We left our 4 star hotel in Calcutta this morning about 8:30. Atul went with us to the airport as he is flying home to the west side of India. The official JFHP part of our trip is now over and we are beginning the BCM ministry part. We went through the airport boarding process without difficulty and boarded the Jet Airways plane at 10:45 headed south to Chennai. We arrived about 1:30 and were met at the airport by the next host of our trip, Billy Graham Paulose. Yes, he is named after the famous evangelist. After loading all our luggage into and on top of two small buses we were taken into the city to a small restaurant for lunch, Most of us opted to order off the menu and get Chinese food except for Sam and Chuck who chose grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries. After lunch we went into the textile area of Chennai to shop for appropriate dresses. Apparently the area we are going to is very conservative Hindu and we must be dressed appropriately. The masses of people on the streets was unbelievable. Thousands and thousands crowding the streets so that the vehicles had trouble getting through. Add to that the very narrowness of the streets and it's a madhouse. Exiting the bus I was hit by the smell of the area. Odors of food from street side vendors mixed with the odors of the people! We pushed our way through the masses into the store where it was as crowded as the street. The clothing floors of this store are absolutely crammed full of rows and rows and shelfs of clothing and material of every kind, including a small selection of jeans and t-shirts. Other floors had electronics, housewares, food, etc. Although nearly every woman we've seen here is wearing saris of some type we have seen a very, very small number wearing western (american/european, not cowboy) dress. The women were separated from the men, assigned some of the store assistants and taken to different floors to shop. I am obviously larger than most of the women here so after attempting to try on some of the ready made outfits (long shirts or dresses split up the side with loose ballooning pants underneath) we finally found one that would fit. I even looked at sari's but learning how to put them on with the detail in wrapping them would be nearly impossible in the short time we are here. Some of the women picked outfits that had the sleeves pinned onto the back of the dress but had to be sewn on. Many of them were that way. None of us really know why but we had to wait for the store tailor to do that. The hour we waited for all of that to be done we either stood inside the front of the store where there was a good breeze from the fans over the doors, or sat out on the store steps watching all the people. Finally, about 7 pm we were able to leave the store and start our way to our next destination, Chidambaram, a 6 hour drive south.
Attempting to sleep on the way here was next to impossible, except for Chuck who snored away. The ride was rough with frequent sudden stops, swerves, and bumps in the road. It took us nearly 2 hours just to get out of the city of Chennai...no interstate roads! And, it was hot and muggy. Finally arriving in Chidambaram about 12:30 a.m. we had to dodge the cows in the road several times before pulling up to the gate of the hotel. A fairly small, back out of the way building. While standing in the lobby while our luggage was being unloaded I saw a mouse scamper across the floor. There is a working elevator, thank goodness as we are on the 2nd floor....the lobby area is "ground" floor. When we opened the old wooden door to our room I had to breathe deeply and say a prayer. Dixon came down the hall from his room and said "hang in there". It is better than our room in Tena in the Amazon jungle by a little bit. At least there is a ceiling fan and an air conditioner. No toilet paper in the bathroom so we had to get out what we had brought until someone from the hotel came and brought some. We are very tired so will attempt to sleep. I don't know when we can send this. I'm not sure we'll have internet anymore until we arrive back at one of the airports on the trip home.
Attempting to sleep on the way here was next to impossible, except for Chuck who snored away. The ride was rough with frequent sudden stops, swerves, and bumps in the road. It took us nearly 2 hours just to get out of the city of Chennai...no interstate roads! And, it was hot and muggy. Finally arriving in Chidambaram about 12:30 a.m. we had to dodge the cows in the road several times before pulling up to the gate of the hotel. A fairly small, back out of the way building. While standing in the lobby while our luggage was being unloaded I saw a mouse scamper across the floor. There is a working elevator, thank goodness as we are on the 2nd floor....the lobby area is "ground" floor. When we opened the old wooden door to our room I had to breathe deeply and say a prayer. Dixon came down the hall from his room and said "hang in there". It is better than our room in Tena in the Amazon jungle by a little bit. At least there is a ceiling fan and an air conditioner. No toilet paper in the bathroom so we had to get out what we had brought until someone from the hotel came and brought some. We are very tired so will attempt to sleep. I don't know when we can send this. I'm not sure we'll have internet anymore until we arrive back at one of the airports on the trip home.
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