In the local dialect, "Apani Dhani" means "Our Hamlet", an affectionate name given to the place by Ramesh C. Jangid, founder of the ecolodge and a pioneer of a form of militant tourism in India, especially in Rajasthan and his own native region of Nawalgarh.  

Get off the beaten track in India with a stay at Apani Dhani Ecolodge

For a lot of travelers in India, New Delhi is the capital of everything that they need to get away from as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the town has some wonderful secrets that I would like to share with you.

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Spices and perfumes, palaces, hills and temples – Mysore is a disconcertingly beautiful microcosm of India.

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One of Mysore's main attractions is its bazaar, where you can haggle for hours on end to obtain spices, incense and even perfumes at ridiculously low prices. In fact, the major perfume makers stock up on basic ingredients and essential oils here. Mysore also has a remarkable palace, and on a tour of its huge rooms I learned the history of those who reigned there in former times and viewed paintings and sculptures from various epochs. Every Sunday, once it gets dark, the palace is illuminated by thousands of lights, offering a spectacle as delightful to travelers as it is to the locals. One final thing I enjoyed was the climb up the hill to look out over the city and explore the temple that dominates the area. It is possible to get there by bus or taxi, but the steps, which few people take, offer the perfect opportunity for a quiet, peaceful walk.

I don't have any extraordinary memories of Mysore. In my opinion, the city isn't very pretty, and I especially remember the car horns, pollution, and horrific traffic in the city center. The major tourist attraction is of course the famous Mysore Maharajah Palace, one of the most beautiful in all of India. I went there for a visit on a Sunday evening, when all the lights shine in an absolutely magical setting. A good memory from <a href="/india/">my stay in India</a>. The city has a world-famous Yoga school, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, where it's very interesting to take a class.

A city in Karnataka in southern India, Mysore is known for its famous palace.

Even if Mysore isn't on everyone's agenda during a <a href="/india/">tourist trip to India</a>, coming here will still be an enjoyable experience. Bags of spices, piles of fresh vegetables, flower garlands, mounds of powdered tikka...The Devaraja Market is a sensory paradise. Go straight to Mysore Palace. Guards and cops everywhere. And photos forbidden inside. The accessible part of Mysore Palace is huge and grandiose. Each room is more luxurious than the one before. A treasure trove of silver, precious stones and rare wood...the property tax must be crippling! But a word about downtown Mysore. I was just as surprised by what I witnessed here. Everyone seemed tense. The drifters and the rickshaw wallahs were unrelenting. I had dealers try to repeatedly push drugs on me. I saw a young junkie, passed out on the sidewalk. No one went to help him. He may have already been dead. No one gave a damn. After having seen such beauty and opulence in the palace opposite, going in to the town was a shocking return to reality.

At 140km from Bangalore, Mysore is home to one of the most lavish Maharajah's palaces in India.

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