We only went to Madurai because it was on the way, we could have got a train straight from Thivandrum to near Ponducherry but that would have taken over 10 hours. We still had a few weeks in India to fill up so there was no point in rushing around, so Madurai it was. A half an hour journey in a tuk-tuk from Kovalam to Thivandrum, then 5 1/2 hours on the train to Madurai; it was still long but after all the travelling we'd done it seemed fairly reasonable to travel that distance to a place you didn't really want to go to.
So far in South India we had encountered relaxed locals and a laid back vibe, I don't know what happened to Madurai but it couldn't have been more different. Gone were the picturesque vistas, it was a city of high rises, it was only from our hotels roof we could see the Meenakshi Amman Temple jutting up in the middle of a sea of concrete. That roof was the only place we'd found that was peaceful, the streets are filled with locals and pilgrims rushing to work or rushing to the temple to pray. After the relaxation of Kerala the mania of Madurai was almost too hard to take.
The hotel we had picked was a five minute walk from the train station and that was the only good thing going for it. It was a dive, not only did the outside look like it had lost a few too many fights with Father Time, but the interior looked like the best way to clean it would be with fire. I don't think you'd even need an accelerant, the walls were that greasy. Strangely the bed was clean and as we were only staying there for two nights it would have to do. Although the state of the hotel was horrendous, a couple we had met in Goa also happened to be staying there. We bumped into Tim while sitting in the lobby (the only place the internet would work) and he told us all about their adventures in Sri Lanka and how expensive the tourist attractions were.
For 50Rs each, plus a 30Rs camera charge we visited what was left of Madurai's ancient palace. The Thirumalai Nayak Palace was built in 1635, King Thirumalai Nayak commissioned an Italian architect to design the structure with grandeur in mind, unfortunately following rulers destroyed and re-purposed many areas of the palace leaving the structure a quarter of it's original size. All that remains of the palace today is an impressive throne room and a smaller antechamber. The throne room was definitely impressive, with imposing columns throughout and the highly decorative stucco work on the ceilings high above but after 15 minutes of wandering around we'd seen it all.
Apart from the palace and a scary walk through unlit traffic laden streets to reach a less than picturesque river, (Ben's idea, not mine) we didn't really do that much. We did however have some wonderful food from a local eatery with was popular with Madurai's residents. Sri Sabeeth restaurant looked more like a cafeteria than anything else, but it was always packed and we managed to order more food than we could possible eat for under 500Rs.
To get to our next destination was slightly confusing. We couldn't find any trains that went directly from Madurai to Pondicherry, they all terminated at Villupuram Junction which was 30km from the centre. We initially planned on getting a bus for the last stretch, but after another 5 hour journey and arriving in the pitch black we decided to splurge on a taxi instead. The taxi was 1300Rs, so although much more expensive than the bus, it would at least take us directly to where we were staying.
We decided to stay slightly outside the historic "White Town" of Pondicherry, mainly as the prices sky-rocketed if you wanted to stay surrounded by french style colonial houses that make up the white town area of the city. This did mean we had a 15 minute walk to any of the restaurants but we really didn't mind. The evening we arrived we wandered down to the promenade and got our first look at the Bay of Bengal, we definitely wouldn't be swimming here! The sea raged against the rocks along the promenade, soaking those who got too close.
We shouldn't have been worried about getting a soaking from the sea; soon after dinner while ambling along, watching the locals who gather here in the evenings to escape the heat of the city a few raindrops quickly turned into a curtain of rain which had everybody running for shelter! We ended up huddled under a carport with twenty other people and one dog... the dog ended up having more space than everyone else as the locals seem to be wary of their street dogs. The dog looked fine to me, so i went to make a fuss of him, getting me some extra space along with some funny looks from the others. When the rain reduced to a drizzle we headed out to find a tuk-tuk. Of course, as soon as we sat down on the soggy seats of the tuk-tuk the rain stopped - it's always the way but at least we didn't have to walk home.
We spent the next few days exploring the city starting with White Town. In the past the area was reserved exclusively for the white french colonists - hence the name - this area of Pondicherry is filled with colonial style french houses, small bakeries and upscale restaurants. A few roads away from the seafront the streets gradually turn more typically Indian; the wide tree lined streets grow narrower, the foot and street traffic increases and there is suddenly small shops and stalls everywhere. It was in this area we found a local market, it started with stalls selling flowers and garlands, then flowed through to fruits, vegetables and places specialising in banana leaves before ending in a huge fish market. The fish market was impressive, not only for the range of fish but how the vendors descaled, gutted and portioned out the fish using only a large machete and a block of wood.
The other thing we found interesting about Pondicherry was the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, although the Ashram and museum were closed when we went to visit, we couldn't help but notice their buildings all over White Town. The Ashram attracts people from all over the world to improve their spirituality and practice yoga. The ashram was first set up in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo with the help of "the mother" - who later went on to found Auroville, which happens to be our next destination - and has continued to grow till this day. Now, not only an Ashram, but there is a large residents complex, a school and an assistance living facility.
The last thing we decided to do in Pondicherry was have a walk along the pier... in the rain. It was lashing down, but we kept on putting it off and it was our last night here. When we actually arrived at the pier, it was forbidden to actually walk along it, there was however a pier like structure made of large black rocks that jutted into the sea right next to it, so that's where we walked. It wasn't pleasant and seemed far more dangerous than the actual pier, so after a few seconds of standing at the end staring off into the pitch black bay of Bengal we turned around and headed towards home via the ice-cream shop. The rain had certainly left it's mark the next day...
Next stop, Auroville to see what it is and if it's really a cult.
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