 |
| The beautiful Airbus 380 goes to Bangalore and has room for yoga |
It is just a rough estimate, and for one month assuming you stay with a family or share a house with roommates. The second month is always less money.
Flight from JFK to Bangalore round trip ------------ 1,200
Car Service Back and Forth Bangalore-Mysore --- 100
Shala First Month --------------------------------------- 650 (**)
Hotel stay for the first couple of days -------------- 100
Rental in a Gokulam home (1 bedroom for 2) ----- 250
Food ------------------------------------------------------ 150
Rickshaws/Transportation/Events/Other ----------- 50
Don't know how to make that table stay decent in blogger... it looks good in the draft, but it seems not in the published version, guess you will have to follow the dots.
(**) Note that the price of the shala varies and is based on what I have paid on the past, but may not reflect current prices. Always call or check with the AYRI for accurate pricing.
Claudia,
ReplyDeletethanks for compiling this list. I think it's really useful for people to get an idea of the costs.
you can save a fair amount on the car service if you instead take a rickshaw from the airport to Bangalore Train Station, the train to Mysore takes about 3 hours if I remember this correctly. Give or take an hour.
I have been to Mysore twice and providing you don't arrive late at night a hotel is unlikely to be necessary. If you get to Gokulam you will soon find some yoga students at the coconut stand or at Tina's place or at Anu's (where you can also have dinner). You are likely to hear of someone leaving within days if not on the same day. You can also ask for Shiva, he has a place on the same road as the shala and he will let you know if a place is available for rent. (very reliably man, he makes a living being your man for accommodation and scooters and takes a small commission : well worth it - you wouldn't expect an agent in your home country to do this for free.)
I had a place to stay and a scooter within 6 hours of arrival in Mysore (I got in at around 8am, fresh off an overnight train from Chennai).
On my second visit, too I had a place to stay within a few hours and a scooter.
You are well looked after when you arrive, just be friendly and open to life and all it brings and you will land on your feet. A hotel shouldn't cost you more than $15 a night. You only need a bed, right?
My rental for a room in Gokulam was less than $160 a month. For this I had a small room in an apartment that I shared with others. There was one shared bathroom between 3 rooms and my room had it's own shower and toilet.
Food: you can cook your own, very very cheaply. Or you can have a Thali (a variety of mild curries with rice) which will cost less than $1. If you eat breakfast at Tina's then your bill will add up slightly higher, but it's also very lovely to spend time there.
So I think you can shave off $200 from this itinerary easily.
I took a month long traditional Mysore Style painting class with Anand in town and it cost me no more than $60, this included 5 days a week 3 hours each day! Perfect bargain. And Anand and his family are lovely. I learnt much in that time.
p.s. I initially thought that the 'cost of a month in Mysore' would be an article about the carbon footprint. ;)
ReplyDeleteClaudia!! Thank you thank you thank you. I just finished your book and I've been so inspired. I'm so analytical, that having a general idea of cost is so helpful. This is a totally reasonable amount for how much you can gain from the experience. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Claudia. Now I can plan more effectively for Mysore... :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Brigit. It is nice to meet you. Thank you for sharing your story here, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteIt also made me think about writting a post called "Why I will Never Take the Bus from Bangalore to Mysore"... I did arrive at 3 AM in my 2008 trip, you see, and things did not flow as smooth as you say for me... ha ha.
But you are right, if you arrive in the morning the story may be different than if it is after a 14 hour flight and in the middle of the night after a stop over in Dubai (that for me lasted 12 hours)... boy that was something! I still remember.
Anyway, yes there are always ways to save and I am sure it can be done cheaper, this was a general idea.
On carboon footprint, that is another great idea, I have no idea what that cost is, but I do know there is one...
And on the scooter front... did you get scared? how did you manage that crazy traffic? you are a brave woman!
@Stephanie, you are welcome, yes I would say it is definitelly worth-it. Sharath said in January that one month with them is the equivalent of 5 anywhere else. I felt it was more like 12 months, but I suppose I will go by what he says. The focus, the energy, it is something! plan away!
ReplyDelete@Nobel, cool!!! Hope it happens!
- hi, offtopic , i made a comment on your post on Sathya Sai Baba yesterday and i see it is deleted now.
ReplyDelete- was it offensive ? because i didnt say anything like that. pls let know.
- was it deleted by spam filter or something ?
Aclarke,
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why both of your comments were deleted, I did not do anything, as a matter of fact, I read your first comment through email (I get notification) and went to the post to comment but it was not there anymore... sometimes Blogger acts funny, for example, a few weeks ago it lost three of my posts! I am sorry you went through that and no I did not deleted you or spamed you or anything...
2000$ per month? I am saving some money for my first trip to Mysore, I plan to stay 6 month. 4325€ including the fly, Shala, food... It´s to much, need more. I´m totally lose with this. If you can help me I really appreciate any tips. Thaaanxs. <3
ReplyDeleteHarriet, this is only the first month, not 2000 per month, after the first month 600 should be enough, maybe even 500 or less... you will be fine!
ReplyDeleteIs flying to Bangalore best for some reason?
ReplyDeleteHi Cole, Mysore has an airport, but I've not been able to find flights that go there... in that case Bangalore is the closest and where everyone flyes to.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Claudia, this was very helpful. I'm planning to visit Mysore in mid February. I would like to ask, is there a way to rent a flat before arriving? So that we will avoid staying at a hotel? Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteIt's insanely expensive to practice there. People from poorer countries can't manage, no matter how much they'd like to study there.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's why richer countries have way more teachers than poorer countries, some nationalities just can't afford it. In the Ashtanga community is no different from the real world as far as access to "education".
I have a curiosity, claudia. With hundreds and hundreds of students attending classes daily, does Sharath even get to know people's name?
Do you even get to have the most basic relationship with the teacher?
For me, the teacher/student relationship to work at a more intimate level, there can't be so many people in a class at the same time.
Hi, Im sorry but I have to ask, what currency are we talking here??? :)
ReplyDeleteI am a young broke college student from the USA I am saving up money for a trip to Mysore too stay for two months, give or take would 3000 dollars cover it, would this provide the ability to see places and go to the temples and buy some gifts for friends and family or would 3500 be a better number to live comfortably
ReplyDeleteHi Claudia, I am about two years too late in this discussion but am hoping to go to Mysore in January (when is the best time to go?). However, I am a mother and dont think I could bear to be away from my son for a month?! is this really a requirement?!
ReplyDelete