Outside Chennai, heading south along the coast, there is a fairly large and well-known temple complex from the 14th century. While there are impressive buildings to visit there, the Indian business sense follows you at every turn: you need a guide to escape the hordes of beggars and traders. The guide not only leads you through the complex, but also to his friend/relative/whatever, who is supposedly a student of the very well-known stonemasonry school and his pieces are therefore very cheap. Well, they are actually cheap, but only after at least half an hour of haggling.

From Mahabs, the short name for tourists, we went back towards Chennai. There, right on the beach, is the resort “Fisherman's Cove”: a luxury resort that hardly any Indian can afford. For Europeans (and employees of large Indian companies ) just about affordable, you get a lime juice and a warm washcloth with scented oil as a welcome - for check-in, of course. This takes place under Casablanca fans in wicker chairs; with a view of the swimming pool, where white tourists are just turning into red ones. This evening I was able to eat grilled red snapper on the beach - pure luxury at 25°C and with a cool wine. I'm not leaving here for the next two days and don't have to fly on to Bangalore until Monday morning.