Tour Around Tamil Nadu

I am sitting here with tea beside me and music (that is on random) blaring from my computer. It’s the first day of a new month that will be my last full month in this unique country called India. This April I have a few goals to improve my mental and physical health such as working out five days a week, drinking three bottles of water everyday, trading hot chocolate out for tea, no desserts or candy other than special occasions, and reading novels instead of watching movies in most circumstances. Are you surprised? Are you thinking is this an April Fool’s joke? Well, it is NOT a joke and I am curious to see if I will be able to attain these goals. Anyways, this blog is really to tell you about my weeklong adventure with my dad while he was here during my birthday.

My dad arrived on Wednesday around 3 pm and all day I was anxious at school but very excited to see him. Waiting at home for him was excruciating and I ended up sitting outside so I wouldn’t miss him coming through the gate and up the little hill to my house. Of COURSE, I gave him a huge hug and got him situated in the house. Quickly, we went to campus so I could proudly introduce my dad to my closest coworkers and friends. I showed him around campus and a bit around town then we went to dinner. I ordered him idly and dosas that comes with sanbar and chutney-very tasty! Because of the long day of traveling, my dad went to bed early so it was a great excuse for me to go to bed also! Early the next morning we went on a long walk up to a nearby church and around the lake in town. I also took him on to Coaker’s Walk that is a beautiful viewpoint right in front of my house. After a quick lunch on campus, we were off with our driver John to the first destination- Tanjore.

We arrived to our resort-like hotel around 7 pm with a greeting of jasmine flower necklaces, a dot on our foreheads, and a wonderful watermelon welcome juice. All I had to do was mention that I worked at Kodaikanal International School and speak a bit of Tamil to be treated like we were special! We got the closest room to the pool and a very clean and quiet room. In the morning after some breakfast, we made our way into town to the Palace. It was my birthday and I was so happy to be able to sing the song 22 by Taylor Swift. Forgetting that nothing opens till 10 am, we sat for a bit but found a nearby museum full of statues of gods. This was probably the first time that my dad got to see the interesting treatment that him and I will get the rest of the week. Around 10 we made our way over to the Palace but when we got into the building we realized there was only one room! I had to laugh at the difference between this palace and the Château of Versaille. We made our way back to the car and asked John to take us to the Big Temple. Wow, was this temple BIG! After paying 10 ruppees (about 14 cents) for the shoe check, we walked barefoot through the overpowering arch into the temple area. I don’t know how to explain the temple other than I have NEVER seen anything like it. We spent about 30 minutes to an hour looking at the three large pyramid-like temples. We made our way back to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon reading by the pool and swimming. My dad got me a message for my birthday that was very enjoyable but lots of oil was used. At dinner, the hotel staff sang happy birthday to me, made me a birthday cake, and gave me some flowers. This was a very special birthday and I will never forget it.

On Saturday we made our way to the next town called Karaikudi. We drove for a very long time and stopped for lunch at a VERY authentic veg restaurant. We ate lots of rice and a lot of “sauces” that I have no idea what they were. The ladies just kept on putting food on our plate I mean banana leaf! This might have been a reason why my dad felt sick the next day. Oops! We got to our hotel that used to be an old Chettinad mansion. The next day, Sunday, we went on a guided tour to see the nearby Chettinad mansions and to hear the history of the Chettiyar people. I could talk for an hour about the history of these people and the type of things that I saw in the mansions but I won’t. The tiles in the houses are sun-dried and not thrown in a kiln. During the afternoon and the rest of the evening, my dad was in bed so I ended up going to another temple and antique shops with a lady who used to teach at the International School that I am at. The food at this hotel was amazing and the people were so nice!

Our last full day together was on Monday so we began our day early and arrived in the next town Madurai around 10 am. The first thing we did was go to the Gandhi museum and learned lots about the struggles of the India’s independence and how Gandhi lead them peacefully. I have heard Gandhi’s name many times and knew he was famous for his peaceful actions but I really didn’t know much about him. Now I do. We then went to another Palace that was MUCH better than the last. Actually this palace reminds me of this city in France that I visited for a day last summer. Even though there were school children everywhere, I found peace in this huge building. We next went to the famous temple that is very colorful. After we entered the non-Hindu entrance we didn’t get to go to very far because we are white and not Hindus. I was most impressed by all of the colors of the outside of the temple and again, something that I have never seen before. We finished off the day with some shopping for my family and then headed to our hotel. After dinner, I crawled into bed and couldn’t stay awake to watch the news. Tuesday morning, my dad and I again hung out by the pool. Around noon we finished with a little bit more shopping and then we dropped my dad off at the airport. Then John and I made the drive back up the mountain.

It was really hard to say goodbye to my dad but I am so happy that he came. I didn’t realize how much I looked forward to seeing him. I am so thankful that he changed his schedule around to visit me and his willingness to meet me half way around the world! It is encouraging to hear him say that he is willing to come to me no matter where in the world I live in the future. I have one more month here. After this week I have only three more weeks of teaching and then one week of observing other classes. I am ready to come home but more because I am ready for the future and see my family and friends. Okay, that is it for now! Love you all!