Kovalam - Madurai
Kerala is densely populated, with a house after the other and hardly gaps between the villages. Although we found the landscape beautiful and it was fascinating to see life in the fishing villages, we were all the attention sometimes too much. Shortly after we left Kovalam Kerala and crossed the border into Tamil Nadu. Suddenly, the landscape was much wider. The distances between the villages were larger, with many banana plantations and rice fields. The streets were quiet and seemed life to slow down.
In contrast to the tourist Kerala, we were not even asked for money or pens, which was ironic because Tamil Nadu was visibly poorer than Kerala. Too often we saw extremely thin people, especially the older people. We felt sorry when we saw an old man, of a pink plastic chair used as a walker to slowly carve out a high hill. Some restaurants had no running water, and power outages came several times a day before. In many cities around was even more garbage. Obviously, there was no official waste collection, so that the waste collected at the roadside. Pigs were often kept to eat as much waste as possible; the rest were burned or left lying to rot.
Today was a special day, because we 10.000km mark would be reached - 10,000 km bicycle since we leave our little apartment in West London had. However, we had to work hard, because when the road in the east wall to go around the southern tip of India, we went straight into a strong headwind. Our speed slowed to 10kmh, then 5, then 3, until we had to use all our strength, just so we do not completely stopped. It seemed as if our speedometer would forever be stuck at 9.999km.
Finally we managed to reach the 10,000 km mark and . Coincidentally, this was almost exactly the same time as our arrival at the southernmost point in India. Kanyakumari, the little town on the corner was noisy and hectic, full of souvenir vendors and pilgrims who bathed in the sacred waters, where three oceans meet. However, we were glad to be there to see the Indian Ocean and over the last 10,000 km to reflect.
The mention of wind farms in our guide should have been a warning. The next morning we had another strong headwind, which slowed us very much. It was 95km from the nearest Place with an accommodation, so we just simply had to be strong and continue to crawl. The scenery was very far, villages with a lot of bushes, sometimes a short sea views, and rare. We saw some wild peacocks and Guy was proud with a peacock feather back from a bathroom break, which he presented to Fred. This was probably one of the most remote areas in India and would have even suitable for camping. Too bad that we do not our tent had.
noon we arrived in a sleepy fishing village and drove to the tiny harbor. Many fishing villages in Tamil Nadu had been hit hard by the tsunami in 2004, and this village was no exception. We saw many new houses that were built on a hill a little further inland. It is very sad what had to suffer the people here.
There was only a small restaurant with four tables where we ate lunch together with the fishermen. At noon we usually eat a thali - a meal of rice, and several Pappadum curries, served on a banana leaf. It is often the only choice, and it is usually fresh, tasty, cheap and filling. Often we are 10-15 pairs of eyes watched while eating what we were initially a little uncomfortable, but now we have become accustomed. The fishermen all began to laugh when we picked out our own forks, instead of your hands to eat.
Although we do not have the language skills to talk with the people we have now mastered the famous Indian head wobble quite well. This we had first so confusing and frustrating found . We now know that a lateral head shaking "yes," "ok", "no problem", "thank you", "hello" and "can mean goodbye. (Just like us the first Indian head wobble was confused, but our nod to confuse the people here and is often misunderstood as "no"). Our little unexpected head shake can sometimes cause an extreme reaction, wherein the responding out of sheer luck Kopfwackler his head so quickly and herwackelt that he seems to fall away fast! Meanwhile, we love to shake the bet and see who can produce more enthusiastic reaction.
reached after a long, tiring battle with the headwind we finally got our goal. The small town Tiruchchendur was a colorful pilgrimage city with a large temple. Our orange in a loincloth shrouded hotel room neighbor who had his face painted with white paint, told us that even an annual, 10-day festival at the temple took place. The next morning we visited the temple.
The temple complex was quite large and full of pilgrims, even at an early hour of 8 clock in the morning. Modern families mingled with wandering sadhus, and many people were bathing in the water near the temple. We wandered around unmolested, with no other tourists in sight or tractors. Our neighbor had mentioned a somewhat morbid ceremony, where 16 men a spear stuck through their cheeks, but unfortunately we did not see any signs of this terrible ritual, and so we decided to proceed to the next town of Tuticorin.
way we passed many pilgrims over, which went towards Tiruchchendur. We were curious and asked some pilgrims what they did. They told us they were for five days on foot, barefoot, to visit the temple for the festival. This pilgrimage they make every year. Religion is extremely important in India and its influence is seen everywhere. The poor, who often have a very hard life, it helps to deal with it and perhaps find meaning in their suffering. Without faith, India would probably not work at all.
The head wind was still there the next day when we drove from Tuticorin to Aruppukkottai. We spent the whole day on a small quiet country roads. They were even so quiet that the farmers spread their harvest of millet on the road and then waiting for the passing by vehicles driving over it and the millet "thresh" would. The grains were then swept up, gathered up several times and poured onto a cloth, the wind blew the chaff.
love This is what we in India - the freedom to just make something without too many rules and laws. As long as it hurts no one can do pretty much whatever you want - whether you are now outside on a crowded bus depends on making money by converting your bike into a knife sharpening machine, or spread up his harvest on a road in order to . thresh
As the evening we arrived in town Aruppukkottai, showed us an elderly cyclist a small hotel. The hotel manager was happy to see us, and explained that we have something "unexpected and interesting" would be. He recommended a tiny, dark restaurant for dinner. Normally we like to follow recommendations, but this restaurant frightened us a bit. Cooks with naked upper bodies touched in pots, which stood in a kind of dirty garage. We were reluctant - we did not see that the restaurant was popular, but the sight was not reassuring. However, we have never had a bad recommendation given by a local, so we dared and went in through a dark, dirty corridor.
The room was full of men who all seemed to operate even in a large pot. We were a little unsure about the etiquette, but fortunately a waiter noticed us and took us into a smaller, air-conditioned room, where eight other people were eating already. The friendly waiter recommended us some dishes. All ears were pricked in the room, because if the waiter does not understand us, always a voice came from a corner, the translated our words for the waiter. The food was cheap and very tasty.
On our sixth day we went still a headwind, we finally arrived in Madurai. Madurai was hot, messy and noisy. Very loud. We spent a few frustrating hours trying to see us 13 different hotels until we finally found an acceptable room for a good price and with a space for our bikes. Exhausted, we fell on our bed, sweaty, dirty and tired. Our priority was to rest and to visit the Sri Meenakshi Temple, which dominated the city center with its complicated decorated Gopuram 50m high towers.
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