trip down south

4:06 pm (Bangalore)
Autorickshaw reached Krishnarajapuram station. Auto pay 61/-  what sixty 'one'.
Train delay by 40 mins was scheduled at 4:25PM. Now wait n' wait. Some Howrah train left station lot of Bengali folks. A little chaotic scene. Open Hemingway. Little sleepy.

5:27pm (Bangalore)
Train 2 hrs 10 min late. Hemingway making me more sleepy. So walk around.

A Farewell to Arms

6:55pm (Bangalore)
My train arrived finally. Tutikuty somthin exp. Get on train, B2-30-upper berth. Call home. Discuss new house const plans etc.

7:40pm (Bangalore)
All phone will swith off. Read Hemingway. Chapter4 finish, war Italy vs Austria nd American boy drive ambulance cars on Italian side. Sleep off goodnight.

2:40am (Someplace)
Sleep finish. Phone on. Watsapp msg rcv rply. Vry hungry. Dinner passed out.

4:25 am (Madurai)
Train rchd Madurai jnctn. Get off train. Ask RPF how go to Rameswaram. Take bus frm station to matdawani bus stop n get a bus frm there. Matdwani 7km frm here. Hotel Shree Kanna Veg. One coffee 11 rs. Make it super strong. Ask at hotel counter Rameswaram bus. He says train at 6 am better. Sip hot coffee njoy n back into station. Nw in Q5 railway bookin counter in Madurai station.

4:46 am (Madurai)
Tic done. Jnry 3041 Rameswaram passenger 30/- 6:00am. Now sit in platform n do nothing. Look at people walkin by, talking loud n soft n singing vendors,"kapi kapi kapi tee kapi kapi kapi teee"

5:22am (Madurai)
Wait, wait n more wait n chapter 8. Hemingway is all girl-wine n wine- girl n ofcourse war scheduled to start. WAR! Huh m already at war- bloody mosquitoes every where. Rt hnd holds hemingway,left flyin allover chasing them. Eyes readin book while mouth blowing air missiles at attacking enemies. And wait, wait, wait

5:51am (Madurai)
Platfrom4 announced. I like the people here in south. Very Disciplined. All coffee goes inside you n cups inside dustbins. Station jet clean even in dis hrs unlike up north it smells n looks shitt. Also they hav escalators here which is better

6:06am (Madurai)
In d train. All lower berths taken. No issues passenger train it is. Happily place my water bottle, bag, sandals n me on d upper berth wooden platform. Let d sun rise higher n once more light apear will release Hemingway. Till then will try to grasp wat eveybody arnd are talking abt. My tamil being fantastically zero. Its sm wat like foreigner experience

6:42:am (Someplace)

As train starts talking with wind. Everybdy here has settled themselves in their own comfortable states.  All ladies fat n old n with babies n kids n without seats settled on floor. All men standing near d door hav started talking dn know what of heaven or hell yet they r nowhere near the shrill chatter of d ladies on d floor mother-inlaws daughter-inlaws grandmothers granddaughter all of ladies kin. Here goes a fewmilkbikis, milkpowder n warm water in a bowl n a quick cerelac spin.

6:57am (Someplace)
First stop n all hell broke loose. More ladies, more jasmine, more yell, more chaos. Quick settlements and all on the floor. Hail ladies. Nothing more of any interest. I guess Hemingway's time has come.

Bridge and Boats at Bay

9:37am (Someplace)
Rameswaram hasn't arrived yet. Awfully bad smell not sure how much left but yes this is d last leg before reaching d island. Morning rush is over nt many ppl left. Floor is empty, even seats r empty n I m fucking hungry

10:21am (Rameswaram)
Pretty warm out here or say a little hot

10:37am (Rameswaram)

Damn my dear Friends have been struggling to book my return tic from Madurai to Bangalore. Nothing worked no train tic booked all regretted. Kartikh hotel 850/- AC near KV Rameswaram. Room 204. IRCTC SUCKS!!!

11:10am (Rameswaram)
Ok I booked a bus ticket from Madurai to Bangalore for tomorrow afternoon. Redbus zindabaad. Lunch at Ramdev Marwari Bhojanalaya near temple square

1:34pm (Rameswaram)

To Dhanushkodi from near hotel. Bus number 'Three. No seat. Got seat. Weeding hoardings all over in town, outside town. Scores of them all along roadsides. I guess I landed in d peak mating season here. Among NTR, Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha, I also spotted late LTTE's Prabhakaran on wedloc banners alongside local heroes and to be married couples.

Mahindra MaxiCab

2:39pm (Dhanushkodi)
Only started now. MaxiCab Mahindra last window seat. Like camel back ride.

5:00pm (Dhanushkodi)

It was a strange feeling to be at d edge. Sea of Arabia to your right roaring n slowly merging with the silent sea of Bengal on my left. With what shall I compare I do not kno but I loved d feeling of being here. Dhanuskodi was once a small town that got completely destroyed in a storm back in 1964. One ruined church, railway station couple of broken building is all that remains.

6:17 (Rameswaram)

Left Dhanushkodi. Sunset was not complete. There are clouds at d horizon. Was alone but never felt lonely  its good to b alone sometimes. Will take another shower once in hotel, hav some coffee n bada, d fast food stall near d hotel looked good.

Dhanushkodi

9:08 pm (Rameswaram)
Today its early to bed n early to rise. Tonight I turned Rameswaram upside down looking for South Indian veg meal n ended up eating at ramdev marwari bhojanalaya AGAIN! N drank hot badam milk after dinner. Bought a souvenir sea shell for 100 buck. Yes, I know overpriced.

09:16pm (Rameswaram)
Hav been fighting with d tv remote cntrl for quite sm tym nw. Its a daunting task finding one non tamil channel here. I better retire for d night.

4:18am (Rameswaram)
Wokeup already. 12 mr mins befr my alarm comes alive. Anyways will go ahead take bath and get ready to catch d sunrise at eastern sea

5:02am (Rameswaram)

Left hotel towrds the ghats near Rameswaram temple. Its quite n cool morning.  Less dust just sand over tarred rd, a pleasant walk it is.

05:25am (Rameswaram)
At agnitheertham ghat near d eastern gate of the temple is already teemed with people going for bath, taking bath n returnin after bath. Its not dawn yet but I can understand its goin to be a cloudy day ahead. So dats about all for sunrise at sea. Will go do my darshan, sooner better before it gets crowded

05:40am (Rameswaram)
Will leave my bag here at this stall infront of eastern dwaar of d temple where this old man is selling pooja thali. Will leave my sandals here too.

6:16am (Rameswaram)

Darshan over, not much rush. I took all my time going through temple compound. Saw the crystal Shiva lingam. Offered my prayers. And I did pay 50 Rs for darshan. There are about 27 wells within d temple that devotees take bath as part of darshan n purification of there sins. I had taken my bath so skipped anthr 27 baths n also saved 25 Rs

They Sell Sea Shells on Sea Shore

6:40am (Rameswaram)
One hard crust bonda, one onion bonda n one soft crust sweet bonda with tea without sugar for breakfast near Harish hotel on main market road just before the central traffic signal.

7:12am (Rameswaram)

Since I have couple of hours n weather is not hot like yesterday I have decided to walk till the Ramapadam temple. About 3 kms on the north road from central traffic signal. Almost empty road, just a couple of autos n bikes passing by. It's Ganesh chaturthy today, front yard of all houses that I hav passed on this road has been cleaned n moped with cowdung. Has a typical smell n looks greenish in color. Rangolis hav also been made. Walking towards a TV tower.

8:00am (Rameswaram)
At Ramapadam. Small hill, two storeyed temple. Nice view of the island from here. With d sweet breeze its relaxing up here.

9:25am (Rameswaram)

Another glass of tea is perfect nw. Lot of temp shop selling Ganesh idols of all sizes. There are also a few that will get you a fresh out of cast idols. Not sure when it will dry n when u will begin pooja with it. May be its a better thing to do, environment friendly no colors no false jewels just out of mud. When immersed after pooja it will hav no carbon footprint. Awesome!! I like people here in South they are intelligent folks. If only rest of our country learns from them

11:19am (Rameswaram)
Left hotel. It rained a little, love rain. Got ticket to Madurai 30/- 11:50 train. Gorged lemon rice at the station hotel for 20 bucks.

Rameswaram Rail Station

11:35am (Rameswaram)
Got a corner seat somehow. Not much rush like morning n evening trains. Now waiting for train to start n give Hemingway a read, its been sittin idle for sometime now.

11:51am (Rameswaram)
Train just started

1:13pm (Ramanathapur)

Train stops some get down n more get in while I snap off from my short nap. Now Hemingway will appear

1:56pm (Paramakodi)
Hemingway's boy is about to become a father n has to go back to war. While more people climbed in its the floor that is again cleared for ladies. Funny times Hemingway is talking about, funny talk ladies talking aloud that I do not understand watsoever

2:34pm (Manamadurai)
I did not know they have peacock down south. Spotted a few while train passing by these arid landscape.

03:26pm (Madurai)
Madurai junction. Will head to Meenakshi temple.

6:00pm (Madurai)

Meenakshi temple is no doubt the biggest of all temples I hav been to. Beautiful, absolute splendor one should never miss. Had 2nd lunch at Brindavan Veg 60Rs South Indian meals before going to temple as temple only opened at 4 pm. Weather is not very hot slightly cloudy.

7:37pm (Madurai)
Now nicely seated at a corner table in Anjapar restaurant KKnagar Madurai. Prawn fry, chicken Chitenadu n rice being cooked for me in the kitchen. I hav my bus at 9:15 from near here.

Nataraj - at Meenakshi Temple

9:16pm (Madurai)
Bus is here, seat num 9. Very tired will try to sleep quick. And food in Anjapar was not at all good. It did rain here too.

6:00am (Bangalore)
CentralSilkboard junction. Will be home soon and its raining.

Note: Snaps at Glimmering - Flickering