We had a long, long, long layover in Kuala Lumpur on our way to India. So we tried to stay busy.
 |
| Alina starting to lose it. |
At last, we are in India! These are our first impressions: the immigration officer at the airport instantly hated us. First, he didn't recognize our hotel on the immigration form so he forced us to recheck it (it was right) and stand in line again. When we came back, he decided he did not like that we used green pen to fill in the form (although this had not changed from his first inspection of the form) and he sent us back again. We changed agents and all went well. Then, we had trouble finding the train station because it is in a shady alley behind a stadium, behind a park that is behind the airport. It was terrifying. Finally, in the train to downtown Chennai, a gang of trannies pinched our faces.
When we got off the train, Chennai looked like a war zone, and locals were starring at us in a way that felt somewhat intimidating (We have learnt since then that Indians unfortunately do not have the ability to stare inconspicuously at people). Oh, and also when we woke up the next morning, the city was flooded. So, NO, we did not have a great first impression.
 |
| This is Chennai... |
 |
| Really, this is what the entire city looks like |
 |
| A good sign |
We had no choice but to sleep in Chennai, and we escaped from there first thing in the morning. Our next stop was Pondicherry, a 3-hour bus ride south along the coast.
It is difficult to describe the driving situation in India. Imagine that you are travelling in an old, beat-up vehicle at a very high speed on a narrow road. Coming straight at you is another vehicle, at full speed. Both drivers start to honk repeatedly. On either side of the cars/tuk-tuks are pedestrians, cows, trees, dogs, goats, motorbikes, pot holes, and other vehicles. You see your life flash before your eyes. The honking gets louder. Then - with inches remaining between your car and death - a small opening miraculously appears between the cattle and people on the shoulder of the road and one of the vehicles - your own or the one about to hit you - swerves to go around the other. Repeat this process 1000 times over the course of the drive.
 |
| Lol! (lower right picture on left billboard) |
But, we arrived safe and sound in Pondicherry. Pondicherry is a beachside town with a mix of French colonial and unmistakably Indian flavors. The old center has some cute streets bearing names like those of the Quartier Latin in Paris, and the seafront is a very happening scene, where locals like to take a stroll. It is not exactly Deauville, but it is nice regardless.
 |
| We were welcomed to Pondicherry by this dog threesome |
 |
| Jeremy Petunia Boubou Babeh Baguette Little Buddy Katzenson |
 |
| Sunset stroll |
 |
| Ghandi and Alina, which is which? |
Our next stop was Madurai, home of the spectacular Meenakshi Amman temple. We got there with our first of many rides on the legendary Indian Railways. It was really comfortable, less terrifying than the bus for sure, and we even managed to hold a book club meeting.
Madurai itself is a chaotic, bustling city. Its downtown seems like a very real, accurate example of urban life outside of India's man metropolises. The structures are in bad shape, the people extremely diverse but what struck us most was certainly the amount of poverty. So many people look like they've spent their lives hungry, and it's not the occasional homeless person, but even the working poor - the pedicab drivers and street cleaners - that are strikingly in need of help and food. The other thing that struck us was how kind and friendly people were. If for example, we hesitated for a moment about which way to walk, someone would come over and offer us help.
 |
| This is a toilet that supermodels go to |
 |
| Fruit bar :) |
 |
| Indian coffee is the BEST (well, second best after SCM coffee from Vietnam) |
 |
| Jeremy looks really good drinking it |
Since most of the buildings are no more than 3 stories, it's quite a sight to see the Meenakshi temple towering over the low city. The temple is dedicated to Parvati, also known as Meenakshi, consort to Shiva, obviously. The temple was really cool except they make you take off your shoes. We were apprehensive because the floor was moist and brown and soon we found out that cow poo is smeared all over the floors, for the obvious reason of disinfecting. Yes, cow poop = disinfectant. We know...
Jeremy and Alina,
Namaste
Disclaimer- This blog post may contain cow poop
