Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
5th-8th Dec Madurai
Well What better place to be on your birthday than on a crowded bus with lots of loud music playing through the system and everyone trying to shout over it. Well I wouldn't have missed any minute of it However I have learnt Earplugs are brilliant cut down the decibels a little. !!!!
This bus was taking us to Madurai 3.5hrs away. This Beautiful religous city takes a hold of you as soon as you see it appearing on the horizon. The temples Towers still hit the skyline first, There are many big tall hotels very close which spoil the arial view.. We paid a little above our normal rate for accomadation to allow us the pleasure of sunrise & sunset over this manificent city..
Our start to the day's experience was the roof top Garden.. mmh you know you never get what you pay for here, but this was a bit of a surprise.. 3 waiters waiting patiently to serve anyone who braved the Garden. We were given our own table and chairs from the stack in the corner. When we ordered our meal the waiter has to run down 5 flights of stairs to the next door hotel for our request only to be told NO not that today!! Faulty Towers rings a bell..
We visited the temple late afternoon after being accosted by every tailor in town "come and see my Shop" On entrance we were told the closing ceremony is a spectacle not to be missed. We spent 3hrs just wandering this beautiful place some temples we are not allowed into only practicing hindu's That fine!!!
The ceremony is all about putting the gods to bed, 6 men carried one of the gods in a silver shrine around the temples eventually arriving at the last temple of Ganesh This tookover an hour with music and religous chanting a wonderful experience..see photo's maybe video later!!!
The following morning we know what to order for breakfast so it wont take so long!! Back into the temple really it is that big,!! It is spread over 6 hetacres. We visited the museum and the 1,000 pillar hall sat around the Lotus Tank. and watched 3 different marriage ceromonies.
Day 3 A day out with Ganesh he is a manwe took under our wing as you do!! we didnt want to buy any of his clothes so we hired him for the day on a cycle Ricksaw!! I could tell he doesnt do this very often but he gave us a great day out.. We started at Kudalagar Temple one visited very often because of Sri Meenakshi Temple overpowering the tourist. anyway got hooke up with guide who showed us around at record pace when we offered him a token gesture he got most upset and threw the money back at us because it wasnt enough mumbling something under his breath so all was not happy!! Ganesh had and Indian word with him!!! The temple was beautiful an elephant was in the west quarter waiting to bless us again WOW we mustbe the most blessed people!! Tirumalai Palace was the next stop something different and quite refreshing. Not so well kept but you feel the majestic royalty going's on great big dance hall great big white pillars and painted sculptured roofs. North of the town and Ganesh nowgetting very hot and sweaty we stop for a welcome break at the bamboo town.. Here people are working making anything and everything from carvings to Ladders and scaffold poles.. after Ganesh got his breath back off we went again to the Teppakkulam Tank not used for religous cleansing anymore however here there were rows opon rows of saree silks being hung out to dry after dying beautiful colours and over 43mtrs long each one had six men working on it, combing it, stretching it.!! On our way back into town we stop at the Bannana market. tiny little Hutong streets full of bannana branches and leaves being baled for sale into the restaurants.. We sampled so many different types of bannana red ones from the jungle,, Sweet green ones eaten with chilli powder, Stuffed full and weighing even more Ganesh brings us home.. Great day..
We have an overnight bus to Kanyakumari booked for 22:30 we have another great day in a great city!! We visited the Gandhi museum where some of his private things are kept. Even the Robe he was wearing when assasinated Very Interesting!!!
This whole place has been brilliant!!!
Next Stop Kanyakumari
- comments