"Yatrigan Kripya Dhyaan De" is normally the start of the announcement in Indian Railway stations which has a very nostalgic feeling to it. Sunday I traveled to Mysore on a train after a long time. Actually, I did travel with kiddo in Dec but that was unplanned and for fun. This trip on Sunday was business and we wanted to go by train. I was knackered with all the driving and late-night events in the office and did not have any energy to drive to Mysore. TBH, no one has the patience to drive to Mysore and return given the road construction and bumper-to-bumper traffic, it takes 4-6 hrs on the way back.
We started from home at 5.30am and managed to park the bike in the station and catch a delayed 6 am train. It was more crowded than expected we did have enough seats to sit. We could not wait for the train to leave thanks to the stick of loo in the railway station, one thing I absolutely hate about the Indian railway system. We got to get better at it and make it cleaner for passengers. Once the train left the station, it was good. The weather was pleasant and after Kengeri, it caught speed. Early morning trains do not have to deal with the traffic and we did manage to reach Mysore by 8.30am which is pretty fast. There were not many food vendors which was a shame and we landed proper hungry.
The initial plan was to visit Mylari for an awesome breakfast but now that we reached 1 hr early, we thought of visiting Chamundi Hills (which is like a ritual for most of my visits to Mysore, it is one place I feel at home and peaceful). A 10 min auto drive got us to Mylari which was surprisingly free and we finished the usual benne dose and idly breakfast in 20 mins. 5 mins away was the bus stop and we got the bus to the hills through a beautiful road. Thanks to some government official visit we were held up in a queue (even if we went for the special darshan) but once we got moving we were out in 20 mins. The walk through the temple is divine, the cool breeze adds to it. We were back at the apartment in 30 mins and finish the discussion. Strangely we were done by 1 pm and were ready to return.
I did have a craving for some good mutton biryani. After coaxing a friend to join us for lunch, we queued up in RRR. The food was piping hot and awesome to taste. As usual, I ended up overeating but had no regrets, it was worth it. We were dropped at the station and got a good longer seat to put our feet up and relax. The train left at 3.15 and dropped us in Bangalore before 6pm. It was so relaxing I managed to read half of the book and caught a nap also. We did have many food vendors but thanks to the heavy lunch, there was no appetite. I still managed to visit Gullus and Chetty's corner for some chat, lassi, yummy bun gulkan before reaching home at 7 pm 😆
The whole day was so relaxing and we squeezed in so much without being rushed. Felt like someone was planning the perfect timing for us as we did not wait anywhere. The only downside was the heat which did make us feel drained but constant eating made up for it 😂 There was no way we could have done this if we drove (the traffic would have made me cranky and forget relaxing on the road as you have to be super attentive). This reminded me of all the long beautiful train journeys from the past, especially in the 90s to Delhi, Varanasi, Chandighar, etc. One of my most memorable journeys was to a place called Thalaguppa near Shimogga on a Bus train (a story for another day). Every station was different with changes in clothes, food, beverages, etc. And the people you meet, the food you eat, makes it even more special. I do not know if any other form of travel could have that impact.
After the train experience, I tried my friend's powerful 310 cc BMW engine TVS bike yesterday. It was an awesome drive and you could feel the kind of power generated. I would have loved to have something like that 20 yrs back for my bike trips to Ooty or Munnar. Somehow that touch has gone and I was not able to enjoy the bike ride home and back to the office. I was scared to go over 60 (it is probably the age factor 😅) and the bike was underutilized. Looks like my biking days are over or speed bikes are not my thing anymore 😌
I just wish we all can take more time off and go on train journeys instead. The journey itself is so relaxed, it makes the entire trip fun and chilled. I would love to explore India on a train, it is the best way to travel and get a feel for the place you visit. Imagine North-East during the rains and you having a hot cup of masala tea on a slow-moving train, I think I will leave you with that image. May Peace be the journey 😇
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