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Originally Posted by thursdaysd
(Post 16953410)
And I thought I saw a lot of temples! I admire your stamina. Fortunately, the next day was completely different... |
A few shots around Kumbakonam...
First, the silk collective shop.. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d752cacda5.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd3068b1ab.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e066676e5d.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2c001321f.jpg |
And more Kumbakonam shots around town, including the Temple tank, one of the largest in Tamil Nadu; the market; and a small shop, where we bought snacks
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One of my favorite activities was a visit to the small town, Alangudi, with the company, Farms and Strolls:
https://www.farmsandstrolls.com From my review on TA: “If you visit Tamill Nadu, then you must go on a village tour with Farms and Strolls. This is the perfect way to experience a different part of Tamil Nadu - by taking a village tour through a very small community and meeting locals involved in their day-to- day activities. We spent a half day with Farms and Strolls and really felt a part of the village life! We saw a range of activities, including fishing, gathering coconuts, even sitting with an elderly woman as she wove palm fronds. The trip ended with a cooking demonstration of a South Indian meal - and, of course, we got to eat the results! This is a new venture by a local man with a passion for his community and a desire to help preserve the traditional way of life. What a joy meeting Jagan, his family, and the residents of Alangudi. And what a welcome relief to spend time here after intense temple touring! We were warmly welcomed by Jagan and his family, and were greeted with a ceremony and cake to celebrate our 30th anniversary! We met at the family home, where were introduced to the extended family and learned about their traditions; walked through the large family garden; continued on to see an ancient Hindu temple, where we received prayers made by the local priest in honor of our anniversary; later went to the coconut plantation, where a delightful local man gleefully climbed up the palm tree to cut down several coconuts, preparing 2 for my husband and me to drink. We also saw men fishing, using traditional fishing methods; and watched as an elderly woman wove a palm frond deftly - an important skill as the woven leaves are used for roofing. We ended our tour back at the family home, with a cooking demonstration by Jagan’s mother, assisted by his aunt, which then became our lunch! It was served on a banana leaf in traditional Southern Indian style. Please know that this is a new venture for the small company and for the village, and they are still exploring different places to visit and how much attention to give each activity. If some activities are more stimulating or successful than others, the overall feeling of this experience is both personal and very special….. This is a visit that you won’t regret making.” |
Progol - loved the new photos and the TA report of your village tour. I wonder if there are similar activities elsewhere, as i have good and bad news to impart - I may have found someone who will come to India with me to tour independently and at a slow pace, but she wants to do northern India. She is my old american friend from Kent who has been staying with us for a few days. We have been on holiday together before a couple of times and have stayed with each other a lot so we get on pretty well. It would not be next year but probably the Spring of 2021, so plenty of time to plan. I will have to start rereading TRs of trips to Rajasthan.
in the meantime, please keep this coming. |
annhig - there is a lot more to northern India than just Rajasthan!
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I love these opportunities to visit various places put together by locals. Calcutta Walks started that way. We used them on dogster's recommendation and had a wonderful time.
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Thank you, annhig, thursdaysd, and Kathie for your comments! I’m away for a week, so might not be able to post photos, but will most definitely upload from the tour! annhig, it’s not “bad news” if your friend wants to go to Rajasthan - we went there (plus Varanasi and Agra) in 2013 and loved it! I’ll try to find it and post my earlier TR, but you can always find it if you do a search on my name. In truth, we found the first a more exhilarating trip, though we enjoyed this trip as well. |
annhig, my trip report from our trip to India in 2013 https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...-india-966289/ |
And, I think the link to my Flickr album from 2013 still works!
Forgive me as I’m very lazy, and didn’t really organize or label the 1000+ photos, but they are in order, so if you follow the trip report, you should be able to figure out what you’re seeing. Or just ask! |
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What a nice touch by your hosts to welcome you on your anniversary. It's something you'll always remember.
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tripplanner, the anniversary celebration was a lovely touch! It was one of several on our trip, too! |
gosh- more lovely pics AND an anniversary cake! Unforgettable!
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Thanks, annhig! I’m now back home after a visit to family and hope to get back to this soon! |
Thanks for sharing your trip and fabulous photos. I'm particularly excited as we have booked a trip to Kerala, TN and Karnaka in Nov / Dec. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Any advice re appropriate clothing would be welcomed. |
Thanks so much, natandmiriam! And I really do have to get back to this report! To the best of my knowledge, the weather would be close to or even warmer than January. It can get very warm, so summery clothes are best. Perhaps a light sweater if there is a cooler than average evening. And very casual dress is fine. Wear shoes or sandals that can come off quickly and easily at temples! |
After touring the town, we returned to Jagan’s home where his mother provided us with a homecooked meal. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b265e6b8.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cfb77ccc3.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...11d6e4d53.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...229158a12.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1b51fae5a.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...805fd9ddf.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...adad5d268.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...57c80b68d.jpeg |
And then time to say goodbye, after a fascinating visit to a small town and some of its residents. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b6cd842c.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ed028b3e.jpeg |
Well, this is definitely not the most formal trip report, as I'm jumping back and forth and remembering things as I go along. As I said, I didn't take any notes, so what I have here is based on what I remember after looking at my itinerary and my photos.
The visit to Alangudi, with Jagan and his company, Farms and Strolls (https://www.farmsandstrolls.com) was made from Tanjore. While there, we also visited the Brihadeshwara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, and one of the largest South Indian Temples. According to Wikipedia, it was built by Raja Raja Chola between 1003 and 1010AD, and is one of the Great Living Chola Temples. By this time, we were reaching temple burnout. |
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OMG! Just came upon this. The TR and pics are amazing. I admire how you have pics which show such essence of people and places. And congrats on your dual celebrations too. Now try to top it. ;) Will follow and so glad I got a look at Pondicherry. :ok: |
jacketwatch, I'm so glad you're enjoying this!
And more will follow.... |
In Tanjore, we also visited the Royal Palace Museum, a somewhat dated place, but it has a wonderful collection of Chola bronze statues, which we were both very taken with. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e26c56231.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...75ac798f6.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5bb384479.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...895b317e7.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32c4e475e.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3b9d83a94.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dbbf8c10f.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a34d8feb.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b4f4c90c9.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9e919be5c.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9036f839d.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74282c386.jpeg |
Wow! The colors and ornamentation of the Royal Palace are stunning. |
Very cool pics! Good we now have digital cameras or otherwise you would have spent a ton on film. :lol:
Following! Larry |
Hey guys, Does anyone know if you can still take a boat from the southern tip of India to Sri Lanka? I hear there is some political stuff going on at the moment. Any help would be great!
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Thanks for following along tripplanner and jacketwatch! tp, the colors are wonderful - it’s one of the things I love about India. So much color! jacketwatch, My husband and I were both photographers, and we’d come home from trips with a LOT of film! Of course, now we have far too many photos! topazann, I don’t know about a boat as we flew, but if you haven’t already done so, doing a search on Google might give you an answer. Or try TripAdvisor, as there are so many more people on those boards who might be able to give you the information. |
I usually ask Rome2rio that kind of question, and it only shows flights. Lonely Planet also says no. |
It looks like the last time there was ferry service was in 2011, but it shut down soon after starting up. From a Lonely Planet forum post: Question: <<is the ferry expected to be running....?>> Response: <<Given the history of ferry operations between Sri Lanka and India, there is more chance that you'll be able to use a matter transporter in May 2018.>> |
Traveling for 3 weeks to bharat and sri lanka
Traveling for 3 weeks to Bharat and Sri Lanka and was inquisitive however best it'd be to separate my time across the 2 countries?
Was originally simply going to visit {sri lanka|Sri Lanka|Democratic Socialist Republic of country|Ceylon|country|state|land} for the full time but thought it had been in all probability too long to be there and would like to visit {india|India|Republic of Bharat|Bharat|Asian country|Asian nation} thus thought I might fly to India and work my means down and finish in Sri Lanka. How much time would be best for each country and is that enough time to go to each of them or ought to I simply focus on one? Thank you |
iserver, it is difficult to answer your question as I don’t know your interests at all. Personally, I would do all 3 weeks in India as there are so many different parts of that country to visit. This was our second trip and our first, in 2013, was to Rajasthan, Varanasi and Agra for 3 weeks, and we felt we just skimmed the surface. You could easily spend 3 weeks in Sri Lanka as well. As a small country, you would see a greater diversity visiting different regions. My money is on visiting India for 3 weeks, though. And there is still a lot to choose between. |
In Tanjore, we stayed at the Ideal River Resort, an established resort which sits on a stream-like offshoot of a larger river. This is an established resort with lots of groups - well-run, large buffet breakfasts which are included in the rate and dinners (which are not). Much of the accommodation in this area is in resorts or larger hotels, so this is one of the better options in the area. |
Ideal River Resort
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Next stop: Tiruchirappalli, commonly known as Trichy, where the office of IndianPanorama is located. We made a brief stop, where we met some of the staff, including the very lovely Sindhu, who worked magic in managing our travels (they were amazing). And of course, we saw the temple complex here! The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is the largest Hindu temple complex in India, and with many different structures, including 21 towers! It was impressive! But also very much a living temple, and we enjoyed seeing the many people engaged in activity |
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