Chennai to Pondy (Part 3)

We sped past Christian churches -- many Catholic, many Pentecostal -- topped with a cross and done up in Indian-style decorations and colors.

If speeding is what it's called -- it felt like speeding, though I think it was only 90 kph -- beep, beep and passing the auto-ricks and the motorcycles and the crowded ECR buses.

As a means of speed control, the authorities have placed 'gates' across the road. A wall will be across the lane(s) on our side and then another wall will be across the oncoming lane(s) in thirty more feet, which requires us to slow down to an almost-stop and zig zag (gulp!) around the walls into oncoming lanes and back, taking order following some road courtesy algorithm that I haven't been able to decipher yet.

We sped through areas where tidal marshes crossed under the road and shallow water spread out on the right, and white sea birds soared, where traditional salt-making operations were in full swing, ladies in saris the color of tropical flowers bending over the ground as far as the eye can see, doing what they do to extract salt from water.

We sped past bus stops under large shade trees, seemingly in the middle of no where, where dozens of people stood waiting for their ride.

We sped past walled planned developments laid out in Western style grids, streets paved, central front gates locks, weeds growing up through the groundwork of someone's failed Big Idea.