Chennai(Madras) is the largest city in Southern India and our first visit to see a country we have heard so much about. People love it or hate it. Chennai is the fourth largest city in India with a population of 8 million. India is 1/3 the size of the US with 3X the population. Crowded. There are 2,000 different ethnic groups, 22 official languages and 1,659 dialects in India. 50% of the population is under the age of 25. 900 million people earn less then $2 a day, and out of this group 800 million earn less then 50 cents a day. I saw many a watermelon stand along the two lane highway. I figured 3 watermelons a day would bring in $1. It you make more then 86 cents a day in the city you fall above the poverty level. School is not mandatory. AND IF you go to school, on a daily basis, 50% of the teachers are no shows. Only 13% of the sewage is treated. 80% of the population have no bank account. These are just a few of the statistics we learned today. Without saying, I would never dream to think I could go inside the mind of anyone who lives here. This is what they know and their life. I could not live here. I would not survive.
I was shocked when we left the port gates. I have never seen so much garbage littering the streets. Men turned and zipped along the highway. There are no bushes here. Some just lifted their sari and squatted. Cows are free. So are the goats.... No one cares about the dogs. They too are everywhere, looking uncared for and sick. The air was heavy with pollution. It was a visual I would not have believed if you told me. It is something I have no words to describe other then to say it was a full assault on all my senses. I became quiet and just took pictures as we headed for Mahabalpuram, the temple town, 90 minutes away. I wanted to capture a sense of what I saw but could not believe or understand.
India's infrastructure is horrible. There are no highways. We traveled on a two way street that was at times a 5 lane street. Everyone plays chicken. We shared the road with goats, cows, motorcycles, buses, tuk tuks, cars and pedestrians. There are no sidewalks. Most streets off the main street are dirt roads.
Views from my bus window......
In Chennai we found the second largest beach in the world, 48 miles long. We can't swim here because of the pollution. But my, the sand goes on forever. 
 |
| Sacred cows rule ... They are everywhere. Hi little guy! |
We arrived at the Shore Temple. lovingly perched along the shore of the Bay of Bengal. This is our destination. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the oldest temple in Southern India, Hindu, a structural temple, built in the 7th century. We were surrounded by vendors pleading for a sale. The hand carved 'carved myself' artisan elephant was also for sale by vendors at all other stops as well. I felt bad. I understand their need for cash. I wanted to save everyone. Don't lie to me, follow me, hound me. There is no escape. No one wants to understand No Thank You. I hate that. Next stop, beautiful carvings on two massive boulders, the most famous in Mahabalipuram, Arjuna's Penance. Measuring 96 ft in length and 43 ft in height, this rock carving is one of the biggest open-air rock canvases in the world. It has over 100 figures of gods and semi divine creatures, birds and beasts, man and saint. I especially loved the detail of the elephants.
Two more stops to finish us out. We spent a few minutes at Five Rathas or Chariot temples. The Ratha temples are an attempt to imitate free-standing stone construction in rock, Each temple is carved whole from a single pink granite rock. Impressive, more then I can understand. I liked the elephant best, and there is a lion too. Kids were climbing all over them like a playground... Fun to see was the balancing rock. It is a huge spherical monolith precariously balancing on a rock base...defying gravity. It is said No King nor Elephants could make this rock budge in anyway. People were using it as a shady rest spot.
Then more glimpses of life on the way back to the ship....
A ray of sunshine amid my bleak outlook of India, occurred as I met a new friend on the bus next to me while we waited in the never ending traffic of the city at rush hour. At first he was shy. I took his photo and he smiled back at me and waved. We waved for a few minutes as our buses inched their way through heavy congestion. 
People park their cars, motorbikes and even buses along the beach area clogging the only road so they can purchase fresh fish. What isn't sold is salted.
When we left this port at 11 AM the next day we had another face to face with immigration. We were told 8 AM for the process and it would take 2 hours. Immigration showed up late. I also learned the crew had to count how many cigarettes they had in their rooms and how much alcohol and declare it on arrival. Weird.
After all the drama of our visit, Regent will not stop here again. They just aren't ready for tourism. Usually our ship gives Immigration people gifts, cigarettes and Johnny Red. Do you believe they ASKED for their gifts. I heard we said No. We were put through the Immigration Wringer of all time. Drivers on buses made their own tours dropping people off at family owned shops instead of the mall. Shuttles were no shows for 2 hours. Nothing was as planned or on time. It was a nightmare for staff and cruisers. We leave the port with carbon and coal dust covering every inch of the ship. The crew has its work out out cleaning carpets (which had to be cellophaned during our stay) the decks, the pools, the balconies and everything this greasy black dust stuck to. Our balcony has been washed down twice and I still can't sit out there for the soot... what a mess. Sri Lanka tomorrow.... I hear I will be riding an elephant?
No comments:
Post a Comment