South India Overland

Madurai
(14/15 Jan 1997)

		Laid out in the shape of a Lotus flower Madurai is the largest, busiest, and greatest of Tamil Nadus many temple towns.
		*The temple itself is really spectacular, a riot of colour and form.*

Inside the temple an elephant blesses those with a rupee to spare, (you offer a coin which it takes in it's trunk, then taps you gently on the head as a reward).

The many halls inside the complex are filled with statues and paintings covering ceilings and walls.

An excellent Thali lunch followed by a Rickshaw ride to the Mahatmi Gandhi museum on the far side of town.

The museum is excellent but made us feel ashamed about what our country (England) had done.

Driving south west towards the Keralan border and the nature reserve of Periyar in the Cardamon Hills (the lake at the bottom left of the map).

Before starting our climb towards Kerala we pass the last of the low lying villages of the Tamil Nadu plain. The rivers here pour down from the hills, fresh, clean, and a good place to wash.

As we climb through the forests covering the eastern slopes of the Cardamon Hills the view is spectacular and we also start to appreciate the cool mountain air.

Aproaching the top of the pass things get pretty busy as there are hundreds of pilgrims out on the road.

Crossing the border at Kumilly and there is a mass of humanity out on the street. Pilgrims, traders and tourists all queuing up to get through.

The spice shops up here are just unbeleivable. It's easy to see how the Cardamon Hills warrant their name.

Madras, Mahabalipuram, Tiruchirappalli, Periyar, Cochin, Ooty, Mysore, Goa, Hampi, Bijapur, Aurangabad, Bombay.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these pages then drop us a line.

If you are interested in South Indian Food then why not visit Sue's Recipe Server, our other Web site.

North India & Nepal is the record of our overland journey from Dehli to Kathmandu during January 1998.

Exploring Vietnam is the record of a journey through Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and beyond during March and April of 1999.

		Inside the temple an elephant blesses those with a rupee to spare, (you offer a coin which it takes in it's trunk, then taps you gently on the head as a reward).
		*The many halls inside the complex are filled with statues and paintings covering ceilings and walls.*

		An excellent Thali lunch followed by a Rickshaw ride to the Mahatmi Gandhi museum on the far side of town.
		The museum is excellent but made us feel ashamed about what our country (England) had done.

As we climb through the forests covering the eastern slopes of the Cardamon Hills the view is spectacular and we also start to appreciate the cool mountain air.
Aproaching the top of the pass things get pretty busy as there are hundreds of pilgrims out on the road.

		Crossing the border at Kumilly and there is a mass of humanity out on the street. Pilgrims, traders and tourists all queuing up to get through.
		*The spice shops up here are just unbeleivable. It's easy to see how the Cardamon Hills warrant their name.*