Arriving in Tamil Nadu

After hopping the 6am Shatabdhi Express from Bangalore to Chennai (formerly known as Madras), we arrived to a very different coastal climate. In other words, it's super-hot here!! We headed from the train station via a hired car to Auroville. Along the way, we stopped to see the Shore Temple (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and rock-cut temples of Mamallapuram.
 

I had told Brian about my previous visit, about how cool it was to see temples cut into the rocks with monkeys running all over the place. Little did I know, the monkeys had developed a new habit: drinking soda from plastic bottles. We actually saw them trying to steal bottles from people's hands. The crafty monkeys would throw discarded bottles on rocks to break them open...don't they know how bad high fructose corn syrup is?!

Maybe you wonder, where do all of the plastic bottles come from? Why is there trash all over an ancient monument? Sadly, dear blog reader, many Indians do not appreciate the historical significance of the architectural and natural wonders in their country. We have seen graffiti inscribed on many monuments and historic trees ("Mahesh Loves Lakshmi!"), Diet Coke cans left on the floor of ancient palaces, empty snack bags dropped onto whatever temple floor was being walked across...it makes us sad.

Okay, now snap out of it! No more melancholy feelings, let's think about Lori's Birthday Celebration in Auroville and Pondicherry! We spent our first night in Auroville in the Sharnga Guesthouse which was a bit more rustic than we bargained for. The bathroom was basically outside meaning we shared it with some charming creatures (geckos, a family of frogs and a snail) and many not-so-charming (mosquitoes and palm-sized spiders). I don't like taking a shower and having to worry about whether or not I'll get bitten!! It was a lovely setting - there was even a small pool which Brian indulged in.
 
We rode bicycles around Auroville and ended up eating lunch at the Solar Kitchen, a communal kitchen where I ate many lunches during my last visit. It was not nearly as bland as I remember! We stopped by the Visitor's Center for a cool beverage and to check on whether or not my old friend Eshwari still worked there.  Luckily, she does!  More on her later...For dinner, we went into Pondicherry, a former French colony just down the road, and splurged at Le Dupliex. I was looking forward to drinking a chilled glass of white wine! When I saw lobster on the menu, my eyes lit up - I love crustaceans with butter. Instead of cake, we had a typical Pondicherry-style dessert called sangia, a coconut and jaggery (brown sugar) pudding with almonds. Delish!