Lost in the crowd

After the exhilaration and sensory overload of the last week, it was inevitable that homesickness would kick in sooner rather than later. Today was that day. Awoke sad to leave the friendly guest house in Chennai where the family have made me so welcome and, despite wanting to leave the city chaos, sad to leave familiar territory.
I treated myself to a taxi, it being Pongal and everyone on the roads and the buses. The gov lay on buses to take city dwellers home to their villages so as we left Chennai I joined the mass exodus for the long weekend.
Coming to the seaside heritage town of Mamallorapurum turned out to be like arriving in Brighton on bank holiday Monday. Manic.
My new b and b is not nearly as nice but expensive by Indian standards...but I booked ahead and that's the price you pay.
Off I set to fight my way through the crowds to stride along the sands, and did find the 'posher' side where there were other tourists... Eureka.  Pleasant south Indian beach, reminiscent of Goa, though marred by discovery of dead turtles, apparently the fisherman catch them in their nets so they are collateral damage. Such a sad sight.

The Beach

and sadly a dead Turtle

By the time dusk fell my homesickness has caught up with me in waves. The gorgeous sunset over the town’s renowned sand sculptures and a visit to the annual dance festival was a feast for the eyes but as I wandered home my eyes were not full of the sights but full of tears for home and family.

Sunset over the town

Dance Festival

The staff here, who had been very standoffish, saw I was upset as I crept back to my cell and turned out to be very kind after all. I have been promised wifi in my room by tomorrow rather than just in the public areas as is at present..I’m not holding my breath but it was sweet that they realised I wanted to be in touch with my family in private when I explained I was upset not because I had been robbed as they thought but was missing home. Inidians value family intensely and understood this without the need for more words.

On the plus side, I have discovered the bed is actually not too hard so the day has ended on an up note!!