I slept like a rock. The room was dark, and the traffic sounds from the street were not too loud. I didn't roll out of bed until 9:00 AM! I showered and got dressed, and then gathered together my laundry. Per the plan I then phoned their apartment. A man answered the phone. I assumed it was Y, but it was the houseman, M. He said he would come collect me. 5 minutes later he was at my door, and he carried my laundry while I carried my computer bag. Y had a doctor's appointment this morning, and so the only people at the apartment were M and the maid/cook.
After entering the apartment I was sat at the dining room table and given a very tasty Indian meal. Idli (steamed bread), coconut and curry leaf chutney, and sambar (green lentils, tamarind, sambar powder, onions, tomatoes). I must have had 6 or 7 idlis, which I doused in or ate with the chutney and sambar. Very good!
After breakfast the maid gave me a cup of coffee, and I read some of my Economist magazine that I had purchased at the SIN airport last night. Providentially the cover story is about India. I also get out the computer and work on this journal (right now I am right here). Soon A and Y come home. Y puts on some raga music (morning ragas). Later, we sit down and have lunch. Hmmm, good!
After lunch we go shopping. I want to find some gifts, and perhaps some shoes or sandals for myself. We go to 3 or 4 places. One of them was Auroville, a shop that sells handmade items from a small city of the same name. They have some interesting things. Maybe I will come back and get something. We also go to Fabindia, a place that specializes in clothing and fabrics. I get some things for my Mom and sisters. We also stop for coffee at MRT, a chain of coffee shops. We each have a cup of "coffee filtered"--which is a regular cup of freshly made coffee. Cost is 12rp, or about 30 cents. We also stop at a couple shoe stores, but I do not see anything that I like.
In the evening we go to a hotel across town for the birthday party of 4 yr old twin girls who are the daughters of some friends of A and Y. The girls were very cute in their birthday dresses. They live a couple hours away, and so this party is really an opportunity for the family and friends here in Chennai to see the girls (and their parents). There are perhaps about 25 or 30 people that attend, in a medium size ballroom of the hotel. I am introduced to many people, but I cannot remember their names! We arrive at about 8:15, but many others do not arrive until after 9:00, and dinner is not started until almost 10:00. Before dinner drinks are available. I try a rum and coke made with Indian rum. Well, it tastes just fine to me! A small bowl of soup is served first. It is medium spicy, very good. Dinner is buffet style, and I have a little of everything. Also very good! Dessert is, of course, the birthday cake, which is a german chocolate cake. During dinner I sit next to F, an english teacher at a private school here in Chennai. She teaches 14 yr olds, and she likes it! She has been teaching for 25 years, but she doesn't look it!
The party starts breaking up, and we soon head back home. A and V drop me off at the room. We agree that I will call them in the morning and then come over for breakfast. I go in, read a little of the newspaper, and then hit the sack.
We went to two Hindu temples before breakfast. They were both in K, the first one dating from the 7th century, and the second from the 12th century. Very old, incredible structures mostly made from carved rock. I can just imagine the time it took to create these places. For each temple all of us had to leave our footwear in the bus and walk barefoot. Amazingly the roadway in these areas was smooth and clean. Each temple had a special place that only Hindus may go, so none of us non-Indian tourists were allowed in. However, in the first temple there was a place where we could go with the others, where we were blessed by a young priest, who said something in Hindu and placed a bowl on our head. The temples also had a large pond surrounded by stone steps on all sides, and with a stone monument in the middle of the pond. It seems that the pond was used for bathing for spiritual purposes, a'la bathing in the Ganges River. In each place there were a few pilgrims rinsing themselves. The water was very green, but I could see some small fish in the second pond which were being fed by some visitors
At each of the temples there were several beggars, some with severe disabilities. They were a very sad and pathetic sight. They knew that visitors to the temples were more likely to be in a generous spirit. Some of there were very persistent, with those that could walk coming to the bus door and standing almost until the bus drove over their feet! I did not see anyone, Indian or western, give anything to any of the beggars. I guess it does happen, but not very often.
After the second temple we drove to a Hotel Tamil Nadu for breakfast. Most of the group were quite hungry by now (it was nearly 10:00 AM). The hotel is one of several hotels of the same name operated by the Tourism Department of the State of Tamil Nadu. We were seated in the restaurant, and served individual plates of breakfast. Our meal was steamed bread (idlis), and various vegetarian dishes, very similar to what I have been eating with my hosts A and Y. They also offered a choice of coffee or tea. I had coffee, served sweet and with milk. The meal really hit the spot.
It was then back on the bus, although now the bus was actually over-full. There was a group of 4 that had just missed our departure from Chennai, and they had taken a bus and taxi to the hotel to meet-up with the group. Since I was the only passenger without my ticket, the guide moved me to share the front seat with him. The view was great, but the seat was harder than the ones in the back. If the roads had been smooth this would not have mattered. But the roads were often very bumpy. Oh well.
When we reached the third temple we started out barefoot as usual. By now it was later in the morning, and the stone walkway and plaza was very hot! I tried to find the lighter stones to step on, but there weren't that many. So we all walked quite quickly! Here at the second temple there was a squat stone structure next to the pond. A young priest greeted me as I entered and showed me the various features of the building. It is used mostly for weddings. At the end of the tour he asked for a donation. I gave him 10RP. He objected, saying it was not enough. We finally agreed on 50RP.
After the third temple we headed more eastwards towards the sea, the Bay of Bengal. The ride took about an hour. At one point we passed by some hills, which I had not seen many of here. The surrounding area was relatively green. There were some rice paddies here. Suddenly ahead of us on spread on the roadway was a large mound of dried rice plants. We drove right over them. Of course, this is what is intended. It helps the farmer separate the rice from the rest of the plant.
We finally reached M, a town on the seaside, where we visited two places: X, where there were monuments that had been carved out of one solid piece of stone, dating back to the Nth century; and Y, where there is the last of what had been 7 seaside temples, also carved out of rock, the other 6 of which had been washed into the sea over time. Y is also an active archaeological excavation, and other structures are being unearthed. Along the roadside there were many small shops, in which many workers were chipping away at solid stones to make sculptures and souvenirs, everything from small objects you could hold in your hand, to large objects for outdoor display. I can just imagine what some of the larger objects must weigh! How do you get it home?
The beach was quite pretty here. White sand, blue water. There were some fishermen in small wooden boats not too far offshore. The ocean breeze was great! We then got back on the bus for our short ride up the beach to the Hotel Tamil Nadu for our lunch. We were all hungry again, as it was about 2:00 PM already! The Hotel Tamil Nadu at M is a fairly large hotel, with nice grounds, a swimming pool, a couple restaurants, and of course a very nice beach. Lunch was also vegetarian, with rice being the main dish. Another tasty meal! After lunch most of the group went to the beach. I took my sandals off, rolled-up my pants, and got my feet wet. Ohhh, the water felt so good. Nice and warm and clean! There were a few hotel guests actually getting into the water, fighting the waves. All too soon it was time to get moving again.
The afternoon was much less cultural than the morning. We drove north along the coast highway, a generally very good and smooth road, for about an hour. We stopped at a waterway where we had a short boat ride in the waterway. I am not sure that the purpose of this ride was. There was no much to see, and no commentary or info provided. But, it was fun to be on a boat on the water! Afterwards we were given our afternoon tea. We then got back on the bus for a 15 minute or so ride to VPG Park, a private amusement park that was created by the children of VPG, a rich landowner, from lands they inherited. It is an interesting and well done park, and extends from the coast road all the way to the beach. We had to pay 50RP entrance, instead of the usual 100RP fee. I also paid the 10RP camera fee. I could understand this fee for the temples. Here, at a private profit making park that charges admission it seemed rather strange.
I again walked to the water, got my feet wet again, and spoke briefly with A, a young tourist from Holland who is visiting her uncle, an artist who lives here in Chennai. She has been traveling around India for about a year. Ahh, what a life! As I walked back to the entrance I bought a small bag of popcorn (6RP), which was pretty good! I also had a small cup of Coke (5RP). In one area of the park there is a collection of statues which have figures carved on them. Some of these are of animals, or soldiers, and some are more erotic. Hmmm, here in a park actually geared towards children? Interesting.
At 6:10 we met at the entrance, and at 6:15 or so we were on our way back to Chennai. The ride was not long in distance, but we were now in rush hour traffic, and so we did not get back to our starting point until about 7:35. M, the helper of A and Y, soon came to meet me. We got a tuk-tuk type taxi, and were soon back home. The traffic was amazing. The saving grace is that you never go very fast. There is lots of traffic in BK and MNL, but there you do not also have pedestrians, bicyclists, and animals thrown into the mix. To call the traffic mass chaos is an understatement. It takes a lot of skill and experience to drive here. Perhaps they should get race car drivers from India?
We soon had dinner, and afterwards I downloaded my day's photos into the computer and shared them with A. She enjoyed seeing them. She has been to these places, but not recently. Considering my early rise, by 9:30 I was getting tired, and so I went back to the room, and soon went to bed. I was glad that I had gotten up early and taken the tour. It was an interesting day, with interesting sights, interesting people. Yes, a good day of travel
I try to be lazy this morning, but I can't sleep past 8:30! Darn! Oh well, time to rise and shine. I call A at about 9:20 and tell her good morning, and she says come over for breakfast. I walk over. It takes about 2 minutes. The street is pretty busy, and I get some funny surprised looks from the other folks on the street. I guess they were not expecting to see a white face today!
Breakfast is ready so I sit down and eat. It is similar to yesterday's breakfast, except that this time the bread is fried, not steamed. But either way, it is quite good! For some reason I can handle this breakfast much better than the Chinese or Thai style breakfasts I was provided at various hotels. Afterwards we sit and have tea and listen to Rachmaninoff CDs that Y is playing. It sure sounds good! I have not listened to classical music for awhile.
We then drive nearby to Shop and Stop, a small shopping mall. A buys a book, and Y and I walk around looking at stuff. The prices are good, but not great. On the way back we stop at the apartment that they recently bought and will move into after A retires in about a year. It is a nice 3 bedroom unit on the 7th floor, with a really nice and big kitchen. Two of the bedroom have their own bath, and there is a hall bathroom also. It is a bit smaller than their current apartment, but it is newer, and on a quieter street. At any rate they will have to move. Their current apartment is provided by the Indian railway, A's employer, and their right to stay there will end when she retires.
We then go back to their apartment and have lunch. Another delicious meal. This time we have rice, tomatoes in a soupy sauce, eggplant in a sauce, and crispy tortilla-like things made from sweet potatoes. Dessert is homemade unsweetened yogurt, and an orange.
A then lets me use her computer, and I check my email. I then work on the journal. We have a lazy afternoon, listening to classical music CDs, A and Y reading, and me on the computer. We stay home for dinner, and I go back to the room about 9:30. I must get up very early tomorrow morning for my bus tour.
Y calls me at 5:30 AM to wake me. Ugh! But I did manage to get to sleep last night about 10:30, so I don't feel too bad, and I am up and out by 6:00. Y drives me to the local tourist office from where the bus will depart. When we are half-way there I realize that I left my ticket on the table in the room. Oh well, too late to go back and get it. We arrive at about 6:20. I go into the office and explain that I forgot to bring my ticket. No problem. The bus arrives at 6:25, and promptly at 6:30 we are on our way.
The bus seats about 16 or so. Most seats are taken. There are 2 ladies from England; a young man from Hong Kong; a young woman from Switzerland; and the rest are from India. The ages are from 14 months to elderly. A good mixed group. The guide is Mahamad, and the driver is Krishnan. Both are quite good at what they do. Driving here is a real challenge, and I was amazed that Krishnan was able to maneuver our bus down some rather narrow streets so well.
We headed generally south. The bus had no a/c, but it was a mild morning and the fresh air thru the open windows felt good. The sun had just risen. We drove for about 90 minutes. Gradually the city gave way to the open countryside. Some of it was farmed, but a lot was not. The ground was dry. Y tells me that they have not had a proper monsoon season for the last 2 years. I hope it is better this year. They sure need it.
The sights from the bus are many and varied. Ox pulled wagon; cows, horses, goats, wandering along the road; men squatting in a field giving their daily donation of fertilizer; a sign "Gold Power, Ride with Pride" (for a bicycle); wood and mud houses with thatched roofs; women wearing colorful saris, walking gracefully while carrying large loads on their heads; a road construction project that extended for many miles, but I never saw any workers; and people, lots of people. Rarely did we reach a place where there were no people walking along the road or near the road. At one point we were stuck behind 6 long platform trucks, each one carrying an apparently new railway car. Why the railway car was not sent to its destination via the railway is unknown.
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