Travelling on all planes: Tamil Nadu, India (Jan 23

Journey through Tamil Nadu to Karola India (Jan 23 – Feb.1)
Lianna

Our entry into India was through Chennai, the fourth largest city of India. We were all very excited to get to India having talked about it for months, Mark and I had both been to India many years before, Mark 25 years ago when he travelled the world on his own and me 16 years ago when my sister was married in Mumbai.

Chennai is located on the mid south-east side of India, on the coast. We flew into Chennai because it was the best ticket price from Kuala Lumpur as well as being the closest to our destination for Feb. 1. From the 1st we were booked in an Ashram in Southern India so we decided to see a bit of India first, making our way down to the Ashram.

We were delighted to see Ambassador taxis all lined up waiting outside the airport. Accosted at the exit by many taxi drivers, we made our way to one of these ole fashion vehicles and headed into Chennai.

Ambassador Taxis Lined-up

Side streets of Chennai

Our process of locating a good hotel after all these months had been perfected. We would arrive in a city with the name of a possible hotel we could stay. The tuk tuk or taxi driver would take us directly there. Two of us would get out and check the rate and look at the rooms while the other two watched the luggage – usually Mark and I checking the room and the kids watching the luggage. If it met our needs as such; good price, clean bathroom, generally clean room, comfortable bed, we would take it. If it did not meet these needs then the two people would come out and say “No, lets try another.” Then we would ask the driver to take us to another hotel or possibly there would be one close by we would visit. Many times in our early days of travelling we would spend hours trying to find the right place. We are now been able to get a good place after only a few tries. A recommendation from other travellers has also been a key source of information for good hotels.

Funky Hotel

In Chennai we settled on a funky art deco-like hotel. After settling, the next most important issue was food followed by the need to find a bookstore to purchase a guidebook of India. Mark hailed down a tuk-tuk which then whisked us off to the nearest Chennai mall boasting a large bookstore and some great food. It had both although as usual not anything like our idea of a mall. The bookstore was a winner with a fabulous collection of English books. We spent a long time looking through titles and then finally leaving with a stack of novels and a guide book. Our tuk-tuk driver had been waiting for us to return as is a usual set-up (driver takes you to the location, waits for you and then returns you ) but he was a little upset (meaning he wanted more money) as we had taken longer than expected.

Stopping for Chai along the way

From Chennai we made our way across the state of Tamil Nadu, hitting coastal cities and inland temple cities. Sometimes we travelled by bus, a very cheap and easy way to travel. You just show up at the bus station, find the appropriate bus (and there are always tons of peopl to help you) and then hop on for a minimal cost. Buses take longer than private taxis and that is why we hired a taxi a few times but on a bus you see local life coming and going and you sometimes meet people, locals and occasionally other foreigners.

Super Deluxe Bus

Within 7 days we made our way through the following cities:
Chennai
Mamallapuram (by bus)
Kanchipuram and Pondicherry (by private car)
Trichy (by bus)
Madurai (by bus)
Thiruvananthapuram (by private car)
Neyyar Dam (by bus)

Our route took us down the coast from Mamallapuram to Pondicherry. The beaches are wide and long and the ocean powerful. All along this coast is where the Tsunami hit and although there was little evidence of destruction as I walked along the shore looking out towards the vast endless ocean I could not help thinking about the possibility of the tide receding uncharacteristically and exploding back as a wall of water. We didn’t swim at all. The beaches were covered in shit of all kinds (dog, cow, human) and the water soaking up every bit of it but if you could and we did over look all that, the view was incredible: fisherman tending to their boats, cows milling around, buskers selling goods, tourists sun tanning, dogs frolicking freely and even some daring people swimming.

Rock Temple at Mamalapuram

I really didn’t expect to be at a beach in India but here we were. Along with this Mamallapuram boasts many fascinating rock temples. We hired bikes that seemed to be barely held together and road around the town from temple to temple, weaving through chaotic local traffic and soaking up the intense mid-day heat. Signs indicating Yoga classes were splashed around the touristy part of Mamallapuram so the next early morning I was up, whilst the rest slept, to attend a yoga class. There were only two students, myself and a young Belgian girl, but that didn’t stop our experienced Indian instructor from continuing the class. As the wind blew through the open air room which overlooked the water and as the sun came slowly peeking over the horizon I felt a connection with this foreign land.

In Pondicherry we found an hotel on the waterfront for $20 a night. The room
was simple and clean and undoubtedly the largest room we had found to date. Included in the huge space, Caleb could run around doing flips, there was a balcony overlooking the ocean on one side and the street festival and beach on the other. We were all in heaven.

View from the Balcony

We a stayed for two nights, soaking in the ocean breeze coming though our windows. The city, itself influenced by French colonists, had a very European flavour; although, locating reasonably priced quality restaurants near our hotel was not a simple chore.

Coffee Bar in Pondi

In Trichy after visiting the Rock Ford Temple in the middle of the city, we ventured deeper into the town where we then located a bustling shopping area full of material, tailors and Indian clothing shops. This was our first exposure to sari shopping. We happened upon a sari shop which was reputed to be (by the slogan on their shopping bag) the largest in India. Every color, texture or style was being displayed in a massive and busy multi-level building. Overwhelmed by the choices, we didn’t buy anything. The experience alone was plenty as we were constantly shuffled from one counter to another by helpful but aggressive salesmen. And all the sales people were men which we found a bit odd considering they were selling saris to women.

Gopurum in Trichy

Kanchipuram was a city of temples. In one holy Hindu temple of 100 columns, a chatty and eccentric priest led us on one of the most entertaining tours. His excellent accented English and charming and witty expressions had us laughing for hours after the tour.

Priest took the picture

Getting ready to enter temple in Madurai, dotis on - shoes off.

In Madurai its was unfortunate that the “Sri Manashi Temple”, where people make pilgramages from all over India, was under renovation. The beautiful and famous Madurai gopurams, (huge towering gateways into temple areas which can sore 50 or 60 metres and are covered in colourfully painted Hindu deities) were completely covered for re-painting. There are 12 fabulous gopurams surrounding the temple and all of them have been covered for the past 3 years! You think they would do one at a time. Besides that the temple was incredible.

Close-up of Gopuram color

There was a huge maze of stone walkways throughout where people were praying. Because it was a Genesh temple (the elephant god) there was an elephant standing by to bless people: you walk up to the elephant, put a coin in the end of its trunk (drop it right into its trunk) then the elephant touches his truck to your head, blessing you. The elephant then gives the coin to its trainer, who drops it in a bucket.

Artemis getting a blessing

There was a North, South, East and West exit and we invariably got lost in the maze finally having to exit the temple and walk around barefooted through the dirty streets of Madurai to where we had left our shoes (one must take off shoes to enter a temple).

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Tailors near the Temple area

The final drive to Thiruvananthapuram was the longest travel between cities – 7 hours – but it was our final destination before attending the Ashram in Nehru Dam. We found a hotel and tried to try to rest up for the Ashram entry the next day.