Farewell to Kerala; Hello to Chennai! December 20th

 

The point of leaving the lovely Kerala beach and beautiful surroundings for a big, crazy, less beautiful city was to spend Christmas and New Year's with the lovely Ananda community here. There are a handful of Ananda centers scattered around India, all in the major cities, unfortunately... and Chennai was the closest one to fly to near a beach. (Hence, sea breezes and reasonably clean air!) So... I headed to the Trivandrum Airport early in the morning of the 20th. There in the airport, some kind folks took this photo of me next to this impressive Xmas tree and display! It seems so very strange, having Christmas in India, when it is so bright, sunny and warm! But...there you have it, Christmas must be celebrated! 

Since, on my previous domestic flights, I did not have any window seats, I decided to splurge this time, and paid the 400 rupees required to procure one. Here is the view, coming down into Chennai. 

Of course, the joke was on me: the guy in the middle seat next to me--having zero respect for my personal space OR the seat I paid extra for--leaned far over me to take photos and videos out the window. This is how close his hand was to my face!!! I was especially perturbed by that VERY scary-looking thumbnail! I wondered if he might stab me with it, should I protest this unpleasant intrusion! Isn't this just the sort of thing they SHOULD screen for when people go through security?!?!?!?

Yep, this is what I had to put up with through most of the 90 minute flight!!!

Equally surprising: He either took no notice of me photographing HIM (and his scary hand!) or simply didn't care. Truly bizarre, no?! But...that's India for you!!

When I arrived at the airport in Chennai, there was yet more drama. The first thing that happened was that my checked bag-- containing my large backpack and most of my worldly goods (necessary for my extensive traveling, anyhow)--did not show up with everyone else's. This is always a nagging fear-- that my luggage will be lost. It is positively heart-stopping, not to see it show up on that carousel! As it turns out, because it was a "strange" package with "unusual" dimensions, it was separated out from the rest of the passenger luggage. The airline (IndieGo) help desk showed me a picture of the missing bag-- my knees got weak with relief when I saw the photo. It was indeed my precious luggage! They brought it to me and I carted it outside to request an Uber pick up (yes, both Uber and Ola--the Indian version of Uber-- exist here in Chennai, and virtually all the major cities).  Problem was, no one informed me (why WOULD they, after all?!) that Uber rickshaws were not allowed to pick people up inside of the airport...there was a special pickup point just outside I needed to walk to. (I chose a rickshaw because it is always the cheapest ride, the coolest, and most fun!) When I finally was able to communicate with the driver and figure out where he was, I had to weave my way through a maze of vehicles and other obstructions to get to where he was. My combined stuff is heavy and combersome... having to run through an obstacle course in the intense heat and humidity of midday was really something! But I found the driver, thank God, and he took me on the 30 minute ride to my first Airbnb. (Only booked for 2 nights...was not my first choice, and the one I REALLY wanted was not available until the 22nd.) 

Heck of a good thing it WAS only for 2 nights!! It was SO spartan, SO closed in... only one tiny window in the wall--facing an alley--to allow any light in...it was akin to a prison cell! There was absolutely NOTHING about this place to give it any charm or character whatsoever. All I could say for it is that it was more or less quiet at night, and there was a good amount of shelf space. There was a VERY sparse kitchenette, missing most necessary cooking supplies, and a shared fridge just outside my door. The overhead fan had only one speed, and the toilet seat was unattached to the toilet and falling off! (And yet, this place had GOOD reviews!!! All of the owner's relatives, perhaps?!?!)  Oh, and the wifi was pretty bad... I could only get a strong enough signal to teach my lessons if I sat outside, next to fridge, and closer to the router. 

crazy, right??!? I nearly fell onto the floor when it slid off in the middle of the night... 

The kitchenette, just outside the bedroom. Notice the window there.. with a "nice view" of the kitchen!!! Ha ha ha!!!

The "lovely" scene of this guest house just outside my room... where I sat, next to the humming fridge, to conduct many of my online lessons. NOT pleasant at all...and this place was NOT a bargain: I paid the equivalent of about $18.50 per night, after factoring in the Airbnb fees. 

Thank goodness I was only there the two nights!! But wait, it gets both better AND worse after I moved... for more about that, you have to read my NEXT post!!!