Thanjavur and across to Cochin

Leaving tranquil Tranquebar behind, we treated ourselves to a taxi to Thanjavur, one of Tamil Nadu’s larger cities, so we could visit the Chola temples of Kumbakonen en route.

Down the Coromandel Coast

We spent a few days on the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, visiting two towns that became colonies of France and Denmark in the scramble with Britain and the Dutch to establish trading footholds in the 17th and 18th centuries, namely the French enclave of Pondicherry – now Puducherry- and the previously Danish post of Tranquebar – now Tharangambadi meaning ‘place of the singing waves’.

Mysore

Mysore (or Mysuru as it’s known now) – our first port of call on the Big Trip and a chaotic, noisy re-introduction to India after an absence of 8 years or so. This is our 3rd time in India (my 4th) and we were instantly thrust back into the familiar swing of it.

Dancing Zangbetos of Benin

“You do know it’s real, don’t you?” he said, apparently with the utmost sincerity. “It’s Voudoun, it’s magic”. We weren’t sure whether to laugh or nod seriously, but settled on a nervous smile as we reflected on a particularly bizarre encounter.