Sometimes, you don’t need a long vacation to get away.
Sometimes, a train ticket, a little curiosity, and a day with nowhere else to be are enough.
This was one of those days.
8:00 AM — Starting from Majestic#
The day began at Majestic. I took a BMTC bus and made my way towards the railway station.
Breakfast was at A2B near the railway junction. Nothing fancy, just the kind of simple breakfast that feels like the proper beginning to a day of travel.
10:00 AM — The Journey Begins#
The Vande Bharat to Mysore was a pleasant experience.
The train was comfortable, the journey smooth, and there was a different kind of energy all around. People were travelling with purpose, families chatting, some staring out of the windows, others lost in their phones.
For a while, I simply sat there and enjoyed being a passenger.
No driving. No traffic. No destination to worry about.
Just the journey.
12:30 PM — St. Philomena’s Cathedral#
I took a Rapido bike to St. Philomena’s Cathedral.
The cathedral was magnificent. I spent some quiet time there, offered my prayers and thanked God, and then wandered around taking photographs. I also picked up a few souvenirs.
But photographs were not really what I was looking for that day.
The real reason for this trip was much simpler, I wanted to spend some time in prayer and gratitude.
2:30 PM — Towards Chamundi Hill#
From there, I took an Uber Auto to the city bus stand and caught a city bus towards Chamundi Hill.
There was a huge crowd, and getting onto the bus was an experience in itself.
People were trying to find a place wherever they could. Bags and towels appeared through the windows, marking seats before someone else could claim them.
And suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood.
During church festivals, we used to do exactly the same thing—throwing bags or towels through bus windows to reserve seats.
It was funny how a crowded bus in Mysore could bring back a memory from years ago.
Travel has a strange way of doing that.
Chamundi Hill#
The queue at Chamundeshwari Temple was long.
I waited for about an hour and a half before finally getting my turn.
Standing there for so long made me think about something uncomfortable: money alone doesn’t always get you where you want to go. Sometimes, influence and connections can open doors that ordinary people have to wait behind.
But eventually, I got my darshan.
It lasted perhaps a minute.
That’s it.
After waiting all that time, the actual moment was incredibly brief. Yet it was also the whole point of the trip.
I prayed, offered my thanks, and stood there quietly for those few moments.
Sometimes a journey of an entire day comes down to a moment that lasts less than a minute.
And somehow, that minute makes the journey worthwhile.
5:00 PM — Coming Down the Hill#
I took the city bus back down Chamundi Hill.
This time, I got a window seat.
As the bus descended, Mysore slowly unfolded below me. The city looked different from up there—smaller, calmer, almost peaceful.
I just sat by the window and watched.
Walking Through Mysore#
Instead of taking an auto from the city bus stand, I decided to walk the roughly two kilometres to Mysore Junction.
Not because it was faster.
Not because it was cheaper.
I simply wanted to experience Mysore at street level.
Walking through the market, watching people go about their evening, listening to the noise and chaos, seeing the shops and vendors—it felt more real than simply moving from one tourist spot to another.
Amid the frenzy, I stopped at a famous sweet shop and bought some Mysore Pak.
Because apparently, no trip to Mysore is complete without taking some Mysore Pak back home.
6:00 PM — Back at the Railway Station#
I had dinner at A2B near the railway station.
With some time before my train, I wandered around Mysore Junction with my camera.
The railway station became a little destination of its own.
I sat there, watched people arrive and leave, and took photographs.
There was something peaceful about simply sitting in a railway station and watching life pass by.
7:00 PM — The Journey Back#
The return train wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the Vande Bharat.
And somewhere along the way, I realised something: the extra money I had spent on the Vande Bharat in the morning was probably worth it.
Comfort is something you don’t think much about until you experience the difference.
11:00 PM — The Last Leg#
Back in Bengaluru, I took the metro.
Then I walked another kilometre to my room.
By this point, the day had started catching up with me. I even stopped at my favourite restaurant and had dinner again while walking back.
Because apparently, one dinner wasn’t enough for a day like this.
Midnight — Home#
I finally reached my room around midnight.
Twelve hours. Two cities. Trains, buses, a bike ride, an auto, a long queue, a lot of walking, a temple darshan, prayers, photographs, food, memories, strangers, crowds, and countless little moments in between.
I crashed into bed. Exhausted. But happy.
The Cost of Experiences#
I did miss having my own vehicle.
It would have been easier. Faster, perhaps. I could have avoided the crowds, the buses, the waiting, and some of the walking.
But then I would have missed the experience.
I wouldn’t have squeezed into a crowded city bus and remembered my childhood. I wouldn’t have walked through the Mysore market. I wouldn’t have spent time in a railway station simply observing people.
Sometimes convenience takes you from one destination to another.
But inconvenience makes you experience the journey.
And perhaps that’s what I was really looking for that day.
Not Mysore.
Not the cathedral.
Not Chamundi Hill.
Not even the darshan.
Just a day away from the usual routine.
A day to walk, observe, remember, pray, photograph, eat, get tired—and come back with a little more gratitude than I left with.
Maybe that’s the real cost of life experiences: you give up a little convenience in exchange for memories that stay with you.