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Published: February 16th 2006
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Kanyakumari - Jan 27 - sunset
Where 3 bodies of water mingle.. St. Anicet has spoiled us when it comes to sunsets. We are so fortunate to be able to regularly enjoy this glorious part of daily living. So it is not too surprising that as we work our way around this sub-continent I am inclined to click away with the camera whenever the sun goes down. This shot is from the very bottom of the sub-continent, where three bodies of water meet - the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. It was a lovely moment.
Taking pictures can be a challenge sometimes. Although it does not take a camera to identify me as a foreigner, pulling one out on the street only heightens the attention. Most of my pictures have been taken from the car as we are whizzing down streets, or from the train. Whenever there are close-ups of people I have asked permission. Children are fascinated by the digital camera and love seeing themselves. I ask if I can post pictures on the website and give the web address so people can look themselves up. The pictures which follow and those at the end of my notes, capture some of the delights we are experiencing.
Chennai - Jan 31
Vernon taking notes The question has been raised as to how Vernon goes about constructing his missives. Well, he takes notes as he goes along. This involves frequent pauses while he scribbles away. It is not unusal for other national tourists to wander over and peek over his shoulder in an effort to figure out what he is doing. And when we get back to our guesthouses he thinks about his day and writes more notes. Then when we hit an internet cafe he pulls out the notebook, filled with the world's tinest script and begins pecking away. This shot was taken at Mount St. Thomas and Vernon is gathering his facts about the time St. Thomas spent here.
Vernon has discribed the 7 1/2 mile long Marina Beach in Chennai. It just goes on forever and ever. Apparently the tsunami hit this beach, surging up to the highway and then sweeping back out, taking garbage and small businesses with it. A year later Chennai has a fairly pristine beach and the indomitable Indian small vendor is back in business. The beach is used by the people of Chennai - families come for the day and young couples engage in courting.
Chennai is a fascinating city. As in other cities we have seen to date, there is a real mix of housing in the inner city. Modern apartments are next to older concrete houses with thatched roofs. Chennai has some spectactular architecture. Vernon and I have become fascincated by the different styles and wish we had a better background. I forsee a membership in the Montreal Museum for Architecture coming up.
The traffic in India has become almost an obsession with me. Each city has its own slightly different version of traffic chaos. In Chennai the transporting of children to school caught my attention. As did the women on the back of scooters, riding side-saddle in their sarees. And in Chennai, not a helmut in sight.
Our visit to the temples in Mahabalipuram was fascinating. Hugh temples carved out of single pieces of rock.
The drive down to Pondicherry took us through more agricultural areas. India has made incredible strides in agriculture and has gone from facing famines and relying on other countries to help feed its people and to becoming an exporter of of grains. We hear a lot about India's progress in the high tech
Chennai -Jan 30 -
Girls playing on Marina Beach area but not as much about the scientific improvements they have made in farming. On one of our train overnighters we bought some local news magazines and came across an article describing the development of new strains of wheat and rice.... just in time for our trip through farming country. The never ending hard work of the Indian farmer, in the really hot sun, gives one pause.
Pondicherry was a delight. Bycyles reign in this town. Pretty young women glide by in colourful sarees on old fashioned ladies bikes. There seem to be as many bikes as scooters. An of course, the ever present auto rickshaw.
Pondi, as it is known locally, also has its own delightfully clad policeforce. The hats are a hoot.
Pondicherry also has its own recycling system. Unfortunately lots of garbage is just left out on the streets. There are a group of people who go about picking up this garbage and taking it away in large bags, not green garbage bags but rather bags like the ones we would find in grain storage areas. Then these bags are dumped out and the garbage is sorted out and sold by the people who
Chennai - Jan 31 - housing
Modern buildings abound and more are going up. have picked it up. Recycling Indian style.
It is hard to believe we have been here for a month, and that we have an entire month to go. With our departure from Pondicherry we start heading north. But first we go to the centre, though still a bit south, part of the country, to Hyderabad.
Penny
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