As this is fast becoming a homage to all things food in this region of India, I omitted a drink we tried.
Param was very clear we should try the famous Madurai drink Jigarthanda, which he will be very pleased to hear that we tried.
We tried it in a nearby mall.
It really was delicious! It’s roots in Madurai, which Param is very proud it! A blend of local culture and outside influence. Made frkm badam pisin(almond gum) a natural coolant found in Tamil Nadu Nannari syrup made from Indian sarsaparilla root and milk boiled slowly over hours and hours. A caramelized. Jigar means heart in Persian/Urdu, thanda means cold in Hindi. So Jigarthanda literally means cold heart, a drink meant to cool your body from the inside. It felt like a huge kick of sugar.
We left the hotel that had Christian paintings on every floor, which seemed out of place.
Then Hindu touches like flowers in bowls.
Another great breakfast to set us up for the day. We were at breakfast early, so were the first to have medu vada fresh off the press.
They are south indian savoury donuts, known for their crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior. Well in Britain they are never fluffy, these were the fluffiest of the fluffiest. Made from a spiced batter of fermented urad dal or rice, the doughnut-shaped fritters are traditionally enjoyed for breakfast or tea time with coconut chutney and samba. Or to be honest anytime!
We had one last photo opportunity.
Today felt like it was going to be a really good day hopefully. We were going to visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is also known as Periyar Wildlife Periyar National Park, one of India’s most celebrated wildlife reserves, famous for its elephants, rich biodiversity, and the scenic Periyar Lake. Thinking about the rich diversity across India, that this is considered one of the best ones is exciting.
But things didn’t go to plan. We didn’t go into the bit with tigers. A long laborious story which to be honest would put most minded people to sleep. We are staying in the national park fringes and so have got some of the perks.
These were all Pete’s photos, he was quicker off the mark than me.
On our way here Param stopped at a roadside temple, had a red dot on his head by one of the holy men. Today is a festival, but to be honest it is a country that moves effortlessly from one festival to another.
Param got us some sweet pongal, or sakkarai pongal, which is a traditional South Indian sweet pudding made from rice, moong dal and jaggery, flavoured with cardamom, ghee, cashews, and raisins. Most street vendors and temples etc wrap things up in newspapers. It was yet again delicious, another dish ticked off on our culinary journey.
The landscape became lusher mile by mile as we left Madurai behind. Passing fields of rice, mangoes, aubergines etc. India seems to have surprises around every corner, in seemingly desolate areas. We passed a group of energetic drummers, identically dressed, except for a gorilla. Param explained it was a family festival, as if there aren’t enough! Not certain how the gorilla fitted in, it had an air conditioning unit in its bottom.
We stopped at an market, which Parman said was very famous. I think it was the first one we have been to that sold meat. Goats heads staring back at us blankly,
Vineyards are a growing business, strictly managed by the government, with less than 20 per cent made into alcohol and the other eighty per cent made into jams, chutneys and juices. We stopped at a vineyard that had been made into a small scale theme park, with zip wires etc. On their website they say,’What began as a simple concept of farm visits has grown into a trusted and memorable stop for thousands of visitors every month. ‘
A little rest break, which was much needed!
It is the buildup to the election and it seems already at a fever pitch, despite being a few weeks away. You gaze at the idyllic scenes along the way, woman colectig jasmine flowers (although it must be utterly back breaking!) Families sat outside their houses eating together, people praying at the temples along the road side and then it is broken by blasting jarring music and political declarations, blaring out enormous loudspeakers at ear splitting decibel levels. Trucks belonging to the various contenders , their messages ringing through the air. Then there is a police presence, not overbearing but enough for you to notice. Stopping vehicles and checking people for money, which needs accounting for, as otherwise it can be seen as money received as bribes from one of the political parties.
Back in the car and we passed lots of different farms, including rice fields. This time we saw huge amounts by the roadside, drying out, being bagged up and put on the back of trucks.
Leaving the flat plains we moved towards and into the Western Ghats. Also known as Sahyadri. !,600km of mountains which run paralell to India’s western coast. Through Gujarat, Goa, Kerela and Tamil Nadu, to name but a few areas. A UNESCO World heritage site, one of the top of the worlds eight biodiveristy hotspots, with 5,000 plant species and 30% of India’s species.
At the top of the mountain range we passed one spice farm after another. Eventually we stopped by one, and were greeted by one of the owners, called Rashad.
The moment we arrived we were met by a multitude of aromas, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, wrapping around us like an aromatic shawl. We were led along, narrow, shaded paths, whilst Rashad explained each plant to us and its medicinal purpose.
One of the workers walked past, which a huge branch of bananas slung across his shoulder. Rashad gave us one of them each, the freshest we have ever eaten and not suprisingy no comparion to the ones in the supermarkets. All of this with the steady hum of the cicadas around us like the forests heartbeat.
We tasted the various spices, thier homemade chocolate, their sugared ginger and their roasted cashew nuts. We took out a bank loan and bought a few things.
We were closer to our hotel, which I was very excited about. We had what we thought was a boat rideto see tigers. There was some level of miscommunication which I will pick up wth when we get back home. In some respects I was annoyed but then I saw the hoardes of people being ushered onto coaches, onwards to the boats. It was very boisterous and I can’t imagine any animal from a 10 km radious would have not been able to hear them!
As a result we headed to the hotel. We d be staying in some kind of treehouse, reached by a bridge. It all sounded so good on paper as these things often do! We were greeted by a very tactiturn male receptionist, no real reception, no chilled drink. Nothing!
It looked so lovely, maybe a bit smaller than expected but very nice. Then….we went into a bathroom, there were so many insects, a literal black carpet of them on the floor. We washed them down the shower, drowning them humanely.
We obviously expected some bugs but this was completely off the scale.
We decided to walk up the high incline to find a cafe. Strangley Param popped up and stopped the car so we had a lift to the top with him, which was lucky as it was about 2 km. It wasn’t really a cafe more a road side stop. But that said the owner led us through his kitchen, which was clean, through his backyard, to a viewing station that we had to climb stairs to. A table and chairs laid out and the most spectacular view!
We had a bread omlette each with tomato sauce. Spiced egg mix with diced onions, wrapped round two slices of bread. It was actually quite tasty.
Feeling full we headed down the hill, thankfully, to the hotel. When we got there , there was no electricity. Again that wasn’t an issue, as this has been an issue elsewhere. When the lights did come on, to our shock the bed was alive insects. It was horrible. We called the reception but they were in no rush to come over. At that point I decided that we couldn’t stay there. Within minutes I had booked somewhere else, which was cheaper and in the centre of town.
We got all our money back, no shouting just reason, and it worked.Well that and me saying if we didn’t we hd photo eveidence that
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opular, high-protein street food breakfast made by cooking whisked eggs mixed with finely chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, and spices (turmeric, chili powder) on i a tawa (griddle). Bread slices are dipped in the mixture and folded inside the omelette,
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Random Acts of Travelling 