Temple at Tanjore

Temple at Tanjore

Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006--Tanjore (Cont.)

It is a hot day here. I was exhausted after walking for just a little while after lunch. I went to the train station to see about taking the train to Trichy tomorrow, but I have decided against it. It is only 50 km (30 miles) from here, and the train takes about 2 1/2 hours! The bus will take only about 1 1/2 hours. On the way back, I bought a cold 2 liter bottle of water and drank half of it immediately. Then I fell asleep on my bed after getting back to the room.

My travel clock has now quit working. Time is a problem for me on this trip. I know that the battery has stopped and could be replaced. But it is such a hassle to try to buy something like that here. No shops have set prices, so they ask what they think they can get. I don't want to have to deal with it. I'll just go without knowing the time now.

I left the hotel just after 5:00 p.m. to go to the temple. It was almost too late for any good photos. The temple is magnificent. There are huge, intricate carvings out of giant single pieces of marble. (One required a ramp during construction of over 6.5 miles to get the stone in place on top of the entrance to the temple.) The complex is built with fortress walls and a moat around it. It's one of the best sights I have seen in India, and it was FREE! It's a World Heritage Site and that designation is justified. It was also free of beggars. I'm glad I saw it. There is a link on yesterday's post to a website with photos.

I missed seeing the local palace. It closes at 6 p.m. I walked by there to try to get a glimpse after dark, but it is a walled compound.

This town is horrible, though. The main streets look worse than some in villages. The paved portion is a narrow stip in the middle of the road and it is well worn. The sides of the road consist of lots of piles of rubble--both trash rubble and broken bricks and stones. It was a hassle trying to go anywhere by foot.

Friday, Oct. 13, 2006--Tanjore to Trichy

Today is election day in Tamil Nadu. The government has declared a holiday, so schools are closed and many people are off work. That means that people are taking a 3-day weekend to go places.

I was so glad to leave my hotel this morning. It was a horrible place. The TV didn't work, the water spout for bathing did not work. (I had to use the spout in the sink.) The toilet tank water would leak out onto the floor of the bathroom when the commode was flushed. There were little bugs that got in around the windows during the night that were biting me.

But now I am at a rather nice hotel in Trichy. And it costs the same as that horrible one--only $7 per night. This one is recently remodeled. The TV works (and so does its remote which is not always the case in India). The bah is very nice with nice, new fixtures. The walls are clean with a fresh coat of paint. It makes me want to stay here!!

I wandered some around noon to explore the neighborhood. My hotel and many others are clustered around the bus station. That's quite a ways from the shopping part of town. I'll have to take a bus to go places here. But today I am just relaxing. I ate at my hotel--butter chicken masala with a bowl of boiled basmati rice. It was spicy enough to make my lips tingle by the time I left. It was a huge portion, too. I may not be hungry again tonight. Last night I skipped dinner because I was so full from lunch.