When is a Door not a Door?

On June 24, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Photo Challenge2 Comments

When we were in Chennai, India, several years ago, we had come across a store that sold interesting antiques. One of the most unusual items that we came across were tables that had been made out of antique doors. We came extremely close to purchasing this particular table and, in hind sight, regret not making the purchase. The thought of having to pay for shipping ended up discouraging us from making this unique piece of furniture part of our home decor. Lesson learned, in the future we’re not going to let the logistics and costs of shipping keep us from purchasing something that we truly wanted to purchase. Obviously that wouldn’t happen too often, but there are just times when you find something so special that you just need to bite the bullet and make the decision to get it. Since we didn’t buy, we’ll just have to go back to Chennai someday and see if we can find it again.

So, this is our entry into this week’s Discover Challenge – The Story Behind a Door

Buying Silk in Kanchipuram, India

On March 18, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India8 Comments

One of the most memorable day trips from Chennai was our trip to Kanchipuram. We were told that Kanchipuram was the place in the state of Tamil Nadu to buy silk, so we drove the hour southwest out of Chennai to visit the city. In addition to buying scarves and other silk products, we also visited the Ekambareswarar Temple, which was another gorgeous temple that we were able to see while we were there. It was one of the hottest days that we encountered while we were in India, but the beautiful sites and the thrill of buying the silk items more than made up for any discomfort we felt.

Walking around the Ekambareswarar Temple was one of the few times while we were in India that we weren’t overwhelmed by crowds. Obviously, it is India, so that is a relative term, but it did feel more relaxed than some of the other places that we went to. As with most temples, tour guides will come up to you and offer to take you on a tour and the price always has to be negotiated, but we chose not to pay for a tour at this particular temple. Heading southwest away from Chennai takes you to more of a jungle feel and we enjoyed seeing the parrots that were content to make the temple grounds their home.

One memory that we’ll never forget was getting blessed by a temple elephant while we were in the temple. Apparently, at the time that we were in India, many of the temple elephants were on “holiday” where they are pampered and spoiled once a year for all of their hard work. We handed the elephant a coin, which he took with his trunk, and then we bowed and the elephant gently tapped us on the head with his trunk. We were surprised by how soft the elephant’s trunk was, we were expecting it to be leathery and hard, but it wasn’t. In addition to being blessed by the elephant, another interesting site within the temple was seeing all of the ribbons tied to the “wishing tree”. We were told that many woman would tie a ribbon in hopes of getting pregnant, but people would tie ribbons on the tree for many other reasons as well. It was just another tradition that we enjoyed learning about.

Going to the silk shop was quite the experience. We were told that Indian women from around the country order the wedding saris from Kanchipuram due to the high quality of the silk. We sat down at a table and the owner of the shop started pulling out bundles of silk and laying them before us. If we found a color pattern that we liked, he would pull out several more bundles and lay them in front of us. There were two shop girls who would hold them up in front of us, wrap them around Dona’s shoulder while speaking only to Pete. We knew in advance that Indian men would rarely address women directly, so we weren’t surprised by the way that they communicated with us.

We ended up buying scarves for every female family member that we could think of as well as a beautiful table runner that we use on our formal dining room table. The best thing that we bought, however, was an absolutely gorgeous sari. Not only was the silk incredibly sensuous, but it was more than affordable. Everything that we bought in Kanchipuram that day probably cost us less than what a single silk scarf would cost us here in the United States and was even less expensive than the silk that we bought in Chennai.

If you are ever in Tamil Nadu and want to buy some silk, a trip to Kanchipuram should definitely be on your agenda. The owner of the store couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly, despite the language barrier, but fortunately we had our driver plus a coworker to help ease the communication process. Fortunately, you don’t have to haggle over prices at the silk shops, the price that they quote is what you pay and it is so reasonable, there isn’t any reason to complain. We came home with several souvenirs on our trip, but the silk items we bought are definitely some of our most treasured. Not to mention that our family and friends were quite thrilled to receive such beautiful items.

Mahabalipuram – Temples by the Ocean

On February 1, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India12 Comments

One of our favorite day trips when we were in Chennai, India, a few years ago was to visit Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram is an ancient historic town with beautiful monuments and temples that has made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way we stopped at DakshinaChitra, which is a museum and heritage village depicting the culture and heritage of South India. We also stopped at Tiger Cave, a site that we didn’t know what to expect to see since our guide didn’t tell us anything about it other than its name. After a long day of touring monuments and temples, we stopped at a Radisson Resort to enjoy a nice meal at their restaurant while watching the waves break on the beach.

To be clear, we did not attempt to drive while we were in India. The traffic is far too chaotic, with the constant blasts of horns, not used in anger, but meant to let other drivers know where you are and what you’re doing. Sort of “hey, I’m coming up behind you on your right” instead of “get out of my way”. We hired a driver from our hotel who took us around Chennai and drove us on our excursions, acting as a personal tour guide for us. We headed south out of Chennai, out of the hectic city traffic, and onto the highways following the coastline towards Mahabalipuram. Before we started, our driver let us know that there would be several tolls along the way, so we prepaid him so that he could pay as we passed through each of them.

Our first stop was at DakshinaChitra, which means “a picture of the south”. We had a wonderful time wandering through the village, where each section of the 10 acre site represents a different portion of southern India. Each is meant to represent the culture of the region, from art, clothing, typical homes, etc. Even though they are merely representations, it is still a site worth visiting and walking through the Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh sections. The Kerala section features a Hindu house and granary and textile exhibition. The Tamil Nadu section features a merchant’s house with basket weavers and art exhibits. Those are two largest sections, but we had a wonderful time on our self-guided tour of the whole site.

Next was our stop at Tiger Cave. On the way, we conjectured that we might be seeing some sort of zoo with tigers or perhaps a giant cave with tigers carved into its walls. It turned out to be closer to the latter, but still not what we expected. It is a Hindu temple complex located on the Bay of Bengal. There is a cave with the heads of tigers carved into the mouth of it, but the site is all about the temples. When the waters of the tsunami of 2004 receded, more temples were revealed, which is the only good that could have possibly come out of that horrific event. They are still excavating new temples and monuments today, which is quite exciting to see. As you enter the site, tour guides approach you and you negotiate the price that you’re willing to pay for your tour. Our driver had told us what the maximum amount that we should pay should be, although we’d read similar information online. Once the amount was agreed upon, our guide took us through the complex, providing history on the ancient temples and carvings, which are over two thousand years old. It was quite interesting, but just a slight build-up to what we’d see when we reached Mahabalipuram.

Upon arrival at Mahabalipuram, our driver found us a tour guide, which again we had to negotiate the price we would pay for our tour. It is hard to describe how beautiful the temples and monuments are when you see them in person. Throughout our trip to India, we rarely saw any westerners, and even at such a tourist site as this, it continued to be the case. There were so many interesting things to see, from Krishna’s Butter Ball, which is a huge boulder that balances on the side of hill, seemingly defying gravity. Its name comes from Hindu mythology where Krishna’s love of butter as a child, stealing butter from his mother’s butter jar. Legend has it that several kings tried to pull the stone down the hill using elephants, but the stone wouldn’t budge.

There are several important structures at the site. There is the Thirukadalmallai temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Bagiratha’s Penance, which is a giant rock relief. Vahara Cave Temple, which again isn’t really a cave, but giant rock that has been carved out with sculptures carved into its walls. The Shore Temple with its beautiful views of the Bay of Bengal. And Pancha Rathas or Five Chariots, which are five enormous pyramid-like structures, each carved from a single stone. The carvings on each of the temples and monuments represent stories meant to glorify the gods. Our guide took time to explain each of them to us as we were overwhelmed with the amazing Hindu mythology. There is so much to see and take in that a single visit to Mahabalipuram probably doesn’t do it justice, but unfortunately we only had time for a single visit.

When our tour was complete, our driver decided that he and the tour guide would grab a quick meal so that we could have time to do “some souvenir shopping” at the store of a relative of our tour guide. It was a little frustrating, we didn’t want tourist trinkets and the collusion between our guide and driver to try and make us feel obligated to buy something was all to obvious. Shortly, however, we were on the road back towards Chennai where we stopped at the Radisson for a late lunch. It was actually a beautiful resort and was actually one of the only non-Indian meals that we had during our time in India. After relaxing at the beach bar for a little while, it became apparent why this area is a destination for beach lovers wanting to enjoy some relaxing time by the Indian Ocean.

As we drove back into Chennai, we kept seeing what looked like bodies being hung in effigy from the roofs of several buildings. We knew that the elections had happened just prior to our arrival and that there were some protests (will tell you about our arrival at the Chennai airport in another post), so we thought that they might be related to that. We asked our driver and were surprised to learn that they were there to keep bad spirits from inhabiting new construction before it is completed, thus bringing the owners bad luck and misfortune. We didn’t take any pictures of them, not wanting to get any bad luck ourselves for doing so. All in all, it was an incredible day, full of exploration, learning, and appreciation for India’s rich culture. If you make it to southern India, whether to Chennai or to Pondicherry, you should definitely make your way to Mahabalipuram for an experience that you’ll never forget.