Chennai & environs

Laura and I have found the Atlanta of India: the city of Chennai. A bustling, sprawling metropolis, it is one of the cultural meccas of the south (it claims to be the cultural center of India, but don't tell it's northern rival, Kolkata). It's a city of neighborhoods without a center, where old world (and I mean OLD world -- this is where the Ramayana was written down over 3000 yrs ago) meets the new (last night we had dinner at a friend's house; we know her from Reed College and her father runs his own marketing PR firm with clients such as Volkswagon).

Further comparisons: it's hot and humid down here; the city is known for its cuisine & vibrant culture; there's the French colony town of Pondicherry (a la New Orleans) nearby, some great beaches, rich intellectual scene coupled with a more conservative religious sensibility -- but then Hinduism is a religion that accentuates and celebrates diversity of being.

Lonely Planet is rather disparaging, saying this is a tourist un-friendly city with hassling rickshaw drivers. But all in all we've found it to be quite fun. The rickshaw drivers have been pleasant (only one bad encounter out of a dozen or so rides), the food has been excellent (lots of seafood, too!), and the city lazes along through the heat and humidity. Not a bad show, at all.

"So why is Lonely Planet so critical?" Laura asked over dinner in Pondicherry the other night. After a brief pause she realized: "Oh, it's because it's geared towards Europeans. They're used to small, walkable cities."

"Not our sprawling American ones," I agreed.

"So you have to drive everywhere. So what? Get over it."

It's a really fun town when you crack the surface. Though, come to think of it, I've run into an unusual number of American tourists here. Birds of a feather.