Walking in the Nandi Hills
Today we visited the quietest place I have been to in India. The Nandi Hills lie east and north of Bangalore. It is a hill station, a place of sufficient elevation to provide some respite from the heat. At 4500 feet above sea level, I could notice the difference in temperature when we stepped out of the car. I still noticed the humidity, although Jodi sensed it was dryer than Bangalore and Mysore. Yhe weather mixed of sunshine and clouds in equal measure to make for pleasant walking.
From the top of hill, I could see for miles in several directions. To the south, a flat plateau dotted with farms, villages, and towns stretched into the limit of vision. To the north the a series of other hills, mountains really, marched toward the horizon. Near at hand, copses of deciduous trees sheltered us from the sun. Even on the open rock faces, which were a kind of cement looking limestone, cool winds counteracted the rays of the sun.
Monkeys dominate the top of the Nandi Hills. Years of feeding from humans have created a nuisance from them. When we sat on a bench to east some snacks, it took only a few minutes to draw a monkey to us. The fearless creature jumped right onto the bench on which we were sitting and seemed prepared to reach right into my backpack and grab stuff. While it hopped onto the bench, I got up and Jodi fled. I tried to shoo it away, but all it did was open its mouth full of yellow teeth. Snack time was over.
No one at the office was excited about the prospect of visiting the Nandi Hills. Jodi compared it to our own attitude toward visiting the beach back home: it's nearby, we have been there before, and we usually don't desire to go there again. The Nandi Hills, however, are worth at least one visit for travelers. It collects temples, Tipu Sultan era fortifications, and gardens atop a mountain that is part woods and part open rock. We walked quietly among hand holding couples - who varied from “Hotel California” listening people in jeans, to Muslim couples with the women wearing full face veils, and everyone else in between -- and enjoyed the long, calm views.