We started from Chennai only at 7.20 am and stopped for nearly 20 minutes to update a bank password. Our original plan was to leave by 6 am because the distance is nearly 460 kms from Chennai to Madurai. While we had been told and we read on online forums, that the roads are fantastic, we still wanted to beat the traffic. So we were a tad bit disappointed that we couldn’t leave as planned :).
Our first stop was at Hotel Balaji Bhavan, at Madurantakam, about 60 Kms from Chennai. They have a huge parking lot and an air conditioned restaurant. The chutneys and podi are served in a tray while the sambar is served in a bucket !!
Recommended – Idli, dosa and Idiyappams. Please don’t have the Appam as it is merely a dosa in a different form :).
While the food was fantastic, the service prompt, and the restaurant clean – the toilets were a big let down. No, I didn’t use them but took pictures. The #SwachhBharat campaign seems to have had no impact here.
There are amazing scenes all along the way … We also saw this lorry that had met with a head on collision 🙁 scary to imagine what would have happened to the driver. If he survived, it would be a miracle.
We crossed Trichy and here are some pictures from there –
#IncredibleIndia Indeed.