More adventures from Chennai

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So an update on our adventures...

I've been doing work most of the week and visiting research partners. I went to a private hospital on Tuesday. I've never ever seen so many patients in one place. They were lined up against walls, all the chairs were full. The hospital was very clean and very organised which they would have to be with that many people coming and going.

I also went to an engineering college. I had to give a lecture and it was until I got there that I found out it was in front of 120 staff and students. They seemed to like it and it all went well. We had lunch at the college. I was a bit confused at first because one of the professors and I got sat by ourselves at a table covered in butchers paper and had to eat of banana leaves. I finally figured out that it was because we were eating meat! Made sense once I figured it out but at first I was real confused 😊.

This morning we had to go and get some more water from the supermarket. Caught an autorickshaw to the shopping centre and negotiated a price prior to leaving. Got top the centre 10 mins before the shop was to open however it didn't open until an hour and a half after it was supposed to. Finally got what we wanted and set back to the hotel. I had two fights with the driver on the way back. He wanted to take me to all these different shops, where he would receive commission, obviously. I won though. Paid him extra for waiting for me at the shops. It is quite handy being stubborn and in India!

Tomorrow we meet up with Justin and go to Ooty. Then off to Coimbatore on Monday, Mudurai Tuesday and back to Chennai Wednesday for conference Thurs, Fri, Sat. Fly home Saturday 8th!!!! Hard to believe it's been 3 weeks. One week to go. I know it's time to go home when I run out of toothpaste!

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