Madurai

Well, I was going to catch up on a blog post I've been wanting to write for quite sometime-- one about going on long walks through little villages in India-- but this internet cafe is driving me crazy. Aside from the rotten computer that keeps freezing (to be expected I suppose for Rs20/hour), but I'm basically sitting in the dark. So, just a quick post instead...

Today was basically devoted to traveling between Kumbakanom and Madurai. I went to two more temples this morning before I left and took a quick peek in at Draupadi (her temple wasn't open yet). I didn't feel great this morning, so I thought it could be a long day of bus travel. I also expected it to be an uneventful day, sitting on a bus, but I forgot how many fantastic things you see out a bus window in India. Here's one: there were stretches of the two-lane road reduced to just one-lane today because people were drying corn on the asphalt! You see things from laundry to coconut husks to chilli peppers spread out everywhere to dry in this country, and you see it spread out on everything from rooftops to motorbikes to rock piles to the side of railroad tracks. But this was the first I'd seen things on the road itself! And it wasn't spread out on tarps or canvas; I guess that would defeat the heating power of the blacktop. They surounded the corn with rocks and branches, and traffic flowed around it no problem (at least the corn doesn't move, unlike the other things drivers have to dodge on the roads here).

The other great thing I discovered is the best seat on the bus: the very front seat! You have more room than the other seats, it's a single seat so no sharing, and you have a great view-- out your window and out the entire gigantic windshield! When I went to the bus station, I was told that the next bus to Madurai was at 13:30, a mere 3 1/2 hour wait (I no longer believe any of Lonely Planet's bus info). So instead I hopped a bus to Tanjore (they run every two minutes). I was one of the last people on and I was sheperded to one of the last seats, the one at the front. In Tanjore, I changed buses (they leave for Madurai every 15 minutes). I literally hopped on the moving bus, with my pack. It was backing out and I couldn't get the drivers attention, but the other passengers shouted that yes, this bus was going to Madurai and beckoned me aboard. They then organized to move a woman from the front-most seat to the next row back-- front seat twice in a row! Apparently they'd seen my pack and decided it was the best place for me....

Not sure yet what I think of Madurai. It's a big, bustling place. Lots of signs in English, even if the staff at my hotel don't speak it. It was hard to find a room tonight; apparently, it's a ten-day school holiday so lots of people are visiting (and it's Saturday night, which I'd forgotten).

Tonight I had channa masala for dinner. Channa is chickpeas (or should I say garbanzo beans or ceci or kichererbsen or kikarter). It's one of my favorite Indian dishes at home, but I hadn't had it yet (in part because lots of places I've been haven't served it but also because I've been wanting to try new things). Tonight I decided to see how the real stuff measures up. Let me say, it is fantastic!