Hotel Germanus Madurai

... pel.licula. Mira que n'hi ha de bestioles en el regne animal, pero un pollastre no entra al cap de ningu com a 'alter ego' animal d'un super-heroi, ni que sigui per accident). Durant les 3 horetes se succeeixen escenes d'accio que imiten els efectes especials de 'Missio Impossible' o 'Tigre i Drago', amb escenes musicals en el mes pur estil de Bollywood entreteixides en el guio, i amb uns actors principals que es vesteixen com a macarres de disco / Tony Manero (ells) o ...

... didn't buy anything. I proceeded to wander my own way to the temple therafter.

So Madurai is colourful in its own right with its pilgrims, beggars, salespeople, hawkers, and many carts, bikes and rickshaws. It's the most populous city i have been to thusfar in India with 1.2 million (small really in India terms) and i think i am right in staying away from big and busy in India, if i can help it...?

... cyclone that destroyed the surrounding area. One year ago, on our Croatia trip, we saw an excellent exhibit on the Ramayana at the Royal Library in London. In Madurai we saw the Palace and the Meenakshi Temple. The Temple was crowded, but the hall of one thousand pillars was neat to see. Ramesh (our driver and guide) said it is exactly like the one in Rameswaram that we didn't see, so it was ...

... palm trees and banana crops. Day trains are gold when they're not overcrowded. Once we crossed states into Tamil Nadu we saw the landscape was littered with windmill farms. Wind power is the new renewable energy that is being harnessed in India to meet its growing needs. It will only make small difference to India's overall energy mix, but in a country rapidly industrialising, some would say that for green energy to play any part at all is a ...

... lawn against the thatch covered towers of the temple in renovation process, pilgrims lined up to enter sacred grounds to pay their dues, the errant (or erudite?) cows passing on their way home (they always look like they're on their way home)... Nightfall in my first real Indian hotel was another matter altogether. Mentally and physically drained from the mind and heart slaughter of the past few weeks, in conjunction with flight ...

... in Chennai (where my Dad took all of us in December), which was a quiet respite from the deafening sounds of crackers. Beaches in most Indian cities are like a carnival atmosphere, which is quite enjoyable. Preet and I spent some time in the waves just chatting about both of our future career/life pursuits, potential desires for family, his desire to spend time with his parents and visit temples in the later stages of their life, and his plans to eventually start his ...

... getting ready to film and I was allowed to wander around the sets and go pretty wherever I wanted to. It was amazing and fascinating. Nobody seemed to care I was there - the only white guy in the studio - wandering around the dressing rooms, costume shops, craft services and anywhere else I wanted to. The hotel I stayed at in Chennai was actually pretty decent, considering. No air conditioning but only 225 rupees (about $6) a ...

... that having an elective in first year is a little early. We've had little exposure to clinical medicine, having spent the year gorging ourselves on anatomy, physiology etc. Thus, some things were a little lost (on me, at least) and I can't help but feel things might have been a little better had the elective occured in second year rather than first. On the social front. This week has seen the arrival of some more ...

... Nestled uncomfortably close to a nuclear power station is the seaside town of Mamallapuram. This place actually is quite clean, the sea is swimmable and the rooms a cheap and good, the feet are up and we are all enjoying a little down time. We will be here for a couple of weeks I suspect, lots to see, and lots of shopping to be done. We have seen the Queenstown weather on the net, you guys are getting nailed! More next time I can find a minute...... Hotfield

... to and that I could sell them to Colby, who needed some and buy more 8 Rupee ones, but by that time I was too frustrated and I just decided to keep the ones I had, because in reality the 35 Rupees I would have saved was not worth it, that's less than a dollar and I didn't want to go through the hassle. There were other frusterating thing that happened on this day but they are not worth going into, it wasn't the best day ever, I was tired and then frustrated and therefore grumpy ...