contd. from previous post
We reached our Hotel - Hotel Dayalan - by 5:10 AM by walking from the bus stop. After we checked in, all 3 of us caught up with some pending sleep till about 6 AM. Afterwards, we started getting ready to visit the main temple on the agenda - Thirumananchery.
With the help of the Hotel guys, we hired a taxi and set out by 9ish AM. The main thing to note is that, for the first time in my life, on a day other than Aavani Avittam, I ventured out in public in a vaeshti. I had planned this even while packing my stuff for the trip.
We reached the temple by 9:40 or so. I may have mentioned this earlier, but doesnt hurt to repeat it. The temple at Tirumananchery is reknowned for having special powers that cater to the needs of the people who are having trouble getting married. Like me! And the popularity of this temple has apparently increased manifold in the last 50-60 years only.
The rituals to be followed in the temple are quite simple actually. You just need to buy a flower garland and get an archanai performed to the uthsava moorthies of the deities Sundareshwarar and Kokilambaall. During the course of this archanai, the priests first place the aforementioend garland near the deity and then they give it to you for wearing for a short while before the ritual comes to an end.
Once the prayers are all done, the head priest gave directions on what needed to be done with the prasadams. The prasadams are essentially a garland (referenced recently), viboothi, kungumam, manjal and a lemon. The viboothi and kungumam have to applied daily. The lemon is supposed to be extracted into a concentrate and that has to be consumed first thing in the morning of the day we return home. The manjal is to be used by women. And the garland has to be kept at home and the belief is that by the time it decomposes, a wedding would be fixed. And after the wedding is done, the couple is expected to visit the temple and then throw off the garland (or whatever is left of it) into a pond adjoining the temple.
Anyways, after completing the prayers, lighting of lamps at a couple of places and taking few mandatory pictures, we were out of the temple. Our next stop was Vaitheeshwaran Kovil. There was no big agenda at the temple and so it was a very business-like visit there. Once we were done with the prayers at the sannidhis of Vaitheeshwaran and Thaiyalnaayagi, we headed out for a much needed lunch.
Lunch was at a place called Hotel Sadabhishekam and we had a pretty good meal. We resumed our trip back to the Hotel and just as we left the Hotel, the driver said he was going to fill up fuel at the station next door. He asked us for 50% of the agreed amount and during the process of handing over the cash to him, my mother found out that she was missing a "loaded" purse that she had brought along from Chennai.
To be continued....
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 3
I had booked a family room asking for an extra bed. The room that we entered into was a normal sized one with just about free space to put in the extra mattress. The pillows on the bed were slightly larger than a folder hand towel. The room was very poorly lit and had only 2 wall lamps which were powered by 15W bulbs I think. There was a dressing table with mirror hidden in one corner of the room where there was no light. There was an AC which seemed to respond to the various buttons pressed on the remote with a nice click sound, but always responded with its standard setting that had it pumping mildly cool air into the room!
Anyways, it was time for us to freshen up and my dad decided to use the bathroom first. He came out after 15 minutes or so and informed us that we don’t get cold water in the taps! I mean, usually the hot water availability in a hotel is subject to timing, so I was surprised to hear him say something like this. I checked whether he was referring to the normal water pipe giving out warm water (like it does at Chennai due to the heat) and he clarified that all the taps in the bathroom were giving out scalding hot water direct from the geyser/water-heater. I went ahead and checked the taps and found his claims to be true. We rang up the housekeeping staff who then came up to inspect the situation. He then said that he’d switch off something somewhere and that would ensure that we get the correct type of water from the taps. Thankfully he did what he promised and so things were normal.
While my mother was using the bathroom, I decided to step out of the hotel and buy the toothbrush that I so badly needed. On the way back, I checked with a tourist car operator next to my hotel about the costs involved in hiring a car up for my Madikeri trip. He gave me a quote with various options like – just a drop and then a pickup at the day I wanted to return and retaining the car throughout the 3 days. I simply noted down the numbers and returned to my room.
My friends then called me to inform that they were all on the way and would be in the hotel in another 20 minutes or so. It was then my turn to use the bathroom and after getting ready, I went down to the lobby to meet my friends. Mahendran and Raji were there in the restaurant to have their breakfast and Uthra decided to use this interval to do some sari shopping for her landlord!
Finally all of us took off around 10.45 AM I think (not sure about the exact hour since it is now 2 weeks since I went there). The driver of the Sumo that was hired by us, suggested us to first go to Chamundi Hills. Since there were mutual introductions required between Uthra’s family and mine, the journey towards Chamundi Hills started off on that note itself. Surprisingly there wasn’t much of the “oho, neenga avaalloda ivaalla” or “neenga ingayaa vaelai paaninaell? Ungallukku innaara theriyumo?” etc.
Uthra’s daughter Shruthi was one non-stop giggling machine. Ask her what her name was and the first response would be a 10 second giggle and then if you were lucky, you would get to hear her say her name. Ask her a question immediately after she answers one and you are likely to be confronted with a giggle that would be louder and last some 5 seconds longer. By the end of the trip I was really amazed about her capacity to giggle so much.
We reached Chamundi Hills around noon and were immediately confronted with a large crowd. We got into a deliberation over whether we should actually proceed with the darshan or simply move to our next stop – the Mysore Palace.
Anyways, it was time for us to freshen up and my dad decided to use the bathroom first. He came out after 15 minutes or so and informed us that we don’t get cold water in the taps! I mean, usually the hot water availability in a hotel is subject to timing, so I was surprised to hear him say something like this. I checked whether he was referring to the normal water pipe giving out warm water (like it does at Chennai due to the heat) and he clarified that all the taps in the bathroom were giving out scalding hot water direct from the geyser/water-heater. I went ahead and checked the taps and found his claims to be true. We rang up the housekeeping staff who then came up to inspect the situation. He then said that he’d switch off something somewhere and that would ensure that we get the correct type of water from the taps. Thankfully he did what he promised and so things were normal.
While my mother was using the bathroom, I decided to step out of the hotel and buy the toothbrush that I so badly needed. On the way back, I checked with a tourist car operator next to my hotel about the costs involved in hiring a car up for my Madikeri trip. He gave me a quote with various options like – just a drop and then a pickup at the day I wanted to return and retaining the car throughout the 3 days. I simply noted down the numbers and returned to my room.
My friends then called me to inform that they were all on the way and would be in the hotel in another 20 minutes or so. It was then my turn to use the bathroom and after getting ready, I went down to the lobby to meet my friends. Mahendran and Raji were there in the restaurant to have their breakfast and Uthra decided to use this interval to do some sari shopping for her landlord!
Finally all of us took off around 10.45 AM I think (not sure about the exact hour since it is now 2 weeks since I went there). The driver of the Sumo that was hired by us, suggested us to first go to Chamundi Hills. Since there were mutual introductions required between Uthra’s family and mine, the journey towards Chamundi Hills started off on that note itself. Surprisingly there wasn’t much of the “oho, neenga avaalloda ivaalla” or “neenga ingayaa vaelai paaninaell? Ungallukku innaara theriyumo?” etc.
Uthra’s daughter Shruthi was one non-stop giggling machine. Ask her what her name was and the first response would be a 10 second giggle and then if you were lucky, you would get to hear her say her name. Ask her a question immediately after she answers one and you are likely to be confronted with a giggle that would be louder and last some 5 seconds longer. By the end of the trip I was really amazed about her capacity to giggle so much.
We reached Chamundi Hills around noon and were immediately confronted with a large crowd. We got into a deliberation over whether we should actually proceed with the darshan or simply move to our next stop – the Mysore Palace.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 2
The noise was basically the toothbrush falling out of my shirt pocket, bouncing on the footrest and taking the exit route out of the closet on to get in touch with the sleeper logs and pebbles on the railway track. The tube of toothpaste was probably inspired by this valiant act of the toothbrush and decided to take the jump out of my shirt pocket. Unlike its predecessor, however, it couldn’t make a smooth exit and landed between the footrest and the edge of the toilet. I had no choice but to nudge it towards its destination.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Old friends in a new restaurant
An old friend of mine from my previous company had come to Chennai last week. He stays in the City of Angels and had come here since his father was not keeping well.
On Saturday, I met him and 3 other friends from that circle, for dinner. We went to the roof-top restaurant in The Accord Metropolitan hotel. It was good to catch up with old friends and exchange data about who's left in the old place; where people are currently located; who has switched companies etc - basically glorified gossip.
Anyways, the restaurant was one pricey affair. The spread on the menu wasn't that great and whatever little was available was bloody expensive. And worse, the serving portions were also quite small or normal at best. But I must admit that the taste was good. This restaurant is probably the 5 star equivalent of Saravana Bhavan!
Another thing was the ambiance. The area was very dimly illuminated. There were small blue colored lamps on each pillar of the stylishly designed canopy and a couple of blinking lights on the floor. And reading the menu was quite an arduous task considering the unwieldy size of the menu card, the layout of the card (there were barely 8 pages, each written in a font size like the first letter you read out during an eye examination), the really thick material of the card (thick enough to replace a plywood plank on a cupboard) and the complicated names and descriptions given to the dishes ensured that people opted for the tried and trusted varieties.
The crowd that came there was quite up-market and from a vasool perspective it was worth the price. All in all, its a place one must visit if you are planning to mottai adichufy someone in the guise of a treat.
We then bade our farewells and went our own ways. Of course, I followed one guy till very near his house (he stays in Thiruvanmiyur) just because he had some beer. I followed him just to spite him a li'l and he finally called me and shouted at me to go away from his route. I felt that my good deed for the day was done.
On Saturday, I met him and 3 other friends from that circle, for dinner. We went to the roof-top restaurant in The Accord Metropolitan hotel. It was good to catch up with old friends and exchange data about who's left in the old place; where people are currently located; who has switched companies etc - basically glorified gossip.
Anyways, the restaurant was one pricey affair. The spread on the menu wasn't that great and whatever little was available was bloody expensive. And worse, the serving portions were also quite small or normal at best. But I must admit that the taste was good. This restaurant is probably the 5 star equivalent of Saravana Bhavan!
Another thing was the ambiance. The area was very dimly illuminated. There were small blue colored lamps on each pillar of the stylishly designed canopy and a couple of blinking lights on the floor. And reading the menu was quite an arduous task considering the unwieldy size of the menu card, the layout of the card (there were barely 8 pages, each written in a font size like the first letter you read out during an eye examination), the really thick material of the card (thick enough to replace a plywood plank on a cupboard) and the complicated names and descriptions given to the dishes ensured that people opted for the tried and trusted varieties.
The crowd that came there was quite up-market and from a vasool perspective it was worth the price. All in all, its a place one must visit if you are planning to mottai adichufy someone in the guise of a treat.
We then bade our farewells and went our own ways. Of course, I followed one guy till very near his house (he stays in Thiruvanmiyur) just because he had some beer. I followed him just to spite him a li'l and he finally called me and shouted at me to go away from his route. I felt that my good deed for the day was done.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Tirupati-travelogue-9-feb-08-to-10-feb-08: Part 2
The special darshan at Tirumala was scheduled for 4 PM that day. Since it was nearly 11.15 AM when we reached the hotel, we agreed to regroup quickly and have our lunch in the same hotel. Again, there were comments that the food in a hotel’s restaurant would be costly, but things were settled quickly since everyone was famished and we had a deadline.
The lunch turned out to be a not so expensive affair after all, costing around 70 bucks for a Thali. Meanwhile, I had enquired about the cost of booking a cab for all of us to go to Tirumala and Tiruchaanoor. The cost came to around 1600 bucks. This whopping sum was shot down instantaneously by all but me and another person. The rationale was that there are a lot of buses plying frequently to these places. Also, since the distance involved was less, the quote given by the cab guy was deemed to be too expensive.
After we completed the lunch, we (some of us) had a quick change of clothes and headed out of the hotel. While I had come up to change, enquiries had been made about the access to Tiruchaanoor and the nearest bus stop was identified. People had decided that even taking an auto was not worth it.
So all 9 of us (breakup: me, another guy, one with his father, another with his elder sister and mother and the last one with her mother) went to the bus stop which was 5 minutes away. It was not the distance or time, just that we had to cross a road which had fast moving buses and other vehicles. Being a hilly region, the vehicles were clearly making good use of the gradient road.
Even as we were reaching the bus stop, we saw a bus. The suo moto leader of the trip started running after the bus goading all of us to run and catch the bus. It finally turned out that the bus we all ran after wasn’t really the one we had to catch!
After a 5-10 minute wait, we finally got a bus and reached Tiruchaanoor temple. Thankfully, there was no objection from anyone for taking the Rs.40 special darshan ticket. I am being very cynical, but perhaps the 2 free laddus included in the ticket, helped swing the votes towards this ticket!
Anyways, we had a good darshan of Padmavathy Ammavaaru (Thaayaar in Tamil) and headed back to the hotel. Here again, my only supporter and me suggested that we take an auto. But we were informed that the bus tickets for the return trip were already procured while coming to this temple. Since we dare not waste the 8 rupees ticket, we boarded a bus.
We reached the hotel and it was decided that we had to reconvene in 30 minutes max, so that we could reach Tirumala on time. We still nurtured hopes of visiting the Kalahasthi temple after the darshan at Tirumala, since we expected the special darshan to be completed in a jiffy. Little did we know what was in store for us.
[To be continued in Part 3]
The lunch turned out to be a not so expensive affair after all, costing around 70 bucks for a Thali. Meanwhile, I had enquired about the cost of booking a cab for all of us to go to Tirumala and Tiruchaanoor. The cost came to around 1600 bucks. This whopping sum was shot down instantaneously by all but me and another person. The rationale was that there are a lot of buses plying frequently to these places. Also, since the distance involved was less, the quote given by the cab guy was deemed to be too expensive.
After we completed the lunch, we (some of us) had a quick change of clothes and headed out of the hotel. While I had come up to change, enquiries had been made about the access to Tiruchaanoor and the nearest bus stop was identified. People had decided that even taking an auto was not worth it.
So all 9 of us (breakup: me, another guy, one with his father, another with his elder sister and mother and the last one with her mother) went to the bus stop which was 5 minutes away. It was not the distance or time, just that we had to cross a road which had fast moving buses and other vehicles. Being a hilly region, the vehicles were clearly making good use of the gradient road.
Even as we were reaching the bus stop, we saw a bus. The suo moto leader of the trip started running after the bus goading all of us to run and catch the bus. It finally turned out that the bus we all ran after wasn’t really the one we had to catch!
After a 5-10 minute wait, we finally got a bus and reached Tiruchaanoor temple. Thankfully, there was no objection from anyone for taking the Rs.40 special darshan ticket. I am being very cynical, but perhaps the 2 free laddus included in the ticket, helped swing the votes towards this ticket!
Anyways, we had a good darshan of Padmavathy Ammavaaru (Thaayaar in Tamil) and headed back to the hotel. Here again, my only supporter and me suggested that we take an auto. But we were informed that the bus tickets for the return trip were already procured while coming to this temple. Since we dare not waste the 8 rupees ticket, we boarded a bus.
We reached the hotel and it was decided that we had to reconvene in 30 minutes max, so that we could reach Tirumala on time. We still nurtured hopes of visiting the Kalahasthi temple after the darshan at Tirumala, since we expected the special darshan to be completed in a jiffy. Little did we know what was in store for us.
[To be continued in Part 3]
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Tirupati travelogue 9-Feb-08 to 10-Feb-08: Part 1
After much deliberation, I have finally decided to publish my Tirupati travelogue. And even though I have already drafted a few parts, I will be posting only one per day, in the hope that it will kindle your curiosity. So here goes....
Since it has become my habit to write about all the trips I make, I am left with no choice but to jot down last week's trip as well. As briefly mentioned earlier, it was an eye-opening trip, but this travelogue will not get into the specifics when it gets to individuals.
Our Travel Department in the office was giving us a lot of trouble with the ticket booking and so we just had them book the onward journey by bus. We managed to get tickets with the APSRTC and we booked their Luxury bus at the whopping cost of Rs.86 per ticket.
When all of us gathered by the appointed hour at the Koyambedu bus stand, we were informed that the bus had developed a technical snag and so we were directed to their regular bus - they called it a Deluxe - where we got the preferred seating based on the tickets issued.
While there was adequate leg room, the seats were not really that comfy. Once the bus started, we realized that this was one service which was designated to stop at many places. So much so, that when people walking on the road, stopped in the path to cross the road and looked at the road before crossing (some people still do it), the driver assumed that they wanted to board the bus and used to pull over near them. Only when they moved out of the way, did the driver get the message.
And the speed at which he was driving....My goodness. It was scary. Before you misinterpret it, the scare was because he was driving at such slow speeds, that I thought we would travel back in time! We had to go through a level crossing near Puttur and I was really afraid if this guy would be able to get me through to my immediate destination of Tirupati or would he take me to my final destination of heaven or hell as evaluated by Chitragupta.
Thankfully, the service was without a halt - only stopping for people to board or alight from the bus. We didn’t even stop for breakfast and we finally reached Tirupati by 11AM.
We noticed that the hotel we had booked was quite close to the bus stand (as mentioned in their website). However, it was not really a distance that can be legged with older people around and we decided to get autos. The folks wanted 20 bucks and while it was on the higher side, it was the standard rate asked by all guys in the stand.
With a lot of reluctance from some of my fellow passengers, we went ahead with the auto and reached the hotel in 5 minutes. The booking that I had done was thankfully acknowledged and we went ahead with the check-in.
[To be continued in Part 2]
Since it has become my habit to write about all the trips I make, I am left with no choice but to jot down last week's trip as well. As briefly mentioned earlier, it was an eye-opening trip, but this travelogue will not get into the specifics when it gets to individuals.
Our Travel Department in the office was giving us a lot of trouble with the ticket booking and so we just had them book the onward journey by bus. We managed to get tickets with the APSRTC and we booked their Luxury bus at the whopping cost of Rs.86 per ticket.
When all of us gathered by the appointed hour at the Koyambedu bus stand, we were informed that the bus had developed a technical snag and so we were directed to their regular bus - they called it a Deluxe - where we got the preferred seating based on the tickets issued.
While there was adequate leg room, the seats were not really that comfy. Once the bus started, we realized that this was one service which was designated to stop at many places. So much so, that when people walking on the road, stopped in the path to cross the road and looked at the road before crossing (some people still do it), the driver assumed that they wanted to board the bus and used to pull over near them. Only when they moved out of the way, did the driver get the message.
And the speed at which he was driving....My goodness. It was scary. Before you misinterpret it, the scare was because he was driving at such slow speeds, that I thought we would travel back in time! We had to go through a level crossing near Puttur and I was really afraid if this guy would be able to get me through to my immediate destination of Tirupati or would he take me to my final destination of heaven or hell as evaluated by Chitragupta.
Thankfully, the service was without a halt - only stopping for people to board or alight from the bus. We didn’t even stop for breakfast and we finally reached Tirupati by 11AM.
We noticed that the hotel we had booked was quite close to the bus stand (as mentioned in their website). However, it was not really a distance that can be legged with older people around and we decided to get autos. The folks wanted 20 bucks and while it was on the higher side, it was the standard rate asked by all guys in the stand.
With a lot of reluctance from some of my fellow passengers, we went ahead with the auto and reached the hotel in 5 minutes. The booking that I had done was thankfully acknowledged and we went ahead with the check-in.
[To be continued in Part 2]
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Road Trip to Vaitheeswaran Kovil - Part 5 ::: Unwinding at the hotel
While checking in at Hotel Sampoorna, I reminded the guy at the desk about the extra bed. When my mother had confirmed the booking 2 days earlier, she did tell the guy that there were going to be 3 of us and so we would need an extra bed. The person who spoke to her had said that they would provide that at an additional cost.
So, I reminded this guy about the extra bed. He coolly replied that they don't have extra bed. I told him about the phone conversation and he said that their hotel doesn't stock extra beds, only extra bedsheets. Apparently, when they say extra bed over the phone, they actually mean bed sheet.
The worst part, he was going to charge me 100 bucks extra for that one extra bed sheet! I got upset and asked him about the availability of a bigger room. He said there was a family room with 4 beds and would cost 200 rupees more than the room I'd booked. I instantly took that room.
We walked up to the first floor - not because we were full of energy or too health conscious, we had no other option since the hotel only had stairs and no lift - and entered our room.
The room was pretty good in size. The beds were very neat. The A/C was Blue Star. The attached bathroom looked very clean, though the water closet was Indian and not European. There was even a small TV in the room. The 2 double beds were quite big too. For Rs.770 + tax, it came across as a fair deal.
My parents decided to rest. We made quick plans that in the evening, we would first set out to the local temple and then go to Chidambaram temple. But at some point or the other, it was clear that I would have had to drive in the twilight or even later. Based on my earlier experience on that route earlier in the day, I was quite convinced that I shouldn't be driving my car.
I enquired with the hotel reception and booked a local cab operator to take us there and return. Once this was decided, I decided to take a stroll around the hotel to buy some packaged water. You must be informed that I had set out on this trip in my cargos and I'd not changed them.
So while I walked around the main road of Sirkazhi in my cargos, you can rest assured that I got quite a lot of stares from the local residents. I am used to hot girls staring at me in Chennai (sic), but there was no such entity in this town. Every person on the road, in the shops, in the bus, in some vehicle... anyone and everyone did a double take looking at me. I cannot attribute it to any factor other than my cargos.
Anyway, I bought the water and returned to the room. Updated my parents about the proximity of the Sirkazhi temple and confirmed our evening plans. Then I had a minor siesta for 30-40 minutes.
Around 4.15 PM, we all started getting ready for our evening trip to the Sirkazhi temple and later on, to Chidambaram.
So, I reminded this guy about the extra bed. He coolly replied that they don't have extra bed. I told him about the phone conversation and he said that their hotel doesn't stock extra beds, only extra bedsheets. Apparently, when they say extra bed over the phone, they actually mean bed sheet.
The worst part, he was going to charge me 100 bucks extra for that one extra bed sheet! I got upset and asked him about the availability of a bigger room. He said there was a family room with 4 beds and would cost 200 rupees more than the room I'd booked. I instantly took that room.
We walked up to the first floor - not because we were full of energy or too health conscious, we had no other option since the hotel only had stairs and no lift - and entered our room.
The room was pretty good in size. The beds were very neat. The A/C was Blue Star. The attached bathroom looked very clean, though the water closet was Indian and not European. There was even a small TV in the room. The 2 double beds were quite big too. For Rs.770 + tax, it came across as a fair deal.
My parents decided to rest. We made quick plans that in the evening, we would first set out to the local temple and then go to Chidambaram temple. But at some point or the other, it was clear that I would have had to drive in the twilight or even later. Based on my earlier experience on that route earlier in the day, I was quite convinced that I shouldn't be driving my car.
I enquired with the hotel reception and booked a local cab operator to take us there and return. Once this was decided, I decided to take a stroll around the hotel to buy some packaged water. You must be informed that I had set out on this trip in my cargos and I'd not changed them.
So while I walked around the main road of Sirkazhi in my cargos, you can rest assured that I got quite a lot of stares from the local residents. I am used to hot girls staring at me in Chennai (sic), but there was no such entity in this town. Every person on the road, in the shops, in the bus, in some vehicle... anyone and everyone did a double take looking at me. I cannot attribute it to any factor other than my cargos.
Anyway, I bought the water and returned to the room. Updated my parents about the proximity of the Sirkazhi temple and confirmed our evening plans. Then I had a minor siesta for 30-40 minutes.
Around 4.15 PM, we all started getting ready for our evening trip to the Sirkazhi temple and later on, to Chidambaram.
Monday, February 19, 2007
16-Feb 7:15PM to 18-Feb 4:30PM ::: Part 1
RG and Lakshmi came with their kids at around 7.15 PM and picked me up. It was interesting to note that their driver didn't know the route from my house to the Egmore station. Neither did both of them for that matter.
So, it was left to Marco Jawahar Polo to guide us to the station. I had no qualms in getting the group till the Mount Road Darga. But from there, I wasn't too sure about the route to take, coz I havent really gone much to that station or that pin code itself for that matter.
I trusted the mental images I had of that area and thankfully, not much of the slum, and the cooum had changed. So we reached the station with some 30 minutes to spare. Sathya too reached a few minutes before we did.
Once we reached the platform, we moved to our coach and found that all of us were given different seats. What I meant of course, is that we weren't in the same bay in the coach. I was in the first bay, RG and Lakshmi in the second and Sathya was actually in the next coach.
Since the train was full, we couldn't get Sathya into this coach itself. But with a lone traveller in the second bay consenting, I was able to swap seats with him and become part of the second bay itself.
So in effect, we had two side berths and one upper berth. After much deliberation, I was allocated the side upper one. Despite the best efforts of Indian Railways' exemplary design that doesn't let any air reach the upper berth (and a bold and loud crying attempt by the baby in our group), I managed to sleep between 11.30 PM and 7.30 AM.
I woke up to find the coach quite deserted. That's when I was informed that 90% of the crowd had gotten down at Madurai and we were practically the only ones left out in the coach.
The Nellai Express sauntered on for the last one hour and we finally reached "Thirunaveli" (I noticed a few years back that the locals don't say Thirunelveli, they only say Thirunaveli) at 8.45 AM.
We were welcomed there by Rajesh's brother, who arranged a Qualis for us and dropped us off at the Hotel near the station. Since Rajesh had invited quite a few friends, the Hotel staff were slightly behind in handling the request. So, while RG and Lakshmi got their room, Sathya and I were tagged with a party of 3 others. We were shown to the King's Suite of the Hotel. It was a very spacious room, with a small living area with sofa set et al, a good sized bedroom with a big double bed and a big single bed. There was also a separate dressing area and a cool bathroom with bathtub!
Since Sathya had planned to take his bath at the Falls we were going to visit, the opportunity of having the bath first was available in front of me and off I went. After an uneventful completion of the morning duties, I emerged a much better person on the outside.
Then it was breakfast time.
So, it was left to Marco Jawahar Polo to guide us to the station. I had no qualms in getting the group till the Mount Road Darga. But from there, I wasn't too sure about the route to take, coz I havent really gone much to that station or that pin code itself for that matter.
I trusted the mental images I had of that area and thankfully, not much of the slum, and the cooum had changed. So we reached the station with some 30 minutes to spare. Sathya too reached a few minutes before we did.
Once we reached the platform, we moved to our coach and found that all of us were given different seats. What I meant of course, is that we weren't in the same bay in the coach. I was in the first bay, RG and Lakshmi in the second and Sathya was actually in the next coach.
Since the train was full, we couldn't get Sathya into this coach itself. But with a lone traveller in the second bay consenting, I was able to swap seats with him and become part of the second bay itself.
So in effect, we had two side berths and one upper berth. After much deliberation, I was allocated the side upper one. Despite the best efforts of Indian Railways' exemplary design that doesn't let any air reach the upper berth (and a bold and loud crying attempt by the baby in our group), I managed to sleep between 11.30 PM and 7.30 AM.
I woke up to find the coach quite deserted. That's when I was informed that 90% of the crowd had gotten down at Madurai and we were practically the only ones left out in the coach.
The Nellai Express sauntered on for the last one hour and we finally reached "Thirunaveli" (I noticed a few years back that the locals don't say Thirunelveli, they only say Thirunaveli) at 8.45 AM.
We were welcomed there by Rajesh's brother, who arranged a Qualis for us and dropped us off at the Hotel near the station. Since Rajesh had invited quite a few friends, the Hotel staff were slightly behind in handling the request. So, while RG and Lakshmi got their room, Sathya and I were tagged with a party of 3 others. We were shown to the King's Suite of the Hotel. It was a very spacious room, with a small living area with sofa set et al, a good sized bedroom with a big double bed and a big single bed. There was also a separate dressing area and a cool bathroom with bathtub!
Since Sathya had planned to take his bath at the Falls we were going to visit, the opportunity of having the bath first was available in front of me and off I went. After an uneventful completion of the morning duties, I emerged a much better person on the outside.
Then it was breakfast time.
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