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Published: November 17th 2006
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Pondicherry
After Varkala we caught an overnight train to the eastern coastal town of Pondicherry which used to be a French colony. Upon arrival we checked into an Ashram, which had to be our cheapest (80 rupees or $2 CDN) and cleanest accommodation yet in India. Ashrams are religious centers where you can do meditation, yoga and learn the meaning of life from the Ashrams enlightened Guru. Fortunately, we did none of that. Instead we walked the wide boulevard along the sea eating ice cream, went to a hip coffee shop, browsed bookshops, and dined at a rooftop French restaurant where we had a glass of fine Indian wine. To go with our French dinners we could have opted for French wine at $5 a glass, but since we rarely spend $5 on an entire meal, we opted for the $2 glass of Indian wine. I asked our sharply dressed waiter what kind of red was their house wine and it should have been a sign when he didn’t know the answer… it was simply just red or white. Jarrod decided on the red and I got the white. Both were more than a little disappointing as they tasted like a
bad brew of home made wine. I now know why there are no Wines of India on the liquor store shelves at home- because they’re crap!
Mamallapuram
After only one night in Pondicherry we had to vacate our room at the Ashram as a large group of serious guests were coming to stay. So we packed up and caught a bus two hours north to another seaside town of Mamallapuram known for its rock carvings and ruins. Our first evening there, we took a walk along the beach among the other Indian tourists. At the waters edge it was quite a comical scene as men sat in the sand with their arms around each other while groups of women in sari’s frolicked along the shore in the waves and not a single person was swimming.
The next morning we rented bicycles and visited the old temples and ruins with carvings. The carvings were nice but not spectacular or particularly inspiring. I liked most a huge balancing rock that is supposed to be the god, Krishna’s, Butter Ball. Again, we stayed only one night in Mamallapuram and then headed another two hours north to Chennai.
Chennai
And once
Sexy Statue in Mamallapuram
And I thought Indian's were conservative! again Chennai wasn’t anything spectacular and we were only there a day. We went to a few bookshops and stumbled upon a mall that was like a grungy replica of malls at home with a terrible food court. But our main purpose of heading to Chennai was to catch a flight to Kolkata. We didn’t plan on flying in India, but the option was 29+ hours on a train costing $30 plus food (another $20) or a two-hour plane ride costing $140. Time is money so the decision was easy.
In the newspapers the airports were suppose to be on high alert because of terrorist threats for flights heading to the USA so we arrived early just in case there was any hassles even though we were flying domestic. At first we were quite impressed because before we could even enter the airport building we had to show our online booking and Jarrod had to show ID. But from there, security started to get a little sketchy. Check in went quickly as they omitted the routine questions of:
*Did you pack this bag yourself?
*Are you aware of all the contents of the bag?
*Have you left the
bag unattended at any time?
*Are there any illegal or banned substances in your bag? etc...
They asked for Jarrod’s passport and issued us our boarding cards in less than three minutes flat. As we entered security they glanced at our boarding cards and ushered us to separate lines for men and women. I was wearing my titanium knee brace and buzzed when I walked through the metal dector. A security lady took me behind a screen and did a quick pat down around my brace but asked no questions and didn't request I lift my pant leg. A stark contrast to S. Korea when I had to take down my pants to show my brace. When we boarded the plane we presented our boarding cards to the stewardess who directed us to our seats.
Not once did I get asked for identification. I’m not sure how that makes me feel on two levels. The security issue is obvious but also because in India I’m just a woman in my husbands shadow. But I’m here to tell the story so thankfully no women terrorists made it onto our flight.
The following day we read an article in
the paper about one of the domestic airlines moving into the international scene. The airline felt that starting international flights would be an easy transition because their domestic security was top knotch. I beg to differ!
Kolkata
Again, just a quick stop in Kolkata before we caught a train north. We didn't see any sights but there also wasn't any that we were super keen on.
So the past week has been a lot of travel, mediocore sights and not much excitement. Sorry for the boring blog.
Next we’re headed north to the city of Darjeeling to see snow capped mountains and do some hiking in the Himalayas! I'm sure something thrillling will happen there.
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Julie
non-member comment
Carol, your 'crazy' picture is very attractive, perhaps a modelling career could be in your future....