Chennai
Day 56: Kumbakonam - 108 Days Across Eurasia by Martins Ate
I waked up at 4AM without alarm, took a shower, made up my bag and at 5 there was a rickshaw waiting for me outside of hotel to drop me to train station as my train was leaving at 5:28 from Agra to New Delhi. Took a last look at Taj Mahal and left Agra.
(From red dot - Agra to Delhi by train to Delhi and from there to purple dot - Chennai - I took the Jet airways flight and from there 300 km by night buss to Kumbakonam. It took me 25 hours). There was no any seat available so I was standing until one man went out and I got his seat in a train and felt asleep. Actually I think that it is possible to drive with no tickets at Indian trains! I waked up in New Delhi and from train station took a rickshaw to the domestic airport. Deam!, Delhi rickshaw are charging a great money to foreigners!!!
I arrived at Chennai late in the evening and took a night buss to Kumbakonam where after about 6 hour drive I stayed overnight in a local hotel for 2 EUR per night paying from Tuesdays morning till Wednesday's noon. Generally - except 25 hours non-stop travelling - nothing special today.
Traveling with public transport is so boring. But probably in India it is the best way to travel. I have made about 250 flights in my life around 30 countries. And hitchhiking is so much more fun. I had to take a plane only because of timing. I guess I missed the best part of India by traveling from North to South by plane. But maybe I will catch up with it after will finish everything here in
Kumbakonam. I might be here around one up to two weeks. The interesting thing is that even if now I'm more South - it feels colder here than in Delhi or Agra. I feel like tired of traveling today. To many places and impressions in so short period of time. Feels like I am ready to finish this trip soon. Maybe it is like halfway distance crisis.
Few days ago my application for Australian visa was declined so I cannot go to Australia and New Zeland. It means that after India I'm going to Sri Lanka where I'll take a plane from Colombo to Kuala Lumpur early October.
That will begin my journeys end as afterwards I'm gonna hitchhike from Kuala Lumpur throughout Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to China, Beijing.