"That is not possible, madame..."

Didn't I say something previously about India getting you right between the eyes?
Well, maybe I tempted fate. The travel plans that I came to India having, ok, they weren't solid as in booked train tickets, hotels, etc., but I thought well, I'll figure it out.....well, it figured me out. Mother India has decided where I will be going and it's not quite what I planned. My plan was to spend about 8 days in Tamil Nadu and have 3 days in Madurai. Madurai is happening, as of tomorrow by way of an overnight train.

But what I was REALLY planning on was going to Kumbakonem and Thanjavur and all these Chola temples and bronze works...unh uh... not happening. You can't get there from here. Train tickets are booked 90 days in advance and though as a foreigner I can use that status (along with rupees) to get a reservation, it can't be planned more than 2 days ahead and if it's already booked, I'm stuck. So there is a bit more flying in my future. Also, even if I could get trains there is a LOT of driving involved to make any kind of practical loop. It gets expensive and timely and just too damn difficult. It would be best made as a shared adventure, time in the car as well as expense. I've come to realize that I like to go places, but I'm not so sure about liking to travel. I do a bit, an oernight train here and there, a day with a car and driver...but here in India it can really be a bitch when it gets on a larger scale.

So the alt plan is coming back by plane from Madurai, due to no train reservation available with a car ride from Bangalore for 3 hours, which is pleasant, but in this case mostly dark. Then another week here in Mysore doing yoga and maybe a day trip or two. Then for the south India finale, I will go to Cochin for about 3 days. Ta dah.

It wasn't what I expected, but it never is here in the motherland of India. After 10 days of being here, I surrender! I kind of have been all along, or so I thought, the trip change is the biggest one so far. Not to mention the time of getting the wrong train ticket and sitting with the travel agent trying to figure out another itinerary (about 3+ hours), he's a great guy, focused, efficient and putting up with me writhing around the map of south India. I should do a puja for him, actually just paying him for the tickets, etc., is just fine. Now I have to go return the wrong ticket I bought before.

Sorry if this was a rant of a post.I'll write another about yoga (the joys, the back spasms) quite soon. The wifi seems to be hooked up to the solar power so the flinty intermitant service may be in the past? We'll see.....I'm almost afraid to write that down.....