Chennai and My First Angel in India

Watching the Indians get off the plane in Chennai was such a contrast to what I was used to in Japan. As we were waiting to deboard, I saw people laughing and talking. I saw expressive people - so different from the reserved demeanor of the Japanese.

I feel amazingly prepared for the sensory onslaught and stimulation of India, mainly because it's a lot like the Philippines. I went through the culture shock when I went to the Philippines several years ago. In Chennai, pedestrians, bicycles, cars, buses, and rickshaws all share the road. Horns are constantly honking and people are approaching or yelling at me for one thing or another - for change or to be a rickshaw customer. Luckily Roslynn forewarned me of all this and I just walk forward looking ahead and when someone approaches me for something I don't want, I continue to look forward and bobble my head like Indians do. No one gives me a hard time at all.

My first outing in Chennai consisted of a long walk to the tourism office so I could get a city map and ask the best way to get to the Pondy Bazaar via public transport. Pondy Bazaar is located in Chennai and different from the city of Pondicherry. After getting the information, I made my way to the bus stop to catch the bus.

The bus was crowded when it pulled up to the stand. I noticed people boarding at the rear entrance, but many women were standing in the front, so I boarded in the front. Many, many,many stares. I wasn't sure when, to whom, or how much to pay, so after a while on the bus, I asked the driver, "Pondy Bazaar?" Next stop he said. He didn't stop right at the Pondy Bazaar but a nearby area and I'd have to walk. I asked how much I needed to pay and how I should pay. He didn't get the how part. Then a woman in a green sari told me, "You pay in the back," which was why people were boarding in the back when I got on. I gave her my 3 rupees to pass back. She asked me where I was going and when I told her, she said she was going there too and that she'd take me. When we got off the bus, it was too late for me to pay, so I got a free ride. The rupees were passed back to me before I got off. Oops. "It's ok," she said bobbling her head.

My first angel in India. I followed her to the Pondy Bazaar and told her I was looking for a bag/purse, contact lense solution, and textiles. She took me to different purse vendors. I felt bad because I wasn't finding what I wanted. She took me to an eye place where I bought contact lense solution and to a few more purse vendors. Since I wasn't finding what I wanted and didn't want to waste more of her time, I asked her where I could catch the bus home. She showed me. I thanked her. She put her hand on my arm, said "It's ok," and bobbled her head. After walking the entire length of the market and visiting a few more bag vendors, I found a bag that would do. I even bargained for it and a shirt that I bought too.