Ginny: Fleuveau

July 9, 2010

Today we are in Tanjore, a city about 4 hours away from Madurai by bus.  Two days ago, for our community service, we got to help some architecture students from Madurai design new food stands for the temple there, and if they like the design, the temple will actually construct them.  We were also in the newspaper that day for the work that we’re doing at the temple.

            Also, the other night we went to a Muslim area in Madurai and got Egg Parota for dinner.  The way they make it is amazing- they make parota (a type of bread) then chop it up and mix it into a sort of scrambled egg thing- but the process of making it is much like a show.  It’s really quite musical.  Then yesterday morning we went to a stone mason’s workshop where we saw how they carve stone by hand into beautiful statues.  A few people from my group ordered small statues that will be ready for them to pick up next week- and only for about $20. 

            For lunch yesterday, I decided to try the traditional lunch.  We have been going to a café type restaurant right next to the hotel in Madurai for most meals, and at lunch, everyone but us gets basically a round tray with rice and a bunch of hot sauces that they, of course, eat with their hands.  It still amazes me that people can eat like that without even looking at their food!  The dish was very good, especially when eaten with my hands, and I’ll probably get it again when we go back. 

            This morning, in Tanjore, we went to see a temple and a museum.  The southern temples are much more elaborate than the northern ones, and most are painted bright colors (though this one wasn’t because it is historical and no longer in use).  The museum was awesome because it used to be a temple, and there were two amazing towers that we were actually allowed to go to the tops of.  We got to see the beautiful landscape and colorful houses from that perspective.  As we left, there was a man selling parrots, and one of my friends bought one to set free.  I really want to buy one and figure out a way to bring it home!  Except do I really want a pet parrot?

July 5, 2010

            Wow, Tamil Nadu (well, Madurai area at least) is amazing!  We have a great view of the city from our hotel, where we eat breakfast is up on the 4^th floor with a terrace outside.  Beautiful view!  Madurai is also a bustling city, very different than slightly sleepy (rainy) Panaji. 

            This morning we went to visit a Jain cave and ended up seeing a tree that the local religion worships as a god as well as climbing up a huge rock hill that was really steep but had an amazing view of the beautiful surrounding landscape- mountains in the distance, palm tree groves, colorful houses, sweeping planes.

            The food here is also much cheaper than food anywhere else we’ve been.  I got a Dosa, coffee (which is much better here, but more about that in a min) and a huge bottle of water for lunch for 50 rupees.  The coffee is grown in the south and is much more flavorful than the northern variety (which tastes like warm milk with no flavor added).  The coffee we got at lunch came in a little metal cup set in a little metal bowl.  The cup was full of coffee while the bowl held a small bit of milk.  We took the cup out of the bowl and poured the coffee into the bowl, then back and forth to mix and cool.  It already had sugar in it, so it was pretty sweet (I prefer unsweetened) but I really had no complaints.  It was soooo good. 

            This afternoon we went to do our community service at the min temple around which Madurai grew, the Meenakshi temple.  The gopurums (or gateways) of the temple are incredible.  Huge, tall like skyscrapers, they sit at the four entrances of the square temple.  They are brightly colored, and covered in figures all the way to the top.  I thought I wasn’t allowed to have my camera, so I didn’t bring it, but I wish I had!  Tomorrow I will.  Around the temple is an entirely pedestrian area that is full of (apparently) very good authentic shops.  Inside the temple, we are doing service with the architecture school here, which involves cleaning the sculptures inside the temple.  It’s awesome to get so close to them.  They also have an elephant there that will take money from you, then place its head on your trunk to bless you.  It literally picks the money up with its trunk from your hand.  Some people rode him!  I may tomorrow.  Just inside the temple is a huge shopping area, which is very funny.  The temple wasn’t open yet when we first went in, so shopkeepers were lying on the floor asleep and the place was hauntingly quiet. 

            Anyway, tonight we’re going shopping I think, and now we have a meeting to go over what we talked about this morning.  I love this place so far!