In Mamallapuram I made friends with a group of painters from Rajastan. They have a little studio, where they sit on the porch and paint the day away. On my first night in town, we hit it off by speaking Hindi. That night was a celebration in Rajastan, and the invited me home for dinner. I spent a considerable amount of my remaining time in Mamallapuram sitting and talking with them in front of their studio as they worked. I was quite content to relax and watch the pictures slowly take shape…also, they made delicious coffee with cardamom.

My next stop was to be Pondicherry, a former French colony. Calling ahead, I found all the guest houses full. Despite this, on Sunday, I packed up my things, and stopped by for one last cup of coffee with my friends. Then I hopped on a bus to Pondicherry, a former French colony, about 1 1/2 hours South. Having only been returned to Indian control in the 1960’s, it still has a very strong French feel to it, including delicious baked goods.
On the bus, I struck up a conversation with a guy who studied wildlife biology. He offered to help me find a hotel. We got off the bus, and he drove me on his scooter to the Park Guest House (where Mr. Patel in Ahmadabad had told me to stay), and knowing them, got me a room. Once again it was a matter of having personal connections.
It was early evening by the time I had deposited my things. I wandered up the sea-shore road, which was closed to traffic for the day. It was packed with families and teenagers strolling about, and eating chaat (snacks) at small snack carts. I stopped in front of a 20 ft. tall statue of Gandhi to listen to a trio playing classical Indian music. Then I stopped and had some chaat myself.