner, preparing for new guests, keeping it ship shape, sharing jokes, building bridges across oceans and cultures. super!
Thank you so much to all of you who have left feedback and reviews wherever you’ve done it. Fact is we wouldn’t have been able to create what we have without it, our guests over the years have depended on fair, open and frank reviews. Thank you.
Tibet in a day!
One of the popular places to visit for a day, from Mysore, is the Tibetan Settlement of Bylakuppe near Kushalanagar. A great friend of Manjula and Stephen’s is Ani Samten, originally from the States she is a Buddhist nun (that’s what Ani means) who’s lives at a Monastery in the settlement.
Some of our guests have been really lucky to be able to meet up with Ani and get a personal tour!
Let’s hear from Ani Samten herself about that very tour.
“One of my fave jobs at the monastery is giving tours to visiting foreigners.
We have our original, traditionally built/decorated temple, a new temple under construction, an incense-making factory and a statue maker.
I’ll take you on a virtual tour, in the same order I take visitors, starting with the old temple.
Welcome to Drikung Kagyudpa Monastic Institute, known as Kagyu Gonpa in the settlement.
Everyone enters through the main gate. The original temple is up the steps, in the background
The double entry door to the temple.
Notice the rich, vivid colours and how every surface is painted…often in a different colour.
In Tibet, where the landscape can be so stark/barren, it is amazing to see richly painted temples such as this emerge over the crest of a hill.
Inside the shrine room.
As in most temples in Tibet, every inch of wall space is painted/covered with thangkas, wall hangings of deities/lamas painted on canvas and framed in brocade.
Left rear is a throne for HH Dalai Lama. Rear of the room is a huge, red Buddha Amitabha statue, encased in glass. To the left of the statue is a photo of our lineage head.
Two of the three drums used in our ceremonies are in the photo, as are both types of cymbals. Three types of horns are used in our ceremonies, but none are in this photos.
A huge thangka of Buddha Amitahba in his Pure Land.
Buddha Amitabha is the Buddha of Infinite Light, and very important to the Phowa practice. Phowa is the transference of consciousness at the time of death. Our lama, H E Choeje Ayang Rinpoche, is a Phowa master.
The two black items are two of the very long horns used in our ceremonies. They telescope out to be very long when used
On the table in front of the horns is tsog (blessed food) offering, which will be distributed to the monks and lay people after the tsokpa (prayer service).”
Do check Ani’s facebook page to contact her and for more details of her life here in India
If you’re fortunate there may the opportunity to meet up with Ani if you choose to visit the Tibetan Settlement. For details of how to contact Ani and to arrange a day trip to the Settlement where you’ll also find: the Golden Temple, other monasteries, Thangka, carpet and prayer flag workshops. shops in Camp One and restaurants for Tibetan meals.
Farrell Factoid
It isn’t admissible to stay after dark in the settlement without a Goverment pass (takes ages) but its prefectly possible to visit for a day trip either from Mysore or Coorg (its just on the edge of Coorg). We can arrange a taxi and if you wish to stay overnight (nearby) we can suggest places.
Do check the map of the settlement drawn by one of our previous guests to help you find your way around.
Ani doesn’t charge for her tours but I’m sure a donation to her work at the Monastery would be appreciated.
Do be sure to check out the workshop where they make the statues, it’s one of my personal favourites.
Top Tips
Number One
It always takes longer than you expect!
You’ve decided to visit India, maybe for the first time. Although regular travellers, including myself, make exactly the same mistake, of not accounting for the fact that everything takes longer. Its all part of the challenge.
To have decided to come here you’ve already been on a sort of journey. You’ve had to reject some of the lurid tales, the negative publicity, the lack of decent information coming from the authorities.
We know its going to be challenging in one way or another but we also know its going to be immensely rewarding.
Its going to cost a fair amount just to get to India. If we’re lucky we’ve managed to get plenty of time to be here but its such a big, varied, fascinating place, there is the tendency to try and fit in too much, however much time you have!
The one thing we sometimes forget in our enthusiasm is it always takes longer to do ANYTHING in India! Whether its travelling from A to B, getting a SIM card, ordering a meal (sorry sir we don’t have that), booking things when they don’t accept a foreign debit card, reserving a train journey (online) when you have to register with your passport details and sometimes a local phone number. It can all seem both complex and transient.
You’re now on shifting sand.
Its always useful to remember that these things are part of your experience, but it must be said, that it mostly takes longer than you expect because there is just so much to do, to take in and to absorb as 
it’s such a wonderfully diverse, idiosyncratic, bonkers place.
So please remember, our number one tip is that when you’re planning your India itinerary:
allow plenty of flexibility as you’ll wish to stay longer in some places,
assume it takes a day to travel between places
you might get tired travelling and it can feel FULL ON, so build in relaxing places where you can get a bit of respite and find the switch off button
its a fascinating place and most people love to get ‘under its skin’ and that means allowing for depth and not just breadth
Because EVERYTHING Takes LONGER than you EXPECT..
Bio note
Stephen is from the UK and has now lived in Mysore for seven years. He continues to visit London to deliver training workshops for business. He knows very very little about lots of things.
Manjula tolerates Stephen
Lucy is sweet.
More details of our life here in Mysore can be found here.
Postcards
We’ve published high quality postcards of scenes from Mysore and Srirangaptnam, many found on our cycle tours. These are available at Mysore Bed and Breakfast and selected local stores including Dhatu near Kalidasa Road.
All our proceeds go to Asha Kirana trust to support their work in their hospital, clinic, through offering ART and outreach work for people who have AIDS or are HIV+
How to get from Bangalore to Mysore
And the other way round!
please remember it always takes longer than you expect and things are differently organised in India.
It can take up to four hours travel time from the airport to Mysore Bed and Breakfast, so be prepared.
Our preference if we just want to get there is a taxi, if it’s for enjoyment, then we catch the train.
Travel from Bangalore.
There are the following options
Taxi pick up and drop. We can arrange a taxi to pick you up, at a competitive price, (starting at 2800 Rs depending on vehicle). Just email Stephen with flight details or where you’d like to be picked up if you’d like to do this.
Flybus direct from the airport to Mysore. Limited times. Check the web for details or to book
Bus (a total of 3), catch the regular bus from the airport to Bangalore centre then bus (shuttle) or auto rickshaw/taxi to satellite bus stand followed by bus to Mysore. Regular times.
Bus to Bangalore centre from the Airport then train.
Train tickets can be bought in advance or within an hour of the journey from the kiosk on the relevant platform (was No. 9) . Journey can take as short as two hours (shatabdi express) or over three hours depending upon the train. Check time on net with make my trip, clear trip or the rail service.
The flights between Bangalore and Mysore airports are, I believe, currently suspended. They are likely to be reintroduced in September 2017 but who knows how long they will last.
All methods are manageable within half a day, the journey takes 3-4 hours plus.
Please note there are pre pay auto rickshaw stands in Mysore at the railway station and bus stand.
Ask Stephen to email details of how to find Mysore Bed and Breakfast.
Travel to Bangalore or Bangalore Airport from Mysore Bed and Breakfast
There are the following options:
Taxi. Vasanth can arrange a taxi, at a competitive price.
The train is probably my favourite (although I mostly use a taxi to and from the airport). The shatabdi has AC chair and is among the quickest. I like standing in the open doorway!
Bus (x2) from Mysore to Bangalore satellite bus stand centre then bus (shuttle) or auto rickshaw/taxi to main bus stand. Regular times. To get to Bangalore Airport requires catching a third shuttle bus from Bangalore centre.
If you really want to bus it, the only really efficient way is on the Fly bus direct from Mysore to the airport. Limited times. Check the web for details of timings or to book
There are currently no flights between Mysore and Bangalore airports. They are threatening to reintroduce them in September 2017 but who knows how long that will last.
All methods are manageable within half a day, the journey takes 3-4 hours plus.
So, what is there to do in Mysore?
How long to stay?
We are asked so often that we thought we’d show what visitors have experienced and thought after staying here.
Our current guests are an English family living in France with mum and dad and two pre teen children. It goes without saying they are a lovely group, gang, team….. They ARE staying here 😉 ALL our guests are great.
They have been here three nights and have covered the following:
Walk up Chamundi Hill followed by dinner in one of our favourite roof-top restaurants Hotel Roopa.
Next day after breakfast at our place, Vasanth in his auto rickshaw took them to the Silk Mill, followed by the Maharaja’s Palace and then the idiosyncratic art gallery at Jaganmohan Palace. Royal Mysore Walks provided a walking tour to introduce the city, market and street food. Dinner was veg Indian feast prepared by Manjula.
On the third day, it was equally packed. Pancakes for breakfast. A MYcycle tour of Srirangapatmam that lasted most of the day followed by late lunch at the riverside restaurant. Vasanth then helped them sort out their bus tickets to travel on to north Kerala on the fourth day.
Their verdict? We’ll let them speak for themselves.
To us, it has reinforced one key fact. They’ve had a wonderful time and managed to fit a lot in during their stay. As with most of our guests they wish to stay longer. Once people spend time here and realise it’s a lovely easy-going accessible city with year-round great weather and much more to do than they first thought, they all feel that. If it was possible to stay (it isn’t) our family might fit in another trip to the island, see some of the local artisans, art museum, sand sculptures, more of the countryside and even do a bit of shopping.
Please note: you can find more details of the highlights listed above in our page of ‘things to do in and around Mysore.’
fond farewells
We absolutely love having our wonderful and diverse range of guests. There’s no continent which hasn’t visited us many times over, except perhaps the Eskimos and Penguins, and their neighbours.
I’m often heard declaring how it’s one of my best jobs ever (except it’s not really a job) because it’s providing great opportunities to engage and communicate with people and one’s input has perceivable impact which we can feel, real results. so it’s Fab.
As a consequence, we make good friends, our family extends and the BnB community grows, and when we say goodbye, so much, it’s sometimes sad.
Yet, you know, we wouldn’t change it.
So thank you to all our wonderful friends.
here’s a few of the over 1700 of them here
more of our guest photos can be found at our photo albums
Art inside the book!
Our guest book is a lovely read. It helps remind us of the startling range of lovely people who have crossed our threshold and brought Wonderful connections into our Mysore life. Well it’s also a hidden source of even more art! Thank you.
We’re all winners now!
Thank you to our wonderful guests for your kind reviews which have helped Mysore Bed and Breakfast become travellers’ choice for 2015!
Manjula's Mysore 