Coimbatore to Chennai

After several hours of driving we reached Coimbatore. Xavier took us to one of his company guest houses and we freshened up a bit ready for the sleeper train back to Chennai.



I was sad to say good by to Xavier. He had been a brilliant host and was a truly lovely man. Thank you so much for your time and inspiration Xavier!

Soon 9pm came and we headed for the train. It was the usual hustle and bustle and I missed the hills.



This time Prabha and I had side bunks. These are not as big as the others. I was uncomfortable and cramped all night and hardly slept, partly through thinking about the previous few days and because I was sharing my bunk with many cockroaches that I splatted every few minutes... not the best journey I've ever had.

Soon enough morning arrived and we were back in Chennai. Prabha's driver came to fetch us from the station and we went back to her house for breakfast. Here I met her husband who I liked very much. He was about to head off for a few days to pray at his temple. Prabha's father lives on the ground floor of her house and owns an old Ambassador. It's the same age as my Rover.



Prabha arranged a taxi to take me to my hotel via a craft centre. Here I bought a few souvenirs and gifts and had a good look at the different styles of houses from different regions of southern India. These are real houses brought brick by brick and reconstructed in this place. It was well worth seeing.