Back in Chennai and My First Bollywood Experience!

12/15
Today we were to leave at noon, and of course I still woke up so early; I guess I’m still not completely used to the time difference here (after 2 and a half weeks). The breakfast here apparently sucks, so me and a few other girls went to that same hotel down the block we’ve been going to for all our meals. We had a breakfast buffet, which is always my favorite! It cost about $7, so absolutely worth it! (I just realized I’m always talking about how cheap everything on this trip is! Haha)
After a couple of hours of traveling from Pondicherry (where we watching Austin Powers, one of my favs for sure), we arrived back at the same Chennai hotel we stayed at before. Chennai is where the airport is, so it is easiest for us to come here for a night before heading to Mumbai tomorrow.
After a quick dinner at another hotel, we decided to see a newly released Indian Movie! The movie was called “The Dirty Picture,” and it was in Hindi without subtitles, so I had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying. Nonetheless we were given a brief overview what it was about before we saw it. The movie is based on the true story of Silk Smitha, who was a famous Indian actress in the ‘80s. She was know for very risqué parts, and was eventually type casted for roles like this. The movie was based on her life, lots of love interests, and dance numbers.
When the movie started, the other viewers in the theater started cheering, which I thought was great. It’s as if movies are so much more exciting here than they are in America; people almost treat it like it’s live theater. The movie was very dramatic, the music was very intense and entertaining, and the main character wasn’t the skinniest girl in the world, which I thought was awesome. We’re so used to seeing stick thin women in Hollywood, yet this woman definitely had some belly and she was still beautiful (very refreshing). Although I didn’t know word for word what was going on, I really enjoyed the movie and the music and dancing that went into it. It was my first Bollywood movie and I was definitely entertained.
After I finish updating my blog and uploading some pictures, I’ll call it a night, then we’re off to Mumbai tomorrow after I believe we’re seeing some temples in Chennai. I honestly never know what’s planned on this trip so I’m always surprised!

Auroville "Shopping Tour" and "The Mother" Being a Creep

12/14
Today I woke up early and was ready to go at 7am for our shopping tour. Little did we know this wasn’t exactly the kind of tour we expected. When we got there, it took forever to set up the bus that we were supposed to take (nothing ever happens on time in this country, which still to this point in the trip annoys me so much). Once the bus was arranged we went around the corner and watched a movie on Auroville again, which was so confusing to me and the rest of the group because we had no idea this shopping tour had anything to do with that. Turns out, the tour is taking us to a bunch of shops run by people of Auroville so that the money goes to them directly. The whole thing was very strange but we had to suck it up.
I bought a couple of little things like incense and candles, but we stopped at a lot of places. The most memorable place was a store that looked like a picture frame store, but when you walked in it was literally hundreds of pictures of “The Mother.” Trust me, if you saw what this woman looked like and you saw that many pictures of her starring at you, you’d be frightened like we were. It was such a random store; in addition to all those pictures, they had kitchen supplies (so strange).
Finally we finished the tour and looked for a place to eat. It literally took us over an hour to find a restaurant serving lunch. Every place we went into said they weren’t serving food today (so frustrating). We ended up at the same restaurant where we ate dinner the previous night, which was fine by me because the food was really good. I got gnocchi in a mushroom sauce and some pineapple sorbet for dessert, yum!
After a very long nap and some hanging around the hotel, we went to the SAME restaurant for dinner! (This is honestly the only decent place with food in the area) Jess, Arielle, and I all split our food, getting a bunch of pizza, pasta, and some stuffed mushrooms. It was all so delicious and we were very content. A bunch of other people got a buffet, so Mimi snuck us a piece of cake that the 3 of us engulfed like vultures, which was pretty funny! Becca also made a point to bring “The Mother” picture she bought along with us to the restaurant and decided to give life to this picture. We were all getting so creeped out by the picture, and we would keep turning it around to face other people when they weren’t paying attention (nobody could look this thing in the eye!)
After dinner we went to a local chocolatier where Jackie and I split a piece of flourless chocolate cake. It was very tasty, except for the fact that it was the end of the day so not totally fresh (but it’s India, I’ll take what I can get). Tomorrow we’re leaving Pondicherry at noon to head back to Chennai, where we will fly to Mumbai the following day (our last stop of the trip). I’m definitely itching to get home at this point in the trip because I miss home and I’m actually excited for cold weather ☺

Confusion Surrounding Auroville and Arrival in Pondicherry

12/13
This morning we left Mamallapuram and headed to Pondicherry, which is about 2 hours away by bus. When we arrived in the area, we stopped at Auroville, a commune-like place that is based on the idea of meditation, non-religion, and being one with your own body (or something like that). It was a VERY bizarre place that none of us really understood. It was started by Mirra Alfassa, aka “The Mother,” which everyone in and around Auroville treat like a Goddess. Her picture is everywhere in the area, and she is a pretty scary picture taker. The place was beautiful to walk around, but it was very strange and it felt like a weird colt to me. Definitely an interesting place (that left me extremely confused!).
After that we arrived at our hotel in Pondicherry, which is across from the beach. We’re in a pretty nice area, but it isn’t really the kind of beach you go to in your bathing suite and lounge around at. It’s a nice area to walk around though, and it is still very hot here!
For dinner we went to a pretty nice place where I splurged and got lobster for dinner! Of course it was the most expensive thing on the menu, but it was only about $11, so nothing wrong with that! It was very good but I definitely expected more food on my plate. At least I’m enjoying the food at this point on the trip. Tomorrow is pretty much a free day, but a few people and myself volunteered to get up early to do a shopping tour thing, so we figured why not. The trip is coming to an end and I definitely have more to purchase!

A Day of Relaxation and Shopping

12/12
Today was the first day of the whole trip we didn’t have to set our alarms, and naturally I still woke up around 8am. Oh well, I can’t really complain when the day was mostly going to consist of laying in the sun some more in lovely Mamallapuram.
After breakfast, Clara, Arielle, and I walked along the coast of the beach for about 2 hours, which was really nice and relaxing. The beach here is pretty empty, except for the annoying fishermen who always want us to come along for a boat ride. So it was nice just walking along the beach and enjoying the lovely breeze. We didn’t realize until a couple of hours later how strong the sun actually was at the time, and Clara and Arielle got some pretty hilarious tan lines.
For most of the remainder of the day I laid out by the pool trying to even out the weird tan I got from the day before. In the afternoon I got a neck and shoulder massage which I was pretty excited for because the beds in this country have really been screwing them up. It was a 30-minute massage for 450 rupees (which is about $9, definitely the cheapest massage you’ll ever find), and it wasn’t the best massage in the world, but it was probably worth the price.
I did a little shopping later in the day as well where I got a few nice things. I got 2 pairs of sandals from a shoemaker on the street that knew my size as soon as he saw my foot (which was great because they were European sizes and I’m totally clueless about that). I got a pair of strappy gladiator type sandals that he customized to fit my feet, which was pretty cool because I’ve never had that experience. I also finally got some hair products at one of these shops; my hair has been so dry on this trip and I haven’t known what to do about it, so this was seriously a saving grace! I also got some aloe because I got seriously burned today ☹
For dinner we went to an interesting restaurant. There were little fire pits on the table that we could grill our own skewers on, which included vegetables, chicken, shrimp, and more. The food was good, but it was annoying that we had to pay a set price for a buffet too when I definitely don’t eat that much food (we weren’t aloud to order off an a la carte menu because Devraj told them how many people we were, so that was pretty annoying). Oh well at least the food was good!
Tomorrow we’re heaving off to the next city, which is Pondicherry. I don’t know exactly what we’re doing there, but I know it’s supposed to be beautiful and relaxing and we’re doing Yoga apparently. I’ve never had a real yoga session before so I’m definitely looking forward to that!

Boat Ride from Hell, Temples, and Delicious Food (Finally!)

12/11
I was not at all a happy camper this morning. We woke up early to go on a fishing boat at 7am (of course it didn’t come until 7:30 because we’re in India and nothing is ever on time!). I was so hungry while waiting for the boat, so I ate a Luna Bar to hold me over until breakfast. When we got to the boat they put life jackets on which were so large and uncomfortable, and the boat didn’t have seats. It was like a hollowed out rowboat and we just sat on the sides of the floor of the boat. So basically I was soaking wet sitting on the floor of the boat, sideways, and totally sea sick (I guess from eating right before). I was definitely not enjoying myself and was being such a downer about it, but I was as content as could be when we were back on land.
Breakfast was great because they had hard-boiled eggs (first place to have eggs at breakfast for a while). Then we headed out to go to some temples in the area. It is so hot here in Mamallapuram that it is pretty hard to enjoy anything that is happening, but we all did our best. The first bunch of temples were carved from large single pieces of stones for different Hindu Gods. While there Clara and I got a coconut from a vendor and drank the milk straight from it (yummy!) We also didn’t realize until later in the day that so many of us were getting sunburned; I have a total farmers tan line from the T-shirt I was wearing (definitely need to work on getting rid of that). We also saw this thing called the Butter Ball, which is this giant boulder/rock thing that is balancing on a downward slope. It’s a pretty unreal thing, one that you definitely have to see for yourself to believe.
We finally came back and had free time for the rest of the day. A bunch of people went out to the pool and ordered lunch, and I got to work on my tan for a couple of hours. Again, I need to stress how hot it is where we are, so we were constantly jumping in and out of the pool. Because of this I guess my sunscreen wasn’t staying on and I got a little burned. As of now it’s not bothering me so it could’ve been worse.
For dinner we went to a Jamaican themed restaurant where they cooked some fish for us right over an open flame. I am usually not a fish eater, but I ate the whole piece! I really enjoy the food a lot better in South India so far because there is more seafood and it isn’t dowsed in sauce like it is in Rajasthan. Dinner was a success for me tonight and it definitely put me into a food coma. I’m calling it an early night this evening, and tomorrow we get the entire day off! For the first time on this trip I don’t have to set an alarm, so I’m giving myself the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I definitely need to take it easy on the sun as well tomorrow, but hopefully I can get rid of these embarrassing tan lines on my arms and chest.

PS don't mind my skirt in these pictures! I realize it looks horrible, but I had no skirts on this trip and was desperate for some!

San Thome Basilica and Mamallapuram

12/10
This morning was lovely because I got to wake up early and enjoy the wonderful luxury of wifi on my computer and iphone. Considering I haven’t had internet in a week I was more than happy to wake up and catch up on all my emails and such, but a week away from the cyber world left for a lot of reading and blog posting!
We started our day by seeing the San Thome Basillica, which is one of only 3 places in the world where saints are buried underneath the ground (The Vatican is one of the others). It was cool to finally see what a church looked like in India; I always like comparing the different churches wherever I go since they’re so common throughout the world. The architecture was what you would expect from a catholic church and it was interesting to see where Saint Thomas was believed to be buried in 72 AD.
After that we went to an artisan market where I got a bunch of stuff like necklaces and these really cool palm leaf carvings. The crafts were very reasonably priced here too, which was nice because haggling gets so exhausting!
Finally we arrived at our next hotel called the Sea Breeze in Mamallapuram, where we will be spending the next 2 days. This is like a little break in the trip that we definitely all need. After finding my room I was determined to find a bathing suite since I forgot to pack one, and lucky enough I found a 2 piece in a shop down the road from the hotel. I was so happy to find a bathing suite I would’ve taken anything, and the funniest part is that it is a kids XXL size (this was the biggest size they had… lets just say I could’ve used a bigger top!) I also bought some tunics at this place because all my clothes are way too heavy for the heat in this location. I hung around the pool for the rest of the day, which was extremely relaxing.
After taking a much needed nap, we all met for dinner by a bonfire. There was a lunar eclipse at the time too, which was awesome to see. For dinner we had some kind of fish, some chicken, shrimp and a few other side dishes. This was such a good meal, and the best part was that it wasn’t drenched in sauce like we’ve been having in Rajasthan. I’m looking forward to the food on the rest of the trip because tonight’s meal was delicious. Tomorrow we’re going out on a boat early in the morning which should be beautiful, seeing some temples, and of course lounging by the pool and beach some more. Hopefully I can soak up some rays for my return to the Tundra that I’m sure NY will be on my arrival next week!

Travels Down South

12/9
Today was an epic day of traveling to say the least. We’ve spent a lot of time on the bus throughout this trip, but today we took 2 planes to get to Chennai, which is our first destination in Southern India. Up until this point we’ve spent most of our time in the state of Rajestan, so it’ll be interesting to see the differences.
We started the morning by leisurely enjoying our breakfast in the hotel and leaving for the airport around 10:30 am. The airport in Jodhpur was only a couple of minutes away by bus so that was very convenient. From there we got on a plane and flew back to Delhi (this flight was about an hour long). When we arrived in Delhi we had a very short amount of time to quickly eat before our next flight. Connecting flights was so bizarre because we had to completely leave the terminal to get to another terminal, and we ended up completely re-checking into the airport (It was very strange). At this point we said goodbye to Hal who is leaving us at this point. We are all going to miss him because we had such a great time having him lead us. At this point John Huppertz is taking over, who is a professor at Union Graduate College and a friend of Hal’s. We all go to know John a little bit in our meetings at Union during the Fall Term. I finally had some “pizza hut” (which was a little spicy, its amazing how everything here has to have some spice to it), and I got an iced vanilla latte (I’ve been craving a coffee drink for so long so that really made me happy!). We finally got on the plane, which would take us to Chennai in two and a half hours (I kept making the joke that this reminded me of how Northeasterners always fly south to Florida because I couldn’t help but think they were such similar circumstances!). Finally we arrived on time and everyone’s luggage was in hand (which I’m always so worried about), and of course our bus was late. We ended up waiting at the baggage claim for an hour and a half. This was such a nightmare because we were all so hungry.
When the bus finally arrived and took us to the hotel it was a little after 10:30pm. We were so famished, so a bunch of us went to a Chinese place in the hotel next door after we checked into our rooms and got our bags. Collecting my luggage was pretty interesting; it took such a long time for the hotel to bring out bags to our rooms and I was getting really angry because I was so hungry. Finally they brought the bags up to our floor, but they were still left on those luggage carts and the bellboy was nowhere in sight. I couldn’t wait any longer so I just unloaded the cart myself and took my bags into my room, which was literally 10 feet away. The bellboy finally appeared and was getting angry I was doing this, but I refused to let him stop me (I was so determined to get food as soon as possible). Finally all my bags were in the room and the bellboy follows me into my room to check the room out. He then has the nerve to ASK me for a tip after he didn’t even help me with the bags! I explained to him (well tried to explain since he didn’t speak English well) that we were with a group and our leader would tip him, so that was a struggle. I couldn’t believe the man had the nerve to ask for money for doing absolutely nothing, especially in a country where people don’t usually receive tips. I was so furious at this point; I just needed to put some food in my system.
I was so excited to have decent Chinese food. I got some beef stir-fry thing and some chicken dumplings all of which were exactly what I wanted. I also ordered some eggs, but they never came out with my meal soI thought the forgot about it. I was content with my meal so I didn’t even bother asking for it. When we finally got the bill, of course the eggs that I never received were on it. When we asked the man about it, he said they were on their way! We explained that we were already done eating and we weren’t going to pay for food that didn’t even arrive with our meal and they gave us such a hard time about it. As we’re starting to pay, the waiter brings out the food and doesn’t understand that we’re not going to pay for it; it was seriously such an annoying situation. This is one of those instances where there’s a serious language barrier; it often feels like they’re trying to take advantage of us because we don’t know their language or their customs, but there was no way I was paying for food that didn’t even come during my meal. They finally got it right after we had to fight with them, but overall the food was delicious and exactly what I wanted. Tomorrow we’re going to do some exploring in Chennai and I believe we’re going to the beach in the afternoon, so excited!