Monday, September 19, 2016

The ride from Rameswaram to Madurai

The ride from Rameswaram to Madurai

In Rameswaram, R K Hotel Bus Stand stall is managed by Ramraj.  Very helpful.

The Bus starts at 11.23/24. Going past Daiwik Hotel, Hotel Royal Park.
Thank you for visit (visiting) Rameswaram.
Going past Udhayam Polytechnic college. It reaches Pamban bridge at 11.37. Going past  Southern Railway Officers Rest House Mandapam at 11.47, Mandapam Camp railway station at 11.52. At 11.53 Madurai is shown to be 148km away, at 12.02 Madurai 141km. At  12.10 it reaches Uchippuli. At 12.15 INS PARUNDU is 500 mt ahead. At 12.16 it reaches INS Parundu Naval air station Ramnad. At 12.20 it begins to drizzle. At 12.21 Madurai 125km. Going past Sathankulam at 12.27,  united matric school at 12.31. The bus reaches Ramanathapuram at 12.32.

At  12.33 IOB ATM is on the right side. At 12.34 Madurai is 115 km, at 12.38 Madurai is 112 km. At 12.40 going past AMBIKAS Bakery & Sweets tea snacks juice. At  12.58 Syed Ammal Engineering College. At 1.07 Madurai is 95km. At 1.07 it reaches Sathirakudi, 1.15 Mavilangai and 1.30 Paramkudi. At 1.37 madurai is 75 km, at 1.55 madurai 61km and at 2.17 madurai 45 km. The bus reaches Somanathapuram at 2.24. At 2.40 madurai is 23 km. The bus reaches Mattuhavani Integrated Bus Terminus , Madurai at  3.20pm

The ride from Rameswaram to Madurai was accomplished in a govt bus. The bus driver's name has been Prabhu. He rode the bus with full alertness. The occupants in the bus were simple and sweet. In Madurai bus stand took tea from a stall outside the restaurant packed with visitors.. The lady serving the tea was simple and smiling. The ride from Madurai bus stand to Meenakshi Amman temple was accomplished in an auto costing 150 rs. The automan went with the name Veera. He dropped me on East Chitrai Street of the temple.


In Madurai

 Sarvanna is the name of store man in Madurai , the store located opposite Meenakshi restaurant. Swami is the name of the man working in Meenakshi restaurant.

Sightings near the temple in Madurai
- Temple Boutique
- Raji Arts & Crafts
- Senthil Lodge
- Tamil Nadu Emporium
- Khadi Bhawan
- Vijaylakshmi Plastics
- Democratic People's Rights Organisation
- Sri Kamatchi
- State Handloom Emporium
- Femina
   Silks & Handloom
- Vasanth Lodge
- Bagyalakshmi Lodge
- Meenakshi marketing
- The museum Company
- Thirumala Lodge

In Bhagyalakshmi lodge  there is Mr Kumar and Mr Bhoominathan, both well mannered.

Saturday i am supposed to leave Rameswaram for Madurai; Sightings in North Car Street

Saturday i am supposed to leave for Madurai; Sightings in North Car Street

Saturday was the day i am supposed to leave for Madurai. As i vacated the room with a request the luggage be deposited in the store room, the manager appeared to be in a different frame of mind. He told me to approach the railway station for luggage-keeping. It was quite a surprise and the lodge manager's conduct suggested he was out to make things difficult as far as request for luggage to be kept in the store room was concerned. The luggage i could manage to keep in the store room for the time i was in the temple.My train from Madurai was little before two the next morning. So there was no point in leaving RMM before noon for Madurai. After return from the temple i had to struggle for the next two and a half hours in keeping the luggage at different places. Around 11.30 am i left Rameswaram for Madurai.


Stationery shop one would relish
In Rameswaram for stationery there aren't many stores and one has to search for a while before one such can be traced.  The one in Varthakan Street is quite handy. Going by the name Jayamani Stores Big Bazaar Street RMM  Ph 222591 it has a good collection of school books. It is handy for accessing writing pad /notebooks. Run by a staff very affable in their approach. When some school students asked for political map of Tamil Nadu it was handed to them with effortless ease. Again the best part  about this stationery shop is the staff which is very caring and disciplined. 

In West Car Street Cyber Cafe Tech-Park run by Mr P Nambukumar was quite helpful. Equally helpful was staff member Divya. They helped in arranging a train ticket from Madurai to Nagercoil. This shop deals with GPS Tracking &Security System, internet browsing and online booking. 1/42A West Car Street Rameswaram  Ph 04573-222116. Apart from SS Grand restaurant, for two days i take meals from Nattukkottai high class veg restaurant. SS Grand restaurant is known for its ambience and cleanliness. 

On Thursday evening visited Global Net & Air Travels cyber cafe. This cyber cafe i have visited in the past and is run by Mr Raman whom i could not meet during the time i was in the cyber cafe. I visited the cyber cafe at a time when power had just been restored to the entire town on a day when there was load shedding.

On Saturday visited Ramanathaswamy temple in the morning. Despite heavy rush everything was managed quite well and there was a notable momentum to the entire proceedings.  

Sightings in  North Car Street

- Aavin Parlour
-Udupi Chatram
- Rameshwar Tourist Home
  Hall - Dormitory Tourist Vehicle Available
- Prabhu Stores
- Mully Vilas
- Sri Ram Lodge
- Sri Rameswar Katha Mandapam
- Chola Lodge
- Karthick Cool Drin ks
- Sree Nambukumaran Mahal
- Shri Ramanjaneya Chatram
- Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, RMM Rest House
- P. Narayana Vadhyar Prohithar
   No 37A North Car Street
- Hoarding of Siva Boating
morning 6am to evening 5.30pm

Turn right  

East Car Street

-Hoarding of Discover the hidden treasures of Chettinad Heritage
- Vivekananda Bhaskaram
- SriGuru Lodge
-Hotel Guru Veg
- Kulumanillam House
- Sri Dakshinamnaya Sringeri mutt
- AR Temple, RMM cloak room locker 
- Arulmiga Ramanathaswamy Temple RMM rest house & cottage booking office
- Ramanathaswamy Temple

opposite temple
- Vivekanandar Rest House
- Hotel Ishwarya Veg
- Chellaya Tea Stall
- Bharath tours & travels
- Sahuwala Bhavan
- Uthra Store
- Sri Ganga Niwas Bhojanalaya
- Abbirami Hotels
- Madhu Cottages
- Gujarat Bhavan
Gujarati Bhojanalaya
-Filter coffee available here
- Amar Pearls & Rudraksh
- Tribes India
- Vivekananda Kendra - Nardep
- Mahadev Pearls & Jewellers

South Car street
- Shri Saratha Yatri Niwas
- Tea filter coffeee V.K A
-Nattukkottai
  high class veg
- Geetha Lodge
- Lakshmi Vilas Bank ATM



Saturday, September 10, 2016

Having reached Rameswaram on a Thursday

Having reached Rameswaram on a Thursday

Having reached Rameswaram on a Thursday it was time to look for a lodge. First tried in the North Car street. As i was in the auto one gentleman suggested i better take a locker which would be highly inconvenient given the stay that was to go beyond two days.
THe lodge where i had stayed about three and a half years ago, Ramanajaneya Chatram, the manager of the same expressed his inability to give a room citing prior bookings. Other lodges/ residential points in the North Car Street like Udupi Chatram, Sri Ram Lodge, Chola Lodge in the vicinity of Ramanajaneya Chatram either had no personnel manning the reception or were in no state to let out rooms. As the automan took me to  Varthakan street, it is also known as railway station road, Hotel Queen Palace was looking like the probable lodge where i could stay. The manager of Hotel Queen Palace was about to come when the manager of Sumathi Lodge called us and expressed his readiness to part room on the first floor.

After the room was taken i set out in search for tea, the search taking me to SS Grand restaurant. The idly and tea from SS Grand was something to relish about.  Just before noon  had the opportunity to visit Ramanathaswamy temple. When i returned to the lodge there was no power and it stayed like this till five in the evening. We were told that once in a month in Rameswaram there is a load shedding that begins from early morning and lasts till evening. In the evening made rounds of Vathakan street and middle street.

On Friday visited the temple after 10 in the morning and i was told it was closed for the entire day except for early morning between 4 and 6 am. Afternoon took meals from a restaurant in South Car Street. Later purchased a bag and a belt from Mahadev Sea Shell shop in West Car Street run by Mr Purohit from Rajasthan. In the evening visited Tech Park, the cyber cafe in West Car Street and booked a train ticket from Madurai to Nagercoil. The staff in the shop and cyber cafe were quite cooperative. In the evening visited SS Grand restaurant. The Hanuman Temple across the road has a charm of its own.

Sightings in Varthakan Street

-Karthik Lodge AC
- Metro
- Hotel Queen Park AC
- Anandha Lodge
- Anandha stores & Glass House
- Seeniyappa metal mart, 21 V Street
- Sumathi Lodge
- Dr M Andy MBBS
- KAG Tiles
- Classic Mobiles
- Santosh Lodge
No room commission  Room available
- Swami Ramanatha Tourist Home
AC Non AC Car Parking Available
- Nirmala color xerox
- Velankanni Digital Studio
-Tas Tea
- Uttaradi Mutt
- Sunrise cooldrinks
   cool dhanda dhanda
- WOW
Hair dressing beauty parlour
- Store with VKC Pride on board run by Mr Jyoti Ramalingam having cool drinks, footwear
- Kurinji textiles
Ramraj Genxt
- 3 Roses
- Hotel Harish
Room Available
- Sri Sakra medical shop
- A1 tailors
- Khadi India
Khadi Bhavan, 3, Big Bazzar Street, RMM - 623526
- New Brucelee Saloon
- Hotel Ramesh Park lodge & Shabari Lodge
 car parking
- Mangaldeep Puja Aggarbatties
- Senthil's Fireworks & Crackers
- Thillasiri construction
30-B, Big Bazaar street , RMM
- New Hotel Beemavillas
- Jegan flower shop
- Sun Direct
- Samsung
- Poomex
- Airtel Digital
- Panasonic
- Nila Home Appliances
- Loganayagi store
- My Kalyan
Kalyan jewellers mini store
- Aircel 3G
- Barathan Store
- Jayamani Stores
Big Bazaar Street RMM
Ph 222591

Next comes Crossing

West Street

-Dhanalakshmi Mahal
room, hall, kitchen available
- Global Net & Air travels
- Temple Sri Durgai Amman Thiruhovil
- Vodafone 3G
- R R Kabel
- Roja Mahal
- Hotel Sabarish  Veg restaurant
- Hotel Raamajayam AC
- State Bank of India ATM
- Hotel Haris
- Twins Lodge
- Gurdwara Sahib
- Agnikunju Achagam
Kalam Institute of Technology
- BOI ATM
- Arun Store
- Arokya Milk
- Reddy Jana Sangam Tourist Hall
- Goswami madam trust
 room, restaurant,car park
- Dheepam
xerox typing
- India post
ATM 24 hour
- Baba - G restaurant veg
-Hotel Supreme
- Hotel Aryaas Residence
- Hotha Ramasubramania Sastri
43, west street RMM
- Hotel Akshaya
- S Chiranjeev Hanuman Prasad Sharma BCA
- Arya Vysya Mahajana Satram
- BSNL
customer service centre
- CPI (marxist) RMM Taluk committee office



West Car Street
- Praveen Travels
- Mahadev sea shell
- Sri Lakshmi Mobiles
- Sree Kumaran Delux Lodge AC
- Power travels
- Sri Balaji Textiles
- SRI GANESH VILAS
 the cool cafe
- Tech Park
Internet browsing