Christopher here safely
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2004
1
38
59
Trip End
Jul 14, 2005
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Chennai, India
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
to Chennai airport a 2 1/2 hour ride away. Christopher arrived right on time in surprisingly good condition. We went out to the parking lot where I had left the taxi
driver who had brought me from Auroville. He wanted to wait an hour and a half to get an
extra $2.50 fare. So we went around the parking lot and found a Tata Indica and waited there. The cab driver was no where to be seen. I put my hands on Christopher's shoulders
and said "Stay here" and went and looked. Couldn't find him. We wait some more. Maybe he's off gambling with the other cabdrivers? I tell christopher "I'll go look to see if there's another Tata Indica. There's only about 4 kinds of car here so maybe he's somewhere else?" I went and looked but to no avail. Finally, we had given a deadline of eight minutes to go and get another cab when a family showed up with suitcases at the Indica we were waiting behind. I said to Christopher, "Just nonchalently get up and walk away." So I started whistling that song you whistle when you're trying to be nonchalent.
It seems like everyone whistles the same tune for some reason.
Anyway, when we walked away whistling the nonchalent whistling tune we seemed to walk
straight to the cab and woke up the red eyed cabdriver and headed out. When we got to the hotel there were workmen in front jack hammering the road just in front of the hotel lobby. Since it was 2 a.m. it seemed reasonable to assume that this might go on all night, so we asked for a room at the back of the hotel and it was certainly in the back.
I think we're in a different area code than the front desk. One thing interesting about this particular hotel is that you get your room for 24 hour increments so we actually have the room till 2 a.m. on friday morning. (even though we are leaving tomorrow night,
i.e. thursday, around 7 p.m.). Works out great for us.
I'm amazed at how nonplused Christopher is with the traffic here but maybe he is just
in a jet lag haze. He hasn't made a facial expression yet or covered his eyes once!
This morning we went to the train station first thing and were able to get sleeper
berths on the thursday train to Kochin, Kerala. I was amazed how easy it was and have to thank Petra from Auroville for giving me good information about how to get a tourist quota ticket. So we are all set. More photos tomorrow.
