South India Travel and Accommodation Details, Jan. 20 - March 27 2008

cristos7 · Apr 6th, 2008, 03:27

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been promoted to the Articles section. You can read the article in its entirety here:

South India Travel and Accommodation Details, Jan. 20 - March 27 2008

rebeccam · Apr 6th, 2008, 03:52

I'm reacting to your thread as your partner did to the Kathakali dance.
As a later-this-year traveler to some of those places, and a member of the same generation as you, i am fascinated, awed, and tickled by your trip report. Amazing!
THANK YOU!!!!

andyanderson · May 1st, 2008, 03:12

Most amazing travel writing read so far. I am on my way to South Asia. Your descriptions and impressions are extremely valuable to me.
Thanks,

vandy · May 1st, 2008, 06:15

Interesting & fascinating Reading not only for
First Timers, Thanks for Sharing.

I constantly Advise(Warn) First time travellers to
India to Keep travel to a Minimum UNLESS they have
a lot of time on their side.Too many try and do too much in a very short period of time and Leave India Exhausted and hence some negative Memories.

There are also many,many travellers who SWEAR they
will NEVER RETURN after their first trip,only to
Make numerous Return Journeys.

vandy

brownboy66 · May 1st, 2008, 10:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristos7

AND I do have a few opinions to express:

- In India, the easy is difficult, the difficult nearly impossible, and the "not possible" sublime.

- If I had to chose between India and China to rule the world, I'd choose India.

- Never flinch in India - even though everything merges from all directions you are generally safe so long as you walk a straight and steady course.

- I used to think that Thoreau was right about life being sweetest close to the bone, but baby, in India, life IS the bone;-)

- Every westerner could benefit from spending at least one full year in India, during which time you will be broken down, disassembled, reassembled and honed into a full-fledged human being, for better and for worse.... Namaste!

just beauuuuutiful! fantastic write up of a great trip.....

thank you.

Tobias · May 6th, 2008, 03:12

Thank you for this thorough, informative and well-written post! It is much appreciated and helpful for someone contemplating going to South India for the first time.

theyyamdancer · Jun 21st, 2008, 12:20

Brilliant post! The Kathakali part was amazing... is she OK now?

Jean-Philipe · Jun 27th, 2008, 08:54

One of the very best posts I have read on IndiaMike.

Thanks especially for the recommendation of Ashtamudi Home Stay in Alleppey. It sounds like a great place to stay. And also TM Lodge in Madurai.

Trivandrum to Madurai by overnight bus -- uugghh! Take the train: 728 Kollam to Madurai passenger leaves Trivandrum at 20:20 and arrives Madurai at 05:20. Sleeper (Rs 100) and First Class non-AC (Rs 370).

"Instead of back-tracking to Madurai and then taking the train through Bangalore to Mysore (16 hours) I chose to take the "shorter" and more direct route via bus through Combiatore."

Kodaikkanal to Mysore by bus -- another uugghh! Much more comfortable to take the train, even if it takes a bit longer. It won't be so bad in a couple of years when they finish the road construction in the Nilgiri Hills, but right
now it's pretty awful.

"Virtually all of the English language signs in India are misspelled as a polite way of saying f**k you to the English."

Brilliant observation and insight. I didn't realize it was deliberate!

cristos7 · Jul 1st, 2008, 00:14

... and yes, my partner has recovered from her exposure to Kathakali;-) (She was braced for but unfazed by a Kathakali DVD we watched recently; guess you gotta be there;-D

And while I do heartily recommend the alternative train travel advised by a previous poster for trips to Madurai from Trivandrum and Kodaikanal to Mysore, booking train travel during anything other than (possibly) the monsoon season is often a *double* uuugghhh in itself;-(

Namaste, Happy Trails, Que te vaya bien,

Chris

snonymous · Jul 16th, 2008, 11:42

Very interesting write up - for first timers and for local residents. Im intrigued at how anyone could get so affected by a Kathakali performance. Was it the heat and humidily, or was it truly a 'mesmerising' effect?

Apr 6th, 2008, 03:27	#1
cristos7 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: USA Posts: 15	South India Travel and Accommodation Details, Jan. 20 - March 27 2008 EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been promoted to the Articles section. You can read the article in its entirety here: South India Travel and Accommodation Details, Jan. 20 - March 27 2008 Last edited by nadreg : May 2nd, 2008 at 07:55.

Apr 6th, 2008, 03:52	#2
rebeccam Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oakland, California, USA Posts: 109	Wow!! I'm reacting to your thread as your partner did to the Kathakali dance. As a later-this-year traveler to some of those places, and a member of the same generation as you, i am fascinated, awed, and tickled by your trip report. Amazing! THANK YOU!!!!

Jun 27th, 2008, 08:54	#8
Jean-Philipe Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: near Chennai, Tamil Nadu Posts: 152	One of the very best posts I have read on IndiaMike. Thanks especially for the recommendation of Ashtamudi Home Stay in Alleppey. It sounds like a great place to stay. And also TM Lodge in Madurai. Trivandrum to Madurai by overnight bus -- uugghh! Take the train: 728 Kollam to Madurai passenger leaves Trivandrum at 20:20 and arrives Madurai at 05:20. Sleeper (Rs 100) and First Class non-AC (Rs 370). "Instead of back-tracking to Madurai and then taking the train through Bangalore to Mysore (16 hours) I chose to take the "shorter" and more direct route via bus through Combiatore." Kodaikkanal to Mysore by bus -- another uugghh! Much more comfortable to take the train, even if it takes a bit longer. It won't be so bad in a couple of years when they finish the road construction in the Nilgiri Hills, but right now it's pretty awful. "Virtually all of the English language signs in India are misspelled as a polite way of saying f*k you to the English." Brilliant observation and insight. I didn't realize it was deliberate! __________________ It's all part of the adventure of travelling! Last edited by Jean-Philipe : Jun 27th, 2008 at 08:56. Reason: Line breaks*

Jul 1st, 2008, 00:14	#9
cristos7 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: USA Posts: 15	Thank you all for your kind words ... ... and yes, my partner has recovered from her exposure to Kathakali;-) (She was braced for but unfazed by a Kathakali DVD we watched recently; guess you gotta be there;-D And while I do heartily recommend the alternative train travel advised by a previous poster for trips to Madurai from Trivandrum and Kodaikanal to Mysore, booking train travel during anything other than (possibly) the monsoon season is often a double uuugghhh in itself;-( Namaste, Happy Trails, Que te vaya bien, Chris

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May 1st, 2008, 03:12	#3
andyanderson Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 24	Most amazing travel writing read so far. I am on my way to South Asia. Your descriptions and impressions are extremely valuable to me. Thanks,

May 1st, 2008, 06:15	#4
vandy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: perth-australia Posts: 514	Interesting & fascinating Reading not only for First Timers, Thanks for Sharing. I constantly Advise(Warn) First time travellers to India to Keep travel to a Minimum UNLESS they have a lot of time on their side.Too many try and do too much in a very short period of time and Leave India Exhausted and hence some negative Memories. There are also many,many travellers who SWEAR they will NEVER RETURN after their first trip,only to Make numerous Return Journeys. vandy

May 6th, 2008, 03:12	#6
Tobias Permanent Tourist Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 31	Thank you for this thorough, informative and well-written post! It is much appreciated and helpful for someone contemplating going to South India for the first time.

Jun 21st, 2008, 12:20	#7
theyyamdancer Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 661	Brilliant post! The Kathakali part was amazing... is she OK now?

Jul 16th, 2008, 11:42	#10
snonymous Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 500	Very interesting write up - for first timers and for local residents. Im intrigued at how anyone could get so affected by a Kathakali performance. Was it the heat and humidily, or was it truly a 'mesmerising' effect?

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