Marina Beach

Marina Beach is a beach stretching over 13 kilometres along the Chennai coast. It is an extremely popular spot. Indians really love beaches but not at all in the same way we, Westeners, do. They love to come here to sit and discuss, walk around, play cricket, flying kites, buying fish directly from the fishermen or any other products, consulting a fortune teller, anything really but not really to swim. The currents are also pretty bad anyway and not exactly suitable for an enjoyable bath. As anywhere in Indian urban places the crowds are amazing mainly because of their numbers.

Mahabalipuram

At first sight, Chennai is that big cosmopolitan city that does not have much to offer to the average tourist. But there is always something special about India, something attractive. The food, the people, a laidback atmosphere amidst the chaos. I went 30 kilometres south to Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) a World Heritage city filled with temples and rock carvings. Unlike your usual carvings depicting gods and religious subjects, Mahabalipuram mainly features scenes of everyday life and of ordinary people. Most of the carvings were completed during the reign of Narasimha in the 7th Century but the tradition lives on and you can find excellent sculptors at every corner in town.