Mysore and Beyond

I don't know what Mysore is all cracked up to be--it's just another city, with a beautiful palace in its center, that's fast-paced, chaotic, and dirty. Everyone I've talked to says that Mysore makes their "must-see" list, but honestly I can't figure out why. I guess if you come for the yoga. Mysore is one of India's epicenters for yoga study, but most of the yoga schools are located pretty far outside of town, so I never saw them anyways. One day was more than enough for me.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to make it all the way to Hampi, but its a good 14 hours from here, so we'll see. Today I've seriously re-evaluated my plans for India--I was trying to see way too much in the 3-months I've planned to stay here. My top priorities are to spend 2 weeks studying yoga and meditation, and to do some trekking in the Himalayas. The other stuff I can always come back for. So for the next week or so, I'll be zipping through Hampi and Mumbai, stopping just long enough to rest and get a feel for the place as I work my way to the far north. I don't want to see India from the blur of a bus window, seeing every site recommneded to me just to say that I did it. I want to stop and enjoy, I want to spend more than a night or two somewhere, I want to stop trying to do it all!