Talakadu, the Buses and Rickshaws

If you plan on seeing a few temples, to include the Somnathpur Temple, I would travel to Talakadu (pronounced Talakad) on the same trip since it's only a few kilometers south of Somnathpur. It's one of the only historic sites I've seen being actively excavated and preserved. There's a myth behind the Talakadu temples and most of them are buried under beach-like sand.

Travel: From the Mysore bus station, take the bus to Narasipur and then another bus to Talakadu. Once in Talakadu, just follow the signs to the temples. It's about an 1800 meter walker, but totally worth it. You'll go through old Talakadu. If you want to see the Kaveri River/Talakadu picnic area, just follow the signs toward the river. If traveling from Somnathpur (previous blog: Somnathpur), you can just hop on a bus/rickshaw/taxi back to Narasipur and take another bus to Talakadu from there. I imagine there's a bus traveling from Somnathpur to Talakadu, but you'll have to ask.

The Buses

So, we've been on quite a few by now and there's definitely a difference in "time" spent on the bus. The red or green buses are pretty fast. They stop at a few pick-up stations along their route, but they'll get you to your destination fairly quickly. There are also white buses. These buses look more expensive because they have nicer seats, curtains, loud Indian music (which made me feel like I was in the Rocky Horror Picture Show) and videos of Bollywood playing for entertainment. There will be a placard at the front of some of these white buses that say "non-stop." You'll want to get on those buses. You will want to avoid getting on the white buses without the non-stop placards unless you want to turn a 15 minute journey into a 45 minute journey where you stop every three blocks. Some of our Shala counterparts have taken the A/C buses, but they reserve those seats for about 300 Rps (to Bangalore) at the bus station or the Xerox shop in Gokalum.

Rickshaws

We've taken a number of these guys too. We've bargained, asked for meters, etc. We've found a few drivers that are trustworthy and tend to call them rather than finding a random driver on the street. We learned something a little new today. I guess a few hotels/restaurants pay commission to these rickshaw drivers to bring tourists to their destinations. The drivers will pretend to be lost, especially if you requested the meter. My suggestion - if a rickshaw driver pulls over to another and asks for directions or takes you to the completely wrong place, get out and find another driver. Perhaps bargaining for a flat price is a better way to go in this case.