Mahabs and Pondicherry

After a few days in Chennai we ventured down the coast to Mahabs (Mahabalipuram) where there are ancient stone carvings and a shore temple. It would have cost us $5 to see the temple, so we opted to just see the stone carvings. It was a rainy day, but we got some great pics of Ryan and the kids on this huge stone hill with a boulder (if you can call it that) named Krishna's Butter Ball.

Further down the coast was Pondicherry, a former French colony. This is where a lot of pottery and paper is made. I have very few pictures of our time here since a lot of the places we went were affiliated with an ashram where photography wasn't allowed, but I did get a few shots of the house where we stayed and of one of the rooftop restaurants we ate at on January 6th. It just happened to be my grandma's birthday, so I ordered Quiche Lorraine in her honor (since her name is Lorraine). It was wonderful!

Singing in the Wind

Whoever wrote the song "Singin' in the Rain" obviously never met Addie, because she prefers to sing in the wind. We went up to St. Thomas Mount in Chennai where it is reported that Thomas the disciple, and first missionary to India, fled for his life just before being martyred. The church has a large shrine there with several monuments and statues. Addie found a good spot to sit where she could overlook the city, and gave a great concert - much to the amusement of several Indian families. I was too busy taking pictures to realize that her concert was taking place on the statue stand of the Pope! I hope no one was offended.

More Pics of Queensland

Here are a few more pictures of our time at Queensland and the Pleasant Days Resort. We spent 2 nights here just relaxing, and it was such a treat! The park had rides (both dry and water) and then we ended the day with a cable car ride over the park.

Chennai

Just after New Year's we took the overnight train to Chennai (on the southeastern coast of India) to spend a few days with our friends Lydia and Judah (they live in Ooty, but were on holiday with Lydia's family). Lydia's parents graciously let us stay in their home, and Lydia was an excellent tour guide of the city. Some of the highlights were visiting a snake park, playing in the ocean, going to an amusement/water park, shopping, and just relaxing with friends. Ryan also led worship in Lydia's brother's church on Sunday, and then sang in one of the english services at New Life Church (the largest church in Chennai). I'll post several pictures with captions so you can get a taste of our adventures.

The kids at the entrance to the amusement/water park called Queensland. We had such a great day!

Addie getting a lesson on how to drive a bumper car. It was funny to us that she was trying to explain to a 3 year old how to drive, and even funnier that she was doing it in Tamil.

At the water park playing in the wave pool. Addie wasn't all that impressed with the ocean waves, but she kind of liked the calm side of the pool. Also, here's a pic of the "baby bump".

On St. Thomas Mount overlooking the city.

Lauren: "I'm so glad I wore a ponytail!"

Judah: "Are my eyes open?"

Brenna: "Why did I even bother brushing my hair?!"

Addie playing with Judah and his cousin.

Playing in the sand - lots of fun, but a huge mess to clean up!

It's been a busy month!

We've had a great few weeks off of school, but I haven't been very good about updating our blog. I'll post some pictures over the next few hours so you can see what we've been up to!