Tamil Nadu

Photos are here - sorry no videos this time :

India Tamil Nadu - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182990&id=771224918&l=9421d5bb39

Next destination was Madurai - finding a bus ticket was a bit like a treasure hunt as the bus station in Trivandirum was chaotic (as per usual) but it also had the added addition of being half demolished as well - eventually found the office which was run by old guys who were a bit shocked by my marital status "are you a nun?" said one of them - bit of a personal question when all I wanted was a ticket to Madurai. The ticket they sold me was for the 8 o'clock following day so being good I turned up at 7.45 only to be told by the grouchy ticket inspector that they had been waiting for me - "mmh but it leaves at 8" - no it didn't left the moment I got on it. Ended up going within 20k's of Kanyukumari right at the southern tip before heading north through some really nice mountains but unfortunately I was sat on the wrong side of the bus to get any good photos.

Arriving in Madurai the bus station was one of the ones I hate as it was quite far out of town so had a bit of fun with the rickshaw guys who were having a big laugh with the fares - was totally clueless of where I wanted to stay so I ended up wandering round the area where most hotels were situated. This did attract a lot of attention and I ended up having a few guys following me - a couple started scuffling in the street over me - and what was worse they wanted to take me to the hotel I wanted to go to. Their shenanigans nearly cost me the room as then they wanted commission off the hotel owner - me protesting I was coming here anyway finally won the day but how they glared back at me.

The main reason for visiting Madurai was to see the huge Hindu temples - crowds of men dressed in black dhotis swarmed around the streets near my hotel. It always does amaze that they spend so much on these places of worship when there is so much poverty around - even more strange (well I found it strange) was I wasn't allowed to take my cigarettes in (I always forget these rules) but it seemed okay to sell toy guns in there. I liked Madurai - eating was interesting as I usually ended up at places with no menu, the waiter would babble off a list of stuff and I'd say "whatever" - the "whatever" was pretty good dhal, dosa, and some white stuff that I never sussed out what it was all served on a banana leaf. Shopping though was a bit of nightmare - the shopkeeper in the salwar chemise emporium ended up getting more stressed than me over my indecision - got one in the end that didn't look too fancy dressy and fitted which is usually the big issue with me.

Kodaikanal was the next destination - a hill station about 120k's from Madurai. I was the last person to be picked up by the bus from my hotel and I ended up sat next to a bit of space cadet from Delhi who was travelling with his mum. He spent most of the journey talking to me about about magic mushrooms as Kodai was apparently the only place in India where they grew wild - his mum was totally oblivious to what he was talking about and never noticed the powerful smell of marijuana that wafted into the bus when we stopped for photos at the Silver Falls just outside town. Once more I was a bit clueless to where I was dropped off - the taxis drivers seemed a bit obsessed with taking me to the Greenland Youth Hostel but I just prefer to find a place myself - ended up at the Woodville Manor which sounds more posher that it actually was and was about the cheapest place in town without going too cheap.

The one thing you noticed about Kodai was the cold - it was like going from summer to winter in the space of 4 hours - I was so greatful for the hot water and smelly blankets (you became immune after a while) back at the hotel. Just drifted around going for walks which was nice - lots of guys wanted to be my guide but I'm a bit iffy about disappearing off in to the woods with some random that has approached me in the street - one of the downsides of travelling on your own. I did try walking out to some rocks about 7k out of town but gradually the road got more and more deserted - I was okay till this bunch of guys stopped their car and then a policeman started asking me 20 questions of what I was doing - Indians don't really understand the need to go out for a walk.

It was really nice to get back onto the plains and the warmth in Trichy my next stop. Arrived in the dark and it took a while to get my bearings - but it was really nice no one hassled me as I wandered round looking for a room. Strangely a lot of places were full - not sure whether it was my appearance as my hair never travels well but the question "have you rooms?" is usually a yes or no answer not a five minute conversation with your colleague - found one eventually which was well sorted for a good restaurant, beer shop and bus stand - what more could a girl want!! Ended up staying an extra night in Trichy as I didn't fancy another bus ride - tried yet again to sort out my train ticket to Kolkata - the woman told me I could buy a wait listed ticket (can't get on the train with this one) and then get it changed to Foreign quota ticket ( can get on the train) just across the way - wasted a good half hour on this theory before going back and getting a refund - still I had a bit of fun with the old guys who didn't really understand the concept that I was next in the queue - I don't know they must have thought I enjoyed sitting round random Indian train reservation offices.

For once the bus to Pondicherry was a doddle - sign in English which is one thing that makes bus travel quite taxing when all the signs are in Hindi. Pondicherry was formally a french colony and still had a lot of french influence - road were called rues and the policeman wore french style kepi hats - for a place I had always wanted to visit I didn't get the best out of it - mainly as I felt really rough with cold and my room at the Amala Lodge was really claustro and not that clean. Was going to go out to Auroville (kind of big ashram) but the guys down the tourist office were a bit vague and said I just had to turn up and maybe the trip would run tomorrow, I also was a bit uneasy as I'd heard the people were a bit strange and I would have felt like a sightseer which I know I am but I just decided to leave it.

The bus to Mamalalapuram was one of the craziest I took as it was the express to Chennai - there was so much pushing and shoving that a policeman had to be called over to do crowd control. No seat for me so I ended having to stand with a drunken man at my feet who just about managed to stay on the bus and some guy behind me who started telling me to move down the bus me protesting that I couldn't as we were rammed in and where did he expect me to go "on the bleeding roof". Not the comfiest of rides and arriving in Mamalapuram all the taxi drivers were lined across the street waiting for me (felt like I was in a Clint Eastwood movie) - but they were pussycats really only one bothered me saying it was 2k into town (okay we'll halve that then). Had a real nice time in Mamalalapuram as the guesthouse was great run by a lovely woman called Yvette from Switzerland - it does make a difference if you are staying somewhere nice and she really cared about the place.

The beach wasn't really a sunbathing beach but I liked it - rough and ready with all the fishing boats lined up on the sand - nearly accidently climbed over the fence one day into the Shore temple when I thought I saw a gap. Foreigners had to pay 10 times the Indian rate - maybe I was templed out, it was pretty enough but I wasn't convinced that it was worth the money I paid. More interesting were the caves and big rocks in the village which were similar to Hampi - so had a good old scramble round there. Was sad to leave Mamalapuram - there wasn't a lot to do but it was a nice place to relax for a few days.

It was only a short hop to Chennai and I ended up sat next to a rather strange bloke who I believe proposed marriage at one point in the journey (I couldn't understand much of what he was babbling on about but stuff about marriage tends transcend language difficulties) - all I can say it's a good job I'm not into guys with wobbly eyes and a few teeth - he was quite heartbroken when I got off at Guindy station in the suburbs. For once my guidebook had something useful in it as the bus station was miles out of town it said to get off at Guindy and take the train into the city. Guindy was probably the poorest place I stopped off at - the beggars were the kind of people who really needed the money (not like some of the pros you see at the tourist resorts), luckily for me it was Sunday and quiet as the train was one of the ones you see in pictures with people hanging off the sides so it was quite an easy ride into town.

Tried yet again to sort out my ticket to Kolkata and failed for the third time - ticket office closed as it was Sunday - but it was a nice walk out to the station past this lovely church that wouldn't have looked out of place in England. For a city Chennai was quite easy and not that scary - I'm always a bit edgy going into cities that I don't know - think Delhi has got to be the worst of Indian cities its okay for me now but I can understand how so many people have what they call the "Delhi Experience".

Okay thats all for now - I am finding it hard to keep this up to date (will try to do better) - too much other nice stuff to do and sometimes this all seems so long ago.