The warm south

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Well the 27 hour train ride wasn't bad at all. It is much better than plane rides of the same length. You can lay out flat, stand up and walk around, sit, and the bathrooms are very large compared to planes. I have been really impressed with the passenger train system. We need a similar system in the US. The Amtrak system is just too expensive and doesn't stop in enough cities. We arrived in the much warmer southern city of Chennai yesterday evening and got our first glimpse at the ocean bordering India. Chennai is on the Bay of Bengal which is one of the three bodies of water surrounding India. We haven't seen any effects of the Tsunami yet. The coastal area seems to be in good shape. This is rather suprising; we were expecting to see some of the destruction. We aren't having much luck with the Tsunami relief organization. The guy we talked to this morning wasn't as enthusiastic about us coming. But maybe things will work out. We both had a terrible rest last night. A paving crew was working outside our window all night and we were constantly awoken. Hopefully a relaxing day at the beach will cure our aching bodies.

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Photos

Chennai Sunset
The sunset from the rooftop of our hotel.