We get up early after a rough nights sleep. There are only two buses from Pondi to Trichy each day, so we want to get there early to avoid disappointment. After a short tuk tuk ride to the bus station we find the correct platform. A state bus official then directs us onto a bus, then another state bus official directs us off the bus and informs us that the first state bus official is wrong. They both laugh.
We’re not looking forward to the journey as we’ve now had a taste of what to expect. This trip is also the longest so far, 5 hours. These buses don’t have storage for large items of luggage, so we have to pay for an extra single fare for our sacks. I’m happy that the conductor allowed us to do this, but a scouse chap sitting behind us quibbles. He proceeds to argue with the conductor over what amounts to an extra 50p. No one in India seems to get upset about anything and the conductor manages to calmly extract the extra 50p.
Shejal witnesses an incident at the rest stop involving an old lady, a sari, and a large volume of wee. I’ll spare the details. Things that went on in the bus stay on the bus (literally in this case).
We finally arrive in Trichy. This town boasts the biggest temple complex in India (Sri Rangganathaswamy) and a massive rock fort (which has a small temple at the top). The hotel we book into is really meant for Indian business men rather than back-packers. The staff don’t speak English and aren’t half as friendly as we’ve become accustomed to. Asking for some toilet paper for the room came close to sparking a diplomatic crisis.
We’re both in the mood for some western food, so we pop next door to Dominos. Whist chowing down a Malaysian chap introduces himself to us. All very friendly at first, but then he started asking too many questions. He wouldn’t go away and we got a bit paranoid. After he gave us his number, we eat up sharpish and get out.
Trichy has a bazaar for which it is famous. We head down there to check it out. We realise that this is possibly the most ‘rustic’ place we’ve ever visited. No tourists, super busy, lots of unfriendly staring, noisy, chaotic, no high 5s from kids! This combined with the disappointing hotel, tiredness, and freaky Malaysian fella in Dominos put us off Trichy. Wished we’d given it a miss.
After a smashing nights sleep everything looks much better! Ready for some sightseeing! We head out to the Sri Rangganathaswamy temple. This place is pretty impressive; more like a small town than a temple. As a non-Hindu, I can’t actually go into the inner sanctums of the temples. Even Shejal has trouble convincing the priests that she is a Hindu. After some negotiations, she receives a blessing.
Next up, we went to the Rock Fort Temple. 83 meters high (450 steps). We’re both disappointed to find that shoes need to be taken off before the climb. Our feet take a bit of a bashing, but we make our way to the top successfully. On the way up, a security guard has a go at Shejal for having a camera without a special permit. On the way down, we pose for pictures with a lovely bunch of engineering students from a local town.
Overall, the sights of Trichy are well worth the trip, but we found the people here unfriendly. The next stop is Madurai. We’re hoping that it will be slightly less hectic.
We’re not looking forward to the journey as we’ve now had a taste of what to expect. This trip is also the longest so far, 5 hours. These buses don’t have storage for large items of luggage, so we have to pay for an extra single fare for our sacks. I’m happy that the conductor allowed us to do this, but a scouse chap sitting behind us quibbles. He proceeds to argue with the conductor over what amounts to an extra 50p. No one in India seems to get upset about anything and the conductor manages to calmly extract the extra 50p.
Shejal witnesses an incident at the rest stop involving an old lady, a sari, and a large volume of wee. I’ll spare the details. Things that went on in the bus stay on the bus (literally in this case).
We finally arrive in Trichy. This town boasts the biggest temple complex in India (Sri Rangganathaswamy) and a massive rock fort (which has a small temple at the top). The hotel we book into is really meant for Indian business men rather than back-packers. The staff don’t speak English and aren’t half as friendly as we’ve become accustomed to. Asking for some toilet paper for the room came close to sparking a diplomatic crisis.
We’re both in the mood for some western food, so we pop next door to Dominos. Whist chowing down a Malaysian chap introduces himself to us. All very friendly at first, but then he started asking too many questions. He wouldn’t go away and we got a bit paranoid. After he gave us his number, we eat up sharpish and get out.
Trichy has a bazaar for which it is famous. We head down there to check it out. We realise that this is possibly the most ‘rustic’ place we’ve ever visited. No tourists, super busy, lots of unfriendly staring, noisy, chaotic, no high 5s from kids! This combined with the disappointing hotel, tiredness, and freaky Malaysian fella in Dominos put us off Trichy. Wished we’d given it a miss.
After a smashing nights sleep everything looks much better! Ready for some sightseeing! We head out to the Sri Rangganathaswamy temple. This place is pretty impressive; more like a small town than a temple. As a non-Hindu, I can’t actually go into the inner sanctums of the temples. Even Shejal has trouble convincing the priests that she is a Hindu. After some negotiations, she receives a blessing.
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