Madurai

We were up early for a tour of the Sri Meenakshi Amman temple. Before meeting up with the group we walked a short distance to have a marsala chai as we were skipping breakfast. At 7.45 we met up and walked about 10 minutes to the temple where we met a local guide. We usual, we removed our shoes but also had to leave electronic devices and cameras outside the temple.

We spent about 45 minutesc waking around the temple although we could not go into the shrines. The stone built temple with 4 main towers and a number of smaller ones, all intricately decorated and painted, was constructed between the 12th and 18th centuries. Inside there were brightly coloured ceilings and also a large central quadrangle almost completely taken up by a pond and fountain. We heard that the temple is usually completely renovated every 12 years.

We wandered back to our hotel and had a chance to pack and shower before leaving in a minibus to drive to our next stop, Periyar tiger reserve!

About two hours into the four hour journey we stopped for some food at a local bakery. After another 2 hours we arrived in Thekkady, back in Kerala state, our home for the next two days. Before getting to the hotel we stopped at a soccer plantation and saw some of the spices growing and how they process them. There was the obligatory shop at the end where I did pick up a few packets!

On to the hotel and we arrived just after 4. The hotel Abadi is a series of lodges with large, albeit dark, rooms in a typical Kerala style. We checked in and then a few of us went to a hotel down the road for a beer before meeting up with the rest of the group for dinner at Grandma's restaurant. We're a bit higher here and so it started to get a bit chilly. By the time we had food and wandered back it was time for bed!Read more