TRICHY,
India
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Tiruchirappalli affectionately know as Trichy (a) because no one can pronounce it and (b) you can't spell it either is far bigger that I thought it would be. When we step of the train we take the 2 minute rikshaw ride to our hotel two streets away. The map in the book is all to cock and we though it was further away but we couldn't be bothered to carry the bags anyway. The choice of hotels in our budget is not good but we are only here for two nights and we know we have stayed in worse. We only have one full day here so we decide to spent it at the Rock Fort and see the temple. We take the bus which is cheap and over crowded. It is hotter than hot and walking through the bizarre at the bottom is hard enough never mind the 437 steps we have yet to encounter. We leave our shoes and set of climbing the first section which is all inside. Then you get to the outside part and the floor burns your feet so we hop from shade to shade and rest under the canopy of a stall selling water and pop. There are another 100 or so steps to actually get to the temple and we watch the locals running up and down missing as many steps in one go as their legs will allow because it's like walking over hot coals. Ben decides he is going up. I say 'see ya I'm staying right here' and he sets of running.
The choice of restaurants is grim; we have an early night ready to head off to the hills tomorrow where it is much cooler.
To be continued. . . . .
