Saturday, November 19, 2005

Mahabalipuram

Very recently we drove down to Mahabalipuram.

When we started that Tuesday morning, we were not planning to go there. We had planned to visit Vandalur Zoo, which is just outside of Tambaram about 30 kms. from Madras. When we reached the gates of Vandalur, we saw the place a bit desolate for a normal tourist day and then I spotted the bi-lingual baord hanging on the gate which read that all Tuesdays are holidays !

Since we had come prepared for a day out and since our original plan had to be aborted and with nothing better to o, we headed straight to Mahabalipuram, using the old Mahabalipuram road (which was very much in use before the ECR or the East Coast Road came into being).

The drive to Mhabalipuram took us about two hours, since the road was not like the ECR, and the heat seemed rather opressive ! My car a/c didn't do too well and since we were sweating any way inside the car, I thought it would make better sense to roll down the shutter to get some fresh, albeit, warm winds !

On reaching Mahabalipuram we were greeted with so much of warmth (literally) that I thought I'm going to get a sun-stroke !! I would imagine that on that day, the temperature would have been well in the mid-40s !! It was really, really hot ! While talking with a loacl I checked why the place is so very hot and he replied that usually that's how it is, since the coast is so close to the town.

To be continued ...