Mayhem in Madras

Dibley has arrived in India. I understand that no one is really reading this to hear my ponderings on human nature, my radical views on how to tackle the disressing and abject poverty that now surrounds me or the new found spiritualism i discovered whilst being welcomed into the temple on the corner of my street for some sweet and sticky cinnamon rice and a dance around a giant Ganesh carving draped in flower garlands, instead I will tell you the story of checking in with 1 minute to spare (close even by my standards), and the most aggressive traffic I have ever seen, with a little smattering of rats, cockroaches, insect bites and a couple of bruises. Actually I can't  tell you about the bruises because I don't know how I got them, other than the general hussle and bustle of this overwhelmingly mad, busy, loud, well meaning, friendly, noisy, smelly city!

Arrival was reasonably smooth by my terms. Got the visa, got to the airport, Emirates wouldn't let me check in because I'd changed my destination and my ticket had not been reissued by the travel agent. I call the travel agent, they apologise and say they'll reissue immediately. 20 minutes later no ticket, and I'm still not checked in. The check in manager calls the travel agent, they apologise again and say they're definitely going to do it this time. 'Good' says check in manager because we're closing the flight in 30 mins. 20  minutes later and I am still not checked in and I call the travel agent again and I am in a queue of 2 people waiting to get through. When I speak to someone again it is only 4 minutes from when the flight is closing, I am not crying...yet, then they suggest putting me on hold while they find out why it hasn't been done......I say 'No please stay on the line until it is done.....' with one minute to spare the ticket is reissued and I am checked in. No need to panic there then. One small tear of joy, before I see the queue at security, quick jog through the airport and we're off.

I arrive in Chennai (formerly Madras) at 8.30am. Greeted by a wall of hot and humid air, and surrounded by a statue of every god known to Hinduism. Immigration is a breeze, I sail into a taxi and they even drop me off at the hostel I ask for, the first time. I get checked in, everyone is really friendly, the place is clean and feels safe, happy travels!! Day one starts with some leisurely napping, wandering and practicing not getting run over. It is a fine art in this city, where had been warned by guidebooks, travel blogs, and even my taxi driver on route to Gatwick that the traffic was crazy in Chennai. Buses have priority because they are the biggest. Cars have second right of way because the people in them earn the most money, but the people on bikes, motor bikes and most importantly auto rickshaws don't really care about any of this and think they can fit into the tiniest pockets of road, even if it is a pocket of road that me, the poor pedestrian with no rights, is already standing in. WATCH OUT. Look left look right, look left and right again, set off hear a beep, hear a second and third more aggressive beep step back, then try again. (Don't worry mum honestly I'm fine)

Had an evening out and ate my first Thali platter, bread, rice, lentils, veg curry, pickles very tasty. Washed down with a mango lassi, and Indian sweets which are like mini round donuts soaked in syrup and served in a pool of syrup. Not sure what they're called yet but they're really yummy. Headed back to the hostel (with my two hostel buddies, Anna and Stacey) in a rickshaw with a quick stop at the Ramakrishna temple. We were met by a verh friendly lady explaining that today was the first day of a Ganesh festival. There was blessed food in the temple which she offered to us, and showed us where we could sit a watch the statue of Ganesh being blessed. We then walked on a bit further toward the hostel and found another temple at the corner of our road where they were blessing Ganesh. Four guys had a massive carving balanced on their shoulders and we're dancing the statue into the temple. We started taking pictures, but one of the priests started waving and shaking his hand. I thought he didn't want us to take pictures, but he wanted us to join in. He took us into the temple,  showed us the musicians, made sure we had a great place to watch, and we were given more blessed food. This time a cinnamon flavoured sticky rice pudding, loving the food!

Day 2 was another packed full of Ganesh, temples and interesting smells. We walked to the local Kapaleeswarar Temple,  and again were greeted by friendly locals eager to explain all of the local customs. Unusual custom number one, cracking coconuts outside the temple,  but also offering whole coconuts to the gods inside the temple. Aparently the coconut is a symbol of the ego, you must humble yourself by breaking your ego before going into the temple. It is also a symbol of good luck. Giving it to a god means you will be blessed with good luck.....I'll have to try that one sometime!

The temple is beautiful  and has a large 'Gopuram Tower' covered in ornate carving and images of the gods.

More food......for lunch I had my first genuine south Indian Dosa. Rice flour pancakes, stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes,  and served with coconut chutney, chilli chutney, and a thin spiced tomato/onion broth. For those of you who havn't experienced this delight and don't intend to brave the insanity of Chennai, there are a couple of restaurants on Tooting high street that serve a pretty good version of Dosa! 

We spent the sfternoon on a walking tour through the Bazaar in Georgetown. It's quite hard to out into words this multisensory experience....the noise is loud. Horns hooting constantly, talking, shouting, children playing, the sound of the traffic, the sound of music coming from the corner temple.....the list goes on....The smells range from rancid and rotting food that is strewn into every corner,  with the occasional rat and cockroaches poking about, to the intense fragrances of insence wafting down the street. Market stalls continually prepare flower garlands to wear in hair or offer at the temple, all with a distinct fresh flower smell....then there are the food smells. Frying oil, heavily spiced sauces and curries, shops selling coffee and ranges of spices that i've never even heard of let alone know what to do with.......! Apparently they're not for cooking but for making your face more pale.....and getting rid of facial hair.