Mamallapuram

I'm hiding again but not from the sun this time. There is a cyclone blowing through and it is RAINING! It started at dusk last night and it has just carried on and on. It's coming down so hard it's difficult to see across the road! I ran about 30 yards to get here and I'm soaked. At least it's only for one day. They say!
I was going to move on today but the thought of sitting on a bus with no windows in this rain kept me here. No bad thing, this is as touristy as you get and the food is great and everything is right next to my hotel. I forgot to phone ahead so just chanced it when I got here. I got a single room with bathroom for 125/- thats 1.50!
There isn't really a lot to see here. I did it in a couple of hours yesterday. It's just the beach really that is the main attraction for the people of Chennai.
I dashed to the nearest restaurant for breakfast and there was one other person there. When I heard her speak it was a fellow Scot! She's only just arrived so we're meeting later becauseshe wants to pick my brains about Rajisthan. I was talking to a very nice Ozzie couple yesterday and they had just arrived. I think we're all headed in the same direction for our next stop (Pondicherry) maybe I can get us all to share a taxi which is a hell of a lot better than playing sardines on a bus. A taxi for the 100km is 1200/- which is 15 quid! I know the bus is only 30/- but with your pack it gets a little frustrating.
Nearly forgot. I saw my first Christmas decoration yesterday. It was a cut out of Santas head under a hanging sign which said 'Potato Salad'.
There is seafood where ever you go here. Iwent into the place next door and they had a table groaning under the weight of fresh stuff. I ended up with a sail fish steak (like a tuna) it was at least an inch thick and about 8" in diameter. Cooked in a garlic butter saucewith steamed rice 2 pound 50, thank you very much.
Going to get out of these wet clothes as I'm starting to feel cold.


6.40pm
Still absolutely chucking it down. I'm on my third change of clothes and I'm getting pretty fed up. In this rain there is absolutely nothing to do. I think I will move tomorrow regardless of the weather if only for a change of scenery.
I'm going to eat now. I think I will have pasta tonight. I haven't had that for a while. I actually had beef last night. First red meat since I got to India. I had beef pepper fry. It was chunks of beef fried in a very peppery dry marinade with steamed rice. It was beautiful. I walked past a cafe today and saw a sign saying beef biryani 10/-. The place looked OK but there's a saying if something sounds too good to be true it probably is! Nothing worse than being stuck on a bus for a few hours and getting caught short!