Browsing tag:

Chennai Tourism

Pondicherry India Tourism: Auroville
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Pondicherry India Tourism: Auroville

Before traveling to Chennai, India, I had no idea what "Auroville" was. I thought the best tourist attraction in the area was the Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chennai...but Auroville did WOW us and not in the typical way that tourist attractions do either! Auroville is a city where a small cult of followers  worship a woman who calls herself The Mother. But shhhh...we don't talk about it, because there's NO ...
Pondicherry India Tourism: Chennai to Pondicherry Train
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTrips

Pondicherry India Tourism: Chennai to Pondicherry Train

In 2016, we took a train to Pondicherry from Chennai when we decided to visit Auroville, one of the places to visit in Pondicherry. The train ride was about 5 hours long, and Auroville itself was a short distance from the Pondicherry train station by taxi (there are plenty of cabs and tuk tuks waiting outside the train station). This video follows our adventure on the Indian train from Chennai to ...
Pondicherry India Tourism: People on the Train from Chennai to Pondicherry
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Pondicherry India Tourism: People on the Train from Chennai to Pondicherry

This video provides just a brief snapshot of the social situation on an Indian train from Chennai to Pondicherry in 2016. We were on this train for almost 5 hours, and we enjoyed every minute when there weren't as many passengers (while still trying to observe the unique social environment the rest of the time). We had booked a taxi to take us from Pondicherry back to Chennai instead of taking the train ...
Pondicherry India Tourism: Jennifer on Clothes and Not Sad Kid
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Pondicherry India Tourism: Jennifer on Clothes and Not Sad Kid

On the train from Chennai to Pondicherry, we saw a lot of things out the train window. In this video, Jennifer expresses some of her thoughts on women's clothing and other passengers on the train.Related Posts:Pondicherry India Tourism: Lost in Translation with John (video)Pondicherry India Tourism: People on the Train from Chennai to Pondicherry (video)Pondicherry India Tourism: Chennai to ...
Chennai Tourism: Waiting for a Taxi at 5am in Chennai
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Chennai Tourism: Waiting for a Taxi at 5am in Chennai

While waiting at 5am for a taxi to take us to the Egmore train station in Chennai for our trip to Pondicherry, we interacted with a thin (but sweet) black puppy outside our vacation rental.Related Posts:Pondicherry India Tourism: Lost in Translation with John (video)Pondicherry India Tourism: Chennai to Pondicherry Train (video)Pondicherry India Tourism: Auroville (video)Chennai, India ...
Pondicherry India Tourism: Lost in Translation with John
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Pondicherry India Tourism: Lost in Translation with John

We visited southern India in August 2016. While taking a taxi from Pondicherry back to Chennai, John had an interesting (but barely intelligible) conversation with our taxi driver. Poor John always gets stuck in these sorts of strange people situations...Related Posts:Pondicherry India Tourism: Auroville (video)Pondicherry India Tourism: Chennai to Pondicherry Train (video)Chennai Tourism: ...
Chennai Tourism: Early Morning in the City
AsiaChinaEast Asia

Chennai Tourism: Early Morning in the City

Traveling from the U.S. to India or any other destination on the other side of the planet always gives us extreme jet lag for 3 to 5 days. Now that we've traveled enough to know better, we try to stay in and take it easy for the first 3 to 5 days of our trip. In this video, John was AWAKE at 3:00 AM so he took a video of the sounds in Chennai, India. ...
India Tourism: A Soap Opera Before Bed in Chennai
AsiaChinaEast Asia

India Tourism: A Soap Opera Before Bed in Chennai

It can be tempting to turn on something familiar when we travel, but the offerings on TV are often pretty illuminating in terms of the culture. Soap operas even have some slight variations from culture-to-culture, though they're always kind of gushy, all across the world. This video shows a quick clip of an Indian soap opera that we watched during dinner in Chennai, India. ...
Chennai Tourism: Little Girls Learning Traditional Dance
AsiaChinaEast AsiaHotel

Chennai Tourism: Little Girls Learning Traditional Dance

There were all kinds of classes that took place in the parking lot under our building in Chennai, India. In this video, three little girls work diligently on a traditional Indian dance in their barefeet in a parking spot. It's thought-provoking to see people use the space they've been given to do amazing things. ...
Chennai Food: John Talks about the Garlic
AsiaChinaEast AsiaFood

Chennai Food: John Talks about the Garlic

It always amazes us how different the food is when we travel. U.S. mangos are not even similar to the mangos in Nepal, for example. They look the same, but they taste completely different. In this video, John talks about the way the garlic smells and tastes there. ...
Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part III
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part III

In this video, John captures some of the chaos from the front of an intracity bus in Chennai, India. Related Posts: Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part II (video) Chennai Tourism: India Traffic through a Fish-Eye Lens (video) Driving ...
Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part II
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTrips

Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part II

The traffic in Chennai, India was better than in Delhi, but still crazy. John was lucky enough to get to sit at the front of the bus next to the driver on our way back home after visiting the Kapaleeswarar Temple. Related Posts: Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic ...
Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTripsUncategorized

Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus

John got seated at the front of the bus next to the driver on way back to our vacation rental in Chennai, India. We don't know why he got this "special treatment"...maybe because earlier he accidently sat on the wrong side of the bus on our way to Kapaleeswarar Temple. Related Posts: A Day in Chennai: Walking to Kapaleeswarar Temple (video) Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus ...
Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTrips

Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus

We didn't even  notice that men and women were segregated on different sides of the bus in Chennai. When we first boarded, we stood, but when it was time to take our seats, John sat on the wrong side. Related Posts: Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus Part II (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India ...
Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers Part II
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers Part II

These random street drummers in Chennai seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. It looked like they were probably there for a special event, but we couldn't tell for sure. Related Posts: A Day in Chennai: Walking to Kapaleeswarar Temple (video)Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers (video) ...
Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers

In Chennai, we went for a walk to Kapaleeswarar Temple and on our way, we saw these drummers. It looked like it was a special event, but we couldn't tell exacty what was going on or why the drummers were there. Related Posts: A Day in Chennai: Walking to Kapaleeswarar Temple (video) Chennai Tourism: Street Drummers Part II (video) ...
Intracity Bus in Chennai, India
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Intracity Bus in Chennai, India

John got a front row seat on this bus in Chennai, India where he was able to get a good view of the Indian traffic and some excellent footage... Related Posts: A Day in Chennai: Walking to Kapaleeswarar Temple (video) Chennai Tourism: John Sits on the Wrong Side of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the Front of the Bus (video) Chennai Tourism: View of India Traffic from the ...
Buses in Chennai, India
AsiaIndiaSouth Asia

Buses in Chennai, India

Taking a bus in Chennai, India is easy. Bus stops are easy to identify, though each one looks a little different from the next. Most are located under an awning of some kind. Some have benches, some do not.

It can get pretty hot on the bus in the middle of the day when it fills to capacity, but that shouldn’t discourage you. The windows and doors remain open and so there’s usually a bit ...
Twelve Cold Showers — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTrips

Twelve Cold Showers — By Jennifer Shipp

Our vacation rental in Chennai is fully equipped with all the latest amenities. It has a reverse osmosis water purification system. The furnishings are comfortable. We have air conditioning throughout. The pillows are acceptably soft, but not too soft. And there’s a washer and a dryer. But one of the things it doesn’t have is hot water. Which means that every day, I take a cold shower.
<br ...
Probably Lentils and Sri Lankan Planes: U.S. to India Jetlag — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaIndiaSouth AsiaTipsTrips

Probably Lentils and Sri Lankan Planes: U.S. to India Jetlag — By Jennifer Shipp

Every now and then, I feel the world turning under my feet and I go off balance; something nameless seems terribly wrong. It’s not an earthquake though. No--even though John and Lydi feel it too. It feels like I’m on a connection that’s too slow and my eyes are dropping frames. My body moves, but my mind lingers behind. But it’s nothing… just jetlag.

I remember driving through olive ...
Bruised Banana