Home Away From Home - Chennai (Madras)

Both times that I have been here, Samathy & Mukundan have made me feel welcome and part of the family. I have enjoyed some rest days where I was able to read, relax and write my blog, Some light activity days with shopping, the beach or some local sights, as well as our trip to the mountains.

Indian roads are crazy! Both city streets and highways are populated with busses (local and intercity), 4-wheelers (trucks and cars), 3-wheelers ("auto's" or auto-rikshaws, aka ''tuk-tuks" in other Asian countries or "pulmonias" in Mexico), 2-wheelers (motorbikes & scooters), bicycles and carts drawn by a bicycle, ox or horse! Grande Prairie traffic is calm in comparison.

Another big difference here is the lack of social infrastructure beyond the bare necessities. Roads are paved but do not have shoulders or sidewalks (there are some sidewalks in the center of the big cities), this means that the gap between the pavement and the private properties is a "no man's land" of dirt, a ditch, and / or stray garbage, as is any undeveloped land. The privately owned properties, however, although typically lacking aesthetics that do not also have function, are well tended with the basic necessities. There is a only basic social welfare for those without income and little infrastructure when it comes to public safety (no sidewalks or street lighting in most places), health or other fiscal support programs.

The people here (as elsewhere) are great! I'm getting used to being stared at, as a solo Caucasian in many areas and neighbourhoods that are not touristed by foreigners. When I say "hi" to the kids, they all ask where I'm from and practice a few English greetings. Even adults that I have talked to on our bus tours all want a picture taken with me. I've never been so popular (or more likely just odd!).

The beach at Chennai is fabulous! We went for a short period on two of our "around town" days, it is the 2nd largest beach in the world. It is very wide and 13 km long! We also visited the lighthouse and a couple of temples.

I do love Chennai, and Sumathy & Mukunden are becoming like brother & sister to me. I definitely do not want to wait another 7 years until my next visit, maybe only 2? I need to visit the west coast next, Mumbai & Goa, and I am hoping that they will join me.

Busses, Trains and Automobiles: Part 2 - Valparai

Arriving in Coimbatore by bus, we dropped off our luggage at the friend 's apartment where we will be staying and made our way to Mukundan's sister's home to visit his family. They were all so welcoming, we were fed, we visited between a couple of homes and had a good afternoon / evening.

The next morning we set forth in a hired taxi, heading south into another set of mountains. The first stop was at some gardens built around one of the outflows of a large dam. Beautiful scenery, that is used in Indian movies. I had bought some sweets for us to share later in the day, when we had breakfast, and when we stopped at Monkey Falls I wasn't particularly diligent about closing the car window since Sumathy and the driver would be staying there while Ragu, Mukundan & I walked to the falls, Well, didn't a monkey just come right out of the trees to the car, reach in the window and grab my package of Burfi right off the front dash! Cheeky Monkey!

Up the mountain sides with us, 40 hairpin turns this time. There is a small viewpoint about halfway up, with an amazing view back over the lake to the gardens that we had just visited. Once we got up over the first mountains, we were again in tea plantation territory. Those bushes make interesting patterns on the hillsides. We visited a temple high in the hills and then drove down into the valley, through the town of Valparai to another large dam. The water levels are quite low right now so there was an interesting canyon rather than a large lake to see there.

We went to another temple and had a late lunch / early supper (Lupper?) on our way back to Coimbatore.

The next day we had a nice lazy start, went back out to visit the family for lunch and then caught the train back to Chennai.

Train travel in India is the way to go! You get airline (international NOT domestic!) type service: a large water bottle initially, a newspaper & a snack, and later, a full meal. A late night, but it sure was nice to be back in my own (temporary) bed.

Busses, Trains and Automobiles: Part 1 - Nilgiri Mountains

Well, after a couple of quiet days in Chennai (laundry, shopping, took fabric to the tailors), we ventured forth on the night train to Mettupalayam. We had sleeping berths reserved in an air conditioned car, triple bunks facing each other on one side of the main aisle, with a double bunk along the wall on the other side.

Once the train got under way at llpm, we all retreated to our bunks due to the early arrival time (5:30 am in Coimbatore, and 6:30 in Mettupalayam). We had a quick but tasty breakfastt at the station , and then proceeded up the mountains to Ooty.

It was a beautiful drive, with amazing vistas, on a crazy narrow road with no shoulders, tight corners, and plenty of traffic (oncoming & overtaking with only inches to spare!).

After checking in at our hotel and freshening up, we joined a small bus tour of Ooty & nearby Coonoor. We stopped at the 'Thread Garden' (amazing handiwork with embroidery thread!), the lake & boating docks, and some amazing viewpoints before reaching Wellington Cantonment (permanent military station) which now houses the Defence Services Staff College for all three branches of the Indian military.

Nearby is a beautiful park, botanical gardens and then the lush tea estates around Coonoor and throughout the Ketty Valley. We saw monkeys often by the road, and some jungle bison wandering in among the tea bushes. I also got to try Some great street food: American sweet corn with butter & masala (spice blend) and banana slice coated in dal & fried.

The clouds had started rolling in while we were on the tea plantation so when we reached our last stop at the highest point in the Nilgiris, we were unable to see the amazing vista that was below us. I could see the tops of Some of the neighbouring hills and could just imagine looking back over Coonoor & Ooty below.

The next day we hired a taxi to take us to some sights north of Ooty. We first stopped at a couple of viewing areas that have been used in Indian movies and then at Pykara Falls (water levels are very low right now). We then drove down 36 hairpin bends into the valley containing the Mudumalai (big/old hills) Wildlife Sanctuary.

After lunch, we hired a jeep & driver to take us into the reserve. Since it was mid afternoon we did not expect to see any of the 73 tigers but we did see 1 wild elephant, some mongooses (not mongeese!), peacocks, 2 more types of monkeys, and lots of spotted deer, as well as plenty of beautiful flora that was new to me.

After that, it was back up the mountain side to our hotel.

The next day, we took the miniature train (they call it the 'Toy Train') from Ooty back to Coonoor and then a local bus to Coimbatore.

Both the Toy Train (as 1 of 3 Mountain Railways of India) and the Nilgiri Mountains (as part of the Western Ghats) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.