Beach, anyone?

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Bit of a funny sort of day. Started off with an early walk while it was still cool, and saw the French caff, Hot Bread. Thought I couldn't leave Pondicherry without sampling their croissants, so I did, and jolly nice too. And the coffee. Only thing was, I had already got my breakfast ordered at the hotel...I couldn't manage it all, but at least I didn't need lunch!

Bits of footslogging, bits of shopping - a wheelie case to make coming home easier and a cooling salwar kameez because it's SO HOT, bits of coming home to rest.

After the non-lunch, and a bit of argy-bargy round getting money changed - Indian beaurocracy rules - I suddenly lost the plot, and asked a rickshaw dtriver how much he'd charge to take me to the beach, 8 km. away. Got a reasonable deal, and off we went.

He was a sweetie, and when the rickshaw got to the end of the road, pushed me down a private path saying the beach was better there. He was right, of course. Pretty empty sandy beach with lots of shells (how do I get them home, eh?), with requisite palm trees in the background. Better planned, I might have taken my cozzie, but then it wasn't clear what beach etiquette was there. There WERE women in costumes, but people of either sex were often more covered than that. Still, it would have been nice to have swum in the Bay of Bengal.

I'm beginning to lose momentum, mainly through extreme tiredness, and the heat combined with dripping huimidity. I'm greatly looking forward to another CouchSurfing weekend in Chennai this time. I think the experience will be very different from last time, if only because my host is much nearer to me in age, and born and bred in India. And after the weekend, it'll be time to come home. So this might be my last posting here, though I'll try to read mail again before hitting the UK on Tuesday. I may add bits even back in England, as my wonderful experiences with the group in Karnataka and Kerala simply haven't been reflected here. I'll certainly post some photos.

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