Chennai!

palm trees! 

(just FYI: you can click on the pics to get big, high res versions)

Ahh...South India!

So we finally took the flight out of Delhi to head over to Chennai, where my mom's younger brother and their family resides. It was cool being able to arrive in Chennai NOT jet-lagged like we always do. We touched down into Tamil Nadu at about 11:00 and were able to fall asleep as soon as we got home. Unfortunately, I managed to develop slight rhinitis (nose issues...sneezing, sniffling, the works) and had a stuffy nose by the time we got there. I should probably introduce to you my family members. In Chennai, there are four people, a dog, and a cat. 

Pavan = my uncle (mother's brother)

Sudha = my aunt (his wife)

Poojitha = my cousin (daughter)

Naveen = my cousin (son)

Jimmy = the dog, who is also female. I know this because she had puppies the last time I went to India.

Brownie = the cat who is supposed to be male but I was never able to confirm this.

Here are some of us:

While I was in Chennai, I was slightly sick for a while, but this was to be expected since I get sick every time I visit India. This is mainly due to the microbe infested water and my unprepared immune system. But apart from this, Chennai was utterly fabulous, especially because of the weather. If Delhi was a bit chilly, Chennai was absolutely perfect. It was 75 degrees, sunny, and breezy. During the summer, when we usually go, it is usually about 98 degrees + ridiculous humidity. Therefore, we took this pleasant weather to our advantage and finished most of our shopping within a few days. I remembered to take some photos during shopping:

Here, we are enjoying some raw mango. 

Jewellery stores! Where we get most of our gold.

Nalli's and Pothys, where people go to buy clothing, dress materials, and saris. There is usually a lot of rush. 

And this, my friends, is Saravana Stores. Remember that place I was telling you about in a previous post, the one where the A/C broke and we were basically trapped on the 7th floor between hundreds of sweating people, unable to locate our parents? This is the place. No, we did not step into it this time. I made it a point to buy shoes elsewhere this time :D

Anyway, after being tourists in Delhi for five days, being home was relaxing. Here (and in the very first picture), my brother and I while away our time on the roof of our Chennai house. But in just a few days, we would pack ourselves into a small car and drive all the way to Vinjamur, my mother's hometown in Andhra Pradesh. Keep checking back, because it only gets more interesting after this!