Peachy Trichy


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October 12th 2011
Published: October 15th 2011
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All was not Peachy in Trichy 8th-10th October 2011


Found out this morning that Wales beat Ireland to get into the semi-finals of the RWC. Yeah!!!!!!!! Best weekend of sport in a long time but sadly we are missing most of it and defintely no rugby here (and no internet connection either so we are really suffering now!!).
We have moved futher south again into a less agricultural, more industrial area which is definitely more prosperous and modern (in parts). We saw Levi and Reebok stores and supermarkets as well as the small roadside stalls and markets here and loads of colleges and university campuses outside the towns all very modern.Presumably land is cheaper and with nowhere to go and nothing to do the students are more inclined to study?
On the way we stopped off at Tanjore to see another sandstone Chola temple. The Brihadisvara temple complex is another World Heritage Site and has the tallest vimana
(tower) in all India which needed a 6.5km-long ramp to raise it to it's 62m height when it was built........amazing eh?? No it was lovely and dedicated to Shiva's lingam........ say no more. The royal palace and museums were well worth the visit too.
The Shaans Hotel in Trichy flatters to deceive from the outside but seemed clean and at £16 a night, well what can you say! The Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, was campaigning up the road on Sunday to give a speech so the streets had been cleaned and the police were all over the place.
Well, she arrived to huge explosions of fireworks and loudhailers and bands. David went out to watch the adoring masses as did Muthu but I decided to give it a miss.Think it was on national tv but it might have been the same speech, another place!
OK MOAN TIME.....Had a good enough meal at the restaurant downstairs but our first impressions of the hotel turned out to be correct. First they put us in a room where the tv didn't work. After several requests to check it, they moved us further down the corridor to what appeeared a better room. Well the tv was fine but the trap under the wash handbasin was disconnected so the water ran over your feet. D thought he could fix it later so we didn't complain again. He couldn't, so we put the shower bucket underneath and managed. Then
TanjoreTanjoreTanjore

The Holy Lingams
the noise started. It appeared that at the end of our corridor was the kitchen wash-up. The restaurant opened til 11.30pm so until 12.30pm we were subjected to pots and pans banging and crashing and staff going up and down the corridor shouting at each other, even rowing with each other. OK we should have asked to be moved but we are Brits after all. Next night, not so much noise and we put the ear plugs in but then at 6am every b....y phone on the floor rang and the staff hullabaloo started again. I swear we were put in the staff quarters and they were all being woken up for work! On checkout we were told that we had only paid a deposit and had to pay LUXURY TAX???????? Ann let rip at the manager but got nowhere. NEVER STAY AT HOTEL SHAANS IF YOU WANT TO SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!!

Well all that was a shame really because Trichy it's self was quite nice if chaotic with the a very interesting Rock Temple in the middle of the town. Drive over the river bridge to Srirangan and visited the huge, magnificent Sri ranganathasvami Temple, one of the largest in India. The scale of the place was mind-boggling with a thousand pillared hall, 21 goparums and 5 enclosures and wonderful stone carvings.

Glad we came but don't think we'll be coming back!!!





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At the Rock Fort Temple at Trichy


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