08-05-2024
Since we don't want to decide too far in advance how long we will stay somewhere, it can occur that a subsequent train journey is hard to find. As was the case with our journey from Pondicherry to Chennai. Both cities are directly connected by a coastal road. But if you want to go by train, you have to make a big diversion. When it also turned out that the trains were full -it was not possible to book our seats- we decided to go by bus. A bus leaves Pondy for Chennai every hour. Of course, we wanted a/c, to keep it as comfortable as possible.
At the bus stop, it was crowded. Adding to this, I received a fairly confusing message from the bus company: The bus was early. Did this mean it had already left? Or not? In the consternation, we jumped on the first bus to Chennai. I quickly realised that it was not our pre-booked bus. The windows were open, so it was most definitely not an a/c bus. On top of that, we also had to buy new tickets. Since the bus was already moving, we had very little choice but to find a seat with all our luggage.
Fortunately, there was a nice breeze through all the open windows and doors of the bus and we had been given an extra bottle of water by the hotel. This made the three and a half hours trip to Chennai quite acceptable. The bus driver put a lot of speed into it. As a result, we were quite shaken up at times in the back of the bus.
By noon, we reached our destination: Chennai. To get to the hotel, wehad to take arickshaw, and 15 minutes later we were able to check in to our hotel. The first thing we did after that was dive into the pool. Just washing off the sweat of the bus journey. Lovely. You should know that pool water is always warm here in India. We still have in mind the heated Leussinkbad in Laren, which was usually pretty chilly at 26 degrees Celsius. Here, the water is above 30 degrees, almost literally a hot bath.
Marina Beach
After we had cooled down, it was time for lunch. Opposite the hotel were several eateries, so a meal was easily found. We then decided to spend the remainder of the hottest hours in the hotel room. Besides, we still had to figure out what we wanted to visit in Chennai. We also wanted to meet up with Alisha, whom we had met in Kochi at the MBA graduation party "Finesse". She had given us some tips on potentially interesting places. One of those tips was Marina Beach. It was nearing evening, so it was the perfect time for a beach visit.
Chennai is a very large, sprawling city. And by 5:30 in the evening, traffic is at peak capacity. So it took some time for our rickshaw to reach the beach. And what a beach it was! The sand stretched for a hundred metres between the promenade and the waterline. At several places, groups of children were playing cricket, popular sport number one in India. In the surf, a large number of people were splashing in the seawater. There was a nice sea breeze, which made the temperature very pleasant.
Near the water, a fairground/market/food truck festival was going on. Several merry-go-rounds and carousels for the little ones. Horses obediently taking their walks with children on their backs. Food stalls where you could buy roasted corn cobs, fried fish and other snacks. And a long "shopping street" where all sorts of things were for sale, among them a remarkably large number of tattoo shops. As it got dark, lights went on everywhere. I can imagine that this is a popular place for many city dwellers to spend a few pleasant hours in the evening.
We walked around, had a drink, and looked at a few monuments that stood near the beach. Then it was time to go to the Writer's Café at which Alisha had suggested we'd. She and her friend arrived a little after us, and then we had a nice meal in good company. Alisha and her boyfriend were still very busy at work. Alisha is a teacher at a music school and the last performances of the school year will be given this weekend, so during the evening she had to get back to work. This was also convenient for us, as we could use a good night's sleep.
Dakshinachitra
The second day in Chennai, we decide to go to the Dakshinachitra open-air museum. This too was a tip from Alisha. This museum features original houses from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, in their distinctive architectural style. Similar to the Dutch Open Air Museum, the houses were demolished in their original locations and meticulously rebuilt in the museum. Fortunately, the weather was lovely: only 33 degrees and a breeze, as we were walking around outside all morning.
The houses had detailed descriptions about the architectural style, the layout of the house, and exhibits about the history of the states. We felt we had learnt more about Kerala's history here than we had in various museums in Kochi itself. We saw house altars, kitchens, there were vehicles. And an extensive exhibition on textile printing, which people here in Tamil Nadu are known for. Well known is block-printing of fabrics. From several pieces of wood, the layers of an image are cut out and then printed on the fabric. Another way of textile dyeing, is applying colours with a thin brush. Those colours are traditionally made from mostly plant constituents, and sometimes minerals.
After this textile exhibition, we passed a road where artisans were selling their wares. Gorgeous wall hangings, very fine engravings, silverware. The one more beautiful than the other. It made us greedy, but where to put all that stuff.... Still, I couldn't restrain myself, and we bought a handmade tapestry, and a painting engraved in palm leaf. We should be able to find a place for these when we get back to the Netherlands. But what struck us most about these artisans, is that the whole family participates in the art. Mothers, fathers, sisters, grandfathers. And they often spend weeks to months on a single piece of work.
All too soon it was time to get back to the taxi. We hadn't seen all there was to see yet, but our heads were overflowing with the information we had taken in, in this short time. Besides, we had hired the taxi for four to five hours, and we also had to drive back to the hotel. If the traffic was as congested as on the way out, it would still take more than an hour to get back.
Back in town, we went for dinner, and after an hour of napping, we did some laps in the pool. It was only a short visit to Chennai, and surely there is much more to see and explore, but we are content as it is. We move on again tomorrow.
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