First Looks around Chennai

It was a long trek to finally get here. 14hrs to taiwan, 7.5hrs to dehli, then wait 4 hrs in dehli, then 3.5hrs to chennai.

Indira Ghandi Int'l Airport was incredibly unorganized. I waited for a shuttle from the international airport to the domestic airport with a swedish couple who had been waiting for 6hrs for the shuttle to the other airport. the ride took 20mins and then the other airport was chaos- I was surprised that they can move that number of people around with the confusion I can't even describe.

My first impression of Chennai was that it smelled exactly like Mozambique, which surprised me. It must be humid people and maybe decaying plants....but once I was out of the street, the buildings smelled much sweeter- everyone here burns incense, even in the shopping center. The main difference from other crowded cities in developing countries I have been in is that the streets and structures look the same except the billboards are for platinum, life insurance, and blackberries- it is obvious that the poor here are just as poor in Mozambique but there is a wealthy part of the society that was missing from there. Also- driving around is much more chaotic and frightening!
As i got in late, I just went to bed at the YWCA guesthouse- very nice and clean, friendly people that work there.

Today I had a nice breakfast at the guesthouse, got up, and went shopping- mostly to get my bearings and buy a cell phone. I think I will wander around today, try to adjust to the new time zone, and then prepare for a short field trip tomorrow to the stone temples at Mamallapuram.