Mahabalipuram

Thanks to the advice of an anesthesiology resident at the hospital, we had a last minute change in our weekend itinerary. Apparently, the most visited holy place in the world has VERY long lines. He said it can take up to 12 hours to get up to the temple. So we happily changed our minds and headed to Chennai on the bus.

The bus was almost exactly how I pictured a bus in India to be. Very loud, a Bollywood production on the TV at the front of the bus and very very crowded. It took us a little over 4 hours to make the 2 hour trip to the city. We enjoyed a Moroccan-style dinner, which was a nice treat, and went to bed early.

The next morning we hired a taxi to drive us an hour south to the town of Mahabilpuram, known for stone carvings and the famous shore temple. We spent the day wandering the numerous caves and boulders, dodging monkeys trying to get our food and visited the shore temple. We finished our day in a french restaurant of all places. After driving back to Chennai, we hopped on a train for the more reasonable 2 hour ride back home.