Mamalapuram

Finally I felt like a tourist and it rained on us a few different times during the day.

Today we headed to the coast and the city of Mamalapuram. It was a total tourist day. We spent the morning bartering and shopping, I felt like I was on canal street in New York. It was fun to see all the fun Indian merchandise that I have been given in the States. After a morning of shopping we stopped at a nice Indian restaurant - luckily we had the option of semi-western food. After lunch we headed to one of the Seven Hindu temples of the area. Also near the temple there is an amazing rock placed on the side of the hill that refuses to move. I guess over the years they have tried to pull it down with elephants but no movement. Even in the tsunami and cyclones it remains still on the hill.

The rest of the day was spent wandering through the city before we loaded the bus heading for dinner. Dinner tonight was a parota stand on the side of the highway. I didn't quite hit Nate's record but I feel I came close with 8. Parota is pretty awesome - basically it is just a tortilla that has been folded over itself before being fried making more of a flaky texture. You eat them with spicy sauces and an omelet they are a serious treat around the volunteers at Rising Star. Parota night is a definite highlight.

Hindu Temple