Great city, bad smell!

Chennai, formally Madras after the arse-splitting curry, was a great place to stop and take in a bit of culture....and food.

We walked for miles, got lost a couple of times - to be fair which is most unlike me when armed with a map - and found ourselves on the beach. It seems half the city's 7m inhabitants were spending their Sunday afternoon taking turns to be Dravid or Tendulkar. Those not involved - fishermen - were too busy casting their nets....and by that we mean deficating the beach with their scraggy yellow turds!

Explored the portside, where everything from iPods to hairdriers are freely available - guess they just wash up on the dockside eh - at discount prices! Very tempting to part with wads of this silly cash but manged to stand firm. Splashed out on some leather sandals instead at a bargain 1 pound fifty!

Exploring the streets on foot, as usual, and taken a shining to the fresh fruit juices concocted roadside. Very "fresh"! Just as are the spicy dishes that make waking up in the morning something not worth looking forward to!

Deep and darkest Tamil Nadu

Andaman dates confirmed we set off south into deepest darkest Tamil Nadu - one of the country's holiest states and home to some of its most spectacular temples.

Trichy was first up. A small little place, Tiruchirappalli, situated on the banks of the river Cauvery was once the citadel of the early Cholas which later fell to the Pallavas dynasty. Not the most interesting place we'd visited (in fact it was dull as dish water) the town's focal point is its eye pleasing Rock Fort and the 1000-plus steps one must climb to the summit.

An afternoon done and dusted we quickly boarded the late night train to Madurai, one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this millennium; it later on came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom after its ransack by the ravaging armies of Delhi. Here the city's temple structures dominate the skyline and helped kill afew hours as we explored the side and back streets (we were more than templed out by this stage - you've seen one temple, you've seen em all!)

Kaniyakumari, India's most southern tip

Kaniyakumari, India's most southern tip
Originally uploaded by krisandmarit.

After an agonizing journey where Kris slept all the way and Marit was eaten alive by mosquitos we finally arrived in Kanniyakumari, India's most southern and very holy town. Since it was 5 am Kris decided to stay awake for sunrise, figuring that would probably the one and only opportunity to experience a sunrise without having to get his lazy bum out of bed. Marit couldn't even be bothered with that, but agreed that it looks great in the pictures. Kanniyakumari has great spiritual significance to the Hindus and we happened to arrive during the Festival of Pongol (a festival to celebrate the harvest in Tamil Nadu). The place was swamped with pilgrims from all over the state so that gave it a good feel. Apart from a temple on an island there isn't much to do, but we enjoyed a stroll to the end of the country to watch the three seas come together (not that you can actually see it, but it's a nice thought!). Marit was convinced she saw a person, (possibly a refugee from Sri Lanka) bobbing in the sea, but it was just a coconut.

Hampi

Despite the rule that prohibits alcohol being drunk in and around Hampi, not to mention the shite food and dire service, this archealogical wonder site is a joy to behold. Situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra river in northern Karnataka, the village of Hampi is located within the jaw-dropping ruins of Vijayanagara, former capital of one of India's most fericious empires. A UNESCO world heritage site, the place is truly stunning, brimming with hidden temples and some of the most amazing architecture we've ever seen. Once in the reserve you're left alone to explore the vast ruins of this past empire at leisure. Sunrise from some of the towering hills are spectacular while sunset over the surrounding valleys is equally mind-blowing. We must have clocked up dozens of miles hiking from one ruin to the next, all the time it seemed as though we had this amazing place to ourselves. However, this is India, so for all the beauty and adventure the ruins offered, the village itself was a total shambles. Roof top restaurants boasting "Lonely Planet" recommendations line the mazy narrow streets, home to some of India's most useless cooks! If random dishes weren't appearing on our table it was the promise of fresh coffee being shattered with a palate-numbing Nescafe. I never knew there were Indian's who could actually f**k up curries, but here they reside aplenty! Given the powerful healing strengths Kingfisher can have on weary limbs, we comandeered a rickshaw and left behind us a trail of dust as we set out in search of chilled refreshment and edible cuisine. Much to our delight we found the former but the latter proved elusive throughout Hampi and its surrounding towns!