Navratri

Navratri is known as the Festival of the Nine Nights devoted to the worship of the mother goddess, Durga. The Restaurant, Rajgarh at Palm Meadows featured nine nights of different cuisines from around India.
The entrance has various images of the Indian gods, with Ganesh, the Elephant god in the middle.

Sarah stands on the steps leading to the restaurant,

Laundry Service

Sorry for the quality of this picture. If your hotel does not do laundry on premises then it no doubt is sending your clothes to an outside laundry service where your clothes are literally beaten on a concrete station by a man or woman using a large paddle (think cricket bat).

Rupees

Rupees are appreciating in value against the dollar right now. There are firm rules prohibiting taking Rupees out of India. You need to exchange your currency at legitimate currency exchanges and retain the exchange receipts called encashment certificates (good for 3 months). You will need this proof to change your Rupees back to your currency before you leave the country.

Kathakali

Kathakali dates back to the 1500s. The plays usually deal with themes around Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas. Here we attended an outdoor program put on by the Taj Malabar Hotel for the guests. A local artist explained the basic training Kathaklai artists must go through and demonstrated a brief play where Baby Krishna kills the woman who tried to kill him.

Kathakali

More pictures from Palm Meadows

Our stay at Palm Meadows has been a real treat. Other apartments were clean but the common areas left a lot to be desired. Here the facility is kept very clean with constant preventative maintenance and housekeeping. It is quiet compared to other areas. Though the airport is nearby so you do hear the landing planes. You get used to it. Westerners headed for a long-term stay here should check this place out.

Sarah goes shopping

Sarah is finding bargains in Bangalore! Here she is showing off her finds with Chitra and her daughter Niki