Tamil Nadu - the last leg of trip #1

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Hi All,

I am sitting here in an internet cafe in Bangkok, only three days from leaving for my China trip. Do want to tell you about my last experiences in India before going.

Tamil Nadu is the southern most state of India. It's main cities are Chennai/Madras, Madurai and Ponidcherry. I visited the last two and only spent a night in Chennai waiting for my train to Calcutta.
By the way, I'll be coming back to Tamil Nadu in July. I've told quite a few of you this but will repeat for those who only get the blog.

I do think I mentioned that I made a commitment to some major dental work in Goa. This entails me being back there in July and again in December. At first, I thought I would just fly in-out-in..out (eventually). However, when I started thinking of costs, I decided to stay in India. Well, India in the summer time is hellishly hot. The Brits experienced this and did something about it. They built 'hill stations' (did this in Malaysia, too, I think). These are small 'resort/summer' towns where they could escape the summer heat of the lower elevations. Once I decided to stay from July on, I went reseraching hill stations. I came across this one, Kodai Kanal, which is in what they call 'The Western Ghats', a spine of not-too-high mountains that runs from somewhere east of Bombay to the foot of India. Kodai Kanal caught my eye because the LP mentioned a boarding school that was started by American Missionaries (the only one still around that they started), Kodai International School (you can google it). Well, I thought, as long as I want to 'head for the hills' for the summer, I might be able to teach there as a volunteer. So, I contacted them and, after a bit of back-and-forth, I was accepted as a volunteer ESL teacher. I start 7/10 and am finished around Thanksgiving. They will furnish room/board/medical/a small stipend (3,000 rps/mo =$75) But, I don't have to pay high season rates to stay in a place that I would more than likely have stayed anyway. I am looking forward to this. It'll be fun, teaching a bit again...and I'll be in the mountains for hiking, etc. Plus, this is a very very top notch school so the students (from all over, not just India) are very high level. It's an almost 100% boarding school, so the whole thing is rather like a community. I don't know if I'd like it forever but it'll be a pleasant break. That means from China I come back here, pick up another Visa and head back to Inida, somewhere the last of June.

Now back to Tamil Nadu
Let's start at the 'start'. After 3 heavenly weeks at my little seashore retreat in the Eden of India, Kerala, I took a train down to Kanyakumari (or Cape Comorin). This is at the tip of India. The only reason to go there is the chance to see the sun set and rise where three huge bodies of seawater meet - the Bay of Bengal, The Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. I knew it wouldn't be that much to see, but somehow, once in a while I feel compelled to do something 'just to say I have done it/seen it' (this, fortunately doesn't include skydiving, bungie jumping, climbing Mt. Everest...or other hideous sounding things). But, seeing this was just something I couldn't resist doing since I was so close.

Took a train there, walked around the little tourist town (I am sure it wouldn't exist unless these 3 seas weren't meeting and it was the very tip of India). Visited is a small museum dedicated to Ghandi and a couple of small islands (big rocks) that I took a very rough 15-20 (minutes...seemed like hours) boat ride out to visit that had a big statue of some Indian poet and a nice temple...plus a view back at the town.

I had met a gal on the way in to town and we met again and walked out of town about 30 minutes west to see the sun set. Then, the next morning I set the alarm for 0600 and was out among the masses on the other side, watching it rise. That was it. But, I can say I saw the sun set and rise where three oceans join...and that might not be worth anything!! Had breakfast and hopped on a bus to Madurai.

One thing I must add. All the people who say there is something so special about watching the sunrise do not have my attention. I have done this more than enough times in my life to see (or do) something (sunrise over the Himilayas, the "Sea of Clouds" in the mountains of Taiwan, etc., plus all the trips I started at ungodly hours.) To me, there is little difference between what ithe sun looks like when it is inches above the horizon, whether it's on its way up or down....plus, I feel miserable without at least a couple of cups of coffee in me at that time of day. The only civilized way I can possible think of that would make this bearable (not pleasent, only bearable) is with a triple shop latte in my hand. For my travels I have even bought a thermos. The night before an early start, I go to a restauant, buy two cups of black coffee and put them in the thermos. Usually, by morning with this particular thermos, the coffee is cold, but I don't care. It does 'jump start' me for the ridiculous task of starting so early.

On to Madurai. This is actually a town I didn't much like. It is chaotic, dirty and hot. But, it has a temple complex that is probably the best and most elaborate example of Dravidian (remember the picture of the temple in Hampi?) temple structure in India. I don't know this for sure because there were other places that were highly recommended to me both by travelers and the LP. However, they will have to wait 'til later. I used up a lot of my 'Tamil Nadu' time on the beach in Kerala - and am not one bit sorry about that choice. But, the temple complex is pretty spectacular. The inside was just as interesting. I spent probably 3/4 hours in it. There were so many pictures of Hindu dieties and shrines. And, thousands of worshippers. It would be a great place to stay and study the Hindu religion from the diety manafestation examples inside and carved on the outside One thing about the Dravidian style is that a lot of the carvings are in bas-relief. As a result a picture of one o f these temples doesn't do it justice. So, rather than show the whole temple, just remember the shape of the Hampi temple, and I'll add a picture that shows at the kind of details that all of these temples have.

I was in Madurai 2 full days (with a train to Chennai leaving late on day two). After one day, I was exhausted from all the chaos and thoroughly disliking the town. I decided to walk down to the Madurai tourist office and see if I could book a tour - the LP said they had good ones. After a long walk there I was told that the tours no longer existed. They gave me a map - and warned me it was not properly scaled. So, off I trotted to go see a 'palace'...it looked fairly close on the map. By the time I got there it was closed and by the time I got back to my hotel, which was by the temple, I had been walking about 6 hours. But, the nice thing, after I got over being frustrated because I kept thinking the palace was going to be on the 'next block' for about an hour, I started enjoying my walk. It was out of the temple area and into the regular area of the folks who live there...where the business of living and working someplace takes place. I was the only foreigner for miles probably. But, the nice thing about Indians is that they don't make you feel uncomfortable. In fact, the farther you are from the general tourist areas the nicer and more natural they are. Plus, there is a secret of never feeling lost in India. All pharmacists speak English and every neighborhood has a pharmacy. So, you are never far from someone you can talk to. This is a huge plus and it's true no matter how small the town. So, in India, I never felt lost. Plus, walking in the neighborhoods and watching the men all congregate at the local tea stall for the proverbial after work 'drink' and chat with friends, the women picking up the kids and shopping, worshipers dropping into the local shrine for a quick tribute to the gods, and seeing what the 'real' shops carried just soothed my nerves. By the time I got back to my hotel, it was dark and I was feeling totally relaxed. A good lesson. Get away from the tourist crowd. Sometimes it's not possible, but it does mellow one - as long as one isn't too worried about getting back. In China I intend to be sure I have the name of my hotel (and other destinations) always written down in Chinese so I am only a taxi ride away from homebase.

After an overnight train to Chennai, I immediately hopped on a bus to Pondecherry. Maybe while I am in Kodai Kanal I'll take a long weekend to Chennai, but it just didn't seem like something I wanted to tackle for my last stop in India. Taking the bus through town, though, did show that lots is going on. Chennai (and, believe it or not, the Madras/Chennai 'name' question is less clear that Bombay and Calcutta - I heard it called both by different Indians). This is the second most prosperous IT town (next to Bangalore) and the second biggest movie capital (after Bombay/Bollywood), so it has quite a bit going on. And, there were a lot of good looking new high rises, apartment complexes and industrial parks. So, maybe worth a visit on my next trip.

I did want to see Pondecherry, though. It is a former French Colony. The 'French' part has been kept up the way it was when they were there and is one of the nicest most pleasant areas I was in during my 5 month stay. What that says, I'm not sure. Maybe it is natural for an Westerner to appreciate a more western atmosphere...or maybe it is just that we appreciate order and quiet neighborhoods that don't have little shops and street businesses every other foot. 'Whatever the reason, it was a pleasure to wander around the French section. Plus, it fronted on the beach (Bay of Bengal) and had a long European type promenade that made for pleasant liesurely walking. The only other promenade I remember in India is Marine drive from the southern point of Bombay (Nariman Point) up to Chowpatty Beach. Maybe they aren't for everyone, but I love promenades. It is one of my favorite things to do in Seaside, walk the promenade. And, Bombay and Pondicherry were just as pleasant.

I couldn't find a place to stay in the French section so ended up over on MG (Mahatma Ghandi) road, a couple of long streets away. But, in a way, it kept me remembering how pleasant and soothing it was to be back in an orderly western neighborhood each time I made the little trip. Pondicherry is a place one could live, although I asked around and none of the places in the French area are rentals, all homes. And, many of them owned by Indians who have lived abroad and value the atmosphere of this type of place. Also, it is the only place I was in India that there was actually a supermarket where one could get foreign food. I am sure they exist in other big cities, I just never saw them. But, it was a treat to buy baguettes and gorganzola cheese.

The source of that cheese is interesting. Near Pondicherry there is what LP calls 'an international community', Auroville (google it if interested). LP quote it is a "project in 'human unity' that has ballooned to encompass more than 80 rural settlements and spread over 20 km and about 1700 residents - it was planned for 50,000, never come close to attracting that many (2/3 of whom are foreigners, representing around 35 different nationalities." To me it is just one huge commune and, from what I have been told, takes itself very seriously (and a bit cultish - maybe that is unfair, but that's what it feels like from what little I have read and heard). It was started by an Indian guru and his main disciple, a western woman (who actually ran it and set it on the course to the success it is today after the guru died). They have done remarkable things. The 20km was totally devoid of vegitation when they bought it. Now, it has all sorts of plants, farms, small businesses and great general success. However, it doesn't encourage tourists (like me who just wants to see how it works.) It has lots of property in town...ashrams, places to stay (both in the French part at out at Auroville), if you are serious about wanting to be part of it for at least a while, you are welcome to pay to stay at one of these at Auroville, but must follow the rules. I talked to a guy who was near this great bizaar structure - called the matrimandir (looks like a half circle capped in gold- this is about the only place we were allowed to walk to, plus, of course we could buy things in their gift shops). This structure is supposed to be the spiritual and physical center of Auroville and supposedly has inside a meditation center with the largest solid crystal in the world (which moi was, of course, not allowed to see). But, back to the guy. He was a 'member' of the community. He said it took at least 3 years and then one was approved (or not) for permanent citizenship. He was in his second year. After three years, you can build your own small place to live...with your own money. So, there aren't really poor people at Auroville. However, in fairness to them, they have benifited the communties in the area around Pondicherry with health and education and other programs.

All in all, being in Pondicherry was a nice 'European' feeling break from India and a place I would definitely go back to ---and recommend as part of a tour of southern India. From here, I headed back to Chennai, caught and evening (18 hour) train ride to Calcutta - for the first time I rode 1st class (most trains don't have this option) and I was alone in a room that had 4 beds. The most pleasant train trip in all my journey. The usual problem for me on trains is that, even 2AC has 4 beds and, since I am a female, they put other females with me....who have crying/energetic kids. The kids are acting absolutely normal but they drive me crazy after a while. Now, I'll get to see how Chinese kids behave.

Well, this is it folks for India. The schedule I have cut out for myself in China isn't going to include any 3 week layovers any place. It is 2 days here, a day of travel and 2 days there, etc. I'll do a nightly dairy and then tackle the blog once I get back to Thailand on June 4. By the way, because this site only allows so many pictures, I am going to start another blog on this same site...with a new hotmail or gmail address. So, be prepared for getting some other blog note. I'll try to get a name you'll recognize; like CFMills, CharM, CharMIlls. Until a few months from now. You all have a nice summer and I'll be thinking of you as I dash through China. If you would like to see an outline of my itinerary, e-mail me at [e-mail] and I'll forward it. I have done this for me and it doesn't include the 'why' I am going to a certain spot or what I'll be seeing (that's all in the LP), it just shows where I'm headed and when and how I am planning on getting there. So, you would have to be very interested in just a mere outline to want to see this. But, I'll share it with anyone who is interested in the 'outline' of my itinerary.

Talk to you all in June. Charlene

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Photos

Temple Detail in Madurai
As I said, the temple itself is just like that picture I included in the Hampi travelblog - a huge pyramid. This shows the kind of detail these Dravidian temples in Southern India all have

Street Scene in Pondicherry
This is typical of what the old French part of Pondicherry looks like. Nice, Huh! Plus, there is great food in the restaurants around here. You can even get wine (French or Indian - actually quite drinkable)...which is not so usual in India.

Back in Bangkok
Me at my favorite Thai Massage place with a gaggle of gals that do fabulous things to ones whole body. Ahhhh, one of the delights of Thailand - that you do not find other places.