Located at the edge of Chennai along the Coromandel Coast, the origins of the fort can be traced back to the history of the city itself. The fort was completed on 23 April 1644, on St George’s Day, and hence christened St George Fort.'
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| Marina Beach |
Marina Beach is the second longest urban beach in the world (6 km long), after Cox's Bazar Beach.
Monday, August 13 - Pondicherry Day Trip
Praveena, my good friend and Chennai travel guide, suggested I visit Pondicherry for a day to experience the French colonial section and city's vibe. I was blessed to have Mathan's assistance (the hotel staff member who helped me get the SIM card) to book a local guide to drive me to Pondicherry, take me to the key tourist locations and provide me with background info on the sites I was visiting. I had altered my original travel plans that involved me booking a night's stay in Pondicherry. I was enjoying my Park Hyatt stay and was reticent to check out of the hotel for a night only to check back in a day later. Perhaps travel fatigue was setting in.
The government occupied the buildings, that were built during the French colonial period and ran along Promenade Beach. I was too preoccupied with capturing the beach and Bay of Bengal than I was photographing the French colonial buildings. Trust me, the buildings do exist and many streets in this part of the city have French names.
I also visited the Aurobindo Ashram (forgot to take a photo). This ashram was set up with the aim of helping people attain moksha and inner peace. The ashram is by far one of the wealthiest ashrams in the world. Also, the ashram does not have any branches and solely exists in Pondicherry. More ashram info is at this link
Sri Aurobindo Ashram |
| Promenade (Rock) Beach |
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| Sound advice found on Promenade Beach |
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| Promenade (Rock) Beach |
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Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges
View from Promenade |
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica |
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica |
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica |
Wednesday, August 15 - Thiruvalangadu/Nagarthangal Village Day Trip
Wednesday's trip is a special blessing. I had the chance to visit with the parents of my good friend Praveena in their village about 2.5 hours (by car) outside of Chennai. Praveena's father contacted a friend from work (Mr. Moorthy) to drive me from the hotel to his home for the day. His friend lived in Chennai and was his first visit to Munuswamy's home as well. This visit has expanded my impression about what India is like. There are open spaces, less traffic and a pastoral life style possible. I am grateful for this magical moments in my journey.
Praveena's parents, her uncles and Mr. Moorthy were consummate hosts who were well beyond any expectations. I am thankful for this most extraordinary life experience. My intention to meet Praveena's parents because I thought I was relatively close (a four hour flight from Kuala Lumpur) transformed into pure magic!
1st Stop
Our program started with a 7 am departure from my hotel. We met Munuswamy near Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple around 9:30. The temple was built by the Cholas during the 12th century CE was our first stop in my visit (albeit inscriptions suggest it may have been built in 5th century CE). It is regarded as a sacred Shaivaite temple in that it is one of the 5 majestic cosmic dance halls (pancha sabhai) of Lord Shiva, known as "Ratna Sabai". Click the link for more info about the temple
Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple
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| Loads of fish in tank near temple. Feeding time |
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| Temple Tank (water reservoir) |
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There are five temples for Lord Shiva - each with a
different dancing pose |
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| Here's the dancing pose for this temple |
2nd Stop - Family Temple
Our next destination was the family farm where Munuswamy introduced us to the family temple which was built by Munuswamy and family, and two of his three brothers as well as gave us a walking tour in parts of the farm. The temple is located in the small family village.
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| Praveena paid for the temple icons |
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| Granddaughter in Canada |
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| Granddaughter in Chennai (Pondicherry now) |
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Younger brother responsible for leading
the religious activities |
3rd Stop - Farm Tour
We traveled a short distance from the family village to walk about part of the family farm. The family is four brothers and a sister. I met Munuswamy and two of his brothers who appear in these photos. The fourth brother is in the navy and his sister was unavailable for the day's photos. Every family member contributes to this agrarian dream. There is a hand dug well with pumphouse for irrigation; witnessed how the groundnuts grown on the farm are harvested, enjoyed drinking coconut water using a natural straw, ate groundnuts that were kindly shelled by the brothers for me and enjoyed the beauty of the flowers grown in the field that would be sold one day soon.
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| My host Munuswamy |
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Enjoying coconut water
all organic, of course |
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| Coconut preparers |
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Three brothers
missing is the brother in the navy and the sister |
4th Stop - Munuswamy's Home
Our final stop was the house where Praveena grew up and where we would enjoy the most amazing home cooked food. I was spoiled with all the attention I received.
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| Appetizer |
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| Lunch served on a banyan leaf |
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| Selfie with Praveena's parents (Munuswamy's idea!) |
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| Praveena's parents in front of their home |
The Park Hyatt Hotel Experience
Imagine that - my hotel has garnered its own section in this week's blog. This five star hotel consistently delivered a ten star experience. Every staff member (and I mean every staff member) was kind, attentive and appeared genuinely interested in my experience. The effort, time and training required to create such a consistent experience is masterful! So masterful I feel compelled to share what I experienced 😊
Rooftop
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| Infinity pool - Ninth Floor |
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| Sunset view from pool |
Meals
I achieved my objective of sampling every Indian specialty choice listed on the a la carte menu. The hotel offered a full buffet with western and Indian cuisine along with providing an a la carte menu to select from. I was blessed to be served by helpful staff who explained the food I was choosing and always came by after the choice arrived to inquire about my reaction to what I was eating.
I also chose to have a couple dinners at the same restaurant during my stay. The choice was based on the food that was offered, the restaurant's comfort and convenience AND the staff serving me. Most of the breakfast staff were also serving the evening meal. Was just like being with family given the time and attention I was afforded by the serving staff.
I've provided a simple example of what I savoured. Trust me when I say the food was most flavourful and well prepared. An exceptional dining experience.
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| Appetizers served for dinner |
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| Breakfast menu - section with Indian specialities |
Independence Day Celebrations - August 15
Hotel guests were invited to join with the hotel staff in the hotel's Independence Day celebrations. The hotel team organized a small military parade, signing the national anthem and unfurling the flag. The hotel owner, her husband, daughter and grand daughter were the key dignitaries at the celebrations. The hotel owner and her granddaughter unfurled the flag and released all the flower petals from the flag. I was one of two hotel guests who participated. We were given a small Indian flag that we could stick on our shirt. Refreshments and sweets were served after the ceremony!
BTW - I had a chance to meet the hotel owner and her daughter after the flag ceremony. I took the opportunity to express my thanks for my amazing experience and acknowledge the hotel management and staff.
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| Flag ceremony prep |
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| Waiting for the dignitaries |
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| Military parade |
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Three generations
Hotel owner, daughter and granddaughter |
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| Flag ceremony |
My Hotel Family
I was blessed to meet another fantastic group of people working at the hotel. As I mentioned, everyone I interacted with greeted me with enthusiasm and interest. Housekeeping staff would always greet you in the hallways. Anyone who saw you would go out of their way to say hello. The front door staff were always quick to open the doors and ensure you had everything you needed. When I ordered a taxi, the front door staff took the car plate number and guided me to wait inside the hotel until the car arrived (when they would come and get me).
The Front desk staff sorted through my reservation change expeditiously without any room change required by me. Apparently my 2nd reservation was in a lower cost room. The manager advised I could stay in the same room at a lower cost. He also checked to confirm if there were any additional benefits for my extended stay (none to be had).
My uneasiness with Uber manifested itself an hour before my 1 am departure for the airport. The reservation I had paid extra for through Uber had to be cancelled due to a lack of drivers. This is when Bala came to my rescue. Bala happened to be the driver when the hotel team picked me up at the airport. He was working night shift and was around the front desk when I discovered Uber was unavailable. He solved my issue by going on his phone to order a taxi for me using a different app. My trip was now going to cost half the price and I would be at the airport in about 15 minutes.
Meeting Anon was pivotal in expanding my understanding of how beautiful and complex India really was. She shared that she was from Nagaland, a small landlocked state that was next to the Myanmar border. In fact, her mother's village (Longwa) was on the border and the half of the village chief's house was in India and the other half was in Myanmar. Village residents are free to travel on both sides of the border and have dual citizenship. I spent some time researching Nagaland after speaking with Anon. The state is now on my list of future destinations. It is one of those destinations that is still being discovered by tourists so remains larger in its natural form. As I told Anon, she has shaped my future by being open to share information about herself. Simple acts continue to have significant outcomes. I also left a book, 912 Batu Road, with Anon. I learned about the book while flying on Malaysian Airlines. The book is very well written with the most amazing prose.
I've been remiss is forgetting to take photos of Para and Maya who also contributed significantly to my dining experience every day!
Please note the hotel staff were in traditional dress for the morning of Independence Day (as in the photos below). Was magnificent!
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Anon - exceptional people skills
Consistently creates an awesome experience |
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Karpil
Always checked in on me in the
restaurant to ensure all was good |
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Vito
Chai tea and southern Indian coffee expert
Every glass and cup was a masterpiece |
Hotel room
I've also included some photos from my hotel room that show the time and attention to detail that the housekeeping staff take to personalize your room experience.
UK Bound
I was off on my way to the UK at 4:20 am on Thursday morning with a stop in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Airport
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| Business Lounge |
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| Sunrise on descent to Abu Dhabi |
Waterloo Station
I was in Waterloo Train Station in about an hour from Heathrow Terminal 4. Had to change lines at Green Park. That darn suitcase can be a real inconvenience going up and down stairs and escalators. I did find a Hotel Chocolat in Waterloo which was an unexpected gift. Hotel Chocolat is one of my favourite London chocolate shops. I was disappointed to discover they were out of dark chocolate with sea salt. I did meet Anna who worked at the shop. We started chatting about chocolate and traveling. By the end of the conversation I had left her a small bar of Malaysian dark chocolate with sea salt and she gave me a dark chocolate with pralines bar from the shop shelf.
Weymouth
My final destination on Thursday was Weymouth. Elizabeth and Barrie were hosting me for the next several days. I had traveled to their place in Weymouth to join their engagement party on Saturday, August 19. Happy to report the party was a great success and fun was had by all. The weather cooperated with a sunny afternoon for the outdoor event!
In the city
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| Bake shop |
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| Harbour |
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George III holiday destination
Weymouth is UK's first seaside resort |
At the engagement party
Please meet my friends Elizabeth and Barrie at their engagement party!
Next Week
I return to London on Tuesday, August 22 to have lunch with my friend and former KPMG client Clive and to have dinner with Emily who I met on safari in Sri Lanka. I leave, by train, for Cardiff in Wales on Wednesday morning. I'm picking up a car at the Cardiff Airport. I spend the next six days in Wales. Scotland and Ireland are next. Fly to Canada from Dublin on September 12.
I also visited the Aurobindo Ashram (forgot to take a photo). This ashram was set up with the aim of helping people attain moksha and inner peace. The ashram is by far one of the wealthiest ashrams in the world. Also, the ashram does not have any branches and solely exists in Pondicherry. More ashram info is at this link Sri Aurobindo Ashram
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