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Published: August 4th 2006
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Madurai, Madurai...
Well folks, it has been ages since the last blog. The trip has been immense thus far!! The time here has passed so quickly. I finished my placement last Friday. The teaching went really well. The weeks were fairly routine and at the same time very enjoyable. I ended up teaching English, basic French, volleyball and football which meant that I spent long, satisfying days at SEV. Was sad to leave but I am really looking forward to the next few weeks.
So much has been happening since the last blog. To write it all would likely take an age for me to write and for you to read. As I don't want to be responsible for anyone catching ZZZZ's during work I will keep this one short and let the photos help fill in the blanks.
The last time I wrote was in a poor state on the 25th June. Unfortunately for me, that day did not get any better! A strategic spew before getting on the eight hour train journey proved to be one of the biggest school boy errors of my days! The majority of the journey was spent hanging out the side
of the train re-acquainting myself with the previous evenings, dodgy, barbecued chicken or cramped, on a sweltering train, among many, enthusiastic, chatty Indians. Needless to say I was not feeling the most sociable during this time therefore my chat was distinctly average at best! Apologies for going on so frequently about bodily functions but anyone who has been to India will understand that stomach and bowel control is a major ongoing problem here. However, in this case, 'the journey from hell' was self-inflicted so I really should not complain.
Moving swiftly on, the following week I began coaching the school football team for their forthcoming district tournament. Something the Greenockians amongst you might consider beyond a convert private schoolboy, Kilmacomic like myself but I can assure that it wasn't too difficult simply passing on the most basic, ABC skills. You would see what I mean if you were to watch one of their games for more than 30 seconds. The games were great comedy value. The enthusiastic youngsters swarming like bees round honey trying to kick at what any spectator, from a far, could only presume must be a marble, given the number of fine freshies, or fresh air
shots, that were on display! Some dramatic improvement was made during the lead upto the tournament but not enough to see us past the quarter finals, where we went down 2-1 to a polished TVS side.
Travel chat...
While the weeks have been fairly hectic at school, we have been able to travel during the weekends. We have spent time in a real mixture of places. From cosmopol Bangalore to the tranquil hill station of Kodi canal.
Bangalore was wicked. It was the first time that we had a chance to see and experience what the people and places at the forefront of developing India are like. In Madurai, it simply is not like that at all! The hardy members of the group managed a day trip to Mysore. With the risk of taking a severe slagging in the rugby changing rooms in the future, Mysore palace was absolutely stunning! The photo does not do it justice on this occasion. www.indiauncovered.com, however, does. "Once the residence of the Wodeyars, the Mysore Palace is one of the largest of its kind in India. Built in 1912 in the Indo Saracenic style, the Mysore Palace exudes a grandeur
that is unmatched". The Golden Royal Elephant Throne, the Durbar Hall, the Kalyana Mantap and the Gallery were simply amazing. I was also proud to discover that all the pillars used in the construction of this masterpiece were made in Glasgow! It was outside the palace that I saw the little kid with his pet snake and monkey and the 7ft 8inches Indian giant, entertaining the crowds (see photos). And there was me thinking that you were the "grande unite" McGeady mate!
Another weekend was spent in Mamallapuram, a sea side town 60kms South of Chennai. Like the majority of the sea side towns on the East coast, the town was affected by the 2004 Tsunammi disaster but through hard work and the support of many international organisations the community has redeveloped the worst hit areas and has begun to re-build a sense of normality into their lives. The atmospheric town is a real hot spot for travellers. We spent a night at at the local beach round the fire, dancing to the sound of the bongos with some locals which was awesome fun. This was followed by a hangover quenching swim in the Bay of Benegal during the
early hours.
Finally, Kodi canal. Kodi is a hill retreat outside Madurai where Indians go to holiday in the summer. The temperatures, which are known to reach a cool 50 - 53 degrees in Tamil Nadu mean that this hill top type resort provides a sanctum for them to literally 'chill out'! There is plenty of beautiful views, scenery and wildlife like 'the antisocial monkey'. For me though, the highlight of that weekend was watching England crash out the World Cup - unlucky!!
Next...
As I mentioned earlier, finished my placment last Friday. The time went soooo quickly! Went to Varkala, in South East Kerala, for a few days (girls: hope you enjoyed the backwaters. Look forward to seeing you back home) before flying to Bangkok for the week. Returning to Goa, West India to begin a month's travelling of the North. Me reckons it will be action packed... I look forward to keeping you updated!
Hope everyone is well.
Apologies for the brightness problem with the pics, might need to turn up the brightness on you monitors to view them clearly.
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Aunt Margaret
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Michael, What a great adventure, tummy problems aside! The photos are geat and really add to the narrative. Not having seen you for a LONG time, it was good to see you and to visualize some of the beautiful places you have seen, not to mention that in at least some of the pictures, you have managed to have a REALLY good time there! Take care and I look forward to your next adventure.