Tamil Nadu, India: Madurai to China

This is the last post in my series about my trip to India. Click here to read the previous post.


We woke up and had a big breakfast at the hotel then headed into town to the main temple.

This was just an absolutely incredible temple. It's the largest operating Hindu temple in the world (and largest in the world just after Angkor Wat). It goes on and on with different towers, temples, courtyards, etc. 

One of the best parts was when we saw a man leading an elephant around inside the temple. I have never been that close to an elephant, and definitely not with nothing between us. It was absolutely mesmerizing to watch it walk, because it was just so BIG (shocker, I know).

Because this was the most conservative temple, I had to buy an Indian outfit to wear in the temple. I also got annointed with oil, a bindi, and a flower in my hair at various points - even when I was just standing around waiting. Also, because it was so conservative, I wasn't allowed to go into the central part of the temple, but I got to wait around in the temple and people watch, which was really interesting.

After the temple, we just walked around nearby. Actually it was just a few of us that stuck around, so I ended up going saree shopping with the other ladies. We had a really good time. I was amazed at the selection of colors, materials, patterns, etc. 

After the shopping, we spent the afternoon at the hotel. We had massages booked in the afternoon, so we just relaxed, had a massage, and all hung out together. Unfortunately, I started feeling kind of sick for some reason. I think it was either the anti-malarial medication or the tiny bit of dairy I had accidentally eaten the day before. By the end of the day, I had no appetite and was feeling kind of dizzy and out of it. It was kind of a shame I had to go to bed so early on the last night, but I knew I had to get up early the next morning anyway.

We woke up at 5am and headed to the airport for our 8am flight to Chennai. It was just a 45-minute flight or something, then we landed and parted ways. The others were getting a connecting flight to another part of India and I had to transfer to the international terminal. This is where the madness started. I went to the terminal and luckily got inside, even though my flight wasn't for another 12 hours. 

So for the next 12 hours I had to sit around on the benches in the terminal waiting area. I had to wait about 9 hours before I could get in line to check into my flight. I did find a part of the bench without arm rests so I got to lie down and sleep for a few hours. I didn't have internet, so I just had to read, nap and listen to music for the whole day. I would not recommend this. 

Eventually I did get on my overnight flight to Kuala Lampur and connected early in the morning back to Hangzhou. I don't even want to go into the various reasons this was one of the longest and worst bits of traveling I've ever endured. I don't think I've ever been as tired as I was by the last flight back to Hangzhou. Also, keep in mind I hadn't eaten anything more than a bite of bread here and there for almost three days by the time I got back to China. 

I had such a good time on my trip. I'm glad I got to see a part of India that not many people go (at least, non-Indians). I definitely will be going back to India as soon as I get the next chance. I want to see some other parts - particularly the north. I definitely think I'm more interested in the north of India in general. I like the food better and I really like Hindi. I'd actually quite like to learn Hindi anyway. Plus, the very north has some beautiful mountainous landscapes that I'd love to see.