Lockdown week 16

It is now day 111 of the lockdown in India. Cases across the country are rapidly increasing with India now having the third highest number of cases in the world but the number of deaths is far lower than in other badly affected countries. Although there is a high number of cases is about to reach 800,000, the infection rate is relatively low when calculated per head of population as the country has over a billion people.

This week I left Coorg and relocated back to Mysore. I was sad to leave the Manyana hostel after more than 3 months in the hills but the timing is good the heavier monsoon rains have started. The rain has been almost continuously over the past two weeks with only the occasional 15 minute break when the sun sometimes breaks through briefly. The rains have made drying clothes almost impossible even when hung inside. The humidity means that clothes were often even more wet in the morning than when hung up in the evening. The only way to dry clothes is to hang them out during the brief periods of sunshine. These kept Ramji and I busy running in and out every time the sun appeared before it started raining again.

The hostel owners arrived on Tuesday from Bangalore to start closing up the hostel for the rest of the monsoon season. They took down all the pictures, curtains and roll up the floor coverings and removed the electrical items to prevent them getting damaged by the dampness. When I started to pack I already found mildew growing of the surface of my bags and also on my bikers jacket which I hadn’t used for 3 months.

It was fun spending the last few days with the owners Meghna and Pawan. Meghna runs a cafe in Bangalore and is a great cook. She made various traditional foods for me to try which was washed down with Indian wine, beer and rum. One of the tastiest snacks was made from lotus leaves and a chickpea paste served with fresh green chillis.

I was sad to say goodbye to the neighbours who came to see me in evenings for a chat and we all exchanged numbers of keep in touch. I also said goodbye to the cats. Earlier in the week the kittens were rehoused with families in the neighbouring villages. The mother cat and the older son will be looked after by the neighbours while the hostel is closed.

Meghna and Pawan kindly offered to follow me in the car as I rode my bike to Mysore. This was so they could help me if I encountered any police checkpoints as we left Coorg as movement between districts is now restricted. Fortunately their help was not required and we made the journey to Mysore in just under 3 hours. I was also lucky with the weather as we left Madikeri in fine drizzle and mist and as soon as we reached the Kushalanagar (the gateway to Coorg) the skies cleared with the lower altitude and there was no rain all the way to Mysore.

I arrived at my new accommodation at just after 1 pm. The Laika heritage stay is located on a quiet side street set within a large garden. It is a beautiful property and I’ve really landed on my feet again.

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The property is run by the same owners as the Mansion Hostel which I previous stayed at in Mysore back in March. I contacted the owners to ask if I could stay at the Mansion but they said the hostel had to close due to the lack of tourists. However, they offered that I could stay at the Laika Heritage stay as they had just converted one of the rooms into a dormitory and so I could stay in luxury for the price of a hostel! My dorm has it’s own private terrace looking onto the back of the garden.

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It is great to be around people again. There are a few long term guests at the property and others who come to stay for a few nights but so far I have the dormitory to myself. The other long-term guests are in a similar position to me in that they have a limited visa extension and so are waiting for international flights to resume.

The Laika has a wonderful cook who makes my breakfast, lunch and dinner. The meals are traditional home cooked food and it is some of the best food I’ve had in India. The food is so good I keep forgetting to take pictures and it is all gone once I remember!

There are still a relatively low number of covid cases in Mysore and so tourism is still open in the city. I’m able to walk around the neighbourhood as the streets are very wide and buildings spread out so it is easy to socially distance. The heritage stay is in one of the old quarters of the town about a 15 minute walk from Mysore palace. There are many old buildings in the area but main of them are in disrepair as it is too expensive for the owners to maintain. It is a shame to see some of the old buildings being torn down but it is cheaper to put up a new build than it is to restore the old buildings.

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One striking feature of the neighbourhood is the number of cowes walking the streets. Cowes are sacred in India and so the locals feed the cowes with left over vegetables and food waste. In the mornings you see the cowes roaming from house to house waiting to see if any food will be brought out to them. It is a good way of disposing of waste food!

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During the main lockdown many people brought food locally from the street stalls rather than visiting the crowded markets. While walking there were still many street vendors walking the streets selling vegetables.

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Mysore is a very green city wide tree lined avenues. The temperature is a warm 29 oC with only one or two brief monsoon showers a day.

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It city is a haven for wildlife with monkeys roaming the streets. In the Laika garden I see a wide variety of birds, squirrels and yesterday two large bright yellow dragon agamas crossed the lawn to climb one of the large nearby trees.

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I’m not sure how long I will stay in Mysore as it depends on when international flights resume which the government has indicated could be the end of the month. However, I’m more than happy to chill out here and live the life of luxury while I wait.