[ampere]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Hey, I think you actually meant to say "no dearth", right? Madurai can be accused of many things, but lack of options for food is not one of them!

Sorry for the "costly" slip sir. I did mean what you corrected.
No food options in Madurai.... ?
Ha Ha!
That can never be the case.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Hey, I think you actually meant to say "no dearth", right? Madurai can be accused of many things, but lack of options for food is not one of them! That city never sleeps, you can get piping hot tiffin even past midnight.

....but none on the bypasses around Madurai, not even a decent tea shop!

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

....but none on the bypasses around Madurai, not even a decent tea shop!

Yes, the bypass is a horror. Even human beings are hard to find. When I travelled first time, I expected lots of shops around. Atleast some bakeries. Surprised that I did not find any, I stopped at the sight of next human being and asked whether I am on the right road. I was forced to go into the messy Tirumangalam town to get some eatables.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

....but none on the bypasses around Madurai, not even a decent tea shop!

My favourite crib topic being discussed in all threads ! Most funny part is that A2B does not provide services in the core areas of TN NH!

[SmartCat]

Madurai has a bypass? When was it built? I went to Madurai two years back and didn't find it. Is it like hidden from everybody?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Madurai has a bypass? When was it built? I went to Madurai two years back and didn't find it. Is it like hidden from everybody?

Almost all towns in TN have a bypass! To my knowledge the Madurai one has been in operation for at least 3 - 4 years.

[hvkumar]

Madurai has a bypass? When was it built? I went to Madurai two years back and didn't find it. Is it like hidden from everybody?

lmost all towns in TN have a bypass! To my knowledge the Madurai one has been in operation for at least 3 - 4 years.

Well. AFAIK, Madurai has 3 bypasses!!!
The brand-new one, old one and oldest one!
Let me explain - and please correct me, if I'm wrong:

The Oldest one first:
This is on NH7 on the west side, when you are coming from Dindigul, and going towards Tirumangalam/Tirunelveli/Kanyakumari. It passes the Hotel Best Western Germanus, where it also connects with NH49 coming from Kumili/Theni. It connects with the Old Bypass 2 kms before Tirumangalam and the Brand-New Bypass 4 kms before that!
This is more or less now a part of the city, but still uncluttered, has lots of petrol pumps and facilities.
At the junction with the Old Bypass, you can turn off to go to Trichy/Rameswaram/Tuticorin without entering the city.

The Old Bypass:
This one connects with the Madurai-Viralimalai-Trichy road and starts (north side) 25 kms after Melur and 32 kms before Madurai city. It circles the city on the east side, and connects with the Karaikudi, Rameswaram roads. It lasts 28 kms and ends 2 kms before Tirumangalam, and merges into the Brand-New Bypass there. I have not travelled in this bypass since May 2001, have no idea about facilities.

The Brand-New Bypass:
THis is new, new, new, and part of the North-South Corridor, on NH7. While coming from Dindigul on NH7 - 50 kms after Dindigul, approximately 10 kms before Madurai (someone please reconfirm this one), it starts and it is a superb 4-laner all the way for 12 kms till 6 kms before Tirumangalam. It intersects NH49 (overpass) coming from Theni, 4 kms after entering it. It is such a new road that you do not even see it in Google Maps, there is no toll gate and there are no facilities whatsoever. I did not see any exit to enter NH49 Theni road, or any other exit for the 12-km length. I took 7 minutes to cross Madurai on this Brand-New Bypass. Those going to Kanyakumari/Kerala/Tuticorin/Rameswaram are advised to take this one. Even if you want to go to Madurai city, it is better to take this one and turn left at the end of the bypass and you will at the Hotel Best Western Germanus junction (near railway station) in 13 kms.

[ramsnavy]

Hey MX6, the picture of your daughter in pattu pavadai is so cute , was picturing my own 5 month old daughter in that. Guess she has a few more months when she can adorn the traditional outfit.

Lots of people eyeing your cutie pie , I hope you have done the Drishti Pariharam for her

[live360]

MX6,
Great travelogue and pictures to go. Man, I envy you for all the world travels/trecks you have done and you are still young. Way to go!
Now if you excuse my stupid OT question, the picture in your profile is really cool. I'm assuming it's your bundle of joy's hand in your hand. How did you get different colors?

Thanks

[MX6]

Originally Posted by Gansan

It is real five star stuff MX6, that is why we voted it so!

Thanks Gansan. I'm flattered!

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Whenever I visited Madurai, College House used to be my first port of call as it had ample car-parking facility in the heart of city. I heard that it is closed long back.
Great travelogue and superb photographs, MX6. It is as if you have taken us for a ride [literally and not metaphorically] of temples of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu!

Thanks Ravi.
Yes. College house was an amazing place. So this was ruled out from my father's itinerary as we heard that it's closed for renovation I believe.

Originally Posted by hotstuff

Truly a 5 star thread.

Interesting, I'll look for the VCD/DVD the next time I am at the Landmark.

In case you don't follow the classical tamil (dialogues), try get a DVD with subtitles. There are some landmark songs in that movie!

Originally Posted by ampere

Madurai is one place where once in city there would be dearth of options for food. But having said that, every one has a special place which he/she will cherish. For me its always Hotel Arthi on my map .

Madurai feeds anyone at anytime!

Originally Posted by Gansan

Hey, I think you actually meant to say "no dearth", right? Madurai can be accused of many things, but lack of options for food is not one of them! That city never sleeps, you can get piping hot tiffin even past midnight.

Yes. I used to go out with my grand uncle at 3:30 am sometimes to get piping hot Idlies.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

....but none on the bypasses around Madurai, not even a decent tea shop!

What a comment from HVK? I didn't know that you eat when in your long drives. But true. Bypasses don't have anything. They are pure bypasses.

Originally Posted by sbraj

Yes, the bypass is a horror. Even human beings are hard to find. When I travelled first time, I expected lots of shops around. Atleast some bakeries. Surprised that I did not find any, I stopped at the sight of next human being and asked whether I am on the right road. I was forced to go into the messy Tirumangalam town to get some eatables.

Hope this changes in the time to come. But I don't know who'd bypass Madurai. Normally you have bulk of people going in to Madurai. So the number of people bypassing would be less. So it would be a loss for people to put up shops there. Everyone wants to put up a shop where the people flock!

Originally Posted by smartcat

Madurai has a bypass? When was it built? I went to Madurai two years back and didn't find it. Is it like hidden from everybody?

Madurai has many bypasses as HVK stated. You need to go out of Madurai to find that . But you hit the bypass, you circumnavigate the whole town.

Originally Posted by Gansan

Almost all towns in TN have a bypass! To my knowledge the Madurai one has been in operation for at least 3 - 4 years.

The trichy one beats me. Maybe in the next trip, I shall try and find where the trichy bypass is. This trip I missed it and entered trichy.

Originally Posted by ramsnavy

Hey MX6, the picture of your daughter in pattu pavadai is so cute , was picturing my own 5 month old daughter in that. Guess she has a few more months when she can adorn the traditional outfit.

Lots of people eyeing your cutie pie , I hope you have done the Drishti Pariharam for her

Lot's of people eyeing my cutie pie? All I tell them is what regularly catches our eye on highways! Boori Nazar waale. Thera mooh Kaala!

Originally Posted by live360

MX6,
Great travelogue and pictures to go. Man, I envy you for all the world travels/trecks you have done and you are still young. Way to go!
Now if you excuse my stupid OT question, the picture in your profile is really cool. I'm assuming it's your bundle of joy's hand in your hand. How did you get different colors?

Thanks

I'm blessed and am always thankful to god. I still have to visit my dream places - Mombasa and Masai Mara. But being a pure veg offers some challenges too!
Yes. Your assumption is correct. It's my hand with my daughter's hand.
It took me 20 seconds to do that in photoshop.
Outline my daughter's hand. Copy that selection.
Change mode to grayscale which drops colour info making it B/W.
Change the mode again to colour. But since the colour info is lost, it's all B/W still.
Paste the hand that's copied (It pastes back in colour). Super impose it over the existing b/w hand.
Merge layers and save!
There are many such one's I've done especially with flowers that give very dramatic effects.
Time to move ahead with the travelogue.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The Brand-New Bypass:
THis is new, new, new, and part of the North-South Corridor, on NH7. While coming from Dindigul on NH7 - 50 kms after Dindigul, approximately 10 kms before Madurai (someone please reconfirm this one), it starts and it is a superb 4-laner all the way for 12 kms till 6 kms before Tirumangalam.

HVK Sir, IIRC I saw a small road with board indicating 15 KM to Madurai. This was the first indication of Madurai approaching. It was a very small single lane road and left me wondering how come the road to the city is so small. May be I am wrong. Madurai-ns, your inputs please.

Originally Posted by MX6

But I don't know who'd bypass Madurai. Normally you have bulk of people going in to Madurai. So the number of people bypassing would be less. So it would be a loss for people to put up shops there. Everyone wants to put up a shop where the people flock!

Hey, come on. This bypass makes life easier for mallu land bound blokes like me. If I start from BLR at 3AM, I am in TVM by 1PM thanks to these bypasses; and of course the great NH7.

[MX6]

I wanted to search for a hotel called Meenakshi Bhavan. I'd been on a diet of Idlys since Chamarajanagara because of my stomach. Hence I wanted to go to a place that's safe. I wanted to have some good food as well. My father wanted to have something close to the temple. We approached the huge paunched cop (almost all TN cops have it) just outside the mela gopura to ask him for a good hotel near the temple.
He actually over heard us talking about meenakshi bhavan.
They've changed the management and the name sir. You please go to Modern cafe instead.
Modern cafe is 10 - 15 mins away. I wanted to finish a quick lunch and vacate the hotel so that we can spend some time with my grand uncle and grand aunt in Madurai, before heading out to chennai. So I decided to skip Modern Cafe.
But the cop was very belligerent.
Sir. Please go to Modern cafe. Best food sir.
When he was saying this he was actually caressing his big belly.
He added, "even today I went there only sir, Better than my in-laws place".
I couldn't hold my laughter.
We decided to walk over to Modern Cafe.
Had a sumptuous unlimited south indian thali served on Banana leaf.
Took an auto back to Aarthy.
We vacated the place, packed up everything and set out to our relatives place near Tamukkam grounds.
Madurai hasn't changed in donkey years. The roads were still same. I'm driving in this part of the world after 12 years. Absolutely no change.
My grand uncle and aunt were also seeing my baby for the first time.
They knew that we'd drop by it seems and had prepared Payasam.
After gulping down 3 glasses of it and having some more Idlies (home made now) and talking of music and dance, I noticed the clock showing 5 pm.
Didn't know how 3 hours vanished.
We left Madurai at 5 pm, on the way to chennai.
I decided to hit the NH7 again (boy, I'm in love with this road). Decided to take the Madurai - Dindigul - Trichy - Chennai route.
Some moments were again priceless. My daughter jumped to my grand uncle and grand aunt, who were perfect strangers to her.
I guess that's the case with all babies.

Family re-union of all sorts!


As I drove out of Madurai, I was thankful to lord almighty for helping us with such a grand darshan! All fears of travelling with such a small baby was allayed. I don't know when I'd go back again. But I will.
My eyes were fixed on the route to Dindigul. But at the corner of my eye, lies this huge image, transfixed. The sight to behold. The maha gopuram of Madurai.

Click on the photo to see bigger size image!

I soon hit NH7 and was motoring along towards Dindigul - at a steady pace of 110 kmph. 490 more kms to do before I reach Chennai!

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by MX6

My daughter jumped to my grand uncle and grand aunt, who were perfect strangers to her.
I guess that's the case with all babies.

Such things would be beyond the domain of Reason.

P.S. I am continuously working in office since the last 48+ hours. MX6, your thread (and TBHP in general) has been helping in keeping me refreshed.

[live360]

MX6,
Thank you for the detailed Photoshop instructions. I don't have PS yet, I will buy it soon.

[DWind]

Originally Posted by MX6

I soon hit NH7 and was motoring along towards Dindigul - at a steady pace of 110 kmph. 490 more kms to do before I reach Chennai!

Any reason why you chose the Dindigul route. The route via Melur on NH45B would be shorter, faster and less strenous than NH 7 via Dindigul