In a complete change of pace from the quickly cooling North, Katey is now in tropical warmth of Chennai! Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the capital of Tamil Nadu, one of the most Southern states of India. It is Katey’s first trip to this part of India, and she’s looking forward to exploring the area over the next few days.
Her first day in the city was a bit frustrating as the city is partially flooded due to unseasonably late rains in combination with a wide spread road construction. She also had some difficulties with the post office, but things were able to be resolved after some translation issues were resolved.
To close out the day, Katey made her way down to Marina Beach to watch the sunset over the city while the moon rose over the ocean. Marina Beach is the longest natural urban beach (8.1 miles long) in India, and the second longest in the world. The average width of the beach is 1000 feet. It attracts an average of 30,000 people a day to its sandy stretches. Katey particularly enjoyed watching the water buffaloes make their way back from the shore as well as the puppies and the children playing cricket. Tomorrow she begins checking out the handicrafts, so stay tuned!
