Trip to Nandi Hills

In keeping with trying to see and enjoy Bangalore and surroundings, we set the next destination to be Nandi Hills – 65km out of Bangalore and 1,478m above sea level. Named after the bull of Lord Shiva, and also known to have been the summer haven of Tipu Sultan, Nandi Hills is known for the “tourist attraction” of a 600m high cliff face from which prisoners are believed to have been thrown. So it sounded like a great place to go and bring the kids.
Oh, and we were informed just before departure, Nandi Hills is also known for the monkeys. In zoos, monkeys are fun. Out of zoos, monkeys are as cute and fun as the stray dogs. Plus they are mischievous, and take food from the kids, and sit on your car... and stuff. But it was fun to get out of the city (if not out of the pollution) and see both history and a little nature. Caden thought every rock on the way there was a mountain, much to Wade’s chagrin (given that the “real” mountains were nowhere in sight). But still, Caden couldn’t wait to climb up the mountain. First of course, came the temple...
And of view of North Bangalore, in monsoon season, through pollution. Still, it was pretty and nice to see a new view of the surroundings.
Then Caden got to climb his mountain. Luckily for him there are no safety standards in India...at all. None.
But it was a good time for a Saturday outing and a good test of my ability to physically restrain my child (I can). So good times all around.
On the way back, we had brought a picnic lunch along with our favorite neighbors, Michele and Stacy, who was visiting from Minneapolis. Of course, you can't eat where there are monkeys so we drove a little down the mountain (after finding our driver who had wandered off and then after stopping for Caden, who literally three minutes in announced definitively he had to poop). So we got down the" mountain" and ate lunch at a, uh...restaurant? that had some seating and would let us sit there if we bought something. We selected warm beer and cough medicine/church wine and settled into our dirty plastic chairs amongst the stray dogs and more flies than I've yet seen. But what outing would be complete without just a little teeny reminder of at least one of the comforts of home? In fact I spent the whole next day at home, in bed, vomiting and in serious pain. Who knows why. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the awesome spaghetti and meatball dinner we enjoyed, but maybe I didn't have enough martinis to kill the germs from earlier?