Out on the Town--Saturday, December 13

Our first day in India, we slept in a bit and then got up to eat some delicious dosai prepared by Murali's mom.

Then Murali's dad took us to see a construction site. The general contractor is a friend of Murali's dad and also built their house. The house he is currently building is a large house and includes an indoor swimming pool and a western style kitchen. There is a lot of building going on in Murali's neighborhood. In front of the building site was a small thatched house made of coconut leaves. I asked what it was for and found out that it was the watchman's house. To make sure that the construction site stays secure a watchman is commonly used. More affluent people also have watchmen and sometimes houses for them on their properties. Here there is quite a mix of dwellings--very large and expensive houses, medium size houses, apartments and thatched huts or one room concrete houses. They are all mixed together.


We rested in the afternoon, and then we went out at night. First we went to a shoestore because Mike did not bring sandals with him. Then we went to Eliot Beach. The drive was definitely an eye-opening experience. There were many people about, and people, bikes, motorbikes, etc., all weave in and out on the road. In addition, there are no sidewalks and people, cows and dogs are all walking along. You will see whole families--mom, dad, and one or two kids riding along on a motorbike. Murali's dad is a very good driver, so I felt secure quickly, but I am positive that I could never drive in India. I would never be brave enough to just drive out into the lane in oncoming traffic, but that's what you have to do or you can't go anywhere.

When we got to Eliot Beach, we got out and walked around. There was a beautiful breeze and many couples out on the beach. Murali said that this is one of the few areas where couples can go and have some privacy and anonymity.

We had some yummy street food--boiled peanuts and corn with lemon and chilies. Murali said basically if you have cooked street food you are safe enough. I went and got my feet wet in the Indian Ocean--the water was very warm and the waves were strong. --Bernie