Back to Chennai

After having enough of Mammalapuram, I decided to head back to the big city, chennai. Being a big city, I thought there'd be loads to see and do, even in the rain. I took the bus ride back, and checked into the same youth hostel, Salvation army, that I stayed in previously. As mentioned before, it's a great place to meet people in the dormitory, and so, I met yet another Japanese travelle, and an australian brother and sister. We chatted a while, and while the australians were leaving the next day, the japanese guy would have a day to spend, so we decided to hit the Zoo,in the morning.

Heading out at around 8, we started took the train to a station, and then a auto-rik to the zoo. A whole hour and a half, including waiting time, to get here, and guess what....it was closed! We happened to come on the only day of the week the zoo closes! What a shame, but what can you do right. So we headed back to Chennai again, and decided to visit some museums, the planetrium and science and Tech museum. These proved to be...uhmm...interesting, in the sense that it made you wonder about some of the facts. Also, the condition of the place wasn't the best, but I guess it was alright for being India. The planetarium proved to be quite advanced, as they had a camera from Japan, and the room was air conditioned with reclining chairs! Was nice to escape the heat for a while, but only to be dizzied up by the show of the stars. After spending some time there, the rain of course had started again and so we started to head back. Chennai is a big city, and it takes a lot of time to get around. The auto rikshaw would cost too much, so we opted for the bus, a sweaty and cramped choice to be discovered later. After having walked quite a bit, we finally got to the bus stand and waited yet another good 30-45 min until the bus came. As it was raining, there were crowds of people waiting for the buses. And it was also rush hour to make things more "pleasent". We jumped on our bus, and after a few more stops, we ended up being cramped like tightly packed sardines, and the humidity with the dampness of the rain from people being wet added to the comfort :P An experience none the less, but next time, a auto rickshaw would prove better hahaha.

Mammalapuram - The Crocodile Bank, First swim, and the rain...

As it turned out, this guest house was a great place for meeting people, with it's open and shared balconies. I had befriended a Swiss couple and decided to do an outing with them to the crocodile bank, a place where they breed crocs from all over the world. It isn't located very far, and a simple bus ride got us there in less than an hour. It was interesting to see all the crocs, but some of the cages had wayy too many crocs. Overcrowded, something you get used to seeing and being a part of here.



I also had my first swim in the Bay of Bengal. Further down on the beach, away from all the fisher boats, the water was better. At least it was possible to swim in it. The waves proved to be real rough, nothing like what you see in Scandinavia. I was thoroughly punished by them, especially one which just took me and threw me to the floor, hurting my right shoulder a bit. I would have to learn how to handle the big strong waves, something I picked up later on my journey in Sri-lanka.

As it turned out, rain had started to fall, and kept falling. Being on the beach while it's raining is not fun, as it really leaves nothing to do. You kill time by talking to people, reading a good book or just enjoying the rain. Afterall, it's part of nature too :P

Mammalapuram

November 22
Mammalapuram - a beach town on the eastern coast of India. A small population and sandy streets. I didn't know really what to expect, and a change of scenary is welcomed. As we rode the local bus from Chennai central bus station to Mammalapuram, only about 60 km south of Chennai, we started to see palm trees and soon, the ocean. Oh, what a sight, seeing and feeling the sea. India is such a vast country, with soo many different parts to it, each with it's own culture, smell, and beauties.

First I found a place to stay, as I wanted to spend a few days by the beach. Found a place that was a little off my budget at 400rs a night. Not the best deal, but I decided to stay there a few nights, three, as it was close to the beach. But the beach, as it proved was quite dirty, with loads of garbage washed ashore, and a lot of other dirt elsewhere. So not the best place to swim. This town is known for the stone temples, and we did a day tour of it. As which seems to be a growing trend, tourist are charged ten to twenty times more for visiting touristic sites - they say it's for maintanence - sure it is. Having paid 250 rs to see all the stone temples in this area, we set off to see what they had to show. After observing them, we found the rock carvings in the park (which is free for anyone) had the best things to see, and it had the greatest value for the money - free haha. The blanced huge rock boulder "the butterball" was a sight to see. As dawn approached, my friend headed back to Chennai and I stayed, gearing up for a few days on the beach.

From North to South

November 18th, 2008

After spending much time in McLeod Gang and feeling the temperatures drop day by day, I wanted to continue my journey and so decided to head south, far south. I could've easily spent another week here, or even a month, but I felt it was time to move on. I have learned and experienced what I needed to in the far north. I found what I sought for in the north.

The last few days, I've been preparing for my departure. I decided I wanted to visit Sri-lanka, a place I have not visited for 22 years. I felt it was time to re-discover my roots, and seek my other half. After asking almost all of the travel agencies around McLeod ganj, I bought a plane ticket for a very reasonable price, 6500 rs, ~1100kr, for a two way ticket from Chennai (south), as the tickets from the north, Delhi, costs at least double that, and I would have to return to the north. I would have about a week to explore the regions of Tamil Nadu before departing to Sri-lanka.

So the plan, depart to Delhi from McLeod Gang, go directly to the airport and wait for the flight to Chennai and chill in Tamil Nadu for about a week before I depart to Sri-lanka.

I left for Delhi on a night bus, this time I paid a little more for the tourist version of the bus and got some comfortable seats. Departure time was set for 1800, but it didn't depart until 1900, and the driver had the engine on the whole time while the door was open - so you can imagine all the pollution coming into the bus. I felt as if I was being poisened by carbon monoxide. I finally told the guy to close the door, and it helped a little. The ride lasted 13 hours, but the first 3 were gruesome, even in a better bus. It has to do with the roads, the never ending winding roads, which eventually even hits the veteran riders with nausea. Even the tibetan dude sitting next to me who slept most of the way felt the twirling of the roads. The ride after that was fine, as it was early in the morning, traffic had not really hit home yet. I arrived in Delhi at around 7, way ahead of my flight, which was departing at 1600. So I decided to depart for the airport directly instead of stoping into town. I took a taxi to the departure hall, and thought I could at least get in...but apparently, I wasn't allowed in until two hours prior to departure. They pointed me toward the waiting area. I asked them real nice and still just got the pointing finger :( So I headed to the waiting hall, a place where I would spend even more time than expected. I ended up staying there unitl 1500, that's seven hours of sitting and just waiting in a boring hall, with some indian tv channel playing on a tiny tv and some food stands. I thought i could catch some Z'zz, but it didn't really happen. The toilets were unfortunately located accros the street in an outer house. So going there with all my bags proved to be a task, so I tried to avoid it. At one point, I went back to the departure hall, trying once again to get in early, this time emphazing the fact that on the ticket, it states, "to check in at least two hours before departure" - but that didn't really work either, they just nodded their heads and I got the pointing finger :( So, I created my own little fortress in the corner of the waiting hall, got a chair in front of me and put my feet up, put my luggage on the chair next to me and got comfortable until time passed. As it eventually did haha.

The flight was ok, short enough not to complain hehe. 2.5 hours. I arrived in Chennai, in the heat and it was a welcomed change from the north. I was already sweating in my shirt and legs. Now I found out that you can take the train from the airport to Egmore, where the cheap guest houses are supposed to be. I avoided the usual crowds of people asking if I wanted a taxi or "auto, auto" as they call the auto-rikshaws. I managed to find my way to the metro station, some 500m from the airport by asking the local people for directions. They were very friendly, and I could even ask the taxi drivers for instructions. I was very surprised of this, as the north did not even seem to be this way. People down here seem to be more helpful and kinder. I wonder if it's the weather hehe. But really, there is a noticable difference between the north and south. Another thing I noticed was how clean the city is, compared to what i have seen up north. They acutally have garbage cans here and there, something unusual up North - sorry for the comparisons, but it's just natural to do so :P They have peoople cleaning the streets, and they try to keep the place clean. I wouldn't say uber clean as to some western countries, but it's very noticable.

So, I catch the train to Egmore, costing me 8 rs, compared to a auto's 400rs perhaps. I get off the train and start searching for the salvation army youth hostel as I heard the dormitories there are the cheapest at 100rs compared to other rooms taking 300-400rs. I finally make my way to the hostel, drenched in sweat, and thirsty to the bone. I check in and go to the dorm, this is my first real dormitory I have stayed in India since my arrival. It was nice because inside, I found a bunch of backpackers (there are only foreigners in this dorm). Among them, a sri-lanken, a finnish, spanish and a japanese guy. So after a quick chat with everyone, it turned out that the Japanese guy was heading out to Mammalapuram, a place I had heard about from a friend up north and wanted to see to kill a few days there. He was heading out early the next day for a day trip before he would depart to another part of India. So what the heck, I decided to tag along, at least I'll have nice company for a bit. Next stop - Mammalapuram.

McLeod Gang - A second hike to Triund

November 15th, 2008

So, with my very close friend, Sandra, we decided to take another go at Triund. We decided to head up much earlier this time and so we met up at 0600. It was very cold so early in the morning, and even with our hoody's on and scarfs all tied up, we still felt the bitter wind biting through the air. After chowing down an omelette on tibetan white bread at one of my favorite local breakfasts stands, we headed for the long 3-4 hour hike up. It was great this time, as we could see the dawn beyond the mountains, as it painted faded colors of yellow and orange in the sky. Just observing this for a few minutes filled my heart with peace and joy. Dawn

The hike up was wonderful as we conversed in different topics and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. This time, we reached the top much sooner (we didn't stop to take pictures as much as the first time, and we didn't take many breaks either). Once at the top, it was all worth it, as there were no clouds, and the Himalayas were seen with such clarity than before.

The view from Triund on a clear sunny day :D

After reaching Triund, we wanted to go a little higher, and so we started to climb again. This time, the path wasn't as easy, and one wrong step could lead to a fatal end as the paths weren't as wide and you started to feel the effects of high altitude (slight headaches, lack of balance and lack of breath). So we continued cautiously, making sure to rest when needed. Even though it wasn't that high at the end, when we stopped, at probably 3200-3300 m above sea level. The view from this point was even more spectacular, and being sourounded by nature with no one around you at all was a great feeling. As I stared at the Himalayas, which seemed within hands reach, a sense of joy filled my heart again, and I was truly happy to be here, at the moment, to be able to experience nature in all it's glory, a sight more beautiful than anything man made, and to be able to be a part of it, was one of the highlights on my trip. A moment never to forget. I bow humbly at nature, at mother earth.The extra climb up on the narrow paths


The view from 3200m

Dahl Lake and TCV (Tibetans Childrens Village)

November 15th, 2008

There is just soo much to do here at McLeod. It's not like the rest of India, and you can easily spend a large portion of your trip here. There's plenty of volunteer opportunities, teaching English to Tibetans, women, men and children. Going to concerts, watching the Monks meditate at the temple, catching a movie at a cafe, or just browsing the streets talking to shop-owners or tourists you meet. It's such a great place with a wonderful atomosphere. There plenty of good food to be tasted as well, and great bakeries (chocolate cakes are just super!).

So, today, Sandra and I decided to visit Dahl lake. According to the guidebook, it's supposed to be a nice place to see so it sounded like a good idea. We were to meet up with two to three more of our friends there once we arrived. Having time to spare, we decided to walk the few kilometers there, and it's always nice to get some exercise hehe. We didn't know exactly how to get there, but Sandra was confident that we would find the way, and you could always ask the locals you bump into for directions. It was a pleasent walk, and with the right company, it always makes it that much more enjoyable. Finally arriving at Dahl lake, it was nothing what we expected, to be honest, we didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't it. It seemed like a regular man made lake. Dahl lake....uhmmm....

We ended up laughing at ourselfs, what a moment. But there's always something good coming out of unexpected occasions. As we turned around we saw a sign posting, "Tibetans Childrens Village" - TCV. And, as it turns out, TCV was more than what we had expected.

This is a complex of schools, from pre-school to high school. And you have loads of children, both orphans and non orphans. It was great to interact with them, and play some basketball, look around their class rooms and school grounds. Set in a quite location, and surrounded with expressions of love and sharing on the school walls, it's no wonder the tibetans are such caring and compassionate people. They're thought from childhood to share and put others before self. The time spent here brought back many memories of my own childhood, and schooling. A feeling of nostalgia filled the air.Sandra and I

As we walked through the alleyways, and entered a few class rooms, we observed the posters, and writings on the walls. The children here are thought all in English, and we even passed by a recycling center, and there were garbage cans all around the grounds - they're thought to throw garbage properly, which is something I havn't observed in parts of India, sad as it is. It turned out to be a great day, an interactive day with the children and we got to see them play some football :D It all felt like a big summer school - lots of positive energy floating about.

McLeod Gang - Hike up to Triund at 2900m

November 13th, 2008.

After meeting some great people at the Vipassana course, a bunch of us decided to take a 9km hike up the moutain to Triund, located at 2900m above sea level. The hike up was beautiful, it was soo peaceful to get away from all the noise, as this was a foot trail after a few km, you couldn't hear any sound of a vehical, no horns, or people shouting. All you heard were the birds and the wind brushing against the trees. The air was soo much fresher too, and you can breathe in as much air without polluting your lungs.

The hike up

The company was great too, and made the hike even more intersting as we conversed and discovered more about each other. The scenic hike was fairly easy, and as we approached the end of the hike, it got tiresome as there seemed to be endless amounts of steps to be climbed. But the result was simply stunning. A view of the himalayas lay ahead of you, in all it's glory. I have wanted to see them before coming to India, and to have this opportunity to witness its beauty was heart warming, and to witness it with soo many wonderful people was incredible. Unfortunately, it started to get cloudy, and the view was blocked by the clouds after about a half hour after our arrival. And with the sun hiding it's face it started to get real cold. Even with all my clothes on, I could feel the cold air gracing my skin.The view from Triund

After snapping a few pics, and eating lunch at the top, we started our decent. It was cold, and it started to get misty. For some reason, we had taken the wrong path and before we knew it, the road seemed very different. We decided to continue on that path, and as this is India, it always works out one way or another, and we did arrive back to McLeod Gang, and before sunset as it gets real dark. Tired as we were, the hike was well worth it.