Back from Chettinad – Inspired!

I wanted badly to post while I was there. I even wrote a bunch of posts about our first day on the road… But due to the folly of my ways (ie. naively not thinking I would not need a 3G data pack and 2G would suffice) none of those posts ever left my drafts folder…

But anyway, it was such a fantastic four days! It had all the ingredients to a great foodie road trip:

1. Spontaneous en route halt to eat some roadside snacks

Cucumber man, selling seasonal cucumbers along the highway, with chili and salt – so refreshing in the heat of Tamil Nadu!

We even discovered an interesing mystery gourd that he had -- Vellari Pallam. He said it's a big, ripe cucumber. It tasted just like a musk melon, and had the texture of a powdery, overripe apple... Found only in the summer and only in the Trichy region, he said it is used to make juice or just eaten with sugar. 

The very friendly cucumber man, on the highway from Trichy to Karaikudi

Cucumbers, with the big, yellow Vellari Pallam behind

2. Spending almost half the trip on the road, traveling from one town to the other for each meal. 

On the third day we literally drove two and a half hours from Karaikudi to Tanjore, just in time for lunch, ate, and left for Velankanni. Drove another two and a half hours to Velankanni for dinner, ate, and then drove back! :D

Lunch at Thanjavur....

...And then dinner at Velankanni!

3. Asking locals for directions to the famous local messes, and even getting lost on the way a few times…

While looking for Amma mess in Madurai, we drove through some really narrow, questionable lanes, wondering if our big car could even make it through to the other side… luckily, we reached in one piece, and had a big, delicious meal - twice! (That deserves a separate post, so more later..)

All of us looking very pleased, after a big meal at Amma's mess

4. Staying with the families of friends, and being lovingly fed delicious traditional home food for at least one meal while there.

We has a traditional Chettiar breakfast in Karaikudi, and a traditional Christian Nadar brunch in Thanjavur.

Brunch at one of my seniors' homes in Thanjavur

5. Eating and eating and eating till we felt like we would burst. This was literally every meal! (And then dozing off for a nap on the car ride back… hehe)

Thank you, friends, for this embarrassing picture...! :P

As a bonus I also saw some beautiful architecture of the region, which lent a lot of insight into the historical culture of the region. And I made really great friends with the people I traveled with – classmates, seniors and teacher!

The lane where we were staying in Pallathur, Karaikudi

The beautiful Madurai Meenakshi Gopuram

The 1200 year old Big Temple in Thanjavur

I can’t believe I get to do trips like this from college! That too, in my first year!! I really should thank my HOD, Mr. Sushil and class teacher, Mr. Kerwin for asking me if I wanted to go on this trip. This sort of experiential learning is something you cannot get on campus through books and lectures.

Now, naturally, I have many more stories to tell, so more posts to follow over the next few days. Stay tuned!

Any of you been to Chettinad? Would love to hear your stories, too!