Evening forays

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One key difference I've learned that needs to be taken into account when travelling India, is that it takes an awful lot longer to get anywhere than I'm used to. This does unfortunately have the consequence of limiting my range through the week, where working goes well into the evening, and everywhere closes by 11pm.

Nonetheless, I did manage a couple of forays out into the wilderness of Tamil Nadu... away from the safety (and expense!) of the fortress.

The nearby town of Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram as it was known when the British found it too difficult to pronounce), was an obvious first candidate - 20km down the road (or 30 mins). The town is famous for its multitude of temples carved out of single pieces of rock. Viewing did close at 6pm, but it was still pleasant enough to wander round outside the parks to look at the impressive craftsmanship of the carvings.

Night descends fast at this latitude, and the town was especially dark when the power failed for some 20 minutes throughout the entire area. No-one was phased though - I gathered that this was a somewhat routine matter. We learned that earlier that day there had been some Kashmir related disturbance in the town, and so many of the shops had been ordered to close early, and the government had enforced a complete sale of alcohol ban. Not that my waiter was deterred from offering me a beer to accompany my dinner - he simply requested that I keep my drink under the table out of sight!

Later in the week, we ventured into Chennai city itself, in the Mylapore region, where there is a huge temple complex. Its many patrons washing and blessing themselves on its threshold, and removing their shoes before going in. Inside there were maybe a dozen temples, each with its own ritual to be performed. After which, the people would sit in the grounds together, singing or chanting, or simply taking in the people walking by.

Emboldened by having not suffered much in the way of ill-effects from the local cuisine, I decided to try a local dish - Chettinad, after being recommended it as an experience. I was slightly nervous when the waiter chuckled and exchanged glances with his fellow colleagues upon my requesting it. The restaurant experience itself was quite something - not being a place that appeared to be visted too frequently by western guests, we seemed to be something of a fascination - at one point the entire restaurant staff were crowded round our table to listen to us deliberating over what to order. My waiter was somewhat excited by my request for the local dish, and immediately started to add all sorts of other strange dishes to my order... lamb brain I had to politely decline, but I did try the ketaai (supposedly a local bird, but I'm almost certain it had a tail, and not of the feathery sort...). Tasty all the same :-)

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Photos

Tamil sunset
On the way to Mamallapuram

Elephant carvings
See if you can spot the goat

Outside the temple complex
The busy hubbub of the city