#ibmcsc India 14
Again, another experience not to be missed when you're in Chennai: shopping in the rain. So our Saturday plan is to do some exploration at Marina Beach, then meet with Sangeetha, who works for Susanna's NGO at 2-ish. Then she will show us the local shops and tailors -- none of the high-end tourissy place like FabIndia or City Center...
Susanna, Martin, Dilminder and I walked to the beach -- in 45'. Not that it's a long way. Just dodging traffic and potholes slowed us down. The sun was shining! Finally. It was fairly warm and the beach is .. practically .. deserted.. We actually did not get to walk on the sand.. just this nice long paved path... Some curious school girls from the nearby Queen Mary's College ventured over and struck somewhat one-sided conversation. Susanna got an ice cream bar from a pushcart. Kudos to her for supporting the local business.
As we walked on northward, the sky is darker and so Dilminder and Martin decided to go back. We, the women of IBM CSC India 14, went on to see some more memorials and parks. There was a group of 8th graders on field trip wanting to take pictures with us. And so we were, part of a tourist attraction as well. Rain started to pour, and just about time that Sangeetha called Susanna for the meeting location.
We got into a rickshaw -- no shelter from the rain there, since the backseat's was wet! After 20' of maneuvering over the traffic of Chennai (in the rain -- you know what I mean ..) we got off to relieve the driver of having to hustle for a few more feet. No ideas where we were, and whether it was the right place, we seek shelter in a major store, Saravana. There are several stories of fabrics, clothes, ready-to-wear saris, salwars. I was pretty tired and naturally grumpy when wet and hungry. Luckily, I did make a sandwich so hunger wasn't a problem. Couldn't do much about the wet bottom -- just had to wait (and you can tell that it's not going to be any drier quicker with the rain and humidity...).
After several miscommunication conversations later, we found out that Sangeetha was waiting for us too at a different Saravana shop! There are like 3-4 of them.. Geez... Anyway, after meeting Sangeetha, we thought that the trip was worth it. She took us to some "hotel" (restaurant) for a nice meal of dosa and coffee (100 rupees total -- more expensive since it's in an A/C room) . Susanna ordered a mosambi juice -- sweet lime but tasted like sugar-cane juice. A bit tepid. I had a sip, then worried afterward, whether it was wise or not.. So far (16 hours later as of now..) so good.. After the tummy was happy, we were led to some fabric store, after navigating thru streets full of potholes (water...) and people. This is a real authentic local Indian shopping experience! The shop was full of fabric, and you can get really confused here. I quickly pointed to some display items and purchased 3 sets! I should be more well-dressed as an Indian now! Susanna and Jana took a bit longer, but we all walked out of the shop very happy. Sangeetha then introduced us to Master Suresh -- her favorite tailor. We were measured from head to knee. Apparently, the pants (salwar) are one-size fit all! I wanted to have the dress (tunic rather) lined, and with zippered. I was amazed at how inexpensive that was -- 3 complete set of tailored salwar kameez, beautiful fabric: only 2500 rupees total! around $50! Less than a simple blouse at Talbot's! No wonder people here are so well-dressed! Outside of the shop, I quickly snapped pictures to make sure we can remember the location (in addition to the business card!). Hopefully, we can find it back again today at 5pm!
More pictures for your enjoyment:
Again, another experience not to be missed when you're in Chennai: shopping in the rain. So our Saturday plan is to do some exploration at Marina Beach, then meet with Sangeetha, who works for Susanna's NGO at 2-ish. Then she will show us the local shops and tailors -- none of the high-end tourissy place like FabIndia or City Center...
Susanna, Martin, Dilminder and I walked to the beach -- in 45'. Not that it's a long way. Just dodging traffic and potholes slowed us down. The sun was shining! Finally. It was fairly warm and the beach is .. practically .. deserted.. We actually did not get to walk on the sand.. just this nice long paved path... Some curious school girls from the nearby Queen Mary's College ventured over and struck somewhat one-sided conversation. Susanna got an ice cream bar from a pushcart. Kudos to her for supporting the local business.
As we walked on northward, the sky is darker and so Dilminder and Martin decided to go back. We, the women of IBM CSC India 14, went on to see some more memorials and parks. There was a group of 8th graders on field trip wanting to take pictures with us. And so we were, part of a tourist attraction as well. Rain started to pour, and just about time that Sangeetha called Susanna for the meeting location.
We got into a rickshaw -- no shelter from the rain there, since the backseat's was wet! After 20' of maneuvering over the traffic of Chennai (in the rain -- you know what I mean ..) we got off to relieve the driver of having to hustle for a few more feet. No ideas where we were, and whether it was the right place, we seek shelter in a major store, Saravana. There are several stories of fabrics, clothes, ready-to-wear saris, salwars. I was pretty tired and naturally grumpy when wet and hungry. Luckily, I did make a sandwich so hunger wasn't a problem. Couldn't do much about the wet bottom -- just had to wait (and you can tell that it's not going to be any drier quicker with the rain and humidity...).
After several miscommunication conversations later, we found out that Sangeetha was waiting for us too at a different Saravana shop! There are like 3-4 of them.. Geez... Anyway, after meeting Sangeetha, we thought that the trip was worth it. She took us to some "hotel" (restaurant) for a nice meal of dosa and coffee (100 rupees total -- more expensive since it's in an A/C room) . Susanna ordered a mosambi juice -- sweet lime but tasted like sugar-cane juice. A bit tepid. I had a sip, then worried afterward, whether it was wise or not.. So far (16 hours later as of now..) so good.. After the tummy was happy, we were led to some fabric store, after navigating thru streets full of potholes (water...) and people. This is a real authentic local Indian shopping experience! The shop was full of fabric, and you can get really confused here. I quickly pointed to some display items and purchased 3 sets! I should be more well-dressed as an Indian now! Susanna and Jana took a bit longer, but we all walked out of the shop very happy. Sangeetha then introduced us to Master Suresh -- her favorite tailor. We were measured from head to knee. Apparently, the pants (salwar) are one-size fit all! I wanted to have the dress (tunic rather) lined, and with zippered. I was amazed at how inexpensive that was -- 3 complete set of tailored salwar kameez, beautiful fabric: only 2500 rupees total! around $50! Less than a simple blouse at Talbot's! No wonder people here are so well-dressed! Outside of the shop, I quickly snapped pictures to make sure we can remember the location (in addition to the business card!). Hopefully, we can find it back again today at 5pm!
More pictures for your enjoyment:
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