Southern India - 7 February 2012 (4)

 Rock Fort, Vinayaka Temple, Trichy

Then we returned to Trichy for our final visit of the day – to the Rock Fort and Temple.  I intended to look out for birds but fell asleep.  I woke up as we were passing some rubbish tips.   Some scavenging kites flew very low and nearly hit the bus.

We parked in the centre of town and had to walk past shops and market stalls to reach the entry point to the fort.  We knew about the 400 steps to the top, but did not know that we had to do it with bare feet!  My right thigh started going into spasm on the way up, so I was dreading the descent.  There were parties of friendly schoolchildren, who asked our names and wanted photos.

Rock Fort, Vinayaka Temple

View of Trichy from Temple

At last we reached the top, where there was the Vinayaka Temple.  Being so high up, there were some great views, but there wasn’t time for many photos because of the crowds behind us.  We did a circuit of the shrine and then had to go down.  The first flight of steps, which led to an area with a café and shops, was difficult to negotiate as they had a sideways tilt and were very uneven.  I clung to the central rail as I slowly made my way down.  By the time I was down, the others were ready to move on, having spent time chatting to and photographing the schoolchildren and their teachers.  Several members of the group either were or had been teachers, so they had a lot to talk about.

View of Trichy from Temple

I managed to negotiate the rest of the stairs, which were inside the rock, without mishap, but I wasn’t the only one of our group who desperately craved a cold shower.  We walked back through the shopping area to where we were to meet the bus.  Lukose grabbed Chris’ phone and dashed off, to return with the correct charger – for just Rs175.  If it had been less hot – and if I had been less shattered – it would have been interesting to explore the shops which must have been a real Aladdin’s cave of bargains.

Black Kite flying over Rock Fort

When at last we were back at the hotel, Jen went for a swim and I went for a shower.  I was in the bathroom when there was a power cut, but luckily it didn’t last long.  I used the big bucket in the bath to soak and then wash my filthy feet.  It felt wonderful.

Then we walked to a nearby restaurant – the Banana Leaf Restaurant, near the bus station.  We sat outside in the garden, which meant service was quite slow.  I think everyone was pleased with their meal except for me.  I had mixed veg curry, which was rather bland and had too many peas.  It wasn’t nearly as spicy as Lukose had said it would be.  Still, I wasn’t that hungry and my meal only cost Rs150 plus tip, so I couldn’t complain.  We had a power cut near the end of the meal and another one as we stood up to leave.  We went back to the hotel and I went straight to bed.