Jeanne and I love and overuse the word “perfect” and that’s what I’m going with to describe her visit to India and our travels around India. It was a perfect 9 days.
Saturday Oct 21. Earlier in the week, I was displaced to a new hotel room because of construction happening in my room. I was able to keep all of my stuff in 320 but stayed in 308 with running water. When I got to 308, I was floored at the beautiful view – green trees everywhere. I worked from that room on Friday and noticed that it was much quieter than 320 where apparently, there is constant construction going on above. By Saturday, I was ready to move to 308 permanently so gathered eeeeeverything – all 4, 75-pound bags worth of shit and moved to the other end of the hotel. I spent the entire morning getting settled, went for a massage, and then Mallappa and I went to get Jeanne from the airport.
A nice gentleman gave her his phone so that she could call me. Then he and Mallappa talked so that we could all find each other. It was sooooo good to see her in India!!! On the way to the hotel, I explained that “white people” isn’t really a thing in India. Nobody talks about skin color. If you are white, you are a “foreigner.” I’ve made the mistake of embarrassing myself by calling myself a white woman on a few occasions so wanted to keep her from that.
Sunday Oct. 22. We woke up early, had delicious waffles, and headed back to the airport with Mallappa. She watched us weave through weaving traffic with the exact shock and wonderment that I expected. We navigated the airport – where you cannot enter without a boarding pass, bags are checked for free, liquids are allowed through security (but ALL electronics must be placed separately and a nail file is enough to get your bag pulled for inspection), and women are wanded behind a curtain. Soon we were on our way to Chennai – the only white people on the plane.
We landed in Chennai (my first time there) and started following signs for the taxi station. After walking from one end of the airport to the other in humidity and heat, we back tracked and found a taxi to take us to our hotel. Hotel check-in take an inexplicable amount of time but eventually we had lunch, got to the room, and took a nap (the first of MANY naps). That evening, we raced to the Chennai lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Bengal, before it closed so that we could get to the top and take in the view. The line to get into the lighthouse was 60 or so people deep but we waited patiently, catching up about life. The views were incredible. City, beach, Bay of Bengal, beach vendors, busy streets all lit up as the sun set.
On our way of the lighthouse, a young Indian guy asked me about my tattoos, asked where we were from, and what we had planned next and if he could join us. He was nice but I am always on guard. Turned out that he worked for Deloitte and was traveling solo through India for a vacation. He was able to translate for us when we took off our shoes on the beach and locals started yelling at us from a distance. They were telling us to wear our shoes because there was likely to be glass on the beach. When we were ready to head back to the hotel, our impromptu guide got us a tuktuk, took a picture with us, and we said our goodbyes. Jeanne was convinced he was in love with me, I think he was just being nice.
Monday Oct. 23. We woke up before the sunrise, got an Uber to the beach, walked the loooong stretch of beach before reaching the water where crowds had gathered for the same purpose. The beach was so ditty – trash and animals everywhere. We tried to walk along the beach but with the heat and trash and feces, we eventually made our way to solid ground, then to a tuktuk, and then to San Thome Cathedral. I hadn’t considered the homeless population around a church but it was fine. The church was beautiful in gothic architecture. We returned to the hotel for breakfast and a nap. Then we went to Toni & Guy so that Jeanne could get a blow-out, to Titan to get my sunglasses tightened, and to Pondy Bazaar for a bit of shopping. I quickly grew tired of walking the street, going into and out of shops because we were harassed the entire time. People constantly coming up to us and following us trying to sell us something, then abandoning the sales pitch for begging is for money. Tuktuk drivers constantly asked if we needed a ride. Even entering shops was annoying because we just wanted to browse but that is impossible. The storekeepers followed us around, took items out from the back, unfolded tapestries, etc. Not the casual shopping experience I like to have.
Tuesday Oct. 24. We woke up before sunrise and headed out with a driver to see some of the local temples. I was under the incorrect impression that tourists were allowed (as they are in touristy area temples). After a few stares and harsh Hindi words to our guide, we politely opted to look at the temples from outside. We went back to the hotel, had breakfast and took a nap.
Then we took a hired car and driver from Chennai, an hour north to Mahabalipuram. The hotel here blew us away. Kaldan Samudhra Palace – and a palace, it was! Huge property, huge hotel, luxury rooms, beautiful pool, and a terrace that ended on the beach. We had lunch, took a nap, and watched the sun set on the beach (well, we were on the beach, the sun was setting behind us).
Wednesday Oct. 25. We woke up for sunrise on the beach, then a nap, then breakfast. I believe we took another nap before hiring a car and driver to take us to Shore Temple, Krishna’s Butter Ball, some cave temples, etc. It was so hot but we saw what we wanted to see, bought a few items, and made it back to the hotel in time for me to catch up on work from the pool.
Thursday Oct. 26. We slept in, had breakfast, rested and then checked out. Next stop: Pondicherry, an old French settlement 2 hours down the coast. Now this hotel was magical. Called La Villa, in the middle of town, with 6 suites. It is an old, converted mansion and my god, it was straight out of a movie. So quaint, so precious, so well-renovated. We were in heaven. Lunch and nap, then a walk to a local ice cream shop. This was our first time venturing out on foot and Jeanne handled it like a champ. To be honest, there is no “easy” walk in India. Things may be within walking distance but toactually walk is to take your life into your hands. The traffic is crazy, the sidewalks are busted and sporadic, the people stare, and the cars DGAF about pedestrians. But we made it and had some delicious ice cream.
Friday Oct. 27. I had registered us for access to the Inner Chamber at Matrimadir (take some time to google it at least) so we had to be up and out the door early. We made it to Auroville just in time for the briefing video and bus ride to Matrimandir. The premises is silent, so we followed along the path, took our shoes off, entered the site, put socks on, made it to the inner chamber and meditated for 15 minutes. It was a beautiful experience. Once done with the meditation, we walked the grounds for a while but oh my god was it hot. And we were getting hungry. Our driver took us by Serenity Beach on request but it was trashy and hot so we observed and then left for ice cream. Back at the hotel, we had lunch, listened to 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and you guessed it… napped. We woke up for work and then took a walk to Promenade Beach. It was such a lovely evening! So many people were out walking, playing in the water, shopping etc. We spent as much time there as we could while still able to get ice cream and back to the hotel before it was dark.
Jeanne was sick all night! ☹
Saturday Oct. 28. We slept in, had breakfast, and went shopping before our driver arrived to take us back to Chennai for our flight to Bangalore.
Sunday Oct. 29. Waffles at the hotel and rest. Then Mallappa and Sonali picked us up for a visit to Isha Foundation in northern Bangalore. It was so nice! We stopped along the way for chai and snacks, stopped again at a roadside honey farm where we sampled honey by licking it from the palm of our hands. We made it to the temple, walked around, took pictures, ate snacks, talked, and settled in for the coolest light show any of us had ever seen. Back in Bangalore proper, Mallappa and Sonali took us for Kulfi – Indian ice cream! Yum!
Monday Oct. 30. I was back to work but worked from the hotel. We had waffles, got Jeanne’s hair done again, and then had lunch in the room while I attended work calls. Then, it was back to the airport to send Jeanne home.
During her visit, Jeanne ate Indian food (chicken); was asked to take pictures with locals; got to take a few scary tuktuk rides; got charged the “tourist tax” on plenty of goods; encountered cows in the road, by the road, on the beach, everywhere; ignored queuing customs like a local; had a $12 blow-out (two actually!); learned about ancient history and experienced modern India. She got the smells, sights, sounds, and tastes. She smiled, bit her tongue, asked great questions, followed instructions, held back reactions to aforementioned smells, sights, and tastes. In short, she was the perfect visitor.
Emily in India 
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