My next stop was Chennai. I only had one full day here before moving onto Madurai, and I had decided to visit Mahabalipuram, now called Mamallapuram.
It was about 60km from where I was staying, but feeling adventurous, I had decided to further experience the precarious buses of India. Walking from my hostel, I quickly took my first bus. It was an intercity bus, and at 7am it was bursting its seams. People crowded in and often had to wriggle through entire groups of people, who stood obstinately as if claiming that section of the bus as their own, just to exit the vehicle.
I eventually reached the bus station and I boarded my second bus which would take me from Chennai to Mahabalipuram. Hoping I had the right ride, knowing that I could really never be sure, I stepped onto the bus, and I thankfully enjoyed a two hour journey first through the burgeoning streets of Chennai, and then across the East Coast road, which hugged the ocean beside it, until it reached Mahabalipuram.
It is one of India’s oldest landmarks, and features an impressive array of intricate carvings and magnanimous sculptures thought to have their origins in the 7th century. It is home to the iconic Shore Temple, and the five Rathas. It holds the wonderfully named Krishna’s Butterball, and the enchanting depiction of Arjuna’s Penance.
On their own, any of these works are impressive, yet together they create a truly magical place, Mahabalipuram.
After taking some time to find my bus back, I was swiftly on my way home. I had been worrying about how I was going to get to Mahabalipuram before the trip. I was worried I would not be able to find the buses, or that for whatever reason I would not be able to get there. But, yet again, I realised how needless my worry was. I realised that I did not need to control every aspect of my trip. Things just seem to work, and I think for the first time on my trip, I was enjoying letting them do so.