I had a very strong WiFi signal in the airport. I got online and saw that Stephen Hird was signed on already. I got his user name and used vSee to videocall with him. It was pretty cool to be sitting in the airport in India and to be watching a video call with a co-worker in Phoenix Arizona. Pretty cool stuff.

So here’s a parting shot of India.

So, I asked a taxi how much he would charge to get me back to the airport. He said that he wasn’t working right now and told me to move on. I walked out and stopped to talk to the police officer out front. I asked her where I could go and get money exchanged, or find a bank. She asked me how much money I had, so….. I LIED!!! I was wearing a money belt with my passport and about $140.00 dollars in it. I said, “I’ve got $20.00″.

I reminded her that the exchange rate was 40:1 and she said that she would give me 30:1. Then she gathered the money together and handed it to some other guy so that he could exchange it with me. BUT, she only had590 rupees. Oh well, it was better than I had. So then the taxi driver who was standing there watching the whole thing offered to only charge me 250 rupees to take me sight seeing. I asked the officer if he was being fair and she chewed him out a bit, then he offered to do it for 200. (Don’t I look hot and…sweaty?)

And with that, WE’RE OFF!!!

I didn’t get a lot of photos of this adventure, but I did get lots of video. We went to the beach and I thought that I have to go into the water. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in. The beach was littered with garbage and people. I’m pretty sure that I was the only white person there. There were quite a few beggars that started following me at the beach.

My feet were totally sandy, so I wasn’t ready to put my shoes on. My taxi driver said that we were going to a temple and that I should just keep them off. I was so scared of stepping on a piece of glass or something. We made it to the temple and the priest (or yogi I’m not sure what the right title is) invited me up on the platform. He said a chant, up flowers around my neck, and then ash on my forehead. He then put out the plate for me to make a money offering. So, I reached in my bag and grabbed a coin to drop in the plate. It was a 1 pound coin from my England trip.

I look like I just won the Derby!!!

So I made it! There was a main road that went back to a dead end. To the right was the zoo animals, and to the left was this curb and then a bunch of garbage and rubble where the cars were parked leading into a dense forest area.

I sat outside the snake house fanning myself and drinking my water. I was still worried about my lack of funds. I was thinking that making it to the park was probably a good enough accomplishment so I would spend the last of my cash on getting back to the airport (and waiting for a few hours till my flight left). BUT, here I was, at the snake house, it only cost 5 rupees (but I might need that to try and get back to the airport). Well, I decided to pay. and go in. They guy stopped me and said that I had to pay 10 rupees if I was taking any photo equipment in. Well, I just couldn’t part with another 5 rupees but I couldn’t NOT take a some photos. Oh, right so the exchange rate is 40 rupees to 1 US dollar, but if you don’t have enough money, what little you have becomes very valuable.

Ah, this photo of the snake house was taken from my seated position on the curb.

Um, this was the first thing I saw of interest. I pulled my camera out to take a photo (5 RUPEES!!!) and the thing jumped into the water liked greased lightning!!! It was kinda scary. Most of the exhibits weren’t put together very well so I had a certain concern about the stability of the fence. So I moved on.

They were just sitting there = slightly less scary. So I left.

This cute little not-reptilian specimen cozied right up anybody with food.

I shot some video here too.

So I had an 8 hour layover in Chennai (again). I went over to the tourist desk and asked what I could do. The guy at the counter was quite helpful. He said, “Go across the street and take the train for 4 Rupees. Then get a 3 wheel taxi for 30 Rupees and go to the national park. Then take another taxi to the beach and up the coast. Then get on the train and come back to the airport.”

It sounded pretty good, but I didn’t check how much money I had in my pocket before I took off. The taxis were swarming all over me. I made it across the street (ummm, scary!), and onto the train. I got off and decided that I would just walk. Heheheh, “It doesn’t look too far on the map.”

Right before I took this picture, so school girls stopped me. They asked where I was from and where I was going. They advised me that it was probably too far to walk to the park. One girl said, “Look at you, you’re so white. So cute.” Then she pinched my cheek. They said, “Don’t forget us”, I offered to take a picture with them and they all ran away.

So, I was hounded by another taxi. He wanted me to pay 60 Rupees for a ride to the park. I counted my money and I only had 55 rupees, but I still needed money to get back to the airport. The taxi driver said, “How much money do you make in the states? And you come here with only 55 rupees? sheeesh!!” Then he left me. I had to cross the road again, but this time there were many more lanes. There was a girl walking across at the same time, so I just waited and walked across when she did.

I walked for quite some time. I was smart enough to have some water with me. I was rationing it for my hike. I was carrying my backpack and pulling the video camera with me. It was very hot! I stopped after awhile and asked a traffic officer how much further. He said, “Not much farther, just about 1 more Kilometer”. Hmpft!!! Whatever that means!! I think that the trip to the park was over 2 kilometers.

I wasn’t sure how much further that I had to go, but I found this Temple and I stopped to take a photo for a bit.

So I landed in Chennai, again. I had about 8 hours to do, something. Well, that something started with a trip to the toilet. I decided to use the stall labeled “WWC”. I’m assuming that stands for “Western Water Closet”. The other toilet were, ah, they were what we used to call squatters. So, the first thing I noticed was the nice little sanitary spray to clean off the seat. But…

It just wouldn’t be a toilet without a hose to clean off your backside. I just don’t like walking into the stall to find water all over the floor.

When Helen and I first landed in Coimbatore she commented that if felt like we arrived in Hawaii.

Hey look! I’m in the airport!!!

Ok, so on the road in India, you honk your horn A LOT!! The protocol is to let the other drivers know where you’re at so they don’t run you off the road. Some of the service and larger vehicles have “Sound Horn” printed on the back.

So, if you work for the power company you have to be good at untangle knots!

So on my final lap around the school we ran into a bit of rain. So the students lined up their shoes and umbrellas in the hallway.

This woman was working to sweep the stairs. Her “Broom” is on the stairs near her feet. I’ve also learned that sometimes the Indian people will put a large swipe of the ash on their forehead to help keep them cool.

This is the instructor that will be participating in our Video Evaluation project. His name is Sivadasan and he’s been teaching at the school for about a year. He was a bit nervous to be video taped, but he seemed very grateful to have us working with him.

DOH! I’m such a dork! As we were walking up to the school of business we met one of the instructors and I can’t remember her name. I love the traditional clothing that the women wear. They all have such bright colors and detailed patterns (and I’m wearing an off-white polo shirt).

Man, I don’t know what I was thinking! I got up early so that I could everything ready to go, but it took a lot less time then I expected.

I had planned on wearing my traditional Indian shirt today, but it was too small. The sales person looked at me and said, “You need a size 44″. When I went to put it on It was a size 42. I packed up all my luggage so that I would have time to go back to the shop and get the right size.

Thanks to Kim, I was able to take advantage of the spare time to wake up my brain a little by doing a little Sudoku.

I also took another walk around the house and snapped this photo.

OH YEAH!!! So I stayed at the traveler’s “Hotel” when I had my layover in Chennai. I was surprised by the small room and thing mattress. Well, this is the mattress in my guest room. It’s the same size as the traveler’s hotel.

I’ve been on the road a bit here in India, and these Trike taxis seemed pretty scary. Riding on the roads is like going down a creek. There’s a current and a flow to it. Sometimes it’s moving fast, and sometimes it’s slow, but it’s always moving.

We stopped in for a bit of shopping and we were attacked. They started throwing out all there scarfs and shirts and whatever. If you showed a slight interest they just kept pulling out more items for you to be interested in. Everything seemed to be about 10% off.

Hey Look! It’s Sonic the Hedgehog shilling Italian Ice Creams. THAT’S GREAT!!!

We stopped by a Temple near a hospital on the way to dropping Helen off at the airport. These boys flocked to us. The tall one in the back said that he’s 14!