Walking in Chennai..

I've been taking more walks now -- I feel that walking is the best way to see the city. So waking up early on Monday, sensing that it would be a warm day, I took a walk to the City Center.  Another 1/3 mile would take me to the beach -- but I just turned around.  Perhaps on Friday?  For lunch, I decided to walk to the bakery below Kabul that I saw.  Still want to find a good baguette in Chennai!  They don't have any.  They do have some puff pastry rolls and pies.  The shopowner (I assume) was very helpful and chatty.  I asked her about a number of policewomen that I saw while walking there; she said that they are traffic police!  It's like one station at every 10 meters!  The traffic still looks the same though...

On the way back, I stopped at Nigiris, a convenience store that we as a team frequently visited for western food. Saw Nutella there -- got to tell Fred and Jana. I walked down every aisle (not that many), and looked at every item in the store. Chatted with a couple from Switzerland, who has a "winter" house here in Chennai. The husband is an Indian, retired engineer, with a Malaysian wife (who thought that I'm Malaysian also -- got that a lot, non-VN they think I am). I settled for a couple cups of noodle. Tangy Chicken (but it has masala and just as spicy as you can get). I practically stayed in my room after that; enjoying 5th cross street from the balcony of my room. Had one cup of noodles as my dinner -- that's good enough for today. Fred did find Nutella at Big Bazaar in Express Avenue Mall -- a big, shiny mall, not too far from here. I looked up Google Maps for its location and how to get there-- another destination for me tomorrow!



Early Tuesday morning found me walking north on CIT Colony II Main Road (as supposed to CIT Colony I Main Road - the street naming system can be strange, as if there's a competition) toward Express Avenue Mall. The traffic at 6AM is fairly light -- I can cross the street safely. There were some early morning joggers and walkers; a few men in sarong (?) standing around watching me walking by (and snapping pictures..). It's fairly easy to get to the mall -- It took me a brisk 20'. However, it is definitely not a pedestrian-friendly walk! The Gowdia Mutt Road (extension of TTK) is strewn with .. well.. not PC at all for describing.  May be that's why I was fast -- practically running away whenever I saw one.  So I don't think I want to walk there any more -- the walk to the beach is better.  I returned to the apartment within the hour to be on time for  Yoga -- om, it's time for calmness ...



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