Toast & Rice
Kodaikanal
We are now in Kodaikanal in the Western Ghats, a large mountain range the covers much of the inland in Southern India. We arrived here from Madurai (below), which is a rather large city famous for its temple complex (although not much else). We have posted some pictures from both Madurai & Kodaikanal. Earlier today in Kodai (as people call it) we came across a celebration of St. Anthony's Festival, and as you can see from this video, the celebration is quite different than any Christian celebrations in the US, and definitely had an Indian touch, including firecrackers and drummers & dancers:
The ride to Kodaikanal was one of our more "interesting" drives. We took a private bus, supposedly equipped with DVD and air conditioning. Of course, when it pulled up at our hotel we found an empty slot for a TV and a newspaper photo taped into the glass panel (oh yeah, and no a/c). But for $5 per person for a 5 hour drive, who can complain? As we wound our way on curving steep mountain roads, we were happy to have the cool fresh air blowing into the car. The open windows were especially welcome since two people threw up several times out the windows on the way up. We made several stops on the way -- once for the driver to eat breakfast ( 1.5 hours into the trip), and once to see one of the world's smallest and driest waterfalls, and also a couple times for the sick people to wash off and get some air. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally reach our destination.
Kodaikanal is much cooler here than anywhere else we've been in India -- around 70 in the day and 50s at night. We have broken out our warm gear again. We know this sounds extremely warm to everyone at home, but for us it is a welcome chill. Our hotel in Kodai, The Valley View, is quite nice. We have an amazing view of the valleys below, and a decent TV that gets an English language movie channel. We've already gotten to watch such classics as Jurassic Park 3 and the Bean: The Movie. We are excited to see what other cinematic gems await our viewing pleasure.
The only downside of our hotel is their inability to make toast at certain hours of the day. Alison called the room service at 2 p.m. and asked to get some toast. They said okay, and then a few minutes later they called and said toast wasn't possible. Only a vegetable toast sandwich was possible at this time of day. Alison, understandably, didn't understand: why can there be toast for a sandwich but not plain toast? They said "no toast" only "toast vegetable sandwich." She quickly realized it was pointless to argue, and just said "okay, cancel the order." We have learned that things often don't make sense, but it is best to just head bobble and go on with your day.
Later that same evening we went to a restaurant that offered fried rice on the menu but not plain rice. We asked if we could just get some plain white rice and were told it wasn't possible. The kitchen staff then proceeded to take plain rice and make fried rice out of it for us. Go figure!
There is a small lake in town where you can rent boats. On our first day we rented a "swan paddle boat" that looked like a bright yellow rubber ducky. We have also enjoyed some beautiful walks through the hills here.
Madurai
Before coming to Kodaikanal we spent a two nights in Madurai, one of the most famous temple towns in Southern India. The Sri Meenakshi Temple Complex, of which we have posted pictures, is really amazing, and covers several acres in downtown Madurai. We also went to the Gandhi Memorial Museum, which had a detailed and quite interesting exhibit on the Indian struggle for independence from colonial powers. The museum also included the bloodstained loincloth which Gandhi wore when he was assassinated.
The sights aside, we didn't enjoy Madurai much. Both of us found it cramped, loud, and dirty, and were happy to leave and come to Kodai. Tomorrow morning we head to Combaitore, and after that to Ooty and Mysore.
