Mamalapuram 14th – 16th of July
When I arrived back from work on Friday only one hour was left to pack my baggage for the next trip. This time we planned to go to Mamalapuram, a little coast town between Chennai and Ponticherry, located at the east coast of India. At 9.30p.m then we took off for Majestic bus station. Ricardo arranged the tickets during the week. We went to Mamalapuram with 11 people. In Mamalapuram then Maarten, Gaya, Maria and Carolin would join us. They have been to Ponticherry already the day before. As our bus didn’t take off at Majestic, we had to take a little bus to the City Market, from where we took off for Chennai at 11.30p.m.. The bus was really packed. On the roof they have fastened so many baggages and I don’t know what else - really incredible.
Therefore, the height of the bus was added by 2 meters. The night then was so boring. Well, we tried to sleep, but as for me, I didn’t manage to sleep. Also in the strength of the noice the bus made. Whenever the bus driver accelerated the bus made such an indefinite noice, it was roaring like bulls in a stampede. I slept 2 hours maybe but not more. So the most time of the journey to Chennai I listened to some music, I have put on my bend drive. At 6a.m. we arrived in Chennai. It is really an awful city. As soon as we went out of the bus there was a stinky smell in the air. Simon recommended booking the tickets for Bangalore first. There were so many travel agencies at the bus station so we thought we would have the choice between several offers. But there we were wrong. I was so tired of bargaining that I let the others negotiating the price. It was impossible to get a reasonable price. So, at the ending, we decided to take a bus for 600 Rupees. At least it would be an air-conditioned bus. After having booked the tickets we went to the local bus station to get the bus for Mamalapuram. It was typical Indian bus, no doors, no glass in the windows, very simple furnished. But it is cool, you should take a bus such like that when you are in India one day, it is fun, especially if you sit in the back. We paid 22 Rupees for the bus. Usually the money is collected by an officer during the journey. I really enjoyed the journey to Mamalapuram. I sat next to a window and thus I could see the whole life of Chennai, very striking. When we left Chennai, we took a road along the bay. Hence, every now and then I could catch a view to the sea. 
The landscape is really nice, completely different to the landscape I have seen in India down to that day. Here you find palm trees and beautiful beaches. In fact, it is how you would imagine that the South Sea looks like. After 2 hours in the bus we arrived in Mamalapuram. It is a beautiful little coast town. But nevertheless, here also, you find the typical Indian clichés like cows and garbage in the streets, beggars and so on. Mamalapuram was submerged by the tsunami in December 2004. But nowadays you don’t see anything more of that event even though it was badly destroyed the tsunami. In the strength of its proximity to the beach we decided to check in in the hotel called Sri Lakshmi. We paid 200 Rupees per room. So due to the fact that it were double room, each of us paid 100 Rupees. After a little lunch we went to the beach for the whole afternoon and went swimming. The water was very clear, there was no garbage or anything comparable in the water. In addition to that there were really good waves. So it was fun. The beach is, except for some areas, where the Indians throw their garbage, very nice and even fantastic.
In Mamalapuram, there are still some fishers who go fishing with a little boat and a net, exactly how the Europeans went fishing decades or even centuries ago. The weather during the whole day was very hot and what was even worst, very sultry. I could drink the whole day long, believe it was like a furnace, nearly unbearable. As a result of that, I have sunburnt my back. In the evening it was entirely red and already started hurting. As it were off season in Mamalapuram (monsum time) there were not much people on the beach. So we were surrounded by two ladies who wanted to sell blankets, shells and so on. They were quite nice and so I had a little conversation with them and Ceasar tried to hire them or at least one of the two as a waitress coz we wanted to drink an icy cold beer at the beach but nobody wanted to go in the city and buy some bottles. Unfortunately, Caesar didn’t make it although we would have paid a tip of 50 Rupees and so Ricardo had to go after we had drawn lots. But it was quite funny to see him bargaining with these two ladies. In the late afternoon a drunken Spanish guy invited us to his house for a dinner. We didn’t take him for serious and didn’t go there then in the evening. Hopefully, he hasn’t cooked for us. Some of us wanted to eat fish for dinner, so we went to one of the numerous sea food restaurants. There they displayed half a dozen fishes on a simple plate, not even cooled with ice. Actually, I was interested in eating a fish as well, but as I inquired which fish exactly is going to be served and he answered this one and showed with his finger on the fish lying on the plate, I refused by saying "no thanks". After dinner then, we went on the beach and had some drinks all together. At beach a lot of people were sleeping, I don’t know whether in the strength of the sultry air or due to the fact that they had no house. But we had to pay attention that we didn’t fall above anyone. When I went home, I felt asleep at once.
The next day then we did some sight - seeing. Actually, there is not much to see in Mamalapuram, but nevertheless, you have to see these trifles. So first, we went a little bit around the coast, saw one of the ancient temples of India, but only its outside, coz we had to pay an admission of 250 Rupees, whereas the natives are charged only by 20 Rupees. In the city then we went on a little hill, where we also found some little temples and a very huge stone. I would say, he was 4 times higher than me. A native, to whom I spoke, told me that the stone is here due to a tsunami which happened centuries ago. From the hill we had a fantastic view over Mamalapuram and its beach. When we descended the hills, I had a coconut drink. I really felt like being on the South Sea. The only thing that was missing, were some young girls
dressed in bikini around me ;-). The afternoon then we spend on the beach again and as for me, I spend also some minutes among the swimming pool. On the beach I bought a dhoti, a traditional India n dress for men. But to tell the truth, it is nothing else but a kind of fabric which is wrap around your hips. But it is traditional, as well as the saree for women. And now, it belongs to me :-). At 5p.m. we wanted to take the crowded bus to Chennai. We all sat in the bus already but then they told us that it would be broken. So what could we do? Of course, there would be another bus leaving Mamalapuram for Chennai but you can imagine how crowded this bus would have been. Therefore, we decided to take the hotel bus which was definitely much more comfortable than the public bus would have been. We told the hotel manager that we want to leave Mamalapuram at 8p.m.. But Indian comprehension of time is different from ours. That will mean, we left Mamalapuram at about 8.45p.m.. So we were not really in a hurry, coz I bus would take off at 11.15p.m.. And in consideration of the traffic in the big cities, it was not certain that we arrive on time. But we had a good and crazy driver, so that we made the bus without problems. On time at 11.15p.m., we left this ugly Chennai for Bangalore. Fortunately; I could sleep the whole journey back to Bangalore. When we finally arrived at Robertson House is was already 7a.m.. Hence, I decided to keep awake and take a shower coz in approximately one hour I would be picked up.
Therefore, the height of the bus was added by 2 meters. The night then was so boring. Well, we tried to sleep, but as for me, I didn’t manage to sleep. Also in the strength of the noice the bus made. Whenever the bus driver accelerated the bus made such an indefinite noice, it was roaring like bulls in a stampede. I slept 2 hours maybe but not more. So the most time of the journey to Chennai I listened to some music, I have put on my bend drive. At 6a.m. we arrived in Chennai. It is really an awful city. As soon as we went out of the bus there was a stinky smell in the air. Simon recommended booking the tickets for Bangalore first. There were so many travel agencies at the bus station so we thought we would have the choice between several offers. But there we were wrong. I was so tired of bargaining that I let the others negotiating the price. It was impossible to get a reasonable price. So, at the ending, we decided to take a bus for 600 Rupees. At least it would be an air-conditioned bus. After having booked the tickets we went to the local bus station to get the bus for Mamalapuram. It was typical Indian bus, no doors, no glass in the windows, very simple furnished. But it is cool, you should take a bus such like that when you are in India one day, it is fun, especially if you sit in the back. We paid 22 Rupees for the bus. Usually the money is collected by an officer during the journey. I really enjoyed the journey to Mamalapuram. I sat next to a window and thus I could see the whole life of Chennai, very striking. When we left Chennai, we took a road along the bay. Hence, every now and then I could catch a view to the sea. 
The landscape is really nice, completely different to the landscape I have seen in India down to that day. Here you find palm trees and beautiful beaches. In fact, it is how you would imagine that the South Sea looks like. After 2 hours in the bus we arrived in Mamalapuram. It is a beautiful little coast town. But nevertheless, here also, you find the typical Indian clichés like cows and garbage in the streets, beggars and so on. Mamalapuram was submerged by the tsunami in December 2004. But nowadays you don’t see anything more of that event even though it was badly destroyed the tsunami. In the strength of its proximity to the beach we decided to check in in the hotel called Sri Lakshmi. We paid 200 Rupees per room. So due to the fact that it were double room, each of us paid 100 Rupees. After a little lunch we went to the beach for the whole afternoon and went swimming. The water was very clear, there was no garbage or anything comparable in the water. In addition to that there were really good waves. So it was fun. The beach is, except for some areas, where the Indians throw their garbage, very nice and even fantastic.
In Mamalapuram, there are still some fishers who go fishing with a little boat and a net, exactly how the Europeans went fishing decades or even centuries ago. The weather during the whole day was very hot and what was even worst, very sultry. I could drink the whole day long, believe it was like a furnace, nearly unbearable. As a result of that, I have sunburnt my back. In the evening it was entirely red and already started hurting. As it were off season in Mamalapuram (monsum time) there were not much people on the beach. So we were surrounded by two ladies who wanted to sell blankets, shells and so on. They were quite nice and so I had a little conversation with them and Ceasar tried to hire them or at least one of the two as a waitress coz we wanted to drink an icy cold beer at the beach but nobody wanted to go in the city and buy some bottles. Unfortunately, Caesar didn’t make it although we would have paid a tip of 50 Rupees and so Ricardo had to go after we had drawn lots. But it was quite funny to see him bargaining with these two ladies. In the late afternoon a drunken Spanish guy invited us to his house for a dinner. We didn’t take him for serious and didn’t go there then in the evening. Hopefully, he hasn’t cooked for us. Some of us wanted to eat fish for dinner, so we went to one of the numerous sea food restaurants. There they displayed half a dozen fishes on a simple plate, not even cooled with ice. Actually, I was interested in eating a fish as well, but as I inquired which fish exactly is going to be served and he answered this one and showed with his finger on the fish lying on the plate, I refused by saying "no thanks". After dinner then, we went on the beach and had some drinks all together. At beach a lot of people were sleeping, I don’t know whether in the strength of the sultry air or due to the fact that they had no house. But we had to pay attention that we didn’t fall above anyone. When I went home, I felt asleep at once.
The next day then we did some sight - seeing. Actually, there is not much to see in Mamalapuram, but nevertheless, you have to see these trifles. So first, we went a little bit around the coast, saw one of the ancient temples of India, but only its outside, coz we had to pay an admission of 250 Rupees, whereas the natives are charged only by 20 Rupees. In the city then we went on a little hill, where we also found some little temples and a very huge stone. I would say, he was 4 times higher than me. A native, to whom I spoke, told me that the stone is here due to a tsunami which happened centuries ago. From the hill we had a fantastic view over Mamalapuram and its beach. When we descended the hills, I had a coconut drink. I really felt like being on the South Sea. The only thing that was missing, were some young girls
dressed in bikini around me ;-). The afternoon then we spend on the beach again and as for me, I spend also some minutes among the swimming pool. On the beach I bought a dhoti, a traditional India n dress for men. But to tell the truth, it is nothing else but a kind of fabric which is wrap around your hips. But it is traditional, as well as the saree for women. And now, it belongs to me :-). At 5p.m. we wanted to take the crowded bus to Chennai. We all sat in the bus already but then they told us that it would be broken. So what could we do? Of course, there would be another bus leaving Mamalapuram for Chennai but you can imagine how crowded this bus would have been. Therefore, we decided to take the hotel bus which was definitely much more comfortable than the public bus would have been. We told the hotel manager that we want to leave Mamalapuram at 8p.m.. But Indian comprehension of time is different from ours. That will mean, we left Mamalapuram at about 8.45p.m.. So we were not really in a hurry, coz I bus would take off at 11.15p.m.. And in consideration of the traffic in the big cities, it was not certain that we arrive on time. But we had a good and crazy driver, so that we made the bus without problems. On time at 11.15p.m., we left this ugly Chennai for Bangalore. Fortunately; I could sleep the whole journey back to Bangalore. When we finally arrived at Robertson House is was already 7a.m.. Hence, I decided to keep awake and take a shower coz in approximately one hour I would be picked up.
posted by Thorsten at 2:17 AM
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