Day 1 -- trip to south India

First Stop: Chennai -- January 19

After getting quickly out the door and traversing a foggy Gurgaon, which led to a delayed flight, we headed south to Chennai, on India’s east coast.

Or course the departure experience wasn’t lacking in bad airport behavior. I will not miss the cutting in line business that seems so common here. As we were waiting to check in a small gap formed between us and two Asian men. In no time an Indian man from out of nowhere moved into the space!

The Asians looked like they didn’t know what to do so I told him they were in line – he had the grace to look embarrassed and find another line in which to cut.

Prior to boarding the plane the guy at the coffee stand shorted me 150 R – when I called him on it he was also quite sheepish. I may be foreign but math still works the same.

Our flight went fast; now Ava asks every time we get on an airplane if it’s going to be night time when we disembark.

Sunny, warm and breezy, palm trees and blue skies greeted us upon arrival – airport seemed nicer and less chaotic than Delhi’s (probably the case with most any airport).

Our driver for the 2 week south India trip was named Ramu. After a heated discussion with some Asians who ran into our car in the hotel parking lot, he and our guide gave us an overview of the city. (Not much damage done to the vehicle; apparently the Asians backed into it.)

We were told Chennai is the 4th largest city in India, with a large IT presence. It’s the “Detroit” of India w/ car manufacturing galore, silk industry is huge here too, emphasis on handicrafts, as in other parts of India. Seemed to be a very busy city. In the area rice, sugarcane and a wide array of fruits and vegetables are grown, we were told.

Fort St. George – seat of Tamil Nadu’s government -- was gray and non-descript from the outside, other government buildings alongside it, many crisp and white. The old train station is a mix of English, Mogul and Hindu architecture – a lovely big red and white building. St. Andrew’s Kirk was being restored, also lovely, white and airy. Other buildings we saw – many used by the government – were built in the colonial style in the 1930’s, when the English ruled.

We stopped at Basilica of St. Thomas, a pretty, white Minor Basilica with tomb of St. Thomas beneath. Inside a bride and groom were wrapping up photos; she had a gorgeous burgundy sari with white veil. Striking contrast. We later saw them having photos taken outside in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by gorgeous, brightly colored flowers.

Their car was decorated with flowers, too – a much nicer presentation than cans, I’ve decided.

The Basilica has a wooden ceiling, stained glass and white walls inside and out. Details:

The Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas is one of only three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle -- others are the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St.James in Spain.

St.Thomas came to India in 52 AD. After preaching on the West Coast, he came to Chennai (Madras) and suffered martyrdom on a hill at the outskirts of the city, today known as "St. Thomas Mount." His body was buried on the spot over which the present Basilica stands.

The church – Gothic in style -- is an architectural “treasure,” rising 155 feet from the ground, with a nave of 112 feet by 33 feet, and an imposing sanctuary 62 feet long and 33 feet wide. It is adorned with stained glass windows depicting St. Thomas and the other Apostles. Inside the sanctuary is a statue of St. Thomas seated.

A valuable work of art kept in the Basilica is an ancient painting of Our Blessed Mother, in front of which the other great apostle of India, St. Francis Xavier, used to pray.

We went to the tomb, very peaceful and simple, then walked through the museum, which houses old stone tablets, pieces of pottery, old Bibles in Latin and documents proclaiming the church a Basilica. (By Apostolic brief dated 16th March 1956, Pope Pius XII gloriously raised the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore to the dignity and rank of Minor Basilica.)

We then visited Kapaleeswarar Temple, Chennai’s largest Hindu temple and sight of many festivals. It, too, was lovely, clean and quiet, made of stone with brightly colored plaster figures of the gods. It dates from the 16th century, is a Shiva temple of Dravidian architecture (style that emerged thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent, consisting primarily of pyramid-shaped temples dependent on intricate carved stone to create a step design of numerous statues of deities, warriors, kings, and dancers).

Our city tour took us along the Esplanade – the 2nd longest beach in the world (13 km). (The longest is in Rio de Janeiro , we were told.) Here 200 people were killed during the December 26, 2004, tsunami. (10,000 people in the area died during the storm.)

For dinner we walked a block to a local restaurant our guide recommended. Walking a block in this case meant navigating around some kind of construction project in the middle of the “sidewalk” (a term I use loosely – most sidewalks here are dirt and host a flurry of activity at all times), not falling into a hole in concrete where sewer can be spotted (certainly smelled) below, and dodging bicyclists, motorcyclists, auto rickshaws, rickshaws etc. whilst maneuvering. Then crossing a street full of moving vehicles with a mass of people to ensure our safety, as I’m not sure what the “crosswalk” rhyme or reason was.

Dinner was good – spicy local fish dish. We were the only foreigners in the place; kids had Miranda and ice cream floats (Miranda = Fanta = orange soda, for which they’ve developed an addiction. Dentist would cringe). All for under $5.