Our first three days in Mahabalipuram (Mahabs) were pretty much spent like this:
That’s me sleeping under a fan, living off crackers and bananas, and praying that the cursed Delhi belly would end. Luckily our accommodation, Squirrel’s Nest was really homely and even provided a normal loo!
Having spent most of our stay out of action we decided to extend our time in Mahabs so that we could actually spend some time look around the beautiful little fishing town. The narrow, brightly coloured streets of the ‘Fisherman Colony’ were quite enchanting, and we spent hours just wandering around them and the nearby beach just witnessing daily life.
Through the other side of the fisherman colony from our ‘Squirrel’s Nest’ was Othavadai Street, lined with trinket shops, bars and seafood restaurants that gave the town a real holiday feel. While James was not so keen, I really welcomed the many options of continental food offered by restaurants like Le Yogi and The Bob Marley Cafe.
While our favourite time in Mahabs was spent wandering the colourful side streets and enjoying the food, it is also the site of a collection of amazing UNESCO World Heritage seventh-century Hindu temples, caves and rock-carvings. The detail in the carvings, in spite of the salty sea breeze, remains incredible and we were both particularly impressed by the elephant and cow carvings!
The rest of our relaxing week in Mahabs was spent walking along the beaches, trying new Indian foods, and reading on our terrace.
On the final morning I woke in the early hours to witness sunrise over Mahabilapuram beach.
