The town of stone carvers

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Our first experience with the Indian bus system was quite fun. We were thrown off of two buses (not literally) before we managed to get onto the correct one. After a very peaceful bus ride down the eastern coast, we arrived at the small town of Mamallapuram. This place is quite amazing. It is a beautiful coastal town that is full of ancient Hindu architecture and art. The majority of the people here are stone carvers. They all work by the streets and spend all day chunking away at pieces of granite, marble and various other stones. The craftsmanship far outshines anything we have seen in India. I even prefer the carvings to the marble inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The stonework is an ancient tradition that dates back thousands of years. Throughout the village there are large carvings in the surrounding rock outcroppings. We spent most of the day wandering though the hills and looking at the stonework. The town is also extremely laid back and has many wonderful shops, restaurants, and hotels. I think we will hang around here a couple of more days before we head of to Pondicherry. We just feel so relaxed after coming from Chennai.

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Photos

Streetside Stone Carving
Three men working on a large Ganesh statue.

Bean with the local fishermen
The fishermen in Mamallapuram are still in need of ropes so that they can get back into the fishing business after the Tsunami. Bean purchased 50kgs of rope to help them out.

Comments

[anonymous]

WOW
I just finished reading all the journals and WOW! What an unbelievable experience 4 both of u. Please continue to write and enlighten us all here in the US about your experiences. Happy Late Valentine's! Lots of love, your favorite aunt kathy - Aunt Kathy

[anonymous]

Hey Guys!
You guys are having a great time! Wow what an adventure! Bean you look good with that elephant! We are enjoying the journal! Jason you should be a writer! Love you guys! Mom - Dianne