Friday and Saturday

These two days were our overnight trip to Madurai, where there is a huge Hindu temple – Meenakshi Temple. It is architecturally beautiful and is the largest temple in all of South India. We did get to see the temple – but not until Saturday (our original schedule was Friday). And while our initial estimate of the trip was five hours by bus, it was more like twice that. Part of that was due to underestimation of how long it would take – it likely was more of an eight-hour drive. But the other delays were caused by the drivers getting lost when we got within 50 kilometers of Madurai. It was an adventure to say the least! But we all took it in stride, and the one saving grace of the day Friday was a delicious lunch at the Hotel Western Gatz. When we arrived in Madurai in the evening, it was at a very nice hotel – they had hot water! But I was so exhausted that I fell asleep by 9:30 and didn’t wake up until morning. Although my roommate, Greg, indicated I did wake up to let him back in the room around 10:45 – yet I do not remember that. Must have still been sleeping . . .
Saturday morning we walked to the temple from our hotel after eating a hearty breakfast. It had rained overnight, so our walk around the temple grounds in bare feet was a bit dirty. But it was brightly painted and colorful, and a much larger complex than it appears on the outside. Of course, this was the one day I left my camera on the bus the night before, so I bought postcards, and will rely on my friends’ pictures for this visit. We meandered back through town to the hotel and departed around 10:15 a.m. Now, the trip started off great, as we got to the Hotel Western Gatz for lunch in half the time it took us on Friday. However, while there, the bus drivers discovered that one of the tires was low on air, and in attempting to change it while we ate lunch, the jack broke. Thankfully, neither of them was hurt – but they had to find another jack in town in order to change the tire, and an hour-and-a-half later we were on our way. Guess it’s bad Karma . . . We did stop in a small town on the way back to have a spot of tea and a little shopping, which was nice. But we didn’t arrive back in Kottayam at SEERI until 9:30 p.m. Once again, an exhausting day of travel!

This might be a good time to explain what it is like to drive/ride in a car in India. One of my friends on the trip put it like this: “If your prayer life is not strengthened while riding in a car in India, nothing will strengthen it.” This trip was over the Gatz mountain range in southern India, and that meant two lane mountain roads, not unlike what I grew up with in West Virginia. However, instead of simply staying behind the person behind you on sharp curves or blind stretches, the drivers here (including our bus driver) will pass by flashing their lights and honking their horns. I honestly do not know how we were not killed last night, or how no one else was killed! And I will think twice before I complain about the conditions of our roads at home after this trip. The total distance yesterday from Madurai to Kottayam was 245 kilometers, which is about 155 miles. On an interstate back home, that would take you a little over two hours. In the mountains in the US, you could probably add 30-45 minutes. Our driving time alone yesterday was seven-and-a-half hours – over twice as long. It makes me wonder seriously about this country’s ability to develop commercially with the transport of goods, if they only have one or two major divided highways for the entire country. Needless to say, glad to be on terra firma today!!!