The temple is being repainted so the outside gopurams (entrance towers) are shrouded in bamboo scaffolding, but much of the painting inside is completed - the ceilings and columns are brightly painted with patterns and murals. The temple is a vast complex, although not as big as the one in Trichy, and once inside it is dark and very atmospheric.
In the evening I have dinner with Siva's family. We get there by riding on the backs of motorbikes with friends (Raja and Russia) through the crowded Madurai streets, dodging buses and autos in the dark. I hang on tight and emerge windswept but still in one piece at the other end. His mother prepares dosas, (because Siva has told her I like them!), also coconut chutney and some biryani. Siva's father is a weaver, so they live in the weaving district - their house is surrounded by small warehouses with looms working in to the night making towels. I also visit their local temple and the night school where Siva helps teach. Here he is showing me how to touch type with a Tamil keyboard...
The next day it's another bus journey - 6 hours to Kanyakumari, the tip of India. I'm getting quite used to travelling on Indian buses, although they are pretty basic crowded and the road driving is just crazy. Rs 90 (just over £1) isn't bad for a 6 hour journey and they are always on time! However I feel pretty frazzled and sandblasted after this one, so by the time I get to Kanykumari I have the energy to watch the sunset over the sea and then it's back to the hotel for dinner and bed. I meet two Danish girls who are travelling in the opposite direction to me.
Next day it's a relatively short (3 hour) bus journey to Kovalam in Kerala and my yoga holiday. So I'm now in an internet cafe next to the beach. Aaah, time to chill out...
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