Day 12: Tirupati to Mamallapuram (via Kanchipuram)

Distance Travelled: 190km
Total Distance Travelled: 3,305km
Driving Time: 6 hours

With the finish line in Pondicherry in sight we decided to ease off the pace a little and drop into a few sights along the way - although we decided that Mango World on the Tamil Nadu border was probably not high on the list. We drove along some beautiful roads to get to Kanchipuram where Amelia called us to a stop -- tempted by the guidebook's promise that "what Darjeeling is to tea and Cheddar is to cheese, Kanchipuram is to silk".

Heading off to wander around town we were plagued by Auto-Rickshaw drivers trying to offer us trips to the temples -- Joe took much enjoyment from their bemused faces as he showed them our keys and explained to them we were Auto drivers ourselves. We dropped into a couple of silk emporiums which had some beautifully coloured and patterned silk saris - which Amelia was particularly enamoured by. However, she resisted the temptation to add to her extensive collection of coloured fabrics from around the world.

Having almost reached temple saturation point we were enjoying just pacing the city's tranquil streets (making a rather pleasant change to the bumpy and noisy rickshaw journeys) and restricted ourselves to visit just one temple in the centre of town. There we were guided by a rather aggressive old man, who Amelia has down as a priest, who barged in front of worshippers at each shrine and ordered "picture - take one" before rushing us to the next. He did manage to cause much amusement after ordering Amelia to tie some wood to a tree - before telling her that it was a fertility tree and that it was now 100% sure she would have a baby in the next 12 months. Hummmm

Fleeing the heat of our stop in Kanchipuram we set off for the backpacker hot spot of Mamallapuram - a scenic beach resort with some shore-based temples and impressive stone works. With Pondicherry just100km away we were feeling confident of finishing and set down for a day of relaxation, some sea food and a well earned couple of drinks.