Madurai

Well India is growing on us.  Each town we visit we like a little bit more than the last. But it may be that it can only get better.  Certainly our farewell from Pondicherry with the great Cockroach Gymkhana at the bus stop was a new Entomological experience. The bus stop for the overnight sleeper was more a warehouse with no place to sit except the front steps. However these steps were the stadium for the Great Cockroach Gymkhana.  Streaming out of the cracks in the concrete covers over the open drains were the largest cockroaches we have ever seen - at least 5 cm.  They were swarming and scurrying around hopping onto each other to make more of themselves.  This did not bode well for the quality of the sleeper bus and after our horror experience on a sleeper bus in China (see Kunming to Lijiang) after which Eileen vowed never again, Eileen was getting worried.  However the sleeper bus turned out to be quite comfortable and clean (by Indian standards anyway) and we had a relatively good night's sleep bumping along the road to Madurai.
 
Madurai has lots to offer tourists as it gets hundreds of thousands of them every year due to the huge Hindu temple, Meenakshi Amman Temple, which dominates this ancient 2500 year old city.

Its four 50 foot towers are decorated with ornate reliefs of Hindu dieties.

Despite Madurai being a holy site for Hindus, we seem to be seeing more churches in Tamil  Nadu than Hindu temples.

Catholic cathedral

Lutheran church

In Madurai we were introduced to 'the meal'.  For 80 rupees, about $1.50, one gets a full vegetarian  meal of rice, dal, assorted cooked veggie dishes, chapati, and pickle, yogurt and sweet dessert all served on banana leaf.  The waiters come by and keep adding more until we had to insist they stop.  It is eaten with fingers but as westerners we were offered a spoon.  It did us for the day and although we were finding India a bit more expensive than expected we realise it is possible to eat very well in India for next to nothing.