Blogs from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia - page 9

The decision was rather sudden, and probably had no rational thought behind it whatsoever, and yet it felt perfectly right at the moment. Maybe it's something to do with the end of the year syndrome... everyone wants to start the year with a bang... with something new, something different, something that marks the beginning of a new year for them. Some choose parties, some choose drives and I was among those who choose a vacation. But the decision to choose Chennai was rather odd, because I was looking at going to Goa or some place like that... not that I have any regrets, in fact it was one of the best vacations I have had in a long time... After a rickety and bumpy bus ride, I got down at my destination with a stiff back ... read more

Rick Shaw Challenge Oct 12 - 22, Chennai to Hyderabad Oct 14, 2010 _ Chennai India - 33degrees Celsius We safely arrived in Chennai just before midnight without any problems! The flight was smooth, the food was amazing and of course having the advantage of going Business allowed us to be well rested! Arriving in Chennai, we already sense the chaos that will await us outside the airport. We immediately recognize the "Crazy Canucks" sign and welcoming team, Princley and Ahmed who take us straight to our hotel about 20 minutes away. We've been booked into Comfort Motel in Egmor, a sub-burb of Chennai. Clean and welcoming. October 15, 2010 Up and ready to welcome India! Because we drove in at night to our hotel, we both anxiously looked outside the window to take it in. ... read more

Oct 2 - 12, 2010 - Toronto to Chennai Well, its that time of year again! I'm about to head off on a 2 month trip to India and Nepal. This is my first trip to this part of the world. My girlfriend, Shelly, will be joining me in India for the first three weeks, and then returns to Canada. I will then fly to Kathmandu, to spend the next 5 weeks touring Nepal and the Himalayas. Many people have asked me how I plan these trips. Do I use a travel agent? Is there a tour company involved? Isn't it going to be dangerous? Are you concerned about your safety? What about your health? Well, I don't claim to be a travel expert. Up until recently, most of my travel was business related, and as ... read more

So after a night of frantic packing and organising the apartment, the day had arrived to set off to India. A comfortable (!) 5am start to catch the train down to Frankfurt (with a near missed connection at Leipzig just to keep the excitement levels up!) and some 550Km and 5 hours later (which, I suspect, is possibly the quickest I will be able to travel overland for some time!) I'm sitting in the Emirates business lounge enjoying some small canopies, and quite possibly a small glass of champagne. 6 hours to Dubai, and then 4 hours on to Chennai (unslept, but strangely energised - maybe just from the adrenaline of what was to come!) I emerged from the luxury of my flight into Chennai International Airport. Instantly, from stepping off the plane, my nostrils were ... read more

I'm out at night with Sudah riding in the back of a rickshaw and of course its raining. I'm used to how this feels by now. Its not exciting anymore. I've stopped starring at everything around me. How do you get to the point where vastitudes of homeless curled up on the sidewalks doesn't phase you? How do you not notice the cows causing a traffic jam? How do you not notice all the men peeing in the street? How do you not notice all the stinkin' trash everywhere? Why doesn't it make me uncomfortable to be constantly starred at? I think I've gotten....used to it. Sudah asked me that night, "Do you ever feel scared Andrea?" The first thing I think is, "Why is she asking me this? No, I'm not scared. Should I be ... read more