Chennai to Mahabalipuram

Wikipedia: Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is also known as Mamallapuram is about 45 KM from Chennai. Famous for temples going back to 7th century (I am still confused if we are in 20th century or the 21st).

Sunday evening, Chumma (Tamil for "Just like that") I decided that I would bike to Mahabalipuram and come back. Picked up my bike, got the fuel and off I was.

Just before I left Chennai, I lost my cellphone. A friend called up and I saw his name and put the phone back into the pocket and when I stopped to call him back, the phone wasnt there anymore. I went back to the spot where I had put it in the pocket and I couldn't find it. Its now about 24 hours without the phone and life hasn't stopped.

And I was away biking on the ECR, lost in the scenic beauty of the roads (I was driving parallel to the sea shore all the time). For the first 20 odd minutes I was worried about my phone and what all to be done but after that .. I got lost. Lost in thoughts, arbit things, sights, analysis of other drivers, competitions with another highway raider.

I reached Mahabalipuram in about an hour. It had loads of tourists milling around. I dint see a lot of it but yes I saw the Krishna Butter ball (a huge rock boulder sitting on the hill) and alight house. I have always fancies about lighthouses but have never been in one. I so wanted to go in but they dont allow you inside. May be next time.

Apart from all the temples and sculptures and beaches, walks etc., Mahabalipuram is a good place to shop around for miniature replicas of gods, goddesses, demons etc. The best part about the shopping is the shopkeepers. They can speak English, Hindi, French, German, Telugu, Gujrati and of course Tamil. And if you ask prices of any object, they would reply "The price is XYZ and you can bargain!".