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Published: April 2nd 2006
A little Break
Its been 3 weeks since I've been in India and I've realized that I'm awful at this travel blog business. The initial excitement quickly wore away once I realized how much work was involved with keeping a travelblog updated. So I just kept a diary instead and am finally putting this online for all of you to see. 5 weeks late but its better than nothing (am I on Indian Standard Time already?)
I'm back dating this journal and it was written on the 26th of Feb from Kodaikanal (Kodai for short) in the South of India. Its a small hillstation located in the Western Ghats. It was created by the British as a summer getaway location and the houses and buildings are very British.
So until now I've visited a lot of places in Tamil Nadu. I landed in Chennai where it took me an hour to get my bags from the airport! The first thing that hits you is the heat but as you get used to it after a while although I'll curse myself for coming later on...
I just hung out in Madras for a few days and visited
Elliott's beach, San Thome Cathedral, Marina Beach and planned my trip to Tirunelveli, my hometown. As we walked on Elliott's beach we could see some remnants of the damage caused by the tsunami. We ran into a child from the fishermen's village. He was a really friendly kid and for some unknown reason, I took a liking to him and took this photo. He was running around on Elliott's beach without a care for the Tsunami relief centres or the aid that had come in from the EU.
We (my grandfather, David and I) arrived in Tirunelveli on the 18th of Feb by train. We arrived at Tirunelveli Junction around 5 in the mornign and just hung around in the waiting room until we could go to the hotel.
After freshening up and having "tiffin" we visited my Great Grandfather's place where my grandfather's brother and his wife are now staying. We visited a lot of temples in the area. All the temples were made out of rock which is a very common feature in the south of India. Standing in front of these magnificent structures, you're taken aback by the amount of effort it would have taken
to construct one of these temples. Every artwork that is on the temple is carved out of stone. After a while though, they get a bit too much. Once you've seen 5 in a day, you just get sick of it.
After Tirunelveli, we went down to the falls near Courtrallam which were a big disappointment since this wasn't the season. If you go, you should go after March. There are 5 falls in the area and its a sight for the eyes so I would definitely recommend it.
From there we went to Kanyakumari (or Cape Comerin) the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent. This is a nice tourist town and there is a lot to do like visiting the Vivekananda Memorial. Its a beautiful monument to one of India's greatest thinkers.
For the geeks, the best part of the bus ride from Tirunelveli to Kanyakumari would be the kilometers of wind turbines along the national highway. It really is a sight to see. For a country this size, its inspiring to see that the government is looking at other alternative fuels.
From Kanyakumari, we visited Madurai which is home to the Meenakshi Temple. SOrry
i have no pictures online but this is a definite must see. The sheer size of this temple (again made of rock) blows you away. It's got 2 temples in the complex. One to Shiva and the other to Meenakshi (his consort).
From Madurai, I've now come to Kodaikanal to relax for a few days. It's absolutely beautiful. Nothing like the Rockies but its got its own charm. The walking track around the lake is a great place to meet people. One thing about this place is that there are a lot of Israelis. They've just finished their mandatory service in the army and have come here to take a braek. Some of them stay for months. The internet cafes have keyboards with Hebrew letters.
From here, I go back to Chennai and then to Bangalore for a few days and then I'm off to Rishikesh in the north to start my first project.
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Christian Lafienere
non-member comment
Wow...
Hey Sid, Looking good man. Great pics too...I really love Kodaikanal pictures. That whole area looks beautiful. You will have to let me know how the power project goes in Rishikesh. I hope it all goes smoothly, especially the transitioning part afterwards...that can be tough. Later.