My Sore, India - 31May07

The Beauty and the "Ungly"

i got my first frightening experience here. A child beggar basically pulled me here and there to beg for money and she just didn't give up. When i finally got to the bus, i gave another child beggar some biscuit from the bus window. i did not expect that some other child beggar then boarded the bus to ask for my 'contribution' then. She also refused to give up until a local Indian girl took sympathy on me and 'chased' her away.

The second shock was the bus. i had saw this in Chennai but did not expect me to be in one of them. Those people pushed and pulled just to board the bus. i was trapped in the middle of them! i forced my way out and waited for another bus. But the experience of been in the middle of a group of people 'lost control' to just want to have a place in the bus was really frightening.

The third experience was a lady selling flower outside of the temple demanded Rs 2 for 'guarding' my selipar. i was kind of scared (the first two frigtening experiences were still fresh in my mind) but reluctant to pay her. i knew this is seriously just a few cents but this is also a kind of daylight robbery to me! It was on Chamundi Hill, one of the 8 most holy hills in South India and don't people supposed to act like holy in the ground of God? i told her firmly and with my stern face that, i would not pay you even 50 paise (i doubt she understands though) and walked away.

The reason that i got to My Sore was for the Maharaja Palace. This Aladdin-liked majestic structure was beautiful and astonishing. Photographing was not allowed inside but the outside looked equally fascinating.

Asking direction is a disaster anywhere in India. If you asked four persons, you will basically got all North , East, South and West directions. If you got only 3 directions, that was because there was no road at one of the direction. The Indian is so reluctant to say "i don't know" that they would just simply give you a direction. The roads were not well marked too. So it is basically not as easy to walk around.

Cost: 565 Rp



Sri Chamundeswari Temple at Chanmundi Hill. The temple is seven-storey or 40m high. i took a bus up there and descending by the 1000-plus steps.



View of My Sore town from the 1062m summit of Chamundi Hill.



The fantastic Maharaja's Palace of Mysore grces the city's skilyline. The interior of the palace is a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors and gaudy color. Photography inside of the palace is not allowed but undoubtly, this is the most beautiful palace i have ever visited in India.

Chennai-My Sore, India: 30May07

Oh, Chennai ...

i visited the museum, high court and St George Fort. Nothing really impressive but wandering around the building of high court was kind of 'interesting'. i don't think one is allowed to do so in Malaysia or Singapore. The architectual of the buildings are beautiful. Somehow almost all buildings and train stations (you have to say railway station as nobody i asked would know what is train station) look like a mosque. There are a fair share of Muslim community.

i went to T. Nagar to shop, trying to buy a Indian Salwar Kalmeez. Tried a few but never managed to get any. Other look too colorful and too much "indian" to me. i would prefer something more plain and could just fit me without any extra alteration. All shops said, alteration could be done in just 20 minutes, which i am not sure i trust them. All shops are run by male and just every few have female shopkeeper. In a way, this is making me feel uncomfortable too.

There seems to have a lof of digging, construction and renovation all around the town. The traffic is almost like in Vietnam but less in motorbikes and more in cow carriage or cart. i had grabbed the orientation in the city now and i just followed to local for the short cut from Egmore train station to my guest house.

The central train station in Georgetown was like a picnic scene. One Indian girl told me that it is the two months summer holiday (April and May, ended on 4 June), so there are many people traveling around. People just put mat on the floor (some without) and sleep there while waiting for the train. i got a sleeper train to My Sore and shared my compartment with two families. This made me felt more released on regards to the safety.

Cost: SGD 26



The beautiful yet crowded Egmore Railway Station.



The 'picnic' scene at Central Railway Station.



The British-built buildings are now the Government Musuem.



This beautiful red structure, High Court, is said to be the largest judicial building in the world after the Courts London.

Chennai, India - 29May07

First Time, First Day India

My first ripped off in India was i paid 400 Rs from the airport to the guest house at Egmore. Later, i further found out that to many merchants and autorishaw drivers, tourists are just walking wallets. They would not rob you or snag your wallet but cheating you in this way and other are just kind of 'nothing wrong' and 'not' God damn.

You are about to read tonnes of things that i could 'complaint' about Chennai. Skipped this if you don't want to read my grumbling.

After roaming around the city, i decided that, i couldn't like Chennai at all. The people is unfriendly and unhelpful. The city is a combination of noise, dirt, urine smell, beggars, handicapped and people who treated you as walking ATM. The autorishaw drivers are so determined to overcharge you that their left no room of negotiation. If there is anything that i like about this city, then may be it is the conveniency for me to find vegetarian food.

Chennai has no city centre. The area is so extensive that one just couldn't walk to everywhere. When i walked on the street, people from children to women to men, stare at me from head to toes for 3 minutes! It was really uncomfortable.

i shared a dorm with a German guy. He was leaving to go back home after 4 months in South India. We chatted a bit and he shared me some of his experience. There was a group of Indian young guys from the other province who have just found a job in Chennai. They were staying in the next dorm. ALL of them were so curious about EVERYTHING about two of us. For some of the things such as Education level, i really don't see how this could be related to them at all.

The first day in India or Chennai basically had do a fair share to drain up some of my energy. i remember some people commented that Vietnam is difficult to travel. But if compare with India, Vietnam is just one over ten of difficulties. i have never found Vietnam 'consuming' my energy at all.

Cost: SGD 262 including flight, AirIndia Express.



This 13km sandy stretch of Marina Beach is the most disgusting and gross beach that i have ever visited in my whole life! The sand is the mixture of all kind of rubbish and waste and yet people walking bare feet in it. It was summer holiday when i was there and it was very crowded with so many people and hawkers there. The sea water is murky with floating rubbish.



The sunset at Marina Beach. The beach was the scene of devastation after the 2004 tsunami, when fishing shanties lining the foreshore were inundated.