Day 171 - Bathing Beauties

Mahabalipuram lies an easy two-hour bus ride north of Pondi. The direct bus to Mahabali was scheduled to leave at 10AM. We arrived at the bus station at 9:15, and were directed to platform 5. I asked the conductor if this bus stopped at Mahabali - yes - so we hopped on. When is started to pull out of the station at 9:20, we had a moment of panic that we were on the wrong bus. Technically we were, but pretty much all buses to Chennai also stop at Mahabalipuram, and by taking the local bus rather than the direct, our tickets were less than a dollar each. Not only did we arrive in Mahabali earlier than anticipated, we arrived at half the price!

We directed our auto driver to drop as at Tina Blue View Lodge. We had intended to have Cz drink a coke there while I compared the merits of other guesthouses, but the staff there was so friendly, and the prices reasonable enough, that we just decided to stay.

Soon after our arrival, a member of the staff came by with a tray of today's catch. We chose a selection of squid, prawns, fish steaks, and whole fish to be prepared for dinner. I actually think the seafood looked nicer in its uncooked state, but India is not noted for its sushi. We settled on grilled, and promised to be in from sightseeing at 8PM for dinner.

We spent much of the rest of the afternoon wandering up and down the beach.

The India travel forums on the internet all call Mahabalipuram a 'beach resort'. That may be - if you happen to have four stomachs and a penchant for chewing cud. A few speedo-clad Europeans and a few teenage Indian boys braved the cold waves, but the vast majority of beach goers were of the bovine variety. Cows of every colour congregated in contented groups munching fruit scraps from the various vendors, or lounged in the sand. Surprisingly, there were remarkably few cow pies on the beach. Perhaps there is also a secret bovine changing room and lavatory?

Like much of the rest of South India, Mahabalipuram is a laid-back, easygoing town. It does see more westerners than other areas, so there are some touts, but they are not nearly as pushy as those in the north. It seems that the Northern part of the country has the lion's share of historical monuments and 'heritage cities'. It also has the lion's share of hassle. The South has its share of monuments and temples, but on a much more manageable scale. It is less 'Indian' (as a I had imagined India) would be - it's more orderly, and the emphasis is on relaxing and enjoying the sea and countryside, with viewing monuments as a secondary priority. I'm not sure what that means in terms of the best way to visit India. I feel like the North is more essential to getting a feel for the country and the culture, and for stepping outside of one's Western comfort zone, but the South has plenty to see, is much easier, and in a lot of ways, more pleasant. I guess as a tourist I would rather go to the south, but I would feel remiss as a traveller if I did not spend time in the North.