Internet access has been more problematic this trip than in years past - at least public internet access. It seems that more people than ever now have access to the internet and so public (read tourist) internet locations are harder to find. Our first hotel had WiFi but it was very slow. The hotel, Hotel Kanna, was located in a very interesting and bustling part of Madurai.
Every evening we would be greeted with the call to prayer from the neighborhood mosque. Less than 2 hours later, the streets would get busier (we didn't think it was possible) with Muslim patrons moving about as they broke their daily fast for Ramadan. Friday was even more frenetic and festive as the Muslim population celebrated Eid al-Fitr.
Our second hotel which caters to local travelers rather than international travelers had no internet access at all. We've moved twice in Madurai because of internet problems. In the interim, we've been reduced to finding small, simple "cafes" (no coffee or AC) to work on our blog and research the area.
We've spent too much time finding internet access and then traveling to it, but sometimes the walk in the evening can reveal unexpected treasures.
It hasn't been all bad. Our rooftop restaurant on our first night in the city revealed a beautiful view of Meenakshi Temple's gopurams.
Dr. A. Ravichandran, the Gandhi Museum's head librarian, was kind enough to show us beautiful view of Madurai from the rooftop terrace of the old palace.
If you look closely, you can see the imposing gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple although they are 3 kilometers away.
Every evening we would be greeted with the call to prayer from the neighborhood mosque. Less than 2 hours later, the streets would get busier (we didn't think it was possible) with Muslim patrons moving about as they broke their daily fast for Ramadan. Friday was even more frenetic and festive as the Muslim population celebrated Eid al-Fitr.
We've spent too much time finding internet access and then traveling to it, but sometimes the walk in the evening can reveal unexpected treasures.
It hasn't been all bad. Our rooftop restaurant on our first night in the city revealed a beautiful view of Meenakshi Temple's gopurams.
Dr. A. Ravichandran, the Gandhi Museum's head librarian, was kind enough to show us beautiful view of Madurai from the rooftop terrace of the old palace.
If you look closely, you can see the imposing gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple although they are 3 kilometers away.
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