taxi in the rain

A rather surreal day in which I bade a sad farewell to my lovely hosts at the Hotel Coramandel heritage house in Pondicherry and set off in a taxi for Trichy, 4  hours drive away.
Despite the enforced rest and resulting homesickness/ depression since the cow incident this calm traditional wooden Tamil house with its gentle owners had given me a sense of sanctuary and been a balm to my wounded soul and body.
The owners waved me off insisting I call to reassure them of my safe arrival (duly done), truly genuine kind people.
The drive down to Trichy became oddly at times like an Engish day, as rare rainfall descended and we drove along the thankfully mainly good toll roads through Tamil Nadu.

Yes - thats rain!

Having serendipitously meet my taxi sharers from before, the French couple,  in the town last night, as chance would have it they were keen yet again to avoid the bus and seize the opportunity to share my taxi. Their company, despite the language difficulties, (basic on both sides) was a boon.
A lunch stop in a very basic roadside cafe was welcome...the sweet chai here should be marketed as a health drink, it always makes me feel better.

Coffee stopm on the way to Trichy

The rural villages with the sugar cane harvesters in full swing, the launderers by the river bank, the quarries of river sand, a major industry here and the market towns, all unfolded before us and made the drive pass quickly.

Launderette on the river bank

Trichy is very much in the centre of the state and the hotel I find myself in is one very much used by wealthy Indians. In a bid to continue my recovery and avoid a set back I had gone to a 'business class' hotel rather than a guest house. Most tourists use either the basic guest house or the upmarket chains so this middle ground is bizarre. I am, it seems, the only white person in a large 'residency' of about 40 rooms, and the staff are obviously flummoxed by my solo status.  After they tried the usual 'stick me in a cupboard' routine-which I refused-and told me the wifi was 'off'-to which I replied I wanted my money back when it was miraculously  'on' again-I’m hopeful the residency and  I will suit for a few days.
And tomorrow I will explore the town, but for now, a comfy bed, hot shower and television with BBC world service to remind me of home and hopefully a good nights sleep!