Goin' Down The Bay, Hon

HTemp:  36c

Rain:       0.8"

`-$:         44.51

About 1.5 hours south of Chennai is the lovely beach backwater of Mamallapuram.  Half fishing village, half stone carver's mecca, it's a nice place to spend a quick couple of days.  Which we did.

It's a small, stifling hot beach town that attracts tourists -- of all kinds -- to its ancient stone carvings. More on the carvings in a future post.

First we needed lunch.  What could we be so eagerly anticipating?  Fresh in from the bay (of Bengal) was a nice selection of just caught seafood.  We picked out a couple of prawns.  Not shrimp, the real deal giant prawns. Here's one, served spicy with head included.  Mmmm..

Then it was time for a stroll on the beach.  The shot on the left includes the famous Shore Temple in the background, an impressive building for its placement and unique architecture.  The boats are powered by ancient motors with ridiculously long drivetrains.  They help the boats navigate the waves out to sea.

Surfing, fishing and strolling all shares the turf/surf.  And don't forget the cows (calves) -- they're always around.... and a crow or two usually can be found.

A homemade anchor.  It's amazing how people can create something from nothing -- when necessary.  Sarah gazing toward the Andaman Islands (she can't really see them, but that's what she could see, if she were capable of seeing about 900 miles)