Elephants!

We stayed on a Kettuvallam (house boat)

Giant prawns for dinner!

Sunset

Sunrise

We went on an elephant! Not this one, but it looked similar.

Simon found a soul mate

Trekking for tigers. Found some leeches instead.

Tank of the Golden Lotus at the Meenakshi Temple

The carvings are done out of single pieces of solid granite.

Peacock at Taj Garden Retreat

Devotees washing at Amma Mandapam

Sri Ranganathasvami Temple

Here are some shots from the Brihadeeswara Temple.

Tanjore is world famous for it’s bronze work, which is still largely done by hand.

Here are some shots from in and around The Dune in Pondicherry.

About two hours drive from Chennai, we visited the port town of Mahabalipurum. There we visited several temples created by the Pallavas. Each temple was created at different periods and demonstrated how they developed their construction techniques.

‘Descent of the Ganges’

Pancha Rathas

The Shore Temple

The flight to Chennai was fairly hassle free – no lost luggage, no delays and edible food – what more could you want?

We visited the stunning Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chennai. We also managed a bit of shopping and swimming. The Residency Hotel was far grander than anywhere we’ve stayed on our recent travels. I was slightly taken back how laid back Chennai felt compared to what I remember last time.

This gives you a feel of the traffic in the city.