Day 20

Unfortunately, the night wasn't great. I woke up with terrible headaches. Monique wasn't feeling fresh either, as there seems to be a lot of drifting noise at night in this area. I didn't notice it in the car, but it's definitely louder up here.

According to our evening plans, today we were supposed to visit a Hindu temple and the botanical garden.

At the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple, there were several buildings that seemed to be shrines, as well as a main building. Inside, surrounded by the smell of incense sticks, there were statues of presumably Hindu deities. The statues were beautifully made, colorful, and sparkly.

We could enter without shoes as well. However, we didn't stay long because we didn't want to get in the way of the Indian Brits who seemed to know better what all of this was for.

When we arrived at the botanical garden, hunger won over the garden, so instead, we went to a local burger joint before heading back.

Along the way, we also visited a kind of farm shop (Becketts Farm) that I had already visited early in the morning by bike. It's really nicely set up like a farm shop, with a bakery, butcher shop, sandwich counter, and a large vegetable section, each with its own staff. The goods definitely don't come from a farm, but it's well done.

Right next to it, there was an aquarium supplies store, and I think that was the highlight for the kids today.

You rarely see so many fish, corals, crabs, and fountains all in one place. They had everything for sale, from goldfish to catsharks to koi carp. For a small fee, you could even feed the carp. Fortunately, no one threw any rubbish in, because I only saw afterwards how much they cost - see photo for example.