A fish from the sea is always garnished,

While a river fish is always sweet.

The fish in the estuary is bland,

For flavours dissolve, where water bodies meet.

– Yours Truly.

Miss Yours Truly is quite the lyricist. Do not leave the lyricist stranded on an island.

hehe.

The Indian peninsula is a place bounded by the grandeur and fusion of three huge water bodies, names, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Indian Ocean in the south and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

The Indian coast line is about 7500 km long so the coast has been divided into four parts for convenience. The East coast of India is divided into the Coromandel coast in the south and the Northern Circars in the north. So, in this blog, Imma talk about one of the major cities located on the Coromandel coast, namely Chennai.

So, Chennai is one of the most popular metropolitan cities in India. I had the opportunity to whirlwind my way through Chennai as it was on transit to my actual destination and it was one of the most unique experiences in my travel history.

Now, without further ado, Imma show you a glimpse of the Coromandel Coast, all on a road trip through Chennai.

Leggo!

I came to the realisation that my blog does not have airplane shots, so I decided to change that status when my flight prepared to land in Chennai. What one can see in the shot is an estuary, where the river leads into the Bay of Bengal. Chennai has a lovely contrast of a modern, urban metropolis growing around one of the mightiest seas.

The Bay of Bengal is a beautiful sea. It has a deep green colour and a very glittering yet matte texture but it is a rough sea. The beaches formed by the Bay of Bengal are not ones where people can go swimming because the tides have a very strong inward pull and the waves crash with a lot of force. There have been many tsunamis and storms, the most notable one being the 2004 tsunami which really wrecked the Coromandel Coast.

I think seas are such powerful forces of nature. They can sustain life, they can also destroy it and I feel that duality commands a deep respect for the sea and its formidable ways.

Whenever I see a fusion of colours, my heart whistles a happy tune:)

The Southern States of India have a unique culture of celebrating the Indian festival of Navratri. The festival is celebrated in different ways all over the country, but in south India, the people make a sort of pyramidal arrangement using dolls depicting various Gods and important figures from Hindu epics. The arrangement is called “Golu” and the picture shows a giant Golu made at the Chennai airport. The arrangement shows the God Nataraja at the top. Nataraja is the deity of dance and he is a form of the God Shiva.

I love how vibrant all the dolls are and the intricacy in their detailing is simply enchanting. South India has beautiful showcase of intricacy in sculpture and it is also seen in the way in which the temples are constructed. I will be talking about some historic temples in later posts but this Golu is a glimpse of how magical the sculpting and arrangement is.

Whenever I travel to a new place in India, I am always awed by the graffiti. Street art really resonates well with the Indian public and it has become a very popular way to depict a state’s culture. The graffiti here shows paintings of Tamilian cuisine which is one of the most popular cuisines around the world. Food is served on a banana leaf and it is very nutritious. The staple food consists of idli, which is a rice cake, dosa, which is a sort of a crepe, chutney, made with coconut and rasam which is a soup made of lentils, tamarind and spices.

I will be doing a culinary blog soon, which will take ye wee foodies to all the vibrant aspects of Tamilian cuisine but I really liked that the graffiti chose to showcase the cuisine which is an icon of Chennai.

One of the most special things about Chennai is that it is home to the second longest urban beach in the world, namely the Marina Beach. I was rather lucky to be able to visit the beach at a time when the crowds were less so I got this beautifully aesthetic picture of a shack, with the Bay of Bengal in the background.

The beach is simply huge and its size can be felt when you walk from the entrance, towards the sea. The stretch of sand seems never ending but the Bay of Bengal has covered the sand in its entirety in some of its feisty moods, bringing home the intensity of its waves.

The Marina Beach often shows bioluminescence in the sea and I think that is really cool. I haven’t seen it yet but it is on my bucket list.

Fishing is one of the main sources of livelihood in Chennai. This picture shows a stretch of the Marina Beach lined with fishing boats and fishing nets.

The fisherfolk sit under umbrellas outside the beach and sell their fresh catch. Some of them even have small food shacks where they cook the various sea food delicacies and serve it on the spot. I did not have the time to try one of these shacks but it does look very tempting, especially since the catch is super fresh and there’s that homely authenticity to the whole dish.

Coming back full circle, these are fish from the sea, do you’re in for a flavourful treat.

hehe.

And that is a wrap,

Until next time.

Auf Wiedersehen