Day 80, Chidambaram [Thursday 21st February 2008]
Previous day: Day 79, Tanjore [Wednesday 20th February 2008]
Next day: Day 81, Pondicherry [Friday 22nd February]
The hotel we stayed in last night was really good - and looked like the only decent one in Chidambaram. Excellent food, and really popular.
We take another look at the Nataraja temple, which is much emptier than it was yesterday. Our footsteps echo down its empty halls. But far from being an empty building, this temple hums with life, its ancient history still alive in its ominous stone presence. A powerful feeling comes over me when we're inside is atmospheric walls. I can't really explain it.
Ouside, Chidambaram is a mess, a chaotic cloud of rickshaws, dust, noise and crowds. Half the street is ripped up as part of a beautification project.
Then we get on the bus to Pondicherry, 2 hour's drive away. After a dusty bus ride culminating in an even dustier bus station, and a 20 minute rickshaw journey, the sight of Pondicherry is almost absurd. A seaside town and former French colony, it retains much Gallic charm, with wide avenues and townhouses with courtyards and shuttered windows. It really is inordinately French, everything about it reminds you of a French town, from the street frontage to the high kerbs. India appears to be creeping in at the edges — there are plenty of homeless, naked children, smelly streets, fried food and tea stalls — but the "French Town" quarter is quiet, clean and tidy, and very, very French.
The first hotel we stay in, a tall townhouse with balconies and sea-views, has no running water. The owner comes in and turns the taps on and off, repeatedly, confirming that there is, indeed, no water. He looks puzzled, and calls his colleagues to also turn the taps on and off, repeatedly. One of them looks underneath the sink. Eventually we pack up and leave, and find a friendly place a couple of minutes away: The French Villa at 51 Rue Suffren. This place is whitewashed, with AC, balconies and oudoor tables, and a cafe downstairs, XO, that sells coffee and cakes.
After a restful day we promenade along the sea front under a full moon, followed by a couple of beers at Le Space, an open-air art gallery and bar which is frequented almost entirely by French people. We eat lemon and honey roast chicken for dinner. Afterwards we walk home, quite tipsy, giggling at the surreality of it all.
Next day: Day 81, Pondicherry [Friday 22nd February]
Previous day: Day 79, Tanjore [Wednesday 20th February 2008]