April 3
As we entered the outer harbor at 6:45, we stepped on the balcony as many little boats came to greet us. Unfortunately the smell of Chennai also greeted us, it was like walking into a sewer. This is the most disgusting place we have ever been to, I can’t believe we came back. We booked a tour today and had to meet for the tour at 8:45, we went to the lounge at 8:40 got our sticker and sat down. After waiting for a while we found out they sent the people down early. Betty inquired and they told us to go to the dock only to find that our tour bus left. Luckily there was another bus that we just made. The last time we were here the dock was covered with a black oily substance. (So bad that the ship had to replace the carpeting at the gangway, it was totally ruined.) Today found out India buys coal from Australia and it used to be shipped to this dock. They have since changed ports for the shipments.
Finally on our way, we headed to the Monuments of Mahabalipuram which was 35 miles south of Chennai. Parts of the city seemed cleaner, but that changed once we got out of the governmental area.
Traffic was terrible as it usually is, but there was a large Hindu festival and the traffic was at a standstill. It was interesting to see all the people following ox carts pulling religious icons to the temple. People were carrying food and flowers as offerings to be put on the carts. The children were having a good time, begging us to take their pictures as we went by.
We drove south, passing the dedicated IT corridor which is 35 miles long and includes many call centers. This is where your calls go when you call Sears or many other businesses. We also drove along Marina Beach which is the country’s longest urban beach. The renowned monk Swami Vivekananda stayed here in 1897. At the far end was a fisherman’s shanty town. Unbelievable that people live like this. They had a tsunami here in 2004 and it was totally destroyed. The government made a law that no permanent structures can be rebuilt, so they live in make shift housing.
We arrived at the Mahabalipuram which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city dates back to the 7th century and is home to several intricate historic monuments, including temples with multi-tiered roofs, elaborate relief sculptures, and other awe-inspiring examples of Dravidian architecture. Once off the bus we were attacked by vendors trying to sell ‘genuine handmade’ artifacts. One attached himself to me and I couldn’t get rid of him until we entered a secure section. Once inside there were five Rathas dating back to the 7th century, they are temple models that have been carved from a single piece of sandstone, many featured Buddhists designs. It was amazing, also very hot! luckily it was not humid, but it was hot!
Then we returned to the tour bus and as soon as we left the secure area, the vendors were back and so was the one that latched onto me. Because I wouldn’t buy anything he said he hated Americans, they are rich and would not give him money. At that point I wasn’t too crazy about him either. Back on the bus we headed to Arjuna’s Penance where giant carvings depict Indian fables. It was 88 foot long, up close you could view the Indian deities Arjuna, Krishna and animals including elephants. Truly amazing.
Next we drove to the spectacular 8th century Shore Temple which was built during the reign of King Narsimha-Varman II and is pyramid shaped. It sat right on the Bay of Bengal. (This entire complex was used as ‘test’ site. Hindu temples were previously built using wood. They then started experimenting with stone, carving the structures out of one solid piece. The picture below shows the final effort, when they discovered how to build using blocks of stone.)
Driving back to the port we first stopped at a Radisson Resort for a beverage and a snack. The ice cold drink was very welcome. We then drove the same route back, the bus driver nearly rear-ended someone but we made it back safely although 2 hours late. Then we had to go through Indian security and immigration, then ship security. Good thing Betty didn’t have to be frisked.
The security here was over the top. We had to fill out many forms, have pictures take and fill out custom forms if you were taking a camera or computer ashore. At the sights they charged a fee to use your video camera, but not for a still camera.
Back on board, we cleaned up and waited for the sail-away, then headed to the buffet for dinner. We were hungry as we did not eat much all day. After dinner, we skipped the show and sat on our balcony as the sun was down and it was cool and breezy. The sky was clear and thousands of stars appeared.
Tonight we will sail a south-south-easterly to our next port Mumbai, India.
