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| Indian Tea (Chai) - My Favourite Drink |
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| A Sculpture & Historic Town Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu |
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| Today Is India's 75th Constitution Day |
Day 13 Thursday Nov 26 2024 (Final Day 4 Puducherry & Day 1 Mahabalipuram) - grey weather in Puducherry, raining cats & dogs in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu due to a looming cyclone Fengal hitting the Bay of Bengal so had to bear with the inconvenience these few days ! Took a bus from Puducherry By Pass ECR > Mahabalipuram - a historic town in Tamil Nadu.
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| Puducherry > Mahabalipuram Bus Ride (95km) |
1) Local Indian English newspaper (picked up from my hotel in Puducherry) reporting captioned "With depression likely to intensify, Puducherry on alert; fishermen urged to stay off the sea" - a warning sign that a bad weather for coming days meant movement restrictions & staying safe & indoor hence making our stay both in Puducherry & Mahabalipuram a most challenging one !
2) Morning walkabout in Puducherry, Union Territory
3) Light refreshment - walked into this up market restaurant for a cup of Indian tea Rs45 = Rm2.40 (chai), use of washroom & resting of our feet !
4) Large poster size pictures of popular Indian food served & mounted up in every corner of the restaurant - a useful guide for foreign tourist like me with a growing fondness for Indian food especially dosa, idly, naan, vada, poory, samosa etc !
5) A word of wisdom - do it or born to do it; as for me I just do it & take up travelling as my passion after retirement !
6) 75th Constitution Day - India commemorated a historic milestone today, the 26th November 2024 marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. Congratulations ! I & my travel buddy are here on this very day of Nov 26 2024 in Puducherry sipping a cup of my favourite strong aroma local brewed fine Indian tea (chai) & eating a simple / healthy hotel breakfast this morning; I like to take this opportunity to wish all the Indian friends good health & enjoy the day full of pride, honour & joy !
7) Hotel breakfast (complimentary) - a simple but nourishing meal !
8) Bus ride (Rs110 = Rm6) from Puducherry > Mahabalipuram (95km) & a brief stopover for toilet run.
9) Arriving at the By Pass ECR bus stop (standard drop off point) near the Thiruporur Junction (Stupa of Sculptures Monument) off the old Mahabalipuram main trunk road, about 1.5km from Mahabalipuran town. Took a auto rickshaw Rs100 (Rm5.40) from the By Pass bus stop to Sri Murugan Beach Paradise Hotel, Mahabalipuram.
10) Hotel accommodation (Mahabalipuram): my 2 nights stay in Sri Murugan Beach Paradise Hotel; room tariff Rs 1988 = Rm107 = US$24.30 twin sharing per night.
11) Mahabalipuram Tourism Poster on Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (UNESCO) - a useful guide provided by Sri Murugan Beach Paradise Hotel; despite a looming cyclone Fengal, both of us with a little planning & walking, we managed to visit the following World Heritage sites & touristy places ie Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Butter Ball, Old Light House, Arjuna's Penance, Krishna Mandapam, Seashell Museum, Mahabalipuram Beach etc.
12) My solo afternoon walk on a beach nearby Sri Murugan Beach Paradise Hotel & downtown Mahabalipuram towards the Butter Ball & Shore Temple area. Drizzling at the time of my visit !
13) My 1st visit to Butter Ball & Arjuna's Penance, Mahabalipuram as viewed from the outside compound. For internal visit, you need to buy an admission ticket (Rs600 = Rm32) but I will do a full day visit to all the major UNESCO World Heritage sites tomorrow together with my travel buddy !
14) Arulmigu Sthala Sayana Perumal Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
15) Southern Arts & Crafts, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
16) Temple Tank, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu - a ceremonial tank in Shore temple.
17) Shore Temple Ticketing Counter, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu - admission fee for foreigners Rs600 = Rm32 = US$7.40 - I will show up tomorrow morning to visit this famous UNESCO World Heritage Site with my travel buddy, come rain or shine as long as the main gate remains opened to welcome all visitors !
18) One more visit to the beach area nearby our hotel - against all the odds this afternoon ie bad weather & difficulty in walking on wet roads especially with pools of water, I had now a good impression of downtown Mahabalipuram & a glimpse of a few of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (Shore Temple, Butter Ball, Arjuna's Penance though I did not enter the inner compound), so full steam ahead tomorrow to explore the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites to make this special visit to Mahabalipuram a fruitful & memorable one !
19) For this evening, most of our time will be confined to the hotel room - apart from having our own cooked prepared meal as dinner, we had some finger food to munch & eat ..... so just enjoy & relax & look forward for a clear blue sky tomorrow !
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