15 December 2005
Home visit
We now get to go to Vaigunths house! and also his Aunties, which are both basically adjoining the temple. Vaigunths house is new and he hasnt moved in yet, but he has lit the fires and graffiti'd the floor to please his gods.
I am very impressed by all his carved doors which are brand new.
A 'candle' on the floor, with traditional religious graffiti.
The temporary prayer area inside the house, with food offered to the gods.
One of the impressive solid wooden doors.
Excellent carving in the front door.
We can get onto the roof to look over the temple, and I see that it is my chance to rest the camera on a ledge and take some long exposures, my friends are amused by this and assure me that it wont work, you should have seen their faces when I showed them the results.
10 second exposure of temple entrance.
My favourite photo - 10 second photo of the whole temple area.
We travel the short distance to Vaigunths Aunties house, which is very nice on the inside, 3 generations are living in the house and I am embaressed as I have no gift (I didnt know I was coming), so I apologise profusely.
I am sat down and given traditional South Indian sweets made especially for the festival of light, the most interesting one is a ball of puffed rice which is pressed together and stuck somehow...of course when I bite into it the whole thing disintegrates, much to everyones amusement.
We stay a short while and I am probably asked 100 times if theres anything I would like, food, drink, lay down, tv on, coffee, tea, dinner etc.
Soon after we leave (it is now late and I am pretty tired) Vaigunths mother rings him from another city, word has spread that I have visited his Auntie and his mother is upset with both Vaigunth and his Auntie that I wasnt offered more. What more could they possibly offer?
We move onwards to a theme restaurant called the rainforest, it is underground and is made to look cave with a waterfall, african huts and vines etc.
It seems to be one of the most prestigious places to eat in all chennai, with main courses setting you back $4.
We order some things to share after studying the comprehensive menu, and my hosts taste pasta for the first time at my insistence. To confuse matters we also have vegetable stroganoff, which was weird, and myself and Leo who eats non veg have drunken prawns.
Its now 11pm and I am tired and my last night in Chennai is over.