On to Madurai
Once back on the bus, we reached
the hotel very quickly. Jen went for
another swim and I went to the coffee shop, where I joined Pat and Chris. It was buffet only so we went to the
restaurant. We told the waiters that we
were in a real hurry. Mike joined us and
then Reg and Pam, and finally Jen when she had finished her swim. We finished eating at 1415 and the bills
arrived soon after. Then there was a
frustrating delay while they tried to get change for us. We experienced similar delays throughout the
trip. Then we dashed back to our rooms
before rushing back down to get on the bus to move on to the next city,
Madurai.
Madurai was 132 kilometres
away. I nodded off and woke up to see
coconut plantations and more paddy fields.
Some of the houses had thatched roofs.
Lukose said that the thatch was made using coconut leaves and it would last
3-4 years, depending on rainfall.
 |
| Random Rocky Outcrop |
At 62km, the ground sprouted with
small steep hills and we began a gradual climb which slowed the bus. Although the scenery here was less green than
before, there were still rivers and the occasional pond. We saw some jute beside the road, which
reminded me of our school trip to the Commonwealth Institute way back when jute
had been a major export from India.
We arrived at our hotel, the
Hotel Pandipan near the race course in Madurai, around 1700. Jen and I tried to get two card keys so that
we could go out separately, but it took three tries to sort it out – and I’m
not sure they even managed it then. They
seemed to cancel the first card when setting up the second and it was all
frustrating. Other than that, the hotel
was fine.
 |
| Making Doshas (1) |
After a brief rest, we gathered
to go into town for dinner. The centre
of town was across the river so it was quite a drive. The restaurant was on the roof of the Hotel
Supreme, which was the 7th floor.
Lukose recommended the doshas, so
we all complied. I ordered a mushroom
dosha, which was very nice although some of the sauces were cold. Lukose instructed us in the correct way to
eat a dosha.
 |
| Making Doshas (2) |
As we ate, the moon rose. It was large, nearly full and appeared orange
as it came through the clouds. The city
lights came on and we could see the first two gopurams of the temple. I could see Orion immediately above. There was a brief power cut at one
point. I wished it could have lasted
longer because the view of the stars was incredible.
 |
| Doshas Ready for Stuffing |
I had a banana pancake for
dessert, which was also very nice. With
a lime and soda and the tip, my meal came to Rs 220 – less than £3!
After dinner, it was back to the
hotel for an early night.
Note: The Dosha photos were taken on 10 February in the market in Usilambatti.
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