Shore temple, rathas and another coincidence

Still enjoying it here in Malammapuram and had yet again another bizarre experience last night. I was sitting casually in the roof top cafe, sipping my first beer in about 3 weeks when I heard the couple nearby tell the waiter that they were from Brighton. I looked over and recognised a guy called Jack who I went on a date with in 1998....luckily for Julia, his wife sitting next to him neither of us were interested in the other-I vaguely remember inviting him to a party so he could meet people but neither of us had a very good memory of this.. So India strikes again, throwing up the unexpected...we had a great evening, chatting about Brighton things and I realised how long it had been since I had spent any time with English people. They are here for a few days and we have a loose plan to meet up on Sunday night for some sort of full moon festival that is happening here at the Shore Temple.

Did lots of sight seeing today....lots more ancient stone carvings. It is very, very busy here now and I think I was lucky to have found a room yesterday.

mamallapuram

I love it!!
My expensive rickshaw journey was worth every penny, comfortable, nice company and he knew of a good cheap guesthouse on the beach....I would have spent ages looking. I'm right back to basics but the room is very clean ( it was being cleaned as I arrived), it has a small terrace which looks onto the sea and a rooftop cafe with nice views and nice food.

I've already chatted to a few people here, all French of course and wandered around town. Mamallapuram is famous for it stone carving and stone carved temples and I've seen  a couple today...actually I can see one from the cafe I'm in now. It is touristy but quite small and although there are lots of Westerners here there are also lots of Indian tourists too. It's more backpacker style than scarves and pony tails although the average age of the backpackers is closer to mine that might have been expected. There is plenty to keep me busy without having to go very far...infact I'm not planning on getting into any form of transport til I have to leave for the airport on Thursday.

Last day in Pondicherry

I have really enjoyed my time here at Mango Hill. I settled into a routine very quickly, involving daily massage, a little trip in a rickshaw and swimming in the pool. The massage/torture has been really beneficial and would probably rate amongst the best treatment I have ever had.

I liked Auroville much more than I was expecting. It was very clean and rubbish free and some of the houses were lovely. As a visitor you don't get to see much beyond the visitors' centre and the bizarre Matri Madir dome, which is the'soul of Auroville' but looks a bit like a giant UFO but it had less of a cult feel to it and it does provide work in the area, there is a sense of community and it is meant to be non-religious- although there is a bit of 'Mother' worship which seems to go on.

Petra my German neighbour and I visited some wacky local temples which was fun and it has been really nice to have some company ( Eric the French man is still in the background but there have been no further developments, although she does talk about him a lot). Most of the other people I have met here have been French or Belgian so I have been speaking lots of French. I've also enjoyed finally installing Skype on my laptop and being able to catch up with friends and family. Talking to Ginny from my balcony as if she were sitting there with me was a surreal experience.

I'm off to Mamallapuram tomorrow, by rickshaw rather than local bus because my driver is very sweet and the journey will be fun and more comfortable....although it will cost at least twice as much. Mamallapuram will be my last stop in India and I intend to enjoy it, although I will be back to basic guest houses.

Pondicherry

Today got off to a good start with a very vigorous ayurvedic powder massage. I  was pummelled and punched with bags of warm herbs and spices that smelled like they had been soaked in ghee. This was not a relaxing treatment but a whole body workout and I felt amazing afterwards...arthritis aches were banished and I felt positive and full of energy.

I got taken around Pondicherry by a lovely rickshaw driver, who didn't try and rip me off or cuddle me on a bench and who has got the next 3 days planned for me in terms of sightseeing. Pondicherry was so much quieter than I was expecting and I loved the shabby chic run down French quarter. It is quite dirty and the beaches were full of rubbish but it had a real charm and I can see why people would spend time here.

I braved another ashram, this time the Sri Arobindo ashram, which was full of flowers and very peaceful. I bought myself an introduction to Sri Aurobindo's philosophy but I'm still none the wiser really-he seemed to be interested in how to find enlightenment in the real world but I could be wrong. he was joined at some point in the 20s or 30s by a French woman who became known as 'The Mother' and she is also considered as a very important spiritual figure in the area. 'The Mother' was very involved with the setting up of Auroville an international community set up to live by the 'The Mother's'  teaching and to promote love and interconnectedness etc....sounds to me a bit like a JG Ballard novel and opinion is divided about the place but I shall see for myself tomorrow afternoon.

I spent this afternoon swimming and chatting with some fellow guests and this evening getting to know Petra, the German woman next door who is lovely but preoccupied with Eric the swarthy Frenchman. I acted as translator for them for a while but as she sank her second pina colada in 20 minutes I decided it was time to escape to my room.

Photos are of Pondy sea front....as I said a bit run down and the Basilica

Tiruvannamalai-of all the places, in all the world....

My next stop, the temple- mountain town of Tiruvannamalai was carefully selected as halfway between Bangalore and Pondicherry thus avoiding an overlong bus journey, sore back swollen knees and ankles etc.It looked quite interesting, flanked by Mount Arunchalia with one of the biggest Hindu temples in India dedicated to Shiva in his fire incarnation and also famous for the Sri Ramana Ashram. I was picturing sleepy temple town, nestled in the hills, easy to walk around and a hotel with a pleasant garden, clean rooms and a good restaurant ( as promised in the website); not all of my expectations were met but it is important to accept what is there not what we'd like to be there so I was prepared to go with the flow....at the same time as planning to leave after 2 nights not the planned 3..

My first afternoon was spent wandering near the ashram and becoming aware of the hordes of Westerners pottering about on bikes and scooters, all women wearing scarves and , all men over 40 with hair in pony tails...I fitted in and yet I didn't, they strode or rode purposefully while I fumbled around trying to avoid cows, rickshaws and potholes. I didn't dare enter the ashram...everyone looked far too cool and anyway what would I do the following day?Visiting the ashram was planned as a whole morning's activity. I spent the evening watching my new favourite show (Packed to the rafters) on cable tv.

The next day started well, I had a plan and it was going to get me through the day and fill me with more positive thoughts about India. First stop, Ashram, no messing about this time  in I went bold as brass amongst all the scarves an pony tails. Out I came 20 minutes later, none the wiser. There was lots of bell ringing, lots of kissing the floor, lots of namaste hands, lots of rubbing ash onto the forehead...lots of rituals...swap incense for ghee, swap ash for wine and wafer, swap chanting for singing hymns....what's the difference?There obviously is appeal because it was packed with scarves and ponytails and not many Indians.Guru Ramana was a very serious thinker who said that the way to enlightenment is to truly know yourself (I don't disagree with this as an idea) but I expected more silent meditation, less fashion show, more simplicity, less bells and whistles....It was what it was not what I wanted it to be. Anyway on the way out of the ashram I saw an Indian man slapping his wife while people stood on and watched....this was not what I wanted it to be either and the irony of a load of scarves and ponytails chanting and searching for inner peace on their India trip while this was going on outside was not lost on me.

I felt unsettled as I made my way to the Shanti Cafe and this was in some way a presentiment to what was about to happen. I ordered my tea, looked up and there seated on a cushion opposite me was Helge Fisher. Now for those of you who don't know the story Helge and I first met on a yoga holiday in Ibiza about 8 years ago, it was a strange  first meeting because unbeknownst to us we were actually neighbours in Brighton  but had never met.We became good friends but things went very wrong on a holiday to Austria in 2006 and I hadn't spoken to her since then, in fact I had carefully avoided seeing or or having to speak to her, sometimes even walking out of places if she was there. So here I was, out of love with India, in a philosophical mood when who should I slap eyes on??...if this trip has taught me one thing it is too expect the unexpected, never be surprised. Needless to say the silent campaign couldn't continue, it was time to let it go.
Helge has been in Tiruvannamalai for 5 months and had lots of good recommendations for me, including somewhere to stay next. I took her advice and visited the big temple in town (photos below) ate at the German Bakery and booked myself into the Mango Hill Resort near Pondicherry where I am now. I  wasn't tempted to stay longer in Tiruvannamalai, even though Helge suggested things I could do with her what I  needed was some open space and a swim.

So here I am in Mango Hill which although not the most expensive place I've stayed in is certainly the most comfortable and it has a massive pool. It is owned and run by a French guy and is full of well to do Europeans.  I could be anywhere in the world, India is quite shut out and at the moment that is fine for me. I will have some ayurvedic treatments (budget is going out of the window for a few days) swim and venture into Pondicherry on little trips. I was musing over dinner whether I am any different from the scarves and pony tails...choosing to shut out the outside world, living in a little bubble in an attempt to find peace...I'm probably no different at all.

the view from my balcony 

Bangalore

I slipped off easily from Mysore straight onto a local bus and 5 hours later, no crashes or other traffic related incident, I arrived in Bangalore. My initial reaction was one of horror, I hated the dirty, traffic filled streets and dreaded my 3 day stay. My hotel was so far from the bus station that I changed my mind several times during the journey and luckily was feeling positive when I arrived, despite the extortionate rickshaw price which was 3 times the cost of my bus ticket! I spent the first afternoon window shopping on MG road and quite enjoyed being back in a big city. I treated myself to a foot massage and was feeling really happy until I tried to get back across town to my hotel and had to argue with the rickshaw driver about the price he wanted to charge...added to this the traffic was awful, scary as well as tedious.

So I woke up on my second day here with a real love/hate feeling towards Bangalore and India in general. My driver for a day of sightseeing was Nathan and things started well as he showed me the parliament building ,the supreme court and then dropped me off to look at the art museum and technology museum. Things took a slight turn for the worse when we stopped in the silk area to see the weaving looms and then into the wholesalers where of course I was shown everything in the shop and expected to buy something....4 scarves later I was then whisked next door and a million tops and party frocks were unpacked and thrust before me, I had already said that I was not going to buy anything else but still the unpacking and wafting continued. I stood firm, did not buy anything else but was left feeling annoyed and foolish....taxi driver taking you to his mate's shop is the oldest trick in the book isn't it?

Next stop was the botanical gardens, which were lovely and a great green space in such a busy city and Nathan was very keen to take lots of photos of me in front of various plants and trees....you can tell from the expression  (photos below) on my face that I felt a little uncomfortable with this and my feeling persisted after he tried to cuddle me on a bench and tickle me under the chin.....he also insisted on grabbing my arm whenever the path  gently sloped and I looked more like his prisoner than his passenger. He then took the executive decision of driving me 15k out of time to a so called nature reserve to see tigers...I was already dubious and when the reserve turned out to be a safari park in which tourist were driven round in what looked like a prison bus my love/hate feelings were firmly on the hate side. To be fair I did see some semi captive tigers and bears but the guides attempt to endear themselves to me by trying to take my camera and then charge me extra for taking photos did not help ( FYI  bruised by the silk shop experience I didn't let the guides have my camera and I did not tip them).

To cap it all because the traffic was so bad on the way back and we got to the hotel at 6 instead of  5 I had to pay extra....I did dispute this but in the end 100 rupees is about £1.30 and life is too short. The evening was better because Nicole, the Canadian woman I met in Mysore checked into the hotel and we had dinner and a good laugh.

Today I have been lazy, written postcards, checked out the local area and planned my next stop-Tiruvannamali. Still feel a bit ambivalent about Bangalore and India in general but my feelings can change within minutes so it's hard to judge what I really think.

More Mysore

Enjoyed breakfast on the roof terrace, despite an attempted Russian takeover of the area and then headed off to Devajara market about 15 mins from the hotel. I loved it, very different to the majestic monuments I saw yesterday, loads of spices, oils and fruit and veg. I bought some jasmine oil and a sweet little boy made some joss sticks for me. Needed a rest after my exertions and made good use of the hammock on the roof.

This afternoon I went to Karanji Lake and nature park which was yet again another contrast to what I've already seen...really green peaceful and quiet,

I'm off to Bangalore tomorrow not because I'm desperate to see another big city but because I want to break up my journey to Chennai. I've discovered that too long on a bus makes me swell up and seize up so I'm limiting myself to 4 hour journies wherever I can.

Mysore

Difficult as it was, I managed to drag myself away from Ezhara yesterday. I braved another local bus and travelled through the Coorg, an interesting coffee growing area to Mysore. I have left Kerala behind and am now in Karnataka. My first impressions of Mysore were good, it is a large but green city and its wide open boulevards reminded me of Madrid in some places....with a few stray cows and lots of rickshaws and honking horns. My hotel is great, I'm on the third floor, next to the roof terrace and have wifi and cable tv in my room...this makes up for the loss of the little white house on the beach.

Today I went up Chamundi Hill to take in the views of the city and visit the Chamundeshwari Temple. This was the most spectacular temple I have seen so far and not surprisingly it was packed with Indian and Western visitors. I then went to visit the Mysore Palace, one of India's biggest tourist attractions. It was built surprisngly recently in 1912 although previous palaces have been on the site since the 14th century. It was impressive, very different to anything I have seen so far, making me realise how rural Kerala is. I took an audio guide of the inside and enjoyed the gaudy, over the top decoration of the rooms. I came back to the palace this evening to see the illumination which happens every Sunday but stupidly forgot to bring my camera....a real shame because the palace really did look spectacular all lit up.

I found it hard to get back into the routine of finding food for myself, after being spoilt for 6 days in Ezhara but I did find a good veggie restaurant near the hotel which served a good thali meal. I also found it hard being on my own again after all the companionship at Ezhara but as these things happen I met a lone travelling Canadian woman at the palace this evening, who has also taken a year off work and was in Africa before Christmas and hopes to go to South East Asia next....we are going to try and meet up tomorrow.