Farewell India

We sailed out of Chennai port about an hour ago and I felt sadness that our visit had been so brief. The general concensus on board ship is that one can skip Chennai on a visit to India but go to Pondicherry, Mamalapuram or Kerala, Delhi and Agra (of course if you can afford to) or if you want to be in a western atmosphere completely stay at Fishermans Cove a few miles out of Chennai which could be any tropical beach resort and belongs to the Taj group of hotels. (It was the Taj in Mumbai which was bombed recently). We stopped in there for coffee on the way back to Chennai and our driver, Mani, asked us how much it cost which was 270 rupees, ($4.75): 'It would feed my family for a week!' he laughed. It is all very beautiful and in the huge grounds has more frangipani trees with their beautiful creamy white and yellow blooms than I have seen for many a long year. Also red, pink and yellow hibiscus bushes and flame trees. We sat on their pillared stoep overlooking the turquoise pool and the sea with a gentle breeze cooling us and felt ridiculously pampered. Our driver Mani who had been eating meals with us turned down our invitation to accompany us and I realised why.....it is very expensive (for India) and more importantly caters for Europeans and wealthy Indians; he would have felt uncomfortable.

We have eaten very well indeed in Pondi.. We went to the Rendezvous, Madame Shante's and the L'Orient hotel dining room, all in the nearby streets. The first two have roof gardens which are shady and cool for chota hasri and tiffin (google them!) and deliciously cool in the evenings. We ate only Indian food except for desserts of Creme caramel (which I can never resist) and chocolate mousse (ditto!). There is absolutely no doubt that we are both eating far too much; a cooked breakfast and two 'dinners' on the ship every day. We dare not step on the scales! We wish they would cook more Indian, Indonesian or Thai food. Perhaps it is too much for the American pallate...who knows?

I could never have enough of watching the Indian people; they fill the streets with life, colour and an amazing energy which is certainly missing in most N. American and European cities I have been in....perhaps Edinburgh at the height of the Festival? No can't touch it! The towns are unique, exotic, noisy and frequently very grubby but so ALIVE!

Talking about that....I am fading fast; George is already snoring (ssh not a word!) and I have a good book to put me to sleep.