Category Archives: India and Sri Lanka

It was actually quite a nice mix of Indian and western here in Varkala. The setting of the restaurants and hotels sittting atop the cliff top surrounding the beach meant that everything was easy to reach and that everywhere we went we got a cooling breeze off of the ocean. The atmosphere was also beautifullyContinue reading “Relaxing in Varkala “

We both had a bit of an upset stomach after our last spicy meal in Varkala but neither of us were regretful as it was delicious. But not the greatest of starts to the day as we were reluctantly leaving Varkala and traveling to Kumily, where we were hoping to do some hiking in theContinue reading “Varkala to Kumily to Kodaikanal”

Kodaikanal sits at about 2000m above sea level and is centred around a star shaped lake which is surrounded by forests of Pine Trees intermingled with Eucalyptus. It’s a holiday destination popular with Indians looking to escape the heat and gaze over the plains of Tamil Nadu below. It a bit of a hodgepodge ofContinue reading “Superb Views in Kodaikanal “

We had decided to extend our stay in Kodaikanal for another night as we were thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and the respite from the heat. We didn’t have much planned for the day but our first stop was Bryant park. Unfortunately it wasn’t the amazing park it had been billed as but it was anContinue reading “Cruising around Kodaikanal “

We are getting pretty used to scary bus rides up and down mountains so apart from a near head on collision the trip down from Kodaikanal to the plains passed without much incident. Once down on the flats it was slightly less scary but we are still getting used to the driving here and justContinue reading “The Madness of Madurai”

What a crazy place! Our first real taste of an Indian city and what an experience. The streets are dusty, the traffic thick and walking down the road you have to be aware of everything around you. Cars going the wrong way down the street, no footpath or if there is, it has holes inContinue reading “Madurai Day 2”

We are getting to terms with the fact that 200kms progress by public transport in India in one day is actually fairly good progress and trying to achieve anything else in a day might be a bit ambitious. The key is to just lay back and enjoy the journey. I wasn’t quite sure which ticketsContinue reading “Tiruchirapalli and a bit of Delhi Belly”

Finally woke up feeling like a human again today. We were leaving Trichy today and we were both glad to get out of our hotel room that we had been holed up in for the last 3 days. We only were going about 45kms as the crow flies to Thanjavur via train. So we headedContinue reading “Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur”

We had picked Puducherry for a three day stop as it was going to be my birthday so we thought a relaxing time in a nice hotel on the coast would do the trick. We were definitely looking forward to it. Puducherry according to Lonely Planet was a unique blend of Franco – Indian flareContinue reading “Puducherry “

Our descent from the luxury of the hotel we stayed at for Sarah’s birthday was pretty rapid and all of a sudden we were sat on a local bus sweating in the heat and praying that it would pull away from the bus station so that some air would start flowing and we would coolContinue reading “Rock Carvings in Mamallapuram”