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!