INDIA - 2010

Pondicherry, Monayampettai, Mamallapuram, Chennai and more

In early 2010 I went to India with Habitat for Humanity Global Village. We spent two weeks on a project working in a small agricultural village called Monayampettai which is located a few miles north of Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. Pondicherry (or Puducherry) is a former French colony located in south east India. Its French heritage is very visible in the architecture of some of the older buildings, French street names, monuments, etc. Photos of Monayampettai, People and Pondicherry

In the middle of the build we spent the weekend visiting some local attractions in the region surrounding  Pondicherry including the Natraja Temple at Chidambaram (60km south of Pondicherry), the Pitchavaram mangrove forest just outside of Chidambaram and Auroville, an experimental settlement about 15km North West of Pondicherry. Photos of local attractions

Following the Habitat build we spent two days in Mamallapuram, a seaside town about 60km south of Chennai. Mamallapuram has a nice beach, many ancient temples and a crocodile farm. It is a popular tourist destination because of the many ancient temples, the beach and its proximity to Chennai. Photos of Mamallapuram

I was fascinated by the many and various forms of (unusual) transportation, both for moving people and goods. Photos of Transportation

After the Habitat Build I spend a few days in Chennai and area doing some touring. KLM pilots decided to go on strike so I ended up staying in Chennai several days more than I had planned.  I had a hired guide with a car so I was able to travel around fairly easily, unfortunately, there is not a lot to see and do in Chennai. The guide took me to his home town, Pulicat which is a seashore town in the Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu and is about 60km north of Chennai and one of his uncles took me out on Pulicat Lake in his boat. Photos of Chennai

Go to Habitat India trip for more information on the village and the Habitat build.