Taj Connemara Chennai (Madras)

Just wanted to check in quickly to say we arrived safely in Chennai this morning. Our latest hotel is unbelievable!! I think I may have hit my saturation point for luxury. Anyway, we hit the streets tomorrow so I'll be getting a more realistic view soon enough.

By the way, a few of the teachers FINALLY went out dancing tonight- lots of hip-hop mixed with Indian pop... just what the doctor ordered!

More tomorrow...

Today is glorious! A day off for the group, plus my roommate offered me her computer for the afternoon, so I have peace and quiet and free access to Microsoft Word (the pressure of getting everything typed up while you're paying for computer access by the half hour can make blogging a lot less fun).

Anyway- there’s a lot to catch up on… it’s Sunday morning and I’ve been in Chennai (India’s fourth-largest city) since Friday. Here are some highlights:
chennai, Tamil Nādu, India jameybarrows

Today was absolutely LOVELY- my best day yet. I jumped straight to the computer after returning home from dinner- I don't want to leave anything out!

The turning point came early this morning as I walked with the group through the spectacular Hindu temples in Chennia’s Mylapore neighborhood. I felt relaxed and comfortable taking off my shoes (for the umpteenth time this summer) to walk through a courtyard where I knew thousands and thousands of people walk barefoot everyday (I...

We arrived in Chennai today - our fourth city. I was nervous about flying and the airports in India, especially during the monsoon season, but it has turned out to work just fine. Our flights have been on time for the most part and very smooth. They serve a meal with every flight. I never thought I'd get Indian food while on an airplane, and it's actually not so bad. Chennai is crazy hot. The hottest it's been so far, and we're right on the coast so it's crazy humid. It's like 95 degrees and ...

Our tour guide for this city is super annoying. He talks just like Dr. Evil (but ten times slower) and is an albino Indian so he carries this weird umbrella everywhere. We went to a dance school, and another high school. Both were great to see. The dance school you could compare to our Julliard. They specialize in ancient and traditional Indian dance, music, and art. Visiting the school really made me think about how rich in culture and history India is, and how sometimes that seems missing f...

India is a land of extremes. There is extreme wealth and extreme poverty. There are extremely nice people and extremely not nice people. I have heard some stories all over the continuum of good vs. bad experiences. I am really glad I didn't go on one of the big trips to the Taj. Some were moved by the poverty and others couldn't get past the filth and disgust to feel anything. I was sheltered for 3 days so I wasn't bothered but if I had been I think I would have felt similarly. A speaker told...