When I last left off, we had left Mamallapuram and were on our way back to the ship, and in case anyone is wondering, the cow is still sacred in India and is allowed to walk around freely in many areas. Several of asked to be dropped off on the way back to the ship so we could shop. We were dropped off at Madras University and wanted to get to Spencer Plaza, so we grabbed an Auto Rickshaw .The prices have to be negotiated up front, or you will get delivered and demanded an outrageous price. We had been advised that 150-200 rupees was an appropriate price. We walked down a side street and asked a guy how much to Spencer Plaza. He said 50 and there were three of us, so this was the deal of the century. They usually quote the price for the trip no matter how many (1-3, maybe 4) people, and you have to make sure that is how they are quoting it.. Theresa, Nancy and I jumped in and were off. Did I mention that this was rush hour? Our guy seemed to be racing against the Rick that another group had gotten in. We wove in and out of traffic at what seemed like high speed and were only a couple of inches from the rick next to us many times. Think of racing a go-cart on a busy street. I think our guy probably would have done it for the fun. They cut the engine off when they are waiting for a light, and then pull up a stick on the side of them to re-start. Except for the gas and diesel fumes, it was a blast. He delivered us as promised, and we gave him a nice tip.
What can I say about Spencer Plaza? It's a multi-story shopping mall with a bazillion shops. We stopped first at Landmark Bookstore and ran into some SAS kids. I grabbed a couple of volumes that we needed for the library, and Nancy and Theresa went looking for some India clothing. They got a few things and I got some cookies and a shirt for the National Cricket Team sponsored by Sahara India, a big business.
Afterward, when we were ready to leave, we encountered the next hoard of tuk-tuk(autorick) drivers at the front door. They had feasted on the SAS kids and thought we would all want to pay premium prices. Nancy wanted to bargain, so we finally got on one for 200 rupees. Then, about a block away, he stopped and said he was going to take us to a shop of a friend--a favorite ploy that we already knew about. The drivers get a kick-back. "No, straight to the ship". "Then, 200 rupees each". "No, we agreed on 200 rupees, so let us out".(in not such a great place to be let out). Sullenly, he took us back to the ship, all the while saying we owed 200 rupees each. This was a dismal experience that everyone experienced at least once, and many people just caved.
We got back to the gate to the port after quite a circuitous route and paid the guy what we originally agreed. They seem to take the most advantage of women. The gate to the port was actually about half a mile to the ship and was a dirty, grimy, dark route with huge trucks coming by. The ship crew had prepared for the dirt by placing cardboard all over the carpet and covering some of the deck areas in "shrinkwrap plastic". We were glad to finally get back.
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