Making waves..

Unexpected and simple surprises that take your breath away....

20th August, 6.30 p.m, Ennore port area

Edit 2:
Since a lot of people seem to be asking - this place is close to the Ennore port , Chennai. Drive down the beach road all the way to paris and keep going towards manali - and on your way u will find it. This region is a little low lying , and hence these cement dykes .The place is also bounded by huge boulders which look like promenades into the sea... lots of tanker traffic, lorry drivers , garbage strewn around still didnt spoil the beauty of the place.... i'd suggest an early morning ride or late evening ride ( thats when we saw these giant waves which come up almost 10 ft above sea level)...

Perspective ....Adyar estuary

Lots of places ....lots of thoughts...lots of pics... i want to blog and get it out ... but the friday tiredness is in my bones... my eyes are half shut and my brain refuse to make sense of the pieces floating around in my head. So, with the little energy i can muster, i am posting this pic - something i dug up from my gallery of pics...

This one's taken by my sis - shades and a scene i havent caught after being a regular!

I've been tagged

........

I am thinking about...
well, right now a lot of things which all sum up to one word - 'LIFE'
when I started on this post - I was caught up with eight lakes and emeralds... they seem so close , yet sooo far!

I said...
keep saying a lot of things...

I want to...
be able to change my life with a click of my fingers so i can live out every dream - to play all the parts i see myself in!

I wish...
right now for my mind to stop talking to me .....if atleast for a moment!!!

I hear…
music from my laptop.... my mom moving about in the kitchen..... my dad's yawns from the hall (ok - this i can imagine :))

I wonder...
whats the voice of my mind like...

I regret...
lots... and at the same time nothing...

I am...
what I fancy anytime...

I dance...
everytime i hear foot tapping music ... which ofcourse ranges from shaking my head to head phone music at office, to shaking a leg on a floor.

I sing...
when i think no one's listening

I cry...
almost every time i truly laugh!

I am not always...
as brave as i seem!

I make with my hands...
hmmm....

I write...
only post-its and to do lists these days

I confuse...
colours ... i have a tendancy to associate certain shades with other colours names!

I need...
something that i cant speak about!

and i tag Me, Kay...

A peek into my backyard - Mahabalipuram

A lovely trip to Hampi and I was all enthused to go to Mahabalipuram - the remains of the Pallava empire an hour from chennai - after a lot of prevarication, went off for a early morning trip to mahabs . It's changed quite a bit (the last time I was there was in class 4 on a class excursion... ) -It's now a world heritage site, just like Hampi but certainly doesnot match the latters size and spread .... If you are on the ECR, it makes a good one hour top certainly - though avoid weekends as the place will surely be packed with school students .

What struck me was that there were no mountains/ rocky areas around the vicinity except for these monuments - which are all carved on a single rock formation! either everything is burried, or mahabs was just a "showcase" created by pallavas! All the monuments have depictions from mahabaratha and other mythological tales.

Romancing rocks and ruins -Hampi

It was a small sleepy town - like any other in India... a noisy auto stand... peddlars on the road... homes with dung washed "porches" and Kolams in rice flour... cows and crows an inherent part of the landscape - natives here seem to realise that locked in this setting is some thing very beautiful - but whether they themself identify with it is an unanswered question. The laidbackness of the town is a boon - the whole place is quiet and peaceful and the town-life in no way hampers the experience of the place.


Yes, this would have been just another town amongst the million in India, except for the fact that it sprouted on top of the erstwhile capital of the Vijayanagar Kingdom - It is surrounded by the most beautiful ruins and lies cradled in a land of rocks - as much as the place is filled with huge boulders and stark rock facades, it is contrasted with lush dark green bananana and coconut trees - you do a double take and wonder if you have beed transported to kerala. Ofcourse, the green of this place owes it to one of India's arterial rivers - the Tungabdara.

Adding to the air of this quaint cosmo town are the small shops selling bags made of mirrors and bells and the westernised version of indian attire for the firangs and dhabbas serving soem of the most exotic cuisines ever - They may not be able to spell it, but neverthless almost every dhaba serves a range of pasta's , porridges, risottos and some very good cheese omlettes - And ofcourse, the 'Mango Tree' restaurant is a must check out - it is seate on the mountain slopes overlooking the valley below - the place is even better at night when they serve dinner by lantern light!

Hmm.. I wasnt going to write much about hampi, and let my photos speak for themselves - but couldnt stop myself! I think this place deserves a very laid back visit - no need to tick off all the ruins on the list - chill out at the ones which are least crowded , maybe get a book to read - enjoy a tea on the banks of the river - take a coracle (suacer like boats) ride and laze in the beauty of the place - try the "different" cuisines. My personal favorite spot was the rock formations bang opposite to the Virupaksha- Steps and a small stage flanked by huge boulders on both sides - you trek up this place, to a point where you get a beautiful view of the achutharaya temple. While a lot of blogs mention the sunrise, I've seen better in my life - but the view from on top of matunga hill is lovely and wonderfully windy and refreshing.

As usual - some other blog info i liked ..
If dreams were made of rocks - karnataka Tuorism
A drive to hampi
All about Hampi

There is also a tourist office in the hampi market which provides u a map of the ruins plus there are tourist guides who speak english.