Chennai

Ok. I've regained my senses. I'm not going to hang around here any longer than I have to.

Chennai is the 4th largest city in India, with over 6 million people. It's the largest city in the south, and is -hot-, and sweaty. Oh, and dirty.

I went to HigginBothams, a large bookstore today, read a Rough Guide to South India for inspiration/travel info, and checked out the computer science textbooks upstairs... It's really cool. All the publishers seem to produce special editions of textbooks for Asia... at cut prices. My Computer Security textbook by Perlman cost around 45 bucks in the US - and sells here (in paperback form) for 7 dollars. Sweet eh? They only had 3 security books, and I have them all already, or i'd send a few back home.

There isn't that much to do here -and it's so hot, that I don't really want to just go wandering. So i've mainly spent my time enjoying the dirt cheap broadband access (30 cents per hour), calling all my banks in the US to sort out my affairs, and then this evening, went to a film.

Saw the Island (pretty decent film), at the best cinema in town.. My 1st class ticket (hah, they have different classes of cinema ticket) cost me 2 dollars. For a digital projected film with THX.

The only downside, was that Indians have no shame... cellphones went off during the film, and about 4 minutes before the end, people started walking out (to avoid the post-movie rush)..

Anyhow. The current plan is that i'm going to leave tomorrow morning, and head a few hours away, to a beach town south of here. After a day or two there, i'll head to Pondicherry.

I think i'm going to just head south, and follow the coast south/west through the state of Tamil Nadu, and then on to Kerela (which is supposed to be mind blowingly beautiful).

Oh yes.. there are perks here. At least in Chennai, "The Hindu", the newspaper I buy, seems to copy half its editorials and world news from the UK guardian.. and is a steal, at 2.5 rupees (approx 5 cents).

And no food poisoning yet (although, that could be because of the antibiotics that i'm taking for my nasty cough).