The story so far.....

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Asia » India » Tamil Nadu » Pondicherry
January 20th 2008 by truckinon

This blog is meant as an 'aide memoire' for us, as memory can be a random visitor, and to let friends/family know we are alive and well and having a ball.......read on if you wish, take what you need and leave the rest..... Also apologies in advance for typos, grammar and spelling errors, I'm not in the mood to be over particular, and it's 80+ degrees outside....

Hi folks.

Finally activated the blog site, and can now begin....

Arrived on the Bloody Awful flight from Heathrow to Madras at 1am, 6th January, and stepped out into the hot night hoping the cab we asked for on the Internet was waiting to whisk us to the pre booked hotel....but it wasn't there. Also not there was the address of the hotel which we omitted to bring with us....and no-one recognised the name, not speaking English.....Cab controller found a driver who thought he new the area where the Buena Viste Beach Resort might be found, so we set off hopefully into the mad traffic; 2 hours and 60kms later, we landed in Mamallapurum at 4am, finally roused the owner of the Starry Skies Hotel and collapsed for the night in a clean(ish) but basic room - washing facilities consisting of a bucket and cold water, but grateful for European style loo....

In the 2 weeks since we arrived, so far we have stayed in 4 different hotels and 6 different rooms.....it would be too tedious for all concerned to go into detail about each hotel, plus this is not intended as a Good/Bad Hotel Guide for S India, so brief comment where appropriate will have to suffice, So, 2 days at Starry Skies (too many mozzies), moved to Sea Breeze, fewer mozzies, nice pool. hopeless waiters...Found restaurant where local working population eat, thalis, dosas,curries, impossible to spend more that 2 pounds for both of us.......however curry for breakfast for me was a step too far.....


Sightseeing on foot in immediate area, local dance festival held every night at temple carved into solid rock - v exotic, visited Lighthouse Cave, another temple, where Ken was mugged by an alpha male monkey trying to get the bag he was holding - locals drove it away pelting it with stones. Most local wildlife to be avoided at all costs!

9 - 13 Jan
Both of us still banjaxed by jet lag, have trouble with what day it is, how long we've been here and all practicalities of living - very odd. Ken developed chest infection, dose of penicillin obtained from chemist (no prescription required), not a happy bunny.... To cheer him up I suggested perhaps we hire the bike he's been hankering for once he feels better. Next morning a full recovery occured, and we were mobile...not without some trepidation on my part......

It is probably appropriate at this point to give a brief overview of traffic/travel experienced so far...As in the UK, Indians drive on the left hand side, except for those that don't - fairly alarming to be bowling along on the hard shoulder (as bikes do) to be met by another bike bowling along in the wrong direction. directly at you...

All large vehicles have 'Sound Horn' emblazoned on back bumpers - this is because no one indicates, looks in mirrors or uses hand signals, the consequence being if you don't let them know audibly that you are in the vicinity, you effectively don't exist.... in their reality or your own if you're not careful...

Driving here is not too much more hazardous than central London in rush hour, apart from the kamicaze holy cows, suicidale swamis and pedestrians who meander into oncoming traffic without care or warning. Add the potholes, roundabouts, which are quite simply insane. and cunningly camoflaged road humps that only come to your notice once you are airborn....There is no danger of falling asleep at the wheel....Final comment, motorbikes are the preferred method of transport for locals, husband drives, wife perches on passenger seat resplendent in full length gorgeous sari, more often than not baby on the hadlebars and elder child wedged in the middle, with various houselhold accoutrements festooned between them. And the wife rides rides side saddle, no hands, serene and unperturbed by the chaos.....should be total carnage, but it's not....

Enough of this now, I will say this only once, cos I guess it won't get any better as our journey progresses, I'll just get less hysterical....All this aside. having our own transport adds a whold new dimension to being here, we've been to places and seen things that would have passed us by had we been dependent on Public Transport (and don't even get me started on that - we're taking an overnight bus to Cochin on Tues 22nd -advised it is a 'semi - sleeper' - so do we sleep half the night? or is half the coach asleep? or half'asleep all night? Watch this space.....).ken comment,foods great people are friendly ,no shits and the sun shines every day! deep joy .

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linda jackson


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TB: The journey begins.......

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Comments

[Canice]

No Problem
Ken and Animals! First it was Horses, now Monkeys........!?