Mamallapuram

After working hard (for two days) we headed out on vacation! Our bus took us to Mamallapuram. It is a small town around two hours south of Chennai. There we saw the ruins and a giant rock that no one has been able to move- including a team of oxen. It reminded me of the boulder in Lake Powell. Then we did some shopping and hit the beach! I was having withdrawls from the pool, so this hit the spot. The ocean was so warm and full of trash. We called it the India Ocean (it only seemed fitting), but I looked it up. It was technically the Bay of Bengal.


My favorite part was probably the bus ride. I am so happy just watching people out of our bus window as we pass through rural and urban cities. It so great to watch other people's way of life. At one point we were stopped for a train, and the streets became so backed up. Then it started raining! They often put three or four people on a motorcycle. I even saw one man carrying two goats on his in the colony. We got some local Indian food close to the school. YUM!


It would have been nice to have Eric or another veteran barterer around to help me get some deals. I am way too easy with the vendors. The majority of the shop owners are from Cashmere and are very nice. The rickshaw ride was not so nice. The driver was being sketchy and I felt like we were going the wrong direction. He told us he was taking us to a bar. We kind of got nervous, but he was just playing and we got there safe. Phew. I just had flashbacks of Kevin, Brandon, Jon Jon and Blue Jay in Mexico.