Home Sweet Home

---

I've been in Chennai for a month now and it's starting to feel like home. I thought I would send a few pictures of my new city 😊 With a population of about 6.4 million, Chennai is one of the larger cities in South India but it still manages to feel like a village. The locals are traditional and friendlier than a lot of people I've met in other parts of India. Many of the men wear the traditional lungi (something similar to a sarong tied around their waist) and it's rare to see older women in anything but saris. Alcohol is frowned upon and religious devotion is a huge part of society with mundirs and temples on every street.

Chennai sits on the east coast of India next to the Bay of Bengal. Most of the time, the air is hot, muggy, and dusty. The only respite from the heat is the cool breeze that blows right before the rain appears. Unfortunately, the rain only lasts for a short while and the heat returns with a vengeance! While northern India is being devoured by moonsoons, southern India has had precious little rain. Apparently, the heavy rains start in September in Chennai. All in all, it's been a wonderful month so far - hopefully we'll be able to do some more traveling in the coming weeks. Hope all is well in your part of the world 😊

---

Photos

Mangoes!!
It's mango season in India - I've never seen so many mangoes in my life. They're everywhere!

Marina Beach
The local beach

A not-so-sunny day at the beach
Just as we were leaving, drops of rain pelted us from above.

Lush fields of Tamil Nadu
I took this picture from the train on our way back from Secunderabad.

Pondy Bazaar
The shopping area down the road

Comments

[Bapsy]

Chennai.......
Hi Jen, good to see all the pictures of Chennai. Those mangoes look good... think of us when you eat them. Have fun and keep sending your blogs.

[Phillip]

Hi
Hi Jen, Chennai looks awesome. Glad to hear you're enjoying settling down :) Is it the calm before another world-wide tour? California is still on fire this week, so we've been living with hazy skies and smoke. It was still a relatively warm 4th, though. Hooray for independence! Keep blogging and stay safe :)