Trichy to Madurai (16)

Yesterday, our arrival at the Taj Gateway Hotel was an adventure in and of itself. Sam got to lay by the pool and observe neon caterpillars, big orange bugs, and peacocks (a lady got pooped on), as Alex did the same but with a book while cursing the glorified pigeons’ chattering. Meanwhile, Mim and Dad wandered off to check out a temple in the city. Turned out that was pretty neat; it was enormous, and Dad had to buy a skirt to cover his knees. I think he secretly wanted to buy the skirt, and he wore short shorts to that end (ha). In the evening we enjoyed being first to the restaurant, per usual, at 8 o’clock. We sat outside and enjoyed the fireworks of Independence Day and the lightning of the storm that was brewing. As we ate, we simultaneously fed the area’s bug population, and have the marks to prove it.
Today was most excellent. We woke up at the unearthly hour of 8:30am to go to the Gandhi Museum in Madurai. Have no fear, however, because it was well worth it! There was extensive information on Indian history and how Mahatma Ghandi was involved as well as how he himself influenced the country. There were tons of photos and artifacts accompanying the text. It was (as far as Alex is concerned) the best museum we’ve seen yet.
Next, we wandered all the way down to the southern tip of the country. All four of us stuck a limb into 3 different oceans at once! The Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. Swimming was out of the question due to the rather large waves ripping into the shore, as well as the temperature, which was a mere 30 degrees. The fact that we now find 27oC hotel rooms frigid does not bode well for our return to Canada!
As seems to be the norm along the coast, the locals were beginning to gather on the waterfront to eat, shop and relax as we were exploring the monuments and admiring the view of the oceans. We weren’t the only tourists, but we were definitely in the minority, and garnered more than a few stares. Alex had her picture taken with a little boy and his mother after the boy developed a serious case of shyness when she noticed him trying to take a picture of her with his parents’ phone.
Also along the shore was a monument honoring those who died in the 2004 tsunami, and a large memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. We got a personalized tour of the memorial from one of the men charged with watching over the monument & keeping an eye out for future tsunamis. The monument, which stands out as a very oddly shaped building on the water’s edge marks the place where Gandhi’s ashes were kept before being cast into the three oceans (so that they could spread around all of India). The memorial building was separated into three areas: the outermost was designed to represent Christianity, the next chamber represented a Hindu Temple, and the final dome a Muslim Mosque, thereby showing Gandhi’s desire to unite all of the people of India. Over the marker where his ashes were kept in the inner-most room was a small circle cut into the ceiling. Each year on his birthday at the time of his birth (October 2nd?, 2:20pm?) the hole covering is opened and a beam of sunlight comes through the roof to touch the marker. It was an interesting tour, and well worth having a guide, as we would have known none of this without him.
Now we have eaten dinner and are marveling at the speed at which the trip seems to be disappearing. We are already one week in, with only a week to go!
Alex & Sam, signing out!