Taj Garden Retreat Hotel Madurai

... br><br>To avoid the appalling heat, I decide to go to the movies, even if it is just to secure a 3-hours long air-con session. The film lasts 180 minutes and it will definitely not mark any future tamil generation. However, the audience seemed to enjoy quite a lot the story of a cop / superhero (sort of Batman or Superman) that carries a double life (in fact he carries just one as he chases gangsters both during night and day) chasing revenue frauds dressed up as a ...

... as a tea towel skirt that seems to be all the range here and is consistently flapped and folded. <br>Walking back to his house along river Vaigai I heard of his morning routine- tea, walk and bathroom, then home to bath, breakfast, pray.... "walk and bathroom" reverberated around my brain.... I kicked myself again...what was I in for-open defication? <br>We wandered ...

... is like a maze in which you can very easily get lost, but also witness incredible and vast practices of faith. The temple is busy with activity from dawn to dusk. It is one of those living temples'. It is believed that the gods also live here (actually the Hindus believe that the spirits of the gods fill the statues and images) and get into similar pleasure as human beings, that is, eating, drinking and sex. No kidding! Shiva and Meenakshi stay during the day in ...

... achievement. What's hot this month? Windmills! What's not? A whole crew of chatty men crammed into our previously peaceful cabin. It could be said that they had been hitting the La La Toddy Parlour for a knock-off beverage or two after work. They were swigging mysterious liquid from a plastic bottle and got overly excited about the cricket and Ricky Ponting when they found out that we were Australians. Pirate evidence. They went on to point out ...

... meal! The owner of the hotel tried to completely rip us off, but we were having none of it, and ended up getting our room for Rs200 each, and we also had a campfire outside too, so that was nice. Another bus journey back the next day was equally as perilous and vomit inducing (well no-one actually threw up) and we were back in Madurai, where Brownie and I spent the night of the 26th. . That evening some chap brought us to the roof of his linen ...

... book shop which was very well hidden and got loads of books which I have added to my travelling library. I have to leave on the same day to go to Kodaikanal which is a hill station and another bus journey away... getting there and into a hotel it was fthreee lbankets and thermals freezing! Much higher up than where I was in the Himalaya's but the view not so good in the dark!

Awoke in the train when the lights were switched on. Uncle and I gathered our bags together and bid farewell to our travelling companion. After exiting the train, we met up with the rest of the party. Ram's parents and I got into a taxi and the other uncles headed for their own homes. I can't remember how long it took to get to their place but it was a nice trip with the sun streaming its way down. We got to Uncles places, where I dropped my bags off until I could check into ...

Madurai is a dirty, smelly place but we really like it there. It has character. Many of the roads aren't sealed and there is litter everywhere but the people are so friendly and the town is buzzing. The Sri Meenakshi Temple is in the middle of town and everything else seems to radiate out from it. There are the usual markets and areas selling their certain speacialties. The Temples are renovated every 12 years and ...

We were on the train aaaaallll day today - overnight trains work because you can sleep but this was not much fun...... I read most of my book though so it is almost time for a new one...... we are in Maduri which is inland and quite a long way south - not seen much yet but we are seeing temples tomorrow, some of the most important in south india........ the ...

... everyone in the market recognized me and they started to treat me differently. Rather than just being another tourist they haggled with and tried to rip off, they gave me huge discounts on the fabric and were happy to let me go behind their stalls and rummage through everything they had. Sometimes the tailors would argue between themselves and although I could never understand what they were ...