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Published: December 24th 2009
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Thursday afternoon now which means it’s Christmas Eve. We’re in Madurai, heading west from the previous stop in Tanjure. Everyone is starting to get temple fatigue now so it’s probably a good job that this is our last day of temple visits. To be fair, those we’ve seen in the last couple of days have been pretty spectacular. The facts and figures have started to wash over my head because I’m sure the last two towns have both claimed that they have the biggest, tallest or most towers. I think they’re all trying to compete for their place in the Guinness Book of Records!
We arrived yesterday afternoon after driving from Tanjure via Trichy. On the way we visited (you guessed it) another temple. That one had seven separate sections accessed through gateways or arches. The most holy part is only open to Hindus and there didn’t seem much point in trying to bluff our way past the “guard”. The plan was to visit a Rock Fort also in Trichy but that was closed since it had been drizzling in the night. On a positive note, that saved a climb up hundreds of slippery steps to the top and we
had to admire it from a distance instead.
After a buffet lunch it was back on the road again for three more hours to Madurai. There were some interesting developments during the day though. In the morning, Tony, our guide, told us that he had been contacted by the India agent to tell us that a special meal and “local culture show” had been arranged for Christmas Eve and the additional cost would be £65! Obviously we told him we weren’t interested but it was clear there was something afoot. Tony was clearly uncomfortable about this and after talking it over we decided to contact Adventure Company and lodge a formal complaint. Over the course of the day, the price gradually came down to £35 (we still all said no) while the temperature of the guy back in Delhi gradually went up. His comments as relayed by Tony could be summed up as “Don’t worry about the guests, they can afford it. Just do your bloody job and get their money or you’re fired!”. I’ll leave you to imagine our reaction to that. At 7:30 the next message came through - apparently it was all a misunderstanding and the
River Bank
I think my washing's just on the left..... meal was included in the holiday cost all along. Yeah, right. There’s something going on but we haven’t quite figured it out yet…… Let’s see just how special the meal is now it’s free!
After breakfast this morning we set off by cycle rickshaw for the nearby palace and (you guessed again) temple. The rickshaw ride is always fun and a bunch of us decided to take the return trip the same way instead of on the bus as planned. Most of the time you don’t go any faster than walking pace which can be a bit worrying as you thread your way between trucks, buses and mopeds. The pedallers are mostly well past their prime and you can say the same about the bikes which have one gear and even less brakes. On the way back we had to insist that one hour was quite enough, thank you, or they would have happily taken us to every shop, market, temple and museum in town.
We’ve got an evening visit back to the main temple (!) so I’ve decided to excuse myself from the late afternoon trip to the Gandhi Museum. Too hot, too sticky today so I’m
saving myself for this evening. Christmas Day tomorrow and we’re back on the road straight after breakfast.
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John S
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Merry Christmas
Hi Malcolm, sounds like you are on a right adventure, hope you gave a nice day on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas John S...