Monday, Feb 24th, Thekkady, India

Greetings!

Thanks to Joseph Jibin at Image Mobile Gallery in Thekkady Junction, Kumily, we have a working cell phone.  I can't thank him and his colleagues enough for the rescue.  His mobile number is 9995450333, but if you're having problems like we had with your phone, his cell number won't be of much use.  Try them at 18, Dindigul, Theni, Kottarakkara Highway.

And to our complete embarrassment, we caused the problem.  Instead of giving our Sri Lankan sim card to our driver as we left that country, we gave him the India sim card.  We've been trying to make the Sri Lankan sim card work in India these past few days.  Hey, Jay, you're no doubt having the reverse problem.  So sorry.

Earlier in the day, we visited the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, and its outstanding museum.  The Palace is famous for its giant pillars, 82 feet tall and 19 feet deep.  They are coated with, and the detail is made of shell lime and egg-white.  Home to one of the greatest kings of the Nayak Dynasty in the early 1600s, the structure has suffered from wars and years of dismantlement and abandonment. 

Then, it was on to the Meenakshi Amman Temple for another adventure through thousands of columns, and at least ten thousand carvings.  My advice to the traveler who plans on spending time in temples in India is to spend at least a month before you arrive walking barefoot on marble and concrete ground for an hour or two a day.  I can blame this damn cut on my heel for most of my discomfort, but by now both Pat and I are feeling the burn.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Monday, Feb 24th, Thekkady, India.