Today was a jam packed day of visiting beautiful sites. We started out the morning at 7:00 AM with a trip up the Chamundi Hill to the temple. It is visited by so many people every day. We had to take our shoes off before entering the temple and walk on ground that was littered with monkey and cow droppings. Everybody was pretty disgusted with the walk. The lines to get into the temple were long, but somehow we got to the front of the line. You were jam packed into this small room with people giving alms to the men taking care of the temple. The idol was drapped in flowers. They treat it as if it were a person. On the way out, there were people touching the backside of the building because the idol was just on the otherside of the wall. There was a monkey sitting on the ledge eating a banana, which was odd to see in the middle of all the people.

We then headed back down the hill, but stopped to see a large statue of a bull. The bull is the transport vehicle of one of the Gods. We also stopped to take pictures of the view of the city. It is a very large city that stretches out for miles. When we arrived at the institute, our instructor was ready to teach us Yoga. We each got a mat and laid them out on the ground. We watched the students first and then he had us mimic them. I had really wanted to do this before he talked about the part of praying to different Gods. Then I realized it was not for me. I pray to Jesus Christ as my one and only God. It was interesting poses and may be good exercise.

The Secretary of the college spoke with us and wanted to know how our visit was going. We told him we were very pleased with everything they have done. They have outdone themselves. Next, we moved onto the Maharaja's Palace. It was unbelievable. The intricate designs, wood carvings, tiles, and gifts from many countries were displayed in elegant grandeur. It is such a contrast to walk from the poor conditions people live in just outside the gates of the palace, to the over abundance of wealth that is obvious as soon as you step in the door. It is interesting that the marble stairs brought me back to my job at the St. Louis County Courthouse. The amount of marble I see on a daily basis lulls you into the state that this is normal. Seeing the marble stairs in a palace setting will make me appreciate the exquiste taste of those that went before me. It will be a reminder of the palace visited in 2008.

I was pleased to visit a Catholic Church built in the gothic style. It was small but well done. It thrills me that Christians can live alongside Hindus and Muslims without strife in a country besides the U.S. There were many bee hives hanging from the outside rafters. They had many shapes and sizes. We then traveled to a summer palace and had lunch on the lawn. They had packed us a lunch, which was well received by the group. We had vegetable cutlets, cheese sandwiches, luke warm french fries, and bananas. We visited the palace, which was much less opulent than the first palace and in much need of repair.

We stopped for tea or a coke on the way back towards the city, which was very much appreciated. Then it was on to the bird sanctuary. This place was nice. We saw lots of birds and fruit bats, but the highlight was a boat ride around the lake with crocodiles resting on rocks and the river bank. It was a little intimidating. We then moved onto the gardens. They were beautiful. A dam was built in the early 1900's, which allowed for the building of this beautiful park. There were water fountains and a view of the lake from the top of the dam. The sun was setting, which added to the beauty of the moment. Thousands of people visit these gardens daily.

It was getting dark and time to head back to the city to view the palace at night. There are around 9,600 light bulbs that are lit on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8pm. We arrived to see the palace lit in all its glory. The palace was lit along with most of the periphrial buildings. It was a wonderful way to end a long day of sight seeing.