My start in India

After flying into Chennai, my first stop was a place called Tiruvannamalai. Even now if you asked me where it was I went, I could not tell you without (very slowly) reading out the word from somewhere it was written down. Fortunately lots of place names in India seem to have abbreviations which does make things a little easier. Although like in Sri Lanka, it often takes a while before people understand what I'm saying.

My journey to Tiruvannamalai involved the first of what I now know is a reoccurring sequence of events when trying to find something in India, be it a bus, or train, or anything else. What happens is this - the first person you ask points you in the direction of whatever it is you're looking for. However, when you get there and ask someone else, they point you in another direction. This will normally happen a few times before, more often than not, you find whatever you're looking for in roughly the same place as somewhere you previously asked directions but got sent somewhere else. Another thing I've found is that sometimes if people don't understand you, they get a slightly anxious look on their face and then just completely ignore you as if you're not there at all.

Whilst in Tiruvannamalai I visited a Hindu Temple. It was pretty impressive to look around, covering a huge area, with extremely tall intricately carved gopurums (the word which I have recently discovered refers to the big white towers). Another thing I discovered is that you can't take shoes inside the temples. I knew that you mustn't ware them, but I just put my flip flops into my bag to avoid paying someone to guard them for me. They are very old and I'm pretty sure no one would want them, but you never know. Well, to get into the temple you had to go through a scanner thing like at the airport. For me it bleeped and so my bag was checked and I was sent straight out to leave my flip flops with the guarding man!

In Tiruvannamalai there was an extinct 800m high volcano. I climbed to the top for amazing views down over the town and the temple. It was a very hot but enjoyable climb and at the top was a little shrine and a hut where you were invited to sit and drink sweet milk tea.