Top 3 reasons why my life sucks when mama bhatia reads my blog.

3. She wouldn't give me a birthday present because she thought I'd spend it all at Ruby Tuesdays. Umm, that was like a one-time thing...and it wasn't the entire check. That would have been a lot of bbq chicken quesadillas and they weren't that good!

2. She freaks out about events (ie, thefts) two and a half weeks after they happen with no actual constructive advice or help ("Don't stay out late in Delhi" doesn't count as helpful. I had my wallet stolen in Bangalore).

1. She thinks that I don't know that she reads my blog (hello, Google Analytics!) and makes coy comments in casual conversation. Recently she called to say, "I heard you were in Pondicherry." It's like, hello, I CALLED you from Pondicherry!


*Mama, please stop reading my blog. Trust me, you won't miss anything...it's just a lot of rambling and rambling and well, more rambling. Btw, I heart you. :)

To everyone else, please leave comments :)

A few things that make Chennai wayyy more than just a really humid & sticky city in the South.

5. The Crocodile Park & Snake "Milking" Station. About an hour outside the city is this very random crocodile park with crocs from around the world. The sheer numbers of crocodiles in one area was just plain gross, even though I thought they were maybe possibly fake...no such luck. Next to it (not technically part of it, because you actually have to buy a separate ticket) is a snake milking station which is a co-op with the local tribes people. It is kinda cool- the tribes people make money by collecting poisonous snakes and then give them to the milking center where the snake venom is collected (milking is the correct term, I suppose) to be made into anti-venom treatments. Win, win situation if you ask me.

4. SistaK's Guest House. Her words not mine! :) Kirsten's place and hospitality were the perfect place to end my 2+ week through the south. From cookin up fresh pancakes to treating me to Iddly on the beach for my birthday, Kirsten made Chennai a wonderful place...yes, apparently there are wonderful places in South India, too. ;) Also, I was able to be there for her DVD release party (learn more about Kirsten's project), which was awesome and super motivating and officially made me want to work again. Thank God for small favors.

3. The Beach! It ain't no Goa...but it ain't no Puri either. Elliot's Beach in Besant Nagar, in South Chennai is just great. The cool breeze that hits you as you walk down along the beach, freshly cooked corn, fortune tellers with parrots as their assistants (long story for another day), fisherman boats and even a roller skating rink for the little kids. Precious.

2. Madras Terrace House, Amethyst & the Chocolate Lab. Really great spaces tucked away in gullys or behind walls in random neighborhoods. The best kept secrets are the best places to spend an afternoon...or many...and probably way too many rupees, but, um, whatever.

1. Sheer proximity to Kerala. I was so close. So so close. (Kerala is supposedly the most beautiful place in India and I've never ever been). One night in Chennai I had a delicious Keralan dinner including appam, an amazing bread that reminds me of the Ethiopian bread, Injera, and a meat dish that rhymed with "Leaf." Mmmmm. Thinking about this again is making me crave it...any Keralan restaurant recs in Delhi?!?

Reasons I'd still move to Bangalore despite the disaster that was having my wallet (and everything inside the wallet, as well) stolen...

7. Kind (but sadly, inefficient) popos. Post wallet drama, I realized I had to fill out a police report so I could obtain a new OCI card (I know, I'm an idiot). I arrived at the nearly empty station, where I found the police men were all super friendly and helpful and had me fill out a "form" right away. This included the kind Sir scrambling around for a few minutes before pulling out a crumbled piece of blank white paper on which I was supposed to "write a report." I started writing and immediately was told that my report was being written "incorrectly." He corrected me and then after a few minutes, I handed over the "report" to him and he proceeded to re-write the "official" report...the worst part was, he had to write it three separate times so that everyone could have a copy. Too bad they haven't discovered carbon paper.

6. Bhagatram's galab jamun. How many times have I written about Galab Jamun on this blog? Need I say more? Oh it was also just 12 Rs. for two steaming hot pieces of delicousness.

5. Home bus ticket delivery from redBus. Probably the most efficient thing in India...I ordered the ticket from a really easy-to-use website, received a text and follow-up phonecall in less than 2 minutes and then paid 20 Rs. for the ticket to be delivered to my hotel. Um, perfect?

4. The possibility of (re)realizing my dream to (re)own a pink scooty. The traffic isn't so bad, the roads are filled with two wheelers and auto rickshaw drivers are sorta mean and don't know Hindi. Seems like a done deal to me.

3. Friends of friends. I had such a fun time hanging out with friends of friends on this trip and I think it's half the reason I liked every city I went to. From Mumbai to Chennai I've wined and dined with friends of friends. (Thanks, Caro for sharing all your wonderful friends). Also a shout out to Kirsten for being such a fun host in Chennai!

2. Google Maps work amazingly! Literally, the rickshaw driver didn't ever know where I wanted to go, but would stop random people on the street to ask them directions...this one time, it happened to be a poor foreigner who looked at me and said, "Don't you have GPS? Use it. It's amazing in this city." Boy, was he write. Thanks Google Maps for not making me (super) late to any of my interviews!

1. Soft H20= no hair fall. Um, I don't think a single hair fell off my head in Bangalore. The water was super soft. I think I'd put money on Bangalore water being the best water in India...seriously, my hair hasn't felt this good since November 11th (when I left the States to return to India). Even Pondy can't compete...now that's a surprise. Maybe anti-hair fall shampoos should just say "Move to Bangalore." :)


That's all for now. Sorry, this post was a little behind, but has been sitting in my head ready to be written for quite awhile.

Anyway, holla from Pondicherry (or Pondy to those in the "know")...