Advertisement
Published: January 11th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Day 4 - Tuesday - Chennai to Madurai
A 7am start saw us having a traditional light rice cake breakfast with some Madras coffee (just think white coffee with lots of sugar and you will get the picture) before we had a 90 minute journey to the train station. The weather has been so lovely and being along the coast has meant we are getting some lovely fresh sea breezes, which are not only cooling but can take away some of the other lingering smells. I can't imagine what it is like living here in the summer, but the winter is very comfortable. Even the train station was located directly next to a lake - quite peaceful and tranquil, especially in comparison to what I understand I will find in Delhi and the north.
And so onto the train we go - very friendly people and again a nice breeze, as we pass through the countryside full of farms bs rice paddies - actually quite pretty. I think once you get past some of the dirt and grime there is an amazing beauty here - whether it be just the colors of the saris, or the smiles of the people, it all adds to this amazing experience I am just starting on.
Day 5 - Wednesday - Madurai
The day starts with a trip to the most amazing temple - an unbelievable sight with such stunning colours it is tough to really show how incredible it is with a camera. This is also the first time I have felt (what can I say...) 'unwell' and had what I am now calling the true experience of India - by using a local toilet. Barefoot. Nothing more to say but I do have a photo of the structure. And we will never speak of this again.
We then ventured on to one of the local markets for some shopping - there are 95 tailors alone all under one roof of an old temple. Holly and I decided (in true couple fashion) to get matching silk custom made outfits made for the princely sum of $10 - hers orange and mine a teal colour. The tailors were very polite and kept reassuring me that my outfit was not the biggest they have made, but he certainly chuckled when he took my leg measurement - found it all amusing! They are going to deliver them to our hotel, so we will just need to ensure we don't wear the same things on the same day.... unless we want to! 😉
After all the excitement of the shopping and my 'bucket list experience' at the local bathroom, it was off to dinner and drinks at roof top of hotel - Madurai Residency. Sounds very luxurious, but if I could have taken a photo of the bathroom and shown the black mould in one area that would change your mind. It became known as the 'shower of death' and we agreed we would be fine as long as we don't inhale.....
And so onto our first (of 3 in total) night trains which we are told is departing at 10.30pm 'Indian time'. This means any time between 10pm and some time in the future... interesting! It was deemed that I needed a top bunk (aka they are the longest) but it was quite comfortable considering... it is the highest of a triple decker but means I was away from everyone walking through the passageways, the incessant chatting, the beggars and transsexuals etc etc... so lucky!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 12; qc: 50; dbt: 0.0413s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb