India: Madurai – 11/3/09
by Robert Thompson on Nov.05, 2009, under Oct 31, 2009
We visited the temples of Madurai today. It’s a big complex at 70 acres and includes 4 main temples. It took 1,000 years to build. The temples are entirely covered with figures so they become even more amazing when you get up close and examine the detail. They have been refurbished this past year so the colors are very vibrant. Last year when we were here, they were entirely shrouded by scaffolding and palm fronds to facilitate the refurbishment and you could not really see them.
Our guide, who did a nice job, asked for a Far and Away Cycling hat. I gave him one. Perhaps someone will visit India and see it. You never know.
After the temple and lunch at our hotel we transferred some 35k and then rode our bikes the remaining 40k to Theni. The road was flat and pretty busy. You had to pay attention as lots of things happening at once on all sides.
The Theni International Hotel was fine. Since there was a film crew in town and the hotel was full, I ended up in the Bridal Suite. It came complete with a cartoonish “Hello Kitty” bedspread. Weird would be an apt description. It inspired a flurry of photo taking on the part of some members of our party.
Tomorrow is a big day. We climb to Kodaikanal, a hill station in the Western Ghats founded by Americans. The climb isn’t steep, but it is long at 40k. Since it takes some time to get up there we have a 6am “start”.
Temples of Madurai:
Elephants do head massages here too:
Getting ready to ride to Theni:
First rest stop:
View from our hotel in Theni:
