Today was our R&R day. Initially we planned to go to Mysore palace at the outskirt of Bangalore. However we received terrible news last night – there will be no entry to the Mysore palace because it was the 10th day of the death of the Mysore king and there will be a grand ceremony. There were mixed feelings from the members. Some of them really wanted to go to the palace while others were glad that they have more time to rest. The plan B was to visit the Bangalore palace which was half as beautiful as the Mysore one but required much less travelling time.
Before setting off, we appointed Rizwana and Alyah as the IC for the trip. Our purpose was to give them a chance to lead the group. They did a head count and gave a very thorough safety brief before setting off. Safety is very important especially when we were going to a touristy area because there might be pickpockets around and also members might stray away from the group.
Upon arrival of the palace we were amazed by the size and architecture. We were equipped with an audio guide and started walking through the palace. The Bangalore palace was initially built as a home but later converted into a palace. The royal family of Mysore actually stayed in this house till the recent demise of the king. Part of the palace was now used for tourist visits while the other parts used for private functions or events.
The rest of the day was spent practising for tomorrow’s Christmas performance as well as do our personal chores. I did my first laundry ever since coming to India. It was definitely not as easy as in Singapore where I just have to put inside the washing machine and let it do the job. Washing was done manually by stepping on the dirty clothes and rinsing with water. Afterwards, I hung the clothes on the clothes line tied between 2 trees. Now after washing, I really appreciate the helpfulness of modern invention and also understand how tough it must have been for my Mum last time.
