Bandipur to Pondicherry

Thursday, June 12, 08
Breakfast and then off on the pot-holed road. Driving on the dirt shoulder is faster than staying on the road. After 20 km, we finally hit a respectable road. Well, somewhat respectable. The climb through the Ghats is gentle with a hair-pin descent on the east side. India has little respect for nature and less for the environment. This may be slowly changing. But, the cutting of large old trees, which line the roads, is a painful sight. Trash is thrown out with little regard for the consequences. Piles of everything are everywhere.
We pass old forgotten temples eroding from ages of neglect and fields of sugar cane, bananas, corn and sunflowers. Our driver enters towns at 60 km/hr and may slow to 30 weaving and dodging cows, carts, pedestrians, motorbikes, and grumbles when he is stopped.
Ten hours of this, my fingernail marks are in the seat in front of me, and we arrive back in Pondicherry. I'm in the Park Guest House, bottom floor, room 42. Rate per night is Rs 200 ($5). On the ocean front, this GH is within 100 ft of the crashing waves. The smell of saltwater is obvious. The crash of the surf sounds even over the whirl of the ceiling fan.