-- From Chennai to Pondicherry

The morning of the 29/01 was occupied by the looking for a mosquito net for the entry door of the cell. I found the object in a shop of Parry's Corner. The afternoon I visited Fort St-George of which there remain only some original buildings as St Mary's Church dating back to 1680. I completed the end of day while cycling into High Court, vast set of red brick buildings in a shaded park populated by judges, lawyers, litigants and salesmen of legal books. I traversed the various rooms and I attended sessions of justice. The judges, lawyers and personnel of justice missed only the English wig. At the end of the day, I consulted my mailbox, the Carnet de Passage en Douane was not yet delivered by Chronopost.

The 30/01 was holyday in Chennai, administrations were closed. I went to any chance to Geodis where I met Mr. Ulric who accommodated me cordially and informed me that Geodis could not deal with transport for private people. He gave me the address of Clearing Agent which proved to be Interfreight that it had already provided to French people a few years ago. Around 12:00 I moved towards the AF. Oh surprised, the letter from the ACF was arrived. I was filled. I read the Express and I went to lunch in Cathedral Road, by stopping at the supermarket of Nilgiri's Nest then at the restaurant of Saravana Bhavan. After I went to Spencer Plazza and I finished at the cybercafé close to Tourist Information.

The 31/01 was one day in half tone. I went three times in Department off Customs to meet the officer in charge of the Carnet de Passage en Douane. His speech had changed since our first meeting last week. The new Carnet can be filled only at the exit of India at the border checkpost. Moreover, it would seem that the first Carnet is not closed, because its validity date is exceeded. I requested explanations from the Automobile Club de France, affair to be followed.

The 01/02 I left Chennai to Mamallapuram around 08:00. The ECR, East Coast Road, is very beautiful and with toll. I arrived at the farm of the crocodiles, Crocodile Bank, about 10:30. All species of crocodiles in the world are represented in their biotope, the backwater. Reptiles and tortoises are also exposed. This exhibition is worthy of interest. I went to Mamallapuram to bivouac at Tamil Nadu Hotel. Alas, without seeing my vehicle the access to the carpark was refused under pretext of responsibility of the manager. I tried other hotels, Ideal Beach Resort, Golden Sun, etc located in the vicinity. I received the same refusal. I parked my vehicle at Indian Oil Bunk and I went by bicycle to Mamallapuram which I traversed to find a site for two nights. Finally, I decided to install me on the visitor carpark of Shore Temple.
The Automobile Club de France assures me by email that the Indian procedure is correct. The ACF will collate the two Carnets to check the exit of the vehicle from India.

The 02/02 was a day devoted to the visit of the site and the town of Mamallapuram. The site is divided into three groups. The Shore Temple, of which all art books show superb photographs, is of reduced sizes and very eroded by the climatic conditions and the spray of the sea. In the south, the five rathas are temples in the shape of chariot without wheel excavated in the rock. Finally, in the center of the village, the Descent of Gange is a gigantic fresco carved in the wall of the rock representing a Hinduism myth. The whole of the sculptures of the site is representative of the art of Pallava of 7^th and 8^th century. The city is organized around the main street and a perpendicular street gathering  restaurants and guesthouses. It is typically a seashore village.

I arrived in Pondicherry the 03/02 around 11:15 to go directly to the Government Tourist Home where I can park my truck. Pondicherry was created by La Compagnie des Indes at the 17^th century and known its apogee with Dupleix. Several times destroyed and shaven by the English, the current city dates from the 19^th century with its quadrangular streets, its grand channel which separates the white city, French, from the black one, Indian. It was restored to the Indian Union in 1954. The seashore is bordered with houses of La Compagnie des Indes occupied now by Indian administrations. The white city is eminently colonial synthesis of Tamil and French architecture. Monuments testify to the French presence.

The 04 and the 05/02 were days devoted to stroll in the city and to make an inventory of the gastronomy of the French restaurants. During the evenings of this weekend, the esplanade of the seashore became a mall. Pondi is a very pleasant city with clean streets lined with trees, swept by the wind broad and a good child population.
The administrative buildings are style of a French sub-prefecture.