A Glimpse of Chennai

The 2nd part of our show with Jet airways brought us to Chennai ( Madras ). This time the flight was direct and took us three and a half hours. But alas, we only stayed there for a night. Jet airways were quite good actually. The flight attendants were pleasant and friendly. The hotel we stayed in was beautiful. Not quite completed but the rooms faced the Indian Ocean.

Our show was at the Taj's fisherman cove and the stage was facing the Indian Ocean as well. Although it was outdoors, the breeze from the ocean made the night cool and windy. The show was a success and the Indians were really enjoying themselves. The night sky over Chennai was clear and I was able to do a little star gazing.

After show, we drank, ate and danced with the guests till late. By the time we got back to the hotel it was past midnight. Slept for about 5 hours before I had to drag myself out of bed at 6am. The trip to the airport was about 90 minutes. It was one of the few overseas shows that I didn't have to spend much money. No time for sight seeing and shopping.. :)

I managed to take some shots of the city and I think Chennai, like Kolkata was underdeveloped. The streets were dusty and stone walls surrounding buildings were poorly taken care of. I noticed businesses were conducted alongside cows roaming free in the city. I also saw two men conducting a different kind of business. They were taking a leak by the roadside amidst the hustle and bustle of the smog filled city. Such bliss ... :) . Once the bus passed the city the roads were less dusty, noisy and polluted. And then I saw a pond filled with murky water and rotting leaves. Children were playing in the water and some women were washing their clothes there too. Holy...

The people in India were very nice and friendly. There was no rush to go anywhere fast and I got the feeling that they take each day as it comes without expecting too much in return.

On the way north to the airport as we were leaving Chennai, around 7am I saw a spectacular sight- the moon on my left about to dip behind the land and the rising sun on my right above the horizon. ( I haven't been up so early in a long while .. hahahah ) If only I had a camera equipped to take such a panoramic view !

100 rupees was about SGD$3.80