Hey guys, really sorry about the delay in posting but the last while’s been a bit hectic, have had assignments etc. keeping me busy have had three articles and numerous photos published which is great and I’ll touch on them again later!!!


So I finished last time having just boarded the flight. The flight itself was as uneventful as flights tend to be; certainly nothing happened that would amount to interesting reading anyway. Of course on arrival I was treated to the customary nail biting 45 minute wait for my luggage associated with any journey from Heathrow airport, but luckily on this occasion my bag arrived safely.

Having been warned that I’d be overwhelmed by the intensity of the people, the heat and the smell, I was almost disappointed when stepping out of the airport main doors at four in the morning that I was not badgered by five hundred people but twenty, that I wasn’t drenched in sweat but instead stepped out to an extremely enjoyable 20°C and instead of a pungent aroma stinging my nostrils a pleasant salty breeze conjured images of clean white sandy beaches.


Then it was just a case of loading my bag, and eleven English girls’ bags, on to the roof of the small mini-bus that was taking us to the YWCA international guesthouse, where I’d be staying for a few days before moving to my long-term accommodation. The bus journey was interesting, it gave me my first real taste of India and it was interesting to see that the city was still a bustle of activity at that late hour in the night. We passed several fruit stalls on the side of the streets and numerous chai and food stops that were still vending at that late hour.

We arrived at the guesthouse, a quaint little building in a large leafy compound, in fact if it weren’t for the sound of traffic you’d have no idea it was in the thick of things; within walking distance of the Chennai train station and central business district. Although slightly jazzed up at the prospect of being in a new country I did eventually make it to my room and get to sleep with thoughts of exploring the city the next day running through my head.